Even though everyone knew Theo and Blaise were perfectly safe at Grimmauld Place, there was an air of tension in the house for the first few days of the holidays. Following Snape's visit at the beginning of the holidays they knew Voldemort was aware that Theo hadn't gone home as ordered, and they were just waiting for his retaliation. No-one honestly thought The Dark Lord would just let Theo's absence slide, so the question became, what was he going to do about it?
Since worrying and speculating about what Voldemort was going to do wasn't helping anyone, Hermione had tried to keep people focused on the research they'd began at the beginning of the holidays. They'd managed to find a few good books in the library, and Hermione was hoping one of them would provide them with the answers they were looking for. So instead of worrying, Hermione and the others spent their time hanging out and doing research.
Even though she wasn't staying at Grimmauld Place full time, Ginny was there every day to lend a hand. More often than not Molly was also around the house, but Ron had only made a couple of fleeting appearances. Every time he arrived at Grimmauld Place, he had something nasty to say about Draco or the Slytherins, so Harry had eventually told him to stay away until he could say something nice. The result was a couple of Ron free days at Grimmauld Place.
"I'm really not sure we're going to find anything," Blaise grumbled as he threw yet another book to one side as it had proved useless.
As usual, everyone was gathered in the library to do their research. Molly had also arrived when Ginny had shown up that morning, and she'd offered to look after Lyra. That meant Hermione was free to help with the research while her daughter was being fussed over by Molly, Sirius and Remus in the front room.
"I know what you mean," Hermione reluctantly conceded. "None of these books really have any sort of connection to Rowena Ravenclaw."
"Maybe we need to know more about her, so we know where to look for books about her," Theo suggested.
"Does anyone know anything about her?" Fred asked.
Unsurprisingly, no-one knew anything of any significance about her. They all knew the basics, that she'd founded Hogwarts alongside Salazar Slytherin, Helga Hufflepuff and Godric Gryffindor. They knew what sort of attributes she looked for in youngsters to teach, which led to those same attributes being what led a person to be sorted into Ravenclaw these days. However, that was all anyone knew about her.
"Now if you were to ask me about Salazar Slytherin, I could tell you a bit more," Blaise said.
"Same with me and Godric Gryffindor," Harry said.
"Shame we didn't know any Ravenclaws," George said with a chuckle. "They might be able to help us out."
"I know a Ravenclaw," Ginny offered.
"We all know Ravenclaws, Gin," Fred said to his sister. "But we don't know them well enough to trust them with something so important. Even though we can't tell them what we're doing, we need to trust them not to tell everyone we're researching Rowena Ravenclaw."
Ginny gave her brother an unimpressed glare. "I know that. I'm not an idiot. I mean, I know a Ravenclaw we can trust. Luna Lovegood."
"Of course," Harry gasped, hardly able to believe he'd forgotten about Luna. Ginny had introduced them to her friend, Luna in their fifth year, and she'd helped them form the short lived Dumbledore's Army. "We can trust Luna."
"Really?" Theo questioned with a frown. "The peculiar blond girl who wears vegetables as jewellery?"
"Luna's a bit eccentric, but she can be trusted," Hermione said. "Ginny, can you talk to her when you go back to school. She could maybe just give us a push in the right direction."
"Of course I can," Ginny answered. "Do you want me to mention the diadem? Knowing Luna, she'll have a theory on where it is."
"You can mention it, but she doesn't need to know it's where our main focus is," Harry decided. "Ask about Rowena Ravenclaw, and maybe just slip something casual in about the diadem."
"Will do," Ginny replied with a smile.
"So, does that mean we're finished here?" Fred asked, gesturing to the few books they'd yet to look through.
"I think so," Hermione answered. "I still want to check through the books, but I can do that on an evening after I've put Lyra down for the night."
"Since we're finished here, who wants to see if we can grab some lunch?" George asked. "We can then maybe settle down to play some cards."
"Sounds good to me," Theo said with a grin as the group got up and headed to the kitchen.
Of course Molly was more than happy to feed everyone, and she whipped up sandwiches for all. While Molly was sorting everyone else, Hermione sorted Lyra's lunch. However, halfway through lunch, Lyra began to cry and show signs of discomfort.
"Is this You-Know-Who's doing?" Fred asked as Hermione tried her best to soothe Lyra. He'd never witnessed Lyra acting so cranky, so he was figuring it had something to do with the power Voldemort held over her.
"I think so," Hermione answered.
"Do you want us to contact, Madam Pomfrey?" Sirius checked, wishing there was something he could do to help calm Lyra.
"Not unless she gets worse," Hermione said as she gently rocked her daughter, trying to calm her down. "There's nothing anyone can do for her. We just have to try and comfort her and hope it doesn't get too bad."
Fortunately, Lyra's distressed cries soon faded to slight whimpers. Even though she'd calmed down, Hermione kept her daughter in her arms as everyone settled down in the front room. Lyra's distress had also created an air of worry in the house, as everyone's minds were on Draco and what he'd been forced to do now. However, since they couldn't do anything without knowing what was going on, they carried on with their plans for spending a relaxing afternoon together. The twins, Blaise, Theo and Harry set up a card game, Molly got out her knitting, Sirius and Remus sat watching the boys game, while Ginny curled up with Hermione and the pair focused their attention on Lyra.
Unfortunately, their afternoon was disturbed after less than ten minutes when a silver lynx patronus, belonging to Kingsley, burst into the room. Kingsley's patronus quickly departed a message about an attack on Hogsmeade, and requested help, before it disappeared.
"We need to go," Sirius declared as he jumped to his feet alongside Remus.
"I'm coming," Harry declared.
"Me too," Fred added. "Sorry George, but you'll have to stay here."
"I would rather everyone stayed here," Molly said. "I'm sure the rest of the Order can handle things."
"Sorry Molly, but I have to go," Harry said.
Fred also wouldn't be dissuaded from leaving, so Molly had no choice but to let the pair accompany her, Sirius and Remus as they headed to Hogsmeade. Hermione briefly did debate accompanying them, but she decided she would rather stay with her daughter. Obviously George couldn't leave since he was supposed to be dead, and Blaise and Theo weren't going to leave Hermione and Lyra's side, and Molly was adamant that Ginny was also going to stay behind.
After Harry and the others left, there was an anxious wait for news. Hermione kept a close eye on Lyra in case she was suffering again, but she was just a bit restless as though she could sense the tension in the air.
"Do you think this is my fault?" Theo asked eventually, breaking the heavy silence in the room.
"Why would this be your fault?" Ginny asked with a frown.
"I don't suppose it's a coincidence that I didn't go home, and now Hogsmeade is being attacked. You-Know-Who probably thinks I'm still at Hogwarts," Theo replied. "This whole attack could be to try and draw me out."
"This isn't your fault, Theo," Hermione insisted. "You can't blame yourself for other people's actions. Voldemort and his Death Eaters are the only people to blame for whatever happens in Hogsmeade this afternoon."
"Let's just hope whatever it is, it isn't too bad," Theo muttered as silence once again fell as everyone lost themselves in their own thoughts.
As the afternoon started to draw on, the group began to get increasingly nervous. Not knowing what was going on was killing them, and they were desperate for news. Hermione had thought about trying to settle Lyra in her cot, but she didn't want to be parted from her daughter. She didn't know if Voldemort was going to use Lyra to try and get Draco to do something for him, so she didn't want to risk leaving her daughter alone.
Just as the group were wondering if there was anyway one of them could try and find out what was happening, they heard sounds coming from the front hallway. The sounds were clearly people apparating into the house, and they were relieved when Harry and Fred were the first two into the front room.
"We were so worried," Ginny cried, hugging both Harry and Fred as Ron stalked into the room behind the pair.
"Is everyone okay?" George asked.
"No, they're bloody well not," Ron spat before Harry or Fred had the chance to answer.
"There were casualties?" Hermione gasped. "Who?"
"A few people from the village," Harry answered.
"Don't forget Justin," Ron snarled, causing Hermione and Ginny to gasp in shock. "Or were you not going to mention him?"
"Of course I was going to mention Justin," Harry told Ron.
"I thought you might be going to pretend it hadn't happened," Ron sneered. "Given who killed him."
"We don't know who killed him," Harry retorted.
"Of course we do," Ron snorted. "Zacharias Smith told us that Justin was fighting Malfoy. It's clear he killed him."
"No," Hermione hissed angrily, causing Lyra to start to cry in her arms. "Draco wouldn't kill anyone."
"Of course he wouldn't," Blaise agreed, as he wrapped his arm around Hermione while Theo plucked Lyra from her arms and started to calm her. "Draco will have done what he could to survive, no more. He wouldn't have killed anyone."
"So you say," Ron snapped. "But I know what Zacharias told me. Malfoy attacked him and Justin, and he was still fighting Justin when Zacharias managed to escape. Then what do you know, by the time he'd found help, Justin was dead. It's very simple to connect the dots."
"It's very simple for people like you to twist things to paint the picture you want," Blaise snapped. "You don't know Draco like we do. He isn't capable of killing anyone."
"Justin's dead body says otherwise," Ron replied. "You lot can defend him all you want, but I know the truth. He's a killer, and I intend to make sure he gets what he deserves when all this is over. Hermione, I hope you and your brat have some memories of your killer boyfriend, because you're never going to see him again."
Ron's announcement was met by angry protests from everyone, including his three siblings. Blaise nearly lunged for the redhead, but he was held back by Hermione.
"Get out," Harry hissed, glaring at Ron. "You're not welcome here."
"You're throwing me out?" Ron looked at Harry in disbelief.
"Yes," Harry said. "Now get out, before we throw you out."
"And we will," George said firmly.
Ron's gaze flicked to both Fred and Ginny, but when he got no support from them, he turned and stormed out of the house. The second Ron left, Hermione sank down on a nearby chair and let the tears fall.
"Don't cry, Hermione," Ginny soothed, sitting down next to her friend. "No-one else thinks like Ron. No-one believes Draco killed Justin."
"You might not, but other people might think like Ron," Hermione said quietly.
"Then they're not worth bothering with," Harry said, perching on the other side of his best friend. "And don't worry about Ron's threat, it was meaningless. I promise, I won't let anything happen to Malfoy. Dumbledore promised he would defend him after the war, and I'm adding my support. I promise you Hermione, you won't lose him."
"Thanks Harry," Hermione said, smiling up at her friend as she swiped at the tears staining her face. "In fact, I want to thank all of you. I don't know what Lyra and I would have done without you."
"Luckily, you don't have to find out," Blaise said, grinning down at his best friend's girlfriend. "We're all here for you, and we'll all help you through this."
Hermione smiled gratefully at the group of friends surrounding her as she got to her feet and plucked Lyra from Theo's arms. Telling her friends she wanted some time alone, she took Lyra upstairs and gave her daughter a bath. A couple of hours later she was sitting curled up in the rocking chair in her room, reading to Lyra, when there was a knock on the door and Harry poked his head into the room.
"Can I come in?" He asked.
"Sure," Hermione replied with a smile. "Did I hear Remus and Sirius come back?"
"Yeah, they're both downstairs," Harry replied as he perched on the bottom of Hermione's bed. "Molly was here, but after she heard about Ron she went home to deal with him. She wanted me to tell you that no-one else in the family think the same way. No-one thinks Malfoy is a killer, and no-one wants to punish him. We all know he's been forced to do all these things."
"Thanks," Hermione replied softly.
"But that's not all that's bothering you, is it?" Harry asked, picking up that there was something else niggling at Hermione.
"No, it's not," Hermione confessed. "Don't get me wrong, I'm saddened that Ron won't support me, but I can cope with that. What I'm struggling to cope with is dealing with what Draco is going through. I can't stop myself thinking about what he must be forced to do, and I can't help but wonder if I've already lost him."
"What do you mean?"
Hermione got up and settled Lyra down in her cot for a nap, before she joined Harry at the bottom of the bed. Leaning her head on his shoulder, she felt a few stray tears leak from her eyes as she confessed the fears she'd been holding onto since Draco was forced to take the Dark Mark.
"He has to be different," she whispered. "He's been forced into doing terrible things, and that has to have changed him. What if the Draco who comes back to me, isn't my Draco any more?"
"You're worried that you won't love him?" Harry questioned.
"No," Hermione replied with a shake of her head. "I'll always love him. I'm worried that even if we both survive this war that Voldemort will have still won in his attempts to separate Draco from me and Lyra. I'm worried that no matter what, he's damaged Draco beyond help. I'm not getting the same wizard back, am I?"
"No, you're not," Harry said with a sigh, deciding it was better to be up front with Hermione. "Because you're right. This experience will have changed Malfoy."
"Way to cheer me up, Harry," Hermione muttered.
"I could tell you what you want to hear, that everything will go back to how it was. But that would be a lie," Harry said. "We both know, things have changed for you and Malfoy. He'll be affected by this, but so have you. You'll also not by the same witch he left behind. You've been forced to become a single mother and give up your education, all while worrying about the man you love. You've both suffered, just in different ways."
"So what, you think we're doomed?" Hermione asked and Harry could see more tears sparkling in his best friend's eyes. It seemed he'd seen Hermione cry more in the last few months than he had in all the time he'd known her.
"No, I don't think that," Harry said, giving Hermione a warm smile as he hugged her closer to him. "I don't think you're going to have things easy, but I don't think this is the end. If anything, this could make you even stronger as a couple. You just need to be prepared for the fact things won't just go back to how it was before. You're both going to be scarred from the past few months, but you can deal with those scars together."
"Are we strong enough for that?" Hermione whispered.
"Only you and Malfoy can answer that," Harry said softly. "But from what I've seen, I would say so. I think as long as you love each other, and there's no doubt that you do, you can get through anything together."
"Thank you, Harry," Hermione said, snuggling into her best friend. "You're right, we can get through this. Especially with good friends like you at our side."
"I'm not going anywhere," Harry replied, dropping a kiss to the top of Hermione's head. "No matter what happens Hermione, you're stuck with me. I love you like a sister, and I will always be there for you and Lyra."
"And Draco?" Hermione asked.
Harry nodded. "And Malfoy," He agreed. "I'll be there for all three of you."
Sitting in Harry's arms, Hermione felt some of her fears drift away. Harry was right, things were going to be hard for her and Draco. But he was also right in the fact that they could face things together and emerge stronger. There and then she vowed that it was going to take more than Voldemort to tear her family apart.