14
Tw: this chapter will have graphic descriptions of death and battlefield violence.
The following week Hermione walked into the shack only to find no scroll, nor Draco.
Her heart dropped.
Questions began flooding her brain. Had he been injured? Had he died? Surely someone would let her know if he had died.
The thought that he could possibly die raised panic. She wouldn't get to say goodbye to him, he would disappear, and there would be nothing left. His death could be so much more than just him dying. Hermione would lose everything if Draco died. His death could end the order.
She begged a god she didn't believe in for him to be alive.
She stood in the empty room waiting and wondering.
Had their kiss been enough to end their arrangement? Had they went too far? He wouldn't, he couldn't. They had both sacrificed themself, he wouldn't just give up now. He said he had things he wanted to save.
After minutes of waiting she decided to return later. Perhaps he got busy and couldn't make it. She would check again and tomorrow, possibly the rest of the week. There was no sense in worrying herself sick just yet.
Hermione tried to shake the uneasy feeling before apparating back to Grimmuald. As her hand clasped around the handled there was a loud crack. She turned to find a sickly looking Malfoy standing in the center of the room.
Her eyes scan his nearly translucent skin. His yes are dark and accompanied by dark circles. He looks exhausted, as if he hasn't slept in weeks. His eyes seem to me scanning her as well, presumably for injuries as the last time he saw her she nearly bled to death.
"We're going to keep practicing your dueling. I daresay you have been exercising, your muscle tone is much more defined." He says slowly, not meeting her eyes.
Hermione stared in disbelief at him. Her feelings were mixed and she wasn't sure what she wanted to say. How dare he show up here after abandoning her for months. Leaving her to worry herself to death over him. And then he comes in here and doesn't address anything. He doesn't give her a reason? She deserves that. She wanted to punch him in his face. But yet she wanted to hold his face in her hands and stroke his hair, she wanted to ask him if he was okay. Tell him to sleep on her lap while she rubs his head. She felt the lump of anger and sadness growing in her throat and she tried to swallow it before tears came to her eyes.
She had so much she wanted to say.
I've come here everyday and waited. I waited for you. You made me feel something and then you left me here to worry. You make me think I did something wrong. You demanded I swear myself to you, I had to hand myself to you and you left. Why are you doing this to me? Why are you here? We want to help each other but I need to know you're okay, I need to know I can trust you. You can't make something feel something for you and leave like that. You just can't.
Hermione stood awkwardly staring at him.
Something in her felt shattered, betrayed. She wondered why she cared or why he left her. She didn't understand why.
He had demanded things of her. He taught her things. He threatened her and her friends if something happened to her. He warned her not to die. He filled her with so much worry and anger and she still cared.
He made her not feel alone. He made her want to be here.
He made her feel all of these things and then left her.
You don't do that to people you care about.
What hurt the most was that he didn't completely give up on everything. He continued to bring information for the order. But he gave up on her. That wasn't supposed to hurt. This entire arrangement had been for the order. It had been to save her friends. Her feelings were never supposed to play into this. But it hurt. She cared and he hurt her.
She had shown up almost everyday for months and every time he wasn't there shattered her more and more.
"Okay. I've been practicing." Was all she could manage to say.
"How did you kill the vampire?" He asked after a few moments silence.
The images of that night flood her mind. The feeling of blood splatter on her face, how good the adrenaline high felt, but how absolutely terrifying it felt to be so close to death.
She clears her throat. "Erm. I stabbed it in the skull, with a dagger." She avoided his eyes as well. He looked sick, and it hurt knowing she didn't mean anything to him.
"Why didn't you use your wand?" He finally looks at her and something shoots through her. Why did he have to make her suffer?
"I had my wand arm pinned, so I used what I could."
He nods. "Smart. Do you always have your knife with you. What kind is it?"
"Uh, yes I use it for harvesting so I always have it with me. Its just a simple silver harvesting knife, nothing fancy."
"So It is not very sharp?" His eyes scan her body.
"Sharp enough to penetrate a vampires skull.'' She said with a slight sneer.
His lips drawl into a hard line. He knows she's angry. He takes out his wand from the sleeve of his cloak. "Lets see your improvement."
They dueled. Actually dueled. It wasn't just Hermione getting hexed nonstop. She was able to successfully deflect his hexes and jinxes, and those she wasn't able to magically deflect she could maneuver in a way to avoid getting hit. Dueling against an actual human being was much different than a charmed dummy. Hermione had improved a significant amount.
"Well done Granger." He says with a upward curve of his lip.
Granger. He called her Granger. It sounded bitter compared to him saying her actual name.
His hand reaches out and hands her a scroll. She takes the parchment from his hands and her finger brushes against his skin. The touch of him was enough to make her cry. But she choked back the tears. She wouldn't cry in front of him again.
But then, his long fingers reached into the inside of his cloak and pulled out a large bottle that Hermione knew to be essence of dittany.
"Oh my! Malfoy!" Hermione arms wrap around him. His body tenses at her unexpected touch. Her cheeks flush with embarrassment and her arms withdrawal from the comfort of his touch. "Sorry." She mutters while taking the bottle from his lanky fingers. Her cheeks still burning.
His face was blank as he stared at her.
"Thank you. I don't know how i'll repay you Malfoy."
A serious and possessive mask slipped onto his face, and his voice dropped to a dangerous tone. "Repay me by staying alive."
He turns sharply and walks to the door.
"Granger?"
Hermione was startled. "Yes?"
"Be safe." He says softly but still with a bit of possession in his tone
Hermione wakes to the sound of sirens. Her hand darts quickly under her pillow to grab her wand.
She runs downstairs to see the rest of the order running around frantically.
"Harry! Harry what's going on? What are these sirens?" Hermione asks as her heart begins to race.
"Do you have your wand? We will need you here to fight."
Her heart drops.
"Fight? Fight? Harry tell me what's happening." She shouts as her hands grasp his shoulders to redirect his attention to her.
Could this be it? Could this be the end of the order?
"They're here. We set an alarm to alert us of anyone who tries to set anti-apparition wards on the place. Its their signature." Harry's voice was calm and collected. "Let go of me I've got to go Kingsley wont let me stay."
Panic set in Hermione's stomach. It's been so long since she's been in a skirmish.
She followed the rest outside and watched as jets of light flew all around her. She wasn't sure what to do. There were so many of them.
Hermiond ducked as a jet of scarlet flew over her head. Luckily no one was behind her as the curse had hit a tree and blew wood shards everywhere. She felt several painful shocks against her backs as slivers of wood had hit her.
At the worst time possible her mind thought of Malfoy. He was probably here. She couldn't find him among the dozens of masked death eaters. What would she do if he died?
She ran and hid behind a large rock. WIthout knowing where she was sending them, or whether they would hit anyone, she sent several stunners over the rock.
There was a scream somewhere behind her. She turned to find Lavender writhing on the ground, blood leaking from the corner of her mouth. Hermione crawls over to her to try to help but as soon as she had arrived Lavender had already gone. Whatever that spell was, it was new and brutal.
Hermione swallowed the lump in her throat and carried on.
The death eaters were moving in towards the safehouse and several of her friends had been stunned or possibly even dead like Lav.
She notices Ron is shoved up against a tree with a knife to his neck. She casts a disillusionment charm over herself. Slowly walking to the struggling Ron and masked person, she gently pulls her dagger out of the holster. Standing behind the man she wraps her arm around his neck and slices his throat. She feels the hot wetness splatter onto her arm. Ron's face fills with surprise and relief.
Turning to a group of masked figured hiding behind trees she mutters a spell, and she watches as a black jet shoots out of her wand and hits one. It takes a moment and she wonders if it didn't work. But then, the death eater burst into a pile of dust. The other masked figures turned to look where it came from but could not see her. Then, one by one she took out the group by the trees.
Hermione turns and runs behind a tree but is knocked to the ground.
"Ohh merlin's beard. I'm going to be rewarded greatly for you pretty." The man says. His dirt stained hands reach up to her face and lightly strokes her cheeks. She cringes at his touch. "I've heard stories about you. Mm Ms. Granger. You are clever you know that? That was you who killed by pals was it? Thought you order lot didn't know anything other than disarming and stunning. Stop squirming." His hand tightens around her throat.
Hermione could manage to twist her wrist just enough to point it at his side. Wordlessly she casts a spell. The man yells and grabs his side now leaking a hot black tar. "You fucking cunt!" he yells while looking at his burning flesh. Hermione takes the opportunity and slits his throat. Hot liquid splatters onto her face painting it a deep scarlet color. She pushes the man off of her and wipes the blood off of her eyes.
"GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE NOW." She hears an unfamiliar voice yell. The command is followed by the loud cracks of apparition.
Hermione slumps against a tree and catches her breath.
Kingsley came running to her. "Are you injured?"
She shook her head no. Her chest was rising and falling rapidly. She hadn't had time to process what happened.
"You need to get to the hospital to help Pomfrey immediately, we will be bringing the injured there shortly."
She wouldn't get to process what happened for several more hours.