Chapter 8

Glimmer

The sounds of the forest were almost deafening as the young man sat crouched with bated breath as his eyes followed the glimmering figure slowly walking deeper into the trees. His eyes dared not stray from the figure and every muscle tensed. It was only when his mentor next to him shifted that Draco remembered to breathe. He couldn't tell you how long it took for the figure to disappear from sight, he only knew that it was agony.

"What do you mean you've been helping them?" The female Weasley asked the new Headmaster appearing to be completely bewildered. "Why?"

"Because I love Hermione. And because he's not the horrible man that you'd like to believe. Neither am I," Draco jumped in before Severus could reply. When the redhead didn't Draco continued, "We think now is a safe time to make contact. The term has gone well from The Dark Lord's perspective. We've both proven our loyalty to him. We felt we needed to share with you for two reasons. Firstly, you need to be much sneakier next term. If you can create a schedule for us, we can try to steer patrols away as much as possible. And I need you to share with us right now, where would Hermione take them?"

After almost two weeks of traveling, scouting, and tracking they believed they finally found them. At least, they believed they had. He swore he could feel her magic, that he knew she was there. He wasn't sure if he could bare the disappointment of it being someone else.

The glimmering doe which had almost faded from view seemed to be returning. Draco strained his eyes to make out the figure but his heart pounding in his chest was resounding in his ear and creating a rather large distraction. He briefly wondered if his professor could hear his heart racing as well because the older man placed a hand on Draco's shoulders as an attempt to comfort him.

The figure finally emerged and Draco's body slumped in disappointment, though not devastating disappointment, and Harry Potter came into view. They were right. She was just beyond that warding. He ignored the need to reveal himself and demand Potter take him to Hermione. They needed to play the long game. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't just take her and run. She would never abandon the cause in the interest of self-preservation. And now neither would he.

He watched the shaggy haired man wave his wand and nothing happened. When he and Professor Snape had talked through the plan, they decided they would leave the sword hidden here in the forest even if they did not find the trio. There still would have been a chance that they happened upon it, and even if the trio did not happen upon it was a good place to keep the sword hidden for the winter.

He thought back to their discussion about whose Patronus to use.

"I have to try. If they see it's you Hermione will have to explain why yours is a doe."

"She's a smart young woman, she'll come up with an explanation."

"But-"

"Draco," his mentor looked at him with a stern face, "I'd rather it be me."

He knew what he meant - that if they were somehow to get discovered, his professor turned colleague would rather Voldemort know his secret than Draco's. Draco had to fight to even be included on this outing.

The sound of ice breaking and Potter diving into the lake pulled him back to the present. They had to make sure he didn't freeze to death before they could leave.

As more time passed, Draco began to tense once again. Before he could indicate to his concern to Severus, Weasley came into view from a different direction. Soon both figures emerged from under the frozen lake.

They were too far away to hear the conversation that was going on, but Potter seemed to be surprised to see Weasley. He watched their exchange with curiosity as the locket around Potter's neck drew his attention. Draco had seen the locket in various texts at the Manor - it was the locket of Salazar Slytherin. This had to be it, this was an elusive horcrux and it seemed Potter was asking Weasley to use the sword on it.

The seemed to get heavier around them and he exchanged a look with the older man - he could feel the dark magic coming of the locket as well. It felt like the air was reverberating around them. The locket was panicking.

Suddenly Potter said something and a bright light blinded him briefly before they could make out the silvery shapes of Hermione and Potter wrapped around each other. The voices had what he could best describe as a crystal-like quality as their sound drifted across the frozen lake and reached his ears. They were mocking the youngest Weasley voice. As Draco listened to the horcrux generated version of his girlfriend, he thought that the figure's glimmer couldn't compete to the real thing's glow. Hermione was fire.

He listened to the demon's voice, because he could no longer compare this perversion of a boggart to the love of his life.

She hissed in her too smooth voice, "I could never want you. I chose my worst enemy over you. He treated me horribly my entire life and somehow he's still better than ever choosing you. You, who never stacks up. You whose ego is so fragile you would have rather cradled it than pursue the only woman who ever showed any real interest in you. You left because you felt inadequate. You starting seeing my real power and ran with your tail tucked between your legs. A Muggle-born woman put a pureblood man to shame. You were never worthy of me, and now you never will be."

He wondered what she meant by seeing her "real power". He thought back to two summers ago in Diagon Alley, how he felt that raw power when they ran into each other robe shopping. Was that was this thing meant? Was it lying?

He hadn't been listening to what the silver Potter was saying, but suddenly that Potter's mouth was kissing the silver Hermione. He knew it was not the real her, but Draco felt the faintest glimmer of jealousy leftover from years of watching her care about Potter.

There was a piercing scream and darkness as the light from the horcrux figures extinguished. The two distant figures started to return in the direction from which Potter emerged.

The older man gestured indicating it was time to leave.

Draco looked around, memorizing his surroundings. He would be back if he could find the opportunity.

A piercing scream ripped through her dream, causing her to jerk awake panting in her bunk. She threw off the covers and ran barefoot out of the tent to find Harry. She looked around wildly before she heard the sound of some approaching. She could make out Harry's voice as he came into view. Along with Ron.

A violent rage took over her as she ran toward the redhead, her fury enabling her to ignore the cold. Ron was fortunate that Harry currently had her wand in his possession, so he had to settle for physical attacks. "You - complete - arse - Ronald - Weasley!" Each word was punctuated by a punch on his body. She felt Harry start to pull her off and only allowed him to do so because she finally felt the cold.

The witch whirled on her heel and marched back inside the tent where it was warm. She could hear the footfalls of the boys following her. She held her hand out wordlessly prompting Harry for her wand. He apparently trusted her not to kill their prodigal friend and handed it over as she performed a heating charm and began making tea.

She took a seat at a table she and Harry had set up. Harry took his usual seat while Ron took the seat that was normally taken by the talking portrait. She grabbed a kettle with water for tea. "You told me there was something wrong with my magic," she started slowly. "You said that I would kill us both. You told me - a Muggle-born witch whose magic you've relied on for years - that I was wrong. How dare you?"

"Hermione, I'm sorry! I didn't mean it - I was scared! I was angry! I-"

"You're always something, aren't you, Ron?" She hadn't been able to really think about how deeply Ron had hurt her in light of recent events. But now she just couldn't stop thinking of every snide comment, every display of annoyance, of retaliation. "You always have an excuse."

"Hermione, he saved my life," Harry said finally. "And we destroyed the horcrux."

For the first time the witch noticed the faint glimmer as the light from the lantern on the table reflected off the face of the sword. "What? Ron, did you-"

"No. I was led back here," Ron wrestled inside his pocket, "by this."

"The Deluminator?" she and Harry asked in unison.

"Yes. I wanted to come back the day I left. But by the time I got back to our campsite, you were gone. And then I was listening to the radio Christmas morning when I heard your voice."

"I was on the radio?" she asked as she sipped her warm tea.

"No, coming from this. I heard you and Harry talking. When I opened it, a little ball of light formed and seemed to want me to follow it. So I packed my rucksack and followed it into the garden. It floated to me, and then it entered my chest. I felt this warmth and I knew what I had to do. I went to a hill first-"

"We were there," Harry interrupted. "So Hermione, that's why we were hearing sounds."

"I must've just missed you. I stayed there all day and then I clicked the Deluminator again. The ball of light filled me again and I Apparated here. I still couldn't see you. I had to wait for one of you to reveal yourselves - and Harry did. Well, I saw the doe first, obviously."

Her head snapped up her ears widened, "You saw the what?" she asked sharply.

She listened to them recount their tale to her and her head began to spin. It had to have been Severus. He knew she would know it was him. Should she try to communicate? It's been months, so surely they must be safe? Things have been calm since Grodric Hollow. Surely, he and Draco heard about what happened. They wouldn't take such a great risk so soon if they didn't believe it was safe, right?

But now how would she explain this to them? Surely, if he was coming out with this Patronus meant that she needed them to trust them.

She gently wrapped her hand around her necklace. She could feel warmth of her magic course through her arms and into the pendant.

"Hermione, are you all right?" asked Harry. Ron still dared not attempt to initiate communication.

She gulped down the remainder of her tea and poured a second cup. "I need to tell you something."

"I just think that..." the young man trailed off as he felt a sensation of warmth started to spread from his pocket. His breath caught as he reached in and experienced the warmth of his most prized object. He swallowed a lump in his throat as he opened the pocket watch.

"Thank you."

She knew they had been there.

Severus watched the young man and watched his expression changed from anxious to relieved to enamored. Even in the dim moonlight of the Manor garden he could recognize each expression.

He spoke with a thick voice, "She says 'thank you'."

They had just been in a discussion about whether or not they should try to venture out to the forest again at the very least to leave some form of communication - there was only so much that could be relayed between the face of a watch and a pendant.

Severus nodded in acknowledgment. "I know you want to be near her, but I don't think it's the best idea to frequent their camp. We can only take so many risks. She just opened communication. I think we should all decide on a secure communication method using that. Just until we come up with a safer option.

Draco nodded in agreement and traced the words with his thumb. "Understood. I'll continue to communicate with her and we'll discuss this tomorrow?"

Severus nodded. "Sleep well, Draco."

Draco knew that for the first time in a long time, he would be able to.