Draco Malfoy and the Seven

Drunken Shenanigans

March 3rd, 2003

Hermione's POV

"He's trying to bring Voldemort back." She says, feeling with certainty the validity of her words.

"Come again?" Harry asks as if he hasn't heard correctly.

"Well, it's all connected. Dolohov's resurrection, the abductions, then the Horcruxes. Draco, what makes Dolohov so special to the Death Eaters?" ΩShe asks, focusing her attention on him.

"His intelligence." He responds quickly, chin resting in his hands as he listens intently.

"Right, but they could have found any number of intelligent people to accomplish their task. What makes him different?" She says, giving some pushback on his response.

"He specialized in the creation of dark magic rituals. He created numerous curses during the war with the Dark Lord's support. Essentially, he was a veritable genius in the study of ancient magics."

"Exactly. So, what would you do if you wanted to resurrect one of the darkest wizards in history but didn't know how to go about it?"

"I'd bring back someone who could," Draco answers flatly. The reality of the situation settling on his shoulders like a heavy weight.

"I don't understand. If they could figure out how to bring back Dolohov, why couldn't they have figured out how to bring back Voldemort themselves?" Harry asks, tone guarded.

"I'm sure they did try, but can you imagine the complexity of the spell required for something like that? Dolohov died with his soul intact, and Voldemort died with his soul split into seven pieces. They would need someone with an immense amount of knowledge on ancient and taboo rituals to understand the intricacies that would go into spell work like that."

"Okay. Assuming that your theory is correct, and I hope it isn't, why the abductions? What does he need us or the Horcruxes for?" Harry inquires.

Having already made this connection, she responds easily. "The rules of nature require balance, especially in magic. Even though the Horcruxes were destroyed, the objects holding them are still tainted by dark magic, but that wouldn't be enough to restore what once was. Life doesn't come without death; death cannot come without life first." She explains.

"He needs the magic from each person responsible for destroying the Horcrux to breathe new life into it." The growing hardness of Draco's tone working to put her further on edge. His experience with Voldemort was more personal than hers in that he had to live with the dark wizard, seeing the atrocities he committed firsthand.

Silence hangs heavily between the three as they each absorb the enormity of the consequences should Dolohov complete his mission.

Harry gingerly stands from his spot behind his desk, sighing heavily before sliding a drawer open and removing a crystal decanter filled with dark liquid. He conjures three shot glasses and fills each to the brim before handing one to Draco and herself.

"To snake hunting and fucking shit up in the process." Harry cheers before tossing his glass back. Following his lead, she throws her head back, letting the burn of the alcohol distract her for just a moment.

"So, what do we do from here?" She questions the aurors before her.

"We know Dolohov still needs my magic, yours, and Neville's. We recovered two Horcruxes when we found you, which means he still has four. Our main objective must be rooting him out of wherever he's hiding now. Knowing him, he will probably stay underground and reevaluate his plan. We must keep our ears to the ground and be ready when he reappears."