Under the Dark Lord's Reign Chapter Three
All rights belong to You-Know-Who (J.K. Rowling)
First off, thank you to everyone who's followed, favorited, and reviewed the story. To Black Rook: Thank you for your input. I hadn't decided for sure where I was going with the story, but your advice helped me generate a few ideas. Without further adieux, here's chapter three:
The following couple of days were the same, with Winky bringing Hermione a tray a food periodically, along with some water. Hermione hadn't spoken to the elf much since their first encounter, aside from thanking her every time she brought her meals.
Hermione was laying on the floor when she heard footsteps coming down the stairs. These were heavier than Winky's, so it must have been one of the Malfoys. Hermione's intuition proved true as Draco approached the gate to the cellar. He unlocked it and stepped over the threshold. Hermione got to her feet, her eyes never leaving Draco's. He took a few long strides, closing the gap between them, before placing his hands in his pockets.
"I think you've been in here long enough," he said. He stepped slightly to her left and stretched out his left hand in the direction the stairs, beckoning her forward. Hermione found his behavior odd, having expected him to be more forceful. Ignoring this, she walked past Draco towards the steps, with him walking close behind.
After reaching the ground floor, they traipsed through the same two hallways and the flight of stairs Lucius had first led her though, and entered what Hermione knew to be Draco's bedroom.
Draco shut the door behind them. "Have a seat," he said, before gesturing to a chair next to his desk. Hermione felt more uncomfortable now than she had during their first encounter a week before. She didn't like how civil Draco was being. People didn't change overnight, and he was certainly no exception. Still, she reckoned she might as well see where he was going with this.
She sat down, crossed her legs, and folded her arms, doing a poor job of hiding her discomfort. "Are you hungry?" he asked. Hermione nodded, and Draco walked over to his nightstand, resting on top of which was a bowl filled with various fruits. He crossed the room and set the bowl on the desk.
Hermione stared at the fruit, the gears of her mind churning. It was blatantly obvious that he was trying to manipulate her, to play with her emotions. Still, she wasn't so easily manipulated, and why not take advantage of his offer? She reached her hand into the bowl, grabbing hold of an apple.
She took a bite out of and chewed, closing her eyes to enjoy the flavor, before swallowing. When she opened them, she found that Draco was grinning. Hermione couldn't say why, but seeing him smile like that pissed her off. She set the apple down and quickly got to her feet. "Why are you smiling?" she asked heatedly.
Draco's grin widened. "No reason," he said. Hermione continued to stand there, fuming. His smile faded. "I just thought you might like some actual food after a week of eating the stuff Winky's been bringing you." Hermione walked across the room before turning back to face him. "Why would you care?" she asked.
Draco sighed. "I just thought I'd try to be civil, but if you prefer that I cut to the chase, have it your way." There it was. Hermione knew he had been up something. He opened a drawer of his desk and pulled out a stack of parchment, setting it atop the ornate piece of furniture.
"Come over here and see if you can make any sense of this," he commanded. Hermione didn't appreciate being bossed around, but she nevertheless complied, allowing her curiosity to get the better of her. She picked up the topmost piece of parchment, and looked it over.
It was covered in various runes and symbols, most of which Hermione didn't recognize. "I can't make out any of the symbols," Draco began, "and even if I could, I expect there's a deeper meaning to them." Hermione looked up at him. "A hidden meaning, you mean. Is it some sort of cipher?" she asked. Draco scoffed. "Call it what you like. Can you solve it?"
Hermione considered his question. "I could," she stated plainly. "Then solve it!" Draco exclaimed exasperatedly. "Why should I?" asked Hermione, "It doesn't mean anything to me" Draco's face flushed. "Because I told you to." She allowed his words to sink in. She could defy him, but that would only land her in the cellar for another week, which she'd prefer to avoid.
"Fine," she began, "but it's going to take time. I need access to a library, which I assume you have, and it'll take days, if not weeks to solve." Draco inhaled sharply upon hearing the word weeks. "Unacceptable! Four days, Granger." He paced around the room, before continuing, "The library is through the door at the end of the hall." He continued to pace. "You can head there now, and you'll return to the cellar after you've finished for the day."
"Absolutely not!" Hermione interjected, and before Draco could respond, she continued, "If you want my help with this, then I demand to be treated respectfully. I want a bed to sleep in, not some dank cellar!" Draco eyed her carefully. "Fine. You can sleep in one of the guest bedrooms, after it's been properly warded, of course." Hermione had to stop herself from looking as smug as she was feeling. She had won this battle of wills more easily than she'd expected. "I'll head to the library, then," and with that, she grabbed the stack of parchment and exited his bedroom, heading for the door at the end of the hallway.
OOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOO
Hermione had been in the library for more than seven hours. After leaving Draco's bedroom, she came here immediately, just as she'd agreed to. She had looked over a few dozen books before finding the current one, Ancient Runes and Their Meanings, which lay open on the desk in front of her. She had experienced some trouble trying to discover a pattern, but in the last couple of hours she'd made considerable progress.
She wagered she could fully decipher it after another day or two of study. Feeling that she'd done enough for one day, she exited the library and approached Draco's bedroom door. She knocked thrice. "It's Hermione," she said, "I feel I've made enough progress for one night, so it's time you to fulfill your end of the bargain." Hermione fell silent for a moment, then the door opened, and out came Draco.
He wore a sour look on his face, grabbed Hermione by the arm, and led her to the opposite side of the second floor. They came to rest outside a burgundy colored door, which opened to reveal a marvelous bedroom. It didn't compare to Draco's, but it was far nicer than any room Hermione had ever slept in.
She failed to stop a smile from creeping onto her face. "You find it satisfactory, then?" Draco inquired. "I thought you would. It's one of the sorriest rooms in the entire manor, but no doubt it overshadows whatever pathetic excuse for a bedroom your muggle parents provided you."
His comments immediately wiped the smile off her face. It was as if he'd just read her mind. "I'd like some privacy." she stated flatly. "Fine," said Draco, "but I expect you to be back in the library by dawn." He spun on his heel and left the room, leaving Hermione to her own private musings. She crawled into bed and immediately fell asleep.
The night seemed to drag on endlessly, with Hermione jerking awake every so often thanks to the nightmares she kept having. She dreamt of Harry's limp body in Hagrid's arms, of Ron dropping to the ground in front of her, beside the bodies of Ginny and Neville. As she laid there, wide awake, she wondered to herself. What would they say if they could see her now? If they could see her bending to the will of Draco Malfoy, one of the people she, Harry, and Ron hated most?
Hermione felt ashamed of herself. What was she thinking, serving the Malfoys when she should be out there trying to find a way to destroy Voldemort? Yet, as she sat there pondering this question, she realized something.
Draco had caved to her demands once already to convince her to figure out what all those symbols meant, and he'd been insistent that she figure it out within four days' time. What could cause him to feel such a rush? Not to mentioned, he had seemed nervous, frightened even, at the prospect of missing the deadline he assigned her to. Then, it dawned upon her.
Voldemort must have assigned him the task of solving it. If Draco failed to deliver, he would probably be killed. That wasn't what bothered Hermione, however. It'd be no less than the ferret deserves, she thought to herself. No, what bothered her was the fact that she was helping Voldemort in exchange for a comfortable place to sleep. Disturbed by her revelation, and assuming it was true, she turned over and closed her eyes, vowing to investigate further in the morning.
