Rating:
15
House:
Schnoogle
Ships:
Draco Malfoy/Hermione Granger
Characters:
Draco Malfoy Harry Potter Hermione Granger
Genres:
Drama Angst
Era:
Harry and Classmates During Book Seven
Spoilers:
Philosopher's Stone Chamber of Secrets Prizoner of Azkaban Goblet of Fire Order of the Phoenix Half-Blood Prince
Stats:
Published: 11/28/2006
Updated: 03/15/2007
Words: 148,035
Chapters: 51
Hits: 126,771

Draco: Phoenix Rising

Cheryl Dyson

Story Summary:
Dumbledore is dead, Snape is a traitor and Draco is a Death Eater, but is he really cut out for a position on Voldemort's team?

Chapter 18 - Plots and Counterplots

Chapter Summary:
The Order meets and Draco takes Hermione on a tour.
Posted:
12/19/2006
Hits:
2,386


Chapter Eighteen - Plots and Counterplots

Harry was tired from his grueling day, as was Ron, so they turned in early. Harry found sleep impossible, however. Every time he closed his eyes, he would see the dead body of his father or the stricken face of Sirius Black.

He finally gave up and left Ron sleeping in the tower while he went down to sit in the Gryffindor common room. Hedwig had not returned and he wondered what Hermione was doing. It wasn't like her to not even send a reply. He wondered if Devlin Whitehorn had turned out to be genuine.

Dobby suddenly appeared with a crack, nearly starting Harry out of his skin.

"Harry Potter, sir! The Order is coming to Hogwarts! Something has happened."

"What has happened, Dobby?" he asked and tried to calm his racing pulse.

"Dobby does not know, Harry Potter. But, they are coming here to meet because the new members cannot enter the Order Headquarters. Jack Williamson sent word to Remus Lupin, but Dobby does not know the message."

"Yes, well even if they are meeting here, it would be like them to exclude me and Ron. Thank you for telling me, Dobby."

"Harry Potter asked Dobby to keep him informed and Dobby will do as Harry Potter requests above all else!"

"Let me know where they gather. I'll wake Ron and we'll be there."

Harry sat back for a moment and considered. He was curious to see if Lupin would bother to notify him. They had been forthcoming with information while Harry was safely ensconced at Number 4, Privet Drive, but now that he was out where he might do something rash and dangerous... Well, they were just trying to protect him. Or so they would say.

He went back upstairs and dressed before prodding Ron.

"G'way, Mum!" Ron growled and smacked at Harry. "Have Fred and George do it!"

Harry shook him harder. "I'm not your mum, Ron. Wake up."

Ron sat up, blinking.

"What's the matter? Is it Hermione?"

Harry explained and Ron tugged his clothes on.

"Something must be up to bring them here at this hour."

They waited tensely in the common room and Ron massacred Harry in a game of wizard's chess.

"You're not even paying attention!" Ron griped as his queen smashed Harry's last knight.

Harry pushed his chair back.

"I know. Hopefully, they don't plan to meet tomorrow, or next Thursday, or two weeks before school starts. Dobby wasn't very specific."

"You mean you assumed he meant tonight?"

Before Harry could admit to that stupidity, Dobby popped back into the room.

"Harry Potter, sir, they are here. Meeting in the Great Hall."

"Thanks, Dobby," Harry said and threw Ron a relieved glance. They were about to climb through the portrait hole when Lupin's silver Patronus enveloped Harry. Lupin's voice came to Harry as though from a great distance, an oddity unique to Patronus messaging.

Harry, the Order is meeting downstairs. We have news you need to hear. The mist dissipated.

"Well?" Ron asked.

"They actually told me to come down."

"It's bad news," Ron said in trepidation. "They wouldn't have bothered if it was routine."

Harry wanted to believe otherwise, but he had a grim suspicion Ron was right. They hurried downstairs and entered the Great Hall. It was strange to see the place so empty, and stranger still to see most of the Order of the Phoenix in one place. Harry waved at Kingsley Shacklebolt, Jack Williamson, Dedalus Diggle, and others he hadn't seen in awhile. Dobby waved him to a saved seat.

"Harry, we have bad news," Lupin said, cutting the greetings short. "Neville Longbottom has been captured and his grandmother nearly killed. She is at St. Mungos... and we don't know where Neville has gone."

Harry sat down hard at the news. Neville taken? How could he have been so stupid? As soon as the Death Eaters went after Luna, they should have warned the other members of Dumbledore's Army, at least!

"We foolishly though they wouldn't attack twice in one day," Lupin said.

"Do we have any idea where Neville could be?"

Moody started to speak, but an elbow from Kingsley Shacklebolt silenced him, except for a muted grumbling. Harry noted the exchange and wondered what they were hiding.

"I don't think it matters. It's fairly clear they plan to use Neville as a decoy to draw you out, Harry. They'll let us know where he is, soon enough."

Harry felt sick. He could only imagine the hell Bellatrix Lestrange and the rest of the Death Eaters would put Neville through.

"We've got to do something!"

"All we can do is plan our strategy for when they request your presence. Now, we have a couple of ideas..."

Harry listened with half an ear, knowing any strategy they planned would likely be useless until they had more specific information. He noticed Tonks move surreptitiously down the table to sit next to Arthur Weasley. They chatted briefly and then Arthur grabbed parchment and began to draw what looked suspiciously like a map. He pointed out various points on his drawing and talked to Tonks in a low voice. She nodded several times and asked question.

Ron drew Harry's attention when he asked, "Where's Hermione?"

Harry had been wondering the same thing. Jack Williamson spoke up.

"She stayed at the Longbottom house to see if the Death Eaters left any evidence of where they might have taken Neville." He chuckled. "At least, that was her story. I rather think she wanted to be alone with that handsome chap she was with."

Ron's eyes narrowed.

"What handsome chap? You mean Devlin Whitehorn?"

Jack laughed again and raised a brow at Ron. "Devlin Whitehorn? Not unless he has a son or grandson by the same name. Frankly, this lad looked too handsome to be Devlin's kin."

"What did he look like, exactly?" Harry asked, hardly able to believe Hermione would have abandoned them to for a handsome stranger. In fact, he could hardly even picture her with a handsome stranger.

"Tall, blond, slender. About your height, Harry. Sterling good looks. Ruddy familiar, too, although I can't quite place the face... It'll come to me."

Harry said nothing. It would explain Hermione's lack of communication, he supposed, although she'd better have a bloody good explanation. Ron was griping bitterly. Harry noticed Tonks slipping out of the room and wondered what she was up to. He was an expert at sneaking, and her movements definitely hinted at sneaking.

"Dobby, go keep an eye on Tonks," he whispered. Dobby nodded gravely and disappeared.

* * * * *

Draco kept a tight grip on Hermione when she began to struggle in his arms. He spoke in a low voice next to her ear.

"Keep still or we'll both be very dead."

"Where are we?" Hermione whispered when he released her.

"My room. Welcome to Malfoy Manor." As expected, his room was empty. At this hour, the Death Eaters had a tendency to hang out in the dining room or the drawing room, drinking firewhiskey and reminiscing about the bad old days.

Her eyes flashed at him suspiciously.

"What are we doing here?"

"I'm turning you over to the Dark Lord to get back into his good graces," Draco said snidely. She glared at him, but had managed to catch the sarcasm, apparently. Draco smiled without amusement. "You said you wanted to get Longbottom back, so here we are in the jaws of death. I hope you're happy."

She inhaled sharply and distrust warred with hope in her eyes.

"Where is he?"

"In the basement, most likely. If he's in the parlour, we're out of luck."

"Why?"

"You don't want to know." He walked to his wardrobe and pulled out a long, hooded black cloak. He handed it to her and grabbed another for himself. He had dozens. Black cloaks were pretty much the Malfoy signature outfit. "This won't fool anyone, but a quick glance might not draw attention. Too bad we don't have an Invisibility Cloak like your friend, Potter. Now, be quiet, follow my lead, and try not to get us killed," he ordered and pulled the hood up to cover his too-bright hair.

He crept to the door and opened it. No one was in sight, so he walked straight across the hall to the door opposite, pointing at a board on the way and gesturing to Hermione not to step on it. She hurried to join him and he shut the door. He lit his wand to illuminate a small water closet.

"No one uses this because it's broken," he murmured. "The reason it's broken is because it hides this." He cast a quick spell and a section of wall opened up to reveal a staircase leading downward. Intimate knowledge: the benefit of breaking into your own house. "I've marked the ones that squeak, so don't tread on them. Be bloody silent; we pass close to the kitchen and it's usually occupied." Hermione nodded intently. Nothing was visible beneath her black hood except a couple of curls and her chin. He sighed and tucked the wayward curls inside her cloak. She raised her face to look at him curiously; her eyes looked huge in the gloom.

They crept down the stairs and he sealed the portal behind them. Draco's wand provided a mere hint of dim light. Several steps were marked with a reddish glow and he carefully stepped over those. He bypassed the concealed door that led outside and continued downward to the basement.

He listened carefully for long moments before he readied a spell and opened the door. On the basement side, it was a blank wall panel and it slipped aside noiselessly. Draco's spell winged across the room and caught McNair completely unaware. The Death Eater and the chair he'd been sitting in toppled over sideways. Luckily, the imported Persian carpet muffled the thump. Across from McNair's fallen chair slumped Neville Longbottom. He had been bound hand and foot to a hard wooden chair and his chin rested upon his chest. He was either unconscious or dead. Hermione bustled by Draco and rushed to Neville's side.

Draco, much more cautious, made certain no other Death Eaters had been assigned to guard Longbottom. He pushed his hood back a bit to allow better vision. He noted with disgust that McNair had been eating crisps. Large crumbs littered the expensive carpet. Uncouth lout.

A crack warned them of Apparition and Hermione straightened to face the danger. Bellatrix Lestrange stared at Draco in surprise. In the blink of an eye, she raised her wand and sent a paralyzing spell at Draco. Though he'd been expecting it, his Protego was infinitesimally too slow.

"We're dead," he thought just before Hermione's spell caught Bellatrix, who was suddenly as frozen as Draco. He couldn't move a muscle and watched in amazement as a house-elf stepped out from behind Bella's robes. He thought it was Kreacher for a moment.

"Hermione Granger!" Dobby cried in a loud whisper. "What are you doing here?"

Draco watched Hermione step back in shock and raise her wand in warning.

"Dobby? What are you doing with Bellatrix Lestrange?"

"Dobby is following Harry Potter's orders. Dobby is keeping an eye on Tonks, who came to rescue Neville Longbottom. Hermione Granger, you have hexed Tonks, not Bellatrix Lestrange."

He gestured frantically at Bella. Draco had no idea what his former house-elf was babbling about, but apparently Hermione did. She sent a counterspell at Bellatrix, who sagged in relief, a very un-Bella-like gesture.

"Wotcher, Hermione," she said with a weak laugh. The voice didn't belong to Bellatrix, either, and Draco finally got it. Polyjuice Potion, no doubt. Granger flicked her wand at Draco and he could move again, thankfully. He glared at Bellatrix/Tonks and hurried over to make sure McNair was out of action.

"Isn't that Draco--" Tonks began, but Hermione cut her off. Draco yanked his hood back down with a curse. He hadn't planned to be recognized. By either side.

"I'll explain later," Hermione said. "We've got to get Neville out of here."

McNair was out cold. Hermione released the ropes that bound Longbottom to the chair. His face was swollen and bloody. His clothing was torn and showed red in some places. Hermione gripped him tightly as he sagged out of the chair. Tonks ran to help her. A crack announced the arrival of a newcomer and Draco leveled his wand at the sound. This time he did not hesitate. The binding curse flew toward the subject, but was deflected in a heartbeat.

"You!" Dobby hissed. He flew at Kreacher and they both disappeared with a loud bang. Draco swore.

"We're about to have company!" Sooner than expected, as it turned out. The basement door opened and a Death Eater rushed into view. Hermione was struggling to lift Neville. Tonks leveled a Stupefy at the Death Eater--Nott, Draco noted. A crack sounded next to Neville's chair and a jet of light caught Hermione, who collapsed under Neville's weight. Draco retaliated with a stunning spell and wondered what Crabbe had used to take down Hermione. At the same time Tonks cast Impedimenta at Nott's replacement on the stairs. She missed.

"Stop holding back!" Draco hissed and let fly with a gale force wind that slammed the Death Eater back up the stairs. He thought it was Lars. "Take Longbottom and get out of here!"

Draco hoisted Neville with one hand and flung him at Tonks, and then bent down and scooped up Hermione's limp form. He Accioed her wand just as three more Death Eaters materialized.

"Thanks, cousin," Tonks called as she disappeared.

Draco Disapparated.

He sank to his knees in Hermione's bedroom, drenched with sweat. He could scarcely believe they had made it out alive. Maybe there was something to the vaunted Gryffindor luck. He still held Hermione and her head lolled back against his arm. He felt for a pulse. It was weak, but identifiable. He cast Finite Incantatum to counter whatever spell had been used on her, but she didn't awaken. Draco set her on the floor and stood up. He was completely exhausted. What a bloody long day. The raid on the Lovegoods, the jaunt to and from Dover, the trip to Longbottoms, and finally the rescue. God knew how many times Granger had Apparated. Probably at least six more than the recommended daily maximum.

He pulled back the covers on her bed and then unfastened the cloak from around her neck. It fell away and he lifted her again. He set her on the bed and unlaced her trainers. He tossed them aside, followed by her socks. About to pull the covers over her, he hesitated, looking at her jeans. Draco hated sleeping in trousers--it was stifling and bloody uncomfortable. She'd thank him in the morning for removing them. He grinned. Well, probably not. She'd more likely hex him into oblivion, which decided him.

He levitated her slightly off the bed and unfastened her jeans. He slowly worked them down until they were loose enough to grab by the ankles and slide from her legs. The process was more difficult than it looked. He'd never undressed an unconscious woman, before. Now he knew how Crabbe and Goyle must feel. He chuckled at his wit, but his amusement was stifled as his eyes examined what he'd uncovered. Hermione had nice legs. His eyes roved slowly from her ankles up her slender limbs and he sucked in an amazed breath. Rather than the demure, sensible white panties he'd expected, she wore red silk knickers trimmed in lace. His brows raised sharply in wonder.

"Full of surprises, aren't we, Granger?" he murmured. He immediately abandoned the briefly entertained notion of removing her shirt. His thoughts were already treading down a dangerous path without adding fuel to the fire. He allowed himself one more approving gaze, knowing it would likely be the last time he'd see her in this state.

He released the spell, dropping her back to the bed, and quickly dragged the covers over her. He sighed, glad that task was done. He looked around, but saw no suitable place to sleep in her room. Malfoys never slept on the floor. He had no intention of sleeping without a warning system. He would have slept in another part of the house, but knew he didn't have enough energy to ward the entire house. There was no help for it. He reached under the blankets and roughly shoved Hermione to the far side of the bed. He tucked her wand under her pillow and then removed his clothing down to his silk boxers.

He cast a quick warding spell around the room and slid into the bed next to Granger, taking care that no part of her was touching him. If anyone approached this room, he'd be awakened instantly. He slid his wand under his pillow and in seconds was sound asleep.