October 25th, 2005.
"Shouldn't you go check on him?"
Hermione's head snapped up to look at Draco, who was pointedly ignoring her gaze, instead focusing on his plate of naan and butter chicken.
When she said nothing, he continued with a bite in his tone, "Potter may be stupid, but I'm not. It's clear that Black was jealous."
She dropped her eyes to her now empty plate, a resigned sigh slipping past her lips as she propped her face on her upturned palm. "I think you're wrong."
Much to her surprise, Draco huffed out a short laugh. "Merlin, you're so oblivious, bint."
She glared at him. "Don't call me bint!" Then, she drummed her fingers against the chipped wood of the table, looking around St. Mungo's dining area. She finally allowed herself to look back at him once more. "Do you really think so?"
He gave her a slow smirk, reminding her much of their time at Hogwarts, though his face clearly lacked any real malice now. "What would I gain from lying to you about it?"
"Being the cause to my embarrassment," she pointed out, her skeptical eyes narrowing at the familiar grey in his gaze.
He rolled his eyes slowly—dramatically. "Save me the excuses, Granger. It's obvious that you don't have enough bravery to confront Black about it."
The clear jibe at her Sorting did not escape her, and she briefly wondered if he was aware of the insecurity that came with proving that she did belong in Gryffindor, rather than Ravenclaw.
"I'll go talk to him," she threw back with a haughty huff, "but not because your words affect me!"
He raised a sharp brow. "Whatever you say, Granger." And that was the end of the conversation, as Harry returned to the table with some food for himself.
Malfoy then didn't hesitate to tell them to not go too easy on Lucius Malfoy for his sake. "I stopped caring for him a long time ago," he spat, a bitter note to his voice that had her eyes water no matter how much she willed them not to.
How young had the boy been, when he was forced to join a cause that involved killing Albus Dumbledore?
"I'm sorry," she said hoarsely. She glanced at Harry and when he nodded, she continued, "I wish things could've gone differently."
Draco rolled his eyes, even as something warm sparked in his eyes, and he rolled his sleeves up. "No need for all that Gryffindor melodrama. Just—let's have lunch and go."
Harry gave a lopsided grin that she would've never thought would be directed towards Draco, and with a satisfied smile of her own, she stood up and glanced down at the boys.
"Well, I'm done and I actually have somewhere to go . . ." she trailed off as a slow smirk grew on the former Slytherin's face, and she huffed with not much heat.
—
Hermione found Sirius sitting on a bench in the gardens just outside the building, and she buried the flutter in her chest at how handsome he looked under the sunlight; his right leg propped on the other's knee, and one of his arms draped along the back of the bench as he stared at the flower bed beside him.
She hesitantly made her way towards him, gnawing on her bottom lip when he didn't immediately glance at her like he usually did. She wrangled her hands together and cleared her throat like an awkward idiot.
Come on, Granger. You can do better than that!
"The pink tulips are very pretty," she began conversationally, eyeing the flowers before looking back at the brooding man. "They're my favourite."
He didn't say a word. She glared at a spot on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry, Sirius," was what she eventually decided on, levying out a heavy sigh in defeat. She really never had to deal with such a tough man to figure out.
He glanced at her, indulging her by casually - way too casually - asking her, "Whatever for?"
This time, she was the one to quiet down, and he immediately continued, "You really have nothing to apologize for."
Hermione eyed him with surprise and arched a quizzical brow. "Then how come you're so upset with me? Are you . . ." she paused and coughed into the back of her hand, her neck warming up pleasantly, "jealous?"
Sirius looked outraged, evidently fuming at her accusation - which was really just a question, honestly.
"Why would I be jealous of that stupid, whiny git? Who managed to gain your friendship and maybe even more, while I was fucking rotting in the Veil!" He then let out a string of curses that made a bashful smile grow on her face more than anything else.
Draco had been right.
"I guess then you wouldn't care if I told you that he and I are just friends . . ." she exclaimed, biting down a grin when Sirius's gaze flew towards her at a formidable speed.
His grey eyes widened slightly, his jaw slack. "Oh?"
"Yes. Oh. Not that I'm not pleased—" she said, rolling her eyes in amusement when he muttered something under his breath and began to scratch the back of his neck.
She chewed on her bottom lip, wondering if she could dare to say anything more, all while his gaze dropped to her mouth. Something bloomed and fluttered in her stomach, and her own eyes began to trail down . . .
"Then," his voice cracked and he cleared his throat hastily, "would you be pleased if I were to—"
"Hermione, there you are!" Harry rushed towards their bench, panting with his hands on his knees. "Fuck, fuck, fuck—"
Hermione offered him a curious raise of her brows, and her best friend then hurriedly added, "Lucius Malfoy is gone - with Draco."
—
"What the fuck do you mean you lost him?" Hermione demanded angrily, pacing along the hallway in front of the patient's empty room because Lucius had managed to escape and fucking kidnap his own son, all while Aurors should've been guarding the place. "Where were you?"
Walker shrunk at her glower, looking at his partner sideways before he awkwardly caught her gaze again. "We didn't think he would wake up so soon. So, we thought of getting some food."
Harry groaned loudly from his seat, his fingers buried in his untidy curls as they pulled at the roots in frustration. "I can't believe we lost the one lead we had."
"And Draco is now in danger because of our mistake," she whispered angrily, frustrated to no end at how easily he'd gotten away, while she'd been distracted.
She tightened her jaw in determination and looked back at Harry. "Let's find anyone who may have seen them and get the search going. He couldn't possibly have gotten far by now."
Once preparations of a plan began between them, Hermione stepped away from the Aurors and inched closer to Mrs. Malfoy's room. Sirius was already standing by the door and looking through its small window.
"How is she doing?"
Sirius gave her a long look that informed her of the answer. No change. Hermione nodded as Harry joined her side once more, and they both began to ponder on what to do just as Sirius cleared his throat.
"I could—you know, come with you two."
A surprised look took over her face, while Harry grimaced at his Godfather. "Sirius, you're not technically allowed to come to a search with us—"
"But it's not an official one," the man argued fervently, adding, "and I was an Auror too, you know. No one has to find out."
Harry glanced at her, holding her gaze for long enough for her to know that there was no point in denying Sirius of what he wanted. "Fine," she muttered, "but you have to be careful."
Once she got him to agree with her, they all quickly decided to apparate to Malfoy Manor. An obvious choice could end up being the key to their success.
—
They were greeted by a sharp silence and pushing back the memories that came with the parlour, Hermione walked across the room and searched for any signs of the Malfoys. "Hominem Revelio."
Both men stared at her with eyes wide with anticipation, but once she sighed loudly and shook her head, they both began to look highly resigned.
"Where else could he even go?" she wondered out loud, her brows knitted together as her mind reeled and tried to fit the puzzle pieces into the proper space—
"Hermione," called Harry quickly, his tone one of the kind that made her gaze immediately snap towards him. His look called for total confusion. "Do you know where Malfoy—Draco lives?"
Right. Draco didn't live in this manor, anymore!
"I—I never bothered to ask," she responded weakly. Fuck, had she even put any effort in offering a hand of friendship?
No, Draco's snide voice answered in her mind.
Harry sighed loudly, while Sirius decided to suggest, "We could check the register at the department and hurry before he decides to move their location."
—
The door to Draco's apartment continued to silently taunt her as she dismantled all the wards that had been put in place, including the additional ones of Lucius Malfoy.
Harry had placed a Disillusionment Charm on them to not give their location away, and with their actions silenced, they finally entered the place with bated breaths.
She caught Lucius Malfoy's worn out robes from Azkaban on the floor and proceeded to move along the rooms to find where they could possibly be hiding. When she finally caught the slight thud coming from the farthest room, she hissed Harry's name to call for his attention.
Once she knew him and Sirius were following her, she hurried towards the door, sending it flying open as she finally caught Draco's wide gaze in hers.
The next moment seemed to be a blur: Harry blocking Lucius Malfoy's spell and Sirius holding him back him with tight ropes, while Hermione hurried to vanish the restraints that were wrapped around Draco's wrists and ankles.
"Fucking hell," Draco muttered harshly as he instantly rose from his chair, watching as Harry's Stupefy rendered the eldest Malfoy unconscious.
Hermione could feel her chest rise in anxious, heavy breaths and her knees almost gave way when she really looked at Draco's dishevelled state. "I'm sorry for taking so long."
The small, sad smile that she received was able to ease the knots in her throat, if only a little. "We all make mistakes, Granger. At least, the man foolishly told me where Dolohov is hiding with his men."
Her brows rose high, and she felt her eyes widen in anticipation. "Where?" she breathed out.
Draco visibly swallowed, no longer able to meet her eyes as he paled sickeningly.
"Your parents' old house."
Her throat welled up with a rush of grief at his words, and she stared at him helplessly when not a sound agreed to come out.
Sirius instantly reached for her hand, holding it tight as he stared at Draco with a blank look. "What?"
The blond went to answer, but her knees buckled and she fell to the floor, glaring down at the dark tiles with a harsh furrow upon her brows. Her misty gaze snapped up and she shook her head weakly. "I just- I went outside their house just a month ago, Draco—"
"It's what he told me, Gran—Hermione," he answered quietly, glancing back at his father with eyes that burned with hot malice.
Sirius wrapped his arm around her shoulders and helped her up, all while Harry sighed softly and said, "Let's wake him up and see what he has to say."
—
The man in front of her arched a pale brow, though the arrogant air that had previously been wrapped around him had disappeared. A broken shell of that man now sat completely restrained and unable to move as he stared at her.
And this man . . . he'd known that those monsters had been living in her parents' house this whole time—
Hermione wanted to cry, scream and demand what they'd done to deserve so much vitriol even in death, but she composed herself. She could have a breakdown later. "Where are they?"
If it were possible, he would have arched his brow even higher. "Your parents' house," he replied stiffly, his nostrils flaring when Harry tightly fisted a handful of his platinum hair and pulled it back harshly. "They have been living since your performance at the DoM."
"How did you get this information from Azkaban?" she demanded icily, not bothering to restrain a dark glower when the former Death Eater smirked.
"You'll be surprised, Miss Granger, by the power we have."
Hermione pushed back the bile that threatened to rise at his continuous remarks, while Harry and Sirius began to argue with him on how much power he'll have when they turned him dead.
She simply stepped back and apparated on the spot, well aware that they will be able to catch up with her when they decided to.
She couldn't wait any longer.
The first thing Hermione noticed when she appeared on the same spot she'd been just a month ago, was the unease that accompanied the place.
This house was supposed to be the memory of family and comfort and instead, it had been used so sickeningly by the same killers of her parents.
Hermione was fucking fuming.
She heard the crack of apparition as Harry, Sirius and Draco appeared by her side, saying something along the lines of being careful, but it all seemed a blur in comparison to the sharp ringing in her head.
"Let's go inside," she said hoarsely, having to dismantle the new wards that had been placed around the property for the very first time. Draco joined to assist her, while Sirius and Harry came up with a plan on how to take all the Death Eaters together.
"We shouldn't separate—"
The door opened with an ominous click and she instantly stepped inside, the grip on her wand painfully tight to the point she could feel her own skin bruise.
She felt the first spell fly past her head and she knew it was time.
It was on.
Magic thrummed in her veins as they duelled against some faces they hadn't seen since the Battle of Hogwarts, and it felt as though they were back in the Great Hall, fighting against so many foes with innocent lives at stake.
Hermione was tired of them tiring out the breath of her. "Incarcerous!" The Death Eater in front of her tried desperately to shrug himself off the restraints, and with a careful look back at Harry as he fought against Carrow, she moved up the stairs.
Where are you hiding, Dolohov?
Each and every step she took towards her parents' old bedroom felt heavy with painful memories of the past, and with a deep, shuddering breath that still left her lungs desperate for air, she entered the room and aimed her wand at the man that had apparently been waiting for her arrival the whole time.
"Took you long enough, Milaya."
A/N: I know, I'm terribly evil for leaving with a cliffhanger, but I would still love to hear what you have to say about the chapter! I promise, I'll try my best to bring the next chapter much sooner. If you haven't noticed, I also edited the past chapters and fixed many mistakes that I couldn't just let be, lol.