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Chapter Fourteen: Servants And Sneaks
"Was he any good?" Carla shuffled forwards a little in her seat, though not looking from the large lump of cheese that she was ever so carefully inspecting for some unknown reason.
"Carla!" Cried Hermione, dropping the jug of water that she had been tightly nursing for the past hour as they had spoken over the previous night's events, not even flinching as it clattered to the floor deafeningly, ringing throughout the kitchens. "You can't say things like that!"
"And why not?" She looked over towards Hermione in confusion, clearly seeing no issue in asking such a simple question and not having any understanding of issues that it could possibly raise. "It's not like its anything special, just a kiss. I've kissed you loads of times." She shrugged happily and returned to the piece of cheese, turning it in her hands, tearing it in two and weighing each piece in her hands. Staring at her blankly, Hermione gave herself a little shake, trying to ignore her strange friend's strange behaviours in an attempt to have a serious conversation with her.
"You're not a boy!" She tried to reason with her, perhaps draw her back into a sense of reality,
"And? Are you saying I'm not a good kisser either?" Sounding highly offended by such a notion, Carla placed the cheese upon her knees and folded her arms tightly, huffing loudly and turning her nose up and away, unhappy with the possibility that she was bad at kissing.
"I'm not saying anyone is bad! I haven't bloody well snogged you! A peck on the cheek is not a tongue in the face." Hermione's face became ever more contorted, desperate to get through to Carla who seemed to have lost her brain at some point during the past few hours and was not intent upon recovering it.
"Maybe you should stop wagging your tongue about people's faces then?" Carla said sourly, trying to ignore her by focusing upon a cauldron full of soup that was busily bubbling away to itself over a large fire but a few feet from where they sat, being slowly attended to by various elves at random intervals.
"You make me sound like some kind of whore." Hermione whispered, growing ever more upset by her friend's blunt nature. At times she admired this quality, as there was no doubt to her honesty or genuineness, Hermione knew that her friend was true, and would not cause reason for doubt, ever. Yet, it was at times like these, she half wished that Carla could have been a little more sensitive with her word choice.
"Well with both your Master and Viktor, whoever next?" Carla replied flippantly, barely taking note of the hurt look that she now received from Hermione, only turning her face as she heard her gasp heavily and then glare in her direction.
"Thanks. Just thanks Carla. You know this guilt trip thing that you have? You're really really good at it." Hermione half spat, huffing to make her displeasure absolutely clear, barely believing the cheek of her friend. Suddenly, as if there had been no previous exchange, Carla's face broke into a large smile, evidently oblivious to the sarcasm dripping from her friend's voice, practically burning through the atmosphere.
"Thanks!" Clasping her hands together she grinned once more, giggling a little in happiness at receiving such a 'complement'.
"No Carla. It's not a good thing." Hermione shook her head again, clearly shocked at her friend's optimistic density, despite having been partial to it for many years previously.
"Oh...I wouldn't have said that." She began picking at her cheese once more, leaving them in silence, not knowing how to continue, or even how to think of a solution to her problems. Finally breaking their quiet interlude, Hermione added softly,
"Nothing could come of either of them any way...A Master and his slave girl, what could be more ridiculous?" She tried to give a small laugh, though it came as more of a strained gargle, not really sure as to why she should find anything funny in the slightest. There was another pause as Carla seemed to think hard to herself, debating some unusual riddle that she had been set.
"A tiger and a turtle?" She said confidently, clearly pleased with herself, ignoring Hermione's squinting eyes and dropped jaw,
"I worry for you."
"What? It's not like you've actually got any kind of feeling for either of them is it?" Carla looked at her expectantly, as if the words she had uttered were complete truth that could not be argued with. Yet, within her friend, an internal battle was being fought, her mind and heart screaming at one another. Viktor was her friend, a good friend and one that she would never want to give up. But she knew how he cared for her, knew that if she needed love, needed help or someone to lean on, Viktor would be there for her, not afraid to be with her despite her status. Yet her Master. He was something different. There was nothing between them, and there never could be even if she had wanted it. Yet she could not help herself, could not help being drawn to him, and almost enjoyed his company. She seemed to enjoy his presence in a strange way, almost enjoyed their arguments, wanted to shout at him, allow him to shout back at her. He was what she classed as a strained friend that she may have had in another time, another life, and any other feelings towards him were merely momentary, could be forgotten easily, despite how it made her stomach turn.
"I...I guess not..." They elapsed into yet more silence as the two sad, evidently in their own worlds, thinking only of their own predicaments, oblivious to anything, until a crash alerted them to a fluster Justin who had just collapsed out of the fire, obviously hysterical. "Justin? What's wrong?" He was breathing heavily, splayed upon the floor, staring up at the ceiling. "Justin!" The girls swept over towards him, kneeling over his heaving body.
"Dickens." He breathed out, sitting up slightly as the two of them pushed him upright, an Elf rushing forwards with a small cup of water.
"Wait...what? What's happened to Adam?" Hermione placed a hand upon his shoulder, suddenly nervous. She had not been particularly close to the young Hufflepuff, but she knew him well, knew his strength in both body and mind.
"Gone." Came Justin's rasping gasp and Hermione's eyes widened immediately, suddenly fully aware of what he was referring to. Yet Carla, still oblivious, asked,
"Gone where?" The reply that came caused her to gasp loudly and clap her hand to her mouth in shock,
"Taken. Master Malfoy. He's taken him." Hermione whispered, seeing Justin nod furiously at both of them. It had been inevitable, despite unbelievable. His strength and power was perfect for what Master Malfoy was looking for to keep him 'entertained', and would no doubt do so for hours on end if what Justin was saying was truth. She knew the severity of the situation, knew it did not need to be said aloud for her. Yet Carla still seemed confused, unaware that these kind of circumstances existed, Hermione having shielded her from them as often as she could, not wanting to threaten her already fragile mind and character. Carla's face contorted in confusion, trying to process the information she had just received, perhaps still reeling from Hermione's earlier declaration, unable to think of a possible reason as to why a slave would be taken by another Master.
"He...he can't do that!" She spurted out, taking her head in her hands and shaking it a little, perhaps not wanting to believe what she had been told.
"Oh yes he can..." Hermione said, looking positively horrified, staring towards the floor. Turning towards Justin, she gave him a dangerous and grievous stare, "And you know exactly what for."
~x~x~x~
She hated waiting. It was pure and simple. And she had been doing so for over two hours now by the entrance to the seventh floor corridor, trying to keep a lookout for her Master and the rest of the small group that had previously entered the Room of Requirement, intent upon defying the High Inquisitor of Hogwarts, Professor Umbridge, by practicing defensive spells and broadening their knowledge of defeating the dark arts. Though she may not have known much, she knew that there was an imminent threat over them. After the end of the previous year in which Master Harry had returned with the body of Cedric Diggory, it had secured the fear that Hermione held. She remembered how she had sat in the stands by her Master, a sudden flash of light, ready to cheer for Master Harry and his triumph in the Triwizard Tournament, and she had fallen back suddenly, dread filling her. She had held tightly to her Masters hand as she looked down towards the ground, a sobbing body accompanied by a still and lifeless one, along with the Triwizard Cup. Carla had been the first to shriek that Master Diggory was dead, igniting the crowd and sobbing violently, distraught that one of the few wizards to ever show her true kindness was now lying dead before her. She had pulled her friend into the folds of her dress to keep her safe and try to ease her pain, only to be dragged herself into Ron, who shielded them both from the horrors before them, stony faced and refusing to break his grievous stare that he had held upon Master Harry. She and Carla may have been protected from some dark knowledge, but she had always known that her enslavement had been a part of a bigger picture, something that had kept her at Hogwarts these many years, suffering as she had done so. She could not abandon her Master and friends, not leave them to the looming darkness, leaving them to watch the stars die out and their world be consumed. She hated thinking about those dark snippets she had witnessed over the past years, and tried to shake the thoughts from her and concentrate upon the task she had been set. With her bottom numbed, and her back stiffened she tried to shift a little to gain more comfort, but to no avail. She could not believe that once again she had been roped into guard duty as she had done so often, being kept out of the reach of magic but still close enough to be used as a scapegoat when her Master needed it. It had been an awkward order when it had come earlier that day; it was the first time he had spoken to her since their somewhat awkward kiss. Though he had been demanding of her, the harshness within his voice had lessened, even thanking her for placing herself in dangers way for them, though reassuring her that there should be no real issues, giving her the protection from the pain she would normally feel resonating from her earrings. She hated when he was nice to her, it caused confusion within her that she could not fathom. Did he like her? Did he feel guilty? Or was he really a kind hearted softie at his centre? He drove her insane, one minute punishing her, challenging her, the next, giving her kind favours and being nice to her. She sighed heavily, leaning back against the wall and looking towards the ceiling, trying to wipe her mind of such confusing thoughts and feelings and concentrate on her job at hand. Giving herself another stretch, she looked out and over towards the edge of the staircase, lazily looking around and down into the floors below. She stopped suddenly and then shuffled forwards a little, seeing a flash of black and green followed by a single pulse of hot pink, rushing upwards towards her. Her eyes widened erratically and she shot backwards into the wall, stumbling to her feet suddenly and clumsily, legs almost buckling, shaking like jelly. Breathing heavily, she could barely think, and bolted backwards down the corridor towards the room's hidden entrance, almost missing it and having to draw back towards it after passing it, stumbling over herself. She sprinted past thrice, her brain screaming to find her Master as urgently as possible, knowing that every second counted as time trickled away. As the door materialised, she yanked at the brass handle as hard as she could, banging the door open loudly and screaming at those inside, not caring who heard or who she offended by doing so, "GET OUT!" Silence fell over the group of assembled students who had all been brandishing their wands and were now busily trying to hide them from her, the faint wisps of past spells now evaporating into the air, disappearing from view, leaving no evidence that they had ever been there.
"GRANGER! What is the meaning of this?" Ron came storming towards her, up a brief flight of stairs up towards the door and snatched at her wrist harshly, obviously fuming with embarrassment and unaware of her panicked state. "I should have never have asked for your help." Hermione tried to pull her arm away from his, desperately struggling, forcing out a strangled cry in her defense,
"But Sir!" He gave her a large tug into him, bearing down upon her. He was visibly shaking in anger,
"Granger!" She recoiled a little, trying to hide in her apron, though knowing really that she had no escape from him, even if she so had wanted to.
"Wait!" Came a sudden cry, echoing throughout the room from an unexpected source. Ginny stepped forwards from behind Neville and looked up towards her brother and his slave, suspicious yet somehow understanding. Hermione looked over to her, pleading in her eyes to make him see sense, to make him listen to her. She could see a fire within the girl's body light as she nodded, telling Ron silently to free her, "Ron, let her talk." Giving a slow nod, Ron released her and she pulled from her Master, suddenly aware of all those staring at her impatiently.
"She...she..." Ron sighed heavily and tutted loudly, impatiently tapping his foot, clearly thinking of what he would do to her later as punishment. Rudely shouting at her she drew back, frightened almost,
"Come on...what is it?" She flinched and allowed the words to tumble from her mouth, flowing fast as water would from a rock face and into a deep chasm, "She's coming. The High Inquisitor is coming. Here. Now. With the Inquisitional Squad!" Worried murmurings broke out around them, trembling around the room as those within it turned to one another, suddenly horrified.
"Umbridge?" Harry asked from the back of the room, straightening up and looking around at the motionless, terrified people gazing at the obviously petrified slave who stood trembling by her Master. "She knows..." He said slowly, turning to a now white Ron who looked as though he could be sick at any moment. His mind suddenly snapped and he looked around to those awaiting his next order, "WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?" He bellowed suddenly, "RUN!" The occupants of the room all pelted towards the exit at once, forming a scrum at the door, before bursting through it manically and dispelling with urgency. Hermione could hear them sprinting along the corridors and could only hope they had the sense not to try and make it all the way to their dormitories. It was only ten to nine; if they just took refuge in the library or the Owlery, which were both nearer, then they could perhaps keep themselves safe and occupied, away from any suspicions. She watched as the room emptied and Harry threw Ginny towards the door before following himself slamming the door behind him. Glancing left and right, everyone was moving so fast that only glimpses of their flying heels at the end of the corridor could been seen as they disappeared out of sight.
"Come on!" Screamed Ron who grabbed her by the upper arm and dragged her down the corridor and around the corner, running as fast as he could and dragging her, stumbling, behind him. The pressure upon her arm was extreme, knowing that no doubt she would be left with bruises. "There's a boys bathroom up ahead." Ron panted, picking up his pace a little. She stumbled, panicking, and looked up at him bemusedly; suddenly unable to process conscious thought, feeling intoxicated.
"I can't go in there!" She tried to reason, yet he did not turn back to look at her, instead keeping his eyes fixed ahead of them.
"Of course you can't, but I can't get you caught either." He said straight, a blank look upon his face as he seemed to decide upon something indefinitely. They stopped suddenly and he wrenched open a door, shoving her violently inside.
"But this isn't..." She began turning back to face him, seeing an array of cleaning utensils around her inside the small space, yet he broke through her, urgency evident in his voice.
"It doesn't matter. If they find you, you tell I've sent you here for punishment, and don't you dare let them give you anything to drink, you don't know what's in it." She could barely take in anything he was saying, her mind a whir in overdrive, trying desperately to remember everything that he was saying.
"What?" She saw his face fall ridiculously, and slipping a hand around his neck he pulled her into him, pressing his lips to her forehead and closing his eyes tightly, reaching into his robes stealthily.
"I'm sorry about this." Lifting his wand suddenly in her direction, she recoiled in horror; barely able to comprehend what he was doing
"Wait...Ron!" She began her reasoning, barely able to think up a suitable defence before he murmured,
"Stupefy." The last thing she saw before she hit the floor was a jet of scarlet light racing towards her from the tip of his wand, the guilt evident within his eyes.
~x~x~x~
There came a loud giggle, echoing over the Common Room as Lavender Brown twirled herself from place to place, flicking her wash of dirty blond hair as far as she could and smiling wildly. Hermione was stirring feebly, her mind filled with her ridiculous shrieks and bursts of song as she came into consciousness. As her vision cleared she could see the back of her Masters head as he sat with his back to the sofa she had been laid upon, presumably having been retrieved from the cupboard at a safer, later time by the only one who knew she was there, her Master. Her voice box strained, she tried to speak, only able to gargle, and he turned around to face her. "Hermione?" Taking one of her hands, he held it and then tried to pull her head upwards a little, Ginny leaning over from the large armchair beside her and placing a pillow beneath her to try and add a little comfort. "Hermione?" He repeated, obviously wanting an answer from her, a signal that she was alright.
"Ron?" She coughed out, "Master." She saw relief wash over his face as he dropped her, turning back to his previous position and Ginny falling back into her chair.
"Ooh," He sighed heavily, "Thought I'd done some serious damage then, you've been out for hours. Though I expect never having been subjected to...that, it's to be expected."
"Are you kidding?" Asked Ginny flatly, "You brought her back and I thought you'd killed her."
"If I don't, Lavenders singing will do." He laughed a little, almost ignoring Hermione now as she attempted to sit up, pushing herself up with her elbows, swaying a little as she tried to adjust to her blurred surroundings.
"Aah!" Came a sudden squeal from behind her, and a sudden pinch to her cheek caused Hermione to jump in panic, only registering who had touched her when the other arm of the person slipped around her shoulder, a mass of hair fluttering into her face, "Sooo...the sleeping slave awakens!"
"Mistress Brown, I would kindly ask for your release." She croaked, trying to blow hair from her mouth in intervals.
"Kindly? Here this RonRon, 'kindly'. And here I was wanting to play with my future slave!" Hermione almost choked upon her own air, which was further emphasised by the head lock Lavender now had her in, cutting off her oxygen supplies as she swung her head from side to side despite her inaudible protests.
"Oi. Don't go getting your hopes up. This is my future too, nothing's been decided yet. And she's my slave, I'm not sharing her." Came his sudden reply, not even bothering to look back at them as he did so.
"What?" Hermione stared at the back of his head intently, threatening to burn a hole in the back of his head in an attempt to make him turn towards her.
"Oh shut up you!" Lavender said overly sweetly, mocking Hermione whilst trying to keep herself sounding as perfect as she could.
"Don't you be speaking to her like that!" Ginny cut in suddenly; almost a little surprised that she had allowed herself to speak in such a way about her brother's servant, instead trying to find a suitable excuse. "If you'd kindly bugger off, we have thing to discuss. Private things! And you're clouding the air with your ghastly perfume!" Lavender straightened her back indefinitely and stuck her chest out as far as she could do. With a loud huff and a squeal that could only remind Hermione of a pig in labour, she turned with a flick of her hair and flounced off towards a group of girls that stood a few feet from them but still out of earshot. "Mum must be absolutely mad." Ginny sighed, eyeing the once more giggling girl with distaste. "I'd rather you be with bloody Granger and snogging her at all times of the day..." She said sourly.
"That girl...is a disgrace to magical blood." Ron spat, clearly not even wanting Lavender's name to grace his lips, "And we're not going that far. At least she has good blood." Perhaps reconsidering his previous statement in favour of a new one. Yet Ginny cringed ridiculously,
"What use is good blood when you've got that kind of personality?" Looking from him, she retched seemingly uncontrollably, showing her obvious disgust in the girl.
"What did she mean?" Hermione suddenly asked, having been sat still in a state of semi shock for a few moments whilst the exchange took place, clearly not listening to a word of it, "Are you selling me?"
"Can we even do that?" Ron joked, earning a giggle from Ginny, though Hermione did not find it amusing in the slightest. A loud huff alerted them to Harry's arrival as he dredged in through the portrait hole, "Harry?" Ginny moved from her chair, shuffling Hermione along, allowing Harry to sit where she had just vacated.
"Dumbledore's gone, took credit for it all. It was that Marietta. Ingenious idea Hermione." He said breathlessly, barely able to string a sentence together freely and fully, simply staring at the carpet that lay before him.
"It worked then?" She asked cautiously, not daring to believe that her suggestion of jinxing the paper they had all signed themselves to secrecy on could have possibly worked.
"Yeah, 'SNEAK' straight across the middle of her face." He gave a small laugh, but returned to his stony state almost immediately.
"Er...Granger...Upstairs and sort my bed out will you, make it warm for when I'm up there." Ron said suddenly, giving Harry a hasty look, expecting her to move. But she simply sat, confused, unsure of whether she should actually move or not. Yet he spoke once more, a little more urgently this time, "Now! Or I will sell you to Lavender!" Eyes widening she stood suddenly,
"Yes Sir!" She cried, running from the room and up the stairs towards her Master's bedroom. Slamming the door behind her she winced, noting how the other four occupants of the room were already inside their beds, tucked up with their curtains drawn. Hoping to not have disturbed them she silently slipped onto Ron's bed and began rubbing the covers, her idea of warming them, not able to think of any other possible way. Yet an idea struck her, one that made her smile a little, and she slowly pulled back his covers, climbed in and slipped them back over herself.
~x~x~x~
It was warm inside her Master's bed, warmer than she had been in a long time. As her eyes fluttered open she could barely believe that she had fallen asleep, having before had the full intent of climbing back out when she heard him arrive. Yet her she was, tucked up tight, yet propped up against something very hard, yet very warm, that also seemed to smell strangely of lemongrass. A warm arm suddenly slipped over her from behind and placed itself over her own, clasping her hand tightly as it lay close by her head. She froze, pinching herself with her free other hand to check that she wasn't still asleep. She could remember that aroma, remember the freckles and hair of that arm, knew who belong to such a long body that was now curled around the back of her own. Her chest felt as though it were about to explode. He had done so many good deeds for her this day, more so than he had done in their five years put together; it was almost scary for her to think about. She didn't know whether to cry with fear or happiness, though she knew for certain that she was glad that she had someone that would hold her until morning, perhaps make her feel as a normal teenage girl should, even if it was only under the cover of darkness, so that no other would know their secret. Yet she couldn't help but think he only saw her as his hot water bottle, something for comfort since he had no other, perhaps none that were willing or none that did not repulse him so. He was stuck with her regardless of whether he made use of her or not. The option for her to leave him had arisen many times as he shifted subtly, but she could not bring herself to move from him. Instead, she pressed her back into his bare chest and snuggled down deep, covering herself in the various wrappings of his sheets, trying to get as comfy as she possibly could, allowing her lids to sag once more, and dragging her back into sleep. "Hermione." Came a whisper and her eyes shot open again. "I know you're listening." He backed away from her a little, allowing her to fall onto her back, looking up at him, barely able to see his features in the darkness, a little of his ginger hair filtering through with the moonlight. "You do know that there's nothing between us don't you?" She nodded, though suddenly remembered that he probably couldn't see her movements,
"There could never and will never be anything between us." A long silence followed this, in which never spoke, and only listened to the sound of one another's light and delicate breathing.
"As long as you have that understanding then. You're just my play thing." She recoiled a little, being referred to as a 'thing' with which he simply 'played', though really she could not have expected any more from her Master, after all, that's what he was, her Master. She a slave, and powerless, meant only to do her Masters bidding and conform to his wishes. So when his lips touched hers she found herself unable to object, accepting him fully, even as her moved on top of her and pressing her into the bed, almost crushing her. She had not expected him to be so heavy, yet she cared not, feeling already intoxicated by him, not feeling at all embarrassed or ashamed that she was a slave girl with her Master, or that her dress had hitched its way up to her thighs, or indeed that she was kissing a man who was clearly not interested in her in the slightest. Instead she felt free, as if nothing else mattered but that one moment in time, and was almost saddened as he left her, spinning her back into her previous position, re-covering her and saving her dignity. "This cannot happen again." She felt her elation dip, slightly confused, not sure what to make of his words, "You'll be on the floor again from now on. You can't keep doing this to me again and again." Her eyes opened once more, almost fearful of the hidden meaning he was trying and failing to portray to her. She couldn't help feeling slightly sickened. Even though she was used to sleeping on the floor, she could not think what it was that she could possibly be doing to him. All she wanted was a comfy bed, someone to sleep next to, to know that she would always be safe in the night, no matter what was awaiting her. Yet here, at Hogwarts, she could not find this. This was something that she would have to leave the school for and return to normal life with her parents, living as a Muggle. Inside she wondered however, she could never really get the man that she wanted these experiences with, a man of magic, and a man of her understanding, someone that shared her loves, her passion, and her drive. Hogwarts was the place in which she would stay, in the hope that she could overturn the rule that had been placed over her and live out her life as a witch, a wizard supporting her through life, never to leave her side.
Japan's Arc Angel x
