Old Moon Fades

Old Moon Fades

Chapter Twenty: The Room of Requirement

Draco hated the idea of uniting with Potter for anything... but when Dumbledore had called him to his office that afternoon and he'd seen Potter sitting uncomfortably in one of the chairs, Draco knew that there was really no way out of it. It grated on his nerves, his seeming lack of control. Dumbledore had sat pleasantly in his chair and suggested the idea of discussing their individual prophecies as if the two of them weren't enemies. That's what bothered him most, the old Professor's blatant disregard for the futility of this idea.

Draco had no intention of helping Potter with anything... not without good reason, anyway. Killing the Dark Lord wasn't really much of an incentive for Draco, though the situation with Nott had proved that the Dark Lord really wanted him out of the picture. Getting Hermione back, however, seemed a much better reason. If playing along with Potter would convince her that he really wasn't a monster, then he'd do it... he'd try to be civil.

He couldn't guarantee anything, though. As long as he didn't have to get along with the Weasel, he'd be happy. He could put up with Potter for the sake of reconciling with Hermione, but the Weasel was an entirely different story. He'd always hated Weasley, almost as much as he'd hated Potter, maybe more so... The daft git seemed to coast along on the coattails of his betters, always grasping for Potter's fame and Hermione's intelligence. Yes, Draco hated the Weasel more than anybody else, and he suspected that the feeling was mutual.

Interestingly enough, it was he who first agreed to Dumbledore's request for an 'anti-aggression' pact... Potter had been the one who carried on, yelling like a child throwing a fit, at the suggestion. Draco had been so pleased to be the mature one... He smirked at the mere thought of it. He'd sat coolly in his chair while Potter had his tantrum. The Headmaster looked on, as if he, too, were amused by their very different reactions.

It had taken Dumbledore reminding the Gryffindor of the attempt on Draco's life before he'd finally relented. After they'd both agreed to a temporary settlement of their differences, Dumbledore suggested inviting Hermione and the two Weasels for added brain power. Draco didn't see the need; after all, Hermione was smarter than her friends were combined. But he couldn't say otherwise to the Headmaster.

The two of them made an unlikely pair as they left the office and made their way to find Hermione and the others. It was better just to get this all over with as quickly as possible, in his opinion. They looked in the most logical place first... the library. The two girls were sitting at a table in the back corner. It wasn't the table he'd shared with Hermione, but another one, further from the windows.

Both girls appeared to be deep in thought when they arrived and didn't notice either of them for several moments. He took the opportunity to study Hermione since he hadn't been very close to her in days. She was pensive, staring off at nothing, her eyes focusing on something deep within her mind. He wondered if he could guess what she was thinking... He could tell from her expression that she was confused, conflicted about something. She was absently chewing her bottom lip, a habit he noticed she had when giving considerable attention to her thoughts.

Slowly, as if coming out of trance, she noticed him. Her eyes rested for a moment on his hands, both of which were leisurely draped across the wooden table's gnarled surface. Her gaze traveled up his arms gradually, until it came to a stop on his face. He felt her eyes, piercing and strong, searching his own, as if afraid that he wasn't really there, but a figment of her imagination.

Finally she noticed that Potter was with him and a look of confusion crossed her face, but it was the other one, Ginny, who spoke. But Hermione didn't take her eyes off of him, not even when Potter started talking, though he was fairly sure that she listened, anyway.

Potter mumbled and tripped over the words as he spoke them, making Draco's head ache in annoyance. "Uh - It's Dumbledore. Apparently Malfoy and I have a lot to talk about. Dumbledore suggested that we sit down together and strategize. Or something."

Draco sighed at Potter's inability to string two sentences together without sounding like a fool and cut in. "What Potter is rather inarticulately trying to say is that we've been ordered by a deranged meddlesome fool to talk to each other," he said, each word punctuated with disgust. "Without violence," he added, as if there were no other alternatives.

Draco felt the female Weasley's scorching gaze on him and he glared down at her. No one spoke so he continued. "And the old man recommended that you two and Weasley be included."

Hermione was again looking at him, a small frown on her face. Then, quite suddenly, her expression changed to that of excited realization.

"Are we finally going to talk about the prophecies?" she asked enthusiastically. It took a lot of Draco's self-restraint not to break out in a grin at her obvious happiness, even if he was less than thrilled at the idea of working with Potter and the Weasleys.

Potter's voice cut into his thoughts, however. "You knew about the prophecy?" he asked Hermione bitingly. "I thought I told you that in confidence..." he said, turning his glare from Hermione to the Weaselette.

Hermione stood up quickly in her friend's defense, an arm reaching out to placate the other boy. "Ginny never said a word and until this moment I didn't even realize you'd told anyone. Honestly, Harry. I was with Draco when Dumbledore told him of his prophecy. It was he who mentioned the other prophecy and Draco's relation to yours, Harry."

Hermione's arm was still resting on Potter's and the familiarity of it bothered Draco immensely. It seemed to bother Ginny, too, though the other girl had no reason to be jealous, since Hermione's affections lay elsewhere. At least Draco hoped they did. But Ginny broke in anyway, too quickly, and Hermione retracted her hand from Potter's arm. Good girl.

"There's more than one prophecy?! Malfoy has one, too? Merlin, this is just getting to be too much!" Ginny sighed dramatically before dropping her head into her hands in frustration.

"Would you be quiet! Do you Gryffindors have absolutely no sense, whatsoever? This is not something we want the entire school and half of Hogsmeade to hear!" Draco said coldly. Ginny raised her head and snarled at him in response but didn't say anything.

"Perhaps we should move this conversation somewhere a little more private..." Hermione suggested diplomatically.

Potter nodded and Ginny started gathering her things. Within minutes they were making their way to the front of the library. Draco ignored the open-mouthed stares of the other students as he trailed indolently behind Potter and Ginny. Hermione followed just a few steps behind him, leaving Draco to wonder if she didn't trust herself, or him, enough to walk beside him.

When they got into the corridor, Potter turned to the female Weasel and asked her to fetch her brother. She turned back to him, hands on hips, and said, "You honestly think that I can convince Ron, my brother, tall red-headed bloke, mortal enemy of the Ferret-"

"What's that, Weasley?!"

"Sorry... As I was saying. You honestly think that Ron will willingly come along for this little meeting? You're probably more likely to be struck by lightning..."

Potter grimaced. "I see your point... I'll come with you." He turned toward Hermione and asked, "Are you going to be alright?"

Draco stepped forward, an arm out to possessively claim the sleeve of Hermione's robe. "She'll be fine, Potter." The other boy still looked skeptical. "She's got her wand right here... and we all know that she's more than capable with it."

Potter still looked for affirmation in Hermione's face before nodding slightly and turning to continue down the corridor. Ginny stayed behind a moment longer, her eyes searching Hermione's. Finally, ignoring Draco again, she said, "Meet us at the Room of Requirement. We'll be right along." She gave Hermione one final imploring look before turning on her heel and chasing after Potter.

They were alone. Finally. He'd been waiting for a moment like this all week, a time when he could try to explain to her what she'd seen that night in the hospital wing. Not that it needed it, really. Dark Marks were fairly self-explanatory...

They walked in silence, and Draco spent the time it took for them to reach the Room of Requirement mentally deliberating various ways to broach the subject. He couldn't come up with any. In the end, though, he didn't need to. She did it for him.

"It doesn't matter to me. I know that you got it before... that day. I mean, at least I think you did. You didn't get it afterwards? Did you?" she asked quietly, her eyes trained purposefully on the floor. She refused to look at him. "Please, tell me you got it before..."

"The ceremony was the night before. I wasn't even sure what was going to happen until we got to your house."

"Oh." She glanced up at him, over her shoulder, her hair obscuring part of her face. "I see. Well, it's just as I thought then."

"Look, Hermione, I just want to get some things straight between us. I'm tired of this just hanging in the air all the time." The words rushed out, and he was unable to stop himself. Deliberately, he slowed himself down. He wanted to choose his words carefully. If he got his thoughts across just right, then maybe she'd understand. It was a subject that neither of them had been willing to acknowledge and that both of them had ignored.

His voice was stronger than he meant it to be when he finally began speaking again. "I didn't know until we got to your house what was going to happen. I didn't think I'd start out with something so serious so quickly. I thought we'd begin with a little muggle-baiting, throwing up the Dark Mark in muggle neighborhoods, that sort of thing..."

She looked like she wanted to cut in, but he held up his hand for silence, requesting her permission to continue uninterrupted. She closed her mouth and waited for him to speak.

"I want you to understand, and you don't have to believe me. I just want to be able to tell you... I would have done the same thing for anyone, any Muggle-born." He stopped talking at the confused look on her face. "I don't want you thinking that the only reason that I didn't go through with killing you was because of who you are. What I'm trying to say is that I don't think I could have killed anyone, any Muggle-born."

When she didn't say anything for a moment, the tension set in. The nervous fluttering in his stomach returned and he could feel his heart beating rapidly inside his chest. Draco needed to know what she thought; he needed to know what she would say. But she wouldn't look at him, or couldn't, he was unable to tell which. He felt like he was so close to finally making a breakthrough with her. He could feel the months of confusion and awkwardness finally reaching their breaking point. But he had to know what she thought of his declaration.

But she still hadn't said anything.

"Hermione, I need to know... You've got to talk to me," he said quietly, the words whispered and controlled, unlike his previous statements.

Her hair was still obscuring her face from his view and he desperately wanted to see her eyes, to see if she understood what he was trying so hard to tell her. Tentatively, he reached forward with his hand and brushed the dark curls back from her face. She turned toward him then, every thought and emotion conveyed through her eyes.

But he needed to hear her say it. He needed to know that she understood. He considered for a moment just walking away. It was beneath him to beg for anything, especially something as simple as a few words. But in the end, he gave into the temptation to ask, one last time...

"Please..."

It was only then that Draco learned the power of that simple word. In his eyes it became more potent than any spell or incantation. It had the ability to bring people down before him and do as he asked. The word 'Please' was a powerful motivator, and it had the necessary effect on Hermione.

"Oh, Draco. I do understand... It doesn't matter to me that you took the Dark Mark, or that you joined with the Death Eaters. All that matters is that when it really counted, you rejected it and more importantly, you rejected the path your father had set out for you. The Dark Mark doesn't mean anything if you don't believe in it, or its power. It means more if you don't."

He made to reply but just then Potter and the two Weasleys returned. They were all looking at him oddly and with distrust. It didn't matter. All that mattered was that Hermione understood. Eventually they would, too, though their approval meant little to him, then.

"Why are we just standing around? Let's get on with this, then," Potter said coldly, his eyes on Draco.

"Just waiting on you, old friend... Didn't want to start the party without the approval of the gracious host," Draco drawled back at him, his bad mood lessening more and more since his conversation with Hermione. He could almost forgive Potter's insolence.

Potter ignored him and paced back and forth in front of the wall until the door appeared. He gestured for them all to go inside before him, but as Draco made to move in after the two girls and Ron, Potter brushed past him and into the room. The door almost swung back and hit him, but he caught it and followed bitterly behind the other boy and into the room. He couldn't really blame Potter; he supposed he could understand the other boy's attitude.

Draco had never been inside the Room of Requirement, though he was aware of its existence and understood the mechanics of its use. The room was set up with individual arm chairs and a large thick rug in the center of the room. A tea service stood alone on a low table before a long couch. There were few decorations about the room and it served its utilitarian purpose.

Hermione sat down on one end of the couch and Ginny sat down next to her. The Weasel took the arm chair closest to Hermione, leaving only two chairs in the room. Refusing to sit next to Weasel King, Draco took one of the chairs on the opposite side of the rug, furthest from the couch. He just dared Potter to sit next to him. The boy didn't, however, and took up the seat next to Ginny on the couch. Draco smirked at Potter for his seating choice... I just love being right.

He felt the isolation of being on the opposite side, with the four little Gryffindors forming a solid front before him. It wasn't his choice to be here and he didn't want to make friends... But he was there, and he was concerned about his own life. And Hermione's. If working with the little group of self-righteous Gryffindors is what it took to ensure his and Hermione's safety, then he'd make the necessary sacrifices. Even if it included an afternoon with Potter.

* * *

"Let me get this straight," Ron said as he leaned forward in his chair, his brow knit together in confusion. "You've got to kill You-Know-Who before he kills you," he said to Harry before turning to Malfoy. "And you're this so called Half-Blood Prince."

Malfoy glared back at him before replying icily, "That is how it appears on the surface, Weasley."

Ron felt like gloating for a moment. "So that means that you're not a pure-blood, then?" he teased mercilessly.

Ron loved the feeling of having finally one-upped the Slytherin... he wanted to relish in it and laugh and taunt the other boy, but his sister wouldn't let him...

Ginny cut in before the problem could escalate. "Oh, come off it, Ron. That's not what's important right now. We've got to figure out what the prophecies mean," Ginny scolded.

Feeling sufficiently reprimanded, Ron stamped down on the desire to ridicule Malfoy for the years of tormenting and torture he'd endured at the other boy's hands. He really wanted revenge for that damned 'Weasley is Our King' song...

"Actually," Hermione interjected, interrupting Ron from his feelings of revenge, "I think we need to try to understand the more immediate problems first. Why have Draco, Harry, and I all been threatened? And do the threats relate to one another?"

It took Ron a second to digest what she'd said... she'd been threatened? That was unbelievably more frightening than the fight in the Department of Mysteries or the fall Malfoy had from his broom. Hermione being threatened was basically the worst thing that could happen. Ron was shocked and couldn't say anything.

"What do you mean, you've been threatened?" Harry asked quickly. "I thought Voldemort was only targeting Malfoy and me."

Hermione sighed before glancing at Malfoy, almost as if she needed his approval before speaking. The other boy nodded almost imperceptibly and she continued. "Draco's mother apparently wants to shut me up about this summer. She thinks that I'm the only one who knows about... Draco's biological parentage. Obviously she's afraid that I'll go to the papers and discredit her family," she said quietly, her eye on Malfoy the entire time. She looked back at Harry, then leaned across Ginny and reassuringly reached out for his arm. "But, there's no need to worry. Dumbledore already knows and protection measures have been put into place. As long as I'm here, I'll be safe. It'll be alright, Harry. I promise."

The thought that Hermione was also targeted was heavy on Ron's heart. It brought the whole thing close to home and made the entire situation even more real. He couldn't say anything, or find any words to respond with. He was afraid for her, even if Dumbledore had made sure she was protected. It wasn't nearly enough simply to have safeguards placed around the school.

It was Ginny who finally broke the silence. "Okay, so we need to figure out why the three of you have been targeted."

Ron turned to Harry and asked, "What does You-Know-Who actually know about the prophecies?"

Harry nodded at the question, gathering his thoughts as he pulled his mouth tight before answering. "Dumbledore figured that he only heard about the very first part of my prophecy. He didn't hear the rest."

"So, what did the prophecies say again, Hermione? You wrote them both down. Read them back to us again," Ginny said, obviously confused and eager to piece everything together.

Hermione pulled the parchment out in front of her. "Alright. Harry's first: 'The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... And the Dark Lord will mark him as an equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... And either must die at the hand of the other, for neither can live while the other survives.'"

"Now, how much did You-Know-Who hear, again?" Ron asked.

Harry responded tiredly, "He heard up to the bit about 'marking him as an equal.' That's why he went after me and my parents. That's why I've got this scar."

Hermione's eyes burned brightly as she digested the information. "Voldemort fulfilled part of the prophecy without even knowing it. And he was confused about why you weren't dead. That's why the Killing Curse didn't work on you, Harry. That's why he lured you into the Department of Mysteries last term. He wanted the prophecy, and all his previous attempts to get it had failed. He needed you to get it for him."

Harry nodded. "That's what Dumbledore thought, anyway."

Ginny looked up at Harry, an expression of horror on her face. "So, basically, you've got to kill him or he's got to kill you..."

Before Harry could respond, Malfoy cut in. "That's the most basic understanding of it anyway, Weasley. Let's move on to something we don't already get."

Ron felt like hitting him. Bloody ferret... But he kept his anger in check, though it required sufficient effort.

"What about the 'power the Dark Lord knows not' or whatever it was?" Ron asked.

"I don't know... I've been trying to figure something out about that. Any ideas, Harry?" Hermione asked.

"I guess that could be my mother's sacrifice. That's what Dumbledore thinks saved me from Voldemort in the first place. I dunno, that could be it. Maybe."

"Hmm... I don't know. You're probably right, though. If Dumbledore thinks it, then it must be true..." Hermione replied, her eyes on the parchment in front of her, intent on discerning its secrets.

Malfoy sighed dramatically, and everyone but Hermione was pointedly ignoring him. "You lot are looking at this from the entirely wrong angle. I don't see how you've all managed to stay alive if this is your method for solving things."

"And what would you know about it, Malfoy?" Ron ground out angrily.

"Ron, stop it. Draco's right. We aren't looking at this the right way. We've got to dig a little deeper. What I don't understand is how the two prophecies relate... They don't make any sense together. Let's try tackling Draco's now, shall we?" Hermione suggested, tactfully changing the subject.

"My prophecy is much more interesting, anyway," Malfoy said smugly, sending a disdainful look at Ron.

Ron resisted the urge to growl.

"I just don't get it... It doesn't make any sense, like Harry's does. It's all very vague. There are a thousand meanings for every part of it," Hermione said, her voice drenched in confusion.

"Oh, just read it, Hermione," Ron urged, still annoyed at Malfoy.

"Alright, Ron. No need to get snippy," she replied, her voice laced with exasperation. "'The fate of our world is divided in two; What once was old will again be new. Black and White will become Grey; The Grey to be reformed like clay. In the deepest dark a spark is born; Though it's true his heart is torn. What will be lost will come again; Though it will be where it had not been. As the old moon fades into the new; The Half-Blood Prince is crowned askew...'"

"So, what's the relation of this prophecy to Harry's?" Ginny asked quietly, appearing to still dwell on the knowledge that Harry would have to face You-Know-Who in a showdown. Ron felt badly for her, he really did.

Hermione turned toward Malfoy. "Any ideas you'd care to contribute, Draco?"

"A few... I mean, obviously the first bit is about the pure-bloods and the muggle-borns. What else could it be, anyway?" he replied nonchalantly.

"It could refer to Harry and You-Know-Who. The fate of the entire wizarding world practically rests in his hands," Ginny chimed in proudly.

Hermione chewed thoughtfully on the end of her quill before responding. "Well, I was thinking about just that and neither of those really addresses the second part of that stanza. What does, 'what once was old will again be new' mean? I just don't understand it... These ideas make sense and all, but they don't encompass the second half of the first part... We'll come back to that," Hermione trailed off as her thoughts grew deeper.

"Let's move on, then. 'Black and White will become Grey.' That is obviously the Death Eaters and the Order. Right?" Ron asked skeptically.

Hermione, disagreed, however. "I was thinking that it might mean the preconceived notions of the laws regarding the status of Muggle-borns and Muggles in wizarding society. They are horribly persecuted by outdated prejudices."

Malfoy nodded but didn't agree automatically like the rest of them. Ron was upset to see that the Slytherin was the only one of the bunch thinking on a deeper level about the prophecies. He even believed Hermione to be impressed with Malfoy's ideas.

Malfoy leaned back in his chair. His voice was slow and proud as he spoke. "That's great and all, but I really don't think you've quite hit on it, yet. My mother's name was Black. Lucius obviously wasn't my real father, but he is the only one I've known, and what if he was the 'White' mentioned in the prophecy? Hell, 'White' could be my birth father's name for all I know. I never met the bloke. So, if that were true, then I'd be the 'Grey' mentioned in the prophecy."

Hermione was obviously proud of him for his train of thought, and it really tried Ron's temper.

"Draco, that's brilliant! And Lucius even mentioned his attempts at molding you into the symbol of his cause. That would work with the second part of that stanza. I can't believe I didn't think of that myself! It's so obvious... 'Black' clearly could refer to the Black family! But, let's not discount the other possibilities. The real answer could be none of these that we've said. It could be something else entirely..."

Ron was annoyed at Hermione's exuberance concerning Malfoy. He quickly tried to change the subject.

"So, what's the next part? I can't remember..." he asked.

"'In the deepest dark a spark is born,'" she replied quietly, and Ron suppressed the urge to groan aloud.

Malfoy was the one who cut in, however, and steered the conversation from that particular line. "I think that one is the most self-explanatory. We don't even need to get into it, do we," he said. He didn't ask, and his tone didn't brook any sort of reply.

Ginny wasn't willing to back down off of this one, and pushed the issue, much to everyone's mortification. Her tone was teasing as she grilled Malfoy. "Well, I'm not sure that I understand completely. Malfoy, does that mean that you will feel a certain 'spark' for someone? Or maybe you're just going to set a fire, or something?" she teased.

Ron resisted the urge to hit his sister, and was very close to acting on his instinct. It was Hermione's bright red blush that eventually did him in. He retreated in silence, more annoyed now than before.

"I honestly haven't any idea what it could mean, Weasley. Your guess is as good as mine, well maybe not quite as good..." he replied viciously.

Hermione interjected and tried to steer the conversation back toward the prophecy. "It could be that the spark is Draco himself... He came from a Dark family and his heart was torn as to what to believe. But he rejected it. He's here with us, and maybe he doesn't want to be, but what matters is that he's here. I don't know; it's just a thought."

Ron watched her carefully and realized suddenly that she didn't reciprocate the feelings that he had for her. It weighed heavily on him, that loss. But, she believed in Malfoy and maybe that was enough for him to believe in him, too. Maybe. She was looking hard at Malfoy who, for his part, remained motionless and quiet on the other side of the room.

"Let's just skip to the next part, shall we? 'What will be lost will come again. But it will be where it had not been.' I don't even have the foggiest notion what that could mean... It says 'what will be lost' meaning that we haven't lost it yet. Any ideas what that could mean?" she asked.

"No clue," Malfoy said quietly.

"I don't know either," was Ginny's response.

Ron was sulking and didn't say anything.

Hermione turned toward Harry for his opinion. "Harry, you haven't said anything in awhile. What are your thoughts?"

"I don't know, Hermione. Um... What could Malfoy lose?" Harry said quietly. "And why would it come back to someplace it wasn't before? I don't know, Hermione. I don't really see how this is helping."

"No, Harry, this is really good, for all of us. We're sharing ideas and trying to figure out what all this means... We have to do this eventually and the sooner the better, in my opinion," Hermione replied. "But, I understand your frustration. Let's not worry about the prophecies right now, let's move on to the death threats."

There was a collective groan as everyone dreaded the thought of going over all of this even one more time. Ron personally wanted to run from the room and hide all weekend behind his bed-curtains. Hermione stood firm, however and wouldn't let any of them try to get out of the discussion.

"Now, we all know that Voldemort only knows about the first part of Harry's prophecy. So, presumably, he doesn't have any clue about Draco's." Hermione stated quickly.

It was Draco who caught on first... much to Ron's disappointment.

"So, what you are saying is that the incident with Nott was unrelated to the prophecy... I'm not so sure," Draco replied, appearing to still be thinking hard.

"I still don't believe it was just a personal vendetta against you, Draco. I think the Voldemort wanted to get rid of you because of the names you gave the Ministry at your hearing this summer. Plus, you inadvertently killed his right hand man, and basically removed yourself from the group. Your mother's threat is also unrelated. She is just trying to protect her family. Voldemort only knows about Harry's ability to kill him," Hermione said.

"But, you're forgetting one thing, Granger, and that is what Lucius said right before he died. Don't you remember? He called me the Half-Blood Prince. And then said that the Dark Lord knows everything," Draco said quietly. "He knows, Hermione. Somehow he found out..."

The room suddenly drowned with the tension. A strange look, very similar to the one she'd had in the hospital after the kidnapping, appeared on her face. It pained Ron to see her like that, so broken looking and fragile. Malfoy didn't look much better, and for the first time Ron actually felt a small amount of sympathy for him. He didn't know what to do with that information and was confused by his reaction. So, he did the only thing he could think to do. Complain.

"My arse is getting sore sitting here... and I'm hungry. Can we take a break or something... come back later, or better yet, tomorrow?" he asked pleadingly.

Hermione broke out of her trance-like state and looked at the rest of them for confirmation, before finally gave in. "Okay, fine. I think we could all do with a nice break. Why don't we go down to dinner and meet back up in the Library?"

Ginny nodded eagerly and Harry appeared relieved. Ron didn't bother to notice what Malfoy's opinion was, instead he jumped up and practically ran to the Great Hall for dinner. Ginny and Hermione followed Ron out, though not at such a brisk pace. Harry had almost left the room when Malfoy's voice called him back.

"Potter, can I talk to you for a minute?"