Reminder: Be sure to check out the bonus mini chapter (27) if you missed it. This is a directly after it.
Kia: He had completely revamped St. Mungo's for her as well as brought in Thanius in an attempt to cure her. He also gave her the second does of Cure-all earlier in the fic. It's less he is trying vs. given up and is closer to resigned to a fact of life never expecting his attempts to work but still has to try.
Hermione had taken to enjoying her Sunday's off. Not that she minded having Draco over. As a matter of fact it was his manpower that allowed her the consistent day off in the first place. It was just nice to be able to actually manage the little things that usually slipped through the cracks. Her mantel place has never been so dusted.
She had been gardening up on the roof earlier and was still drying from the resulting shower. The winter cold of late January had slipped through her anti-draft charms and was drifting around the windows stubbornly. As such she had settled near her work table, processing tax payments to the various ministries. Tax code changed all over the world, and although she had specifically set up in countries that had straightforward systems it was still a lot of math. She would have used an accountant if it weren't for all the explanations she would need. Maybe Draco knew someone who could keep quiet-
Her thought process was interrupted by the flare of green. She ducked under the table her wand was out prepared to fire when Draco stormed in. He whipped around violently, looking somewhat akin to a snarling beast.
"Granger! Granger! Where are you? Get out here!": He cast a violent reducto at once of her couches and it exploded to bits. Without a moment's hesitation she cast a silent petrifying curse not expecting it to do much. The resulting thunk indicated that, for whatever reason, the curse had made it past his shields and he was lying on her floor.
With a careful breath to school herself she wandered over looking somewhat bemused. The blonde body was laying as stiff as a board with an angry glare pinned on her. She grimaced in the direction of her destroyed furniture. "You were always so dramatic. I am going to let you calm down for a moment then I will unfreeze you so you can apologize for destroying my couch. You could at least have the decency to destroy your's."
She spent the next five minutes piecing together her living room and letting her thoughts run wild. The last time he was here on a Sunday was the time he nearly sent himself into a coma from magical exhaustion. She surmised that whatever happened on Sundays, when it went poorly, she had somehow ended up on clean up duty. Finally figuring he had calmed enough she released the curse only to be met by a thin hawthorn wand.
"Wand out Granger we're dueling." He had pulled up to his full height. His eyes were steely and cold. For the first time since they met Hermione actually felt afraid of him. Though it was a bit underhanded she quietly tipped her wand upwards from her hip, covering the motion with a gasp.
Silently the second petrifying curse hit, Draco going rigid and falling towards her. She stepped out of the way as he smashed into the floor. A sick crunching sound indicated that he had likely broken his nose.
"Alright so you still need some time. Ten minutes then." Her voice was calm but her heart beat in a violent staccato. It had been a while since she had been directly faced down like that. There was cruelty in that look. She could practically taste the anger in the air.
After ten minutes had passed the boy shot up still angry. She had kept her wand trained on him but he hadn't raised his. Instead his selected weapon of choice was a voice was laced with poison. "Fight me you stupid bint. I must see the great Hermione Granger in action."
"I'm not going to duel you Malfoy. Not when you are like this." She responded calmly. He had clearly lost his mind. "Besides, I have neglected my dueling skills in the past years. I will thoroughly wallop you in a Limitless Match."
"Come on you filthy little mudblood. I dare you-" His voice cut out as she hit him with a binding spell. The silk ropes wrapped his legs and arms tightly to his body, even producing a thick bandage over his mouth. With great patience she levitated him over to her armchair not really caring if he got levitation sickness.
"Now you listen here Malfoy." She started punctuating each word with a flick of her wand, the silk tightening slightly until he winced. "I don't know what happened. I don't know where you came from. But I know you are hurt."
He flinched and looked angrily to the side. "It's obvious. In any event, it is okay for you to be hurt. It is okay for you to come here when you are. What is NOT okay is for you to throw a destructive tantrum like you are in a shoddily written novella. Now you will remain tied up until you are ready to apologize and if you try to threaten me again I will throw you out that window naked and see how long it takes the prophet to show up. Am I clear?"
She huffed as he glared at her. Her lecture felt good but didn't actually do anything to alleviate the situation. She spun swiftly forcing herself to return to the taxes.
Hermione understood of course. She had a fairly legendary temper as well and violence certainly felt good when she was wrapped up in it. However, they were adults, not tantruming five-year-olds. And they had magic which made them deadly. She absolutely would not put up with it. The first time she was too shocked to do anything until it was over. She gave the impression of a punching bag, an outlet. That was a mistake.
After ten minutes he was still fighting the restraints. After twenty he was still glaring at her as if he could set her on fire. Finally after thirty minutes tied up on her chair she looked up from the finished tax codes to find him slouching, resigned.
"Are you done?" She questioned walking over to glare at him. His clothes were their usual standard of long black slacks and a pure white dress shirt. However, his collar was rumpled and his shirt wrinkled in odd spots. There was also a fresh cut on his face she hadn't noticed. She didn't think he had done that.
He didn't respond. "Because I can leave you here for days. I know ways to spell food and water directly into your stomach. It's not pleasant of course but it will serve."
Finally he scrunched his nose and met her eyes. He nodded in defeat as she spelled away the ties.
"Sorry." He mumbled like a child who was being scolded for pulling his sister's hair.
"Sorry? You think sorry cuts it? What the shite, Malfoy? You come into my home, attacking me, threatening me, after I provided you free reign here. You could have killed me. You could have killed Crookshanks. Your anger is out of control." She spat, letting the panic filter into her voice.
"I know I just-"
"If you know then what were you thinking? I am not a dueling dummy. If you want to throw curses and destroy things do it at your house, not mine." He looked guiltily away as he crossed his arms.
"You already did, didn't you?" The realization dawned on her.
"Don't tell me what I can and can't do with my house." He spat, though his heart wasn't in it.
She forced her own anger down and sighed as she fell on her newly repaired couch. "That's not okay Draco. You can't deal with things that way."
"I know." He responded hotly.
"You're going to kill someone one day."
"I won't."
"What if Blaise had flooed over. Or Theo? Or your house elf? What if the wrong person crossed your path?"
"They know not-"
"But what if they did? People forget, they may make mistakes. You can't lash out every time something upsets you. No matter how valid it feels." She finished, staring at the tired man in front of her. He had folded his hands in his lap and was tracing the family ring on his right hand. After five minutes of silence she tried again.
"Do you want to talk about it?" She questioned neutrally. Honestly she wanted to know what the hell had set him off. It was a morbid curiosity since there was no way it was anything good.
"No." It was an expected response.
"Fine. Do you want anything? Books, water-" She was about to list off other distractions for him when he cut her off.
"Let's go." He stood up suddenly and Hermione flinched for her wand. Thankfully he either didn't notice or didn't care.
"Go? Where?" She pulled herself up and handed off his wand from where she collected it on the floor.
"I don't know, somewhere. Anywhere that's not here." He finished looking closely at her.
"You can't run-"
"I know." He responded quickly, shoving his hand into his pocket. "I just… can't be here right now."
Hermione wanted to push. She really did. She wanted to pull his hair and kick his shin and ask what the hell was bothering him. But she didn't, instead she just sighed and cracked her neck.
"Fine." She grabbed her scarf off it's hook and the bag that hung next to it.
"Good."
" Let's get you cooled off." She headed toward the bathroom, flicking open the switch. "I assume you can't be around people right now?"
"No." She nodded and opened the linen closet. She cycled the door three times before waving him in. He stepped through the curtain silently and she followed.
"Hello. May I help you?" They arrived in a rustic wooden shop, set up like a general store. Her potions lined one wall, glittering in their bottles. They were nothing fancy, just the sort of every day potions a town would need to ensure survival long enough to call for a doctor and some basic house hold potions. The rest of the store contained the usual supplies, milk, eggs, sugar and the like. The child behind the counter who had spoken couldn't have been older than nine and looked the spitting image of her mother with strawberry blonde hair and earthy brown eyes.
Hermione wrapped the scarf around herself changing to a young witch with long light blond braids. The girl gasped and called for her mother.
"What is it?" Anya responded as she marched into the room. Her eyes landed on Hermione and she started. "Mrs. Krum. I am so sorry I didn't notice you had arrived. Please forgive Katarina. She is just now old enough to watch the shop."
"She looked different mama. Her hair was huge and brown and-" The child cried out.
"I know baby. Shhh. it's okay." She turned back to Hermione and smiled lightly. "Did you need anything? We weren't expecting a delivery until next week."
"No.'' Hermione responded, her voice dropping a few octaves and sounding thick. "Just here for a quick trip. No need to bother yourselves."
"Okay, we'll move in back until you are done. Would you and your-" She paused glancing at Draco. "Brother need anything?"
She should have been able to tell Draco was in a bad way considering he didn't even look slightly offended. "No that will be all, Anya."
The woman nodded and shuffled herself and her child to the back room. Hermione turned to check on Draco who was just staring out the window indifferently. She wasn't even sure he could hear them.
"Are you ready?" She questioned holding out her arm as she prepared to apparate. It wasn't far, just a dozen kilometers. He said nothing as he took her hand and she pulled.
They landed thickly on a heavy wooden floor. The fire roared to life, the common orange of utility. She shook off the cold of the room as the warming charms slowly activated.
They were a large hunting cabin up in the mountains. Thick snow covered the trees through the window and a fierce wind howled with the violence of winter. She grabbed a blanket off of the rack and threw it towards Draco. He made no move to do anything so she steered him towards one of the large wing back chairs in front of the fire. The plush chairs held the heat well and the cheery bright green distracted from the dark wood all around them. Hermione had insisted that the dead animals be removed from the walls but they were replaced with various mounted weapons. Better than what it had been she supposed.
They sat in silence as the room warmed slowly. Moving from a dark and brooding hideout, to something more akin to the front of a Christmas card. She let him sulk while making the two of them hot chocolate.
"Sundays can be bad for me." His statement broke the silence of the room gently.
"I can tell." She responded adding a few extra marshmallows.
"I don't want to talk about it."
"That's fine." She carried over the tray and set a mug in the Slytherin's hands. He looked down at it a moment before taking a sip.
"So…" He offered as she sat, sipping her cup. It was thick and heavy on the vanilla. Just the way she liked it.
"So?"
"I thought you said you weren't married." She detected a note of bitterness in his voice and smiled into her drink before responding.
"I'm not."
"Mrs. Krum?" He questioned apparently finding the drink acceptable and taking a long sip.
"Well it is Victor's cabin."
"You still talk?"
"In a way. He knows I use this place. So do the locals. Neither of us had corrected them thus far." He had offered her the use of his summer hunting cabin years ago when she had first left. She wasn't sure how he had found her in the first place, but the offer seems wholly understanding. Since then they had only run into each other once. She thought back on that first Christmas fondly. She wasn't the only one needing a hide out.
"It's nice." He managed to choke out as he eyes the thick animal skin rugs. "Rustic."
"I think I prefer your insults to your small talk." She smiled as he narrowed his eyes at her.
"Your hair is terrible."
"Ah, mudblood and hair jokes. You are in fine form today." She only felt a bit bad when he winced.
"I didn't mean it. I was just trying to bait you."
"I know." She responded and let the silence fill the air. After their cocoa was drunk and the house had been warmed he cleared his throat.
"So… A cabin in Bulgaria? Not much to do here." She smiled to herself as he glanced around. "Unless you are trying to seduce me I suppose."
"So young, so blind." She ignored the statement as if it weren't even worth entertaining. The sun was setting and they could set off soon. "You didn't think I was just going to take you here to drink cocoa and pout did you?"
"You aren't exactly known for your comforting skills." He scoffed standing as she did.
"Oh, how would you know?"
"Call it a wild guess." She rolled her eyes and headed for the coat rack. She shoved a thick white fur over herself nearly stumbling under the weight of it. Figuring Victor wouldn't mind she floated his over to Draco. She could barely lift that one.
"Well are you coming or what?"
"Ah, yes a walk in the Bulgian mountains during winter. How droll. I wonder if they'll find our bodies by spring." He slithered into the heavy black coat anyway looking very much the picture of a bald-faced bear.
"I'm not walking through this much snow are you crazy? Besides you are the one who needed to cool down." He flinched and she hurriedly moved on toward the attached storage shed. "We're taking the sleigh. Let's go."
He huffed but followed her in silently. The old sleigh had been charmed generations ago and looked every bit the traditional winter sled. The wood was painted a merry green with gold trim and little details depicting falling leaves. It was enchanted with warming charms but they would still need the coats.
She flung open the shed gate and the first wave of winter wind pushed through like a raving animal burning her cheeks. She hurried back to the safety of the charms and jumped in the sleigh pressing it forward. The wood creaked into motion, shooting off into the snow like it was properly drawn by horses instead of magic. It was a fairly rough ride as they whipped past trees and mountains. Hermione was focused on the route but Draco was clearly enjoying the scenery. It was silent for a spell as they traveled, the cold air chilling his anger.
"I must admit Granger. It's quite beautiful out here." He jostled a bit closer as they hit a thicker branch. His hand rested briefly on her thigh before he realized and pulled it back. Hermione couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed, it was frigid and she could use the warmth. As if summoned he shifted his whole body a bit closer to hers, their coats melting into a heathered mix of black and white. His body heat mirrored her own and she was finally able to release the tension in her shoulders. "Though I am not sure what exactly you would want to collect out here. Most things will be dormant by now."
"Ha." She produced a short humorless laugh as they crested a hill. The speed increased as gravity pulled them down through a massive snow bank, sending the white powder up into the air. It sparkled in the fading sun and it chuffed Hermione to see the normal reserved wizard so properly appreciative. "I don't work on Sundays."
"Then what are we doing out here?"
"You asked me to take you somewhere." They crested another steep hill as the sled pulled to a stop. It's warming charms sizzled where they touched the snow, melting a small ring around them. Seeing that hey had stilled Draco threw his arm cross the back of the sled."So I took you here."
"A hill?" He questioned looking around for something else to indicate the importance of the vista. He would see nothing yet. Just an open snow blanketed field surrounded by deep forest. Hermione just smiled as the sun slowly dipped below the mountains.
"Just wait." And so they did. With Draco waiting next to her she shifted toward him trying to steal a bit more body heat, letting her shoulder rub against his chest and leaning back for his arm to cover her neck. Without apparently being aware of it he pulled back his shoulder allowing her to encroach and she was finally passably warm. It was a good 15 minutes until the first flakes began to fall. Big thick clumps that dropped more slowly than their size indicated. Little crystalline structures began to take place where the snow fell building up to vague approximations of pillars. Suddenly music and laughter sounded in the distance. Hermione smiled and turned toward the entrance to the wood.
The bells came first. The shot out of the dark as blurs that rang with the sounds of Christmas. Soon joining by the lighting pickings of a harpsichord. Behind them trailed a thick blue sparkle of magic. They fixed themselves onto the pillars, morphing the ice into chairs and tables and light post. Draco started beside her, eyes trained on the forest.
Next exploded the dancers. Their blue glassy forms glittered in the growing moonlight as it caught the delicate glass wings on their back. They swirled and spun, throwing up great clouds of snow and allowing it to fall yet again as they carve a path to the tables, flat ice forming under their feet.
The last of the elementals were the stocky lumbering Yetis with their snow white fur and glowing blue eyes. They carried in all manor of dishes and drinks on large trays at least as wide as their sleigh. With an uncharacteristic delicacy they placed the dishes gently on the table before melting back into the snow.
"What's going on?" Draco whispered with the appropriate amount of reverence.
"Shhh it's time for the procession." She whispered in return, readying herself for the best part. The harp trickled out as the first elves made their way through the snow, their trains dragging behind them barely disturbing the perfect white blanket. The dancers were sent into motion as the delicate strings were joined by a hearty flute.
"Fae." Draco breathed out eyes latched on the pair as they emerged. Their skin was a soft moon white, with crystal gray eyes bigger than any natural human shape. Long pointed ears were pierced with all manner of silver hoops and jewels. They both wore robes but the female's were certainly more impressive than his. They flared out behind her in a constant flowing breeze, entirely transparent until they fell folding onto each other in a soft ice blue.
Her hair was a floor length shock of white, even against the freshly fallen snow, as if they were to stop moving they would simply melt into the background. Topping both of the regal heads was a complicated glittering crown of ice, woven into impossible shapes of snowflakes and spheres. Hermione was sure that magic was the only thing keeping the heavy pieces from falling off their heads. Not that she had ever asked
Similar couples emerged behind them. The ice lamp post lit as they walked with a soft blue flame. The simple ice flooring developed a crystalline pattern with every step. As they took their place at the head of the table frost exploded outwards from the chairs revealing intricately carved details and scenes. Trays of food frozen in stasis warmed and colored pigment splashed onto the otherwise blank landscape. The lesser couples gathered at the table but none were so grand as the queen and king.
It was gaudy, impractical, excessive and it was beautiful. And thus as the queen turned her graceful head and watched them, her eyes glistening with mischief and humor Hermione smiled back.
"Are you ready?" She breathed as her heart warmed glancing at the sheer wonder on his face.
"For what?"
"We've been invited to dinner." Of its own violation the sleigh slowly descended the hill drawing them close to the table.
World Building with Om
Limitless duel-
An anything goes type duel. This includes potions, physical violence, cast magic, weapons and transfiguration. By their very nature injury and death are frequent accidents. As such they do not occur often.
Victor Krum-
As a man in the limelight he too see the need to escape. He has never questioned Hermione about her reasons for running and doesn't ever demand to see her either. He is happy to just provide her the option of using his own hide away. He will not be appearing in this fic.