Diagon Alley felt… wrong.

There was still the bustle of people moving from place to place, but people appeared frightened and anxious. Traveling together in great packs as if afraid they’d be picked off if left alone.

With Hagrid trailing behind, Hermione, Harry, and Ron made their way to Madam Malkin’s in search of new robes for the upcoming school year. Mrs. Weasley hadn’t been able to remove the black eye that the twin’s telescope had inflicted on Hermione, but she honestly couldn’t say she cared too much.

Not when there were so many bigger issues at play.

The robe shop was quiet save for a murmur of conversation near the back dressing rooms. Hermione wandered away from the boys, feeling the slight tug of her magic in that direction.

Narcissa sat primly in an ornate chair, watching as Madam Malkin pinned up Draco’s robes. When Hermione stepped into view, Narcissa’s face brightened, then narrowed.

“Oh darling!” she cried, jumping from her seat to touch her fingertips to the bruised skin. “What happened?”

At Narcissa’s words, Draco turned, his grey eyes flaming when they caught on her blackened eye.

“Leave us,” Draco ordered the old woman, who scrambled away quickly. In two long strides he stepped beside his mother, drawing Hermione’s face into her hands. “Who did this to you?”

Hermione shook her head.

“No one, it was some invention of the Weasley twins and Molly couldn’t get it off. It’s fine – I’m fine ,” she said quickly at Draco’s murderous look. “But Harry and Ron are here too, so we need to be careful.”

Narcissa nodded, moving to take her seat again while Draco pressed a gentle kiss to the tender skin.

“I’ve missed you,” he whispered against her ear.

She shivered.

“I’ve missed you too,” she replied, pressing her lips to his cheek.

“The mate of the vanishing cabinet is at Borgin and Burkes,” Draco said, voice barely audible. “I’ll be going there after to try to secure it for us.”

Hermione nodded before stepping back. She knew from the two-way journal that he and Theo had successfully raided Nott Manor’s library to find the texts they needed to repair the cabinet’s connection.

“I’ll try to sneak away for a bit,” she said, pressing a light kiss to Draco’s lips.

He grinned, gripping her hips for a moment before Narcissa cleared her throat, throwing them both a pointed look.

“Sorry, mother,” Draco said.

“Sorry, Cissa,” Hermione chimed in.

They separated, Hermione giving Narcissa a small wave to which the older woman blew her a kiss before snapping her fingers for Madam Malkin to return. Hermione wandered through the racks for a while, wondering how she could break away from the group, when her stomach dropped.

“If you’re wondering what that stench is, mother, a Weasel just made its way into the room,” Draco drawled in that cold mask-like voice of his.

As quickly as she could, she made her way back to where she’d seen Draco and Narcissa just in time to watch Harry and Ron pull their wands.

“Stop!” she cried, grabbing Ron’s wrist in an attempt to pull it down.

Ron pushed her behind him protectively and Draco’s eyes narrowed.

“Put your wands away ,” Narcissa said in a low, dangerous tone Hermione had never heard before. “You have no right to threaten me and my son.”

“No right? Your husband is a Death Eater ,” Harry spat. “He was there that night at the Ministry.”

Narcissa’s pale eyebrows rose, her face a blank mask.

“What a thing to say, Harry Potter,” her voice was smooth, expressionless. “I believe I kissed my husband goodbye this morning before leaving for our shopping trip and it certainly wasn’t between the bars of Azkaban.”

Harry’s mouth opened and closed for a moment, obviously trying to think of a response.

“Are you so above the rest of us, Chosen One, that you alone know good and evil?” Narcissa continued, then dropped her voice to a whisper. “That you, a mere child , understand the workings of powerful men?”

Harry merely gaped at her.

Madam Malkin continued to work despite the flurry of aggression in the room.

“I think this sleeve needs to be taken up a bit, dear,” she said with forced brightness, pressing a pin into Draco's left sleeve.

Hermione winced as she saw the pin push too far in, knowing it must have pierced the tender skin around his mark. Despite being glamoured, hers still ached and felt raw. Draco jumped, pulling his arm away quickly.

“Watch where you stick those things, woman!” he sneered.

She watched as Harry’s eyes zeroed in on Draco’s left arm, noticing the way his black brows rose in surprise. Draco seemed to notice it too, shrugging out of the robes and leaving them on the floor.

“I think we’d be better off spending our money elsewhere, mother,” he said, stepping off the platform.

“Quite right,” Narcissa agreed.

Draco pushed past Ron, knocking his shoulder, while under the cover of Ron being pushed into Harry, he gently moved Hermione to the side, giving her hand a squeeze. Narcissa followed after, slipping her a small, apologetic smile before they left the shop.

“ Fuck ,” Harry cursed the moment the door shut.

…

“I think Malfoy’s up to something,” Harry whispered, pulling Hermione and Ron behind a large display of decoy detonators in the back room of the twin’s joke shop.

“What? Why?” Hermione asked, looking around to make sure they weren’t overheard. Thankfully they were the only three in the back room, the rest of the crowd was out on the brightly colored sales floor.

“I just have a feeling – did you see the way he jumped about a mile high when Madam Malkin touched his left sleeve? He’s up to something and I want to find out what it is.”

“Oh Harry ,” Hermione started to complain while he threw the invisibility cloak over the three of them.

“I think we might be too big for this now, mate,” Ron huffed, squatting low.

Harry merely shushed him, squatting as well so their feet didn’t show as they shuffled like a strange, amalgamous blob to the back exit of Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes. When their feet hit the cobblestones, Harry pulled the cloak off and began setting off at a brisk pace towards Knockturn Alley.

“Harry James Potter, you stop this instant,” Hermione cried in her best approximation of Mrs. Weasley. To her surprise, Harry stopped and immediately turned around. “Tell us where you’re going and what the plan is.”

“I saw Malfoy go this way,” he said impatiently, gesturing towards the darkened alley. “I want to spy on him to see what he’s up to!”

Ron leaned towards Hermione as Harry spun back on his heel.

“You know how he gets when he’s like this,” he said, brushing a curl from her neck. Hermione shied away from his touch. “Better just to follow along and make sure he doesn’t get into trouble.”

Hermione huffed, begrudgingly agreeing that Ron was right and they set off at a run behind him.

As they turned the corner into Knockturn, the warm summer air cooled and shadows engulfed them. Harry was crouched behind a large barrel and gestured to join him before covering all three in the cloak.

Hermione’s breath caught as she saw Draco’s unmistakable head of white blonde hair moving through the shop.

“I wonder what he’s doing?” Harry said under his breath.

“I dunno, creepy shop – creepy bloke. Makes sense to me,” Ron muttered with a shrug.

A long moment stretched on where the bent frame of the shop owner reappeared but Draco did not. The cloak was stuffy with the three of them packed underneath it. Anxiety thrummed through Hermione’s veins – of course Harry would catch Draco going in there.

“Did he leave?” Harry asked, straightening a bit.

“I didn’t see him leave…” Ron replied, looking around.

Hermione’s heart started pounding in her chest.

“Perhaps there’s a back exit? Like at the joke shop?” she offered.

Harry turned to her; his eyes wide.

“Go in and have a look, Hermione.”

“ Me? ” she said, making her voice drip with indignation. “Why me?”

“You’re the least suspicious out of all of us,” Harry answered, jerking his head towards the shop “Come on, Hermione. Please? ”

She rolled her eyes. “Fine, Harry. Whatever.”

But inside her heart did a little flip as she slid out from beneath the cloak. Adjusting her hair, she walked into the shop.

“Good afternoon, Miss,” the shop owner, Borgin, greeted her. In many ways the man reminded her of an older Professor Snape with his greasy hair and hooked nose. “How may I assist you today?”

Hermione rolled her shoulders back and gave the man a cold look.

“Where is he?” she asked in a voice that she hoped sounded like Narcissa.

Borgin blinked at her for a moment. She had to stop herself from tapping her foot impatiently against the dusty floor, unsure of how long she could manage to be in the shop without Ron and Harry becoming suspicious.

“I’m sure I don’t know what you mean, Miss,” he replied in an oily tone.

Hermione stepped to the side of the desk, her fingertips trailing the glass, positioning herself and Borgin to where she knew Harry and Ron would not be able to see.

“I will give you one more opportunity to tell me where he is or else…” She let the rest of the threat linger in the air around them.

A grin pulled up the corner of the old man’s mouth, showing very yellowed teeth.

“Or else what, little mudblood?”

She let herself mirror the grin on Borgin’s face as she pulled the wand from the pocket of her jeans, then she pressed the tip of it to his cheek. But before she could mutter the stinging hex Lucius had taught her for moments just like these, Blaise stepped from the back room.

“Oh good, you’re here,” he said.

Borgin spluttered, his dark, watery eyes growing wide as he looked between Blaise and Hermione.

“Surely not, Mr. Zabini,” Borgin said, gesturing to Hermione.

Blaise raised an eyebrow at Hermione as she lowered her wand.

“What’s this codger on about?” he asked, jerking his thumb in the old man’s direction.

Hermione’s face settled once more into a cool mask.

“I’m sure he’s surprised that a mudblood like me would be working with you,” she said, turning back to Borgin.

“Perhaps he should know who he’s dealing with,” Blaise said ominously, stepping behind Hermione.

She nodded, pulling back her sleeve and summoning her Death Eater robes.

Borgin gaped wide eyed at her while the black robes billowed around her, the cool metal of her mask sliding over her face.

“You… you… ” he gasped. “But you’re…”

“I’d be careful with your next words, Mr. Borgin,” Blaise said in a smooth voice. “You’re spluttering all over Lord Voldemort’s second in command.”

Hermione lifted her chin a fraction, watching the fear slide over the man’s face the same way her mask had hers.

“What do we say?” she asked in a playful tone, tilting her head to the side.

“S-sorry…” the old man rasped.

Hermione leaned forward slightly.

“What was that?”

Borgin lowered to his knees, his head bowed.

“I’m sorry , my lady,” he said in a trembling tone.

She looked at Blaise who lifted his eyebrows and mouthed the words my lady to her in amusement. She shrugged before turning back to the man.

“I expect whenever myself or my friends come in here, you will do your utmost to assist. Is that understood, Mr. Borgin?” she asked in an icy tone.

“O-of course m-my lady,” he stuttered, pressing his face to the ground at her feet.

Without another word Hermione turned and followed Blaise into the back room where Theo and Draco waited. Both boys raised an eyebrow in question at her Death Eater robes before she removed her mask with a wave of her wand.

“Borgin got an attitude,” she explained. “Should we worry about him knowing?”

Blaise shook his head.

“No, I’m going to obliviate him before we leave. He’ll know that Death Eaters are working on something and not to touch the cabinet, but he won’t know who.”

“Good thinking,” Hermione said, patting Blaise on the arm.

Theo took her into a tight hug.

“Merlin, Granger, if I didn’t know better, I’d be shitting myself seeing you in those robes,” Theo said with a grin.

“Pretty sure Borgin did just that,” Blaise quipped behind her.

Hermione chuckled before reaching for Draco, who touched her now healed black eye.

“Fred and George had some paste,” she said in explanation. “But more importantly, Harry and Ron are outside. They followed you here. ”

“ Shit ,” Draco cursed, his grey eyes flashing.

“They sent me in because I’m the ‘least suspicious’ to see if you were still here,” she said with a grin. “But we need to be quick about this before they come in.”

Draco’s answering grin caused heat to curl in her belly.

“Ah yes, our Gryffindor Princess who can do no wrong,” he murmured in a smooth voice, drawing a thumb across her bottom lip.

Theo cleared his throat loudly behind him.

“If we could please fill Hermione in before we feed her to the lions?” Theo said, placing a dramatic hand on his hips.

Hermione turned.

“Sorry, Theo.”

He gave her a bright smile before gesturing to the cabinet in front of them. It was almost twice the height of the boys with wood so dark it almost looked black. There were ornate carvings lining the edges that made Hermione think of twisted nymphs and woodland beings. She could just make out the engraved words at the top.

“ Hic Iacet Transitus Ultra, ” she murmured, then paused trying to translate in her head.

“Here lies the passage to beyond,” Draco translated, placing a hand on her low back.

“How do we fix it?” she breathed, stepping closer to slide her fingertips against the soft wood.

It hummed under her touch as if it was a living being. She could feel the shimmer of magic but there was an echo of… something. A feeling like disjointed connections that she couldn’t quite quantify.

“This one isn’t broken,” Blaise said, placing a hand on the wood.

Theo finished for him, stepping beside Hermione to also touch the wood.

“The one we need is at Hogwarts.”