March 5th
Astoria took a deep breath and blew her nose noisily.
"I thought you said you were fine?" a droll voice questioned, startling her.
"Oh, its you", she smiled, relaxing when she realised it was only Draco. He was leaning against her bedroom doorframe, having let himself in through the Floo without her noticing. The house elves wouldn't have cared, he was here so often nowadays. Things weren't exactly back to normal between them, but they were healing. At least now, the nervous feeling he always instilled in her was more pleasant than anxious.
Astoria suddenly sneezed, and flopped back against her pillow. With a groan, she pulled her blanket over her head. This had to be the worst cold she'd ever had! She almost never got sick, but this had hit her out of the blue. Her head was pounding, her nose was running, her throat was sore and she had a temperature. Why today of all days? She had been so excited for her and Draco to go to the Tower and see little Mira for the first time!
"I told you not to come", she muttered from under the blanket.
The blanket was unceremoniously pulled away, exposing her red nose and puffy eyes to Draco's cool, perfect eyes. "How are you doing?" he asked as he sat down on the bed.
Astoria hesitated. Could she tell him? Could she really tell Draco what she had been thinking these last few solitary hours? It was a crazy idea. He'd laugh at her. Or be shocked. But perhaps that was better than the opposite. She didn't want it to be true.
"What is it?" Draco pressed.
"I've been thinking…" she began. For some reason, Draco paled. He slowly pulled his hand away, until she continued: "...about my mother."
"What about her?" Draco asked, visibly relieved. Astoria frowned at his strange behaviour, but shrugged it off.
"It's..." she started, but was cut off.
"You know, there are two things I can't stand for you to tell me", Draco said through clenched teeth, "and that's 'I'm fine', when I know you're not, and 'nothing', when I know there's something. So just tell me already."
"All right", Astoria agreed quickly, and then sighed and picked up a clean handkerchief from her night stand. She was starting to get embarrassed. "This is going to sound strange", she warned, "and I'm only saying it out loud so that I can hear myself how stupid it sounds, okay?"
"Sure." Draco shrugged and then got up to help her put her pillow behind her back so she could rest against the headboard.
"Well... um, Mother has had some moodswings lately, you could say. You know what she's normally like, but a few times these past few months, she's shifted really fast from extremely excited and happy to – to irritable, I guess, and distressed."
Draco said nothing, so she continued:
"I've been trying to piece together what's been causing those shifts. becaus I don't remember her being like that before. At first, I thought it was because of your father, because the first time it happened, I thought her excitement was about getting to see him at that ball in September. Her depression afterwards - I literally didn't see her for two days - wasn't too strange either. I figured she was worried about him when he was at St Mungo's, and she got better just when he got better." Astoria paused awkwardly. "You know how highly she thinks of Lucius."
Draco snorted. He hid it quickly, but Astoria didn't miss the look of mild disdain on his face. It hurt, but she couldnt' blame him. Her mother's obsession with Lucius and the Malfoys was rather embarrassing. "Go on", Draco urged.
"Well... that first time was only natural, but then it happened again a few weeks later. And this time I had no idea what got her so excited, but it was right before Lucius attacked Herione for the first time, in Diagon Alley. She was horrible for days after, which I again put down to her being worried about him. Then later on there was that tea party at our house. I figured she was so cheerful in anticipation of Lucius coming - but then there was another incident, and she went downhill again." Astoria took a deep breath. "And then last time it happened was right before they were attacked - and I was involved. I can't tell you for certain what she was like afterwards, because I avoided everyone, but I think it was really bad..."
Astoria trailed off, feeling all the guilt associated with that time return to her. She avoided Draco's gaze, but knew he was watching her. After a few moments, he cleared his throat awkwardly.
"The way you're telling it -" Draco said hesitatingly. "Astoria, do you think Eloise is the one behind the attacks?"
"No!" Astoria croaked, but even through her sore throat she could hear the doubt in her voice. "I mean… No. How could she be? I was standing right next to her by the window at home when Lucius did that to Hermione! And she would never have forced me into this, would she? She would have tried to help me when I was bleeding from that wound, wouldn't she? She wouldn't have let me get hurt, right?"
Draco didn't answer. "Why are you thinking about it now?" he asked.
Because it's happening again. "She's been humming to herself, and locks herself into the library for hours. I don't know what she's doing, but sometimes it sounds like she's reading aloud from a book, like a genealogy or something, or reciting a spell. She's been cheerful and hasn't even picked on me once. And today, out of the blue, she told me she was going away, but not where she was going or when she'd be back."
Draco stood up hastily. Before she could ask him what was wrong, he asked: "This cold, when did it hit you?"
"In the afternoon, right after she told me she was leaving. I felt all right, but - but she insisted I looked poorly and gave me a potion so I wouldn't get worse."
Draco cursed under his breath. "I need to check something. The library's on the third floor, right?"
Astoria immediately shuffled out of bed. "I'm coming with you", she said with determination, though the throbbing in her head immediately doubled.
Draco looked like he was about to object, but then he saw what she was wearing. Astoria blushed, but Draco only have her a crooked smile that seemed to promise a lot of teasing later on, took her hand and hurried away. The moment they stepped into the library, he raised his wand and called "Accio Family History!"
Within a few seconds, a heavy volume with gold engravings nearly knocked him off his feet as it hit him square in the chest. Astoria waited for him to open the book or say something, but didn't. He stared at the book as if in shock. He had apparently not actually expected that his spell would work. When she saw the title of the book, Astoria too was astonished. The History of the Malfoys - from the beginning unto infinity.
"Silencio!" Eloise snapped, directing her wand at Lucius.
Lucius continued to struggle against his ties, but the warnings, curses and objections he shouted were no longer audible. Hermione, on the other hand, didn't need to be silenced. She had already accepted that - at least for the moment - resistance was useless. She sat quiet as Eloise used a small knife to cut her finger and let some of her blood trickle into a small bowl.
Once Lucius realised that the cut wasn't as long or deep as he had feared it would be, he also became comparatively calm. When Eloise moved away with the bowl, Hermione saw that his eyes remained fixed on her finger. It was still bleeding, since Eloise had neglected to heal the cut. Drops of blood continued to ooze from the wound, and the warm and wet liquid slowly seeped through the fabric of Hermione's leggings. Both she and Lucius knew that cut was small and that the bleeding would seize soon enough, but Eloise's lack of care sent them a clear message: Hermione's blood wasn't worth a Knut.
In silence, they watched Eloise pick up Lucius's wand and twirl it above Hermione's blood and then dip it in a vial containing only a few drops of a crimson red liquid. Hermione could easily see that it must be Lucius's blood. All the while, Eloise was uttering an intricate spell. Hermione wasn't sure, but the thought she heard the words Avada kedavra among the words. When Eloise finished, an ominous green light flashed through the room.
Eloise seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and smiled triumphantly to herself. Then she took Lucius's wand and stepped closer to him. After his outburst, however, Lucius seemed to have gone back to his stoic, disinterested exterior. He gave her only a look of cool distaste, neither speaking nor moving when adjusted his ropes. He was still bound to the chair, but his right arm was made free. She reached her hand out, offering him his wand back, but he didn't take it. Hermione wasn't surprised, and Eloise didn't seem very shocked either. She simply sighed, as if dealing with a troublesome child, and set the wand down next to him on his chair.
She then brushed off her robes with a practiced sweep of her hand and turned so that she could address both her captives. Hermione waited impatiently for her to speak. Eloise was setting up a game, and Hermione knew better than anyone that it would be necessary to know the rules in order to beat her. She'd been through this with Ron and Harry so many times - from that game of wizard's chess in their first year to Harry's actual death at the Battle of Hogwarts.
But what game was this? Why the hourglass, why the charm on Lucius's wand? If Eloise wanted her and Mira out of the way, it would surely have been easier to just kill them herself. It would have been far more efficient - and if she wanted Lucius to be sent to Azkaban, she could simply have used his wand and pinned the blame on him that way.
Hermione's chest clenched painfully at the idea of death. She wasn't afraid for herself, exactly. Harry had told her enough about his experiece for her to realise it wasn't as dreadful as one might think. But she wanted to live. For her own sake as well as for the ones who loved her. She wanted a chance to be a mother and a wife, she wanted to see her friends and find her purpose in life. What if she couldn't? The thought pained her - but that wasn't what tormented her. Cold with dread, she glanced at Mira. She couldn't accept, couldn't even think - She shook her head to herself. No, how could Eloise mean to kill an infant? Was she no better than Voldemort? No, no it was impossible! Hermione had to hold on to this much hope: that there had to be some way to at least get Mira out of here safely.
"Let me explain your situation to you", Eloise finally offered, startling Hermione from her thoughts. She had the same tone of voice as if she was welcoming someone into her home. It was the voice of a congenial hostess, eager to please her guests - and it made Hermione shudder.
"As I told you earlier, Lucius", Eloise began as she turned towards him, "you will have to make a choice. As you saw, I have just now put a charm on your wand. I have - what do the muggles call it? - programmed it for you." Eloise paused to make sure they were following her, and continued: "The next curse your wand will perform will be one you are familiar with." She made a pause, before she said what Hermione had already started to guess: "Avada Kedavra."
Lucius slowly shifted his gaze from Eloise to his wand. He slowly picked it up, and watched it thoughtfully as he rolled it between his thumb and forefinger. "Indeed?" he asked. "I wasn't planning on killing you right away, but I don't mind it if that's what you wish."
Eloise laughed. "Oh, Lucius, I always loved your sense of humour", she said, and leaned back against one of the shelves. "Go ahead", she said, opening her arms as if welcoming an embrace. "Kill me, then."
Lucius didn't hesitate. His eyes flashed with intent as he swung his wand and barked "Avada Kedavra!"
Hermione flinched, seeing for a moment the malice of the old Lucius's cross her Lucius's features. She had, however, never been closer to condoning murder than at this moment. But nothing happened. No sound, no flash of light - and no injury whatsoever on Eloise.
"Oh dear", Eloise mocked, "it looks like you've either lost your touch or forgotten something: I used some of your precious wife's blood for my charm. Let me tell you the secret: you can only perform that one curse, and only against a living, breathing being who carries Hermione Granger's blood in their veins." Eloise's eyes glittered as she clarified: "Not me, not yourself, not the lamp and not the cat. You have but two possible objects: your mudblood wife, or her offspring."
For a few moments, everything was quiet. Not even the sound of traffic from the streets down below, nor the tolling of the church bells, nor the spatter of rain against the windows reached them. Nobody moved, nobody even seemed to breathe. Everything was dilent as death. But then:
"No."
Lucius's voice was calm and steady. Hermione couldn't quite decipher what he was thinking and feeling. For months, he had nearly driven her and himself mad with his fear of the tiniest possible risk she might expose herself to - but now that their fates were about to be sealed, he looked completely unconcerned. Perhaps it was that instinct of his, to shut down every emotion when faced with a threatening situation? Or perhaps he was better at acting than he had thought? Or - she dared scarcely hope it - perhaps he had some sort of plan for how to get them out of this mess?
"No?" Eloise chuckled. "But I tell you that you must."
Lucius scoffed, but Eloise's smile only widened. She began to walk around the room, weaving a pattern around them. "I told you months ago, Lucius, that there is nobody less likely than you to do anything against your will. I have come to realise that I was more right than I thought. So this time, you will be the one who chooses to raise your wand. Nobody will interfere. I won't force you, and nobody can stop you." Eloise paused right as she was behind Lucius, leaning forward to speak into his ear in a way that made Hermione's stomach turn. "I used your blood to alter the wards and shut off your Floo connection so that nobody can get in. Your little house elf - the most loyal of her breed, I am sure - is taking a well deserved nap in the storage room. And I didn't forget Hermione and the child. They've both taken a potion that has shut off their magical capabilities for now."
Eloise stood back up and walked towards Hermione instead. "If you truly wish to kill me, you can try - but not until you have killed one of them. There must be death tonight, Lucius, but you decide who goes."
"And if I do not choose to kill?" Lucius asked darkly.
"If you refuse, they will both die." Eloise stopped again, this time behind Hermione. She picked up a lock of her hair and ran it through her fingers.
Lucius's eyes met Hermione's, and under layers of cool disinterestedness she saw it: anger, fear - and regret. If they had been alone, she would have asked him why. Was it because he felt responsible, that he'd failed to keep her safe? Or did he still think that this was the price he had to pay for the evils he had committed? If they had been alone, she would have told him that life wasn't fair. She would have asked what kind of justice it would be to hurt him by hurting her? But they weren't alone. She couldn't comfort him. All she could do was to keep Eloise talking, to reveal to them as much of her plan as possibe.
"What happens if Lucius refuses to choose?" she asked.
Eloise patted her shoulder. "I am sure that hourglass speaks for itself. The moment the sand runs out, your heart will stop beating. Then Lucius will have no choice but to use the killing curse on the child instead."
That child. The mudblood offspring. Hermione bristled. "Her name is Mira", Hermione whispered.
"That child should not have been born."
"She's done nothing wrong."
"Her very existence is an insult to the name of Malfoy!" Eloise hissed, and then paused to recollect herself. She continued to pace around the room. "I don't care what her name is. It doesn't change the fact that she will soon likely be dead anyway."
"What did you do to her?"
"Nothing to worry about. A simple sleeping draught; it won't cause her any harm", Eloise dismissed, and then paused and turned towards him as if she'd suddenly had an idea. "But she will of course continue to sleep until someone wakes her up properly, and I seem to recall that infants need nourishment rather frequently. I can't remember how long they can go without... A day, two, three?" She shrugged. "I'm willing to wait and see, are you?"
Tears of desperation rose in Hermione's eyes. She found herself struggling against the ropes, chafing her wrists and ankles, but to no avail. This could not be happening. Perhaps Lucius's line of thinking was right after all - perhaps she had indeed done something horrible to deserve all of this? Isn't it always the people who think they are good who are the worst? She had been petty and judgmental and was probably a nuisance to anyone who got on her wrong side - perhaps she did deserve this. But not Mira. Not Mira!
"You're a monster", Hermione breathed.
"Oh, please", Eloise rolled her eyes. "She'll suffer no pain whatsoever, whether she lives or dies!"
"So if I kill neither of them..." Lucius interrupted. "They will both die."
"Exactly", she nodded. "And since your wand will be useless, I'll simply break it in two. Then, I'll alter your memory so you'll forget my interference and think you killed them both quite of your own volition."
Eloise once more approached Lucius. Hermione had desperately hoped to spot a flaw in Eloise's plan, some loophole that might help them to break free and change the game board. But she couldn't. And when Eloise leaned close to Lucius from behind, her cheek touching his hair as she whispered in his ear, her gaze met Hermione's.
"You have no way out of this, Lucius. You must make your decision."
Sorry for the delay...