CHAPTER 44
October 24th 2001
Hermione Granger landed in front of steel gates guarding a house she had yet to be invited to. It was so much brighter than the Malfoy Manor, decorated in green pastures, overflowing waterfalls and coloured birds that flocked at every edge of the gardens. One could only dream of a place like this.
"What kind of wards are over this place?" She asked, clutching her hands around the bars that blocked her next step.
"Not simple ones." Astoria replied. "You need great skill in order to break them."
She was right. By the haze that hovered over the fence and through the hedges, even a blind wizard could see how strong these wards were. It was going to take one hell of a spell to break them loose.
"You can go now, Astoria." Hermione turned back to face the younger witch. "Thank you for bringing me here, I no longer need you. Go back to the ministry and pretend as if none of this ever happened."
"Please… don't do anything that will hurt my family."
"I swear that I will do everything to make sure no one else gets hurt. This ends today."
It took Hermione a mere ten minutes to break the wards that laid over the gates. At a crackle they shuttered in release and opened with a great squeak. She kept her pace fastened while walking to the entrance, holding a steady grip on her wand as she blew through the front door and headed towards the biggest room in the house. Not a single elf nor person scurried to meet her arrival, only the echoes of her shoes followed her all the way down the hall.
Heels scraped against the floorboards the moment she reached the dining hall. Not taking even a second to chance, she blasted the knob off and threw the door open to meet the person behind all of this destruction.
"I was wondering when you would finally figure out who I was." Called the shallow voice from a wheelchair by the window.
Her chest heaved with anger so fierce she felt like she was going to combust. "You should have known I'd catch you eventually."
Theodore Nott spun his chair to reveal his tainted face, straining to show off an evil grin. Half of his hair was slicked back to a neat pureblood standard while the other half was no longer existent. Burnt by the explosion that ruined his ability to walk.
Despite being on the brink of death from a freak accident, his famous good looks were still so prominent. A cunning smile that matched so well with the sharp cheekbones and honey coloured eyes.
"How did you guess?" He rolled toward her.
She knew he wasn't going to hurt her, but that didn't stop her from tensing up the closer he got. "I'm not going to tell you that."
"Come now, Granger. Brightest witch of our age. Don't you want to share just how smart you are? Provide proof of how you outsmarted me."
"If you recognise my intelligence, you should know that I'm not going to give you the satisfaction of laying out the answers to where you went wrong."
Theo came to a stop just before his foot rests hit her calves. He hummed in disappointment that she wasn't playing his game. "You don't need to hold your wand so tightly. I do not plan on killing you right now."
She looked down to meet his gaze, doing the complete opposite of what he told her to. "I know."
"Of course you do. You know this whole holier than thou attitude is getting very annoying, Granger. I was expecting a little more spice from the mudblood."
Hermione did not care for the mind games he was trying to turn on her. She came to the Nott Manor to get answers, not to give them. Only question was how she was going to do that. Draco was right… She really does lead with her heart without thinking sometimes.
"Where is Lucius?"
"Doing what I need him to do."
"Which is?"
"Ensuring that the wizarding world will never trust the Malfoy family ever again."
The witch and wizard fell into a staring contest, just waiting for the other to break. Hermione stood firm in a refusal to let him win even one more thing. If she played her cards right, this was going to be the end for Theodore Nott and the rest of forever for her and Draco.
Unfortunately for Theo he didn't have as much to lose as she did so he folded sooner than he probably wanted to, and in result Hermione knew that she was going to win this battle once and for all.
"I suppose you are craving to hear the reason why I did all of this. A know-it-all like you, must be absolutely killing you to be in the unknown. Hey? Well let me take this rare opportunity and teach you something for once, Granger."
Hermione scoffed. "Spare me the details, Theo. You don't have to tell me the story behind why you did all this, I already know."
"Is that right? Well, please share."
Their crosstalk was sharp, not missing a single beat as they fought with their words.
"The Yule Ball." She gave a short and quick answer.
"What about it?"
"That night I saw you tear Draco and Pansy apart from their fight. You told Draco that if he didn't stop harassing she'd leave him, only he didn't stop and she never left. The war tore them apart momentarily which let you slip in to steal her, but you've never really had her all to yourself, have you? She kept running back to him. You have always loved Pansy, but she has always loved Draco that little bit more."
Theo clicked his jaw, rolling his tongue around his teeth. "Very good, Granger. Only you missed a few d-"
"I wasn't finished." Hermione bent down so that she was sitting in a squat position. "The Nott family have followed the Malfoy's around like lost puppies for over a century. They led you into two different wars, both coming out as losers. Only the Malfoy's lied their way through the first war successfully and got off scot-free by pretending to be under the Imperius curse. The Nott's suffered much more greatly, so much so that the guilt killed your mother."
She rose marginally, leaning on his chair for support as her face crept towards his.
"You have been nothing but a shadow to Draco your entire life. He did not care for your family's downfall nor for how much you wanted Pansy."
They were so close Hermione could feel his breath on her chin. "And yet, the prat still managed to get the golden girl."
"You've been tormenting the Malfoys for years as revenge for what they've done to your family."
"Well done. First I tore their bond apart by telling Lucius to disown Draco, then followed it up by making it seem like he would rather kill his own son then see him become his own man. Kind of glorious, don't you think?"
"Only you got bored. When you heard of the Greengrass' bankruptcy, you hired Astoria to learn what Draco loved most in this world. She gave Draco the idea to hire Crawford to take out Lucius."
"Actually, Draco did that all on his own. He is not as redeemed as he plays out to be. But, yes, faking Lucius' death was something I couldn't resist. Pansy told me Narcissa took it pretty hard, it was rather rewarding to hear. Seeing you and Draco run away into hiding was perfection. Thank you for that by the way, it was just icing on top of the cake."
"You knew Harry would find out that Lucius' body was polyjuiced. It drove Draco crazy wondering where his father really was."
"Just like I wanted. It's exactly how I felt every night that Pansy didn't come home."
"All those threats, all the money, all of the notes, none of it was real."
"None. Just a fun game to watch you all suffer like I have. Hurts, doesn't it?"
Hermione stood tall, pushing Theo in his chair so forcefully he rolled back to hit the table at the centre of the room. He laughed harshly, almost sounding relieved that someone understood how much agony he had been in for his whole life. Theo Nott was second best, and now he was finally number one.
"I shouldn't have underestimated you, Granger. You were always so good at solving mysteries. Pity you did not bring Potter and Weasley with you, it would have been nice to have a lovely little school get together."
"There's just one thing I haven't been able to figure out yet."
With raised eyebrows, Theo gaped his mouth open in awe. "This is a first."
"Why Crawford? What did he have to do with anything?"
"Hmmm. You're only asking because of those scars on your back, aren't you?"
An impatient silence soaked the room. He was right, and they both knew it.
"Crawford was simply money hungry." Theo answered with a sympathetic look. Pitying her for being so broken over such a simple thing as a dirty hitman. "Crawford has been freelancing for pureblood families since he dropped out of Hogwarts. He had the resources I needed. Willing to do anything for a shiny galleon."
"Hitmen kind of resources? Planting dead end clues? Keeping Lucius underground?"
"Something like that."
"You used Lucius' own money to pay Crawford. Draco and I found bags for monthly payments. You left no trace for anyone to pinpoint this back to you."
"And you still managed to find me. You truly are the Brightest Witch of our Age, Mudblood."
Hermione felt her fingers tingle around the wood of her wand. The temptation was right there, dancing on the fringes of her mind to kill him. Have this over and done with once and for all. She could do it. No one would blame her if she did.
Only Harry's humble voice spoke louder than the whisper of evil. Killing him would be too easy of an escape. No one finds justice in the spilt blood of murder.
Theo could see her mind ticking away at the itch and took advantage of it. "Tell me something, Granger… Why are you here alone? I feel on edge waiting for Potter and his posse of aurors to come bursting through the door at any moment."
"You don't care about Harry. You care about Draco. I came here alone because you can't kill me until Draco gets here so he can watch. We played your game. I'm not giving you the ending you want."
Draco Malfoy banged on the door of Pansy's apartment with all his might. His fist throbbed from the amount of pressure that he threw down. It had no comparison to the amount of pain that hung in his chest.
Pansy opened the door with such an attitude it looked as if she was ready to slap whoever was to blame. "Draco, can I fucking help you?" She spat, looking behind his shoulder to see Potter standing somewhat patiently.
Not even having time to reply to her question, Draco stormed through the entrance and headed straight toward her living room.
"Hey, hey, hey! What is going on?" She called out after him. "And why in Merlin's name is Potter in my house?"
"Thank you for the warm welcome." Potter bowed sarcastically. "You have a lovely home."
Pansy cringed at his pathetic playfulness and turned back to Draco, who was pacing back and forth from one couch to the other.
"I need to use your floo." He stated bluntly. "It will have access to the Nott Manor, yes?"
"Yes. But why? Why do you need to go and see Theo so urgently?"
"It's him, Pans. It's Theo. He's behind all of it. It's him. And Hermione has just got herself trapped at his house like the fucking Gryffindor that she is."
Pansy turned to Potter as if he was going to explain this all rationally for her. Her fiance was being accused of soul sucking crimes and she was put on the spot to believe it was true. Draco knew he looked crazy, but he just hoped that it was to his advantage.
It didn't. Pansy pulled her wand and pointed it at him, half way through throwing a hex before Potter tackled her to the ground.
"Go!" He yelled to Draco as he held her down. "Go! Now!"
Not a minute later Draco ran as fast as he could, searching through every room in Nott Manor, down endless halls until he finally saw her… Hermione. Standing tall in the dining hall with her wand pointed at the floor, talking to Nott.
"Hermione!" He called out, forcing her to face the direction her name came from. Her eyes locked with him in such terror that Draco knew immediately that he had fucked up. She shook her head ever so slightly, telling him that the moment he walked in the door, they were all doomed.
Nott spotted him with a sinister smirk, like a child that got exactly what they asked for at Christmas. He was waiting for him to come, and Draco just handed both himself and Granger on a silver platter.
"Ah, Draco. I knew you wouldn't be able to resist saving the girl. You always were such a people pleaser, weren't you?"
"I'm here, Theo." He stepped in the room with revenge radiating off his skin. "If it's me you want then let her go. Hermione doesn't deserve any of this."
"Oh, I am well aware of just how perfect Granger is. It's exactly why I'm going to have to kill her, and you're going to watch."
"You touch even a hair on her head and I will tear you apart."
Theo calmly pulled his wand from his sock and placed it on his lap. Hands clasping with lips pressed to a thin line. "Now that's a bit dramatic, Malfoy."
A hand curled from behind and latched itself onto Draco's throat while the other bound hot straps around his arms. Charmed to burn his skin with every inch he moved.
Hermione launched herself to help but was immediately disarmed. Her face turned white as Theo threw a spell to paralyse her from the neck down then leviated her above the dining table before she hit the floor.
Draco tried kicking himself free from whoever was behind but he could barely breathe from the lack of oxygen. He was forced to watch as Hermione was dropped onto the drawing room table and ropes tied onto each of her wrists and ankles.
She screamed. Thrashing her head back and forth to fight the spells that were compelled to kill her.
"N-NOOOO!" Draco croaked, begging anyone and no one to help.
"Theo?" A broken voice called from the entrance. Pansy. "What are you doing?"
As if it was planned, Theo cackled as he disarmed his fiance and threw her across the room. Her head hit the hall with a thud so loud it almost disguised the jinx that was thrown by Potter the instant he entered the room. But he came in such a rush that his spell missed Theo and hit a chair instead.
Draco didn't even get a chance to duck from the wooden pieces flying towards him before Potter laid unconscious on the floor. A proud Theo rolling toward his body just to boast of his victory.
"Well that was easier than I thought it would be. Gee, these Gryffindors have really lost their touch, haven't they, Crawford?"
A shallow chuckle came from the chest pressed against Draco's back. Fuck.
Through it all, Hermione's screams had dulled to heavy panting. She couldn't see anything that was happening but no doubt knew they were ill-fated.
Clicking his tongue, Theo levitated Pansy off the floor and used his magic to tie her up to one of the chairs along the dining table. She squirmed in her seat, tears soaking the bandage that blocked her mouth. She looked at Draco with sorry eyes. Whether or not she knew she was partly to blame for all of this, he didn't quite know yet.
Theo swiveled to face Draco with a glare sharper than a double edged sword. "I want you to wallow in this, Malfoy. You and your family have done nothing but destroy every fucking good thing in my life. When I'm done with killing Granger, I'm going to make sure each of you gets the Dementor's kiss."
"I thou-thought, thought we were friends."
"WE WERE NEVER FRIENDS!" He aggressively threw hexs to shatter every window in the hall. "YOU NEVER FUCKING CARED ABOUT ANYONE OTHER THAN YOUR FUCKING SELF! PANSY WAS MINE, I GOT HER! YOU COULDN'T EVEN LET ME HAVE THAT ONE THING, COULD YOU?"
Draco's heart beat just as hard as Theo's chest heaved. There was a bit of truth in what he was saying. Not a bit, a whole lot.
"She does not fear you." He grunted. "Neither do I."
"Then she will die braver than most..." Theo rubbed his hands together, bizarrely changing the tone of his voice to a celebratory one. "Right! Let's get this party started. Lucius! You can come in now."
Draco's eyes widened at the sight of his father entering the room. His iconic cane wand just as mighty as it always was, held within his hand ready for a fight. There was no colour in his face, no soul behind his eyes, just a slave in a body.
"How precious." Theo clapped over enthusiastically. "A family reunion!"
"Father." Draco forced a beg from his throat. "Father, please. Don't."
"There is no point, Draco. He can't hear you. Well… He can but he just can't listen to you." Theo rolled forward so that he sat just below the blond's vision. "Your father is going to kill the mudblood, and when he's done I'm going to lift the curse so he can see just how much he's hurt you. That, is the real toture."
All words in Draco's throat disappeared the harder he struggled out of Crawford's hands. Ropes scorching his arms at every wrestle. The only thing he managed to do was quite literally spit in Theo's face. But that only did more harm than good.
Wiping the salvia off his cheek, Theo slowly rolled away to sit by the dining table. "Shut him up, Crawford. I only want to hear Granger's screams when Lucius kills her."
Obeying the command, Crawford covered Draco's mouth. He fought against it, but the burns on his wrists were too much to bear.
His father approached the table with complete composure. Not a slither of hesitation as he cleared all unused chairs from his way.
Hermione turned her face on the table to Draco. Tears welling at the brim of her eyes. With everything he had, he tried to make sure she knew how sorry he was. This was exactly what he feared would happen, and it was his own fault. He should have trusted her, he should have known she knew better. Hermione always knew better.
With quivering lips, she mouthed the words 'I love you'. Draco choked on the cries that formed at the back of his throat, aching to say it back.
He needed to save her. He needed her to live. He needed her.
Throwing his head back, Draco hit Crawford in the nose forcing him to stumble back and let go of the grip. Not taking a second for chance, he threw a foot into the big man's stomach and kicked him onto the ground. Fighting the agony of the burning ropes, he pretended to lose his balance and fall to the ground. But on his summersalt back up he secretly grabbed Crawford's wand out of his hand.
An evil laugh bled through Theo's mouth as he watched Draco press his foot into Crawford's throat and slowly lose consciousness.
"Noble work, Malfoy. Very brave. Shame you can't do much with your arms tied around your back like that, eh?"
Unsure why, Draco's eyes flicked to Pansy. Her face was ridden with pain as she spoke to him through words he tried to understand. Following the direction that her head nodded towards, he could see that Potter's wand was just near her chair.
His father by this point had managed to be standing on the table with his snake-headed wand pulled back, ready to shoot a curse in Hermione's direction. Theo serenely tossed a jinx to toss Draco against the wall and keep him in place.
Trying to calm his breathing, Draco focused all of his energy into the wand hidden in his sleeve. If he did the silent spell currently, Pansy had mere seconds to do what she needed to do.
The first Cruciatus curse fell down hard on Hermione's stomach. Her body seized up and vibrated against the wood of the table as her screams echoed across the room. Draco howled, trying his best to ignore her pain and concentration on his spell.
It wasn't until the end of the second curse's cast that Draco knew he was successful. Theo watched the toture intensely, completely unaware that the ropes he used to tie Pansy hands behind her back had been cleanly cut. Set free from her capture, she discreetly bent down to pick the wand up off the floor and frantically disarmed Theo from across the room.
A jolt ran through Draco's body as he watched the piece of wood fly to land in her hand. She did it. She got him.
Without a second to lose, Pansy pushed Lucius off the table and ran to release Draco from his ropes. He hissed as the hot ties fell to the floor.
"I'm sorry." She cried hysterically. "I'm so sorry."
"Leave it." Draco hurriedly insisted. "Get Theo and wake Potter up."
He didn't give her a chance to agree before his legs were sprinting to the dining table. His father was crawling up off the floor and grabbed him by the ankle to drag him down. Draco wrestled him with a strength he didn't know he had. The Imperius Curse was fighting hard to keep up the mission it was given.
"Father!" Draco growled as they tumbled along the floorboards. "It's me! It's your son!" A grunt was all that he was gifted in exchange for his pleas. "Father! Stop!"
A flinch of weakness from Lucius gave Draco the chance to straddle his stomach and pin him down. His father's frail body tousled underneath his legs, resisting any form of yielding.
Searching desperately for a piece of a soul, Draco roared as he looked in the cold eyes that stared back at him. Hot tears dropped down to hit his father's cheeks. "Resist it you fucking prick! Resist it!"
Lucius' body slowly but surely calmed from a sporadic stir to a heavy pant. A glimmer of life rising to the surface.
"Father?" Draco asked with a tremble.
No reply. Just a scared man staring at his son.
Unsure of whether what he was seeing was real, Draco froze with his hands still pinning his father to the floor. Did he do it? Did he break the curse?
"Potter!" Draco bellowed out across the room.
"I'm here. I've got this." A newly conscious Potter placed a hand on his shoulder and pulled him away from his father. "Go get her. I've got him."
Draco let his trust fall onto Potter and jumped onto the dining table. Wand viciously slicing through every strap that wrapped around Hermione's limbs until his knees collapsed. She cried silently while he laid down and pulled her body into his.
"I got you." He breathed into her hair. "You're okay. I got you."
Hermione was limp as she wept on his chest. Her entire body emitted from the curses that hadn't even cooled off yet. Draco kissed her forehead over and over again until he knew for sure that she was alright.
Across the room he could see Crawford on the brink of death near the entrance door, Potter tying Lucius securely to a chair and Pansy with her wand pointed directly at Theo's throat.
"How could you do this?" She spoke through clenched teeth. "Were you really that jealous that you had to tear the world apart for a fucking affair?"
"As much as I love to boost your ego, Pans, the world doesn't revolve entirely around you, darling." Theo relatialed with his hands held up in surrender.
"Why did you do it?"
"Because that bastard has gotten everything he ever wanted in life." Spit was forming at his mouth as he locked eyes with Draco. "Him and family deserve everything they had coming to them."
"You HAD me, Theo!"
"I never had you, Pansy! Even after the war you still wanted him over me. Then this FUCKING wheelchair proved it. You should have seen this coming the day that you came to the hospital smelling like him."
"He's messing with you, Parkinson." Potter called out from behind her back. "Don't listen to him."
Draco clutched Hermione a little tighter while he watched the argument across the room. Her cries had softened to quiet sniffs smothered by his shirt.
"It's okay, Potter." Theo smiled far too sweetly for a caught man. "She doesn't have to listen to me. But someone else does."
Panic filled Draco's heart as the corner of his eye spotted a crawling Crawford reach out to steal Potter's wand from within his fingertips.
"Kill the mudblood!" Theo commanded.
Out of instinct alone, Draco rolled over the table so that Hermione was tucked behind his back. His arms, squeezing with all the strength that they had left. The last thing he remembered before the world went black was a flash of green sparks and a piercing scream.