Padma felt the familiar jerk from the region of her stomach as her fingers brushed the Portkey. She felt a rush of thankfulness to be leaving the place at last.
She froze in numb horror as her feet touched the ground once again. The Portkey didn't work! Why didn't it work? she screamed silently. She had no time for further thoughts as she flung herself sideways, rolling and tumbling in the grass to escape the kelpie's frenzied attack. What she was not aware of was that there was a steep slope behind her. She tumbled down, throwing her arms around her head to protect herself from the stinging undergrowth. She could hear the kelpie coming after her, screaming its rage. The world whirled, grass and sky blurring and becoming one, on and on until her pace finally slackened.
Bruised, dizzy and nauseated, Padma staggered to her feet and stumbled on. The sound of pounding hooves came closer, closer. She tried to run but caught her foot in a burrow. She lay trembling on the ground, waiting for vicious hooves and merciless teeth to tear her apart.
The sound of hooves ceased abruptly. The screams continued, but got no closer.
What the… thought Padma in confusion. She opened her eyes and sat up, wincing at her battered state.
The kelpie stood only a few feet away, pawing and plunging. Yet every time it tried to advance, it rebounded off an invisible force.
Padma cast her eyes about her bewilderedly. Her eyebrows shot up as she saw a tiny village nestled at the foot of the slope.
Of course,, she realised, irritated at her own stupidity. The kelpie is barricaded in to keep it from the Muggles. How could I have forgotten? It would have saved me all this unnecessary panic. Feeling more than a little irritated and shaken, she stumbled down the hill towards the village.
On the five minute walk down, several thoughts occurred to her. The first was, how could she enter a Muggle village dressed in robes? The second, more serious question was, how on earth would she get back?
The Ministry would surely pick up on any magical activity in a Muggle area. That ruled out Apparation and Summoning a means of transport. Therefore, she reasoned, a she would have to result to the Muggle way.
The first logical step was to find out where she was. As for her robes … well, Muggles were famed for not noticing what was right under their noses anyway.
She proceeded cautiously into the small muddle of houses, looking for a shop of some sort. Her dark eyes lit up as she spotted a newsagent. Once inside, she headed straight for the maps. A quick flick soon told her that she was about thirty miles from the nearest identifiable magical area.
"Can I help you, miss?" enquired a cracked old voice suspiciously. Padma turned and treated the woman to an unconvincing smile.
"No, thank you, I'm fine — perfectly fine," she lied, hurrying out of the shop. She could feel the shopkeepers disapproving gaze fixed on her until she rounded a corner. She was aware that she must look like a madwoman — dressed in grass-stained robes, still soaked through, covered in cuts and scrapes.
So, how to travel thirty miles without collapsing of exhaustion, hunger or thirst, since I have no Muggle money? She scowled, glaring at the surrounding buildings. Typically there was nothing she could see that might help her.
"Oh, hell," she muttered, kicking the battered bicycle at her feet.
Bicycle!
Two minutes later, she was zipping — well, wobbling — her way out of town as fast as her bruised legs could pedal.
It was a very tired and dishevelled Padma that finally Apparated outside the mansion. Staggering forward, she struggled to lift the heavy knocker before letting it swing down with a deafening clang. She leaned against the wall, closing her itching eyes.
She soon heard Draco's reluctant footsteps coming towards the door. With an effort, she pulled herself upright as he tugged the heavy door open. His eyes widened as they fixed on her.
"What happened to you?" he demanded incredulously, his gaze travelling from her bruised face down her torn and grass stained robes. She pushed past him into the hall, wincing at the stabs of pain from her upper legs. She felt as though her very bones were bruised. Cycling fifty miles over hill and vale through winding country lanes until she was completely lost and befuddled had not done her physical state any good. She had lost count of how many times she'd fallen off, or had to dive into the ditch to avoid an overenthusiastic motorist, had realised she's just done an enormous circle… all in all, it had been a fantastic journey.
It was this thought that made Padma truly realise how exhausted she was; sarcasm was not among her usual array of weaponry.
"What?" she said, vaguely aware that Draco was saying something to her.
"Ever hear of ears, Patil? They're those things sticking out of your head that make you like you could take off any second!" he snarled. His eyes darted about, never settling on one place for long.
"I see you're feeling more like your own self," she said coolly. She was too tired even to get upset; she merely noted him down on her list of people she hated.
"You're wanted. Out there. They're under the tree." He jerked a thumb towards the door, where the wind was whipping the drizzle into lurking grey beasts.
Padma's heart plummeted. She knew it was no use objecting; she couldn't see the Dark Lord letting her off because she was tired. She turned and stumped outside, willing her body to co-operate for just a little while longer.
"Goodbye," Draco said suddenly. She turned and looked at him. The rain blurred her vision until she felt she was staring at a ghost.
"Good — goodbye," she replied, uncertainty fettering her voice. As she walked in the easing rain, she wondered what had prompted his uncharacteristic farewell