Hidden Agendas

The air was thick with tension, the kind that seemed to press in on Draco from all sides. He stood by the window, staring out at the moonlit garden of Aunt Muriel's cottage, his mind racing. Theo sat across from him at the small, cluttered kitchen table, a parchment spread out before him, littered with sketches and notes in his cramped handwriting.

Neither of them spoke. There wasn't much to say. They both knew what they were planning, what they were about to do.

Theo cleared his throat, breaking the silence. "It has to be me, you know."

Draco's head snapped around, his eyes narrowing. "What are you talking about?"

Theo didn't look up. He kept his gaze fixed on the parchment, his expression calm, almost detached. "I'll be the one to draw Voldemort's attention. He'll expect you to run. But me—" He let out a bitter laugh. "He won't see me as a threat. I can distract him long enough for you to slip past and get to the snake."

Draco stared at him, his chest tightening. "And then what?" he demanded, his voice sharp. "What happens after that, Theo? You think he'll just let you go? He'll kill you."

Theo's gaze lifted, and for a moment, the emptiness in his eyes made Draco's heart lurch. "I know," he said quietly. "That's the point."

"No," Draco said, his voice hard. He turned away, his jaw clenched. "I'm not going to let you sacrifice yourself."

"Draco—"

"No!" Draco spun back around, his eyes blazing. "You think I want to watch you die? You think I want to be the one to walk away while you—"

"This isn't about what you want," Theo interrupted, his voice low but firm. "This is about what needs to be done. You're the one who has to kill Nagini. You're the one who has to finish this."

"Why?" Draco shot back, his voice cracking. "Why does it have to be me?"

Theo looked at him, his gaze steady. "Because you're the only one who can. Because you're the one with something left to fight for."

The words hit Draco like a physical blow, knocking the breath from his lungs. He staggered back, his chest heaving as he tried to process what Theo was saying. "What the hell are you talking about?" he whispered, his voice shaking. "I don't—I don't have anything left. Don't you get that? We've already lost everything."

Theo shook his head slowly, his expression softening. "You haven't losteverything, Draco. You still have her."

Draco froze, his heart pounding in his chest. "Hermione…" he breathed, the name slipping from his lips before he could stop it.

"She's broken," Theo murmured, his eyes never leaving Draco's. "But she's still here. And if you die—if you leave her alone—you'll destroy whatever's left of her."

Draco flinched, the pain of the truth hitting him like a curse. He knew Theo was right. He knew that if he died—if he abandoned Hermione now—there would be nothing left for her. Nothing left for either of them.

But that didn't change the fact that Theo's plan was madness. It was suicide. And Draco… Draco wasn't ready to lose him too.

"You don't have to do this," he whispered, his voice raw. "We can come up with another plan. We can—"

"There is no other plan," Theo interrupted softly. "There's no other way. It has to be me, Draco. I'm—I'm not like you. I don't have a reason to keep going. Not anymore."

Draco stared at him, his chest tightening with panic. "Theo, please…"

But Theo just shook his head, a sad smile tugging at his lips. "I'm already gone, Draco. You know that."

Draco's throat tightened, and for a moment, he couldn't breathe. He felt like he was drowning, like the world was collapsing around him. Because Theo was right. Hehadlost everything. His family, his name, his place in the world—it was all gone. And now, now Theo was telling him that he was going to lose him too.

"No," he whispered, his voice shaking. "I can't—"

"You can," Theo said softly. "And you will. Because you have to."

Draco clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms hard enough to draw blood. He could feel the anger, the fear, thegriefwelling up inside him, threatening to tear him apart. But underneath it all, there was something else—something cold and hard and unyielding.

"Fine," he bit out, his voice low and furious. "If you're going to do this, then so am I."

Theo blinked, his expression flickering with surprise. "Draco—"

"No." Draco cut him off, his eyes blazing. "If you think I'm going to let you throw your life away without a fight, then you're insane. We're both going to kill that damn snake, and then… then we'll figure out the rest."

"Draco, there is no 'rest,'" Theo said quietly. "You know that."

Draco shook his head fiercely, his chest heaving. "I don't care. I'm not leaving you behind. Not again."

The silence stretched between them, thick and suffocating. Theo looked at him, his gaze searching, and for a moment, Draco thought he might argue. But then, slowly, Theo nodded.

"All right," he murmured, his voice soft. "We'll kill the snake. Together."

Draco let out a shuddering breath, relief and terror warring in his chest. He stepped forward, reaching out to grip Theo's shoulder. "And then we get the hell out of there. Both of us."

Theo's smile was small and sad. "Sure," he said softly. "Whatever you say."

But Draco knew the truth. He could see it in Theo's eyes, could feel it in the way his best friend's shoulder tensed under his grip.

There was no escape plan.

Because they both knew they weren't coming back.

Hours slipped by in a blur of whispered plans and strained silence. They pored over the map of the Ministry's stronghold, marking the locations of known Death Eaters, strategizing how to get close to Voldemort without being caught. The room was heavy with the unspoken truth: this wasn't just a mission. It was their final stand.

They weren't planning to survive.

But that didn't mean Draco was ready to let go. Not yet. Not when there was still so much left unsaid. He looked at Theo, his chest tightening with something dangerously close to desperation.

"If—if this is it…" he whispered, his voice breaking. "If this is the end… then I—"

"It's not the end," Theo interrupted softly, his gaze steady. "Not for you."

Draco opened his mouth to argue, but the words caught in his throat.

"Just promise me one thing," Draco whispered, his voice shaking. "Promise me you'll try. Just… try to make it out. Please."

Theo smiled, a sad, weary smile that made Draco's chest ache. "I'll try," he murmured. "For you."

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2 Weeks Later:

Hermione sat in the small, cramped bedroom, her knees pulled up to her chest, her fingers trembling as she traced the worn patterns of the bedspread. Ginny sat across from her on the floor, her back straight, her gaze intense. Luna perched by the window, the moonlight casting an ethereal glow around her, but her expression was uncharacteristically serious. She was trying her best to shut people out less, but she couldn't leave her room, she couldn't, no matter how hard she tried, by now Draco was not even attempting to be near her door when she wasn't asleep. It broke her heart that she was pulling away from him, but she couldn't care about his feelings right now. She didn't have the room.

The plan was madness. Absolute, unfiltered madness.

And yet… it was the only thing that made sense anymore.

"They're going to die if we don't do something," Ginny whispered fiercely, her eyes boring into Hermione's. "Youknowthat, right?"

Hermione nodded numbly, the truth of Ginny's words slicing through her like a blade. Of course she knew. She could see it in the way Draco moved, the way Theo's shoulders sagged under the weight of his own despair. They were already ghosts, haunting the corridors of Muriel's cottage, the hollow look in their eyes telling her that they didn't expect to return.

"They're planning to go tonight," Luna murmured softly, her gaze faraway as she stared out the window. "When the moon's at its highest."

Hermione swallowed hard, her throat dry. "Then… then we leave right after them," she whispered, her voice unsteady but growing stronger with each word. "Two minutes. Just two minutes behind. If we follow too closely, they'll notice."

Ginny nodded, her jaw clenched. "But not too far behind, or we won't be able to catch up. We have to be right on their heels."

"I'll go to the other side of the Ministry," Luna interjected quietly. She turned to face them, her blue eyes wide and serious. "They'll have guards and Death Eaters reinforcing the entrances. I can slip past and… slow them down."

Hermione stared at her, a chill creeping down her spine. "Luna, that's—"

"Suicide?" Luna finished softly. "Yes, I know." She smiled then, a sad, wistful smile that made Hermione's heart twist painfully. "But we're all doing dangerous things, aren't we? Besides… someone has to make sure they don't get to Voldemort too quickly. If they do, Draco and Theo won't have a chance."

Hermione felt her chest tighten, panic bubbling up inside her. She glanced at Ginny, searching for some sign of doubt, some hesitation in her gaze—but Ginny just stared back, her expression hard and unyielding.

"We have to split up," Ginny said quietly. "We're running out of time. I'll go after Nagini. You—" She hesitated, her voice catching. "You get to Draco and Theo. Dowhateveryou have to, Hermione, but get them out of there."

A hollow laugh bubbled up in Hermione's throat, raw and broken. "Get them out?" she whispered, shaking her head. "They're not going to come willingly, Ginny. They want to die. They—"

"Then make themwantto live!" Ginny shot back, her eyes blazing. "You have to make them want to fight for something—someone. I don't care what you have to say, what you have to do, but don't let them throw themselves away!"

The desperation in Ginny's voice made something crack inside Hermione, something fragile and aching that she'd been holding together with sheer force of will. She swallowed hard, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to spill over.

"I don't know if I can," she whispered, her voice trembling. "They—they're so… broken. And I—"

"You can," Luna said softly, stepping forward to place a gentle hand on Hermione's shoulder. Her touch was light, almost weightless, but it steadied Hermione in a way that words couldn't. "You've always been able to reach them, Hermione. Even when no one else could."

Hermione stared at her, the tears finally spilling over, hot and stinging. "What if—what if I'm too late?" she choked out. "What if they—"

"Then you fight," Ginny interrupted, her voice fierce. "Youfight, Hermione. Because you're not just fighting for them—you're fighting foryourself. For all of us."

The room fell silent, the weight of Ginny's words settling over them like a shroud. Hermione took a deep, shuddering breath, trying to push back the suffocating fear that threatened to consume her.

Ginny's right. Shehadto fight. Even if she didn't know how. Even if it tore her apart. Because Draco and Theo—becauseeveryone—was depending on her.

And she couldn't lose anyone else.

"Okay," she whispered, her voice hoarse but determined. "Okay. I'll—I'll get them out."

Ginny's expression softened, a small, sad smile tugging at her lips. "Good."

They all fell silent again, the tension in the room thick and oppressive. There were a thousand things Hermione wanted to say, a thousand arguments she could make. But in the end, there was only one truth that mattered:

They didn't have time.

"We'll meet up by the fountain in the atrium," Ginny said quietly, her eyes flickering with resolve. "After we kill the snake."

Hermione nodded, her throat tightening painfully. "After we kill the snake," she repeated softly.

The plan was reckless, desperate. But it was the only plan they had.

They waited, each minute dragging by with agonizing slowness. Hermione could barely breathe, her heart pounding in her chest as the tension built and built, coiling inside her like a spring wound too tightly. She kept her eyes fixed on the clock, watching as the seconds ticked by.

And then—at exactly midnight—the creak of floorboards echoed faintly through the house.

Draco and Theo were leaving.

Hermione shot to her feet, her breath hitching as she strained to listen. She heard the quiet murmur of voices, the soft scrape of boots on wood. Then the telltalepopof Apparition, sharp and final.

"They're gone," Luna whispered, her voice barely audible.

Hermione's heart lurched. She turned to Ginny, her eyes wide and desperate. "Two minutes," she gasped. "We—we wait two minutes."

Ginny nodded, her jaw clenched. "Two minutes."

Hermione felt the world narrow to those words, to the ticking of the clock. Each second was a tiny eternity, stretching out endlessly as she tried to keep herself from falling apart. Her hands shook, her breath coming in shallow gasps.

And then—the minute hand clicked forward.

"Now," Ginny breathed, grabbing her arm. "We gonow."

They moved quickly, silently, the house blurring around them as they rushed down the stairs and out the door. The cold night air hit Hermione like a shock, but she barely felt it. All she could think about was Draco, was Theo—was the way they looked when they thought no one was watching.

The way they looked like they were already dead.

But not tonight. Not if she had anything to say about it.

"Take my arm," Ginny whispered urgently. Hermione grabbed on, and Luna placed her hand lightly on Ginny's shoulder.

"On three," Ginny murmured. "One… two…three!"

The world twisted and spun around them, the familiar sensation of Apparition pulling at her gut. And then, with a lurch, they landed in the dark, empty corridors of the Ministry.

Hermione stumbled, her knees buckling as the world righted itself. She took a deep breath, steadying herself, and looked around.

"We need to hurry," Ginny said, her voice low and tense. "Draco and Theo won't wait."

Luna nodded, her expression calm. "I'll head to the eastern entrance. Good luck."

And then, without another word, she turned and disappeared down the corridor, her light footsteps fading into the shadows.

"Come on," Ginny whispered, grabbing Hermione's hand. "We need to move.Now."

Hermione's heart was pounding in her chest as she and Ginny sprinted through the labyrinthine corridors of the Ministry. The air was thick and suffocating, the dark magic emanating from every shadow making it hard to breathe. She clutched her wand tightly, her knuckles white, her mind racing. They had to find Draco and Theo before it was too late. Before they did something irreversible.

"Where are they?" Ginny muttered, her eyes scanning every doorway, every hidden alcove as they rounded another corner. The corridors seemed to twist and warp around them, the oppressive atmosphere closing in, but Hermione didn't let herself falter.