Chapter 11

Of Manors and Mannerisms

Weeks had passed by since the incident with Xenophilius Lovegood. Hermione could not blame him for his desperate act. And she had wiped his memory, so he was no longer a threat to them.

The biggest downside of the whole debacle was that it had made coordinating with Draco and Professor Snape more difficult. Since Harry Potter had been spotted, the Death Eaters had increased security on castle grounds. Most of Professor's Snape and Draco's evenings were spent in meetings at the Manor and coordinating to schedules to try to keep patrols away from DA members as much as possible. Any hopes that having allies in the castle would make things easier began to fade. It turned out the professor and Draco had played their roles as dedicated Death Eaters too well and The Dark Lord was giving them more responsibility, but none that came with information they could use.

Everything at Hogwarts was becoming more strict and tense - not matter how hard Severus tried to keep the dark magic at bay.

The Golden Trio, on the other hand had been feeling anything but "golden". They were no where near locating the next Horcrux.

They had spent a great deal of their time debating potential Horcruxes, trying to dissect past memories Dumbledore shared in the Pensieve, and Harry had even once, foolishly proposed attempting to access Voldemort's mind. Both of his friends shut him down immediately.

They happened to get lucky one day and Ron guessed the password to the Potterwatch radio broadcast and they got to hear some familiar voices - Lee Jordan, Kingsley, Remus, Fred and George. It was nice to laugh and hear familiar voices.

As the broadcast came to a close, something caught Harry's attention. "Did you hear what Fred said?" he asked urgently. "He's abroad looking for the Elder Wand! Maybe if I could just peek into Vol-"

"HARRY, NO!"

"-demort's mind, we can get more information!"

"The name is Taboo!" Ron bellowed.

Suddenly a series of cracks went off outside the tent.

In a flash, all three were on their feet.

Hermione had been hoping it wouldn't come to this, but she moved quickly and pointed her wand at Harry. She mentally apologized to him and then let out the Stinging Jinx.

Everything that happened afterwards was just a haze. Being grabbed, wands taken, bound with other bodies that had been snatched. Then they were recognized. Back and forth.

There was one thing that Hermione heard that both terrified her and made her hopeful. With all she had in her, her hands still bound, she willed a message onto her pendant: Going to the Manor.

After a few moments she felt the familiar warmth of a returned message. Whatever happened next, Draco knew where she was.

The next thing Hermione knew, they were being dragged into the Malfoy Manor and were face to face with Narcissa Malfoy.

While the thought of coming face to face with Narcissa Malfoy had terrified her, it had been for a completely different situation. Hermione had never thought that she'd find herself in this situation.

Lucius came in and the pit that was in her stomach became heavier. The married couple went back and forth between whether or not the bloated man beside her was Harry Potter. They couldn't make that determination, which made Hermione feel slightly better. Until they called for their son.

Her breathing quickened and she wondered if this is what a panic attacked felt like. She could hear his footsteps coming from an adjacent room. Quick, but not rushed. The sound grew louder and louder. And suddenly there he was. On instinct, she dropped her eyes. She wasn't sure how she would react if she looked him in the eye.

'I'm here. We're going to be fine.'

His voice rang in her head as clearly as if he had said it out loud. Her breath caught and she forced herself to breathe more slowly.

'We're going to be fine,' she echoed back to him.

'Did they hurt you?' he asked.

Resisting the urge to shake her head, she responded, "No."

"Draco," Narcissa's voice broke their mental conversation. "These people claim to have caught Harry Potter. Will you take a look, dear?"

Draco did not respond but moved closer to the trio being held by Snatchers. Harry was at the center and Hermione was to his right. Draco was mere feet away from her. He towered over Harry and after just a few seconds, it felt like the day she inhaled the Amortentia potion. He was right there within arm's reach.

'In any other circumstance, I would find Harry Potter looking like this to be hilarious.'

She wanted to giggle. The first time they're reunited and he's going to start by joking about her friends? Merlin, she'd missed him.

"I can't tell. His face is too disfigured," Draco said finally. His voice was sharp and strong. The vast room seemed to make his voice echo back as a slight vibration.

"Draco, if we're the ones who hand over Harry Potter, everything will be forgiven. We'll-"

"I," he interrupted his father for what may have been the first time in Draco's young life, "have nothing to be forgiven. The Dark Lord has made it very clear to me that he thinks I am one of his most trusted followers. I've done missions for him, I am one of his most trusted people at Hogwarts, and I have done nothing which needs to be forgiven."

Now, she looked up to see Lucius's expression. He regarded his son coldly but said nothing else.

"What is this, Cissy?" came a new voice.

"These people claim to have brought in Harry Potter. Draco was just examining him but says he cannot be sure."

Bellatrix Lestrange let out a cackle, "My brilliant nephew," she cooed. "So dedicated and wanting to make sure that he has the right person for The Dark Lord. Cissy, you're so lucky he's taken after us. And not his spineless father." The dark haired woman walked over to her sister's side and began to whisper.

"What about the Mudblood?" asked one of the Snatchers who had been identified as Fenrir Greyback.

Suddenly the heads of Lucius, Narcissa, and Bellatrix all snapped to attention.

"Yes, Draco," Narcissa said. "I recognize her from the robe shop. Isn't that her?"

"And that'll be Arthur Weasley's son," added Lucius.

Hermione began to panic again. They would figure out that they wouldn't be traveling without Harry.

'Identify me. Suggest we have a Harry decoy. We've done it before.'

'Hermione-'

'Do it!'

"Draco, my dear boy, wasn't it your little scheme to pretend to date the Mudblood to drive Potter mad?" Bellatrix asked. She had been thrilled with his knack for mind games. She stood up and began to saunter towards the group gathered in the middle of the room.

'I'm so sorry,' he said to her.

'Do it.'

He turned his attention away from Harry and stepped so he was directly in front of her. "Hmm," he began, "I'd forgotten about that. Aunt Bella, please don't make me think on it again." He towered over. "Look at me, Granger." She looked up and really saw him for the first time. His face looked thinner. She swore he was taller. But there was still that look of gentleness in his eye. "Yes," he said finally. "That's my beloved ex girlfriend," he scoffed. She did not take it personally. She told him to do it.

"Malfoy, I hope you rot!" Ron bellowed. "You never deserved her, you-"

Ron was silenced by a slap courtesy of Bellatrix Lestrange that echoed throughout the room. "You be quiet, you Weasley blood traitor, or I'll..." She stopped suddenly, her attention on something she had not noticed before. "Where did you get that?" she questioned the second Snatcher who was not Fenrir Greyback was carrying the Sword of Gryffindor.

"Found it with this lot. It was in their tent."

"Give it to me," she demanded urgently.

"Not until we get our payment."

"Give it to me!" she shrieked. She pulled her wand out and in an instant was at the Snatcher's throat. "Hand it over, or we're all dead! Do you understand me? The Dark Lord will kill us all!"

Be it fear of the Dark Lord or fear of the clearly deranged witch at his throat, the Snatcher complied. Then she released a Stunning Curse on him anyway. Greyback, having a keen survival instinct, stepped away from the now collapsed Snatcher.

The wild eyed woman wheeled around to direct her attention to the three prisoners. "Lucius, take this scum outside. We need to wait to see if this is the real Potter but for now-"

"Bella-" Narcissa attempted to interrupt.

"No, Cissy! This is much more dire than you understand. If the Dark Lord finds out about this... this sword having left my vault, we're all in grave danger. Now I just need a moment... Yes, just a moment. Just a moment to think on what to do... I can't... think. Argh! The prisoners need to be placed in the cellar while I think."

"Bella," Narcissa started again, "this is my home. If anyone is giving orders, it shall be me."

"Cissy," she hissed. "The longer it takes to sort this out, the more likely it is the Dark Lord will walk in on this mess and will paint the room with our blood and make your spineless husband wipe it up."

After a moment, Narcissa nodded. "Mr. Greyback, please escort the prisoners to the cellar."

"Wait," Bellatrix said with an emphatic gasp. "All except the Mudblood. I need her for questioning."

"No!" Ron yelled. "No, you can have me!"

"If she dies, I'll come after you next, you filthy little blood traitor," she hissed.

'I'll kill her,' came Draco's voice.

'No, you won't. I'll be fine.'

'You've only had a glimpse of her. She will torture you.'

'I'll be fine.'

"Where did you get that sword, Mudblood?"

Hermione wouldn't answer.

Suddenly pain overwhelmed her body and against her own will she let out a strangled scream.

"I'll ask again. Where did you get that sword?"

Silence.

Scream.

'Let me stun her,' came Draco's clear voice through a haze of pain.

'No. You can't expose yourself.'

"Tell me where you got it, Mudblood!"

Hermione's body was on fire again and she dropped to the ground. "We found it."

"Liar! You've been in my vault at Gringotts, haven't you? Haven't you?"

"No!"

Scream.

"Tell the truth!"

'Hermione, please.'

"What else did you take?"

"Nothing! It's not the real sword! It's a fake!"

That stopped Bellatrix's torture for a moment.

'We didn't come this far just to throw it all away now, Draco. We need to make it out of this.'

Bellatrix laughed maniacally. "A fake? What would a dirty little Mudblood like yourself want with a fake? You stole it just like you stole out magic, didn't you? Didn't you?"

Another Cruciatus Curse ripped a scream from her lungs.

"How did you get in," Bellatrix demanded. "That rotten little goblin helped you in, didn't he?"

"No! We only just met today," Hermione pleaded, trying to protect the goblin.

Bellatrix let out another cackle. "Well, since you say it's a fake..." she started and then continued on in a sing-song voice, "why don't we just find out?" She demanded that Fenrir Greyback go get the goblin.

'Are you all right?'

'I'm doing great. Honestly, she's not that even that big of a deal.' She hoped her mental voice could portray that as a joke because she could hardly pull her mind away from the pain.

Within moments Griphook had returned and, to Hermione's surprise, confirmed it was a fake.

"Are you sure? Quite sure?"

"Yes," confirmed the goblin again.

A look of relief crossed the witch's face. "Well then, time to call The Dark Lord. Fenrir, for all your trouble, you're welcome to take the Mudblood."

"Expelliarmus!"

"Stupefy!"

Harry and Ron had burst into the drawing room. Hermione tried to run to them, but was grabbed by Bellatrix before she could even steady herself.

"STOP OR SHE DIES!"

All the commotion came to a sudden stop and Hermione felt a cold blade press against her neck.

"Drop your wands," Lestrange demanded. When the hesitated, the older witch pushed the blade into the younger woman's throat. Hermione felt drops of liquid forming on her skin. "Now."

This time they obeyed her command.

'I won't let her kill you. You're going to be fine.

'I know.'

Bellatrix giggled. "Well now, that settles that then. Draco, get their wands." She watched her nephew cross the room and collect the items, waiting for one of them to move so that she had an excuse to kill the little magic thief in her grasp. "Now, let's tie these prisoners up. We'll call The Dark Lord, and Harry Potter, you will soon reach your death! As I was saying, Fenrir, after all you've done tonight I'm sure The Dark Lord would love for you to have the little Mudblood."

There was a foreign noise that caught everyone's attention. Hermione noticed that it seemed to be coming from above her. Both she and Lestrange looked up at the same moment.

Draco had heard the expression "seeing red" before, but it wasn't until the last few minutes that he had ever experienced it. After everything that had just happened, seeing the blade against Hermione's neck, hearing his aunt offer her up to the savage Greyback, all he wanted was to destroy. And he would have. If it were not for that creaking noise coming from up above.

He looked up to see the house elf ready to drop the chandelier on the two women below him.

Draco began running before Bellatrix and Hermione had even looked up. He grabbed Hermione and pulled her out of the way, leaving the chandelier to land on his aunt.

"Draco!" he heard his mother shriek.

"Come on," he said, helping Hermione up.

He watched as Weasley and Potter ran to help the goblin who had been in close proximity and had been knocked over. He was vaguely aware of his mother and aunt alternate between berating the House Elf and calling for Draco. He wrapped one arm around Hermione and had his wand at the ready.

Finally, all had been gathered and Dobby was waiting with an outstretched hand. As he and Hermione reached to touch the elf, his aunt's piercing scream echoed across the room.

"Traitor!" She threw the knife she had used against Hermione toward the group.

"Nooo!" he heard Hermione cry out as she saw it. Suddenly, it felt like a gust of air pushed out from the group and then it was swept away by the familiar sensation of Apparition.

The group landed on a sandy beach and everyone immediately started checking in, making sure each was all right. Draco searched the nearby ground but it didn't look like the knife had made it through.

"I am sorry, Master Draco," said Dobby who had come up to him during the search. "But I had to protect Harry Potter."

Draco didn't know what to say to the elf. He'd never really conversed with him much. "I had to protect Hermione," he said simply.

The House Elf smiled widely at his former master, relishing in the conversation they were having as equals.

Suddenly Draco felt himself being shoved.

"Are you an idiot?" snapped an angry curly haired witch.

"What?"

"Now they know! Now you're in just as much danger as all of us!"

"I had to protect you! Do you have any idea how hard it was to watch my deranged aunt torment you? I wasn't going to let a chandelier crush you to death after having witnessed that!"

"It wouldn't have killed me!"

"I wasn't going to take that chance!"

"We needed to stay apart to ensure we both came out alive!"

"There would be no 'we' if you died when it fell!"

Dobby, who had been watching chimed in, "Dobby would have healed Miss Granger. Dobby loves Miss Granger."

"See!" cried Hermione. "Dobby wouldn't have risked me! Honestly, you're so bloody stubborn! If you-"

"Granger!"

"What?" she barked.

"Come here."

And with those two words, Hermione let herself fall apart. He wrapped his arms around her and she leaned into him.

"We made it, Hermione. That's what matters. Everything else we'll figure out."

Draco stroked her cheeks, and for the first time in what felt like a lifetime, he leaned in to kiss her.

Everything else just faded away.

She broke the kiss slowly.

"What is it?" he asked.

She touched her pendant and removed the cloaking charm. "I didn't get to read your message."

On the back of her pendant was, "I'm here."

"You're here," she giggled, feeling delirious with happiness.

"I'm here," he confirmed as he leaned in to kiss her again.

A/N: Reunited and it feels so good~

I won't make any empty promises, but I will say that the hardest part about writing was keeping them separated. Now that they're back together I feel much better and have several idea for how to move forward. So I can at least say that.

Thank you to all of you who continue reading. I hope you've found something to make your heart happy in these trying times.

Stay safe, my loves. I can't bear to lose more people.