Shattered | Hermione x Draco

Getting Caught

We are back at school and I feel awful. The last week of the break I spend all my free time practicing my Elemental magic and luckily it is working. I couldn't sleep and spent extra time on training my mental walls. The information I now know could kill me and everyone I know. I didn't dare to tell my Father in the house, there could be ears everywhere and I can't risk it. I have been drawn back from the pact as well. The humanity, or lack thereof, has settled again, but this time it is still very numb, which is amazing.

"Hermione, where are you going?" Theo asks.

We just walked inside the castle, but instead of walking towards the Great Hall I take off to Father's chambers. I need to speak with him, tell him about this and figure out what we are going to do about this.

"I'll be there soon," I tell them over my shoulder without stopping.

The wards around his chambers let me in without delay and I am able to push open the door without stopping. I scan the room and Father just turns around, he raises his brow, making his signature expression. "Good evening to you too," he drawls.

"We need to talk, in private," I stress, my eyes flicking through the room.

I close the door and feel a very strong shield snap into place. He just nods and waits for me to speak.

"What do you know about horcruxes?" I ask.

His face drops, shock taking over. "How do you know about them?"

"Malfoy library, very old book," I hold up my hand, the ring catching the light. "This is one. The Dark Lord made it and I am wearing it. I can feel it. He must have more."

"How many do you think?" he asks, getting closer while inspecting the ring.

"I don't know. Fuck," burst out, frustrations lashing out. "It could be multiple items. Why would he give one to me? Did he really expect me not to notice or figure out what it is? This makes it so much harder to kill him. How are we going to figure it out?"

"Calm down, you have been wearing that ring for a long time, is it affecting you?"

"I don't know, it's very dark magic and it might affect me, but I have not noticed it."

He nods and looks over his books, as if he has all the answers stored there, but I know he won't have a book about this.

"Here is what you are going to do," he turns back, his eyes endless depths of obsidian, but a coldness frosts over them. "You are going to the feast, act normal, I will tell Albus tonight and we will figure it out. You are going to focus on your school, focus on the younglings and keep an eye on Draco. Something changed over the break and I don't know what. You will report back what you figure out."

I scoff, crossing my arms as I stare back. "You really expect me to not do anything about this," shaking my hand for emphasis.

"I do and you will. There is enough going on and it is not something we can change right now. The Horcruxes are made."

"Not something we can change right now?" I ask. "We can figure out what they are, how many and destroy them."

He shakes his head in disbelief. "You are going to do what I tell you to do. How do you expect to destroy them, let alone find them? He could have used a sock and thrown it away," he is glaring, but I glare back at him.

"We can't kill him if they are not destroyed," I shout.

"Are you planning to kill him the next time you see him?" he taunts.

"Might as well," I raise my voice. "It's not like he doesn't deserve it."

His eyes almost change in color, like mine can, but it's not the same. It's like a fire burns inside of him, while they stay dark brown. "If we could, he would have died the second he laid a hand on you. To see those bruises on your neck, knowing that he did that, I was and still am livid. But..." he sighs deeply. "We are working towards a bigger goal. Killing him won't end the coming war, someone else will just take his place and do worse. Right now we are his trusted Death Eaters, we get information and we can spread that information."