From Wiltshire, With Love

Chapter 29

Hermione paced back and forth nervously in the Tonks' kitchen, waiting for the others to appear. She gnawed on her thumbnail, a habit she thought she had kicked back in second year. Frustrated, she shoved her thumb into the belt loop of her jeans and walked back and forth some more.

Today had been a whirlwind of highs and lows. The exuberance she felt from the early morning when Harry discovered a substantial Horcrux lead was followed up with the knowledge that the Order was about to take its first major hit. The exciting yet confusing day spent with Malfoy turned into a stomach-churning evening after realizing that although he was a spy, he was not on their side. He was on his own side, and he would only help when the Order's motivations aligned with his own.

She shouldn't be disappointed, but she was.

Malfoy.

And to think she was calling things off with Ron because of that sodding prick. She would have to delay that uncomfortable conversation until after they got the Horcrux. Going on a mission would be more difficult if she and Ron were at each other's throats again.

Priorities.

Tonks was the first to arrive, her pregnant belly quite prominent now. She eased herself into a chair with a groan and Remus appeared a few minutes after.

"Bad news, 'eh?" Remus asked. Hermione nodded wordlessly and kept pacing. "Minerva won't be able to make it. Do we need Kingsley?"

Hermione paused and turned to him. "Yes, we definitely need Kingsley."

Tonks reached over and grasped Remus' hand affectionately, playing with his index finger. "Is this from your spy?"

"Yes," Hermione replied, "but it may be too late."

Remus and Tonks exchanged an apprehensive glance and waited for Kingsley to arrive. Tonks winced and Remus rubbed circles in her back, murmuring into her ear. Five minutes of tense silence later, Kingsley walked through the door, sat down, and glanced around the table without comment on the mood. "Minerva?"

"Can't make it," Tonks explained as Hermione slid into her chair.

Hermione looked at Kingsley nervously and sucked in a breath. There was no use beating around the bush. "Lucius Malfoy has been in the United States for a week."

He didn't react, merely raised an eyebrow. It was as if she only pointed out there was an ant crawling on the floor. Not that his effort for the past year might have been completely undermined. The Order would be back to beans, would lose their safe houses, their paid informants, their medical supplies, their Healer as well as Cho and Terry's training, their bomb making duo, and Hermione's progress on Portkeys would come to a grinding halt, setting them back months.

Hermione didn't understand how it was possible to mask emotions all the time like that. She could do it when she prepared, if she knew she would be in a situation that would demand it, but to have it be the default mode of operation was an entirely different skillset. She certainly failed whenever Malfoy was involved. She wondered if her mentor would insist she mask her emotions all the time like Kingsley was able to.

He rubbed a grain of wood on the table and asked slowly, "This is from your spy?"

She nodded. Only Kingsley knew the spy was Draco Malfoy because he would be the one performing the Unbreakable Vow. He understood the significance of Malfoy revealing that it was his father over there.

"Do you know anything else?"

She chewed on her lip and shook her head. "Only that it's bad. He..." she hesitated. "He didn't intend on telling me. It slipped out earlier this evening." Tonks sent her a sharp look. "That's why I called everyone right away."