Fiercely Stubborn Hearts

Chapter 8

Hermione was anxious. She had sent the letter two days prior and had received no response. She was tense, and yet, calmer than ever. She was who she had become during the war again when she found these people. She enjoyed it. It was like slipping into some comfortable slippers. 

Four days. It took four days for him to reply, and even then, it was a brief reply. She received it at dinner on Wednesday, from the huge eagle owl who, afterward, flew to Malfoy's shoulder as the boy looked at it, confused.

She had got up and walked to the fireplace and read the letter quickly:

Thank you for the info, 'Mione. It really helps. We're planning our next move for tomorrow and will attack on Friday. Stand by for anything that may happen. If anything does, I'd want nobody but you, Luna, Neville, and Ginny by my side. I trust you'd get everyone there if you needed to. Thank you again, so much for the information. The Department is in love with you right now. I've got to go, we're in the middle of a rather intense interrogation and they're asking me to go in. 

Love you and thank you,

Harry

Hermione had burnt the letter. He probably hadn't been allowed to send it. Better to burn it than to leave the information out and about for someone to find. The next day was Thursday, the eighteenth of November. The entirety of the day was composed of getting concealed messages to Luna and Neville, so they would know to meet her in the Room of Requirement. There, she would inform them of the situation and to be prepared for Friday. She sent them each coded messages that only they would understand. It was second nature for her to write in code. She supposed it didn't really matter in the long run, that she could have simply wrote them a quick note and slipped it in their bags, but she knew this had to be top secret. This was Ministry protocol and the letter Harry had sent probably shouldn't have even made it out the door.

At ten o'clock, after dinner, Hermione made her way silently to the Room of Requirement, carefully avoiding Prefects and the Head Boy and Girl. She probably would've been fine walking about the castle at this time, having been a Prefect and being in the eighth year, but she couldn't risk having anyone know of this meeting.

She entered the room at approximately ten fifteen, after being forced to take a detour down the wrong passage that took her to a part of the castle she hadn't seen before on the fifth floor. When the Prefect who had been patrolling that area disappeared, she had practically sprinted to the seventh floor, blood thrumming with the adrenaline that she hadn't realized she had missed.

Neville and Luna arrived on time, at ten thirty. Neville shut the door behind them and took Luna's hand before walking over to the couch that the room had provided. There was a fireplace against the wall that burned brightly and sent off warm heat. It reminded Hermione of the old Gryffindor Common Room. 

"Hi, Hermione!" Luna said brightly, as usual.

Hermione gave a small smile, "Hello, Luna. Hi, Neville."

He smiled softly at her, "What's this all about, Hermione? I haven't had to read code since the war."

Hermione wrung her hands slightly, pacing in front of the fireplace, "I couldn't have anyone know we were meeting. What we're dealing with is supposed to be top secret with the Ministry of Magic and I don't want anyone knowing about it."

Neville slumped back, sighing, "Hermione, we already broke into the Ministry once. Can't we just leave it at that and be done?"

"This is about the Death Eater attacks that have been happening."

Neville shot up, "I'm sorry?"

"This is your last chance to back out. I'm perfectly fine with that and I trust you not to tell anyone that we met at this time in the Room of Requirement, but I want to make sure that you're in, before I tell you the full story and make things difficult for you if anything happens."