imprisonment

Chapter 41; H

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.