April 30, 2008, Vanaheimr
Hermione gathered up her bedroll and flicked her wand, watching as it shrunk to a manageable size. Beside her, Malfoy was doing much the same. She could feel the awkward tension settling around them as memories of the night before flowed through her mind. She was operating in a sense of disbelief, completely unsure how she had ended up having sex with Draco Malfoy.
And not just any sex; it had been incredible, full of laughter and a palpable joy. For someone whose default demeanor was bordering on surly, Malfoy had surprised her. Somehow she had never thought those "Slytherin Sex God" rumors from school had included him being a generous lover. Her cheeks heated as she remembered the way his laughter sounded as his hands tangled in her curls and the way he had smirked against her collarbone.
She glanced over her shoulder and saw him standing stiffly at the entrance of the loft, peering down into the chamber below. She felt swamped with anxiety and embarrassment; the emotions were strangely disconnected again, as if she was feeling them outside of herself. She scrubbed at her face with her palms, the exhaustion seeping back into her bones.
She finished stowing their supplies and made her way towards Malfoy. Without a word, he lowered himself onto the rock-cut ladder and began to climb down. Hermione waited a moment and then followed, trying to focus her attention on the hand over hand descent. At the bottom of the ladder, she hopped to the stone floor. Wincing as her sore limbs absorbed the impact, she straightened. Brushing at her clothes, she watched Malfoy warily as he studied the map scroll.
"We've got a few more hours until we reach the entrance chamber," he said, his eyes not meeting hers. He rolled the map and stashed it in his belt pouch.
Hermione nodded, though he had already turned away from her. Something caught in her throat and she blinked quickly, refusing to allow the tears that threatened to fall. She felt confused and tired and on-edge. All she wanted was her quiet flat, a mug of strong tea and endless time to contemplate what on earth had just happened between her and Malfoy.
They began to walk and she studied the stiff plane of his back as he led the way out of the sleeping cavern. Her thoughts ran riot, jumping from memory to memory as she tried to trace the path that had lead them to last night. Until just a handful of days ago, their relationship had been antagonistic and competitive. They pushed each other to their respective limits, battling each other both physically and mentally.
But if she was going to be honest with herself, she had to admit that their skirmishes at excavation sites had been heady and intense and… fun. Until Egypt, she had managed to stay one step ahead of him. Her best work had come from racing against Malfoy, and even the theft of the Book of Thoth hadn't lessened the exhilaration she felt at facing off with him.
We've always had chemistry.
The realization that this wizard had been under her skin for much longer than the past few days made her stumble. Malfoy glanced over his shoulder at her, but she waved him on.
"I'm fine, just misstepped."
His gaze lingered for a moment, tracking across her flaming cheeks and the stubborn set to her jaw. Finally, he nodded and turned away. Hermione took a shuddering breath and righted herself. A quick memory of his hand splayed across her hip, his eyes burning into hers as he thrust upwards flashed across her consciousness and she had to physically restrain herself from stumbling again.
Once the rush of heat and desire faded a bit, she began to analyze the emotion. She had been feeling swamped with emotion since last night, even before their coupling. Everything felt amplified and much more intense, and sometimes she felt weighed down by emotions that felt alien. The exhaustion last night had made it hard to pinpoint why she felt so confused and uncomfortable, and even though she was still bone tired she had to figure this out.
Something was tickling at the edge of her consciousness, a memory or a hint. It fluttered just out of reach and she felt the frustration build as they trudged through another cavern chamber. The walls were painted in large geometric patterns, the colors rich and vibrant despite their age. Like so many of the chambers they had walked through, this one was sparsely furnished. Several carved sideboards were tucked against the wall, and they walked past a little cluster of tables and chairs.
Hermione struggled to capture the information that evaded her, the frustration spiking. She wanted to scream and had an intense urge to kick something. Suddenly, Malfoy's leg lashed out and caught a wooden chair, sending it clattering across the stone floor. Hermione jolted to a stop, her eyes wide. He stood several feet away, his shoulders hunched as he ran a trembling hand through his hair. Every muscle was taut with emotion, and she could see that his jaw was clenched. He growled under his breath and waved a stiff hand towards Hermione, forestalling anything she had meant to say. With another growl, he continued to walk.
He's frustrated, like I am.
The thought ricocheted inside her brain and suddenly, she remembered. The chains held raw, ancient bonding magic and they must have triggered that magic when they had combined the First Chains. He had held Dromi and she had held Loeding, and they had combined the chains into one...
Oh, fucking hell.
They were bonded somehow, Hermione was sure of it. Nothing as intense or as complete as a soul bond, thank Merlin, but enough that she was feeling his emotions as if they were her own. And she had to assume it was the same for him. Her frustration had seeped into his consciousness just now, influencing his own mood.
No wonder last night was so intense.
The thought made her cheeks flush, another spike of desire shooting through her. Ahead of her, Malfoy stumbled slightly and her eyes widened. He must have felt her lust. She cast her eyes around the chamber they had moved into, trying to focus on something, anything that would take her mind off last night.
They were in a large chamber, the walls still painted in geometric patterns. Long wood tables sat in neat rows the length of the cavern, each one surrounded by a handful of simple wood chairs. Hermione let her eyes roam over the space, her mind skipping away from her desire and towards her curiosity of how the Seidhrfolk had lived. This could have been a dining hall or work hall of some sort. She remembered that the map suggested that the community was large enough to have multiple kitchens and eating chambers. The thought of the large community living underground fascinated her.
She was so engrossed by her thoughts that she didn't catch the movement along the edges of the cavern until it was too late. A spell cut through the silence of the chamber, the magic sparking in the dim air. Malfoy threw himself towards her, knocking into her and slamming them both into the stone floor. Hermione felt her mind clear in an instant, her wand in her hand as she fell. Instinct took over and she rolled, coming up in a fighters crouch.
The Death Eaters were on them before she could blink. She dodged a hex and cast a hurried Protego, her eyes wildly taking in the scene. Walden MacNair loomed before her, his thin face alight with maniacal glee. Several other Dark Wizards moved in her peripheral vision, their wands out and trained on Malfoy. She could sense others behind her and she cursed their luck, to be ambushed in the center of this vast chamber. They were exposed on all sides and outnumbered.
A spell shot towards her from her right and she dodged, rolling away and trying to come up to retaliate. Another spell slammed into her shoulder and she was thrown back, the pain rippling through her limbs. Blood sprayed across the stone and she screamed, her legs scrambling against the floor as she tried to find her balance. She could see Malfoy several meters away, his face contorted with rage as he tried to move towards her. His wand swung left and right, the spells throwing Dark Wizards away from him.
A cold hand gripped her by her neck, lifting her slightly off the ground. Her toes scratched across the stone and she gasped, her wand coming up. Before she could cast, the tip of the other wizard's wand dug into her chest, just above her heart. She froze, her breath coming in sharp, shuddering bursts.
Her wild eyes caught Malfoy's where he had stopped, his wand raised. The Death Eaters he had been battling circled him, their wands trained on his chest.
"Lower your wand! Or the Mudblood gets hurt!" MacNair's voice was rough with triumph, his wand digging into her skin. Hermione felt on fire with fear and adrenaline, her heart pounding beneath the Death Eater's wand. She watched as Malfoy spread his arms wide and slowly lowered them, his wand pointed down to the floor.
MacNair grunted and released Hermione's throat. She slammed down on her heels, choking as she tried to fill her lungs. The wand was still pressed against her chest as the dark wizard's free hand scrabbled at her belt pouch. He ripped it from her belt and opened it one-handed, chuckling as he pulled the dampening bag out with one long finger.
"Well, well, Mudblood, what do we have here?" MacNair's voice was hot on her ear and Hermione shuddered, revulsion sliding across her skin. He laughed as his fingers gripped the dampening bag, his fingertips tracing the outline of the chain links against the magic-infused silk. "How thoughtful you and the Malfoy welp are to do our work for us."
Hermione felt a surge of panic and regret, coupled with the dull throb of magic from Gleipnir. She stared at Malfoy, her heart threatening to burst from her chest. He stared back, his face set and his eyes burning. A wave of affection and comfort and promise washed over her, sinking through her veins. Her eyes widened infinitesimally as she saw his wand twitch.
"We have the chain! Gleipnir is ours!" MacNair shrieked in triumph, his laughter ringing through the chamber. The other dark wizard's attention was on the dampening bag, their gazes caught by the power they could all feel inside. Hermione was the only one watching Malfoy and she felt a sudden squeeze around her heart as she realized what was happening.
His wand came up in a sweeping movement, the spell shooting from the tip in a flaming arc. The magic spread, throwing the dark wizards away from him. MacNair let out a shout of rage, the hand holding the dampening bag coming up to grip Hermione's neck cruelly. She could feel the hardness of the chain lengths digging into her skin. He lifted her off the ground, her legs swinging beneath her as she gasped for air. His wand came up, trying to train on Malfoy as he dueled the other dark wizards.
"Get the Malfoy boy! Accio map!"
Hermione felt her heart stop as the map scroll tore from Malfoy's belt pouch and hurdled through the air towards them. As he disappeared through the chamber entrance, trailed by several dark wizards, she felt her heart break. She sagged in MacNair's grip, hot tears tracking down her face.
"Let him go!" MacNair roared, his voice echoing off the cavern walls. "Without a map he is lost. Let the blood traitor wander these halls until he starves!"
He released Hermione and she collapsed, her hands coming up to feather at her bruised throat. She knew his wand was trained on her and she sucked in a breath, trying to center herself. She needed her wits about her now. She pushed a wave of fear and hope outwards, hoping that Malfoy would feel the emotions.
Oh Merlin, be safe.
MacNair gripped her arm and roughly pulled her to her feet. He threw her towards one of the other dark wizards, who gripped her injured shoulder. Hermione screamed, the agony spiking through her. Another wizard backhanded her across the face, splitting her lip. She felt the blood track a path down her chin and drip onto her shirt. She spat a mouthful of blood onto the stone floor, getting some satisfaction when it splattered onto the dark wizard's shoes.
My dirty blood, have fun washing that off you evil twat.
MacNair had unrolled the map scroll and was inspecting it, his eyes roving over the parchment. He glanced up at the commotion and his face twisted in disgust as he took in Hermione's bloodied face.
"I would kill you here and now, Mudblood, but I think you might come in useful," he growled, his eyes cold. "Who knows what sacrifices must be made to Fenrir the Wolf when we get to Amsvartnir."
Hermione glared back at him, the rage simmering beneath her skin. She felt her magic sparking around her and one of the wizards holding her gave a sharp yelp, before slamming his fist into the side of her head. Her vision swam and she whimpered. From deep in a cloud of pain, she heard MacNair speaking.
"Bring the Mudblood, we go to find Lyngvi."