Draco thought this over. Granted, the Resurrection Stone was an important object, one of the Deathly Hallows. It would make sense too, why the Ministry wasn't able to figure out what the convicts were looking for - because most of them wouldn't know that the Hallows existed at all. No, he could reckon safely that his group and the Death Eaters were the only ones who knew about it. But what would they do with it? 

Before he could voice his doubt, Harry asked the same question aloud.

"I mean, the Resurrection Stone can't actually bring back someone. You only see an image of the person, and goodness knows if it really is the person's spirit as people say it is. What would they want with it?"

"Not to mention that not everyone can see that image," Ginny added. "Only the person holding the Stone can. What benefit would one Death Eater get from seeing someone dead?"

Just then, there were voices outside the portrait - chattering voices. Draco recognized them immediately. They were Pansy, Theo and Blaise. What an extraordinary time they'd chosen to barge in, he wondered. It seemed like they'd all have a cozy bonding session together, the Gryffindors and Slytherins.

The password to the room was public knowledge, so Draco's friends had no difficulty coming in. He made a mental note to request McGonagall to change it. However, the combined look of shock, disgust, and bewilderment on their faces was priceless.

"What the hell are you Gryffindors doing here?" Theo asked, disdain dripping from his voice.

"We could ask you the same question," Ginny said, flexing her knuckles. Draco had the distinct impression that the Weaslette was itching to get her hand to her wand and shoot her infamous jinxes and hexes at them, but was only prevented by Hermione silently telling her not to.

"Malfoy, we agreed on keeping it together with you," Ron said angrily. "But you forgot to mention that your little guard snakes were on their way. So tell them to get their asses out of this room or we'll have to make them."

"Try and get us out. I bet you'll collapse halfway," Pansy sneered.

"Weasel, you better learn to hold your tongue, or it can easily be carved out," Draco said carelessly.

"Ron, I think Malfoy's right on this one," Hermione said cautiously. "I mean, from his perspective, he's tolerating my friends. I think it's only fair we let his friends be here as well."

"Finally, a bit of sense. I commend you, Mudblood," Blaise said, dragging a chair and sitting down. Draco saw Hermione's face contort in hurt. He knew the word 'Mudblood' hit her differently after her parents' death.

"Though, if you do want to stay here, Zabini, you should learn to hold your tongue too," Hermione said coolly. "That 'Mudblood' business is going to have to be flung right out of your vocabulary."

"As you say, Mudblood," Blaise said sarcastically. 

"By the way, Draco, why are you even here? And with these slugs of all people?" Theo asked.

"Just having a chat," Draco answered. Then, on a sudden impulse, he added, "And I want you to get involved too."

"No, you don't," Ginny said threateningly.

"Yes, I do," Draco said. "Or I leave too."

"Puh-lease, I'd love that."

"No," Hermione said. "We need him." She turned to Draco. He could see she was reluctant, thinking it over. "Can we trust you with this, Malfoy? I know you're taking a big leap by divulging your knowledge to us, but we need to know that your friends are going to do the same and not betray us in any kind of way."

Draco only smirked in response. Hermione huffed, then sat down. "Please be honest, Malfoy."

"Yeah, well, whatever," Draco replied. "They're staying here."

"Good enough," Hermione said, leaning back into the sofa. She recapped everything to Pansy, Theo, and Blaise over a few minutes, while Draco observed her friends' faces. Ron looked infuriated at Hermione. Ginny looked unbelieving. But, reassuringly, Harry looked trusting. His face showed the kind of trust that should've been on the redheads' faces too. Some taste Granger has in choosing friends, he thought. And look where it got her.

"Well, that's easy, duffers," Pansy said after listening to everything Hermione had to tell them. "They want to bring back either Voldemort or Bellatrix."

"Not Voldemort," Blaise said. "There wasn't much human in him left to die, and the Stone would specifically bring back dead people. It has to be Bellatrix."

"But why Bellatrix?" Ron asked. "I mean, she'd still be visible to just one person at a time."

"I can see you don't get invited to meets, at least not the intellectual ones," Theodore said, sneering. "Being visible is not the point here. What is the thing the Dark Side is severely lacking in at the moment?"

Hermione understood. "A leader," she mumbled.

"Exactly, brainless. And Bellatrix would fit the resume perfectly," Theodore continued. "She'll be the brains of the operations, the mastermind, the person who'd give direction and guidance to the Death Eaters."

"And that's as good as declaring another war because the Dark Side still has a huge number at its command. Not many died in the war, seeing as our star kid here shot an Expelliarmus directly at You-Know-Who," Blaise explained.

"To conclude," Harry said, "we need to keep the Stone away from them and we'll all be safe."

"Is there a way to destroy it?" Ginny asked. "I mean, that'd help us be in the clear. You destroyed the Elder Wand easily enough, but it was a wand, after all. It could be snapped in half. This is going to be more difficult seeing that it's... a stone."

"Trial-and-error," Hermione said. "We can try loads of things. Where is it, anyway?" 

"I've got it," Draco said. "I picked it up when you passed out that night in the Forest."

"Good," Ron said. "But that can wait. Right now we need to inform McGonagall about what we know. We need to secure the castle, be sure we're safe. Those Death Eaters attacked the Ministry a mere two days after they broke out, which could very well mean an attack on Hogwarts within two more days."

"I'll go with Granger," Draco said.

"Why the two of you?" Blaise asked.

"As Heads," Draco grunted. "I need to ask McGonagall for permission to change the portrait password. To keep you all from barging in."

***

Draco and Hermione went to the Headmistress' office immediately and, over the next half an hour, explained to her everything they knew, from their theories about what the convicts wanted to their conclusions and the predicted attack on Hogwarts. Draco carefully avoided the portion about his father's meeting though, and noticing that, Hermione steered clear of it too. Hermione also avoided telling her the exact way in which she'd got the Stone, making it sound like she'd just picked it up in the Forest during a walk. Draco understood and played along with the same story.

"Mr. Malfoy, Ms. Granger, what you are saying is not a joke, I hope you realize that. Are you sure of your information? Are you sure that the stone you have is really one of the Hallows?"

"Absolutely," Hermione said. I'm more than sure, she thought. It showed me my dead parents. I can't be more certain than that.

"I must say your inferences make sense," the Professor said. "If all you've said is true, then Hogwarts is in danger. We need to secure the Stone. Where is it?"

"Safely hidden," Draco said. "Only I know where it is."

Hermione turned her head subtly, as if asking with her eyes, 'When did this happen?' Draco nodded reassuringly, and she turned towards the Professor again.

"Very well, then," McGonagall said. "I'll make the necessary preparations. Are you willing to participate in the fight?"

"Of course," Draco said, and Hermione nodded. "Our friends, too. But we need to keep everyone else out of it. Nobody else knows about anything, and it's important it stays that way."

"I'll make sure of that," she said, then stood up. Draco and Hermione stood up too. "I better get to informing the teachers and setting up protective wards."

"Thank you, Professor," Hermione said, and then they both left.

They'd both barely exited the office and walked out from behind the stone gargoyle that Draco noticed Ron standing in the side. "Hey, 'Mione. Could I talk to you?"

Hermione froze. That suffocating feeling while he'd kissed her constricted her chest, and she didn't want to be alone with him. But she somehow said, and she couldn't believe that the steady voice that she heard was hers, "Yeah, of course. Malfoy, I'll meet you back in the Common Room."

She walked away with Ron as Draco looked at her. He didn't want her to be with the weasel. He'd witnessed him traumatizing her the last time, and he didn't trust the redhead around her anymore. But there was nothing for it. He continued back to the Head Common Room.

Hermione showed up in the Common Room about twenty minutes later. Draco quickly got up and searched her with his eyes, looking for some sign of an emotional breakdown. But she looked quite emotionless.

"I'll be in my room," she said before walking slowly, almost robotically, up the stairs. She closed the door behind her. Draco strained his ears for some kind of noise from inside, but either Hermione was really, really quiet or she'd cast a Muffliato. Either way, Draco could tell it was bad.

Fury rose inside him, a blind fury he'd never experienced before. Without thinking, as if he'd meant to do it all along (which he had, if truth be told), he grabbed his wand and exited the room, looking for Ron. He found him in the classroom where he'd talked with Hermione. Despite his anger, he couldn't suppress a snort. Ron was struggling against a Lip-Lock Jinx and a Jelly-Legs Jinx at the same time. He was practically wriggling on the floor, unable to get any words out. Draco couldn't believe the extent of stupidity that'd be required for that.

"That dumb, are you?" He said as he sauntered into the classroom. "Can you really not perform a simple non-verbal to reverse the spells?"

He lifted Ron's spells with a lazy flick of his wand. Ron scrambled up and quickly picked up his wand from the floor, looking red. With embarrassment or anger, Draco didn't know. 

"Come here to gloat, ferret?" Ron spat.

"Oh, I'd be glad, but you're making enough fun of yourself already," Draco said. "Though I would like to know who put you in such a predicament as to go licking the floor on all fours."

"Your new girlfriend. Just warning you, she stabs in the back pretty hard."

"Granger? Really? You think I'm her boyfriend? I'm sorry, I'd underestimated your stupidity way too much," Draco sneered. "Anyway, what did you do to piss her off?" Draco asked  conversationally, though his insides were on fire. He couldn't wait for the redhead to make one wrong move and then burn him down to ashes.

"Just had a cozy little chit-chat with her."

"Yeah, about that," Draco said, taking a few paces ahead as he rolled up his sleeves and raised his wand.