A Thousand Words

Annie

Story Summary:
Five years after the second war, the Ministry of Magic proposes an interdepartmental challenge in an attempt to restore trust between workers. Unknowingly, Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy are assigned as partners. As the two begin to write to each other under the nicknames Starlight and Shadow, their careers outside of their letters become entwined as well. Obsessions grow out of control, friendships are shattered, and all the while, the threat of a second era of darkness looms above the wizarding world. What happens when Starlight and Shadow begin meeting in secret? And will the two ever discover who the mystery on the other side of the page is?

Chapter 09 - The Point of No Return

Chapter Summary:
Of first time meetings, Invisibility Cloaks, and masks.
Posted:
04/01/2006
Hits:
4,322


Chapter 9: The Point of No Return

Hermione inhaled sharply. The feel of the silken material of her Invisibility Cloak brought to reality what she was about to do.

I don't know if I'll be able to do this, she thought faintly. Her eyes, reflected in the mirror before her, were wide and filled with uncertainty and fear.

'Why did I ever suggest it?' Hermione murmured to herself as she glanced once more at Shadow's last letter: the one detailing the time and location of their meeting. The letter was taped to her mirror, and she'd been stealing glances at it for the past two hours despite having memorised every word of it.

A sharp knock at Hermione's door pulled her out of her thoughts. Hermione quickly stuffed her Invisibility Cloak under her blanket before saying out loud, 'Come in.'

It was Ginny. Hermione breathed a sigh of relief and sat down on her bed, careful to make sure she didn't move the covers enough for Ginny to catch a glimpse of the cloak.

'Sit down,' said Hermione, gesturing next to her. She smiled nervously, hoping Ginny wouldn't notice how flustered she was.

As it was, Ginny had noticed. The first thing she said once she had seated herself next to Hermione was 'What are you up to?'

'Nothing,' said Hermione, perhaps a little bit too quickly. 'I just thought you were Ron.'

'And why wouldn't you want to see Ron?' said Ginny, her brown eyes glinting with suspicion and interest. 'Come on, Hermione, you're hiding something. Tell me what it is you don't want me to know!'

'Don't be silly, Ginny,' said Hermione with a tense laugh, 'I'm not hiding anything.' She checked her watch as she said this. It was 6:50PM. She had five minutes to throw off Ginny and apparate to the park.

Ginny was saying something now, and Hermione tuned in just in time to hear the words '...else he'll tell Harry, and you don't want Harry involved.'

'Yeah,' said Hermione absently. She checked her watch again. 6:51. 'Listen Ginny,' she said, her voice a little higher than she would've liked, 'I'm sorry, but I really have to go somewhere right now.'

'Go somewhere?' repeated Ginny. She raised an eyebrow. 'Where?'

'Meeting,' said Hermione hurriedly. 'I have to change, though, so I'll see you later.'

Ginny slowly stood up. 'When's later?' she asked. It was clear that she didn't intend to exit Hermione's room anytime soon.

'In an hour or two,' replied Hermione. She gave Ginny's shoulders a little push. 'Please, Ginny, I really have to leave!'

Ginny allowed herself to be ushered out of the room. Just before Hermione slammed the door, she called out, 'You had best tell me where you were once you get back, or Ron's going to hear about this!'

Finally alone, Hermione hastened to the other end of her room while checking her watch. 6:54. Without pausing, she snatched her Invisibility Cloak out from underneath her blankets and threw it around herself.

Hermione took one final deep breath, made one last silent prayer, then closed her eyes and, within seconds, disappeared from the attic of the Burrow with a tiny pop. Little did she know that as the last of her bedroom disappeared into darkness, she was minutes away from plunging into an ocean of events from which she could never turn back.

---

Hermione arrived at the edge of Sherwood Park shivering. The Invisibility Cloak she clutched tightly around herself was no help in protecting her from the frigid winter air.

Once she had adjusted herself to the cold air, Hermione looked around, trying to gain a sense of her bearing. Shadow had said to meet him by the pond, which was at the north end of the park.

It did not take long for Hermione to figure out where she was. She had, thankfully, apparated to a spot not very far from the pond, and the walk there would take no longer than five minutes.

Hermione passed through the gates of the park and began to stroll along the cobblestone path that wound between trees and bushes. As she hurried along, she did her best to ignore the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. This was it. This was the point of no return. After meeting Shadow, he would no longer be just a name, just a letter, just words of comfort. He would be real.

The closer Hermione drew to the pond, the tighter the knot of worry inside of her grew. What would happen when the two of them finally met? And how would he have disguised himself? What if he wasn't there?

Trying to eradicate these distressing thoughts from her mind, Hermione walked on, her stride never faltering. In less than a minute, it seemed, she had arrived at the pond.

It was not the least bit difficult to locate Shadow. There was no one else at the park - those with half a mind didn't dare wander out into the blustery weather - so Hermione's attention was immediately drawn to a lone figure standing underneath a willow tree. His back was turned to her, so all she could see of him was his black cloak.

Hermione's heart pounded wildly against her ribcage. For several long moments, she stood rooted to her spot, simply staring at him. Her head felt lighter than she could ever remember it being. Did she dare approach him?

Her feet answered for her. Unable to hold herself back, Hermione took a step forward, and then another, and another, until she was walking steadily toward the cloaked figure. As she neared him, she noticed that his hair and the gloves he wore on his hands were both of the same pitch black as his cloak.

Finally, Hermione was standing right behind him. This was it. With a deep breath, she lifted a trembling hand and touched his left shoulder lightly.

Shadow's shoulders stiffened. Slowly, he turned around to face Hermione, and as he did, she couldn't help but gasp quietly.

He wore a white mask that covered nearly all of his face. The only parts of his features Hermione could see were his eyes, which were light grey, his lips, and his chin.

Hermione fumbled around underneath her cloak until her fingers closed around the handle of her wand. Lifting it up, she touched it to her throat and thought, Dissimulo vocis. Then, closing her eyes tightly, she whispered in a voice much breathier than her own, 'Hello.'

---

It was disconcerting, Draco couldn't help but note, to hear a voice speak to him out of nothingness. He wasn't sure where exactly to look, so he settled for keeping his eyes fixed straight ahead as he replied softly, 'Hello, Starlight.'

There was a faint rustling; then, she said quietly, 'Come, sit down with me.'

Draco followed the sound of her footsteps over to a nearby bench. Not sure where to sit, he let her take his arm and guide him to the empty side of the bench. Once he was seated next to her, he turned around, praying that she wouldn't recognise him under the mask.

He had, admittedly, gotten the idea for his disguise from his years of being a Death Eater. Instead of wearing a hooded cloak, though, he had chosen to change the colour and length of his hair with a simple spell. His mask, too, differed from those of the Death Eaters: instead of being made to look like the top half of a skull, it was shaped more like a mask that might be worn by a guest at a masquerade ball.

'Starlight,' he murmured, careful to keep his voice low and soft so as not to give away his identity. He had chosen not to perform a voice-altering charm on himself simply because he preferred to use his own voice.

'I'm sorry to bring you out like this -'

'No, it's fine,' Draco quickly assured, interrupting her. 'I would rather to speak to you in person, anyway.'

'As would I.' She paused before adding, 'I didn't think I'd be able to address your letter fully in just a few lines.'

Draco nodded. He nervously adjusted his mask and said quietly, 'What was it that I wrote?'

'What do you mean?' she asked, sounding surprised.

Draco swallowed, realising how bad his last words must have sounded. 'I - I wasn't paying attention,' he explained, not wishing to reveal the entire reason why he couldn't remember, 'I was preoccupied at the time that I wrote it.'

Starlight was silent for a few moments before she finally said softly, 'I see.'

Draco turned his head to gaze over the frozen pond. Though he couldn't see where exactly Starlight was looking, he could sense that she was staring straight at him in a manner that made him feel as though he were an animal on exhibit.

After a while, Starlight spoke again: 'You asked me to help you. You told me that lately you feel different, that you want to make an effort to change and become the person others don't avoid and distrust.'

As the words washed over Draco, a sense of dread erupted in the pit of his stomach. He had not intended to sound so vulnerable, to pour his heart out like that. Clenching his teeth, he struggled to remain silent as Starlight continued to voice the pleas he had written.

'Are you feeling okay?'

Draco nodded stonily, feeling his cheeks turn warm at the concerned note in Starlight's voice. 'I'm sorry, I drifted off. I - that wasn't what I meant to write, that's all.'

There was a prolonged silence. Draco felt the bitter winter cold settle around him, but he paid little attention to the dropping temperature; he was, instead, racking his mind for topics he could mention to start the conversation again. The less time Starlight had to sit still and gaze at him, the better.

'Which department do you work in?' he asked at last, the words sliding awkwardly through his cold lips.

'I can't tell you now, can I?' Starlight replied teasingly. Draco marvelled at the enormous difference a touch of lightheartedness made in her sweet but far-too-serious voice.

'Good point,' he agreed with a slight smile. 'What do you want to talk about then?'

Starlight let out an audible sigh. 'I thought maybe we should talk about...you.'

Draco winced. He had known it was coming, but that didn't stop him from feeling as though he'd had an ice cube slipped down his throat when she finally said it. 'What is there to talk about?'

'I...' Her voice faltered briefly. 'I guess all I can really say is that I'm here for you, right?'

'Right.'

'But you asked me how you can become a more agreeable person. I thought that perhaps...perhaps if we met each other more frequently, you might become more comfortable with talking to others.'

Draco scowled, hating how degrading the description of his situation sounded. 'Maybe,' he said doubtfully.

'It was just a suggestion; I'm sorry, I phrased it poorly.'

'It's fine,' said Draco, wishing he could reach out a hand and touch her on the shoulder. It would help to know that there was something tangible in front of him.

'I made up with him,' Starlight suddenly murmured.

'What?'

'My boyfriend.'

'Oh...did you?' Draco forced himself to sound happy for her.

'Yes,' she responded in a tone of voice Draco couldn't quite identify. 'I'm sorry, I tried what you said, but it didn't work out. I couldn't stand avoiding him, and it's almost Christmas...'

'Of course,' Draco said quickly, not wanting to give Starlight the impression that he was upset she had not followed his advice. 'I'm glad you did what you thought was best.'

'I don't know.' She sighed. 'I shouldn't be fretting over it so much; there are other things to worry about. You probably know this already, but Edna Malkin, the owner of Madam Malkin's, was found dead outside of her shop last night. No one has a clue who murdered her or why, but the wizard who did it left behind the ghost of a Dark Mark floating above her body, and...well, the Mark hasn't been seen for so many years...'

Draco nervously tugged the sleeve of his left arm a little lower, something he had grown used to doing unconsciously. He wondered briefly what Starlight would think of him if she knew that the same serpent-tongued skull that had been found floating over Edna Malkin's body was imprinted there on his left forearm.

'...assigned, of course, because the search I'm currently in charge of is going nowhere,' Starlight was saying when Draco focused back in on her words. 'I'm supposed to be there in the early morning tomorrow to look around before the Daily Prophet gets ahold of the news.'

Draco smiled inwardly, deciding not to point out that Starlight had just broken her own rule by indirectly informing him that she worked in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, the only department in the Ministry that dealt with the capture of Dark Wizards and investigation of crimes. Instead, he said quietly, 'I'm sorry your job is taking up so much of your time. You can leave anytime if you need to catch some sleep to stay awake tomorrow morning.'

'Thank you,' Starlight said in a rather grateful tone, 'but it won't be necessary. I'm used to getting little sleep at night now. I usually make it up in the daytime, sometimes during my office hours on really bad days.' She laughed lightly, which Draco promptly decided she should do more often, as she had a very nice laugh that wasn't too harsh or too giggly.

'Your job must be a hassle,' Draco remarked, wishing that his gloves could at least somewhat protect his increasingly stiff fingers from the cold.

'It is sometimes,' she admitted, 'but I wouldn't want it to be otherwise. Strangely enough, I enjoy the time in my schedule it takes up and the amount of stress it piles on me. It's something I like to do, work constantly. The only thing is that my position in my division is a rather hands-on one, and I'd rather sit behind a desk and do paperwork.'

'I see.'

'I'm boring you now, aren't I?'

'No, not at all. There's...there's nothing about me that will entertain you for very long, so I prefer listening to you.'

There was a faint rustle, which Draco assumed was caused by Starlight shaking her head. 'No,' she said, 'please, tell me about yourself.'

'To be honest, I explained it all in the first letter,' said Draco wryly. He did not add that he had been a former Death Eater, nor did he mention his secret passion for potion brewing.

'That can't be all there is to you.'

Draco pursed his lips and did not reply to her question. He was aware that he was being rude, but he made no attempt to apologise, and instead changed the topic. 'I'm surprised at how smooth this conversation has flowed so far. I would have expected that the little we know about each other would've hindered our ability to converse naturally.'

'Me too,' Starlight said softly.

There was a long pause, during which Draco was surprised to see a dead flower lift itself up from the frozen ground to hover near his nose. Then, he remembered that Starlight was wearing an Invisibility Cloak - he'd nearly forgotten, and now chided himself for having willingly accepted the fact that he was talking to what appeared to be thin air for even a moment - and reasoned that she had probably picked it up.

Draco frowned at the wilted petals of flower. 'It's sad how everything dies when the frost settles in.'

'But it all regrows when Spring rolls around, doesn't it?'

'Not everything.'

Another pause, this one longer than the last. Then, Starlight said, 'And what of the new life that rises from the remains of the dead leaves and such? That makes it worth it, don't you think?'

Draco shrugged and readjusted his mask. 'Depends how you look at it. Do you think that new life is better than the old?'

'Of course it is. Evolution requires life to improve between generations.'

'Evolution? I'm afraid I wasn't paying attention in History of Magic when that was mentioned...'

Starlight laughed again, causing a warm glow to inch its way up Draco's spine. 'Don't be silly,' she chided, 'evolution isn't history; it's science - logic - reason.'

'I see,' said Draco again, though he didn't quite see. Assuming it was something Starlight had picked up growing up in the Muggle world, he changed the topic once more. 'Perhaps you should be leaving...It's nearly nine, and I'd expect that your family will be waiting for you.'

'Oh!' exclaimed Starlight, standing up. Her hand briefly knocked into Draco's shoulder as she did so, the first contact they'd had since they met.

Draco stood up too, but not before picking up the flower Starlight had dropped in her haste. He pocketed it, then said, 'I'll write to you soon, then?'

'Hopefully,' came Starlight's voice from somewhere to his left. She seemed to hesitate before saying her next words. 'I - I have one more question before I go.'

'Yes?'

'How old are you?'

Draco raised an eyebrow, an action that was not caught by Starlight because of the mask hiding most of Draco's face. 'Let's just say I was a childhood...acquaintance of Harry Potter's.'

Starlight remained quiet for a while. Draco waited, expecting her to reply with her age, but at long length, there was a quiet pop, and he knew he was alone.

To be sure, Draco groped around in the air in front of him. Nothing solid. Breathing a sigh of relief, he waited no longer to point his wand at his mask and mutter, 'Emoveo.' The mask promptly fell off of his face, no longer held there by magic, and landed in his hand.

Draco cast one last silent look around at his surroundings. Then, he tucked the wand and his mask into his pocket, concentrated on the sitting room of his flat, and apparated back home.