I hope our story has a happier ending

breathe me in

It's weeks before they manage to meet again—security became hyper-vigilant after Justin and Nearly-Headless Nick were petrified, and beyond that, they're both almost paranoid at being found out, and so unless they can absolutely guarantee no one will see them, they veto the prospect of a rendezvous.

One day, though, a school owl drops a note before her that reads midnight, seventh floor—she knows it's him instantly, because who else would send her such a cryptic message? Who else would be willing to sneak out so late when there's a strict curfew and the entire Hogwarts faculty is on edge?

She crumples up the note instantly before rejoining the conversation; Harry gives her a curious look but lets it go, and Ron is so busy with his conjecture about Malfoy being the heir of Slytherin he probably didn't even notice the correspondence to begin with.

Beside her, Ginny quietly gets up from the table, and no one else is paying attention but Hermione watched the younger girl sip at her pumpkin juice without ever truly eating—something is wrong with the youngest Weasley, she just knows it. Her frame is whittling away, there are bags under her eyes—Hermione knows Ron and many of the professors are attributing the changes to the stress of a first year in a new place, especially during a year when an alleged monster is roaming the halls, but—

(there's a darkness in her eyes Hermione recognizes. this is more than a freshman being overwhelmed by school.)

That night, she asks Harry for the invisibility cloak—cites an ingredient that must be added to the Polyjuice potion at precisely midnight or the entire thing will be useless, and he's immediately shoving the cloth into her hands, becauseheaven forbid he can't unknowingly interrogate his classmate.

The entire plan is preposterous, she knows, and worse yet it's a complete waste, being that she's absolutely certain Malfoy is not the heir of Slytherin, but she would be hard pressed to explain the knowledge to the boys without revealing the friendship they'd forged, and so here she is, spending part of every day brewing a potion that would get her expelled, her wand broken—send her back, and she can't be sent back, but as much as she can't bear the thought of leaving here, her actions must seem in character.

(so she's cooking an illegal drug in a school bathroom—genius, Hermione, this plan is genius.)

She knows Romeo is worried about her, knows he's not okay, either, but there's just so much happening right now they barely have time to check in on each other. Besides, they have the rest of their lives to talk—and if she's killed by Slytherin's monster, that will be much less time than if she can stop it ahead of time.

She rounds the corner nervously, rapidly swiveling the compact mirror in hand around every crevice of the hallway before entering it.

Malfoy is nowhere in sight—but then, she's invisible, so it follows that he might be as well.

"Malfoy?" the whisper is quiet and nervous, but there's distortion in the periphery of her vision, and then Draco shimmers into being as the disillusionment charm on him fades.

Tugging off the cloak, she watches his eyes widen at the sight—impressed, maybe—and it's only then she sees the form sidled up next to him.

Malfoy follows her gaze, then gives a small smile. "This is Dobby. He's my family's house elf—I don't know how much you know about them, but essentially he's bound to serve us in return for access to our magic and all of his needs being met. It's a rather archaic system—my mother and I have been working on trying to find a way to free him without my father finding out for years, but it's proven almost impossible. He's been asking around to try to find a place for us to meet in secret, and he came across something amazing. He's the one I had send you the note this morning—he's kind enough to help me out, and loves any excuse to practice his penmanship"