Chp. 18: The Labyrinths
Draco, Hermione, Harry, and Ron stood outside of a small bed and breakfast. Hermione's shoulders ached from carrying her heavy rucksack around all day and her feet were blistering in her trainers.
The boys looked worse for wear as well, and Ron had been yawning widely for the quarter hour.
Hermione triple checked the slip of paper in her hands and nodded.
"Right. This is the place." She announced.
The boys followed her wordlessly into the entryway. The lilting sound of a fiddle playing a reel snuck through the home. The entryway was clean and bright, with a vase of flowers on the counter.
A bell sat next to the flowers with a sign directing them to ring for service, and Hermione rang it.
Several moments later, a slight woman in her late 60's shuffled out of the back room.
"Hello!" She said brightly to the young people
"Good evening," Draco said politely. "I believe we have arrangements to stay here."
"Oh, right. You must be the schoolchildren. I had a word with your headmaster a week ago, d'ye ken? Your rooms are upstairs, let me show you round."
Ron's eyes widened at the woman's accent, and watched as she bustled away.
"Coorie up!" Came her call from upstairs and the four hurried along.
At the top of the stairs was a small corridor with four doors.
The old woman stood with a pile of white towels in her arms smiling broadly.
"Now, you can take your pick of rooms, the bathroom is downstairs to your left, d'ye ken? My name is Mrs. MacRath, my man and I have the room downstairs if you need us. Will you be needing a wake up call in the morning?" She said quickly, handing the pile
Ron was still looking rather bewildered as to what the older woman was saying, and so Hermione cut in.
"We should probably be going around eight tomorrow morning. If you could wake us up around seven, that would be wonderful."
"Ay lass, I'll knock you up around seven then. Good night!" She called as she hustled down the stairs.
Draco and Ron giggled at this last phrase, and Hermione rolled her eyes at Harry, who was barely containing his own laughter.
"Honestly boys, it's just a saying." She huffed, and pushed open the door nearest to herself.
"I call this bedroom!"
She walked into a small room that had a narrow bed pushed up against the wall under the window. Next to it was a small writing desk and chest of drawers. The walls were painted a soft peach, and the carpet had a delightful spring to it.
Hermione tossed her rucksack on her bed and smiled.
The clear night sky twinkled at her through the glass of the window as she drew the curtains against the chilly draft.
Closing the door, she quickly changed into a pair of flannel pajamas, and swept her hair up into a ponytail.
She knocked lightly on the door across the hall from the room she had claimed as her own.
Draco poked his head around the door, smiled when he saw her and swung the door open.
The room mirrored her own, a dark blue bedspread spread over the mattress. The contents of Draco's rucksack and been dumped on top of the desk, and a bottle of shampoo had rolled underneath the wooden chair pulled up beside it.
Draco wrapped his arms around Hermione's waist and nuzzled his nose against her neck. She giggled a little, fighting down the feeling of butterflies that always rose in her chest when he touched that particular bit of her.
"I love you." He whispered in her ear.
She twisted away from him and smiled before leaning in to kiss him passionately. His hands held her waist firmly to his middle, and when they finally broke apart, Hermione's lips were reddened and puffy.
She hugged his tightly and murmured into his ear, "I love you too Draco Malfoy."
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Harry knocked on Draco's door and opened it when he heard Draco call, "It's open."
He placed a set of towels on top of Draco's dresser and smiled at Hermione who was sitting next to Draco on the bed.
"I put a set of towels on your bed Hermione. I thought I'd find you here." Harry said as he took a seat on the door.
A moment later Ron burst through the bedroom door, looking indignant.
"Hey! How about telling a guy when you all are about to have some fun?" He said in mock anger.
Hermione tossed a pillow at him.
"Ron," she said sternly, "we are here on a mission. Not to 'have fun.' Now, I suggest we make a plan of action here."
The boys nodded, and the room was quiet for a while.
Draco walked over to his desk and pulled a notebook out from under a pile of clothing.
"Right. So, I've been doing a bit of research. Yeah, yeah, Hermione's rubbing off on me and all that rubbish. Anyways, I think we should visit the two most magically potent cites in the city. First, we should visit Arthur's Seat, as it has great properties of renewal. After that…we need to visit the labyrinths."
Ron whistled slowly, and Hermione sucked in her breath.
"Draco, mate. You know that is awfully dangerous, don't you?" Harry said softly.
"Harry, if we want to find this Horcrux and destroy it…you know we are going to have to visit the labyrinths. It's the most likely spot for Voldemort to have hidden it," Draco said in a whisper.
"Draco's right, Harry," Ron chimed in, "we're going to have to go there."
"I think that we should all go to bed tomorrow…we'll need to plan this come morning, but for now we had better rest up," Hermione said sensibly.
The four friends bade each other goodnight, and left Draco's room.
Draco lay on his bed and listened to the sounds of his friends readying themselves for bed. He stared out the window at the crisp twinkle of the stars as the rooms around him quieted.
The home was nearly silent, and Draco was sure he was the only one left awake. He couldn't sleep because deep in his belly, icy fingers of fear clenched at his insides. He had been in the labyrinths once, and he did not wish to go there ever again.
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Ron groaned as the sharp rapping on his door.
"Up with ye, it's seven hours, d'ye ken? Breakfast downstairs in half an hour!" Came the cheery voice of Mrs. MacRath.
The mention of breakfast succeeded in getting Ron out of bed. The sweets he had feasted on for lunch the previous day were long gone, and the rumbling in his stomach was already driving him mad.
Tossing on a pair of trousers and a rugby shirt, Ron dashed downstairs to the bathroom.
When he emerged, he found his friends already seated around the breakfast table.
Hermione was immersed in a newspaper, while Draco stared blankly at the ceiling. Harry looked exhausted, and was rubbing his eyes rather furiously.
Ron sat at the table and exchanged pleasantries with the others. An amiable silence prevailed until Mrs. MacRath came bustling through the door from the kitchen, a plate of steaming bannocks in her hands.
Next came out bowls of porridge and plates of sausage, bacon, and scrambled eggs along with several items Ron could not identify.
Hermione wrinkled her nose at the plate of dark circles and Ron looked at her quizzically.
"Black Pudding."
Chuckling, Draco helped himself to several slices, and Hermione shuddered.
"How on Earth can you bring yourself to eat that?" She asked with distaste.
"Try it. It's good, I promise." Draco said with a grin.
Hermione turned her nose up. "No thank you."
Harry helped himself to the newest addition to the spread, potato scones.
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Twenty minutes later, Ron shoved his plate away from him, rubbing his full stomach.
"Thanks so much for breakfast, Mrs. MacRath," Harry said, and the others chimed in enthusiastically.
"Not a problem. Now, off you go, I'm sure you've plenty of work to get done." Mrs. MacRath said with a smile.
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After wandering through the shops for a while, Harry, Hermione, Ron and Draco found themselves nestled in a small café at the foot of the Royal Mile, having bowls of chocolate soup.
Hermione was pouring through her notes making marks here and there with a Biro. Finally, she looked up.
"I've got it. We'll need to rise early tomorrow, in order to climb Arthur's seat before sunrise. And then, once it gets dark…we'll pay a visit to the labyrinths."
Ron gulped audibly at the thought of visiting the labyrinths in the dark.
Several minutes later, the four friends were headed back to the B&B, where Hermione planned to start work on a healing potion that involved heather. The potion would be most potent, she had learned, if it was brewed on top of a hill at sunrise. Thus, the four planned on climbing Arthur's Seat the next morning and getting to work.
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Setting off in darkness, wrapped in their warmest clothes, Harry, Hermione, Draco, and Ron headed towards the King's Park surrounding Arthur's Seat.
To get there, they cut through the University of Edinburgh dormitories, and across a field. The wind blew fiercely at them, and Hermione hugged her arms around herself.
When they reached the base of the hill, they looked at each other apprehensively. It was going to be a long climb.
There were two routes to take up Arthur's Seat. One was as easy climb, but took much longer than the way they had agreed to climb. The path in front of them was rocky and steep, and without a word, they began to scramble up the path.
Thirty minutes later, faces numb from the overpowering wind, they reached the top of Arthur's Seat.
The boys say breathing heavily, but Hermione was all business.
She pulled out her portable cauldron and lit a small fire under it.
The eastern sky was just beginning to glow softly as Hermione added the last ingredients to the potion.
As daylight broke, and light illuminated the slumbering city at their feet, she stirred the potion a final time as it turned a warm peach.
Sighing contentedly, Hermione looked out over the city of Edinburgh. Walking over to stand beside Draco, she leaned against him and he put an arm around her shoulder, pressing his lips briefly to the side of her head.
The scene before them was beautiful. Behind them, the first rays of morning sun glinted off the water, while before them; sunlight slowly crept across the city, casting shadows and areas of brilliant light across the city.
Harry was grinning widely at Ron, who had clambered up a rocky outcropping to the highest point of Arthur's Seat.
"I'M KING OF THE WORLD!" he bellowed and then smiled down at his friends.
They shared one last moment of beauty and truth before facing the labyrinths.
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"Ugh." Harry said, poking at the steaming dish in front of him.
"That's disgusting." Ron said, making a face.
"It looks like someone already ate it." Draco said.
"Oh grow up you three. It's not poison." Hermione huffed.
"This coming from the woman who wouldn't eat black pudding." Draco sneered.
"What's this? You can't come to Scotland and not try haggis!" Mrs. MacRath said cheerily. "Now then, who'll have bashed neeps and chappit tatties?"
Hermione bravely bit into the dish in front of her, and to her surprise, enjoyed the flavor that filled her mouth.
"Go on, try it," she urged as Mrs. MacRath left the room laughing to herself.
Glum expression on faces, the boys put some haggis into their mouths.
"You know, this isn't half bad!" Ron exclaimed.
Draco and Harry, however, stuck to the mashed turnips and potatoes that had been served alongside the main course.
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Night had fallen on the city, and the four were apprehensively inching along a side street of the city.
"This gives me the creepers," Ron said hoarsely.
"We aren't even underground yet, mate" Harry whispered back.
They reached the apartment that gave access to the rooms under the city, once used for storage, and then as housing for the city's poor.
When the city of Edinburgh burnt down, centuries ago, all the city's poor had been trapped. They suffocated under the city, and to this day, Edinburgh is rumored to be one of the most haunted cities in the world. The four were traveling, unguided, into the underbelly of the city, where Dark Wizards had come for years to draw on the awful energy that radiated from the labyrinths of the city.
Hermione gripped Draco's hand as they climbed through the wall into the tunnel.
Several ghosts floated sadly about the tunnel, and Harry shuddered as one walked through him.
Draco felt sick to his stomach. This place was disgustingly familiar, and he strode quickly to a room off the hallway.
There was a roped off circle in the center of the room, and he stepped into it without hesitation.
Instantly, he was wracked with pain. He cried out, but motioned to his friends not to touch him.
After several moments, he fell to the ground in a heap, sweat along his upper lip.
An orb appeared in the air above him, and Draco stood weakly. Taking it in his hand, he took out his wand.
"Malicia."
The orb glowed a sinister green, and disappeared. In Draco's hand was a key.
He climbed out of the circle and held the key out to his friends.
"You've been here before." Harry said with sudden understanding.
"You aren't trained in the Dark Arts. You'll need me to guide you through here." Draco said, ignoring Harry's comment and shaking slightly.
Hermione put her hand to his face briefly, sadness in her eyes.
Draco squeezed her hand quickly and then led the way into a room next to the one they had just been in.
A corridor branched off from the room, and Harry muttered "Lumos."
Using the white light emitting from Harry's wand, the four wandered through the stone corridors. When they came to a dead end, Draco stopped them.
He placed his hand on the wall and pulled away a stone knife. Looking at it as if he were going to be sick, he motioned to Hermione.
"You need to cut me."
"No." She said, eyes wide.
"Look Hermione, if you don't, we can't get in. The blood of a loved one must be shed for us to gain access to the room beyond this wall, and I sure as hell am not going to cut you."
Eyes glistening with tears, Hermione took the knife from Draco and make a small cut along his arm.
"More, Hermione." He said through gritted teeth.
Trembling, she cut deeper and watched as blood trickled down Draco's arm.
"Now," he said hoarsely, "wipe the blood from my arm onto the wall."
Hermione tried to wipe the blood from his arm gently, but he still hissed in pain. Sobbing softly, she smeared a streak of Draco's blood along the wall. The stone dissolved, revealing a dank chamber.
"This must be what inspired Voldemort's hiding place for the locket." Harry said to himself, remember how Dumbledore had been forced to shed his own blood to gain access to the cave.
Ron had entered the room and was looking around.
In the corner of the room was a tangle of leaves.
Draco looked at it then closed his eyes.
"He'll have hidden it there," he said softly.
Harry looked at his quizzically, and Draco continued.
"Those plants will instantly kill anyone but a wizard experienced in the Dark Arts. Only the most elite of Death Eater would stand a chance of getting through to the brand behind those plants."
"How are we supposed to get at it then?" Hermione asked in a small voice, already knowing and fearing the answer.
"I'll have to try."
"No, you can't mate! You just said that only the most experienced Death Eater would be able to get through!" Ron exclaimed.
"It's the only way," Draco said.
He stood in the middle of the room, eyes closed in concentration. Breathing deeply several times, he held his wand in front of him.
"Per malus opus, ego adeo vita."
He tapped the wand on top of his head and his body seemed to convulse. When he opened his eyes, there was a hardened look to his face.
"Out of my way, Potter." He sneered.
Hermione was looking at him oddly, and he turned to her.
"Mudblood slut. I won't have your wandering eyes dirty my person." He spat.
Hermione's eyes filled with tears, but she said nothing.
Draco strode over to the plants in the corner of the room and reached into them. His face contorted in pain, but he did not flinch.
Moving his arm around, he pulled out a small dirty package.
His arm was blackened with sores, and as he glanced down at it, he began to writhe scream incoherently.
Hermione rushed over to him, pulling the potion they had made that morning out of her pocket.
Harry and Ron held Draco down, and Hermione poured some of the potion over his arm, as he was flailing to violently to get any in his mouth.
After some moments, Draco stopped moving.
He glared at them with the same hard look, but Harry could see a pleading expression underneath the stony mask. Grabbing his wand, Harry yelled:
"Reverso malus opus"
Draco blinked hard several times, and sat up rubbing his head.
"Thanks Harry." He said, and grabbed Hermione's hand in silent apology. She squeezed back, letting him know all was well.
Harry had taken the dirty little package from its place on the floor as Hermione made Draco drink the rest of the healing potion.
"We're going to need everyone to do this." Ron said gravely.
Nodding, the four surrounded the package and pointed their wands at it.
"Prosterno." They said in perfect unison
Jets of brilliant blue light shot from their wands, and the explosive force of the spell hitting the brand knocked them all backwards.
Scrambling to their feet, they looked at the hole in the stone that had once been a Horcrux.
A low groan was slowly building to a scream around them, and Ron yelled,
"Let's get out of here!"
The four friends raced from the labyrinths and emerged into the cold night air, breathing heavily.
A Muggle couple walked past, hand in hand, looking quizzically at the panting teenagers.
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Back at the B&B once more, Hermione climbed into bed, exhausted.
They had made wonderful time on the trip, barely missing any classes and accomplishing their mission.
She though of what it would be to be back in school the following day as well as the events of that evening. Tears welled up in her eyes as she though of how she had cut Draco's arm open.
A hand on her shoulder caused her to jump, but she relaxed when she was that it was Draco.
"What's the matter, beautiful?" he asked her kindly.
"Nothing…I was just…thinking…" she said tiredly.
"I want you to know how proud I am of you for tonight. I know how hard it is to do that to someone you love, Hermione, and I'm glad you trusted in me enough to follow my directions." He said to her, holding her body close to his.
She nodded into his chest.
He kissed her forehead and lay down, holding her to him.
They fell asleep in each other's arms.
A/N: Well, how did you like it? A big action chapter, finally! This was a long chapter for me, but I thought it best to get it all out in one go instead of dividing it up. I was a little sad about how few reviews I got for the last chapter, but really, nothing too interesting happened, so I understand why that might be. For those of you who did review, this monster chapter is dedicated to YOU! Thanks so much! In other news, if you are confused about any of the Scots terms I use here, feel free to ask…I'm pretty sure they are all self-explanatory though. And yes. Haggis actually is good. You all should try it at some point in your lives!
xx Zenon xx: Thanks for reviewing! Hope you liked this chapter!
Kill-me-if harry-dies: Thank you, thank you! Takes bow
aerochick06: So did I! I can't wait for it to come out!!
Well, that's all! Please, Please, Please…tell me what you thought! Like it, hate it, think it needs more of this or that….I'd love to hear it!Elizabeth