The Seven and The Hidden Child

Chapter 35

"Now you," Blaise said, shaking his head.

He walked into his and Draco's shared dorm before shutting the door. Draco raised an eyebrow at him, but didn't say anything.

"She says nothing happened you two just fell asleep. Am I beating you up or was she telling the truth?" Blaise asked.

"I didn't want to go near her in the first place, what do you think?" Draco deadpanned.

"Okay good, I really didn't think I'd be able to take you," Blaise sighed in relief.

Draco gave a very slow nod.

"There's something I gotta ask of you, though," Blaise said.

His tone was serious. Blaise almost never was super serious. Draco sat up on his bed. Blaise sat on his. They faced each other for a solid minute before Draco spoke.

"You going to ask me this thing or what?"

"Oh right!" Blaise exclaimed be for turning dead serious again (I spared you the pain of Sirius this time.), "Hermione has to go on this mission, or quest. Six others go with her."

"And you're going."

Blaise nodded.

"And you want me to go too."

Blaise looked guilty. He said, "I know she can take care of herself. And nothing bad is going to happen, but if it does and I can't be there to watch her," Blaise sighed, "I need you to be. I just got her back, I can't let her get hurt. Even if I go. Maddie and Marcus, they wouldn't be able to handle it."

"You're not going to get hurt. And I doubt she'd let me come," Draco told him.

"You're a pretty skilled wizard. Even she can see that. She'll let you come," Blaise insisted.

"If you say so."

"So you'll do it?"

"Yes."

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Hermione threw open the door and stomped in. She slammed the book down on the coffee table and collapsed onto on of the couches.

"Rough day?" Hunter asked with a laugh.

Hermione looked up and tilted her head when she saw her brother.

"What are you doing here?" She asked.

"Ginny said you needed me. That you'd be back in a minute," He shrugged.

"I've been out of here all day," Hermione said.

Hunter and Hermione turned their heads towards Ginny, whom was sitting next to Hunter. She smiled sweetly and batted her eyelashes at Hermione's brother.

"Oh, come on. I cant believe I fell for that!" Hunter exclaimed.

"What's got you so angered?" Blaise asked, making both his and Hannah's presence known.

"How could I have been so stupid!" Hermione shouted.

"Calm down, what'd you do?" Hunter questioned.

"Look," Hermione said.

She grabbed a piece of parchment and a nearby quill and wrote a list of odd things down. Hermione circled the first letter of every sentence in a single connection and did the same with the end.

"Not all of them work," She explained, "Only the ones with four words."

She adjusted the circle. Hermione wrote the first letters down in a sentence. Then she did the same with the last letters.

"He who—" Hermione started to read before stopping herself, "Hold on. Six others come with me. If you hear this, you come. Blaise already agreed, so that's two."

"Three," Hunter said, determination clear in his eyes.

"Four," Ginny added.

"Make that five," Hannah continued.

Hermione turned to her and said, "You'd come?"

Hannah shrugged with a half smirk. "If Blaise plays his cards right we could end up as in laws. Better start having your back now."

Blaise's face lit up up. He turned to Hannah excitedly. She gave him a look that clearly said 'I said if you play your cards right' and he looked away before he got hurt.

"Thanks," Hermione smiled. She turned to Draco, "You wanna come?"

Draco pretended to ponder it for a moment. He finally said, "Sure, why not?"

Hermione smiled, "That's six. One more."

"Who're picking?" Blaise asked.

"I don't think I get to choose," Hermione answered, "This first line isn't in the letters needs. When non magic arrives, the quest begins. That's got to mean a muggle."

Hunter and Hermione locked eyes. They both knew the answer.

"Jack," Hunter said, "But how would we even get him here?"

"I don't know. Muggles can't come onto school grounds, except special cases of student deaths." Hermione stated, "And that hasn't happened since Moaning Myrtle, I think."

"Hogsmeade?"

"I don't think so. Maybe we can send mum and dad and owl to give to Jack," Hermione suggested.

"They haven't been responding, though. Busy with work, probably." Hunter shrugged.

"So we have to wait," Ginny said.

"Yeah. We just have to hope tha—" Hermione was cut off by her own scream.

A loud 'pop', like a backfiring car, echoed through the room. Hermione has screamed she a body landed next to her. The boys black hair was singed and smoking. His clothes were covered in blood and a dagger stuck out of his shoulder. His neck was bleeding heavily. One hand held the wound on his neck while the other clutched a butterfly barret. Hermione recognized it immediately. She'd turned three of those barrets into portkeys after the war and given them to the three muggles she cared for most. She'd enchanted them specifically to teleport directly to her.

"Jack?" Hermione exclaimed.

Hunter fell off the couch and scrambled up to Jack. His hand was slackening on his neck and more blood was pouring out.

"I tried to save them," He mumbled before passing out.