Chapter 7

Outnumbered

After a while, Draco walked over to the cupboards, returning with a quill & parchment at the top of which he wrote 'What we know' and about halfway down he wrote 'What we don't know'.

"I have a feeling the bottom list will be a lot longer than the top one," he joked, and Hermione smiled at him and nodded.

"Okay so we know they are collecting blood," she said, and Draco wrote it down. "We don't know why."

"We know it's a big operation and well organized," Draco said.

"Why is some of the blood in those pouches and yet they went to the trouble of time jumping with that elderly wizard? Do you think the memories they'd erased were them taking his blood?" Hermione asked.

"Let's hope it was only as sinister as that," Draco said, scribbling away.

"The wizard at Hogwarts said he'd just seen you as a child and the list he had were all our fellow students, but he only had Neville's blood with him." Hermione said.

Draco looked up at her. "Doesn't that fall under we don't know why they want the blood category?"

"The point I'm trying to make is that it seems the blood they want seems to be very specific. I mean you come from a famous family – renowned and respected," she looked over at him with a grin. "If you like that sort of thing."

Draco rolled his eyes at her. "So, you're saying why take Longbottom blood when they could have Malfoy blood?"

"I suppose so – not being derogatory in anyway. I'm just trying to think how they would. A powerful, pure blood family or one they would see as inconsequential." Hermione gave a little nod. "I'm not expressing my own opinion here."

"I know that Granger. Your morals are fully intact, don't worry," Draco answered, sarcastically. "However, inconsequential or not, the Longbottom family line is pure blood too."

"Are all the names on that list pureblood?" Hermione watched as Draco searched through the small pile of things they'd collected on the table. He read the list and then nodded. They stared at each other again, knowing they had hit on something. Hermione could see Draco's agile brain running through the clues.

"That doesn't explain why they are jumping through time to get blood, pure or otherwise! I mean if they need Longbottom's blood, why not just get some from the adult version that's alive now?" Draco asked.

"Do you think it has to be children's blood?" Hermione pulled a face at the thought of this.

Draco shrugged "That doesn't explain the old man. They must need to jump through time as it's something that they can't get in our timeline."

"Like Voldermort's parent's blood," Hermione said, pieces clicking into place.

Draco nodded. "That makes sense as they're dead so the only way to get their blood would be to jump to a time when they are still alive."

Hermione held up the list of numbers on the small piece of parchment. "These must be points in time that they need to jump to, to collect the blood."

"Or to collect the actual person!" Draco said. "So, do we now start entering those numbers in the time turner and jump to each to see what they are up to?" The look on his face told her he didn't like the idea of that at all.

"I don't think so – I think that would be foolish as they would be bound to notice us if we turn up everywhere they jump to." Hermione sank back on her chair feeling deflated. "This is so difficult. We really need to contact Harry, but I have no idea how to."

"He said he'd be in touch, we will just have to be patient," Draco pointed out. "As soon as the weather eases off, we should explore around where we jumped to – there must be a reason the wizard who dropped the time turner was coming here. We need to find out what that was."

They sat in silence again for a few moments, each lost in their own thoughts. Hermione felt better, dressed suitably and now feeling warm and full.

"I didn't know your hair was so curly." Draco's voice broke into her thoughts, and she looked over at him, touching her still damp hair self-consciously.

"Only when it's wet."

"It suits you."

Hermione wasn't quite sure how to answer him, surprised by his compliment. "Thanks."

"From the mortified look on your face, I'm guessing you're not good at taking compliments?" Draco smirked at her.

"That depends on who's giving me the compliments," Hermione shot back at him, and his grin widened.

"Good comeback, Granger. I can be nice you know."

"You hide it well," Hermione answered him with a grin of her own.

Draco leant forward in his seat. "You can trust me; you know that right?"

Hermione frowned. "Of course I know that. Have you spent all this time with me, thinking that I'm expecting you to change sides any moment?"

"No – I don't mean that. I'm hoping everyone knows what side I am on now."

Hermione nodded. "Everyone does. There are the obvious few who will never truly believe that you're with us fully, despite everything you've done for our side, but most people don't even refer to your past. Not in my earshot, anyway."

"Good. What I meant is I hope you know you can trust me." Draco emphasized the 'you' and 'me', pointing with his finger. "That Hermione can trust Draco." Again, he emphasized their names. "Because I feel like our trust in each other is going to be well and truly tested if things continue like this."

Hermione felt a little rush of emotion at his words. He really was such a huge contradiction! Obnoxious, arrogant, supremely annoying but also surprisingly kind, forthright and, dare she think it, nice?

"I know I can trust you. I knew that before we started on this crazy mission."

They'd been flung together through no choice of their own and if you had asked Hermione yesterday who she'd most dislike to be paired up with on a mission, Draco would have been pretty near the top of the list.

Now, she knew she was with someone who would have her back and unfortunately, she knew that was something they were both going to need.

It was still drizzling but the storm seemed to have passed. They had explored every dirty, dark alleyway around where they had jumped in but everywhere was quiet.

"I feel like we are missing something," Hermione said.

"We're missing a lot of things!" Draco answered her. "Frankly, I'm totally bemused."

They had walked past Borgin and Burkes and Hermione had a creeping feeling. She kept turning round, feeling like she was being watched but couldn't see anyone.

"What's up with you?" Draco asked her.

"Nothing."

He looked like he didn't believe her but carried on walking. He came to a stop and looked at the shop they were in front of: Cobb & Webb's. Hermione hated this shop, although she'd never been in there, she had seen the type of people who were customers and the item's they bought. Draco was lingering, staring at the items in the window.

"What is it?" Hermione asked, joining him to look into the window.

"So, you're an evil wizard, collecting blood. Lots of it by the list of names we saw. What are you going to do with it?" Draco ran the scenario.

"I can't think!" Hermione tried to be helpful as she could see he was trying to work things out. "I suppose you'd need it for a potion? Or a spell?"

"And you'd also need other ingredients, possibly one's that can't be sourced legally?" Draco pointed into the window.

"Very clever." A voice made them both jump. Hermione lifted her wand but the wizards facing them were too quick and he shot a spell at her, knocking it out of her hand. "I always knew you were a know-it-all, Malfoy."

Draco was also disarmed and the two of them stood helpless, facing four wizards. "Cranklin. Well, I always knew you were stupid." Draco answered the tallest wizard who laughed.

"I'm the one with my wand and you're the one backed into a corner. Who's the stupid one?"

"Whatever you're up to the ministry are onto it," Draco said.

Cranklin threw his head back and laughed heartedly, the other wizards joining in. "They haven't got a clue. We've already lost them." He walked over to Hermione who pushed herself as far back to the shop window as she could. "Who's this?"

"Leave her alone, I'll come with you peacefully if you let her go."

Hermione felt equally annoyed and grateful for Draco's futile attempt to get her out of the situation. One of the other wizards came up to Draco, putting his wand under Draco's chin and lifting it. Draco moved his head and glared at the wizard.

"Look at 'im!" the wizard said. "He's bothered."

Cranklin moved even closer to Hermione who turned her head away from his face, now just inches away from her own. "I don't blame him; I might be bothered too." He leant his whole body towards Hermione. "So, why don't you tell me what you know?"

"I know you've got bad breath." Hermione pulled a face and he glared at her.

"You're brave now but give me a bit of time and you'll lose the backchat," Cranklin pushed against her and breathed heavily into her face.

"Don't threaten her. She has nothing to do with this," Draco protested but the wizard gave his wand a shove into Draco's jaw, causing him to bend over in pain. "Get off me!"

"Where's your time turner?" Cranklin ignored Draco.

"My what?" Hermione feigned innocence.

Cranklin put his grubby hand on Hermione's cheek, and she tried to not show the repulsion she felt. "Listen to me – Malfoy here, well we will have to 'remove' him, if you know what I mean. There's plenty keen to do that after his betrayal."

"You're full of it, aren't you?" Draco said. "Four against two makes even the biggest cowards brave, doesn't it?"

"Shut him up!" Cranklin shouted at the other wizards who shot a spell at Draco, flinging him against the shop window. Cranklin continued, now touching Hermione's hair. "But you, well we may be able to be more lenient with you if you co-operate. So, answer my question. Where is your time turner?"

Hermione reached into her pocket and withdrew the one time turner. Before they had left the flat, they had put the one that Harry had hidden and the one they had found in Hogsmeade in a bag, along with all the other items they had accumulated. Hermione had hidden and the one that had fallen out of the first wizard's coat in her pocket, just in case of emergencies. And here was just such an emergency! Cranklin stepped back a little and took it from her. "Good! Now tell me where you've been?"

"We went to Hogwarts then here. That's it."

Cranklin stepped closer again. "Don't lie."

"I'm not! We don't know how to use the time turners, we just put a number in and arrived here by chance."

Cranklin narrowed his eyes at her. "You're lying."

"We got dragged into all this by mistake."

Cranklin put his head to one side. "Tell me who you are."

"Why?"

He put his wand to her face, right between her eyes. "Because if you tell me everything then you might get to keep that pretty face in one piece." He turned to the other wizards. "Search them. And find the bag, they had a bag with them."

Hermione made sure her expression gave nothing away, but they weren't going to be able to find the bag as she had already performed a non-verbal, invisibility spell on it. She'd been practicing her non-verbal spells a lot lately and had got pretty good at the basic ones. With her wand she had even managed to do some more advanced spells. She ran through them in her head, trying to think of one that could help her and Draco escape but without her wand, her options were limited.

A small, stocky wizard approached her. He had an expression on his face that she really didn't like, resembling a child at a sweet shop. He started to run his hands over her and Hermione pushed him away. He laughed and grabbed both her hands in one of his before running his other hand over her hip.

Out of the corner of her eye she could see Draco squirming as Cranklin fired spells at him and she knew she had to do something. What spell would help them? Accio was her best one, she found that fairly easy with her wand, but she'd only managed it a couple of times without her wand.

So, should she use Accio to call for her wand? There was a chance it would work but only a chance and even if it did, Draco would still be wandless. Could she call for her wand and then defend herself and Draco against four wizards? She severely doubted it.

The wizard who was 'searching' her put his hands where she definitely didn't want them, and she wriggled from his grasp.

"Get off me you letch!"

"Is she playing hard to get, Baker?" Another of the wizards who was holding Draco down called out and they all laughed. Draco was crying out in pain as they hit him with spells. There didn't seem to be any purpose to it, they weren't asking him anything, it seemed that it was just to amuse them.

The stocky wizard glared at Hermione and pushed her hard against the shop window, making her see stars as her head hit the glass. She began to panic; she couldn't do this on her own.

Draco was now on the floor, semi-conscious but the wizards were relentless, still hitting him with spells that made him contort on the floor. Hermione felt anger begin to rise in her.

"Stop it! Leave him alone!" she yelled.

Cranklin came over to her, pushing the other wizard away.

"I'll search her now," he said, menacingly and Hermione shuddered. "Can't be too careful with witches that defend men like Malfoy. I bet the two of you have a bit of fun, don't you?" He put his hand on her hip and pulled her against him. "Just a word of warning in case you're falling for him, he isn't a one women man. Use 'em and leave, that's his motto."

Hermione's head was spinning, aching from where she'd hit the glass and being bombarded with trying to fight off Cranklin and watching with horror what they were doing to Draco. She'd had enough! Cranklin was laughing, leaning over her so she bought her leg back and then swung it hard, kneeing him in the gut. He stumbled backwards, bending over, swearing.

This drew the other wizard's attention just for a split second and Hermione leant back against the window of the shop, took a deep breath, and concentrated so hard, she thought her head might explode. Because they were all fussing over Cranklin, she could say the spell out loud.

"Accio, time turner! Accio wand!"

The little, silver instrument appeared in her hand, having been vanished along with the rest of the bag. Her wand then came shooting towards her and she caught it awkwardly. One of the wizards noticed what she was doing and began to walk towards her. She bent down and after a couple of attempts managed to find the invisible bag which she grabbed running over to Draco who was still on the floor.

She grabbed his hand and put the time turner in between their palms. There was bright flash of light and Hermione found herself staring back up at Hogwarts.