Hermione heard her best friend cursing behind her as he began to push her in the opposite direction while throwing the occasionally expelliarmus over his shoulder. Diving behind a bush she turned to see Harry wiping at his forehead with his free hand.
"Hermione, you have to go now. Right now. You and Theo are still considered dangerous and I doubt very much if they will be understanding enough to listen to any explanations we may try to give them. Take Draco's body and disapparate to the safest place you can think of. We will contact you when it's safe. They can't pin anything on the rest of us- not with Death Eater's most wanted at the scene." Harry leaned forward and gave her one more hug before handing her off to Theo, who she hadn't even realized had taken shelter with them behind the bushes.
Looking into his face she could read the same determination that was just barely holding the grief at bay. It was there, unfortunately they didn't have the time that Draco deserved.
"On the count of three we run for him. I'll lead the disapparation so we don't both try thinking of different places and end up splinching all over the countryside." There was still a lump in her throat making it difficult to speak so Hermione simply gave Theo a firm nod as she squared her shoulders.
She allowed the sounds of flying spellfire to fall away into the background as she focused on Theo's countdown. When he hit three, they bolted from their hiding place. They were closer to where Draco lay than she had thought so it was only seconds before they reached their fallen friend.
Looking up just before they reached the blond, Hermione yanked on Theo's hand causing the two of them to slide the last few feet, a stunner flying inches above their heads. The second her hand closed over Draco's wrist she yelled, "NOW", and immediately felt the nauseating experience of being sucked through a tube much too small for her body.
Once she felt solid ground beneath her once more Hermione allowed her body to fall back, splayed across the warm grass beneath her as she sucked in lungfuls of air. She still couldn't believe she was still alive, but of course that line of thinking led to the horrible memory that not everyone had made it out with their lives this time.
Noticing she still had a grip on her friends hand, she refused to look at him. She couldn't yet. The tears were pricking at her eyes but as long as she didn't look at the macabre sight she could avoid melting down completely.
They had landed on a green lawn about the size of what she estimated a football field would be. Three sides were surrounded by dense forest while the fourth showed a grand country home. It was nowhere near the size of Nott's home nor the Parkinson's but clearly still belonged to a wealthy family. It was more welcoming than the sprawling manses she had seen so far that belonged to the purebloods. When she turned to question Theo she saw he had a small smile on his face as he looked at the house.
"This is where my mother grew up. Welcome to Rose Hedge House. The Rosier's were famous for their green thumbs and my mother's branch had an affinity for roses. The back garden is simply full of them." She hadn't even needed to ask before he provided the answer to her question. She supposed they had been around each other long enough for him to know she always had questions.
"It's beautiful, Theo." It was all she could manage while her chest felt so constricted.
He nodded his head in agreement. "It's my favourite place in the world. My mother had no other living family so the property was added to the Nott family's portfolio. Though my dear father thought it far too common for the Nott's to ever reside here so Mother would bring me here for short stays while he was away on business." He had managed to get to his feet as he spoke and reached out to give Hermione a hand up as well. "Come on. We can't stay out here on the lawn forever. We are safe here. The property isn't listed in any Nott property lists and the Ministry will think the property was given to whoever holds the title for the main branch of the Rosiers. Even if they looked they wouldn't find it. Mother had it made unplottable so as to be a safe place to run to." He took a steadying breath before he walked over to his best friend, "Besides, we need to take care of Draco." His voice cracked when he said his deceased friend's name but Hermione didn't comment on it. She could hardly blame him when she could barely manage to speak at all.
She watched as he levitated Draco's body and followed after him when they moved towards the house. She flexed her fingers as she walked, feeling extremely out of place. This was Theo's safe place. It was Theo's best friend who was dead. She was the interloper here. Before she could fall back though, Theo reached for her hand and pulled her along with him. Giving him privacy was off the table then.
Upon reaching the front door a house elf appeared, giving them entry. As they passed it bowed its head respectfully and remained silent. Theo nodded his head in recognition but didn't acknowledge its presence verbally. Once inside Theo released her hand before continuing up the staircase and disappearing around the corner.
Unsure what else to do with herself, Hermione stumbled into the nearest room and collapsed on the first couch she found. The adrenaline was wearing off and her body demanded a rest. She vaguely noted a blanket being draped over her as she slipped into a deep slumber.
When Hermione woke she distantly registered voices though it was too much effort to really listen to what was being said. She was far too comfortable to care about much else at the moment. But hearing her name seemed to bring her consciousness to the forefront of her mind. Fully awake she realized one of the voices was Theo, the other definitely belonged to a house elf if the pitch was anything to judge by.
She sat up, pushing the blanket off her shoulders as Theo and the house elf entered the room she had crashed in. Stifling a yawn she gave him a stiff smile which he made an effort to return. Coming around the couch he flopped down beside her with one arm flung over his eyes. His entire being radiated exhaustion and she wondered if he had rested at all since coming here. It had been at least a few hours if the bright sunlight streaming in was any indication.
"We need to perform the ritual to bind the Dark Magic to the talismans now that Draco…. Now that Draco isn't here anymore." He said everything in a detached and clinical voice, though the pause and crack in his voice gave away his distress. She immediately understood what he was doing, compartmentalizing and finding things to keep him busy so he wouldn't have to think about his crushing grief. She had done the same many times over the years so she could understand his reasoning completely. One thing at a time. Just think about the next immediate thing that needs to be done. Then they could fall apart.
Nodding in acquiescence Hermione stood and stretched. Holding a hand out to her exhausted friend she helped pull him to his feet before gesturing to the hallway, "Lead the way then. Let's get this over with before I accidentally destroy this house too somehow." She had meant it as a joke, but it fell flat. Neither of them were able to muster the energy to find amusement in her statement.
Leading Hermione by the hand he shuffled through the brightly lit halls until he came to a heavy wooden door. Pushing it open he gestured to the room beyond, "Behold, the potions lab. Figured this would be the best place to do this considering the different aspects to the ritual. I already have everything we will need set up over here." Seeing her confused look upon seeing the same book she had found the ritual propped open next to the cauldron and all the required supplies he answered, "The Rosier's may have been considered a neutral family but every pureblood family has a copy of this book. We just didn't know which book the ritual would be in. And I may have also forgotten about this particular book." His cheeks flushed at his admission while he rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. "Probably would have saved us a ridiculous amount of time and effort if I had remembered. Sorry." He gave her a sheepish shrug that made Hermione crack a small smile. His embarrassment was adorable.
Turning her attention to the table before her she noted the ingredients and mentally ran through what she could remember of each from her work with potions throughout her years at Hogwarts. Near the end of the row was a file filled with a red liquid that she couldn't identify. Picking it up, Hermione held it up to the light to get a better look at it. Realization made her stomach turn. That was clearly blood, but who's was unclear. As soon as the question popped into her head, it was almost immediately answered though. There were three people involved in this ritual and one two were currently standing in the lab. She quickly set the vial down and wiped her hand on her pants. Bile rose in her throat at the thought of having to collect blood from her friend. She couldn't imagine how Theo had managed it without having a mental breakdown. Though for all she knew, he hadn't managed it at all.
Taking the attention away from her discomfort, Hermione cleared her throat and brought her finger to the page of the book they needed, tracing it down the list of ingredients. As far as she could tell from her quick perusal they had everything they needed. Turning to Theo as she pulled her hair up into some semblance of a bun she said, "Let's get started shall we?"
Watching as Theo prepped ingredients before adding them to the cauldron, Hermione was surprised she hadn't noticed Theo more at school. He was obviously no slouch when it came to potions. It shouldn't have surprised her really, Draco had been wicked smart and wouldn't have been best friends with someone with the mental capacity of a rock. A tear rolled down her cheek before she could stop it and she quickly turned away before it had a chance to drop into the potion and ruin it. Many of the ingredients were expensive and it would be incredibly wasteful if they didn't get this right on the first try.
Finally at the end of the very intricate brewing process Theo dropped in a silver necklace with a pendant on it before she had a chance to see what the pendant was. The potion hissed before changing from an angry orange colour to a pale grey with a gentle mist rising from the cauldron.
"It's perfect!" Hermione exclaimed, relieved they wouldn't have to repeat the arduous process. Theo snorted at her surprise. "Of course it's perfect. Technically I actually had a higher mark in potions than you did. You may have gotten an O on your OWLS, but I managed to wrangle a few of them out of Snape as well." Hermione scoffed and shot him a scandalized look at the admission which Theo shrugged in response to. "I didn't copy verbatim what the texts said and I could be rather creative when it came to potions. It's an intuition very few are actually born with. I just happen to be one of them." She couldn't argue with his answer. She did have a hard time being creative when it came to potions. Deviating from the instructions had never been a strong point for her. She was too much of a stickler for the rules to have the aptitude for experimenting.
After the required half an hour had passed in comfortable silence, Theo used the stirring rod to lift out the necklace. Now that Hermione could see it clearly she realized the pendant at the end was a silver teardrop with a light blue stone in the middle. Nothing flashy that would draw attention and it was simple enough she could wear it every day without anyone asking questions about it.
Looking up from her scrutiny of the necklace she watched as Theo poured some of the potion into a goblet and then added the vial of Draco's blood before pricking his thumb and adding his own. The idea that she would have to drink that made her slightly queasy but she knew it was unavoidable if they wanted to remain undetected at Rose Hedge.
She followed as Theo walked to the far end of the lab that was cleared of tables and equipment. On the floor he had already drawn the necessary runes for the ritual. He gestured for her to stand in the center of the ritual circle as he turned to grab the bag of purified clay. Though not as potent it was a suitable replacement for blood in many rituals for which Hermione was currently thankful. She didn't much fancy the idea of Theo having to draw runes on her face in his and Draco's blood.
Her attention returned to Theo as he stood before her and began to chant. It was an odd mix of greek and latin that she had a difficult time following but soon gave up as her attention was drawn to her face where Theo had begun to draw the runes with the clay. Three across her forehead, two on each cheek, one on her chin and one more in the dip of her collarbone.
As soon as the final rune had been drawn, Theo handed her the goblet containing the potion which Hermione drank quickly before she could think too much about what was in it. As soon as she had finished the final drop Hermione gasped as a burning filled her chest while the circle was filled with the swirling power of the Grey Magic before it dissipated just as quickly.
The first thing Hermione noticed was how quiet the room was. The second was the hollow feeling in her chest. The third was that Theo was no longer standing directly in front of her. Lifting her eyes from the floor she frantically searched the room to find him standing on the outside of the circle looking just as confused as she did to find himself standing there. He was able to shrug it off quickly though when he realized he must have just been forcibly pushed out of the circle when the Magic exploded outward. He tentatively stepped back into the circle and approached her before gently lifting the pendant on the necklace that now wound around her neck. The light blue stone was now a swirling grey that was mesmerizing to watch.
Before the silence could become too thick Theo cleared his throat and stepped back. "We should both probably get cleaned up and get some rest and something to eat. Tomorrow is going to be difficult." She swiveled around until she could see the only clock on the room and realized just how long they had been in the lab. It was well past midnight and her stomach chose that moment to make itself known by gurgling loudly. She gave an embarrassed chuckle as Theo called the house elf to show her to her watched sadly as he headed in the opposite direction. There was no doubt in her mind that he wouldn't be getting much rest before tomorrow.
She tried to push Theo's sorrow out of her mind. She was exhausted herself and was in no fit state to be trying to take care of somebody else. She knew she would need all the strength she could get if she was going to face tomorrow and be strong enough for her and Theo. He was right- tomorrow would be difficult.
Upon entering the room the elf had shown her too, Hermione found a steaming bath and a tray of food waiting for her. Focusing on the strange feeling in her chest she was able to get through both the food and her bath without her thoughts straying to more upsetting topics and quickly fell asleep after climbing into the ridiculously comfortable bed.