Draco released her arm the moment they reappeared. He stomped over to Blaise who was cradling his ribs. They were in the bedroom of Spinner's End. Hermione was surprised that Draco was able to travel them all that far.
"It's not a bite," Blaise said, pulling back.
Draco casted a quick healing charm to stop the bleeding, but it wouldn't be enough to heal it properly.
Hermione spoke. "We need dittany for it to-"
"Silence," Draco commanded, glaring at her.
"We should go back before they suspect," Blaise said.
"There is no going back," Draco said.
"You outed yourself?" Blaise whispered in disbelief.
" Granger ," he snared back. Speaking as if she wasn't in the room. " Elle allait le laisser la tuer ."
Blaise turned to look directly at Hermione. "You never."
Hermione gaped. "There were over thirty people in the dungeon who would have died if I didn't intervene."
"More have died for less."
"Well I can't just standby and watch the people I care about die. Maybe the two of you could have a little compassion for that fact," Hermione snapped back.
"You are so fucking stupid, Hermione. Sacrificing all I do- all of the leverage I have in Voldemort's army to save thirty fucking people?!" Draco roared.
"If I'm so fucking stupid for wagering my single life for thirty then what does that make you?! You are the one who chose to blow your cover for one ." Mine . Hermione thought to herself, but didn't say out loud. "That was your choice, Malfoy. I didn't make you do that."
Draco opened his mouth to fire back again but stopped himself. He looked at her like he wanted to hex her. "You expect me to let you die?"
"I could have died a thousand times over in the past few years. What has it matter to you?" Hermione said.
Blaise walked over to the bed and sat down with a flop. Both he and Draco winced, and Blaise brought up his left hand to wipe down his face.
Bliase sighed. "We're being summoned."
"It doesn't matter."
Draco and Blaise wince again, but for the first time, they didn't move to leave.
"So… that's it?" Blaise muttered and Draco nodded.
Draco fumbled over to Blaise and sank down beside him. Draco leaned his head back, taking deep breaths that made his chest inflate. Occasionally, both of them would wince as Voldemort summoned them, and Hermione was sure that there was a raging war going on outside.
Blaise slowly started to smile. A small chuckle left his lips and Draco turned his head to glare at him. It only made Blaise laugh more. But it wasn't in the mischievous way she was used to. It sounded so innocent. Like it came from joy instead of amusement.
Hermione cleared her throat, trying to speak but at a loss for words.
Blaise zoned in on her, all traces of humor gone. "Don't go thinking you are off the hook, princess."
Hermione crossed her arms. "Blaise, please. I know you can see reason."
"If what Draco says is true and you tried to kill yourself, it is reason enough for me to hold you down while he spanks you," Blaise said and Draco shoved him so hard he fell back.
He laughed as he flopped down on his back. The bed didn't look all that comfortable, but Blaise sunk into it with a moan.
Minutes passed. The house creaked slightly, cutting into the silence. Whether it be from old age or the wind that had picked up outside. The deserted neighborhood offered no light through the window, other than the full moon that powered the creatures who bowed to it on the ground. There was not so much of a howl to be heard from where they stood inside Snape's old home.
" Je suis si fatigué ," Blaise mumbled, softly.
"Sleep," Draco commanded him, standing up. "No one can enter here but the Weasley's. Avez-vous besoin de quelque chose ?"
" Oui ."
"I need to be getting back," Hermione interrupted.
"You're not going anywhere," Draco said, harshly.
He moved toward a cupboard in the room and started sifting through the available potions. Most vials covered in dust and likely brewed by Snape while he was alive.
"People will come looking for me," Hermione explained. "I'll come back."
Draco huffed a laugh that was sharp and cruel and her words set him even more on edge. Blaise's eyes started to close and Draco tossed a vial on his chest.
"Zabini hasn't slept in a week. Spare him an hour or two," Draco stated.
Hermione was opening her mouth to argue when a door closing somewhere in the house caught her attention. Draco pushed his way out first, Blaise jumping up and Hermione trailed after him.
Arthur walked towards them and Draco and Blaise repositioned their stance to block her completely.
"Hermione!" Arthur yelled, relieved.
When Arthur kept approaching Draco grabbed him and threw him against the wall.
"Why did you come here?" Draco shouted.
"Parvati returned with Isla and said Hermione got lost," Arthur spat.
"You found her. Now leave," Blaise said.
"Come, Granger," Arthur beckoned.
"She stays."
Hermione scoffed. " Draco ."
"You will stay in this fucking house!" Draco shouted.
Arthur looked between them. "Malfoy… How are you not by the Dark Lord's side?"
"It's over," Draco said.
Hermione didn't miss the relief the words gave him as he spoke. Even as Arthur reeled. Despite the fact that their position in the war just got infinitely harder.
"Let's go," Arthur commanded Draco. "The Advisory will need to keep you until we rectify the gravity of this situation."
Draco shrugged passively. "I'm a bit tired."
"Blasted Draco! We don't have time for your games!" Arthur snarled at him. He turned to Hermione. "Tell him if he wants our help- which if what he says is true he desperately needs- that he will learn to comply!"
"Arthur, please," Hermione said as Draco went deathly still. "Just… go back and tell them I'm fine."
"You must return," Arthur continued, annoying Draco. "We have an incredible amount of defects. A hundred Death Eaters have chosen tonight to commit desertion. We need you there."
Hermione looked from Draco to Arthur, the last thing she wanted was to be in the middle of another altercation. She walked around Draco and Blaise and stood next to Arthur, ushering him towards the entrance.
"Draco will speak with us later," Hermione muttered to him.
Arthur pumped up his chest. "You stay here, Malfoy. The UK is in chaos and we don't need you getting killed."
Hermione gasped. "Arthur-"
"Come on," Arthur said to her, more gently and she knew it was in a way that was more than the war. "Ron and Parvati are waiting. Even Miller is spun up and he has less of a soul than Riddle."
Hermione looked at Draco once more. His eyes convey one more command.
Stay .
She wanted to tell him that she did. That she would have forever, but he was the one who chose differently. So she walked out with Arthur and disappeared into the night once again.
Hermione's finger's drummed on her arm where she had them crossed.
She had returned to Spinner's End first thing in the morning, but Draco and Blaise were gone. It wasn't until later in the day that she discovered they were taken to an unnamed safe house for questioning.
Potter house was bursting at the seams with nearly fifty new occupants. Mippy opened up the second floor where Narcissa resided to use as many available rooms as possible. All of the new defects staying in the house were unmarked. Most fifteen or younger.
Hermione's attendance during all of these changes was crucial. Considering they deflected as a result of witnessing them confronting Voldemort. Draco was right, she did carry a great deal of influence. If only he was there to tell her so himself.
Where the fuck was he?
"Granger!" Hestia sounded. "How goes it?"
"Fine. Great. Whatever," Hermione said, following her into the dining room and closing the door for privacy. It was late in the night, but people tended to roam around at all hours. "Where are Malfoy and Zabini?"
"Zabini should be released shortly. Malfoy will take longer. If ever…" Hestia said, pouring herself some tea. "He's being impossible! Or idiotic. He defies Voldemort a single time, and we are all supposed to believe his claims are legitimate?"
"You need to listen to him," Hermione insisted.
"So it's true," Hestia speculated and Hermione remained still. "Merlin… people are going to start suspecting you."
"Let them." Hermione walked towards the dining room, unconvinced the conversation would lead anywhere useful.
"Go pack- we are trading posts," Hestia said.
Hermione fought her anxiety and hurried upstairs. All that was important to her fit in her bag, so she packed it heavily. She left behind some extra clothes for recruits to use for training if needed, and released her protective charms on the doors before heading back down.
"You can use my room for boarding," Hermione told Hestia.
"That's great, Hermione. Thank you," Hestia said.
It took a few legs, but Hermione reappeared at a safe house in Doolin, Ireland that was close to the caves. The house itself once served as a bed and breakfast before they acquired it. Night had fallen, and there was light escaping from only a handful of windows.
"Good Evening, Ms. Granger," Mcgongall said with a nod from where she waited for her in the drive.
"Where are they," Hermione replied.
"Mr. Zabini has completed his interviews and has been shown to his quarters. I assume the new recruits' arrival at Potter Manor went smoothly?"
"Yes. There were a few weary stares but trust comes with time," Hermione reported.
"He's not made it easy on us," Mcgongall said, quietly.
"I didn't imagine he would," Hermione said. Her throat felt tight as she forced the words out. "If you brought me here to do it, you are going to be disappointed."
"I would not ask that of you. Malfoy will stay in the tower until his interview is completed," said Mcgonall, gesturing to the ancient structure that stood behind the main house.
Hermione took a step back. "Minerva, release him. He's proven himself more than enough."
"We cannot give him special treatment," Mcgongall stated.
"The longer we keep him from the others, the more it looks like there is something we are trying to hide," Hermione insisted. "He's not a newly defected death eater. He's been assisting us since the Battle of Hogwarts. That counts for something."
"I'll consider it," Mcgongall agreed.
Hermione and the other Order member's rooms scattered amongst the property. The room Hermione was assigned was smaller than at Potter house, but far from the worst she had stayed in. While others were asleep, she started erecting the protective enchantments she casted anywhere she stayed. One to keep weapons and unknown wands from entering her room. Another to deter those who arrived with the intent to cause harm.
She knew Blaise was already somewhere within the house, hopefully resting. The thought of Malfoy being confined and interrogated in the tower behind the house made her ill. It was perfectly reasonable. But it didn't stop the feeling of guilt and betrayal from trying to invade the space in the back of her mind. There was no way she would be able to sleep, so she took her time hanging up all of her clothes and tucking the rest into the drawers. Doing her best to remain silent to not wake the sleeping occupants of the house.
The jitters in her fingers wouldn't seize and she walked down the hall to the loo to take a quick shower and ready for bed. The hot water nearly burned her skin, but as the steam filled the air, each breath felt more substantial and she imagined all of her worries and sins washing away with the water.
It was nearly impossible with them so close. When all she wanted was to walk through the back garden and make sure Malfoy knew she cared that he was alright.
Dressed again and damp hair plaited down her back, Hermione returned to her room and put her beaded bag on the bed. There was a nightstand next to the bed, and Hermione started unpacking her most valuable items.
A shiver ran down her spine as she could feel eyes staring on her. She didn't do so much as flinch as she continued casually putting her photos, dagger, and manor map into the drawer. They accompanied her anywhere she stayed.
"It would do you well to respect people's privacy if you want to be successful here," Hermione scolded as she turned around.
It made her heart skip a beat as she took in Draco standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame. The redness around his eyes looked painful, and his stare bore into hers and wrapped around her throat so she could hardly speak.
"Are you alright?" she managed to whisper.
Draco pushed off the doorframe and walked towards her. His steps were heavy and unbalanced and she took a few steps back reflexively.
Oh god.
It had been so long since she had been in a room with Draco alone, she forgot how domineering his presence was. She remained still, watching his movements as he came beside her and grabbed the map, where it sat halfway out of the open drawer.
"Why the fuck do you have this?" Draco growled, turning the map over once before tossing onto the nightstand.
"It's useful," Hermione defended. He looked at the parchment with hatred and scoffed under his breath. "You weren't keen on keeping it. Or did you forget?"
Draco slowly turned his head to look down at her. The fringe covered his eyes in a way that made him look more murderous. If that was even possible. The usual glow to his skin was gone and he looked lifeless. The Order would have to break his mind before Draco would let them in. By the looks of him, that appeared to be exactly how things were panning out before she arrived.
Draco spoke lowly, voice icy and sharp. "What I do remember is using it to look for you, and finding you stolen away with Goldstein."
Hermione didn't miss the contempt in his words. Not that he made any attempt to curb it.
"Theo went mad when he thought you were discovered. I had to tell him about the cloak to stop him from charging through the manor. Told him you were hiding or listening in and couldn't get away," Draco picked up the map again and flipped the pages that showed the first floor. Unfolding the flap to reveal the alcove she had met Anthony in. "You can imagine our surprise."
"I don't have to. I was there. And you have enough imagination for the both of us," Hermione said. "You know nothing happened. If you want to keep telling yourself otherwise to make yourself feel better, I can't stop you."
"You're a fucking liar," Draco spat and threw the map down. He stormed past Hermione, catching her shoulder slightly as he kept walking. "That much I know."
"We are all liars, Malfoy," Hermione snapped and Draco stopped briefly. "Any left who's alive is a liar. But I lie to protect the people I love, not hurt them."
Draco looked her up and down, taking his time. "How noble of you."
Hermione wanted to argue back, but Draco stormed out. The last thing they needed was to witness her and the Dark Lord's favored having an altercation in the halls. Hermione grabbed the map and put it back in its place in the drawer. She reached up absently minded with her hands and rubbed the spot on her shoulder that he bumped. Had he not touched her, she could have continued on pretending he was a ghost. Yet she knew he would haunt her just the same.
The hall was empty and all of the doors were shut as Hermione tried to walk away her insomnia. She had arrived so late, she didn't even have an idea of where Blaise and Malfoy were rooming. A few girls were sitting together in a small parlor and gasped with fright as they saw her. They were dressed in black, but were in neither school or death eater uniform. Hermione nodded at them quickly and turned to be on her way when Parvati entered with tea. They exchanged pleasantries, keeping them oddly formal due to the company, and then Hermione pulled her to the side to see if she had the room assignments. For no other reason but to know where she should avoid.
Parvati gave her a quick rundown of the assignments. She and two other female Order members were rooming on the second floor with a lot of the girl recruits and Hermione was on the same floor as Davis and George with those that were both death eaters and students. Zabini was somewhere on her floor too, but by the time Malfoy was released there were none left, so he was assigned a repurposed storage room on the third floor that had exposed joists and beams.
The two girls looked over at them nervously and Hermione smiled and waves, earning herself two relieved grins back. The younger girl pulled on her left sleeve, subconsciously covering what Hermione already knew to hide beneath. Not for the first time, Hermione wished she knew of a way to get rid of it.
By the time Parvati returned to them, the sun was due to rise in a handful of hours and Hermione didn't have the mental capacity to accept the invitation to join. She made her way back to the room, stealing a glance up to the staircase to the third floor on her way.
The curtains were open slightly, but Hermione didn't mind the bit of light pouring in from the waning moon. She stretched her arms back with a groan when she looked down and noticed the drawer next to her bed was cracked open.
Quickly, she looked around the room to see if anyone else was inside. With her right hand she reached and opened the drawer the rest of the way. All of her effects were neatly inside, but the photos were pushed towards the back. The map was always in the back.
Always .
"He wouldn't," Hermione growled under her breath and started flipping through the photos.
When she made it through the stack a full time, she knew exactly which one was gone. She flipped through again just to be sure before stuffing them back in the drawer and storming towards the hall.
It was fortunate for the other occupants that Hermione mastered moving silently as Draco had just frayed her last nerve. By the time she made it to the staircase, she grabbed onto the banister and swung around to continue up to the stairs without slowing. The door to the room was closed, and Hermione used her magic to undo the latch and push it open.
"You selfish arsehole!" Hermione yelled once she was inside.
The room was vacant.
Hermione's chest rose and fell as she breathed through her surprise. The bed looked turned down, like someone left suddenly and the lamp next to it was still illuminated. Her teeth clenched so hard it hurt, competing with the ache in her chest as she tried to stop her mind from hypothesizing what other bedroom he could be in.
It was something she couldn't allow herself to linger on. She walked over to the bed and pulled the drawer open, confident Draco couldn't take the photo with him. It was empty, and Hermione forfeited all sense of stealth as she started flipping through the stacks of paper carelessly and pulling the linens off the bed. When she lifted the pillow closest to her, she saw it. It was facing down and Hermione sighed with relief when she grabbed it and turned it over.
There was the photo of Draco and Neddy at Christmas. Anger started to stir inside her. If he would have just fucking asked she would have given it to him. A soft, weak part of her nudged her to leave it for him anyways. To be the bigger person since really, Neddy was his friend long before she was hers.
Hermione fidgeted with the picture, revealing one beneath. She shuffled the picture of Neddy to the back, to see what she thought would be a picture including Theo and Blaise.
The second photo was one of her. Just her. It was one Draco took himself as he straddled her hips. In the photo she had managed to turn and cover anything too revealing with her arms. Everything but the smile that was only slightly obstructed with the hand covering her face.
She held the revealing photo to her chest. There was no way that she could deal with this now. With her eyes closed, she pushed the feeling down.
Once she regained her barings, she placed the pillow back, determined to deny the incident ever happened. She pulled on the blanket to put it somewhat back in the position from when she came, and in doing so, bumped the pillow on the other side of the bed, revealing a small patch of green fabric stowed underneath.
Hermione's hand reached over slowly. The moment her fingers touched the fabric, they remembered. She pulled the Slytherin jumper she had come to know from under the pillow. It was uniform and could have been anyones. But she gripped it with her hand and brought it up to her eyes for a closer look and it smelled of minty soap.
In a moment of insanity, Hermione put the pictures under the pillow in compromise. A secret trade she was confident they were both willing to make.
Once back in her room, she stripped her shirt and trousers and pulled the jumper on while it was still dark and the sun wasn't there to shed light on her. That time, when she crawled into bed, sleep finally came and she went willingly.