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Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter
It took him a single breath to comprehend exactly what Theo had said.
Gone.
Missing.
He had a fraction of a second to allow the fear of what that meant wash over him before he spun toward Thomas.
"What happened?" he growled.
Thomas flinched with a look of pure guilt stretching across each and every one of his features.
"I...we were talking and then she excused herself. I didn't think she'd actually leave."
Draco took a breath, willing away his anger in order to manage the situation at hand.
"You and I," he growled, "will be having words after we find Hermione."
He pinched the bridge of his nose against the tension that was already starting to build beneath the surface.
"She's not in the house?"
He looked to Theo who shook his head in answer.
"Right." He muttered, summoning his coat and drawing his wand. "We split up and search outside."
She hadn't meant to wander far, but she'd underestimated the weather. Where it had been snowing soft and slowly in the morning, it was now reminiscent of a storm.
A lumos had done nothing to aid her sight, and using her wand with a Point Me had left her seemingly walking in circles.
She'd left herself in a vulnerable position, and mentally, she was chiding herself at her stupid actions under emotional duress.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
She huddled against a building, and began to mentally go through each tracking spell she knew. She hoped, she'd remember at least one that may help in this particular situation.
At the very least, the structure was protecting her against the biting wind and cold.
She took a break from running through spells and waved her wand over her jumper, transfiguring it into a warm winter coat.
She pulled it tighter against her and added a warming charm for good measure.
"Alright." She muttered before she waved her wand in the motions of a simple tracking spell.
To my friends. Take me to my friends.
Her wand lit with an arrow pointing ahead of the tip, and with one last look around her, she took off in that direction.
She really should have been more specific when she'd done the spell. She slowed, rounding a corner. She stopped after a moment hearing the familiar sound of footsteps on gravel sounding louder and louder.
"Lumos." She murmured at the same time the other figure called out her name in question.
"Theo." She sighed in relief as his brown hair came into view.
He hurried toward her, dropping his hands to rest on either of her arms.
"Oh Merlin Hermione." He said, running his hands up and down her arms to warm her.
She shook her head at the questions in his eyes. "I didn't mean to wander this -"
Theo suddenly stiffened and clamped a hand over her mouth. Her eyes widened as Theo shot his eyes back in forth around them in a panic.
He'd heard something, or someone.
"Maybe, they'll leave." Theo muttered to himself, as she strained her ears to catch even a hint of the noise that had spooked him into silence.
After a moment, she wished she hadn't.
There was a pair of footsteps quickly approaching them, and soon their voices were calling out as they noticed the two of them still huddled in the streets.
"Oi! You two know there's curfew." The larger one said.
Fuck.
Theo straightened as recognition flashed in his eyes.
"I bloody well know that Avery." He spat out.
The two edged even closer, their wands out and lit with light.
"Nott? What are you doing out in this blasted weather?"
She saw Theo slide his mask into place, as he pushed her slightly out of view of the other two.
"Spell went off, found this one wandering about."
Her heart was racing. She had no idea how Theo managed to look so completely at ease while blatantly lying.
"You turning her in?"
"We have to follow protocol." Theo said after a moment, "But I don't think she's a cause for concern."
She flinched as the light of two combined lumos spells settled on her.
"She don't look like much." The same voice spoke. Avery, Theo had called him. "Pretty though."
She found herself shaking with revulsion at his words, as she cast her eyes downward. With horror, she realized she hadn't reapplied her glamour.
"Like I said." Theo pulled her slightly behind him, "Nothing to worry about."
"Wait."
She chilled at this second voice. She'd heard it a few times before in passing, but now she almost wished she hadn't recognized it.
Rebastian Lestrange.
He pushed Theo away, and put a single finger under her chin to lift up her face.
She met his dark gaze, adopting a meek and decidedly frightened mask. Let him think her a simple girl. Maybe he'd be fooled.
"She looks familiar." He said tiling her face to the side. "Almost like that missing Mudblood."
Fuck.
Theo feigned ignorance. "Maybe. Looks a little different."
Avery pushed Rabastian away to look at her. "Kind of hard to tell. We best bring her in, just in case." He moved to grab her arm, when Theo pulled her to his side.
"Hold on. I found her, I take her in." Theo sneered at the two.
Rabastian growled. "You young Death Eaters, no respect for the originals."
Theo said nothing, though he cast her an apologetic look.
"We're coming with you." Avery said.
"I'm going to Nott Manor. See if the wards let you in." He growled before Theo pulled her closer, taking his wand out as though to press it to his forearm.
At the last minute Rabastian grabbed onto both of them, and in seconds the world had spun and righted as they landed in a stone room. She blinked as her eyes adjusted to the dim light.
She shivered at the sight of the long bars. A dungeon.
"Bastard." Theo muttered, before he pulled her forward.
"I'm making sure we follow protocol." Rabastian spat.
After a moment, Avery popped in and grabbed her by the arm and threw her into one of the cells, leaving her no time to brace herself. She slammed into the stone wall, the air being forced out of her.
"What the fuck." Theo exclaimed, pushing Avery away from the doorway of the cell.
She blinked as her vision began to blur. Their voices seemed to blend together, though she did make out one of them disarming her. Briefly, she wondered if she'd gotten a concussion.
"I'll seal her in. This is my ancestral home." Theo growled, slamming the door to the cell shut.
Oh gods, what had she gotten herself into.
She heard them argue, deciding that Theo would stay as the others left to locate a wanted poster for 'Potter's Mudblood.'
"Shit. Shit. Shit." She heard Theo mutter as soon as the two left.
"Granger." He called, pressing close to the bars.
She crawled closer. "Theo." She answered, wincing at the weak tremble of her voice.
He let out a breath. "I'm going to get you out Granger, but I have to…"
"Wait for an opportunity." She finished.
He let out another breath as they both stiffened hearing footsteps echoing off the stone floor.
He leaped to the opposite side of the room and lent against the wall. She watched him pull a ring from his pocket and slip it on, discreetly muttering to himself.
Protean Charm.
Draco.
She felt a brief surge of hope, only for it to be squashed at her next thought. Even with Draco, the odds of getting out of the dungeons of Nott Manor without exposing Draco and Theo were slim at best. If she did get out, they'd all need to leave tonight, and they were nowhere near prepared for that.
Rebastian stepped back into the room accompanied by a tall man. When they drew closer, her breath caught as she came face to face with a man who could only be Theo's father.
He was lithe, and she could see so much of Theo in him. Yet, where Theo still possessed a youthful softness in his face, this man, he seemed hardened; sharp in a way that went beyond his physical features. She shivered.
She could be frightened of this man.
He drifted his gaze passed her and settled on his son.
"What have you brought Theodore?"
Theo's jaw tightened. "A wanderer from the streets. We're trying to identify her."
The older Nott showed a hint of doubt on his face at Theo's lie, but did not challenge him. "Lestrange believes her to be the Granger girl."
Theo looked at his father and raised a brow, as though he were bored and not particularly surprised at the idea.
He shrugged.
"She could be. I can't be sure. We didn't have many classes together at Hogwarts for me to recognize her."
Nott Sr. said nothing and instead came closer to her cell.
The closer he came, the narrower his eyes got. He faltered in step right at the bars, something that was hardly perceptible and easily missed had she not been watching him.
His eyes widened briefly before narrowing, and she got the distinct impression he was seeing a living ghost.
Rebastian had come closer and grasped her through the bars, pulling and slamming her into the metal. She tasted the blood pooling in her mouth, dripping out the edges of her lip.
"Who are you?" Rebastian shook her.
She shook her head, not speaking.
"Draco."
Rebastian and Theo's father turned to him.
Theo ground his teeth.
"Draco was in many of her classes. He would know her."
Rebastian dropped his hand, and she fell to the floor.
Theo was buying them time.
She kept her eyes trained to the ground and let out a soft puff of air in relief when the two older men seemed to agree to Theo's suggestion.
"I will stay with her." Theo's father spoke, turning to Rebastian, "Find Avery. We'll want those posters to be sure before we do anything else."
She watched Theo, who seemed to think the request odd; though, he didn't contest it. It was his father or Rebastian. The choice was obvious.
At that the two left, and she huddled to the side of the cell furthest from the lingering Death Eater in wait.
When he felt his ring burn, Draco wasted no time getting to the nearest active Floo. He had one destination in mind.
Nott Manor.
He had to give it to Theo. Nott Manor was a better alternative than Malfoy Manor. The wards would have been trickier, defenses higher, and above all, there were more people.
He stumbled out from the flames, only to immediately ram into another body.
"Move Theo." He muttered after regaining his footing.
Theo shook his head and kept a firm grip around his arm.
"We have to think this through Draco. You can't just barge in there with no plan."
He growled against the resistance even if he knew the other was right.
He took a breath, and Theo seeing he'd calmed hesitantly let go of him.
"Who's with her?" he asked quietly.
How is she?
"My father."
Draco resisted the immediate anger filled remark that threatened to come out of him at that.
"It was him or Rebastian, and I don't trust that bastard at all." Theo continued.
He let out a shaky breath and reluctantly nodded, conceding that Theo did have a point there.
"It's only him and her?"
Theo nodded in answer.
That wouldn't be so bad, but they'd have to move quickly to take advantage of the opportunity.
"Those tunnels under Nott Manor," he began, "Are they still open?"
Theo nodded again. "But I don't know all of them Drake. I was never much of an explorer."
He shook his head. "But you do remember the one we used to take out to the gardens where we played Quidditch?"
Theo froze before a thin smile spread across his face in understanding.
"How good at Disillusionment Charms are you now Theo?"
Hermione watched the man pace before her cell. He seemed agitated, muttering softly and stealing glances at her every few steps. She let her eyes drift lower to her lone wand clattered barely a foot from the door to her cell.
Avery was an idiot for not pocketing it when he disarmed her, and yet perhaps he knew exactly what he'd been doing. He'd left it in her sight, taunting her, but she'd never be able to squeeze her arm through the bars to grasp it.
She could summon it.
Though the question was if she could in fact do any magic at all within the cell.
She stole a glance at Theodore Sr., who was still muttering to himself.
She held a hand out slightly behind her back before she silently cast a lumos with her right hand. She peeked over her shoulder.
Nothing.
She resisted the urge to slam her hands into the ground in frustration.
It wasn't unexpected, but it still broke that slight bit of hope.
But what if it's only within the cells that magic can't be done.
She was just contemplating the fact when Nott came to a stop in front of her cell.
He grasped the bars, and even from her angle she could see his knuckles turning white at the force of it.
"Who are you?" he said lowly.
Hermione edged further down to the side away from his reach.
He lent his head against the bars.
"Who sent you?" he finally asked.
She frowned unsure where that question had came from.
"Why?" Nott whispered, "Why haunt me now? She's dead. She's been dead for 20 years. It's enough."
Uneasily, Hermione shifted slightly forward to make out the man's face. He seemed so pained...and distracted.
Taking a chance, she slipped her hand through the bars and again attempted a small Incendio.
She bit her lip from crying out in happiness at the small flame dancing in her hand.
Quickly, she extinguished the fire.
She had to distract the man so she could summon her wand.
"Who's dead?" Hermione said, finally speaking. She winced at the effort, and her voice was so low and hoarse it was a wonder she'd formed words at all.
Nott looked up startled at her.
"20 years." he repeated, "No one even knew."
He seemed conflicted, muttering to himself and stealing glances at her.
Her mind was racing moving between her confusion at his ramblings and her growing anxiety to summon her wand and get out.
She had to do something drastic.
She stood, wobbling as she came to stand directly in front of him. Before she could lose her nerve, she'd reached through the bars and clasped him by the shoulders.
"Who was she?"
"My wife." he murmured, "My first wife."
Shocked, she barely had any time to react before he'd slammed her to the bars in an effort for her to be closer.
She cried out as blood seeped through her teeth and fell from where her flesh had been torn at the hairline.
She staggered against his hold, so dazed that she didn't notice the light that seemed to be flooding the dungeons.
Nott seemed to be the same, because he'd practically slumped against her hold.
Scrambling, she tore her hands away and began attempting to summon her wand. It took her two tries before the familiar wood was within her grasp.
Her vision was clouding, and darkening at the edges.
She didn't have much time.
As soon as she thought it, she felt a surge of warmth overcome her body. Perhaps, the adrenaline hadn't run out yet.
She stunned the man, before she blindly ran through a multitude of unlocking spells. She couldn't say which spell had been the one to unlock the door, but it must have been her tenth try at the very least.
Stumbling, she stepped from the cell barely seeing in front of her.
She took another step as her knees buckled and that same sense of warmth came over her. She was so tired. So tired.
"Hermione"
She heard someone shout before her world went black.
"They won't report it. No one identified her, but they'll be weary."
She stifled a groan as she reached slightly around her feeling soft sheets beneath her fingers.
"She shouldn't have been able to open the cell door. How did it open?"
She tried to open her eyes, but her body was still resisting her need to wake up.
"I don't know."
"They were blood wards Draco."
This time, she moved her arm to reach to her face. She smiled slightly at the success as her eyes finally flickered open.
"Hermione?"
She blinked and met grey eyes staring down at her with nothing but concern.
"Hi." She whispered.
He let out a shaky breath.
"Hi." he murmured back sitting at the edge of the bed and cupping her face with one hand.
"How do you feel?" He asked, running his thumb across her cheekbone.
She pulled herself upright slowly, gladly accepting Draco's help until she was in a seated position.
"Heavy." She said with a thin smile before rubbing at the soreness in her temples.
"Fuck Hermione." He whispered leaning his forehead against hers and wrapping his arms around her shoulders. "You scared the absolute shit out of me."
She brought her arms up and settled her hands at his back, rubbing them soothingly.
"I know. I was so stupid to wander off." She murmured against his chest.
He pulled away only to capture her mouth in a kiss that left her more than a little light headed. In fact, she was sure it wouldn't have ended if Theo hadn't cleared his throat.
They broke away with her cheeks flaming and Draco sporting a satisfied grin.
She let out a breath before looking between Theo and Draco.
"What happened?"
They both said nothing, and she didn't miss the way their eyes drifted to meet one another's.
"What do you remember?" Draco finally asked gently.
She sighed and recounted that she'd had a brief argument with Dean that had led her to wanting to go out and get some air. She hadn't meant to wander off, but the storm had left her lost. Then Theo had found her, and so the story went.
She paused then as the events in the dungeons seemed to catch up with her.
"It's strange, but he seemed to recognize me." She murmured, "Your father." She turned to Theo.
"But not really me me." She frowned, muttering to herself, "More like I reminded him of someone."
"Did he open the door for you?" Theo asked then, interrupting her musings.
She furrowed her brows, before she shook her head.
"No...No I summoned my wand and started blasting every unlocking spell I could think of. It was a lot harder with…" She trailed off pressing a hand to her hairline. Her eyes widened when she felt no scar.
"Hermione."
She looked over to Theo, who looked more than a little shocked. He seemed to be fighting to maintain his composure. "Those cells are warded with blood magic. Did he at least make a blood offer for you to escape or…" Theo drifted off.
She shook her head. Her arms wrapping around herself. She fingered with her sleeves, slipping her hands beneath the shirt to grasp her wrists.
"No. No. The only one bleeding was m-" Her words cut off as she tore the sleeve up from her one hand.
She gasped at the sight, running her hand across the flesh of her forearm.
"It's gone." She whispered.
And it was. That vile lettering that had been carved into her seemed to only be in her memories as she stared down at the unblemished skin.
Her Mudblood scar was gone.
"Oh Merlin." Theo stumbled over to her bed.
She swallowed hard.
Her mind was spinning.
Blood wards.
Blood magic.
Protective magic that lay dormant in the old houses and offered healing and defense to one of their own.
That warmth.
"The book." She scrambled off the bed and darted to her bag. She fumbled through it, ignoring Draco's protests until she grasped the spine of the book.
"Hermione." Draco said, coming to kneel beside her, "You need to rest. Let me get…"
She didn't hear the rest. She was too busy flipping quickly through the pages. Passed the Weasley tree. Malfoy. Black. Goyle. Nott.
She froze at the page before her.
Draco's breath hitched beside her as he tore the book from her hands.
"His first wife." She whispered, "He said I looked like his first wife."
Draco traced the lines and names stretching across the page, and she saw his hand still at the name that came second from last on the tree.
Hermione Nott.
Theo stumbled to sit beside them on the floor, hesitantly accepting the book from Draco.
He kept murmuring to himself.
"I didn't know he was married before. I didn't know. Hermione, I didn't know."
"A brother." She whispered, effectively silencing Theo. "I have a brother." She murmured before her world once again went black.