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A soft pop woke Hermione the next morning. She sat up quickly, fingers wrapped tightly around her wand. At the edge of her bed, a house-elf squeaked and jumped back. The creature's ears drooped and its hands clutched at the thick material of the sweater it was wearing. "S-sorry Miss, I's Midge, Young Master Draco's elf," she said.
Of course, he has an elf, she thought. But at least she looks well taken care of.
"It's quite alright, Midge. I apologize for startling you as well," Hermione said, offering the elf a smile.
Midge's bulbous eyes blinked twice, staring at her before speaking again. "Young Master sent me to gather your clothes. He said they must need washing while you bathe."
Hermione looked to the bathroom. Surely she could just bathe when she got home, but the en suite did look inviting. She bit down on the inside of her cheek, thinking. Her clothes weren't the cleanest after being rained on yesterday, and it would make her feel better to freshen up before seeing anyone… She told Midge to wait outside the bathroom door while she undressed. Once she passed her garments to the house-elf through a crack in the door, Hermione looked around the bathroom. Laying on the counter was a packaged toothbrush and a tube of toothpaste, a hairbrush, and a towel. Peering behind the curtain to the shower, she found it was already stocked with shampoos and soaps. She started the water and while it heated, she turned to the sink and brushed her teeth.
Even though she would have liked to linger in the shower, Hermione decided to be quick. She liked the green apple scent of the shampoo and conditioner. Once she was out of the shower, she wrapped the towel around herself and sat on the closed lid of the toilet. Running the brush through her hair wasn't too bad, as the conditioner had done its job in making her curls silky. She cast a quick-dry spell to keep water from dripping off the ends as she headed back into the bedroom. Midge had already brought her clothes back, laundered with the help of magic, and laid them out on the bed. Hermione dressed and was sitting in a chair tying the laces on her boots when a knock sounded at the door.
Standing behind the solid wood was Fenton Cray, the young man from the night before. He offered her a weak smile. "Good morning," he said. "I wanted to say thank you and apologize for last night."
He offered her his hand, which she took and shook once. "I'm glad to see you're doing better," she told him.
He rubbed the back of his neck. He's just barely seventeen, she thought, remembering that Draco had said he was two years younger than Ginny. "I've been asked to bring you downstairs before taking you to the apparation point," he told her, stepping out of the way so she could join him in the hall.
Hermione tucked her cloak over her arm, shutting the bedroom door behind her as she stepped out. "Oh? What's downstairs?" she asked.
They began down the hall, back the way she had come with Draco the night before. "Not so much what as who," Fenton said. "The Snake King wants to speak with you before you leave."
Her eyebrows raised and she glanced over at the young man beside her. "Why would he want to do that?" she asked.
"I don't know for sure. I was just told to stop by with you."
After a pause, she asked another question, "Do you know who he is?"
"You mean his actual identity? No. I don't even know who does."
She could tell by his tone that Fenton was telling the truth. She wondered if Draco knew The Snake King's true identity. For the remainder of the journey downstairs, which took them down two sets of stairs, Hermione made small talk. She'd found out Fenton had an older brother who had joined The Snake King's cause and that was how Fenton got involved even though he had just graduated from Hogwarts a month ago at the end of June. She also learned that he had been tracking the two Death Eaters the night before when he'd been slipped the poison. Apparently, they had realized he was watching them. When they came to a dark wooden door, Fenton stopped and knocked. Hermione suddenly felt nervous, the small hairs on the back of her neck rising.
The door opened to reveal Draco. He said something softly to Fenton and the younger man nodded, stepping to the side. Hermione blinked and felt her lips part in surprise. "Are you The Snake King?" she found herself asking before she could clamp the thought down.
Draco smirked and laughed. "Come inside, Granger," he told her, moving out of the way.
Once she entered the room, he shut the door. It was a large room, but every inch of wall space was covered with bookshelves, floor-to-ceiling. The shelves were overflowing, as some books were laid on the tops of others. On the right side of the room was a couch with large stuffed armchairs, on the left a table and wooden chairs. Sitting at the head of the table was a man. He wore a high collared cloak and a dark green mask that covered his brows, eyes, and the bridge of his nose. His hair was dark, almost black. Draco nudged Hermione and led her to the table, where he stood next to the man sitting down. Hermione wasn't sure where to or if she even should sit, so she stood at the opposite end of the table. It wasn't terribly long, so she didn't feel like she was too far away. When the man looked at her, she could see he had dark blue eyes. They reminded her of the ocean when a storm was brewing overhead.
"Miss Granger," he greeted. His voice was deep and while his demeanor seemed cold, it held a warmer tone. "I wanted to thank you in person for helping our young recruit last night. From what Draco has told me, I understand you may not agree with some of our ways, but all the same, we are on the same side."
An embarrassed blush crept up her neck and spread across her cheeks. Of course, Draco would have told him about their conversation. She didn't know if she should apologize or not, so she simply nodded. She was entitled to her own opinion, and as he said, they were on the same side despite it. The wizard across the table stood and made his way to her. Reaching out, he took both her hands in his. He was tall, a good head taller than herself, and she had to look up at him. "I'm sorry for your loss, Miss Granger. I imagine it has been a tough few months. Please know that we have been trying to keep any more devastation from happening to the Weasley family," he said.
Hermione swallowed and felt tears well in her eyes. Who was this man? Why did he have to bring up Ron's death? She slowly pulled her hands away and nodded again. "Thank you, I appreciate that," she replied. The question of his identity burned on the tip of her tongue, but she held back, knowing that she wouldn't receive an answer.
He stared down at her for a second, his expression unreadable due to the mask he wore, before turning to Draco and gesturing to the door. Draco moved around the table and took Hermione's elbow. As he turned her to the door and began walking her out, The Snake King spoke once more, "I hope to see you again soon, Miss Granger."
As Draco was shutting the door, she glanced over her shoulder to see the dark-haired wizard once more. He'd turned his back to them and was removing his mask. Who are you? she wondered.
"Now, Granger, Fenton will take you to the apparation point. It was lovely to see you," Draco said, lifting her hand and placing a kiss to her knuckles.
Pulling her hand away from him, Hermione leveled a glare at the blonde. He smirked in return. "Do be a good witch and try to stay out of trouble," he told her before hastily retreating back into the room they'd come from and leaving her in Fenton's company.
She had half a mind to barge back in there but remembered Harry must be worried. "Okay, Fenton, let's go," she said, looking back to the young man beside her.
He led her down the hall into what must have been the main corridor. They passed a few rooms to which the doors were opened and Hermione peeked inside each one. Some of them were empty, but most of them held a few different witches and wizards. She wondered if all these people lived at the estate or if they came to it as a workplace. She voiced her question to Fenton when they stepped through a large metal door that took them outside.
"Well, some of us live here. It is a large manor after all. But a lot of people live on the outside. It makes it easier for us to know what's happening. I guess the only ones who really stay here are the ones closest to The Snake King," he explained.
"So you're close to him?" she asked. "But you don't know his actual identity?"
Fenton ran a hand through his hair. "No, my brother is one of his trusted men, so that's why I get to stay here. My brother helps train the witches and wizards who join our cause."
"Does your brother know who the Snake King really is?"
"Honestly, I've never asked. I think he might."
Hermione looked back at the manor. Fenton was leading her to the far edge of the back lawn, but she could see to the side of the house was a hedge maze. When they reached a smattering of trees, Fenton stopped. "Well, you should be good to apparate from here. I should tell you, you won't be able to find this place on a map or in any records, wizarding or muggle. You won't be able to come here without someone who knows the exact location. Malfoy said you might try, so he wanted me to tell you not to waste your time," he told her.
Of course, Draco would know how curious she was. Hermione thanked Fenton and stepped back, drawing her wand. Now all she'd have to do is deal with Harry, she thought as she apparated to the nearest point by Grimmauld.