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Verto Vitae	By : RynStar15 Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Hermione Views: 40710 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Harry Potter nor do I make any money or intend any copyright infringement by using the characters therein.

Chapter List
- 12
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Hermione tossed and turned for hours, too upset to sleep and too worried to think about taking a potion. She had very little time to figure everything out; she had to use every second she was given.
In four days she would be taking the Dark Mark and receiving the Arcavi. In just over a week they would be going back to their world and the real work would begin. It was hardly believable to her that this was supposed to be the easy part. What was receiving the Dark Mark compared to the assassination of elite Death Eaters, torture, and battle?
How had her life gotten so complicated? Where were the days when she played in the schoolyard with her Muggle friends, when her mother read her bedtime stories and her father taught her to ride her bike? When all she had to worry about was which shoes matched her dress and how hard the math test would be on Tuesday? She had never imagined in her wildest dreams that in her eighteen short years she would be facing imminent death by dark wizards. That stuff was for fairy-tales and sci-fi films. Certainly not for a comely, nobody bookworm like herself. She was no hero - she wasn't Harry. She wasn't brave or strong, she wasn't made for a life like this. She was made to sit behind a desk and spout textbook answers and formulate complicated calculations in her head. This was all wrong, so very, very wrong…
But she had told everyone she could do this, she'd sworn she'd see this through, so she would. If it meant that she would die in a few weeks, so be it. Everyone faced death at some point; hers would just be sooner than she'd anticipated. She'd known what the stakes were entering this mission. It was a risk she was willing to take to end this damnable war.
She wished she could go into this whole situation with her head held high, but the ugly truth was - she was a coward. She didn't want to die; she was terrified of the unknown. The reason she read so much was because she wanted to know everything. Death was so uncertain...
She wasn't ready to give in yet, there was still so much she wanted to do, so much she had to accomplish. The thought of never seeing Ron or Harry or Ginny or the Weasleys or the Order or her parents again petrified her. The thought of never seeing Draco, of never telling him how she felt, of never knowing what they might have been together…
She shook herself mentally. It didn't matter what she felt. This was her mission, she would not fail.
Hermione slipped in and out of consciousness, her sleep plagued with dreams of Blaise grinning wickedly above her as he raped her while Ron and Harry watched from the sidelines with disappointment etched in every line of their faces. The image changed quickly to Voldemort, his malevolent gaze twisted in desire, to a big pregnant belly bursting to reveal the now familiar black creature with eyes red as rubies, raising a wand to her while she screamed over and over and over…
She glanced over at the Gryffindor table when she arrived at breakfast, hoping to catch a glimpse of Ron or Harry or Draco, but the three of them were oddly absent, barely making it to their double Charms on time. She wanted to ask what they were up to but didn't dare. Instead, she shoved her notebook at Pansy to take notes during the lecture and grabbed an emery board, filing her nails absentmindedly as if she hadn't a care in the world, a tip she'd picked up from Daphne last week. She kept her eyes resolutely off the three boys and only looked up from her task when they were instructed to practice conjuring exotic animals at Flitwick's request. She remembered just in time that she wasn't supposed to be, well, herself, and made several bad attempts before finally producing a stunning flock of flamingos which flounced around the room, tearing it apart and chasing poor Neville while she tried to join in with the Slytherin's laughter.
The rest of the day was the same, trying not to look at Draco or the boys while she ran ideas over and over in her mind of the best way to fix the situation she was in. Like the fact that she was clearly no longer a virgin. So far as she'd found she couldn't reverse it. But there had to be something…could she Confund Voldemort strongly enough to make him believe she was a virgin? Was there maybe something she could conjure to place, well, down there to make it seem like she was? Or could he tell in another way?
And when - if - she was caught…then what? Would he kill her on the spot? Would she be punished? Imprisoned? How would she finish the potion if she couldn't get to it? Would Draco finish it when he noticed she didn't return and take it and go back without her? Surely not, he hadn't been for this idea in the first place.
There was another worry that began to plague her come Tuesday: why were the three Gryffindors suddenly so mysterious? They were late for meals, barely sprinting into class on time, and nowhere to be seen in the between times. What were they up to? And how did they seemingly become chums overnight, especially after what Ron had witnessed?
As Wednesday melted into Thursday she felt the panic set in. Blaise had finally quit pestering her about making up for their missed "session" Friday night as everyone could see how tense she was. Pansy tried to soothe her with painful shoulder massages and pep talks about not being nervous and Daphne had taken to doing her homework for her.
Hermione was finding it hard to concentrate on anything except the urge to run as far and as fast as she could. Every time she passed McGonagall or Lupin she wanted to beg them to help her, to tell her what to do, but it was too risky. They would probably think she was a spy for Voldemort and lock her up.
She allowed herself to take to her sanctuary in the library and searched for any book that might help her, transfiguring the obscure covers to Standard Book of Spells, Grade Seven so no one would ask her about her unusual reading choices. Her stomach twisted as the clock on the wall ticked ever closer towards closing time and since her Malfoy-self did not have nearly the rapport with the librarian as her Granger side, she was forced out with everyone else to retire to her room, only after gulping down the foul potion under Pansy's watchful gaze. Blaise took her aside on her way to the stairs and gave her a searing kiss, a grin on his face.
"It's all coming together, my love. Just one more day. Are you ready?" he asked, anticipation written on his face. Hermione attempted a smile back.
"I hope so."
"Nervous?"
"Of course."
"But excited?"
She pecked him on the lips. "What do you think?"
He grinned at her, squeezing her shoulders comfortingly. "Get some rest, you have a big day ahead of you."
No one bothered her once she sought her bed, which she was thankful for. She closed the drapes and stared at the emerald coverings listening to the rain pounding outside, wondering if she would live to see the weekend. She heard the girls ready themselves for bed, shushing each other so as not to disturb her, and then listened to their soft breathing as, one by one, they fell asleep.
She debated between taking a Sleeping Draught or not as she knew she needed rest, but the thought of sleeping away the last hours she might have made her feel ill. She wanted to savor even the terror that ran through her, knowing very well that in twenty-four hours she may not feel anything at all.
So absorbed in her musings was she that she didn't hear the lock on the door release and shot straight up in bed when her curtains blew open of their own accord. She dove for her wand but was halted, her mouth covered by an invisible source. Panicked, she whimpered and fought, forced back against the bed as dread filled her.
Draco's head materialized suddenly and she gasped, then slapped his hand away. He quickly whispered a Silencing and Sealing charm on the curtains and then pulled the Invisibility Cloak the rest of the way off himself.
"What in the name of Merlin do you think you're doing?" Hermione whispered angrily, forgetting momentarily about the Silencing Spell. "I thought I told you to stay away from me? This is too dangerous, you have to leave, now-"
"Trust me, will you?" he said, sounding offended. "No one saw me, I came in with a prefect."
She huffed, her heart still racing with residual fear. She wanted to yell at him for scaring her, but she was so secretely happy he was there that she couldn't get herself to pick a fight.
"How can you get up the girl's stairs?" Hermione asked instead, falling to a question she'd had for weeks now.
"Eh? Oh!" he chuckled. "That old rule? We figured out how to disable it eons ago. Don't tell me your Gryffindors still have it in place?"
"Of course we do!" Hermione replied sternly. "It's very important!"
"Mmm, but then how would I get to come see you in the middle of the night?" he purred, a seductive smile playing across his face in the dim light. Memories of his lips upon hers, of what had happened the last time they were, filled her with apprehension.
"Draco, you shouldn't be here…" she said softly. She knew that if he touched her, kissed her, she would succumb instantly. She needed to stay strong, stay focused. He had to know that they couldn't do this anymore, it was far too risky.
"Don't worry, I didn't come here for that, if that's what you're worried about," he muttered, sounding slightly put-out. She opened her mouth to explain but he cut her off. "You didn't honestly think I was just going to let you go tomorrow night on your own?"
She sighed. "Draco, you can't come, you know it's impossible-"
"Maybe I can't be there in the manor, but Potter, Weasley, and I have come up with a plan," he proclaimed.
"A plan for what?" she asked exasperatedly. "We already have a plan!"
"You can't get that Arcavi and we both know it," he snapped deadly, his features hard. "They'll find out as soon as that sick bastard sticks his prick in you, maybe even before."
Hermione shuddered at his harsh depiction and his demeanor softened.
"Sorry," he apologized, his eyes bright with concern. "But don't worry; we're going to get you out of it."
"How? Draco, I have to get that Mark!"
"See, that's the thing! We all figure you'll receive the Mark before he…well, anyways, our idea is that as soon as you get the Mark, you're going to have to get out of there. It shouldn't be too hard. Just say you need to use the powder room or something, freshen up. As a Malfoy you can Apparate directly out of there, so there won't be anything stopping you once you're alone."
"And then what? Hide out for the rest of the week?" she asked contemptuously.
"Actually, yes," he stated, and she looked at him incredulously. "Look, if you run, they're going to come looking for you. You know as well as I do that once you take the Mark you are in it for life, his eternal slave. He will kill you if he finds you. The only way he won't find you if you stay in one of our safe houses."
"It will completely blow our cover!" she cried. "They'll instantly know that I've switched sides!"
"How the hell will they know why you ran? They'll just figure you reneged! They'll have no clue where to find you or what you're involved in. You can't come back here, any Death Eater's child would turn you right in. An alarm will go up as soon as they notice you missing. We'll hide you away, it's only for a few days."
"And what about the Order?" she snapped, angry at his proposal, at the fact that he had planned this preposterous idea without her. "Have you forgotten about them? We'll have to tell them about us if I am to stay in one of the safe houses."
"We already have."
Hermione gawked at Draco who looked surprisingly cool under the heated circumstances. Her jaw nearly dislocated as she stared at him, watched him wince as she swelled with fury.
"What?!"
"Hermione, it's fine," he placated, placing his hand upon hers which she whipped out of his grasp, her anger mounting. "Really! Leon and Valouris have been in contact with the Order for months without Potter or Weasley even knowing about it. Apparently, Valouris went to Lupin as soon as she found out about having to receive the Arcavi. Being the DADA instructor, she figured he'd know about it. Unfortunately, he'd never heard of it, no one in the Order had, but he started watching Valouris and cornered her one day, asking her to come to their side so they could protect her. According to him, she literally cried with relief."
Hermione's head was spinning. Valouris had joined the Order without anyone knowing? How hadn't there been any indication? Why hadn't Lupin or McGonagall spoken to her about it? And why wouldn't they have told Harry?
"Why would Leon know and not Harry or Ron?"
"She was terrified of anyone on her side finding out, so she begged Lupin to only tell who he must," he explained. "Of course Leon found her out and reached out to her and they started spending time together, corresponding with Lupin, trying to figure out how to get her out of this situation. Remember when I found the book?"
She nodded numbly, still trying to wrap her head around this new information.
"Well, I may not have found it entirely on my own," he admitted sheepishly. "When I went to the Room of Hidden Things the door to the Vanishing Cabinet was ajar and the book was in there with this note marking the chapter."
He handed her a slip of parchment with a note from Valouris to Leon. Confusion quickly melted back into fury.
"You kept this from me, too?" she snarled lowly, looking up at him. "You realize that if you had told me about this when you found it that I would have known exactly who Moony was and we could have saved ourselves two weeks of worry? We could have come up with a plan together TWO SODDING WEEKS AGO, MALFOY!"
Draco had the decency to look guilty while their ears rang with her reprimand.
"I made a mistake," he admitted lowly, meeting her infuriated gaze, his one of sincerity. "I honestly thought I was helping you by taking this on alone. I didn't want you to have yet another thing to worry about when you've already..."
He shook his head and looked away, not able to meet her eye when he spoke next. "This whole damn thing has been so unfair to you. I thought that if I could take care of this myself that I could spare you just one more thing..." He finally looked back at her apologetically. "I was wrong. I'm sorry. I should have come straight to you. My job is to protect you and I thought I was doing so by keeping this from you. I never meant to lie."
Hermione sighed in frustration, her anger simmering beneath his admission. She could see where he was coming from - she hadn't necessarily taken any of this in stride and was ready to crack as it was. There was no way for him to know she'd instantly recognize Lupin's code name. To him, it was just one more mystery, one more stressor on his already taxed partner. He was trying to protect her and she couldn't deny the emotion that surged through her at the thought.
"You should have come straight to me," she agreed, her voice still wavering from repressed rage. "We are partners, we're supposed to be working together."
He watched her apprehensively, waiting for her to strike, to lash out again, but she swallowed down the urge. More fighting would lead them nowhere and they had precious little time as it was. He was a damn fool, but he had only done what he thought was right and she couldn't hold it against him forever.
"However, I understand why you didn't. But from now on, we need to be completely open and honest with each other or we'll never survive. Promise me you won't keep anything from me anymore?"
He nodded solemnly. "I give you my word."
She sighed again, pressing down any lingering anger. "Well, I suppose we've finally caught a break, haven't we? Having the Order on our side will definitely help things along. How did you prove to them who we were, though?"
"Potter used his map thing and Moody tested my blood for the potion and they're all on board."
She shook her head disbelievingly. "I can't believe it worked. Even so, I don't understand how this is going to help us. I still have to get the Mark, that doesn't change anything."
"Everything is set. You don't need to worry about anything tomorrow except for getting through that meeting. You remember how I told you it would go?"
She nodded, her fingers twisting absentmindedly in the bed sheets, her mind running through everything he'd told her as she had every day for the past week.
"Good. As soon as you get the Mark you need to get out any way you can, alright? Chances are they are going to be watching you; they might even be counting on you to run. The Dark Lord has no qualms about murdering his followers, so as soon as you're alone, Apparate to the Burrow. Do you know where the barrier lines end?" Again, she nodded. "We'll be watching for you. As soon as you land we'll come get you. You won't be able to leave once you enter the grounds, otherwise they will be able to track you to a certain extent. Now, in case things go bad, there will be Order members stationed outside the manor. If they suspect you or if anything feels wrong to you, you can call us with this."
He handed her a galleon and she smiled, recognizing it as one of the ones she'd made for the DA. "All you have to do is touch it with one finger in case they take your wand. We'll come right away and get you out of there. Make sure to hide it somewhere well - on the off chance they decide to pat you down or something."
"How will they get in the Manor?" she asked lowly, her eyes on the small piece of gold in her fingers.
"Valouris has already taken care of that. Apparently, she informed the Order of how to disable the wards weeks ago. It seems this Malfoy was just as eager to get out of there as I was."
Hermione instantly felt guilty. She'd only lived in this nightmare for a few weeks and she thought she was going to lose it; Draco had been dealing with these monsters for years. If he could do it, she could damn well make it through this next twenty-four hours.
"If she's already given them the ability to deactivate the wards, why haven't they just stormed the Manor already?" she asked.
"Valouris was going double-agent for them as well; they were waiting for her to get the Mark and set up a trap. They had no idea what the Arcavi was for until I showed them the book she'd found. They're outraged and we all agree that you are to do anything in your power to prevent the placement, even if it means blowing your cover. Losing your ability as a spy is preferable to having a second Dark Lord. I told you before, Hermione, and I meant it: you are not going to die for that bastard. Swear to me."
She looked up at his severe tone. He reached out and grasped her hands tightly, the galleon crushed in her fist. His eyes were hard glaciers, his face lined with worry and fatigue.
"Swear to me, right now, on your life, on your magic, that you will not let him touch you, that you will not sacrifice yourself for this. Swear to me."
His voice was so harsh, so...frightened, that she broke. As much as she wanted to lie, she couldn't, as he very well knew.
"I swear I'll do everything in my power to prevent it," she murmured solemnly. "You know as well as I do that I may have no choice. But I'll try."
He didn't seem relieved at all by her words, but he exhaled and sat back, dropping her hands before clearing his throat and quickly changing the subject.
"McGonagall is going to help us sneak out the potion for you to work on at the Burrow. It will be safer there anyways in case the school is searched for Valouris."
She nodded in agreement, turning the galleon over and over in her hands, her mind reeling. So much could go wrong, no matter which way she looked at it. Certainly, having the Order to help was beneficial, but only if she could get away...what if they couldn't get to her in time? What if he "planted" the Arcavi before she was given the Mark, just to be sure?
"Do you have any questions?" She shook her head. "Are you alright?" She shook her head again and his hands covered hers once more, gently this time, stilling them. She shuddered at the contact, wondering if this would be the last time she'd ever feel them.
"Hermione, look at me."
She looked up into Draco's beautiful face, trying to memorize every line and feature. How could someone so beautiful go for someone as plain and ordinary as herself? How had she taken this man for granted? Why hadn't she spent every moment in his arms that she could? Now that she was down to one last night she would give anything to take the others back and spend them with him...
"It's going to be fine," he murmured, breaking into her thoughts, his brows furrowed as he watched her mind race. "We have everything planned out. I know you're scared and honestly, you'd be a fool if you weren't. None of this is fair to you and there is nothing I wouldn't give to take this from you, but I know it was my selfishness that put you here and that is something I will regret for the rest of my life."
"This isn't your fault, Draco," she whispered. "I wanted to do this. I'm just worried something will go wrong and I'll ruin this entire mission…"
"Nothing will go wrong, alright?" he said tersely, grabbing her chin and forcing her to look up at him. "We are going to get you out of there. They will never see it coming and they will never know why. In just over a week from now we will be back home and we'll kill Nagini and it will be over. It's going to be alright. Do you trust me?"
Hermione searched his deep eyes, so full of determination and control. She knew with a certainty bred from these last few weeks that if she was to put her life in anyone's hand, it would be his.
"Yes, Draco. I trust you."
Not caring about whether it was right or wrong, Hermione leaned forward and kissed him, their lips touching reverently, almost hesitantly, dragging it out for several moments, feeling the power from just that simple contact, letting it remove every worry and doubt inside her. For right this moment, there was nothing but them. She could deal with tomorrow if she could just have this moment.
When she pulled away they gazed at each other briefly before he leaned forward and caught her head in his hand, dragging her lips to his, making her whimper with relief. Gently, he pressed her back against the mattress and kissed her deeply, igniting her senses and setting them to simmer as he undid her slowly. Their movements were unhurried, drawn out, expressing every emotion they tried to deny.
His hands flowed over her leisurely, making her shudder. He drew her nightgown over her head and continued to undo her until she was nothing more than a puddle of nerves, each one more sensitive than the last. His lips only left hers to explore as she dragged at his clothes, eager to have him naked against her.
And then he was and they took their sweet time just feeling the other against, heat and desire flooding through them. His hands ran down her sides to her hips and she kissed his neck, his lips at her temple. She moaned lowly as he slid into her until he was buried to the hilt, her hips canting to meet his, their legs twined, their hands linked, every inch of their bodies connected in the most intimate way.
She could hear his breath in her ear, feel the beat of his heart against her chest, smell the musk of his body, that scent that always seemed to cling to her no matter how many times she washed. She moaned and rose to him as he moved lazily inside her, stretching, filling, destroying her. She knew that she was his, irrevocably. She ached to tell him, finally, how much she loved him, but she didn't want to ruin the moment with something he could never return. She knew he felt for her what he'd never felt for anyone before or anyone after. Even if it wasn't love, it was enough for her.
They broke each other, climbing gradually to that peak, taking satisfaction in every breath. Eventually that weight built up until Hermione shattered, bringing Draco along with her. It was more than what they'd ever shared, so much softer and so much more powerful than before so that they lay still for a long time in the aftermath, still wrapped in each other, unable to move.
After a while, when Hermione had sunk into a sated stupor, she felt Draco pulling away and she instinctively grabbed at him, dragging him back against her.
"Stay?" she murmured hopefully.
She felt his hesitation but finally he sank down beside her and tugged her up, swaddling the blankets around them. Hermione snuggled into his warmth, her cheek cradled on his arm, her face pressed again his strong chest, contentment lulling her into submission.
If she died tomorrow, at least she had tonight.
.
.
.

A/N: Apologies for the late update, I've been very busy in RL. This is the calm before the storm, my friends: the fun is about to begin!

MotekElm: Thank you for your continued support, hope you like this newest twist!
RebelHeart1986: That mouth of Ron's is so fun to write! Hopefully he understands the consequences now! And FINALLY Draco wises up! Think it will work out?
Poppie-Peanut: Thank you so much! I am so glad you enjoyed my others stories and am so happy to have you along for this ride! I hope you enjoy the rest!

XOXO
RynStar15
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