Chapter Seventeen
Lord Voldemort sat silently drumming his fingers on the table in front of him as he stared at Lucius Malfoy with narrowed eyes. Lucius had just finished reporting on his progress. Lord Voldemort brought his hands to his mouth and pressed his fingertips together. "And you are certain Pietro is telling the truth?" he questioned.
Lucius nodded. "Yes, my Lord."
Lord Voldemort scrutinized him for a moment before saying, "Very well. I do not want this matter dropped, however. Keep your eyes on Pietro."
"Yes, my Lord."
"Do not let your friendship with him cloud your judgement, Lucius," Voldemort said. Then he added softly to himself, "There is something about that daughter of his."
He believed the report Lucius had given him, but there was still something that did not sit well with him. Two prophecies now told of his death. True; he had taken measures many years ago that would ensure his survival, but he could not abide by any threat to his life. He would live forever and anything that threatened that needed dealing with. Of course, it is easier to deal with a threat when one knows what it is, he thought.
The prophecy about the Potter boy had been easy enough to figure out. It was practically a children's book in his opinion. But this other prophecy… That one remains a mystery. And it was no wonder he suspected Zabini's daughter; whisked away and hidden like she was. Anyone who had heard what he had would suspect her. Pietro's story was convincing, however.
Pietro Zabini had a knack for keeping a cool head under pressure. It was for that, and many others, reason that Voldemort had brought him into his most inner circle. He trusted no one, but he rewarded those that were faithful and showed their loyalty; which Pietro had. That was why he had chosen Pietro for the task of locating and disposing of this Bearer.
However, it had been over seventeen years since he had given Pietro that task and there had been no results; no progress. He'd needed to resort to other means of getting what he wanted. "What progress has Draco made?"
Lucius looked a little nervous at the mention of Draco. "I… I must confess, my Lord, Draco seems… troubled."
Lord Voldemort eyed him thoughtfully, tilting his head ever so slightly. "Perhaps he is not up to the task," he suggested.
Panic crossed over Lucius' face at those words. "No, no… My Lord, he can do it," he stammered quickly, "He is just young and hesitant. He will not fail you. I assure you."
His red eyes narrowed darkly. "He had better not, Lucius. If he does; he will not be the only one to pay for his failure."
The noise in the Great Hall was as loud as ever as everyone feasted. Everyone was catching up with the friends they had not seen all summer or busily chatting with the ones they had seen about the things they had done together. Some were probably even talking about the unexpected engagement of Draco and Hermione, and Hermione's sudden change in appearance.
No one was discussing it directly, of course. It was being done in whispers behind the backs of the discussed. Draco found it quite annoying, but he wasn't surprised. Nothing at Hogwarts was kept secret, and he and Hermione were prime news. He, for their engagement, and she, for the reality of her being a Zabini and their engagement.
He looked up from his plate and saw that from where he was sitting, he had a clear shot of Hermione. He was pleased by that and took advantage of it, glancing up to look at her as often as he could.
She looked particularly pretty tonight. Her eyes were shining with laughter at something Ginny had just said and, despite the fact that he knew she was nervous about all the stares and whispers, she seemed relaxed and at ease. That wasn't unusual though, considering she was always more relaxed and ease when surrounded by her friends. He had always noticed that about her.
"You know, pictures last longer, mate," Blaise teased quietly.
Draco snapped out of his daze and looked at Blaise with a smirk. "You're just jealous because my fiancée is here for me to stare at and yours isn't," he said.
"You're damn right I'm jealous," Blaise stated with a laugh, "but seeing you make mushy faces at my sister is just… well, not fair."
Draco laughed heartily and took the last bite of his dinner. "So when does the fair Miss Graphook join us here at Hogwarts?" he asked.
Blaise sighed and poked his lip out for a moment. "Not until after we're married. Her father is remaining adamant that she stays at Beauxbatons until then."
"What house do you suppose she'll be sorted into?"
"Ravenclaw," Blaise replied without thought. "She's wicked brilliant."
"Are you talking about that lovely girl from Beauxbatons that was at your birthday ball?"
Draco and Blaise looked ahead of them and saw that Pansy had squeezed herself between Crabbe and McNair, successfully blocking his view of Hermione. "Not that it's any of your business, Parkinson," Blaise said, "but yes."
"She's a lovely girl, Blaise; you're quite a lucky bloke to be marrying her."
"Was there something you wanted, Parkinson?" Draco asked with a bored expression.
Pansy gave him her best pout as she said, "I just wanted to apologize for my behavior at Blaise's birthday. I was rude and childish and that sort of behavior is unbecoming of a young lady such as myself."
Blaise scoffed quietly and muttered, "Young lady my back side."
Draco hid a small smile and kept a steady eye on Pansy as he said, "I find it very hard to believe that any of what you just said was sincere. You've always hated Hermione and you would do anything to win my affections but let me enlighten you to something, Pansy…" he leaned forward and rested his arms on the table as he continued, "I'm not a prize to be won. That's the way you've always treated me and quite frankly, it's disgusting. I'll never be yours so you need to get that through your head and leave me alone."
With nothing else to be said, Draco stood up and walked away from the table, leaving Blaise laughing and Pansy scowling after him. He didn't, for one second, think that Pansy was as idiotic as she made herself seem. She had intentionally forced herself between Crabbe and McNair so that he couldn't look at Hermione. She was so annoyingly persistent that he was beginning to think that he would have to resort to something drastic in order to get her to back off.
He glanced at the Ravenclaw table and caught eyes with Astoria. She batted her lashes at him briefly with a smile meant only for him. He nodded at her, his face giving nothing away and continued toward the doors of the Great Hall.
Just as he reached the door to the Great Hall, he heard the familiar glass tapping of Professor McGonagall. Knowing that Professor Dumbledore was about to speak to the students, Draco paused and turned to listen.
"An excellent feast, as always," Professor Dumbledore said. "Now, seeing as we are all well feed and our thirst is quenched, I believe it is time for everyone to be in bed. Prefects, if you will please escort the first years to the dormitories… I would like a word with our Head Boy and Girl before they make way to their dormitory please."
All at once the students began chatting again as they stood up and made their way out of the Great Hall. Draco made his way through the crowd up to the staff table where he was joined by Hermione. Dumbledore smiled at the two of them and motioned for them to follow him.
The three of them walked out of the Great Hall by means of a side door and into the corridor. They walked in silence until they came to another door where Dumbledore paused and turned to look at them. "No doubt the two of you have had an interesting summer holiday," he said with a light chuckle.
Hermione nodded and said, "Yes sir, to say the least."
Dumbledore inclined his head in agreement. "Something tells me that the summer was just the beginning of an extraordinary string of events that the two of you shall face together," he said thoughtfully.
"I've heard that married life is an adventure all in itself," Draco said.
"Yes, I have heard that as well, Draco however, that is not what I am referring to."
Hermione looked at him questioningly. "Sir?"
"I believe you know to what I am referring," he said with a knowing look. "However, this is not the place to discuss the matter. Let us continue our walk to your dormitory."
Dumbledore opened the door they were standing in front of and led them through it. "How did you like it at Zabini Mansion, Hermione?" he asked.
Hermione cleared her throat before saying, "It was definitely different, Professor. I rather think I'll never get used to living so lavishly."
"And am I correct in assuming that you were not fond of living with a family served by a house elf?"
"Well, I can't say I truly liked that aspect, but I did see how kindly Gripa is treated by my family and everyone else in the house so that made it a bit easier."
"Mr. Zabini has offered to pay her many times since Blaise mentioned your stand on elvish welfare," Draco said suddenly.
Hermione stopped short and looked at Draco with stars in her eyes. "He has?"
Draco gave her a small smile and nodded. "Yes, but of course, she refuses."
Dumbledore chuckled lightly. "Yes, house elves are quite adamant about staying true to their heritage; though you do find an odd duck every once in awhile," he said.
Hermione smiled, knowing that he was referring to Dobby, an eccentric house elf fiercely loyal to Harry, and formerly under the control of the Malfoy family. "Yes."
"Now I would like to ask you how the Prefect meeting went on the train here."
"I think it went quite well," Hermione answered.
"Yes, although there is a Prefect I would like to discuss with you, sir," Draco added.
Dumbledore glanced at him as he asked, "Is it someone you would care to discuss at present, or privately?"
Hermione looked at Draco questioningly as he answered, "Privately, if you please."
"Very well, shall we speak in my office tomorrow morning before classes begin?"
"Thank you, sir," Draco agreed.
Dumbledore nodded his head in response and came to a stop in front of a large painting of a Griffin. "This is where the two of you will be living this year while you are at Hogwarts. I think you will both find the accommodations quite comfortable. The password is 'eternity'."
Draco raised an eyebrow. "Eternity?"
The painting swung forward and revealed the small hallway behind it that led into the common room. "I thought it would be fitting considering your pending marriage," Dumbledore stated with a slight nod. "Now, it is getting late and there is much to do tomorrow. Here is a list of the passwords for the houses, as well as the current password to my office. I trust you will guard them carefully?"
"Yes, Sir," they answered in unison as Draco took the piece of parchment from him.
Dumbledore smiled and clapped his hands together. "Well then, I bid you a good night."
Hermione and Draco nodded and climbed through the large hole in the wall. As the painting swung closed, Dumbledore smiled sadly and whispered, "I hope those two remain strong through everything that is going to happen over the course of this year."
Hermione's jaw dropped as she and Draco entered the common room of their dormitory. Everything was so elegant and yet so suitable for a pair of young adults. There was a grand fireplace slightly larger than the one she was used to in the Gryffindor common room, two large arm chairs and a matching sofa, a lush throw rug with very intricate embroidery… Things that made Hermione feel more like she was at home instead of being at school.
"Can you believe this?" Draco asked, just above a whisper.
"It's incredible," Hermione replied, taking in the large desk on the wall opposite the fireplace. "That desk will certainly make things easier if we're both doing homework; it's large enough for one of us to sit on either side and spread our things out comfortably."
Draco rolled his eyes playfully as he said, "Oh yes, because we're going to be spending all our spare time doing school work."
Hermione raised her eyebrows and smirked as she said, "Who was it saying that they found intelligence attractive in a woman?"
Draco gave her an innocent look and pointed to himself. "Who, me?"
Hermione rolled her eyes at him as he chuckled. She then made her way through the common room to the small flight of stairs in the far corner of the room. She climbed them with curiosity filling her as she came closer and closer to a door labeled "Head Girl".
She could hear Callidora hooting through the closed door as she reached it and a small smile came to her face. She dearly loved that owl and was very grateful to her biological parents for giving it to her. As she opened the door and stepped into her bedroom, Hermione was once again blown away.
The room was simple, yet it was obvious that a lot of time and thought had been put into the décor. The bed, of course, was the standard four-post with Gryffindor colors and a nightstand was placed next to it, but the rest of the room was quite different than the living quarters she was used to at Hogwarts. A small desk sat underneath the window just opposite the door, there was a fairly good sized bookshelf in the corner near the desk, a comfortable reading chair rested in the corner on the other side of the bed, and Callidora had her very own lavish cage that rose halfway up the wall next to Hermione's desk.
As she walked around the room looking at everything, she noticed that there was a door in the wall opposite her bed. She opened it and found herself in a bathroom. It was quite a decent sized bathroom too. It was equipped with a porcelain tub, which could be used as a shower also, and sink, a full-length mirror, fluffy towels, and a small cabinet for her personal items. The wallpaper was a deep gold with red vine-like things seemingly etched into it.
She smiled as she thought about just how much like her bathroom at the Grangers it was. Although the walls in that bathroom had been painted a pale green with dark green leaves sponge printed on them. At the thought of her childhood home, Hermione became sad. She missed her parents terribly and wished she could have seen them one more time before school had started.
She, Draco, and Blaise had all gone the previous week to visit with the Grangers for a whole afternoon and most of the evening. It had been a pleasant time filled with lots of laughter and plates of food. Those were the kinds of days that Hermione missed the most with her parents.
Callidora hooted at her. "I haven't forgotten about you," Hermione said, walking over and petting the owl. She found some owl treats and gave her a few as she noticed that Callidora was sitting atop a package with familiar writing on it. Attached to the package was a letter.
She smiled as she carefully shooed Callidora and removed the letter from the package. Before she could open the letter, however, she heard Draco calling her name. "Yes?" she replied.
"We've got to do rounds."
Immediately, Hermione snapped into Head Girl mode and hurried out of her room. The letter and package would have to wait until she returned. It was curious that her adoptive parents would send her something on her first day back to school. Ordinarily they would wait until the first day of classes to send her anything.
She met Draco in the common room and smiled at him briefly. "Come on, we're a bit late!" she told him.
Draco smiled at her hatred for tardiness and followed after her. "I don't think the professors will mind much since it's the first night back."
"First night back or not, there's no excuse for being tardy," Hermione retorted. "Besides, we have to be the ones that set the example for the Prefects; if we're tardy then they'll think it's all right to be tardy."
When they reached the portrait hole, Draco grabbed Hermione's hand and turned her to face him. "Hermione, calm down, Love," he said, "There's no reason for you to be in such a tizzy."
Hermione looked into his gray eyes and took a deep breath. "You're right," she said. "Perhaps I shouldn't be such a stick in the mud all the time but school is important to me and I want to do well as Head Girl."
Draco smiled and kissed her forehead. "I don't think you'll have a problem doing well as Head Girl; you were practically made to be Head Girl."
"Yes, yes, I know, because I'm a bossy know-it-all."
"Well I certainly wouldn't put it like that," Draco said with a laugh as he pushed open the painting of the Griffin and motioned for Hermione to exit before him.
Later that night…
Pietro sighed heavily as he sat down in his favorite arm chair. He pointed his wand at the fireplace and a warm blaze ignited. He then pulled a piece of parchment out of his shirt pocket, unfolded it and carefully read the neatly written words.
Pietro,
It would be a great pleasure to meet with you as requested in your letter. If it would not be too much trouble, I would like to meet with you tonight. There is much that we need to discuss. Please expect me at your residence at midnight.
Cordially,
Albus Dumbledore
A light amount of weight felt as if it were being lifted off of his chest as he realized that Dumbledore was going to help him. Of course, he had be certain that he would considering Dumbledore's good nature but there had been a small part of him that had been skeptical. He folded the letter back up and quickly tossed it into the fireplace so that no trace of it could be found.
His eyes then darted to the clock that hung on the wall above the fireplace. It was nearly time for Dumbledore to arrive. He stood and made his way through the mansion to the entry way and waited eagerly for the elderly wizard.
It was not but a few minutes later that a soft knock sounded at the front door. Pietro quickly opened it and bowed his head briefly at Dumbledore. He moved aside and let the tall man enter without a word. "I apologize for the late hour Pietro," Dumbledore said.
"Not at all, Albus; please, join me in my study," Pietro replied, looking around briefly as he closed the door.
The two men walked in silence to Pietro's study and once they were inside it, Pietro closed the door and placed a charm on the room so that they could not be overheard. "Thank you for agreeing to meet with me, Albus," he said.
"It is my pleasure. Your message sounded rather urgent," Dumbledore said, "How can I help?"
Pietro took a deep breath and placed his hand on the pensieve sitting on his desk. "Before I say anything, there are some things you must see," he said.
The two wizards dove into the pensieve and Dumbledore took in everything he was shown. He was troubled by the events in Pietro's memories, but he was more awed by the amount of love the younger man had for his family and the difficulty of the sacrifice he'd made to protect his daughter.
When they were settled back in Pietro's study, Dumbledore sat down and folded his hands in his lap. "Albus, as you can see, Hermione is in grave danger," Pietro began, "I know nothing of what this 'light' might be but I know that Hermione must find it before the Dark Lord finds her out."
"Pietro, we are both adults; surely you can call a person by their proper name," Dumbledore said, looking over the top of his half-moon spectacles.
"Forgive me, Albus but you are a far greater wizard than myself," Pietro stated, "that is why I am requesting your help in this matter."
"And I shall give you whatever help I can but until we can determine the exact nature of this 'light' and exactly what it is to be used for, I am afraid there is very little I can do," Dumbledore told him. "As I understand it, Hermione must fulfill this task on her own."
"Surely something can be done!" Pietro exclaimed. "I have risked so much to keep her safe all these years, I cannot just stand by and watch her get hurt!"
Dumbledore held up his hand, silencing Pietro for a moment. "My dear man, I have no intention of allowing one of my students to get hurt," he said. "I know the risks you have taken to ensure Hermione's safety. Marjorie's Blood Transmogrification spell was cast exquisitely, but there is no mistaking the noble manner in which the Zabini line has carried for generations."
At these words, Pietro's face showed even more worry than it had before. "You do not think that Hermione has been found out already?"
"No, I believe that Lord Voldemort has his suspicions but that he has been more proactive in attempting to rid himself of the threat he is completely aware of. He has been unsuccessful, as you know, is killing Harry Potter and he will be just as unsuccessful in any attempt he might make toward Hermione," Dumbledore told him. "Seeing as Hermione has not yet been revealed to him as The Bearer, I think we can assume that she is safe, for the time being. At the moment I am more concerned with the well-being of you and your wife. Lord Voldemort knows that you have kept Hermione's birth a secret from him and he will stop at nothing until your entire family is dead."
"Are you suggesting that we go into hiding?" Pietro questioned.
"Not at present," Dumbledore replied, "but I do think that arrangements should be made so that you will be prepared, should the need arise."
Pietro nodded in understanding. Though he honestly didn't like the idea of running from something himself, he knew that that was exactly what he was going to have to do. He was a very skilled wizard, yes, but there was no chance of him defeating Lord Voldemort; he was far too powerful. "Yes, I shall make arrangements for a hiding place. You will be secret keeper?"
Dumbledore inclined his head slightly and stood as he said, "I think that would be best. Now, I must return to Hogwarts but I shall keep you informed as to the safety of your children, as well as your future son-in-law; I have a feeling that he will prove to be a very admirable husband to your daughter."
Pietro scowled. "His father is not to be held in such a regard, however."
"Do not be so hard on Lucius, Pietro; people often do the most illogical thing when fear is guiding them."
"Lucius does not fear the Dark Lord, Albus; he worships him," Pietro retorted.
"And as you know, a person worships something, or someone, because it is feared."
"Yes, I suppose you are right."
"It very well could be that I am wrong but I do not think I am," Dumbledore said kindly. "Now I really must bid you goodnight."
Pietro nodded and escorted Dumbledore to the front door. Then, a sudden thought came to him. "Albus, what about the Grangers?"
"I have taken their safety into account along with your own. At the moment, I do not think Lord Voldemort is troubled by them however I will be speaking with them on the matter."
The worry on Pietro's face lessened slightly at these words. He knew the Dumbledore would protect the Grangers and Pietro silently vowed to help in whatever way possible. The Grangers had done so much for their family that he wouldn't be able to bear it if they were harmed.
With nothing more to be discussed, Dumbledore gave him a slight nod and let himself out into the dark night. Once he had Disapparated, Pietro closed the door and joined his wife in their bedroom. After changing into his pajamas, he took a long drink of the Dreamless Sleep Draught his wife had brewed earlier that day and was asleep in minutes.
Hermione lay in her bed staring at the ceiling. The entire day she had been so busy that she had hardly had time to think about the Prophecy. During her stay at Zabini Mansion, Hermione had searched through every book she could get her hands on that dealt with prophecies but she had found nothing referring to any sort of 'light'.
Her mind began to wander through every detail of her father's memory, trying to find some clue as to where she should look. After several tries, nothing came to her so she began thinking of books to look through that might help her with her and Blaise's situations. She had read through some of the books on visions in her father's collection at the mansion but the references in them were rather vague.
She had spent as many hours as she could without snubbing her friends in the school library in search of possible books that might help. She had made a list of numerous books that looked promising and planned to check them out once she managed to get a routine going. She had also found many books on visions that she felt might hold something useful in regards to Blaise's nightmares and her visions.
She had never held much stock in the reality of fortune telling, or visions, which was part of why she had dropped Divination in her third year. There was something eerily truthful in what she had seen and what Blaise had told her about his nightmare. She didn't think she could just ignore it.
She rubbed her temples and sighed. She was missing something; some small clue that she was sure would send her in the right direction. The problem was, her brain was so jumbled and full of various thoughts that she couldn't separate one thought from another. She needed to focus, to slow down.
She closed her eyes and took several deep breaths. She set her mind back on the track of books, since they were what she knew. Just as the title of a book she had not yet looked through came to her, she sat up clutching her head in pain.