What I've become

Chapter Eleven

After finishing at the ministry Hermione decided to go shopping in Diagon Alley to pass some time, but after awhile her neck started to throb with pain again, so deciding quickly she went to St Mungos to have it checked out, just to be sure, once there she had it cleaned and healed and when she left all that remained of the injury was a small patch of red skin.

Hermione decided to blow off shopping all together and return home, she headed to the leaky caldron to floo back to her apartment as she didn't feel she could handle apparating, the walk seemed to take forever but after an hour she found herself in front of the grubby looking pub.

Opening the door Hermione immediately stopped in her tracks, Luna and Ginny were sat at one of the first tables in the pub and as soon as Hermione had opened the door they looked up at her, Luna smiled warmly and waved, Ginny smiled but kept her eyes on the drink in front of her.

It was then with a jolt that Hermione remembered that Harry and Ginny's wedding had been a week ago and being that she was supposed to be their maid of honour, Hermione figured Ginny was not best happy about her being absent. Luna waved her over and to be polite Hermione went over and sat on the vacant stool at the table,
"Hi," Hermione mumbled as she sat down, not meeting Ginny's eye.

"Hi Hermione...haven't seen you in awhile, where have you been?" asked Luna obviously oblivious to the discomfort of her companions.

"Hmmm I've been busy, haven't been getting out much...you know," Hermione replied her face becoming suddenly hot, silence fell upon them and Hermione was finding herself thinking of ways to excuse herself but not to seem rude, until Ginny caught her eye.

"Harry told me about your fight," Ginny said her voice calm but hard to read.

"Oh... did he?" Hermione asked now finding herself unable to break the eye contact.

"Yes and I just got a letter from him telling me that you acted strangely when you went to inspect Hogwarts," Ginny informed her, eyes glued to Hermione's.

"Geez good news travels fast," Hermione thought to herself then narrowed her eyes as she said aloud, "In what way exactly?"

Ginny glanced at Luna obviously not knowing if she should tell her, suddenly Hermione felt angry and inpatient and slapped her hand down upon the wooden table causing Luna and Ginny to jump.

"I have a right to know what everyone is saying behind my back!" Hermione snapped, Ginny gazed up at her wide eyed before opening her mouth.

"Well...Dumbledore said you seemed really out of character when you arrived and...and that McGonagall came to see him shortly after you had left for the ministry and told him that she had witnessed...that she thought she had seen....Lucius Malfoy...Kissing your neck," Ginny said in one big breath, her face turning slightly red.
"Oh...did she?" Hermione replied her fingers digging viciously into the wood of the table. "And do you believe that?" she asked, her eyes drifting from Ginny to Luna then back again, silence had fallen once again upon them and Hermione already knew what their answer was going to be.

"Not that I think it is any of your business but for your information, he was not kissing my neck...There was a accident in potions and some potion hit my neck. Mr. Malfoy was just checking it for me," Hermione said softly, but the anger showed on her face.

“Well that’s not what McGonagall saw…” Ginny muttered her eyes defiant. Luna on her side was looking from one girl to the other, a worried expression on her face.

“Dumbledore believes you might be under the imperious curse, so Lucius can get inside the Order…Harry also told me that it was Lucius who got you the job, and Dumbledore thinks it was not like you to keep it... Knowing who gave it to you,” Ginny said defiantly.

"Hermione we’re just worried about you...Harry and Ginny even cancelled their wedding until they know it’s safe," Luna blurted, Hermione took a deep breath as she got to her feet.

"So that’s how you all feel?" Hermione asked to no one in particular, Ginny’s eyes went back to the table her voice finally failing her. "Has anyone stopped to think that I might have stayed in the job because it’s what I wanted to do?" Hermione asked her voice becoming higher and more emotional with every word. "Or that I might not be stupid enough to let Lucius get too close to me so he can get into the order...And maybe I just thought that my so-called-friends would be happy for me that something good finally happened for me" Hermione was almost shouting now and the few witches and wizards in the pub started to watch them wide eyed.
"You with your wedding" she said nodding at Ginny. "Harry with the wedding plus his new job....you and Ron getting engaged," Hermione cried waving her hand at Luna.

"And pretty much everyone else I know is getting on with their lives despite the war...And then there’s me...with a dead end job and no partner to speak of...And just when a great opportunity opens up for me...you all want me to leave it so you can all feel safe again...To sacrifice my life so you can all live yours!" Hermione screamed her face turning red.

"Hermione we’re just...." Ginny began with tears in her eyes.

"Don’t say you’re just worried about me....I can take care of myself, I don’t need you or the stupid Order," Hermione cried.

"Hermione calm down and just take a minute to see our point...It’s Lucius Malfoy for Merlin’s sake," Ginny sobbed.

"I don’t care!" Hermione screamed. Her hands going instantly to her head as blinding pain flashed though her skull making her feel like her head was going to explode, But instead the two glasses that sat in front of Ginny and Luna exploded spraying their contents and drenching the two girls.

Hermione lowered her hands as the pain subsided, Ginny and Luna gazed up at her with their mouths open and their hair dripping with their beverages.

Hermione knew without a doubt this time that she had caused the glasses to shatter, and from the scared looks Ginny and Luna were giving her, they knew too.

Hermione opened her mouth to speak...but words failed her, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath she turned on her heel and went to the fireplace and threw Floo powder into the flames, she had one last glimpse of the whole pub staring at her before she disappeared.

********

A meeting of the Order was gathered later that night, after Ginny had told Harry about the incident in the Leaky Caldron, everybody in the Order, even Dumbledore attended this meeting and he sat at the end of the long table.

Drinks where passed around and light chatter filled the room until Dumbledore got to his feet and the room went silent.

"I have called this meeting to address the suspicions brought forward by a number of our members about Hermione Granger," Dumbledore said his eyes drifting around the table.

"We know she is working with Lucius Malfoy...and that she is acting strangely. But what we really need to decide is if it is still safe to be using Grimauld Place as our headquarters...I know I am Secret Keeper and Hermione could not, even if she wanted to, divulge information about our whereabouts to Lucius...But I think we need to be on the safe side and change locations," Dumbledore informed, there was an a few nodding heads in agreement, mainly from Harry, Ginny and Luna.

"Young Miss Weasley, could you explain again what happened today in the Leaky Caldron?" Dumbledore asked as he sat back down in his chair and leaned back.

"It was strange really...she got angry...angrier than I have ever seen her before....she got mad because I told her about our suspicions and that I too believed she should leave the job...and then I don’t know, she started getting angrier and her face turned red, then without warning she screamed with pain and grabbed her head...and our glasses exploded into dust" Ginny explained, not liking that every eye was on her and was more than glad when Dumbledore stood up again.

"This is what really worries me...sounds to me that she is having trouble controlling her powers which are evidently very powerful...the fact that it is causing her pain is also very alarming," Dumbledore explained, his eyes narrowed. "I don’t believe she is under the Imperious curse...but there is something different about her," Dumbledore muttered mainly to himself, when she had been in his office earlier that day, when she came for the inspection, he had noticed the disappointed look that crossed her face, but after awhile her face had relaxed and she had seemed cocky almost angry, and for one brief moment he had sworn he saw another face shimmering behind hers, but had dismissed it as a trick of the light.

"Could it be some new spell that Lucius has her under?" Harry asked leaning forward towards Dumbledore. "I mean...we know death eaters are always experimenting with new means of torture and control...couldn’t it be that?" Harry asked, now looking around the table, many faces seemed to ponder those possibilities, but Dumbledore shook his head.

"It is true that Death Eaters experiment with new spells and curses but as with all experiments...they take time to perfect, and if he was trying a new spell it would more than likely fail and expose himself...and if he had been practicing it...then I believe there would have been more patients going to saint Mungos with unknown symptoms," Dumbledore explained, Harry raised his eyebrows in a How-do-you-know-they-haven’t kind of way. "I know that they haven’t because I took the liberty the check before I called this meeting," Dumbledore said matter-of-factly, Harry slumped back in his chair.

"Well there’s something funny going on," Harry said softly, Ginny took his hand and gave it and comforting squeeze.

"Yes I believe we all agree with that Mr. Potter...Lucius Malfoy is obviously up to something and it has to do with Miss Granger...Severus informed me that during their inspection he did nothing to hide the fact that he was a Death Eater from Miss Granger, and that Lucius kept a close watch on her, be it to assess her work...or obsession, one thing is clear...we must keep an eye on Miss Granger and Lucius Malfoy," Dumbledore informed, and turned his head to Lupin who sat at his left.
"Remus, you go to see her tomorrow, be sympathetic and agree she should keep the job, she already knows these four and myself disagree, but you could be on her side so you can stay close, out of anyone else in the Order, she will trust you." Dumbledore informed, Lupin looked uncomfortable with the idea but nodded his head to show he would do it anyway.
"Find out anything you can, and also...don’t tell her the headquarters have moved," Dumbledore finished.
The meeting went on well into the night; at the end of it they had set scheduled watches one for Hermione and one for Lucius.

***********************************

The grandfather clock in the living room chimed midnight, Hermione was sat in her bedroom upon the small window sofa she had conjured up with her wand. Rain lashed the window as Hermione gazed out of it at the weak moon that barely showed though the rain and clouds.

Her mind was full of the days events, Lucius’s odd treatment towards her and her argument with Ginny and Luna, she was therefore surprised that she was still awake and with no intention of going to bed anytime soon, she felt oddly like she was waiting for something to happen.
She sighed deeply as she thought of Lucius’s closeness at Hogwarts and felt like a silly school girl again. She sighed at the moon in the dark.

Hermione didn’t know why but she felt closer to Lucius than anyone after the afternoon she had had, and found it strange that her feelings didn’t bother her.

Suddenly there was a loud cracking sound from the living room making her jump, she came near to falling off the window seat but stayed up right by grabbing the window handle.

Sliding to the floor she drew her wand as she ran into the dark living room, moonlight spilled into the room from the large window but one quick glance told her that nobody was there, Hermione let out the breath she was holding, but then screamed and dropped her wand as something tugged at her night dress, jumping at the light switch she snapped it on and stared down at her feet, to see a tiny house elf, one of the smallest she had ever seen stood there.

"Oh my...you gave me a fright," Hermione gasped her hand going to her chest where she felt her heart pounding against her ribs.

"I am sorry if I is scaring you miss," the House Elf squeaked, Hermione smiled sweetly and scooped up her fallen wand off the floor.

"It’s alright...but why are you here?" Hermione asked tilting her head slightly; the elf reached inside its tattered attire and pulled out an envelope.

"My Master is sending me Miss...To give you this," Axel said holding the letter up to Hermione who took it and tore it open her eyes scanned the letter.

Dear Miss Granger

I would like to invite you to a small dinner party I am holding tomorrow for the governors panel at 8:00pm
at my Manor, I would be honoured if you could attend, I apologise for the lateness of my invitation, but I feared you would not like to attend, but the Minister insists that you be invited.

Formal dress code is acquired, and I look forward to seeing you

Lucius Malfoy

A small smile tugged at Hermione’s' lips as she scanned the letter again and again until the sound of the elf’s shuffling feet brought her back.

"I is sorry to be rushing you Miss, but my master would be most pleased if I is bringing your answer back with Axel."

"Oh....of course" Hermione gasped a small blush spreading across her cheeks, grabbing a piece of parchment and a quill she jotted down that she would be happy to attend and handed it to the elf who bowed low and disappeared with a pop.

Hermione stood dumfounded for a few moments before running back into her bedroom to decide what she would wear.