The Baby Project - Dramione

twenty-nine

    Hermione's first question was if they should tell Dumbledore about what had occurred.
    She wanted to say yes. Of course they should tell Dumbledore, of course he would know what to do, he's always known what to do. Whenever Harry was in trouble, or whenever there was a single issue with the Ministry or with the Wizarding world as a whole, Dumbledore somehow swooped in and saved the day. Her instincts were pushing her to tell him, to let him work his magic and solve the problem for her and bring her boyfriend back.
    And save the Wizarding world, of course. She couldn't forget that.
    But there was something itching in the back of her mind, whispering to her that something wasn't right. Dumbledore wouldn't be able to fix this. Only she could.
    Ginny was sitting on the floor of Ron and Harry's dorm, her head collapsed between her knees. Hermione often forgot that she had been possessed by You-Know-Who in just her first year at Hogwarts, and wasn't close enough with the redhead to know how she had been coping over the years - that was probably something only shared with Harry. Was she still suffering from the trauma? Her reaction to the Death Eater seemed to prove it.
    Death Eater. Viktor Krum was a Death Eater. Wrapping her mind around it caused her a headache; a burning sensation behind her eyes and on the bridge of her nose. How was the young barely-a-man who had given her her first kiss years ago...now one of Voldemort's leaders? It didn't make sense to her. He was foolish back then. Clumsy. Awkward, despite the facade he put on as a world-famous Quidditch player. Yet here he was. Of course, she regrets that his career was nearly destroyed by a nervous peck on the lips with the bushy-haired girl she used to be, regrets not leaving Rita Skeeter in that stupid glass jar, regrets letting Draco leave without telling him she loved him once more.
    Harry was pale, facing the window where Krum had vanished. She felt sick for him as well; things had finally calmed down for the Boy Who Lived, he was getting closer with Draco (which secretly thrilled Hermione) and was happily with Ginny. He didn't deserve this. Neither did she. And especially neither did Draco.
    Finally she asked the question plaguing her mind. "Do we tell Dumbledore?" She expected Harry to be immediately on board; after all, Dumbledore had been his guardian angel of sorts since before he even began at Hogwarts. But he snapped his head towards Hermione, his expression sharp and serious. "Absolutely not."
    "Why not?" Ginny demanded. Hermione wondered if she was imagining the slight tremor in Ginny's voice. "Harry, we can't handle this ourselves. I know what we've done before...but just the three of us? They're going to overpower us. We're outnumbered, no matter what we do."
     "Gin, this isn't...this isn't Dumbledore's battle." Harry scratched the back of his neck. She could tell from the glossy look in his eyes that he was deep in thought. "I think I have an idea of what we can do, but you both need to promise to trust me."
     "With my life." Ginny declared easily, her features softening. "You know that."
     "They want Draco, don't they?" Harry spoke. "That's the thing. Lucius Malfoy is trying to bring back the Death Eaters, and he wants Draco to lead by his side."
     "Harry, we know this already." Hermione sunk onto the bed, resting her elbows on her knees.
     "I know, I know. But if we really want this to all end, we can't just focus on getting Draco back. We need to kill Lucius. After all, he's the leader, and if we can collapse their plan from the inside out, they won't be able to continue their reign."
     "Harry, we know this already," Hermione repeated impatiently. "The whole plan when Draco was working with us was to defeat his father."
    "Draco's not working with us anymore, is he?" Harry snapped. "No. So we need a new plan. Unless you'd both just like to walk into Malfoy Manor with a death wish over your head."
     Ginny and Hermione exchanged a look at that, and Harry paled. "No. No, I wasn't being - you lot know I was only being sarcastic!"
     "Why not, though?" Ginny shrugged. "You said it yourself, the element of surprise is what helped you beat Voldemort."
    "Besides, I'm done waiting." Hermione announced firmly. She wanted Draco back, and she would fight Godric himself if that's what it took.
     Harry turned to face the window again; Hermione could tell the gears in his head were spinning. She wondered if Draco was being harmed at the Manor. He couldn't be, right? His father needed his support. Then a deeper thought hit her, one that made her insides knot together. What if Lucius had reverted Draco to his old ways? What if being brought back to his childhood home reminded him of how much he hated Muggleborns? What if she went to rescue him and he wanted nothing to do with her? What if -
     "I have an idea." Harry sighed. "It's slightly...well, it's crazy, but it might just work."
     "Are you going to need the invisibility cloak?" Ginny smiled knowingly, and Harry tipped his head back in abrupt laughter. "Of course you are."
     "Where do we start?" Hermione asked eagerly.
     He rubbed his palms together. "Gin, you ready to see your mum?"