The Siren's Call (A Draco Malfoy Fanfiction)

140. The Mission

Imani was still sobbing into Andre's shoulder hours after leaving Dioleh's side. They had retreated into their corridor with Blaise, Ron, and Hermione. Hermione and Imani, as Dioleh's sibling and closest friend, were the two still with tears running down their cheeks. Blaise, however, sat with his head leaned back against the wall. The pain raging through him was so bitingly harsh that he wished he could sob right along with them but no tears would fall. He couldn't tell if he was surging with rage or sorrow.

No one had spoken a word since leaving the Hospital Wing. No one could think of any words of comfort. Dried tears stained Andre's cheeks as he struggled to keep himself from crying more. Tightening his grip around Imani, he lay his head on top of hers and held her close as much for his own comfort as for hers. Hermione was sobbing into her hands as Ron sat beside her, one arm around her shoulders and the other awkwardly in his lap as he tried to think of something he could say to the girl he cared so much about, his mind flooded both with potential words he could say and horrific images of how he would feel if it had instead been Ginny's body on that bed.

Pounding footsteps reached their ears as they sat but no one other than Ron even looked up. Harry stumbled to a stop, looking over them all breathlessly. "Guys, come on," he said between breaths. "It's really important."

"Harry-" Andre began thickly.

"No, Andre, you need to come," Harry interrupted. Irritably, Andre got to his feet before turning back to help Imani. As they set off down the corridor, Imani interlaced her fingers with Andre's. Blaise leaned his head off the wall, giving Harry a scepital look before getting to his feet. Hermione was the hardest to get up but between Harry and Ron, she was soon on her feet. They all shared confused looks as Harry rushed to the front and led them to the Hospital Wing. Hermione began crying harder as she realized that Dioleh's bed was now empty. Shutting the door behind them, Harry rushed to the closet and opened it a crack. Dioleh instantly met his eyes. "They're here," he whispered. Nodding, she drew in a deep breath.

Once he had stepped back, Dioleh stood with her hand against the still-open door, trying to gain the courage to push it open but at the sound of another sob from Hermione, she opened it and took a step out. Imani gasped, clapping her hands over her mouth as Andre's eyes widened. Blaise's jaw dropped. Without a thought, she rushed to Hermione, wrapping her arms around her tightly. "Hermione," she said softly. Hermione screamed, pushing away and staring at her in shock.

"Y-You're alive?" she cried.

"Yeah," Dioleh said. She couldn't help the tears that began to stream down her cheeks. "The spell didn't kill me." With another sob, Hermione hugged her tighter as Imani joined in the embrace.

"Oh my god," Imani whispered as Dioleh moved her arms from around Hermione to wrap around her best friend. When she pulled away, the next arms that caught her in an embrace was Andre. He held her tightly, his eyes watering with tears as he perched his chin on her shoulder.

"If you ever scare me like that again, I'll kill you," he said through his tears.

With a small laugh, Dioleh promised, "I won't." Pulling away from him, she went next to Blaise and quickly hugged him. "I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault," he replied. "I'm just so glad you're okay." Dioleh smiled, running her hand over his back comfortingly before letting go.

"I'm so sorry everyone," Dioleh said. "I had no idea the curse wouldn't kill me. I wish none of you had gone through that."

"Hey, we don't care," Andre interrupted. "We just care that you're alive."

"And now we need to make sure she stays that way," Harry said. "No one who is not in this room right now can know that Dioleh is still alive. If Voldemort discovers Snape failed to kill her, it would add another target on this group."

"Harry, I think they can help us," Hermione said suddenly.

"Hermione, no," Harry protested.

"What if they go in a separate group on their own to search?" Hermione said. "We could cover more ground."

"Dumbledore said-"

"Dumbledore is dead, Harry," Hermione interrupted gently. "I think that now we need to figure this out on our own now."

"Fine," Harry said. Turning back to the others, he said, "Dumbledore left me with a mission and I want the four of you to help. We aren't returning to Hogwarts next term."

"I-I can't," Imani said hesitantly.

"Why?" Andre asked, brows furrowed.

"I promised my father I'd finish my Hogwarts education," Imani said. "And I intend on keeping that promise. I can't just go off doing whatever it is with you all. I'm sorry, Harry."

"Well, I want to help," Blaise said.

"Me too," Dioleh added.

Andre was giving Imani a long look before he said, "I'm sorry, Mani. I'm going too."

"I understand, Andre," she replied, taking his hand again and kissing his cheek.

"Good, then we can have two groups of three," Hermione said. "But no one can know about any of it. No one can know what we're doing."

"What about Jean and Oscar, Hermione?" Dioleh asked. "What are we going to tell them?"

"I have a plan," she admitted. "I'll explain it to you later."

"So, Hermione, you can tell Dioleh everything," Harry said. "Blaise, Andre, Dioleh can explain to you once she knows. Once we figure out where we're going to be for most of the summer, we can all meet up there."

"Put nothing in letters," Dioleh said severely. "And you all need to pretend you just lost me. Do what you have to to convince everyone you're grieving."

"Got it," Imani said. "I promise, I won't tell anyone any of what I've heard."

"That's another thing," Harry added. "Sorry, Imani, but if you're not going with us, you can't know."

"I understand," she replied. "I can only wish you all the best of luck."