Molly walked over to Hermione and, to Hermione's surprise, kissed her forehead. "My little princess, it's so good to see you're feeling better! I was so worried! Thank goodness it was just one of those nasty colds!" Hermione was flustered, but she didn't forget to look into her eyes. They were warm as always, but glazed over.
Her heart dropped as Mrs. Weasley continued to speak. Was she the only one who knew what was going on? "Now, where is that boy? I told him to come down!" Hermione perked up when she heard the older woman asking about a boy. Maybe it was Ron! She was about to open her mouth to ask when the doors opened again and in came the redhead himself. She refrained from crying when she saw him.
He looked as confused as she was. His eyes were normal and he looked positively terrified, but she'd never been so happy to see him. Mrs, or should she say Queen Weasley, fussed over him for a moment before heading to her seat at the end of the table. Hermione shot a glance a Ron, who motioned to his mother and shrugged, a befuddled look on his face. She shrugged back, mouthing that they would talk later. He agreed and looked down the table at his mother.
The food bell had been rung, and the servants were quickly and quietly filling their glasses and putting plates of food in front of them. Although she wasn't very hungry, and was more curious, she couldn't help but think it all smelt and looked very good. As they ate, the Queen sustained a steady amount of chatter. Hermione and Ron responded only when prompted, otherwise opting to listen. As dessert was served and the dishes were all cleared away, Molly Weasley got a serious look on her face.
"Now, I'm sure the two of you know what's going on in the kingdom." The two young wizards nodded as one, guessing it was the right thing to do. "Two kingdoms are locked in fierce battle, and I fear things will only get worse. The reason I called the two of you to breakfast so soon after your sicknesses have gone is because I have come up with a conclusion. The two of you can help end the war!"
Pin-drop silence responded to her exclamation, and she smiled. "Don't worry, I am not throwing the two of you to the front lines. Hermione, I think that if you, accompanied by Ron, go to their kingdom and present to them a threat that applies to both of us, they will understand that we should ally our forces to save our race. The dragons are about to attack, I have received word from our watchers there. If we do not stop this foolish fighting, we will both be wiped out, obliterated. And that would not be very nice for any of us. So I'm sending you two to try and get both of our people to see the big picture. King Lucius and I have agreed that we want a truce, but we know that, unless we present them a bigger problem than each other, our people will never want to have peace." She paused to take a drink and let her words set in. Then, she continued. "To make sure you get there safely, two knights from their kingdom have come to show you the way."
She called to a servant and ordered them to tell the knights to come in. He scurried off and, a few moments later, returned, bowing deeply.
"They are on their way, your majesty." Hermione shot another glance at Ron. He was watching and listening closely, but he shook his head when she looked at him. He looked a bit aggravated, but maybe she was just imagining it. The large doors opened once more and this time she didn't even flinch. Two figures walked into their sight, and both Hermione and Ron started. Of course the knights would be Harry and Draco. They'd been close enough together when this whole thing started. Draco looked disgruntled, Harry looked bewildered, and they both wore plain enough clothes compared to the royal pomp. Molly Weasley got up and introduced them to each other.
"This is Draco Malfoy, and this is Harry Potter. They are both accomplished knights who will accompany you on your journey." She waved her hand. "You may all be dismissed." She turned and walked from the room then, making it obvious that breakfast was over. At the same time, servants poured into the room, cleaning and clearing. Ron quickly grabbed both Harry and Hermione and dragged them out of the room, leaving Draco to follow behind them. Soon they were in a quiet hallway where they could talk. Hermione hurriedly explained the situation. She reminded them of the old, outlawed magic that had brought them there and described the book.
"We'll have to finish the book to get out. One wrong move, and everyone in Hogwarts, everyone we know, could be killed. This isn't a game, it's a race for our lives. My best guess is that we need to get to this other kingdom, convince them to stop fighting, and save both people from the treat of dragons before we get to go home." The boys, or should I say, men, listened closely as she spoke. "Draco, Harry. Do either of you know how to get to this place we need to go?" Draco answered her question when he pulled out an old paper.
"It's a map," he explained."Why we had it, I don't know. But it's a map of all the roads and kingdoms in this world." Harry spoke up.
"It was from one of the books we had in our room. Come to think of it, they were like you described, not finished. I think they were copies of the book I hit."
"It would make sense," Hermione agreed. She then turned to Ron. "What about you? Did you find any books? Or book?" Ron nodded.
"I did, but I didn't have time to got through it. All I saw was that it was the one from the library." Now this was interesting. She had a feeling each of them having the book was no coincidence. That book would help each and every one of them.
"When you get back to your rooms to pack for the journey, make sure to include the book. I have a feeling we'll need them later on." Hermione commanded them. Ron was then pulled away by the servants to his room, and before Hermione was taken away, Draco touched her arm gently. Startled, she looked up at him. His face was serious, and his blue-grey eyes locked with hers.
"We'll get out of this okay. I'll do my best to protect you, I promise you that." She was sure her jaw was dropped to the floor, and a slight blush rose on her cheeks. She shifted her gaze for a moment, then met his intense gaze.
"Thank you, Draco." She said his first name, quietly, it was odd hearing it aloud. "I trust you." She then let herself be led away. She couldn't let his sudden strangeness take over her mind, though, she had to admit, he looked very attractive when he was serious like that. She pushed the outrageous thoughts of him from her head and mentally slapped herself. She had a story to finish and a journey to pack for.
