Hi everyone,
I had some problems with my laptop, that's why I couldn't publish the third chapter last week. Thanks to every reviewers, your comments are heartening.
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CHAPTER 3 : MELUSINE
That night Hermione stayed in her childhood bedroom. A hot sun was rising on a cloudless sky. She left her parents' house before they woke up. Since her disappearance, the atmosphere was too gloomy, almost morbid. She couldn't bear to see them behaving as if she was dead.
She thought about the place Malfoy could be and appeared in the middle of his bedroom. He was lying on his canopied bed, a book in his hands, entirely naked. She gasped in horror and turned her back instantly, blushing furiously. The expected "Get out of here!" never came, and for a moment she thought he hadn't seen her, but Malfoy's bored voice resounded, "What are you waiting for leaving mudblood? "
She would have said something if she hadn't been so embarrassed. Besides, she had noticed the hesitation when he pronounced the derogatory word.
"I'll wait in the corridor." She said before disappearing outside the room.
---
An hour later, Draco led her to the sitting room without any word. It was a luminous and luxurious place. The roof was paint in Greek antique style, held up by four columns situated in each corner, and adorned with silver.
"I have an appointment, wait here."
Hermione sat on the floor next to a long white sofa, the rug passing through her body.
To her, it seemed as though two hours had passed before Draco showed his face again. A childish smirk curved his lips when he spotted Hermione on the floor.
He sat down. She got up.
"You've been gone long." Hermione said more to fill the silence than to reproach him because of his lateness.
He shrugged and crossed his legs, waiting for her to start the explanation.
"So, what is the marvelous book?"
"To understand its importance, you have to listen to my story first."
Draco gave her a bored look, but made a movement with his hand to signify her to "go on".
---
It started nearly three years ago. Hermione used to work as a legal practitioner for the Ministry of Magic. After the problems the law, against hard work for magical creatures, caused in the community, the Ministry reoriented her toward other cases.
That's how she got put in charge of the reform of the Code of Languages and Dialects spoken in the Wizard Community of Great Britain. With a team of two linguistic experts, five legal practitioners, and a dozen of assistants, she managed the project and put it in Kingsley's hands a year and a half later.
Although, it was complete and satisfying, a point caught her attention. She found out that apart Harry, another person could speak parseltongue, a woman. Wondering if she had any connection to Voldemort or Salazar Slytherin, she started searching, which led her to the Legend of Melusine. In fact, the woman was connected with Melusine, a fairy, who tried to take revenge on her father by imprisoning him under a mountain with her sisters', Palatine and Melior, help.
"I know about the legend of Melusine." Draco stopped her, giving her an you-can't-teach-history-of-magic-to-a-pureblood-like-me-look. "Their cruelty was punished by their mother, Presine. Melusine was condemned to change into a snake, until someone married her-"
"But if her husband found out about her curse, she would stay in that form for eternity." She cut in. The word eternity left an acidic taste in Hermione's mouth. She hoped it wasn't her fate.
Melior had been transformed into a dragon and imprisoned inside a Castle, and Palatine had to watch over a treasure under a mountain. Hermione's theory was that parseltongue speakers, like Salazar or Tom Riddle, were Melusine's descendant. Melior, who was killed by a white knight in Hungary, might have been the ancestor of European dragons. Palatine's life remained a mystery. According to the legend, she was sleeping somewhere under a mountain, keeping a precious treasure. This story about a protected treasure seemed to captivate Draco, Hermione observed. She intentionally omitted that she had an idea of where the treasure was located.
She had met the woman, whose name was Eve. All Eve knew was that the book, written by Melusine or one of her descendants, existed somewhere in France. The last time people had heard about the fairy was during the tenth century when she created the most terrible dragon.
"It's a legend, no one, not even the most powerful wizard, can invoke or create a dragon. It's crazy." Draco said.
"Don't underestimate legends." Hermione responded, thinking about the legend of the Peverel Brothers and how she denied it the day Mr. Lovegood recounted the tale.
Draco gave her a questioning look, but she avoided his gaze and continued her narration.
In the book, Hermione would have discovered if her theories were right. After a year of searching, Hermione found the book and was cursed.
When she finished her story, Draco had a weird look on his face, as if he was in the presence of someone highly mad. He lifted his eyebrow and asked: "That's all?"
"Hmm," She thought hard about something she might have forgotten, but "Yes, that's all."
"How the hell can I help you?" He asked in disbelief.
"Don't worry, I had time to think about what happened to me. My main problem is my inability to touch the book. First, you have to go and pick it up-"
"No way, I'm not going to touch that bloody cursed thing."
Hermione sighed, "But the counter curse may be written in it."
He shook his head negative, "No way. And if it's a trap, go find another victim."
"It's not a trap. I was able to hold it until I read those lines: to you Melusine, I entrust my soul."
"You gave your soul to Melusine?"
"I, I don't know. I'm just building a hypothesis I can't verify. Look, just bring the book to me, I'll be the one to read it."
"And what if you actually create a terrible flesh-hungry dragon?"
"I won't."
"You Gryffindors are so stupid and reckless."
"And you Slytherins are such cowards."
"At least, I'm alive, and safe, and I can talk to people."
"But no one wants to talk to you."
"Me either."
"Fine."
"Fine."
Silence fell, and Hermione thought desperately that the step they made today wasn't as big as it should have been.
"How can I be sure that I will end up benefiting from all of this?" Draco asked suddenly. "I can't even make you swear with an unbreakable vow since you're magicless."
"I always keep my promises," Hermione asserted earnestly. "And you?"
He didn't respond. "I've never made any promises before." They are worthless when no one is risking their life, he wanted to add. But Hermione was dealing with her life, wasn't she?
She took this lack of reaction for an agreement. "So, this is the most important promise of our lives. It's your first promise, and the most precious one for me."
A/N : Yes, this chapter is shorter... I promise I'll make an effort! lol