Hermione was awoken by tapping against her window. It was persistent, almost like an alarm clock. She tried ignoring it until it began to be unbearable. She groaned, pulling herself out of the comfort of her bed. She could feel the cold ground against her feet as she walked over to the culprit of the noise.
An owl.
She was confused and wondered how the owl managed to find her, or who was trying to contact her. She gently opened the window, making sure no one could hear her, and took the little piece of parchment from its beak. She pet the owl on its head and it flew into the distance.
She hadn't a clue how it got to her or how it managed to find its way to the order. She figured they hadn't set up wards against animals.
She sat on her bed, twirling the paper around in the palms of her hands. It was like a secret she wanted no one to know. She fumbled with it for a moment before opening it to find a note scrawled onto the parchment. It was elegant but masculine writing that seemed to be in a hurry. The note said: The sword.
She had no doubt in her mind. She knew it was from Draco. It had to be. He was spying and sending her valuable information. Her heart sped up in joy knowing that he was still on her side. She missed him so much and held the paper close to her chest before tucking it under the mattress.
She knew he meant the sword of Gryffindor, but what he meant exactly she wasn't completely sure of. She just knew it was important. She knew he wouldn't have sent it if it wasn't significant. She wished she could send him an owl back, but it was far too risky. She was surprised that it made its way to her unscathed. She figured it would be the first and last of their communication.
She got up and walked into the 'war room,' wanting to tell Kinglsey of her finding. She stood at the doorway to see everyone speaking. They all seemed to turn their heads up and look at her in silence. It was painfully awkward, but she tried to push past it. She had to remind herself who she was. She was too headstrong to let them treat her like a child.
"Where is the sword of Gryffindor?" She said breaking the silence and causing everyone to look confused. She wasn't in the mood to beat around the bush, so she just went right to the point.
"Hermione, what are you at?" Kingsley said looking at her. His face scrunched up and he looked surprised by her question as if it was a dumb one. She tried to brush off everyone's glances.
"Do you know where it is?" She said ignoring his question. It didn't matter why she wanted to know where it was. Everyone used to always listen to her. They used to think she was intelligent and useful—they didn't seem to think that anymore.
Everyone was quiet. It had been a while since she had last seen it. The night Bellatrix tortured her for having it seared in the back of her mind, just like her scar, reminding her of the pain.
"It was in the sorting hat," Neville said causing everyone to turn to him. "I had it hidden in the sorting hat when we found out Harry was dead, before all the chaos...before they took Hermione." She shivered at the thought. The battle seemed like it was years ago.
"What happened to it after that?" She inquired causing Neville to squirm. He looked guilty and shifted in his seat before responding to her.
"I don't know. I must have dropped it somewhere. So much was happening I—" he said in a nervous tone. She could tell he felt bad for losing it. Luna sat next to him rubbing his arm.
"It's not your fault Neville," Hermione said trying to let him know it was okay. She didn't blame him for losing it. That day was traumatic for them all.
"Hermione what are you planning?" Kingsley said again, staring at her waiting for an answer. He was like a father asking his daughter a question. She hated it. She missed the days when everyone believed her.
"I can't be positive yet. I just know that we need it." She said in a matter-of-fact tone. She didn't want to get into the details. If she did they definitely wouldn't listen.
"How could you possibly know that?" Ron looked at her like she was crazy. He looked at her like she was a stranger, treating her like the years of their friendship were nonexistent.
"They have to have it if it was left at Hogwarts. The sword only shows itself to Gryffindor who truly needs it—like Neville. They don't want us to use it to kill Nagini or—or something else. I'm trying to figure the rest out. But that is our only chance at killing him." She tried to explain herself to them, knowing there was probably no point in doing so. They would never just listen to her.
"We have come to the conclusion that he has created another Horcrux that we aren't sure of yet," Kingsley told her.
"Either way we will need the sword to destroy it. That or a basilisk fang, but that would require going back to the Chamber of Secrets again. The last time it flooded so we can't be sure it is even there anymore. The one Ron and I had—I ended up losing it in the battle." They would need the sword to kill Nagini and the other Horcrux if there was one. That was their only chance at killing Voldemort.
"I agree, we need to figure out where the sword is, but what brought this up?" George chimed in.
Silence filled the room.
"I received an owl."
"Bollocks," Ron laughed. It was a cruel laugh.
"I'm telling the truth, it had to be from—" she started to speak.
"Hermione, are you bloody mental? Even if it was from Malfoy, this could be a setup." Ginny said in a patronizing way. She was losing all her credibility.
What happened to the days where they needed her—where they treated her like an equal.
"The lot of you are fucking ridiculous. Please sit and think for a moment about where you would be without my help over the years. Just because I went to Azkaban, doesn't make me stupid, or fragile or whatever all of you have thought of me since I arrived here," she said pushing her chair back and getting up from the table.
"I believe you," Luna's soft voice tang through the room. She should have thanked her, but she was simmering with anger.
"Well at least someone does," she sneered, getting ready to leave.
"Hermione, you have to see it from our perspective," Ginny said trying to calm her down.
It was so fucking frustrating. As if she wasn't a part of the same war they were. She had lost people too. She wouldn't give out false information.
She clenched her fists before bursting out of the room. She didn't want to be a part of the conversation anymore. It was so much easier in Azkaban. Her eyes burned from trying to hold in tears of frustration.
She slammed her door shut causing the walls to rattle. Her mane of curls surrounded her face and she pulled it back with a hair tie.
She sat there for a moment, trying to imagine she was somewhere else—that she was with him. Her chest ached in pain from his loss.
She was interrupted by a knock at the door, followed by Theo walking in and sitting next to her. He was silent for a moment and she laid her head on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry they are being arseholes. Can I see the note?" Theo said reaching his hand out towards her. A small smile crept onto her face and she nodded. It felt nice for someone to listen to her for once.
"Yeah, here," she said pulling it out from under the mattress. She handed the note to him and he stared at it for a moment before speaking.
"I've known Draco for years, and I know that without a doubt this is his handwriting," Theo said placing it back in her hand. Her heart warmed knowing she wasn't crazy after all.
"Thank you," she smiled wearily. She felt comforted when she was with Theo. He reminded her so much of him. It was the closest she could get to the real thing.
"I would want someone to believe me if I told them how I feel about Pansy," he replied, not quite meeting her eyes. She hadn't realized that he was probably just as broken as she was.
"You never told me why she didn't come with you." Hermione looked at him with sympathy. His brown hair flopped over his eyebrows and his hazel eyes held pain behind them.
"I defected after the battle at Hogwarts. I never wanted to be a part of all the pureblood supremacy. The order took me in, but Pansy didn't want to leave her family. She's a good person, she really is, it's just hard together to understand sometimes," his voice turned to a whisper. She knew he was hurting just as much as she was.
"I know you miss her. I miss Draco too. You seem to be the only person who gets it," she said looking up to him.
He nodded, and she laid her head back on his shoulder. They sat in comfortable silence for a few moments, both thinking of who they had lost.
"Theo?" She said turning to him. She was like a child, innocent and pure, seeking safety.
"Yes?"
"Can you stay awhile?"
A/N
The next chapter will be on Saturday or Sunday ( Feb. 13/14th.)
Thank you guys for being so supportive. It really means a lot to me.