This Subdued Fire

To my reviewers: thanks for your comments, both good and bad. They make me a better writer. However, I must say, yes, the pranks are childish...but after the overload of angst I needed to provide a bit of comic relief. What better way to get back at Malfoy than to completely humiliate him in front of his betters and peers? As for Malfoy\'s little stunt, he\'s a nasty git. Let\'s not forget that. And he\'s only 17. These kids, they\'re not in their mid-twenties, they\'re only 17-18 years old. They\'re going to have some reactions that 17-18 year old kids have. Hey, Cow, Hermione always wins because she kicks ass. :) And um...she screwed Draco worse than he did her? Excuse me? Baking Powder? He ratted her out to his father and her folks got killed because of his loose-lippedness (yes I know it\'s not a word). It was accidental, yes, but it still happened. She\'d have to kill/maim/torture Lucius and Narcissa for them to be \"even\" in any sense of the word. CrystallineLily: yes, I got the \"I\'m not right handed thing\" from The Princess Bride. I have always loved that movie. Good on you to have spotted it. As always: to Gin, Jen, Mon and Paril. Thanks for reading and stuff. You girls r0x0rs my s0x0rs. And yes, Gin, Snape DOES care if you\'re 1337! (inside joke, you know) *Evanesco Litigatio!* I do not own either in whole or in part any of the characters that appear in this work of fiction that appear in the Harry Potter series of novels. Those characters and settings belong to JK Rowling, Bloomsbury Press, Scholastic and Warner Bros. I only take them out of their boxes and play with them for a bit and then I give them back. P.S. I put the sword fighting bit in there for a reason, which will be explained later on.
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A Rush of Blood to the Head

Saturday night saw Draco alone in his room, doing his own bit of research. He\'d gotten a note from Hermione earlier saying that she was going to be spending her time in the library because it was easier to concentrate. The constant hours of studying were beginning to wear on his nerves. Like Hermione, he wanted to do something and looking in books was not going to be the answer. However, he understood the value of a good plan.

The pea-green fire crackled merrily in the grate when it suddenly turned orange and leapt. Hermione\'s face appeared in the flames. \"Oi, Malfoy, I think I\'ve found something, you need to make your way to the room.\"

\"What is it Gran-\" he started to ask, but she\'d already popped out.

Draco made his way quickly to the room. A few moments later Hermione burst through the door carrying books and a sheaf of parchments. \"I think I\'ve got it. It may not work, but I\'m fairly confident.\"

\"Tell me.\"

Hermione and Draco sat on one of the sofas and she spread her notes out. \"There is a decoction that will, very simply, undo every molecule chain in an object.\"

Draco looked at her, astonished. \"Where did you find this?\"

\"I\'d read it in the most mundane source imaginable. \'Most Potente Potions.\' H and and Ginny got me a first-edition copy of it for my birthday. I\'d read it many times but for some reason I\'d never paid much attention to this.\"

\"What happens?\"

\"It doesn\'t kill a person in the ordinary sense that they become a dead body. It reduces a person or an object to its most basic elements: carbon, oxygen...whatever something is made of.\"

\"Bloody brilliant, Hermione.\"

\"One catch.\"

Draco grinned a bit ruefully. \"There\'s always a catch.
\
\"The timetable. It only works for twenty minutes from the time of ingestion. When twenty minutes is up the subject will reform into their original shape. At which time, Voldemort would be extremely hacked off.\"

\"And with the ensuing chaos, who\'d be able to get close enough to dispose of the remains? Every Death Eater in the circle wouo ino insane,\" Draco sighed.

\"Precisely. And the ingredients are really hard to come by, although I know that Snape has a supply of them in his private stores. Another thing...\" She looked at Draco with a strange glint in her eye.

\"Oh, now what?\"

\"It requires a bit of flesh or blood or material from the object that the potion is being used on.\"

\"I\'m not going to sidle up to Voldemort and try to get clipping of hair from him. That\'s just wrong.\"

\"Draco, it\'s a long shot but it\'s the only chance we\'ve got.\"

\"And if we fail?\"

\"We fail and the fight goes on.\" Hermione gave him a resigned expression.

\"Just like that?\"

\"What else do you want me to say?\"

He closed his eyes briefly and thought. \"When would you want to do this?\"

\"The night of the ritual.\"

\"Bloody hell. Every Death Eater in existence is going to be there. You want to destroy their leader then? Are you mad?\"

Hermione got up from her place beside him and paced back and forth agitatedly. \"Better mad than a coward.\" She looked at him fiercely. \"It\'s better to burn out than to fade away.\"

He snorted. \"Sounds like something an idiotic Gryffindor would say.\"

\"I\'m getting tired of you always insulting my House. The timing is tight and the numbers are off, but we\'ve got to do it.\"

\"And you\'ve not given a single thought to your own personal safety. Typical.\"

\"What of yours, Draco? You\'d martyr yourself for a cause you\'re not even sure you believe in.\"

\"No, but I\'d do it for you!\" By this time Draco had gotten up from his place amid the cushions of the sofa and was staring Hermione down.

\"Don\'t. Not for me and not for anyone else but yourself. I was a fool to think that we\'d ever be friends,\" she said bitterly.

\"We *are* friends. Friends don\'t always agree all the time, Granger.\"

Hermione gave a dry chuckle. \"Don\'t I know it. Have you come up with something better?\"

\"No.\"

\"Then I think we ought to get to work. I also think that I need to bring Harry in on this.\"

\"Pothead? Whyever for?\"

\"It\'s going to take all the firepower we have at our disposal to pull it off, Malfoy. You\'ll be in the wings, slipping Voldemort the potion, I\'ll be tied up with something that will more than likely drain my powers, like kryptonite.\"

\"...like *what*?\"

\"Muggle reference, never mind. Harry\'s got to be our wingman in case things go awry.\"

\"Fine. Do what you think is necessary.\" He turned away from her.

Hermione sighed. \"It\'s not that I don\'t think you\'re capable, Draco. But it\'s smart to have someone just as powerful on our side.\"

\"I know. I just wish that it wasn\'t Potter.\" He pulled a face.

\"Harry\'s not so bad, once you get to know him.\"

\"Could\'ve fooled me.\"

She cuffed him lightly on the arm. \"He also needs to learn how to use his talents. I\'ve learnt a lot by trial and error. You\'ve known since you were old enough to understand what you were. His powers just manifested themselves. And he\'s shutting down, becoming withdrawn. I know he\'s worried about the prophecy. Harry\'s never truly come to grips with the kill or be killed aspect of it.\"

\"Poor Potter, the hero. Doesn\'t he know that heroes slay the dragon and save the day?\"

\"Don\'t make jokes.\" Despite her admonishment, Hermione smiled slightly.

\"Ah, but you like my jokes.\"

\"I admit nothing.\"

Draco grinned devilishly. He responded by backing her against one of the dungeon walls. \"Care to try again?\"

Hermione knew he wasn\'t just talking about admitting that she liked his naughty sense of humour. She stayed silent as he bent his head to kiss her. Hermione felt herself become boneless under his well-trained lips.

Gods! Draco, despite all of hiserieerience, had never been able to find someone who matched Hermione in the art of the kiss. She was so sweet, so trusting. The damask rose sent that she wore was different from most women of his acquaintance. He swallowed her up and she let him. Still, there was something not quite right and he broke the kiss off.

Her eyes cleared when he pulled away. To his relief, she didn\'t seem disappointed at all. Hermione merely smiled and ducked under his arm to move away from him. Draco wondered how long it would be before they would be ready.

\"I\'m going to tell Harry tomorrow. But I think that we should begin tonight.\"

\"You want me to test you?\" Draco queried.

\"Who better than you?\"

He smirked. \"Nobody\'s better than I, my dear.\"

\"Arrogant prat.\" But Hermione had a laugh in her voice.

\"But of course.\" Draco swept her a courtly bow. \"Shall we begin?\"

\"Please.\"

Draco tossed off a casual *\"Stupefy!\"* The thick red jet of light erupted from his hand. It sped towards Hermione who didn\'t flinch or duck. She took the hit and just as her body began to crumple, she straightened up and shook it off in a shower of ruby coloured sparks. Draco was shocked. In all his findings about mages, he hadn\'t found anything that said a mage could withstand an attack by another mage. He tried again. *\"Stupefy!\"* The crimson beam came flying at Hermione. She opened her hand and caught the light.

Hermione looked at the hex in her hand. It pulsed and bobbed in her cupped palms. She grinned evilly and took up a cricket pitcher\'s stance. Pulling her body back, she balled the hex and let fly a wicked pitch. The crackling ball of light soared in Draco\'s direction. He caught it handily and tossed it back to her. They played catch with the spell, delighted by their newfound abilities. Neither of them had played much with their skills before.

When Draco sent the electric red sizzle back to Hermione, she stopped it in mid-air. Hermione snapped her fingers and the ball broke apart and fell to the floor in tiny glassine sparkles. Draco became a little disgruntled.

\"Hex me,\" he growled.

\"What?\"

\"You heard me.\"

*\"Incendio!\"* The flame orange ray of light burned in a streak from Hermione\'s fingertips to slash Draco across the chest. He started to go down as Hermione could smell his singed flesh. But Draco recovered and an inferno came steaming out of his body to knock Hermione to the floor.

\"Damn.\" He ran the distance over to her and rolled her over. He could smell the smoke rising from her skin and hair. She opened her eyes and coughed a bit. \"Are you alright?\"

\"Yeah, yeah. I\'m fine.\" Hermione sat up gingerly. \"You pack a bit of a punch there, Mr. Malfoy.\" Her teeth gleamed through the slight red of her face.

She concentrated and the singed look left her countenance. Her eyes sparkled like canary diamonds in her pale face.

He shook his head. \"How can you handle this with such good grace? I could\'ve killed you.\"

\"But you didn\'t.\" Her smile widened. \"And I trust that you wouldn\'t.\"

\"Ah. I see.\" Draco knew what she was getting at but he didn\'t like the methods she used to bring that point home. Women. Who could understand them?
**************
The pair worked on their powers right up until the Easter holidays. When they weren\'t squaring off against one another, Hermione and Draco took the time to shore up Harry\'s knowledge and skill. The raven-haired boy seemed to grow in length and breadth under their careful tutelage. Hermione grinned, remembering Harry\'s reaction to their news.

Harry had been outside, trudging around in the sopping wet green grass, enjoying the fact that it wasn\'t winter anymore. Hermione had come out to join him. The crocuses were just peeking their heads out of the last vestiges of snow that still dusted the ground. They walked, talking of nothing in particular. Ron had filled him in on the condition he\'d found Hermione in. Since then, none of them, had had a conversation that was worth a damn.

\"Harry?\"

\"Hm?\"

\"I have something to tell you.\"

\"If you\'re confessing your grand passion for me, it\'s too late, I\'m already taken,\" he teased.

Hermione thumped him on the arm. \"Silly. No. I do have some news and it may come as a bit of a shock.\"

Harry stopped and faced his friend of seven years.

\"Um...\" She took a deep breath. \"Draco and I are...seeing each other.\"

\"I know.\" Harry grinned.

\"You...what?\"

\"Do you remember that night I was headed to the prefect\'s bathroom and I saw you coming back in? You had on that slinky black nightdress.\"

\"Ah, yes. I do remember.\"

\"After that night, I decided to do a little snooping and I pulled out the Marauder\'s Map.\"

The implications of this settled on Hermione and her eyes widened. \"You didn\'t!\"

\"Jawohl.\"

\"You spying little sneak.\" Hermione thumped him on the arm again, this time harder.

\"Ow! Damn it, Hermione, that hurt!\"

\"Serves you right for spying.\"

Harry rubbed his arm. \"I only spied to make sure you were alright.\" He pulled a face. \"Not only were you alright, seems that you were blooming there for a bit. What happened?\"

Hermione launched into the story. By the time she was finished, the sun was halfway down the greyed sky and the nightbirds were calling their songs.

\"Jesus, Herm. How did you stand it?\"

\"I don\'t know...I did though.\"

\"Do you love him?\"

They stopped walking and Hermione turned her eyes to the red sun. \"I think I am. I don\'t ever remember feeling like this before. It\'s like a wave...the feeling ebbs and swells, but it\'s always there, no matter what I do, no matter what happens.\"

\"Does he love you?\"

\"I don\'t know. He hasn\'t said. I want to say he does, but he\'s so...enigmatic sometimes, so secretive. It\'s hard to tell.\"

\"But that\'s one of the things that appeals to you, isn\'t it?\"

Hermione gave Harry an indecipherable smile. \"You know me too well, Harry James.\"

\"It\'s kind of my job, Herm.\"

\"I have another thing to tell you. Or rather, ask.\"

\"What?\"

\"Draco and I have come up with a plan to try to defeat Voldemort. But we need your help. But he and I would have to train you.\"

\"Train me?\"

\"Yes.\" Hermione told him of her plan. \"Your mage powers, you know. I know they sometimes manifest themselves when you\'re upset or even overly happy. You have to learn how to control them. Otherwise...\"

\"I see. I always thought it would be hand to hand combat, something spectacular.\"

\"You sound vaguely disappointed.\"

\"A little. A chance to finally face down the man who\'s been the source of everything that\'s horrid and awful in my world - sometimes I think tis the only thing that keeps me going.\" A small embarassed grin. \"Well, that and Gin. I swear, Hermione, if it wasn\'t for her...\"

\"I know, Harry. I know.\"
**************

Thus, Draco, Hermione and Harry were busy up until the Spring break. Ginny had recently turned sixteen. It just so happened the that Easter hols fell right after her natal day. The two Weasleys, Hermione and Harry descended on the Burrow. Molly and Arthur were glad to have them. They managed to spend a short, worry free week there. All four enjoyed being normal teenagers. Hermione missed Draco and wished that he could\'ve come along.

When the train pulled into the station that Sunday before classes began, her nerves hummed with anticipation. Hermione didn\'t see Draco at the station and so she was anxious to be with him. She piled into one of the thestral pulled carriages and nearly danced on her seat waiting to get to Hogwarts.

She caught sight of the castle, perched on its hilltop like a sentinel waiting for the troops to return. Hermione left the carriage as soon as it rumbled to a stop in front of the massive doors. Thinking carefully, she made herself invisible and ran down to the dungeon room. Becoming visible in the wink of an eye, she pushed open the door and shut it quickly. The chamber was dark, no torches were lit.

*\"Lux.\"* She intoned and snapped her fingers. They sprang to brilliant life. She saw Draco curled up on the golden velvet duvet. \"Aw,\" she whispered. He looked so sweet.

She tipped to the side of the bed and looked at him sleeping. Hermione brushed his hair back from his face and saw the livid bruises his sported along his chin and cheek and the black eye that was beginning to form. Looking at his hands, which were alongside his head on the pillow she saw that they were all scraped and bruised, too. There was blood crusted at the corner of his mouth. At least his elegant nose hadn\'t been broken.

Hermione instinctively knew that this was Lucius\' doing. Draco hadn\'t had an easy time of it at home over the holiday. Sadness and anger swept over her as it hadn\'t in a while. She trailed her fingers over an untouched part of Draco\'s face and his lovely silvered eyes opened.

\"Hermione.\"

\"Did your father do this to you.\"

His silence was his assent.

\"Stay quiet, love. I\'ll be back.\"

He tried to sit up. \"Hermione, no.\"

\"Hush.\" She got up from his side and pushed him back down among the pillows of their bed. She took off her cloak and got in beside him, stroking his head gently until he fell asleep again.

Hermione lay awake thinking of all Draco told her. Put together with all she\'d witnessed first hand was enough to make her want to cause a little mayhem. She slipped out of bed and walked out of the chamber, making sure that Draco stayed ensconced in the land of Nod. Hermione felt a strange mixture of anger and nausea at the abuse a parent could inflict on a child.

She willed herself invisible and left Hogwarts, easing out of the big iron gate and away from the circle of protection that surrounded the castle. Hermionuld uld feel the change when she stepped out of the circle. She Apparated with a *crack* and found herself in Wiltshire, staring into the face of Malfoy Manor. The lights in the mansion were still on and she could see figures moving behind the curtains.

Hermione could feel the electric crackle of an invisible gate at the opening of the stone wall. She snapped her fingers and all went silent. Becoming visible, she walked up to the stairs of the house with a grim determined expression. No one came running out the house ready to hex her into next month. A soft spring breeze blew and a fat shining moon held court among the twinkling stars.

Looking at all the manicured serenity gave Hermione a disgusted feeling. The people within used their outward beauty to disguise their inward corruption. She raised her hands and held them together as if she were going to blow a kiss to the Malfoys within.

A furtively whispered *\"Incendio!\"* resulted in a small golden-red fireball hovering above her opened palms. *\"Engorgio!\"*

The fireball grew as big as a beach ball. The leaping liquid flames resembled a miniature sun. Hermione blew the fireball from her hands and it wafted over to the portico that fronted the house. The flaming sphere hovered above the stairs for a split second and then fell, the fire pouring out of it as if it were a cracked egg spilling its yolk. The conflagration raced along the stone and brick almost as if she\'d poured petrol over the edifice.

Hermione snapped her fingers and one by one the shrubs lining the perimeter of the house burst into flame. The burning bushes sent impossibly tall columns of fire racing up the walls of Malfoy Manor. The enchanted glass still hadn\'t given way. She sent tiny dancing bluebell flames to the windowpanes and they did a foxtrot on the glass until it shattered, allowing the fire raging outside into the snug rooms within. A scream erupted from inside. And then there were the noises of things breaking and being overturned.

Hermione\'s anger fueled her. She threw off sparks of scarlet and gold. They ignited the slightly dry green grass that surrounded the now devastated domicile. She shook her head and a shower of gleaming crackles spread over the park.

Lucius came running out of the house, Narcissa in tow. He pulled up short when he saw the flaming flagstones of the portico. And there beyond the inferno of the house, in the midst of his burning empire was Hermione. She wore an expression of savage satisfaction. His eyes narrowed to mere slits and she gave him a small salute and walked away from the burning, smoking wreck.