Hermione grew nervous about the situation as Draco hypothesized about what the Jinn in the Knot had in store for the world. However, judging by the look on the Jinn's face, Draco wasn't far off. "You're clever for being filthy creatures." The Jinn cursed in anger, glaring at the two. It was practically shaking with fury, rattling it's golden knot 'cage' from within. "Grr! It's not fair!"
"I think it's plenty fair." Hermione interjected. "It was your guidance that led to the destruction of an entire kingdom. Answering a question should be simple penance." Her tone of voice was grave. It was obvious she was angry, the biggest find possibly in wizarding history, was a greedy know-it-all. It disgusted her that such a vile creature brought about such destruction.
"It would be wise if you stopped insulting us, Jinn. I'm sure I can find a way to silence your insults permanently." Draco warned, feeling jaded at the creatures' remarks about being clever filthy creatures. Mostly it just reminded him of just how arrogant and insulting he used to be toward Granger.
Now they faced a caged creature that had immense knowledge with a greedy streak. Voldemort had been able to cause world destructive damage with just a bit of knowledge from the restricted section of the school library. For now the Jinn in the Knot was contained in the golden Gordian knot 'cage', but was that a permanent solution? No. They couldn't just leave and pretend this wasn't found. Someone else would find it again, eventually. Since Draco and Hermione had brought it forth into speaking corporeal form instead of leaving it dormant, they needed to see this through.
"Answer her Jinn or I'm tempted to start trying every spell and potion known to wizard kind to see just what it takes to destroy you." Draco remarked.
The creature growled and took a deep breath as though it was going to argue, but it hesitated. The knot stopped rattling and the Jinn sighed slowly. "For a mind as vast as mine to be defeated by the one purpose I was created for…" It looked to Hermione, distain in its eye as it spoke. "You have to drain my life force."
Hermione cocked her head in confusion. "Your life force? Do you mean the Philospher's Stone inside you?" The creature nodded. "Before you humans created the Killing Curse, there was another far worse. It seems it was also lost to time much like the ruins of Tanis." It looked to the ceiling as though caught in nostalgia.
Growing impatient with the Jinn's distraction Hermione folded her arms and tapped her fingers impatiently. "Well, come on. Tell us what it is, so we can be done with this." Unable to keep still very long she threw her hands up in frustration.
"Easy there, Granger." Draco remarked, placing the quill down so he could reach over and give her shoulder a reassuring squeeze, a gesture to relax. "The Jinn's purpose is to serve mentally, through sharing knowledge. It was defeated by Hoenheim with knowledge the alchemist gained without aid from the dwarf."
Draco continued on, "Alchemy has two laws, Equivalent Exchange and the Law of Conservation of Mass states. The latter law states that mass cannot be destroyed. Only transferred or changed from one form into another. When that stone was formed it took all those life forces into a physical object in exchange for decomposition of everything else around it."
"We know the killing curse doesn't stop the existence of the soul within the body, the spell merely releases it in exchange for making the physical vessel no longer functional. So, a curse for worse than that . . ." Draco pondered a moment to gather his thoughts then finished his statement.
"What if a soul could be bound to an object then that object would have the life force of one without the needs of a physical body. It's only purpose would be to take orders and serve. If the soul was bound to another vessel, that vessel would have both souls. Each soul containing various capabilities that the vessel would be able to do, within the parameters of the physical vessel. Suddenly attributes like immortality, strength, soldiers, and skills are just a manner of collecting souls and binding them. Hermione, we drain his life force and all the souls of Tanis may not end up in an afterworld, but be stuck here as…something or someone else."
When Draco laid his hand on Hermione's shoulder, she took a deep breath and turned away from the creature. Simply look at it perturbed her beyond words. Although she was glad at least one of them was calm enough to think clearly. That was something she admired in the new, more mature, Malfoy.
She quietly listened to Draco as he thought aloud, speaking of the conservation of mass and soul energies. The more he spoke, the more daunting of a task this seemed. Destroying the Jinn in a Knot would mean a horrible fate for the souls of the citizens of Tanis.
The Jinn chuckled at them. "Yes, I did inform Hoenheim that his method of creating slaves and soldiers were far too complicated. It's a simple matter to bind a soul to a golem, puppet, or even a suit of armor. That leaves the spirit in the husk of a body, all alone inside to metaphorically be superior animals, humans, or wizard kind."
"Granger, may I speak with you in private, please?" Draco asked her, doing his best to conceal his inner worries by keeping his collected demeanor. This task of destroying or even resealing the Jinn in the Knot seemed rather daunting and appeared to be near impossible. Collecting his bag that contained the remaining potions, he observed around the area just to be sure there wasn't something he missed that the Dwarf could potentially use against them upon their return.
Hermione nodded. She definitely could use a moment to decompress and discuss with Draco about what their next steps might be. "Yes, you may." She turned to the Jinn, "If you will excuse us for a minute."
"Yeah. Yeah. While you are out there, do something about the stranger tension between you two, eh? It's practically palpable." The Jinn said mocking them as it let out a chuckle.
Hermione huffed through her nose as she grabbed Draco's sleeve and took him up to the room of runes. "I'm such a fool!" She shouted as she kicked sand in the air, "I was too blinded by optimism for my own career I didn't think of the consequences of what might have happened with Hoenheim's work that mysteriously ended the same time as the last occurrence of data from a lost civilization. How could I be so stupid!?"
Draco was about to snap back some curt remark to the Jinn when Granger tugged at his sleeve to depart. "Ridiculous creature. What tension?" Draco said in slight distain. Truth be told he had grown fond of Granger's company for several reasons. As much as he tried to be rational and think of them as strictly professional, part of him knew that if she was not already in a relationship (a failing one, but one none the less) he would perhaps seek out her company once this assignment was complete.
Part of him knew that idea was rubbish. She was Hermione Granger. Sure they could be civil, obviously. Friends even, so long as Potter and Weasley weren't around to despise his presence. But anything else seemed impossible. He didn't get a chance to dwell on these thoughts long. As soon as they were out of hearing of the Jinn, Granger released all self control.
"You foolish? I don't believe so. Ambition is not stupidity, Granger. Optimism might be a subcategory definition of stupid, but that is another argument for another day. Right now we need to assess the situation. We have released a potentially dangerous sentient being that we either need to destroy at the cost of this mission looking like a failure on our career records. Or we take this to somewhere trust worthy where the chance of the Jinn being used for ill intentions is…lessened." He said reasoning with her.
He couldn't help but smirk at the corner of his lip as she berated herself and kicked up the sand. He had never seen her like this. Frustrated. Emotional. He tried but he couldn't resist. She looked really cute in a way he had never noticed before.
"I appreciate the sentiment, but if anything, I'd rather be rid of the Jinn myself." Hermione paced around the room; trying to see if there was perhaps anything she missed. She had gotten so familiar with runes, she could practically read them like another language. Nothing stood out to her. "I worry if we take the ruddy creature to someone, it will tempt them as well, like it did with King Xerxes. It'd be a disaster waiting to happen. As long as we document everything, it really wouldn't be a failure…and just what are you smirking about?" She had circumnavigated the room and returned to Draco, but found him smirking at the situation. Did he find her fault amusing, that her biggest discovery was biting her in the arse?
Or could it have been the Jinn's last comment…it was rather silly a notion, but Hermione knew exactly what the creature was talking about. Not that it mattered. Draco seemed explicit in his disinterest in her her…That is, until she took care of Ron. He…No! The current situation was more important.
She did make a valid point. Having it sentient and talkative, even locked away in the Knot was a risk. Gringotts could keep it locked away, but even Potter proved that wasn't absolutely safe. She asked what he was smirking at and his eyes focused on hers. "I am smirking at you, actually. Did you know you look rather darling when you are academically upset?" He quipped back, making sure to note that academic upset was different then when she was physically upset. Like that time in 3rd year of school and she punched him in the face.
"I may have a solution for the souls should we chose to drain the Jinn's life force. My father spoke of an archway in a particular room in the Department of Mysteries at the Ministry of Magic. He said this archway seemed to be a barrier between the living realm and wherever one goes after one dies. At least that's what was concluded when my Aunt Bellatrix struck Sirius Black with a killing curse and right after he fell through the archway, never to be seen again. If we find a way to free the souls in that room, they can move on without risk of being used for ill intentions once again." He explained, although she knew most of this already. She had been in that fight personally. While Draco had simply heard it when his father reported his failure to obtain the prophecy and it was destroyed.
A hot blush exploded into Hermione's face when Draco said she looked 'darling'. How preposterous! There was no way she could be one of those 'you look cute when you're angry' girls. None the less she couldn't help but smile and quickly turn away. "Yes, well, you look…" She said under her breath, trying to think of something witty to throw back at him. But couldn't help but think of his piercing grey eyes looking at her just then.
'Lords above.' She thought to herself. Had she been that lonely these last couple of weeks out here translating the runes that Draco Malfoy has her reduced to a giddy school girl at every compliment? It didn't help that Ron didn't even compliment her this often in an entire month. Now Draco had said or done several nice things within only a couple of days…
"The veil! That's brilliant!" She exclaimed turning back to her companion. She did her best to ignore the prangs of sadness at the mention of that fateful night Harry's godfather died protecting them and the prophecy. "I only worry if they have moved it or increased security. If you think we can get the Jinn into the Ministry without being detected and find the veil again, I'm for it."
Draco's left eyebrow raised slightly as he awaited her to retort something witty back. Her mouth gaped open and lips moved like she was going to speak but he heard nothing. His eyes bore into her with amusement and silent satisfaction. Rendering Granger speechless in an unharsh manner he would never tire of doing.
"Granger, how you do feel about visiting Azkaban? My father knows of five Unspeakables that are Department of Mysteries employees. Two are dead, one is an ex-death eater in Azkaban, Augustus Rookwood. Leaving just two employees that hopefully we can get their names from my father. Or Rookwood, if my father proves to be unaccommodating." Malfoy asked of her his face growing serious.
A shudder ran down Hermione's spine. Neither of those names Draco mentioned were people she wanted to talk to, especially Lucius Malfoy. She gave a shrug hoping to appear casual on the idea. "I guess we have no choice. Just in case, I'll brew some veritaserum."