This Subdued Fire

Yes, yes I know the plot is a bit hard to follow, but I love labyrinthine tales.
Disclaimer: I don\'t own the characters or settings, I just own the tune that they dance to.
Thanks: To C Lily, Kiristeen, Gin, Jen, Mon, Paril & Campy. You ladies make my day.
To my readers and reviewers, you guy are so awesome.
Oh. A lemon aler
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The Linking

Dumbledore\'s office remained silent as the five pondered Dumbledore\'s words and the weight that was now settled on them. Hermione had heard whispers of such things as a child but paid no attention to them. It certainly accounted for her magical abilities...Harry\'s too. But this...this was entirely too much and her brain began rebelling against this most illogical pronouncement.

\"So...I\'m to just...just deal with this?\" Hermione\'s voice came bitterly from the depths of her chest.

\"So it would seem.\" Dumbledore gave a heavy sigh. \"With the failure of your plan, Voldemort is going to step up his plans for attack. I would expect him to try sometime before the Commencement Feast.\"

\"Oh...I see.\" Hermione got up and began pacing the room. Draco could see the familiar white-gold flashes illuminating her skin and eyes. \"The three of us are supposed to save the world and *I*, the queen of the Mudbloods, isn\'t so Mudblooded after all. What a bloody cosmic joke.\"

\"I wouldn\'t have put it quite in that manner, Hermione, but -\" Hermione cut into Albus\' sentence.

\"But I would, Headmaster! In about a month\'s time I\'m going to have to face down the most powerful dark wizard of the age. Why didn\'t you tell me about this before? Do you always have to be such a secret keeping little snot?!\" Hermione turned on the Headmaster with fire in her eyes. The other four said nothing, silently agreeing with her.

\"I had no idea that your abilities would manifest themselves now or if they ever would. We, the Priory and I, decided not to say anything until you reached your majority, which by Muggle rules is the age of eighteen.\"

\"And because of this whole secret-society pact I have to deal with the wreckage.\" Hermione\'s mouth screwed into a rueful moue of disgust. \"Hell. Jesus got eighteen years to deal with it, Harry got five. How come I only get a month?\"

\"I\'m apologizing to you now, Miss Granger. It\'s not as if you\'re in this alone. It\'s actually Harry\'s fate to deal with.\" Dumbledore looked at her gravely from behind his half-moon spectacles.

Hermione stalked over to plant her hands on Dumbledore\'s desk, leaning over him menacingly. \"Yes, but you\'re using Harry and Draco and me. Why the hell can\'t you take him out yourself? You\'re the one Voldemort supposedly fears the most.\"

Dumbledore, in the first show of anger she\'d ever seen from him, rose from his desk, seemingly ten feet tall in front of her. \"Don\'t you think that if I could have I would have? It is not my fate to kill Tom Riddle. That belongs to those who bear the mantle of kingship, something that I do not. You know well that such carries great responsibility.\"

Hermione merely stood in front of Albus, arms crossed and eyebrow cocked. \"You\'re about as scary as a tulip, Headmaster. I know that little trick.\" Hermione herself seemed to rise about four feet in the air to look at Albus in his crackling blue eyes. \"And don\'t try the old duty speech on me. It\'s not going to work. And as for responsibility, I don\'t want it. I don\'t *bloody* want it. Stick a fork in me, I\'m done.\"

With that Hermione spun her heel and walked out the Headmaster\'s office. She slammed the door behind her hard enough to make the portraits grab onto their frames for fear of falling out. Phineas Nigellus looked at Dumbledore with a sympathetic eye.

\"Got a nice temper on her, that one does.\"

Draco got up and quietly followed her out.
**********

He caught up with her close to the lake. She was standing near the shore, staring out at the night-tinted water.

\"I can\'t believe you called Dumbledore a snot. I\'ve been dying to say that to him for years.\"

\"Rather ill-done of me, that was.\" Hermione grimaced.

\"You were telling himr hor honest feelings. It\'s a lot to deal with.\" Draco put his hands on her shoulders but not not pull Hermione back into an embrace.

\"I just wish...\" Hermione trailed off and looked at the stars. \"I don\'t know what I wish.\"

\"If it\'s any consolation, I take back all the times I called you Mudblood.\"

Hermione chuckled. \"Thanks.\"

\"Not a problem.\" Draco kneaded her tense shoulders a bit. \"So what are you going to do?\"

The flesh that Draco was soothing slumpedit iit in defeat. \"I have to do what I have to do. There\'s nothing to be done about it, is there?\"

\"No, there isn\'t. It\'s not the end of the world though, Hermione.\"

\"It could be, it very well could be.\"

\"Nah. It\'s not as if you\'re the second coming or sommat like that.\" Draco pulled her into his arms.

\"You\'re such a...\"

\"Witty, charming, blindingly handsome and talented man?\"

\"Of course. But I was going to say a smart-assed, snarky little bastard.\"

\"Ah. My usual superlatives. I would be me if I weren\'t, my dear.\"

\"I never expected anything less, Draco Malfoy.\" She could feel him smile and an answering one played about her lips.
**********

Draco and Hermione spent the night in the dungeon chamber, undisturbed. However, early in the morning, they had a visitor. He sent a single pure note into the air and waited for them to arise from the rumpled sheets. Draco was the first to awaken.

\"What in the bloody hell what that?\" He looked around and his gaze settled on Fawkes, who was perched on a chair near the bed. \" \'Ere now, how\'d you get in here?\"

The bird merely gave Draco a placid gaze and chirped a bit at the disgruntled young man.

\"I suppose you want me to wake her up, is that it? Fine.\" He shook Hermione awake. \"Oi, luv, wake up.\"

\"Is it Christmas already, Mum?\" She sat up and pushed her hair out her eyes.

Draco laughed. \"No, darls, it isn\'t Christmas.\"

Hermione thumped Draco on the arm. \"I was ng ang a dream about being home for Christmas...well...\" She drifted into silence ting ing about how she\'d never wake up to her parents at Christmas again.

\"No frowns. We\'ve got a visitor.\"

\"Who?\"

\"That great bloody bird sitting over there.\" Draco jerked his thumb in Fawkes\' direction.

Hermion regarded the avian with a slight frown. \"How in the world did you get in here?\" Fawkes snothnothing, only popped over to the bed, plopping his great weight in the center of the mattress and sticking out a leg. \"Ah. A message.\"

Hermione untied the paper from his leg and before popping back to where he came from, Fawkes gifted them with a short burst of song. Hermione and Draco just shook their heads.

\"Is he always like that?\" Draco inquired.

\"Always.\" Hermione replied and cracked the seal on the rolled parchment. \"It\'s from Dumbledore. He wants us to report to his office as soon as we awaken. I wonder what he wants now.\"

Draco saw the slight irritation pass over her face. \"Well, whatever it is, it can\'t be as bad as last night\'s revelations.\"

\"C\'est vrai, mon cher.\"

\"Ooh. I love it when you speak French.\" Draco wagged his eyebrows at her suggestively.

\"You can speak it, too.\"

\"Yes...but I like hearing *you* speak it.\" He gave her a look that warmed her to her toes. Suddenly Hermione giggled a bit.

\"What is it?\" he asked her.

\"I just had a naugthouthought. Well, if the four founders were descended from the same bloodline and you and I are their descendants...then that means we\'re related. We\'re cousins or sommat.\"

Draco laughed. \"Ew. Blood relative.\" He poked her in the ribs. \"As long as we\'re very distantly related, I don\'t give a crap.\"

\"Very distantly I would assume.\" Hermione shivered a bit. \"And stop that. We\'ve got an appointment to attend to.\" Draco had begun trailing his fingertips along her spine. She flung back the covers and dressed.

\"You really know how to spoil a promising morning, Granger.\"

\"Spoilt brat, Malfoy. There\'s plenty of time to play later on.\" She winked at him and left the room.

\"I\'m going to hold you to that!\" He called after her.

Draco caught up with Hermione and together they ascended the labyrinthine steps to the main part of the dungeons. As it was a Saturday, they w\'t \'t observed as they went past the entrance to the Slytherin common room. Most of the students were sleeping it off and they had the corridors to themselves. The pair made their way to Albus\' office, Malfoy gave the password.

\"Mars Bar.\" The Slytherin gave a moue of distaste. \"Honestly, the man\'s going to get sugar shock one of these days.\"

\"Well I think that when one passes the one-hundred and fifty year mark he gets all the candy his wizened little stomach can hold.\"

He shot her a disgusted look. \"You always were too soft. Must be that double-damned Gryffindor sentimentality.\"

\"And you know it.\" She winked at him.

The revolving staircase deposited them at Dumbledore\'s door and Hermione knocked. They entered, seeing the Headmaster\'s smiling countenance sitting serenely with the sun backlighting him ethereally. \"Good morning.\"

\"Morning, Headmaster.\" Hermione replied to Dumbledore\'s cheery greeting. \"I wanted to apologize for my bad behaviour last night.\"

\"Quite understandable, my girl. Last night was difficult for us all. Care for a lemon drop?\" He pushed the dish over to where the pair stood.

\"No, thank you. I don\'t eat candy before breakfast,\" she said with a grin.

\"Draco?\" Albus asked.

\"None for me, thanks.\"

\"Ah. Well. Follow me.\" The elder statesman got up from his seat and led them into of one of the hidden passages that were in his office. The traveled for a while, silently, until they reached a solid wall. Dumbledore knocked on it thrice and it swung open.

Hermione knew this room. It was the room where the mirror of Erised sat. And it was still there in the middle of the chamber, all repaired. Hermione had the good grace to be chagrined, thinking of the damage she\'d caused. Albus said nothing but a faint smile played about his lips.

Hermione and Draco were drawn to the enormous unfurled parchment that seemed sealed to one wall. The last time she was in this room Hermione had taken little note of the parchment, but this morning it drew her like a bee to honey. Going to the crackly yellow paper, Hermione inhaled the smell of it. It smelled a bit like the library did, which was heaven to her senses. She saw names and dates, a myriad of them scrolling down and across the parchment. Some of the names were shining red, others a glossy blue, some were a bright poison green and others yet were a glowing antiqued gold. The implications hit both Gryffindor and Slytherin at once. They searched for their own names amongst the chart.

\"I found mine.\" Draco said, at once excited and cautious.

\"And I\'m over here.\" Hermione was on the floor looking at her name, written in sapphire blue script.

She looked at Draco from across the room. He was clear on the other side of the chamber. They were each secretly relieved that there seemed to be no direct blood link between them. Hermione and Draco began scooting along the floor, reading the bottom line of the chart. They found Harry\'s name written in red and not a little too far above and to the left was that of Voldemort\'s.

Draco turned to Dumbledore. \"Where\'s your name on here, sir?\"

\"Right here.\" Albust tapped his wand on a little greenish squiggle close to the edge of the parchment. \"I\'m so far off to the left because I\'m something of a distaff relation. Pureblood, yes, but not of the direct line.\"

\"*Green*, sir?\" Hermione cocked an eyebrow at the older man.

\"I have no idea why you children insist on thinking that I was in Gryffindor. Wounds my Slytherin pride it does.\" Dumbledore did a fairly poor job of looking hurt.

\"Now that I think about it, it does suit that you are a product of Slytherin. All that secret keeping and skillful manipulation you tend to do have all the earmarks of, um, Slytherin shrewdness,\" Hermione sneered.

\"Watch yourself, Granger.\" Draco looked at her disdainfully. \"That\'s my house you\'re talking about.\"

\"I know very well that you hold that nest of vipers to your bosom dear,\" she replied.

\"Then I\'ll thank you to take a more respectful tone,\" Draco retorted.

\"Sure, when I have something to actually respect.\"

\"Damned Gryffindor arrogance,\" Draco groused.

\"I\'m inclined to agree with you, Mr. Malfoy,\" Albus chuckled. \"But please, continue searching the tree for other names you recognize.\"

In time, Draco and Hermione located the Weasleys (who were, nearly all of them, lettered in neat golden script) and most of the Blacks, the Malfoys and nearly every wizarding family both high and low-born. They discovered Snape\'s name, written in a blindingly crimson script. The three had a good chuckle about that. There were Muggle names interwoven in the intricate chart. Hermione\'s own Muggle lineage was mapped out for her to follow. She conjured up a ladder and followed the the lines from her name at the very bottom of the parchment to the very top. There were only two names there, the names of the divine masculine and the divine feminine. The Galilean and the Magdalene, the Judean and the Benjamite.

Hermione climbed down from the topmost rung of the ladder, her face open and her eyes bright. \"Never did I think...\" She trailed off, overcome by emotion.

\"Oh, my dear Miss Granger, there\'s more yet to discover, but I think I shall save that for another day.\" Dumbledore\'s eyes twinkled merrily and Hermione was struck by the urge to conjure up a bottle of Clear Eyes for him. \"I must say though, even though the Sorting Hat contemplated putting you in Ravenclat hat had more than enough reason to put you into Gryffindor.\" He smiled enigmatically.

\"But my name is written in blue, sir.\"

\"So it is.\" Albus\' Cheshire Cat grin widened even more.

Hermione shook her head. \"As long I live, I will never understand you, sir.\"
***************

Dumbledore led them back into his office and sent for Harry, Ginny and Ron. He shooed Draco and Hene one out of his office and bid them to shower up, have a bit of breakfast and return. They were beginning to smell a bit in the warmish Spring weather. The pair took their leave, quietly conversing.

\"Draco, Ron doesn\'t know about us and I\'d prefer it to stay that way, he can be...rather emotional at times.\"

\"As much as it would please me to show Weasel what he\'s missing - ow!\" Hermione punched him in the bicep. \"Bloody violent wench. I\'ll defer to your wishes and not say a word.\"

\"And no insinuating looks either, Malfoy.\"

Draco knew she was being serious when she called him by his last name. \"Fine then, *Granger*.\"

Hermione exhaled with a bit of relief. \"Well, with that out of the way -\" She pulled him in for a lingering kiss in the deserted hallway. When Draco was sufficiently starry-eyed and more than a little tight in the trousers, Hermione released him. \"To keep you all warmed for later.\"

She gave him a little waggle of her eyebrows and sauntered off up the stairs to Gryffindor Tower whilst Draco went down to the first level to Slytherin House. Draco was extremely cautious upon entering his common room. Most of his ex-companions had seen his act of treachery and knowing the Slytherin mind like no other, he just knew that they were lurking somewhere to hand him his comeuppance. Surprisingly enough, the large space was empty and he moved quickly to his room, knowing that there was only one person who could break his wards.

Draco shut and re-warded his room. He made a sweep of the chamber and when he found everything to his satisfaction, he went into the bathroom. He filled the rub with his normal peppery-lime scent and dropped his favorite rubber duck into the warm water. Draco stripped off his clothes and slipped into the tub. He *Accio\'ed* a flannel over and gave himself a quick scrubbing. A leisurely shampoo, condition and rinse later, he rose from the porcelain confines and drained the water. Draco wrapped a towel around himself and brushed his teeth, giving them a bit of scrutiny.

Finishing up, he ambled from the steamy room into the larger space of his bedchamber. Draco opened the armoire and thumbed through various pieces before deciding on a deep hunter green cashmere jumper and charcoal grey trousers with a thin forest green pinstripe through them.

\"I always did enjoy you so in that particular outfit.\" A nasally hard voice floated from the direction of the bed.