Chapter 11
Hermione and Draco spent the rest of the afternoon foraging, filling both apron pockets and her satchel as well as his sporran with smaller bits, not returning until the sun began to set. She showed him how to tie bundles with the right amount of plants and how to cut them so they could still regrow. They thankfully found plenty of dittany, some leaping toadstools, a bush full of lacewing flies, and even a small patch of horklumps. It was a decent haul, all things considered, and Hermione was quite pleased.
The afternoon was eerily reminiscent of the day her and Ron had spent together doing the same things, but Hermione tried not to dwell on it. Draco was pleasant company when Lucius wasn’t around. His tongue only rolled up on itself once when she had tried to ask him more about Hogwarts, so they tried to keep it strictly to small talk after that. Apparently military plans weren’t off the table though, and he elaborated on the next steps for the army.
“Father plans to move tomorrow, we’ve got to get the whole army down near Leeds by mid December, ye see, and it takes a bit o’ time to move this many men,” Draco explained while he stuffed some toadstool caps into a jar for Hermione.
“What’s the plan once we all get down there?” Hermione was nervous to activate the tongue bind curse again, but she couldn’t see how a further explanation would hurt.
“We’re heading to Clifton Moor, I believe it’s on the outskirts of Penrith so it’s a bit northwest of Leeds,” he continued as he put the full jar into Hermione’s satchel. “I dinna ken much more beyond that, father doesna include me in the real plans aside from helping to move the men.”
“You said mid December, will it really take us a month and half? Are we walking all the way?” Hermione was slightly intimidated by the thought. She wasn’t necessarily in bad shape but walking for a month and a half seemed undoable.
“No, my lady, I will find a horse for ye somewhere,” Draco snickered at her reaction. “I’m sure some lonely lad would give up his ride for a bonnie lass like yerself.”
It was Hermione’s turn to blush. The way he said a bonnie lass played like a record on repeat in her head.
“Well thank you, but no one needs to walk all that way for just my comfort,” she mumbled into the bouquet of plants in her hands.
“Ye’re haverin’, of course ye’ll have a horse,” Draco insisted, a look of sincerity in his eyes as she looked up and met his gaze. They maintained eye contact for a touch longer than was normal in an everyday conversation until Hermione finally broke it, blushing even deeper. She looked up at the horizon, it was a beautiful orange-pink color and the sun was just about to dip below the mountains for the night.
“We should head back, we wouldn’t want your father getting suspicious that we’re up to no good,” she sighed. She didn’t want to admit it but she had enjoyed the day quite a bit.
I should not be enjoying his company, Hermione thought sternly to herself as they packed up the last of the jars. I need to get home to my Ron, I cannot get attached to Draco, I am here to help and then I will find my way home.
“Ye look like ye’re about to have an apoplexy lassie,” Draco suddenly commented, looking at her with some scrutiny.
“Oh, no, I’m fine, really,” Hermione brushed off his comment but his use of the nickname lassie had triggered another memory, of another name someone had called her.
“Draco, what’s a sassenach?” she asked, changing the subject abruptly.
“Oh, well I guess literally it translates to something like outlander, but usually it's more of a derogatory way of saying outsider,” he explained to her somewhat sheepishly.
“Well that explains why he was so mad as soon as I opened my mouth to speak,” Hermione said. “I guess it makes sense that the English aren’t well liked right now.”
She had been speaking of the current time period, but Draco didn’t know that, couldn’t know. She wished she could tell him the truth, that she was from the future, she felt like he would at least try to help her. It was impossible though. If, by some stroke of luck, he even believed her story he wouldn’t be able to let her go right now without risking severe punishment. And once they went back to camp Hermione knew none of her secrets were safe from Lucius, not once they left the confines of her own mind.
“Aye, but dinna fash, ye will not be harmed just for being a sassenach,” Draco replied as they began their walk back to camp. “My father wants ye kept around for the time being, so no one will bother ye.”
She didn’t like the way he said for the time being, but she chose to let it pass for now; she knew he had nothing to do with her captivity. They walked in a comfortable silence back to the tent, not daring to look too friendly with each other in the company of so many of Lucius’ men. Hermione didn’t know if that was what Draco was thinking, but it made sense to her so she kept quiet.
When they arrived back at the tent, they entered to find yet another spread of food covering the table. Hermione was only able to appreciate it for a moment before she saw Lucius sitting at the head of the table. He was leaning back in the chair, elbows on the arms and fingertips pressed together, resting against his mouth. He did not look particularly pleased.
“It seems the two of ye found plenty to keep ye busy, aye?” Lucius snarled sarcastically. He didn’t wait for a reply, snapping his fingers and summoning Peeper to his side.
“Take Draco away immediately,” he snapped to the elf. Then he turned his attention directly to Draco, “I will see to ye and yer mind later, take some food wi’ ye because ye’ll not be allowed out again until the morn’.”
Draco paled and quickly made up a small plate for himself before offering his free hand to Peeper. They popped away yet again, and yet again Hermione was left alone with Lucius. She didn’t understand why he was so upset they had been gone for a few hours, wasn’t that what he had instructed them to do? She hated the way he treated his son, and the way Draco’s whole persona disappeared in Lucius’ presence.
“I dinna know what ye’re trying to do with my son, witch, but I’ll not have ye distracting him from his duties,” he growled from his seat. He hadn’t moved a muscle other than to snap his fingers and speak but he was growing more intimidating by the minute.
“You’re the one who told him to go foraging with me, we were only doing what was asked,” Hermione began to argue.
“Ye were gone for hours! Ye canna need that many potions ingredients, I’m no’ a fool,” he pushed back from the table as he spoke and stood.
“Honestly, we didn’t do anything else, check my bag, my pockets. Draco even has a sporran full that you didn’t give him time to empty!” Hermione retorted before he could cut her off again.
He inched his way towards her, “We’ll see about that.”
Suddenly he was upon her again, gripping her upper arm with one hand and turning her face to meet his eyes with his other. She had a split second to get her mental walls up before Lucius attempted to force his way into her mind again. It succeeded. He rammed against them, not bothering to pull any punches as he tried to break through her walls. This went on for minutes, or maybe only seconds, and it was beginning to hurt when he finally pulled away and released Hermione. This time she did fall to her knees; she was exhausted.
“Ye are hiding something, Hermione Granger, and I will find out what it is,” Lucius roared from across the room, placing a nasty emphasis on her name. “No food tonight, maybe ye’ll decide to talk when ye’re hungry.” He raised his wand and in an instant banished every single scrap of food from the table.
Hermione’s stomach chose that moment to grumble, she hadn’t realized how hungry she was until then. As soon as she began to think about transfiguring some of her collected potions ingredients into food, Lucius stormed back across the room toward her and held out his hand.
“Hand over the satchel, empty yer pockets. I’ll store yer ingredients in my potions chamber for now,” he said with an evil grin.
Angrily she shoved everything into Lucius’s hands and without waiting for further instructions she ripped through her curtains to her bed. She really wished she had something more substantial to hide her from Lucius but not seeing his smug face would be enough for now. She heard him walk across the room and then a door closed. His potions chamber must be behind one of those mysterious, rune-marked doors.
It was pitch black and silent in the tent when Hermione shot up hours later. She had gone to bed hungry and angry, somehow managing to fall asleep despite the two. She saw a pair of bright green eyes in the dark and jumped nearly a foot.
“Sorry, miss, please dinna make any noise,” a small elfish voice squeaked at her from the darkness. “Pearl didna mean to frighten ye,” she finished in a whisper.
“It’s okay, you just took me by surprise,” Hermione whispered to the eyes.
“Pearl is hearing that miss didna get any food tonight, yer belly is growling fit to be heard from the kitchen,” the small voice whispered back.
Hermione felt something being pushed into her hands. A cloth. And inside the cloth, some bread, cheese, and an apple. Her stomach gave another loud growl.
“Oh thank you, Pearl, you didn’t have to,” Hermione breathed, “won’t you get in trouble for this?”
“Aye miss, Pearl will be having to punish herself,” the elf sighed back at her. “But we couldna let ye go hungry.”
“We? You mean you and Peeper?” Hermione asked out of curiosity.
“Oh! Pearl must be going miss, please enjoy yer food and it would be good of ye to banish yer napkin and scourgify yer crumbs when ye’re finished,” Pearl squeaked in a hasty whisper as she disappeared with a small pop.
Hermione pondered the elf’s response for a few seconds before shrugging it off and beginning on her simple dinner. It only took her a few moments to finish everything and once she cleaned up after herself, it was much easier to fall back to sleep with a full stomach.
Hermione was awoken with a jolt yet again in the morning, but at least now it was daylight and she could see. This time it was Peeper who was responsible for her waking.
“Miss, ye is to get up and get out of the tent until it is time to march,” he said quickly.
“What am I to do while I wait?” Hermione responded to the elf.
“Master will speak with ye, when ye’re ready,” and with that the elf was gone. Why even bother sending Peeper in to talk to me?
Rolling her eyes and smoothing down her hair, she made her way through her drapery to face Lucius. She was mildly surprised when Draco was also in the main room, sitting at the table eating breakfast. Their eyes met briefly but they both looked away, knowing Lucius was watching closely.
“Draco is in charge of seeing the men off today, and ye will stay with him,” he began without preamble. “I have more important matters to attend to here at the tent and ye will stay away,” Lucius continued on, looking between Draco and Hermione. “I have eyes everywhere, dinna forget, boy,” Lucius said, his eyes boring into Draco’s now. His son nodded, swallowing his last bite of food and standing from the table.
Hermione turned to leave the tent, and once again Draco raced ahead to open the flaps for her. She chanced a glance back at Lucius and saw his face grow sour at the gesture, but he didn’t say anything.
Draco led Hermione to the far side of the field to the portion where all of the horses were kept hobbled. He walked through the herd until they arrived at a gorgeous Appaloosa.
“She is yers, miss,” Draco said with a smile, patting the horse on the neck.
She was shocked. He had said he would get her a horse but for some reason she just hadn’t expected one so pretty. “Thank you, Draco! She’s really beautiful,” Hermione crooned as she too began to pet the horse's neck.
“Aye, she is that, this is Bethan and she’s an easy rider too so ye’ll have no troubles wi’ her,” as he spoke he pressed his forehead to the horse’s and smiled.
It was such a simple motion but for some reason it melted Hermione. No horse would let someone without a good heart get so close. She smiled, and then the moment was over. Draco put the saddle on for her and helped to boost her up. She was beginning to worry a bit now, she hadn’t ever ridden a horse outside of the ponies at carnivals as a child and she didn’t think that counted. She had to pretend she knew what she was doing though, who didn’t know how to ride a horse in this age?
Luckily for her, Bethan was indeed an easy rider. Hermione barely had to touch the reins at all, and the two of them meandered after Draco on his black Friesian, Magnus he’d told her, as he prepared the men to leave. Hours later at dusk they were on the road to Leeds, leaving behind the stones and any of Hermione’s immediate plans for returning to her time.