The Count of Monte Cristo
What will it take to show you that it's not the life it seems?
(I'm not okay)
I've told you time and time again you sing the words but don't know what it means
(I'm not okay)
To be a joke and look, another line without a hook
I held you close as we both shook for the last time take a good hard look!
I'm not okay
I'm not okay
I'm not okay
You wear me out
Forget about the dirty looks
The photographs your boyfriend took
You said you read me like a book, but the pages all are torn and frayed
I'm okay
I'm okay!
I'm okay, now
(I'm okay, now)
But you really need to listen to me
Because I'm telling you the truth
I mean this, I'm okay!
(Trust Me)
I'm not okay
I'm not okay
Well, I'm not okay
I'm not o-fucking-kay
I'm not okay
I'm not okay
(Okay)
(I'm Not Okay (I Promise)-My Chemical Romance)
~*~
She kissed his lips, prodding them open so she could explore his mouth, its warmth was in contrast with the slight crispness in the air. She deepened the kiss, exploring him, tasting him as she brought her hand to the back of his neck. His essence, his raw scent, permeated her senses in all its familiarity. She pulled away, playfully and gently tugging at his lower lip before she kissed his chin and traced his jaw line with her kisses. His skin was rough with a trace of stubble that scratched at her, tickling her. She kissed his neck, feeling his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed.
Yeah, she had him right where she wanted him.
She grinned when she felt his hands rest on her hips. They stayed there only a moment before they slowly made their way up her sides, sliding over her ribcage, his thumbs teasing her as they traced the outside of her breasts. She moved her lips back to his and the exchange was a little more heated as he cupped her, caressed her, teased her, fondled her.
Her hands moved in the opposite direction, from the back of his neck, over the strong contours of his shoulders, down his chest and to his crotch. He let a slight moan slip between his lips as she began to stroke him through his trousers, feeling him harden under her ministrations.
Yes!!
She nearly purred with delight when he quickly pinned her underneath him. Her skirt bunched at her hips as a hand of his moved up her thigh to rest at her pelvis, slipping his fingers underneath the band of her knickers. He moved roughly against her, his hardness at the apex of her thighs. She was wet and ready for him to make his move, ready for him to move this encounter elsewhere.
"Fuck!" he cursed under his breath. "I can't fucking do this right now." He moved off of her and ran a frustrated hand through his hair.
She wasn't going to give up though and she sat up. "I think…this…is exactly what you need." She moved onto his lap.
But he moved her off of him. "I'm really not in the mood for this right now."
"You sure about that?" she cooed, reaching for his crotch again.
"Fix your skirt," he said irritably as he adjusted his clothing and got to his feet.
"Draco…wait!" she called out after him, hastily rearranging her skirt before giving chase and nearly stumbling over someone in the dark.
"Hey, watch it!" Terry called out after she nearly tripped over his foot. He rolled his eyes then brought his attention back to the overly amorous Parvati. The two of them were tucked away in a dark corner of the astronomy tower taking advantage of the dark to fully explore the excitement of a new make-out partner.
"Just ignore them," Parvati tutted, bringing Terry's attention back to her. He happily complied and returned to where he had last left off. Practicing his dexterity on the buttons of her blouse.
"Oh now what?" she said snappily when he suddenly stopped.
"Shh," he replied and remained very still. The tower seemed okay but he had the weirdest sensation of being watched. And since the area was mostly used for purposes not listed in the Student Code of Conduct, it was a most unsettling feeling.
"What is it?" Parvati whispered with a hint of alarm.
He turned back to her and shook his head. "Nothing…just a little spooked and-what the hell?"
Parvati gasped at the same time as he jumped. "What was that?" she asked.
"I don't know," he said, shaking his head. "Let's get out of here." And together the two teens hastily got themselves together and left the premises. Terry shook his head, willing himself to clear the foggy form of a snake in the darkness.
~*~
"This way," Harry whispered as he led the three of them quickly down a corridor to the lifts. Once again, the trio embarked upon a journey that most definitely included rule breaking and would most probably involve some sort of degree of danger.
It was just how they operated.
Tonight they were sneaking into the Ministry of Magic and, by the looks of it, it was a task that Harry had done repeatedly. She could tell by his timing and his mannerisms during this whole thing. Since the trio had been on shaky ground, Harry's nightly whereabouts had been a mystery to her. Now she had to wonder if this is where he had gone.
The three of them slid inside the lift, letting the doors close behind them. Hermione had never been in these lifts before. "Hey, don't you need special access to get to that floor?" Ron asked as Harry punched at a button. Being that his father worked in the Ministry, he was probably more aware of the protocol around here.
"Yes, you do," Harry replied and pulled out a badge.
"Cool," Ron grinned as the elevator moved.
Hermione couldn't help but notice that the name on the badge was most definitely not Harry's but belonging to a certain Cho Chang. How he had come into possession of said badge she would have to ask him about later but for now she swallowed her twinge of jealousy and continued on.
"Welcome, Harry, welcome!" the odd-looking wizard said. Hermione and Ron stared at all the strange objects in the mysterious room that Harry had led them to. There were various odd and ends on the shelves, strange magical objects that gave off slight humming sounds. Curious little creatures peered at them as they walked past and only a few of them Hermione had read about, the others looked like a cross between two…or three. Mysterious potions lined the shelves in a room that was like a pantry. Different colored wisps of smoke rose from the colorful vials. It was eerie and sinister and mysterious altogether.
"I see you brought your friends with you," the wizards said, looking at each of them.
"Yes, these are my best friends, Hermione," Harry introduced, "and Ron. This is Miles. A friend of mine as well."
"Hullo," Ron replied.
"Pleased to meet you," Hermione said politely.
"Hello! Hello!" he shook their hands enthusiastically. "I don't get many visitors here. What a treat! Can I get you two anything to drink?"
"Er…" Ron replied nervously as he eyed the potions around the room. But he let out a sheepish laugh when three glasses of pumpkin juice appeared before them. Still he was cautious when he took his drink, even Harry sniffed the contents before bringing the cup to his lips.
"Oh, good news, Harry. My pheromones potion was bought by a cosmetics company," the wizard said excitedly. "They're calling it…Desyre." He made a grand gesture with his hands during his dramatic pause. He looked at Hermione. "Would you like to try it?" he asked.
"Oh, um…" she floundered. She really wasn't big on perfumes but she didn't want to be rude either. Years of being a houseguest of Hagrid's had left quite an impression on her.
"Maybe some other time," Harry cut in hastily. The last thing he needed was to embarrass himself in front of everyone by attacking her, let alone probably ruin his and Ron's new and tentative friendship by strangling him if he so much as laid a finger on her. Worst of all, Hermione didn't need to enter the castle with that crap emanating from her. Malfoy would smell her in an instant and come calling. And as much as Harry would thoroughly enjoy beating the crap out of the ferret, he just wasn't in the mood to deal with such drama.
"Oh don't worry Harry. This one's much more diluted. What happened between you and Miss Chang with the stuff made me realize it needed to be watered down significantly."
"Nothing happened!" Harry spluttered, turning red, while Ron choked on his pumpkin juice. "Nothing happened," he repeated frantically. "I swear!" he said to Hermione as she looked at him with an odd look on her face.
"Of course you were a perfect gentleman," Miles said dismissively. "I just underestimated the effect of the potion on those that would smell it on the wearer."
Harry felt like he was stranded in quicksand and sinking quickly. It was best to just cut to the chase then get the hell out of here. "Miles, I need your help with a bit of a problem I have."
The wizard raised an eyebrow. "School problem or Dark Wizard problem?"
"A bit of both actually," he sighed. "I need to flush a snake out of Hogwarts. Not an ordinary snake though…sort of…well…let's just say this snake is very, very dangerous."
"Basilisk?" Miles asked with wide eyes.
"Not exactly," Harry answered, "but along the same danger lines."
"It's You-Know-Who's pet snake," Ron whispered with emphasis. Hermione glared at Ron, unsure of whether it was okay or not to admit something that huge to a complete stranger, regardless of how well Harry knew him.
"Oh my!" Miles jumped in alarm. "Oh, my oh my oh my. Harry what are you doing in that castle? Especially after what had happened earlier. Miss Chang told me that you barely escaped with your life!" Hermione forced herself not to roll her eyes and grimace. Honestly, did that tart spend all day talking about Harry to anyone and everyone who would listen? Harry should put a stop to that immediately, you never knew who she would say the wrong thing to next.
"I'll be fine," Harry said dismissively. "But this snake is hiding in the pipes in the castle and we've tried to flush her out by flooding the place and it didn't work. She had to eat so we set out some bait to trap her and it's not working. Hermione finally came up with the idea of freezing her out but all of our freezing charms combined didn't seem to do the trick."
"I told you that Hogwarts has some very powerful charms surrounding it," Hermione said matter-of-factly in her defense. It was an idea that she carelessly tossed out knowing it wouldn't work but hoping against all hopes that the three of them would miraculously pull it off somehow.
A grin grew on Mile's face. "So what you need is something more powerful."
"And I figured I might know just where to get such a thing," Harry grinned back.
"And you figured correctly." The odd little wizard turned around to walk to his collection of potions and took one of the vials down from the shelf. It was a clear, crystal vial with a clear, baby blue potion inside of it. He gingerly brought it over to the teens.
"Be very careful with this Harry," Miles said cautiously as he popped the top of the vial, revealing a dropper that was attached to the top. "It's a very, very, very potent potion." He let one drop fall into Ron's cup, which was resting on a nearby table, and the contents immediately froze. Ice formed outside of the cup spreading to the table that it was resting on. Icicles formed along the edge of the table as the ice raced across its surface. Hermione quickly removed her hand from her cup just as the ice reached it, freezing the juice inside.
"Bloody hell," Ron whispered, his and Harry's eyes were wide with amazement.
"Wicked," Harry said under his breath, the faintest trace of a grin on his face.
Hermione, seeing wild ideas form in her boys' eyes, quickly stepped in as the voice of reason. "We have to be very careful with this, we don't want to cause a serious accident with this stuff. We have to act responsibly with these types of potions."
"Of course we will, Hermione," Harry said, taking the vial from Miles and stuffing it into his jacket pocket. Hermione stared intently at the two of them.
"This includes using it on Draco," she said sternly. Ron looked a bit put out but Harry shrugged.
"As long as he doesn't get between me and Nagini." He turned and looked at the older wizard. "Miles…thank you."
Miles peered at Harry closely. "Be careful," he said quietly. "What happened at St. Mungo's…" he stopped as if unsure of what to say. Harry took it out of his hands.
"I know," Harry said off-handedly, although Hermione and Ron could see the trademark darkened look that would overcome his features whenever the painful subject was brought up. "See you around, Miles."
Hermione felt awkward walking back to the lift. Harry didn't seem upset but he was quiet and she felt as if she should say something to him. Anything. For crying out loud, it was as if a million thoughts were going through her head but she was just too damn polite to say anything until Harry seemed more approachable.
Ron, however, was less tactful.
"What did Miles mean when he mentioned you and `Miss Chang' and this hormone thing?"
"Pheromone," Hermione corrected.
"For fuck's sake, Ron," Harry whispered, a slight blush began creeping up his neck.
"I was just curious," Ron said defensively, holding his hands up.
"That makes two of us," Hermione said coyly with a grin. She believed him when he said that nothing had happened between him and Cho but it was just too funny to see him squirm like this.
"You know what? Back off you two," Harry said with authority. "Let's just concentrate on getting out of here, okay?" Hermione and Ron shared a grin.
~*~
"Draco!" Pansy called out as she chased after him in the corridor. "Wait! Draco! Will you just stop for a moment?" she asked as she finally caught up to him.
"What do you want?" he asked, not bothering to mask the annoyance in his voice turning to face her.
She exhaled sharply with impatience. "What the hell happened back there?"
"I wasn't in mood," he smirked.
"It didn't feel like it," she countered.
"What can I say," he shrugged. "I had a headache."
"What is with you lately?" she demanded. "You look terrible, you're so tense that you snap at anyone who so much as looks at you and-"
"Are you finished?" he asked. "Because you kind of interrupted my lovely little stroll here."
"Why won't you tell me what's bothering you?" she asked, not giving up. "If you would just open up to me and let me in…let's just sit down and talk."
Draco stared at her as if she had grown two heads. "Are you fucking joking?" he sneered before turning and walking away.
Pansy gathered what was left of her shattered pride and held chin up high. "Would me being a bushy haired mudblood do the trick for you?"
That stopped Draco in his tracks and he slowly turned around. "What did you say?" he asked quietly.
Pansy stood defiant as he approached. "You heard me. People are talking, you know."
"Careful, Pansy," he cautioned.
She sulkily looked away from him. "You're our Slytherin leader. A Malfoy. The epitome of what a pureblood is. You're privileged to be the youngest Death Eater-"
"Privileged?!" Draco blurted out. "Privileged?!" He reached out and grabbed her upper arm. She winced slightly. "You just don't get it, do you? You don't see what's happening here. You just sit in your little room thinking nothing about what's going on outside of these walls. You don't know that there's a war going on out there and when the shit hits the fan, its going to hit the Death Eaters and Dumbledore's followers, just so you can sit comfortably behind these walls waiting for me to come around so we can talk about my bad day." He glared at her then shook his head in disgust before walking away.
Tears welled in her eyes. "Draco," she called out weakly. But he kept walking.
~*~
The common room still had a few students in it when the trio arrived back at the castle. They quickly commandeered a quiet corner to themselves so they could talk.
"So," Ron began, "when do we start?"
"Tomorrow," Harry replied. "It's a light day of classes. Hermione, you take this in the morning to the Gryffindor girls' lavatory. Ron and I will get the boys' when you're done."
"Cold showers in the morning," she sighed, taking the vial from Harry. "Lavender and Parvati will be fun to live with." Harry smirked at her.
"Well, as much as I love hanging with you two," Ron said as he got up from the chair, "I have a date with my new quidditch magazine."
A pang of reluctant longing to gaze at the glossy pages solely dedicated to his most favorite sport in the whole wide world shot through him. He'd have to swipe it from Ron sometime later. It would be a welcome break, a small reminder that he was, after all, a teenage boy. Reminders like that were few and far between these days.
His attention was brought back to Hermione who was sitting across from him with a most peculiar look on her face. "What?" he asked, warily.
"You know, it's all so very strange," she began, her gaze had moved to something else in the room. "I had the oddest dream one night that took place in this very room."
Harry waited patiently for her to continue, unsure of where this was heading.
"You see, I was studying until you came through the door and sat down in front of me," she said dreamily. "And then, the most strange sensation came over me." She leaned forward and said in a conspiratorial whisper, "I found you absolutely and totally irresistible."
Fuck.
"Er…" Harry wasn't sure what to say to that.
"I think I may have come onto you," she continued on in a voice that spoke of scandalous disbelief. "Rather strongly, too."
Harry remembered all too well that incident. As if he could forget the way Hermione had acted, many a night those memories served a dutiful purpose safely within the confines of his bed. The look on his face must have clearly conveyed his guilt, betrayed by the lust induced memories of that night.
"Harry! I don't believe it!" Hermione admonished. "I thought it was all a dream!!"
"Well, I kinda had to stupefy you," he said, scratching the back of his head. Hermione let out a scoff of indignation. "You didn't want the burden of cheating on your boyfriend hanging over your pretty little conscience." He grinned.
Hermione straightened up and stuck out her chin. "What makes you think I would've gone that far?" she asked.
Harry smirked as he approached her. Hermione backed away from him, backing into a wall behind her. He leaned down toward her "If you wanted it as much as I did that night…," he whispered in her ear and she flushed violently. His breath was hot against her ear and it triggered tiny explosions of lust inside of her.
Harry could tell her breathing had changed, she was taking short, shaky breaths. He moved his lips lightly across her cheek and to her lips where he kissed her ever so gently. He took the time to take in the softness of her lips in contrast to his, the faintest trace of her flavored lip gloss pleasantly surprised him as he asked for entrance with his tongue.
Hermione was happy to oblige, savoring the moment as he kissed her, exploring her, delighting her. She slid her hands up his arms as he wrapped one of them around her waist, his other hand reached above her, bracing against the wall as she shifted into it.
He smoothly transitioned the kiss to its end, bringing Hermione back up from the wall. "I've got to go," he whispered.
Hermione blinked out of her gaze. "Um…what?" she asked.
"I've got something I've got to do," he explained as dropped his arms away from her.
"Oh, okay," she replied as she watched him search for his wand and the map. It seemed selfish of her to want him to stay with her tonight when there seemed to me more important things to deal with than her own raging hormones.
"Be careful," she said to him.
"I will," he replied and gave her a quick kiss on the lips before leaving the common room.
It wasn't that he wasn't feeling the same way. It took him more willpower than she could ever know to pull himself away from her. Since getting back with Hermione, their physical relationship was staying pretty safe. Not that he wasn't complaining about their lovely little snogging sessions but the temptation to take things further, to be with her again the way he so longed to, was just getting more and more difficult to deal with.
He couldn't help the way his mind would think nothing of being inside her, to make love to her again and then the next moment have this guilt that he should be concentrating on other things. Like ridding the world of Lord Voldemort. It was like he was in a constant tug-of-war between what he wanted and what he was destined to do.
He shook his head to clear his thoughts when he stepped out into the corridor. Filch would be patrolling in about five minutes so he had to act quickly. He took out his invisibility cloak and made his way down the hall.
There were only a spattering of students that were still up, most of them heading to their common rooms from where they were dwelling before. He stopped in front of the door to Filch's office and, seeing that it was empty, made his way inside.
The room hadn't changed much over the years and Harry had to wonder why he didn't bother asking anyone to update his security. Pride, he supposed. Using the tip of his wand, he rummaged through the random papers on Filch's desk that were mostly detention records. His eyes wandered to gaze at the walls, all the while his ears trained for the slightest sound that would signal the owner's return.
Moving to the other side of the desk, Harry crouched down in front of the bottom drawer and pulled it open. It made a loud squeaking sound of wood on wood being forced to grind together unwillingly. He grimaced out the sound, wincing at how loud it was and he froze, waiting to see if it had summoned Filch's return.
He was lucky. It didn't.
Harry cast a silencing charm on the cabinet and proceeded to pry it open. Inside were rolls of parchment, some of them new and some of them yellowed and dusty. He exhaled at the chore in front of him and pulled out one of them and unfurled it. It was a list of banned items from the halls of Hogwarts for the year 1995. It seemed odd that the list seemed so much more shorter than the days when Fred and George were attending. And now that the twins had their own store, the list had grown significantly. Harry put it away and continued on.
Old quidditch schedules.
Confiscated exams that had made their rounds around the student population before the test date.
Ugh, that bloody list that Hermione had decidedly contributed to. Harry Potter: Great kisser. Amazing sex. Damn straight, Hermione.
~*~
Hermione sat on her bed reading when Lavender and Parvati entered the room to turn in for the night.
"And then what happened?" Lavender asked.
Parvati flopped on her bed. "We were interrupted by Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson in their haste to get to broom closet to shag," she pouted.
Hermione frowned and turned the page.
"Those two are so disgusting. At least they had the courtesy to leave the tower instead of chasing everyone out by humping like a pair of dung beetles," Lavender said in a voice of blatant distaste.
"It was just so creepy, Lav," Parvati continued. "It felt as if we were being watched."
"Ew, gross," Lavender wrinkled her nose.
"No, not like that," Parvati shook her head. "It was just…I can't explain it. It didn't feel…human."
Hermione paused in the middle of turning the page.
"Now you're creeping me out," Lavender shivered.
Hermione closed the book and put it away. With a flick of her wand the curtains around the bed closed and she lay down on the bed, lost in her thoughts. Could it have been Nagini in the tower that night? It was quite possible. That creepy feeling of being watched by a set of otherwordly eyes. She had felt it here and there around the castle. The whole ordeal was making her uneasy, all of this waiting and wondering why Nagini was here if not to spy for Voldemort? It would only be a matter of time before she lashed out and killed a student. Harry had to find her before that happened.
~*~
He didn't know how long he had been there sitting on the floor and going through years of paperwork to find what he was looking for. He was getting tired. He let out a big yawn then rubbed his eyes under his glasses.
He pulled out the next parchment and unrolled it. It was what he had been looking for. Faded lines crisscrossed across the yellowed piece of paper, looking at first like an odd looking maze but it was a sort of old schematic showing the layout of the pipes in the castle.
He folded the map and tucked it into his robes, closing the drawer quietly as he got up. He checked the Marauder's Map and saw that Filch was outside of the castle, patrolling the edges of the castle, probably looking for students tucked away in the dark shadows. Looking forward to a wonderful nights sleep he made his way back to the common room. He couldn't help the twinge of disappointment at the emptiness of the room. The fire cast a soft glow over the room making the shadows dance against the wall. It began to creep him out a bit since he was all by himself so he hastily made his way to the dorm.
~*~
Hermione jolted awake and sat up in her bed. The room was pitch black and she could hear the deep breathing and soft snores of her roommates.
"Lumos," she whispered when she reached for her wand that rested under her pillow. The light from her wand cast a pale glow over the curtains. She parted them and swung her legs over the side of the bed. She slipped her feet into her slippers and grabbed her robe before she quietly left the room.
The house elves quickly and quietly made themselves scarce as soon as she made her entrance into the common room. All but one, of course.
"Miss Herminy," Dobby squeaked. Hermione winced at the butchering of her name. "What are you doing up at this hour?"
Hermione finished tying the knot in the front of robe as she approached the little creature and knelt down in front of him. "Dobby, I need you to deliver a message," she began.
*
Draco stirred out of his slumber, brought out of his rest by something…or someone. He opened his eyes to find another pair staring back at him.
"Holy fuck!" he exclaimed as he flung himself away from the elf. Dobby jumped off of the bed and cowered in the corner of the room. "What the fuck are you doing here?" Draco demanded.
"I was delivering a message from Miss Herminy," Dobby trembled in the corner.
"What the hell does she want?" Draco asked grumpily.
"She asked to meet you by the humped witch," the elf squeaked, still terrified to be in the presence of his former master.
"Now?" he complained and the elf nodded. Draco sighed and got out of bed, throwing a cloak around his shoulders as he left the room. Dobby disappeared, having completed his task and not wishing to hang around this area any longer than he had to.
Draco slipped out of the portrait door and closed it softly, taking care not to wake the portrait that was slumbering peacefully. Wand at the ready, he made his way across the castle and up the stairs to the humped witch. A rendezvous point that reminded him of the many times he and Hermione had used many times before under less than ideal circumstances.
"Over here," he heard her whisper and he quickly darted into a darkened and empty classroom nearby.
"You know, you have to find a better way to summon me for a midnight shag than that freaky little elf," he drawled as she closed the door behind him.
Hermione ignored him. "Why is Nagini following you?" she demanded.
"Why don't we just forego the pillow talk and get right to it?" he grinned. Hermione folded her arms across her chest and stared at him demandingly. Draco relented. "What makes you think she's following me?" he said with a sigh.
"It's more than a coincidence that she happens to make an appearance in places that you have been."
Draco tilted his head and looked at her patronizingly. "Like where?"
"The balcony for starters. Nagini was there."
"So was Potter and his merry band of idiots," he replied lazily. "Present company excluded of course."
"The boys' lavatory on the first floor?"
"I wasn't the only one in there."
"The library?"
"You were there, too."
"Tonight in the astronomy tower?"
He smirked. "Again, I wasn't alone."
"So, I heard," Hermione retorted. Draco regarded her for a moment then stuffed his hands in the pockets of his cloak.
"Potter know you're here?" he asked, looking away from her.
"If he doesn't already, I'm sure he will soon," she replied.
"I take it he won't be too happy to find the two of us alone in an empty classroom," he sighed in mock innocence.
"Are you spying?" she asked.
Draco let out a soft laugh. "Oh the things that clever mind of yours comes up with."
"I mean it, Draco," Hermione demanded. "Are you spying on us and reporting back to Nagini?"
He licked his bottom lip and regarded her. He felt a pang of hurt that she would accuse him of such a thing, although it would have been a likely scenario had things been a little different.
"No," he said after a moment, his voice not bothering to hide its bitterness. "And even if I was there's only one person in this castle that can speak to snakes. Maybe you've heard of him?"
Hermione pursed her lips. "I'm being serious, Malfoy."
"So am I and I don't appreciate your false accusations!" he hissed at her.
"You can't blame me!" she defended. "It is a fact that she shows up wherever you are or have been!"
"Which is everywhere in this castle that other students are!"
"You're a Death Eater!"
Draco looked as if she had slapped him. "A fact you love reminding me of."
"I have to point out the hard facts," Hermione said a little more gently.
"Why isn't your boyfriend down here interrogating me?"
"Because I wanted to talk to you and I was hoping you would talk to me."
Draco ran a hand through his hair. "What is it with you birds and wanting to talk?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, insulted.
"Pansy was all over my back earlier tonight wondering why I don't talk to her."
"I'm sure she's just concerned about you."
Draco scoffed and turned away from Hermione. He walked to a desk and placed his hands on it. Hermione reached out and touched his shoulder. "I'm sure she was more concerned with the fact that she didn't get shagged tonight. I mean, honestly, how much of a mood can you be in knowing that some snake is about to end your life?"
Hermione jerked her hand away from him. "What did you say?" she asked.
Draco turned and looked at her then looked away. "Nothing. I've got to get going."
She reached out and grabbed his arm, stopping him. "Nagini is after you?"
"I never said that."
"Why?" Hermione ignored his comment.
Draco shrugged. "Devil comes collecting at some point."
Hermione looked up at him, searching his face. "Draco, what did you do that he would send Nagini for you?"
"I failed to give him Potter from St. Mungo's," he answered immediately.
She narrowed her eyes, slightly. "Nagini was here before the St. Mungo's incident."
"Maybe he knew I'd botch it up."
"Stop lying."
"What do you want from me, Hermione?" he shouted.
"I want answers! I want to help!"
"I don't want your help!" he shot back. "In fact, why are we even talking in the first place?"
"Because, believe it or not, I do care about you!" she said crossly.
"Well you shouldn't!"
"And I agree."
The voice startled them both and made them jump. Instinctively, Draco grabbed Hermione and put her behind him only to find that Potter was in the doorway of the classroom. He stood there legs apart, arms crossed with his wand in one hand looking very, very, pissed off.
Hermione moved away from Draco. "Harry, what…"
More people appeared behind Harry and she recognized some of them as members of the Order and aurors.
"Draco Malfoy," Kingsley Shacklebolt's voice rang out as Harry stepped aside to let him through. "You are under arrest for the attempted murder of Harry Potter…"
"What?" Hermione gasped as a couple of aurors moved forward. "Wait a moment!" she held up her hands in protest, shielding the Slytherin. But he moved away from her.
"It's okay, Hermione," he said as he was being magically bound. "I'm sure I've got a book somewhere on a prison break." He gave her a smirk.
"Move away from him, Hermione," Harry said quietly. She did as he asked moving closer to Harry.
"Harry, what's going on?" she asked in a whisper.
"I don't know," he replied. "But something tells me this isn't right."
Hermione read the dark look on his face. There was something that he wasn't telling her. He looked down and saw her probing look but before he could say anything, Kingsley called out to him.
"Are you ready, Harry?"
Harry gave the slightest of nods and moved forward but Hermione stopped him. "Why are you going?" she asked.
Harry frowned. "I'll tell you later."
"But…" she moved forward after him but Tonks stopped her. She watched, helpless, as Draco was taken away prisoner and Harry tagging along. She could tell that something was bothering him in the last look he gave her over his shoulder before turning the corner of the hall.
*
It was Lupin who had woken Harry up earlier, just when he had fallen asleep. "Harry," he had whispered.
"Remus?" Harry asked, blinking.
"Harry…we need you to come down to the ministry," he said.
Harry looked at him. "The ministry? Why?"
"I'm not sure," Lupin said, hesitantly. "But the order came explicitly from the Minister himself."
That alone was enough to put him on high alert.
"I also came up here to ask you to use the map to find Mr. Malfoy."
Harry wrinkled his brow. "Malfoy? What do you want with Malfoy?"
"Please, Harry?"
So, with great reluctance Harry found Malfoy on the map. And of course, he wasn't in his room. He was with Hermione in an empty classroom. Harry folded the Map and told Lupin where he was, not bothering to hide the irritation in his voice.
It became clear that the matter had turned very serious when he stepped out of the common room and into a hall with several aurors. They were here to arrest Malfoy.
"Harry, we need you to come to the Ministry on orders from the Minister himself," Shacklebolt announced.
"Am I under arrest?" he asked, cautiously.
"No," Kingsley replied.
So it was Draco Malfoy they were coming for. And for some reason, there was something inside of him that nagged at him, telling him that something was off.
Harry wasn't sure if he should feel embarrassed that he led a group of aurors into an empty classroom to find the person they'd come to arrest alone with his girlfriend. He felt a mild annoyance with Hermione, especially since he just happened to come in at the time when she was telling him that she actually cared for the idiot.
But there must have been a reason for her to be here.
Malfoy seemed to expect them to arrest him and he didn't put up a protest. Harry wondered if this was what a defeated man looked like. If you could call him that. The Slytherin was oddly quiet throughout their journey to the Ministry.
When they walked into the Auror division, he was greatly dismayed to see Percy Weasley and Dolores Umbridge standing among a small group of scowling old wizards.
"Separate them," Umbridge ordered. "Mr. Malfoy will go in that room with Mr. Weasley. You, Harry Potter," she smiled sweetly, "will come with me."
"I really don't think so," Harry sneered.
"I think it would be in your best interest to hear what I have to say," a voice behind Umbridge said. Harry looked over her shoulder and saw the Minister of Magic himself standing there. He gave a look to Umbridge then Percy before he stepped forward into a room that the Minister was gesturing to.
"Close the door, Harry," the Minister instructed as he walked around a desk to sit in a chair. "Please," he said gesturing to another chair on the opposite side.
Harry regarded him for a moment then sat down. From the shadows, Umbridge slithered out and took a seat in the corner. He shifted uncomfortably in his chair.
"As you know, Mr. Malfoy is facing some very serious charges," Scrimgeour began. "I, for one, was greatly relieved to hear of your rescue by our brave aurors in the St. Mungo's incident."
"Incident?" Harry repeated, an eyebrow raised.
Scrimgeour ignored him and continued on. "Rumor has it that Mr. Draco Malfoy was the one to deliver the Death Curse."
Harry smirked. "Like you said, rumor has it."
"I also have an auror who can testify that Draco Malfoy was indeed there, holding a wand to your head, as well as," he picked up an old newspaper with a picture of the night Harry escaped St. Mungo's, "a picture of the two of you."
"Well, it looks like you have all you need," he said as he got up from the chair. "I guess I'll be going now."
"Sit down, Harry," Scrimgeour ordered. Harry obliged the man. "You are going offer your testimony of the events that night against Mr. Malfoy."
"Don't you have enough evidence to do the job yourself?" he asked.
"Your testimony would mean a lot. The Boy Who Lived giving the evidence to at long last deliver justice to the young man, whom I have heard, has made your life at Hogwarts a living hell?"
"I'm assuming that photo opportunies and PR are a part of this illustrious package?" Harry asked, thoroughly irritated. The minister said nothing. "And if I say no?"
Scrimgeour looked over at Umbridge who stood up and walked over to Harry carrying a thick folder of parchment and photos in her arms. The woman grinned, a gleam of triumph in her eyes as she peered at him, tossing the folder down in front of him, the papers slid out for him to see.
"This little folder was nearly lost between the cracks of case archives before it caught our attention," Scrimgeour announced.
"That is what we call…evidence," Umbridge said in a voice that was borderline bored. "And quite a lot of it."
Harry's stomach dropped when he saw that the folder in front of him, was the very case that had nearly implicated Hermione in the attack against the muggle jeweler. There it was before him, photos, reports, all of it. A folder that was nearly lost between the cracks because Harry himself had placed it there.
He should've destroyed the damn thing. "This is bullshit," he said, shoving the folder away from him.
"Is it?" the Minister asked. "The evidence doesn't lie, does it?"
"She was found innocent of all charges," Harry insisted.
"But nobody thought to question others in Miss Granger's propensity to harm human life."
Harry was letting his rage get the best of him. "Hermione would not harm another human being."
"Wouldn't she?" Umbridge stepped forward, her face lined with victory. Harry glared at her, cursing her audacity to bring up their fifth year.
"May I remind you of the circumstances," he replied through gritted teeth.
"The jury can hear about that during the trial," Scrimgeour cut in. Harry stared at him.
Umbridge moved away from him and back to the other side of the table. "No matter," she said cheerfully. "We may not need a testimony from you anyway since Mr. Malfoy has signed his testimony against her. He confessed how he was dragged along into this sinister plan of hers, this plan of ruining the names of the oldest and most respected families in the wizarding world."
"Did you mean naming Death Eaters?" Harry shot back, glaring at the woman.
Dolores was unmoved, her sneering smile never wavered. "Like I said…"
Harry looked away.
"I have a signed testimony against her and the evidence is extremely incriminating," she continued on. "It was difficult but Mr. Weasley did eventually get a confession out of him."
*
"Have I told you that I've been to Egypt?" Percy asked.
Malfoy fought very hard not to roll his eyes. The poor excuse for a wizard had been droning on and on since he walked into the room. Honestly, who really cared about the measly accomplishments of a Weasley?
"My brother used to work as a curse breaker there," Percy continued on. "He had such a brilliant future ahead of him but he threw it all away and…now look at what's happened to him."
Draco contemplated whether he could strangle himself with his own handcuffs.
"Well, I'll be back, I guess," Percy sighed. "Do you need anything?"
Draco wanted to request a knife so he could stab his ears but he thought better of it and decided to keep his vow of silence that he kept up since he was placed in this room.
*
Hermione paced back and forth in the common room. She couldn't stand waiting. Waiting for Harry to come back, waiting to see what had happened to Draco, waiting for any piece of news. "Tonks, I have to go and see him."
Tonks sighed. "Hermione….for the millionth time…"
"I know! I know!" she replied with exasperation then knelt down in front of her. "But I have to speak to Harry. It's important! I have this bad feeling."
"This whole thing rots of suspicion. Kingsley said he didn't give the order for Malfoy's arrest, that it came directly from the minister. And I don't even know why he wants Harry there."
Hermione listened to her as she stared into the flames of the fireplace. "He wants Harry to stand by his side," she murmured.
"Huh?" Tonks asked, confused.
Hermione whipped her head around to look at the auror. "Tonks, it's imperative that I speak with Harry as soon as possible. There's nothing the minister wants more from Harry that the two of them side by side in the Daily Prophet, declaring to the wizarding world that he stands behind the Minister one hundred percent. He's using Harry, he's going to force him to do something stupid."
"Hermione, I-"
"It's not like I'm not allowed to be there. Harry's not in custody or anything."
Tonks looked at her, unsure.
"Please," Hermione insisted.
Tonks rolled her eyes and heaved herself out of her chair. "I'm so going to regret this, aren't I?"
~*~
"Do you really think you can do this to me?" Harry asked, looking at the Minister.
"What is it that you think we're doing to you?" he replied. "Harry, we are offering you a chance to help your friend."
"It's coercion," he countered.
"You're helping the wizarding world. It is what you most want to do, isn't it?"
"By selling out Draco Malfoy."
The Minister leaned forward and laced his fingers together. "I prefer to call it a trade."
There was a knock at the door and a wizard Harry didn't recognized popped his head in. "Um, sir," he said, unsure. "We have a bit of a…"
"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!" came a familiar shriek. "Where is he? I want to speak with him."
"Could you please place Miss Granger in one of the rooms until we are through here," the Minister instructed.
"Wait a moment," Harry interrupted, "I want to speak with her."
"I'm afraid that's just not possible," Umbridge cut in.
"I'm not under arrest and she's not in custody," he countered. "It's perfectly acceptable for me to speak with her. And if you want a decision from me, I would suggest you honor my demand."
The minister gave the slightest nod of his head and Umbridge frowned even more. Harry didn't waste any time and he shot out of his chair and out of the room.
Hermione was standing with a group of aurors up in arms about something. She looked up and walked toward him, meeting him halfway down the hall.
"Harry, what are they talking about? Something about charges against me and the muggle jeweler," she said.
Harry gently took her by her upper arm and steered her into an empty room. "What are you doing here?" he asked in a low whisper as he cast an Imperturbable charm.
"I came here to talk to you, to warn you that I think the Minister is up to something and to not listen to whatever he has to say and…what is this about some charges against me?" she said in a barely coherent rush of words. "Oh my God," she breathed, looking at him, "he already said something to you, didn't he?"
"He's going to reopen the case against you about the muggle jeweler that was harmed earlier this year," he said softly.
Hermione collapsed into a chair. Her face seemed drained of all blood. "But I thought that was all settled. It wasn't our fault, we didn't know. It was Lucius who planted it," she looked up at him with wide eyes. Harry sighed. "He's using this against you, isn't he?"
"He wants me to testify against Malfoy so they can arrest him and put him away. He wants me to stand next to him so all our pictures will be in the paper," he said bitterly.
Hermione stood up from the chair, a determined look on her face. "Harry, you cannot agree to this."
"Are you joking, Hermione?" Harry asked incredulously. "They've kinda got me in a bind."
"Harry just listen to me-"
"They're going to arrest you!" he said, his voice rising.
"I think Draco has a horcrux," she blurted out.
Harry stared at her. "Are you joking?"
"That's why I was talking with him tonight," she continued. "Nagini seemed to show up wherever he was. I accused him of spying and he denied it. He mentioned something about the snake wanting to end his life. I asked him what he meant by that and he said that the devil comes collecting at some point. Why else would Voldemort do this?"
Harry ran a hand through his hair. "Un-fucking believable," he murmured.
"You can't turn him in, Harry. Voldemort's spies already know he's here. It's only a matter of time before they come after him."
Harry turned and looked at her. "You're asking me to let you be held in custody, be held for trial just so we can take a gamble that Malfoy, of all people, has a horcrux?"
"I know it sounds-"
"No!" Harry shook his head. "I'm not doing it, Hermione."
"We have to take that chance," she insisted.
"I'm not choosing him over you," he said firmly. "Don't push me on this, Hermione."
"Harry, if they really had something on me, you or some other auror would've turned it in ages ago. We explained what had happened. We didn't know about the necklace and that's the honest truth. If they had something more damaging it would've shown up long ago, not after the case is closed."
"Malfoy is signing a testimony against you to save his little arse," Harry snarled.
"W-what?" she stammered.
"Yeah," Harry nodded matter-of-factly. "Still want to give him the benefit of the doubt?"
"He has to know where the horcrux is, he's got to have it! Why else would Voldemort be so set on killing him like Draco said."
"Because he's a piss poor Death Eater!"
"He wouldn't be the first Death Eater to cross Voldemort," she said firmly. "Remember the letter you found?"
"But this is Malfoy we're talking about! Of all Death Eaters, why would he choose him?!" he countered.
"Maybe he didn't give it to him."
Harry stared at her. "You're telling me that he stole it from him?"
"Either him or his father," she shrugged. "He's not as stupid as we'd like to think." She could see Harry struggling not to respond to her last statement.
A murmur of voices out in the hall broke their conversation and, being who they were, they moved to the door and opened it up a crack. Harry couldn't see much due to the fact that an auror was standing near the door, blocking most of his view but he could hear very clearly.
"Mr. Winfield, sir, what are you doing here?" he heard the auror ask.
"I hear you have young Mr. Malfoy in custody," a croaky voice asked.
Harry shifted his position so he could get a view of an older wizard with white hair and expensive robes, eagerly looking at the door to the room where Malfoy was being held. Maybe a little too eager.
"That is classified sir," the auror replied.
The wizard looked disdainfully at the younger man. "It's my vote on the council that determines the budget for your department. You would do best to be reminded of that. Now," he straightened his robes. "How long do you intend to keep him?"
Hermione's hand tightened around Harry's arm.
"Sir, I…," the auror stumbled.
The wizard sighed impatiently. "I distinctly remember telling you who I am to your paycheck."
"I don't know, sir," the auror admitted.
"You don't know," the wizard repeated. "Well, then, can I go in and see him?"
The auror shuffled awkwardly. "Let me guess," the wizard snapped, "you don't know."
"I-I don't have the authority, sir," he stammered out.
Harry closed the door, he had heard enough and turned to Hermione who was looking at him with determination.
"Call his bluff, Harry. Malfoy does deserve to go to trial for what he's done but not like this. Not with you lying about what happened that night."
The door slammed open and Percy stood there with a frown of disapproval on his face. "The Minister wishes to continue speaking with you," he said to Harry.
Harry gave Hermione one last look before he left the room. He honestly didn't know what to think. The thought that one of the people he couldn't stand most in this world might be holding a key to defeat his greatest enemy was too overwhelming to digest. His mind refused to wrap around it. Furthermore, in order to take the chance to procure this item, he would have to put Hermione's, the person he loved most in this world, freedom on the line.
~*~
The door opened to Draco's room and a couple of aurors stepped in. "Let's go," one of them said briskly and he was yanked out of his chair and marched out of the room. Eldrige Winfield was standing among the small crowd and his stomach dropped. He was one of Voldemort's spies in the Ministry and he knew that he wasn't here to bail him out. His fate was sealed, Lord Voldemort would know he was here, helpless without a wand. It was only a matter of time before someone stepped forward to finish him off.
Someone else had caught his eye as well. "Hermione?" he said in surprise. She wasn't smiling at him, in fact she was looking rather anxious.
"What the hell is going on?" he demanded.
"Move along," an auror said gruffly, shoving him forward into a room.
Ah fuck.
Potter was in the room, frowning and brooding as usual in a corner. The Minister of Magic was there as well, looking very displeased as well as an older wizard he didn't recognize but wore the robes of a judge. Umbridge was in the room, too. He had wondered what had become of her. She wasn't nearly as bad a Headmistress as some made her out to be.
"Please sit down, Mr. Malfoy," she said to him and he complied. "I would like to apologize first of all for any mistreatment you may have received while in our care."
"If you would like to call listening to Mr. Weasley drone on and on mistreatment, apology accepted," he replied lazily. There was a soft snort from the corner and Draco wasn't sure if it came from Potter or not.
"You were mistakenly charged for the attempted murder of one…Mr. Harry Potter," the judge said stepping forward. "However, due to the testimony of the alleged victim, you have been cleared."
The air had left his lungs. He wasn't sure if he even remembered to know how to breath. Stunned he looked over at Potter who glared at him.
"That is all," the judge said dismissively. "Now if you'll excuse me," he said nastily to the Minister, "I have other…legitimate cases to preside over." And with a swish of his robes he left the room.
"Am I done here?" Harry asked bitterly.
"We'll speak again soon, Mr. Potter," the Minister said softly.
"I doubt it," Potter replied as he stepped out of the room.
Umbridge straightened and fussed with her robes as if she were trying to regain her composure. "I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you," she said apologetically. Draco didn't reply, his head was still spinning from this surprising turn of events.
Umbridge slid a folder toward him and he opened it. "What the hell is this, now?" he demanded as he leafed through the photographs and reports on him, Hermione and the muggle jeweler. She slid another parchment toward him.
"This is your testimony against Miss Hermione Granger," she said with a smile as if she were handing him a present.
~*~
Hermione watched Draco disappear in the Minister's office where Harry had gone. Her heart was racing.
"…requesting permission to search the dormitory of Mr. Draco Malfoy."
Hermione's attention was snared by this snippet of conversation. She looked over at two aurors engaged in a discussion over a piece of parchment. She tugged gently on Tonks' arm.
"I want to go back to Hogwarts," she whispered. Tonks looked around briefly then nodded her head and the two of them quietly slipped away.
*
The first thing she did when she got back was race into the boy's dormitory and open Harry's trunk.
"Hermione!" Ron exclaimed in surprise. "What the bloody hell is going on?" he demanded. "Lavender told Parvati who told Ginny that Susan said that Hannah saw Malfoy being taken away by aurors and Harry was with them and-"
"I'll explain everything later but I need your help right now," she said as she tossed him Harry's invisibility cloak. She rummaged around the bottom of the trunk until she found a familiar looking small box and inside, the Head Boy badge that had once belonged to his father.
"Where are we going?" he whispered underneath the cloak, doing his best to hide the two of them.
"We looking for a horcrux," she replied.
"Here?" he nearly shrieked when he saw the portrait of the Slytherin common room.
"We've got to hurry. I don't know how much time we have."
~*~
Draco set down the parchment he had just read and looked up at Umbridge. "What the hell is this?"
"Your testimony to put away Miss Hermione Granger," she answered.
"I didn't say any of this."
"Does it really matter?" she asked. "You have the chance to put away one of Harry Potter's closest confidants. To put away a dangerous half-blood who is intent on smearing the names of wizarding society's most prominent members."
A strange sort of flame of indignation lit up inside of him and he glared at the woman. "I'm not signing this piece of shit," he said, ripping the parchment up and throwing them down in front of her. She looked absolutely stunned as he walked out of the room.
He immediately sought out Potter. "What the hell was that all about?" he hissed at him, yanking him away from the group he was with.
"Get the fuck off me," Harry sneered, tugging his arm out of his grasp. "Don't read too much into it Malfoy, I only told the truth."
"Of course you did, you have this inane sense of justice. I'm talking about that piece of crap testimony against Hermione that you conjured up to test me."
Harry stared at him. "Test you? Test you?! Why the hell would I put Hermione in danger to test your sorry arse? That was your testimony against her so you could save your own sorry self."
"I didn't offer any testimony! I wouldn't do that to her!"
"Yeah, you would," Harry snarled.
"I LOVE HER!" Draco shouted back.
Blind rage and fury washed over Harry. He wanted nothing more than to kill him with his bare hands. The look on his face must have given something away because suddenly Lupin and Shacklebolt's hands were on him. Glass had shattered around him and there was this strange cackle of electricity in the air.
"Harry, calm down. Let's get out of here," Lupin said calmly but firmly.
Shacklebolt stepped in front of Harry to approach Malfoy. "We have a search warrant for your room so we are escorting you back to Hogwarts."
"Search warrant?" Draco asked. "For what?"
"A stolen piece of jewelry," the auror replied.
"You fuck," Harry whispered, shaking his head. "Un-fucking-believable."
~*~
"Nothing in the drawers," Ron said as he dumped the contents of the drawer on the floor and began rummaging through it.
"It has to be around here somewhere," Hermione huffed as she crawled out from under his bed. She moved to the bookshelf.
"Are you absolutely sure he has it?" he asked.
"Something is telling me that he does."
"Oh, good. A hunch," Ron muttered sarcastically as he began to inspect the bricks in the walls.
Hermione ignored him and began flipping through his books. But she suddenly stopped when she came to a particular title.
"It's okay, Hermione," he said as he was being magically bound. "I'm sure I've got a book somewhere on a prison break."
The Count of Monte Cristo stared back at her. A book about a prison break.
With trembling fingers, she pulled the book from the shelf and carefully opened it.
"Ron," she said quietly.
He turned around to see Hermione standing in the middle of the room…with a gold locket dangling from her fingers.
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