heavy in your arms

HERMIONE GRANGER-WEASLEY & GUINEVERE NOTT.

with: @abysmcl​ where: scholomance, hermione’s office when: april 23, 11am

“Knock knock,” Dove quips, not knocking at all and not waiting to be invited in before entering either. There’s a small smile on her lips, a look of victory that’s a rarity. There’s a magically enlarged bag hanging over her shoulder ( a tote, with political screenprint and all ) that Dove drops on Hermione’s desk triumphantically. “Surprise! Brought a gift.” This really is unlike them: this near-giddiness. There’s still some soot clinging to her skin and they smell oddly of fire, but they’re grinning. Maybe I was born for this, she sometimes thinks, this kind of bloodshed, this kind of violence. But it’s not the destruction of earlier that morning that makes her grin, is it? It’s the twenty-something wands in the bag. She nudges it towards Hermione. “Well, not for you. For the youngins. But still.” 

✩ 

the familiar voice prompts haste in the upturn of her gaze from the paperwork on her desk to the young adult entering her office, and she knew immediately that although this was what dove brought her- it surely wasn’t the objective of harry and their outing. “dove...” and such a tone is paired with a forward cant of her head in questioning, brow raising in tune, “as thoughtful of a gift, did harry and yourself manage to put forth the same effort towards your main mission?”

of course, there’s no malice in her tone, never is when speaking towards her godchild. there is, however, a hint of fondness; dove reminds her of their recent mission partner, sometimes. the former named in hermione’s question. overflowing with bravery and selflessness. dove would’ve done well in gryffindor, she ponders with a rueful smile directed their way. maybe slytherin, too.

“nevertheless, the kids will be thrilled, dove.”

status: open

location: potions classroom

       Draco was suspicious of anyone and everyone these days that resided in Hogwarts castle. Whether it be the students or the staff, but he liked to think that the Order wasn’t likely to enlist the students to spy on what the Death Eaters were doing. Not just spying, he knew that they were trying to gain back control of the castle and if that happened, all hell would break loose. Who knew what would happen to the Wizarding World if the other side took it back. In Draco’s mind, things were better this way. The muggle world knew who they were and while many feared them, it meant they didn’t have to hide either. It was freeing. And the traitors were going to have to accept that one way or another.

       His gaze flicked up, his mind perpetually blocked from intrusion when someone knocked on his door and stepped inside the classroom. A questioning look could be seen on the blonde’s face as he said, “What are you doing here so late?” Students should be in bed and fellow Professor’s likely the same. Draco was catching up on grading papers since he’d gotten a bit behind in the past couple days while helping the Dark Lord form a plan to protect the school. No one could be trusted, even the inner circle could betray them at any moment. Draco held his guard up even more firmly than he had in the days after the war had so abruptly ended.

✩

it was guinevere who was subjected to doing rounds that night, security tightening in the castle as of late with whispers of the order planning misdeeds against their great school. she didn’t quite understand what they were still fighting for, when her entire life lord voldemort had been unbeatable in, so it seemed, every which way. it was pitiful, really, watching them fail each and every time to gain any sort of advantage over the current regime led by its rightful king. so when she saw a flicker of light coming from around the corner near where she knew draco’s office to be, gwen quickly and cautiously glanced into the room with her wand raised, offensive spell on the tip of her tongue.. until she recognized that it was draco himself at the desk.

as to not frighten him, she gave a knock to indicate her arrival and let herself in.

Ginny moves through the underground hallways of Scholomance with a sheer determination that leaves her uncharacteristically ignoring students. Her footsteps are quick, her gaze focused, the way she dodges questions about Quidditch techniques almost methodical. But it’s not like she’s cold: Ginny Potter is ablaze, something furious, flames licking her heels as she finds her way to Hermione Granger’s office and enters without permission.

Because Hermione was the cleverest of them all, at least on paper, at least officially. Ginny enters the space assigned to her, closes the door and only meets acknowledgement when she’s in her periphery. The fire within blazes a little more. “Things, chaotic within the Order? When are they not, hm?” She continues to stand, growing a few centimetres as something like anger lifts her up. ( How very Molly Weasley of her. ) It’s not directed at Hermione, but what or who it is directed to in stead, she’s not sure of in stead. “So, I know. About Harry. And I know you know, too.” There’s a beat. “I won’t stand for it, whatever he’s planning.”

✩

reading ginny’s body language was one of the easiest things in the world, to someone who pays attention to everything with strenuous detail. after the many years living and fighting along ginny’s side, hermione could read her just as easily as she would ron, harry, or her own children. her best friend, they could get each other where ron and harry simply couldn’t relate. and while hermione attempted a casual greeting, one that wouldn’t fan the flames she can feel practically emanating off of ginny, it didn’t quite work. 

hermione sighed, rolling her tense shoulders back as she waved aside the papers set in front of her that sat themselves down upon the rest with wandless magic. “we can’t do anything,” not yet, she thinks, doesn’t say on purpose because she doesn’t want ginny to be put any more on edge than she already is.

Harry held his hands up as he came into the classroom. “Come on, Hermione, I’m the last person who’s going to try to tell you off. Always been too scared to even try,” he said, an easy grin in place that only flickered when he really met Hermione’s eyes. She knew him too well, enough so that only a glance made Harry feel like she was seeing right through him. Hermione had never needed Legilimency to do that, either. 

Now that he was inside the classroom, Harry looked around haphazardly, at first only a way to not look directly at Hermione while they had this conversation. It was easier to keep up his bravado that way. But the more he looked around, the more nostalgia overtook him, a bitter longing for the way things had used to be. It had been so long. So many years. He could barely remember what anything other than the war felt like sometimes. “I’m here because I told Ginny. About the horcrux. So I think … well … what are we waiting for, really? Now that she knows.” He couldn’t remember what it had been like, telling her, without a stab of pain, but he gritted his teeth and bore on. That was what Harry did. “We could put it off forever if we let ourselves but I think we need to start making a plan for when … when it happens.” When he would die. 

✩

it wasn’t difficult to muster up a little chuckle at the truth in his words... it was always hermione telling off harry and ron for every other little thing, and rightfully so. but harry’s presence simply reminded her of exactly what was plaguing her, no doubt the only thought on all three of their minds. harry, ron, hermione; except, now-

i’m here because i told ginny.

her brows furrowed with her features displaying deep sympathy towards harry’s admission, “oh, harry..” and hermione couldn’t help herself, stood up from her desk to round it and embrace him. she just couldn’t imagine how ginny felt, couldn’t bear to think about her own husband suffering such a fate.. not to mention how harry must feel, knowing that he was marked for death. as she’d known her entire life, knowledge once again played the role of the doubled-edged sword.

hermione was always one to plan ahead. it was something she’d thought of already, how it was going to happen.. how it had to happen. and she knew that harry, ever the hero, wanted to sacrifice himself as soon as he could; she just had to figure out how to delay the inevitable, until it was completely necessary. “harry..” hermione let out an exhale in a sigh, her chest tight with emotion. “there are innumerable variables regarding it, it’s not like we can just.. well, i can’t imagine it’d be as simple as..” she trailed off, though her mouth still attempted forming words after. she just couldn’t bring herself to say it, to mention her best mate’s inevitable death. it was still something she was trying to wrap her head around. “there’s so much we still don’t know.”

where: scholomance, hermione’s classroom.

with how displaced her mind had been since discovering the crippling truth of harry being a living, breathing horcrux, she hadn’t been going through her work as swiftly as usual; it felt like she hadn’t put off so much coursework since being petrified in her second year at hogwarts. of course, such memories felt like a lifetime away, especially considering everything that’d happened since... even the thought of hogwarts left a bad taste on her tongue.

it wasn’t like her, to be so caught in her thoughts that she saw someone before hearing them, far too familiar with the sense of being on edge and hearing a pin drop in the next room or tensing at a speck of dust floating in her peripheral. hermione only noticed someone else’s presence in the room when they approached her desk, and the stack of papers left her feeling the need to explain herself, “please don’t think me remiss in my duties, i’ve merely been.. preoccupied. unfortunately i’m sure you understand, things have been quite chaotic within the order.”

for hermione, it would be..