“If it doesn't—” she gave a tight, half-sobbed laugh, “—well, we'll just keep trying then, I suppose. But — if it is. If this is the beginning of the end of the war, you—” she bit her lip and hesitated, “—your vow to aid the Order will be fulfilled, and if you stay and try to keep your cover in place to help us, you may risk violating the secondary vow you made. So — all that to say, if Harry manages to defeat You-Know-Who on Tuesday, you have to go,”—she looked up from his hand and met his eyes—“you have to run.”
Draco's expression didn't so much as ripple.
Hermione looked down and played with the ring on his hand. “I — there will be things I'll be needed for, so I wouldn't — I won't be able to go with you — if we win. But you should go anyway.”
Draco scoffed. “I'm not going to leave without you, Granger, I'll—”
Her throat tightened. She pressed her fingers to his lips and met his eyes. “You have to run. If you're caught — I might not be able to protect you. If you're put on trial, even with Moody and I testifying for you, you could still be kissed or executed. If he dies — as soon as he dies — go. You'll finally be free. It will be your life, Draco.”
He sat up, his expression contemptuous. “I'm never leaving you behind.”
Hermione's stomach dropped, and she shook her head, looking down. “I've been thinking about this for a while. Draco, I have to stay. My job starts after the battles. At the end — things could be messy. The Death Eaters will be desperate. You'd be a high priority to catch, and I don't know if I'll be able to protect you — there — there will be a lot that will come out.”
He leaned forwards and gripped her hand. “You're mine. Now and after the war. Your oath, you swore it.”
“I am.” She looked up and met his eyes. “I promised you always, and I meant it. Always, always, as long as I live. But—,” her chest tightened, and her jaw trembled, “—I won't be ready to go when you'll need to. I don't want you to risk getting caught because you're waiting for me.”
Draco's eyes narrowed into slits. “How long do you expect I'd be waiting?”
Hermione's eyes dropped. “I don't know. That's why I want you to go without me.”
“You have an idea, I'm sure.”
She shook her head. “I don't know how fast things will move. It might be that I'll have chance to leave once the hospital quiets. But — if we have prisoners and victims from Sussex, I'll be the one responsible to care for them — last time — last year, it was several months. Trials could start by then, and then — I might not be able to — to leave. I don't want to have to worry you'll try to come for me and get caught.”
“You're referring to your trial; for your alleged war crimes.” His tone was accusing.
Hermione looked away. “I'm sure it won't be for long. Once I'm free — I'll go somewhere you can find me. This — it will be good for you — to have some time to find yourself on your own.”
“Is that why you came tonight? Because you wanted to say this to me?” There was a derisive drawl in his tone.
He gripped her hand and pulled her towards him until their faces were almost touching and slid a hand up her throat.
“You're mine. Mine. You swore it. Your fucking Order sold you to me to buy themselves time. If anyone tries to put you in a cell to make themselves heroic, I will kill them.”
He didn't wait for her to respond; he kissed her as though he were trying to brand her with his lips. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back.
When the hands on the clock pointed to five sharp, she drew back. “I have to go. I have more work.”
She redressed quickly and drew her wand to apparate. Then she hesitated and stepped towards Draco.
“Be careful, Draco. And just — keep in mind what I said, if you get a chance—”
His expression was so hard he could have been carved from marble. “I'll see you after the battle.”
Her fingers twitched. “Please, be careful, Draco.”
She swallowed and apparated away.
Grimmauld Place was almost throbbing with nervous activity. There were dozens of Resistance leaders whose names Hermione didn't even know in the war room, meeting with Moody and the rest of the Order. The attack was being planned as both a rescue and final confrontation.
Hermione was in the hospital ward working on preparations with Poppy, Padma, and the other field healers and nurses the Resistance had.
In the middle of the afternoon, Bill's Irish Setter patronus came bounding into Grimmauld Place in search of Moody. Alastor left, leaving Remus and Tonks to run the meetings for an hour.
Hermione went to visit Ginny. It was off-schedule, but she didn't know how much time she'd have for the next several days.
She handed Ginny a counter-potion for the spattergroit glamour and flicked her wand to remove the additional glamour spells on Ginny's stomach.
“How are you?” she asked, sitting down as Ginny's skin cleared, and her stomach slowly swelled into a bump set low in her pelvis.