Chapter 6
Sugar Quills
It was a week into October and Hermione had still not caught even a glimpse of Malfoy. She assumed he must still be away on whatever task he had been given. She brought it up less and less to Theo as the days passed. It made him uncomfortable when she brought it up; despite the unfortunate circumstances of him being her sort of jailer, she had come to think of him as a friend. She looked forward to their lazy walks in the garden and did not like to spoil it. Today the leaves crunched beneath her boots, as he laughed at her dramatic rendition of a life-size wizard’s chess match with Ron and Harry during their first year. Theo’s brown curls whipped around in the autumn wind and she wondered if they would have been friends at Hogwarts if he had let the sorting hat sort him into Ravenclaw.
The chess topiary, that had prompted the memory, was twice her size. Her heart squeezed slightly at the memories of watching Ron and Harry play wizard’s chess in Gryffindor common room. In different circumstances, she could imagine herself transfiguring the chess pieces to life, lounging in the sun, while Ron argued that Harry was making an illegal move. The longing for them intensified, bleeding into her days more and more, with each night that she snuck out to sit before the mirror of erised. Each night as she crept down the hallway, she lied and told herself it would be her last.
“Anyways,” she said, mentally shaking herself from the fog of memories, “It was actually quite traumatic. Ron bravely sacrificed himself for the two of us. Harry had to keep playing and then we had to leave him there injured, not knowing if he would be ok or not.”
They both fell in step and headed back towards the castle, whose ivy had turned a stunning shade of burnt orange this week. “You talk so highly of Weasley.” smiled Theo. “I always assumed it would be Potter. If I had to pick between the two blokes, I would definitely go with the chosen one.”
Hermione shook her curls back over her shoulders, sticking her nose up in the air. She hoped it was dignified, but as soon as the words left her mouth, she knew they were not. “Yes, well, I’m not you, am I? And I’m not picking between the two. They’re both my best friends.”
—--
Theo walked with her to the conservatory from the library where he had opened the banister for her. She had just finished the second journal and needed to exchange it for the third. She had been meticulously combing over them each day in the conservatory in hopes of finding a clue to what of Ravenclaw’s Voldemort would have deemed worthy of making a horcrux. She hoped that when she finally reunited with Ron and Harry, she would have the knowledge of not one, but two remaining horcruxes.
Theo watched her as she sidestepped the venomous tentacula and made her way over to the large work table against a row of windows. She pulled up a stool, grabbed a sugar quill from the bowl that had appeared two days ago, and began to take notes on the differences between this cover and the last. She was sucking on the sugar quill scratching out a redundant description, having forgotten Theo’s presence, she was quite startled when he spoke.
“I see you liked Draco’s gift.”
“What?” she swore as a big glob of ink dropped onto the scroll.
“You like the gift.”
Hermione used her sleeve to try to blot the ink splatter. “You know this would be a lot easier if I had my wand.” she huffed. “What gift?”
“The sugar quills.”
“Oh yes. Mipsy left these for me. I’m not sure if she knew but they are my favorite.”
Theo looked at her bemused.
“What?”, Hermione wondered. She wiped at her mouth wondering if, as she often had before, she had accidentally switched the sugar quill with the ink quill, leaving ink in and around her mouth. But no she hadn’t. “What is so amusing?”
“Nothing”, he smirked.
“You’re bothering me, Theo. Don’t you have something to do?” Hermione returned to her work, making sure it was the sugar quill she placed back in her mouth.
“Actually, I do have something to do. I am late for an appointment right now.”
Hermione tensed but didn’t look up from her work. She asked as casually as she could, “Appointment? Will you be joining Malfoy on whatever his task is?”
“No.” he frowned. “I have business at Nott Manor.”
“Hmmm”, she sucked on the sugar quill. “And when exactly when will Malfoy be back? I have a lot of unanswered questions for the blonde-haired git.”
“I don’t see why you’re so hard on him. He did rescue you after all.”
She didn’t look up from her work. Sucking hard on the sugar quill she exaggerated thinking hard. “Hmmm, let’s see,” she said primly, voice dripping in anger. “One, he killed Professor Dumbledore. One of the greatest wizards of all time.” she held up one finger in count. “Two, he crucio’d me.”
Theo interrupted her. “That’s not exactly how that happened.”
Finally looking up from her work, she spat out. “Not exactly how that happened? Are you telling me I imagined Malfoy crucioing me on the dining table of Malfoy Manor? That I imagined being served up like the main course of a death eater dinner party celebrating my best friend’s birthday? Please do go on Theo.”
Theo looked as though she had slapped him across the face. Good, she thought. She started to turn back, done with the conversation, when Theo said quietly, “He did it for me.” Hermione paused. “He did it because I couldn’t. He couldn’t save you, but he could save me. I couldn’t do it. I just couldn’t crucio you. I was failing in front of the dark lord. If he could have saved you and not me, he would have. I know he would have. He was- he was really eaten up about it afterward. When he came back to the manor, I tried talking to him. To thank him or to apologize or maybe both. He just sat in his room, staring into the mirror, not talking to me or even Mipsy. I thought he was broken. Always staring into the mirror. Until one day he didn’t anymore. He strode out, put back together like he had purpose again. It wasn’t long after that he was asking me to bring you here. I told him he was mad, and couldn’t do it.” Shrugging he gestured to her, “But here you are.”
“Oh,” was all Hermione could manage to say. Her mind was working rapidly to make sense of all of this new information.
“All of that to say, hear him out before you make up your mind about him. After all, he did bring you, what did you say?” his voice returning to its usual lilt, “Oh yes, your favorite sweet.”
Hermione was left looking down at her sugar quill. She could hear him chuckling as he exited the conservatory out onto the small grass lawn. She looked up in time to see the twinkle in his eye as he apparated with a crack.
—--
Hermione had sat for a long time, Rowena’s journals abandoned, trying to understand everything Theo had told her. She was still unable to contextualize what Theo had said about Malfoy saving her over him if he could. Crabbe and Goyle were Malfoy’s henchmen, but Theo… Theo was his friend. She was pretty sure she had once heard that they had grown up together. She was not able to make it make sense. Why Malfoy would be broken over her? Maybe it was his first crucio? She shuddered. It definitely hadn’t felt like his first crucio. Or why did he have the mirror of erised? She had so many questions about the mirror and Malfoy. Theo’s words answered none, only giving her more.
Multiple times she stood up, thinking she would throw out the sugar quills from Malfoy, not wanting anything he gave her. One time she had made it halfway to the door, before coming back to sit them on the work bench. She told herself it was because she needed to grasp what little joy she had left in her life. It had nothing to do with Theo’s confusing speech.
—--
The sun was setting, its last rays streaming in through the conservatory’s glass walls. Each day the dark came a little earlier. She dreaded the night. The dark. She sat staring out at the grassy area before the moat wondering if Theo would be back soon. She thought if she waited for him, she could try to corner him with more questions. She was listing and prioritizing her questions on a scroll when a small pop behind her caused her to jump.
Turning she saw Mipsy’s large eyes blinking in the dimming light. Momentarily she was transported back to her first glimpse of Mipsy in the dungeons of Malfoy Manor. Hermione forced herself back to the present. Warmly she said, “Hello Mipsy.”
“Missus is staring at the kappas.”, she widened her already large eyes in fear. “Missus must even be thinking of going near the moat.”
“The what-?”, Hermione asked confused.
“The kappas, Missus. The kappas in the moat.”
Hermione confusedly watched the house elf wring her hands and shift her weight from one foot to another. “Kappas? Kappas are native to Japan, Mipsy. Surely you don’t believe there are kappas in the moat?”
“There is Missus.” lowering her voice the elf whispered. “They is us. They is elves that is punished. And they is taking you, if you is too close. They is taking you and they is drinking blood.”
Hermione was horrified. “Surely not. I-I- are they transfiguring the elves in punishment?”
“This is just what Mipsy was hearing. Mipsy is hearing this when Master is bringing Mipsy here this summer.”
“I don’t think-”
A loud crack of apparition sounded from outside. Hermione turned, squinting, expecting to see Theo’s return. Instead, she saw a blacked-robed and masked death eater. She panicked, reaching for her absent wand. They had found her. Panic welled up, freezing her. She needed her magic. The slur in her arm began to pulse. She could not go back. Would not go back. “Mipsy, please, I-” The moon came out from behind a moving cloud and moonlight glinted off a lock of pale, white blonde hair. Her mind caught up with herself, relief and adrenaline pumping through her. Perfect, she thought, she had a lot of questions for the git.
Outside Malfoy swayed and then crumpled to the ground. “Master!”, Mipsy squeaked loudly behind Hermione. Hermione heard a pop sound and then Mipsy appeared next to the fallen form.
Not pausing to think Hermione ran outside to the two forms. Mipsy kneeled next to Malfoy, cradling his head in her lap. She looked up at Hermione tears welling in her eyes she wailed, “Master is hurt.” Malfoy began convulsing, his mask falling. Hermione knelt down and gently pulled Mipsy’s clutching hands from his convulsing body to lie on his back in the grass. Her eyes roved over Malfoy, looking for wounds. There on the collar of his white shirt, she saw was red and wet with blood. She tried to unbutton his shirt, but her hands were shaking too badly. “Fuck” she swore and took a deep breath before trying again. With the first three buttons open, she pulled open the shirt, looking for a wound, but she could not see from the blood. Pulling the non-ink-covered sleeve of her sweater over her hand, she wiped away as much blood as she could. She sucked in a breath at what she saw. Two puncture wounds on his neck. She knew it must be from fangs. From Nagini most likely. But this much blood should not have caused his collapse. Her brain worked to list from medical texts she had read in preparation for horcrux hunting the summer after her sixth year. Venom, that’s it, the venom!
Hermione turned calmly to the wailing elf. The elf’s panic somehow does the opposite of what it should. Instead of panicking her, it made her feel in control. More sure of herself. “Masssssterrr.” Mipsy tore at her ears.
Hermione placed her hand on the elf’s shoulders. “Mipsy, I need you to get help.”
Mipsy wailed lounder.
“MIPSY!” The elf worked to quiet herself, small whimpers still escaping every now and again. “Mipsy, Malfoy has been bitten by a snake. He needs an antidote. I need you to go get help.”
The elf squeaked in response.
“I need you to go get help right now. Nod if you understand.”
Mispy nodded and popped out of existence, leaving Hermione left holding onto air.
Shit. Shit. Shit. Behind her, a rattle of breath sounded. “Her-her-”
She turned back to see Mafoy’s arm stretched out to her. Hesitantly she took his hand, it was ice cold and twitched. His eyes found hers as he said, “I just wanted to see you,”- he licked his lips, “see you one last time before-”
Clearly, he was delusional and suffering from the venom in his system. “Shhhh,” she said. “You’re going to be ok. Mipsy went to get help.”
“Mispy?”, he asked.
“Yes.” she squeezed his hand. “She went to get help.” His eyes opened wide with fear. He tried to sit up, but she pushed him back down. “Lay down you idiot. You’re injured.”
He struggled against her weakly. “Hide. You have to hide.”
Hermione froze. Who was Mipsy getting help from? Shit. Malfoy started to convulse again. Frothing at the mouth he slipped from consciousness. She tried holding him still. She needed to get up. Needed to start running. To hide. But she couldn’t leave him like this.
Before she could decide what to do, she once again heard the loud crack of apparition. Too late. She was shocked and dismayed to see Professor Snape striding across the moonlight lawn towards her, black robes billowing behind him just the same as they always had walking the halls of Hogwarts. She swallowed. This was it. She was going back to the dark. She should have run the second she saw the masked death eater. She should have left Malfoy to his fate. She suddenly thinks of Malfoy’s wand. She shakily begins to pat his robes. Too late now.
Using the tip of his wand Snape flipped Malfoy’s shirt open, revealing the bite. From his robes, he pulled a bezoar, kneeled, and shoved the bezoar down Malfoy’s throat. Once he was sure Malfoy had swallowed, Snape stood, eyes moving back and forth taking in the scene of Hermione kneeling, bloody, clutching Malfoy’s unconscious body. “Miss Granger, happy to see you’re still amongst the living.”
