My Soul Mate

Chapter Eight - MysteriOus Minerva...

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"All right, everybody," Harry called in the Room of Requirement. It was the first DA meeting after school had reopened. As Dumbledore had suggested, Harry was about to teach his fellow DA members the Schild Charm.

It was seven in the evening and all the members were present. When Harry spoke, they all assembled together, eager to know what they would be learning that year.

"Well, no wasting time in asking how the holidays went by. Today we will learn a new Shield Charm," said Harry. "It is stronger and more resistant than Protego. Yes, Terry?"

"Where is Ron?" asked Terry Boot, an intelligent looking Ravenclaw Prefect in the sixth year too.

"He's meeting Dumbledore. I expect he will be here in half an hour," replied Harry. "As I was saying, the new Shielding Charm, Schild, is the advanced form of Protego. It is actually rated as Dark Magic, however, it has not been banned. Aurors use it quite frequently. What again, Terry?"

"Are you speaking of the same spell that Draco Malfoy had used yesterday morning?"

Harry narrowed his eyes. Clever Ravenclaws, he thought satirically. "Yes, Terry, I am speaking of that," he said. "This is a powerful shield and no spell can break through it except for the Unforgivable Curses. When cast, it lasts for thirty minutes exactly. Anyway, since this is advanced magic, creating this spell requires high magical deftness - don't look embarrassed, Neville, you can do it. So now, pair up into groups two. Then, point your wands at yourselves and say 'Schild'. S-C-H-I-L-D, Schild. A shield will be formed, no matter how weak, as per your magical prowess. After you are done, try and Stun your partners. If you manage to Stun them, it means that your respective partner has produced a weak shield and vice versa. Okay then, pair up everybody! What now, Terry?"

"Have you learnt this spell?"

"Yes, I have, and quite well," said Harry acidly

"How? I mean, who taught you?"

"Professor Dumbledore. Now start!"

The DA members started scrambling around grabbing partners like Harry ordered them to. Harry, as usual, walked over to Neville (since he usually partnered him), but only to find Neville with Ginny.

"I am sorry, Harry," said Neville nervously. "But Ginny was alone."

Ginny opened her mouth to say something, but suddenly cried aloud clutching her right foot. That didn't go unnoticed by Harry - he had seen Neville purposefully stamping his foot on hers. He supposed that Neville didn't want to be embarrassed in from of the whole club by getting flattened by Harry. Harry didn't mind, though.

"It's okay, Neville," said Harry kindly and set off to find another partner.

"Harry?" said a mild voice from behind.

Harry spun around and saw himself face to face with Cho Chang. Even after what she had done earlier to him and the entire DA, Harry remained impassive.

"Yes?" he asked.

"I was wondering if you ... if you," stammered Cho nervously. "If you could partner me."

"Why?" asked Harry coldly. "Where is that 'sneak' friend of yours?"

Cho looked abashed. "You don't expect Marietta to attend DA after what Hermione Granger had done to her back in our last year!" she argued back.

"So I suppose that she would be quite happy now, after what happened to Hermione?"

"No, it's not like that!" said Cho looking scandalized. "Anyway, why are we talking about her? She is not even over here -"

"And she never will be. We don't have room for traitors."

"Harry please," pleaded Cho. "Let Marietta be. Will you please help me out with the Schild Charm?"

Before Harry could answer, Terry Boot had called upon him again.

"Oi!" he called across the room. "Harry, we are done!"

Harry looked around. The members were indeed done. Many were laid down on the floor, Stunned, while their partners stood next to them, some looking pleased and some, apologetic. Unsurprisingly, Neville was Stunned. Ginny shrugged her shoulders at Harry causally, shooting Cho a suspicious look.

Harry turned to Cho. "You wasted both of our time," he told her briskly. "I have to go and check on the others. I'll call Ginny to partner you."

Cho opened her mouth wordlessly but found herself facing Virginia Weasley, with Harry gone.

Ginny scowled at Cho. Cho glared back and performed the Schild Charm on herself. In a flash of red light, she was on the floor, Stunned.

Harry is mine, Chang, thought Ginny triumphantly. No one can take him from me. No one.

____________________________________________________________________

Ron rapped his knuckles on the polished oak door with the griffin brass knob that with a plaque that said 'The Headmaster'.

"Come in," said Dumbledore from inside.

Ron opened the door to find Dumbledore sitting on his chair, looking somber and Professor McGonagall, seated opposite to him.

"Ah, Mr. Weasley," greeted Dumbledore. "Good evening. I was expecting you. Do take a seat."

Ron sat himself on a chair next to McGonagall. "Good evening, Professors," he said and then turned to Dumbledore. "You wanted to see me, Sir?"

"Yes, Ron, yes," replied Dumbledore heavily. "I wanted to talk to you about the commission."

"I thought Professor Moody and Sirius would have already told you about it, about capturing the Death Eaters. It's even out in the evening papers."

"Why, they did of course," agreed Dumbledore. "But I didn't call you here to relate today's events, Ron."

"So I guess you wanted to discuss about our proceedings, Professor?"

Dumbledore looked at McGonagall uneasily. Then turning to Ron, he said uneasily, "Er ... in a way, yes I did."

"What is it, Professor?"

"Well, Ron ... I am afraid you won't be allowed to go on in mission anymore."

"What!" exclaimed Ron, outraged.

"Keep your voice down, Weasley," barked McGonagall.

"Minerva -" began Dumbledore but McGonagall cut him off.

"I'll take the charge of explaining the cause to him, Albus," she said sternly. "Look here Weasley, we know that Miss Granger means a lot to Potter and you, but on that basis, we can't possibly allow you to give up your classes and go looking for find her. You have got to prepare for your NEWTs, which you'll take next year and they are very important for your career."

"But Professor, Hermione -"

"If you think Weasley, that we cannot manage to find Miss Granger without your help, then you are wrong," said McGonagall harshly. Then she added after a moment, in a rather softer tone, "Rest assured, Weasley, we will find Miss Granger and soon."

Ron didn't know what to say, but he felt that whatever was being done was simply exorbitant.

"Now I suggest you attend the DA meeting, Ron," said Dumbledore. "Today is an important lesson."

Ron nodded curtly and left the office, rage roaring in his veins and his face set.

____________________________________________________________________

Blinded by tears, Hermione rushed into the bedroom, slamming the door shut behind her. The impassive exterior she had held onto had shattered into pieces when she learnt that Hagrid's death had taken place due to Draco's negligence. Had he been a bit more thoughtful, Hagrid would still have been among them, laughing and joking as usual.

But he wasn't. He was dead. He was gone forever ... forever.

And Draco...

No sooner had her thoughts diverged to her abductor than he appeared.

"Hermione," he called as he knocked on the door. "Hermione open up, please!"

"Go away!" shrieked Hermione.

"Hermione please, don't leave me alone!"

"I don't want to speak to you now!"

"You are the one who has dragged me through this and now you are withdrawing! I'll get you for this, Granger!"

"Do whatever you feel like!"

"All right!"

Suddenly, the door creaked open, revealing a furious Draco with his wand out. He walked up to her sobbing form on the bed, flinging his wand on the floor and then grabbed her by her arms, pulling her upwards.

Roughly tilting her chin, he forced her to look at him.

"What the hell do you think you are playing at, Granger?" he hissed. "First you convince me to speak to you as a friend and then, you walk out on me within five minutes. What sort of game is this?"

Hermione didn't answer, but she wanted to tell him that no, she wasn't playing with him.

"You showed me a ray of light which no one else had ever done - trust," went on Draco. "I trusted you and you are betraying me, right?"

Mortified, Hermione shook her head slowly.

Draco relaxed a bit. He gently wiped away her tears. "No, I know you would never do that," he whispered. "I have known you long enough to say that you are loyal ... Hermione."

Hermione didn't answer.

"Look at my eyes again, Hermione, and tell me, don't I have the right, as a human, to be excused for the mistakes I have made unintentionally?"

Hermione couldn't help looking at those eyes and again, she felt the earnestness in them. His eyes had transfixed her.

Grief, anger and confusion combined together gave Hermione a headache.

Draco Malfoy ... the Slytherin ... the bastard ... her archenemy ... a Death Eater...

A Death Eater?

Was just branding the Dark Mark enough to make anybody a Death Eater?

No, it wasn't, Hermione reasoned. Draco just had the Dark Mark on his forearm, but he didn't have the attitude of a Death Eater. When Hermione heard him telling his story, the look in his eyes compelled her to believe him. And there was proof - Draco was running from the Death Eaters. He was running from Voldemort. He wanted the Emancipation Potion to free himself out of the Dark Lord's clutches. He was not a Death Eater. Money, arrogance and ill will didn't make anybody a Death Eater. The Dark Mark didn't make anybody a Death Eater. Snape has the Dark Mark too, but was he a Death Eater? Certainly not. Then why not Draco Malfoy?

Draco was nasty all right, but from his own testimony, he didn't even mean it when he called her a Mudblood, let alone think about torturing and killing people like her. He was decent at heart, but just ignored and jealous. He was lost in an abyss and no one to help him out. He didn't have any friends and had always fought his battles alone. His condition was even worse than what Harry's had been, living with the Dursleys, without anybody in the world for years.

So did Draco deserve to be extenuated, at least be given a chance for once? He was human after all...

"Hermione," said Draco, his face inches away from her. "You behaved almost like a friend, then why can you not trust me here?

"I want to, I want to," sobbed Hermione. "But the thought that what will Harry and Ron say if they knew I was hobnobbing with you ... they will be furious."

Draco's face hardened at Harry and Ron's thought. "But does that mean," he asked Hermione, a bit hurt. "For their sake you will leave me where I am? Lost and alone? Can't you even help me out? Do you have to consult them for everything? Think for yourself."

"Look," said Hermione. "It is foolish to believe someone, someone who had played the archenemy for five years straight, blindly. I just can't do that, Mal-Draco! I want to believe you but all the same, I want proof!"

Draco stared at Hermione wordlessly. "All right," he said. "What do want me to do so that you can believe me?"

"Go to Hogwarts."

"What!"

"Yes ... Draco," pleaded Hermione. "Go to Hogwarts, go to Dumbledore. If you say all that you have told me, then I swear, Dumbledore will hand you the potion book without any question."

"If I step into Hogwarts now, people will kill me! And I don't believe in that old coot."

"Malfoy, watch your mouth! Dumbledore is wise and kind, respect him. And if you want me to help you, you'll have to do this!"

"I won't!"

"Fine, go on, then!" shouted Hermione shaking herself out of Draco's grasp. "Stay and rot over here forever! You can't even lay a finger on that book and be a nasty Death Eater for all I care! Here I am, trying to save you, but I think you're too stubborn and proud to listen to a Mudblood!"

"Hermione ... I didn't say that."

"What? Either do that or lament, I don't care! I was imprudent, to think a pureblood like you would give into me."

"I never meant that!" said Draco, scandalized. "All right, I will go to Hogwarts, happy?"

"You are not joking?"

Draco groaned. "Do I look in a situation to joke, Granger?" he asked.

"No."

"But there is one problem."

"What?"

"We can't go without being intercepted by the Ministry," reasoned Draco. "The Daily Prophet has printed news with photos about you and me, and people are looking for us."

"How d'you know that?" asked Hermione surprised.

"Wormtail had owled the information me," he explained.

"But we can't stay here and expect Dumbledore to come flying by himself. We've got take risks, Draco."

"What if I am caught?"

"I'll give testimony that I came with you on my own free will and as for Hagrid's death, you know you will have to face the Wizengamot some time."

Draco put his hands up in defeat. "All right..." he sighed. "But I don't want to face the students now..."

"I understand," said Hermione soothingly. "But I know a way in which you won't have to face any student at all, though it will be hard to avoid any teacher."

"I guess that'll be okay, but what's the plan?"

"Apparate us to the Shrieking Shack."

____________________________________________________________________

Fifteen minutes later, Draco and Hermione were seen, lurking in the shadows behind the Shrieking Shack.

"What now?" whispered Draco, looking at the collapsible building, wondering why Hermione wanted to come there for a rendezvous with the ghosts.

"We have to climb up to the second floor," said Hermione. "After that, I know the way."

"How come you know that? Have you been here before?"

"For the tenth time, Draco, I'll explain to you once we're inside safely."

"All right," said Draco sulkily.

"Is the coast clear?" asked Hermione.

"Yeah. I think we should climb up now."

"Fine." said Hermione. She swished her wand and almost immediately, a ladder materialized in front of them, leaning on the Shrieking Shack.

"You go first," said Hermione.

"Okay." said Draco and he climbed up. Hermione kept an eye for the villagers.

"Safe landing," called Draco a few minutes later. "Now, you come up."

"Yes, I am coming up," replied Hermione as she started climbing.

She had just been a few steps up when a slow male voice slurred below, "Dennis, is tha' a ladder?"

Hermione froze. She looked up at Draco fearfully.

"I can't seeee pro-perly, mate," said another voice, which obviously belonged to Dennis.

Draco looked below apprehensively. He saw two old men below, pointing out to the ladder and making grotesque sounds.

"Oh, I migh' have drunk too much, Dennis," said the first voice.

"I s'pose soooo,"

"Then let's go."

"Alrigh'."

And both of them stalked away, staggering and making queer noises again.

Hermione sighed in relief. They had almost been caught. Had those men not been drunk... Hermione didn't want to think what would have happened.

"Now come up or are you waiting for more people to arrive and spot us?" said Draco impatiently.

"No, I'm coming," replied Hermione and she quickly climbed up the ladder.

On reaching the landing, she flicked her wand and the ladder vanished.

"That..." panted Hermione. "Was close."

"Where now?" asked Draco.

"Come inside."

With the Alohomora Charm, she opened a door and stepped inside, lighting her wand. Memories flooded into her mind. About two and a half years ago she had been here, with Harry, Ron, Lupin, Sirius and Scabbers, or rather, Peter Pettigrew. Nothing had changed since her last visit. The four-poster bed was still had a thick layer of dust covering it, the walls had cobwebs all around and the curtains were torn. She turned to Draco, who also had his wand lit.

"This place was surely haunted," he whispered. "And the ghosts were really violent."

"Er ... yes, I s'pose so," said Hermione. She didn't think she should give away the secrets that the walls held. And by the way, Harry, Ron, Lupin or Sirius wouldn't be pleased if Draco came to know about it.

"How many times have you been here?" asked Draco interestedly.

"Once."

"And why did you come over here?"

"To sneak into Hogsmeade, of course," lied Hermione smoothly.

"You sneaked into Hogsmeade?" said Draco, impressed. "I never knew you had it in you."

"I didn't come here on my own will," snapped Hermione. "Harry and Ron made me."

"So it means that Potter and Weasley know about this too?" asked Draco bitterly.

"Yes."

"Note to self: must inform McGonagall,"

"Oh go on," said Hermione unable to conceal her glee. "I'd like you to waste your breath."

In the faint light, Draco raised his eyebrows. "What -" he began.

"Come on," said Hermione sternly, cutting him off. "We need to go."

She walked straight towards the door that led to a tunnel, which in turn led to the secret entrance beneath the Whomping Willow. Draco followed her, knowing that it wasn't the time to ask about the unexpected rule-breaking Hermione.

"So are we going to walk from Hogsmeade to Hogwarts?" asked Draco incredulously.

"Right,"

"That'll take about an hour, Hermione, why don't we Apparate?"

"You can't Apparate or Disapparate from here, and by the way, if you Apparated beyond the Hogwarts grounds and if any student sees you ... you wouldn't like that, wouldn't you?"

"I guess not."

There was silence for many minutes during which Hermione and Draco continuously walked in the narrow lane.

"Why are you doing all this, Hermione?" asked Draco suddenly.

"I ... I don't know," said Hermione, a bit surprised. "If you mean why I am the helping the enemy ... I think that's the way I am ... I like helping people, and anyway, you are in deep trouble."

"Have you always been so saintly?"

"Was that a comment or compliment, Draco?"

"Both,"

"Bosh! I am not saintly; I just want to help people who are in trouble. It's ludicrous to think that I'll suddenly get up from my bed and go and help Veerappan,"

"Who?"

"Nothing, Muggle terrorist. Like Voldemort."

"Oh."

There was silence again. The atmosphere was really hot and they were both perspiring in their robes. Irritated, Hermione took her robe off.

Draco found himself staring Hermione's at her curvy body again. He couldn't help it. She just had a perfectly delicious figure. She was so desirable...

Hermione felt a funny prickling on her neck. She spun around and caught Draco off guard.

"Aren't you hot?" she asked him, eyeing him suspiciously.

"No, I'm okay."

"If you say so,"

Hermione turned back and started walking again. She knew Draco had been staring at her. She shuddered at the thought of Draco having carnal thoughts about her. Even that very morning, if the same thing had happened (which had happened of course) she would have been glad. But now, matters were different. She was gladder that she didn't need to get procreative with him. Nevertheless, she felt awkward under his gaze.

Draco swallowed hard. He was aware of his unwanted and rather evident erection. He just couldn't help it. The way the soft yellow light of his wand lit up her body was so erotic. He just wanted to bite into that pristine skin. He had a peculiar feeling that he had the same desire hours ago.

Biting his lip, he looked down and tried his best not to look up at Hermione's back for the rest of the journey.

Half an hour later, they reached a hole large enough only for one person to go through at a time. Hermione put her hand out and felt around for a knot amidst the roots. She found it and then pressed it.

The Whomping Willow above them froze. It became as still as a statue.

Hermione got out and gestured at Draco to do the same. Draco came out too and was shocked to see an innocently unmoving Whomping Willow in front of him.

"Amazing," he said.

"Now let's go inside," said Hermione. "We'll take the Prefects' route to get into Dumbledore's office."

"Yeah ... let's go,"

Together they set off for the secret entrance in the Entrance Hall, careful to walk in the shadows of the towers and turrets of the Hogwarts Castle.

But a stern-looking witch with square spectacles saw them from the front grounds and gasped.

____________________________________________________________________

The squared-spectacled witch was sure that she had seen Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger cross the grounds of Hogwarts under the moonlight, near the Whomping Willow. Her face paled and her eyes were set ablaze.

Malfoy and Granger, she thought. Them at Hogwarts!

She supposed she was hallucinating. But she had seen the blonde head too many times in her life to forget it. Draco looked almost like Lucius in the distance and for a moment she had thought she was seeing the solid ghost of Lucius Malfoy. But after a second, she realized it was his son.

She knew that she didn't have time. She needed to do something soon. Only one thought crossed her mind, get a teacher...

She ran to the Staff Room. She remembered where the Staff Room was, since she was once a student at Hogwarts. On reaching the Staff Room, she quickly opened the door. No teachers were there except for Professor Sprout.

"Minerva," said Sprout shocked. "Why do you look so pale? What happened?"

"Professor Sprout..." she gasped. "Emergency ... I want to see Dumbledore, but I don't remember the password!"

"Are you sure you are alright, Minerva?" asked Sprout with concern.

"Yes, I am," she said sharply. "The password, Professor, I can't remember."

"It's 'Drooble's Best Blowing Gum'," said Sprout bewildered. "Are sure you don't want a glass of water or anything? You look ... strange."

Sprout was on the verge of saying that the witch in front of her was behaving oddly.

"No, thanks Professor," the witch said. "Emergency, must inform Dumbledore ... Professor, I think I need to catch my breath, I have been running all the way. Could you please go to Dumbledore and tell him to come down here. I think I know where Malfoy and Hermione are."

Sprout gasped. "Of course, Minerva," she said. "I'll go straightaway."

And Sprout hurried out of the Staff Room.

The witch however, didn't rest. She instead went out to the secret entrance to Dumbledore's office. She hid behind a marble statue of a centaur and waited for Dumbledore to come out.

Her heartbeat had sped to twice the normal rate. Merlin, she only had less than an hour and why weren't Sprout and Dumbledore coming out? She needed to get done with it.

After five minutes, Dumbledore and Sprout came out, both looking very panicky. When they passed by, she came out of her hiding place. She stood in front of the stone gargoyle and was about to say the password when Filch appeared.

"Oh, hello, Professor McGonagall," said Filch.

"I have work to accomplish now, Filch," she barked.

Filch, looking abashed, hurried out of the corridor.

"Drooble's Best Blowing Gum!" she said.

She stepped into the legerdemain escalator, a very nasty and smug grin on her sweaty face.