No Longer Helpless

Chapter Fifteen
Druids Mantra

The signal had been given. All was well. They had done their task, surprisingly fast.

Moody had hinted that the practical would be naught but a couple days of staking out and setting the trap. The old auror knew however, that such an assignment would most likely go terribly wrong, causing them to improvise.

A little less than two weeks wasn’t bad. He was satisfied, which was a hard thing to do. Part of Moody’s job as a senior auror, or Untouchable as some liked to call it, was resolving problems in a manner of utmost convenience and strategic gain.

It was rare that an Auror could be used to go undercover as a younger witch or wizard, because anyone who became an auror didn’t do so until they were in adulthood. There was always the Polyjuice potion. But, personal dislike for the thing disregarded, it was inconvenient. There were also glamors, but any strong glamors were highly detectible to the trained eye.

Besides, role-playing was made harder when you were of a further mind set from the role being played, so appearances aside it was still difficult.

The closest person he might find capable of acting like a student and pass decently would have been Tonks. There was always a request he could put in to have an outsider sent in from another branch that was outside of Britain and his own jurisdiction with the Ministry.

But, the odds of Alastor Moody calling in reinforcements that he hadn’t spent more than a year getting to know, was slim to none.

Hermione and Draco proved to be a most suitable choice. They were young, still students, and they were trained well enough. They weren’t full-fledged Aurors, rookies at best, but this also wasn’t a case that needed an Untouchable’s hand.

The operation dealt with a rising threat and concern within the private magical academy called Druids Mantra. This school was one of the most strict and old fashion magical learning facilities known. In fact, for the most part it wasn\'t known. The brainiac kitten hadn\'t even heard of it, and neither had most of the world, the magical world anyway.

Moody\'s colleagues were less apt to even refer to the place as a school and more prone to saying, \'Druids Mantra, oh yeah the Tyrannical Boot Camp of Dark Arts.\'

The truth was, he didn\'t agree with its strictness to adhering so closely to the rules. There were some rules he felt should not be followed. No matter whose opinion, Druids Mantra remained an issue for them. Not the Order, but the A.D.F., Auror Defense Force.

There may have been a war going on, but one war did not mean the rest of the world came to a halt in its actions, good or bad. For the most part, Voldemort\'s threat was Britain\'s focus, because it was centered there. Though it did adversely affect the rest of the world, magical and muggle, there were other things happening as well.

It would never occur to Moody that Hermione and Draco’s first assignment should have anything to do with the Dark Lord. In fact, had he thought about it, he would have felt it was best for it not to. They were going to be Aurors, before and hopefully after the final battle. Even before Riddle had gone on a trigger-happy power-tripping rampage, Aurors were needed.

The issue Hermione and Draco had to deal with was the strange disappearances of several of Druids Mantra’s students. Four students in total, in just under two weeks.

Though there was no Daily Prophet in Italy, such news had a way of being on the radar no matter where it was coming from. Malfoy and Granger were employed over seas and far from reach in Genova, Italy.

The operation, code named The Retrieval, as it was their job to find and retrieve these four students. The assignment required the two new recruits to enroll as students and take matters into their own hands as they saw fit.

What made it a practical for them were the guidelines Moody set. They would fail immediately if their identities were discovered, if they were sufficiently suspected of not being just students, if they used magic other than as required for schooling, if they argued pettily with each other as they had been every bloody moment, and if either of them died.

It wasn’t as though this was their final test or anything, so if they broke any rule other than the last one, they’d probably be fine.

Once again, it came down to a matter of convenience. Should they complete the mission in its entirety, the D.A.D.F, Department of Auror Defense Force, would have one less problem to deal with.

He was in no way, maybe just a little, skiving of certain tasks to the rookie recruits just because they were having a bit of an overload now that Voldemort felt up for public declarations of insanity.

The only sticky part about the whole situation, which made him seriously consider not giving this assignment, was that they had no contacts within Druids Mantra. No contacts meant the two kiddies had no safety net and he had no progress reports.

If he hadn’t been so damn attached to the blonde prat of boy he would not have let them go. As it played out though, Malfoy had affirmed they’d be capable and responsible enough to seek help if needed.

The boy’s words echoed in his head, bless his snide little heart, ‘Listen old man! It won’t be long before I can sufficiently kick your ass, so give me the benefit of the doubt here!’

So, Moody had. His newest trainees had left in a most vulnerable manner. They were inexperienced rookies, they fought like cats and dogs, they had no back up, and they were far enough away that the nearest back up would never make it in time if the situation called for it. Yet, he did have every confidence in them, hence his guidelines to make the challenge harder.

**

Genova, Italy was breathtaking in Hermione’s opinion. Then again, she wasn’t the most seasoned traveler, only ever going as far as France.

While Hermione acted like an excited little kitten, pawing Draco to point out something she found fascinating each time they turned the corner, Draco remained calmer. He was determined to be successful on this mission, if it was the last thing he ever did, which it very well might be.

Hermione’s excitement had been short lived however, as they soon found themselves swept up in the demands of their task.

Their job was made no easier by the fact that there were no suspects or clues as to what had happened. All they had been given was a file containing past speculations and marring events on the school’s name.

Druids Mantra was far from a well-reputed school. Prestigious and near impossible to get into, yes. As for its reputation, it was more than sinister and shadowy.

The focus and stress it put on the teachings of the darker magics made Durmstrang look like a school geared for peace negotiations and flower arrangement.

The fact that Hermione hadn’t even heard of it, in all the books she had read pertaining to magical history around the world or schools through out all nations, only made the secretive discreteness seem sketchy. No one wanted to keep a secret unless there was something that needed to be hidden, such as illegal actions and the disappearance of four students.

The students may not have been all that reputable to begin with, but the students’ families were influential. One girl was actually the niece of the former Minister of Magic. Fudge was only recently out of office.

It irked Hermione that young Adriana was Fudge’s brother’s daughter, and also the fourth to disappear. Never mind that three kids had vanished, as soon as this girl followed, the alarms went off.

Strict and old fashion for Druids Mantra meant the pure blood idealism that Salazar spouted off so many years ago. If Salazar had a radically traditional cousin, the founder of Druids Mantra was it.

There was so much irony in Hermione being there, in front of a great temple like building.

For starters, her presence and hopeful completion of the mission was an epitome of irony for the school’s downfall. She was muggleborn to them, a phrase that was akin to Voldemort’s name among the common populace of Britain, a forbidden title.

Another factor was that while this little escapade Moody had sent them on had no connection to Voldemort, it seemed like there was an all too familiar theme about it.

Finally, she couldn’t help but give thought to Malfoy’s current standing on blood purity. For the past six years he had ridiculed her for having muggle parents. They had been enemies on that basis.

If she considered it, he hadn’t actually made point of her lineage for over a year, but their loathing hadn’t died down any. So, she couldn’t help but wonder if he held his old ideals or if he had grown up and seen the truth that surrounded him.

She inhaled deeply, falling into step beside him as they climbed the many steps up to the tall ionic pillars that created the entryway.

Asking him any of the questions now swarming her mind was out of bounds. Malfoy hadn’t seemed too keen on divulging any information regarding his sudden change of heart, so she couldn’t very well ask pointedly. Whatever she might learn, and whenever it might be, would have to be done so at a certain pace. In time, she felt certain Draco would tell her everything, or let her know little by little.

It had been their tacit agreement as partners to not keep each other out of the loop. Moody had expressed his ill will at their continued rivalry, but said that as long as they remained close and understood each other, he would over look it as the sort of fighting between siblings.

Bickering was all they had known how to do with each other, and would remain with them for a long time, no matter how their relationship changed. The fact that they still argued and fought with each other now, after their relationship had already changed quite a bit, was testimony to that.

To say they regarded one another in same way as they had before summer had begun would be a blatant lie. There still remained an undeniable connection between them.

Draco had thought to describe it with various words, not liking the way any of them sounded even in his head. Attraction and affection were the two most widely used at times, but since both made him wince when he strung them along as adjectives, he settled for trusted partner and altered perspective.

They had never had a talk that involved either pouring their hearts out. Draco wouldn’t have done that for any amount of glory in the world. After the night Hermione had so stupidly gone tower jumping, he had known he held affection for the girl. Why else would he have felt his heart stop at the mere thought of losing her?

Now, when he found himself absentmindedly staring at her face and halo of golden brown curls, he knew the slight kindling of desire within was attraction. Why else would he occasionally find himself wanting to caress her face and wrap his fist up in her hair possessively?

However, they had simply admitted that something had changed and that what it was, could never be.

History aside, for it didn’t seem relevant for present circumstances, their lives were too messy as it was. There was a war, one that they had invariably become even more involved in. Their training encouraged no distractions from the Auror’s way of life. Between focused efforts and determination to bring Voldemort down, they both seemed in agreement that romantically inclined desire was a road not to be traveled.

So, they had returned to a somewhat more normal relationship. Always bickering and competing with each other, which actually proved useful as it spurred them both to do better in training. He wondered if Hermione would have come half as far, had she not been harboring an overwhelming need to match his own skill.

Amazingly, she had managed a single flash step on the fourth night of practice. He of course knew that she had been trying relentlessly during the off hours of the late night, but he mentioned nothing. Now, her movements were on par with his, if only a little less confident. She hadn’t mastered her Angelus powers yet, and he hadn’t seen tail or whisker of the kitten.

But, he knew things were progressing. He had been witness to Hermione’s wings, beautiful and enchanting as the rest of her, on three separate occasions.

It totaled five times that he’d seen them appear. The first had been when she held her new wand. The second was after she’d decided to test just how little cushioning the Hogwarts grass would have after a high fall.

The other three were all during training. Once after Moody hit the tail end of her broom and dismounted her, then again after the crazed Auror decided to test a theory and shoved her off another tower. Draco had nearly had a heart attack at that. The most recent had been upon her own bidding. Though it had taken her a good hour of just standing there and concentrating, she had managed to release them. She was dead tired afterwards, perspiring from determined focus and nearly fainting right after she’d finally managed it.

The only other ability any of them had thought to hone was her healing, which had proved far more agreeable. While she couldn’t do it as easy as flipping a light switch, she was able to use it when needed and without too much effort.

As if her developing abilities were in part from the kitten’s cooperation, he kept his end of their bargain. For hardly more than two minutes had he been away from Hermione. It was almost as though they were glued at the hip, never to leave each other’s side again. In fact, there were several nights when sleep didn’t even separate them, which they had both blamed on utter exhaustion after training.

Some nights, they had been too tired to make it to their bedrooms, so they had crashed together on the couch, or Hermione had been too tired to walk the extra flight of stairs and simply followed Draco into his bed. The absolute calm and serene feeling they had from laying beside one another during such unguarded times had nothing to with it, for the most part.

Now, they were partners, understandably close to each other, trusting and reliant. If one of them had a thought it was likely the other could finish it. When dodging a well-directed spell, Draco would think to move left and Hermione would follow as quickly as if she had been thinking it herself.

She would finish writing her letter to the Weasley female no sooner than he thought to mention he wanted to eat dinner. After a short month together, they moved in perfect harmony and synchronization that it was beyond the realms of normal. But, actions did not speak louder than words in their case, as they continued to be indifferent and take jabs at each other.

However, the arguing and sarcastic comments held an almost kind and familiarity of tone that it could hardly be considered hurtful.

As they approached the front entrance, which was oddly a set of double glass doors, he lovingly and intimately placed a hand on the small of her back to guide her in. Though it was all a part of the image they were trying to present, it felt right.

The second the doors opened, the two of them were accosted by a sever gaze from the secretary behind a lavish marble desk. If this had been a hotel, Hermione would have thought the woman to be some kind of concierge.

“The Valor twins?” the snarky woman asked in a harsh and terse voice.

Hermione had become accustomed to being able to understand what everyone around her was saying even though they were all speaking Italian. She had known since her second year about various spells that allowed to castor to understand and speak other languages.

There were many variations to such spells. The one in particular that she and Draco were using was a bit more long term and complex. The alteration took place not with their vocal cords or hearing as others might have, but in their minds, where comprehension dawned. So, when they heard the foreign words, they understood the meaning, and when they formed a thought to be voiced, they merely needed to want it to come out in Italian for it to do so.

Knowing the effects of the spell didn’t make her any less surprised and excited at first hearing random conversations from those around her once they’d arrived. Draco had to clamp a hand over her mouth to keep her from suddenly intruding into one couples conversation over the proper ingredients of the Wolfs Bane potion. She had been so excited to try speaking with other people and to share her vast knowledge with someone who didn’t assume she knew everything. She had completely ignored the fact that the conversation didn’t include her and she didn’t know them. He’d made some sarcastic comment like, ‘Down tiger,’ before he’d released her.

Draco answered the woman, taking command in accordance with the biographies of the Valor twins. The older brother was more dominant. “Yes. We’re here for out interview and first day of class.”

Confidence oozed out of his every pore, as though their pending admittance into the school was but a minor detail. Hermione just smiled in agreement. The younger sister was a rather timid girl.

The Valor twins were two teenagers who came from a long line of pure blooded wizards. They weren’t from the richest family, but in Druids Mantra money meant little and blood meant everything.

Val and Vera Valor were two well-known names among everyone within a hundred mile radius of Genova. It had been common knowledge that they were receiving private tutoring in the ways of magical learning since the day they were born. Their sudden interest and appliance to Druids Mantra was solely because it was actually Draco and Hermione acting under their alias.

The actual Val and Vera, for there was an actual sibling pair, were being kept out of sight with no details disclosed to either of the two rookies. A detailed biography of both teens had been given to them, which they had promptly read and discussed before taking the portkey all the way to Italy.

The aura given off by Draco and Hermione was enough to deter any suspicions. What the twins looked like was only speculation, since their parents and Valor family kept a tight lid on all private affairs and kept their children out of sight.

While some rumors made them out to be a hideous pair of hunchbacks, reasoning their lack of public appearance, most thought they must fit in with the glory of their name. The Valor name was highly thought of.

Only such a pure family could possibly have heirs that were nothing short of godlike.

Indeed, they made quite an attraction standing in the atrium as they were.

Draco was well drilled in the mannerisms of acting superior from his own Malfoy name. The blonde stood tall at six foot. His golden blonde hair was darkened, though no less striking. It was necessary for his hair to be darker for the sake of appearing related to Hermione. The golden strands were slightly wavy and perfectly mannered.

His face was impassive and his silver grey eyes were able to send any witch careening into a chair for lack of stable legs. His broad shoulders and nicely structured body only hinted at what sights lay beneath the expensive tailored clothes.

And then there was Hermione. If Draco could catch the eye of any witch, then she could catch the heart of any wizard.

The woman behind the desk made her quick and slightly obvious study of him, before summoning the principal. Shortly after, a large beefy man, with olive skin and short black hair, strode through a door on the far wall behind the marble counter. He was the principal, Mr. Fabriano, overseer to all that went on within Druids Mantra.

As the dark haired man approached the two Valor siblings, wondering why they chose now to apply to his school, he studied them in much the same way as his secretary had. His eyes were less focused on the older brother, however, and more drawn to the timid sister.

Hermione was small and delicate. She stood, not short, but only coming up to Draco’s shoulders. Her frame was slender but curved in every respect that a female would want to be. Her mane of wavy curls was now golden, slightly darker than Draco’s hair, lightened for the same reason his was darkened. The once unruly hair of hers from years ago was now a splendid crown of soft curls, tumbling down her back and over her shoulders, framing her angelic face. Bright rusty brown eyes sparkled shyly from behind long dark lashes. Her lips were slightly pout, red and lush. Her cheeks were graced with a slight flush against creamy skin. In a show of her timid character, she turned further into her brother’s arms and raised an arm to clutch his shirt.

Mr. Fabriano extended his hand, and Draco shook it firmly. Hermione watched avidly, looking from her brother to the principal, as if waiting for approval. Draco smiled encouragingly at her.

Vera smiled brightly up at the school’s head honcho, causing a noticeable hitch in the man’s breathing. She extended her hand, which he gently took and graced with a kiss. It was Mr. Fabriano’s every intention at this moment to send them on their way, no interview needed, if only to ensure the younger of the twins remained nearby attending classes.

This was part of what Draco was counting on, and part of why he had to fight to remain in control. Every part of him wanted to wrench her small hand from his slimy grip, but he couldn’t.

“Allow me to give you an official tour,” he said in smooth sleazy words. His hand remained holding Vera’s as he guided her away from her protective brother. He dared to place a guiding hand on her back and ushered her through the door he had come from, followed closely by Val. “Druids Mantra welcome’s you most kindly,” he stated as the door shut behind them.

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