Disclaimer in chapter one.
Once again, my dear readers, THIS STORY IS AU. A lot of the HP characters appearing in this story are ripped out of their correct time period. A few other details are plainly wrong too. Don't try to find all those canon mistakes, it'll just make you go dizzy because you'll find so many ;)
This is a parallel world. At this point in time in canon, Hermione would be off with Harry and Ron to collect Voldemort's stray Horcruxes. In this world she is working as 'Penny' in Malfoy manor and everything's gone crazy.
I had this chapter written out some time ago, but I hadn't found the time to go over it again. Now I finally managed. Hope you'll like it.
(Because I mention it very briefly in this chapter: The current year is 1997. Back then the Balkan region was shaken with war and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Montenegro and Serbia including Kosovo) still existed as a country.)
Thanks for reviewing all of you! It really makes my day reading your input!
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Chapter Two: Nature, Like Us
The next day, Hermione got up late. It was almost six already. She stumbled into the kitchen and blinked tiredly as she was met with all the bustle. Yawning widely, she had to admit that she might have gotten up a few minutes later than usual. But that book had been so fascinating. She had been unable to leave the library before two. No wonder she was dead tired on her feet. Cursing silently, Hermione walked over to Maggie.
"Morning, Penny," Sam greeted her as he walked by, balancing a huge pot in his hands.
"Morning." Hermione smiled at him.
Then she stepped over to Maggie. As usual the woman stood in front of the hearth, preparing the Malfoys' breakfast.
"There you are." Maggie smiled as she spotted Hermione. "Finally got up, did you?"
"Sorry," Hermione said apologetically. "I was just so tired."
Maggie laughed at that. "Don't worry, dear. It's not like you missed anything important." She winked at Hermione before she added, "Now help yourself to something to eat."
With that Maggie pushed her into a chair and placed a plate with a slice of bread and a bit of cheese in front of her.
"Thanks," said Hermione and started to eat.
Maggie gave her another smile and ruffled her curly hair affectionately before she turned around and continued to prepare breakfast for the Malfoys. Hermione wolfed down her food, still feeling horribly tired. She wondered how she was going to survive the day. With a sigh she got up from the table. Unfortunately, a lot of chores lay before her.
Oh, the joy of working for the Malfoys.
†
"You know, it's not that bad," Minky pointed out.
"Excuse me?" huffed Hermione irritably. "How can this get any worse?"
She was sitting on her knees, her back already hurting from the crouched position, and held a brush in one hand and a cloth in the other. Minky sat in very much the same position just a few metres away from Hermione. They both were right in the middle of polishing the dark wood of the Malfoy manor's flooring. Somehow Nacissa had decided that it wasn't 'shiny' enough. And that yesterday, as the Blacks had visited, she had been 'mortified' by the embarrassing interior of her home. Thus she had called for Hermione and Minky and ordered them to do something against 'that decay' which had apparently manifested in Malfoy manor.
Now Hermione and Minky were stuck – probably for the rest of the day …or month – with cleaning the manor. To beeswax the floor was certainly not something Hermione enjoyed to do at eight in the morning. It was tedious work to say the least. The wood of the floor first needed to be scrubbed clean with a tiny brush, before the polish needed to be meticulously applied to it with a soft cloth. Not that the flooring hadn't already been shiny enough. The whole thing was a waste of time if someone asked Hermione. But as she didn't want to end up at the receiving end of Nacissa's wand, Hermione hadn't voiced her opinion and just did as she was told.
"Well, for example, if Narcissa would remember that we could clear up in the attic, that would be worse," commented Minky while furiously scrubbing at a rather persistent stain on the floor.
Hermione only shortly glanced at her and groaned,
"Don't let her hear that."
†
It was a few hours later, that both girls tiredly flopped down on a bench in the kitchen. They had been running around the manor for ages, doing Narcissa's bidding. Rubbing her painful knees, Minky turned to Hermione and declared,
"God, that had to have been the fourth most horrible thing I ever had to do."
Hermione blinked at the other. After a moment she remarked, "I don't really want to know about those other three things that were obviously worse."
"No," said Minky, her head lolling back. "I suppose you don't."
Hermione reached for a crumb of bread lying on the table in front of her and plopped it into her mouth. It was after noon already, probably around two, and Hermione had her fingers crossed that Narcissa wouldn't continue to torture them with her cleaning rage anymore. Sighing heavily, she leaned back in her seat and glanced at Minky beside her. Still chewing on her bread, Hermione pondered,
"Well, that one time I had to glue together Draco's broom because he broke it into a thousand pieces surely was worse. And he still cursed me, 'cause his glued broom wouldn't fly anymore."
Minky patted Hermione's shoulder, never opening her eyes, and consoled half-heartedly, "Wasn't your fault, Penny."
Hermione just opened her mouth to reply something as she felt the familiar sting in her left forearm.
"Shit," she cursed and grabbed her arm.
Minky tiredly turned her head to her friend. "Tough luck."
Hermione glared at her and stated, "I hate you."
Minky replied with a toothy grin before her eyelids again drooped. Hermione reluctantly got up from her seat, twirled on the spot and apparated to her master.
With a soft pop she reappeared in Draco's rooms. Her eyes quickly wandered over the room, taking in the situation. She spotted that Riddle guy. He elegantly lounged on a couch. In his lap was a book and his frosty blue eyes wandered over the text. His pale face was schooled into a blank mask. At least Bellatrix is nowhere to be seen, Hermione though wryly. Draco stood right in front of her, wearing his thick winter cloak. Once again, he was glaring down at her. Hermione didn't want to end up in the middle of one of his temper tantrums, so she bowed before him and whispered servilely,
"You called me, Master?"
Draco narrowed his grey eyes before he snapped brusquely, "Stop wasting my time with your babbling."
"I'm sorry, Master," said Hermione quickly, lowering her head.
What a sunshine my master is, a sarcastic voice rang through her mind. If only she could go back to the kitchen and Minky. She didn't want things to end up like yesterday. Her right hand was still covered in aching cuts. Draco still hadn't given her any order. Instead he turned towards Riddle and asked, suddenly disturbingly polite,
"Are you ready to go, Tom?"
Riddle's incredibly blue eyes left his book and fell on Draco. Draco stiffened slightly as the other was scanning him calmly. Hermione raised her eyebrows in surprise. She had never seen her arrogant master act this nervously. Quickly she hid her surprise, lest she got cursed for it. Riddle's unfathomable eyes still rested on Draco, then he gave an almost imperceptible nod. He closed his book and gracefully got up from the couch. Draco turned around to Hermione and, his tone once again harsh, ordered her,
"Get over here. You are going to apparate us."
"Yes, Master," mumbled Hermione and hastily stepped over to him.
Riddle raised an indignant eyebrow at Draco and said delicately, "I can apparate myself."
The other waved it away with a gesture of his hand and said, "Save yourself the trouble. Penny can do it. And she's triggered to the wards around the manor. You wouldn't be able to apparate from here."
Hermione inwardly rolled her eyes. She didn't know about Riddle, but she knew that Draco was really bad with Apparition. It wasn't so bad that he got himself splinched but he would ever so often appear a mile off his original destination. Not that Hermione would ever point that out to him. She didn't fancy getting a crucio to her head, thank you very much.
Draco stepped closer to Hermione and grabbed her left forearm. She winced as his fingers clenched around her wrist painfully tight. Riddle still didn't look very comfortable with the course of events but he didn't argue anymore. Instead he stepped over to Hermione. His piercing blue eyes bored into her and she quickly averted her gaze. For the first time, she noticed how tall Riddle was. A few inches taller than Draco and at least a head taller than herself. Hermione wanted to shy away from him as he was emitting a strangely dark aura. She didn't dare to move though. Riddle raised his hand but unlike Draco he didn't grab her arm. Hermione almost jumped as his hand closed around her own in a firm but not painfully tight grip. She was still reeling from the shock of being touched in this manner as Draco snapped at her impatiently,
"To Diagon Alley."
Hermione closed her eyes and concentrated. Apparition was really no problem for her, but having to drag two passengers with her via side-along Apparition wasn't exactly easy. Thinking very hard of her destination, Hermione twirled on the spot and stepped into a dark pressure.
Just a few seconds and they left the dark pressure to appear on the Apparition area in Diagon Alley. As soon as Hermione arrived, a cold wind began to rip at her. No wonder, she thought miserably and looked up at the grey sky. It snowed softly which wasn't that uncommon for December. Hermione shuddered and drew her thin robes tighter around herself. Jealously, she eyed the thick winter cloaks Draco and Riddle were wearing. Paying Hermione no attention at all, they strode over to the actual entrance into Diagon Alley. Still shivering, she followed them. While she walked, Hermione reluctantly rolled up the left sleeve of her black robe. She only fleetingly glanced at the ugly Dark Mark which was tattooed into the skin of her left forearm. It wasn't something she enjoyed looking at. Unfortunately, she couldn't walk around any public place without exposing her mark. Her status as Mudblood had to be apparent at all times. Though Hermione was off the opinion that showing her mark wasn't really necessary to identify her as a Mudblood. After all, no sane witch would walk around in such tattered rags, she thought as she looked down at her thin dress. It was made of rough cotton material, was rather baggy and didn't protect her in any way against the cold. Her black outer robe wasn't helping either. Morosely, Hermione followed Riddle and Draco towards the brick wall which marked the entrance to Diagon Alley.
Riddle raised his wand and tapped it at certain bricks. Instantly the brick stones arranged themselves anew and revealed the entrance into the alley. Hermione still followed the two wizards and stepped into Diagon Alley. A small smile dared to flitter over her face as she gazed at the hustle and bustle that always seemed to hover around the alley. A lot of people crowded the place, probably doing last minute shopping for the upcoming Christmas. Hermione amusedly watched all the harassed looking parents dragging their children along from shop to shop. A tiny wizard loaded with so many bags and parcels that only his pointed hat was visible slowly fumbled his way towards the Apparition area. All the while soft snowflakes were falling down on the scene.
"So?" Draco's voice interrupted Hermione's musings. "Where do you need to go?"
The blond wizard scanned Riddle. Riddle's frosty eyes had taken in Diagon Alley but now focused in on the other.
"Knockturn," he replied in his deep smooth voice.
Draco nodded as if he hadn't expected anything less from the other and said, "I have to go to Twilfitt and Tatting's. Get new dress robes."
Riddle glanced at him imperiously. "Why would you need that?"
"You remember Beltaine is just a few months away, don't you?" replied Draco.
Riddle looked at him with his emotionless cold eyes. "So what?"
"Oh, come on, Tom." Draco peered at the other. "As Head Boy you're in charge with organising the ball. You know it's a huge thing."
Riddle's face was still an unfathomable blank mask as he replied, bored, "It's just a pointless ball, Draco. Why do you care?"
"Because," Draco drawled, a devious smirk appearing on his face. "I've already asked Parkinson to accompany me. A bit of romantic dancing and a spiked punch is my way to finally get into her pants. That's why."
Riddle sighed in irritation. "That's pathetic."
Still smirking, Draco shrugged his shoulders. "I can totally live with that."
Riddle didn't reply to that and was probably not even listening anymore. Instead he turned away and walked over to what was the entrance to Knockturn Alley. Draco's grey eyes snapped to Hermione and he said commandingly,
"Penny, you go with Riddle."
Hermione was confused by that order but tried not to show it.
"Yes, Master," she replied duteously.
"Tell him we meet in half an hour in front of the Leaky Cauldron," was all Draco said before he turned and walked away.
Hermione suppressed a groan as she heard it. She was pretty sure Riddle wouldn't like it very much when she informed him. Remembering that she was supposed to stay with Riddle, Hermione looked for him. She just saw him entering Knockturn alley and quickly scurried after him.
Knockturn Alley was dark and made Hermione feel very uncomfortable. Due to the fact that the Malfoys often had business in Knockturn Alley, she still knew her way around quite well. It didn't take her long and she spotted Riddle's head of black hair among the other people. Hermione didn't look at any of the other people as she hurried after Riddle. The crowd in Knockturn Alley tended to be a tad darker than that in Diagon Alley and she didn't want to anger any of them.
So, Hermione carefully watched out that she didn't run into anyone as she hastened after Riddle. As she finally reached him, Hermione silently followed him, a few steps behind. It didn't take him long and Riddle noticed her presence. He turned around to her and his icy blue eyes washed over her.
"What do you want?" Riddle inquired sharply.
Hermione shied a bit away from him and whispered timidly, "M- Master wanted me to tell you that he would like to meet you in half an hour at the Leaky Cauldron."
Riddle narrowed his eyes at her, obviously not pleased with the fact Draco tried to indirectly ordered him around. Hermione braced herself for him yelling at her or even cursing her. Riddle, though, didn't do that. Although there was a shadow of anger burning in his piercing eyes, his expression was completely devoid of any emotion.
"Fine," he replied curtly.
Without more words, he continued his way. Hermione followed him. It only took Riddle a few seconds to realize that she hadn't left again. He glanced at her, frown in place, and asked,
"So, are you planning to follow me around, or what?"
Hermione squirmed under his hard gaze but finally nodded. "Master told me to."
Riddle sighed in annoyance but didn't comment. Hermione was quite glad that he hadn't decided to curse her. Draco surely wouldn't have been so lenient in the same situation. His black cloak billowing behind him, Riddle gracefully strode down the alley while Hermione cautiously scuttled behind him. It wasn't long and Riddle stepped towards one of the shady stores. Hermione didn't know this one and there was no sign indicating what was sold in the shop, just that it was owned by one F. A. Runcorn. The shop window was rather dark and murky, though she could see a few shrunken heads and some kind of bones lying about. Riddle ignored the menacing atmosphere hanging around the shop but confidently opened the door. Hermione stepped a bit closer to the shop window and intended to wait there. Riddle hesitated shortly and threw a glance back at her.
"What?" he asked, light mock hidden in his tone. "Already tired of shadowing me?"
"Er… no, Master Riddle," Hermione stammered uncomfortably. She didn't look up at the wizard as she explained, "I'm not… you know… allowed to enter any shop."
She could see Riddle's icy blue eyes wandering to the dark mark, which was still exposed on her forearm. His intense gaze seemed to cut into her and Hermione felt the need to somehow hide her sullied skin from him.
"I see," Riddle said, his tone completely expressionless.
His penetrating eyes rested on her for a second longer, then he entered the shop and left her behind without another word. Stepping from one foot to the other to keep herself warm, Hermione waited in front of the shop. By now it snowed more heavily and she shivered. Hopefully Riddle would come back soon.
It was only a few minutes after Riddle had left her, that Hermione noticed that strange man staring at her. Clothed in a shabby brown cloak, the brawny man stood on the other side of the street. His face was hidden by a filthy beard and by the cloak's hood he had drawn deep into his face. Still, Hermione could see his eyes raking slowly over her body. It made her nervous. Knockturn Alley was always full of weirdoes.
A predatory glint danced in the man's eyes as he slowly stalked over to her. He stopped standing right before her. Hermione cowered away until her back hit the glass of the shop's window. A grin appeared on the man's face as he took in her shivering form. He raised a gnarled hand and grasped her shoulder. Hermione saw a pair of scars running across his face, giving him a haunting look.
"Such a fine lil' thing, arn't cha?" the man asked, his voice rough and raspy.
The wolfish grin still danced around his mouth as he slowly bent down to her. He sniffed her hair while he still looked at her greedily. Hermione's heart raced away in her chest and she fearfully squeezed her eyes shut.
"Stop that," a sharp voice hissed.
Hermione's eyes snapped open. She turned her head and found Riddle standing in the shop entrance. His pale face was expressionless as always but Hermione could see a murderous glimmer burning in his blue eyes as he stared at the man. The brawny man still held Hermione's shoulder. He glared at Riddle threateningly and a deep growl left him.
"Shouldn't 've left 'er," the man snarled. "'s mine now."
Hermione whimpered as his grip on her shoulder became painfully tight. Riddle didn't lose the blank mask on his face, but his magic started to whirl around him. In fact, it crackled dangerously in the air and already ripped at the burly man viciously. Icy cold eyes wandered one last time over the man. Then Riddle ordered, his voice commanding with a sharp edge hidden underneath,
"Get lost."
Hermione saw something odd gleaming in Riddle's eyes. Whatever it was, it sent icy cold chills down her spine. Obviously the man had also heard the murderous threat underlying Riddle's words or it was the incredibly dark magic charging the air that made him release Hermione's shoulder, growling in anger. Fixing Riddle with a glare, the man reluctantly stepped away and disappeared in the shadows of Knockturn Alley. Hermione's breathing was still accelerated and she stood petrified with fear.
"Hurry up."
She flinched as she heard that the malice was still wrapped around Riddle's voice. Her stomach knotted with fear as Hermione quickly hurried after Riddle who was already walking towards Diagon Alley. She could feel the remnants of his aggressive magic still prickling all over her skin. Never had she felt magic so dark and it scared her. Her body still trembled slightly as she followed Riddle into Diagon Alley, glad to be able to leave Knockturn behind.
Hermione still felt horribly shaky as they passed Gringott's. Hermione read the huge clock hanging over Gringott's entrance. Almost half an hour had passed. Draco would be expecting them soon. Riddle, though, made no move to go over to the Leaky Cauldron. Instead he headed for a shop at the opposite end of the alley. Obviously, he did not waste even one thought on Draco. Hermione followed him, the feeling of his furious magic still ghosting over her body. Soon Riddle entered another shop. Wiseacre's Wizarding Equipment, Hermione read the sign. The bell of the shop's door jingled and once again Hermione was left to wait outside.
Riddle was gone for a while and Hermione entertained herself by surreptitiously watching the witches and wizards walking by and entering the various shops. A smile flittered over her face. She had always liked Diagon Alley. This hustle and bustle was wonderful. If only she could enter the shops. She threw a longing glance at a shop not far from where she stood: Flourish and Blott's. Hermione had always dreamed about entering that one. She wondered how it would be, just walking in there and raking through their books, maybe even buying one.
…okay, she admitted to herself. I might buy more than one. But surely not more than three.
After all three was a nice number, Hermione mused as she dreamily goggled at the shop. Then again, wasn't seven the magical number? She chuckled softly as she pictured herself, loaded with countless shopping bags full of books, flouncing down Diagon Alley.
Her happy daydream was cut short as, out of the corner of her eyes, Hermione saw a certain platinum blond boy walking over to her. A sour expression on his face, Draco stomped over to her. Hermione tensed as he reached her and glared down at her angrily. He carried a huge parcel under his arm which he unceremoniously shoved to Hermione. She accepted it and held it awkwardly as Draco asked curtly,
"Where's Riddle?"
Hermione tried to bow but almost lost her grip on the huge parcel he had given her. Trying to regain her balance, Hermione replied softly, gesturing at Wiseacre's Wizarding Equipment,
"He's inside this shop, Master."
Draco's steely grey eyes bored into her, annoyance swirling in them. Then he snapped, "I thought I ordered you to tell him to meet me. I've waited for an eternity."
Hermione sincerely doubted that but she still hastily apologized, "I'm sorry, Master."
Of course she could have gone and informed Draco that she, in fact, had told Riddle to meet him but that the guy had simply not cared. Surely her forgiving master would have understood the situation and would not have blamed her. Hermione was dying to roll her eyes as the sarcasm echoed through her head. Unfortunately Draco's hard gaze still rested on her, so she abstained from doing so. Finally he turned away from her and stepped over to the shop entrance while mumbling under his breath,
"Stupid Mudblood."
Hermione didn't even bat an eye as she heard it. She was too used to Draco snapping things like that at her. At least he hadn't cursed her. Draco left her standing alone in front of the shop. It started to snow again and Hermione shivered. She tried to ignore the cold and let herself drop back into her happy daydream.
Hermione didn't know how long she had dreamed about her pile of books as she again heard Draco's voice. This time it was disturbingly polite and even had a pleading touch to it,
"Tom, why can't you tell me? You can trust me, I swear I won't tell anyone."
Hermione turned and saw Riddle stepping out of the shop. His blank face was devoid of any emotion and Hermione slowly started to doubt that he could feel anything at all. He seemed to be more closely related to a block of ice than a human being. His cold blue eyes certainly looked like chips of ice.
"My business is my own," Riddle supplied, his voice dangerously soft.
The eerie malice hidden in his voice made Hermione shudder involuntarily. Riddle threw a dark glare at Draco and readjusted the strap of the travel bag he was now carrying. The blond was not impressed but continued to look at Riddle pleadingly.
"Come on, Tom," Draco tried to fiddle more information out. "What do you need to do in Albania?"
Riddle shot the other an evil look before he strode away from the shop, still carrying the travel bag. Draco immediately followed him.
"I mean why did you buy that tent?" Draco asked, gesturing at Riddle's bag. "How long do you plan to stay in Albania?"
Hermione simply followed the two wizards, trying to be as inconspicious as possible. As Riddle didn't react at all to Draco anymore, the blond changed his strategy from begging to baiting.
"Seriously, Tom," Draco said. "Why would you want to go alone? I can help you with whatever you want to do."
Hermione furrowed her brow as she heard that. It didn't sound too promising, did it? Draco, undeterred by Riddle's dark glare, reached for the olive bag the other was carrying.
"Penny!" the blond snapped at Hermione. "You carry this!"
She quickly hurried over to Draco. He had taken the bag from Riddle and now thrust it into Hermione's arms. She almost groaned at the weight. The bag was heavy and she struggled with it for a while, almost dropping the parcel Draco had given her earlier. Meanwhile the two wizards had continued down the alley and Hermione had to somehow follow them.
"I certainly don't need your help." She heard Riddle's smooth voice hissing at Draco.
Hermione could see Draco's back stiffen but then he seemed to catch himself and supplied cautiously, "Of course, you wouldn't need my help. I would never assume. But it would make things easier. I promise."
Irritation burned in Riddle's eyes as he scanned Draco. The other innocently raised his eyebrows.
"Look-" Draco said, trying to convince the other.
He reached for Hermione who had finally caught up with them, harshly grabbed her upper arm and pulled her over to them.
"-I'll bring Penny along. She can do all the work for us."
Hermione staggered dangerously and almost dropped everything as Draco released her again. Cursing silently, she took a step back. A shudder ran down her spine as she noticed how Riddle's cold eyes scanned her. Soon his emotionless gaze fell back on Draco.
"If you take me along," the blond bargained. "I'll pay for everything and we can use my father's fireplace to floo to Albania."
It was then that a contemplative streak entered Riddle's eyes and Hermione almost groaned. She really didn't want to be dragged along. After a moment of silence, Riddle said in his silky voice,
"Very well. If you insist, you can tag along."
A pleased smirk appeared on Draco's face. Hermione, on the other hand, just wanted to curse out loud. She would have really liked to whack that smirk off Draco's face.
"Perfect," Draco drawled. "You won't regret it."
Riddle just eyed him imperiously. Then he said in his usual emotionless tone,
"Make sure that I don't."
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Hermione sat on her little cot in the servants' quarters of Malfoy manor and was feeling dejected. Since the Diagon Alley disaster she felt horrible. The prospect of having to travel with Draco was awful. Here at the manor she could at least sometimes manage to slip away from him. That Riddle was coming along wasn't helping the matter at all. He was an unpredictable parameter in the whole equation and Hermione was stuck right in the middle of it. Hopefully they wouldn't be gone for long. After all, school started in about two weeks. Draco had to be back by then.
Sighing loudly, Hermione got up from her bed and grabbed the mattress to lift it a bit. The wooden bed frame underneath was worm-eaten and rather unsteady. Ignoring that sad state, Hermione stretched and reached for an object that lay hidden under the mattress. She grabbed the object before she put the mattress back in place and sat on top of it. A soft smile slid on Hermione's face as she looked at the object in her hand. It was her most valuable possession.
A small book lay in her hands. Its leather cover book was covered in stains and was so old it almost fell apart. Hermione knew that some of the book's pages were missing but that didn't matter at all. Her fingers lovingly skimmed over the cover. It was a small encyclopaedia of common spells and curses. Many years ago, Hermione had found the tattered book lying abandoned in the gutter of Diagon Alley. Heart pounding with fear, Hermione had snatched the book and hidden it in her pocket.
Smiling absentmindedly, Hermione opened the book at random. Immobulus; the Freezing Charm. Underneath the headline were some descriptions to the charm and a moving picture showing the wand movements. This book had started it all. Hermione hadn't been able to hold herself back. Only a few weeks after she had found the book, she had already known if off by heart. She had even trained the wand movements with her capped wand. Sadly she couldn't perform the spells without a real wand. After she had mastered this book, Hermione had taken to sneak out at night and go to the Malfoys' library.
Her fingers tightened around the book. This small inconspicous little book was a life saver. Without it, Hermione might have given up years ago. Without this book and without the knowledge hidden in the library, she would not have been able to put up with everything.
With a thud she closed the book. Hermione had made up her mind. Risky as it might be, she would take the book with her to Albania. That was probably the worst part of this trip: There was no library to sneak off to and no books she could lose herself into. She needed at least a small piece of hope she could hold on to.
The door to the servants' quarters was torn open and Hermione stiffened. Quickly she stuffed her book into the pocket of her robe and turned her head. A relieved sigh left her as she saw Minky, walking towards her. Yawning loudly, the other girl flopped back into the cot right beside Hermione's.
"Merlin, what a day," Minky exclaimed. "After you abandoned me to God knows where, I only had Narcissa as company. She made me clean the windows, polish the silver and re-arrange all the furniture in the drawing room, including the heavy oak table …twice. Because – and I quote Narcissa – the atmosphere in the room was too depressing."
Minky groaned tiredly and rubbed at her eyes. As Hermione didn't react to her rant Minky peered at her. Seeing the sullen look on the other's face she asked,
"What are you brooding about?"
Hermione's gaze wandered to the girl on the bed and she replied unenthusiastically, "I'm leaving tomorrow."
Minky was suddenly wide awake and sat up in her bed.
"What?"
Hermione sighed tiredly before she explained, "Draco and that Riddle guy want to go on vacation or something of the sorts. Of course they want me to come alone, so I can pick up after them."
"Oh," made Minky and scratched her head. Then she smiled and supplied, "Well, that's not too bad. Where're you going?"
"Albania."
Minky furrowed her brow, thinking. As she never had the chance to even open a world atlas, she was drawing a blank. Hermione let herself fall back into her cot and rolled onto her side, scanning Minky.
"Well, it's a country in Southeast Europe, in the Balkan region. In the south it borders to Greece and in the west lies the Adriatic Sea. Its other neighbouring countries are Yugoslavia and Macedonia," Hermione informed, slipping back to her lecturing voice.
Minky already knew that kind of voice coming from Hermione and wasn't in the least bit offended by the know-it-all manner.
"Sounds nice," she replied lightly.
Hermione snorted in disbelief, "Yeah, it could be nice if I wouldn't have to travel with two wizards. They'll surely order me around non-stop."
Minky shrugged her shoulders. "Nothing new." Her eyes wandered to Hermione and she said cheerfully, "Maybe you can have a swim in the Adriatic Sea."
Hermione stared at her for a moment before she said colourlessly, "It's winter."
Minky chuckled amused. "Draco wouldn't let you have the fun anyway."
A frustrated groan left Hermione and she rolled onto her back, staring up at the ceiling.
"I wish I could stay here," she sighed.
Minky looked at Hermione's gloomy appearance for a moment. Then a grin appeared on her face and she suggested,
"You know, Penny, while you are there you can try to go underground."
Hermione peered at her and furrowed her brow. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Minky leaned a bit closer and whispered conspiratorially, "Give them the slip. Draco'll never find you in Albania. It's brilliant."
Hermione could only roll her eyes at the other. She raised her left arm and yanked up her sleeve, exposing her Dark Mark.
"Using that, I'm pretty sure Draco can find me."
Minky pouted for a moment. Then she said, "Aw well, it was just a thought."
A lopsided grin appeared on Hermione's face as she replied, "And a nice one. I grant you that."
{{{{{{{{+}}}}}}}}
'A narrow wind complains all day
How some one treated him;
Nature, like us, is sometimes caught
Without her Diadem.'
- Emily Dickinson
(*1830 †1886)