Chapter 18: Hermione The Death Eater
"This will be perfect for tonight." She threw the cloak on top of her bed and ran back to the bathroom. After pulling off her shirt and pants, she pulled the dress over her head and the fabric tumbled down her body, feeling silky smooth against her chest and thighs. She wore a cheerful grin as she spun on her heels, admiring how the dress glided across her legs as she moved.
"I wonder if Lucius will like this." She said to herself as she lifted the back of her hair into a bun, then let it fall back down her back. She nodded. "Up for this one." As she admired her reflection, she remembered the day Lucius' eyes traveled down her black dress while they sat at his dining room table. She admired his confidence and the boldness his grey eyes held as his eyes moved across her body. She hoped this dress would inspire the same behavior.
She removed the spaghetti straps and let the dress fall to her feet. She redressed and headed back to her bedroom, grabbing the cloak from beneath her bed.
The cloak was big enough to pull right over her other clothes. As she pulled her head through the top, the seem pulled on the tip of her nose as her head popped out of the hood. The cloak cascaded down to her ankles, enveloping her form and masking any hint of curvature from her chest or hips. Its hood, dark and weighted, shrouded her completely, obscuring every trace of her identity. She would be a mysterious figure, moving with elusive grace as she walked the streets tonight.
She shoved the cloak back under her bed and met Maggie in the shop. She was printing out a few papers for tomorrow's services.
"Any for me?"
"Not yet, but Mondays don't tend to be filled with outside services, but I have four in store. Maybe you could help me with those?"
Hermione nodded and ran her fingers through the four sheets of paper, scanning every name and time of fitting. Luckily, they were scheduled one after another, starting at opening.
"What are you looking for?" Maggie peeked over Hermione's shoulder down at the stack of papers.
"Nothing, I was just looking at the names and times." But there was something more behind her eyes as she put the papers back into Maggie's Hands.
Anyone could schedule a fitting for themselves or others at any time between the hours they were open and closed, and Hermione was afraid Ron might try to schedule a fitting in an attempt to see her. It was not like him to leave a situation like he did the night he abandoned her outside the Witching Hour. She did not doubt that, at some point, Ron would try to apologize. She hoped that if he did try to see her through a scheduled fitting, she could make an effort to be away from the shop.
"Sorry, you won't be able to try out your new cloak." Maggie snickered and laid the paper on top of the desk, arranging them in order by time.
"I'm not worried about it." Her eyes shined with secrets that she hoped Maggie could not see as a soft pink spread across her cheeks.
She searched the cabinets and fridge and pulled out frozen vegetables, a package of ground meat, broth, flour, and two whole potatoes; everything she needed to make a shepherd's pie for her and Maggie. As she got to work on chopping the potatoes, Maggie began prepping the pie crust.
Maggie glanced at Hermione out of the corner of her eye. "So," she said. "When do you think you'll see Lucius again?"
The mere mention of his name caused her heart to flutter, her tongue pressing against the back of her teeth in anticipation. She washed her hands and grabbed a pot from the cupboard. "I don't know." She said as she filled the pot with water from the sink. "If the rumors are true about Narcissa, I should probably let him be."
"Maybe he'll come by to see you again." She said as she delicately kneaded dough into a small round ball.
"I suppose I should wait for that."
"You think that the issues with Narcissa could take up that much of his time?"
"The night we spent together," she reflected while adding the broth to the now boiling pot, "he mentioned that there might be occasions when he couldn't be present. I suspect it's the rumors Mrs. Humphrey mentioned that are preoccupying him, but I can't say for certain." She shook her head.
Maggie chopped and stabbed at the ground beef in the frying pan until the aroma of seasoned meat filled the kitchen. She poured the cooked meat into the boiling pot as Hermione added the chopped potatoes and frozen vegetables. After preheating the oven, they poured the now thickened pot mixture into the pie crust and seasoned the top with small amounts of thyme, rosemary, and garlic. Maggie carefully draped a small layer of pie crust across the top and scored the center with a fork. Maggie and Hermione sat at the kitchen table and watched the clouds slowly devour the evening sky as they waited for the pie to finish baking.
"What about you?" Hermione directed her attention to Maggie. "When do you think you'll see Charles again?"
Maggie lightly tapped her fingertips against the table. "I'm not sure. That night you went to Lucius', he was acting strange."
Hermione tilted her head. "Strange how?"
"The night didn't start strange, but after we found your letter, he became agitated, almost angry."
"Why?"
"I wish I knew. I'm supposed to attend a banquet with him and his brother on Wednesday night, but now I'm not sure the invitation still stands." She dropped her head and looked defeated, but Hermione smiled and reassured her.
"I'm sure there must have been something else bothering him. Why would anybody be upset with you over something so silly?"
Maggie forced a smile. "I guess you're right."
The chime from the timer made Hermione jump in her seat as Maggie got up to retrieve the pie from the oven with a pair of red oven mitts. She watched as the steam rose from the scored area of the pie, a small growl grumbling deep in her stomach.
Maggie took out two plates and cut a slice for both of them. As they ate, Hermione's eyes watched the streets outside. She pondered whether she might catch sight of another Death Eater from her bedroom window tonight, or perhaps, if she dared, she could shadow it through the alleys for investigation. Tonight, she had two questions:
Why was it there?
What did it want?
They cleaned their plates and dropped them into the sink.
"Are you going to bed already?" Maggie called as Hermione reached for the glass door.
She looked back over her shoulder and pretended to yawn. "I'm beat from all the walking around today. Besides, I want to get a good night's sleep before tomorrow's fittings."
"Alright. Goodnight, Hermione."
An hour had passed, and Hermione saw nothing from her bedroom window. She held the cloak in her lap with her shoulder against the freezing glass. She leaned her head against the window and scanned the streets back and forth, squinting her eyes as she looked up and down the alleyways between the buildings.
She sighed and thought about long strands of silvery white hair that felt like silk. She remembered how his arms could lift her off the ground without any struggle and the sweet smell of lilac and pine. She wondered whether he held the same thoughts about her or desired to see her. With her head still against the cold glass, she closed her eyes and remembered his words:
"I'm afraid of how you captivate my mind." He had told her.
It had only been a few days since they saw each other, but so much had happened since then that she yearned to tell him. She wanted to warn him about Narcissa and tell him about the Death Eater she saw in the alleyway last night. It was hard to believe seeing the Death Eater had been a mere coincidence, and if anyone knew anything about it, it would be Lucius. She thought about the next time she would see him. Would it be sudden or expected? Would he be happy to see her? His words chimed behind her ears.
"I'm terrified of the extent I'd be willing to go just to catch a glimpse of you."
If what he told her that night was true, maybe Lucius was closer than she thought.
She opened her eyes and scanned the streets but found no trace of any Death Eaters or strangers in weird cloaks. As she scanned the alleyways, something shimmering caught her attention. There was something there, between the shops across the street. She squinted, attempting to discern more details, but only managed to make out its vague outline. She wasn't going to wait.
She leaped from the window sill and stuffed her head and shoulders through the bottom of the cloak. As it dropped to her feet, she held the knob tightly between her hands and slowly turned clockwise until she heard a quiet click. She stepped out of her room onto the small landing above the stairs, and as she held her breath, she walked delicately down the stairs and into the shop with only a few creeks. She looked around, wondering if Maggie was still awake.
She waited and glanced around the shop, the air feeling eerily quiet. She had never been in the shop alone this late at night, and somehow the place felt strange. It was the same feeling she would get when walking the halls late at night in Hogwarts. The walls felt bare, the floors seemed to whisper, and the dim glow from the track lights above, for some reason, appeared aggressive. She felt like a burglar breaking into a store late at night, and the cloak did not help.
She approached the desk with measured steps, gently placing her heel first on the carpet, followed by her toes. She grabbed the key and held it tightly within her fist as she approached the front door. She inserted the key but held it tightly to the handle with her other hand as she turned the key to the left. As the gears twisted along with her wrist, soft snapping noises indicated the door was now unlocked. Again, she stopped to listen but heard no commotion coming from the back of the store. She reached up and held the bell with her hand as she pulled the door open, letting a chilly draft of night air waft through the store. She couldn't control the bell on the outside of the door, so she moved the door shut inch by inch, hoping the gradual movement might trick the bell into silence.
As she stepped outside, she clicked the front door shut, relieved the bell did not chime. She looked around, the hood of the cloak cutting off some of her vision. She turned the corner down the alleyway behind Maggie's Tailoring and the other businesses beside it. She moved swiftly until she came to the opening between this set of buildings and the next, the path dimly lit by a street lamp across the street. She stopped shy of the lit pathway with her back against the stone wall. Holding her breath, she pulled the hood down over her eyes, only able to see a small amount of the path in front of her.
She peeked around the corner and peered down the lit alleyway to the other side of the road. The silence of the empty streets seemed deafening against the drumming from her heart in her ears. She stepped out into the alleyway and moved closer to the street.
'The alleyway I can see from my window should be across out there and a few streets down.' She thought to herself. She stopped at the edge of the building and glanced around the corner into the empty road.
"There." She whispered. She darted across the road, tucking her head low, and swiftly made her way to the other side, disappearing down the alleyway between the coffee shop and flower shop, which ran parallel to Maggie's Tailoring. Whatever she glimpsed from her window would likely be in the alleyway two buildings away. Before entering, she tipped up the edge of her hood and gazed into the darkness behind the row of buildings. There was no movement, nor any trace of anyone or anything having been present. She put her back against the stone wall, held her breath, and listened again.
Suddenly, she heard something move out in the street. She quickly hid herself in the dark alleyway behind the coffee shop. Then, she heard it again. It was the faint sound of small rocks being kicked down the street, accompanied by the rustle of paper dragged across the stones. Whatever it was, it had to be in the opening between the two buildings she hid behind. Cautiously, she slowly curved her head around the corner and caught the glare of metal as it moved beneath the street lamp.
There, beneath the light, was the figure she saw the night before from her window. Her heart thundered in her chest and pounded in her ears as the figure moved slowly in front of the alleyway. Its cloak dragged across the stones, carrying small rocks with its jagged and torn edges. The being was only a few feet in front of her, so close she could see the stitch pattern across the midnight-colored fabric as it dragged behind them. The length and size of the coat covered their entire body, leaving no glimpse of skin. The hood pulled down and cast a shroud of anonymity over their identity, completely erasing their eyes, nose, and mouth. The tip of the hood towered toward the sky, appearing deathly sharp as the metal plating draped over their shoulders and down their chest shimmered against the light from the street lamp.
It must not have seen her and sensed her presence as it gracefully moved further up the road and in front of the bistro shop.
'A Death Eater,' she thought. 'I'm sure of it!'
She skipped across the opening to the other side and slid down the coffee shop's back wall until she reached the clearing for the next alleyway. She must have beat the Death Eater to this spot. She could still hear the train of the cloak being hauled behind them, picking up more tiny rocks and dust from the street. Her stomach churned as the muscles in her sides clenched together. She slowed her breathing and focused, trying to listen for the sound of shoes or feet against the cobblestone.
Before the Death Eater came into view, she jumped to the other side and hid behind the wall of the flower shop. Pressing her right shoulder against the wall, she cautiously turned her head, peering over her shoulder into the illuminated alleyway, waiting for the Death Eater to pass by its entrance. She held her breath again and listened but suddenly could no longer hear the sound of the Death Eater. She tipped her hood up and stepped out from behind the wall, holding her hand against the cold brick wall as she listened again. She took another step.
Suddenly, a gloved hand wrapped around the entire bottom half of her face, and cold fingers pressed against her lips and muffled her scream. At the same time, an arm reached across her chest and pulled, causing her to stumble backward back behind the wall of the flower shop as the grip around her mouth grew tighter. Desperate, she tried to cram her fingers under the stranger's grip, but their strength bested her.
"Stop screaming." A voice whispered, too low to recognize. She continued to claw as they pulled her further down the middle of the alleyway. The stranger hunched her low to the ground, bringing her knees down and crashing to the wet cobblestone. Her eyes began to burn as a dreadful sting radiated throughout her body, causing her to whimper behind the person's palm.
'Shit!' She thought. 'My knees must not be fully healed yet!'
Their arms held her close to what felt like their chest as they sat quietly against her will. She struggled against their grasp until their arms jerked her further down to the ground.
"Shhhh! Keep quiet, or they will hear us!" They whispered. Their tone was masculine and low, grumbling like a growl from an animal.
Hermione sat flat against the wet stone floor and breathed through her nose, the air suddenly feeling heavier as the man held her tighter against him. Suddenly, she could hear soft footsteps as a large shadow with a pointed top ascended the stone wall. Whoever they were, they were coming down the alleyway where she stood just a second ago. The Death Eater slowly entered the alleyway behind the buildings and was now only inches ahead of her. The veiled stranger must not have seen them as it turned and walked in the opposite direction, across one lit opening, then another, before turning down a different path out into the street.
Once they were out of sight, she shoved the arm and hand away from her mouth and chest and turned on her palms. The man behind her wore a cloak similar to hers in the way the hood concealed his face. The only thing she recognized was the hint of pine.
"Lucius?" She reached for his hood and flipped it backward behind his head. Long strands of white hair fell from behind his ears as her brain turned to mush at the sight of his stunning moonlit grey eyes.
"I'm sorry," He said, his voice still low in a whisper. "You came dangerously close to being caught." His eyes were soft with empathy as they scanned every inch of her body. "Are you hurt?"
Her mind felt muddled, making it impossible to understand what he was asking. His voice sent a surge of warmth through her entire body, eliciting a delighted smile that adorned her lips. As she voluntarily became lost in his gaze, the world around them began to dissolve. His brows furrowed while he studied her expression and waited for her answer until she swiftly and unexpectedly closed the gap between them with a sudden but gentle tilt of her head. The space around them seemed to freeze as her lips met his, creating a moment suspended in time as she gripped the collar of his cloak.
With only a moment of hesitation, he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pressed his lips against hers, intensifying their kiss. A symphony of emotions swirled around them, deepening their connection and lighting a fire deep in her belly. She pulled away and gazed into his eyes as a playful smile danced across his lips. Their foreheads leaned against each other as they closed their eyes.
"I'm so sorry if I scared you. Are you okay? Your knees…" He tilted his head back and scanned her legs.
"I won't lie to you. They're not completely healed yet."
He shook his head. "I'm so sorry."
"So you've said," She smirked. "I'm okay. The cloak managed to break a lot of the impact." She lifted the edge of her cloak to show Lucius and rubbed the thick wool fabric between her hands.
"What are you doing out here? Why are you wearing that?" He grabbed her hands and helped her to her feet as he stood up.
She scanned the alleyway, attentive for any signs of activity on the street or in the adjacent alleys, but encountered only silence. She considered his question and wondered if now was the right time to tell Lucius the truth, that Narcissa had sent the Death Eaters to kill him for his money, and that he was in grave danger if he didn't get out of here and soon. As the words formed behind her lips, she wondered something new: Why would the Death Eaters come here if they were looking for Lucius?
"Last night, I—
"Shhh!" Lucius grabbed her shoulders, holding her perfectly still as she listened harder. The familiar sound of small pebbles dragging against the cobblestone seemed to echo around them.
"We have to get you out of here." He whispered.
"Where should we— wait, me?"
"It's a lot to explain." He led her to the end of the alleyway and stopped before entering the lit pathway out to the street. He looked around the corner, and when the coast seemed clear, he flipped his hood over his head. As he took her hand, Hermione followed his lead across the road, returning to the entrance of Maggie's Tailoring. She quickly unlocked the door to the shop as Lucius followed in behind her. He pulled his wand out of the sleeve of his cloak and flicked his wrist. Abruptly, the magical force yanked down the blinds covering all the windows.
Lucius turned and faced Hermione. "You cannot stay here."