Chapter Eleven: Of Love and Honor
"Are you quite sure of what you heard?"
Hermione swallowed her tea and nodded politely, putting the teacup back on the saucer. "Most definitely, I heard him specifically say the Master."
Dumbledore frowned, deep in thought. "So he has returned."
"I beg your pardon, professor but do you mean…well…Voldemort?" she asked hesitantly.
Dumbledore raised an eyebrow as she said this. He admired the young woman's courage to say his name.
"But I thought Harry…Mr. Potter killed him," Hermione continued. "The war is over…I don't understand."
Dumbledore sighed. "It's a complicated matter but it would be best if this news did not leave this room. In a way, Harry did destroy Voldemort, reduced him to a mere spirit but before he could finish him, he fled."
Hermione couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Is that why he's after Harry? Revenge?"
"That is not for me to tell," Dumbledore replied.
Hermione placed the tea back on the table, her hands trembled slightly. Lord Voldemort was not defeated after all, the wizarding world was still in great danger. Harry was still in danger and could be called away to battle at any time.
"What can I do?" she asked.
"You have done so much for us already," Dumbledore said. "The Order needs all the eyes and ears we can get. You didn't think I invited you here just for your lovely company did you?" he said smiling at her from behind his half-moon spectacles.
Hermione looked at him. "You want me to join the Order?" she asked and Dumbledore nodded. Hermione looked out the window. Harry was a member of the Order and so was Sirius, the two men she cared about most in the world besides her father were part of that organization.
"No," she replied and Dumbledore looked surprised. "If I am to keep up this charade the less I know of the Order the better. I don't want to know who the other members are and I don't want to know where headquarters is. Having that knowledge would put certain parties in danger and I do not wish to possess it. I wish to continue to provide valuable information to you but you must understand my position."
"I do understand it, Miss Granger."
~*~
That night, Hermione couldn't sleep. Outside her window the large tree swayed with a strong gust of wind. A storm was unfurling, the rain fierce and there was a feeling of anxiety and tension in the air. Tonight, Dumbledore will be telling the Order of what she had learned the night of Miss Brown's attempted kidnapping. She sighed heavily and turned on her side. What would happen to everyone?
She suddenly stilled.
Did she hear correctly or was it her mind?
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Hermione sat up in her bed and tossed the covers aside. Her bare feet strode across the room to the windows to her balcony. A familiar silhouette stood on the other side, rain tapped against the panes. She opened the doors and the smell of rain filled her nostrils.
"Harry," she whispered.
"Is it true?" he asked. He must've walked from headquarters, he was soaked to the bone, his hair was sopping and a few strands plastered themselves to his forehead. His scar suddenly stood out on his forehead. There were a couple of leaves on his clothes indicating that he must've climbed the tree outside her window.
"Come inside, Harry," Hermione said and reached out to wrap a hand around his arm and draw him into her room.
"Is it true?" he asked again.
Hermione looked at him, there was pain suddenly in his eyes. She was afraid to answer him, afraid that her answer would break him. "Yes," she said so softly that he barely heard her.
Harry closed his eyes and sighed. Hermione's heart went out to him. She raised a hand and caressed the side of his face. He turned into her hand and kissed her palm.
"Harry…what happened? Everyone thinks you destroyed him."
He turned away from her and walked to the fireplace in her room. "Some war hero I am, huh?"
Hermione followed him and knelt down in front of the dying embers and placed more logs on it, coaxing it to a warm blaze. She then stood in front of him and reached up to take his wet cloak off. She tossed it onto a chair, reached for her wand then cast a drying charm on it, then cast one on Harry himself.
"You faced Voldemort by yourself and reduced him to nearly nothing. That is bravery, Harry," she replied.
"You said his name, you said it without flinching or wincing," he whispered, looking down at her with unreadable expression on his face.
"I am not afraid of him," she confessed.
"For the first time…I am," Harry said. Hermione looked up at him, surprised, the question in her eyes. "Because for the first time, there's something I care about that I can lose." His hand reached up and cupped the side of her face. "Can I tell you something? Something that only a few people know?"
"You can trust me, Harry," she said.
He smiled at her. "I know I can." He settled himself down on the floor in front of the fire and Hermione followed suit. He told her everything, what he knew about the death of his parents, why he studied so hard at Hogwarts, the revenge he wanted so badly. He told her about his kidnapping and about leaving for the war. He told her about the prophecy, to which she held a hand lightly to her mouth and her eyes filled with tears as she looked away into the fire. He stood and paced back and forth as he told her about what happened on the battlefield that only he and Dumbledore were witness to. A silence descended upon them.
Hermione looked at him, looked at his face filled with uncertainty, eyes so lost and she wanted to take it away from him. She wanted to be reckless and wanted to steal this one moment with him.
She stood to face him as he stared at her. She reached out and grasped his shoulders, using them as leverage as she stood on tiptoe and kissed him. His arms immediately wrapped around her and drew her to him, holding her close to his body. The kiss intensified as his mouth opened to accept her tongue as she tasted him. His lips left hers only to land on the sensitive skin of her neck and she tangled her hands in his unruly hair. Desire pooled in the flower between her legs and she craved him.
Her hands worked furiously as they unbuttoned his shirt, her hands reaching underneath to run across the hard muscles of his chest. He muffled a groan against her mouth as she led him backwards toward her bed. The backs of her knees hit it and Harry lifted her slightly to lay her upon it. His hands were hot upon the outside of her thigh as he drew the hem of her nightshirt up.
"Make love to me, Harry," she whispered and he removed his hand to undo his britches.
Then he stilled.
Hermione opened her eyes and looked up at him as he hovered above her. His expression reflected the conflict within. She wouldn't do this to him, she wouldn't put him in the position where guilt would eat at him, where he would have to explain things to Lavender.
His fiancé.
She suddenly realized that she was only borrowing him, that he wasn't hers to keep.
"I'm sorry," she said hoarsely, "we can't do this."
"I know," he said softly.
He buttoned his shirt and threw on his cloak. She sat up on the bed and looked at him with wide eyes. He stood and looked at her as she moved off her bed to face him. He leaned back down, making the motion to kiss her again but she placed her fingers on her lips to stop him.
"Please don't," she said, her voice filled with anguish. "You're too honorable for this."
"What if I told you I don't care for honor?" he asked.
"Yes, you do. It's one of the things I love about you. And I will be nobody's mistress," she said with a hint of defiance.
Harry walked to the doors of the balcony and looked back at her, his expression was hard. "I never wanted you as a mistress, Hermione," he said then left her room, closing the doors behind him to walk back out into the rain.
~*~
Fireworks exploded in the night air above the elaborately decorated manor. There was a red carpet laid out from the carriage drop off point to the front door. Polished knight's armor lined the walk, the heads turning once in awhile when a pretty lady passed.
A carriage came to a halt and Draco Malfoy emerged from it and looked up at the home with an eyebrow raised. He turned around and reached out to assist his escort for the evening from the carriage.
"Old man's overdone it a bit, don't you think?" he asked.
Hermione stepped down from the carriage, holding her gold colored gown away from her feet. She took Draco's arm and looked up at the manor. It was a bit overdone but that was what could be expected from Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic. He always did give the air of someone trying his best to impress and fit in with the elite.
As the walked into the home, they were on a landing looking down into ballroom below. Hermione and Draco took a moment to take in the scene. She spotted Sirius surrounded by a few husband hunters and looking a bit uncomfortable. She spotted the red heads of the Weasley men, Luna was on Ron's arm and a short way away from them was Ginny with Mr. Longbottom. With a fluttering stomach she spotted Harry standing with Lavender who had a small crowd around her.
"Shall we?" Draco asked and they headed down the stairs. Together they made their rounds around the crowd and Hermione made careful note of the gentlemen Draco seemed to be well acquainted with.
"Evening Draco, aren't you going to introduce us to your lovely companion?"
Hermione went cold. She recognized the voice from the night of Lavender's attempted kidnapping. She turned and faced an older gentleman with the same shocking blond hair as Draco accompanied by an elegant looking woman who had a slight sneer on her face.
"Mother, Father, this is Miss Hermione Granger," Draco made the introductions.
"How do you do?" Hermione said politely.
They met her with cold and insolent eyes. They clearly did not approve of this courtship.
"Your father's a muggle, is he not?" the woman asked.
Clearly there was no skirting the issue here.
"Yes," Hermione replied proudly. "A very well connected one to the wizarding world."
"Through Sirius Black?" Mr. Malfoy asked. "The smuggler?"
"Alleged smuggler," Hermione answered. There was no need to shed light on Sirius' less than proper means of income.
"The first dance is starting," Draco announced and drew Hermione away to the dance floor.
"You have to forgive them," he said. "They don't have the ability to look over your faults as I do," he said arrogantly.
Hermione leveled a cold gaze at his back. Oh, the things she put up with to help the Order.
Harry was quiet. He stood politely by his fiancé as she regaled the tale of her near kidnapping over and over and over again to anyone who would listen. One would think she'd be a bit unnerved by what had happened to her.
"So you managed to sneak out of the house?" Cho Diggory asked her.
"It was so frightening but I managed to keep a level head," Lavender answered.
"Harry, you have a very resourceful fiancé here," Cho said smiling. "Harry…Harry!"
Harry snapped his head to her just realizing that she had been speaking to him.
"I-I'm sorry, what did you say?" he asked.
Cho and Lavender exchanged quizzical looks then looked at Harry with concern.
"Harry, darling, are you feeling well?" Lavender asked with concern.
"It's a bit warm in here, I think I'll go outside for a moment. Will you be alright in here?" he asked.
Lavender looked around at the eager crowd of listeners that was beginning to form. "Yes, I think I can manage," she answered.
Harry felt relief when the cool air hit his face, cooling his body. He made his way into the gardens and to a large fountain in the middle. Couples strolled along together, happy, possibly making plans for the future. Harry watched them wistfully.
Something Hermione had said had been playing itself over and over in his head.
It's one of the things I love about you.
What she loved about him. What she loves about him. Did she love him, afterall?
Almost as if on cue, Hermione walked passed a hedge and into view of the fountain. She saw Harry standing there, deep in thought and she quietly approached him.
"I hope you're seriously not contemplating a swim in there?" she said lightly.
Harry looked up at her and smiled. "If I were, would you join me?" he asked.
Hermione looked at the fountain faking consideration. "It's a bit too shallow for me," she said frowning as she moved closer to him.
Harry looked back at the manor where the sounds of the ball filtered out. "So, you met the parents?" he asked.
Hermione gave a snort of derision. "In all seriousness, I recognized his father's voice," she said quietly. "He was the one who gave Draco the task."
"Really?" Harry asked, frowning.
"I've been trying to see who he associates with this evening. Besides his father, I don't recognize any of them. They've never been to my house."
"Hermione, why are you doing this?" he asked. She looked at him, taken aback. "You don't have to do this."
"It's my fight, too. I have to live in this world as well," she answered.
"But…" he lowered his voice to a whisper, "the Order?"
Hermione looked away from him and stared at the fountain. The water splashed down tier after tier, the fat little drops fell into the pool below.
"Because I care about you," she said softly.
Harry stared at her determinedly. "Hermione…I have to know," he paused. "Do…do you love me?"
Hermione looked up at him and Harry could see it in her eyes. She opened her mouth to speak but they were interrupted.
"There you are," a drawling voice said. Draco Malfoy entered the scene. A look passed between Hermione and Harry that spoke conversations.
"Malfoy, I was just being introduced to your lovely companion," Harry said politely.
"I hope you weren't looking for me for too long," Hermione said sweetly.
"No, not long," he answered vaguely, keeping an eye on Harry. An awkward moment was quickly building.
"Draco, Mr. Potter went to Hogwarts. The same school as you, did you know each other?" she asked.
"We might have passed in the hall. I don't remember," he said dismissively.
"Darling, here you are. Why don't you come back inside?" Lavender came out into the garden and took her place by Harry's side. Draco's eyes fell on her and Hermione and Harry looked at each other with concern.
"I remember you," she said. "You're Mr. Draco Malfoy."
"How kind of you to remember," Draco replied in a false tone. "And you are the brave Miss Brown. I had heard about that terrible business about your near kidnapping."
"Oh that little story?" Lavender laughed and Hermione rolled her eyes. Harry gave her a small smile.
"Such a dreadful event. I guess being the fiancé of Mr. Potter has its consequences and it's good that you're up to the task," Draco said vaguely. Lavender's smile faltered slightly.
"Do you think her life is still in danger?" Harry asked Draco, his face was impassive.
"I'm just saying that I would hope you would do better in protecting the woman you love," Draco shrugged.
Harry's calm expression didn't falter but his tone was deadly serious. "I wouldn't hesitate to kill anyone who so much as lay a harmful finger on the woman I love." His eyes flickered over to Hermione for less than a second but it sent Hermione's heart racing.
"Let's go back inside, Draco," Hermione said quietly.
"Yes, of course," he replied and held his arm out to Hermione.
Together they walked back into the party, Hermione looked over her shoulder once to see Harry watching her and Draco walk away.
"So now you've met the famous Mr. Potter," Draco said not bothering to hide his annoyance.
Hermione shrugged indifferently. "If you ask me, he seems rather snobbish. I'm so glad you came out when you did. I was dying of boredom." Draco grinned triumphantly when she said this.
They lined up for a dance and Hermione saw that Harry and Lavender lined up next to them. The music started and the couples danced. Every time Harry's hand touched hers she wanted to melt, butterflies threatened to erupt from her stomach. They always eagerly reached for each other's hands, holding on as they looked into each other's eyes then let go of each other at the very last moment. When the dance ended and they danced with their respective partners, their eyes found each other across the dance floor. And as soon as Draco left her side, Harry swooped in to take her on the dance floor.
Her hand felt soft and warm in his and he slid the other hand around her waist. They still had to give the air of propriety.
"Come with me upstairs," he whispered in her ear.
"Harry, we can't," she whispered back.
"Hermione, if I don't kiss you soon…"
"I know…Believe me, I know."
Harry held her in his arms as they danced, not daring to hold her any closer. Her scent filled him, made him lighthearted and reckless. Desire for her burned through him and he could feel it emitting off her.
When their dance was over Hermione danced with Sirius, consciously aware of Harry's every move away from her. Harry immediately became aware of the Lavender situation. He had to do something about it. As he danced with her, he could see Hermione and Sirius dancing but they must have been talking about a serious subject. Their faces were intense.
"He was attacked about an hour ago, I just now received word," Sirius whispered to Hermione.
"But he's just a guard, why would they kill him?" Hermione asked.
"I don't know. Maybe they were after the cargo?" he guessed.
"What did you have?" she asked.
"Diamonds," he answered. "The ship was from Antwerp." She gaped at him. "Sirius!" she whispered scolding him.
"But I managed to move the shipment off a day early, otherwise…"
"You'd be on that ship," Hermione finished for him. "Oh dear."
"The Death Eaters are dipping their toes in smuggling," Sirius sighed.
Hermione bit her lip in thought. This theory didn't sit right with her. But there was one way to find out.
"Sirius, I think I might have a plan," she said slowly then tossed her idea out to him.
Hermione felt exhausted when the ball was over but she felt very awake. She wondered if Harry would stop by tonight but she fell asleep waiting for him
As much as Harry wanted to see Hermione, duty called and a last minute meeting of the Order was called. Sirius was explaining to them an outrageous plan that Hermione had concocted.
"So the only thing she needs is Veritaserum?" Dumbledore asked.
"She plans to drug him with this at the next ball?" Remus asked.
"No, I don't like this idea," Harry spoke up. "It's too risky."
"It's brilliant!" Ron said aloud and the twins agreed.
Dumbledore frowned, deep in thought. "It would help us greatly. Miss Granger seems to be the only one who is in a position to get this close to a Death Eater. Very well, I shall see what I can do about the Veritaserum."
The meeting adjourned and Harry left with the Weasley's.
"In a position to get close to Malfoy, alright," George said cryptically, "especially after this ball." His twin sniggered.
"What do you mean?" Ron asked.
"The next ball she's going to is Madame Rosemerta's," George explained.
"So?" Harry asked.
Fred and George looked at each other. "We've heard her ball is an orgy for the elite in disguise." Harry and Ron's eyes widened.
"It's a masquerade ball," Fred continued. "So they have a bit of anonymity. Although, it's really useless, you can tell who is who, but it's the idea that it gives."
"What goes on at the party, stays at the party," George added.
"We've been trying to finagle an invitation for weeks now," Fred said.
Harry remained quiet as Ron asked more questions. Hermione was taking Draco to this ball. She was going to take a huge risk by drugging Malfoy at this ball. A plan began to form in his head but before he could set them into motion, he had something to take care of first.
~*~
Hermione woke up the next morning feeling a bit disappointed that she had fallen asleep. What if Harry had stopped by? But there was no sign that he did. She sighed. Why should he? They were playing a dangerous game, a dishonorable one at that.
But it still didn't squash her disappointment when she didn't see him at all that day nor the next. She filled her time making last minute preparations for the upcoming ball at Madame Rosemerta's. She had met with Draco and they decided on the theme of a pirate and his Spanish concubine. The dressmaker that Hermione usually went to took great delight in preparing a costume for her.
One afternoon, after a fitting, she took tea at Miss Katie Bell's home along with Ginny and Luna.
"Can you believe all the scandal?" Katie said excitedly when the maid left the room, leaving behind a tray filled with cream cakes and tea. Hermione took a cake and nibbled on it as she listened to the gossip.
"I heard she is a wreck," Miss Angelina Johnson added. "The poor thing."
"I knew he was a rake," Ginny said knowingly. "Didn't I tell you?" she nodded to Luna and Hermione.
Hermione felt very out of the loop. "What are we talking about?" she asked timidly.
The women all stared at her.
"Hermione, haven't you heard?" Luna asked.
"Everyone's talking about it," Ginny added.
Her face still held a blank look and Angelina tutted impatiently and Katie leaned forward eagerly to explain.
"Mr. Potter has cancelled his engagement to Miss Brown!"
Hermione, who had a bite of cream cake in her mouth, inhaled suddenly, causing her to choke. Luna hit her back as Hermione coughed and spluttered.
"I know!" Katie threw up her hands. "It's most scandalous. The poor girl's heart is broken."
"That man's reputation is ruined, war hero or not, it is most ungentlemanly to lead a lady on like that," Angelina huffed.
"The wedding plans were in full swing and she already had been meeting with designer's to make plans for Godric's Hollow," Katie said.
"It was so cruel of him to take it all away from her," Angelina shook her head.
Hermione had stopped coughing by now and took a drink of tea.
"Such a scoundrel," Katie said.
"Such a rake," Angelina added.
"I take it he is no longer received in your homes?" Luna asked.
"Of course not!" Katie said crossly.
"This only means that Mr. Potter is back on the marriage mart," Angelina added.
Hermione could see that this scandal only made Mr. Potter more appealing to the husband hunters. She smiled to herself at the mental image of Harry fighting off the women in droves.
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