Using another's wand was never a sure thing. Magical ability had nothing to do with success or failure – it was luck, pure dumb luck.
Feeling the rough wood in her hand, she spared a glance to the little girl in her arms. Trying to use this wand could be disastrous, but the sound of people walking nearby left her with little choice. She could handle a few people in a fight without a problem, but keeping the little girl safe is something she couldn't guarantee.
Taking a deep breath, she moved to the corner of the bathroom where she felt the wards were the weakest. She needed all the pure dumb luck on her side if she were to get Abby to safety.
Closing her eyes and tightening her hold on Abby, luck was on her side for once as she managed to apparate both of them out and into the bushes where she had left Draco before they both went to search.
"Are you alright?" Hermione asked the girl in a low whisper.
Not verbally responding, Abby nodded a yes, which was good enough for Hermione. Hermione looked around hoping to spot Draco. All she wanted was to deposit the girl into her father's arms and leave. The house be damned, she had, had enough and at this point just wanted to be alone and away from people.
Things had become so complicated. She had gotten use to her job. She had gotten used to being solitary. And she had gotten used to her life away from everyone with the exception of a small handful of people that were in the same boat she was.
Yes, the Malfoy case was one of those things that she was required to do, but she should have had the foresight to see that the Malfoy's always seemed to cause some disruption in her life and she had a gut feeling that taking a house from him would do nothing but cause her more grief.
"Alright, Abby, we are going to apparate one more time because I do not see your father anywhere. The problem is where."
Abby clung tightly, waiting for the trip to start when out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a little doll next to a tree.
"Dolly!" she screeched, almost making Hermione drop her.
Hermione followed the scrawny pointed finger and noticed that a doll was indeed next to the tree, and not just any doll, a doll she had seen Malfoy give to Abby when he was her target.
"How in the hell did that get here?" she asked aloud, not really expecting a reply back.
She walked slowly to the doll, hearing noise coming from behind her, no doubt the occupants of the house had discovered she had gotten away by now, but she was taking care to walk so that they weren't so easily spotted.
"Well, I guess your father left this incase we got out." She said as she bent down to pick up the doll.
As soon as her fingers touched the dolls head, Hermione tightened her grip on the little girl, yelling 'Shit' as she felt the uncomfortable pull of being sucked away by port key. She just hoped Draco had been the one to leave it, not someone else that she would have to deal with.
Oooooooooooooooooooooooo-0000000000000000000000000000
"Can we agree on something yet? Anything?" Harry gripped and he looked up at the clock once again.
Severus looked over to Draco, who was obviously growing more and more irritated with each passing minute.
"Shut it, Potter, I think I have it figured out." Draco said grumpily.
"Praise the Gods." Harry said sarcastically.
"Potter, do hold your tongue. Your bitching like a nagging wife is becoming bothersome." Snape added as he finished lacing up his boot.
"You know, being here with two Slytherins who supposedly are known for being cunning and sneaky, I bet I could have had them out by now. I swear you two are lacking –"
Harry was cut off from finishing his sentence as Hermione and Abby came spinning into the room, landing with a surprisingly gentle fall.
Gripping the unfamiliar wand tightly, Hermione stood up quickly, ready to challenge who ever had made the port key. She hadn't made it this far just to be taken hostage again, but upon seeing Draco's face, along with Potter and Snape, she slowly lowered the wand .
"Daddy!" Abby squealed, reaching her arms out for the blond who was temporarily frozen in place.
Seeing his daughter was a shock to him. He was glad she was back, but seeing her condition caused his heart to stop.
Coming to his senses, he grabbed the small girl for Hermione's arms and seemed to sink into the world known as Abby. He completely forgot about everything else, only concentrating on what was currently in his arms.
"Hermione?" Harry said softly, remembering his last encounter with her wasn't a pleasant one.
Hermione turned and stared blankly at her one time best friend, and brother. "Potter." She said evenly.
"Listen I ju—"
"Save it Potter. I've had a stressful few days and I could care less about anything you have to say right now." She said, cutting him off. She didn't want or need his pity, apologies, and excuses, anything he had to say to her.
"But I didn't know! I just want to make things right."
Hermione let out a sigh, "I believe I already told you everything was forgiven." She then turned to look over to the blond man who was now watching the exchange with curiosity, " And Malfoy, forget about the house. I don't need it."
Draco knitted his brows in confusion, ready to reply, but before he could get a single sound out, she disappeared with a pop.
Ooooooooooooooooooooooo-
Coming back to her flat was probably not the smartest thing she had ever done. She knew even before arriving that she would likely not see the sunrise of another day, but she had nowhere else to go and had infact, made a deal with the devil so to speak and she knew all of the risks involved before she had agreed to anything.
Her contract had clearly stated that had she been found out in any way, her life would be null and void, something that hadn't bothered her in a very long time. She had time to consider everything from the beginning and she had agreed to herself that if it ever happened, she would abide by the contract, she refused to spend the rest of her life running.
Once again sitting on the floor, she took a deep inhale of her cigarette and sighed, letting out a small, pathetic giggle. Who would have ever thought she would end up in a position like this? Scorned by all, hated by those who once loved her and she them. Taking lives of actual people because she was told to and better, not feeling an ounce of guilt for doing so. Yes, who would have thought the know it all bookwork would be capable of such things and yet, she most certainly was.
Risking a glance at the clock, she noticed that she had been home for nearly an hour and was actually highly surprised that she was still breathing. They would have known the second she stepped foot inside and normally would have been here within minutes… but an hour? She shook her head and leaned back, it was only a matter of time.
She continued to ponder her decision to just be done with it, never having to think on it ever again, and finally being somewhat at peace. Abby, well, Abby was heavy on her mind too. She remembered the time when she was just a slip of a girl, thinking about someday getting married and having a child or two. But once everything was said and done, she never thought on it again. Abby's grandfather had taken that choice from her and it took time to move past it, but she had done so and it became a smaller and smaller nag as time went on, eventually not being a nag at all. But holding Abby, protecting her, feeling emotions for the child in regards to her safety… it brought it all back and was now a constant nagging reminder of what she would never have.
She sighed again, snuffing the cigarette out on the floor and instantly reaching for another. Placing it between her lips and striking the match, the flame never reached its goal as her door slowly clicked open.
Hermione looked up, a look of confusion etched in her face as a man stepped through the door. She expected another assassin but that's not what she got. Blowing out a breath, she watched as her boss pulled out a chair and sat down across from her.
He stared at the girl for a long minute, noticing that her stare was still dead, her emotions still at bay, and most concerning, her resolution at what was to come. She didn't look scared of losing her life, she just appeared to be ready, unconcerned, and unmoving.
"Well, Granger, it would appear that we have a problem." He stated in a soft tone, "And I'm not sure how to handle this part of it."
Hermione lit the cigarette, confident that she had time for one last smoke before she was done. She looked to her boss and sighed, "What's to handle? You and I both know what the contract says… so let me finish this and get it out of the way."
Her boss sighed; the granger girl was a sad case indeed.
More tomorrow guys. Im going to work on one at a time so not to get the stories confused.