Once they got on the bus Hermione couldn't hold back sleep, clutching the bag on her thighs she fell back in her seat and went still.
Noticing her uncomfortable position Pansy gently shook her awake and suggested that she makes use of two seats.
"Sure." Hermione muttered with her eyes half open. She set her bag down as a pillow after Pansy relocated to the row across.
Rest of the trip Pansy made sure that Hermione's rest went undisturbed. She never saw anyone so tired and thought that if any, this rest was surely well deserved.
Hermione awoke out of a nightmare near the end of the line. She rubbed her eyes open, still confused by the world that slowly blurred in.
"Hey, feeling better?" Pansy jumped over to emptied seat.
"Somewhat." Hermione unenergetically nodded, wondering what had gotten Pansy in such a good mood, but her attention soon shifted to the familiar scenes of London suburbs where she was born and grew up for the first years of her life.
When the bus stopped they continued afoot. The anxiousness grew inside Hermione as they neared the place her parents hopefully still lived.
"Are we close?" Pansy asked.
"Little more, yes." Hermione said. She felt washed over by nostalgia as they walked past some of her personal landmarks. "There's the store I always went to get candy as a kid. I'm surprised it's still here." Hermione thought aloud while resisting the urge to step inside.
Pansy only shot her an odd look. She wasn't used to Hermione spewing her random thoughts aloud, so she wasn't sure how to respond.
As they stepped into the front yard, Hermione noticed that her mom still tended to the garden with the same care. It all seemed so familiar yet so strange, like after a long trip… and a lot smaller then she recalled.
When Hermione finally stood before the front door, she glanced over to Pansy who surely couldn't understand her hesitation, but didn't prod her for some reason either.
Hermione took a moment to exhale while the gentle breeze caressed her skin and carried the sounds of kids playing from the lawn across. Peaceful and idyllic, but it did nothing to ease the suspense. Hermione felt the same unease before any uncomfortable task, the unavoidable inner strife. She knew enough not to run away from it though, so she rang the bell taking in a big breath. With eyes still locked on the door she felt a light touch on her fingers and turned to see that Pansy had squeezed her hand with a compassionate glare. "It'll be fine." She added in a low hum.
Hermione yanked her arm out felling suddenly unnerved. "Yes, if they're there…" Hermione said defensively. "And why wouldn't it be fine?" She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Wait, what do you know…?!"
Hermione was cut off by the screeching doors. The woman who opened was still a tad taller than Hermione and she had a serious and sour expression, something akin to aversion toward the strangers who showed up at her doorstep.
"Mom?" Hermione managed to choke out.
Hearing that the woman's face flashed with signs of recognition and she finally stepped over to embrace her daughter.
Hermione was severely relieved but also taken aback.
"Come inside quick, it's quite chilly today." Her mom said disappearing into the hallway.
Pansy and Hermione followed her first door to the right and into the living room where Hermione's mom turned on her foot and finally took notice of Pansy. "Who's your friend?"
"I'm Pansy Parkinson ma'am." Pansy stepped forward to shake her hand with a cordial bow. "Glad to meet you Mrs. Granger."
"Likewise dear girl. Isn't she lovely?" Mrs. Granger smiled glancing back to her daughter.
"Yea." Hermione droned, still confused by her mother's behaviour. It was unlikely she'd just completely ignore the whole past ordeal. Hermione was certain her mom would use at least one sentence to address it, weather or not someone else was present.
Once they sat down at the dining table, Hermione wanted to get to the bottom of this. "I have to tell you, I feel relieved. I was afraid you might still be a bit mad at me."
"Why would I be mad?" Her mother asked.
"I mean… you know…" Hermione paused observing the unchanging confusion linger on her mom's face. "…I guess it doesn't matter." Hermione chose to gloss over it for now.
"Good. Now sit right there while I fix you a cup of tea."
"I'd like chamomile, if you have it?" Pansy cheerfully requested catching a scornful look from Hermione. "What?!" She quietly inquired after Mrs. Granger left the room.
"Something's not right here." Hermione whispered frantically looking around.
"Come on now, you should be happy!" Pansy argued. "Your mom's great and clearly holds no grudge…"
"I won't even ask how you know about that… Did you pull out my memories?!"
"No… I just…"Pansy stuttered.
"Never mind, we have a more pressing issue here… but we'll talk about that later…"
"Talk about what dear?" Mrs. Granger came in with a cup of tea in each hand.
"Nothing of importance." Hermione said faking a smile.
"Alright." Hermione's mother accepted setting the cups down before them. "Drink up now and I'll go fetch your father. He must be down in the basement."
"Sure." Hermione nodded.
Pansy reached for her cup, but Hermione was quick to stop her hand. "Don't drink that!"
"Why not?" Pansy wondered.
"I said don't drink it or I'll knock it out of your damn hand!" Hermione threatened quietly.
"Fine!" Pansy snapped back setting the cup down. "You're fucking paranoid, you know that?!" She added crossing her arms.
"Maybe, but I'm not going to relax until I'm certain. My mother… the way she's behaving, it just doesn't seem right."
"Not right how?"
"Well, for one she never used to hug me." Hermione admitted.
"Your mom never hugged you?" Pansy asked genuinely surprised.
"Yea, because I asked her not to, it bothered me when I got a bit older. I didn't want other kids to think I was some… never mind…" Hermione quieted down when she heard approaching footsteps.
Mr. Granger now joined them and they all sat down by the table. Hermione could barely focus on the chit-chat. She was keeping an eye out for Pansy who was still longingly eyeing her cup, trying to inhale the opulent fumes of chamomile tea.
"Tell me something mom…" Hermione suddenly interjected with a serious tone.
"Yes dear?"
"Did you feed my pet hamster while I was gone?"
"I'm sorry dear, but… he died."
"Oh, well that's fine, he was very old I guess." Hermione stood up. "I actually got a present for you." She said bringing her bag up on the chair in order to rummage trough it. Hermione pushed her hand deeper past the stuffed shirts until she felt a hard wooden object. Then she pulled out her wand and used Petrificus Totalus on her supposed mother.
The woman jumped back as a reaction to Hermione's hand movement but wasn't quick enough to dodge the spell. She went stiff momentarily and fell like a log on across the living room carpet.
The impostor impersonating Hermione's father drew his wand and fired off a curse which Hermione somehow dodged, but she couldn't dodge the tackle that followed as he lounged at her. Hermione fell back hitting her head against the wall so hard it knocked her out for a second. When she came round she felt a strong set of hands around her neck.
"Now you're dead bitch!" The Death Eater wearing the face of her father gritted trough his teeth, putting all of his strength into his grip.
Pansy could only watch this unfold in horror. She froze on the spot thinking that her heart was going to betray her. She glanced towards the door, but when a choking yelp came out from Hermione, Pansy felt something akin to a sharp ache in her chest and reflexively grabbed the nearest chair. She ran over to bring the chair down atop the assailant's back. This knocked the Death Eater off balance so he fell on the floor. Quickly as he fell, he got up with his face somewhat drooping as the effect of Polyjuice potion begun to wane.
Death Eater's morphing face terrified Pansy so she backed away in fear, slowly understanding her predicament. Talking wasn't gonna work here, Pansy realized as her back hit the wall, and her thin shuddery legs threatened to give out.
"Aren't you that Parkinson girl?" The Death Eater asked not really waiting for an answer before smacking Pansy across the face. She crumbled down the floor where the Death Eater finished her off with a few vicious kicks in the head and stomach. "Now wait here like a good girl while I take care of Miss. Granger. She's much more dangerous." He said contently gazing down on his work.
Pansy was out for a moment, but when she finally opened her eyes she could taste the sweet taste of blood spreading trough her mouth. It dripped down on her hand as she propped her self up, however she felt no pain and little concern for herself seeing Hermione struggle for her life, possibly both their lives, Pansy realized, for what chance would she have alone against this monster. This was it, now or never, she decided.
Hermione struggled to crawl away under a table.
"What?! You think you can hide there?!" The Death Eater her in the ribs and Hermione was on her back again while his hands went back around her throat for what seemed like the final time. Hermione wasn't trying to get them off though, she had her arm outstretched, desperately reaching for something. It was her wand! Pansy realized, but Hermione would need a small break to reach it. Pansy lurched herself forward but fell almost immediately feeling a sharp stab in her foot. "Hey bastard!" Face bloodied, Pansy screamed from the floor while crawling towards the Death Eater.
The Death Eater didn't pay any attention to Pansy though, he was focused on finishing the job. At this pace Pansy wouldn't be able to reach them in time and the worst seemed inevitable until she finally got an idea. Pansy reached up to grab the tablecloth hanging from the corner and yanked it down with all the strength she had left. The cup and the vase came crashing down in to the floor.
The Death Eater turned to look for a moment loosening his grip on Hermione's neck. That's when Hermione managed wiggle a few inches further and grasp the wand with tip of her fingers. Hermione then jabbed her wand into the Death Eater's neck and performed a nonverbal Sectumsempra curse.
The spell wasn't as strong because Hermione was barely conscious at that point but it did make a gash on Death Eater's neck large enough to make the blood start pouring. Shock spread across his face Hermione followed it up by another Sectumsempra. The initial cut deepened and now the blood started spraying all over the floor, down on Hermione's face and into her eyes.
Hermione then flipped on her side desperately trying to regain her breath while the fatally injured impostor stood up grasping at his neck. He wobbled around and knocked over a few chairs before finally collapsing somewhere in the hallway.
Once Hermione was able to breathe somewhat normally, she looked down on her reflection in the crimson pool that slowly vanished into a dark stain on the carpet. She got up, observing Pansy do the same across the room. Pansy propped herself against the table, still wide-eyed and panting from the shock of what just transpired.
"Are you ok?" Hermione asked.
"I think so." Pansy managed, gaining a bit of composure.
"This is…" Hermione used her sleeve to wipe some of the blood off her face."…not mine."
"Thankfully…" Pansy sighed.
"I know, we're lucky." Hermione concurred.
" Imperio!" Pansy suddenly heard from her left.
As they recovered, they didn't notice the female Death Eater Hermione petrified earlier. She was now back on her feet and pointing her wand at Hermione.
Hermione was under the Imperius curse. With a blank expression she menacingly approached Pansy.
Pansy pleaded and cried, but nothing she said seemed to work. "Wake up!" She continued in vain. "Hermione, please wake up…" Pansy's voice cracked as Hermione, controlled like a puppet, raised her wand and pointed it at her face.
"Wake up!" Pansy yelled as anger suddenly spurred inside her. It couldn't end like this! Pansy raged internally, it wasn't fair and she would not accept this fate. "Wake up you fucking mudblood!" Injured and without a wand to defend herself, she screamed as hard as she could.
Hermione suddenly stopped. She gazed down as if the words had stirred something in her mind.
Pansy got the clue now. "Wake up Granger! Wake up you filthy mudblood!"
Hermione stumbled over as if she was blind. "Parkinson…? P… Pansy?" She dropped her wand and started moving her hands over Pansy's face, smudging the blood that still poured from her nose.
"Yea it's me." Pansy said smiling trough the tears as the Imperious curse completely broke. "Now go get that bitch!" She ordered pointing to the female Death Eater who was busy horrifying over the state of her unfortunate companion.
Hermione tried to hit her with the disarming spell, but the surprised witch was able to duck into the hallway and than she Apparated upstairs closely followed by Hermione.
With much effort Pansy started limping after them. As she climbed up to the second floor she could hear the sounds of several Apparitions and glass shattering followed by a painful scream which sounded like Hermione's. Unexpectedly the scuttling sounds suddenly stopped with one last dull thud. "No, no, no…" Pansy chanted speeding up her pace, dreading what she may find in that accursed room at the end of the hallway.
When Pansy reached the doorway she saw Hermione leaned back on a wall beneath a broken window. There was a limp Death Eater's body at her feet. It was over, Hermione managed to save them both, Pansy realized stumbling over with an uncontrollable urge to hug her.
"Ouuuu… watch it!" Hermione let out a painful groan.
"Sorry." Pansy quickly backed off inspecting the bloody gash peering trough the rip in Hermione's shirt.
"Leave it." Hermione pushed her hand away. "Just let me rest for a moment." She managed.
Pansy sat across only to observe Hermione's chest heave up and down. In the shadow and amongst all the broken glass Hermione's blood-painted face resembled a tribal war tattoo, her battle-scared fingers dripped red liquid down on the carpet.
Pansy's mind raced with vague thoughts of fear and admiration for her companion until the numerous aches started to pour in from all the different places on her body. She looked down on her blood stained clothes which brought her back to reality of the situation. "We need to fix this mess, and more importantly ourselves!" Pansy stood up loudly realizing.
Hermione nodded getting up as well. "Yes, we should leave too."
"Hold on, I have an idea." Pansy picked up a Death Eater mask from of the nearby corpse.
"What the hell are you doing?" Hermione asked.
"I thought I heard something…" Pansy went off into another room. "Yes, there's an owl here." She walked over to the caged bird in the corner of the room then glanced back to Hermione at the doorway.
"It's not mine."
"Good." Pansy said. "Do you have a quill and some parchment?"
"Check in there." Hermione pointed to the ancient cupboard in her room.
Pansy tore off a piece of the parchment and rolled up a quickly scribbled note. She opened the cage and under the guise of the mask placed the roll in the owl's claw who gave a hoot in response. "Take this to master." Pansy instructed. The owl gave two quick hoots and flew off trough the window.
"What did you write?" Hermione asked.
"That you're dead, that the mission is accomplished."
"That might buy us some time… Good thinking!" Hermione commended.
"Thanks." Pansy smiled.
"Anyway, we should still leave before someone shows up." Hermione said getting up to her feet with a heavy grunt.
"Wait, shouldn't we at least have a look?" Pansy asked.
"What for?"
"Your parents… the real ones. If the Death Eaters used them for Polyjuice potion they might have kept them around."
"I doubt that, they usually just shave your head and have a supply for years." Hermione said feeling a bit annoyed by Pansy's barrage of questions.
"I think we should still look." Pansy insisted. "Don't give up hope." She reached out to grab hold of Hermione's hand again.
This felt strange like the first time, only now there was a word that made Hermione furious. "Hope!?" Hermione yanked her hand back so fast that Pansy staggered back feeling a bit startled.
Hermione walked back into the other room closely followed by Pansy. "Look around you!" She pointed down on the blood stained shattered glass. "Does this look fucking hopeful?!"
"I just thought…" Pansy didn't get to finish as Hermione dragged her over to the nearby mirror.
"Look at yourself!" Hermione took her by the collar. "You think that looks hopeful!"
Pansy averted her gaze from her own bloody and bruised visage. "It can be fixed…" She muttered feeling tears fill up her eyelids. "Everything can still be fixed, we can find your parents and the wounds will surely heal."
"They won't just fucking heal! And what about your family?! Didn't they burn up with your mansion?! Can you fix that?! Ha?!" Hermione shook her demanding. "Tell me then!"
"No…" Pansy whimpered. She couldn't hold back tears any longer, so she buried her face in her hands and started crying.
Hermione backed away to pace around the room and start an angry discussion with herself. "This whole thing has been one long descent into madness since a long time! I wish I never joined this war, I wish…" Hermione's monologue went on for some time. It was a sting of broken sentences enumerating everything wrong with the world and cutting like a jagged knife.
Meanwhile Pansy listened and sobbed in the corner of the room. She was trying to collect herself before Hermione swooped in and nearly wrecked her optimism. Still Pansy hung on, she felt like she had to keep going. She did this almost unwillingly and despite how hard it was to find the reasons, especially with nearby Hermione, who was now like a sea of darkness pouring into her ear. "Shut up! Just shut the hell up!" Pansy finally screamed out.
Hermione stopped dead in her tracks and faced her.
"Say what you want, but I'm not giving up! I will look for your parents if you don't care!" With tearful eyes Pansy stormed off to check the next room.
Hermione followed her to the doorway to find her inspecting the closets, under the bed and all the other places a person may be able to fit. She did all this with a bloody nose and tearful eyes still leaking.
"Pansy, I'm sorry." Hermione said silently from the doorway.
"Then help me look!" Pansy said briefly wiping off her tear-stained cheek.
"Ok." Hermione accepted.