Blackness started to overtake Hermione's sight, her blood pumping in her ears. Her chest was rising and falling, panic costing her precious seconds that she- that Draco – didn't have. The sound of steps on the floor had her reflexively retreating into the concealment of the alcove.
"Theo!" She yelled once she recognized the person coming down the hall. She took off her cloak and threw it over Anthony. "Stay quiet!"
Theo rushed into the alcove and looked at Hermione in disbelief. "What the bloody hell are you doing down here?!"
"Is Zabini still with Draco?!" she rushed out.
"Yeah- yeah he just met up with him," Theo spoke as if his words would calm her.
"You need to write him- now!" Hermione shouted and Theo flinched. "Vienna is an ambush. Everyone will be killed the moment they arrive."
Theo flinched. "No- No, but that's- Blaise and Malfoy are going to Vienna now."
"You have to stop them, I can't leave! I don't know where they are-" She doesn't even know where to find the Order. Anthony always had to wait for them to initiate contact. Theo's movements became rushed, pulling out his journal and writing frantically to Blaise as Hermione sent out a patronus. The otter had barely made it out of the tip of her wand before Theo turned and sprinted down the hall. Tears threatened to escape her eyes, and she started muttering pleas to Neddy, wherever she may be. The reminder that she was gone gripped at her chest. Neddy would know what to do- she showed up during times that she didn't even know she needed saving.
Hermione gasped as the idea came to her; another long shot in a series of bad ideas.
"Mosby!" she called assertively, and a POP sounded from behind her. The Malfoy elf looked as shocked as she did that he appeared.
"Erm… Ah -Mosby is here to serve the mistress…?" Mosby muttered, troubling his hands.
"Mosby, go to Draco. Whatever you do- he cannot take the portkey. Do you understand?!" Hermione ordered quickly and Mosby nodded. "Go! Now!"
He disappeared with a crack, and Hermione grabbed her cloak and took off right after Theo. Finding him among the death eaters in attendance was nearly impossible. Hermione finally spotted him on the way to the great hall. Theo was bulldozing his way through the occupants until someone grabbed him by the cloak and shoved him against the wall.
"And where exactly are you off to in such a hurry?" Cyrus snarled at Theo.
"Get fucked, Greengrass!" Theo barked.
Theo pushed Cyrus off with ease, but another death eater grabbed him and started dragging him down the corridor. Hermione couldn't tell who it was from a distance, their hood and mask were in place along with another member. She followed them, running past Cyrus who had an ominous, shit-eating grin on his face. Theo was thrashing, trying to break his captures hold as he was practically carried down the hall. Hermione let her ears adjust to try and pick up what was being said.
"Master doesn't like little boys causing trouble," growled the death eater as they turned the final corridor to the dungeons. "Best to keep you confined until-"
They stopped abruptly, and Hermione's shoes skidded against the ground. The taller figure whispered something to his companion who quickly turned around and rushed past her. The cellar doors were opened, and Theo's capture threw him down the stairs and slammed the doors, the locks clicking loudly into place. Theo started shouting and the death eater tried to open the door to silence him, using all his strength to force the handle, but the lock held.
The hooded death eater huffed in frustration before taking off down the corridor.
"You bastards! Get back here!" Theo yelled, followed by more banging and threats. "CYRUS! YOU'RE DEAD! DO YOU HEAR ME!"
"Theo!" Hermione whispered through the door. "Stay calm, I'll get you out of here."
"No, no, Hermione. Go help Blaise. Please- please- find Blaise," Theo begged. Hermione removed her cloak and tossed it to the side to work on the door without obstruction.
"I can't leave. You'll find Draco and Blaise, and I will hold Cyrus myself while you all take turns beating the shit out of him. But I need to get you out first."
Theo was silent on the other side, and Hermione looked at the door and noticed it had no keyhole. It was just like all the other doors in the manor. There was no reason it should work, but Hermione reached her hand out anyway and turned the handle. It unlocked immediately and she swung the door open, sharing a look of surprise with Theo.
"Let's go," Theo said, grabbing her hand and running down the hall.
"Theo, wait! You should transform so they can't see you, and I need my-"
Theo was hit and went flying down the hall, the smaller of the two death eaters going after him. Hermione was able to take one more step before she was grabbed and shoved against the wall.
"Finally," Greyback said, panting excitedly and removing his hood. His other hand had a deadly grip on Hermione's neck, crushing her windpipe. "I knew the Malfoy pup couldn't keep you hidden forever."
Hermione clawed at his hands to no avail, his body remained unmoved as she kicked and thrashed with all her strength. Theo yelled from down the hall as he struggled with what Hermione knew was another werewolf. Now that she was an animagus, she found she could smell it on them. Greyback's odor turned rancid as an excited sweat began to seep from his pores. He tightened his grip, and her movements slowed as the blackness creeped into her vision. Anger started to coarse through her- and she suddenly remembered she was a very different witch than the first time Greyback put his filthy hands on her.
Stupify, she casted silently, and Greyback was hurled across the corridor, head smacking into the hard stone.
She turned to Theo, gasping for breath. The wolf had his teeth sunken into his neck, ripping at his flesh. Theo was no match for his strength, and her rage acted for her as she extracted her wand and pointed it towards them.
"Avada Kedavra!" Hermione watched the green light strike the young wolf, and then she watched him fall motionless to the ground.
Theo sliding down the wall, hand grasping his neck to stop the flow of blood. Hermione healed it quickly, the bite being no more than a flesh wound outside of the full moon.
"Are you alright?" Hermione asked, pulling him to his feet.
"Yeah- fucking hell, Granger," he said shaking his head looking down the hall. Greyback moaned, already coming back to consciousness and Hermione pushed Theo towards the exit.
"Go. Transform so Cyrus won't see you if you must, I'll handle this."
Theo may have wanted to protest, but when their eyes met they exchanged a look of trust, and hugged her quickly before transforming and heading to the exit.
Hermione turned down the hall, and Greyback was pushing himself back on his feet. The dark magic seeped from her wand hand into the rest of her body. Thick ink, staining her blood as it spread instead of the familiar floating flecks of dust.
Hermione raised her hand, helping him the rest of the way up, and a couple extra feet off the floor.
"Silencio," she croaked with her damaged voice before giving him a chance to speak.
As she walked towards him, she hit him with a crucio. Greyback convulsed, his mouth shaped in what Hermione sure would be a roar if a sound were allowed to leave him. His claws dug into the flesh of his head as he tried to fight against the pain, and Hermione felt the waves of the curse: building and releasing and crashing. With her eyes locked on his, she levitated him back until he was firmly placed against the wall. Once she ended the cast, Greyback looked at her and growled, snapping his teeth in a way that she found pathetic rather than intimidating.
In that moment, she knew that he deserved to die. The only thing stopping her was the faint voice in the back of her mind, reminding her the boys would be cross if she denied them the pleasure.
"Obliviate," Hermione said instead.
She replaced the memories of what occurred with Theo overpowering his wolf companion and escaping. On a whim, she decided to dig even deeper, finding every existence of herself and replacing it with a faceless figure he would never be able to find. A memory on the tip of his mind, but always just out of reach.
Before she walked out, she looked at the wolf- the man- she killed lying lifeless on the floor. She felt detached as she stepped over the body, and grabbed her cloak.
As she walked away, she felt irritable. The floor was shifting beneath her feet, and the halls, though still tall and wide, began to narrow. The instinct to scream or cry building as the dark magic set the part of her consciousness free that needed to sleep to perform the unforgivable curses. It didn't release her completely, not like it did during practice. But this was the first time she had actually taken a life, so perhaps it was the price to be paid.
Hermione made her way outside. Draco could apparate into the grounds, but since Blaise would have to walk from the apparation site, they would likely arrive together.
It was impossible to move silently through the gravel driveway of the manor, especially at the pace she took. She stopped right at the border of the grounds, tucked away slightly in the foliage. There was no one coming or going, most of the members either inside the manor already or posted elsewhere. Tens of minutes flew by, and she could feel the tension throughout her arms and legs as she paced back and forth. She pushed her hands through her hair, revealing part of herself as her hood fell back but she couldn't find it within herself to care.
She jumped and turned when she heard a POP. Theo came barreling in from the apparation point cradling his shoulder.
"Theo!" called Hermione after she removed her cloak and he spun to face her. "Oh my god, you're splinched."
"Zabini!" Apart from his injuries, Theo's eyes were red and his cheeks were wet with sweat and tears. Blood still stained his neck down to the white collar of his shirt, and all guises of calm were gone.
"He wasn't at the castle, or the London flat, or the forest," Theo rambled as he walked up close to Hermione until he was towering over her. "They'll fight their way out. They can fight their way out." His second statement was a question, shaking with adrenaline and pain. A plea. One Hermione knew had little to no hopes of being granted if one of their warnings didn't reach them first.
Blood was pouring down his arm, and Hermione reached up to apply pressure to it. Theo clenched onto her shoulder with his good arm, steadying himself for a moment before pulling her close into an embrace. A sigh escaped her, even though had no right to take comfort in Theo, being the one responsible for their distress.
Hermione had left her bag in the manor and could do no more but basic healing charms to stop the bleeding. His shoulder had splinched down to the muscle, and she would need an abundance of dittany and healing potions to heal him properly.
"I got you, Granger. I'm not leaving you here," Theo vowed, attempting to be brave for the both of them. "We're not leaving you here. They are coming back. Blaise is too clever. He probably sensed the ambush before he left. He'll be okay. He's- he-"
POP
"Pathetic. My father's entire operation is going to shit even without our help."
"Nott?"
Theo pulled back from Hermione so quickly at the sound of Blaise's voice, she stumbled to catch herself. Draco's jaw dropped slightly in surprise as he took in Theo's state. Blaise hardly gave her a glance before reaching towards Theo as he sprinted towards him. Theo grabbed his face with his good arm and kissed him deeply. Not wasting another moment, Blaise tightened his hold and apparated them away.
Draco took swift steps looking from where their friends just disappeared to where Hermione stood. "What's- Oomph!"
Hermione jumped on him the moment he cleared the threshold. Her throat was aching so badly it hurt to even attempt to speak. It wasn't until Draco forced her head up to meet his eyes that she realized he had apparated them back to their suite.
"Deep breaths, my love," said Draco. His hands cradled her face, and he used his thumbs to push away her tears. "How did Theo get hurt?"
"He was searching for you," Hermione answered, voice still hoarse.
"We've been all over bloody Europe. My father ordered me to meet with the Confederation, and then he sent Mosby insisting I come home at once."
Hermione pulled back. "I sent Mosby."
Draco furrowed his brow and shook his head. He opened his mouth as if to speak before Hermione's patronus appeared next to him, heeding her warning. Once it dissolved, Draco looked back at Hermione in confusion, until his eyes landed on her neck.
Draco became impossible still. "What happened?"
Lucius had taken the liberty to demean Draco in front of the unit before he demanded he would be going to London. Lucius and Yaxley left abruptly, and Draco decided to take his time, requiring the unit to brief him on the entire plan, sparing no detail in an effort to piss off his father and be as late as possible. They were only halfway through when Mosby intercepted them. Draco tossed the wrapped portkey to Bennett, announcing he and Blaise were taking the scenic route and left immediately. Hermione had never been so glad that Draco was a spoiled, honory, little shite so much in her life.
They stayed in front of the fireplace in the study, Draco gently putting bruise paste on her wounds. He didn't say a word about their origin since Hermione told him about the fight by the cellar. They were completely healed after the second layer, but Draco still insisted on putting a third and a fourth. Her cheeks still felt sticky from the dried tears, despite Draco's attempts to brush them away. His hands trailed down her neck, reviewing his work, and he stiffened slightly as his hands reached the jumper.
"I have to go. If Zabini and I don't ever arrive it will raise too many questions. What's this?" He asked, playing with the buttons at the top of the jumper.
"Blaise gave it to me. I met him just inside the woods and mine got dirty," explained Hermione.
"Hmm."
Hermione breathed a laugh, finally feeling lighter. "Do you like it?"
He nodded and started to unfasten the buttons all the way down the front as he kissed her. He slowly pushed it off her shoulders and down her arms before tossing it into the fireplace.
"Hey!"
"Oops. What a shame," he said flatly before turning towards their bedroom with a smirk. "There are plenty of jumpers in my wardrobe for you. Allow me."
"Draco!"
"Better ones!" he yelled over his shoulder.
Splinch injuries were difficult to heal. Blaise had brought Theo to their study in the middle of the night to seek Hermione's help. Traveling as a side along with an injury only made the mess in his shoulder worsen. Blaise couldn't sit still as Hermione surveyed the damage. He acted impulsively to get them both to safety, and Theo's arm hung on by only threads as a result. Hermione had to use nearly all of her gathered dittany, mixed with skele-grow in order to get the wound to begin to heal.
"Careful, pet. I'm going to need both arms to strangle the life out of Cyrus," Theo hissed as Hermione tightened the bandage. There was nothing left to do but wait for the potions to take effect and then redress his shoulder in the morning.
"Cyrus couldn't have exchanged the portkeys alone. I was watching him all morning," Blaise said looking at Draco. The boys only met with the Confederation for about an hour before making an early exit, blaming the absence of the rest of their unit for their early departure.
"Whoever did it is mine," Theo snarled. Hermione opened her mouth to speak before Theo quickly cut her off. "This is war, Granger. Not everyone deserves mercy."
Hermione's eyes fell to the floor. She wished she still had some steps to tend to Theo's arm, if only to have somewhere to direct her eyes and the guilt that flooded them. It only made it worse that they all automatically assumed she overheard Cyrus talking about the ambush. Following his actions, it wasn't impossible that he had some hand in it.
"I went to London searching for you. It's not nearly as bad as they made it seem. I think someone planned it so that your father would send you in his place," Theo growled.
Hermione knew better and opened her mouth to speak up and confess before the boys kept barreling on without her. The words were impossible to find. Framing her confession in a way that wouldn't have everyone in that room blaming Anthony for the entire ordeal and hunting him down.
"Did anyone make it back?" Blaise asked, looking at Draco and Hermione. Draco looked at the large clock that hung above the fireplace. It was the middle of the night. The answer to Blaise's question could only be answered in time.
Blaise was sitting forward, his elbows resting on his legs and head slightly hanging. His knees bumped into Theo's who sat closely beside him. Their energy declined by the second, and Hermione had to recognize how incredibly tired they must be too, and how if she had done her job correctly, they would have already been freed.
"We need to plan what you'll say when they ask why you didn't travel together," Theo said.
"Bloody planning. What good has it done us so far?" Blaise groaned.
Hermione huffed a laugh softly, causing all heads to turn her way.
"We plan, we get there, all hell breaks loose," she recited the words Harry had said to her, in what felt like a lifetime ago.
Theo grinned. "Sounds about right."
The occupants of the first floor were talking amongst themselves. Occasionally, they would look at the others around them, trying to find certain faces in the crowd that were expected to arrive that morning, but would never come. Draco was standing with Blaise and Theo. When he looked across the room, his eyes locked on Bennett.
Draco did another look around the room, more intentionally. No longer interested in the conversation, he walked straight to Flint, and Hermione could see him hastily occluding his unease as he approached.
"Flint," Draco addressed once he stood in front of him. "Where's Goyle?"
Flint started slightly, clearly taken aback by the question. "I was about to ask you the same thing."
"Why would I know?" Draco asked. "He was with you on Hogwarts patrols last night."
Flint raised a brow. "No, I patrolled with Bennett. Goyle traded him posts last minute to go along with you."
Draco stood so still, he appeared petrified other than his throat bobbing.
Flint turned his head, half to look around and half to conceal himself as he rolled his eyes. "Bennett said he got there just in time to take the portkey."