Once they had figured out the details, all that was left was to let the Polyjuice Potion finish brewing. Draco would go with Hermione, who was going to polyjuice as Bellatrix (thanks to a stray hair she found on her belongings) and Regulus, who was going to alter his appearance and just pretend to be another death eater to Gringotts, where they would carefully access Bellatrix's vault and grab the cup. Ron and Harry had enlisted the help of Nymphadora Tonks to sneak into the ministry- where they planned on polyjuicing as a few knocked out ministry officials and grab the locket. Sirius and Remus were to stay home, as the potion took a month to brew and Remus would be too close to the full moon again to be able to use any transfiguration magic or polyjuice strong enough to transform him.
Kreacher had been more than helpful sneaking in and out of Hogwarts. Draco had memorized the exact layout of Snape's potion ingredient closet and with Harry watching the map to make sure nobody was around, Kreacher had done a fine job of stealing the supplies Hermione needed to brew the potion.
"Did I ever mention how much of a turn on it is to watch you brew potions?" Regulus grinned at Hermione, who was carefully stirring the cauldron, trying to magically tie her hair up at the same time as the steam began to affect it.
"Yes, I am sure I look stunning right now," she commented sarcastically. She stood in the one of the many formal dining rooms that Grimmauld Place had, the table had been perfect to support the weight of the cauldron and had given Hermione enough space to work.
"Let me help," Regulus insisted as Hermione was too focused on counting her stirs to get the hair spell right. He snatched the hair tie from the air, gathering Hermione's hair and pulling it up into a high ponytail for her, leaning forward to kiss her neck after he had fixed her hair for her.
"I'm still sitting right here," Draco commented and Regulus sighed, turning his head to look at him. "You can leave," he commented right back.
"And miss out on watching Granger actually brew a potion instead of trying to best her with my own cauldron? Unlikely," Draco chuckled and Hermione looked at him with surprise. "Your potions somehow always came out better than mine," the blonde admitted begrudgingly. "Now, I can actually watch you and figure out why."
"Because you and Theo chattered too much," Hermione answered in a matter of fact tone. The blush from previous days creeped back onto Draco's ears and Hermione smirked, "Clearly you weren't focused properly on your cauldron."
"So," Regulus' smirk matched Hermione's as he pulled out one of the other chairs, turning it backwards and sitting down in it as he looked at Draco. "Tell us about your best friend... or is he your boyfriend?"
"What?" Draco stuttered, his eyes snapping from Hermione to Regulus.
"Since you want to be in here so badly, let's let Hermione focus on this polyjuice. Theo-best friend or boyfriend?"
"Boyfriend..." Draco muttered quietly.
"Sorry mate, you'll have to speak up-didn't quite catch that," Regulus commented, even though from Hermione's face he knew both of them had heard Draco quite clearly. "I said..." Draco paused, his voice trailing off. "Boyfriend."
"No!" Hermione exclaimed loudly with an excited gasp, having fully finished stirring and now waiting for the potion to change to its proper color.
"Hermione? Everything alright?" Harry and Ron poked their heads into the dining room. "We were heading to the kitchen and we heard you shout."
Draco quickly shot Hermione and Regulus a pleading look and Regulus cleared his throat. "All good, Granger's just yelling at me for annoying her."
Ron narrowed his eyes, "You're not going to turn us all into cats, right Mi?"
Hermione shot Ron a look as Harry began to laugh. "That was a miscalculation! Did I or did I not successfully turn you into Crabbe and Goyle?"
Draco whipped his head to Harry and Ron and then to Hermione. "Turn into who?" he questioned, not sure if he had heard the witch correctly.
"Reading..." Harry began mimicking twelve year old Draco. "Didn't know you could read." Draco's eyes widened as Harry and Ron burst out laughing. "That was the two of you?!" he questioned incredulously.
"What the hell kind of mischief do you like to get into, Granger?" Regulus questioned with a grin, looking at Hermione. "Oh, plenty of kinds," she replied back, winking at him.
"Plus," Hermione began, looking at Harry and Ron. "Maybe I should transfigure you into cats, Umbridge does love them, you'd probably get scooped right up and taken into her office."
"Yeah...then I could claw her right in the face," Ron laughed and Harry shook his head.
"How many times have the two of you been Crabbe and Goyle?" Draco questioned, still on the previous confession. "Just once, Malfoy," Harry said with a chuckle. "That we'll admit to..." Ron muttered and the two of them walked off, snickering.
"Just once... right?" Draco looked at Hermione. "Nobody else either, right?"
Hermione giggled, "Just once. I promise."
—-
The night before the dual missions, the house held an eerie type of silence and as everybody began to tuck in for the night, Regulus made his way upstairs to his old room, which was currently occupied by both he and Hermione, finding the witch in her pajamas, sitting on their bed with her wand, muttering spells, her wand pointed at the new scar on her arm.
"What are you doing?" Regulus questioned softly, closing the door behind him. Hermione looked up at him with a frown, "I'm just concerned that a concealment charm won't be strong enough under the polyjuice, what if it shows accidentally?" she questioned, concern in her tone.
"We'll just make sure to put you in an outfit with fitted sleeves, so they don't roll up easily," Regulus assured her. "Are you ready for tomorrow?" he questioned, crawling onto the bed to sit next to her. Hermione gave a small nod, but her gaze was once again fixed upon the word 'Mudblood' etched into her skin.
"Hey..." Regulus reached his hand over, covering her forearm to pull her attention to him. "What's wrong?"
"In third year, when Remus was our defense against the dark arts professor, he brought a boggart to class to teach each of us about them and how to defend ourselves against one," Hermione informed Regulus. "When I stepped up, the boggart turned into me failing all my classes and getting kicked out of Hogwarts and everybody laughed at me for weeks. Bookworm Hermione Granger would be afraid of failing classes."
Regulus frowned, "But that's not what you were actually afraid of..." he surmised and Hermione nodded. "I barely knew anything about the wizarding world at thirteen, just what I had gathered from literature and pure learning. I was always afraid if I didn't do well, I wouldn't be allowed to be a witch anymore because I didn't know any better." Hermione paused, nibbling on her bottom lip. "So I wanted to know everything, I wanted to be smarter than everybody else, because then there was no way that I could ever be kicked out."
"I've heard they call you the brightest witch of your age... or so Draco begrudgingly offered," Regulus chuckled.
"Now... I don't think that would be my boggart anymore..." Hermione whispered. "I was so afraid... in the manor... I had no wand.. No way to defend myself...I didn't have anybody. I didn't think Draco was going to save me," Hermione admitted, tears gathering in her eyes. Regulus pulled the girl into his lap, wrapping his arms around her.
"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry I let this happen to you," Regulus whispered, rubbing her back. "We're going to find these horcruxes and destroy them and I'm going to find my cousin and I'm going to kill her. She's going to suffer for what she did to you."
"You didn't let anything happen to me," Hermione stated firmly, putting her hands on either side of Regulus' face. "If anything, you've been teaching me better to protect myself, because defensive magic wasn't going to protect me forever. I want to know how to fight, I don't ever want to feel defenseless like that again."
"As far as I'm concerned, you're never leaving my side again," Regulus replied seriously and Hermione couldn't help the small smile on her lips as she leaned forward to kiss him. "Are you sure you want to be stuck with a know-it-all like me?" she teased, wrapping her arms around his neck, her fingers playing with the hair at the back of his neck.
"Are you sure you want to be stuck with an ex-deatheater like me?" he questioned back smartly, stealing another kiss.
"I love you Regulus Black," Hermione murmured against Regulus' lips. Regulus could not prevent the genuine grin that came onto his features. "And I love you, Hermione Granger."
—
The next morning, Hermione had everything perfectly organized. The precise amounts of polyjuice potion laid out for herself, Harry and Ron, the clothing that everybody needed to wear, a few of the more dangerous products from Fred and George's shop like peruvian darkness powder should any of them need a quick escape.
"Alright, does everybody have everything?" Hermione looked around at everybody. "Where's Tonks?" Harry asked, looking at his watch.
"Right here," Sirius called out as he and Tonks came into the room. "Wotcher Harry!" The purple-haired witch grinned, given Remus a pat on the shoulder. "Whoa..." her mouth fell open a bit, her hair switching to the classic Black family dark locks as she looked at Regulus. "You look just like the photo mum has on the fireplace," she grinned before her hair turned back to its regular purple. "Thank you...I think?" Regulus raised a brow.
"How is Dromeda... since..." Sirius frowned. Nymphadora patted Sirius on the cheek, "she's hanging in there, maybe she would like to come see you and Remus after the moon, yeah?"
"She's gotta stay put until after this war is over," Sirius insisted firmly and Tonks nodded. "Maybe you can go visit her. I'm sure she would love to see Regulus?" Nymphadora offered.
"Dora, the less people that know Regulus is alive right now, the better, don't make me put you under a secrecy vow," Remus pointed a finger at her. "Yeah yeah dad," she joked, making a silly face at Remus, causing Harry and Ron to laugh. "You're worse than Charlie sometimes, two naggy nags."
"Alright, you all better be careful," Sirius interrupted. "Especially the three of you. Harry is the number one undesirable right now. Every dark lord supporter and death eater are going to be looking for him. The first sign of trouble, get out of there!"
Regulus rolled his eyes as he worked on his appearance modification charms. Draco watched him with curiosity, and Hermione took note. "He looks like Theodore when he does that," she whispered to Draco, watching Regulus turn his hair to a dark brown, adding a light dusting of freckles to his face in the mirror. Draco only nodded, a small pang in his chest at how much he missed Theo. "I'm sure he's alright... I saw him on the map the other night with Blaise and Pansy," Hermione assured the blonde. "Maybe Potter will let me have a look at that map when we get back," Draco muttered.
"It's not Harry you have to ask permission for," Sirius whispered with a grin. Draco's face displayed his confusion and Hermione let out a small laugh while Remus, Tonks, Harry and Ron were having their own conversation. "Who do you think made that map?" Sirius questioned proudly.
"Me and James, you lazy dog," Remus replied without bothering to look over his shoulder at Sirius. Sirius huffed, going to sit down next to Remus, kissing his shoulder. "Grumpy old wolf this close to the full moon, aren't we?" he teased.
"Keep it up, I have plenty of huff and puff," Remus whispered to him, placing his hand on Sirius' thigh, clear implication in his behavior.
"Are you and your boyfriend that gross?" Regulus whispered jokingly to Draco, who shoved his shoulder, causing Hermione to giggle. "No, but you and Granger are," Draco shot back with the same joking tone.
"What are you all talking about?" Ron questioned and Regulus, Hermione and Draco turned their heads to look at him.
"None of your business," Hermione informed him, trying to hide the smile that was making its best efforts to creep on her face at the feeling of Draco and Regulus each poking her back with their fingers.
"Whatever... Are we ready to go?" Ron questioned, looking around.
"Sure are! I can't wait to blow the Ministry up!" Tonks winked at Harry as Sirius began to loudly object. "Only kidding! Maybe! We'll be back!" Tonks grinned, grabbing both Harry and Ron's shoulders and disappearing with a pop.