Hermione paced the office, the worry in her stomach growing with each moment Marian didn't answer. Something was wrong. Harry and Ron had taken the warrant and gone to search Loris' place, but Hermione had volunteered to stay at the office in case Marian wandered in or the Auror department had something new for them. But Marian hadn't checked in and that didn't sit well with Hermione.

She turned to do another lap of pacing, but paused when she felt her badge vibrate. She grabbed it and scanned the writing. Two sentences, four words. Find me. Track badge. It had to be from Marian. Hermione knew something was wrong. She tapped the badge with her wand and sent a message to Ron and Harry.

Maria contact. In trouble.

Once the message was sent, Hermione wrote a quick note to track Marian's badge and tapped her wand on the paper, making it fold up and zoom down the hall to the correct room. Hermione's badge vibrated again.

Loris not here. Possible lead. Coming in now.

Hermione looked up and watched as Ron and Harry appeared in the office. "What did you find?" she asked.

"He wasn't there and doesn't seem to have been there for a while," Harry said. "But there were a few bills and we found a bank statement for the purchase of some land. We think he may be holding up there but we didn't find a title to tell us where."

"I told the Department to put a trace on Maria's badge," Hermione said. "She got a message to me, but I think she's in trouble."

"Do you think Loris got her?" Ron asked.

Hermione shrugged. "I don't know," she said. "Maybe. If Lucius is being framed for the murder of muggleborn witches, Maria would definitely be a target. Given the circumstances of her birth and how public the tension between her and her father, that would be the final nail in Lucius' coffin. Wouldn't matter what evidence we present."

A young witch with her hair in a ponytail and glasses perched on top of her head entered the office with a paper. "You wanted a trace on Agent Malfoy," she said, spreading the paper out on a table. It was really a map and the witch pointed to a spot near a body of water. "Her badge is giving off a signal here. It's a run down cabin near a lake."

"That might be the land Loris purchased," Ron said.

"Maybe not," Harry said. "Either way, Maria sent out a message for help. We're going to treat this with the assumption that there is a hostile threat in there holding one of our own."

"Julia's been informed," the witch said, bringing the other three's attention to her. "The urgency of your note sent red flags up so I contacted your mentor, as is procedure for your group being so new on a raid like this. She's setting up a few other wizards to join you and they'll be here soon."

As if summoned, Julia strode into the office with a seven other wizards and witches following her. They looked firm and ready to go. Julia stopped in front of the group, giving them a slight nod. "Ready for briefing," she said.

Harry held up Loris' photo and said, "This is our suspect for the muggleborn murders; Michal Loris. He was not found in his flat. We believe that he may have one of our own, Marian Malfoy, after we received a hasty message from her. We tracked her badge to this location." He gestured to the map.

Julia looked at the paper and then turned to the wizards waiting for orders. "Alright," she said. "This is the plan." Everyone in the office listened to her strategy. No one questioned it. "Alright, we move in five. Sheri, get us a few portkeys for this location." Julia handed the map back to the young witch who raced out of the room.

Hermione watched the witch go and blinked when she saw Draco standing in the doorway. "Draco," she said, walking up to him. "Why are you here?"

He stared at the people in the office as they prepared themselves. "Maria had asked me to pick up a few things from the vet for Quillic since she would be working," he said. "What's going on here?" Hermione opened her mouth, but she couldn't find the words. Draco picked up on her hesitance and looked at her face. "What's wrong?" he asked.

She licked her lips and said, "Draco, I am so sorry…"

His face paled. "Where's Maria?" he asked. He looked back at the office, where everyone had turned when they heard him.

Draco felt his chest constrict as he tried to see his sister. He looked back at Hermione. The look on her face was enough to tell him that his sister was in trouble. "Hermione," he said. "Please. Where is Maria?"

Hermione opened her mouth a few times before she found her voice. "We think Maria's been taken captive by the wizard who's been killing the mugglborn women," she said.

The color drained from his face at the news. It couldn't be. Maria wouldn't have let herself be kidnapped. She was a fighter. No one pushed her around. There was a whining at his feet and Draco looked down to see Quillic sitting in front of him, big eyes wet with sad tears. That's when it hit him. His little sister had been kidnapped.

"Do you know where she is?" he asked.

Hermione nodded. "We're about to go there now," she said. She put a hand on his arm, giving him a sincere look. "We're going to bring her home."

He nodded. "I know you are," he said, squeezing her hand. "I'm going with you."

"No civilians," an older wizard said.

Draco leveled a scathing glare his way. "That's my sister," he said. "Try stopping me."

Marian wished she'd cry. The tears would have cooled the fire of her blood boiling under her skin. Her tormentor had stop using the Crucio curse and had switched to other spells, but it didn't stop the torture she was undergoing. A few times, she'd wished to just slip back into blackness, but her body wouldn't comply. The worst thing was that the wizard just stared at her. He didn't say a word, just watched her with a twisted smile. He was enjoying torturing her.

"Stop," she begged during the brief pause of torture. "Please. Stop."

He laughed at that. "Now you're making the right sounds," he said. "Just like the others."

"Why are you doing this?" Marian asked, flinching each time her skin stretched as she talked.

"Because you mudblood are filthy," he said. "You're nothing. No magical blood, not like the prestigious purebloods who've been with this world more than you swine. Not a drop and yet you come to our schools and look down on people like me. You need to be a message that your kind don't belong here." He sneered as he talked.

"Why me?" Marian asked in a weak voice.

The man smiled his twisted smile again and stood from his ratted chair. He sank down next to her and said, "Your very existence is both beautifully ironic and disgusting. You have muggle blood running through your veins, but also the blood of one of the last Death Eaters alive. The great Lucius Malfoy, most loyal and obedient of Lord Voldemort's followers, sank so low as to bed a filthy muggle. But it's worse than that. He produced a half-blood. Your kind is just as bad as mudblood, if not worse." He chuckled darkly to himself. "Oh, how the mighty have fallen." The wizard tilted his head so his ear almost rested on his shoulder. "But I'll give Lucius one thing. He produced a fair looking abomination." He reached out and ran a grimy finger down her cheek. Marian wanted to move away, but her body was unmoving to her pleas. She whimpered as his touch inflamed her sore skin. "And you cry so tastefully," he said. He raised his wand and she had the sinking feeling this was the end.

The door burst open, flying off its hinges and crashing to the floor. The sudden noise made the wizard jump and whirl around in time to see a three burly wizards rush in. His raised wand was useless against the different paralyzing spells that hit his chest. He froze and fell onto his face.

Marian couldn't process what was happening, the changing in circumstances too sudden for her mind. Someone knelt next to her and she turned her eyes up to their face.

"Hey, sis," Draco said, a watery smile on his face as he looked down at her.

Hermione appeared next to his shoulder, looking apprehensive. "You okay?" she asked. Quillic laid down next to Marian, licking her face as if to comfort his mistress.

She wanted to smile. Her brother and team were here to rescue her and she couldn't have felt more relief in that moment. Instead, her eyes closed and she welcomed the painless darkness that overtook her. If she woke up, she hoped this wasn't just a dream.

Draco cupped his sister's face, his heart beating hard in his throat. "Maria," he said, willing her to open her eyes. She looked small and pale. What had Loris done to her? If the Aurors hadn't already taken Loris away, Draco would have killed him.

Hermione reached around him and pressed her fingers against Maria's dirt covered throat. She sighed in relief. "She has a pulse," she said. "Julia, call St. Mungos. I don't think we should move her just yet." Draco relaxed only a little. Maria was still alive; she had a chance. Hermione kept her fingers on Maria's neck, keeping track of her pulse. She stiffened and shifted her fingers on the young woman's skin. She leaned down and put her hear next to Maria's mouth.

"What is it?" Draco asked. Hermione put her hands on Maria's chest and started to press down. "What are you doing?" Draco asked, reaching for Hermione's arms. He tried to pull her off, but she shook her head. "Hermione, you're going to hurt her more."

"I can't find a pulse and she's not breathing," Hermione said as she continued pushing on Maria's chest. "This is called CPR. It'll help to get her blood pumping until help arrives."

Draco watched as Hermione leaned down and blew air into his sister's lung a few times before going back to pushing on her chest. He didn't know if this was right or not, but if there was a chance that it helped Maria, then he wasn't going to interfere. He held onto Maria's hand to keep his own from shaking.

A few moments passed until two Medi-witches showed up wearing robes with the St. Mungo's logo. They knelt down next to Maria and gently moved Hermione off of her. The witches examined Maria and the older one said, "We'll take her to St. Mungos's critical care center and start treatment." The two witches put their hands on Maria and vanished.

Draco jumped to his feet. "Come on," he said, grabbing Hermione's hand and apparating after the witches. They appeared at St. Mungos. He saw the witches floating his sister toward a set of doors. He started after them, but the younger witch turned and put a hand up. "I'm sorry. No unauthorized people beyond this point," she said.

"That's my sister," Draco said.

"I understand that, sir, but I can't let you past here," she said. "Please wait. We'll be with you when we know more."

"But-" Draco said, but Hermione grabbed his arm, cutting him off.

"Thank you," she said. The Medi-witch nodded and followed the other witch through the doors.

Draco stared at the doors after they closed and a little while longer. Hermione led him over to one of the chairs for waiting and sat him down. "Draco," she said, squeezing his hand. "She's in good hands. She'll pull through."

"How could this happen?" Draco asked disbelievingly. "How could she have been kidnapped? Maria's always on her toes."

Hermione shifted a bit uncomfortably before she said, "Draco…we had to go talk to your father today to follow a lead."

He turned to look at her. "What?"

"Your father was a suspect and Maria and I had to talk to him. It ended in heated words. Maria went for a walk to blow off some steam and we think that might have been when she'd been taken."

Draco was stunned for a moment. Maria had gotten angry with their father, causing her to go for a walk and get captured? He knew they butted heads, but…He looked up and saw his parents hurrying down the hallway. Naricssa reached them first and Draco stood. "What happened?" she asked, her face and voice panicked.

Draco didn't say anything, his hard gaze settled on his father as his features twisted up into a scowl. Hermione stepped forward and filled them in on what had happened. Draco didn't hear a thing; his gaze was still on his father. His anger grew as he remembered how Maria had looked, laying on that rotted floor, covered in dirt and pale. There had been no blood, but there may as well have been with how pale her skin had been. She'd looked like death and it was all Lucius' fault. He looked away and sat back down, resisting the urge to violently shake his father.

"How...how bad is she?" Narcissa asked quietly.

Hermione shook her head slowly. "She wasn't good," she said. "There was a moment where she stopped breathing. She started again, but with the strain on her body from…They'll let us know as soon as they can."

AN: I know that this is a short chapter, as was the one before. Fanfiction has been giving me trouble with uploading, so I had to split a chapter in two to get it to load. Thanks for reading.