After days of sleeping on and off and hiding away in the red room, Hermione felt her fever reduced and that she was in better health. The bed was so comfortable, that when she laid her head down, she immediately found sleep. Better sleep than she had gotten in years. And it was, for the most part, dreamless. There was a sneaking suspicion that it was charmed, lulling her into a false sense of security.
She hadn't seen Draco at all since she had first arrived, and was thankful for that. It gave her a break from occluding her mind, and let her rest. With the break, her strength had been mostly restored.
Astoria had visited her a few times, checking on her temperature, and giving her medicines. She had also seemed healthier on the recent trips to see Hermione. Her cheeks were fuller, and she wasn't as pale and sickly. Hermione found her to be extremely bubbly and almost glowed with a sort of radiance she thought only someone like Fleur had.
Astoria suggested that she go and see the Malfoy library at one point, which excited Hermione, but she didn't want to risk running into the owner of it. Even when she was assured Draco wasn't there, off on some business for the Dark Lord, Hermione knew he could appear at any second.
She wondered how someone so sweet could be with the epitome of evil.
If Hermione was awake in the morning, she'd catch them outside in the garden or hear their voices in the sitting room. Astoria talked on and on, while Draco would laugh and chime in to the conversation. It was as if he morphed himself into a completely different person, human even.
It made her blood boil.
She looked at herself in the mirror and couldn't believe how different she looked. Weeks spent in a holding cell and still not being able to touch the sunlight. She was pale, gaunt, and looked feeble, a sad sight to see.
Her hair was a mess. When she became so frustrated with picking out the tangles, she finally caved and asked Tappy to help. She normally wouldn't ask house elves to do something so mundane for her, but she was desperate without her magic. Tappy, unsure of what to do, brought along Astoria and another house elf, Twinkle.
"Miss Granger's hair is very lovely," Twinkle said as she moved brushes and combs through her curls. "If Twinkle had hair, Twinkle would love to have hair just like Miss Granger."
"Thank you, Twinkle. That's very kind of you."
She had learned that Twinkle had been with Astoria since she was born, taking care of her throughout her youth. Astoria and Twinkle told many stories to Hermione as they sat in her prison cell all together. She thought Astoria could talk for days on end if given the chance.
"I'd like you to join us for dinner tonight, Hermione," Astoria said.
"Us as in you, Twinkle and Tappy, I'm hoping."
Astoria ran her fingers through her hair, sitting on the plush red chair in the corner of the room and reading a fashion magazine. She wore a silk green robe over a white day dress, and looked elegant, but in a way fine china would. Breakable, fragile, but still stunning. "No. Draco, Daph, and myself."
"Do you know what he's done, Astoria?" Hermione asked, standing up from the bed and moving to look out the window. Twinkle tried to follow, but she stopped her.
"Yes. I do know." Astoria's voice was nearly a whisper.
Hermione tapped her fingers against the window ledge. "And you still love him?"
"With my entire soul," she replied confidently, closing the latest edition of 'Witch Weekly.'
"Even though he doesn't have one?"
"I cannot justify the things he's done, trust me, I know they are horrific and cruel. But he didn't choose to be this way." Her voice almost cracked, but Hermione did not falter in her stance, no matter how sweet her voice was.
"Everyone's got a choice, Astoria."
Astoria picked at her fingers nervously. "Maybe in your world they do."
"He watched as they beat and tortured me. He dragged me to a cell and locked me away. He's ripped my friends apart in front of my eyes. You expect me to have dinner with that… that thing?"
"No. I don't expect you to. You have a choice, like you said." Astoria crossed her thin arms over her body.
"And you choose to sit idly by and sleep next to a demon."
Astoria slowly got to her feet, making her way towards the door. She opened her mouth as if to speak, but walked away.
Fuming, but feeling refreshed, Hermione found herself with her hand on the doorknob. She slowly opened it, half expecting it to be met with alarm bells ringing. Seemingly though, she could leave without an issue. On her way down the hall, she opened each one of the rooms she passed.
There was nothing of note, which she was thankful for. Just plain rooms, empty, no other prisoners within the wings of this hall, so she made her way towards the stairs. The anger she had felt with Astoria was still lingering in her chest, she couldn't figure out why she had felt so betrayed by someone she had just met, she assumed it was something psychological due to her arduous torture sessions and isolation.
When her foot hit the landing of the third floor, her jaw nearly hit the ground. Large arched windows let in a faint light from the overcast sky. A long desk was pushed in front of the windows overlooking the Malfoy garden and cemetery. Surrounding the desk were endless shelves of books on multiple landings.
Books.
So many books, she thought it would have rivaled the Library of Birmingham. Like a starved animal, she rushed to the nearest bookshelf, pulling them off the walls like it was flesh from a carcass, and she was a lion feasting on the remains. She stacked them in her arms until they became so heavy she nearly collapsed, only to set them down on a small table and continue to rummage for more. Hermione half considered asking Tappy to help her reach shelves too tall for her without magic, but refrained. There were already so many books for her to access just within her grasp.
Her finger ran along the spines of books, looking over each title carefully until she saw one that made her pause.
'The Life and Descendants of Carmella Sanguina.'
She carefully slipped it from its place and opened it immediately. Hermione was quite familiar with the stories of Carmella, as she was infamous for bathing in the blood of young women, but she had never seen a copy of this book before now. Though the thick, leather bound book was hundreds of pages long, she devoured it at record speed.
That arrogant bastard has to have more books on vampires. Narcissistic, self-important, vain, egotistical…
"Granger," Draco's voice called from behind her. Cold and flat, sending a chill up her spine. But she breathed deeply, feeling her fear dampen "Figures finding you up here."
"To what do I owe the displeasure?" she replied, not turning around, but slipping the book back into its place on the shelf.
Draco pulled the sleeve up on his left arm, revealing the Dark Mark. The eyes on the skull tattooed into his arm were emitting a soft green glow. "We're being summoned."
"Is this my punishment for upsetting Missus Malfoy?"
He raised his eyebrow, "You upset Astoria?"
"Not nearly as much as your face upsets me," Hermione said as she turned around. It felt childish, but she didn't care. Being a nuisance to him was one of the only small pleasures she had within these walls.
Draco rolled his eyes and swiftly made his way towards her. He slammed his arm against the shelf above her head and bent down. His hulking figure locked her into place, caging her in. She pushed back into the books behind and crossed her arms, keeping the few inches between them, but not backing down.
His right hand reached for his pocket. Hermione thought he would pull out a wand to hex her, but instead, he held a vial in front of her nose. "I suggest you drink this, mudblood. You speak to him like this, and he'll have your tongue. As much as I would love for that, I promised my pretty wife that you would come back relatively unharmed."
The smell of iron on his breath made her feel nauseous. Her eyes darted to the blue liquid labeled as a calming draught. "I'm not taking anything you hand me, Malfoy."
"I'm afraid this isn't a request. Trust me, Granger. This won't interfere with your Occlumency. If anything, it'll enhance it. Merlin knows you need it with how shit your technique is."
She glared at him. "It's enough to keep your Dark Lord out of my thoughts. Why the hell would you give me something to enhance it? Doesn't that delineate from your goal?"
Draco leaned in closer, his forehead nearly touching hers. A smug smile was plastered on his face. "You see, if I bring you to him with a clear mind and body, he'll know I've been slacking on this little side project because I'm too busy cleaning up his other damn messes. That won't go well for me, and it will go worse for you."
Hermione shrugged, "I'm fully willing to accept my worse punishment if that means you are inconvenienced."
The smile wiped away from his lips, and Hermione took great pride in that. "Mudblood, you are already inconveniencing me with your delays." Draco uncorked the bottle with his teeth and spit it on the ground. He tilted his head back and drank half the vial. Meeting her eyes again, he offered it to her once more. "Don't make me force this down your throat."
Poison, she knew, would not kill him if he drank it. But she waited a few brief moments to observe his demeanor. After a couple seconds, his shoulders relaxed and his eyes seemed less intense.
Reluctantly, she snatched the bottle from his hand and let the peppermint elixir coat her tongue. Immediately, she felt at peace. Like she was standing in a room with an old friend, and not a murderer.
"Good girl," he said, wrapping his cold fingers fully around her arm. "Let's go."
—
"Draco, I told you not to let them hurt her," Astoria's voice was muffled in Hermione's ears. Her eyes fluttered open, finding herself in the sitting room of Malfoy Manor. Draco was slumped in an armchair by the fireplace, while Astoria sat near Hermione's limp body.
"Tori, she's fine. Just a few bruises. They were easy on her today, given she wasn't acting feral. Even took her to the healers before we left."
"Easy on her? Look at her neck, Draco. It looks like she was strung up to the ceiling."
Draco sighed, "I am convinced there are less ways of killing her than there are for me at this point. How many times do I have to tell you that she's fine?"
Astoria placed a cold compress against Hermione's neck. "Just because she can endure it, does not mean she should."
"Oh, sorry Tori, didn't know that. I'll go let the Dark Lord know as soon as possible," he replied sarcastically as he took a sip of fire whiskey.
"I can't believe the first ward you decide to take is a fucking mudblood," Daphne scoffed, pacing the length of the sitting room. "I didn't realize they were handing out pets."
"He's just doing this to get back at Potter," a voice Hermione was unfamiliar with chimed.
"You think I'm that petty, Teddy?" Draco scoffed.
"I think you're worse than petty. You're a downright spiteful killjoy if I'd ever known one," Theodore Nott replied. Draco let out a small laugh before they clinked their glasses and downed their drinks.
Hermione had barely known him in their days at Hogwarts. She remembered seeing little Teddy Nott volunteering to help Hagrid after class, with Hagrid being quite fond of him. Other than that, the only other fact she recalled was that his father was outed as a Death Eater, so she wasn't surprised he had followed in suit.
Mustering the strength she could, she sat up on the velvet green couch, holding her head. She saw the two men in their Death Eater robes and Astoria in a soft pink dress. When she looked down at herself, she was in jeans and a jumper. The same outfit she had worn when they had apparated to the Ministry. She assumed it was the same day, but couldn't be certain. Her head was pounding and her ribs ached, making her train of thought jumbled.
"Lay back down, Hermione. You need rest," Astoria urged.
"Astoria, how come you never treat us as nice as the mudblood when we come back all hurt?" Theodore asked as he pouted his bottom lip in an exaggerated fashion.
She threw her eyes like daggers at him, shutting him up quickly. "Because you deserve it most times."
"That's fair. I did fail to bring Daddy home that Romanian Longhorn he wanted. Fuckin' Crucio-ed me to next Wednesday."
"I'm just glad you're back safe," Daphne sat on his lap and he winced. She was just how Hermione had remembered from their school days. If she wasn't so nasty, Hermione might have admitted she was one of the most beautiful women she had ever seen. Perfectly blonde hair and a catlike face that seemed so mysteriously elegant.
"Careful, babe. I'm still in some pain." He brushed a strand of hair away from her face and smiled at her.
A small crack drew Hermione's attention to the center of the room that startled her. Tappy appeared in front of the fireplace, dusting off some dirt on the rug under him. "Tappy would like to announce that dinner is ready."
Hermione tried to recount the past few hours despite her head throbbing. She and Draco appeared in front of Voldemort, she was sure of that. Voldemort attempted Legilimecy on her, to no success. Inflicted her with horrific visions, then she was thrown around by a few Death Eaters.
But she was there for much longer beyond that. She remembered being sat on the stone stairs and watching others be tortured. One of them was likely Theodore. An image of Draco appeared in her head, his fist deep into the stomach of a snatcher, gutting him for misspeaking to the Dark Lord.
Her stomach sank once she remembered.
She had asked Draco for an additional calming potion because she couldn't handle the screaming any longer.
That's why she was sat so still across from Draco Malfoy and Theodore Nott, two people who had likely been the cause of death for hundreds of people she knew. She didn't have a retort for Daphne's cruel comments because she couldn't give a fuck about them.
"So, we're having the mudblood join us for dinner now?" Daphne shook her head and delicately put a cloth napkin in her lap.
"Don't act like you don't know her name, Daph. The only reason why you made it through fifth year is because you copied Hermione's homework," Astoria spat, rearranging the utensils around her plate.
Theodore kissed the top of Daphne's head and sat in the chair next to her at the table. "You know, she's not so bad, this one. I think she's soft on me, nearly saw her cry when the Dark Lord broke my finger. She's a tough bugger too, haven't seen many last as long as her."
"She's only tolerable now because she's taken a calming draught. Wait till it wears off, you'll take back what you said," Draco said as he poured four glasses of fire whiskey and passed them around the table.
Hermione, still in a semi haze from the pain and potions, ignored the conversations around her. She did, though, look at Draco as he passed the last glass to Astoria.
"A bit rude to not offer one to a guest, now isn't it, Malfoy?"
"Oh she's spunky, that's how I like 'em." Theodore laughed before Daphne elbowed his side. "Kidding, only kidding."
"My mistake, mudblood. Didn't realize the calming draughts weren't strong enough for you," he said, handing his glass to her. Hermione snatched it out of his hand and drank it in one gulp.
For the rest of dinner, Hermione pushed around the food on her plate, zoning out, only coming back to reality when another round was poured.
She noted how everyone else but she and Draco were eating. From what she knew, vampires could eat food. Blood was necessary to sustain them, but they still had a fully functional digestive tract. She decided to file that thought away for later, letting the alcohol dull her pain and mind.
If she were sober, she would have been angry at how happy they all were, sitting at a cushy table with delicious food and drinks. Laughing, small talk, banter. It reminded her of dinners at the Burrow.
Well, how dinners used to be at the Burrow.
"Say, Granger," Theodore inquired. "You dated Viktor Krum, yeah?"
"For a few years. On and off."
Theodore laughed and smacked the table, "Damn, she's got game like Krum. Greatest quidditch player of all time, I say. Man is lethal on the pitch."
"Wish that translated to the bedroom," Hermione said, deadpan. "Could find a snitch in record time but couldn't seem to find anything that pleases a lady."
Theodore erupted in a fit of tears. "I like her, Draco. Can we keep this one, pretty please?"
Draco let out a breathy laugh and shook his head. Astoria joined in on the laughter too, until she began to cough into her napkin.
"If you'll excuse us, I'm going to get Tori to bed." Draco helped her from the table, Daphne stood to follow them.
Teddy grabbed her arm before she walked away, "Babe, you sure you want to go to Norway with me? With Tori being sick."
"Draco will take care of her, we'll only be gone for a few weeks. If something happens, I'll come right back."
Daphne kissed his cheek before running off to see her sister, leaving Hermione and Teddy alone at the table. He poured another glass of fire whiskey for the two of them and leaned back in his chair.
"What's in Norway?" she asked.
Theodore smiled a toothy smile, looking proud of himself in an endearing way. "Dragons, a few of them if I'm lucky."
Hermione drank before speaking again. She looked at the wizard in front of her, remembering a small boy standing next to a gentle giant. Despite Draco and company being cruel to her dear friend as he tried to teach them about magical creatures, Theodore seemed to adore Hagrid. And the feeling was mutual from him. "Hagrid spoke highly of you. Always said you were good with magical creatures. Told us that Buckbeak adored you."
A somberness overcame Theodore Nott, looking lost in a way. It seemed as if he were searching for old memories and trying to project them in front of him. He smiled sadly as he ran the tip of his finger around the lip of his glass. "He was a damn good man."
"He was," she replied softly. "I was with him when he died."
He cleared his throat, a pained look on his face. "Did he suffer?"
Hermione shook her head. "No, it was quick."
Theodore poured out another drink for the two of them. He held his glass up to hers, biting back a tear that tore at the corner of his eye. "To the kindest soul I've ever known."
"To Hagrid," Hermione said as their glasses touched, making a ringing sound in the empty dining room. They drank and sat quietly for a few minutes longer.
"I should go check on Daph. Have a good night, Hermione. Get some rest."
Alone. She eyed the bottle of fire whiskey. Her mind and body were at war. Everything her brain was telling her was to keep a clear head and keep her guard up. On the other hand, her body was begging for it. Drink until the pain stops. Drink until she felt stupid. Drink until she fell asleep.
It was clear which won as she snatched the bottle off the table and decided to walk out to the gardens of Malfoy Manor.
The night was warm, summer was approaching quickly. Hermione walked to the barrier that looked like a light blue mist in the darkness. It was barely visible, and most probably wouldn't notice it, but she did. She took a big swig from the bottle and pressed her hand up against the detaining spell. It felt like a piece of glass caging her in. Enclosed like an animal on display at a zoo.
She sat against the barrier, finishing the bottle of liquor and tossing lazily next to her. Hermione must have dozed off, as she opened her eyes to find herself with a slight headache. It was still dark out, so she figured it wasn't more than a few hours.
As she stumbled up the snaking staircase and got to the second floor, she remembered all of the books that were waiting in the library for her. Though she was still dizzy, she gripped onto the railing and made her way to the third floor to grab a book to lay in bed with.
To her surprise, the candles were lit, and before she could even process who was sitting at the long desk, he caught sight of her.
Draco looked over his shoulder. "Fucking hell, Granger. Shouldn't you be tired from being tortured and drinking enough fire whiskey to put out a troll?"
"I… uhh… fuck you… Malfoy," she mumbled, walking towards the stack of books she had made earlier.
"Real original, mudblood. Falling asleep piss drunk in the dirt is very unbecoming of you," he sighed. "I don't know how Weasley could ever put up with your insufferable ass."
"Don't… fucking talk… about him…" Hermione braced herself against the table, gripping it so hard her knuckles went white in frustration.
Draco sneered and stood, taking a step in her direction. "Hit a soft spot, did I?"
Hermione remembered when she and Ron had disagreed on who should carry the horcrux. It was the first time they had genuinely screamed at one another. Screamed things that she wished were never uttered into existence. If only he had just listened to her…
"Did he finally get tired of your constant need for control?"
In her mind like an echo, she heard Ron pleading with her to try to have kids. On his knees with a broken look in his eyes. He begged her to just try, and promised they could make it work.
He took another step. "Or was it that you didn't put out for the sad bloke?"
Vividly, as if she opened a door in front of her, she saw Ron on top of Hannah as she moaned his name. Her nails were dug into his back, her blond hair flowing all over the pillow. Hermione's pillow.
Another step. "Oh, I see it now. He found himself a pure-blood whore to bury his cock into. Ronald Weasley with Hannah Abbott? A bit out of his league don't you think. And here I thought he struck gold with you ."
He was across from her at the small table now, and he leaned in so close, she could smell the whiskey on his breath.
"Guess you know your place now, mudblood," Draco sneered.
"How the fuck… do you know?" She nearly took a book and threw it at his smug face. She didn't feel the prying feeling the Legilimency had, how could he see what was happening behind her eyes?
He scoffed, shaking his head disappointedly, "I thought you were smarter than this, Granger. I was wrong. You didn't know? I can see what's at the forefront of your mind."
Hermione had read that vampires had some instances of mind reading capabilities, but it was all in muggle lore and had not been confirmed in wizarding books she had read.
She noted this down, realizing that this form of mind reading, though proving to be annoying, was rudimentary compared to other methods.
"It's pathetic, really. I don't even know why I bother. I know that when I am with you, all you think about is me. How much you hate me. Hurting me. Killing me." He laughed a sadistic laugh, it was deep and evil. "But you can't hurt me, not when I'm like this. You need me to be human again. You need me to be human so you can play out your little wet dreams about making me scream. Making me beg for death."
She balled her fists and wanted to beat them against him. He was right, she did want him to hurt, for everything he's done. She wanted him to suffer. All she could think about was taking a stake and driving it into his heart. Making him bleed. Hurting him like he had hurt so many.
"I don't need you human… I need you dead…"
Draco lifted up one of the chairs, ripping a leg off of it and splitting it in half over his knee. He went to Hermione, and forced her hands open, placing the makeshift weapon in between them. His fingers wrapped around hers, making her hold it still.
With his other hand, he grabbed her wrist, pulling her closer, pressing the sharp end against the center of his chest.
"Do it, then, Granger. Kill me. I'd like to see you try." His voice was so low, it was nearly a growl. She could feel it vibrating in his body, transferring to hers.
"I… I can't… it… won't work…" she choked out, the fear gripping at her throat.
Draco tossed her onto the floor, looking down with those cold silver eyes, looming over her like a bad omen. "Then figure it out. You have everything you could possibly need here." He took two deep breaths, exhaling so hard the cold air reached her skin. His mouth twisted into a smile, baring his fangs. "And if you're a good little mudblood, I may even take you on a trip to the Hogwarts library."