Fifth

It was barely past midnight when Harry abruptly woke her from her deep slumber. At this late hour jovial chants, prattle, and cheers of the Gryffindor students had faded away, the sweet memories still prickling Hermione's ears like a distant dream. She still wasn't used to living life at its fullest, but feelings of despair and longing had progressively drowned out, replaced by exquisite hope that flourished in her chest like cherry blossoms at the start of spring.

It took a while for her heavy eyelids to hatch completely and adjust to the invasive light that originated from Ron's wand. Looking around the dusty shelves and the yellowed book covers, she realized that she had fallen asleep in the library. Then, she remembered that they had spent hours researching in the restricted section, looking for answers that Ron and Harry were not supposed to know of just yet. But she had reasoned that giving her best friends a little push about Horcruxes could only be beneficial to their search, and even though she had wondered whether that small change could lead to unintended consequences, she had settled that she just had to take that risk. Besides, it would only be two months before Harry found out about Horcruxes from Slughorn.

Stretching her sore limbs and peering around her to make sure no one heard them, she cast a quick Muffliato and directed her glare towards Harry, who looked flustered but somewhat excited as he firmly held the Marauders map and then almost slammed it on the table, in an effort to track someone's movements. A few moments later, certainty flashed in his eyes and he spoke with a triumphant tone.

"I told you, It's Malfoy! He's exiting the castle. Come here to give a look!" He mumbled rashly, pointing his finger at the elegant writing with Draco Malfoy's name on it.

As she and Ron drew closer to scan the map, Hermione's thoughts were racing and jolting around in a tangled mess of questions. Harry and Ron were not supposed to look at the map that night and see Malfoy, what would this change lead to? She knew what Malfoy was attempting to do, although she didn't think he would, considering how badly injured he had been just a few nights ago. He would not succeed; how could he, with the fake necklace she had given him?

But Harry and Ron could not find out about what he was doing. Not only because they might hurt Malfoy and hinder her plans, but because they might end up getting in serious trouble. Malfoy might have not been able to kill Dumbledore once, but he was a Death Eater, and she didn't know what he could do if pushed into a corner. On top of this, her gut told her to trust Dumbledore's subtle hint: Malfoy had to stay healthy and alive for now.

Ron's scattered complaints jolted her back to reality.

"Harry, you know that I would follow you anywhere, but Malfoy might just be taking a late-night walk… I just don't think it would be a great idea to break curfew because of this."

"Why won't you listen to me? I know I'm right, and there are so many things that would fall into place! If you won't come with me, never mind. I'll go."

Harry sounded exasperated and uneasy this time, his voice coloured with bitterness and frustration. Hermione thought that if she was in his position, knowing what the Slytherin was up to, she would have reacted the same. She felt such a fool not to have listened to him in the past.

Ron was staring at her with an odd, dumbfounded look, almost like he was waiting for her to make a decision. She knew that Harry would not give up this time: there were too many odd things about Malfoy's behaviour, and it was not an option to deny it or try to stop him. But she could not afford to send him alone in his suicidal mission: according to the map, the ferret was directed to Hogsmeade; Merlin knew who he might be meeting. What if another Death Eater was waiting for him? They had most likely missed some of his illicit outings in the previous timeline, so she could not be sure what he was up to that night. What she knew is that it involved the cursed necklace. She had to think of something, and she had to be quick.

Just when Harry was about to speak again, a sudden idea came to her and she blurted out the words before he could say anything.

"Harry, you can't go to Hogsmeade, not even with your Invisibility Cloak! Snape has noticed something off about you lately and will be on your tail as soon as you step out of line. You cannot afford to be expelled."

She paused to see her friend's reaction, but at his eerie silence, which was no less than an implicit invitation to keep talking, she continued.

"But you are right, Malfoy's midnight trip to Hogsmeade is suspicious and we should do something about it, I think I have an idea. Let me do this. I have special permission from Professor McGonagall to occasionally exit the castle in case I needed extra potion ingredients or books for my classes. It might be a little odd to do it at night, but she trusts me very much and nothing major would happen if I was discovered. I can use the cloak and see what he's up to without being noticed."

"But 'Mione, it's too dangerous if you go all alone!" interjected Ron, "I will come with you! If anything happens, I will have your back."

The deep concern in Ron's voice was softened by a glimmer of emotion that she immediately recognized, and that served as a sharp reminder of her best friend's romantic feelings that she had long pretended not to see, and that would have once sent her over the moon. Feelings that six years of war had blurred and withered, and that could hardly find room in her heart anymore. Too much had changed since then, and she didn't know how to deal with the situation. She was not ready yet. She covered her pain with irritation.

"Thank you, Ron, but I recall that only a few minutes ago you seemed to be fine with Harry leaving by himself. Why would it be different for me? I know well how to take care of myself and I would just be peering at Malfoy from the distance anyway. Besides, you would get in trouble just as much as Harry."

Ron's mouth fell shut and he could not seem to find other words to convince her. Harry looked pensive and had kept quiet for a couple of minutes, but she could tell he was considering her idea.

"Are you sure? I don't want you to be in danger because of me." He said in a low voice to conceal his worry.

"Yes Harry, I'm sure. Malfoy does not stand a chance. If anything happens you will feel your galleons warm up."

After a few seconds, in which Harry's expression appeared lost and conflicted, she saw him sighing and giving a firm nod. Relief flooded Hermione all at once, and she released a breath she didn't know she had been holding. The potential catastrophe had been avoided, now she had to focus on her next move.

With some words of promise and reassurance that she would be back soon, Hermione dismissed Harry and Ron and disappeared under the Invisibility Cloak, making her way through the large empty corridors. Her journey to Hogsmeade was relatively calm: besides some couples sneaking out for passionate encounters and a few awake portraits shooting them disapproving looks, Hogwarts was quiet and peaceful, and so were the sprawled, well-kept gardens.

The usual crowd reverberating across the small village was lacking, but this didn't stifle Hermione's emotional reaction to seeing Hogsmeade in such a different light after years. In this world, there were no starved wizards crawling across the streets and begging for mercy. No Death Eaters cursing muggle-born families to death, slaughtering people like they were insects to squash. Instead, a familiar and cozy atmosphere lingered in the air and warmed her heart. There were a couple of illuminated pubs still open, from which came a distant chatter that reminded her of good times that she thought were forever lost. Hermione could feel tears forming around the corner of her eyes as she traversed the cobbled street with slow and steady strides.

Following her classmate's moving dot on the map, she was not surprised to find herself in front of Borgin and Burkes. At night, the ancient shop appeared even eerier and darker than it was in the daylight. As she kept advancing toward the building, she caught a glimpse of silver through the small windows, and it took her less than a heartbeat to recognize who the silky hair belonged to.

Malfoy stood rigid as a statue in front of the desk cluttered with all kinds of magical objects, his shoulders tense and his posture straight. As she drew closer, she noticed that he was supporting his weight on the wooden table. Hermione realised he must have still been heavily injured from the Quidditch match incident, and maybe more than she had expected. She could only see him from the back, but she could tell that he was anxiously awaiting for someone.

Only moments later, a cloaked figure appeared in her line of sight and approached the shop with rushed footsteps. Something sparkled and reflected the dim light under his cloak, and a shiver crawled up her spine as she realized it was a Death Eater mask. Hermione followed the wizard through the main door, which was shut behind them with a dull thud.

She ducked into a corner as the Death Eater advanced toward Malfoy, who turned around and revealed his flustered expression. In the subtle quivering of his lower lip that he was trying to conceal, and in the tense glare he directed at the man standing in front of him, Hermione read much fear and distress.

"The Dark Lord will be pleased to know that I will soon accomplish my mission. The Vanishing Cabinet is almost repaired and I just Imperiused a woman for a task that should successfully kill Dumbledore. If that doesn't work for some reason, I already have another plan."

She knew that the woman Malfoy was referring to was Madam Rosmerta, and she felt rage boiling like glowing lava inside of her. The poor woman was going to be subjected to the course for several months, her knowledge far too valuable to toss away. She would have to think about how to deal with that later. For now, she just bit her lip until she felt the metallic taste of blood tainting her senses.

The figure lowered its terrifying mask and Hermione wrinkled her nose in disgust when Dolohov's sadistic grin emerged from the cloak. The only good thing about the previous timeline is that he'd died in it, she thought, satisfied with having killed the bastard at least once.

"I hope what you say is true, boy. I wouldn't want your mommy to be hurt, she is such a delightful woman to have around."

Dolohov's words came out vicious and derisive as he thrived on Malfoy's fear and humiliation. The young Slytherin visibly paled and tensed up at his words, his trembling hands balled into fists and his teeth gritted like he was trying very hard not to retort to the cruel provocation.

As much as she despised Malfoy, she couldn't help but feel pity for him when she glanced at the tormented look that had seized his features. She had never considered that his mother might be in such a difficult position in her own home. She always believed that being a member of one of the most powerful and ancient pureblooded wizarding families would automatically spare her from Death Eaters' ruthlessness, but apparently, there was no limit to how twisted their sick little world was.

Hermione was yanked back to the present when the room reverberated with the resounding crash of an object right behind her. Turning around and lowering her gaze to the shattered jar at her feet, horror flickered in her eyes like a lightning bolt. At that moment, both Dolohov and Malfoy's heads snapped to the corner, startled and alert.

"You fool! Didn't you bother checking if anyone was spying on us?" spat Dolohov furiously.

"I did! I-I have no idea how they got in!"

In a split second, before Hermione had time to grab her wand and have a chance to defend herself, a forceful spell hit her with great intensity and slammed her body against the wall with a bone-jarring impact. As soon as the cloak slipped from her shoulders and dropped to the side, she saw Malfoy's eyes widen in surprise and Dolohov burst into a frenzied laughter.

"Look what we got here, Potter's mudblood. What a pleasant surprise! I will have some fun repaying you for sending me back to Azkaban last year."

He rushed towards her and stopped right at her feet, amused by the witch's futile attempt to break free from the spell holding her in place. With his hand clenching around her face and squeezing so tight it hurt, he spat on her and then violently slapped her face. Hermione shrieked in pain but didn't tear her watery eyes away from him, staring at the Death Eater with a fierce and challenging expression.

"You think you are so clever, mudblood? Let's see how well you react to this. Crucio!

Indescribable pain engulfed her in an endless wave of agony, and every fiber of her body seemed to be torn apart. She writhed and twitched convulsively on the dusty floor for what she thought to be hours. She didn't know how many times he'd used the Cruciatus curse on her, but she was sure he had hit her repeatedly. The pain was too intense for her to sense anything else around her.

When the spell started to simmer down, and she managed to lift her gaze toward the Death Eater, she saw him about to raise his wand once again, ready to strike the killing curse.

Behind him, Malfoy was still taut and unmoving, terror splashed all across his face.

"I would've loved to play more with you, but the Dark Lord is waiting for me and I won't waste any more magic on filth like you."

As the words of the curse prepared to escape his lips, she caught a glimpse of a brisk movement at his back with the corner of her eye.

"Stupefy!"

Dolohov collapsed on the floor, his wand flying up in the air and finally landing on the floor with a thud. In less of a heartbeat, Malfoy was at her feet and had covered her body with the Invisibility Cloak. Then, he moved towards the slumped figure and crouched down to him, the wand firmly gripped in his hand.

"Obliviate" he muttered with a shaking voice.

When Dolohov reopened his eyes, they were blank and dull for a few minutes, before they regained their normal colour at last. In a matter of minutes, the man was standing on his feet and, like nothing happened, was discussing Malfoy's plans to let Death Eaters into the castle.

Hermione observed the scene unfold in front of her by the filthy corner she was caved in, her body still numb and trembling from the intensity of the Cruciatus curse. At that moment, her mind was empty and thoughtless, and she felt as if she were floating in a distant bubble far away from the shop, her shock too severe to elaborate on what had just happened.

As soon as Dolohov apparated away, disappearing in a blink of glittering magic, Malfoy started moving back and forth with rushed, hectic steps, his hands clung to his head in utter despair.

"What the fuck have I done? They will fucking kill me!"

He kept mumbling words of terror and cursing under his breath, his voice reduced to low whispers that she was too stunned to grasp. When she managed to snap out of her trance and she emerged from the cloak, she blurted out the words that had been lingering in the back of her mind.

"Y-you just saved my life." her voice came out high-pitched and shaky.

Malfoy seemed to suddenly remember her presence, and his glare swept to her crouched figure on the other side of the room, his wand pointed towards her and his features creased up with loathing.

"It's all your fault, Granger! I knew you were spying on me. Are you fucking crazy?" He growled ferociously.

Hermione kept staring at him as he had never seen him before, her lips parted and her eyes wide.

"How much did you hear?"

At her long silence, he bellowed and violently slammed his fist on the table, knocking down several books that were littered on the surface.

"I SAID HOW MUCH DID YOU HEAR!"

Somehow, the threat in his words did not scare her anymore. She regained composure and ignored his question, speaking again with eerie calm in her tone.

"What were you doing with a Death Eater?" She already knew the answer to that question, obviously.

"It's none of your fucking business!" he spat, before raising his wand once more.

"Before you obliviate me, Malfoy, I want you to know that there are other ways out. You don't have to do this, and I know how to help you. If you are ever ready to hear me out, you know where to find me." As she spoke, she tried to sound as confident and determined as she could, while her eyes fiercely locked with his.

The light of curiosity and surprise that flashed in Malfoy's glare was dim and fleeting, but it was there.

"Obliviate!"

A sudden green shaft of light came dazzling to her, but her wand was faster.

Notes: Heyy! What do you think of this chapter? What will happen now? I would looove to hear your thoughts, your comments mean so much to me! About what happened: this event will change things, and you will understand how in the next chapters! See you soon :)

Ari