I have been reading this chapter over so many times I hope you like it :)
P.S. I wrote the first 15 or so chapters in college, quite a few years ago. That being said, at some point I hope to edit and repost all the previous chapters to clean up any continuity errors or wordiness... let me know if that would be cool or you don't really care. lol.
The coin hit the floor and the sound reverberated around. Theo looked over and Blaise was on his feet at once. Draco glared up from the book he was pretending to read. Ginny's mouth was open as she knelt down to pick up the coin.
Blaise rushed over. Theo followed him in seconds. "It- it only gets hot when…" Ginny managed as she flipped the coin in her hand. Draco tossed the book aside and took several tentative steps towards them. He glanced out the window quickly. Hermione was nowhere to be seen.
Ginny turned the coin over and paled as the serial number rearranged into letters. "'Danger. Caught but not for long. -NL'"
Draco listened but the words felt empty and unhelpful. He stormed across the room. "There's… also a tiny picture," Ginny said shakily, "it's- it's a full moon."
Draco turned slowly, the anger bubbling up his throat. "Greyback," he spat. Blaise's jaw was tight when he looked at him. Theo had a hand in his hair. "We have to go. Now."
…
Hermione had her scarf wrapped tightly around her face to keep out the biting wind. While she had only seen the boy briefly, his fat face was easy to spot amongst the muggle students. He was the only one not actively trying to get to class, the library, or somewhere warm.
He was standing with his arms crossed and didn't have any gloves on. She figured that there must be a warming spell, if he could stand there without shivering. She made a mental note to ask Luna or Ginny about it later. Or maybe Malfoy… if he wasn't busy brooding about her volunteering for this. She shook her head of the thought as she turned up the path.
She squinted beyond Goyle, pretending to be looking for someone. When the person got closer to them, she sighed audibly. He didn't seem to take any interest. His brow was thick and his brown eyes were fierce as they analyzed the buildings. His knuckles, she saw when she got a little closer, were purple with bruises. So was one of his cheeks. She took a deep breath trying to calm her nerves.
Two girls wrapped in parkas walked past him, one staring at him up and down. He grunted at them and they frowned, hurrying off. Hermione glanced at her watch. It was 1:50. Luna would be out of class at 2. What would happen then? Which way did she come on these days? Hermione couldn't remember which building she had class in… Maybe Ginny had already tipped her off somehow...
As she contemplated what to do about Luna, Goyle started to wander. He headed up the north path, although not obviously at first. Hermione watched him as she panned around the yard a couple more times. She saw three boys from the soccer team and a couple students throwing snowballs at each other in the center court before she followed.
Goyle walked slow, towards a path that was out of the way and went winding past a building before curving into a thicket of trees. She wondered his intentions, if he was waiting for someone or was hoping to stumble upon Ginny or Luna or perhaps the Slytherin boys.
She followed at a distance, stopping to pat a dog being walked by a professor. The professor smiled and carried on his way. Goyle barely noticed her. She stopped when Goyle stopped. He reached the trees and Hermione ducked to the building nearby, huddling in the corner of the doorway. She could just see him starting to wander off again when a rush of students came pouring out.
Hermione was pushed forward with the crowd out onto the sidewalk. She stumbled on a patch of ice but an arm reached out to steady her. Her breathing was fast as she looked up to see Luna, one eyebrow cocked. "Interesting place to study Hermione," she said lightly. She had on a large striped hat and her cheeks were already getting pink.
"I'm not studying Luna and your class isn't supposed to be done until 2! What are you doing here? You can't be here..." Hermione began to panic, her eyes shot over to the trees in search of Goyle. He was nowhere to be seen. She looked frantically around for any sign of the boy. Luna giggled at her.
"We got out early," Luna said, "and what are you talking about Hermione? I'm here every Thursday at this time, I don't understand-"
"Yes, but," Hermione hurried to pull her inside the doorway and out of direct view, "I'm tailing someone, we saw him from the library. A Slytherin boy," she said quietly. Her eyes flickered around, but most of the students were already gone.
Luna's face dropped. "Shoot, this can't be good. Ginny didn't get any response from the coin did she?"
"No. Unfortunately we don't know if this is connected or what," said Hermione. She peeked out from behind the doorway again and all the color in her drained. She felt her pulse quicken as a hot, sticky breath hit her face.
"Oh I reckon it's all connected," breathed the grotesque man, his pointed teeth coming together in a yellow grin. Gray brown hair hung in long, matted tendrils around his face. He was so close to her she could smell the grime. She tried to inch away, but there was nowhere to go.
They were cornered. On the man's left, Goyle was standing with his wand pressed to Luna's chest under the sleeve of his cloak. He sneered in triumph.
"Wait until the rest of the lot sees what we brought back. Lovegood the blood traitor, and… and... who are you?" Goyle eyed Hermione, suddenly confused.
Hermione was frozen. She didn't know how to respond. She knew she couldn't mention being a muggleborn but she had no other name to provide. If she said someone they didn't know, they might just assume she was a muggle. Somehow she knew that was worse than being muggleborn…
"I'm- uh Luna's cousin," she tried to sound convincing.
"Yeah, this is Patricia," Luna chimed in. "She went to Ilvermorny which is why you don't recognize her." Luna's eyes flashed down to Goyle's wand then back up to his snarling fat face. He frowned at her.
"We don't care where she went to school," the larger man hissed. "It's more about the blood that's important. Although it smells good enough anyway," he smirked at her.
"I'm a pureblood," Hermione said then, more confidently than she felt. She glared at him.
The man turned back to her, eying her up and down. "Proud are we?" Hermione looked away, his stare making her uncomfortable; he was enormous, almost impossibly so, his arms and legs bulging out of the clothes he had on. He had a cloak, but he was in shorts, the dirty hair on his legs so thick she couldn't see his skin. Was this man even human?
Hermione fixed her gaze at a spot by his forehead to keep from staring at him. His red tinted eyes bore into her. "Careful with this one, thinks she's tough," he snarled, smiling again. She hated that he kept doing that. He had an ugly smile.
"Let's go Goyle, take them back and then we can question them. The Weasley girl's here, I can still smell her. And…" he frowned as he sniffed the air again, turning away to catch the wind. "It can't be… but, then again, I'm never wrong…"
"What? What is it?" Goyle asked, poking Luna again with his wand. He looked out to the campus. No one seemed to be around and Hermione remembered reading about a Muggle-repelling charm. Maybe he'd cast one right before catching them.
But then the man turned and yanked on Hermione's hair, making her forget the thought entirely. She let out a yelp as he took a long whif. "I smell a Malfoy, but that can't be right," he snarled and pulled away from her, still holding her hair, "Or is it girly?" he smirked. Hermione narrowed her eyes at him, keeping her face tight so she wouldn't flinch. Luna looked sideways at her, warning in her eyes.
The man laughed wickedly. "Oh I'll find out soon enough. Can't keep secrets, no no. Tie them up Goyle," he said harshly and Goyle nodded. He waved his wand and muttered an incantation. Ropes shot out and wrapped themselves tightly around both Luna's and Hermione's wrists. Fenrir still had Hermione by the hair as he turned on his heel and vanished. Goyle's large hand wrapped easily around Luna's arm as he turned to follow Fenrir and apparated away.
…
Draco made it out onto the library steps before the others, disregarding his scarf, gloves, or even a warming charm. He had a muggle jacket on but he didn't even bother to zip it. He was already scanning the grounds when Theo, Blaise, and Ginny arrived behind him.
"Well you can't see her or Goyle from the library," Theo sighed, although he figured Draco already knew that. Theo looked at Ginny. She was busy searching.
"What about Luna?" Ginny asked then, her eyes wide. "I should go find her, I think I know what class she's in. Not totally but like, I could find her, I-"
"Relax Weasley," Blaise said, pulling on his gloves. "It's 1:50 and then there's always the lull to get out amongst forty or so other people."
Draco took the stairs two at a time as he descended them, not bothering to wait for the rest of them. She was nowhere in sight and it was unsettling. He knew what Goyle was capable of and he wondered if Greyback would show up too. He felt the dark mark itch at the idea and it only made him angrier.
"Drake, wait for us!" Theo called, waving for Ginny and Blaise to follow.
"Malfoy, I saw her follow him over there before they both went around the corner," Ginny stated, pointing. Draco watched her point and nodded. He walked quickly, his eyes peeled for any sign of her bushy curls or her annoying, overstuffed bag.
He wondered why she would even take her books with her. The stupidity of it made him roll his eyes despite the nag at his chest that was hoping she would appear, bag and all, just around the corner. He began to run, eying the pathway to the building and down to the trees.
Draco slowed when he reached the trees and turned on his heel. No one was around at all. Blaise jogged the couple more steps to his side and halted.
"You know we'll find her Draco," Blaise said between breaths. "It's Goyle, they can't have gotten far."
Draco spoke through gritted teeth, "Greyback on the other hand... You know as well as I that he is ten times worse than most of the death eaters. He doesn't play by anybody's rules," he raked a hand through his hair, not realizing it was shaking.
Draco scratched at his left forearm bitterly as he searched the trees. There was no sign of her, Goyle, or the werewolf.
Theo and Ginny made it to the building. They scanned the garden to the right of it and then back out onto the pathways. A girl with black hair and a puffy hat stood with her back to them and two other individuals were making their way down the path. But no Hermione and no Goyle. Ginny sighed before turning back to the building.
"Hang on," she said, "I think this is where Luna has class," she started walking to the doors. She reached for the handle and felt her boot crunch. When she lifted it, she put a hand to her mouth and Theo rushed to her side. Beneath her foot lay Luna's bottle cap necklace.
"Blaise! Draco!" Theo called over her shoulder. He waved over to the boys, hearing Ginny's breathing accelerate. "Relax Weasley, breath." He put a hand on her shoulder.
Blaise and Draco were at their side in seconds, looking from Theo to Ginny for some sign or answer. Ginny knelt and held the bottle cap in her hand. "It's- it's Luna's," she said holding it out for them to see. Her voice cracked with tears.
"We don't know if Granger's with her though," Blaise said then, glancing at Draco before looking around. Draco was already walking away, trying to keep his anger in check. He was about to walk off again in search, but he stopped abruptly when he saw it. Slumped against the side of the concrete doorway was Granger's overstuffed school bag, half its contents spilled. His old copy of Spellman's Syllabary was on top.
"Shit," Draco said miserably, as he bent to snatch up the bag. "She is."
…
Hermione landed harshly on frozen ground by a lake, Fenrir still pulling her by her hair. She felt as though her stomach had just been pulled inward and she almost wanted to throw up. Had they just apparated? Her eyesight was spotty in front of her as she adjusted to the brightness of the ground.
Luna was beside her, Goyle dragging her by the arm. Two wizards and a witch in dark robes lowered their wands when they recognized Goyle and Fenrir. Hermione whimpered as Fenrir led them up a small trail towards several decrepit cabins, chuckling as he showed off his prize.
Hermione blinked several times, the spots in her eyes finally subsiding. She stumbled along and analyzed the cabins in front of them. They looked like they were at an old summer camp. Several broken canoes were piled on the hillside.
The men shoved the girls up the trail until they faced the nearest cabin. She heard one of the wizards ask where they found them and Goyle didn't answer. He was busy pushing Luna in front of her. A witch was smiling and laughing at the girls as she tapped her wand on her palm.
The door opened and Fenrir finally let go of her hair. He vanished in seconds and Goyle was left to deal with them. He easily dragged both girls to the side of the cabin where newly hung sets of manacles dangled from the wall. He tied up Hermione first and Luna stood there, not moving. Hermione wondered if he'd cast a spell on her to keep her there.
When he had double checked they couldn't get free, he sneered at them as he turned and locked the door. The girls were left in the silence of his wake, the sun just beginning to sink out of the small window in the corner.
"Who's there?" a voice swam to Hermione's ears suddenly. It was as if she were underwater and she blamed the apparation. Ginny had told her it was an acquired feeling and she knew she wasn't well accustomed yet.
She looked in the direction of the voice. There were four sets of broken bunk beds in two rows and the voice was coming across from the other side of the room. She and Luna were manacled on one side. She looked across the narrow space and spotted them.
Two boys stood, one against the wall and the other about four feet from it, the extent that his chains would reach. He had brown hair and stubble on his swollen jaw. His clothes looked splotched with dirt and a small cut on his forehead was purplish with scabbing. He looked from Hermione to Luna, a smile coming to his lips when he saw her.
"Luna," Neville's voice sighed, "Oh man, we were supposed to find you before they did, but… it's still good to see you."
Luna's eyes were wide and bright. "Neville! You got our message!" When she said his name it registered in Hermione's mind from all the stories. This was Neville Longbottom, a friend, a Gryffindor, a D.A. and Order member.
"Yeah, we got it a while back, that's why we're here," Neville said, scratching his hair. "George, Katie, it's Luna," he said over his shoulder.
The boy against the wall stirred. His hair was bright red and Hermione was reminded of Ginny. It had to be her brother. When he looked up, she saw his left eye was black and swollen as if the eye socket might be broken. He had to squint to look at them but he smiled in recognition when he saw Luna.
"Aye, well at least we got to the right place," George managed. He was just as dirty and she could see more cuts up his arm and hands.
"George," Luna said, her voice soft. "What happened to you? Well both of you really," she looked back at Neville's injuries with a frown.
"Three of us," George said, pointing to the other side of the bunk next to him. They heard some rustling and then a dark haired girl was kneeling between the beds. Her lip was busted and one of her earrings had been torn out. Hermione grimaced at the thought.
"Hi Luna and hi to your friend," Katie Bell said from her odd angle. "It really is good to see you, even under these circumstances."
"Oh, this is... Patricia," Luna said hesitantly, "my cousin from Ilvermorny," but she shook her head back and forth. "I'll explain later," she said very quietly, eying the door and window cautiously. Neville looked at George and Katie and they nodded back in understanding. Luna gave Hermione's hand an apologetic squeeze.
"Well, we were at headquarters when we got the message from your coin," Neville began, "I still carry it, out of habit really. Anyway, we came but couldn't get exactly to your spot since the coordinates weren't precise. You're idea I'm guessing," Neville said, but Luna shook her head.
"It was hers," Luna pointed a thumb at Hermione. Hermione felt her cheeks flush as they looked at her, impressed.
"Well, the others just couldn't agree in case the coin had fallen into the wrong hands, so it seemed the best compromise," Hermione explained easily.
"Others?" Katie said, "I thought it was just you and Ginny." Her brow furrowed.
"Oh right, they wouldn't expect-" Hermione started saying but Luna cut her off quickly.
"Um, yeah let me think about how to phrase this," Luna lowered her voice turning back to Neville, George, and Katie. "We may have a few… additional friends who have joined us. By chance really, and well it has surprisingly worked out."
George shifted on his feet. "Who? And how? You were placed in hiding by the Order, it's not like this was supposed to be an obvious place. Even our parents weren't told. Sending that message, we immediately assumed you'd been compromised."
"Which is why we're here," Neville said, "But we got caught up with this group of death eaters and wolves first."
Hermione's face paled. "So that man out there… the one who grabbed me, he's…" she started saying but her mind was working faster than her mouth. She knew who he was now. She was flooded with all the comments Draco and Blaise had said so long ago. About how horrible the werewolf was, the biting and turning at will, the ruthlessness. She felt herself shiver.
"Fenrir Greyback," George answered for her, his voice bitter, "he's been working for You-Know-Who for years now. He was tracking Ginny when they found us, bit our brother Bill a while back but didn't turn him. I bet this is some sick family revenge plot no doubt. He told me he'd wait for my sister before he started in on my neck."
"But everyone knows he's the one Narcissa has looking for Draco," Katie said, watching Hermione. She was rigid. "He's definitely tracking him too."
Hermione put a hand to her mouth at the mention of his name. The image of Draco's hardened jaw as he talked about the werewolf came to mind. He'd mentioned with disdain that his mother probably hired Greyback. Tracking Ginny was just an added bonus. He was after Draco and he was right on target.
Her reaction was obvious and Neville's eyes grew wide as he watched her. George stood up straight and took a couple steps forward. Luna put a hand on her arm.
"Hey, we knew there were people looking for them, remember?" she said very quietly as the others watched.
Hermione nodded and slowly lowered her hand. George and Neville exchanged an interested look. Katie eyed her knowingly. "I'm judging by that reaction that your 'friends' may very well be…" Katie raised her eyebrows to Luna and pointed to a green snake on the Hogwarts crest on her own jacket.
"Yes," Luna responded nervously.
Neville's eyes were wide and his jaw dropped open. Katie smacked her hand onto the bed in front of her. "Are you serious Luna?" she said loudly.
"They aren't two timing you, are they? That would be very… them, no matter which ones it is," George said, frustration in his words. "Honestly Luna, you left my sister with them?!" George walked back to face the wall, practically punching it. Neville couldn't find anything to say. He was rubbing his chin anxiously, his mind reeling.
"Look, I know how it seems," Luna started, "If you could hear them, how different they are. They were just trying to hide too. They're on our side now, you have to trust us," she said, pleading in her voice.
Hermione took a deep breath, pushing away her fears. "I know we've just met, but Luna and Ginny have told me everything, or at least enough to know how this looks. They were just as surprised to find us as we were to find them. They clearly weren't on a mission or anything."
"We stuck together because it made the most sense, so we would know neither side was lying. I was on the other side of their shitty insults at first," she thought of Draco at the start, the Draco whose hatred filled his words and the anger that wouldn't stop, "But even he's seen the wrongs of his past. They all have, which is why they defected. It's been a long time. I bet Ginny wouldn't admit it right away, but she has learned a lot too. She is in safe hands."
Katie blinked at her, a quizzical look on her soft features. George's jaw was still tight. "It's true," said Luna, her lofty voice drifting over everyone to bring a little bit of peace to the rundown cabin and their current situation.
"Okay… so… I guess that's just something new," Neville tried. "They'll be helpful to the Order at least. We'll… we'll deal with it when the time comes I guess," Hermione could tell he was struggling to wrap his head around it. "But why are you two here now? How did you get captured in the first place?"
It was Hermione's turn to talk, knowing that Luna actually didn't know the whole story. She told them all about being in the secret library after class and Ginny's frustration with the coin. How they saw Goyle out the window and the boys were just as confused as Ginny had been. Then how she planned to tail him, since he wouldn't recognize her. She followed him pretty far before she ran into Luna leaving class where they were cornered by Fenrir and Goyle. She hadn't seen Fenrir up until that point.
"He sniffed my hair," she remembered, feeling disgusted all over again. Fenrir's words came back to her then; Malfoy's scent, he could tell Draco had to be near or was near her. She thought about waking up this morning in Draco's bed. It had only happened a handful of times now, but it was why his scent was on her. It's how he knew.
They had been practicing summoning charms the night before, she remembered. After two straight hours, she felt exhausted. She sat with him by the fire until he convinced her to stay only because they had class together the next morning. Besides, he'd argued, she was already wrapped up in his comforter on the couch. She smiled sadly and wondered if he was already looking for them.
"Yeah, he's bizarre and disgusting all in one," George said of Fenrir and he shuttered. "It's how he found us so easily. Apparently I smell an awful lot like my sister." He frowned. Neville put a hand on his shoulder.
"It's not your fault George, they surprised us early," Neville said then, "But you said you didn't hear anything from the coin. Does someone still have it on them?"
"I left it in the library, anyone could have picked it back up. I'd assume Ginny would," Hermione stated, staring at the chains on her wrists for the first time. They were rusted and tight. Her wrists chafed as she moved.
"Well I sent a message back right before we were caught," Neville spoke in a low tone, "just in case, you know. They searched us when they found us, took our wands and everything else. Scabior probably thinks it's a real galleon. But if Ginny got my message, that could be helpful. They'll know who they're up against at least."
"Let's hope so," Luna sighed. "They took my wand too, so-" but she suddenly stopped talking as an idea lighted across her face. Hermione seemed to have the same realization.
"What? What is it?" Neville asked impatiently.
"I use wandless magic," Hermione said breathlessly. "I can potentially get us out." Neville looked relieved and Katie smiled.
George actually laughed. "Let's get planning then, shall we?"
...
Draco, Blaise, Theo, and Ginny spent another hour searching the campus. It was mostly on Ginny's insistence; she threatened to hex them all if they thought they were going to give up. Theo had to convince her the proof in the necklace and books and they finally headed back to the house miserably wet and freezing cold.
Once everyone had changed to dry clothes, they sat around the fire in the living room trying to strategize. "NL is Neville, he's the only one with those initials from the D.A." Ginny told them. She was sitting cross legged on the armchair closest to the fire.
"So we know the fate of Lovegood and Granger is in shaky hands," Blaise offered, staring at the fire.
Ginny glared. "Rude. He has really stepped it up since Hogwarts, he's an active member of the Order and leads tons of missions."
Blaise sighed. "Sorry then, last time I saw him he was still fumbling around the greenhouses."
"Okay, relax both of you," Theo spoke up from the desk, where he had several maps of the area out around him. "If it's really Greyback, he's looking for Draco. And we've got to figure out where they're hiding out. I'm assuming our plan is to rescue them, Longbottom did say he was caught."
Draco was staring out the window, his arms crossed. He was lucky he was still so angry at Hermione for volunteering herself or else the others would see the worry running through his mind. Instead, he kept his jaw rigid and eyes narrowed as he searched the grounds, as if she'd suddenly emerge from the tree line unscathed.
He heard Theo but didn't bother responding. Of course they were going to rescue them, they couldn't very well leave a muggleborn and what the death eaters would consider a blood traitor with the likes of Fenrir's men. He wondered if she was scared and what Fenrir was doing to her. It made his skin crawl to think the filthy werewolf had his hands on her. He let out a sigh, feeling so much anger for the first time in a long time.
The only anger he had lately was at Theo or Ginny, when they beat him in Exploding Snap or when he woke from a really shitty nightmare. But even that, he'd convinced Granger to stay the night with him on more than one occasion now. The nightmares always stayed away when she was there. Like last night, when she'd curled into one of his arms.
"Hello, Draco," Blaise was calling him back to reality. "Have any strategy ideas, it's Greyback and you know him best."
Draco cringed at the words. "Unfortunately. Well, he would pick a spot in the woods, far from society. He doesn't like people unless he's attacking them. Look for trails and campsites and the like," he said to Theo. Theo nodded and flipped a map around.
Blaise sat up suddenly. "My family's cabin," he got up and strode over to Theo and the maps. Ginny looked over interested. Blaise shuffled through them, searching. "It's not far from here remember Drake? We stayed there waiting for Theo before this," he gestured to the house they were currently in.
"Good call," Ginny said as she watched the fire, thinking. Blaise found the one they needed and began scanning it for the lake.
"That was probably their first stop," Draco said, "they're probably alert to all our family's old properties."
Ginny looked around then, worried. "Isn't this a Malfoy property?" her voice showed her annoyance at Draco. He scowled.
"Well yes, but most are warded when occupied, like this place," Draco said, rubbing his chin. He was thinking about Greyback's strategy. "I imagine they got to the cabin and it was a dead giveaway once he realized my scent was all over it, walked right in. Greyback's not going to care if he ambushes a bunch of young wizards, he was probably upset we weren't still there."
"What do you mean, your scent?" Ginny's face looked disgusted by this comment.
"Greyback's a wolf, so he tracks like a wolf, by scent," Draco told her as he watched her face turn green, "I'm assuming he knows mine, so we really are sitting ducks if we don't act. I'll recheck all the wards, I should be able to reinforce them with no problem. Although if Lovegood and Granger escape and make it back here, they'll be blocked from getting in."
"Can they still apparate close by?" Ginny asked, wondering how far the wards reached.
"Yes, if they know the location well enough," Draco reasoned.
Theo looked up then. "But Lovegood can't apparate and I doubt Granger is ready for that kind of magic." Draco shrugged. Maybe she could manage to figure it out, wouldn't be the first time she surprised them all with how quickly she could pick up spellwork. He laughed to himself at the thought.
"Neville knows how and possibly anyone else with him," Ginny told them, "so at least they'll have that. If all else fails and they can't make it back here, they might be able to apparate to the Order or somewhere safe."
Draco stopped chuckling. He wanted Granger back here, not off with the Order. He scowled thinking about the chances of Lovegood and Granger actually escaping. They were both fairly clever and Granger had been making good progress on defensive spellwork. But memories of Greyback savagely slashing and biting surfaced in his mind. He thought of Goyle and Yaxley and Mulciber and all the most horrid hexes and curses they liked to use.
"Here was supposed to be safe…" he said rather aggressively and he headed for the door. He couldn't keep sitting here thinking of the worst.
"Found it," Blaise said, pointing to a small lake miles east of the university.
"Look for any other campground or cabin or hunting outpost nearby," Draco said, as he opened the door. "He'll most likely be holding up there if he's not already on his way. I'll go check the wards."
"How would he know to look here next?" Blaise glared at him for his pessimism.
Draco scowled. "By default it's the next closest family property and my scent is all over the place. That or they tortured the location out of them. Or both." Ginny watched as he turned on his heel and disappeared, slamming the door.
"Is he going to be alright?" Ginny asked then, walking over to where the boys were. Theo looked up at her, seeing the nervousness in her eyes.
"Eventually," Theo said. "I mean, he already hates Greyback after doing missions together. He always made lewd comments about Draco's mother and well… you can just imagine what he's thinking is happening to Granger right now."
Ginny huffed. "Luna's with her though and she's smart enough not to let it slip about you guys being here. That would be game over for you three too."
Blaise was busy with eyes on the map. "True, but we're going to help one way or another. And if we end up doing a rescue mission, they're going to see us and well…" Blaise sighed. "We knew we'd have to deal with the aftermath eventually."
Theo's face paled and Ginny watched him run a hand through his sandy hair. She could tell he was thinking about what would happen in the aftermath. She looked over at the door and to the boy that was sulking outside it. The aftermath was going to be something, she could feel the anxiety building in her mind. She didn't want to think about it either. She sighed as she looked at the map.
"What about here?" Ginny said after another minute, pointing to six little boxes drawn beside a small lake. There was a trail from the roadway that winded through. Black letters printed beside it read, "Vesper Summer Camp."
"Could be," Blaise said looking it over, "it's not far from my family cabin and it looks out of the way."
"Show Draco when he gets back," Theo stated and he stood from the desk and stretched. "We need to make a plan."
…
Hermione was eying the shackles frustrated as a drop of sweat rolled down her temple. She had tried so many spells Draco had taught her but nothing seemed to work against the metal. Most of what she learned had been for dueling and every day tasks, not prison escapes.
She stored it away as something she'd ask him to teach her, if she got the chance to. George and Neville were talking quietly together while Luna sat with Hermione, watching. "Why don't you take a break? We could re-evaluate," she said soothingly. She put a hand on Hermione's shoulders but Hermione shrugged it off.
"I don't understand, I can usually get it easily with…" she stopped herself from saying his name. She huffed.
"Yes well, he's better at wandless than me. I was only just learning it before the war and never got farther than one or two spells. I don't know, alohomora is a simple spell. If it's not working it could be that the manacles are enchanted," Luna tried to reason.
George looked over at his own with a frown. "I have to agree with Luna. They've got to be enchanted, it shouldn't be this hard for you to get out of them. Maybe we try a different approach."
"Like what?" Katie asked, sounding disheartened, "there was no key to lock it and we don't have an axe to hack at the wood of the wall."
Hermione looked at the manacles and realized Katie was right. No key hole. She walked up to the walls and inspected them, but there was no sign of weakness. She couldn't even manage to jiggle a nail loose. Hermione closed her eyes, trying to think logically.
"I could potentially get your wands back," Hermione said then, putting the pieces together. "Maybe there's a spell involved that requires wandwork."
George looked confused. "How exactly?"
"A summoning charm," she said simply, "I read that they can be used at great distances if the caster concentrates well enough. How far away do you think they are from us and who do you think has the wands?"
Luna smirked. "That's clever, risky but clever."
Neville looked at her, impressed. "Goyle was the one that took them from us and he pocketed them all. I'm guessing he still has them. If anything, you should wait until after dark though and hope enough of them are asleep." Hermione nodded.
Katie shifted her position so she could see Hermione better. "Lucky for us, this lot seems to like their liquor. I smelled it on the woman who chained me up. They'll probably leave at least one person on guard duty, but if the rest are drunk that's good. They won't notice some wands flying across the yard," she chuckled. "They're not bright, these ones."
"Okay. You need to tell me what your wands looks like, so I have a clear idea of what I should be concentrating on," said Hermione then, mentally prepping herself as she looked out the window. The lake reflected the purplish sky of dusk.
Luna smiled. "Well you've seen mine plenty of times, so that's helpful. Acacia, 12.5 inches, nargle scale. It bows slightly in the middle."
"Mine's 13, cherry wood. It's got unicorn hair as the core," Neville said. "I used my dad's for a while, but it broke. I do much better magic with my new one though," he told her and she smiled. For a split second she let her mind run with thoughts on wandlore and how tricky it was. She made a mental note to look for more books on it.
"Mine's spruce, 14 inches and unicorn hair as well," Katie said. "It's got a knot at the end that winds halfway up, if that helps."
"Interesting," Hermione said, bringing the image into mind.
"And mine's dogwood with a dragon heartstr-," but George's voice was cut off as the door to the cabin creaked open. His eyes widened and he shut his mouth slowly.
They froze. It was growing hard to see in the dim light. The sun had just set. In the doorway stood Fenrir Greyback and another, grungy looking man with a nasty smile. She felt the fear creep up her spine.
Fenrir gave a wide smirk, those yellow teeth flashing. "Hope I'm not… interrupting," he said as he started to walk down the aisle between the sets of beds. The other man laughed and hung back on the door frame. He looked drunk.
"Hello lovely," he smirked again, looking Hermione up and down as he approached her. "I think I'd like some alone time with you, if that's alright," he chuckled. Hermione felt her heart beating rapidly but she glared at him. He was still several feet away.
"Fuck off Greyback," Neville called from across the room. Fenrir looked over his shoulder amused.
"So feisty. You'll get your turn," Fenrir called, turning back to Hermione. The man at the doorway let out an ugly, hooting laugh. Hermione shivered. Fenrir took a few more steps, closing the gap between them.
"In case you didn't guess, my offer wasn't optional," he growled, grabbing her by the arm. He waved a wand to set her free from the wall. Her manacles still bound her, her hands clanking between the short chain. He yanked her forward by them and dragged her to the door.
"No! Hermione!" Luna gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. Fenrir froze and turned to face her.
A smirk curled his dark lips. "Now isn't that curious. Patricia or Hermione, which is it?" he shook Hermione vigorously by the arm and she felt something sharp pierce her skin. When she looked at his wand hand, she realized his fingernails had all been sharpened into points. Like claws, she thought. She turned to face him and spat in his face.
He blinked, his smile quickly replaced with a grimace. "You'll tell me, one way or another," and he shoved her out the door. "Take the blonde Scabior, she needs to learn a lesson about keeping secrets from us," and Fenrir and Hermione were gone.
The man sidled in, his long blue robes flowing behind him. They were tattered and dirty, much like his long brown ponytail. He came over to Luna and waved his wand at her chains, releasing her in the same way Greyback released Hermione. He yanked her forward, laughing as he pushed her with dirty fingernails, his wand on her back. Luna could smell the whiskey on him as she was moved out the door.
In the silence after they were gone, Katie looked to the boys. "Hermione?"
Neville shook his head and shrugged.
…