Bleeding Roses

Chapter 12

Preparations

"I think she still has a pulse," Harry said. "But it's dangerously faint."

Without waiting for another second to pass, Draco whipped out his wand and muttered, "Mobiliocorpus". Hermione rose in the air, and her head rolled to one side. Draco started running, the Hospital Wing vividly in his mind. Halfway down the corridor, he realized that Harry and Ron weren't following. He wasn't about to let them stand there while he does all the work.

"What are you waiting for?" he shouted. "An invitation?"

The two boys snapped out of their state of shock, and quickly ran to catch up with Draco. The three--with Hermione floating in midair--descended the stairs to the first floor, and arrived in the Hospital Wing. They stumbled through the doors, panting. Madam Pomfrey rushed over, and quickly set Hermione on one of the beds.

"What happened?" Madam Pomfrey asked, as she did a checkup on Hermione.

"I don't know," Draco answered. "We found her lying motionless in the middle of the fourth floor corridor."

"It appears to me that she's been hit by some sort of a curse," the nurse said. "She's unconscious, and there are no signs to suggest that it was caused naturally. Maybe it was a Stunning Spell, but I'm not positive. It seems too strong. I'll run some tests. Please boys, step out of here."

The three boys each took a step back as Madam Pomfrey pulled the curtain around the bed, blocking their views. Draco sighed and leaned against the wall. What could have happened to her?

"Do you think she'll be all right?" Ron asked quietly to no one in particular.

"I hope so," Harry answered. "What do you think happened to her?"

"Well, Madam Pomfrey said it was a curse, and I believe her," Ron answered, shrugging.

"That's what I think too," Harry said. "But what curse?"

"I don't know," Ron replied. "It's like Avada Kedavra, except it was not as strong and it only made her unconscious." He didn't know how right he was at that point.

"Maybe it was," Harry said, although he looked skeptical.

"It'd be strange if she had a scar like you," Ron said, smiling at the imagery of Hermione with a lightning bolt scar on her forehead.

"Don't even say that," Draco said unexpectedly, making the two other boys' heads turn to him and glare simultaneously. If he weren't so anxious, he would have laughed. "I would hate to have a girlfriend who is a constant reminder of Potter."

"And what's wrong with me?" Harry asked. The moment these words left his mouth, he wished that he hadn't said them.

Draco smirked. Even his smirk lost its usual "Malfoy-ness". "Don't get me started," he said. "But since you did, I will gladly tell you all about your faults. First--" He was interrupted by the appearance of Madam Pomfrey.

"It's bizarre," she said. "It doesn't seem like she is in too serious of a danger, but it definitely wasn't a Stunning Spell. It's so much stronger. I gave her a potion, and hopefully, when she wakes up, she'll be able to tell us about her accident, or whatever it was."

"How long will it be until she wakes up?" Draco asked, feeling relieved and full of hope.

"At least about twenty-four hours," she replied.

Draco's heart sunk. At least she isn't going to die, he reasoned with himself. Maybe she would wake up earlier than planned, since Hermione is such a strong witch anyway. At that moment, he made the decision of staying with her until she wakes up. After all, the next day was Sunday. It wasn't like he was incredibly busy.

"I'll stay with her," he said.

Every other person in the room besides Hermione all turned to look at him.

"Why?" Ron asked.

He rolled his eyes. Couldn't he do anything without people questioning his intentions, wondering if he had an ulterior motive? "Because Weasel," he said, "I care about her."

Harry and Ron seemed to be searching him with their eyes.

"We're staying with you," Harry said.

Ron gave him a look, but soon cottoned on. "Yeah," he said. "In case you do something to her."

Draco sighed, thinking that they shouldn't be bothered with explanations. "Do as you please," he said carelessly.

Harry and Ron gave him another piercing look, but before long, they engaged themselves in a conversation, completely ignoring him. Draco ignored them as well. He muttered, "Accio!" and waited for his backpack to arrive. Finally, he could hear a whoosh to indicate that his backpack was arriving. It landed neatly beside him. Taking out a book, a roll of parchment, and a quill, he started his essay on the side of Hermione's bed. He could feel Harry and Ron's gazes on his back, but once again, he ignored them.

Time ticked away, but not much happened. Draco did his homework, glanced at Hermione, and then continued doing his homework. It was almost like a ritual. The Gryffindors entered and left the Hospital Wing once in a while, but there was always one of them keeping an eye on Draco. He felt like a prisoner trapped within cages of Potter and Weasley's intense gazes. However, as long as they paid no attention to each other, everything ran smoothly. This suited all of them fine. Before they knew it, it was already dusk, and students were preparing to go to dinner. Madam Pomfrey was also aware of this.

"Do you boys need to go eat dinner?" she asked, coming out from her office. "We do have food here if you want it. But I have to warn you against it. It's for my sick patients, so it isn't as good tasting as the food in the Great Hall."

"We'll just grab a bite in the Great Hall, then we'll come back," Harry replied, but it seemed that he was in fact talking to Draco.

The two left, but not without a last glance.

"Do you need to eat something?" Madam Pomfrey asked Draco, somewhat more coolly than when she addressed the others.

"I'll be fine," he answered curtly.

Madam Pomfrey retreated to her office, leaving him alone with an unconscious Hermione. His eyes landed on Hermione's eyelids. They were unmoving. He studied every feature on Hermione's face, committing them to memory. Her cute nose, her rosy lips... He reached out a hand, and stroked Hermione's hair for the first time in his life. Surprisingly, it was soft, when he thought that it was going to be dry and wire-like. Now, much to his relief, he could see her chest rising and falling in rhythm. It was like she was sleeping. It was quite a nice change not to see her stressed. Rest was definitely what she needed the most. It wasn't the way he had hoped that she would get it, but it was better than nothing.

He was so enveloped in Hermione that he didn't even notice the two Gryffindors entering the Hospital Wing again until they spoke.

"What did you to her?" Ron asked.

"Nothing!" he answered, clearly annoyed.

"Then why are you staring at her?" Ron asked, narrowing his eyes.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know it is a crime to stare at your own girlfriend," he said sarcastically.

Ron opened his mouth to argue some more, but Harry interrupted him, "Come on Ron," he said. "Don't bother."

"At least Potty has a brain cell," Draco said disdainfully.

Ron's ears turned red, but he didn't say anything more.

The rest of the evening passed quite uneventfully. Madam Pomfrey even brought bread and pumpkin juice for Draco, an act that astonished him. Nevertheless, he took the food offerings and gladly ate them, despite the dryness of the bread and the tastelessness of the pumpkin juice. She was right about how bad the food tasted. Late night replaced the evening, and he could see Harry and Ron yawning and stretching. They were fighting sleep, but it was apparently ineffective.

"Let's go back to Gryffindor Tower," Ron suggested.

"I think that's a good idea," Harry replied. "I'm so tired."

"We'll come back first thing in the morning," Ron said to Draco. "So don't you even dare do anything to Hermione."

"Like I would," Draco muttered uninterestingly.

After they finally left, Draco again found himself alone with Hermione. The silence was a little awkward. It was strange since he usually wished for tranquility. At midnight, he replaced his school materials in his backpack. He slept on the wooden chair, his head on the bed beside Hermione, and his hand holding hers.

*****

The next morning shone bright and clear through the windows of the Hogwarts castle. Harry was the first to wake up. Ron's snores slowly ceased as he woke up not much later. They both stuffed their mouths with food before visiting Hermione in the Hospital Wing once again. As they entered, they saw that Draco was asleep, and his hand tenderly held Hermione's. It was such a sweet scene that the two boys stood transfixed in shock.

Get your hands off Hermione, Ron thought. However, Harry's logic worked differently. From Draco's devotion and compassion toward Hermione, he could see that Draco cared a lot about her. Maybe he and Ron had judged him wrong before. Maybe he actually did have a heart. It seemed very unlikely that Draco would ever hurt Hermione willingly. Now Harry finally understood Draco from Hermione's point of view. He really wasn't that bad. However, Harry was still in no state to accept him. Six and a half years of torment still stood vividly in his mind.

Shortly afterwards, Draco opened his eyes and stretched in his chair. His shoulders and back were stiff and sore. When he turned his head around, he saw Harry and Ron standing nearby, watching his every move. He glared.

"What are you staring at?" he asked. Then, he smirked. "I know that I'm handsome, but you don't have to check me out. It's wrong."

Both boys' faces turned red.

"Don't think so highly of yourself," Harry said. "You might love yourself, but that doesn't mean we all do. Come back to reality."

"And you haven't denied once that you weren't gay," Draco said.

Harry glared. "I am not," he said.

"You're not what? Straight?" Draco asked, chuckling.

Harry walked toward him, looking like he was ready to kill. "Shut up!" he shouted.

"Or what?" he asked defiantly.

"Or I'll make you," he said, dangerously calm.

"Look at me!" Draco said, mocking fear. "I'm so scared I'm shaking! Don't hurt me Almighty Potter! I don't want to join your Mudblood mum in hell!"

Harry grabbed Draco by the collar and slammed him against the wall at these last words, or at least tried to. Draco was slammed up against the furniture, knocking ornaments off. But neither of them cared. Harry had nothing in his mind besides beating Draco into a bloody pulp. And Draco could see it burning in his brilliant green eyes. He pushed Harry away, but Harry immediately jumped back on him, punching him. The first punch he took was in his stomach, then his chest, then his jaw, and finally his lip. He could taste the metallic tang of his blood on his cut lip. He wiped the blood off with his sleeve. He wasn't about to lose humiliatingly to Potter. They both fell unto the floor and rolled. Draco finally managed to pin Harry down, and wrapped his fingers around his neck.

"Ron!" Harry managed to shout out.

The redhead came running, and tried to pull Draco off, but it was a futile attempt. Draco's fingers continued tightening.

"What is going on--" Madam Pomfrey stopped short, frozen in her tracks, just outside her office.

She ran over and pulled the three boys away from each other. Each was panting, and feeling their wounds.

"What were you boys thinking?" she asked, seething.

"He insulted my mother!" Harry shouted, pointing at Draco.

"He deliberately attacked me!" Draco shouted back.

"I don't care what he said and I don't care who attacked who!" she said. "I can't believe that you just fought! Move over to the beds. I want see if you gave yourselves serious injuries."

The boys reluctantly backed up to the beds, and heaved themselves up, and waited for Madam Pomfrey to check them.

"Such barbaric behavior," she muttered to herself. "I can't believe it... almost adults now, and still acting so childish... Dumbledore should know about this... after all his efforts for inter-House unity..."

Draco stopped listening in the middle of her mumbles. His eyes scanned his surroundings, and finally landed on Hermione. There was still no change. Just when he was about to turn away, her eyes fluttered. He blinked and looked again, sliding off the bed. What it his imagination? He moved closer to her bed, and leaned in. Suddenly, Hermione's eyes flew open and he stumbled back. She visibly jumped at seeing Draco's face so near. She let out a small scream, but it was enough to divert everyone's attention to her.

Madam Pomfrey was the first to arrive by her side. She seemed to have temporarily forgotten about the three boys' fight a short while ago. She smiled. "I'm glad that you're awake!" she said cheerfully. "How do you feel?"

Hermione massaged her temples. "A little dizzy," she said.

"That's normal," Pomfrey said. There was a sigh from the group. "It's just a normal side-effect from the Potion. Don't worry. It'll subside."

"What happened?" Ron asked.

Hermione scowled. "I... can't remember," she answered, her frown deepening.

"Can you remember who did this to you?" he asked.

"I... I... I can't..." she murmured.

"Do you remember anything?" he asked, more insistent.

She knit her eyebrows together, in effort. Slowly, she shook her head.

"Nothing?" he remarked incredulously.

Before she could respond, Madam Pomfrey said, "That's enough. Let her rest."

Ron withdrew, looking disappointed.

Then, Hermione noticed the boys' states, sporting bloody lips and bruises. "What happened to you?" she asked, hoisting herself up.

None of them answered, so Pomfrey answered for them. "You don't need to mind that right now. You need rest." She pushed her down on the bed.

Hermione paid no heed to her. "Did you three get into a fight?" she asked, her voice rising. All three avoided her eyes. "I can't believe you three!" she shouted, hoisting herself up again. "The moment I turn my back, you get into a fight! What is wrong with you?"

Madam Pomfrey appeared frantic. "Now, now," she said. "What you need is rest." She pushed her down again. "And boys, please just leave." They didn't move. "Leave before you get into more trouble!" she said firmly.

The three hastened to take their things with them and rushed out of the Hospital Wing, afraid to further anger Madam Pomfrey or Hermione.

*****

All three boys gathered in the Hospital Wing besides Hermione's bed again, but not without exchanging a few insults as greetings first. For Hermione's sake, they kept their hostility minimal, but it did not stop the insults and glares. Draco hadn't had time to find out who tried to harm Hermione. It was a shame, but he was resolved to get his revenge. Now however, his concerns included checking on Hermione while keeping Potter and Weasley off his back.

"Would you please be civil to each other?" Hermione said after another round of insults exchanged by the boys.

"If he's civil to me," Harry answered.

"If he's civil to me," Draco retorted.

Hermione sighed in exasperation. "Listen you guys," she said. "Do you really think that Draco doesn't care about me? Do you really think that he's some evil prick who wants to take advantage of me? He cares about me and I care about him. Is it really that hard to understand?"

Harry and Ron were silent, pondering on her words. Harry finally seemed convinced, so he sighed and said, "All right. I guess this isn't all a pretend game. Maybe you guys really do have real feelings toward each other."

Hermione smiled, but Ron looked like Harry betrayed him. Nevertheless, he said, "Yeah... whatever he said. But... we just... we just wanted to protect you from him..."

She paused for a fraction of a second. "You... I don't..." she stammered. "I appreciate your... er... efforts and care, but... there's nothing to protect me from."

There was an awkward pause to be broken later by Harry. "Well, er..." he said. "We're sorry about not believing you then." He shot a furtive glance toward Draco, but he noticed, which caused them to briefly make eye contact.

"That's all right," she said. "I know you would come to your senses."

"But could you let me check on one small thing?" Ron suddenly asked.

She nodded slowly, wondering about what he would do. But she did not have to wait long. He grabbed Draco's left arm before he could protect himself, and lifted up the sleeve. As was suspected, the Mark was there, standing vibrantly out. The Hospital Wing became dead silent. Hermione looked on with helplessness and worry. Harry and Ron gasped, horrified. Draco quickly pushed Ron's suddenly limp arm away, but it was too late. The damage was done.

"Tell me Hermione," Harry said quietly, "should I continue trusting his word? ...Or yours?"

Draco and Hermione exchanged a look. They both knew that since it has come to this, Harry and Ron must know about Draco's secret work. She sighed.

"This is NOT what you think," she said.

"It isn't hard to figure out what is going on here!" Ron said. "You're dating a Death Eater! What were you thinking?"

"Just let me explain the circumstances!" Hermione said loudly.

"Please do," Harry said calmly, although his teeth were clenched. "I want to hear what you've got to say about this and it had better be the truth."

"Draco's a spy for Dumbledore," Hermione whispered so that only they could hear.

"A sp--" Ron started, but Harry quickly stepped on his foot. "Ow!" He shot Harry a glare, but he turned to Draco, and said, "Why would he trust you?"

"Why wouldn't he?" he asked.

"Because you are an insufferable Death Eater," he said.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I just explained why he isn't!" she said exasperatedly. "If you don't trust him, can't you trust me? Your best friend?"

"You're dating a Death Eater," he retorted defiantly. "How would I know if you're still on our side?"

"RON!" she screamed. "How DARE you? After all that we've been through, now you doubt my loyalty?"

Unexpectedly, Harry stepped into the argument. "I don't think she's lying Ron," Harry said. Hermione looked at him gratefully, but Ron was angry.

"Why are you on their side now?" he asked heatedly.

"It wouldn't make any sense if Hermione betrays us," Harry answered in an even voice. "She knows what she's doing and from what I've seen so far, I don't think that she has a reason to lie to us."

"She might be under the Imperius!" he said.

"Look Ron," Harry replied as patiently as he could, but his patience was starting to wear thin. "Whatever they have between them appears to be real. Some things can't be faked, even under the Imperius. Remember last year, what happened to the two Muggles? They tried to made them like each other, but it was so obviously fake?"

Ron was silent.

"I think we should accept them," Harry said. "Besides, there's nothing you can really do anyway."

Ron sighed, and muttered, "Whatever."

Hermione beamed at Harry, and said, "Thank you."

*****

Hermione was finally permitted to leave the Hospital Wing. The Golden Trio and Draco gathered in the Heads common room in spite of the boys' discomfort. Hermione was able to recall that day when someone attacked her.

"Do you think it was a boy or a girl?" Harry asked.

"Girl," she answered without hesitation. "She had about the same frame I do."

"Did you see what she looked like?" Draco asked.

"All I saw was blond hair," she answered.

This set them all in deep thought. Who could've done this to Hermione? Draco thought. Potter and Weasley would never do it. She was the jewel of the Gryffindors, so he doubted the goody-two-shoes would try to kill her, especially with the War starting and all. The Hufflepuffs probably weren't brave enough to try, and the Ravenclaws seemed to love having lengthy discussions with her. So it had to be someone from Slytherin. Who hated her so much that they would actually want to kill her? He pondered for a moment. But of course. It was ridiculously obvious.

"Damn her," Draco suddenly said, slamming his fist down on the coffee table, making his three companions jump.

"Who?" Harry asked.

"Parkinson," he answered.

The other three paused for a moment, pondering on his theory. They all agreed. It has to be.

"What do you suggest we do though?" Harry asked.

"We need to get rid of her once and for all," he said.

"You mean..." Harry left his sentence hanging.

Draco did not answer, but his intention couldn't have been clearer.

"No!" Hermione said. "Don't do it! You'll land yourself in Azkaban! I'm not worth ruining your entire life! And she's worth even less!"

"Don't worry," Draco answered soothingly. "I'm not going to get caught, because Parkinson will... get herself killed in the War." Despite the confusion in the others' eyes, he merely added, "Besides, the Ministry wouldn't care about the death of a lowly Death Eater's daughter as long as it doesn't happen on Hogwarts grounds. She will be just another casualty in war."

"So we're using the War to our advantage?" Hermione asked. "Are you sure it's going to work?"

"Yes," he replied. "I'm pretty sure this will work."

"It'd better or we'll be dead," Ron said.

Draco paid no heed to his comment; his ingenious plan was already brewing in his mind. Meanwhile, the Golden Trio discussed their plans of contribution to the Great War.

"Speaking of the War," Hermione said, "we need to get as many people on our side as possible, and they need to be well prepared for whatever is ahead."

Harry nodded in agreement. "We need to find a way to train them somehow..." he said.

Hermione's eyes lit up. "The D.A.!" she exclaimed. "Remember our organization in fifth year? It worked before and it can work again!"

"That thing you guys set up to defy Umbridge?" Draco asked, smirking at the memory. "I was the one who disrupted it, wasn't I?"

"I'm sure that's something to be proud of," Harry said sarcastically.

"Indeed," Draco replied smugly.

Hermione ignored them. "Let's set it up again," she said.

"And we only invite people who are trustworthy," Ron said. "That means no Slytherins."

"You know," Draco said indignantly, "some Slytherins oppose the Dark Lord too. You are put into that house because of your cunning and ambition, not whether you aspire to be a Death Eater or not."

"Really? Prove it," Ron said.

"Just because you're ignorant, it doesn't mean that you have to let everyone know it," Draco retorted.

Ron's face turned a bright red, and he clenched his fists. "I'll show you ignorant," he muttered, standing up.

Hermione pulled him down, and said, "Don't you start again." She turned toward Draco. "Just leave them alone," she said. "The last thing we need is internal disunity at a time of war."

She looked at the faces of all three boys. They were still a little bit angry, but at least, they weren't trying to fight each other anymore.

"So the D.A.?" Harry asked, trying to veer everyone's attention back to the subject at hand.

"I think we should let trustworthy Slytherins in," Draco said. "And I definitely know who are trustworthy."

"You'd better," Ron said menacingly. This resulted in an exchange of glares although neither said anything more.

"All right then," Hermione said cheerfully, a little too much so. "We should start recruiting today and the training should start as soon as possible. We have no time to waste. Let's go."

*****

The magnificent eagle owl swooped into Draco's dorm, dropping a scroll of parchment stamped with the Malfoy crest on his desk. Sighing, Draco read his short letter:

Draco,

There is a mandatory meeting tomorrow at eleven o'clock. Someone will come and get you. Wait in your common room alone.

Father

*****

It was five minutes to eleven and Draco was starting to become restless. He had been previously studying for his N.E.W.T. exams, but he found it difficult to concentrate. What was this meeting going to be about? He wondered apprehensively. If it were anything like his initiation ceremony... he would prefer not to think about it. He had sent Hermione to bed, telling her that he had to study a little bit more. He never got the heart to tell her that he had a Death Eater meeting, in case she starts worrying and becomes incapable of getting a good night's sleep.

He snapped his History of Magic book shut, and set it on the coffee table in front of him. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't commit to memory the Second Goblin Rebellion of 1845. Who started it? Was it Urg the Ugly or was it Crug the Cunning? He shook his head, closed his eyes, and leaned back against the couch. It was completely silent except for the crackling of the fire. Dread filled his heart at this silence. His father did not tell him anything more about this meeting. He hoped against hope that it would not be anything like the last meeting he has been to. Sighing, he opened his eyes to see the fire turning green. He frowned and walked toward it, while checking the time on the grandfather clock. Eleven o'clock exactly. When he turned back to the fire, he could see someone with black robes stepping out of the fire, beckoning him. He swallowed hard and stepped into the fire.

*****

"Draco?" Hermione knocked on the dark mahogany door that led to the Head Boy's room the next morning.

There was no response.

Frowning, she pressed her ear against the door, listening for any sound. None came. Her frown deepened. Was he in there? She placed her hand on the doorknob. Should she check? Hesitantly, she turned the silver knob and pushed the door open.

Draco was sprawled on the bed, fully clothed in his Death Eater cloak and dirty boots. From what Hermione could tell, he was fast asleep. Classes would start in ten minutes... She had to wake him up, but she really did not want to. She hoped that maybe he wouldn't get angry with her for waking him up. He apparently slept very late, probably studying although by the clothes he wore, she doubted it. Nevertheless, she entered his dormitory, and sat on the edge of his bed.

"Draco," she whispered, placing a hand on his shoulder.

No response.

"Draco," she said, raising her voice and giving his shoulder a shake.

Draco grumbled.

"Classes start in ten minutes," Hermione said. "I think we should go."

He sat up on his bed, rubbing his eyes.

"Are you okay?" she asked. "What did you do last night?"

"Meeting," he muttered, standing up.

That's why... Hermione thought. "Why didn't you tell me?" she asked.

Draco merely shrugged. "I have to see Dumbledore," he said, and left the room before Hermione even had the chance to ask him what happened. Should she follow him or go to class? Letting out a groan of frustration, she finally decided that her curiosity had to wait.

*****

"I can tell you what you want to know, but you didn't have to bring those two along with you!" Draco said, pointing at Harry and Ron.

"Harry and Ron are to play an integral part in this war," Hermione argued. "It would only be logical for them to be present."

"How would you know if they are to play an integral part in the war?" he asked.

Harry wondered if she would tell him about the prophecy, in spite of Dumbledore's words. But he was relieved to have chosen a trustworthy friend. "Harry is the only one who was ever able to vanquish Voldemort"--Draco looked uncomfortable and Ron flinched at the name--"and they are sworn enemies. It would only make sense if Harry has to play a part."

"Okay... what about Potty's Weasel sidekick?" Draco asked, ignoring the menacing glares Ron shot him.

"Draco! Will you stop with your childish grudges? It's not the time!" Hermione rebuked. "Besides, we would never have gotten this far without Ron."

Draco looked like he was about to argue more, but he seemed to decide against it. "So what did you want to know?"

"What happened at that Death Eater meeting?" Hermione asked, getting to the point rather quickly.

"We were discussing strategies for the war," Draco said. "I wasn't really permitted to participate because they thought that I was too young and inexperienced, and therefore, useless. But they did tell me where the Final Battle is going to be fought, and I thought that this was very important, since the Death Eaters decided to use the element of surprise as a main strategy." He paused, feeling the tension mount. The Gryffindors were undoubtedly hanging on his every word. "Hogwarts," he finally said, seeing all three's jaws drop.

There was a moment of silence, when the three Gryffindors were shocked and probably terrified at the same time. It was Hermione who finally broke the silence. "But--but--how can it be? We... we're students for goodness's sake! We can't fight him and his followers!" Her voice rose. "The Daily Prophet says that the upcoming Final Battle is going to be one of the largest battles in Wizarding history! How can it be fought at Hogwarts with so many children's lives at stake? Do these people have any conscience at all?"

"Well, the Dark Lord wanted this to be the very final blow to the Light side, so it has to be fast, fatal, and unexpected," Draco explained patiently. "He plans to destroy two of his most powerful enemies in one battle. Like, killing two birds with a single stone."

"And these two enemies are... Dumbledore and... Harry...?" Hermione asked, although she already knew the answer to that question.

As if by instinct, three pairs of eyes fell on Harry, who seemed to have taken a sudden interest in his shoes. As soon as she realized that she was staring, Hermione tore her gaze from Harry, and asked, "When is this going to happen?"

"I think that they said..." Draco furrowed his brows together, thinking. "The twenty-second of June."

"That's Graduation Day!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Why?" Ron asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"I think it's because they think we will be so engrossed in our festivities that we would never suspect such a thing from happening," she said. "Right, Draco?"

"That appears to be the logic behind it... unfortunately."

There was a collective sigh from the group.

"Do you think that we should inform all the students about this?" Hermione asked.

"No," Harry said, speaking for the first time. "We don't need to worry them about something like this. We still have a month. We'll find a way to warn them eventually, but I think the students are stressing enough already. There's no need to worry them now."

"Don't they need to know how to protect themselves?" Hermione asked. "Just in case?"

"Dumbledore told me that he was going to make arrangements with Professor Thibault, so that higher level defenses against the Dark Arts are more quickly learned," Draco said. "Original lesson plans must be changed, so even the first years have to learn more difficult spells."

"Besides, we still have the D.A.," Harry said.

"The name suits the situation even better now," Ron remarked. Harry and Hermione nodded in agreement while Draco looked confused. But no one noticed.

"I hope it'll be enough," Hermione said.

"It will," Draco said confidently even though he had little conviction himself. "They don't know that we know they're coming. We'll be more prepared than they think, and underestimation is a dangerous thing."

"I guess..." Hermione sighed.

*****

Hermione was busier than ever before. With the N.E.W.T.s in two weeks, the D.A. meetings, her Head duties, her regular studies, and the war all weighing in her mind, she felt like she was being stretched to her breaking point. At night, she lost precious hours of sleep, tossing and turning restlessly. The only comforting thought was that it would all be over in a month... whether things would turn for the better or for the worse. But quite frankly, she was beyond the point of caring. She had so many things to worry about that she felt that she was dangerously close to a nervous breakdown. She wondered if she was already like this, what must Harry feel right now?

She tried to organize her schedule a little better, but it only helped slightly. At least, slightly was better than nothing. Then, it was N.E.W.T.s week. She only hoped that all the hours spent on studying would be fruitful.

*****

"FREEDOM!!!" Ron shouted at the top of his lungs when all the seventh years were dismissed after their last (and worst) N.E.W.T., Potions. This outburst caused many students to look at him with an eyebrow raised.

"Not really," Hermione said. "We still have a week of school left and... the war."

"Just burst my bubble, why don't you?" Ron glared at Hermione.

She paid no heed to him. "Anyways," she said, "what did you put for question number forty-six? What were the six uses of wolfsbane? I got the first five, but I wasn't very sure for the sixth, I put--" She was very rudely interrupted by a frustrated Ron.

"How many times do I have to tell you Hermione?" he said. "We're not discussing tests after we take them. They're bad enough the first time without us having to relive the horror again. Besides, this is probably going to be the last test we're ever going to take." He seemed to have just realized the truth of his last sentence, and immediately brightened.

Sure, it was going to be the last academic test. But Hermione was sure that more tests, much worse than mere school exams, are going to challenge her. At the time, she didn't know how right she was.

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