A/N: I wrote this entire chapter in one sitting, so that either means it's really horrible or really brilliant!
There's another Author's Note at the end for non-SOTD readers. I just couldn't put it up here because it contains spoilers.
"Well … what the hell are we supposed to do?" Seth asked in a panicky voice.
Draco thought about this for a very quick moment, since time was sensitive. "Is Chastity still here?" he asked.
"I … I don't -"
"Well, go find out, Seth!"
Seth nodded and ran from the room, coming back in a minute later with Chastity just behind him.
"What do you need?" she asked immediately.
"Contact everyone. Tell them to get out there and start looking for her," Draco ordered. "Seth."
"Yeah?" Seth squeaked.
"Go find the Minister. Tell him we need a trace on all Floo networks, in case that's how she's moving."
"But … but to trace that he would have to get into the Ministry and we can't -"
"Well, he's just going to have to find a bloody way to get in there then, isn't he? We might not get another chance at this."
Draco's breath hitched at the thought.
Seth nodded and Disapparated.
"Everyone wants to know what you're going to do," asked Chastity, who had already sent out a mass text message to all Fellowship of the Dragon members on her phone. She had been practicing with it for this very reason.
"I'm getting on my broom and going north," Draco answered. "All of the pureblood families live that way and I am positive one of them has her."
Chastity nodded and started pressing more buttons on her phone.
"Tell someone to go to our house and wait outside, just in case she shows up there. And once you're done with that, go out and recruit as many people to help as possible. If she's attempting an escape our time is limited."
"How do you know she's escaping?" Chastity asked. "Maybe they're just moving her." It sounded cold, but she was just trying to be realistic.
"If they were just moving her, her name would still be pointed at 'MORTAL PERIL'. Hermione's gotten out, and we're going to do everything we damn well can to help her."
Without another word, Draco Apparated home. He unlocked the doors, ran inside and located his broom. When he got back outside, Hannah was standing there with her wand ready. Her head whipped around and she looked at him.
"Tom's getting everyone at the pub to go out looking for her."
"Good. Thanks, Hannah. Keep your guard up," he said, mounting his broom and flying into the air.
"Good luck!" she called after him.
XXX
Hermione made it to the shed without being seen, but she knew she would have to get out quickly, since they would undoubtedly be grabbing brooms to aid in their search for her.
She went to the back and started throwing around the old brooms, looking for the Thunderbolt Pansy spoke of. It wasn't there.
"Dammit!" she shouted, throwing a few more of them around.
Without any other options, Hermione quickly scanned the brooms for one that looked like Harry's, since he always claimed to have the best. She found one that looked sort of similar and grabbed it.
Slowly sticking her head out of the shed, she surveyed the grounds for any pursuers. There was a flash in front of her, and suddenly Ethan was standing near the edge of the forest, looking into it.
His head whipped around and he stared right into the shed. Her heart sped up as his eyes halted for a moment, gazing right at her. Then, just as quickly, he was looking back at the forest and shouting, "This way!" before leading several figures into it.
This was Hermione's chance. As soon as they were out of sight, she looked at the forest, mapped her way to a decent sized opening and took off running for it. She didn't want to start flying right out here in the open since that would certainly bring her unwanted attention.
About halfway there, she heard someone yell, "There she is!"
"Run faster! Run faster!" she screamed in her head.
But, since they were already coming for her, she mounted the broom mid-stride and took off into the air.
"SHIT!" several people shouted.
Hermione looked back and saw several faint figures enter the shed.
"Fly faster! Fly faster!" her mind now screamed. She had never been happier to have improved her flying during the summer working for Ollivander. She owed Draco a big, BIG thank you if she got home. No, not 'if'. "When," she corrected to herself. She needed to stay positive.
Hermione didn't know how far the lake was and, in the dark, she doubted she would see it until she was right on top of it. As soon as she found it, her plan was to crash down to the ground and Disapparate the hell out of there before her pursuers were any the wiser.
So far, no one had caught up to her. She got the feeling she had picked right when it came to the broom. A quick glance back let her know that no one was even close to reaching her. But this was no time to celebrate. She was still far from in the clear.
Then, suddenly, something was coming at her very fast. In the dark, she couldn't quite make it out, but she pulled down just in time to not have whatever it was ram right into her. Glancing up, she caught a quick glimpse of Quinn zooming by on what must have been Pansy's broom, staring back at her with the same eyes of surprise that she had.
"What the fu -"
And he was gone. Behind her. But people were shouting, "Get her, Quinn!" and she could only imagine that he had turned around and was now pursuing her with the others, only much faster.
Hermione tried to keep herself calm, but she could hear the sound of whistling wind gaining on her and, before she could stop herself, she was crying. She needed to get home. She needed to be with her husband. She could not go back to being their prisoner.
"Get back here you fucking Mudblood!"
Hermione crouched down and leaned way forward on the broom, hoping it would help her pick up speed. Quinn hadn't caught up yet. There was still a chance. There was still a -
Then she saw it. A bottomless black pit only a short distance in front of her. The lake!
Hermione was so excited she didn't hear the whistling wind zooming even closer. Quinn was just behind her, his hand outstretched to grab at her broom. He caught the bristles and pulled.
"AHH!" Hermione screamed as she fell back, plummeting for the ground until her hand reached up and grabbed the handle of her broom, hanging on for dear life.
"Quinn, you fucking idiot! Don't kill her!" the voice of Wiley Rosier shouted from a small distance back.
Quinn tried to grab her hand, but Hermione whacked at him with her other one.
"No! I'm not going back!" she shouted.
"It's go back or die you stupid bitch!"
"NO!"
Quinn got a hold of her thrashing wrist and yanked her so hard, she had no choice but to let go of her broom. Only, he had done it a little too hard and she whiplashed back, slipping right out of his grasp.
Hermione screamed as she fell towards the ground. She wasn't high enough to have time to save herself with a spell and grabbed at the branches as she fell through them as a last resort.
"AHH - !"
Something plummeted out of the trees - or someone - and grabbed her, cradling her close while they slid across the branches at an incredible pace. But then they were rolling towards the ground and then across it, losing their grip on Hermione as both of them somersaulted until they came to a halt. Ouch.
XXX
Draco flew north, going nonstop until he was in pureblood territory. As soon as he was at what he considered the midpoint of all of their homes, he created several small sparks of light with his wand that he sent off in every direction to locate signs of life in the sky. Then he flew lower and did the same on the ground.
"Draco!"
He looked up and saw Harry and Ron hovering above him. He flew up.
"What are those you're sending out?" Ron asked.
"They detect life," he answered. "A trick of Hermione's." Draco looked at Harry. "The Greengrasses, the Goyles, the Notts, the Parkinsons, and the Crabbes all live around here, along with most other pureblood families. Who else acted suspicious?"
"Daphne," Harry answered. "And Zabini was the same prick he always is."
"Zabini only has a flat. She won't be there," said Draco logically. "But I'm going to head towards the Greengrasses summer home. Pretty much all of the families have one in that direction and it would be less obvious than keeping her locked up in one of their own bloody places. Stay here and investigate any of my sparks if they come back."
Harry nodded. "Take Ron with you. I've got this covered and if more than one comes back Neville is close."
"Fine. Come along, Weasel."
Ron didn't even grimace at the name as he followed Draco to the west.
While they flew, Draco took out his pocket watch and checked Hermione's name. 'TRAVELLING'. He sighed in relief. There was still time.
XXX
As soon as Hermione stopped rolling, she sat up and looked at her savior. Ethan was moving swiftly to his feet.
"Hermione, are you -"
His face clenched as he quickly threw his hands over his mouth and nose.
Hermione stared at him for a moment, trying to figure out what was happening. Then she realized her leg was stinging. She looked down to see her trousers were torn, a large streak of blood now staining through them. She took out Pansy's wand and did a quick healing spell, but it was too late. The smell of blood was already lingering in Ethan's nostrils.
The vampire fell to the ground as he struggled to fight his urges. His eyes became solid black as he stared at her, veins popping out of his neck and forehead. "G-go," he said in a strained voice.
Hermione climbed to her feet but, less than a second later, Quinn was flying right at her. He jumped off of his broom and tackled her back to the ground.
"Where the hell do you think you're going, Mud - AHH!"
Quinn had been so determined to capture her that he had failed to notice the hungry vampire standing a few feet away, already desperate for blood. Ethan had Quinn struggling in his arms as he tore into his neck.
Hermione did not hesitate to push Quinn off of her and start running. At this point, it was her best option, since the sky was too heavily guarded. Hopefully, the thickness of the trees would give her an advantage.
Unfortunately, the fall had thrown Hermione a little off and she wasn't quite sure where the lake was anymore. She shot a spark out of Pansy's wand and sent it to locate water, and then she followed it. It moved a bit slow, since her compatibility with this wand wasn't exactly perfect, but anything was better than nothing.
Hermione paused as the light paused and listened to her surroundings. Leaves were crunching in almost every direction. They were trying to surround her, but she wouldn't go down that easily.
The light took off again and so did she. It was moving fast now. The lake must be close.
So close. So close.
A clearing was coming up ahead of her. Hermione's heart felt lighter as she both laughed and cried.
So close. So close.
The light shot through the clearing and sped over what she could already tell was water. Hermione's feet picked up speed, barely noticing the weird rush swirling around her.
She was almost there. Almost -
"Ah!"
Hermione hit something hard and fell back.
XXX
Draco had just finished shooting out his sparks while Ron flew in circles. He was looking at his phone.
"Harry is pursuing one of your lights!" he called. "Neville is there now and waiting for any more to return. He also contacted everyone about your spell and they're all doing it."
"Good."
Draco took out his pocket watch. 'TRAVELLING'. At this rate, if she was still on the move then that meant she was probably on foot. A broom was still an option but, if she was on one, he felt like they would have found her by now.
"What if they're not even keeping her in this country?" Draco asked, feeling a bit panicky.
"They are," Ron reassured him. "If they weren't then at least one of your father's old pureblood chums would be travelling out of it more often and none of them have. Kingsley has Floo traces on all of them and no one has left Britain in the past two months. She's here. She has to be."
Draco nodded, even though he wasn't fully convinced.
He felt useless just waiting here, but moving would only make it harder for his sparks to get back to him if they found something. No. He couldn't move. Waiting was his best option, as much as it pained him to do so.
XXX
Hermione sat up and threw her hands out in front of her. There was something solid, like thick glass blocking the way.
"No!"
Hermione got to her feet and began running with her hands across it, hoping for some opening. There was none. She was trapped.
"Draco!" she cried, falling to her knees.
Hermione wept into her hands, longing for her husband. She missed him so much it hurt. If there was only a way she could tell him she loved him, and that she would not give up until she was back in his arms.
Hermione was so busy crying that she almost missed the faint blue light peeking in through her fingertips. She removed her hands from her eyes and saw there was a small spark floating right in front of her.
Hermione gasped. It was from Draco! She just knew it was! And he was looking for her. She began to sob tears of joy.
The light tried to fly back out, but it hit the invisible wall, just like she had, and then evaporated. Still, Hermione knew they could not keep whatever this strange shield was in place forever. It would arouse too much suspicion.
Hermione took out Pansy's wand and cast her Patronus. She looked around and found a hollow hole in a nearby tree. After guiding her translucent otter inside of it, she gave it a message.
"Draco, I love you. I'm all right. I'm at -"
Something shot out of the trees at her and Hermione fell flat on her back.
"Greengrass Estate!" she shouted, unsure if the last part of the message would stick since she had lost her focus.
Two figures ran at her from the west and were quickly joined by two others from the east.
Hermione jumped back to her feet and held out her wand. "Stupefy! Stupefy!" She stunned both pursuers from the west and saw that it was Orson Crabbe and Stuart Parkinson.
"Grab her!" a woman's voice called. "No spells! I don't want anything backfiring and harming that baby!"
Blaise and Quincy Nott lunged at her, just as the cloaked woman walked out of the trees with Daphne right behind her.
Hermione had had enough of this. She wanted to know who the hell this woman was and why she had so much bloody pull with these people, as well as what seemed to be a personal vendetta against her.
As swiftly as a vampire, Hermione dodged Blaise and Quincy and ran forward. She grabbed at the woman's cloak and was able to clutch it in one hand before Blaise got a hold of her. She pulled and the hood fell back.
Hermione gasped. "You!"
There, standing in front of her, was the scarred and ruffled remains of Rita Skeeter. Well, that solved the personal vendetta mystery, but it still didn't explain why everyone here was taking orders from her.
"But you're dead! Astoria zapped you!"
Rita smirked. "Not hard enough, it seems."
"Well, you don't look good," Hermione spat.
It was true. Rita's face - and probably her entire body - was covered in glossy, pink scars, her blonde hair was missing in several places, and Hermione could swear that her left eye was drooping much lower than it used to.
Rita pulled her hood back on. "After your friend got me with her wand, I was too wounded to change back right away. By the time I was able to, my scars had already started to settle and no amount of magic will ever quite heal them right."
"But you already look much better," assured Daphne. "The Mudblood hardly has any right to judge others."
Rita smirked again. "Get her back to the house. I believe it's time we have an intimate chat with Ms. Parkinson."
Blaise nodded and bound Hermione before throwing her over his shoulder. She really hated being carried this way.
"Careful of her stomach!" Daphne shouted.
Blaise scooted Hermione a little farther back so her baby bump wasn't pressing into his shoulder. Hermione didn't even struggle as they carried her back to the house. There was no point. She already knew she had lost this round. But she was positive there would be another. She would make damn sure of that.
XXX
Draco waited alone for any more lights to show up. He had gone after one several minutes earlier, only to be led to a couple snogging amidst some trees. While he was gone, Ron must have followed after another, because he wasn't here.
He took out his pocket watch again and saw it was still pointing at 'TRAVELLING'. But then, while he was staring at it, it suddenly switched back to 'MORTAL PERIL'.
Draco's heart stopped. His body felt dead as his broom slowly sunk to the ground. He stumbled off of it and took several steps, still staring at his bloody watch.
His face felt hot. It took him a moment to realize it was because he was crying. Tears were pouring down his cheeks and onto the face of the watch. He fell to his knees.
"HERMIONE!" Draco screamed into the night. "NO!"
"Malfoy!"
Draco did not turn around as Ron landed his broom behind him.
"Malfoy, what's happened?"
Draco could not answer. He collapsed onto his hands and cried over the ground, watching as his tears sunk deep into the soil.
"Malfoy, what -"
Draco tossed the watch behind him. Ron went after it and picked it up. He stared at its face.
"Oh."
"This … this never would have happened if she had just stayed with you!"
"What?" Ron looked from the watch to Draco.
"If …" He gulped, hoping to moisten his dry throat. "If she had just bloody stayed with you she would be safe! This is my fault! This is my -"
"Malfoy, pull it together! This isn't going to help us find -"
"NOTHING'S GOING TO FUCKING HELP US FIND HER!" Draco jumped to his feet and turned so he was facing Ron. "It's fucking hopeless! It's -"
"Don't you ever talk like that!" shouted Ron, taking several steps forward. "Imagine what Hermione would think if she heard you say these things! She loves you! She -"
"She's going to die because of me! I don't know why they've kept her alive this long but they won't fucking do it forever! They're going to kill her! They're going to -"
"SHUT THE HELL UP!" Ron's whole body was burning bright red. "How dare you give up on her! She would never, EVER give up on you!"
"Because she's better than me, right? I know what the bloody hell all of you are thinking! You all think she's too good for me!"
"She is too good for you!"
"SHUT THE FUCK UP!"
Draco lunged forward and pushed Ron hard. Then he started hitting him.
"Malfoy, stop!" Ron shouted, refusing to fight back, but throwing up his arms to protect himself. "STOP!"
"FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU! FUCK -"
Draco stopped hitting him and fell back down to his knees, choking as his heavy sobs made it hard for him to breathe.
Suddenly, a pair of arms wrapped around him. It took him a second to realize Ron was hugging him. While part of him detested the gesture, he could not bring himself to push him off. So, instead, he stayed there and cried in the arms of a wizard he had always hated, knowing very well that he was probably the only one who even partially understood what he was feeling, since he loved her too.
Maybe Ron still loved her the same way Draco did. He didn't care to know. But, in this moment, he found comfort in a kind gesture from Ronald Weasley.
XXX
Back at the house, they all entered the parlor, where Mila Parkinson was tending to a wounded Quinn on the sofa. She looked up as they walked in.
"He needs to go to St. Mungo's," she said. "That vampire practically ripped his throat out. He's not going to make it if we keep him here."
"Who bloody cares?" said Daphne. "He dropped her off of a broom. She might've died if Ethan wasn't there to catch her, and then where would we be?"
"Good point." Rita smiled. "But we need all the manpower we can get. Think he can hold on for a minute while we get the shield down?"
Mila looked down at the bloody man. "Yes, he's stable right now. But we shouldn't wait long."
Hermione felt a rush of disappointment, since part of her secretly hoped that they would let him die.
As soon as that was settled, Rita turned to Daphne and said, "Go get Ms. Parkinson. Mr. Nott here is going to have a very personal chat with her."
Daphne nodded and ran out of the room.
Hermione felt mildly nervous for Pansy. Chances were, nothing was going to happen to her. She had pretty much covered for herself with everything she had shouted while smacking Hermione around. It would only be if Quincy decided to go further back into their earlier conversation that she might have a problem.
Rita offered Hermione a seat but she refused, for no other reason than to be a little difficult.
Several minutes later, Daphne returned with her father, Goyle and Pansy. Arron was carrying something round in his hands.
Rita smiled as they entered. "Ah! Arron! Brilliant move with the shield! You got it up just in time!"
"Thanks," he said, shaking the object in his hands, which Hermione could now see was a snow globe.
She looked out the window and saw that small white flakes were now falling from the sky. So that's what that invisible wall was. They were in a bloody glass bubble!
"My younger daughter collects these. I've been playing around with the spell for years."
Pansy looked nervously at Hermione before moving her eyes to Rita.
"Mrs. Malfoy, did Ms. Parkinson here help you escape in any way?"
Hermione looked from Pansy to Rita. She smirked. "Why, yes. She opened the window right up for me before handing me her wand. It was very kind of her."
Only Pansy's mother and father laughed a little. It seemed no one else thought it was that absurd of an idea.
Hermione could just make out Rita's frown inside of her hood. "Mr. Nott, please use Legilimency on her now."
Quincy stepped forward and looked deep into Pansy's eyes. Both of them seemed to being looking right through each other for a moment before they started shaking their heads to focus.
"Pansy's story checks out," he said. "It looks like the Mudblood really does know some wandless magic, but it also looks like the threats Pansy was making might have been the trigger."
"So we all must make sure to be extra nice to her," said Wiley, laughing.
A few others joined him. He looked at Blaise and winked.
"I don't believe it," Daphne said suddenly.
Everyone turned to look at her.
"Pansy's not an idiot. If she was going to help the Mudblood then she wouldn't have made it bloody obvious. She knows we have a skilled Legilimens among us."
"What are you implying exactly?" asked Pansy, crossing her arms.
Daphne looked at the other witch and sneered. "That you're a cheater, Pansy. Always have been."
Goyle glanced sternly at his wife. "Daphne, this is hardly the time -"
"Don't defend her!" Daphne spat. "She's a liar and a cheat and I'll prove it!"
Daphne took several steps forward and grabbed Pansy's face. She used her fingers to pry her mouth open and slipped something into it from the palm of her hand.
Pansy choked. "What are you -?"
Daphne held up a small bottle, which was now empty. "Veritaserum."
Pansy's eyes went wide.
"Did you help Granger escape?" Daphne demanded.
"No!" Pansy said quickly.
Blaise smirked. "You have to be more specific, Daph. The Mudblood's not a Granger anymore."
"Oh, right," said Daphne, never taking her eyes off of Pansy. "Did you, Pansy Parkinson, help Hermione Malfoy escape today?"
Pansy's face winced as she bit at her lip. Hermione knew she was trying to fight it, but Pansy was not an Occlumens. She could never -
"Y-yes," Pansy suddenly blurted out.
Daphne gave a satisfied and slightly evil looking grin. "Did you already know Hermione could use wandless magic?"
Pansy struggled again, but still said, "Yes."
"Do you know why Hermione can use wandless magic?"
Tears started to form in her eyes. "Yes."
"Why can Hermione use wandless magic, Pansy?"
Pansy's eyes drew to Hermione. Her face twitched as she still tried to fight it, but Hermione nodded and let her know it was all right to go on. Pansy had never looked sorrier than she did in that moment.
"Because she's pregnant," she answered. "It's rare but when a powerful witch is carrying a powerful child it can happen."
Pansy's mother sobbed as her daughter confessed her betrayal, but her father remained passive.
"What's the trigger?" asked Rita.
"She has to feel rage, and that her child is being threatened." Pansy didn't even try to fight it this time. There was no point.
As she continued to speak, Goyle mindlessly walked backwards and settled into an armchair. He knew the only reason Daphne did this to Pansy was because of him. And now she would be punished for it. This could not end well.
Everyone turned their heads when they heard the sound of the front door opening. A second later, Ethan entered the parlor.
With her eyes on the vampire, Rita asked Pansy, "Were you working alone in this mission of yours, Ms. Parkinson, or did someone help you?"
"No one helped me," Pansy said quickly. "I planned this on my own."
"So when the vampire led us in the wrong direction that was his own doing?"
Ethan's eyes widened. "No, I -"
"You cannot lie to me, Ethan," said Arron. "You are my servant and you must tell us what you did."
"I … I might have known she hadn't gone into the forest but -"
"Ms. Parkinson, come here," said Rita, holding out her arm.
Pansy looked reluctantly at her mother, who nodded for her to go forward. She walked slowly towards Rita's outstretched arm.
"Both of you have betrayed us today," said Rita, putting her arm around Pansy's shoulders as she looked at Ethan. "But, despite all of that, we have still prevailed. Therefore, I will agree to forgive one of you. The other, I'm afraid, will face severe punishment."
Rita reached into her cloak and pulled out a knife. She then used it to cut a gash on the side of Pansy's neck.
"Ah!"
Ethan's face began to twitch as he slammed himself back against the wall.
"What are you doing?" screamed Mila, jumping to her feet.
Rita pushed Pansy forward so she stumbled into Ethan's arms.
"Drink from her without killing her and you are forgiven, Vampire. Otherwise … well, I'm afraid you will face severe punishment."
"But that is not fair! Pansy cannot win!"
Mila ran forward but her husband grabbed her and held her back.
"Pansy has betrayed us all, Mila. She must be punished," he said.
"No!" Mila screamed as Stuart continued to hold her back.
Hermione turned away when Ethan could not fight the urge any longer and plunged onto Pansy's neck. She covered her ears as Pansy screamed out in agony.
"Please! Ethan!" Pansy pleaded, her mouth starting to gurgle.
"STOP THIS!" shouted Goyle, jumping out of his armchair and running forward. Hermione's eyes followed him.
"Gregory, no!"
Daphne looked horrified as her husband took out his wand and shot sparks at the vampire until he recoiled. The moment he did, Goyle grabbed Pansy's arm and pulled her away.
Ethan fell so he was on all fours and growled as he tried to gain control. His head shot so his black eyes were looking at Pansy. He grunted before disappearing in a flash. The sound of the front door slamming entered all of their ears.
"Well, I guess he's forgiven." Rita looked back at Pansy, who was trying to breathe steadily with her hand on her neck while Goyle held her. She took out her wand and shouted, "Crucio!"
Pansy fell out of Goyle's arms and began convulsing on the ground.
"Please, stop!" cried Mila.
While Pansy continued to scream out in pain, Rita looked at Hermione and said, "Every time you misbehave, we will take it out on Ms. Parkinson. You understand?"
Hermione moved her eyes from Pansy's writhing body to Rita. She swallowed back her tears and nodded.
"And don't even get me started on what we'll do to her if you escape again."
Pansy's body stopped moving, but her sobs did not cease.
"Mr. Zabini, take her down to the basement, will you?"
Blaise glanced at Pansy for a split second, looking mildly troubled before nodding at Rita. He picked Pansy up like a child - in what Hermione noticed to be a far gentler way than he ever picked her up - and carried her out of the room.
"Come along, Mrs. Malfoy," said Rita, grabbing Hermione's arm. "It's time for you to get to bed."
"What about him?" asked Gorden, pointing at Quinn, who was still bleeding on the sofa.
"Arron, release the shield. Then, whoever wants to can take him to St. Mungo's. Make up some story about him being attacked by a random vampire. And make sure the location is far away from here."
Rita kept a firm grip on Hermione's arm as she dragged her through the halls, but she ended up leading her in a different direction than before. She opened a door and tossed Hermione inside before following after. She had brought her to a new bedroom. One without windows.
As soon as Hermione caught her balance, she turned and glared at her. "Let Pansy go," she demanded. "She didn't do anything! I haven't even escaped!"
Rita smirked. "Don't tell me you have you have a soft spot for your husband's ex-girlfriend, Mrs. Malfoy?"
"So what if I do?" said Hermione, crossing her arms. "You don't need her here. Let-her-go."
"I don't think I will."
Hermione sighed. "What has happened to you? You were never pleasant before but you were hardly evil. Did Astoria's zap fry your brain cells or something?"
"On the contrary, Mrs. Malfoy. I have never felt more alive. The day I heard that prophecy, I knew it was my way back in. An insider's perspective on a dark new war," said Rita, her eyes glowing. "Choosing my side was easy. I just had to pick the one that had the most to gain. After Harry Potter, people are sick of reading about a hero's victory. They desire something more. Something dark. Something dirty."
"You're sick!" spat Hermione. Then, staring at the obviously mental witch, she suddenly realized … "Are the reason why Inga Utkin is dead? Because she was trying to help us?"
"I could care less about that!" said Rita. "Inga Utkin is dead because she insulted me!"
"What?" asked Hermione, unsure if she had heard correctly.
"In your office! She said I make things up to write a good story! I may stretch the truth a little but I never make things up!"
Hermione couldn't help but laugh.
"Stupid, imitating bitch got what she deserved!"
"That's the most ridiculous reason for killing someone I have ever heard! Why do they listen to you?" Hermione asked with clenched fists. "Are you even a pureblood?"
"My great-great-grandfather allegedly married a Muggle-born but, other than that one infidelity, I suppose I am," Rita said. "And they listen to me because they want to win. I wouldn't be as successful as I am if I wasn't clever, and I think all of that inbreeding among their families has slowed their minds down a bit. They need someone like me to succeed."
"You're not clever. You're fucking mental!"
"There is no need for such language, Mrs. Malfoy. If it makes you feel any better, you won't be alone here for long."
Hermione's heart slowed. "What do you mean?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.
"As you are already well aware, I have been using this prophecy to my advantage. And I don't just mean to write a good story," said Rita, smiling. "Because of your husband, I have a contract that will not let me write about you. That is, until the day you are both dead." She smiled wider. "And then, while watching the two of you, I got zapped. Set on bloody fire! So, I'm afraid, you and Mr. Malfoy are not the only people whose lives I want to destroy."
Hermione froze. "Astoria," she whispered.
Another sickening smile. This time Hermione could see the glimmer of the reporter's trademark gold teeth, but several others were missing.
"That's right. Why else would I have gone to her father first after I heard the prophecy? Surely, there are better options. And it was right after he had disowned her for dating Mr. Weasley. I mean, the timing really could not have been more perfect." She cackled.
Hermione cringed.
"He wants her back, you know?" continued Rita. "And I've come up with the perfect plan to help him. One that will lead her right into my hands."
Hermione's nostrils flared as she stared daggers at the obviously insane witch. "Don't you fucking touch her!"
"Now, now, are you really in any place to tell me what to do?" Her smile dropped. "With the help of your child, I am going to change the world. This is more than just the books I'm going to write, Mrs. Malfoy. This is about making history!"
Hermione practically growled as she lunged at Rita, but the other witch was quick to take out her wand and send Hermione skidding back across the floor until she was pinned to the wall.
"Just for that, I think I'll stop by the basement and give Ms. Parkinson a quick curse before I head to bed."
"NO!" Hermione screamed. "Please! Do what you want to me but let Pansy go! And leave Astoria alone! She doesn't even know what she did! She thought you were a bloody beetle!"
"I'm aware what she thought, Mrs. Malfoy. That changes nothing."
Rita opened the door. She smiled and waved at Hermione before flinging her wand. Hermione was released from the wall and fell to the floor, just as the door closed and locked. She didn't care what the bitch said. There was no way her brain hadn't been fried.
"Dammit!"
Hermione slammed her hand against the wooden floor and cried. She had been so close. So fucking close! And Draco … he hadn't been far. She saw his spark! Now, all she could do was hope that her message got to him, even though she very much doubted that her Patronus had heard the last of it. Still … there was hope. And she knew Draco would never give up. He would find her. No matter what.
XXX
The moment the shield around the house lifted, Hermione's Patronus emerged from the tree it was hidden in and took off into the air. It danced around, creating a trail in the sky as it travelled towards the person it was meant for.
Draco was sitting on the ground some distance away. He was finally calm and breathing steadily while Ron used his phone to tell everyone the search was off.
And then, Draco noticed a blue light coming towards him through the trees.
"Weasley," he called.
Ron didn't hear him and kept on fiddling with his phone.
The light shot out of the forest and a translucent otter danced in front of him.
"WEASLEY!"
Ron turned and looked. "Is that …?"
He stepped forward and they both watched as the otter looked at Draco.
"Draco, I love you," said a sweet voice emerging from its lips."I'm all right. I'm at -"
The message cut off, but the otter continued to dance around them.
"Bloody hell!" shouted Ron. "She was trying to tell us where she is!"
"She … she's all right," Draco repeated. He could suddenly feel himself smiling for the first time in almost two months. "Did you hear that, Weasel! She's all right!"
"Yes, I heard. But what about -"
Draco wasn't listening. All he cared about was that Hermione was safe. And she loved him. She still bloody loved him!
Draco started to cry again, only now it was tears of joy. This was what he needed. This was exactly the sign he needed to remind him that he had to keep searching for her. To never give up. This was hope. In the form of an otter.
A/N: So, I am afraid this is probably where some of us are going to say farewell, since the ending of this chapter wasn't what you had hoped. But, before you do, I just want to remind you that the drama is what keeps a story interesting. AND that the longer they're apart, the greater their eventual reunion will be! ;-)
I'm not going to cop out and change what I had planned so everyone is happy. Sorry, but that is not the kind of person I am. I know, I know, I miss Hermione and Draco's banter too. But, it will be great. I promise. :-)
Ok, so non-SOTD readers. What Rita Skeeter is talking about is that Draco forced her to sign a magical contract, saying she could never write about him or Hermione again, or else he would go to the authorities with a list of all of her crimes throughout the years and get her sent to Azkaban. I think I mentioned before that Astoria zapped what she thought was a beetle when she was Hermione's Healer after Lucius's attack at Malfoy Manor. If you need more info, feel free to PM me.