Chapter Warnings: Violence
Hermione slowly walked towards the bedroom door trying to see if she could see anyone. She held her breath as she listened, trying to hear if this was a friend or foe.
Whoever it was, wasn't making a sound.
Foe?
She gripped her wand tightly, her knuckles going white. She should leave. Right now.
Friend?
But she couldn't. What if it was a friend? She couldn't just leave.
C'mon Hermione, you can do it. Just go down and see who it is. She was having an internal battle with herself... she couldn't decide what to do.
"Come out, come out wherever you are…"
Hermione froze, her insides went cold. She needed to leave, and she needed to leave right now. And yet she couldn't. She was frozen in place.
She heard the old wooden stairs creak as Draco Malfoy slowly made his way upstairs.
"Granger…" He drawled as he reached the top of the stairs. There were about 6 different doors; he wasn't that interested in searching all of them.
Hermione took in a deep breath and relaxed herself. She wouldn't run. Not yet anyways. She would fight him today.
Within a second she had moved from inside the room to the outside her wand out and ready to attack.
"Expelliarmus" Hermione cried out. Draco dropped down, dodging the spell.
"Immobulus" Draco retorted as the spell fired towards Hermione. She moved back into the room and then back out with her counter attack.
Draco opened an empty room and stepped inside to avoid the endless jinxes being thrown his way.
"Really Granger? Is that the best you can do?" Draco taunted as he poked his head out slightly. He couldn't see her so he took his chance. He ran from the room he was hiding in towards Hermione's. She heard him coming and braced herself. As soon as his body came through the door, her fist connected with his face.
He staggered slightly from the hit, but he recovered quickly. He blocked her next punch, and sent one of his own her way. He hit her cheek and she fell. He went to grab her but her leg came out striking him in his crown jewels.
His knees buckled from the pain and he cried out. Hermione kicked him again in the chest making him fall backwards. She got on top of him, her hands wrapping themselves around his throat. She squeezed as hard as she could, she wanted him dead.
Kill him, kill him. Make him pay!
Draco grabbed her hands and flipped them so he was on top. The sudden movement caused Hermione to loosen her hold on his neck. He slapped her across the face, once, twice, three times. Her bottom lip split, her face felt like a hundred bees had stung her.
" This is where you belong Granger, laying under me squirming like a slut. Is that all you have in you?" he slapped her again before moving his head to her neck so he could whisper in her ear, " I'm going to enjoy killing you"
" I'm just getting warmed up ferret, Incendio!" Hermione cried out. She thanked Merlin she learned how to do wandless magic.
Draco's clothing instantly lit up in flames.
He jumped up trying to put out the flames and Hermione seized her chance. She rolled around and crawled away. She grabbed her wand, which had been lost in the fight, her backpack and then she apparated away.
"Aguamenti" Draco cried out and a torrent of water fell from above him, putting out the flames.
His pale skin was red and blistered, his clothes partly burnt.
Draco shouted out in a fit of rage. His anger radiated out of his skin, his magic getting fired up within in. The bed in the room burst into flames as a result.
The mudblood had gotten away from him again! Voldemort would not be happy.
He apparated back to his headquarters where he could plan his hunt, leaving the other house to burn.
Hermione apparated into an alley in muggle London and then stepped out into the crowd. She began walking through the ocean of people, everyone giving her odd stares. Her face was red and puffy, her lip still bleeding. It was almost dark and Hermione needed to get someplace safe.
Hermione walked into a small café and sat down to gather her thoughts. She would need to find somewhere to live, she would have to get a job and she would have to stop using magic. Hermione was certain Malfoy would figure out how to track her magical use and she couldn't risk that.
She would have to be a muggle. She needed to blend in and be… normal.
Her head bowed slightly and she closed her eyes.
She was a failure.
She couldn't even fight Malfoy, she couldn't avenge the deaths of all those she loved, all those he had killed. She was weak. And now she was alone.
The distraught girl was so deep in thought; she didn't realize that someone had placed a coffee in front of her.
"There's a shelter down the road… you should go, they'll make sure he can't hit you," The older woman said softly and then she left the café.
Hermione laughed out loud causing the few people inside to stare.
They thought her boyfriend did this. If only they knew…
Hermione quickly drank her coffee and then went looking for the shelter. It would do for now. After about ten minutes of walking she finally found the place and went inside.
She told them her boyfriend had hit her; that she needed a place to stay for the night. They took her in and gave her a bed. One of the ladies helped to clean her up. Once she was clean and no longer bleeding she lay in the small bed and thought.
She would need to find a permanent place to stay, but she had no money and couldn't use her wand to make some.
But she did have ingredients to make potions.
She would get to work tomorrow morning and start brewing.
Hermione closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. Tomorrow her new life would start.
"She escaped My Lord" Draco Malfoy said as he bowed down in front of his master.
"This displeases me Draco. Must I find someone else to finish the task? You seem… unfit to do so" Voldemort said, his voice a whisper yet it filled the room.
"No My Lord. I will find her," Draco pledged.
"But will you kill her? You've had two chances… and yet she still lives… one would start to suspect…." Voldemort didn't finish his sentence. He didn't have to. Draco knew what he was saying, what he was hinting.
"There is nothing to suspect My Lord, I am your most loyal servant" Draco said as he looked up to face his master.
" Find her and kill her. As long as she is alive I cannot truly rule the people. Do not fail me again Draco" Voldemort dismissed him.
Draco rose up and left the room. He then walked to the nearest Floo and went home for some much needed rest.
The bitch was out there somewhere just waiting to be found. He would send scouts all over London. He knew she wouldn't leave London, he saw it in her thoughts right before she vanished.
He would put a trace on her wand. She would use it eventually and when she did, he would go and pay her a visit.
He wouldn't fail again.
Draco went up to his room and removed his clothes. He went into his bathroom and went straight to the sink. Turning on the water he washed his face, cleaning away the dried blood. Granger had a mean right hook. He would heal the bruises in the morning.
He left the bathroom and went to go sit on his bed. That's when he heard it.
Buzzing.
Draco stood up and looked around, trying to find where the sound was coming from. It wasn't coming from inside his room. He opened his bedroom door and followed the sound. What was it?
It seemed to be coming from his fathers study.
Draco shivered slightly. Ever since his mother and father died he had tried to avoid going into their personal quarters. Too many memories for a guilty mind.
He opened the door slowly and noticed a faint glow coming from the large desk at the end of the room. He walked up to the desk quickly and was confused.
A small orb was glowing and buzzing faintly, as if it had just come to life. Draco reached out and grabbed it; he just stared for a while.
He took it back to his room and discarded it on his small desk.
Useless junk seemed to be everywhere in this house. He would get the house elves to clear everything out, starting with the annoying little buzzing orb.
He didn't realize just how important the annoying little buzzing orb was.
Chapter 2 Complete.
Thank-you to those who reviewed and to everyone that read the first chapter.
Ezmaye