Draco: Phoenix Rising

Chapter Two - Hermione

Hermione spotted the letter the minute she entered her room. She caught a whiff of a tantalizingly familiar scent--citrus and spice. Who had been here?

She snatched up the note and looked at it carefully. It was cream-colored parchment, very good quality. It had been haphazardly quartered. She unfolded it and looked at the brief lines. The handwriting was also familiar, but not immediately identifiable.

It read: H. Granger. Servants of the Dark Lord will come to kill your parents tomorrow. The war against Harry Potter has begun. Ignore this warning at your peril.

It was unsigned.

She felt a pang of fear. Whoever had been in her house had gained admittance easily. If it had been a Death Eater raid, her parents would have been dead long before her arrival. She had set up a proximity alarm spell on both front and back doors, but she had never really thought her parents would be in danger. They were no one to the wizarding community. Useless Muggles. Why would anyone bother with them? The war against Harry Potter has begun.

She folded the letter carefully and replaced it on the desk. Killing the Grangers would hurt Hermione and, by association, hurt Harry. If they would kill her family, no one even remotely associated with Harry was safe. Faces flitted through her mind: Neville and his grandmother, Luna Lovegood, the other members of the Gryffindor Quidditch team--Dean Thomas, Angelina... How far would they reach?

She chewed on a nail and wondered who had written the warning. Who would know about a Death Eater attack? Only another Death Eater, obviously, or someone close to them. A family member? Two people sprang immediately to mind, but logic forced her to dismiss them. Severus Snape and Draco Malfoy. Snape had killed Dumbledore in cold blood. If he was evil enough to do that--to betray the steadfast trust Dumbledore had always maintained--then no trivial act of remorse would be forthcoming. Why would he try to save a couple of Muggles after slaying the greatest wizard alive?

And Malfoy? He had engineered the whole thing. Harry said he didn't believe Draco would have killed Dumbledore--had seen Malfoy lower his wand, but that only meant... what? That he was a bully, but no killer? That he could plot a murder, but not sully his hands with the actual deed?

She took a deep breath and clamped down on her rage. Because of Draco Malfoy, Dumbledore was dead. The thought still brought a rush of pain. And Ron had nearly been killed by mistake--that wouldn't have bothered the pureblood bastard in the least. She snorted. No. Draco Malfoy would never warn a worthless Mudblood like her. It was more likely he'd be first in line to cast a Cruciatus Curse.

The door opened downstairs and she heard her parents bustle inside. Thank God they'd gone out to dinner that evening, or perhaps her mysterious note writer would not have entered. She shrugged off the question of his--or her--identity, although she retrieved the note and tucked it into a pocket of her robe. It would be a death sentence should a Death Eater stumble upon it and, according to the note, they would arrive tomorrow.

She took a deep breath and steeled herself to break the news to her parents. They would not take it well.

When Hermione returned to 12 Grimmauld Place, it was just past dawn. She was exhausted and collapsed into a chair as soon as she made her way into the kitchen.

"Hermione!" Molly Weasley exclaimed. "We were about to send out a search party! Ron is in quite a state!"

Ron burst into the room at that moment and raced over to envelop her in a massive hug.

"Don't you ever bloody do that again!" he shouted. "You said you were going to check on your parents, but none of us know where they live! What if there had been trouble?"

Hermione stiffened. How did the Death Eaters know where her parents lived when her closest friends didn't even know? Of course. Snape. He was a teacher. He'd had access to all the school records. It seemed his betrayal would bring yet more bad tidings.

"What's the matter?" Ron asked as he sat down next to her. He took one of her hands in his. She smiled wanly at him and took a gulp of the hot tea Mrs. Weasley set before her. She set the cup down and took the letter from her pocket.

While Ron and Molly looked it over, Hermione explained. She had been up all night with her horrified parents. She had described the current situation in the wizarding world. It had been a long tale, beginning with her first year at Hogwarts. She had never mentioned a single one of her adventures with Harry Potter over the years. To protect them, she had rationalized. But also to prevent them from flipping out and forbidding her ever to return to Hogwarts. Which they would have.

As it was, they were beyond appalled. Quirrell-mort, dead unicorns, possessed diaries, petrification by a basilisk, dementors, a werewolf professor, a psychotic murderer pretending to be a teacher, Cedric's death, Voldemort's return, prophecies and Horcruxes, Dumbledore's death, Snape's betrayal; and all of it beginning and ending with Harry Potter.

There had been tears and recriminations, shouting and threats, but at last her parents had agreed to go and stay with her aunt in London, at least for a short time. They were both professional people, though. They wouldn't stay in hiding forever. How long could she protect them? For the first time, she wished she wasn't Muggle-born. If her parents had been wizards, at least they could defend themselves. She sighed. Not that ability always mattered. Look at the Longbottoms. Or the Potters.

"I need some sleep. You might send someone round to my parents' house, later. Don't let them be obvious, though. We don't want to tip off the Death Eaters that they might have a traitor in their midst. We need all the help we can get." She gave them the address, finished her tea, and staggered upstairs for a much needed rest.