𝐄𝐔𝐍𝐄𝐈𝐑𝐎𝐏𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐈𝐀

☾ Chapter 14

☾

She woke up with a chill down her spine.

Looking towards the numbers, terrified she'd fallen asleep she drew in a deep sigh of relief, the numbers reading twelve forty five.

She was grateful for the few hours of boring slumber, but she knew that was the maximum for the night. She'd sit on the mattress until the clock struck two, trek her way to the Health Center, trek her way back and perhaps grasp onto one last hour of sleep.

Her eyes met the moonlit exterior of the cell, outside world taunting her with metal bars; those being the only thing in the way of her grand getaway. But her hopes of escape had dwindled from a great fire of scorching embers to a pathetic dimly lit candle flame, and she no longer felt the great desire to run far from hither.

Hermione was too tired.

Her bones ached of exhaustion and fatigue from the malnourished meals she was rarely provided of, using what little energy she had left to train with Ginny, solely to rouse her muscles of their drowsiness.

If she lost all of her strength, it was over.

She pushed herself from the mattress with a heave, feet pattering softly against the concrete floor with her pitiful sheet wrapped around her shoulders, heading towards the door.

She eyed Parvati and Neville tangled in one bed leaving a mattress unattended; how much she craved the presence of another body pressed against hers to provide a sense of warmth.

The soft howls of crying wolves echoed throughout the ridges of the mountaintops, reverberating into the valley below.

She imagined what it'd feel like, to be so free.

Months ago she'd roamed those ridges herself; had she known they would be captured, she would've turned around and apparated back to the safe house.

It was a guilty truth, one she'd never speak aloud nor admit. Knowing she would've freely abandoned her friends to die made her insides crumble, but the thickness of her skin had accumulated so plentifully she was sure if a blade etched with the words 'every man for themselves is an incredible lie' attempted to puncture her it would simply bounce right off, clattering to the cold, hard ground.

"What in fuck's name are you doing?"

She jumped as the chains of the door rattled open, curled in a ball on the floor as his big black boots stood right at her eye level.

They peered up to see pure platinum blonde laced with blue hues, staring right back down at her.

"C'mon, Granger. Get off the floor," he held out a hand.

She took a double take between his hand and his eyes, a smirk plastered across his face underneath the mask.

"If you'd like to stand up yourself, be my guest."

Hermione shook her head, grasping onto his large hand as he hoisted her back to her feet.

Taking the ropes from his bag he tied them around her wrists, guiding her out onto the frosted path.

The clear starry sky began to dim, overcast with clouds, soft, exquisite speckles of snow falling gracefully by her feet.

Something glistened in his eyes when a delighted smile emerged against her face, accompanied by a small, barely audible laugh beneath her breath.

In unison, they exclaimed;

"I love snow."