A Mortal Enemy

Chapter 19: From Wrong to Impossible

Hermione, unsure of what to think, stared down the dark corridor that stood to her left. She had Professor Lynch's Invisibility Cloak clutched tightly in one hand and folded over her arm. The portrait had just slammed shut and Draco was standing nearby looking apprehensive. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him turn to face the darkness that sprawled out in front of them.

"What is this place?" he asked in a whisper.

Hermione didn't answer. She, of course, had been here before under better circumstances, with her friends. Now, she was standing here with her enemy. Putting one foot in front of the other, she proceeded down the hall, hoping that by ignoring the question she could mask the truth. The last thing in the world that she needed right now was to have to explain to Harry's nemesis what this was. She still couldn't believe that Snape had dreamt up this plan.

"Where are you going?"

She didn't answer, but kept walking. In truth she had no desire to talk to Malfoy about the strange events that had just transpired, or the nature of their current surroundings. There was no plan, per se, on how to deal with him. Perhaps she could just find a nice spot to sit for a while where she could worry privately about the fact that half the Ministry was now looking for her.

"Granger!"

Malfoy's footsteps began echoing through the hallway behind her. Hermione sped her pace almost to a run. When she came to the large oak door, it was already open and she stepped inside the Chamber. The pyre was lit and the room was warm and inviting. Surprising, she thought, considering it was made of cold stone and had no creature comforts. An immediate feeling of intimacy came over her as she realized she now had an idea of what it was like when Harry was alone here. It was knowledge she had regretted not having. He was such a close friend, but yet he had this great secret that not even she could be part of.

Overall, the Chamber looked the same as it had on that first day she saw it, only there were large red pillows on the stone steps; evidence of Harry having been here recently. It was a novel touch, and she smiled slightly. She glanced around to look for the statue of Hecate that would open the antechamber. Perhaps she could disappear behind it and let Malfoy stay out here alone. As she stepped further into the room, she noticed a dark shadow curled up against one of the steps. It was Harry, dozing comfortably with his untidy dark hair sprawled on a pillow.

In a moment of utter panic, Hermione spun around and ran back out the door and attempted to close it quietly behind her. Malfoy was just coming into the light when it shut with a gentle click. He came to a stop and looked at her, puzzled.

"Well?" he asked finally, after several moments of awkward silence. When Hermione didn't answer, he reached for the door handle. She rushed quickly to put herself between it and Malfoy.

"What are you doing?" he asked in his most haughty voice.

"You can't go in there," she answered hastily.

"Why not?"

"Because... uh.. well, you see there is a... "

"A what?"

"Not a what, really. More like a who. I mean, not a who as in someone you would know, more of a who as in a what. What I mean to say is..."

"Spit it out Granger."

"A monster"

"A monster?" he answered skeptically.

"Yes. A monster."

"First off, Granger, I know for a fact that if there were a monster in that room you'd be itching to rush in there. Secondly, you're a horrible liar." Draco made another move for the door.

"I'm serious, Malfoy, you can't go in there," she said insistently, daring to put a hand on his chest to hold him back.

"I can do whatever I please," he replied, pushing Hermione out of the way quite forcefully and then opening the door.

Hermione reached in her pocket for her wand, only to remember that Professor Lynch had taken it. She was forced to follow Draco timidly and try to shield his view from the shadow where Harry was sleeping.

"There is nothing in here, Granger. I think you're losing it. Honestly, you should have your head checked."

Fortunate for everyone, Draco's eyes immediately focused on the ornate walls and ceiling, completely bypassing the shadows obscured by the high steps nearest the door.

"Right, well... uh... I think there is a sitting room over here," Hermione said in a low voice as she walked towards the statue of Hecate. She put her hand on the palm molding and with a note of horror watched as the groaning of stone against stone echoed in the room.

"Hermione?" she heard the unmistakable, confused and sleepy voice of Harry Potter say from behind her.

"What the..." Draco said hastily as he shot around to see who had spoken.

"Oh no. Harry..." Hermione said as she began to walk down towards the pyre. Harry had sat up and was staring at Draco. Knowing that his first reaction would be anger, she wanted to attempt to prevent any skirmishes, given that neither of them were armed, but Harry was.

"Hermione?" Harry said again as he stood, only this time she could detect the subtle hint of hurt in his voice; a clear indication that he thought she had revealed his secret to the enemy.

"Hermione what is going on?"

"Potter, what are you doing here?"

"I might ask you the same thing, Malfoy," Harry responded icily.

"It's a long story, Harry. Let's just all calm down and...." But Hermione couldn't finish her sentence, because at that moment she realized something wasn't quite right. Harry should be much more upset about Draco Malfoy being here. After all, they hadn't seen one other since the night Draco tried to kill them all.

There was only one possible explanation for this, she concluded.

"You knew," she said. It wasn't even a question.

Harry stared at her with his startlingly green eyes that flickered wildly in the light of the fire. He looked slightly confused, and yet slightly deceptive. Harry had the sort of face that never failed to show his emotions, and she knew he was keeping something.

"You knew he was here at Hogwarts!"

Hermione turned to look at Draco. "You both knew." She then turned to look at Harry again. Nothing about that look was denying the accusation.

"Wha... What is going on? How could you possibly have known?"

No one was talking and the only sound was of the flickering flames. Hermione felt her cheeks go bright red, and she was sure it wasn't from the heat of the fire.

"Someone answer me, or I'm walking straight out that door!" she shouted.

"You're not going anywhere, Granger, and you know it."

"Don't threaten her, Malfoy," Harry said confidently, stepping up to Hermione's side and staring up at his blond counterpart.

"Don't be so dramatic. I'm not the one she needs to worry about. Which gets us back to the original point. What the hell are you doing here, Potter?"

"That's none of your business. But I do have a right to know what you're doing here."

Malfoy attempted to laugh, but it came out as a hissing sound. "I believe that is my business, and I asked you first."

"I was napping," Harry said innocently.

"I'm not blind, nor stupid, Potter. I can see that much. Question is, really, what are you doing napping in the dungeons in a room that no one else knows about instead of in your dormitory?"

"This is part of the Gryffindor dormitory." Hermione saw the twitching in Harry's face as he attempted to lie. So did Malfoy.

"He's at least a better liar than you, Granger." With that, Draco turned and walked towards the portal that had opened behind Hecate. When he had disappeared into the room, Harry turned to Hermione and began to speak to her in a low voice.

"What is going on?"

"Harry, I promise I didn't tell him anything. She had no idea you would be here," Hermione said hastily, her thoughts muddled.

"Who?"

"Professor Lynch."

"She let you in?"

"Yes. But I swear she didn't tell him anything about you either. I mean, about this," Hermione waved her hand in the air, in reference to the room.

"But why did she bring the two of you here? And how did you find out about Malfoy?"

"It's a long story. Just suffice to say that I found him changing back into his human form, and I guess he's been..."

"Wait a second," Harry interrupted. "He's an Animagus?"

"You didn't know?" Hermione said plainly.

"No, I didn't." Harry looked troubled. "Go on."

"Right. Anyway, I dragged him to see Snape, to report him breaking into the school, and while we were there, Fudge showed up with half the Ministry."

"What? Why?"

"They're looking for me, Harry," Hermione said in a panicked voice. "Because of Rita Skeeter."

"That doesn't make any sense, though. Why would Fudge care about that? All she ever did was write horrible stories about him," Harry pondered.

"He's using Granger as an excuse to search the school for me," Draco said from the other room. Hermione and Harry looked in his direction to see that he was staring at them attentively while leaning against the doorjamb. "This place has great acoustics."

"That doesn't make sense, though, either. If Fudge has come to take you to Azkaban for supporting You-Know-Who, why would Snape want to hide you?" Hermione asked, somewhat annoyed.

Draco laughed arrogantly and turned to walk back into the antechamber.

"Nice Phoenix, Potter," they heard moments later.

Harry sat down on the large stone steps and buried his head in his hands.

"Harry? Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," he said quietly. "There are some things you should know about Malfoy. Sit down."

Hermione sat timidly and turned to face Harry. Harry could see over her shoulder, that Malfoy had walked back to the doorway and was leaning against it again.

"Malfoy is on our side now."

"Harry, you don't honestly believe that!"

"Actually, I do. I can't tell you how or why. But I do."

"But then why would Fudge be here after him? You would think he'd be delighted that Draco had turned against You-Know-Who."

"Because my Father had Fudge in his pocket for twenty years. Now, he's in a political bind, because the Dark Lord will want repayment for my Father's kindness. He's probably torturing Fudge on a daily basis until I'm found."

"Are you trying to say that Fudge is a Death Eater?" Hermione said impatiently over her shoulder.

"No. Fudge doesn't have the conviction for it. He'll turn his opinions towards whoever will get him a powerful position. He does, however, have sympathies for the Dark Lord. How do you think my Father got away with threatening Dumbledore so often?"

"Hmm," Hermione said thoughtfully as she shot Harry a skeptical look.

"Before you go, Potter, can you light the fire in this room?" Draco said smugly from the door.

"Go? I'm not going anywhere."

Draco walked into the chamber, down the stairs and stared Harry in the eyes. "Don't be an idiot. As soon as they realize you're not in your dormitory they'll know you're with her."

"Harry, he's right," Hermione said with some apprehension. She had no desire to be alone with Malfoy, but it was important to keep Harry out of trouble with the Ministry.

Harry just continued to stare at Draco. "Are you sure you'll be alright?"

"I'll be fine, Potter, Professor Lynch took away our wands." Harry scowled at Draco's dry humor.

"If you need me, you can use the Floo Powder to summon Dobby. He'll come get me if you ask and I'll come back straight away," he then directed at Hermione.

"You'll do no such thing, Potter," said a rough voice from the door. The three of them turned quickly to find Snape standing there, looking livid. "You've already been found missing. We do not have time for explanations, but I assure you I will want one."

Hermione noted the dual tone of Snape's voice. He was angry and concerned. His black beady eyes kept moving quickly between Harry and Malfoy, and she was sure he was asking himself the same questions Harry was. Just precisely how much did Draco know now?

"I will escort you back to your dormitory Potter, and if I find you out of bed again I will expel you."

Harry, knowing it was an idle threat, walked reluctantly towards Snape after giving Hermione a reassuring look.

"And you two, do not summon the House Elves. No doubt they will be questioned tonight as well."

They watched as Harry and Snape left and when they were alone, Hermione found that her feet wouldn't move. It was as if she were glued to the ground. Malfoy was just staring at her with an odd expression on his face. Hermione pretended to be watching Harry descend into the blackness of the corridor, but in reality she was staring at nothing; he had long disappeared. She just couldn't move her body and she didn't know what to say to Malfoy.

"When did you find out he had Inner Focus?" he asked suddenly out of nowhere. The question unnerved her. Her first thought was how Malfoy had found out about Harry, but then she realized he must be referring to Snape.

"I don't remember," she lied. "I overheard someone in Slytherin talking about it."

"You heard Potter had Inner Focus from a Slytherin?" he said playfully.

Hermione froze. She couldn't breathe. How had Malfoy found out? Surely Harry didn't tell him.

"Harry doesn't have Inner Focus," she blurted out nervously.

Draco raised his eyebrows and smiled at her. "Like I said before. You're a terrible liar." He then turned and walked into the anteroom again, leaving her alone.

Damn it. Had he just set her up to get her to admit it or had he already known for sure? He knew she couldn't lie, and now she had betrayed Harry. Hermione just continued to stand there, unable to move, the blood coursing through her veins like ice. The feeling of failure was written all over her face and if there had been a bottomless pit in front of her, she would have thrown herself into it. In fact, she would have done anything to make this horrific guilt go away. Even Obliviate didn't seem so unreasonable now.

"Are you just going to stand there all night?" Malfoy said as he returned some time later. "You've been standing there for nearly an hour." Hermione looked up at him.

"What's the matter with you?"

"How did you find out?" she asked timidly.

"How did I find out about what?"

"Um. About Harry."

"You're still thinking about that?" Hermione raised her eyebrows. What an inane question. "It's obvious isn't it? Lynch, Snape and Potter know about this place. Lynch insisted on bringing us down even though it risked the Ministry finding us. She didn't mutter a password or anything else to get in, and Snape was able to come here also. They both have Inner Focus so it's obvious how they got in. And I knew you knew, because you weren't surprised to see Potter here and you didn't question how the portrait opened."

Hermione looked at her feet, wanting to hide the emotion welling up inside her again.

"No one is supposed to know," she said as she shook her head. "Harry will be furious when he finds out. So will Snape and Professor Lynch."

"Potter has nothing to worry about. He knows I won't betray him."

"No he doesn't. All he knows is that you're a stupid little brat with a rich Father! And he knows that you want us and our friends dead!"

Malfoy took a step closer, to get in Hermione's face. Against her better judgment she let him move in close.

"You know nothing about me, Granger," he said calmly

"You think I don't remember all those times you called me a Mudblood? Or the numerous derogatory things you've said to Ron and Harry? Not to mention the fact that you pranced around at the World Cup while your Father tortured Muggles. Muggles like my parents!"

"Did you ever stop to ask yourself why I was in the forest that night, and not out playing Muggle sports with my parents?"

Hermione had no answer for him. Her best response was to continue her stare of hatred.

"And did you ever wonder why I told you to hide that night? Or why, after I had Potter in my sights, alone on his bed before you all rushed in to save him, why I didn't attack? Why wouldn't I have exercised some stealth, or found a way to get him alone?"

He had good points, but that didn't explain why he had behaved so badly towards them all those years before.

"That doesn't explain how you've treated us, Malfoy."

"It should. But I'm not going to stand here and explain my life story to you. It's none of your business, and if you can't figure it out for yourself I'm not going to waste my time."

"How you've treated me is absolutely my business. Here you are claiming to be some friend of Harry's, claiming he can trust you, when all you've been to him is horrible! You have some nerve." And out of nowhere, the anger, guilt and hatred rushed to her head. She felt her hand rise, and in one quick movement she swung back to slap him. He caught her by the wrist, held it tight, and didn't let go.

She pulled her arm back in an attempt to get away from him but he continued to hold on. As she backed away from him, he walked with her and soon she felt the heat of the fire become more intense on her back.

"Careful," he said as his free hand came up and pushed her hair away from the fire. "If you set yourself on fire, I've no way to put it out." His voice was calm and Hermione didn't know what to think about the look of concern his face.

"I've never hated you," he said plainly. "I've been jealous and angry at you because you were everything my Father wanted me to be. And I just couldn't be that. I was always a failure in his eyes and I always blamed it on other people. On you and on Potter."

"You're a horrible liar, too, Malfoy."

"Actually, I'm a great liar. I don't really believe you could tell the difference though."

His grip loosened and she pulled her arm back towards herself, but he was still standing so close now that she could feel his breath and see the look of hurt in his eyes.

"If you really want to know why Potter trusts me it's because I've told him all of this and he knows it to be true. He understands what I've been through and that I regret most of it."

"Most of it?"

"I don't regret going to Durmstrang. I'm glad I was able to get far away from this place and my Father. I'm glad he's dead. And I'm glad you slapped me in our fourth year."

Hermione looked at him, perplexed. "What?"

"I deserved it, and I'm glad you didn't hold back. I know it's probably too late for apologies, but if it means anything, I'm sorry."

He was right. She didn't have the ability to tell if he was lying or not. He sounded so sincere when he said these things to her and no matter how hard she tried to detect a hint of deception in his voice or face, she couldn't. None of this made any sense. How could she have gone from worrying about her horribly day to standing down here listening to Draco Malfoy apologize to her? It was all so overwhelming. Hermione backed up and sat down on one of the stairs, resting her head in her hands. She wanted to crawl inside of herself and forget any of this was happening. She hardly noticed when Malfoy settled down beside her.

"You think I'm lying," he said softly.

"I don't know. It hardly matters really. I'm more worried about what you know now, than what you think of me. If he finds out you know, and he thinks I told you.... I'm not sure what I would say to him."

"Potter?"

"He has a first name, you know," she replied curtly after sitting up. "But yes, Harry."

After a few moments of silence, Draco stood up and took two red pillows from the stairs. He gave her one and sat on the other. It helped relieve some of the discomfort of the cold, stone stairs.

"When did you become a Death Eater?" Hermione asked. It was something they had all wondered for quite some time. Maybe Harry already knew all of this, but she couldn't imagine him keeping a secret like this. Of course, he was keeping other secrets from her and Ron. Whatever the blood oath had been about, he was definitely not sharing with them.

"After I left Hogwarts. It was the only way my Father could keep the Dark Lord from killing me after not delivering Potter dead."

"What was it like? I mean, is there a ritual and things?"

"There wasn't for me, although there are for some. He just made me get on my knees, kiss the hem of his robes, beg essentially," Draco said with an odd tone in his voice, "and then someone came up behind me, pulled up my left sleeve and he marked me."

"Marked you? You mean the Dark Mark?"

"Yes."

"Can I see it?" Hermione said.

"No," Draco said as he shook his head. "It's no longer there." But that didn't stop Draco from habitually rubbing the area on his left arm where it had been. Hermione noted that it must still hurt him, even if it was a mental anguish instead of a physical one.

"I didn't think they could be removed. Snape still has his. So does Professor Polishnikov."

Draco turned his head and gave her an odd look.

"You've seen Polishnikov's Dark Mark?" he asked suspiciously.

"Yes, when I was at Durmstrang."

"That's another thing I don't regret," he said. Hermione gave him a questioning look.

"Seeing you at Durmstrang," he replied, understanding that she wasn't sure what he meant. "It was a reminder for me that I wasn't alone there."

"I thought I was going to die," Hermione admitted.

"You mean you thought I was going to kill you?" She nodded in reply.

"You're lucky. You nearly killed yourself when that spell rebounded," he said with a clever smile.

And then Hermione remembered something from her conversation with Professor Lynch just afterwards, something that had kept her from concentrating on the Yurlome that night.

"Why did you silence me?" she asked now.

"The Dark Mark," Draco replied in a haunted voice. "Had you said anything, he would have heard you."

Hermione's eyebrows rose as she realized the meaning of Professor Lynch's words. Draco had been trying to protect her and prevent You-Know-Who from knowing he didn't want to kill her. And more interestingly, Lynch must have somehow known before coming to Durmstrang that Draco no longer wanted to be a Death Eater. It was the only explanation for why she said nothing while they were in the laboratory together.

"You look like someone just told you you've won a thousand Galleons."

"What? Oh. Sorry, it just explains a lot, I guess."

From the corner of her eye she saw Draco turn his head toward her. He stayed that way for some time, just staring at her face and watching her expressions. It was uncomfortable, but flattering in some strange way.

"Why are you staring at me, Malfoy?"

"I have a first name too, you know."

"Fine. Why are you staring at me, Draco?"

He didn't answer right away, but turned his head back towards the fire. This was almost surreal, she realized while watching the bright flames light up his face. Why was Draco staring at her, and why didn't she feel more unnerved about it? Maybe it was just the realization that he had suffered so much and she was beginning to become more relaxed in his presence. When she had discovered him in the hallway hours ago, it had been a shock. Now the circumstances had melted in with the rest of the strange events of the evening to become part of some perverse spur of reality.

"You're dating Weasley." It was a statement, not a question and it certainly didn't provide any answers. Another layer added onto that perversity.

"That is none of your business."

"Then neither is why I'm staring at you."

She expected him to be wearing a smug look, but instead his head was bowed and he was inspecting his shoes.

"Yes, I suppose I am," she answered reluctantly, now curious what he meant by that. He nodded in response but said nothing.

"Well?" she probed. "Why were you staring at me?"

"I've decided not to say," he answered back. Hermione shook her head in disgust, but before she could protest he got up and walked away, heading for the antechamber.

"Who got Potter the Phoenix?" she heard minutes later. Resigning herself to the fact that he probably wasn't ever going to come back and elaborate on what he meant by his comments, she rose and went into the antechamber as well.

"It was Professor Dumbledore's," she stated as she walked over to Fawkes. "He left him to Harry in his will."

"There is a chess set here, care to play?" he asked.

Draco reached down to reset the chess board in front of the fireplace, but the knight he picked up attacked his fingers.

"Don't you see we're in the middle of a game!" the tiny piece shouted.

"Who would Harry be playing a chess game with? No one else is allowed down here."

"Maybe Weasley?" Draco offered. Hermione detected a hint of malice in his voice.

"Ron isn't allowed here either. None of us are."

"Looks like Dumbledore left Harry his chess set too," Draco said as he picked up a box from the table. It had Dumbledore's name inscribed on it in neat cursive writing. Another box on the table was labeled Harry J Potter. Hermione recognized it as the chess set Sirius had given to Harry last Christmas.

"Maybe Snape comes down here," Draco offered.

"Doubtful," Hermione replied. "Harry hates Snape, and vice versa."

"Lynch or Black?"

"Hmm... Maybe. " But something about this seemed very odd; why would Harry let someone else use Dumbledore's chess set? Knowing Harry, he would have put it away somewhere and treasured it privately. That's what he had done with everything that belonged to his parents.

"So much for chess. And there are no books here, either." He dropped onto the couch behind him, leaving room for her to sit as well. She did, to prevent feeling awkward. They continued to talk at length about classes, where she learned that he hated Transfiguration and loved Potions, even under Professor Lynch. He even enjoyed being in the Ravenclaw House now, and didn't mind his unpopularity. It seemed Snape had quite the sense of humor to disguise him as a boy comparable in looks to Goyle.

"It's funny to see them together now," he said in reference to his old friends. "They walk around bullying people, making stupid jokes, and I can't even begin to imagine how I stood being around them."

"How did Harry find out you were here?" she found herself wondering out of nowhere.

"It was a condition of my return. We had to meet and proclaim our undying devotion to each other. It was touching, really, in a painful sort of way," he said jokingly. "I think they were afraid Potter would find out and try to kill me."

"So then Harry has known all along? I can't believe he's kept that from us," she remarked. It was strange to think Harry had made this alliance months ago

"There are a lot of things you don't know about Potter," he said softly. When he saw the look of protest on Hermione's face he followed up with "I'm sure one day he'll tell a great story about how he saved the world, and it will all come clean. Until then, trust me when I say he can't tell you."

The manor of Draco's speech was almost self-pitying, and it reminded Hermione heavily of old men on death row being interviewed before their executions. But it wasn't the tone of his voice or his words that shook her as much as the realization she had moments later when it became clear in her mind what he had meant. Draco knew about the blood oath, knew of the sacrifice and the rules. This could mean only one thing: that Draco had taken the blood oath as well.

Damn him, and damn Harry. If either of them realized how dangerous this oath was. She wished she could tell them without harming them; to let them know how careless the move was. How it endangered their lives.

Hermione stood and walked to the fireplace that still remained unlit. The room, as a result was quite cold and she shivered; partly out of anger, partly from the chill.

From the depths of my soul,
I pledge to you all,
To be by your side,
In wind and in tide


She spoke in a low voice - the words at the beginning of the blood oath. She faced the wall still, not wanting to look him in the eyes. There was a gentle gasp and a shuffle. Soon she felt Draco's body heat standing near her.

When she turned around he was standing there with his mouth open but was unable to speak. His eyes were moist, as if he was on the verge of tears. Weather the spells were causing him pain, or whether he was emotionally upset, she couldn't tell. All she knew was at that moment he looked like the most helpless creature in the world. His life was lost to a pointless oath that would torture him until the day he died. Before she really understood what was happening, Hermione had placed a hand over his eyes and another on the back of his neck.

"You don't want to say anything to me Draco. Try to clear your mind and forget I ever mentioned it. Trust me, if you do not... Let's just say the consequences are not easy to reverse."

His body began to relax and soon he had reached up and grabbed her wrist. Draco's eyes were still closed but he wrapped that arm around his waist and pulled her into a hug. He was like a grown child clutching his mother for the first time. She felt his body shake in her arms and a very subtle hint of sobbing escaped his throat. When he pulled back his face was stained and his eyes were bloodshot red.

"Please tell me you forgive me," he whispered. She didn't know what to say in response. If she said yes, would she be doing it honestly or just out of pity.

"Draco, I don't know," she confessed. Her hands were still on his back, feeling the sinewy definition his spine made through his clothes. The warmth of his body was inviting and she couldn't pull away. "I want to forgive you. I want to believe you have changed. Please understand that..."

She never finished. His lips had descended upon hers before she even realized what happened. It was not a forceful kiss. In fact he seemed almost timid, as if this had never happened to him before. Supple lips pressed gently against hers, but never attempted to part. Hermione felt her heart leave her chest and enter her throat; her breathing stopped.

Then there was a gentle feminine voice pulling her out of the reverie. Hermione recognized it immediately as Professor Lynch. Draco pulled back like a frightened child as he raised an arm immediately to wipe his face clear of tears. It wasn't until she looked apprehensively towards the door that Hermione realized why. Standing next to Professor Lynch was Professor Snape, looking half confused and half furious. All was silent for a few moments as the adults took a survey of the situation. It took Fawkes rustling his feathers from the corner to break the tension.

"The Ministry has left and it is safe for you to return to your dormitory, Ms. Granger. I will escort you back," Professor Lynch said lightly. She did not seem upset so Hermione nodded and pushed towards the door, picking up the Invisibility Cloak from the sofa and handing it to her professor. She didn't dare meet Snape's eyes, but she could tell he was staring intently at Draco.

Without looking back they left Malfoy and Snape alone and quickly exited the Chamber.