Hermione had stood for several minutes reading and re-reading the blasted plaque in the Parkinson mausoleum and marvelled at her own stupidity in wanting to come here. The words made no sense, and she could make nothing of them.

I'll think of you as promised from time to time, I'll think of the love you gave me that I could never return but most of all, I'll think of the one final act of kindness I could give you.

Sleep, it's over for you now.

She didn't know what the final act of kindness could be, an act of kindness would surely have been letting her get away, of making sure her parents were safe, of saving her life but none of these things had happened so Hermione could only surmise that the act of kindness had to have been something before the event of her death.

"It's over for you now", she whispered to herself, willing her memory to tell her why those words felt familiar. The strangely poetic nature of them rang a bell deep in the recesses of her mind but nothing was coming forth.

She breathed a deep sigh and couldn't mistake the disappointment contained within it. Had she wanted her contacts identity to be finally revealed to her or had she naively hoped that it would turn out to be someone important...someone she knew?

She shook her head and stood, admiring the single yellow rose that had been left and found herself wanting to leave something, anything.

She took out her wand and toyed with the idea of leaving another rose for a few minutes before finally pocketing it again, she would leave nothing. Nothing to show she had visited this place and heeded advice she had had no business listening to in the first place.

She shook her head again and willed the feeling of disappointment to leave. Drawing her coat around herself, she prepared to depart for the safe house in Connemara all the while feeling that she had missed something vitally important in the entire trip.

"Dachau?" said Kingsley, staring at her in utter horror over his bowl of steaming beef stew later that same evening.

Spoons clattered around the table at her words as the others processed the information.

Hermione, having already dealt with the shock of this revelation, took the opportunity to spoon another mouthful while she could and nodded.

"That's barbaric", said Mrs Weasley.

"Horrific", agreed her husband.

"...sick..."

"...twisted..."

The words echoed around the table until Ginny added, "But unsurprising", she raised her eyebrows at the stares she received. "We know what they are capable of".

She went quiet again and Hermione found herself staring at her friend. Ginny who played with her food now, was losing too much weight and seemed unable to sleep without a draught. Harry's death had hit her hard and Hermione figured the delayed reaction had caused grief to manifest so late. Hermione resented her slightly for taking time to mourn when the rest of them continued to carry on so that they could finally end this war for everyone. The result had soured their friendship as Hermione felt Ginny's reaction was selfish considering they all wanted to mourn and wallow in grief but the war raged on regardless.

However, in this Hermione could at least agree and she nodded in response before gulping down another few mouthfuls readying herself for the onslaught of questions.

"Okay, what do we do now?"

"When can we attack?"

"We could go tonight, take them by surprise?"

"Or any day really?"

"How many are there, do we know?"

"How many should lead the raid?"

"What are you thinking, Kinglsey?"

"Did he say anything else?"

At this last question, eyes fell on Hermione again who had taken the opportunity to finish her meal and push the bowl away.

She had debated with herself all the way back about telling them every detail but decided against it, she would tell Kingsley alone since she knew that he knew the identity of her contact.

"No", she said finally. "That's it".

Kingsley raised his eyebrows at her before finishing his own meal and pushing his bowl away, "Hermione, I would speak to you alone I think. Nothing to be done tonight everyone, get some rest. I'll be back first thing in the morning to organise a plan but for now I have things to attend to that cannot wait. Molly, thank you as always for the delicious meal."

With that he shrugged on his cloak and walked to the door, gesturing Hermione to follow.

The moment he closed the door behind them, the talk and noise started up again in earnest as the crowd inside digested her words.

"You have something else to add I presume?"

She smiled at him, "He had a few choice words to say about Draco Malfoy and they've stuck in my head for reasons I can't explain". Her smiled faded and she looked up at the stars surrounding the cottage. Lack of artificial light meant the sky out here was beautiful, all constellations visible.

"Go on", he said stiffly and she looked at him with a frown.

"He told me that I didn't know him, that my idea of him was all I would see and that he was full of surprises. Then he told me to go to the Parkinson Mausoleum where a plaque was left to Pansy and to see if it gave me food for thought, which it didn't by the way".

"You went?"

"You're not going to chastise me for going are you? I thought we trusted this contact?"

"No, I wasn't going to chastise you. I approached this contact because I have absolute trust and faith in him and it has paid off over the past two years. I was merely surprised that you clearly trust him enough to do his bidding".

"It didn't feel like an order", she said suddenly realisation flooding through her now she was saying the words aloud. "It felt like a plea".

She frowned at her own choice of words.

"Something you're struggling with?" Kingsley said, calmly.

"I'm struggling with the identity of the contact, I've managed to ignore my curiosity for two years but now I find myself not just wanting to know who it is but secretly hoping that I know him".

"Miss Granger, you know that you once knew this man. You knew that from the moment he requested that you be his contact but I don't believe that is the kind of knowing you are speaking of".

She had the feeling now that she was in fact being chastised and she lowered her gaze to the ground, not willing to look Kingsley in the eye.

"You're right, I want it to be a particular person and I can't think like that, I can't allow myself to think like that", she trailed off not wanting to say anymore.

"Then do not, we have a goal to work towards and we haven't come this far for nothing. I will see you tomorrow to discuss our plan of attack. Good evening, Miss Granger".

She sighed into the night after he had apparated and snorted at the words Kingsley had chosen, "Then do not". Yes, that was easy, thank you for that advice. Don't think, what could be easier than that?

She snorted again and sighed, hugging herself.

Don't think about Draco Malfoy anymore.

The next morning, Kingsley arrived promptly on time and told them that the raid would be set for the very morning she was due to meet her contact, in six days time.

"Why would you arrange it for the same time?" She had asked as Kingsley laid out his plan. "This means I won't be present at the raid and I want to be".

"I don't want your contact present at the raid, I plan on taking prisoners. It's about time we had some more intelligence with what is going on".

She was furious, it was almost as if Kingsley wanted to limit her time with her contact now that he had realised her feelings in wanting to know who it was.

Her contact would surely be expecting them to raid the place before their next meeting and perhaps this was to also take him by surprise, show him his place.

She didn't know but she didn't care, she stomped off as soon as the meeting had ended, angry that she wouldn't be present at the Order's next and most crucial move.

Ron found her after lunch pulling out weeds furiously in the garden.

"You're angry".

"You're a genius", she muttered to which he laughed and flopped down beside her, taking the hand that was currently doing an assault on the various weeds.

He held her hand and looked at her, calmly in the way only he could do before moving to press his lips softly against hers. She let him, knowing that she shouldn't lead him on like this but equally craving the physical contact.

She let him deepen the kiss and move his hand to settle on her breast for a beat or two before finally breaking it and leaning into him, guilty now instead of angry.

"I'm glad you won't be at the raid", he whispered. "Every time we go to one I spend all the day before terrified that the next raid is the one in which I lose you".

She said nothing, they had had this talk before and it used to annoy her but now, the guilt gnawed away at her that she didn't share the same sentiments. She obviously didn't want to lose him, didn't want to lose any more people but not for the same reasons.

"I need you, Hermione. I've always needed you and since Harry...I need you even more. I'm sorry if that's the wrong thing to say but I am glad and I won't hide that".

"This is the only raid I plan to miss Ron, so don't go thinking that there will be more. We need information more than I need to be at that raid so just this once".

He kissed the top of her head and chuckled and they sat like that in companionable silence before Molly called them in for lunch.

The next five days passed in a haze of activity, preparation for the raid which would be the largest they had seen for six months was in full swing and Hermione had never felt more out of the loop.

The Death Eaters had attacked the two safe houses she had given up about three days after her meeting with her contact. Of all the casualties, the Order had lost one of their number; an old Irish bachelor who had volunteered for the job but the Death Eaters had lost five. The traditional memorial dinner for the fallen, in this case dinner for Padraig Finnerty, was tinged with celebration that they had taken five out of the eight death eaters who had attacked.

The morning of the raid, Hermione saw herself standing at the door of the kitchen as those there gathered everything they would need. She was dressed ready to go and meet her contact despite the fact that she had thirty minutes until she had to be there.

She had wanted to say goodbye.

Ron came over to her and kissed her quickly but softly in front of his beaming mother and she found she didn't have the heart to castigate him for being so open about it. They weren't in a relationship but now she found, they might as well be given the looks they were receiving.

Ginny was preparing to go on her first raid in over a year and Hermione knew everyone was slightly apprehensive at the thought but not wanting to deter her since she was a skilled dueller and would be an important asset.

"I'll see you when you get back", Hermione told them all firmly, refusing to hug or go near anybody. They had all lost too much and goodbyes now didn't exist.

The first hour they were gone, Hermione was expecting casualties. Those too young or too old to partake in raids waited outside and in the house, ready to lift or replace wards and see to the wounded who would be brought back.

Nobody had arrived by the time Hermione apparated to Rannach Moor and Hermione didn't know if this made her happy or extremely nervous but of one thing she was certain, she was nervous about seeing her contact again.

Nervous, to the point of wanting to ask him who he was, nervous because she was finally recognising that the feeling she had about her contact's identity was actually hope.

Hope that it was in fact Draco Malfoy she had been facing and that the thing that kiss had started all those years ago wasn't over for them yet.