A/N: Originally for the drabble game for The Death Eater Express on Facebook. Thus, Thorfinn's use of the nickname 'Princess' stems from Canimal's writing. (Go read her stories, they're wonderful)

A Key Encounter

Halloween was one of the busiest nights of the year at the Leaky Cauldron, and this year was no different. Despite the tenuous situation of the wizarding world, the whole of London seemed to be willing to get into the spirit of the holiday. The threat of dark wizards around the corner seemed to dissipate in the revelry of the traditional holiday. Children scampered underfoot throughout Diagon Alley, giggling as they tricked each other. Their screeches of laughter echoed down the alley; lightening the mood further.

Hermione Granger made her way down through the crowd, hoping her costume was enough to keep her from being recognized. Hiding from the Death Eaters was not easy, and she knew the costume alone was risking a lot, but she did not have much of a choice. Harry and Ron were counting on her to return with the ingredients they needed for their polyjuice potion, and she was the least recognizable out of the three of them. She could not afford to get caught.

She made her way toward the apothecary, but noticed a pair of familiar faces coming toward her. The jovial faces of Fred and George Weasley drove her to a moment of panic. She ducked down the alleyway between two shops, waiting for the two to pass. She could hear their voices coming closer and she edged backwards, willing herself to not be seen. She took one fateful step further back and bumped into something warm.

"What do we have here?"

An amused voice rang out from above her, causing Hermione's heart rate to skyrocket.

The witch spun at the sound, coming face to face with a smirking Thorfinn Rowle. He had a tight grip on her arm, and quickly dragged her deeper into the alley. She scrambled for her wand, but the hulking man grabbed hold of her other wrist with no more effort than it would have taken to restrain a child.

"No one's coming to help you, Princess," he threatened quietly, a malicious smirk still plastered on his face. "Screaming would be…" he trailed off as his eyes traveled down her face and landed on her neck. He released one of her arms to bring a large hand up to the pendant around her throat. Almost hesitantly, his finger brushed against the necklace, trailing the shape of the ornate silver key.

"You kept it," the man breathed.

Hermione froze; she could not believe he remembered the charm he had given her during her first year at Hogwarts. At the time, it had seemed almost an afterthought. She turned her eyes up toward him, watching his blue eyes slowly trail back up to meet hers.

Suddenly, the smirk was back on his face, and mischief glinted in his eyes. He stood straight, towering over her. Locks of his long blonde hair fell into her face as she waited for him to act. He must have thought her a dreadfully silly girl with a crush. Merlin, he was handsome, despite his chosen affiliations.

Hermione had only moments to sort out her thoughts before the tall blonde man pressed his lips to hers in a heated kiss. His hands found their way to her hair and buried themselves in her thick curls. Hermione's stomach roiled with butterflies and pent up emotions as the large man kissed her. She was so swept up that she forgot that she was supposed to be fighting him.

Eventually, he set her down from where he had bodily pinned her against the brick wall of the nearby shop. Breathless, Hermione's eyes widened when she realized what had happened.

She darted off, not questioning his lack of pursuit. The last thing she heard before the sound of celebration took over her ears once more was his confident voice.

"You can't run forever, Princess. You're mine."

Prompts:

Halloween, Thorfinn Rowle, Fred/George Weasley, Leaky Cauldron