Absolute Power

10 - The Memories

This chapter is dedicated to @wagabunga ! Thank you so much for your support, it's people like you that keep me writing :)

Hermione makes her way to what is slowly becoming her favorite portrait. "Evening, fellas." She says with a lot more cheer than she feels.

"Evening miss. Two visits in one day, aren't we lucky." The friendly wizard says.

She pauses. "Snape came through here today?"

The wizard nods. "This morning. He's long gone now." With a sincere thank you, she steps through the painting and makes her familiar way down the endless stairs. He bag thumps heavily against her side, and she clutches the straps to hide her shaking hands. When she reaches the bottom, she finds Draco looking warily at the steps. His expression relaxes when he sees that it's only her. She doesn't know what to make of that.

"Snape visited you this morning?" She asks, setting her bag down with a heavy thud.

"How do you always manage to know everything?" Draco sighs, rubbing his forehead.

"The portrait told me, the one at the top of the stairs." She explains. He just looks at her more confused and she can't be bothered getting into it so she presses on. "What did he want?"

"What's it to you?" Draco thumbs a split lip angrily. It opens up again and dribbles blood down his chin. "Shit." He curses under his breath, wiping it away with the back of his hand, leaving a scarlet smear on his alabaster skin.

Without a second thought, she waves her wand and it heals without a scar. He looks at her with an indecipherable expression. She blushes at herself and sets about hauling a number of books and, as promised, a pillow out of her bag. She even tugs a thick red blanket out as well. She ignores Draco's heavy gaze and bundles the bedding into her arms and approaches the barrier, her books floating behind her.

"I've decided I want you to help me." She stares at her feet.

"I gathered." Draco takes a few steps towards her, eyeing the blanket hungrily, It really is cold down here and she has no idea how he's survived without any type of bedding or warmth. "Decided I wouldn't kill you, did you?" He muses.

"Not quite." She murmurs. "Let's just say I have an insurance policy in place."

He laughs mockingly. "Let me guess... if you don't walk out of here in an hour, either the girl Weasley or Longbottom will tell everyone where to find your lifeless body and who to blame it on?"

"Something like that." She says. In truth, it was Luna who knew her plan and had helped her come to terms with everything. But he didn't need to know that.

"Your faith in me is flattering." Draco deadpans.

"I don't know why you're surprised." Hermione tosses the pillow towards him and he catches it. She raises an eyebrow. "Interesting."

"My catching abilities interest you? I was a seeker, you know." Draco regards her strangely. She finds she does remember him being a seeker, quite vividly. The way his uniform would fit his broad shoulders, the way his breeches would flex tight around his muscular thighs... she scowls at herself. Looking at him now, almost all of his muscle is gone, leaving behind an emaciated, deathly pale string bean of a boy.

"No, I was just testing the wards. I've been doing some research..."

"What a surprise," Draco mutters under his breath and she ignores him.

"... and I think these wards are actually relatively simple. Anyone else can get in and out except the person it's charmed to keep inside."

"I could've told you that." Draco rolls his eyes.