Poison Apple | A Dramione FanFiction

The Object

There was no noise except for their nervous footsteps, till they reached the dark corridor, with ebony tiles and dark walls. The hard-wood door stood alone in a corner, apparently locked.
"Before we go inside," said Katie. "It is essential to note down some points.... Firstly, if we are exposed to any danger, Hermione, Ron and Draco's safety shall be our first priority."
"Wait! What do you mean 'first priority'? We're here to help you and fight with you!" Draco said.
"Don't be such a fool, young man." said Gary. "I have seen the worst forms of Dark Magic, and trust me, the fools who think they are brave enough to overcome the effects lose everything."
"All of us here are highly experienced and can deal with any mishap that ceases to occur. We can not leave you to be exposed to danger, and neither can we over confidently trust your abilities." Shalley said.
"Wow! You yourselves talked about how able we are back at Hagrid's hut!" Draco protested.
"Malfoy, you may be trying to show how able you are, and what sacrifices you are willing to make, after all those years of following the wrong path," George said, directly looking into Draco's eyes. "But this is not the right time."
Draco opened his mouth, but finding no words, he closed it and nodded silently.
"Carry on Katie." Bill said.
"So, as I was saying _ first priority: protection of Hermione, Ron, and Draco's life. Secondly, nobody will follow any instruction given, that seem out of order or incapable of trust, in case it is indeed a trap, and Hermione is right."
"Excuse me, err, Katie." Ron interrupted. "What do you mean by 'the instructions given'? What is this object?"
"Oh, you will see very soon." Daniel said, with an air of mystery hanging in his voice.
"Okay... lastly, nobody will speak of this matter to any one. What ever we do, and what ever we are to do, is a highly confidential matter and is not to be talked about to any one else. Understood?"
"Understood." everyone said.
"Okay, let's go in then." Katie took a key and unlocked the door. Kingsley waited for every one to walk in, and was the last one to enter himself. He then took the key from Katie and locked the door.
The Department of Mysteries was different from what Hermione remembered of it from the last time. There were many shelves, all containing different objects, which were not visible clearly because of the semi-darkness that filled the room. Kingsley led them out  away from the shelves to a hallway containing countless rooms. All of them were labelled number-wise.
"Room number 707." Katie said, addressing all of them. "This room contains objects unidentified, that contain traces of Dark Magic, and Black Magic. It is an order, that nobody touches any thing."
She then took out her wand and muttered a spell, inaudible to anyone around her. Hermione was sure it was not Alohomora, but some other spell only known by highly confidential members of the Ministry.
"Enter." She made way for them to walk into the room. She then securely locked the room behind her.
The room was large, and illuminated by a single light in the middle. There were many cupboards all aligned with the wall. On each shelf, there were present boxes of different shapes and sizes, all labelled by code names. There was a round table in the middle, around which all of them gathered. Katie walked to the shelves to retrieve something.
"Fun fact," Bill Weasley said. "People can apparate out of this room... but no one can apparate inside."
"Hmm ... odd." Hermione said.
"Why do you think so?" asked Louis, his light blue eyes turning all of a sudden dark.
"You've set up a lot of rules on apparation this year." Hermione calmly answered.
"Because we have realized the eminent dangers of un-restricted apparation the past few years, Miss Granger." Shalley replied rather coldly.
"Before I show you what this is," Katie said walking back at the table and setting a thin, rectangle shaped box labelled 'dlrc.1147666247' on the table. "I need all of you to follow my directions carefully. Louis, Shalley, and Harry - you are the Aurors here. Stay alert, and take full responsibility, should anything go out of control."
"Righty ho." Said Louis.
"Understood." Harry nervously replied.
"Very well." Shalley said dully.
"Okay... Gary, now you need to show us your skill in the worse of situation. You will examine the object carefully, at first, and should anything look risky, or should anything go wrong, you will contact your mates back at Department of Control over Unidentified Objects immediately."
"Don't worry, Katie. No compromise on security."
"Well done. Charlie, Bill, and George ... your duty is to protect Hermione, Draco and Ronald and get them to safety immediately if they are in danger."
"Don't you worry, Kate." Charlie winked.'
"Daniel... you will identify any traces of Dark Magic that may possess over or be harmful to us, before we start our inspection."
Daniel took the case in his steady hands and unclasped the latch. He inverted the box upside down, and out it stumbled upon the desk...
"A Book? Are you kidding me?" Ron snickered disbelievingly.