Draco paced back and forth in the room, digesting the information. He glanced furtively at the fireplace, half expecting a member of The Order to appear and finish him off or send him to Azkaban with his father. He knew he had to do something before Granger got back. He looked at the front door. It wasn't like he could just get out of here.
Or could he?
He raced upstairs; putting on whatever clothes he could get at first grasp. He then found a small piece of parchment and a vial of green ink. He wrote a hasty message to her and went back down, considering his decision for a moment before stepping out into the world.
…
"Ron!" Mrs. Weasley shrieked as she saw Hermione drag his body out of the fireplace. Lupin ran to the kitchen immediately, followed by Tonks whose hair had turned into a menacing shade of black. Mrs. Weasley fawned over his unconscious son, unsure what spell to cast on him.
"Was it an attack?" Lupin asked urgently.
"Are you hurt, Hermione?" Tonks said worriedly, looking at Ron with her face contorted in a weird emotion.
"Don't worry, Mrs. Weasley, he just crashed into a Ming vase, that's all." Hermione lied smoothly. She was relieved that Moody wasn't here; she knew he could detect dishonesty in a heartbeat. "I heard a crash and, you know, there was Ron."
"Well, yes," Mrs. Weasley answered, still with a quiver in her voice, though her fears have been greatly reduced by Hermione's story. "Right, then. I suppose we don't need magic for this one? I'll bring Ron up to one of the rooms and brew him some nice hot tea." Mrs. Weasley was about to pick up her son when Lupin stepped in, politely saying that he could carry Ron instead and that she stays here for the tea. Tonks followed Lupin out.
"Okay then," Hermione said, smiling. "I better get back to my post."
"Hermione dear," Mrs. Weasley said, her back turned while she was sorting some herbs to brew, "won't you want to see Harry and the others?"
"Harry, right." Hermione repeated, as if she'd just remembered. Truthfully, she didn't care about seeing her friends right now, knowing that they were all right. She'd much rather go back to the mansion and scream her head off at Malfoy for pulling a stunt like that. "I'll go and say hello."
"They would be so glad to see you, even though you just saw them." Mrs. Weasley answered back distractedly, too busy making Ron's tea. Hermione went out of the kitchen and tried to find Harry, Ginny and Cho; she was almost sure they were where Ron was. When she found the room, she was surprised to see them laughing at the sleeping redhead in front of them.
"Harry just told me what happened." Ginny said, in between giggles, "The paranoid prat."
"Did he really crash into a vase?" Harry asked, stifling his laughter.
"That's so, so dreadful." Cho tried to say solemnly, but was betrayed by another fit of laughter.
"Well, it was, I admit, pretty stupid." Hermione said. "Why would he come to the mansion in the first place?"
"He was worrying," Harry said.
"As usual." Ginny laughed, finishing off Harry's sentence.
"Oh." Hermione said, sitting down beside them. She never knew Ron worried this much about her. She looked out the bolted window, suddenly missing the huge, glass pane ones of the mansion. Her thoughts suddenly drifted off to Malfoy.
"You should stay for lunch, Hermione." Harry said. "It's been too long since you've eaten with us."
Hermione thought for a second. Malfoy should be alright, she imagined him relaxing in one of the velvet arm chairs, eating the remains of his ham sandwich, his robe untied, showing the delicate ripples of his—what was she thinking? She shook the thought out of her head. "Yeah sure, I'll stay for lunch."
…
"We have excellent news master."
Voldemort sat up at the sound of the announcement. He had been gathering the Death Eaters from all throughout Europe, instructing them on what to do and where to stay. He had been forced to appoint much younger applicants, to His disdain, because His senior members have either been killed or sent to Azkaban. The ones that hid, well, no one could hide from Him.
"Speak." He commanded, His cold, chilling voice filling the room, echoing through the dank and stony walls of the chamber. He could not be seen, for the only source of illumination was the two torches that stood in the entryway. His faithful sentry stood around Him in silence.
"The boy, we found him, my lord." Said Perosus, a well-revered Death Eater from the south of Ireland. The Dark Lord asked him to join his private inquisitorial service. He bowed deeply in front of Voldemort, making sure not to look him in the eyes for it would imply that he thought of the Dark Lord as an equal. "He left Knotsville and the house that he was staying in, to find another safe house. My forces are already following him as we speak."
"No!" Voldemort bellowed, standing up. "Bring Severus to me."
A moment later, Snape appeared, looking much more haggard than before, his body covered with bruises and cuts. He bowed deeply. "My lord, you called me?" Voldemort, who could feel the rush of victory in his veins, stood up from his chair went near Snape. He took his wand and used it to straighten him up.
"Now, now Severus. It is not the time to be somber. Perosus found your student." Snape's head was still bowed, deeply ashamed for his mistake. This seemed to nerve the Dark Lord. "Severus, you know what to do." He tilted Snape's chin up with a sharp thrust of his wand. "I do not like repeating myself." He walked back to his chair, resuming his majestic position. "If you fail to do what I ask," the statement was finished off with a dark, evil laugh that made Snape clutch his wand a little tighter. He bowed again and disapparated, preparing for the task at hand.
…
"Come, children, time for lunch!" Mrs. Weasley's voice rang through the halls, summoning Hermione, Harry, Ginny, Cho and Ron downstairs. They were having a lovely time making fun of Ron and his clumsiness, and Hermione was thankful that he didn't remember seeing Malfoy. All of them went out of the room, still laughing and mocking in good humor, expecting a mouthwatering lunch in the kitchen. One of the rooms, Hermione noticed, had the door slightly ajar, and she saw a flash of silvery blond hair, but before she could get a good look, Tonks appeared and shut the door. The doors in this place looked the same, so she dropped an earring and hoped to go back there later to see who was behind the door.
Coming in the kitchen, Mrs. Weasley's cheerfulness was quite evident with the food she served. She was glad that Hermione was here and out of the dangerous mansion. The table was filled with plates of delicious food and they all sat down eagerly to eat. A few minutes into the meal, Lupin and Tonks joined them and sat down, with Hermione eying them suspiciously. She pretended to choke on something.
"You alright, Hermione?" Harry said, noticing.
"I think I chewed on a peppercorn." Hermione said, fanning her face with her hands and making her eyes water up. "Excuse me." She bolted out of the room as if it were urgent, and ran up the stairs, finding the room. No one seemed to think too much of this, they all resumed eating happily. She saw the familiar twinkle of the diamond in the dusty floor, and opened the door slowly, peering inside. A woman sat down, deep in thought. She noticed someone coming in, and looked surprised.
"I thought no one else knew I was here," she said, hiccupping. Hermione closed the door behind her. The cold gray eyes, the pale, pointed face, the hair; the resemblance was striking. Hermione sat down beside her, and noticed her crying.
"I know where your son is, Mrs. Malfoy." Hermione said softly. She found a surprising amount of sympathy lurch inside of her.
"D-Draco? You know where he is?" Narcissa cried, surprised. She then covered her head in her hands and resumed sobbing. "Such a brave, brave boy. He wanted me safe. He doesn't deserve this! H-he," she wiped the tears from her face with a silken handkerchief, "he is punishing my son for Lucius' mistake."
"I know, Mrs. Malfoy." Hermione said gently. "Draco is hiding out with me, in a mansion in Knotsville."
"That's where I live," Narcissa said.
"We're staying in Mal-Draco's aunt's house, I think. Her name was Janella?" Hermione inquired.
"The foolish seer, yes, I remember her. How is Draco?" Narcissa asked impatiently.
"Draco's fine. He's doing well, and perfectly healthy." Hermione replied, and was glad to see a wave of relief wash over Narcissa's face.
"And The," Narcissa had quite a difficult time saying this, "Order? Do they know he's with you?"
"No." Hermione answered. "But I can assure you, the house is well protected. And Draco is very skilled, he can protect himself."
"Can I see him?" Narcissa asked, hopeful.
"Not for the moment, not while we haven't settled this thing out yet. But I promise you that Draco is safe." Hermione said. She got up and went to the door. "Mrs. Malfoy, why did you call Janella a foolish seer?"
"Because she was," Narcissa replied, much relaxed now that her son was alright. "She predicted whom Draco was going to marry!"
"Oh," Hermione said, quite disappointed that she gave an answer much like Tonks'. "Mrs. Malfoy, please don't tell anyone about this conversation. If The Order knew—"
"The Order will not know that you have my son. Why, I honestly don't know what he'll endure under them once they find out." Narcissa said, echoing Hermione's concern.
"Janella said he was going to marry a muggle-born." Hermione heard Narcissa say, and she turned around. "That's why Lucius was so furious at her." Hermione shut the door, thinking. She was a clever witch; she could add the pieces together. But she wasn't prepared for the conclusion they would result to. She went back to the kitchen, and found that they were all relaxed, eating and drinking butterbeer.
"I have to go back," Hermione said, grabbing a biscuit. "To the mansion, I mean."
"Why?" Ron asked, his face stuffed with food.
"I get paranoid, okay? You know how I act in school. I consider this as a homework." Hermione said, grabbing a handful of floo powder.
"I doubt anything's going to happen to that house." Tonks said. "Relax, Hermione."
"I'm sorry. Thank you for lunch, Mrs. Weasley. I'll see you later, guys." Hermione said before hastily teleporting out of there.
…
"Malfoy!" Hermione screamed once she reached Knotsville. She ran to the Slytherin dining room, expecting him to be there, eating. When he couldn't find her there, she ran up, looking for him in every room, screaming his name. Frustrated, she retreated to her own room, where she found a small piece of parchment waiting for her at the bed, with writing hastily scrawled in green ink.
Thank you and goodbye.
Hermione didn't spare a moment for thought; she dashed out of the room and went into the unknown grounds of Knotsville.
…
A/N: I am terribly sorry for not being able to update in months! I sort of lost track of the storyline, but I needed to finish this before the seventh book comes out. THANK YOU for those who reviewed, and readers, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!