**Disclaimer: I own nothing; everything belongs to the wonderful J. K. Rowling.
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Chapter 18:

"He's a what?" Draco asked again, cutting Hermione off in mid sentence.

Hermione took a deep breath and repeated, "I think he's a Knight of Aequitus."

She smiled a brilliant smile at him as if this should all be making sense to him since it obviously was to her. Draco could feel himself begin to scowl; it wasn't often that he didn't know something. Hermione seemed to notice his expression and suppressed her liquid delight. The tone she took now was a favorite of hers, the teacher. Oddly enough though, Draco discovered that it didn't bother him nearly as much as it did once.

"There really isn't much known about them to tell you the truth." Hermione began her lecture slowly. "I know that they were a very secret order of wizards that began either in the late 14th century or very early in the 15th century. It was during the early 15th century when several very powerful wizards took over what was then the early beginnings of the Ministry of Magic."

"What? I never heard about that. Old Binns keeps going on and on about goblin revolutions and ogre atrocities, but he never mentions the interesting stuff." Draco scowled once more, putout that he had never been informed of this interesting little tidbit.

"Well," Hermione's voice caught his attention again, "You aren't very likely to hear about it our History of Magic class. The ministry likes to keep its sordid past secret. It's just like how they treat house-elves."

Draco groaned, "Hermione."

"I mean, they act like if you just ignore the presence of house-elves it makes it all right to keep them as slaves."

"Hermione"

"Just another little piece of their dirty laundry that those ministry officials don't want aired. Not that they would know anything about dirty laundry."

"Hermione!" Draco snapped in exasperation.

"What?" Hermione flushed when she realized how off-topic she had gotten. "Well, as I was saying, the highest ministry seats came into possession of some really awful people. Terrible, dark wizards."

"Really? I'm surprised that Lucius never bragged about them to me. He was always pointing out successful dark wizards, I think he wanted me to use them as a role-model." Draco propped his feet on the table and gave Hermione a wolfish grin which she ignored.

Pretending that she hadn't heard a single word that he had said she continued. "The Knights of Aequitus did their best to thwart the Ministry while it was under the control of these wizards. Most of the information that I've been able to dig up on them, and it hasn't been much, says that they were akin to the aurors that we have today, but I think that there might have been more to it all then that. I really should have recognized the symbol right away."

"And you managed to figure this all out because of a little picture that you can hardly see that the old coot probably doodled one evening over his nightly cup of absinthe?" Draco drawled in his most superior voice, it wasn't that he wanted to make her angry; Draco just enjoyed bantering with her sometimes.

Hermione wasn't going to rise to his bait though. "No, of course not, the picture was just the key. The rest I knew from class."

"Class? But you just said that Binns wouldn't teach anything about it."

"Well," Hermione looked away nervously, "I didn't say that it was a class here at Hogwarts."

"I'm sorry I didn't realize that you had time for two different schools."

"I have a lot of free time over the summer." She muttered not looking at him, a sure sign that she really didn't want to talk about it. Which, of course, only made Draco even more interested.

"Only you would be willing to attend school over the summer. You really must have no life outside of school." Draco knew that he had hit a nerve as she flushed deeply.

"It was only a class, and it wasn't even a very long class. I didn't even have to leave home, everything was sent to me through the owl post." Hermione retorted angrily.

"And just what was this class on, other than old dead aurors who obviously weren't that good at their jobs or the dark powers that be never would have managed to win." Draco really couldn't help himself, fighting with her was such an accustomed pastime.

"It was a class on the blunders of the Ministry." Draco looked at her in surprise. "I become interested in their other past mistakes after the way they handled Cedric Diggory's murder last year."

"I can't believe that the Ministry would accredit a school that had a class like that."

"They aren't exactly an official school." Hermione said softly.

It all came together for Draco quite suddenly. "You're talking about St. Stephen's aren't you? That hole in the wall place down near Bristow? Lucius told me about that school. Run by some crazy loon even more far gone than the Headmaster."

Hermione visibly bristled. She seemed almost incapable of forming words for a moment. "Headmaster Dumbledore is one of the greatest wizards to have ever lived and Professor Greyson isn't crazy, just eccentric, he and the class came highly recommended."

Draco could tell that he was beginning to push her a bit too far, but he was unable to stop his mouth. "Oh yeah, recommended by who? An escapee from St. Mungo's?"

"That is absolutely none of your business and if you ask me about it again I swear I'll use a full body-bind and leave you for the house elves to find." She said this very slowly through pursed lips and Draco could almost hear her counting under her breath between each word.

"All right, all right, never mind." Draco held up his hands in a sign of peace. "But before we're through, let me get this straight, you took a class that the Ministry would certainly frown upon, taught by a man who has been a wanted criminal by the ministry off and on throughout the years because of some derogatory literature that he released about Fudge a few years ago, at a place that isn't even considered an actual school?" Hermione glared at him darkly and Draco knew that she was trying to decide if she could make it to her wand faster than he could duck.

"Granger," he said grinning, a note of approval in his voice, "I never knew that you were such a rebel."

"Oh shut up Malfoy." Hermione replied and Draco was relieved to see her smile.



Draco sauntered leisurely down the hall the next morning. It had been a very long night in the library, and they still had a great deal to do. No matter how much time they spent there, it never seemed to be quite long enough to get things done. But even considering the dismal amount of sleep that he obtained the night before after parting ways with Hermione outside the library, his mood was remarkably light. He was on his way to the library now. The only class that he had with Hermione had been Potions earlier in the day where he had spent most of the class keeping one eye on her and the other on Professor Snape. It was never a wise thing to ignore Professor Snape; he always seemed to know when a student was no longer paying attention.

The halls were nearly deserted since everyone seemed to be on their way to the dining hall for supper. A sudden movement caught his eye and Hermione appeared at a landing on the stairs to Draco's right. She caught his eyes and smiled. Draco felt a strange tug and he almost took a step forward to go to her but then stopped and glanced around. "But what if..."

"Don't worry, no one will see that you're with a mudblood." Hermione said coolly as she walked down the steps towards him.

Draco stiffened when she said the word mudblood. It had been a long time since he had used that word and now that he was hearing it from a mouth other than his it sounded harsh and cruel. "That's not what I was going to say." He snapped. But even he couldn't believe his lie, and he very much wanted to. Draco looked away from her feeling guilty, which is odd, because he had never felt guilty before in his life until this year, until her.

"It's all right," she said softly, "I don't mind." But this too was a lie that neither of them could ignore.

They silently continued toward the library together. It appeared that she was right, no one would see. This part of the school was almost unnaturally empty.

"Here," Hermione rummaged through her bag and pulled out a very thick scroll. "I thought you might like to borrow it."

Draco took the scroll from her, it was very heavy and tied with a thick leather band, printed across along one edge it said: A Ministry's Misfortune by Tobias Greyson. "What? St. Stephen's couldn't even afford real books?" He teased gently.

She smiled and Draco found himself stopping in the middle of the hall to look at her. Hermione's smiled deepened and Draco reached to tuck a stray curl back behind her ear.

"Draco!" an ear splitting cry of exuberant glee filled the empty hall and Pansy Parkinson, who had just exited a near-by class room behind Draco, suddenly threw her arms around his neck with such force that he stumbled forwards and knocked Hermione to the ground where her bag split and sent her books and quills tumbling across the floor.

"Draco," Pansy purred from behind him, her arms still around his neck, "Where have you been hiding lately? I've missed you." Her tone left little to the imagination and Hermione's eyes darkened dangerously.

She came around him to the front, making sure to press as much of her physique against him as possible. When Pansy noticed Hermione, who was trying to gather up her quills, she smiled nastily.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Gryffindor Tower's buck-toothed little mudblood. Tell me Granger, where's Potter and Weasley? Don't tell me they left you all by yourself? It's dangerous when you're a muggle-born out all alone." Pansy stepped forward and placed her foot squarely on top of Hermione's wand, which had skittered across the floor during her spill.

"Am I supposed to scared Pansy?" Hermione asked bravely.

"Leave her alone Pansy," Draco said quietly, still surprised even after he had said the words.

Pansy ignored him and pulled her own wand from out of her pocket. Hermione stood up cautiously and glanced down the hall obviously hoping for a Professor to come along.

"Leave her alone Pansy," Draco said again, his voice a bit more forceful.

"Oh come on Draco, just a little fun, I bet I can make her teeth go back to the way they were." Pansy grinned viciously.

"I said," Draco grabbed her arm and yanked her around hard, "to leave her alone." His voice was low and dangerous.

Pansy jerked her arm away from him. "You're no fun Draco, she's just a stupid little mudblood, is it really worth all this?"

Draco glared at her and felt his hands clench. As much as he detested Pansy, he had never wanted to hurt her, not until now anyway. Hermione seemed to become aware of this and lunged forward to grab his wrist.

"Don't Draco."

Their eyes met and Draco could see her fear that he would do something rash and get into trouble. He could also see her gratitude for standing up for her. A few feet away, a shocked Pansy stared with her mouth agape.

"Oh...oh I see. So that's why. That mudblood is the reason." Draco spun to glare at her but Pansy only smiled. She turned and walked away from them laughing softly. "Of all things," she said as she went down the stairs.

"Draco?" Hermione whispered softly.

"What?" he said angrily, his voice sharper than he had meant.

Hermione let go of his arm and stepped away from him a guarded look in her eyes. She kneeled down and started to put her things back into her bag. Draco stood behind her, not knowing what to do. He glanced down the hall and saw students start to trickle out of the same classroom that Pansy had come from. Draco realized that it must be her Charms study group that she had mentioned once. Draco stepped back from Hermione. She paused for a moment and turned slightly to look at him over her shoulder. It was a look that he couldn't read. Draco hated that, he could know what almost everyone else was thinking, but Hermione, she could be a puzzle.

"I'll see you later, in the library." He muttered as a few more people glanced at him curiously as they passed.

Hermione nodded silently and Draco turned and walked away. He passed the doors of the library swiftly, knowing that if he paused there he would most certainly go inside and wait for her. And he didn't want to wait for her, he was a Malfoy, he shouldn't ever have to wait. But Draco knew with a disquieting certainty that he would wait forever if she asked him too. Although he didn't quite know what that meant. Draco continued down the hall without looking back. An overwhelming thought was clouding his mind, who would Pansy tell? Draco was a fairly popular Slytherin, would she dare spread rumors about him? He knew that she would, Pansy was remarkably malicious. What would the other Slytherins say when they found out that he had taken up with Hermione? With a muggle-born? Had he taken up with her? Draco wasn't really sure. He knew that he had absolutely no interest in Pansy, and once not so long ago, her voluptuous curves had been enough to keep him awake at night, but what did that mean?

Draco walked down a flight of stairs and headed towards the dungeons, towards the Slytherin common room. He knew that there really was no use in denying the attraction that he had for the Gryffindor girl. Before he might have been able to dismiss his feelings as simply someway to strike out against Potter, because he truly despised Potter and his do-right attitude, or perhaps even a way to infuriate Lucius. But now, as he stepped past the portrait that blocked the door to the Slytherin common room, Draco knew that it was far more than that. Even now as the portrait swung shut behind him, he had to fight the urge to turn back and go to the library, to her. Draco knew that it was ridiculous, there wasn't anyway that his feelings for her could work out. He was familiar enough with those tragic wizarding romances that his mother read sometimes to be able to see that anything with Hermione would be fruitless. But why couldn't he get her out of his head?

Draco sat on the edge of his bed and glared at the floor. What havoc was Pansy causing? What would she say to the others? Would she ruin him here at Hogwarts? Draco stood up and started to stalk back and forth across the room.

"It's not like I even care for her or anything, she's just a girl, and a muggle born at that." But Draco knew he was lying. He had been almost ready to kill Pansy for threatening Hermione. Although Draco had little doubt that Hermione could hold her own against Pansy. Hermione could quite possibly hold her own against him, she was a very powerful witch. He considered her an equal, a privilege that he had never bestowed on anyone before that he could remember. She clouded his thoughts constantly and Draco found himself trying to live up to a standard of ideals that he had never known before. A standard where one wasn't cruel. A standard that had him thinking about what his actions might lead to. Draco lay back on his bed and starred up at the canopy lost in thought.



"Glad to see that you've finally decided to show up and help"

Draco pulled the door closed behind him and ignored her. She had turned around to glare at him; she was sitting in that chair that she seemed to like so much.

"I had things to do Granger." Draco replied coldly as he came around to the other side of the table and sat down.

He noticed that she stiffened slightly but she said nothing more to him. Draco pulled a near-by book over and tried to bury himself in it. He never seemed to say the right thing around her.

Draco focused himself entirely on the work at hand. If he kept his eyes on the curling scroll in front of him then they wouldn't linger on her. The time went by slowly at first, their mutual silence seemed terribly loud in the room, but the longer they worked, the easier things became. The less forced their silence seemed.

"I think you're right." Draco said suddenly. He had made it almost halfway through his book before he found something of interest.

Hermione leaned forward with interest and Draco set the book down in front of him and began to read.

"The dark powers have seized control of the Ministry despite our valiant efforts. I fear for my displaced comrades, I can only pray that those closest to the fray managed to escape the purge. Those Ministry lambs lined up for the slaughter willingly. But as for the rest? Am I truly left alone now? I can only hope that my research will not be for naught."

Draco stopped reading and looked to Hermione. "What does he mean by 'his research'?"

"I'm not sure," Hermione mused softly. "But it might have something to do with this." She held out the text that she had been working on. "I didn't understand what was written there at first, lists of things that I didn't recognize, but after a while I started to recognize some things. Like here, wormswood and night-thistle. And over here, the translation isn't exact but I'm almost certain that this is Latin for mugwort."

"Potion ingredients?" Draco asked.

"I think this is a spell book," Hermione said softly. "And probably a lot of the other ones are too."

Draco took the book from her and started reading it to himself. "None of these are spells that I recognize, none of these potions. There are some components that we use today, but what about the rest of it?"

Hermione sighed and leaned back in her chair, "I just don't understand what he's doing with all these strange spells. Half of the combinations wouldn't even work. And over there he has the same list of ingredients written over and over again with a few different additions. What was he doing?" She muttered in puzzlement.

Draco continued to examine the book while Hermione bit her lip in concentration. He couldn't help but feel that this was something important, something special, but what? "I think," Draco said slowly, an idea forming in his head, "that he was researching his own spells, coming up with new ones. He mentioned research in the one journal; maybe that was his position in the Knights. I mean really, does some old tinkering Arithmancist strike you as someone that you might find dueling with a dark wizard?"

Hermione's eyes widened and she sat forward again excitedly. "Do you think that this was what the Headmaster was talking about? Did he know that O'Leary had written his own spell books?" Hermione wondered aloud.

Draco frowned at the book, "I doubt that he would give something that was important to a couple of students."

"Well Harry seems to think that the Headmaster likes to see what we're capable of, that he likes to test us." Hermione replied proudly, whether it was pride for Potter or for herself Draco wasn't sure.

"Well if that's true then that old coot is even more crazy than I thought."

"Draco", she admonished quickly, but her tone was light.

Draco grinned with satisfaction, pleased that he had figured something out before she had. Not that it was a competition, but Draco was use to being smarter than all of his friends. Of course, a pickled newt is smarter than Crabbe or Goyle. Pansy on the other hand liked to come off as dim-witted but she had a nasty streak with a mind of it own, and what a mind it was. Draco grimaced slightly as he thought of her. Was she at the Great Hall now telling everyone about Draco and Hermione? Not that there really wasn't anything to tell, it wasn't as if she had caught them kissing in that hallway. But Draco felt that this was just as bad, worse even. If he had been caught kissing her, he could have just passed it off later as a ploy to get to Potter. However, Pansy hadn't caught him in with Hermione in a comprising position, she had simply caught them alone in the hallway. And Draco had defended Hermione with such vehemence that Pansy had certainly never seen anything like it. And Draco wasn't sure if he had ever felt so strongly about anything before, or so out of control.

"Draco?"

He looked up and met her worried eyes. "What?" He asked sharply, feeling as if she had caught him doing something wrong.

"N..nothing, you just looked," she paused and seemed to think over her words, "far away. You just seemed very far away for a moment."

Draco felt himself smile without knowing why. He leaned across the table and took her hand in his. It was much smaller but seemed to match his hand well. He cupped it in the palm of his and with his other hand began to trace the delicate lines that mapped it. She stiffened slightly and Draco noticed that she was blushing furiously. Hermione took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Draco grinned, "This my dear," he began in a light airy voice that sounded remarkably like Professor Trelawney, "is your life line. Oh my, you're going to lead a very long life, what a shame. Although I do foresee trouble in your path. Oh and what's this? Why, it's a handsome stranger, blonde and roguish, my what a man." Hermione started giggling but kept her hand still so that he could continue. "And here is your heart line, a guide into the inner workings of your heart." His voice trailed off suddenly and Hermione pulled her hand back.

She looked torn between amusement and anxiety. There were several moments of silence were Draco was at a complete loss of words. He knew better than to open his mouth for fear of saying something immensely stupid.

Hermione stood up suddenly. "I...had better go. I promised Harry Ron that I'd look over their Transfiguration homework."

Hermione stupid and gathered her things. Draco stood as well and packed his bag. He followed her out the door and they left the library together, not saying anything, but finding the quiet to be comfortable. At the library doors she stopped and looked back him, "Draco". She started but was cut off.

"Hermione!"

Draco and Hermione both looked to see Harry and Ron still dressed in their practice robes coming towards them. They stopped a few feet away and eyed Draco in distaste.

"Malfoy," Potter said coldly.

Draco was aware of Hermione going rigid. She began making little worried sounds like she was trying to think of something to say to stop any escalating situation. She glanced from him to her friends and then back again, pleading in her eyes.

"Potter, Weasley," Draco said amicably and then nodded at Hermione before he turned and walked away leaving a surprised Potter and Weasley and one very relived Hermione.


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