They weren't with the pirates, which could only mean one thing - they were somewhere in the forest.
The two decided not to split up - though they could cover more area, it was far too dangerous. So they recruited the help of Sirius, Neville and Harry, and they split into two groups so they could search the whole island.
Draco looked as though he were going to puke, he was so nervous and afraid. Hermione didn't blame him at all - this was a terrible situation. And although she didn't know exactly how close he was with these girls, Lily Jane and Madge, she had to assume that she would be afraid for even the most distant acquaintance who was unlucky enough to fall victim to the cannibals. She wouldn't wish that upon anyone.
She tried to keep his mind off of it for a while - she spoke about the Order and the ship and what this mission was all about - but when she noticed he wasn't listening to a word she said, she stopped speaking.
After a few minutes of silence, however, Draco spoke up. "Can you keep talking?" he said softly. "I need to hear a voice. I think you're the only thing keeping me sane right now."
Hermione couldn't deny that she was a bit surprised to hear him say something so vulnerable, but she nodded and agreed.
"Okay," she began, and she wracked her brain for something to say. She finally settled on her journey to save Sirius, and then she moved on to different things that had happened to her throughout her years at Hogwarts.
After a few moments of silence when Hermione was in the midst of transferring topics, Draco snorted softly. "It's funny how different our Hogwarts experiences were," he said quietly. Hermione almost didn't hear him, but she was close enough that she caught every word.
"How so?" she asked.
But then they heard a sound and both stopped walking, talking, even breathing. They pressed their bodies close together and up against the closest tree, ducking down into the underbrush and peering out to see several feet walking by. Hermione was stuck beneath Draco, who was crouching tightly over her, so she couldn't see what he saw, but she heard his sharp intake of breath and felt his body tighten and coil, tense, severely unhappy, and she knew that what he saw was something that he couldn't unsee. She knew he saw his friends.
They needed a plan. Hermione's mind was racing with all of the possibilities, but they needed something quick, something soon, something fast.
Pointing her wand in the direction the men had been coming from, she set off a blast that toppled several trees off in the distance.
The footsteps stopped, as did Draco's breathing. It was as if he were talking directly into her mind - she could almost hear him asking her what on earth she thought she was doing.
The truth was, she really had no idea. But she was panicking, and it seemed to work.
The cannibals spoke together in a language Hermione couldn't understand. Then more than half of them turned around and ran off towards the tumbled trees to see what had happened, and the rest made their way at their own pace in the direction they had previously been headed.
That got rid of several opponents.
Draco shifted to allow Hermione up, and they crouched low, following behind the group of natives.
That was when Hermione could see what Draco had seen, and she truly wished she had kept her eyes shut. They had obviously been beaten, as their faces were bloody and swollen. They were both tied up and being dragged on the dirt behind. These people evidently did not know to keep their food in good condition, but that was the least of their problems. Hermione could see smoke from a fire off in the distance, and her stomach sank. She knew just what that fire was for, and she had to stop it.
The two sped up a little, hoping to make it to the destination before the Natives did. It was a difficult feat, especially because the men were so attuned to the woods that any rustle that didn't sound primitive caused a deep suspicion and they had to be very, very quiet. They finally made it, only to find another horror: the camp was packed with people, Natives and captives alike.
Hermione looked across at the faces - there were a few of her own crew here, several pirates, and even people who must have been tied up for days, maybe even months, as they were skinny and dirty and looked completely demoralized.
Hermione's heart went out for them, but she had no idea what to do. She'd only made it this far off of luck and quick thinking that could have gotten them killed had she not continued to act fast. There was no way she could fight off an entire tribe with solely good luck. They would need help. But she knew that Draco wouldn't want to leave. She'd have to somehow convince him in a quiet way that wouldn't lead to an arugment.
"Come on, Draco," she whispered, nudging him. "Let's go get the others. We have to save these people."
Draco shook his head. "You know that's not possible. Let's just get Lily Jane and Madge and let's get out of here."
Hermione blinked. "But what about our crew members?"
"Hermione, they're half dead anyways. They'll be of no use to you."
"Don't be ridiculous! If they're half dead then so are your friends!"
"You don't understand -"
"No, I guess I don't!" Hermione noticed her whispers becoming much too loud. She lowered her voice a few notches more. "No two lives are more important than the lives of all of these people. We have to save them."
"Granger -"
"I'm going for help. Don't do anything stupid. Or I'll send you in there as bait."
Draco looked very upset, but he knew he couldn't stop Hermione. He didn't think so, but perhaps she had a point, and he was willing to find out if she was right. It might save Lily Jane.
...
I finally finished this! Gosh, I kept picking it up and putting it back down again. No matter. Here it is. ^^ I'm starting to let my writing go a bit, which I don't want to do. You people need to kick me back into shape!
Also, I'd like to thank everyone for the reviews. They're all fabulous! :)