A/N: Well, I'm back. This chapter took me a bit longer to write than I wanted. Happy early 'Food Day' to all those people celebrating. All mistakes are mine. It is very unbeta-ed. Sorry. Please leave feedback/reviews/pms/cookies. Thank you to everyone who's reviewed/followed/favorited. You guys keep me pushing through this story.
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.
True Love's Locket
Chapter 36: Greater Losses Than Just Protection
"You are home," the older wizard breathed with a smile, making her insides cringe in disgust. Hermione froze when Mr. Malfoy's arms opened up to her as he crossed the room with grace and innocence. The older wizard continued, "I know this may look upsetting."
"Am I?" Hermione bit out before she could contain it. Her words halted Mr. Malfoy in his tracks. Hermione resisted the urge to bit her lip, to keep from saying the words the dangled off the tip of her tongue. With resisting, the words spilled from her anyway, "Is this Malfoy Manor or a torture chamber?"
"Narcissa…"
Hermione flinched at the name, and the patronizing tone that it carried. She whirled on the older wizard. Anger boiled within her being.
"Upsetting?" she spat, reflecting on his earlier words. She widely walked around the two Death Eaters. Both that she had met, seen, fought against in the Department of Mysteries. One solely responsible for the death of Sirius Black. One responsible for Draco's upbringing. Knowing how dangerous either one could be. She knelt down to Draco. Searching for the pulse that was so alive under her fingertips last night.
It was hiding. But it was there, beating under his pale clammy skin. She exhaled softly, thankful for small victories. Hermione grabbed his pale arm, draping it over shoulders. She stood then; brought them to a shaky balance with Draco's dead weight on one side.
Slowly, she inched forward, heading for the door. The older wizard tried again as they passed. "Narcissa, you don't understand the severity of what Draco has done."
She paused. Then glowered at the taller man. Each word out of her mouth was pointed, and if it were a knife, it might have made the older wizard bleed.
"Please…explain to me…exactly…what Draco has done to deserve what I walked in on. I could him hear outside the Manor. Just what crime has he committed?!"
"He is married to a mudblood," supplied the other Death Eater. Hermione whirled around to find Bellatrix on her other side. Her perfume drifted in the air as she clucked her mouth, and shook her head. Her darkened eyes looked from Draco in Hermione's arms, up to her eyes. A shiver trailed down Hermione's spine from the abhorrence that those eyes carried.
The only words that could pass through her lips were, "Come again?"
Hermione's mind long gone, and fear danced down her spine. She tried to swallow the lump in her throat, but she coughed instead. "What do you mean that he married a mudblood?"
That word was foreign on her tongue. Hermione stood there, staring at the other witch while trying to piece together a puzzle without all the required pieces. Mr. Malfoy's voice cut in, ripping Hermione from Bellatrix as the witch continued to stare.
"He's married to a mudblood, and the Malfoy blood ends with him if it does not get remedied."
Silently, she processed his words. 'Remedied' echoed through her mind. Her arms began to ache, everything in her body yelled. Screamed. Telling her that she needed to run, and escape. Take Draco with her and not look back. But…. curiosity buzzed underneath the sanity.
"How…I mean, why does the Malfoy line end with Draco?"
Heels clicked on the floor, Bellatrix stood in front of them. Between the door and their escape. Hermione's heartbeat drummed. She could hear the blood in her ears.
"Don't you remember? Blood magic when Draco was a child. It seals his linage good and tight until another pureblood is married to him. Probably should have had half a mind to curse him if he laid with someone other than a pureblood, especially if it was Potter's mudblood."
Silence fell over in the grand room. Hermione paused, taking in that information without giving herself away. Keeping mind of her part, being Draco's mother, and not his…
His lover…
Or his… wife…
"Are you disappointed that you will never be a grandmother as long as that mudblood is alive?" asked the older wizard. Hermione jerked her eyes away from Draco. Her gaze had unconsciously landed on him. On his face. His pale hair, and complexion. She ended up fixating on him while her mind short-circuited. Then faced Mr. Malfoy.
"My time away…"Hermione started carefully. –"Has given me a different type of perspective. Killing her…seems a tad excessive for something that could easily be a mistake."
"A different perspective? The magic of the Malfoy tree does not lie! It's not a mistake-"
"Killing her would be as fun as killing Sirius Black-," chimed Bellatrix, interrupting the older wizard, -" her death would tear little baby Potter to pieces, weakening him for the Dark Lord."
Hermione shivered at the expression that blossomed over the dark-haired witch's face. The dark eyes that were previously dark, lit up at the thought of killing her. Hermione ignored the prickling sensation over her skin. Dark eyes narrowed at her. Hermione swallowed.
"Dear sister, how did you know that Draco was here? Was he with you at the time?"
There were many ideas of how Hermione could answer that question. Trepidation, fear, panics. Each and every emotion that she had whirled inside of her. Each begging for her to run, take him with her. To stop her temptation of curiosity. She knew if she were too detailed, or too entrenched in her lie, that she could be caught. That they would both be. She was walking in the dark with her eyes shut, unable to know the entirely of the situation. Unknowing what hid away in the shadows. She hoped that Draco hadn't said anything that could make her lies unravel, revealing who she was underneath the polyjuice potion.
"Mother's intuition," she answered evenly. Hermione bit back her tongue, swallowing the insult that threatened to escape. Her unsaid words blazed through her mind, 'But you wouldn't know that feeling.' But of course, Hermione didn't truly know that feeling either. She hobbled steadily around the Death Eater, heading for the doorway. Her heart fleeted, hope bubbled in her chest, beginning to think that they would make it, that they would be safe.
Draco's dead weight made her shoulder ache, and he started to spill from her grasp. Hermione shifted, and Mrs. Malfoy's wand toppled from her hand, skipping over her fingertips, and clattered to the floor. Hermione cursed her hope. A passing thought flickered through her mind of leaving the wand behind. Knowing that her own wand was tucked away in the skirt's waistband.
"You dropped your wand, Narcissa."
"I'll pick it up-"
The older wizard plucked the wand from the floor. Hermione reached out with her left hand, and took the wand from Mr. Malfoy's outstretched palm. She held the wand tightly, and shifted Draco's weight. Missing narrowed eyes staring at her left hand.
"Where are you taking Draco?" questioned Mr. Malfoy snidely.
Hermione huffed. "Some place that he can rest."
"His bedroom then," stated Mr. Malfoy. Then he added, "Where is your wedding ring? I am afraid that it has been misplaced after you left it behind."
Brown eyes looked over the older Malfoy, and down to Draco. "I will search for it after I get Draco settled. He is the priority."
There was a click from the dark-haired witch. "Priority? Haven't you noticed that he has changed?"
Meeting darkened eyes, Hermione retorted evenly. "You mean, his likeness to a corpse?"
Her remark earned a grin from Bellatrix. "You know what I mean. The difference in his eyes."
"I am afraid that I don't understand," said Hermione. Bellatrix cocked her head sideways, black sunken eyes roamed over Hermione's face, taking in her disguise as Mrs. Malfoy. The back of Hermione's head buzzed. Tingled much like a bug crawling over her skin.
Black eyes narrowed at her. "Your eyes are just like his."
Before Hermione could remark, a wand was pointed at her from the older wizard.
"What is this?" she asked, hoping that she carried the outrage in her voice as her eyes flickered between the two death eaters.
The two death eaters smiled at her. But it was more of baring their teeth at her. Like she was the prey to be devoured, which was not too far off from what they wanted. They wanted to kill her… Hermione held Draco tighter.
Mr. Malfoy sneered, "You acted brilliantly, until I mentioned about the wedding ring. Even if Narcissa wanted to remove it, she could not. Only I could take it off. That ring is not on your finger" His wand flicked down to her hand, only baring Draco's crest ring. "-In fact, it's the wrong kind of ring. Who are you?"
Panic pumped through her, Hermione unconsciously gnawed at her bottom lip. "I am Narcissa Malfoy. How many others have my wand in their hands?" she insisted hotly, hoping to reflect the obvious suspicion away.
Hermione saw movement out of the corner of her eye. Either on pure reaction or instinct, she drew her wand out her skirt, blocked the spell, and her voice disappeared by the female death eater shout.
"How dare you!"
Her eyes glanced between the two wands pointed at her and Draco. Hermione gingerly lowered him to the floor. A small groan spilled from him but Hermione didn't dare to look away from the two threats. Clenching her jaw tightly, Hermione bit out, "What was I suppose to do? Stand here with my arms wide open?"
The dark witch's watch moved from her face, down to her chest, pointing at Hermione's heart. Hermione gripped her wand tightly, her knuckles turning white from the force of it. She waited for anything. A flicker in either set of eyes to see who would make the first move, which would attack first. The only upper hand she had was them unknowing who she truly was, and that she had dueled them before. It wasn't impossible to do so again. Then she could get Draco to safety.
Bellatrix hissed at her, waving her wand threateningly. "I will-"
"You can try," Hermione interjected.
Surprisingly, the black crooked wand was lowered, but not by the owner, but by Mr. Malfoy pushing Bellatrix's arm down, so the wand pointed at the floor. "Before you kill this person, I want to know who they are, thinking they was clever or stupid enough to trespass here, and try to waltz my son away from underneath my nose. It takes a skilled wizard."
"Or polyjuice potion," jeered Bellatrix to the other death eater. "Cleverness shouldn't matter when they are caught. Not clever enough to escape. Whoever it is can't duel the both of us, and save Draco."
Hermione pointed her wand at the dark-haired witch. "Perhaps not. It certainly doesn't mean that I won't try. I'm not leaving him again."
Bellatrix scoffed. Her darkened eyes glanced down at Draco. Hermione stepped in front of him, shielding him from the witch. Her actions earned a bared-teeth grin.
"He had asked if someone was with him before he ended up in that state. So…it wasn't mother's institution after all. You knew. I am starting to believe that you're not my sister at all."
Hermione bit back the urge to point out it was her fault that Draco was in the state that he was in, and retorted dryly. "I thought you understood that implication when you pointed your wand at me."
"I just wanted you to understand that you were caught," Bellatrix mocked gently. "No one will be saving you, and you failed at saving him. When your magic runs out, I'll make sure you understand that 'implications' of entering in the Dark Lord's house."
Rhythmic clicked echoed distantly, radiating from the open doors in the hallway. Hermione bit her lip. Taking on three death eaters would be far more difficult. Even with two wands in her hands, and Draco to worry about. Brown eyes widened when Mrs. Malfoy walked through the doorway, her mouth set in a frown, her hardened eyes looked past Hermione, and glaring heatedly at the two death eaters.
"Dear sister, that would depend on your definition of caught," Mrs. Malfoy retorted coolly.
"Cissy…"
"Narcissa…"
Breathed the two death eaters. The grand room was quiet. Hermione sagged in relief, when Mrs. Malfoy walked to her side, and stopped. "I would like my wand back."
Wordlessly, Hermione quickly returned Mrs. Malfoy her wand.
"Sorry," she said with her brown eyes still fixed on the death eaters. "I couldn't wait."
Mrs. Malfoy glanced down at Draco, before turning back to Hermione. "I'm glad that you didn't."
It was then that Hermione felt her long bushy hair returning. Her skin grew lighter, only untouched by the sun, and not naturally pale. Blistered popped and fizzled until the polyjuice potion was completely spent. Hermione stood as herself in front of the two death eaters. Ones that she knew wanted to kill her. Ones that knew that she knew about their plans. Her stomach twisted when Bellatrix's face lit up, and her wand began twirling in her fingertips.
"Potter's mudblood," Bellatrix sang giddily, - "It seems like Draco was helpful after all. Kill her…hurt baby Potter, and free Draco from her curse."
Mrs. Malfoy turned her head from the death eaters, and to Hermione. "What curse?"
Before Hermione could explain, Mr. Malfoy cut in.
"Draco married a mudblood, turning the Malfoy name into shame. The only way to stop her curse is to kill her."
Brown eyes widened when Mrs. Malfoy moved. Her cloak swished elegantly when she blocked Hermione from the view of the two death eaters, therefore blocking Draco as well. From this angle, Hermione could see that Mrs. Malfoy had her wand pointed. "Get my son and get out of here."
Hermione shook her head. "You can't take them on alone," she argued. "I can help."
"I have dueled them both before, and will do so again," stated Mrs. Malfoy. "You have done enough by protecting Draco when I couldn't. Now, your help is getting my son to safety, and finding a way that this can't happen again. My job is to protect him, and I failed him by letting him get involved in this mess."
Hermione stared at Mrs. Malfoy's back, almost waiting for the older witch to change her mind. Of wanting to disagree with her decision, that she had been more dangerous situations before. Had been closer to death before. That they could get out alive together easily. Mrs. Malfoy did not change her mind as she said, "Go on, Hermione."
Without waiting for a third time, and meeting the unwavering glance that Mrs. Malfoy casted over her shoulder to Hermione, she knew that it was pointless to say another word. Hermione nodded. She knelt down, and yanked Draco to his feet, draping his heavy arm across her shoulders once more. Groaning at his weight, she pulled Draco to the door and through it.
"Not another step!" Mrs. Malfoy's voice boomed off of the walls. "I'm talking to the both you! Not another step, Lucius!"
"You don't know what you're doing, Narcissa! You can't let them get away!"
"I am going to do just that. Draco and I have no allegiance to this house. It's not Draco that has brought evil into our home! Not him, who brought a stain on your Malfoy name! It was you, and your desire to be respected that drove you away from the things that you love most!"
"Narcissa," the older wizard's voice carried a warning, a threat as it reverberated in the room.
Hermione didn't dare to look back even though she wanted too. Not when she had Draco, and Mrs. Malfoy relying on her.
"Don't use that patronizing tone at me!"
"Don't say another word!"
"You either envies or ashamed for not following your heart so long ago!" shouted Mrs. Malfoy. "Perhaps, he is more like you than you want to acknowledge!"
There was a plethora of shouts, crashes of shattering glass, and sounds of a possible three way duel from the grand room as Hermione dragged Draco further down the hallway. She knuckled her wand, keeping firmly grasped. Her dark chocolate eyes focused on the hallway before them, and kept glancing over her shoulder watching for someone after them. Draco's feet dragged against each other, making them stagger.
"Come on, Draco," she panted, weary from the strain on her shoulders, her legs, and the tiredness nagged at her head. Regardless of how she felt, she pushed her feet forward, once step slower than the next, but one step closer to the end of the hallway nonetheless. "I need to you wake up, and move your feet. We need to go!"
"Herm..i...o….ne…"
She inhaled sharply and paused to get a closer look at Draco.
"Draco?" she murmured, and gently shook the man in her arms. "Can you hear me?"
His eyelashes lightly fluttered against his cheek. Hermione fought the urge to check his pulse, seeing, feeling, and wanting to know if he was still alive in her arms. Determination jumped started through her strained body, and she pulled them forward.
Walking was slow while trying to keep perfectly balanced so Draco didn't topple out of her arms. Instead of walking, Hermione tried to a few steps forward, and then pulled Draco to her side. The experimental method seemed to inch them a bit faster. Crashes from behind entered into the hallway. The scent of burning parchment made her look over her shoulder. Paintings on the grey walls were melting, pouring smoke in the air, making her eyes sting.
The three-way duel grew closer, Hermione cursed when darkened eyes landed on them. And a grin broke out across the mad witch's face. Pounding, icy fear started in her heart. Hermione dragged Draco faster. Upon reaching the large doors that lead outside, she carefully aimed her wand, not wanting to drop it again.
Suddenly, the door blasted into smithereens. Hermione cried out as she landed on her back, coughing on smoke, the gush of cold air and the will to learn how to breathe again. Wooden shards hailed over her, she rolled, burying her face away, trying to keep the rain from her eyes. She felt an immediate sting on the side of her face. But voices carried through the air, making her focus on other matters. Her ears hummed. Her head pulsed. Hermione sat up, neglecting the fact that black and white shadows danced before her eyes. Neglecting that her body ached. She found Draco near her, arms length away. Still unmoving.
A darkened blur grew closer as Hermione scrambled to Draco, and over him. Her wand lost somewhere in the explosion. "Stay back!"
Mrs. Malfoy cleared through her eyesight. The older witch looking in rougher shape compared to when Hermione left her. Her hair was down, no longer fixed up like she had it at the Shrieking Shack. Her dark clothes were dusty, and soot powdered over her face. Hermione flinched when something was pushed into her hand. Hermione looked down to find her wand.
"It smacked me when the door exploded," the older witch murmured. Hermione narrowed her eyes, knowing that it wouldn't help the ringing in her ears, and to understand the words that were coming from Mrs. Malfoy's mouth.
"What did you say?" Hermione shouted, vaguely aware the volume of her voice.
It seemed the other witch didn't care too much about repeating it, because Mrs. Malfoy added, louder this time, shouting as she tugged at Draco. "HELP me get him up!"
The ringing in her ears disappeared as Mrs. Malfoy shouted. Hermione didn't flinched. Didn't spare a moment. Her hands grabbed his other arm, tossing it over her shoulders again. Her muscles ached with his weight. Mrs. Malfoy copied her movements, and Draco hung between them. His chin thumped against his chest as the stumbled over the wooden remains littered over the floor. Cold air blasted over them when they fully got outside. Hermione didn't care. She couldn't feel the chill in the air, but only the drive to keep going.
They hobbled a fair distance from the front door when cobblestone blasted ahead, sending stone scattering in all directions. A flash of red exploded her left side, closer than the first spell. Hermione casted a glance over her shoulder, finding Bellatrix hugging the open doorway, her wand aimed for them.
Draco unexpectedly sagged in her arms, his full weight holding over her shoulders. Hermione tightly wrapped her hand around him to keep Draco from falling.
"Keep going, Hermione!"
She stumbled slowly over the cobblestone with Draco as Mrs. Malfoy fired returning spells, and blocked them when they were too near. The gargoyle grew closer.
Cobblestone exploded again. Hermione met Mrs. Malfoy's eyes, the older witch's mouth moved, but her words were lost in the wind, in the exploding stones, and the cackles of laughter. There was something in Mrs. Malfoy's eyes that made Hermione shake her head. Wanted to reach out for her. Instead, the older witch shoved at her, with Draco's weight, the momentum made Hermione scramble to keep balanced. When she opened her mouth to argue, Mrs. Malfoy turned from her, and to Draco.
Mrs. Malfoy's hand drifted over his matted hair, stroking his head. Hermione frowned, unsettling feeling boiled in her stomach. She felt heat pooled at the corner of her eyes, knowing a goodbye when she witness it. Knowing that sadness of saying goodbye to her parents. She couldn't let this happen, not when Draco has been through so much.
"Please! You have to come with us!" she begged.
Hermione choked on the biting air, coughing as she pleaded, "Please! I know what you're doing! You can't stay behind!"
Mrs. Malfoy smiled. Her eyes carried nothing but obvious determination. "You are clever. You know they will catch up to us. My husband has recovered and others have joined… I can still fight. You need to take Draco to safety, you are more important."
"That's not true!"
"Hermione."
"That's not true at all. Everything he has done has been for you! To protect you! Please!" Her voice cracked- "Don't do this."
An onslaught of cobblestone rained over them again. Exploding in every direction. She hankered down, waiting for the debris to clear. Hermione watched Mrs. Malfoy as she shook her head, her eyes pinched now. A tightness. "I will be behind you once the two of you are safe. Take care of him."
Hermione didn't have a chance to beg. To plead. To change her mind, instead Mrs. Malfoy walked away. Through the wind, she heard Mrs. Malfoy shouting, "THIS IS THE LAST TIME YOU HURT MY SON!"
Against every fiber of her being, knowing that she had been lied to, Hermione bit her lip and walked forward. Ignoring the spell rebounds, the crashing of cobblestone, and the arctic wind. She ignored the loud cry that echoed through her ears. Her heart banged against her ribcage. Warmth pooled on her eyes, freezing when the warmth met frozen air. Pulling past the gargoyle, Hermione closed her eyes, and they apparated.
There was stillness in the air, quietness in the barren trees around the Shrieking Shack. In the distance, she could hear singing from Hogsmeade. The scent of food and butterbeer drifted in the air with the light snowfall. Hermione froze at the dark figure on the rotting porch. She relaxed when Professor Snape stalked down the stairs and to them.
"Professor…"she breathed, pulling Draco forward. Her knees buckled from underneath her. The potion master took his wand, and Draco floated free from her grasp.
"Come along Ms. Granger. Since you are striving to become as reckless as Mr. Potter, the Headmaster is waiting for you in the infirmary to look over your injuries."
Hermione didn't have the energy to argue, but only climbed to her feet. She watched as Professor Snape looked around. "Where's Narcissa?"
Her hands shook. Her wand toppled into the snow. "I…" she gasped. Her eyes pinched tightly. Something stung her cheek. Her hands balled into fists, she shuddered. Her eyes met Professor Snape's.
"I….I.." she choked on the words. For once wordless.
For a moment, the hardened eyes softened. "I see. The Headmaster is waiting at the castle."
The rest of the trip was a blur. Icy air had eventually morphed in warmth. The cut on her face was quickly healed by a wand. Hermione could recall who did the healing. She watched from another bed as Madam Pomfrey and the Headmaster cleaned, and took care of Draco's injuries. Her hands trembled again when the Medi-witch stated that Draco would pull through. Hermione breathed deeply. Rapidly. She couldn't...how would she explain this to him? About his mother.
"That will be addressed when Mr. Malfoy is healed and better."
Hermione glanced up, not expecting an answer, thinking that she had thought aloud.
Meeting gentle blue eyes guided her down on the white bed.
"Rest a bit, Ms. Granger. You and Mr. Malfoy need to rest. You both have been through an ordeal."
She wanted to scoff at the words. Wanting to savor the flash of anger through the guilt, pain, and failure that she felt. She shook her head. "I can't.."
Something was pushed against her lips. Warmth swallowed down her throat. Another pair of hands guided her down on the bed. The blanket somehow covered her. Hermione met the Medi-witch, who gently smiled at her. Hermione blinked. Her eyes grew heavier, and soon as her head met the pillow. Her eyes fell shut.
A/N: Well...that was fun, wasn't it? Please leave reviews and what such. See you next update.