Becoming Beta

Chapter 31

A/N: A day early my lovelies! I have a thing tomorrow night, so I figured you all deserved an update.

Beta love to the incredible brownlark42. She's like going out with your girlfriends for the first time in ages.

I make a manip for every chapter, find me on Tumblr at crochetawayhpff.

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Hermione had never been so angry with Harry.

Ron, yes, but not with Harry. They'd had arguments in the past, like during third year when Harry had the mysterious Firebolt. Yes, she and Harry argued then. Ron took his side, per the usual. But this time, Hermione didn't even care whose side Ron took. Harry had tried to kill Draco. Kill him. As in murder him dead so he was no longer alive.

Hermione wasn't sure that she could forgive him for that.

Harry claimed the whole thing was an accident. He said the spell in the book didn't explain what it was for. She could not imagine why Harry would be dim enough to trust anything hand-written in a mysterious book, especially after the incident with Tom Riddle's diary during their second year. When she thought about it, she was sincerely surprised that he'd lived through all of his bad decisions. But then she remembered how many times she, Ron, or someone else had helped him out of trouble. The Boy Who Lived Despite Himself, she thought.

Hermione brushed thoughts of Harry and their strained friendship aside as she approached the Room of Hidden Things. She and Draco had completed the translation of the book Professor Snape had given him, and they were in the process of linking the spells together in order for the vanishing cabinet to begin working. The vanishing cabinet made Hermione uneasy. Every time she thought of Death Eaters like Bellatrix Lestrange slipping through the cabinet and into the school she felt sick.

Despite the swooping feeling she got in her stomach, she was determined to help Draco. She knew he couldn't kill Professor Dumbledore. Or if he could, it would ruin his life. It was bad enough to let Death Eaters into Hogwarts. How hard would it be for the wizarding world to forgive him for that? How much more difficult would it be if Draco was the one to kill the professor? No, it had to be someone else. Hermione just hoped to drive the war to a resolution as soon as possible. She was sure that her plans would move things along faster than anything the Headmaster or the Order had come up with.

If she could solve any frustration right now, it would be that one. Why wouldn't the Order take a more active role? There must things happening in the Ministry that she wasn't privy to. She, Harry, and Ron may have been unofficially inducted into the Order, but they weren't real Order members. Mrs. Weasley and Professor Dumbledore seemed determined to keep them in the role as "children." They weren't children anymore, and she wanted them to just tell her, Harry, and Ron what they needed. Dancing around issues wasn't helping anyone.

"What's got your wand in a knot?" Draco asked as Hermione finally reached him in the depths of the Room of Hidden Things.

"The Order, Professor Dumbledore, Harry," Hermione muttered.

"Oh, so the usual," Draco smirked at her.

Hermione rolled her eyes. Draco reached out — quicker than Hermione thought possible — and snaked a hand around her waist to pull her close. Hermione tilted her head back to look into his ice blue eyes. She watched as his smirk faded and his look grew serious, then his eyes bounced down to look at her mouth.

Hermione had her bottom lip tucked between her teeth as she so often did when she was frustrated or concentrating. Draco bent his head and covered her mouth with his own and Hermione's eyes slid shut as she wound her hands around his neck and pulled him closer. He swept his tongue out across her bottom lip and took it into his own mouth. He soothed it with his tongue, before delving into her mouth. Hermione shivered at the feel of his tongue winding with hers. She would never tire of this man; she would never tire of his kisses and the way he made her heart beat faster.