Escape
(Hermione’s POV)
The night passed in restless silence. Sleep was out of the question, not when every sound made Hermione flinch, not when her body still ached from Weasley’s last attack. She lay curled on Theo’s couch, staring at the ceiling, her mind racing. Tomorrow. I’m leaving tomorrow. It felt surreal. Like if she let herself believe it, it would slip through her fingers. A part of her kept waiting for the worst to happen. For Ron to barge through the door. For Harry to suddenly realize where she was and drag her back to the life she so desperately wanted to escape. She barely realized morning had come until she heard voices in the kitchen. Draco and Theo were already awake, their conversation hushed but urgent. She pushed herself up, wincing as soreness flared across her ribs. She had to move carefully—another reminder of what she was leaving behind. Gathering the blanket around her shoulders, she stepped into the kitchen. Both men stopped talking the moment they saw her.
“You should be resting,” Theo said, eyeing her carefully.
“I couldn’t sleep,” she admitted, rubbing her arms. “I just… I don’t want to wait anymore.”
Draco nodded once, already dressed in dark robes. “We’ll leave within the hour.”
Theo leaned against the counter, his jaw tense. “We need to be smart about this. If Weasley realizes she’s gone before we’re far enough away—”
Draco cut him off. “He won’t.”
Hermione swallowed hard. “He will. He’ll come looking.”
Draco’s expression darkened. “Then we make sure he never finds you.”
His certainty should have comforted her, but all it did was make her stomach twist.
“What if he—”
Theo stepped forward, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. “We’re not going to let him hurt you again, Hermione.”
Her breath hitched. The moment his hand made contact, the reality of it all crashed into her. She was really leaving. Her vision blurred. Before she could stop herself, she was shaking, barely holding back a sob.
Theo’s arms wrapped around her, firm but careful, as if she might break. “You’re okay,” he murmured. “We’ve got you.”
She clung to him for a long moment, trying to steady herself. When she finally pulled back, Draco was watching her with an intensity that made her throat tighten.
“We need to go,” he said softly.
She nodded. “Okay.”
Draco hesitated before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small bag. He pressed it into her hand.
“Your wand.”
Her breath caught. She hadn’t seen her wand in months. Ron had taken it from her, locked it away, told her she didn’t need it anymore. Her fingers curled around it, a spark of something she hadn’t felt in a long time flickering in her chest. Power.
Draco studied her face. “Are you ready?”
Hermione took a deep breath. For the first time in years, she had an answer.
“Yes.”
Theo grinned as Hermione pocketed her wand. “Merlin, Granger, I was starting to think you liked being helpless.”
She shot him a glare, but he only smirked. “What? It’s just nice to see you holding a wand again instead of, you know, looking like a kicked puppy.”
“Theo,” Draco muttered, his tone carrying a warning.
Theo raised his hands in mock surrender. “Relax, Malfoy. I’m just saying, it’s a good look on her.” He winked at Hermione, then added, “Actually, everything is a good look on her, but that’s beside the point.”
Hermione rolled her eyes, but despite herself, a small, genuine smile tugged at her lips.
Draco, however, looked seconds away from hexing Theo. “Can we focus?”
Theo sighed dramatically. “Fine, fine. We take Granger to your estate in France, make sure Weasley doesn’t find her, and then I get my well-deserved award for being the best rescuer in history.”
Draco pinched the bridge of his nose. “There’s no award, Nott.”
“There should be.” Theo turned back to Hermione. “You’re going to love France, Granger. It’s peaceful, it’s secure, and best of all—it’s a Weasley-free zone.”
She hesitated, looking between them. “Are you sure about this? I don’t want to be a burden.”
Draco’s gaze hardened. “You’re not.”
Theo huffed. “And even if you were, you think we’d let you go back to him? Be serious, Granger.”
She bit her lip, fingers tightening around her wand. It still felt surreal. She had spent so long believing she had nowhere to go, that she was trapped in an unbreakable cycle. But now… now they were offering her an escape.
A real one.
Draco’s voice softened. “It’s already arranged. The estate is protected under layers of wards, and the only people who can access it are the ones I allow. No one will find you there, Hermione. Not even him.”
She swallowed hard. “But he’ll look. You know he will.”
Theo’s usual playful demeanor darkened, his jaw clenching. “And? Let him look. Let him wonder where you’ve gone while we sit back and drink expensive wine in a bloody mansion.”
Draco nodded. “By the time he realizes he’s lost, it’ll be too late.”
Hermione exhaled shakily, the weight of the moment pressing on her chest. For so long, she had convinced herself that there was no way out, that she was doomed to endure. But here they were, giving her a way to break free.
Theo clapped his hands together, shattering the heavy silence. “Right. Now that we’ve settled that, let’s get the hell out of here. Grab onto Malfoy, Granger. He’s the one side-along Apparating you.”
She looked at Draco uncertainly, but he only extended his arm toward her. His gaze was steady, unwavering.
She took a breath, steeled herself, and placed her hand in the crook of his elbow.
Theo gave them a mock salute. “See you on the other side.”
And with a sharp crack, they disappeared.