{ 46 }
The Great Hall is buzzing with activity. Mid-year exams are over. Tomorrow morning students will return home for the holidays.
The excitement in the air is palpable. We could feel it before we even opened the doors.
Hermione hesitated. Her hand hovered just over the door handle.
"I think I'm going to skip dinner tonight." She cleared her throat and pushed her hair back behind her ears. "You go on. I'm just going to go upstairs and pack my bag."
I lifted my brow. Did she really think she was fooling me with that line? Her bag is always packed and it is currently resting on her shoulder.
"Do you want to try a different excuse? One that might be believable?" I smirked at her.
She rolled her red-rimmed eyes and huffed as she crossed her arms over her chest.
"I don't feel like being around people right now, okay?"
At least that excuse seemed to be the truth.
"We already told the group to meet us on the third floor after dinner." I slid my hand around her waist and guided her away from the doors. Yes, I am hungry. I won't starve, though. I can wait to eat.
"I know. I just…I need a few minutes to myself." She looked up at me through her eyelashes. Her eyes are moist with tears. She is imploring me to understand.
But I don't understand. Not at all.
"I'm not leaving you alone right now." My brow crinkled in confusion. She can't really expect me to just leave her, right?
She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Seriously, Draco. I am fine. I just want to go take a shower and something for this headache." She took several steps away from me before she turned back and motioned towards the Great Hall. "Go eat. I will see you on the third floor after dinner."
Before I could respond, she turned her back to me, tossed her hair over her shoulder and started up the staircase alone.
What in the actual fuck just happened?
I watched her as she walked up the stairs. At the landing, she turned and saw me still standing there.
This feels like a test. The only problem is, I don't know which move will end in epic failure. It feels like it could be either one.
Before I gave it too much thought, I started up the stairs after her. If I am going to lose either way, I can at least choose the path that leads me to her.
It has worked for me so far.
"Malfoy. I'm serious." She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at me as I ascended the stairs towards her.
"Of course you are." I joined her on the landing. "Then again, so am I. I am not leaving you alone right now."
I laced my fingers through hers and squeezed, just a quick pulse of pressure.
Her eyes met mine. It took a few seconds, but slowly the lines around her eyes relaxed as she dropped the glare. She inhaled deeply and blew it out slowly.
"Whatever, Malfoy." She rolled her eyes and moved towards the next staircase. She tugged on my hand and I followed.
The sound of the staircase moving towards the third floor landing covered the short laugh that escaped my lips.
It seems I chose correctly after all.
[ - - - ]
Hermione kept hold of my hand until we stepped through the arched doorway into the lecture hall on the third floor. At that point, I pulled her closer and slid my arm around her waist.
She hesitated for a moment before stepping closer. With a deep sigh, she lay her head against my chest and let me hug her.
"You can hug me back," I mumbled in her ear after a few moments. "If you want to."
I felt her release a puff of air. Not quite a laugh. Then her hands settled on my waist and slid around to spread across my back.
It was so reminiscent of that first hug we shared, months ago now.
I had no idea then just how much she would come to mean to me in such a short amount of time.
I held her closer. I took a deep breath, inhaling her strawberry scent and relishing in the familiarity of it all.
"Merlin and Salazar, I love you, Witch." I whispered against her ear.
She held me tighter and took a deep breath. She told me once that I smell like the forest after it rains, and that it is one of her favorite smells.
"I love you, too, Wizard." She mumbled against my chest, barely loud enough for me to hear her.
We stood there together, just holding each other, for several long minutes before I relaxed my hold on her and stepped back.
"If you plan to take a shower before dinner is over, you should go. We are running out of time." I pushed loose strands of red and black hair behind her ear.
"Or you could just kiss me." She looked up at me through her eyelashes. I swear my heart stuttered.
My lip tilted up in a smirk. She doesn't have to ask me twice. I leaned down, brushed my lips against hers twice, then captured her lips with my own in a slow kiss.
I took my time, savoring the uniquely chocolate taste of her tongue sweeping across mine. The softness of her lips moving in tandem against mine. I breathed her in, held her, cherished her.
As the kiss slowly came to an end, I rested my forehead against hers and closed my eyes. I don't want the moment to end.
She released a deep sigh and stepped back.
"You really could have gone to dinner." Her lips rose on both ends in a small smile. "I'm okay, you know? It's just been a really long day, and I can't with all the people and the noise."
She rolled her head back and gripped her neck with her hand, massaging the muscle there.
I glanced at the clock. We have twenty minutes or so before dinner will be over and our group of friends will join us.
"Should we wait and tell them about the Serpent and the Phoenix after the holidays?"
We agreed to do it today, but it can wait.
"No. Tonight is fine." She ran her hands through her hair and released a sigh. "I'm going to get some fresh air."
[ - - - ]
The tables in the lecture hall are once again set up in a circular pattern. Hermione is sitting to my right, Theo to my left. Luna is beside him, then Pansy, Blaise, Ginny, Neville, Ron, and Harry.
In the middle of the circle sat the glass case with Ravenclaw's book safely secured inside.
Strong wards are in place over the arched doorway, as well as the entrance to the corridor from the stairway platform.
No one can enter this floor except for the people already in this room.
Curiosity mixed with trepidation. That was the look that I saw on each face looking back at me. Except for Luna. She has a bright smile on her face. Such an odd witch.
Hermione's hand squeezed around mine in a quick pulse, her signal that it is time to get started.
Brilliant.
I cleared my throat and waited for everyone to shift their focus off of the book and onto me.
"At the beginning of term, Hermione and I were given a project by Headmistress McGonagall." I started off the discussion. Most everyone nodded in agreement. They knew that part already.
"During the restoration of the castle, after the Final Battle, a few select items were found hidden inside a statue." Hermione continued. "This book, handwritten and warded by Rowena Ravenclaw herself, was one of those objects."
"Our objective was to break through the wards and read whatever was written inside." I looked around the table at our friends. They had all turned their attention towards the blue leather-bound book under the glass case.
"I don't understand." Ron spoke up first. "You told us you had read the book already."
"That's right." Harry agreed. "You said it was just a fairy tale."
"I can still feel the wards, though." Blaise visibly shivered.
Pansy crossed her arms over her chest and leaned as far back in her chair as she could.
"We have read it." I confirmed.
"It is a fairy tale." Hermione turned to look at me.
My eyes met hers and I nodded for her to continue. Her lip tilted up on one side for a brief moment.
"At the same time, it really is not a fairy tale at all." She let her eyes sweep around the table, stopping on each of the occupants briefly.
"The story within is the story of the Serpent and the Phoenix."
I let that settle over the group for a moment. My eyes landed on Theo. He narrowed his eyes and lifted his brow.
"Mum used to read me that story." Ginny broke the silence first. Pansy nodded in agreement.
"This version is much more detailed than what you will find in a children's book." Hermione replied.
"But…how did you get past the wards?" Neville spoke up. His brow was wrinkled in confusion.
I have learned not to discount Neville. He may have his faults, but he can stay on task and focused.
"Professor Bones warned us about the wards before we ever saw this book." Hermione answered. "She gave us instructions to research wards, practice casting them and then dismantling them before we ever tried to get near the book."
"That's exactly what we did. For weeks." I chimed in. "She tested us to check our progress. Then she made an offhand comment about being in the same room with the book and the wards around it made her skin crawl."
Around the table there were nods of agreement. A few muttered words of agreement, also.
"I am going to ask each of you to hold the hands of the people sitting next to you." Hermione took a deep breath. "That's it. Just form a circle."
It took a moment, but slowly each person complied with the request until everyone was linked except for myself and Hermione.
"You can all feel the wards around the book, correct?" I asked.
Everyone nodded.
I reached over and clasped Theo's hand. At the same time, Hermione took Harry's hand, effectively completing the circle.
The effect was instantaneous. It was as if everyone at the table took their first clear breath since sitting down.
"What the …?"
"How in the world?"
Everyone started talking at the same time. Asking questions.
Of course they have questions.
"This is what we feel around the book. We didn't realize anyone else felt the wards until Bones made that comment."
"That doesn't answer the question." Blaise glared at me. "How is this possible?"
Hermione squeezed my hand. I looked over to see her looking back at me. She smiled at me, then she released my hand and stood.
"I'm going to set this in the office so you will all be more comfortable." She levitated the glass case across the room and took it in the office. When she returned, she was holding a different book in her hands.
This part is going to be tricky.
She sat beside me once again and placed the black leather book on the table in front of her.
"As I said, the story inside that book is the Serpent and the Phoenix, but it is not the same as the version you will find in Beetle the Bard." She pushed her hair back behind her ears and took a deep breath. Her eyes were cast down at the table rather than looking at anyone in particular.
We should have waited. She isn't ready for this.
"It is a detailed description of how the Serpent was born to the Darkness. How he was raised to hate and fear the Light." Her hand found mine once again and held tight.
"It also describes the journey of the Phoenix, the trials and the horrors that she endured throughout her battle with the Darkness." I rubbed my thumb across her wrist in small circles. My eyes scanned the table.
They don't understand. Yet.
"Rowena Ravenclaw had a secret." Hermione inhaled deeply and blew it out slowly. She released my hand and put both of her hands on the cover of the book in front of her. "She had dreams. Very detailed dreams, about a boy and a girl, and a conflict that would span time. The battle between good and evil, between the Darkness and the Light."
Harry leaned forward in his seat.
"She was also quite talented at sketching the things she saw in her dreams." She opened the book to the first page. It was a sketch of the Serpent and the Phoenix. She pointed her wand at the book and recited a charm to project the image from the book to the wall, so everyone in the room could see it.
Then she turned the page.
The image of myself, holding Hermione close, her face buried in my chest but her curls were unmistakable. My eyes are hard, glaring at something - or someone - beyond.
"Bloody Hell." Ron pushed back from the table.
Suddenly I remembered a moment at the beginning of term. Hermione was upset. I comforted her. Weasley saw us and gave her hell for it.
It was before we became anything. Not mortal enemies. That was it.
His blue eyes met mine. He remembered that moment as much as I did.
Hermione turned the page.
The next image showed both of our faces clearly. We were younger, facing off in a corridor, wands drawn.
"Good Godric." Neville muttered.
The third image, I wore my seeker robes and held the snitch in my hand. Triumphant arrogance was written all over my face. The first snitch I ever caught.
"What in Salazar's name?" Blaise pushed back from the table and stood.
Next was a drawing of Hermione in a ball gown. The Yule Ball during fourth year.
She turned through more pictures. Happy moments. Proud moments in our lives. But also, heartbreaking moments.
We have each had our fair share of those.
"Stop." Harry stood with both hands on the table. "Are you saying that Rowena Ravenclaw, one of the Founders of this school, drew these pictures?"
Hermione stopped turning pages and looked at him. She blinked. Twice.
"Yes." She answered simply.
The picture displayed on the wall was an image of both of us. She wore a long ball gown. One shoulder was exposed, the Phoenix tattoo on full display.
I was standing at the bottom of the Grand Staircase looking up as she descended the steps.
The Halloween Ball. Every person at this table was there. They all recognized the dress she was wearing.
"The story. The Serpent and the Phoenix. It's the two of you." Pansy spoke into the silence. "Isn't it?"
Everyone seemed to hold their breath.
"It is." I confirmed.
"Bloody Hell." Ron pronounced yet again. He paced back and forth behind his chair. His hand ran through his hair.
"Why are you telling us this?" Ginny crossed her arms over her chest.
"Because we cannot accomplish what we need to accomplish alone." Hermione responded.
"And because each one of you has already played a part." I continued. "It is only fair that you know the bigger picture."
The room fell silent. I watched each person as they digested the information we had given them, and I waited. It was several long moments before Harry released a deep sigh, drawing attention to himself.
"I'll bite, I guess." He ran his hand through his hair. "What are you trying to accomplish?"
Hermione leaned back in her chair. Her fingernails tapped against the table and her lip curled up in a smirk.
"The Serpent and the Phoenix brought Light to the Darkness, and peace throughout the Forest." I recited the words that Ravenclaw herself had spoken to us.
"We are going to eradicate the Darkness." Hermione's eyes locked on Harry's and held them for a long moment. "We are going to end this bloody war, once and for all."
[ - - - ]
The reaction we received from our friends was mixed at best. Disbelief seemed to be the common theme.
They don't think we can do it.
They may be right, but we have to at least try.
"What do you want from us?" Ginny was the one that asked, even though they were all thinking it.
"Honestly, we don't know yet." Hermione answered. "What we are already doing seems to be working. At some point in time, we will need to be more proactive."
"For now, just keep this quiet. We don't want anyone else knowing about it. Not yet, anyway."
As I finished, Hermione presented a parchment.
"This agreement is a little stricter than the last one. There is more at stake. Once again, you have the option to walk away now." She scanned the table, making eye contact with every single person at the table. "This is your last chance to do so."
"Why would you let us walk away without signing the agreement?" Neville asked skeptically. "We already know the secret now."
Hermione raised her brow and tapped her fingernails against the wood table.
Did he really think she hadn't thought of that?
My lip tilted up in a smirk. I will let her explain that one.
"I set wards on the door after you came in. If you pass through the archway without signing this agreement, your memory of this meeting will be obliviated."
Theo caught my eye. He smirked and nodded his head in approval.
"And what, exactly, does this agreement entail?" Blaise leaned forward in his chair, clasped his hands together and leaned on his elbows. His eyes were on me, Even though he had to know the agreement is all her doing.
I cleared my throat. He is asking me. I should be the one that answers.
"You are agreeing to maintain confidentiality on all matters pertaining to the Serpent and the Phoenix. That includes the prophetic nature of the story, our identities in relation to the story, and any plans, suggestions or actions taken towards the cause. You can only discuss these matters with those that have signed this agreement." I scanned the table, making sure everyone understands what I am telling them.
"Your level of involvement will be entirely up to you." Hermione broke the silence after a long moment. "You are not committing to help us in any way. We are giving you the option of awareness, and asking you to help as you feel comfortable doing so."
Harry ran his hands through his unruly hair and released a deep sigh.
Ron chewed on the inside of his lip. His brow was furrowed in concentration.
Neville stared at Hermione. Or towards her. I don't know that he was seeing her at all.
Ginny leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest.
Pansy looked around to see the reactions of everyone else at the table.
Blaise was still pacing back and forth behind the table.
Luna had her head tilted to the side and seemed to be concentrating on something that no one else could see.
Theo is the one that asked the question the rest of them were thinking.
"If someone were to break the agreement," he spoke quietly. "What will happen to them?"
I raised my brow, but did not say what I wanted to say in that moment.
Fuck around and find out.
Hermione blinked. Twice.
"Then we will all know it." Her voice had a bite to it. The unpleasantness of the punishment was implied.
In reality, we would be notified if it happened, and we would know which one had spilled the secret. It is more for protection, so we are not blindsided if the truth of it gets out.
We are not in the business of dealing out punishment. We will leave that shite to the Darkness.
"You are all insane. Did you know?" Pansy stood and flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Good luck and all, but I am out."
Her shoes clicked against the stone floor as she moved towards the arched doorway.
Two steps from crossing through the invisible barrier, she stopped. Her shoulders rose as she inhaled deeply. Slowly, she turned back around to face us.
"Damn it." She muttered as she turned. I felt my lip tilt up in a smirk as her gaze met mine.
She doesn't want to be left out, and she knows if she walks away now, she will be.
She rolled her eyes, flipped her hair back and returned to the table.
"Somebody has to keep you morons from doing something monumentally stupid." She explained as she sat back down in her chair.
I handed the agreement to Theo first. He did not hesitate at all to sign his name and pass it on to Luna. One by one, each person at the table signed and passed it on to the next until it landed in front of Hermione once again.
She reviewed the parchment, verified that each signature was there. Then she rolled it and sealed it before slipping it into her bag. It will be added to the library above once this meeting is over.
She then opened a small bag and retrieved ten velvet pouches. With a flick of her wrist, the pouches flew from the table and landed gently in front of each member.
Inside each pouch was a pendant, very similar to the two that Ravenclaw had produced for Hermione and myself. The symbol emblazoned in silver was the Serpent wrapped around the injured Phoenix. On the border of the image were eight wands, laid out in an octagon shape around the two central figures.
One wand to represent each of our friends.
Hermione had been working on these for weeks. She didn't let me see the final product until right now. I held the pendant in my hand and could feel the magic she had imbued into the metal.
"We will use these to communicate." She rubbed her thumb over the pendant in her own hand.
My pendant warmed and the word 'Welcome' appeared on the back. A glance around the table showed that everyone had received the same message.
"It will also notify the group if any one of us is in danger." She paused for a moment. "My expectation is that we look out for each other. All of us. We don't know what is going to happen. What we do know is that there will be resistance. Let's be honest, this is nothing short of war."
The harsh reality settled over the room.
"This is not just sitting at different lunch tables at Hogwarts. It is much bigger than that." I tapped my pendant on the table in front of me. All eyes turned towards me as I continued. "We are going to take down the entire pureblood regime. You all need to understand. This is not just a war. It's a revolution."
[ - - - ]
The night air is cold, frigid even. Icicles hung from the roof of the balcony. The moon is full and bright. Hundreds of stars light the sky. The moonlight reflected off the snow in the courtyard below.
It's quiet. Peaceful.
Hermione leaned back against my chest. My hands are resting on the stone ledge in front of her. We are simply standing together, relishing the moment.
Tomorrow morning we will leave the castle together, and we will see Black Castle for the first time. A nervous type of energy permeates my body just thinking about it.
It isn't just an abandoned castle. It will be my home. After graduation, I have no choice but to stay there for the following year.
Despite the fact that my mind is spiraling over the possibilities of what we may find tomorrow, I knew the instant Hermione stiffened in my arms. Her breath caught in her throat and she turned her head quickly to the side.
"What is it?" I whispered in her ear. I scanned the courtyard below, looking for anything out of place.
"Someone just breached the wards on the third floor corridor." She whispered back.
I closed my eyes and cleared my mind. I need to focus now. There it is. A tingle in the back of my skull. A buzzing, almost. If I hadn't been so preoccupied, I would have felt it when she did.
It is past midnight. No one should be out and about in the castle. The staircases are frozen, and I am certain they do not lead here. They never do.
The skin on the back of my neck crawled. I feel exposed, even though I know whomever is in the corridor right now will not be able to get through the wards on the door to the living quarters.
Still.
Hermione hasn't moved. Not a single muscle.
"Breathe." I slid my hands from the stone railing to her waist and pulled her flush against me. "Hold on. I'm getting us out of here."
I held her close, pictured the study upstairs, and apperated both of us to the safety of our hidden suite.
As soon as we were steady on our feet, she turned in my arms and buried her head in my chest.
"Alright. You are safe. Breathe." I rubbed my hands in small circles across her back. "No one can find us here."
She nodded as though she were agreeing with me, but she did not relax.
"Breathe, Hermione." I cupped her face with my hands and tilted her head back so I could look in her eyes.
I don't know where she is at that moment. She is looking right through me, not seeing me at all.
Fucking hell.
"Hermione." I shook her shoulders, just a little bit. Just enough. She blinked and drew in a shallow breath.
It seemed like an eternity before her eyes refocused and she drew in a long, deep breath.
"It isn't anyone from our group. It isn't Bones or McGonagall, either." She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "Whomever it is, they entered the third floor corridor, but they have not gotten through the wards into the lecture hall."
In other words, it is not someone that is friendly towards us.
Brilliant.
Now we have two options. First, stay here where we are safe. Let them spend all night trying to get through our wards. They won't succeed. Or second, go see who it is.
The latter is not an option for Hermione. She cannot wander the castle after curfew, even if I am with her. If we stay here, though, we won't have any way of knowing who is trying to get into the lecture hall.
"I have an idea." Hermione cleared her throat. "But I need to go to Gryffindor Tower."
I raised my brow. She cannot possibly think she is going on her own?
"I'm going with you."
Her lip tilted up on one side.
"Of course you are." She wrapped one hand around my wrist and the other around her pendant. I felt myself being sucked through the fabric of time and space as we disappeared from the safety of our rooms.
[- - - ]
AN: I have amazing readers. Thank you all for sticking with me through the long haul for this story. I cannot believe I have been writing & posting this story for nearly three years. It's been a great journey so far. I'm not finished yet, either. I don't know that I realized how epic this story would be when I started it.
As always, I love to hear your thoughts.
Until next time,
-mezy