Bleeding Roses

Chapter 10

The Dawn of War

The headlines on the Daily Prophet the next morning were horrifying:

FIVE MUGGLE FAMILIES MURDERED; DARK MARK ABOVE THEIR HOUSES

There was also:

MORE HIGH-SECURITY PRISONERS ESCAPE! DEMENTORS NOWHERE TO BE FOUND! DEATH EATERS RUN RAMPANT IN THE WIZARDING COMMUNITY! AURORS EXTREMELY BUSY

Or:

MINISTER OF MAGIC, CORNELIUS FUDGE, DEMANDS THAT EVERYONE BE EXTREMELY VIGILANT DURING THESE DANGEROUS TIMES

And the worst:

THE GREAT WAR STARTS. LEARN HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF AND YOUR LOVED ONES.

"I can't believe the Great War's already starting!" Ron said incredulously from over Hermione's shoulder. "Are we even ready?"

"I hope so," Hermione said darkly. "If not, we're going to be crushed into smithereens. Voldemort"--she ignored Ron's flinch--"is getting more and more powerful. I think he's even more powerful than last time, sixteen years ago."

"Dumbledore had better have everything planned," he remarked, "or we're doomed."

"Dumbledore can't do everything by himself," she said. "He's going to need all the help he can get."

"But he's the most powerful wizard in the world," he protested.

Hermione shot a look at the Headmaster at the High Table. His eyebrows were knit together, and there was no more twinkle in his eyes. The bags under his eyes sagged heavily. Suddenly, he seemed so old and weary to Hermione.

"I don't know," Hermione muttered. "We are taking necessary precautions and contributing to the cause as much as we can, but I still don't know if it's enough. The Dark Side has all these creatures fighting for them too, in addition to Death Eaters. Did you know that Voldemort recruited hundreds upon thousands of new Death Eaters? If we're not careful, their odds of winning the war would be overwhelming." Her mind wondered on Draco, but she pushed the thought away.

"But what can we do?" Ron asked.

"Try to find more support, recruit more Aurors..." Hermione sighed. "I don't know. I guess our fate really is in Dumbledore's hands."

"And Harry's," he whispered to Hermione.

She nods in agreement. They simultaneously glanced over at Harry. He was oddly quiet, and his eyes were set on his golden plate of food. He absentmindedly grabbed his pumpkin juice goblet and took a sip. Then, to Hermione and Ron's amazement, he started chewing the pumpkin juice distractedly.

"Harry?" Ron said worriedly.

There was no response.

"Harry!" Hermione called.

Harry's head jerked up and looked at them both, swallowing the juice.

"Are you all right, mate?" Ron asked.

"Yeah," he said, poking his scrambled eggs with his fork uninterestingly.

"Don't worry about it too much," Hermione said. "You'll be fine."

"Of course I will be fine," Harry said sarcastically. "I will be terrific, especially since Voldemort is stronger than ever. Why should I worry?"

"I'm sure you can beat him," Hermione said confidently, with Ron nodding in agreement.

"Gee, I wonder who's going to win," Harry said in mock-contemplation. "Me, a mere seventeen-year-old boy, against the most powerful Dark wizard in the world... I think I might actually beat him!"

"That's the spirit!" Ron said half-jokingly.

Hermione smiled, but Harry completely ignored his remark.

"Look," Hermione said, her air becoming serious again, "worrying isn't going to get you anywhere. And if you can't stop worrying, then I suggest that you do something about it so that you can release some of the stress. All right?"

Harry shrugged nonchalantly.

"Do you remember that project we did for Binns?" Hermione asked. "Remember there was this prophecy that helps destroy Voldemort?"

He looked up, curious. "Yeah I remember that," he said, thinking. "I think that prophecy might actually be linked to mine... somehow..."

"It might!" she exclaimed. Of course, this had to make sense. Two prophecies that are linked together to form one big prophecy that is the key to Voldemort's demise! "I found out that it involves two enemies falling in love or something. This will lift an ancient curse as well as make both prophecies come true! But the question is who?"

All three members of the golden trio pondered this, but arriving to no solution.

*****

After that fateful day that made its mark in history, everyone at Hogwarts and the rest of the Wizarding community were uptight, not knowing what to expect. The teachers, including Snape, all conducted their lessons stiffly. The tension was high and thick in the air, and it was almost choking. It was as if everyone was waiting for Voldemort to suddenly burst in his or her classroom. Hermione even found it was hard to concentrate when so many things were going on. It was also very painful for her to keep ignoring Draco, especially when he was always trying to get her attention so that he could talk to her about something, but she had refused to listen. What could be so important anyway? Why doesn't he tell that whore of a Pansy Parkinson? They seem to be getting along quite well, she thought bitterly.

Things did not turn any better even as days passed. Hermione firmly ignored Draco, who seemed to be using the direct approach to solve the problem. Amazingly, he never gave up on her. This became like a battle of will that Hermione was determined to win. Valentine's Day came, and Hermione was still as stubborn as ever. Nothing was going to make her trust that bastard again, she vowed to herself. So during the morning, she held her head high as she entered the pink and red Great Hall, accompanied by Harry and Ron. Her compulsive curiosity made her glance at Draco stealthily. Satisfaction of revenge swelled in her heart as she saw Draco watching at the trio with certain sadness in his eyes that he had no bothered to mask. However, at the same time, Hermione felt a dab of pain in her heart to be separated from him. She couldn't deny her feelings. She couldn't run away forever from the person who was causing all these feelings. It was so frustrating.

As they sat down at the Gryffindor Table, and started eating breakfast, owls flew in from the windows. There were so many, each of them carrying valentines. Hermione ignored the entire proceedings, and especially ignored the squeals some girls made when an owl deposited a valentine in front of them. She did notice that Harry, Ron, and Draco each received several. As far as she knew, she did not receive anything yet. All her friends knew that she considered Valentine's Day a stupid, pointless holiday, so she did not even receive friendly valentines.

She kept her head lowered as she continued with her breakfast. The house-elves have outdone themselves making the food with Valentine's Day colors and shapes. Suddenly, a number of people gasped, pointing upwards. Hermione rolled her eyes. Freaks, she thought, not even bothering to look at what caused the commotion.

"Hermione!" Harry called.

"What?" she snapped, not exactly knowing why.

"I think you'd better look up," Ron said.

She looked up. About a half dozen doves flew carrying a valentine, flowers, and a box. She was not impressed, and continued eating her breakfast. What astonished her most was that the doves landed all around her, putting down all the gifts. She frowned, wondering what it could be. Who would actually go to such lengths? She picked up her card, well aware that most students' gazes were upon her.

Dear Hermione,

I am very sorry about everything that has happened these past days, but please let me explain the situation to you. It is vital that you know that this is beyond my control. Forgive me and please give me a chance to explain. Happy Valentine's Day!

Always yours,

Draco Malfoy

Hermione looked over at Draco. He was looking very anxious to see her reaction. She felt her eyes stinging again. What was she supposed to do now? Could she really forgive him for his betrayal? Simultaneously, she wanted to know what his explanation could be. It was downright betrayal. How can he come up with a plausible reason for that? How could it have been beyond his control?

She picked up the dozen of blood-red roses. There was a tiny card attached to it, which contained more apologies, with even a poetic air to them. She brought it to her nose, and sniffed. They smelled fresh and sweet. She picked up the box on the table, and realized that it was an imported assortment of fine chocolates. She allowed herself a small smile, glancing at Draco. She saw his shoulders relax slightly. In fact, it was so slight that it was barely noticeable. She even wondered if she was actually imagining it.

Draco felt slightly relieved, seeing her accept all of his gifts. He couldn't stand having to listen to everything Pansy tells him to do. He was so sick of it, especially since Pansy was not making his life any easier. He decided to throw caution to the wind and explain everything to Hermione. He could not take this blackmail deal any longer, with Pansy taking full advantage of him. He was a Malfoy, and no one should dare take advantage of him.

Hermione left the Great Hall alone, carrying all of his gifts with her. Draco pulled away from Pansy's grasp and followed her out. She was undoubtedly going to the Head quarters. Arrived in her room, Hermione emptied the dried flowers from her vase by the window in the trash, and filled the vase with water. With painstaking care, she set each rose neatly in the vase, ignoring the thorns that were scratching her skin. Every rose was the epitome of perfection. It must have taken Draco an extremely long time to find twelve roses that were perfect.

She heard knocking on her open door and her head whipped around to see Draco casually leaning against the doorframe. They were silent for a quite a while.

"Hey," Draco said softly.

"Hey," Hermione replied, just as softly.

There was another pause.

"Thank you for the gifts," she said politely. "I particularly like the roses."

"Great," he said expressionless, although his eyes sparkled a little when she said that. "If they weren't perfect, I would have that gardener suffer very badly."

She shot him a disapproving look, but nevertheless said, "I think that the current circumstances would make that quite unnecessary."

He merely nodded.

"So..." she said hesitantly, "what's your explanation?"

He was quite taken aback. He never expected her to be so straightforward about it. He took a deep breath and told her all about Pansy and her blackmailing scheme.

"Is it true?" Hermione asked.

"I wouldn't lie to you about this Hermione," he answered.

Could she really trust him? Was this one of his lame excuses? He seemed so sincere and the story seemed to hold and it was rather believable...

"I hope I'm not making a mistake by believing you," she finally said.

"I know that I made you seriously doubt my honesty," he said, "but I want you to know that I would never ever hurt you willingly."

Hermione smiled and wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his chest. It felt so good to finally be back in his arms after all these weeks. She felt that she was where she belonged again, pressed against him, with his hands resting on her lower back. She couldn't deny the fact that she really did miss him, and she wondered if he felt the same way. As she suddenly realized something, she pushed away alarmingly, startling him.

"I bet Pansy told you not to tell me about this," she said.

"Screw her," he said indifferently, taking her back in his arms. "I'm tired of having to listen to everything she says. Malfoys should not be ordered around."

Things were finally arranged between them. When Draco left, Hermione pulled back the drawer from her dresser, and withdrew the gold necklace that he gave her, and she hooked it back around her neck.

*****

Hermione had told Draco about the linked prophecies and he seemed to be quite interested in what she had to say.

"It makes sense," Draco said thoughtfully. "But there's a huge loophole: who are these two people who are supposed to fall in love?"

"That's the problem," Hermione said. "I don't know. I thought you would be able to figure it out."

"Hmmm." He was pensive. Suddenly, his eyes lighted up. "Remember that cabin in the woods? The one we visited four months ago?"

"Yes," Hermione said. "But what has that gotten anything to do with the prophecy?"

"The thing is," he said, "I'm not sure that it does. I'm not entirely sure that it would help, since I have no idea what it contains. But I think it might be worth a try. Who knows?"

"Get to the point Draco," she said impatiently.

"There was a chest in the bedroom that we couldn't open," he said. "What if it contained information about the prophecy?"

Hermione beamed. "You are brilliant, Draco! Brilliant!" she said, pulling him into a bone-breaking hug.

"You just figured that out?" he said, smirking at her.

"Well, you were quite submissive to Parkinson's whines," she said.

Any trace of a smile disappeared from Draco's face.

"Hermione," he said. "I already told you. I'm sorry. I had no choice. I will regret that very decision until the day I die. I know that it was stupid of me, but--"

He was silenced by a kiss.

"As long as you admit that you were stupid," Hermione said. "Now, back to business. How are we going to get to the cabin? Because there is no way I'm walking there again. Who knows what's guarding it besides the panther?"

"How should I know?" Draco asked, although he looked like he really did know. "I'm the stupid one."

Hermione shot a glare in his direction.

"Fine," he said, raising his hands as if in surrender. "Let's fly."

Payback, he thought as Hermione paled.

*****

"I don't like this, I really don't like this," Hermione muttered to herself, her eyes firmly shut.

"Relax Hermione." Draco chuckled. "I'm not going to drop you...maybe."

Before he knew it, a fist collided with his cheekbone. It didn't hurt that much, but it was still somewhat painful as he massaged it.

"If you dare try to drop me..." Hermione left her threat open-ended.

Draco smirked and swerved sharply to the right and descended into a dive. All the while Hermione screamed. The thick canopy of the trees was rushing to meet their faces. It was getting closer and closer. Hermione grabbed Draco in a death grip and screamed. Draco was smirking, but it was obvious that he was concentrating. Just before the crash, he pulled out of the dive and resumed their previous, lethargic course.

Hermione turned around. Her face was contorted in fury.

"What the hell were you thinking?" she screamed. "Are you trying to kill me? Is this a kind of romantic ride that you provide for all of your girlfriends?"

"No just you," he said, smirking. "Because you're special."

"Thank you for the honor!" she yelled, hysterically sarcastic.

"You're welcome," he said, his smirk becoming wider.

She screamed in frustration. "You--you absolute asshole!"

"Language, love," he drawled amusedly, never once raising his voice during the entire conversation.

Hermione gritted her teeth, determined not to give Draco any more entertainment. But she didn't have to say anything anymore.

"There!" Draco pointed at the clearing in the midst of the great green sea of tree leaves. A tiny speck was visible at the very edge of the clearing.

Finally, Hermione thought, relieved to be able to set foot on solid ground again. When they landed, she was so eager to get off the broomstick as quickly as possible that she stumbled and almost fell flat on her face. This had given Draco quite a good laugh, even when he tried to hold her up.

"Bastard," Hermione said, as they walked toward the entrance of the cabin for the second time.

As she looked around, memories came rushing through her, of the last time she was here with Draco. It was on that day that marked the turning point of their relationship. If they hadn't come here in the first place, they'd still be throwing insults at each other like the old times. She was glad that the phase was a thing of the past. She also remembered the important discoveries that they've made here. Her hand reached inside her pocket, and her fingers enclosed around the small pendant. It was her lucky charm, ever since the Winter Dance when Draco had first kissed her. She wouldn't go anywhere without it, especially after the day he "broke up" with her. It was the only time that she didn't have the pendant with her.

She rubbed the pendant with her thumb at the thought. Suddenly, a gust of warm wind blew and her hair flew behind her. What was happening? She was inside the cabin! Where did the wind come from? She closed her eyes, enjoying the warmth and ignoring Draco's frantic cries. The breeze spiraled around her, sending her robes and hair whipping madly around her. It also carried a faint scent that she couldn't quite place, although it smelled refreshing.

In the meanwhile, Draco tried to get to her, but the wind was preventing him from getting anywhere near her. What was going on? He could do nothing but watch hopelessly as the gentle wind encircled his Hermione.

Hermione opened her eyes, but the cabin seemed blurry and distorted, like she was looking through a barrier of water. Then, whatever remained of the cabin disappeared at once. Flashes of images rushed before her eyes, making it impossible for her to grasp the images. It was like a train crossing her path at full speed, and she was trying to look into the windows. Obviously, it wasn't going to work. However, she could make out faint outlines of the people in the pictures. Because they all contained the same two people: a girl with long, wavy brown hair, and a boy with white-blond hair. The last figures slowed, and Hermione was finally able to catch more than mere glimpses at these flashes of colors and movement.

The two people were wearing very old-fashioned clothes and they were kissing. In another image, the girl was kneeling, and crying over something that was imperceptible. Then, the blond boy was shown, looking deathly pale, and his chest was not rising and falling in rhythm. It was clear that he was dead. Next, it showed the image of both people crumpled on the floor, completely lifeless. A chilling laugh sent a shiver down Hermione's spine. And finally, an image of the couple laughing lingered for a few more seconds, and then faded like the others.

Along with the pictures, Hermione had felt despair, and the hurt of heartbreak so acutely that she thought that they really were her own emotions. But it was impossible. She had no reason to feel those right now. Also, she had felt fear and terror unlike what she had ever felt before. It was so strange. Before the breeze left altogether, she saw two last images. One was of the couple, and the other was of her and Draco. What did it mean?

Before she could contemplate it any longer, the wind disappeared and she staggered backwards, right into Draco's open arms. Her vision was blurry and her cheeks were flushed. She felt dizzy and nauseous. She could barely hear Draco's panicked voice. Then, she slipped into blissful unconsciousness.

*****

"Hermione!" Draco called, almost desperately.

Hermione slightly opened her eyes and she saw two blurred Dracos bending over her. It took her some more time for her eyes to focus and adjust.

"Are you all right?" Draco asked, his relief apparent.

"What happened?" Hermione mumbled weakly.

"Well," he began, "it was very creepy. There was a breeze that came out of nowhere and it somehow wrapped itself around you. You stood unnaturally still. You looked like you were frozen. You weren't even blinking. It was like you were petrified or something. Then, the breeze left as quickly as it had come and you would have fallen if I hadn't caught you. You were really limp and weak. Then, you just passed out."

The memories and the images came flooding back to her. She pulled herself up rapidly, clinging on Draco for support.

"I saw all these pictures..." she began, and proceeded with telling him all about them.

"How?" he asked. "How could this be possible?"

"I don't know," she said. "Maybe it's because of the memory vibrations in this cabin. And I had an object of the past, the pendant, with me so I was receptive of these vibrations."

Draco raised an eyebrow. "Right," he said sarcastically. "Where did you get this preposterous idea from?"

"I read about this in a book at my local library--" She was interrupted.

"A Muggle book?" he asked incredulously. "You think you can get magical theories from Muggle books?"

She shot him a glare. "They are not completely stupid you know," she said, but seeing that he was about to make another snide remark, she quickly added, "Then what do you suggest?"

"I don't know," he answered, "but you can't possibly make me believe that Muggle rubbish."

"Why can't you stop letting your prejudices get in your way of understanding for once?"

"Because the idea is just plain ludicrous! Do you believe it yourself?"

"Of course I do!"

"Then you are gullible!"

"Gullible? You're calling me gullible?"

"Well, you're a bit slow if you keep asking that."

"Slow? You--you..." She let her insult hang, then forced out a laugh. "Look at us. We're bickering like an old married couple when we have something important to do."

"You're only saying that because you know that I will get the last word this time."

"You arrogant bastard--"

Draco got up and lifted her off the couch. Putting her down on the floor, he dragged her toward the stairs to the second floor, where they knew the chest was waiting to be opened.

There was thick layer of dust on the chest. When it was wiped off, the dust particles flew in the air, making them both sneeze. They looked at the chest closely, inspecting every inch of the wooden container. It looked quite ordinary, but they knew that it was protected by powerful spells.

"The lock is strange..." Draco remarked, brushing his finger over the golden plaque where the key is supposed to be inserted in. Instead of being a narrow hole, it almost looked like two tiny, oval plates placed next to each other. Who had ever heard of such a key?

"This thing looks like it's the only way to open the chest," Hermione said.

"But apparently," he said bitterly, "it's not going to happen, because we don't have the stupid key."

"Let's take this thing with us," she said. "Maybe we will find the key somehow."

"Fat chance," he said.

"Stop being so pessimistic," she said.

She held out her wand and muttered a spell. The chest shrunk to a size that could easily fit in her pocket. She grabbed it and stood up.

"There," she said, tapping the chest in her robes pocket. "We can go now, and hopefully, we will be able to open this thing."

"That was a good idea," Draco said, approving the charm.

"Thank you," she said and smiled.

When they flew back, Hermione was uncannily silent. She kept remembering the last two images that she saw when wrapped up by the wind. Why was the couple compared to Draco and her? Was it only her imagination that they were being compared, or was it really its purpose? That had to be linked with the prophecy, because this whole ordeal, including the cabin and the pendant dealt with the prophecy. She was convinced that the couple it showed was Katherine and Jean-François. But what about the picture of Draco and her? Could they be...? No... they couldn't be. It... No...

*****

Hermione had the strangest dream that night. It was a very short dream, but its meaning couldn't have been clearer. She dreamed that the pendant fell to the hard stone floor and as it clinked, the locket opened, and fell flat on the ground. Then, she saw the key "hole" of the chest. Perfect match! It hit her. Of course! The pendant was the key!

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