Aurelian (Dramione)

Chapter 34:Fraudulent Treasure

"I'm okay," she declared as much to herself as to him. Seeing his apprehension, it was she that initiated the embrace. Harry buried his forehead on her shoulder.

"I'm so sorry, Hermione," he told her miserably.

"I'm okay, Harry," she comforted him.

"I-"

"It's time to move forward," she insisted. She felt Harry stiffen as he released her and stood tall. They had been through much together. When he realized that it was she that was giving him comfort, it hit him as wrong. It was he that needed to be strong for her, not the other way around.

"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," she answered. She was determined to be. "So what have you been doing?" she asked, taking a seat at table across from where Harry had been sitting.

"Nothing. Just thinking…" Harry replied, taking his seat again. He nodded to Draco as he took the seat next to Hermione. "Molly told us your account last night."

Hermione nodded. She had hoped Molly would, since the unknown was more difficult to deal with.

"Aurelian…?" she started uncertainly.

"They took him out of the room just after you," Harry told her. "Ginny assures me that he'll be alright."

"Did Molly tell you about the ring?" she asked apprehensively. She waited for one of them to ask her what she had been doing keeping it on her bedside table, but neither did.

"She mentioned that Bellatrix saw it on the floor. When she was distracted with it, you ran," Harry relayed. Hermione was quiet. She still felt foolish for allowing such an important key to their investigation to be left in such a careless place. "It's okay, Hermione. I don't care what she took. I'm just glad you and Aurelian are okay."

"Took?" Hermione asked, blinking in confusion.

"She saved it, Potter," Draco said as he pulled the ring out of the pocket of his sleep pants and set it on the table.

"You got it back?" Harry gaped in surprise and awe.

"It's important. Whatever it is, it's important," Hermione nodded.

"I don't get it," said Draco, "It's a stupid ring. I mean, I know it's a family heirloom, but in the end, it's just a ring."

"It's important to her though. Very," Hermione stated. "You should have seen her eyes when she saw it… I've seen her furious, but this time…" She looked up at them, meeting their eyes in turn so that they might see and feel her seriousness. "Her eyes were fire. Had I not taken the opportunity to flee, I'm almost certain she would have forgone the questioning and killed us both on the spot."

"A ring," Draco repeated in a growl. "Over a stupid ring."

He angrily flicked the precious metal band in front of him and watched it spin like a top across the surface of the table. Harry reached out to grab it, but it slipped off the table and onto the kitchen floor.

"Careful now, sir," Kreacher admonished gently, picking the ring off the floor. None of them had heard the elf enter. "One doesn't want to risk damaging such a lovely piece of jewelry. Is this belonging to you, sir?" Kreacher asked as he presented the ring to Draco.

"Yes. Sorry," he grumbled.

"No needing to be sorry, Mister Malfoy. Kreacher was only admiring how similar it is to the wedding ring of Sir's grandmother," Kreacher told him.

"Not just similar; It is her ring, or it was when she was living," Draco said, placing the ring on the table again.

"You've seen this ring before, Kreacher?" Hermione asked.