A/N: Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows! I am really excited to share this chapter, mostly because I hope that you will like how I've adjusted canon events. I just can't wait to see what you think of it, so I won't ramble on for too long here! Only five chapters left! You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions.
Please let me know what you thought of chapter thirty-one and be on the lookout for chapter thirty-two in a few days!
They apparated to a rather large looking house, but kept on the outside of a large wrought iron fence. After waiting a few moments, the gates swung open all on their own and Fenrir was leading the way up the gravel drive, pulling Hermione along with him.
"Malfoy Manor," Theo said glumly to Hermione when he caught her eye.
She wasn't sure if he was trying to give her some level of comfort or telling her something else, but it only amplified her fears more. She wondered again about his friendship with Draco Malfoy, and if he had played here as a child, or if he had spent summers here as a teenager, flying around the grounds. Did Theo have happier times here that would now be marred by whatever was about to happen?
The doors of the great manor were opened, revealing an annoyed looking Bellatrix Lestrange. Hermione watched out of the corner of her eye as Theo stiffened seeing the other witch. "What do you want?" Bellatrix snarled, looking at the dirty snatchers with little interest. "You're supposed to bring them to the Ministry, you imbeciles."
"I think you'll want to see who we've found," the lead snatcher said, proudly puffing out his chest. "We thought these prisoners might be above out paygrade. But if you want us to take them to the Ministry and let Yaxley handle them..." he trailed off, vaguely threateningly.
"Well?" Bellatrix said, taking her foot impatiently. "Tell me who you fucking found then!" she screeched.
Fenrir stepped forward, pulling Hermione to rest against his chest, leaving one massive arm around her waist. He used his hand to grip her jaw, turning her to face Bellatrix Lestrange. "I found a very pretty prize out in the forest," he said with a laugh. He ran his thumb against her lips, making Hermione recoil in horror, struggling to get out of his grasp. Taking advantage of her unrestrained legs, she tried to kick at his ankles, hoping that he would let her go. It was in vain.
"Stop touching her like that," Theo snarled from beside them, drawing Bellatrix's attention to him.
The witch's face was transformed by a sadistic smirk while she crossed the distance to the young pureblood. Looking up into his hateful stare, she made a little clicking noise with her tongue. "Oh, little Theodore, your father has been looking everywhere for you," she cooed in her little baby voice. "Poor, poor Alfred Nott has been worried sick...and to think, you've been off cavorting around in the woods with a filthy mudblood!"
She turned back to face Fenrir, completely ignoring the snatcher who was in charge. "Well, bring them inside then," she snarled, before turning around and marching back inside Malfoy Manor. "Cissy!" she shouted once they were in the atrium. "We have guests! Bring Draco down here, now!" she commanded.
It didn't take long before the entire Malfoy family was assembled, looking gaunt and warry. Lucius Malfoy, who had always taken great care with his appearance, looked disheveled and exhausted, but Hermione couldn't find it within her to feel bad for him.
Draco's eyes widened when they landed on the group of people now in his living room, lingering on Theo and then her. He looked like he might retch in front of them, from nerves or something else, she wasn't entirely sure. "Come here, Draco," Bellatrix ordered, wrapping her arm tightly in the crook of his elbow pulling them forward. "This is Potter's mudblood isn't it? And that would make these two Potter and Weasley, right?" she cooed, pulling him to look at Ron and Harry. "We don't want to make a mistake by calling the Dark Lord if it isn't them...we wouldn't want to make a mistake," she hissed, shoving him forward to get a good look at the boys.
"Draco-" Theo croaked, looking at his friend, hoping to convey...something. Not quite begging for mercy, but maybe for more time.
"Be quiet, you mutt," Bellatrix barked at Theo.
Hermione could feel the dangerous growl that bubbled up in Fenrir's chest at the slur, realizing that he didn't care for werewolves to be talked about that way, and probably cared even more that it was one of his pups being disparaged. While he was certainly a villain, Hermione couldn't say that Fenrir hadn't taken an interest in all the wizards he'd changed, even if they hadn't asked for it.
"Watch your mouth, Bellatrix," Fenrir bit out, not caring one lick for what Bellatrix thought of herself, his grip on Hermione loosening a bit.
"You don't speak to me that way you mangy dog," she snarled right back, staring at the irate werewolf down despite being much shorter than him. "The Dark Lord will hear about this, and maybe he will let me put you down finally," she added, turning away from him, not bothering to watch her back, apparently so confident that he wouldn't touch her. When she did, her eyes settled on the sword that was worn on one of the snatcher's waists. Eyes wide and wild, she stalked over to him, grabbing the hilt in her hand. "Where the fuck did you get this?" she demanded.
"They had it," the man said, not impressed with the way he was being interrogated. "And I figure it's mine now, so hands off the goods, love," he said, attempting to step away from her, but to no avail.
"I will not," she argued back, pulling the sword from him. "This sword is mine! They must have stolen it from my vault," she said, cheeks made all the more hollow from the tight way that she held her mouth. Shouldering Draco aside, she looked between Harry and Ron. "Which one of you took it from my vault, huh? Did you think you'd get away with it? What else did you take?"
"We didn't take anything you crazy bitch," Ron answered, his head held high, even though he understood the risk in mouthing off to the woman. Hermione watched as he flinched when Bellatrix slapped him across the face, leaving a red welt behind.
Spinning on her heel, she looked to Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy. "I'm more certain than ever that this is Potter, his mudblood and their blood traitor sidekick," she said grimly. "But we mustn't call the Dark Lord until we get this straightened out. I need to know if they took anything else."
"Of course, Bella," Narcissa said, her mouth pinched tightly. "Draco, come back here," she added, holding her arms open for her sniveling son, only Draco couldn't budge from where he was standing, staring at Harry with hopelessness in his grey eyes.
Bellatrix had her wand out and pointed at Hermione in an instant. "If you...insist on lying, blood traitor," she said with a smirk, "I am sure we could get the mudblood to talk. A little cruciatus curse, and I am sure I can get her filthy mouth talking," she finished, looking into Hermione's defiant eyes. Shifting to look at Fenrir again, she ordered the werewolf to let her go. "Fenrir, unhand her. I want to speak with this one, girl to girl."
"No!" Theo called out, sounding supremely concerned for Hermione's safety. "Don't you dare touch her, Bellatrix, or I'll-"
"Or you'll what?" Bellatrix taunted. "Your father would thank me if I killed you here, stain that you are on his noble name." She spat on the floor, before returning her attention to Fenrir. "Fenrir. Unhand her."
"No," Fenrir said firmly, tightening his grip on her. "You can torture one of those two, but I won't let you touch her."
"Oh, does the mangy mutt have a crush?" Bellatrix teased, talking in her baby voice. "I bet you are just salivating over her, aren't you? Don't worry, you can have first dibs at muddy when I'm done with her. I am sure she won't put up much of a fight." The dark witch grabbed at Hermione, perhaps hoping to pull her out of his grasp.
To her amazement, Fenrir stood his ground. "I won't let you hurt her," he said, pushing Hermione behind his back. She couldn't even begin to understand why he was standing up to Bellatrix against her, but she wasn't going to question it.
Bellatrix was not as patient and instead sent a cursed rope at Fenrir's neck, trying to choke the life right out of him. He fell to his knees, making the witch cackle in delight, while his fingers clawed at the rope, trying to get a little air.
"Please stop!" Hermione begged, desperately. Even if Fenrir was a bad guy, she didn't fancy seeing someone literally have the life choked out of them right before her eyes. Besides, he was protecting her. Theo began to thrash in the grasp of his own captor, eventually getting free, wrapping Hermione up in his arms.
Fenrir must have realized his struggle was futile because before she knew what was happening, he was launching himself at Bellatrix, knocking her down to the ground. Bellatrix was completely caught off guard, and fell backwards, her wand dropping to the ground, ending the spell. Fenrir took a great gasping breath, but didn't move from her.
Lucius stepped forward, looking like he was ready to take care of Fenrir. With one of their number under assault, the rest of the snatchers all brandished their wands, ready for a fight to get what they deserved - payment for bringing some many undesirables in. Harry and Ron were let go, and Hermione knew this was her chance to get free. Ducking down, she quickly snatched up Bellatrix's wand, holding onto it tightly.
She wasn't entirely sure who it was that cast the first spell, but the parlor of Malfoy Manor was plunged into chaos. Keeping close to Theo, she rushed over to Harry and Ron. The Malfoys only had two wands between them, but she had no illusions that any of the snatchers were on their side. Harry and Draco were still in some sort of staring match and she needed to get her friend's attention. "Harry, we need to go now!" she shouted.
Harry's hand suddenly reached out, grabbing Draco's hawthorn wand right out of his hands, looking amazed at how little resistance the other man had put up. Draco surged forward, his face pressed against Harry's ear and she wondered if Malfoy was trying to hug him. Before she could puzzle out the bizarre scene in front of her, she was shocked by Fenrir grabbing her by the shoulder.
"A werewolf's mate is sacred," he said, looking serious and stern. He looked to Theo then. "And I will put my own kind before the Dark Lord every time. Go now, before you make me regret helping you," he said imperiously, showing off his true alpha colors. "And pup, don't forget to mark her!" he added with a bawdy grin.
"I won't," Theo stuttered out his promise. Wrapping his arm around Hermione tightly, he pulled her closer to Harry and Ron once again. "Hermione, we need to get out of here now."
Draco was finally breaking away from Harry. Her friend was looking at him in confusion. "Dobby!" he called out confidently, pleased when the little house elf popped into existence. "Take us out of here!" he nearly begged.
The little elf got a determined look on his face, offering his hand out to Harry. "Dobby is happy to help Harry Potter and friends," he said with a grin.
"No!" Bellatrix screamed, her voice sounding feral and incensed as she watched the group of teenagers wink out of existence with a bit of elf magic. The cry she made followed them out of the chaos that they left behind at Malfoy Manor, even to the tiny, sandy beach that they found themselves at.
Theo pulled Hermione into a hug immediately, pressing his face into her shoulder, taking several deep breaths to calm his galloping heartbeat, trying to convince himself that she was safe and okay. He couldn't believe that Fenrir would have helped them to get away, but he hadn't been the only one who had aided in their daring escape. Lifting his head, but not letting her go, his blue eyes searched Harry's face. "What did Draco tell you?" he croaked out, perhaps wondering if it was the last time he'd see his friend alive.
"He told me to call for Dobby...that he was still technically a Malfoy house elf," Harry said dumbly. "He helped us?"