Extracurriculars

The forest seemed to thicken with each step, its branches arching low as if trying to obscure the group’s path. Hermione adjusted her bag, watching Harry lead them deeper along the barely visible trail. They’d taken the Floo to the nearest point possible, then Apparated several stages across the countryside, zigzagging their way through isolated patches of wood and wild stretches of field until they arrived in this densely forested area. Hours of trekking through the underbrush had left their group quiet and focused, each member lost in thought as they neared their destination.

The evening was pressing in, the lowering sun casting dim, watery light through the canopy, and the air had taken on an eerie chill. Ahead, Harry walked with his wand held high, its faint glow illuminating the darkening path. Malfoy strode just behind him, silent and alert, moving with the easy confidence of someone well accustomed to field missions. Hermione followed, her senses on edge, her mind racing through spell after spell, trying to prepare for whatever they might face.

Behind her, McLaggen’s heavy footfalls thudded against the forest floor, breaking the silence as he tramped over fallen branches and roots with little regard for stealth. She held back a sigh as his loud breathing cut through the quiet. He’d been assigned as her personal guard on the mission, and from the moment they’d arrived, he hadn’t let her forget it.

“Granger,” McLaggen called, his voice loud enough to startle a few birds into flight. “Sure you don’t need a hand with that bag? Can’t have our healer overexerting herself before we even get to the cottage.”

Hermione bit back a sharp reply and kept her voice neutral. “I’m fine, thank you.” She didn’t spare him a glance, hoping he’d take the hint and give her space.

McLaggen leaned in anyway, a smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth. “No need to be so formal, you know. After all, we’re a team here. Got to look out for each other.” He gave her a wink, clearly pleased with his own charm.

She tightened her grip on her wand, the urge to roll her eyes almost impossible to resist. She wasn’t sure which was more annoying: McLaggen’s unwelcome chivalry or his casual familiarity, which seemed to grow worse with each step they took.

Up ahead, Malfoy shot a glance over his shoulder, his expression unreadable, though she caught the faintest twitch at the corner of his mouth—a smirk concealed beneath an otherwise impassive look. “You know, McLaggen,” he drawled, voice pitched just low enough for Hermione to hear, “Granger has managed a bit of heavy lifting in her day. Even cast a few spells, if you can believe it.”

McLaggen gave him a look of irritation and confusion, as though he wasn’t sure whether he’d been insulted. “Just making sure our healer’s well-supported, Malfoy. You can’t be too careful on these missions.”

Malfoy’s lips twitched in a faint taunting smile. “By all means, continue. Your presence alone must be a tremendous comfort.”

Finally, Harry slowed, lifting a hand to halt the group. “We’re close,” he said quietly, his tone low but clear in the forest silence. “The magical activity we’d located should be just through that last patch of trees.”

Harry pushed forward and Hermione quickened her step, eager to catch her first glimpse of the place. When she stepped into the clearing, her breath caught—a small, darkened cottage stood ahead, nearly obscured by layers of ivy and foliage. Its walls blended into the landscape, and the faintest shimmer of wards glowed in the dusk, casting an eerie, unnatural light over the entire structure.

Harry moved closer, studying the shimmer of magic outlining the building. He cast several high level detections spells before speaking. “It’s heavily warded,” he murmured. “More than we expected. Let’s not get too close until we know what we’re dealing with.”

The other Aurors exchanged wary looks, each seeming to sense the power emanating from the cottage. Hermione couldn’t tear her eyes away; her instincts screamed that whatever lay inside could hold the answers they needed. She stepped forward, but Harry caught her arm, his expression calm but resolute.

“Hermione, we’ve been traveling all day. Rushing in now isn’t safe, not when we’re this close. We’ll set up camp and examine it first thing in the morning.”

“But we can’t just leave it overnight,” she argued, feeling frustration and urgency coil inside her. “If there’s any kind of defensive charm here, it might have already alerted whoever set it. We may have tripped something, and we won’t know until it’s too late!”

“I understand,” Harry said gently, his hand still firm on her arm. “But we need to be smart about this. If we’re careless, we could lose more than a lead.”

Hermione opened her mouth to argue, but McLaggen cut in, clapping her on the shoulder with an exaggerated grin. “Always so eager, Granger. Don’t worry. The aurors know how to best handle these situations.”

Hermione’s irritation pitched sharply to new levels. She glanced at Harry, who simply gave her a resigned nod of assurance, and reluctantly stepped back with the group as they retreated to a safe distance to make camp.

The group settled in as night descended, the chill settling in the air as the stars blinked into view above. Around the campfire, the Aurors spoke in low murmurs, and most began to unroll bedrolls and small tents, casting warming charms for the night. Hermione lingered on the edge of camp, her gaze fixed on the distant silhouette of the cottage. McLaggen, apparently taking his assigned guard duties very seriously, had positioned himself close by, watching her with an overly familiar smirk that she found impossible to ignore.

“You’re still staring it down?” he questioned, sounding amused. “Relax, Granger. You’ll wear yourself out before we even start.”

“I’m fine, McLaggen,” she replied, forcing her tone to stay even as she tried to keep her thoughts on the task ahead.

“Look, if you need someone to watch over you, take watch, I’m right here,” he said, leaning a bit too close, his grin wide.

“Touching,” came Malfoy’s voice as he stepped out of the shadows nearby. He gave McLaggen an assessing look, his expression the perfect blend of unimpressed and disdain. “But I’d suggest a guard with actual field skills. She may need more than charm against whatever’s inside that cottage.”

McLaggen’s face darkened, but he only muttered something under his breath before slinking back to his bedroll, shooting Malfoy a withering glare over his shoulder. Hermione caught Malfoy’s eye and gave him a nod of thanks, though his attention was already on the path leading out of camp.

Eventually, the camp grew quiet, each Auror settling in for the night as the firelight flickered low. Hermione waited, her pulse racing as she ensured that everyone, especially McLaggen, was finally asleep. She adjusted her bag, slipped her wand up her sleeve, and quietly crept out of her tent, careful to keep to the shadows as she moved toward the edge of the clearing they’d set up.

She had just made it past the last tent when she felt a presence nearby. Instincts flaring, she froze, her hand tightening on her wand as she turned to find Malfoy leaning casually against a tree, watching her with a faint smirk.

“Going somewhere, Granger?” he asked, his tone low and mocking. “Trying to sneak off without your guard?”

Hermione shot him a look, irritation sparking through her. “I don’t need a guard, least of all McLaggen,” she said sharply. “Are you here to stop me?”

Malfoy straightened, stepping into her path with an amused gleam in his eyes. “Do I have any chance at persuading you to wait till the morning?”

At her withering gaze he pushed on, “Figured. I just thought it would be best if someone with actual skill joined you.” He raised an eyebrow, glancing back toward McLaggen’s tent. “Besides, I don’t think your assigned ‘guard’ even noticed you slipping out. Quality choice for fieldwork, really.”

She swallowed a frustrated smile. As much as she resented Malfoy’s sarcasm, he wasn’t wrong. “Fine,” she said, keeping her voice brisk. “I’m going in. You can come, but we’re moving quickly. I don’t want to lose any more time.”

He looked at her, his gaze steady, something unreadable flickering in his eyes. “If you think I’m letting you break into a cursed cottage alone in the middle of the night, then you’ve clearly forgotten who you’re dealing with. Lead the way, Granger, but I’m right behind you.”

They fell into a tense silence, moving in step as they slipped out of the camp and into the darkness. As they made their way back toward the cottage, the only sounds were their muffled footsteps and the distant calls of night creatures. Shadows stretched around them, the branches above seeming to twist and curl like reaching fingers, casting an eerie glow in the faint moonlight.

As they approached the small building, Hermione felt her heartbeat quicken, anticipation climbing. The cottage loomed ahead, barely visible against the dark silhouette of the forest, its rough stone walls blending with the shadows, as though it were part of the forest itself. The wards shimmered faintly, casting a ghostly light over the path.

Malfoy stopped just beside her, his gaze fixed on the cottage, his wand held loosely at his side. “Quite a charming little hideaway,” he muttered, dry humor on his lips.

“Keep your voice down,” Hermione whispered, her focus entirely on the wards. “We don’t know if anything’s listening.”

“Of course,” he replied, his tone quiet and full of sarcasm. “Wouldn’t want to wake the neighbors.”

Hermione glared at him through the darkness.

They moved closer, the shimmer of the wards casting a pale, eerie glow on their faces. Hermione scanned the barrier, her mind already sorting through the complex charms she’d need to dismantle or bypass. Beside her, Malfoy waited in silence, his expression unreadable, but his presence steady and alert, the faint tension between them more palpable than ever as they faced the unknown, side by side in the moonlit dark.