After finally being released from hospital my daily life went on as usual, from catching up on all the class work I had missed to having two Quidditch practices a week. Since Kirke and Sloper decided not to play that year, only Ron, Ginny and I were left as returning players. After a very long week of tryouts, I was finally able to decide on two beaters and two chasers, since Ginny was the third. We weren't the best team at Hogwarts, but we definitely had the potential to be.
Hermione came to every one of our practices; she would sit in the stands and do her homework, all the while cheering us on. She still had some problems with her health, thanks to Dolohov's curse, but she always seemed to be in a good mood lately and we were closer than ever.
I had been studying wandless magic with Dumbledore for five weeks now, and I was progressing very slowly. For some reason I was unable to focus my magic, and when I did, it seemed weak. Dumbledore would just smile and tell me to concentrate on the one thing that made me truly happy; when I told him I had no idea what that could be, he just laughed quietly to himself and told me to think it over and try to figure it out before our next session.
I was on my way back to the common room, grumbling all the way, when Hermione fell in step next to me and lightly bumped my arm. "What's all the grumbling for?" she asked, giving me a dazzling smile.
The dark cloud that had enveloped me during my session with Dumbledore seemed to vanish at seeing that smile. I felt light headed and had the sudden urge to wrap my arms around her and just hold her. I felt my cheeks grow warm and I felt as if my body was vibrating; when I looked at her, I noticed a concerned look on her face.
"Harry what's wrong?" she asked, "I can feel waves of magical energy coming off of you."
"It's you" I whispered, coming to a dead stop as I finally realized what Dumbledore meant.
"What do you mean 'it's me'?" she asked, thoroughly confused by my behavior.
"You're what caused me to perform wandless magic" I said. When she still had a look of bewilderment on her face I explained, "I haven't been doing too well with my wandless magic. Tonight Dumbledore told me to concentrate on the one thing that made me truly happy and I had no idea what that was. But just now, seeing you smile, I realized that it's you; you are what makes me happy."
She honored me with the most magnificent smile and the next thing I knew, she had her arms wrapped around my neck and was hugging me fiercely. My body was humming with magical energy now and I felt as if I could conquer the world at that moment. It only increased as Hermione leaned in close to my ear and whispered, "I love you Harry".
"I love you too 'Mione" I replied. She pulled back from me then and placed her lips on mine; my body felt as if it were going to burst from the surge of magic that went through me and suddenly one of the sconce's on the corridor wall behind us burst, showering us with shattered glass. We both turned abruptly as we heard a deep chuckling behind us. Dumbledore stood there laughing, obviously he had witnessed what had happened and I felt myself blush once more. Hermione's face had become red as well and she buried her face in my shoulder.
After a quick 'reparo', he made his way over to us, a huge smile still on his face. "Please Ms. Granger, do not hide from me, there is nothing to be embarrassed about. Harry, I must say, that was quite a burst of magic. Am I correct in assuming that you figured out the trigger to your wandless magic?"
"Yes Sir" I replied, still thoroughly embarrassed, "it seems to be Hermione."
Dumbledore chuckled again and said "I figured as much, but it was not up to me to tell you." He stood looking at us for a moment, with an air of tranquility about him and a look of...was that sadness? "I am glad you have found solace in one another; I know that neither of you had the happiest of childhoods, and have both suffered a great deal. I fear you will need one another greatly with the second War looming so precariously over us." Dumbledore seemed to stare into space for a moment, lost in his thoughts and then shook off his somber mood. "Well, I suggest you get inside, it is getting late. Ms. Granger, please accompany Harry to his next session with me; I dare say that your presence will be a much needed inspiration."
"Yes Sir" she said, smiling. Dumbledore smiled back at her and proceeded to make his way down the corridor. After a few ticks of silence, she said, "we really should go inside."
I looked up and realized that we had been outside the portrait hole the whole time. The Fat Lady stared down at us, a huge smile splitting her face as she said, "I always knew you two would end up together".
I just nodded at her as Hermione said the password and then walked into the common room. I looked in the direction Dumbledore had gone and somehow I knew there was something he was not telling us. Resigning myself to the fact that if it concerned me he would tell me sooner or later, I followed Hermione and went to sit in front of the fireplace with her for a while.
~*~
I started going to Harry's wandless magic lessons every Friday night, and he continued to get better and better the more he practiced. It was as if someone opened a door inside of his soul and let loose all of his powerful magical ability; he could cast all levels of spells without his wand and Professor Dumbledore taught him how to apparate. It wasn't normal apparition; it was battle apparition, where he could disappear and reappear in mere seconds. I was so proud of him, he had been working so hard and now it was finally paying off.
Finally the day came when Dumbledore asked me not to come to the next lesson. I was disappointed, but I understood why he had asked; he wanted to see if Harry could still perform wandless magic without me there. I sat in the common room on the settee, enjoying the heat from the fire and reading 'Hogwarts: A History' until the portrait hole finally opened and Harry walked over to me.
He sat down, and instead of saying anything, he just stared into the dancing flames. "How did it go?" I asked quietly, so as not to startle him.
He looked over at me impassively, and I started to worry that he hadn't been able to do it without me in the room. Then an enormous smile broke out on his face and he said "I did it".
I felt relief wash over me and I leaned over to wrap my arms around his neck. I sat there hugging him fiercely, trying to convey my pride in him through the embrace. He pulled back a little and then claimed my lips with his; it started as a light kiss, but quickly grew more intense. Suddenly I remembered where we were, and that we were not alone, and I reluctantly pulled back from him.
He looked at me confused for a moment, until the whistles and shouts started. "Way to go Harry!" said Dean as Ron walked up and sat in the chair next to us.
"So are you guys together then?" he asked, looking from Harry to me.
"I don't know" I said, and at the same time Harry said, "yes".
I looked at Harry and saw him staring at me intently; Ron excused himself saying, "sounds like you two need to talk" as he walked away.
"We're together?" I asked Harry, trying to stop my heart from beating so fast. He just kept staring at me with those incredible green eyes of his and it was starting to un-nerve me.
"You said you loved me, and I told you I loved you too...don't you want to be with me?" he asked, letting his insecurity show through his usually calm demeanor.
"Of course I do" I said, trying to reassure him. "I'm sorry, it's just when Ron said that, I didn't want to be presumptuous." Relief swept through me when he smiled and took my hand in his, and I couldn't help but smile back at him.
~*~
A few weeks later, during my lesson with Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall came bustling into the office with Remus right behind her. Her lips were pressed into a thin line and I could tell that she was upset about something.
She motioned Dumbledore over to where she was standing and the three started to discuss what seemed to be something very serious. After a couple of minutes of intense discussion, Dumbledore broke away from them and made his way over to where I sat. "Harry, I am afraid that we will have to cut your lesson short, there is something that needs my immediate attention."
I nodded my head in understanding and made my way to the door. I said a quick "hello" to Remus as I passed by him and headed out towards the staircase. When I was in the corridor, making my way back to the common room, I glanced out one of the windows and saw a most frightening sight; looking in the direction of Hogsmead, I saw a bright orange glow. I ran the rest of the way to the common room and hurriedly said the password and went in.
Thankfully Hermione was sitting in her normal spot on the sofa and I rushed up to her and said "I need to show you something."
"Hello to you too" she said smiling, until she looked up and saw what had to be a very worried look on my face. "What's wrong?"
"Just come here" I said, yanking her up and out of her seat, practically pulling her over to the window. The orange glow was still there, but it seemed much brighter now.
"Isn't that Hogsmead?" she asked quietly, and I could hear the worry in her voice. She sat staring for a little while longer and then said, "Harry, Hogsmead is burning!"
"What?!" cried Ron, rushing up behind us. I looked back at him and saw a stricken look on his face.
"Professor McGonagall and Lupin came into Dumbledore's office during my lesson. They had a serious discussion and then I was asked to leave; when I walked out into the corridor, I saw this" I explained, pointing at the blazing town.
All the rest of the students that were in the room made their way over to the windows to have a look and I heard several gasps of surprise. I couldn't believe it, Hogsmead was most likely burning to the ground, and it could only mean one thing; Voldemort was closer than I thought.
"Harry!!" shouted Ginny, rushing in through the portrait hole. "Harry, you'll never believe it!" she said, running up to me.
"What is it?" I asked, "If it's about Hogsmead, we already know."
"What about Hogsmead?" she asked, and I pointed in the direction of the town. She gasped, her eyes growing wide as she took in the site, and shaking her head, she said "no, no it's not about that."
"Then what has you in such a state?" asked Ron, not looking at her, but keeping his gaze out the window.
"Malfoy" she said, and then she had our attention.
"What about Malfoy?" I asked, wishing she'd just get to the point.
"He's outside in the corridor, he wanted me to come and get you. He says he needs to speak to you and to tell you it's an emergency" she explained.
I looked first at Ron and then at Hermione, confused as to why he would want to see me. By the looks on their faces I could tell they were wondering the same thing. I started to make my way to the portrait hole, but Ron grabbed my arm and asked, "you're not going out there, are you?"
"Why not?" I asked. He looked at me as if I'd gone barmy, so I said, "I can't explain it Ron, but I need to hear what he has to say."
Ron looked from me to Hermione, as if asking her to talk me out of it, and she said, "I agree with Harry; I think we need to hear Malfoy out."
Once she agreed with me, I turned and once again made my way to the portrait hole. I opened it and saw Draco in the corridor pacing back and forth, muttering to himself. He looked up when he heard the door open and asked, "you couldn't come without your entourage?"
I looked behind me to see that Ron, Hermione and Ginny had followed me out. "Well Malfoy, either you talk to all of us or none of us" I replied, looking at him intently.
He stood there glaring at me for a moment and then said, "fine, whatever. Look, is there somewhere we could go to talk? There's something I need to discuss with you...privately." I turned to look in the direction he was glaring and saw Seamus standing behind me with a suspicious look on his face.
As soon as Seamus walked into the common room and the portrait closed, I looked at Malfoy and asked "why would you want to talk to me, and why should I trust you?"
"Because I know what happened in Hogsmead tonight, and I know where Voldemort is" he answered. I just stared at him for a moment and then looked from Hermione to Ron, whose mouth was hanging open in disbelief.
I looked back at Malfoy and said, "I know somewhere we can go."
"We can't take him there" said Hermione, immediately knowing what location I was talking about.
"It's the only place I can think of right now" I replied, and then started to make my way down the corridor, towards the Room of Requirement.
I heard Malfoy mutter, "thanks for the trust, mudblood" and before I could say or do anything, I heard a resounding 'thwack'! I looked back to see Hermione standing next to him glaring while Malfoy rubbed the back of his head.
"DON'T call me that!!" she shouted, and then stomped her way to where I was. I took her hand in mine, feeling proud of her for standing up to him and we continued to make our way to the room with Ron, Ginny and Draco following after us.
I paced in front of where the door would be three times and watched as it appeared. When we walked inside, the room was simply decorated with a couch, three chairs, a fireplace and a table in the middle. Hermione and I took the couch while the other three took the chairs; Draco only sat for a moment and then was up pacing again.
"So what's going on Malfoy?" I asked.
"It all started during the summer" he started, pacing a little faster, "my Father was pushing for me to join his 'Master' as one of his Death Eaters, and I didn't want to." He looked at us and must have seen the disbelief in our expressions because he explained "I know you all think I'm some evil, horrid person but I'm not; it really doesn't matter to me what you think anyway." Ron snorted and Malfoy glared at him before he continued, "just because I'm not some goody-two-shoes like you lot, that doesn't mean I want to be one of the Dark Lords followers." He was quiet for a while and we all just sat there staring at him, waiting for him to continue.
"When I told my Father that I wouldn't become a Death Eater, he didn't take it well. He started ranting about Malfoy blood and being all powerful; when he was through, he became eerily...calm and he had this look in his eyes." I saw him shudder slightly as he got a faraway look in his eyes, and then he seemed back to his old self as he snapped out of it and glared as he noticed me watching him.
"Anyway, he said that I had no choice, and that he would 'convince' me to join his Master. He...he..." Malfoy turned pale suddenly and stopped talking.
Hermione looked at him sympathetically and asked, "is that where the scars on your back came from?"
While the rest of us looked at her, wondering what she was talking about, Malfoy replied, "uh...yeah...anyway, after a few hours of 'convincing', he told me that I needed to prove myself to Voldemort, and to do that I needed to go after the mu...I mean Granger."
"Why did he want you to hurt Hermione to prove yourself to Voldemort?" I asked, trying to control my temper; I would hear the entire story before I kicked his arse.
"Because of how much she meant to you" he replied, and the way he said it made it sound like I should have already known the answer, that I was stupid. "With her dead, Voldemort figured that it would break you, make you vulnerable to his attacks."
"Too bad Harry showed up and kicked your arse" said Ron, and even though he was smiling, I could still see his hatred for Malfoy reflected in his eyes.
"Shut up Weasel" taunted Draco, and I quickly stood up and moved between the two when Ron stood up to go after him.
"Ron, let's let him finish his story, okay?" Ron nodded and sat back down, and I turned to look at Draco. "How about you quit acting all high and mighty and finish your story?"
Draco stood there glowering at me for a moment and then continued, "right, anyway I decided to go through with my Father's plan so he wouldn't...try to convince me anymore." He looked at Hermione and said "I really did not want to do it, but it was either me or you, and I like living." Hermione shot him a very nasty look and he quickly turned away from her. "My Father found out about my failure and decided his own form of punishment, since he felt Dumbledore's wasn't harsh enough. He wrote me a letter to let me know what he had done and that he planned to take care of Potter himself."
Draco stopped then, closed his eyes and took a deep breath; I remember how uncharacteristic it was for him to show vulnerability like that. "In the letter...he told me about his plan to attack Hogsmead and how he was going to kill Potter; he also described in great detail how he was going to torture and kill Granger afterwards, and how I was going to be there to watch so that I could learn how to be a real man. Then he said that as my punishment for failing the Dark Lord, he had taken away the one thing that meant the most to me."
"What was that, your mirror, favorite comb?" asked Ron sarcastically.
Malfoy whipped around to face Ron with a look of hatred, and while gritting his teeth he said in a voice that held a slight tremble to it, "My Mother; he killed my Mother and described in detail what he did to her."
~*~
No one said a word for a few moments, we just sat there stunned. I looked at Harry and saw a look of shock on his face while Ron actually looked sorry for what he had said. I cleared my throat and asked, "how can you be so sure that what he wrote was true?"
"I showed Professor Snape the letter after breakfast that morning and he set it up so that I could floo to Malfoy Manor to see for myself; he came with me in case Father was home. I looked all over the house and when I got down into the dungeons...he had her manacled to the wall...she was definitely gone." I could see unshed tears in his eyes, but I knew better than to say anything; he'd only lash out at me and probably cause a huge fight with Ron and Harry.
"Dumbledore knew about the planned attack, so did all the other teachers, but with all hell breaking loose in three other towns that day, everything was thrown into chaos. I had overheard Snape saying that they could only send two Aurors to stop my Father and his 'friends', so I went to try to stop him myself. He had put the exact location where he was going to attack you in the letter, but when the Aurors went there, they couldn't find them. He had said that if I wanted redemption I could join him in the fight and regain some of my honor; I took a chance and checked other spots, and luckily I found him. The rest you know."
After another brief silence as we absorbed everything Draco had just said, Harry asked, "you said you knew where Voldemort was?"
"My Father sent me another letter this morning; it seems he's free, Voldemort broke his followers out of Azkaban again early this morning and it hadn't reached the Prophet yet. They're the ones that attacked Hogsmead; he asked me to join him yet again, even though I betrayed him. He probably planned on killing me if I showed up" he explained. "Afterwards they are going back to Malfoy Manor; Father wanted me to know that the Manor is going to be Voldemort's new hideout."
"Why are you telling us all of this?" asked Harry, looking suspicious. "For all we know, you've decided to join your Father and Voldemort, and luring us to Malfoy Manor is just part of the plan."
"Have you not heard a word I've said?" Malfoy replied angrily. "I want my Father dead, he brutally murdered my Mother, and if you can wipe out Voldemort in the process, then it's two down for the price of one."
I looked at Harry and then Ron, who sat quietly studying Malfoy, as if he would be able to tell if he were lying or not just by watching him. "So what you're saying" said Harry, interrupting my thoughts, "is that you want to go attack the Manor?"
Malfoy stood in front of Harry, quietly staring at him as if sizing him up. After about a minute, he got a determined look in his eyes and replied, "No, I want you and I to go attack the Manor"
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