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Peace in the Darkness	By : UpTheHill Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Hermione Views: 19332 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I do not own any of the characters nor the setting from the Harry Potter world. There are plot details that are not mine either. I make no profit out of this story in any way as I am writing for my personal enjoyment.

Chapter List
- 12
- 13
- 14
I added two chapters today, because the last one is short.
Thanks for reading all along! Can't wait to know what you think!

Chapter 13: Betrayal
Quite soon after, Harry burst back into the Common room.
“Are you okay?” asked Hermione instantly. “What’s happening?”
“I am fine,” said Harry shortly and disappeared in the staircase to the boy’s dormitory. He climbed back down after a minute with the Marauder’s Map and a pair of balled-up socks. Hermione and Ron jumped to their feet and, before they could say anything, Harry quickly explained he was about to leave the castle with Professor Dumbledore to search for the Horcrux and that they both would be absent tonight.
Oh, no… thought Hermione, her eyes so wide in shock and apprehension that it hurt.
“That’s why you have to keep watch on Malfoy and Snape in the Map,” Harry went on. “Either of them might try doing something they wouldn’t otherwise dare if Dumbledore was present.”
No, no, no, no, no…
“Rustle up anyone you can from the D.A. for help, and take the Felix Felicis,” added Harry, shoving the socks into Ron’s hands. “Share it between yourselves and Ginny.”
“Harry, no!” Hermione cried. “You need it!”
“I will be fine with Dumbledore.”
Hermione suddenly felt so incredibly nervous and scared she had to constantly blink to keep tears from falling down.
“Don’t look at me like that, Hermione…” Harry shook his head. “I’ve got to go,” he said and hurried off through the portrait hole.
Ron and Hermione looked at each other. Both of their faces bore expressions of rising panic and uncertainty.
“What are we going to do?” asked Ron after licking his dry lips.
Hermione stared at the ginger-head for a moment as if she didn’t understand a word he said. Then she blinked to wake herself up and felt pressure in her chest; she realized she wasn’t breathing for a while, so she immediately drew in a great amount of air and felt the temperature in her brain drop to normal.
Right…
“Right,” she finally spoke. “Okay… Ron, do you still have the D.A. Galleon? Contact others. We need more people to come here, as Harry said.”
“You really think that’s what we should do? I mean, you were the one who defended Malfoy and Snape, so—”
“I didn’t defend them! I just…”
Yeah…
“Look,” Hermione tried again, “Dumbledore isn’t going to be in the castle tonight. Even though I have doubts about Harry’s suspicions, I still think that some extra security won’t hurt. Just… just contact the D.A. already.”
Ron shrugged, nodded, and trotted off to his dorm.
Hermione sank into the sofa and buried her face into her hands. She wasn’t feeling well; powerful but conflicting emotions were storming in her heart, and she couldn’t find enough energy and determination to get rid of the feelings that were causing such a mess inside her.
Hermione was born to stand by Harry’s side. It’s her fate to be there for him, to support him and help him fight those who strive to destroy love and kindness in the Wizarding world.
And yet here she was, clenching her eyes to hold her tears back, looking at the mental image of a face; a face of the one she fell in love with by an accident.
Hermione made a growling sound through her gritted teeth. She knew it was very likely that she would soon be fighting against a person she cared about. Against someone who managed to accept her into his arms when she was rejected. Against someone who made her feel things she never felt with anyone else before. Against someone who contributed to the chaos in the world yet helped her discover peace.
How unfair. How unfair the world was to everyone. How sad that young people like her were forced to choose and fight. And to lose.
Hermione felt lonely. And when she felt this way, she dreamed to be taken close by Draco Malfoy. Unfortunately, she couldn’t do that at this very moment. She had a nasty feeling she wouldn’t be able to return to him ever again.
Hermione winced when she heard footsteps behind her.
Ron soon appeared in front of her, still clutching the Map and Felix Felicis.
“Are you okay?” he asked and sat beside her.
Hermione took a deep breath. “Y—Yes,” she stammered, though not convincing herself.
Ron gave a faint smile and unfolded the Map.
“I solemnly swear I am up to no good,” he whispered, and then she heard only thick silence linger in the empty room.
“I can’t find him…” spoke Ron quietly, and right at his words somebody ran towards them from behind.
“What’s going on?” asked Ginny, her eyes wide in surprise.
Ron explained what Harry told and where he currently was. Ginny had her hands clasped at her mouth. She immediately understood the danger of Dumbledore not being in the castle, but the thought of Harry being at risk scared her even more.
“Anyway,” Ron finished, “so here’s the lucky potion, perhaps we should share it, as Harry suggested.”
Ginny stood still for a moment, but then nodded and took the little golden vial from Ron’s sweaty grip. She lifted the potion at her face to mentally measure how much she could drink and took a sip. She then passed the Felix Felicis to Ron, who gulped a little too, and now the vial was held before Hermione’s eyes.
“Finish it,” said Ron, and Hermione slowly raised her arm to enclose her fingers around the shiny little bottle.
While Hermione stared at the almost empty vial in her clutch, she heard Ron and Ginny focus on the Map to look for Draco’s name on it.
Luck. Perhaps that was all she needed? Just some luck, and everything would work out the best way possible?
Hermione pressed the bore of the vial to her dry lips and flipped the bottle over to pour the last drops of the potions into her mouth. A warm, tingling liquid washed around her tongue, and Hermione swallowed. The same pleasantly prickling sensation spread throughout her body, engulfing every single cell, and Hermione’s eyes brightened up.
Everything was going to be all right.
The next second, Neville marched into the Common room with Luna by his side.
“We got the message,” said Neville. “What’s happening?”
Before Ron opened his mouth to speak, Hermione stood up quickly and began eagerly explaining the situation herself. After everyone knew what was going on, they all gathered around the Map to look for Draco one more time.
Hermione’s head felt lighter. It seemed as the lucky potion helped her to push unwelcome emotions aside and concentrate on what mattered now the most—making sure there was no threat.
However, Malfoy was nowhere to be seen on the Map, so the students concluded that Draco must be in the Room of Requirement.
The group decided to split; Ron, Ginny and Neville hurried to patrol around the Room of Requirement while Hermione and Luna agreed to keep watch on Snape.
So now Hermione and Luna were hanging around outside Professor Snape’s office. The time was passing by, and the silent, dense stillness in the dungeons only increased the anxiety.
She knew Snape had to be in his office, she saw him on the Map before coming here, but the Map was now with Ron and she had no idea what was happening in the castle. She was so tempted to just return to the seventh floor and see what was going on—what if they needed her help?—but she couldn’t risk leaving the dungeons and letting Snape use the opportunity when the coast was clear.
Nerves were eating her alive, and Hermione couldn’t help pacing back and forth. She had to do something. And seeing Luna so calm just leaning there on a wall with a placid smile on her face made her feel even more uneasy.
When Hermione saw a large silver clock in the dungeon strike half past eleven, she flinched in alarm at the distant voice approaching.
“Death Eaters in the Astronomy Tower!” The familiar voice was getting nearer. “Death Eaters are here!” And the figure of Professor Flitwick came sprinting down.
The professor didn’t seem to register the presence of Luna and Hermione, he just rushed past them and burst into Snape’s office.
The girls quickly gathered at the half-open door to listen.
“You have to come, Severus!” cried Professor Flitwick. “Death Eaters are upstairs, you have to come right now, we need your help!”
Hermione heard some noises of movement and she stepped back to clear out of the way, but instead of seeing Professor Flitwick hurtling out with Snape, she winced at a loud thump coming from the office. After a second, Snape showed up alone. He was about to scoot upstairs, but his eyes sharply fell on startled figures of Hermione and Luna.
“What happened?” asked Hermione, keeping her worried eyes on Snape.
The dark-haired professor stared daggers at her for a moment, then spoke confidently, “Professor Flitwick had collapsed in my office. Granger, Lovegood, you ought to go in and take care of the professor. I must hurry and help fight the Death Eaters,” he finished and disappeared from the dungeon in a heartbeat.
Hermione turned to Luna. The girl’s face had transformed into a look of deep concern.
“Let’s go,” said Hermione and led Luna into Snape’s office.
Professor Flitwick was lying on the floor in the middle of the room. Hermione flung herself at the professor and fell on her knees.
“Professor,” Hermione said and shook the little man’s shoulders. “Professor Flitwick!”
The professor didn’t respond. His eyes were shut and he didn’t move, although he seemed to be alive.
Hermione tried gently shaking the man once more, but to no result.
“I think he is Stupified,” said Luna in her high tinkling voice.
“I think so too,” murmured Hermione in bitter realization and lowered her hands from the professor.
Snape was not on their side. He looked straight at Hermione’s eyes and lied about going to fight the Death Eaters. He ran off to help them, didn’t he?
And she failed. She failed to keep Snape from escaping. She had to watch on him and instead she let him go so foolishly.
Why that damned lucky potion didn’t work?!
Hermione took her wand out and, pointing it at the professor, said, “Rennervate.” She stared at him waiting for him to wake up, but he didn’t.
“I suppose it wasn’t Stupefy then,” she muttered.
“Hermione,” Luna spoke, and Hermione felt her light hand on her back, “he’ll be all right. We have to go.”
Hermione raised her eyes to the girl standing next to her. She was right. Flitwick was breathing, he was alive and would be okay. She and Luna were needed elsewhere. Death Eaters had penetrated the castle.
Hermione made a curt nod, stood up, and the girls rushed off towards the Astronomy Tower.
As they drew closer, she began to hear an echo of loud bangs and clashes. She knew there was a battle going on and she felt her heart thumping violently against her rib cage. All she could think of was hoping that everyone—and she meant every single person—that she cared about was safe.
Hermione and Luna were speeding down a corridor quite close to the Astronomy Tower when two black-dressed figures appeared before them.
Hermione couldn’t help but halt, although Luna kept running and disappeared.
Hermione was panting intensively at the sight of Snape and Draco moving fast towards her, or rather towards the exit. She felt extreme heat rise up her body, and the more she began comprehending the situation, the harder she clenched her fists, painfully digging her nails into the heels of her palms. Anger had engulfed every piece of her, blinding and hurting her.
“You,” Hermione spat bitterly, drilling Draco’s skull with her eyes.
The white-head froze, looking at her with a scowl that bore traces of fear. Malfoy stopping made Snape turn back to him, but before he could say anything, Hermione dashed at Draco and shot her fist right at his jaw.
“You. Bastard,” hissed Hermione, hitting the young Slytherin again and again through her hot streams of angry tears. “How. Could. You!”
Draco had his arms over his head, trying to back away and dodge Hermione’s little punches that shot at him everywhere.
“What are you doing, Draco?” snarled Snape. “Let’s go, you fool!”
But the boy didn’t get out from Hermione’s attack. He even stopped squirming; he seemed to have given up and let Hermione freely hit him, listening to her growls and sobs.
“They will be coming after us soon!” spoke Snape furiously again. “Are you stupid?! For god’s sake… Impedimenta!”
Hermione felt her fists suddenly freeze, and a strong force smashed her to a wall. She slumped against it on the floor, her body half-paralyzed.
“Go!” Hermione heard Snape shout, and she managed to raise her head to look at them.
Draco was now running after Snape, but his pain-twisted face still watched her.
“I’m sorry,” he muttered before the wizards exited, but Hermione couldn’t hear the sincerity in his voice as rage had clogged her ears.
Hermione was sitting on the stone floor, heaving rapidly and feeling tears continuously rolling down her cheeks. After a few seconds passed, she knew the jinx had faded away, but the emotional exhaustion and inner pain still held her immobile.
Draco betrayed her. He betrayed everyone and let the Death Eaters into the castle. But why? Were they here for Harry?
Before Hermione could lift herself back on feet, sounds of footsteps—one person, it seemed—grew louder and louder. Suddenly, Harry showed up but hurtled out of the corridor in a blink, not even noticing Hermione collapsed on the floor in the corner. She didn’t even have enough time to process Harry’s sudden presence and draw his attention. However, it helped Hermione return to her senses, and the realization that her friends needed her help provided strength to pull herself together and stand up.
As soon as Hermione got back on her feet, she took a deep breath, grabbed her wand from the floor and began speeding down another hallway to the direction the sounds of fight were coming from.
Before she realized, two Death Eaters appeared in front of her. They didn’t stop, but as they ran past her, one of them, the woman—Hermione didn’t know who she was—screamed “Crucio” at her. Luckily, Hermione managed to dodge the curse and the red flash flew past her shoulder. The Death Eaters were now behind her, and before she turned around and could strike Stupefy, they were already gone.
Hermione wasted no time and continued rushing towards the Astronomy Tower. When she reached a dimly lit corridor with thick dust floating in the air and what seemed to be half of the ceiling fallen in, she saw a battle raging in front of her. Hermione couldn’t instantly make out who was fighting whom since everyone was rapidly moving and spinning, and flashes of light were shooting and bouncing off the walls. She also saw three bodies lying on the ground, and although she couldn’t recognize either of them through the dust and movement, it still caused her to feel a block of ice drop heavily in her stomach.
Hermione joined the fight; however, the Death Eaters seemed to be trying to get out of the place instead of purposely attacking others. They were backing away, conjuring protective spells instead of offensive ones, and they soon managed to retreat and flee from the castle.
The corridor went quite, holding only sounds of harsh and rapid breathing in the air.
“Hermione,” said Ron when he spotted her. He immediately sprinted towards and engulfed her in a strenuous hug.
Hermione looked at others over Ron’s shoulder. She identified Neville as one of the injured, slouching there against a wall. Lupin and Tonks were pulling another horribly wounded body upright.
“Who is that?” asked Hermione when Ron let go of her.
“It’s Bill,” he answered and went to help Lupin and Tonks. “He’s alive.”
Hermione approached. The third body on the floor appeared to be one of the Death Eaters’, seemingly dead.
Luna was crouching beside Neville, her arm wrapped around his shoulders.
“Let me help,” said Hermione and scurried over. She helped Luna lift Neville on his feet.
“Let’s go to the hospital wing,” said Lupin, and everyone exited the battle scene.

* * *
“Harry!” cried Hermione and ran and hugged her green-eyed friend when he opened the door to the hospital wing, Ginny entering beside him.
She was glad to see that, apparently, everyone was alive and safe.
Harry was startled at the sight of Bill, whose face was barely recognizable through those awful rips and wounds that Greyback decorated him with. Hermione thought that nothing could be worse than that, but she was wrong.
“Dumbledore’s dead,” announced Ginny.
Hermione wanted to gasp, but her every muscle tightened up so painfully that she lost the ability to do anything. It felt as her heart stopped beating, refusing to keep Hermione alive.
“No!” screamed Lupin, making Hermione wince.
No…
Hermione slowly shook her head in disbelief, looking from Ginny to Harry, waiting for either of them to tell it was not true.
“Snape killed him,” confirmed Harry nonetheless and sat down to tell what he witnessed.
Hermione listened, silent tears dripping down on her knees. Dumbledore’s death stabbed a dagger in her heart, but the guilt from realization that she was the one who let Snape slip out past her made that dagger thrust deeper and twist brutally, and Hermione clenched her eyes shut as hard as she could, holding herself from screaming her lungs out. Her head was spinning wildly, and all she wanted to do was to put her brain to sleep and never wake up again.
Everyone was telling what happened from different perspectives. Hermione had to explain her side of story as well—the part she and Luna let Snape escape—but it was undoubtedly difficult. She spoke in a quick, nervous high-pitched voice, the guilt making her choke in her tears.
After a while, Harry was asked to come with Professor McGonagall, so they left.
She listened to the distant sound of a terribly beautiful song of Dumbledore’s phoenix, echoing across the grounds and through the windows. It made her heart quiver along with it as if it was Fawkes’ vocal cord. Her muscles throbbed sore, and it felt like Hermione had been sobbing for hours; however, she was just sitting in a chair, staring blankly somewhere in the distance, barely breathing.
Dumbledore’s dead, and Draco was responsible for it. He let the Death Eaters into the castle through the Vanishing Cabinet that he spent time on fixing in the Room of Requirement.
If she warned everyone about Draco being a Death Eater, if she helped Harry to spy on him and find out what he was doing in the Room of Requirement, if she tried getting the truth out of Draco… Dumbledore would still be alive.
Or not.
Draco didn’t kill Dumbledore, did he? Snape did. It was Snape’s—or should we now call him The Half-Blood Prince?—fault, it was his plan all along, and Hermione had no control over this.
He lowered his wand, he was scared, I don’t think he would have done it… Hermione remembered Harry saying, and it made her so angry for feeling a little sorry for Draco. She scolded herself for not blaming Draco too much because it seemed he eventually refused—or wasn’t brave enough—to kill Dumbledore.
Hermione now understood that Malfoy was the one responsible for cursing Katie Bell and poisoning Ron, as the necklace and the mead were his attempts to assassinate Dumbledore. But he failed. Draco failed to curse the headmaster, he failed to poison him, and he didn’t manage to bring himself to kill him in the Astronomy Tower.
Hermione knew that Draco didn’t want to do this, but she still felt betrayed, and the mental image of his face still brought bitter taste to her tongue.
I never meant harm, he said to her earlier today in the library—it felt like weeks had passed since that talk—I never wanted any of this. Whatever I’m doing, I’m doing for my family.
And now Hermione caught herself wondering what would happen to Draco and his family. He failed his mission, kind of. Dumbledore is dead—Hermione’s heart missed a beat every time she thought of this—but not from Draco’s wand. What had Voldemort planned to do to him?
Hermione felt incredibly tired. Her body was aching, and all she now wanted was to escape this madness. So she stood up and walked out of the hospital wing, leaving Ron, Ginny, their parents and Fleur with Bill and Lupin and Tonks.
She returned to the Gryffindor Tower. The Common room was jam-packed but fell silent when Hermione entered. However, instead of staying to tell everyone the story, she headed straight to the girl’s dormitory and, after a long shower, went to bed. She spent all night half-awake since her guilt and grief kept biting her from inside whenever she felt like drowning into sleep.

* * *
A couple of days had passed, and some students were taken back home from Hogwarts by their parents. Lessons were suspended and examinations were postponed. The Ministry officials had arrived along with the Minister and many other people to honor the death of Albus Dumbledore.
The funeral took place outside the castle near the Black Lake. It was a nice, warm day—so different from what Hermione experienced inside.
The ceremony was sad but beautiful. Hermione watched Dumbledore’s body, wrapped in purple velvet with stars, lie on the table and listened to a ceremony official’s speech. Ron had his arm curled around her, stroking her hair, and Hermione couldn’t stop herself from sobbing into his shoulder.
Ron held her firmly; she knew he still had feelings for her. And Hermione let it happen. She allowed herself fall into Ron’s arms in this painful time. He offered her comfort, and she accepted it. She didn’t and she never would tell Ron that her heart belonged—temporary, she hoped—to someone else.
Draco hurt her. He really did. Hermione blamed herself for letting the Slytherin blind her and convince her to stay away from what he was doing. She felt so stupid, so pathetic. A single thought about Draco brought her fury and anguish back, and Hermione couldn’t help but clench her fists until they trembled. She hated him.
And yet she worried where he was. She worried whether he and his family were all right. And she missed him. She kept trying to suppress such thoughts and feelings, but they undeniably were there, and it made Hermione feel terrible. She felt as if she, not Draco, was the one who betrayed Dumbledore and her friends.
Nevertheless, Hermione knew what she had to do next. Harry revealed that the Horcrux he and Dumbledore took from the cave was fake, but even though it was fake and Dumbledore had died, the rest of the Horcruxes had to be found and destroyed anyway.
Hermione, just like Ron, dedicated herself to Harry. She trusted Harry more than anyone else, she believed in his mission, and she committed to helping him. She was going to stand by his side until it was all over. And she promised to do whatever it took to forget Draco Malfoy.
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Peace in the Darkness