White Linen Lies | Dramione

Chapter 4: Negotiations and Revelations

The Order had spent the majority of the day planning, placing, testing, and finalising the new wards and Fidelius charms. By day's end, they had put protections on Shell Cottage, Andromeda's country home, Moody's farmhouse, and Kingsley's arrangement, which turned out to be an old townhouse in Muggle Oxford that had once belonged to a former Auror, before the ministry fell. By the time they were finished relocating the last of the students to the new safe houses, it was nearly six in the evening.

Ginny and Harry had been the first to apparate back to Grimmauld, followed by Ron. The remaining Order members remained scattered across the safe houses to tie up any loose ends.

Hermione had given Ginny a heads up that she was going to seek out Pomfrey before returning to the house, to which she simply nodded in understanding. Harry had just stared at her with distance in his eyes.

The incredibly brief meeting, if you could even call it a meeting, with Pomfrey had not gone as Hermione had hoped. She was met with a flurry of responses to her plea, most of which included phrases such as I'm sorry my dear and too many injuries.

The childhood home version of Hermione screamed and pounded on her brick walls as the worldly Hermione fought the urge to reveal who needed healing, as well as the severity of his injuries. But she knew that until the occupants of Grimmauld Place had been made aware of their newest addition, it was not wise to share the information.

So she was left to apparate home alone, with no new ideas as to how to heal the burns that had kept her awake for most of the previous night.

As Hermione's feet were met with the familiar sanded wood floors of the centuries-old kitchen, she began preparing herself for the conversation that was sure to be filled with angst, brood, and reluctance.

She'd wondered how Harry and Ginny might react, too.

She'd wondered if perhaps new, unwelcome opinions might have formed throughout the night as they were left to their own thoughts and dreams. She believed that Ginny required no further convincing, but Harry's opinions on Malfoy had tended to change depending on his mood that day.

However, this was different. They were no longer forming opinions on a passing classmate in the hallway. They were forming an opinion on someone who by all accounts was standing on the opposing side of a war. He was an enemy, and a dangerous one at that.

And here Hermione was, bringing him into their headquarters. Into their home.

She did her best to shake the thought from her mind, and replace it with that foundation of her childhood home. The gold flecks in her eyes slowly dimmed as the face in her mind transfigured from Malfoy back into her father.

The features of her face fell into a calm, indifferent expression as she walked towards her friends in the living room, who had also appeared to have been readying themselves for that conversation.

They all looked nothing short of exhausted, likely attributed to the day of heavy spellwork that had no doubt drained all of them, as it had Hermione. Something told her that they too had gotten little sleep the night before.

As she took a seat across from Harry and Ginny, next to Ron. "Where'd you go off to? I thought you were coming back with us," Ron droned.

Hermione shifted uncomfortably in her seat as she fiddled with her fingers on the table. "I stopped at Shell Cottage before I came back. I had a question for Poppy, but there were still so many injuries to treat that she didn't have time to talk."

Ron simply nodded in response as Hermione caught Ginny's eye. "Mum, dad, and Kingsley are going to be back soon. We should figure this out while we're alone," Ginny said, giving Hermione a small supportive smile, which did not go unnoticed or unappreciated by Hermione.