Disclaimer: Anything that rings a bell belongs to J.K Rowling

Chapter Four: Some things never change.

26th August 2005

Hermione's POV

"What? Mate! Calm down." Ron stepped in front of me, placating Harry with raised hands.

Ky stilled and Harry had walked forward from his place in the corner – when had he even moved there?

I concentrated on my breathing, I knew there was a logical explanation for this, but my mind was racing, pole vaulting to conclusions, but a Theodore shaped question vibrated in my skull yet I dared not ask it.

I don't know if I wanted the answer.

"Look, I understand this must be very confusing. Believe me…I understand!" I zoned in on the blond, finding it better to concentrate on everyone else rather than my body which was overcome with so many emotions.

Malfoy stressed the last bit of his sentence, and my eyes narrowed. Had he also recently found out that Ky was alive? Astoria had died less than a month ago, and I heard she was deathly sick through most of her pregnancy, I doubt he had time to deal with resurrected ex-lovers.

"Weasley is right." The room collectively raised brows at Malfoy's statement, "We should sit, talk things through –"

Ky lurched forward at that, "I'm not doing this. I have to go."

Nobody was more surprised than me when the ropes flew out my wand and wrapped around her ankles, she had been mid-walk and she tumbled haphazardly to the floor.

"Hermione!" Ron shouted as Malfoy rushed forward, severing the ropes with a flick of his wand and getting Ky to her feet.

"I'm fine. I'm okay!" Ky swatted Malfoy's hands away, her hair was blocking her face, hair which was completely unrecognisable – when did she become some Sleekeazy girl? And that dress wouldn't look out of place in Narcissa Malfoy's wardrobe! Could this be an imposter?

I glanced at Harry; his eyes moist but he was keeping his emotions at bay.

Godric this must be hell for him.

Something in me burst at the sight of his pain.

"Clearly! You're perfectly okay! Right as rain! So what was it? Was it Polyjuice? A time turner? Did you have a horcrux… OH MY-"

"HERMIONE!" Ron shouted but I pushed past him, urged by contrasting feelings of fury that she was treating this like an inconvenience but also desperation to touch her, to ascertain her warmth, her pulse, her life.

She was alive! Ky was alive!

I grabbed her, jerking her forward and her head snapped up. For a second fear flashed through her face. I knew this face better than anybody! I shared a room with this face for three years – I shared a life with this face. I shared secrets with this face. I sacrificed EVERYTHING for this face! I had longed for this face, desperately seeking its replacement in colleagues and old friends and always falling short. So how…how could this face that I knew so well be so foreign to me!

Someone had pulled me off her, as if I would hurt her! She was the one doing the hurting!

Malfoy was in front of Ky, blocking her from view, "Granger, please, I know you're angry! Just let her explain –"

"Can she explain why I've been hunting Theodore Nott for SEVEN years!" Harry shouted.

My heart filled with gratitude for my best friend…my brother…I couldn't be the one to mention him first. Not in this dress…not in front of Ron. I glanced to my fiancé, and his face held nothing but sympathy towards Ky. Why was he not furious! We were clearly lied to! If she had been held against her will, captive somehow – she would have said! If she had memory loss – she would have claimed confusion! What explanation could ever justify the last seven years?

"I didn't ask you to do that!" I glared at her, her response catching Harry like a bullet through the chest, "I didn't ask Teddy to be involved! I didn't ask any of you to do anything!" Something in her seemed to have snapped. "And I'm not being –"

"You…you didn't ask…" It would have been better if Harry had screamed, her comment seemed to have chilled his steam, condensing it to trapped tears that he kept at bay with sheer will.

The look on Harry's face broke my heart, and I reached for him, keeping Ky in this room no longer a priority. I'd rather she left, no explanation could justify how she was here, healthy and alive and with Draco Malfoy.

"Ky, please." Ron spoke, a desperation in his voice that surprised me, "Please. Please stay."

I glanced behind me, and Ky's back was to us, almost at the door. She hesitated for a second, and then ran through it. Harry pushed past me, and I followed him, watching as her figure disappeared through the front door.

"Wait! Let me!" Ginny dashed out of the kitchen, after Ky, and I made to follow but Ron stopped me.

"'Mione, no, let Ginny –"

That was absurd…why would Ginny be able to convince Ky to stay! I looked at Harry and he was massaging his chest. This must be both a dream and nightmare for him, his dead girlfriend come to life, currently speaking to his very living girlfriend.

I glanced into the kitchen, it had emptied out except for George, who must have been keeping Ginny company in there. I could hear sound from the garden which George headed into, and I imagined Mr Weasley had convinced everyone to step outside.

I felt as if my brain was shaking in my head, and I leaned against the wall, the fight in Malfoy Manor raging through me, almost physically feeling the remnants of that day on my body. The pain, and the blood, and screams as Bellatrix Lestrange tortured me.

It was nothing to the heartbreak that I experienced minutes later as I pulled a dagger out of my best friend's heart.

"They seem to be talking." Malfoy's analytical musings broke through my reminiscing, he had been glancing out the window next to the front door. He looked down at his watch, "I know this can't be rushed, but I have a newborn, I –"

"You're not going anywhere!" Harry snapped, "You're under arrest as well!"

Malfoy sighed, clearly not fazed, and I know Harry was just clutching at straws, but, having just transferred to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, I had scarecrows worth of straw for my best friend.

"I wouldn't take that lightly. You've clearly been aware that Ky was alive and therefore knew Theodore Nott was innocent of his crimes. The Ministry spared no resources in hunting him down, which means you've aided in the waste of said resources."

Draco cocked a brow, "Firstly – the ministry stopped actively pursuing Theo three years ago. That being said, I only found out he was innocent a few weeks ago, so I didn't aid in the waste of Ministry resources. So you have no charges against me that can stick. And as for Ky –" He turned to Harry, a tired look on his face, "You're not serious? It's not illegal to fake one's death."

Harry opened his mouth to speak but a flash of shocking green flames from the kitchen cut him off.

The Minister for Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt, and head of the Auror Department, Gawain Robards had stepped out of the large fireplace, and walked over to us near the front door.

"Ah, everyone we need all in one place. How convenient." Gawain Robards had shocking white hair that he wore in a chin length hairstyle that was extremely popular amongst Ministry witches, despite his age. "Potter." He nodded at his junior, and Harry absently acknowledged his boss…he looked as if he was confounded.

"Perhaps we should take this into the living room." Kingsley boomed, leading the way being very familiar with the Burrow.

We followed quietly, and I looked up in surprise at a hand in my own. It was Ron's, his other hand went to my face, mopping up the tears with the end of his shirt sleeve, in a way only he could.

Harry, Ron and I took the long sofa, like we often did. I recalled sitting just here when a previous Minister for Magic, Rufus Scrimgeour, had bestowed Albus Dumbledore's parting gifts to us. My copy of Beedle the Bard was one of the most precious things I owned.

"Arthur has brought it to my attention that Ky Thornton, apologies, Ky Dumbledore, is somehow back from the dead." Kingsley stated, simply, "Have you ascertained that it is in fact her?"

"We haven't had a chance to." I couldn't help the defensive tone in my voice, of course it's easy to ask such questions but we were still reeling from shock, "I could get Healer Albright in, first thing in the morning to prove her identity. She'll have access to Ky's Magical Imprint I'm sure."

Kingsley looked from me to Harry, his expression neutral, "Do you believe it is her?"

Harry was quiet for a few seconds, "Yes. I could be wrong though." He ran a hand through his hair, doubt not a familiar notion for him.

"Did you check?" Ron had directed the question to Malfoy, who chose to stand at the corner of the room, looking out the window, in the direction of the front yard where Ginny and Ky were standing.

Malfoy sighed, "Yes. It's her."

"We can't trust him." Harry snapped.

"Healer Malfoy took an oath, Potter." Gawain Robards had a levelled voice, and he was known for being a fair, but firm man. "And I recall it was you who had argued the opposite during the Trials."

I knew that would somehow come back to bite us. Following the War, Death Eaters and Voldemort supporters were being held accountable for their actions, but Harry and I had written in support of Draco avoiding Azkaban time. He had, in his way, helped us when we needed it the most, and we knew, that Ky would have advocated a second chance, and we wanted to honour her memory. I shook my head at how stupid we were.

"Healer Malfoy, when did you first come in contact with Ky Dumbledore, in recent years."

Malfoy was a Slytherin. They never volunteered information, but surely he also knew better than to lie to his superiors. I narrowed my eyes, taking in his expression.

"Ky arrived at my house in France, little over a month ago. I didn't know she was alive…" He took a deep breath, "Astoria, my wife, was gravely sick, and heavily pregnant. We had tried everything, and…" I looked away, uncomfortable with the look on Malfoy's face now, preferring to be angry at him, be furious at Ky. "She came to help. She's a great potioneer, but, obviously, nothing could be done for Astoria. It was a blood malediction. An old family curse. Ky was able to help with my son, though." Malfoy swallowed, "Astoria was only 20 weeks along."

I stifled a gasp, I heard Scorpius Malfoy was premature, but that was on the cusp of what was magically possible. I heard of babies surviving premature births as young as 22 weeks, but 20 weeks…

Silence hung in the room as what Malfoy said sunk in.

"You should go, Malfoy." My voice was hoarse when I spoke, "I'm sorry. I didn't realise that…you should be with your son."

I felt Ron nod slowly next to me, and Harry neither supported, nor objected the notion.

"One last question before you leave for the night, Healer Malfoy, if you will." Gawain Robards stood, walking towards Malfoy, making it clear in his statement that he expected to question him again, "Do you have any idea who would be after Ky Dumbledore's remains?"

"As I told Auror Davies this earlier. I have the same suspects you do. Alya Bellamy. Katerina Karetnikov. They had a personal dislike for Ky, but they're both on the run, and I don't know why they would risk getting caught just to," Malfoy shrugged, "Use her remains for whatever they planned. I had donated all those texts centred on Dark Arts in Malfoy Manor to the Department of Mysteries. There might be information in there on what they may have planned to do with her body, that could give you motive, at least."

"I don't think it's them." Ky entered the living room. Her face was passive, but her white dress now had muddy hand prints down the front. Did she and Ginny get into a wrestling match outside? "The last I heard, Karetnikov was sighted in Oahu two days ago."

"An island in the Pacific Ocean?" Robards turned, looking at Harry, who didn't respond, looking down at his fingers in deep thought. Robards then turned back to Ky, "Heard from who?"

Ky looked at me then, the first sign of emotion on her face in a while, she looked apologetic, but the expression was fleeting and disappeared as she took a deep breath, "Teddy. Theodore Nott."

Ron's hand stilled in my own, but he didn't let go.

"You're in contact with Nott." It wasn't a question, Robards was taking Ky in, trying to understand her. "There may be a grey area on faking the death scenario, but Theodore Nott is very much a wanted man. He may be innocent of your murder, but it was against the law to withhold information about him. You don't get to play judge, jury and executioner, Miss Dumbledore."

"I didn't fake my death." Ky stated, blandly, "If you want to arrest me for withholding information about Teddy –"

"Nobody wants to arrest you, Ky." Kingsley sprung to his feet, "Raving Rowena." I had never seen the Minister lose his cool, and he touched the bridge of his nose, "You're alive." I was surprised to see the tears leak from his eyes. Kingsley and Ky were never close, "Len…" He took a deep breath, "It was my greatest shame that I never kept you safe."

Oh.

Len…

Ky's brother, Len.

Len who had been murdered by Alya Bellamy early in the War. Ky wasn't close to Kingsley, but Len had been. They served in the Order of the Phoenix together.

Ky's face remained passive to the Minister's emotional outburst, as if she wasn't listening and my hand gripped Ron's tighter.

"Minister," Gawain Robards allowed Kingsley to regain composure, "Perhaps it's better I take Miss Dumbledore back to the Ministry and continue questioning her there."

"No." Harry stood, his face flushed at cutting across his superior, "Sir." He added, remembering his place, "Nobody knows that Ky is alive, except the people in this house, and barring two, I would trust with my life."

Ouch. I glanced at Ky and Draco, but Ky's back was to us now, and Draco seemed unbothered by the insult.

Robards did not seem convinced, he was a stickler for procedure and this was very much against procedure. Ky and Draco should have been taken to the ministry for interrogation immediately, and he and Kingsley often butted heads on matters such as these. Not that Kingsley disregarded the rules, but he often went with his instincts, and had an obvious soft spot for Harry. This often obstructed Harry's career, rather than helped it, as he was accused of going over Robards head to the Minister numerous times, all with regards to pursuing Theodore Nott, which Robards felt was wrong to prioritise for the length of time that they did.

"I'll write a report about what happened at Shell Cottage of course, but I don't have any leads on who might have gone after her grave. There were five, all apparently male, wizards, all masked as Death Eaters but none of the mask engravings were recognisable. Only one of them spoke, and he said two things, firstly, that he and I were after the same thing, and secondly, that I was a fool. I didn't recognise his voice, nothing stood out physically. I…" Harry looked sheepish, "I forgot my wand. Ky arrived. Disarmed one of them, got me a wand, and we fought them, but they got away. She was injured so I brought her here."

"Rather than Mungo's?" Ron asked, trying to understand Harry's decision-making.

"Everybody would find out if she was taken to Mungo's…just like they would if she was taken to the Ministry." I stated, looking at Robards, supporting Harry's choices.

"And we're keeping this a secret, because…" I turned to my fiancé.

"Because whoever was out there looking for Ky, now knows that she's alive. She'll have to go into hiding, I suppose-"

"No." Ky turned, "I mean, yes. I'll go into hiding, but I don't need help." She turned to Kingsley, and then to Robards, "I've managed to keep myself hidden for seven years. I'll be fine."

"Like hell you'll be fine." Harry stood, his body inclined to her even though she dared not look at him, "You don't get to dictate what happens going forward. This isn't Ky versus the World. If Death Eaters are up and running again, that's Ministry business. And If they so happen to be attacking you first, well, keeping an eye on you is Ministry Business."

Ky took a deep breath, her hands in fists, this wasn't a good sign.

"Potter is right." Malfoy spoke from the window, and Ky turned her glare on him, "I know…I know you feel like you need to help with…Scorpius. But I can take care it from here. At least until-"

"No-"

"I've got this, Ky." Malfoy stepped forward, a soft look on his face, "I've got to learn how to do this on my own, right." He swallowed, "Speaking of which. I really should check on him."

"I'll come with –"

"No, Ky. I'll bring your stuff here." Malfoy had a pained look on his face, and there was a lot hidden in their exchange. Did Ky want to help raise Scorpius? Were these two together - Astoria was barely cold in her grave? Why was Draco refusing, even after all this time his affection for her was evident…

I looked at Harry, but his face gave nothing away.

"We'll set up a safe house." Robards stated, to nobody in particular.

"What house is safer than any we occupy." Ron stood, walking to Ky. "We know our wedding is a high-profile event, and Ky's return doesn't make it any less high profile. We still need aurors to patrol, and Ky needs protection, so rather than dividing our resources, let's combine them. Two birds and all that. I'm sure we can re-evaluate things after the wedding. Plus." Ron stood in front of Ky, "There's no bloody way you're not coming to our wedding."

There wasn't a question in his voice. Ron then looked at Kingsley, and Robards, and then back to Ky. He reached forward and placed his arm gently on her shoulder. "Is there anything that the Minister, or Mr Robards needs to know right now, about where you have been, and what you have been doing, in these past seven years?"

"No." She answered quietly.

"Okay." Ron straightened, "Minister, Mr Robards, Malfoy. I'll walk you out." Robards gave Ron a look and he responded, "Harry will have a full report to you in the morning, I'm sure."

"We'll have more aurors sent as well, you're right Ron, it is better not to divide our resources, but, I ask you all to be cautious, we do not know what this threat is." Kingsley added.

Robards looked like he wanted to add something, but chose not to, respecting the chain of command.

Kingsley and Robards left with Ron, and Malfoy followed, stopping briefly in front of Ky.

"I've got this. It'll be okay. We can talk about things after the wedding." He kissed her on the top of her head and then looked at me, "Congratulations, by the way. You look…nice."

"You too." He cocked a brow, "I meant congratulations to you too. On the baby."

His old smirk lounged across his face and I sighed.

Prat.

Some things never change.

A/N: I hope you're enjoying it so far! I'd love to hear your feedback, if you have any.

Kalina