Author's Note: Sorry this took a little bit to get uploaded. Memorial weekend happened, my mother in law came in town, and I'm trying to get ready for school that starts on Monday. Pray for my sanity because I also have 2 small children who are bored out of their little minds already and summer break just started. Anyway, on with the story. Review, please!
The following week dragged on until finally it was the night before we were to get aboard the Hogwarts Express and head to school. That night I found myself talking on the phone to Harry expressing how I felt for probably the fiftieth time since the kiss. "Harry, I shouldn't like him. He's bullied us every year at school, but what if that person isn't the real him? What if it's his survival method? I mean really, put yourself in his shoes. He was raised to be a git, raised to think the world belonged at his feet. I'm not going to say that he wasn't a git in the beginning. We've all grown up, why hasn't he? Why does he still act like that spoiled brat from first year? Is it because once he realized he could be his own person Voldemort came back and to be anything less than cruel to us would be suicide? As much as it's not allowed, I like him. I felt so at home in his arms and that kiss… it was glorious and devastating all at the same time. He only kissed me because he thought I was someone else. He would have never kissed me had he known it was me. Never! And what if he's Head Boy? Then I'll have to be in close quarters with him and be internally tortured because I can't be with him."
Harry sighed heavily. "So why don't you be with him as Ivory?"
"How would I explain Ivory's absence in class or at meals?"
"For the record, I want you to know I was joking, but it's easy. Make her a 6th year, that way you won't have to worry about classes and then meals… eat really fast and then jet out towards the library and then come in half-asleep as Ivory, make it seem like she's a late sleeper."
"Harry" I squealed. "You're a genius! I love you!"
"I know. I also need you to know this is both insane and dangerous. Not quite as insanely dangerous as we are used to but it is nonetheless. I mean do you honestly want to add this to your plate? What is your endgame here? Just to get to know him? Be with him? Or try to change him?"
"I'm sure I can handle this level of hectic. I know we've hated him strongly for like the past six years but when I was with him as Ivory, he said some things that made me believe there is a person under the superior act he puts up. He might just have a heart." I reasoned. "Maybe I can save him." I muttered.
"Save him? Sis, I love you, but I want to say right now that I am definitely going to hang this over your head for the rest of our lives if this fails." He scoffed. "Save Malfoy…. Of all the crazy hare-brained ideas." I could hear him fussing under his breath. Most of it was unintelligible but I caught "bloody ferret" and "not worth it" in there somewhere. "Look, just please don't rub it into Ron's face. He fancies you." Harry warned me.
"I know. He asked me out when we were in Diagon Alley while you and Ginny were fixing your problems. I told him we had too much on our plates to confuse and distract ourselves with a relationship." I sighed. "I hope I didn't hurt his feelings and I hope he doesn't try anything rash. You know how Ron gets sometimes."
Harry laughed. "You have no choice but to love him. Just because he's a little mad sometimes doesn't mean he doesn't have good intentions."
"I know, but anyway… back to Draco. Do you actually think I should keep up my Ivory identity?"
"If this is what you want to do. I support you one hundred percent Hermione, and I guess I will help in any way I can. I can't make the same promise for Ron. He is going to blow his top when he finds out, so I suggest you tell him yourself. Ginny will be happy just to help with clothes and makeup, she has been itching to give you some form of makeover for years. Lacks female companionship that one does. Just don't make Ivory too different than you, that way when he finds out who you are he can't say he wasn't with you for you." he advised.
"No problem. So…you up for some fun and games on the Express tomorrow?" I asked deviously.
"If you are careful and keep up appearances. Use the coins we used for DA meetings and let me know the moment he finds out you and Ivory are the same person because he may flip out. He's so unpredictable, you never know how he'll react. So be careful Hermione." Harry warned.
"When am I not careful?" I shrugged off his warning and started moving towards the bookshelf in my room. "Harry, I love you, and I wouldn't mind staying up on the phone with you normally, but I should double check my trunk and I suggest you do the same. Especially since this is your last night staying with the Dursley's. You need to make sure all of your stuff is out of their house."
Harry groaned. "I've never been so excited and yet dreading something at the same time. I wish they would have let me have you and Ron over to help me. I feel like I'm forgetting something, and I wouldn't put it past Uncle Vernon to torch whatever belongings I have left here. You know, he refused my help for their safety? I literally broke it down into layman's terms for them. I said this is a super villain who wants to kill everyone without magic and their lives were in danger and he threatened to kick me out early. Wouldn't even listen to me when I said that they would be high on the list since they were my family."
"I wouldn't worry about it Harry. Dumbledore and the Order will figure something out for them, maybe without them even knowing it so they won't kick up a fuss." I opened my trunk to add a couple more books. My eyes fell on the dream interpretation book I purchased the other day. "Got to go Harry. I love you, I'll call and wake you up in the morning."
"Love you too. I'll see you in the morning. Hopefully I can get Kreacher to move this stuff for me."
"Good luck with that. Bye." I disconnected the call. Glancing at the book again I closed the trunk and went over to my nightstand to get my new dream journal. I felt foolish even keeping one but this dream that I have been having is driving my insane. I get it most nights, since I have been keeping track of it, I would say at least 4-5 nights a week. There's nothing intense about it. Just a thick fog and the frantic feeling of looking for someone or something. I don't know if I am frantic because I am in danger, or if it is because I have misplaced whatever or whomever I am looking for. "Hopefully the Hogwarts' library has more to offer." I looked around my room and added some hygiene products, a pair of shoes and the dream journal to my trunk. Finally, I grabbed the dream interpretation book from the trunk, grabbed a notepad and pencil and settled down into my bed for some research.