Chapter 21 It's in the Blood
Hermione had postponed, but she could delay no more.
Tifani, Hermione could never think of her as Delphini, had given her everything she had asked for. A state-of-the-art genetics lab with top-of-the-line lab equipment, a plethora of supplies, and a completely sterilized environment that was unfortunately steps away from the concrete altar.
The altar was the only area that remained unchanged in the dingy, damp dungeon. Harry was stretched on the altar, unchained, but lying completely still. Tifani would not allow him to sleep. She wanted him awake and aware of his potential pain. Tifani was using his pain to get Hermione's complete cooperation and it was working.
Hermione bustled about the well-lit lab with all of the equipment she needed to do what Tifani wanted. Not that she had any intention to do any of it, but she would go through the motions and hope Ginny and Ron would come to the rescue, hopefully with an army in tow.
She wound the stethoscope around her neck. She didn't need it, but the weight was comforting, like a blanket on a chilly day. She collected the swabs and specimen collectors. Hmm. She would take some blood, too. She had no reason for it, but it might turn into something useful. Information was always useful.
"Alright Tifani, if you would sit here."
"Delphini. My name is Delphini," she said through clenched teeth.
"Of course. My apologies. Delphini."
Hermione flinched when she heard Harry scream from the other room. "I think Harry would appreciate it if you would remember," she replied sweetly.
Hermione gritted her teeth and thought to herself, Come on Ron. Ginny. Figure it out and get over here.
"Open up," Hermione said.
Delphini opened her mouth to allow Hermione to run the swabs on the inside of her cheeks, which she did very thoroughly. It was all Hermione could do to keep from jabbing the swab down her throat. She removed the swabs and one she rolled on a specimen collector, the other she put in a solution and set aside.
Delphini pulled back when Hermione approached her with a rubber strap.
"What is that for?"
"I need to take a few vials of blood, too," Hermione patiently replied. The cheek swab was what she needed for CRISPR. However, she wanted to review her blood and run a series of tests to see if there were any physical weaknesses or possible conditions she could use against Tifani. It was a long shot at best.
She mercilessly tightened the band around Tif-, no Delphini's arm, and gently tapped her vein. Hermione smiled to herself when she inserted the needle hub and inserted the 3 vials of blood, one after the other. Satisfied, she removed the strap and pulled out the needle, placing a square of gauze over the wound.
"Hold that in place for a few minutes."
Delphini obeyed, her eyes narrowed as she watched Hermione tip the vials of blood a time or two to mix the vial additives to the blood. She carefully inserted them in the receptor tray, but when she reached for the gauze to check to see if the bleeding had stopped, Delphini drew back.
"I'm just checking to see if the blood has stopped," Hermione soothed.
Delphini moved forward to allow Hermione to check. She was surprised to see the wound was still bleeding. She replaced the gauze but added a wrap to hold the gauze in place.
"Leave it for an hour. You can replace it with a plaster if you want to at that time."
"Why would I do that? I have a wand. I can fix it myself."
Delphini stood, but Hermione noticed she hesitated, putting a hand on the back of the chair. Hermione raised an eyebrow but otherwise said nothing. Delphini took a deep breath, then swirled and moved to leave the lab. She shot one last look before leaving.
"Well, you have what you need. Get busy."
A strangled cry came from Harry. Hermione clenched her fists, "You didn't need to do that."
Delphini responded flatly, "Yes, I did." Her black robes swirled as she left. Her laugh echoed against the damp concrete walls.
