"We're never so vulnerable than when we trust someone - but paradoxically, if we cannot trust, neither can we find love or joy." - Walter Anderson

Chapter Twenty-three: Don't Touch the Alarm

Harry sat back in his chair, watching the scenes playing out on the wall in front of him.

There was something to be said for the power of a projector versus going into the memories themselves; he had almost forgotten the mystery of watching things on a two dimensional surface.

It was there. It definitely was there.

The tension was almost tangible, despite the fact it came from a flat, moving picture. Even though it made his heart twist, he could not help but acknowledge the looks he gave her. Perhaps Malfoy was less careful with his expression since Hermione was blind, or perhaps Hermione did not realize that even though she was blind, Malfoy was not. But whatever the case, it was definitely plain to anyone watching that there was some weird sexual tension between them.

Gradually the memories changed; they turned into memories that had belonged to Sasha Worthington. He cringed as Hermione, clad in dirty clothes and black sunglasses, smiled and gave a slight bow to Sasha as thanks. From his viewing point in the memories, it looked like she was bowing to him.

They traveled faster, apparating often and finding themselves in Sweden before long. Loki was her usual self, meowing and rubbing her head against Hermione's neck as she cuddled her; Draco had taken to carrying Hermione again, sometimes letting her ride on his back. He had to be careful to focus on his footsteps when they did this however, since he could distinctly feel her breasts on his shoulder blades and had to watch his hand placement on her legs to avoid touching something he shouldn't.

It was tempting, to be sure... but her thin hands grabbing the front of his shirt already had him preoccupied enough.

He did have to give himself a break; carrying her either way all the time made his back ache... among other things.

"We should be going south now," Draco said, looking towards the setting sun. "And then maybe hit civilization again."

Hermione nodded, placing Loki on the ground and removing what felt like loose cat fur from her shirt with a few brushes or her hand. The air was still cold, though luckily the jacket Sasha had packed for Hermione made this bearable. When they were in Scotland, she could barely sleep due to the wind ripping through her clothing, chilling her to her bones.

Draco started as the mobile rung from inside the bag. He rummaged around until he found it and flipped it open.

"Potter."

"Malfoy. It's Ginny Weasley."

Draco stared straight ahead, not knowing what to say.

"Hello?"

"Yes, Weaslette?"

"I wanted to ask you something before I give the mobile to Nora."

A tinge of fear sputtered in Draco's heart. If she was going to ask what he thought she was, he really did not want to hear it.

"Please tell me that you are for real."

Draco looked over at Hermione, whose head craned towards him.

"I... don't want to discuss this now, Weaslette."

"Lookit, you prick. Just tell me if you are jerking her about, because I'd rather you tell me now then have me find out later."

He looked at his feet. "I am being completely sincere."

"Let's hope, for your sake. You may have convinced Harry, but the rest of us don't trust you for a second."

"I'm... sorry to hear that."

"Whatever, Malfoy. Here's Nora."

Draco looked back at Hermione, and was startled by the smile she was sporting.

"What's so funny?"

She shook her head mirthfully. "They are so predictable."

"Hello again, Draco. As you can imagine, I have some questions for you."

"Fine."

"Firstly, I was wondering what the Death Eaters specifically want with Hermione."

"They wanted to kidnap her and use her for information about the Department of International Cooperation, The Order of the Phoenix, and Potter. Then maybe imperious her. At least, that's what we figured out." He left out a the part about the shipment of goods Frank Worthington sent them that is supposedly going to help with this.

There was silence as Nora took this down. "Now I wanted to ask you specifically about your 'mission.' What are your exact intentions?"

He shook his head, knowing that if he told her, she would start lecturing him about how ridiculous it all was and then would proposition him again. "We are going sneak into the Death Eater's base of operations and take out the leader. Then, we are going to destroy their communication mechanisms. Leave them blind, so to speak."

"Have you drawn up your specific plan of attack? You don't have to give away the location - I'm just curious as to where your head is at."

"We haven't drawn up the specifics," he replied shortly.

"I thought not. In that case, I have an idea."

"... Okay, shoot."

"We will find a cure for Hermione's blindness. Noctulous, correct? We've taken a look at Jesse's research and we may be able to get something. We will then need to meet you somewhere to hand it off."

"I'm not liking the sound of that, Constable."

"I thought you wouldn't. Jesse has already told us that you were reluctant to accept her help. But you have to understand the importance of what you are attempting and how if anything goes wrong, it can end very badly. For you especially, and for the wizarding world."

Hermione's hands found their way to his shoulders tentatively. "What's happening?"

Draco ignored his increased heart rate and turned his attention back on the phone. "Don't you think I realize that?"

"I'm just saying. So I need you to try to work with us a little more closely."

"Too bad."

There was silence on the other end of the line for a few seconds. Then, Nora quietly replied, "I don't need you to trust me - I need you to trust the cause. And that is not very hard to do."

Draco lowered his arm as Hermione felt around for the phone. He handed the mobile to her.

"Nora? Please understand how difficult this is for him."

"I understand perfectly. Trusting people hasn't ever gotten him very far - I was the same way. But there comes a time where you have to put what you feel aside and do what is right. We're all trying that even by going along with his scheme."

"I don't agree with getting more people involved, but I will try to talk to him."

"I'll call back later then."

"Yes. Thank you."

Hermione closed the phone, letting her other hand linger on Draco's back.

"Don't," he said, not moving. "I don't want to hear it."

"I know," she murmured. "Just think about it."

The understanding was there. With Hermione, there was no lecturing anymore, no meaningless words and psychobabble designed to wear him thin. It was just her body and her mind, just knowing.

"You're amazing," he said suddenly.

She braced herself against his back. "I'm what?"

Draco shook his head, wondering if he'd gone insane. He walked toward Loki and picked her up. "We should get moving again."

After settling down for the night, Draco approached Hermione about their mission. If they had any chance of getting all of this over with, they needed to begin moving in a positive direction. He was feeling really good, actually - Hermione was slowly sapping away his sadness, just draining it out of him like poison draining from a snakebite. Draco moved so the root under their blanket wasn't digging into his backside.

"Canada? That's where they are?"

"It's hard to believe, yes... which is why it is the perfect place."

"Canada is enormous - what city is it near?"

"Calgary, to the west. It's not that close to Calgary, but... close enough for the city to be a landmark for it. They've hidden the magic aura with the mountains and forests along the major highway up there. It's basically Yukon wilderness for miles, save for a few small resting areas every so often and a sparse collection of towns."

Hermione nodded slowly. She found it hard to believe that the Death Eaters could have relocated in such a seemingly random place. "So how are we getting there? What is a safe distance for a drop point?"

Draco looked down. This was the hard part to comprehend. "Really, the only safe place is somewhere in the United States. That bit of land they own next to Canada, or the mainland."

"That far?"

"I wouldn't say it if I wasn't serious."

Hermione shook her head, processing this. So they had to get across the world, passing through numerous countries and territories, just to get to some spot not even close to the actual location?

"We'll have to fly. It's the fastest and safest way."

"... Fly?"

"As in, get in an airplane and fly there."

Draco raised his eyebrows. "If those flying cans are anything like brooms, I think I'll take my chances with a portkey."

"They're nothing like brooms - they are just like giant, flying buses."

Draco's experience riding the Knight Bus was not a good one; he hoped it was a smoother ride than that. "And... how long will this muggle flying can method take?"

"Days, probably. Just flying to America takes 12 hours at least, depending on where we land. That doesn't count getting from there to Canada, if we fly to Canada. Not to mention the fact that we have serious research to do, research that cannot be done in Swedish forests."

Yes, he knew what she was talking about; wizards thought they had it so bad with filling out a form to get a registered portkey. Muggles went through a lot more paperwork, paid a lot more money, and had a lengthier trip. He wondered briefly how they managed. "So we need muggle documents and such. I doubt a Confundus Charm could get us all the way through."

Hermione smiled slyly. "Well, it could, especially since we need to make this quick... but we still need to know where we are going, what flight to take, and maybe some passports - not to mention the ticket information - "

He covered his ears. "I have no idea what you are on about - 'flights' and 'passports' and tickets - "

"Harry will know. I should ask him."

Draco shook his head. She was trying to open the discussion and he wouldn't allow it. "We are alone in this - there is no guarantee that he won't get the Department of Magical Law Enforcement to conjure up a few Aurors for him to send away and have a look around... no. We will just have to wing it."

"But - we need information, we need destinations and - is there even an airport near here?"

"Air-port?"

Hermione closed her eyes. Doing this the muggle way was going to be a lot more trouble than the magical way, in the end. "How about this... we take a portkey to some big city down south. We find an airport there."

"You still haven't told me what an air-port is."

"From there, we'll cross the sea in an airplane... I bet no flight goes all the way to the other end of Canada, so we'll probably drop off in the United States somewhere... and then from there go to Canada? Maybe Washington, then... what cities are on the west side? Los Angeles maybe. But there is bound to be more airports along the way, and then we'll take a flight from there to Canada, or that bit of American land next to it... maybe someone will give us a ride to our destination, or we could steal - excuse me, borrow - a muggle car to take us close enough where we can walk into the mountains."

Draco was silent for a few seconds, surprised by how quickly she had spun a plan, before he broke out into an evil smirk. "You know, I had always thought you were really bookish and swotty, but now I find... your problem-solving side is really sexy."

Hermione's blush reached into her hairline; defensively, she retorted in a haughty, albeit slightly wavering, tone. "Flattery will get you nowhere, Mr. Malfoy."

"Hmm... call me Mr. Malfoy again."

"Mr. Malfoy?" she said uncertainly.

Draco reached out and brushed her fringe away from her forehead. "Yes, definitely very sexy."

"You… make it really hard to concentrate when you turn the charm on full force," she said dryly.

"Ah," he murmured, his hand now tracing a line down her frame. "I do that."

"Anyway... If we find a flight going to Washington then we're set for the rest of - blimey..."

"We are done talking about this," he said, his hand leaving her leg and cupping her face again. "I want to do this properly, before I stop myself." His amused tone was gone, replaced by the very real and very sober Draco that had hugged her so fiercely before.

"Do what, exactly?"

"You know." He was leaning towards her, backing her up against the tree they were reclining under. Hermione reached out with her mind uncertainly.

:I thought we'd talk about this before we made anything final.: It was a mouse-like request that she didn't feel in her heart, he knew, but he didn't blame her for the need to say it.

Draco came back to reality, feeling his heart fill with something like assurance. "I agreed to no such thing. Besides," he drew closer, his excitement brewing, "nothing has to be final, or talked about... nothing has to matter. This can just be two people giving in, two people just going with it."

Hermione nodded, already overcome by the brilliance of it, his proximity, and the knowledge of what was coming. "Fast and loose, no heartbreak or commitment or seriousness..."

"Just this," he whispered against her cheek, and moved the short distance to her lips.

Author's note: Make sure you visit my profile page for links to the trailers!