Forget About It (Dramione)

28| Always

"We have to find Harry!" Hermione hissed at Ron, who was sat oblivious in the Gryffindor common room, startling so much he physically jumped, recoiling. Hermione barely registered his shock. 

"Something bad is going to happen! Death Eaters are coming! Is he back yet?" 

Ron looked up painfully slowly, at her wild eyes and crazed, hyper manner, surprised she was in such a state. 

"Shit, I dunno. I don't think so. Or maybe he is, and he's with Dumbledore. Hold on a minute, how do you know Death Eaters are coming? Are you sure they're coming here?" 

Hermione nodded frantically. She didn't have time for Ron and his uncertainty, not now. "Yes, Ronald, I'm positive! For fuck's sake, we need to find him now! We don't have time!" 

Ron started at the sound of her swearing and sat up straight, his book falling forgotten to his side. 

"Merlin, 'Mione, calm down! We can't do anything until he gets back! We have no idea where he's gone with Dumbledore, and we can't exactly send an owl, can we?" He said cautiously, his expression concerned but relaxed. Too relaxed, Hermione thought desperately. 

She started pacing in front of him, the heat of the Gryffindor fire making her palms sweat and her head throb. "I can't just sit here! We'll go to Dumbledore's office then, and we can wait till they get back. We need to do something now." 

"Slow down," Ron tried as an attempt to calm his friend. "Seriously. How do you know something bad is going to happen? This makes no sense." 

She shook her head, her breath short and scared. "I'll explain later. Will you please just trust me on this?" 

Her friend stared at her for a few more moments, before shrugging, visibly giving into her pleas. "Alright, I trust you. But what can we do? He'll come straight here and get us as soon as he gets back. And what if we go to Dumbledore's office but they come back a different way? I reckon we don't really have a choice but to sit here." 

Hermione bit her lip nervously. She wanted to shout at Ron that she couldn't just sit in the common room like an idiot, knowing what she knew. But a little voice in her head knew he was right. It was like waiting for a bomb to explode. It was going to happen, the trauma was going to hit them, and until Harry came back there was absolutely nothing they could do. Unless...

"McGonagall!" Hermione started. "We can tell her. Maybe she could seal off the castle, get all the students safe, I don't know, something? We have to do something!" Her voice began to raise to a squeak. Ron was frozen in denial, lost and desperate. At last he nodded, his expression now panicked like a deer in headlights. 

"Ok. Ok, let's go find McGonagall," he agreed, and put down his quill to follow Hermione's rush out the portrait. 

All she could think about was Draco. He was a Death Eater, he had to do something for Voldemort tonight, and the others were coming. He was a Death Eater. He loved her, but he was a Death Eater. He betrayed her. 

Her head was a mess. As they ran, she wondered if she would ever begin to accept the truth, that she'd performed the spell on herself just to avoid having to turn Malfoy in, avoid having to choose between him and her best friends. She couldn't believe it. It all felt fake, pretend, but her head kept telling her it was real, that she'd finally found out the truth. 

Draco loved her and she'd loved him. 

But there was no time for that. He was doing something for Voldemort. Tonight. 

They ran into McGonagall's office as quickly as they could, Ron barely keeping up with the terror and panic that drove Hermione. Here we go again, she thought. Harry once again on the verge of losing his life, and all because she thought she loved Draco Malfoy.