The Worst That Could Happen

Draco paced the manor. It had been four days. Four days. He looked at that clock every day and it hadn't changed. The day she had left, while he had been watching it, her hand had changed from Traveling, to Mortal Peril, to Captured.

What if she told? What if she told them everything that had happened? What if she told them about the baby?

Draco threw the glass he was holding against the wall in the front foyer.

"DAMN YOU HARRY POTTER!" he bellowed. "SHE'S MINE!"

The clock chimed and two of those arrows moved to home. Draco turned to the door in time to see it open and his parents walked in.

"Finished?" Draco asked.

Lucius nodded. "The Dark Lord's plan is set and is now in motion. We are no longer needed at his manor. Where is she?"

Draco turned back to the clock. "They've got her," he said. "They've had her for four days."

Draco found himself being slammed into the wall. "HOW COULD YOU HAVE LET THIS HAPPEN?" his father demanded. "SHE IS VITAL TO THE DARK LORD'S PLANS!"

"I DIDN'T KNOW!" Draco bellowed back. "She left the other day--I didn't know. When I checked the damn clock I found out she was gone."

Lucius backed away from his son, appearing to back down. He waited until Draco felt it was safe to breath again before he punched his son, breaking the young man's nose. He walked away then, his wife following closely behind him. She cast a dark glare at her son that he did not see before a house-elf appeared to heal the young master and fix the broken glass.

He knew the Order had her. He knew Harry Potter was still alive. He knew he had to get her back before she was lost to them forever. He knew he had to get her back before word of the child got out to anyone.

What he didn't know was that it already was too late. Far too late to get her back.

~'~'~***~'~'~

Hermione scratched at the underside of her left arm where her permanently marked skin burned. She had been here, at Harry's house, for two weeks now, and she had found the coldest side of most of the people she thought she knew.

Funerals had been held for the fallen Order members and she had not been allowed to attend. No one trusted her, not even Dumbledore who was well known for giving people second chances. No one except Harry.

She thrived on that trust. It was the only thing that kept her from walking out the door and going back to the Malfoys and Voldemort.

Until they approached her with a mission.

"You have caused us a great loss, Hermione," Dumbledore said sadly. "Because of that, you must earn our trust again. Harry tells me that because of what you have done Voldemort has declared you and Draco Malfoy married, is that correct?"

"Yes," she said softly, looking at the floor at the wise man's feet. She couldn't look him in the eyes anymore, not since she saw disappointment behind those crystal blue orbs.

"He also tells me that you are pregnant with Draco's child."

Hermione nodded, unable to say the words. She felt more tears come and was surprised she had more to cry.

"You must go back."

Hermione felt a sob rise in her throat. Did he have any idea what he was asking of her?

"Become a spy."

The sob forced its way out. She nodded held her face in her hands, unable to hold the tears back any longer.

The ancient headmaster left her standing in the room alone. She dropped to her knees and continued to sob.

The door opened and Remus Lupin walked in, still recovering from what Hermione had done to him. He knelt down in front of her and forced her to look at him. "Here," he said shoving something in her small hand. "Keep that with you at all times," he requested. "It will help you be strong."

"Why help me?" she asked through her tears. "After what I did to you, why would you help me?"

He cast his eyes to the floor momentarily before meeting hers. "Because I know what it's like to do something so against your morals and beliefs because you love someone," he revealed. "And because, like you, most of those people down there will never trust me. We've both done some very vile things, Hermione," he consoled. "We're not proud of it, but we've done it. Harry's not the only one who trusts you."

He stood and walked out of the room and she looked at what he had given her. It was a silver chain with a lightning bolt pendant hanging from it. Was it real silver? Or was it only silver in color?

She wiped away her tears and stood up. She looked around the room she had woken up in only two weeks ago. She would be leaving to return to him. Maybe she could do more than just spy. Maybe she could gain the Order an ally in the Malfoy family.

She would have to make up some great escape story. Maybe they'd help her out here and actually make her escape.

She chuckled darkly to herself. That way if they used legilimens on her they'd find that she wasn't lying.

There was a knock on the door. Hermione turned to see Harry leaning against the still-open door.

"Dumbledore's told you what he wants you to do?" he asked.

Hermione nodded. "And Remus gave me this," she said holding out the necklace.

Harry smiled and chuckled. "He burned himself pretty badly on that chain the first time he held it. He hadn't protected himself against it yet--didn't realize it really was silver. He was furious with himself all day Saturday because of it."

Harry took the necklace from her. "It's charmed," he informed her. "It's to help you stay strong and remember who cares about you. Ron found the charm," Harry said softly. "Thought it would make me laugh. Maybe it will help you remember I love you."

He put the necklace on her and stepped back to see how it looked before turning to go.

"Harry, wait," Hermione called.

Harry stopped as he reached the doorway and looked back at her.

"I love you too," she said with a small smile.

"Don't be a stranger," Harry said as a last goodbye.