My Soul Mate

Chapter Seventeen - Back At HOgwarts Again...

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Derse hua, par pyaar to hua re,

O dilruba, tune dil le liya re ho.

Kya hai mohobbat ye, mujhko sikhaya,

In dhadkano ko, dhadkna sikhaya.

Bechaniyan bhi, mere pyaase dil ki,

Raato ko tadapna bhi, tumne sikhaya.

Mushkil bada, intezaar hua re,

O dilruba, tune dil le liya re ho.

Mere khayalon mein awargi thi,

Chahat mein na koi, deewangi thi.

Kagaz ke phulon mein, khusboo nahin thi,

Viran khabon si, yeh zindagi thi.

Mujhko tera aitbaar hua re,

O dilruba, tune dil le liya re.

-

Even if late, but I fell in love,

You took away my heart.

What is love, you taught me,

You taught my heart how to beat.

You made my heart restless,

You taught me to dwell on you.

Very difficult it has become to wait,

You took away my heart.

My thoughts were lewd all the time,

There was no love in my actions.

The paper flowers had no fragrance,

Like a lonely street, my life was going on.

But I started believing you,

You took away my heart.

____________________________________________________________________

Fifteen minutes later, Draco, Hermione, Harry, Ron and Ginny were assembled in the living room of the No. 12, Grimmauld Place along with Sirius, Tonks, Arthur and Molly. Dumbledore and Narcissa were also there, fetched by Arthur and Sirius.

Draco and Hermione were sitting not very far away from each other. Hermione looked a bit uneasy and avoided meeting Draco's eye, because she couldn't help but blush when her eyes had revealed so much of her heart already. Nevertheless, she had enjoyed the kiss back upstairs. Draco on the other hand, kept shooting glances at her, a small smile playing on his lips.

Dumbledore cleared his throat loudly. "Arthur here," he said, looking at the group, "has told me everything. I hope everyone is aware of the seriousness of the situation. But the important thing is, as most of us are now thinking, not only do Harry, Hermione and Draco need protection, we all do. Everybody did from the moment Lord Voldemort was back, though now, the gravity has increased. We have to take some immediate precautions."

He looked at Draco, Hermione, Harry, Ron and Ginny. "All of you," he went on, "will return to Hogwarts now. The Grimmauld Place will be safe, no doubt, but we can't take risks. This is the headquarters of the wizards and witches fighting against Voldemort, so this is Voldemort's number one target, though it is yet unknown to him. And the Order will have more frequent secret meetings of which you all need not be knowledgeable of."

Ron groaned, but Dumbledore ignored him.

"I suggest you all start packing for Hogwarts now." he ordered.

Harry, Ron and Ginny left. Since Draco and Hermione had no belongings with them, they remained in the living room. Hermione bit her lip, trying hard not to smile in front of the adults.

"Narcissa," said Dumbledore, "you had better stay here. If Voldemort is unable to catch Draco, then he will surely come after you."

Narcissa nodded. Even though she had gone through many such demanding and solemn conditions when Lucius was alive, she was nervous and worried, because this time her only son was concerned. When Draco had created the fiasco earlier, she had been beside herself with anxiety.

"Remus," continued Dumbledore, "you will go with the students to Hogwarts. And when you reach there, contact Minerva and Severus immediately. I myself will come and talk to the children and the professors after I have contacted the Order, which reminds me - Arthur, Sirius and Molly; you call the members for an immediate meeting. The sooner the better."

"And you lot," said Sirius sternly to Draco and Hermione, "you'll stay together till Dumbledore has a word with you; no wandering about, even inside the castle. Whatever safety measures are taken, accept them. We can't deal with adolescence outbursts now, understood? Tell the others also."

Hermione nodded, but Draco seemed uninterested.

No one spoke much after that, while they were waiting for Harry, Ron and Ginny to come back. Clearly, the grown-ups didn't want to discuss anything important in front of Draco and Hermione.

Soon, Harry, Ron and Ginny arrived, their heavy trunks with them. In no time at all, they, along with Hermione, Draco and Lupin, were stepping into the fireplace to go to Hogwarts, but not before hearing Molly say, "behave yourselves."

____________________________________________________________________

Lupin, Draco, Hermione, Harry, Ron and Ginny stepped out of the fireplace and into Lupin's office. The office was the same at it was three years ago, though odd sounds were coming from somewhere within his cupboard. Lupin, however, didn't seem bothered by it. After everybody stepped out of the fireplace, he called McGonagall and Snape through it. Almost immediately, they came through, one after the other. McGonagall was wearing a red set of robes and Snape in usual his black, hair uncombed and disheveled.

"Now, now Lupin," he said silkily, eyeing him with distaste first, then turning to the others, "what is the reason behind all this besetment?"

"Really, Severus?" said McGonagall harshly. "I don't find anything besetting here. As members of the Order, we are on call for anything important."

"Ah, well, course we are," said Lupin lightly. "But if you find this besetting, we would be most pleased to let you go, Severus."

Snape scowled at him, but did not move, so Lupin continued. "This is an emergency," he said. "I would explain everything to you, but I think that these students need to move out, since this concerns some secretive Order business."

Ron groaned again. "Why is the stupid Order so mysterious?" he grumbled in Harry's ears.

"Well, then let them go to their respective dormitories," suggested Snape.

"I think not," said Lupin. "They ought to stay together for now. Draco, you shall have to join the others."

"But we can't have a Slytherin in our dormitory!" protested Harry, pointing to Draco.

Ron agreed. Hermione glared at him.

Even McGonagall seemed hesitant too. "Then I suggest," she said, "that you all go to the Prefects' quarters. That is close and no one will have any problem."

But it seemed that Draco had. "That is only for the Prefects, Professor," he complained. "Potter's not a Prefect."

"But some non-prefects have been there too," said McGonagall, obviously meaning Ginny, who immediately looked away.

Draco couldn't argue back.

"Well, we don't have time to decide where you will stay for now," said Lupin urgently. "Into the Prefects' quarters, quick!"

Sulkily, Draco made his way out with the others. When they reached the painting of the Founding Four, where sweet wrappers littered along the bottom, Draco said, "Stand aside, Potter. You can't know the password."

"Come on," said Hermione, talking to him for the first time after their kiss in the Grimmauld Place. "Don't expect that Harry won't know it. Ron will tell him."

Ron nodded his head in mock responsibility.

"Allegro Passinato," said Hermione, loud enough for Harry to hear, and the painting swung open to reveal the portrait hole, through which she climbed in, followed by the others.

Harry, who had never been in the quarters before, looked around when he stepped inside and said impressively, "Nice place."

Ron, who was a Prefect, sat down casually in one of the chairs. "Not entirely." he said, jerking his head to where the Slytherin dormitory was.

Draco glowered at him as he lit the fireplace and opened the windows. The chilly wind blowing outside was prevented from coming in magically.

"I think I know why you don't like the place," said Draco sarcastically. "Cause she comes here frequently," jabbing a finger at Hermione's direction. "Doesn't she?"

"Malfoy!"

Draco turned to Hermione. "Do you deny coming here?" he asked her.

"N-no," said Hermione uncomfortably, shifting her weight from one foot to the other and surprising Harry and Ron.

"But why would you come here?" asked Harry, apparently confused.

"Because I have been staying here," said Draco. "Ever since I came back from ... Africa."

Harry's face hardened while Ron's purpled with anger.

"If you ever tried anything funny with Hermione," said Harry threateningly, "you'll regret it."

"Watch your mouth, Harry," said Hermione sharply. "Draco would never do anything like that. And if he does, that's my business. We aren't friends anymore, remember?"

"Right." said Ron acidly. "Let's go the Gryffindor Prefects' dormitory, Harry."

And he left with Harry right behind him.

"They're just being gits," said Ginny. "I'll talk to them."

And she disappeared too.

____________________________________________________________________

"That bastard," said Ron hotly, dropping onto one of the two four-poster beds in the Gryffindor Prefects' dormitory. "He's so full of himself because he's got Hermione on his side that I can hardly stand it."

"And Hermione's playing along," said Harry, equally frustrated.

"And that is your fault," said Ginny accusingly, bursting through the door.

"Hey!" said Harry, taken aback. "What are you saying?"

"What's correct," said Ginny sternly. "First of all, you be so mean to her, when she tells you about Draco - yes, Draco, Ron - and you don't believe her. You believe all rumors and the blasted Prophet instead of your best friend. You think her to be an idiot and delinquent, to associate with someone whom you considered to be a criminal, when she is more wise than you two can ever thought."

"Malfoy killed Hagrid," snarled Ron. "And if Hermione is on Malfoy's side than it's an insult to Hagrid's memory."

"Draco didn't kill Hagrid cold-bloodedly. Whether you believe his story or not, everybody else does. People apparently more sensible than you do too and that is why Draco is innocent of all charges. And Hermione happens to be one of those rare wise people who act for the best, keeping in mind what is coming up ... about You-Know-Who. Anyway, leave him out of this. Draco isn't a sage, but at least he realizes his faults and atones for them. He has apologized for all that he has ever done to all of us."

"Will he say sorry to us?" asked Harry maliciously.

"If you do so on your behalf too," said Ginny, "then he will. And anyway, leave him out; he isn't guilty. But you are, of defying and hurting Hermione. She suffered all that embarrassment without you two. There was no one who stood next to her except for Draco and me. You wronged her. And today, it is clear to you that Draco is not what you think he is. He is a good person. Draco is no different from any one of us."

"But he mocks our family because we aren't rich!" argued Ron.

"He hardly ever mocked me, Fred, George or Percy. Only you. He hardly called any other Muggle-born a Mudblood other than Hermione. And do you know why? He never meant to insult you from his personal beliefs. He was just angry because you and Hermione are Harry's best friends. And Hermione is academically better than he is, for that matter."

"So this proves he's jealous of me," said Harry, with cherish. "And anyway, his father insulted yours."

"Draco is not his father and he never will be. And yes, he is jealous of you. The only reason is that you are more famous than he is and he is a Malfoy. Malfoys are used to fame, and when he failed to get it for his family, his father disliked it. And in case you think he is envious of your Quidditch skills, then you're wrong. Quidditch scarcely matters to him. And he is good at it, you know that. If Quidditch was that important to him, then he would have let Nott harm Hermione and caught the Snitch in the match."

"But he is Death Eater," protested Ron, seeing that Ginny was getting the better of him.

"He was ... well sort of forced to be. As a tradition his father had made. And even though it may seem convoluted, it was his father who told him to give up slavery for You-Know-Who."

"But -"

"No Ron," said Harry quietly. "You can't argue with this. Malfoy's uncle, remember? Alexander Malfoy? He didn't want to be one and he didn't care when he as good as knew that he would have to die for it."

Ron became silent. He knew that Ginny was correct. Might be Draco and Hermione were right and he and Harry were wrong. He looked at Harry's eyes. They said the same thing too.

"Well?" said Ginny impatiently.

"All right Ginny," said Harry hesitantly. "We don't say that you are wrong. Malfoy and Hermione might be correct, but Malfoy can go to hell for all I care. We can't make friends with all on our side. Look at Snape. We can never get along him."

"No one asked you to make friends with Draco, but at least you can make peace with him. You don't even have to say sorry, just tell him that since now you're both on the same ship, you should sail it together to reach the shore faster."

"Well ... I s'pose we could do that."

"It would be better to do it now. And there's one more thing too."

"What's that?"

"You have to apologize to Hermione," said Ginny. "She's your best friend and you can't let her go like that."

Harry and Ron remained silent.

Ginny looked from one face to another anxiously. "You both are so awful," she said pent-up. "You'll make a mistake and never acknowledge it, unlike Draco, you know. He would have apologized straightaway."

"Will you stop comparing us to Saint Draco?" said Ron irritably.

Ginny raised her eyebrows threateningly at her brother. Harry, sensing serious trouble brewing up, hastily said, "Well, I guess we need time to think."

Ginny glared at him.

"To sum up our faults and prepare a proper apology," added Harry quickly, with false bright smile.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Do whatever you feel like," she said leaving the dormitory. "But do it soon."

____________________________________________________________________

If Ginny had meant 'do it soon' as that very day, then Harry and Ron didn't do it. Or rather they didn't have time to do so, as a matter of fact. No later than half an hour, Dumbledore had come to see them.

So everybody (Draco, Hermione, Harry, Ron and Ginny) was sitting in the living room of the Prefects' quarters, listening to Dumbledore's instructions.

"I am sorry to impose some new restrictions on all of you," said Dumbledore, "but I am sure you will co-operate with the faculty and the Order to carry on their respective functions without any trouble, and as this will secure your safety. You will have to stay in these quarters together. You may use the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff Prefects' room as well, since no prefect from those houses will need it. Harry and Ron may use one of those dormitories. Hermione, Ginny, you may use the Gryffindor dormitory, and as for you Draco, you shall stay where you are, in the Slytherin dormitory. You all have to be back here before six in the evening. These rules apply until the end of the year."

"End of the year with him!" said Harry, obviously meaning Draco. Draco didn't react.

"Yes," said Dumbledore sternly. "You will not mix with the others too much. We are facing too many problems with the Polyjuice Potion."

His eyes twinkled at Draco and Hermione as they recalled the incident with Bellatrix Lestrange.

"But Professor," said Hermione, "after school reopens we will have homework to do. How will we manage to take help from the library when we have to be back before six?"

"When school reopens, you will go to the library and Madam Pince will explain it all you; how and when you'll use the library without coming much in contact with other students. You then shall be able to use the library for an hour or two more."

Hermione looked quite happy after that.

"And Professor," asked Draco, who was looking uninterested again. "What about Quidditch and flying practices?"

"You'll talk to Madam Hooch for that," said Dumbledore. "And you will all have your meals here, not in the Great Hall. You may join your friends during meal times but you won't eat a bite or take a sip from there. Extra precaution for your own safety. Alastor Moody deems it is likely that you can be poisoned easily."

"Sir," said Ron, his nose wrinkled, "isn't this all too far-fetched?"

"I am afraid, Ron, that though they are, we still have to adopt these precautions. These are not paranoiacs. The days of Voldemort needed extra care before and now, it needs even more."

"But can't we have any fresh air?" asked Ginny.

"Well, I suppose you can join the boys during their flying practices."

"But that would be after the school reopens. Are we to spend our holidays caged like this?"

"I am afraid that you won't be able to go outdoors," said Dumbledore.

"Why?" asked Ron.

"Because, Weasley," drawled Draco, "most of the protecting spells need enclosed areas."

Ron shot daggers at him.

"He is correct," said Dumbledore. "However, you may roam about inside the castle now, till end of the holidays. But no eating or drinking anything from others, even from me, until that is, it reminds me, we say a code word. A word that can distinguish one as harmless from others. We have decided it to be 'The Order of the Phoenix.' Unless one says the code word to you, don't even go too near that person. The faculty and the Order members will know the code word only. You shall have to use it among yourselves as well. By this, we have minimized the chances of being affected by the Polyjuice Potion and by being fooled by impostors. Is it clear...? Any questions?"

Everybody shook his or her head.

"Well then," said Dumbledore getting up and making for the portrait hole, "I wish you an enjoyable holiday. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny, you shall bring your trunks and belongings here. Professor McGonagall will meet you in a minute to supervise your transfer. Take care."

Everybody stood up when Dumbledore left and when he was gone, made loud groaning noises.

"Man, we're goners." grumbled Ron.

"I am going to hate this," said Ginny.

"Me too," said Harry. "It feels like we're back in our third year, being guarded against Sirius."

"But it is important and the only way out," said Hermione firmly.

"I don't deny," said Draco. "But being stuck with Scarhead and Weasel is dead depressing."

Hermione gave him a sharp look. Draco suddenly looked very interested in the candelabrum hanging from the ceiling.

Harry didn't have time to say anything back to Draco since the Deputy Headmistress came walking into the living room.

"I suppose the Headmaster had a word with you all?" she said crisply.

They nodded.

"Well, The Order of the Phoenix," she continued, this time in hushed tones.

"The Order of the Phoenix," murmured everybody.

"Good. So, Miss Granger and Miss Weasley, Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley, are you ready? You need to go your dormitories and pack."

And then they, except Draco, left for the Gryffindor Tower to fetch their possessions.

____________________________________________________________________

Draco, now alone, went into his dormitory and slumped onto his bed, facing the painting he had received from Hermione for Christmas present. It had been only a day back he had got it but right then, it seemed as if an age had passed - so many events had taken place within a matter of one day only.

The painting was still as beautiful and immaculate as it had been when Draco had seen it on the previous morning. The lady was still unmoving and the sun was still shining weakly above her platinum head. Draco thought that the lady's hair looked like his mother's, and in some way, his.

Platinum blonde locks.

Draco smiled. Hermione had given him something that meant a lot to her. But she had given it to a part of herself.

Soon it would be a part of us, thought Draco fondly.

He was very relieved that he hadn't scared or pissed off Hermione by avowing his love for her. He rather thought that he had done a good job, the way he had proposed to her. He considered it be not only very romantic but also very special. He knew that all love stories are special, but he believed that his was the best, that he loved Hermione so much that no one could love her more than that.

And he was also glad about the way Hermione took it - patient and wise, the perfect way. That was why he loved her. He could never find a better girl to take home to his mother.

Gradually, his thoughts drifted off to Harry's dream and his bright mood darkened. The buoyant feeling inside him turned into uneasiness, the happiness into apprehension.

Damn Voldemort.

It wasn't that Draco was scared ... well, sort of scared. Scared for Hermione's safety. And after Hermione told him that she had hardly had any point in living without him in the magical world, he was scared for her happiness.

Even though Draco knew he couldn't, he felt like blaming it all on Harry. Had he not seen that hideous dream, Hermione would have given Draco more thought than that about stupid dreams. She would have reciprocated faster. But now due to his interference, Hermione was too anxious and frightened. My confession swept clean out of her mind, Draco thought angrily.

But if Harry had not seen the dream, then, he, Draco, and Hermione might be dead soon. Along with Harry, as Voldemort thought. But Draco didn't think so. Harry was mad at Hermione and he hardly cared for her anymore.

Yet, he was Harry Potter, the Scapegoat.

Though saving Hermione was not foolish, Draco added to himself.

He wondered what Hermione had done with the locket he had sent her. She had got it for sure; she had mentioned it in the letter. And Draco was sure Ginny had seen that only Hermione intercepted his gift. But Hermione hadn't mentioned wearing it or not at least in her letter. She had asked for time, so she probably she hadn't worn it.

Draco wished Hermione hadn't zipped her serge sweatshirt to its full length. Then he could have a peek to confirm

And perhaps something more.

Draco, feeling a bit lecherous, traced his own lips with his index finger. They tingled under his touch, as he refreshed the memory of Hermione's lips being there. Unconsciously, Draco licked his lips, wishing that Hermione were there with him, kissing him.

If he hadn't played the gentleman and kissed her down her neck, then he supposed he could have known if Hermione had worn his locket.

____________________________________________________________________

Even though the morning had been most appalling and shocking, the rest of the day had gone quite well. If you left out Harry and Ron staying away from everybody (especially Draco), without being able to go outdoors, Hermione forcing Draco and Ginny to do their homework and the fears that Voldemort would suddenly step put of the fireplace and say, "Hello kids! I'm sorry but God is calling you."

So Draco, Hermione and Ginny were in the Slytherin dormitory, doing their holiday assignments. Hermione, who had finished her Camouflaging Charms essay for Flitwick, was now doing Transfiguration for McGonagall. Draco hadn't done his Charms homework, so he was writing on his parchment scroll about the different colors and their intensity. He hadn't asked Hermione to lend hers to copy.

Harry and Ron would have done that, thought Hermione as she stole a look at him.

When Hermione lifted her head slightly to glance at him, she couldn't turn away. He was sitting directly opposite to the fire on a table and Hermione was on his right. Ginny, who was reading History of Magic for her OWL exams, was on the bed; her eyes threatening to shut close any moment.

Hermione watched Draco as he kept writing smoothly on a piece of parchment, The Standard Book of Spells, Grade Six open in front of him. Written on the page in curly colorful ink was Camouflaging Charms.

Hermione found herself staring at Draco's pale face, his brows furrowed in the effort of reading and writing. The flames of the fire danced in his liquid bluish-grey eyes, slightly hooded, looking jolly bright. His mouth was slightly open as he read a few words from the book and then wrote on his papyrus, his head lolling from side to side every now and then. For the past hour, he hadn't spoken, concentrating into the complicated charms.

"Find me too handsome to resist?" asked Draco after a few minutes, not looking up from his essay as he laid down his quill and started reading his work, which he had perhaps finished.

Hermione started. She knew she had been staring at him.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled, blushing and turning the pages of Advanced Animagi.

"Don't be," said Draco, still not looking up, as though he wasn't talking at all. "All girls do."

"Don't count me as one of those 'all girls'." said Hermione irritably.

Draco looked up this time, a small smile on his lips.

"I don't," he said softly. "And that is why I don't love all girls."

Hermione couldn't help but smile. She liked the way Draco held her special.

But without saying anything, Hermione returned back to her book.

Draco waited for a response, but when he didn't get one, he shrugged casually and started revising his essay again. After he had finished, adding more space here and there on his parchment so that he could write more and vanishing some places, he rolled up his vellum and tied it with green and silver ribbon. Then, he kept it aside.

"Completed," he said exasperatedly. "Boring stuff."

"It's not," said Hermione. "The Ministry had faced a lot of problems due to this charm years ago when Voldemort was at large. And will soon face more, now that he's back."

Draco raised an eyebrow, but he knew it was true. Suddenly, he asked, "Hermione, since when did you start calling Voldemort by his name?"

"Well, from last year, I suppose. I saw the logic and rationality behind it. I was not scared to use it before, but I didn't feel like going against the wizarding laws. Ron told me back in my first year that all should address Voldemort as 'You-Know-Who' or as 'He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named'. I felt quite foolish, but I had read books calling him that too. And in the second year, I felt sure that I had no right to go against the true wizarding world."

Draco stared at her for a moment. "D'you mean to say that all this was because you're Muggle-born?" he asked.

Hermione nodded.

"I'm not pleased," said Draco curtly. "Might be I was the first one to call you a Mudblood, but you have as much a right as I have as a pureblood to live by yourself and by your own rules in the wizarding world."

Hermione smiled. He was always so right.

"I know that," she said. "I realized it in my fifth year and I have been calling him Voldemort ever since. But as I child, I was scared to break the rules that other people who had stepped into this world before me had set."

"If they had then they were fools. The wizarding world needs more people like you, even if you're a Muggle-born, than purebloods, like the Death Eaters or dimwits like Crabbe and Goyle. As a fact, I think it would be more good if we had a government full of people with really good ideas and relations with the Muggle world."

"Really?" asked Hermione in amazement. "Why so?"

"Then we could live more harmoniously and wizards wouldn't be so prejudiced against them."

"What makes you think so?"

"Well, when you took me to that Muggle town yesterday, I found people like us. Same flesh and blood. Same brains and passions."

"They are humans too."

"I know that. And I have no prejudice against them anymore. Not that I had before, and it would be certainly exciting to stay with Muggle for a day or two."

"Then you should come to my house sometime," said Hermione. "You'll like my parents. They are well behaved, educated and caring Muggles. And they'll like you too."

"I'd be glad to," said Draco happily.

Hermione shut her book close, suddenly feeling a warm sensation at Draco's words.

"You finished so quickly?" asked Draco incredulously as he saw her closing her book. "I s'pose you were doing Animagi science. That's tough."

"Yes, but I have finished it. I had read the chapter earlier, and by the way, Sirius had it all explained to me."

"Yeah..." said Draco, his voice turning dreamy all of a sudden. "I will become an Animagus one day too. I'll become a serpent."

"No surprises."

Draco chose to ignore Hermione's words. "Well, I see that we both have finished, then would you care to join me for a walk?"

"A walk?" asked Hermione. "It's around five in the evening Draco and its dark outside. And anyway, we aren't allowed to go out, remember?"

Draco groaned.

Hermione smiled at him affectionately. "I have a feeling that we're going to feel caged for ages now," she said. "But I know the perfect place where we can get some fresh air." She got up, her eyes glinting excitedly and said, "Come on."

Little did Draco know that it would turn out to be one of his best evenings, when he got up surprised at Hermione's sudden change of mind.