Saving your life

He had kissed her. Why had he done it? She had spent the rest of the day thinking about it, and she still couldn’t find an answer.

She had noticed him acting strangely, especially during the last few weeks. It was as if he had been trying to avoid her, always refusing to talk to her, or even look in her direction, if he could; he had never seemed to like her, she knew, but now it felt like he was going out of his way to avoid any contact.

What surprised her the most, however, was her own response to his behaviour. Her eyes kept roaming the room during the meetings, until they fell on him, and she barely paid any attention to what was being said; too busy watching him, intrigued not only by his recent behaviour, but by the man in general. He was an enigma, and she felt the need to solve it.

She had felt the tension between them that night in the infirmary, when he had pinned her to the door, and had noticed his breathing harden, and her own heart beat faster, but now he had kissed her, and more surprisingly yet, she hadn’t been disgusted in the least. It was insane; he was Severus Snape, her former Professor, a snarky bastard, a Death Eater; she shouldn’t even be thinking those things.

“I know where the cup is,” Harry whispered by her ear, startling her out of her reverie.

“What?” she asked, leaning closer to Harry.

“The cup, Hufflepuff’s cup; I know where it is,” he repeated in a lower voice.

“How?”

“Not here,” he said, looking back to his breakfast. “Upstairs, when we’re done,” he said, as he went back to eating.

She didn’t want to think about Snape any more, and she welcomed the distraction. Curious as to what he could have found out, she finished her breakfast in a hurry and went upstairs to wait for him.

Almost twenty minutes had passed, and she was still waiting, pacing the hallway and starting to get angry. Why was he making her wait? If it was something important, the sooner she knew the better. She had just decided to go back to the kitchen to look for him when she heard him and Ron talking, as they moved up the stairs.

“Well, you surely took your time,” she said, with her hands on her hips, but they merely shrugged.

“We were hungry,” Ron said, apologetically, as they entered their bedroom.

“So,” she said, as she closed the door behind them, “What’s all this about the cup?”

“I took the potion last night, and saw it.”

And are you sure he turned it into a Horcrux?”

“I saw him do it,” he simply answered.

“Did you see where it is?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, when are we leaving, then?” she asked, irritably. Why couldn’t he just tell her what he knew, instead of making her ask all the questions?

“Well, that’s the problem,” he said, and she waved her hand, motioning for him to continue. “We can’t get into the place where he’s keeping it.”

“Why not?”

“Because of the wards; I saw him try them on wizards and Muggles; they will kill anyone who tries to walk through, unless they have the Dark Mark.”

“He lets his Death Eaters in?” she asked, confused. She would have thought he’d try to keep everyone away from it.

“Well, I think it’s some kind of emergency meeting place, somewhere safe to go to, if they need it.”

“We have to find a way to get the wards down; we need to get in there.”

“We can’t. The wards can’t be modified at all, without him knowing.”

“There has to be a way, and he must find it, Harry. What else did you see? There must be something useful.”

“That’s all I saw, Hermione. I’ve already told you everything.”

“Where is this place?”

“Why do you want to know? You can’t go there.”

“Stop telling me what I can’t do, will you?” she said, angrily. “Just tell me how to get there; I’ll take care of the rest.”

“I don’t think…”

“Harry,” she almost yelled, interrupting his babbling. “Just stop arguing and tell me,” she said in her best bossy tone, the one that always got them doing what she asked.

The idea had popped into her head when Harry had told her only those with the Dark Mark could walk through the wards; they needed a Death Eater to help them. There were only two she knew, and Snape just didn’t feel like the best choice. Even if Draco was wrong, and the wizard was truly loyal to the Order, he would ask too many questions, and she was sure the rest of the Order would know what was going on in no time.

So, there was really only one option left, she thought, as she wrote down the last instructions from Harry on how to get to the place, and put the parchment in her pocket. She didn’t really know how much she could trust Draco, but they needed to find those Horcruxes soon, so Harry would have a chance to defeat Voldemort, and she decided she would take the risk.

Harry and Ron wanted to know what she was about to do, kept asking what she was planning, but she simply ignored them, walking to her own bedroom, her hand moving back inside her pocket, where she kept the coin Draco had given her; she had a meeting to arrange.

“What is it?” I can’t stay here long,” Draco said, as soon as he walked into the cabin, where she had been waiting for him for almost half an hour. He looked dishevelled, as if he had been running, and had a cut in his arm that was bleeding.

“Are you all right?” she asked, walking closer to him and reaching for her wand, intending to heal the cut.

“Leave it,” he said. “If they realize I’m gone, they will kill me. What do you want?”

“I need your help with something,” she finally said.

“What is it?”

“There is an object we need, one we can’t get by ourselves.”

“Why not?”

“There are wards protecting it, and we can’t break through them; you need to have a Dark Mark to get inside,” she explained, and watched him stiffen.

“I’m not in the Dark Lord’s best regards; if he finds out I’m actually helping you…”

“I know, but this is important.”

“What is it?” he asked, with a sigh.

“It’s just a cup.”

“If it’s just a cup, then why do you want it so badly?” he asked, and she shook her head.

“I can’t tell you that.”

“You are asking me to risk my life for you and your friends, and yet you don’t trust me enough to tell me what it is you are sending me to get.”

“I do trust you,” she replied. “If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be here, asking for this; but it is not my place to tell you.”

“If I do this, I want to know.”

“And you will; when you get the cup, I’ll make sure you’re told,” she promised.

“How do I get there?”

“I wrote down the instructions here,” she said, handing him the small roll of parchment.

He opened it silently, read what she had written, and after a few seconds he looked back up at her. “Where did you get this?” he asked, clearly surprised.

“You know the place?”

“I do,” he answered, after a few moments.

“Can you get the cup then?”

“What do you know about this place?” he asked, ignoring her question.

“Only that it is some kind of meeting place, and that there are wards surrounding it, that will kill anyone without the Dark Mark that tries to get through them. Can you do it?” she asked again.

He seemed to consider the idea before answering. “I will, but trust me; you really have no idea what you are asking.”

“What do you mean?”

“All I will tell you is this, if I go there, and get back out alive, if I get you what you asked for, you will owe me; really owe me. I hope you will keep that in mind.”

“I will,” she said, and with a nod he turned around and opened the door to leave. “Draco,” she said, just as he was stepping outside, and he stopped and turned to face her. “Thank you,” she said, and was surprised to see him smile, not smirk but smile, before leaving.

As soon as she Apparated back to headquarters she knew something was wrong. The house was deserted, and a few things were lying on the floor, as if they had all ran out in haste. She ran up the stairs, and then back down, trying to find anyone who could explain, or even a note, but there was nothing. She was starting to panic when she heard the door bang open, and ran to the entrance.

“What’s happened?” she asked, as she reached them.

“Attack,” Kingsley muttered, slightly breathless, as he helped get an unconscious man inside.

“Is everyone all right?” she asked, worried, as she watched a few more members Apparate by the open door.

“Need some help here,” someone yelled, and she turned around, gasping when she saw Remus carrying an unconscious and bleeding Tonks in his arms. She ran to him, wand in hand, as he laid the witch on the table, a few more members running there as well.

“What happened to her?” someone asked, beams of light flying from a few wands as they spoke.

“She was hit by a curse, and then fell through the window,” Remus explained, and when she looked down at the witch she noticed her hair had turned completely black.

“Is she okay?” another voice asked from her side, and she turned around to look at an exhausted, but otherwise unharmed Harry.

“Merlin, are you all right?” she asked, as she hugged him.

“I’m fine,” he said, still clearly worried about Tonks.

“What’s happened? I got here and found the house empty, I had no idea where you had all gone; I was so worried.”

“Snape came here a few minutes after you’d left. He told us someone from the Ministry had leaked information to Voldemort, and he had sent his Death Eaters to one of the places where they kept the prisoners.”

“She’s waking up,” she heard Molly gasp, and turned just in time to see Tonks slowly open her eyes. She looked around the room, only then noticing it was now full with what looked like just about every Order member.

“Was anyone else hurt?” she asked, after a few moments, and when Harry didn’t answer, she turned to him. “Harry?” she asked with a hint of panic in her voice.

“I saw at least three members get hit by the killing curse,” he answered, after another few seconds. “I don’t know who they were, it was all very confusing. We had to hold the Death Eaters back until the Aurors managed to get the prisoners out.”

So that was where Draco had been, before meeting her? Why hadn’t he said anything? She moved back from where she was standing and walked over to Kingsley. She knew Harry wouldn’t give her the answers she wanted.

“What happened?” she asked, as soon as she reached the wizard. He carefully laid another witch down on the couch and called for someone to heal her, before turning to Hermione.

“Follow me,” he said, and walked into the deserted kitchen. “Where were you?” he asked, as soon as the door was closed behind them. “When I came here to gather everyone, you were gone, and nobody knew where to find you,” he added.

“I had something to do,” she said.

“You did?” he asked, but thankfully didn’t push further. “There was an attack; the Death Eaters were trying to get some of the prisoners under the Ministry’s custody out.”

“In broad daylight?” she asked, confused.

“They didn’t really seem to care. We were lucky Snape managed to warn us in time.”

“So the Death Eaters didn’t get them?”

“No, but we lost good men and women trying to stop them.”

“Kingsley, where are you?” a voice yelled from outside the kitchen, and he left without another word.

The rest of the day was spent looking after the wounded, and mourning the dead. She hadn’t really known the four Order members that had been killed, but that didn’t change anything; it could have been any of her friends, and she knew it.

The next day went by a little faster. Snape had managed to discover who in the Ministry had been leaking the information, and they had had a few meetings to discuss what to do. A few members wanted the Aurors to take him, to have him pay for the pain they had caused, but, as Snape explained, that would do no good, other than risk the Dark Lord suspecting he had a spy among his followers.

It wasn’t an easy decision, but they finally agreed they would keep him under careful watch, but would do nothing else against him for the time being. The possibility of using him to leak false information was too good to pass.

With so many things in her mind, it wasn’t a surprise to find she couldn’t sleep. She hadn’t heard from Draco since the previous day, and was starting to worry; if he had retrieved the cup for her, she would know by then. What if he had been discovered? Or worse, what if he wasn’t there to help her, but to spy on the Order? Maybe he had told Voldemort everything she had said to him, and now the dark wizard knew they were after his Horcruxes. She didn’t want to consider that possibility; if that happened, it would make finding and destroying the remaining pieces of his soul nearly impossible.

To be honest, that wasn’t the only thing keeping her awake. She had realized a few days ago that the dreams and flashes had stopped. She wasn’t sure what had happened, but she hadn’t remembered anything new since the night she had met with Kingsley. She was scared the memories were gone for good now, and didn’t want to sleep, in case doing so would confirm her suspicions.

It was late afternoon of the next day when she finally felt the coin in her pocket heat up, and she almost sighed in relief. She considered telling Harry and Ron what was happening, but decided it would be best if she made sure Draco had managed to get the Horcrux for them before doing it, so she got ready and then waited for the Portkey to activate and take her to the cabin once again.

“I really hope it was worth it,” Draco’s voice called from the darkness, as soon as she opened the door.

“You have it?” she asked, excited.

“It’s over there, on the table,” he answered, and with a flick of her wand, she turned the lights on.

“Merlin, what’s happened?” she asked, as she took in his appearance.

“I told you it would be dangerous. Whatever that thing is, it was well guarded,” he said, blinking a few times as his eyes adjusted to the light.

“Well guarded?”

“Inferi,” he explained, with a shrug.

“Are you all right?” she asked, as she stepped closer. “You are covered in blood.”

“Not mine,” was all the answer she got, as she watched him try to get up, but then wince at the pain and fall back into the chair.

“They don’t bleed,” she said with a confused frown, a few seconds later.

“What?”

“The Inferi, they don’t bleed.”

“No, they don’t, but I ran into a couple of Death Eaters on my way out,” he explained. She didn’t need him to tell her what had happened; by the amount of blood on his robes, it was quite obvious.

“Do you need help healing those cuts?” she asked, not really knowing what to say.

“Sure,” he answered, with a shrug, as she walked to where he was sitting. “Already took care of the worst ones myself, but if they find so much as a mark in me, it will raise suspicions.”

“Won’t he know something is wrong, when they find the Death Eaters?” she asked, as she moved her wand over his face, healing the wounds.

“They will not find them for a few days; that should give me enough time.”

“Enough time for what?”

“I will need a good story, in case I am questioned. Where did you learn all these Healing Spells?” he asked, after a moment. “They don’t teach them at Hogwarts.”

Her hands stopped moving as she thought about his question. “I don’t know,” she finally answered. “I can’t remember learning them, but I know I have used them before.”

They stayed in silence for a few more minutes, as she finished healing him, and then she moved back to the table, where he had left Hufflepuff’s cup. It was hard to believe such a small object could hold so much evil inside.

She hesitantly reached forward and took the golden cup in her hands. It was just as Harry had described it, the finely wrought handles, the badger, but she had to make sure it was really what they were looking for. She reached for her wand, pointed it at the cup, and whispered, “Homenum revelio.”

“I can’t believe we’ve found it,” she muttered to herself.

“You are quite excited, for it being just a cup,” he said by her ear, repeating what she had told him the last time.

“You have no idea how much this will help,” she said, and carefully placed it back on the desk.

“Don’t I get a reward then?” he whispered, so close now she could feel his breath on her neck.

“Reward?” she asked, her breath catching when she felt his arms wound around her hips from behind.

“Yes,” he breathed by her ear, “Just a little something to show your appreciation.”

She unconsciously tilted her head to the side, and bit her lip when she felt his mouth nibbling on her neck. Sensing her response, his hands started roaming her body, one making its way up, lightly caressing her breasts, as the other moved lower, his fingers leaving a hot trail as they moved up her thigh.

Her eyes fluttered shut for a few seconds, and when she opened them again, she realized they were standing right in front of the window. Her vision became blurry for a moment, and a slightly different image appeared in front of her. It was the same cabin, the same window, but there was someone out there, watching. She narrowed her eyes, trying to see better.

Even when she couldn’t see clearly, there was no mistaking the long blond hair, and cold, steely grey eyes that sent shivers through her body.

“Malfoy,” she muttered, the words out of her mouth before she knew what she was saying.

“What happened to Draco?” the man behind her asked, and the vision in front of her vanished. She shook her head, confused, and then felt strong hands slipping under her skirt.

“Stop,” she said, pushing him away and walking to the window.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, walking closer to her.

“He was here, he was watching,” she muttered, a part of her glad she had remembered something else, even though a feeling of dread washed over her at just the thought of Draco’s father.

“What are you talking about?” he asked, sounding worried.

“Nothing,” she whispered, after a few seconds. “I have to go,” she said, and started walking to the door.

“Are you all right?” he asked, stopping her before she reached the entrance.

“Yes, I’m fine.”

“What about the cup?”

“Can you keep it safe for a few hours? I think it would be best if you gave it to Harry yourself.”

“Okay,” he muttered, after a moment.

“I’ll talk to him, and then let you know when we can meet again,” she said, turning around again.

“Wait,” he said, and pulled her to him.

Without another word, he leaned closer and brushed his lips against hers. She felt his hand on her chin as he deepened the kiss, and she found herself responding. It reminded her of the way Snape had kissed her, but certainly not as intense.

After a few moments, he broke the kiss, resting his forehead against hers as he whispered, “Be careful.”

“You too,” she answered, before turning around and stepping out of the cabin.

She decided to Apparate in Diagon Alley and then walk back to headquarters. She needed time to think. The streets were dark, and almost deserted, but the fresh air helped her clear her mind. She hadn’t felt with Draco what she had when Snape had kissed her. It wasn’t bad, but there had been no tingling sensations; it hadn’t left her heart hammering in her chest, or her body flushed and gasping for breath.

She should have been paying attention to her surroundings, but she was too distracted, and by the time she heard the footsteps behind her, it was too late.

A muscular arm wound around her waist, and a hand covered her mouth, preventing her from screaming. She fought, tried to kick, but whoever was holding her, they were too strong.

“So we meet again, Mudblood,” a man’s voice whispered by her ear, and she heard him chuckle before he Apparated them away.