AN: Hello, wonderful readers! Posting this one a few days early just because I can. I hope you are all enjoying your holidays.
Best wishes to each and every one of you for a Happy New Year!
{ 38 }
I searched one wall of bookcases whilst Hermione searched the other.
In hindsight, that probably wasn't the best plan. She kept getting distracted by the books and scrolls that lined the shelves, rather than searching for a hidden doorway. I was halfway through my side before she finished the first section on her side.
I rolled my eyes and smirked to myself. Typical Granger.
I continued until I got to the last section. I lifted my hand and ran my fingers along the books. Instead of leather bound books, I felt wood. Wood, carved and painted to look like a shelf full of books.
I pressed on the corner. There was a loud clicking noise and the right side of the bookcase popped out.
"You found it?" Hermione called from across the room.
"I found something." I waited for her to join me before I pulled the door open. Torches flared to life.
"Well. Let's see then." Her hand wrapped around mine.
My lip tilted up on one side at her enthusiasm. She was practically bouncing on the balls of her feet.
"Ladies first."
She didn't argue with me. She stepped forward and pulled me along behind her.
The room was, indeed, a lab. There were four work tables, stacks of cauldrons, shelves of ingredients and a glass case full of books.
"Good Merlin." Hermione stood in the center of the room and turned in a circle.
On the wall to the right, there were three portraits. One was an aerial view of Hogwarts. One was the Phoenix and the Serpent. And the last was a portrait of a witch with dark, straight hair and a rich blue gown.
Rowena Ravenclaw
"Merlin and Salazar." I muttered under my breath.
The witch in the portrait seemed as surprised to see us as we were to see her. Her eyes darted back and forth between Hermione and myself.
"You are here." She whispered. "Look at you. Just as I imagined."
What exactly do you say to the witch that helped found Hogwarts?
"Madam Ravenclaw." Hermione stepped forward. "It's lovely to meet you. My name is Hermione Granger."
Of course she would know exactly what to say.
"Draco Malfoy." I nodded in greeting.
"Malfoy? One from a long magical lineage, I see. And Granger, did you say? You are born of muggles, yes?" There was no derision in her tone. It was more like…excitement.
"Yes." Hermione's right hand reflexively covered her left arm, even though her sweater covers the scar hidden there.
The smile on Ravenclaw's face could only be described as victorious. Like she had just won something.
"I was beginning to think Salazar was right all along." She shook her head and chuckled to herself. "He told me I was wasting time and resources. That my dreams were nothing but fantasies imagined in my own mind. I have to tell him how wrong he was."
She stood quickly from her chair, turned and left the portrait.
Hermione tilted her head to the side and huffed a short laugh.
"Is she coming back any time soon, do you think?"
I lifted my shoulder and let it drop in response. She's been waiting for us for centuries. You would think she would want to stick around for a bit.
I took a few moments to explore the lab. The potion ingredients caught my attention. I began studying the jars one by one. The collection rivaled any stores that Snape ever kept.
I turned to find Hermione still standing in the same place, staring at the empty portrait.
"She'll be back eventually." I couldn't keep the amusement out of my voice. Hell, she probably has a list of questions in her head that she has been compiling for years.
What would she ask the Founders of Hogwarts if she had the chance?
"Are you laughing at me?" She finally turned away. She put one hand on her hip and lifted an eyebrow in challenge.
"Of course not, Love."
I am positive that she was not fooled for a single moment.
She rolled her eyes and huffed a short laugh.
The tables between us were clear save for one. On one of the tables, there was a black leather bound book, just lying there as though someone had forgotten to put it away when they were through with it.
Hermione's eyes caught on that book. Like a moth to a flame, she was drawn towards it. I smirked to myself as she sat on the stool and pulled the book closer. I stood behind her and looked over her shoulder as she opened the cover.
On the first page was a drawing, a sketch in graphite of a phoenix with a snake coiled around it. The same emblem that is repeated throughout the rooms here.
The second page was another drawing. This one was of a young couple in an embrace. Hermione and I. She was crying, and I was holding her.
In the next image, we were both much younger. We were facing off, wands drawn. There was a sneer on my face, fierce determination on hers.
Image after image. Drawing after drawing. Moments from our lives.
"It's her dream journal." Hermione muttered as she flipped through the pages. "Just like mine."
She's right. Snapshots of moments in our lives. Important moments. Life-altering moments. Mundane moments.
"No wonder she felt like she knew us." I stopped her on a page that showed the two of us, sitting side by side on a couch. Her head was laying against my chest. My arm was wrapped around her shoulder.
"Indeed." The voice from the portrait startled us. I looked up to see that Ravenclaw had returned. She was not alone, either. Salazar Slytherin stood beside her. "It took me a long while to realize the dreams were related. It was Salazar that put it together, actually."
"Yes. I did not imagine that these visions of yours would ever come to pass." Slytherin drawled. "It seems I was wrong."
"Quite." Ravenclaw intoned smugly.
Slytherin rubbed his hand over his face and pulled it through the beard on his chin.
"You do realize, if you were right about these two, it means you were right about the rest of it as well?"
The smile fell from her face and her shoulders fell.
"Quite." She released a deep sigh and pinched the bridge of her nose.
Hermione looked at me with a raised brow. The two Founders in the portrait were not paying any attention to us at all.
He placed his hand on her shoulder and squeezed it gently.
"They have gotten this far, Row. You have to have faith that they can handle this."
I cleared my throat, drawing their attention back to us.
"It would be nice to know what, exactly, it is that we are expected to do." I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at the portrait.
I can't help it. I'm sick of the games. Sick of the riddles. There is something happening, and we need to know what our role is, damn it.
We have assumed that it has to do with the wards around the castle. But what if it's not? What if there is some other danger that we are as yet unaware of?
Slytherin's lip tilted up on one side as he nodded at me in understanding. Ravenclaw's eyebrows lifted in surprise. Her eyes darted back and forth between myself and Hermione.
"Well, you are expected to save the world, of course!" She sounded exasperated, as though that much had been obvious all along.
"Gee. Thanks for clearing that up." Hermione rolled her eyes. She is getting just as exasperated with these two as I am. "We'll get right on that."
"Since you know everything there is to know about us, you should know that this world has done everything in its power to destroy us." I stepped forward. "Why in Merlin's name would we care about saving it?"
"Why…?" Ravenclaw blinked several times. "Are you serious?"
"Draco!" Hermione chastised.
"What?" I turned to face her. "Am I wrong?"
She closed her eyes and released a deep sigh. Which only served to confirm that she agrees with me.
"Shouldn't we get a choice in this?" I placed my hands on her shoulders. "You have already been through too much. Why should you have to keep fighting?"
Her hands settled against my chest. Her eyes searched mine for a long moment.
"We have a choice, Draco." She licked her lips and took a deep breath.
"You have already made your choice." Slytherin spoke up before she could continue. "The two of you put this into motion. The path you are on is one of your own making. Rowena has only provided for you the tools you will need to be successful in your quest."
Hermione's eyes were locked on me as he spoke. She was confused by his statement. Just as confused as I.
"Have you never heard the story of the Serpent and the Phoenix?" Ravenclaw asked incredulously. She released a deep sigh and cleared her throat.
"The Darkness and the Light fought for control of the Forest for centuries. With each battle, the pendulum of power swung further off balance.
"One mighty battle saw the pendulum swing as far as it could without snapping. In the aftermath, the Phoenix, a soldier of the Light, lay wounded on a great precipice.
"The Serpent, an unwilling soldier of the Darkness, crossed into the Light in order to rescue the Phoenix and heal her wounds."
"Together, they formed an alliance. An unbreakable bond between old magick and pure magick. Together they brought Light to the Darkness and peace to the Forest."
Hermione's eyes widened in sudden understanding. Her head fell back and she stared at the ceiling.
"Your…I mean our…our revolution." She tilted her head back and stared into my eyes. "We are meant to finish what we started."
I felt my lip tilt up on one side. Something within me relaxed, just a little. This is something that we had already decided to embark on. Knowing that, it made the task at hand more bearable.
She felt it, too. I can tell in the way her eyes lit up and she smiled at me.
My lips met hers in a heated kiss. I heard the occupants in the portrait clearing their throats. Instead of stopping, I slid my tongue between her lips.
"Oh, for the love!" Ravenclaw sounded exasperated.
Hermione smiled against my lips. She did not pull away, though. If anything, she pulled me closer and sucked my tongue further into her mouth.
In an instant, the portrait was forgotten. All that existed was Hermione and I.
Her strawberry scent surrounded me. Her body pressed against mine. Her fingers in my hair. Her tongue tangled with mine.
When we finally broke apart, the portrait was empty.
[ - - - ]
"What are you two so happy about?" Theo grumbled as he sat beside me.
"It's a beautiful day, Theo." Hermione responded. She filled her plate and took a long drink of pumpkin juice.
"It's sleeting outside." Blaise noted as he looked up at the enchanted ceiling. Ice pellets fell from the sky, only to evaporate just before landing on the students below.
She tilted her head to the side and looked thoughtful for a moment.
"So it is, Zabini. So it is."
I huffed a short laugh at her ridiculousness.
"We had a breakthrough on our project today." I smirked to myself. My hand landed on her knee.
"So boring." Pansy interrupted with an eye roll. She flipped her dark hair over her shoulder. "You will never guess what happened today in potions."
Her face lit up in an evil little smile. It took me a moment to realize that she was speaking directly to Hermione.
This cannot be anything good.
"I don't pay attention to gossip, Pansy." Hermione raised her brow and lifted her shoulder.
"Psh. This isn't gossip. Everyone saw it happen."
I looked to Theo. He was nodding in agreement.
"You two want to hear this." He said with a little laugh.
"Alright then." Hermione sighed. "Out with it."
"Tracey was complaining to Slughorn about Draco missing curfew again. And McGonagall walked in." Pansy grinned. "She told the whole class that the two of you are working on an important project for the school and it requires you to be out of your dorms late."
I felt my own lip quirk up on one side.
Pansy held her finger up and grinned even bigger.
"Then she said that since both Slytherin and Gryffindor houses seem to be having an issue with this arrangement, she could always remove both of you from the dorms and provide you with separate accommodations."
My hand pulsed around Hermione's knee. Her hand settled on top of mine and she returned the gesture.
"She hasn't said anything like that to us, so I doubt she will actually do that." Hermione laughed.
"Like it matters?" Pansy chuckled. "You aren't exactly sleeping in your dorm rooms anyway."
Hermione smirked but did not confirm or deny the accusation.
"What is it that the two of you are working on?" Blaise asked in the following silence. "It has to be more than that awful book."
"Oh, you know." Hermione rolled her eyes and smirked. "Saving the school from impending doom."
She isn't wrong.
Everyone at the table thought she was joking.
Theo practically snorted when he laughed. Blaise shook his head and chuckled. Pansy waited a moment before she huffed and went back to her dinner.
I smirked to myself and kept eating.
We were nearly finished when Headmistress McGonagall stood and cleared her throat. The loud cacophony of voices in the Great Hall quieted almost immediately as everyone turned towards the dais at the front of the room.
"Just a quick announcement." She folded her hands together and scanned her eyes over the room. When her gaze reached the Slytherin table, she seemed to look directly at Hermione and I before she continued. "Professor Giles will no longer be teaching at Hogwarts. I will be teaching his classes until a replacement can be found."
Beside me, Hermione exhaled in relief. So did I, for that matter.
[ - - - ]
The common room buzzed with activity. With only a few weeks remaining until Christmas break, everyone is preparing for exams and anxious to return home for the holidays.
Well, most everyone, that is.
As I walked through the familiar room, I could feel eyes tracking me from one side to the other. I didn't turn to look. I'm not an amateur.
I sat with Theo, Blaise and Pansy. They were all working on an assignment for Ancient Runes.
"Shocking that you don't have to work on your project late tonight." Tracey sneered as she stopped beside the table.
"Shocking that you still care what Granger and I are doing." I rolled my eyes. What do I have to do to get this harpy off my back?
"Oh, no. I don't." She put both hands on her hips. "I simply think it is unfair that Gregory has to follow his probation to the letter and you, for some reason, do not."
I refrained from rolling my eyes again. Barely. Instead, I lifted one eyebrow and smirked at the annoying pain in the arse witch.
"I have not done anything that would be considered a violation." I lifted one shoulder and let it drop.
She growled deep in her throat and stomped her foot.
"Stop lying!" Her voice took on a shrill tone that was so comical I nearly laughed. "You never sleep in your bed."
All humor left me in an instant. A cold chill ran down my spine.
"You do realize that it is technically against school rules for you to be in the boys dormitory, right?" I intoned in a bored drawl. "If Slughorn or Bones were to discover that Greg has his girlfriend in his bed every night, what do you think would happen to him?"
Her face paled, just a bit, then tinged red.
"Granger is in your bed every night!" She curled her hand into an angry fist.
My brow crinkled in mock confusion.
"As far as I know, Hermione has never been in the Slytherin dorms." My lip tilted up in a smirk. "You seem to be keeping track of the occupancy of my bed. Have you ever seen her there?"
Theo coughed into his hand to hide his bark of laughter.
"Greg is your last shot at landing a pureblood husband. Perhaps you should focus on keeping him out of Azkaban, instead of worrying yourself with my sleeping habits."
"Mark my words, Draco." Her lip curled up in a sneer. "One of these days, your luck is going to run out."
I think I've heard that one before.
"It's a good thing I make my own luck then, isn't it?"
"Salazar Slytherin would roll over in his grave if he knew what you were doing to this House." She narrowed her eyes and spoke through gritted teeth.
I huffed a short laugh. My eyes darted to the portrait that hung over the fireplace. The life-size, imposing figure of the Founder of Slytherin House stared down at me.
I am sure I did not imagine the small sigh and shake of his head. In all my years here at Hogwarts, I had never given the portrait much thought. He never interacted with the students. Hell, most of the time he wasn't even there.
"Or he would be proud that my ambitions have led me to a point where I can think for myself."
This time I am sure he rolled his eyes. I don't believe proud is the word he would use.
"You just keep telling yourself that, Malfoy." She sneered. "Just so you know, I have sent a correspondence to your Mother detailing your sordid relationship. If you have not been disinherited yet, you will be."
"Good." I chuckled. "I've only been trying for months now. It would be about damn time."
"Pansy," she finally turned her attention away from me. "You won't be far behind. I hope you have made arrangements. Your Mother has been notified that you are also a blood traitor. It won't be long for you, either."
My eyes darted to Pansy. I was surprised to see her smile at the horrid witch.
"We'll see about that, won't we?" She tossed her black hair over her shoulder. "Do us all a favor and run along, would you? We are busy here."
Her eyes darted around the table quickly. With a short huff, she turned on her heel and stomped across the room.
"Horrid shrew. I almost feel sorry for Goyle." Theo rolled his eyes.
I tend to agree, but it is possible the two are just horrible enough to be perfect for each other.
[ - - - ]
In the dorms, Blaise gave me an odd look when I changed into pajamas.
"You aren't actually sleeping here tonight, are you?" He asked with a bemused expression on his face. "Did Tracey get to you?"
I huffed a short laugh.
"Of course not. I just want to see for myself if I got to her or not." My lip tilted up in a smirk.
Sure enough, Tracey did not come to the room with Greg. He gave me an odd look when he walked in alone, but didn't say a word.
I waited long enough to know he was asleep before I slipped out of the room. Then I turned quickly and apparated to the sitting room of the hidden rooms on the fourth floor.
Hermione was not in the sitting room or the bedroom when I got there. I found her in the lab, talking to the portrait of Ravenclaw.
I leaned against the doorway and crossed my arms over my chest. I stood and watched her for a full minute before Ravenclaw spotted me and drew Hermione's attention to my presence.
She turned. Her lips lifted into a smile that brightened her whole face.
That warmth in my chest flared to life. It raced through my veins, warming me from the inside out.
"It's late." Obviously. "We should get some sleep."
"Right." She stood from the stool she had been perched on and stretched her arms over her head. She had changed into pajamas as well. Black pants and my Quidditch Captain shirt.
I swallowed hard around the sudden lump in my throat.
"Are you alright?" She asked with a slight laugh in her voice.
"Fine." I took her hand and pulled her through the doorway to the study, swinging the door to the lab closed behind us.
Immediately she turned and threw her arms around my neck. I stumbled back at the sudden movement. And then her lips were on mine. I did not hesitate to return the kiss.
It had been a long day. One that I was starting to think would never end. Now, deep in the night, alone with Hermione, safe in our rooms, I don't know that I want it to.
Much later, we lay together in the darkened bedroom. Her back was pressed against my chest. My arm curled around her stomach. Her breathing slowed and evened out as she drifted off to sleep.
It was not long at all before I did as well.
[ - - - ]
I awoke hours later to an empty bed. Dawn had broken, but the sky was heavy and gray.
I expected to find Hermione in the sitting room in front of the fire. She was not there. Rather than go look for her, I went ahead and took my shower and got ready for the day.
When I finished, I took out my coin and sent her a message.
"Where are you?"
I only had to wait a few seconds before I received a message in return.
"Third floor balcony."
Well, then. I huffed a short laugh to myself. I would not have guessed that.
I pictured the bedroom on the third floor clearly in my mind and apparated. As promised, she was standing outside on the balcony. She wore black denim jeans and a thick white sweater. Her hair hung loose around her shoulders and blew around gently in the cold breeze. She had a cigarette in her hand that she lifted to her mouth to take a long drag. Then she blew the smoke out into the air.
I opened the door and stepped outside. The sleet from the day before had turned into freezing rain, covering the grounds in a thin sheet of ice.
"Good morning." I moved to stand behind her and placed my hands on her waist.
"Mm." An acknowledgment that I was standing there. Nothing more.
"Everything alright?" I asked quietly, afraid to hear the answer. Afraid that something had happened that would turn our worlds upside down yet again.
"Ravenclaw thought of everything except for a balcony. Hell, even a window would have been nice." She leaned back against me and sighed. "Don't tell her I said so, but I feel claustrophobic in there."
"Nothing says we have to stay up there, you know." I rested my chin against her shoulder and inhaled deeply. "We could stay down here. It has been working just fine for us."
Now that Giles is gone.
A shiver worked its way down her spine.
"No. I can pop down here when I need to, though." She snuffed out her cigarette and vanished the butt. "I was just thinking…our project was to read Ravenclaw's book, right?"
"Right." I answered slowly, not sure yet where she is going with this.
"The book doesn't have anything in it about the wards around the castle." She turned around and leaned against the stone railing. Her hands rested against my chest and her eyes searched mine. "The items the Founders left in that statue are for us to use, to bring Light to the Darkness or whatever. McGonagall assumed, as did we, that it is about the wards failing. But it isn't. It never was."
I searched her eyes, following her logic. Dark circles surrounded them and I suddenly wondered how long she had been up.
"You are freezing. How long have you been out here?" Her hands feel like ice against my chest, even through my sweater.
"I don't know. An hour or two?" She shivered again and stepped into my arms, leaning her head against my chest.
Which means at least two hours. Maybe closer to three. That puts her at around two hours of sleep at the most.
I wrapped my arms around her and held her close. I also cast a warming charm to take the chill out of the air on the balcony.
I stared out into the early morning landscape. Everything from the trees to the grass was covered, encased in a glittering layer of ice.
I swallowed around the lump in my throat. The vision Hermione had of Tristan being attacked by the wards, she said the gates had been covered in ice and snow.
Suddenly I understood.
"Someone still needs to fix the wards."
She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.
"Yes. And we are running out of time."
"Nothing says it has to be us."
She huffed a short laugh against my chest.
"Right." She leaned back and looked me in the eye. "Do you honestly think I would trust something this important to anyone else? Would you?"
I sighed to myself. It had been a long shot. We have so damn much on our plates already. This is one more thing that neither one of us needs.
"Haven't I already told you that I would prefer you don't run headfirst into danger?"
She lifted one brow, silently asking the question, "And?"
Right. Of course she doesn't care.
I tilted my head back and stared up at the heavy clouds. The wards are up there, covering the castle, intended to protect the school and the students within.
They are damaged.
Broken.
Like Hermione.
Like yourself.
"Damn it, Granger." I closed my eyes and pulled her a little closer.
It doesn't matter. I can make all the rational arguments in the world, but I know if she wants to figure out how to fix the wards, then I will be right there by her side.
Just like she agreed to be by my side when I floated the idea of starting a revolution.
"Does that mean you're in?" She asked after a moment.
"Of course I'm in, you crazy witch." I rolled my eyes and placed a kiss on her forehead. "We both know that I'm the brains of this operation."
She laughed as her body relaxed into mine.
[ - - - ]
After lunch, we found Bones in her office.
"Miss Granger. Mr. Malfoy." She raised her brow and opened the door wider. "Please, come in."
I let Hermione enter first before I stepped into the office behind her.
"What can I do for the two of you this afternoon?" Bones sat down at her desk and motioned to the chairs across from her. "Please, have a seat."
"We have read Ravenclaw's book." I answered as I sat in the chair to the left.
That definitely got her attention. She turned and faced me, her eyes lifted and she had a look of anticipation on her face.
"Unfortunately, there was no information in there on the wards of the castle." Hermione continued. She leaned back in her chair and tucked one foot under her other leg.
"I see. We thought that could be a possibility, of course." She leaned forward and clasped her hands together. There was a twinkle in her eye when she asked, "What did it say?"
My lip tilted up in a smirk. She was curious to see what Ravenclaw had written, and why she had warded the information so well.
"Honestly, it was nothing." Hermione huffed and rolled her eyes in a dismissive gesture. "A fairy tale. Nothing more."
Technically that was true. It was a fairy tale. But it was a bit more than that, I would say.
Bones' face fell. She released a deep sigh of disappointment. I have to wonder what she hoped would be recorded in that book.
"We would like to change the parameters of our agreement with McGonagall." I leaned forward in my chair, rested my elbows on my knees and clasped my hands together between them. "The book is a dead end, but we have been studying wards for weeks trying to get into that book."
"Right." Hermione followed up. "We want to shift our focus to figuring out what is wrong with the wards around Hogwarts and fixing them."
Bones shook her head quickly, dispelling the suggestion before she even had a chance to think it through.
"No. It is far too dangerous. McGonagall would never put that responsibility on students."
Hermione rolled her eyes. Again.
"We are only students due to a technicality. We are of age. And we are more than capable." She put her foot back on the ground and leaned forward. "We have already been taken out of our classes. We can work on this practically twenty four hours a day. No one else has the ability to dedicate that much time to this."
The older witch pursed her lips. Her eyes darted from Hermione to me and back again.
"You do realize how dangerous this mission is, don't you?" She glared at each of us in turn, her eyes finally settling on Hermione. "You don't have to do this."
Hermione's mouth tilted up in a small smile. Her eyes were clear and bright when she met Bones' gaze.
"Yes, I do." She cleared her throat and pushed her hair back behind her ears. "People are in danger if I do nothing. Children are in danger, Professor. If something happens to me, that's fine, as long as I can save them in the process."
I closed my eyes and squeezed my hand into a tight fist. She talks about her own life as though it is disposable.
It is not.
"I'm not going to let anything happen to you." I muttered quietly.
She glanced up at me. The smile remained on her face as she nodded and whispered, "I know."
"Hermione, I thought you were past all that." Bones' shoulders sagged. She stood and placed both hands on her desk. "Your life is worth living."
"It isn't about that, Professor." Hermione stood as well, and she mirrored the Professor's stance. "It's what I need to do. It's…it's my destiny."
I groaned to myself. This isn't something we want people to know about.
"What are you talking about?" Bones' eyes widened and her skin paled. Just a little.
Fucking hell.
"Hogwarts needs help. It was damaged. Broken. Violated." Hermione pushed her hair back behind her ears. Then her eyes met those of the professor. "Just like me."
I stood beside her. My hand settled on the small of her back, offering support to the witch that has become my whole world.
Bones' eyes softened.
"This is what you want to do?" She asked both of us.
To be honest, no. It is not what I want to do. But I will anyway.
Hermione nodded. Professor Bones released a deep sigh and pinched the bridge of her nose.
"What do you need from me?" She asked after a moment.
My lip tilted up on one side as Hermione breathed a sigh of relief. I knew that going to Bones would be the right move. She is the one true ally that we have in this damn castle.
AN: Alright. A little bit of clarity on what they need to do (finish their revolution), and what they have to do (fix the wards). And of course, Professor Bones will be there to help them. Giles is gone (thank Merlin!) and Tracey is still being a PITA.
Drop a review and let me know your thoughts.
Also, I had a ton of new readers on The Journal in the last week or so. Apparently someone had mentioned it in a Dramione facebook chat. If you came for that story and stayed for this one, welcome!
I am trying to update every two weeks or so. Not sure how many chapters I have left as I am still writing. At least ten more chapters at this point. Maybe fifteen. I guess we'll see. :)
Until next time.
-mezy