𝐄𝐔𝐍𝐄𝐈𝐑𝐎𝐏𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐈𝐀

☾ Chapter 47

☾

They stayed in the red barn for three days.

Draco scouted a nearby supermarket to refill their stock of supplies, and they were on their way to Paris.

Almost.

One more stop was required.

They walked through the streets of a magi village just outside Mayenne, France, a grey cloak covering Hermione's frizzy curls whilst had Draco beautified his hair to a chestnut brown.

Her small hand was curled in his as they continued down the winding stone road.

"There's too many people," Draco whispered down to her, eyes never leaving the road, "Let's find somewhere a little more quiet. Blaise set us up in a safe house just east of here, it's only a twenty minute walk."

Hermione nodded in agreement. Despite the slightly busy streets, she could feel a dark tie to the ground beneath her feet. This place was dripping with with black magic. She knew he could feel it too in the way his hand squeezed her fingers tighter.

The houses slowly began to disperse, the distance between each of them growing immensely as tall grasses and open fields of grain took their place.

"This road is strange," Hermione held his hand firmly, their surroundings reeking of stench and dark magic, "Draco, I don't like this."

He hummed in agreement, free hand hovering above his wand pocket. It felt as though eyes were watching, making the hairs on the back of Hermione's neck stand in paranoia.

"Draco-"

He hushed her, the sky just beginning to orange along the treeline. He pulled his wand from his socket, holding her behind him protectively.

She slipped her own wand — a spare one — out of her pocket.

"Homenum revelio."

Nobody.

"Revelio," Draco tried, casting his magic to the area surrounding them.

Nobody alive.

Hermione's knees buckled as she fell to her hands, burying them in the soil.

"Fucking hell," Draco grimaced in disgust, knotting his fingers into his hair in agony, "Granger, if I'd known I wouldn't have — shit."

A sob fell from her lips at the sight.

Hermione had heard of these, but she'd never witnessed one in real life before. Not like she ever wanted to.

Burning bodies. Burning, executed, mudblood bodies dumped in piles along the road as if they were nothing.

She felt bile rise in her throat as she sifted dirt and rocks through her fingers, trying to find something, anything to hold onto.

"Don't look," he muttered, crouching down besides her, "Hermione, don't look."

Draco tangled her curls behind her head as she vomited into the rubble, harsh sobs tearing through Hermione's vocal chords and into the air surrounding her.

"Don't look," he repeated it like a prayer, pulling her into his lap as tears streamed down her puffy cheeks, "Don't you dare fucking look, Granger."

Her fingers clawed into his shirt as he held her head tightly to his broad chest, now soaked in her salty tears.

"What did we ever do?" she sobbed, wailing into the golden sun, "What d-did I do to deserve this? Why can't I just be normal, why can't everything j-just go back to the way it was-"