Under the Darkness | Dramione | English Version

XI

The days passed, the weeks passed, and the girl was still far from the resistance.
Her days spent searching for some clue as to where or who to look for but she hadn't yet succeeded in any of the attempts made.
Eating became increasingly difficult, the rumour of a thief spread to Diagon Alley, and although the Death Eaters were not committing to ending thefts, the merchants were becoming increasingly alert.
On the calendar drawn and hung on the wall she crumpled every day that passed to keep count of time; twenty-three days since she arrived at the Weasley store, and she still had nothing.
The nights got longer and longer, and the insomnia seemed to have taken in favour of her, certainly the screams of the people captured in the street in the middle of the night didn't help.
That morning she awoke before seeing the sun and sighed heavily.
She sat in the bed and looked around thinking about what to do, she was sure she would not be able to sleep.
She looked at the bookshelf but she had already read all the volumes there, she moved the blankets off again and in doing so the wand was thrown away and rolled under the bed.
She cursed and bent down to pick it up, right next to the wand, covered with dust there was another book. She grabbed both objects and looked intrigued at the tome.
It was a thick and old book, the cover was red velvet and had no title. She stroked the velvety fabric with her fingertips and then opened the book, even on the third cover there was no writing, so she went through a few more pages and made a big leap forward in her research.
***
The elf went into the room, levitated the tray to the table next to the bed and went out closing the door behind him without the slightest noise.
The landlord opened only one eye and looked at the window for a few seconds.
The smell of the eggs awakened his stomach that growled hungry so he went to the bathroom and looked at the mirror, passing a hand through his hair too long for his standards.
The cold water removed any trace of sleep from his face, he put on his shirt and headed to the office followed by the breakfast tray.
Sitting at the desk he began to read the documents stacked to his right while emptying the breakfast dishes.
There had been a dozen new catches in the last two weeks and twice as many deaths in the fields.
Among the demands still to be branded were provisions and blankets in view of the arrival of winter.
Adam Dixon was removed from the wanted list, captured on August 14, and taken to camp three.
Draco went through the documents of the wanted and his eyes stopped on the letter 'G', Granger Hermione Jean, with a photo of the fifth year, smiled sitting on a windowsill of Hogwarts with a book open on her legs; state of blood: Muggle born. A shiver went up the back of Death Eater, stored the documents in the drawer and passed to the letters; he opened, dropped the envelope, read, held or crumpled it. So for about twenty letters all sealed with the wax with bright colors.
By the time all the letters were finished, the hands of the clock marked eleven o'clock in the morning.
He changed wearing a blue shirt and a grey suit, put the wand in his pocket and disappeared.
Since Nora frequented the Zabini Manor, Draco had noticed that the air constantly hovered a sweet scent.
«Draco, I wasn't expecting this visit.»
«You should tell your betrothed that perfume should be sprayed on and not in the air.»
Blaise did not have time to reply that a female voice answered.
«Thank you, Malfoy, I will put it with all your other opinions in the pot of things I don't care about.»
Blaise smiled while the two looked at each other as if they were ready to tear each other apart at the first shot, then he came back serious and looked at the woman gently asking:
«Nora, would you mind leaving us alone?»
«With great pleasure. - she specified- Malfoy.»
The greeting between the two was just a snooty nod from her before disappearing down the stairs.
«You two will never get along?»
«I don't understand how you want to get married with her. She's obnoxious and disrespectful.»
Draco sat in the armchair in front of his friend who bent the paper and sighed.
«Nora is not disrespectful, you tease her, and she answers you in tone, and it's good.»
The blond lightning struck Blaise with a look, but the landlord simply smiled.
«Tell me, to what do I owe this visit?»
«I need you to make a tour of the camps. The prisoners begin to get sick and as every year we risk the epidemic.»
The healer nodded without looking at the host.
«All right, next week I have Wednesday off, I hope that's okay.»
«All right, I'll be there early in the morning.»
«Good.»
Malfoy stood up and then looked at Blaise.
«Nora knows about Granger?»
Zabini didn't think twice.
«No and she doesn't have to know, I don't want to get her in trouble.»
«The Mudblood lives with you, and they have never met?»
«Granger has escaped.»
Both frowned, Blaise for what he had said without reason and Draco to the idea that the woman had returned so easily to freedom.
«Escaped?»
«Yes, one morning I woke up and she was gone. I made a mistake; I appeared here with her and gave her the chance to move with apparition. She would have been too smart not to think about it and I was too stupid to not think about it.»
«A Mudblood will never be smarter than us. See you Wednesday.»
«Would you like to stay and eat with us?»
«Ask me again when your betrothed is gone.»
Blaise looked up to the sky and followed him to the exit.
«See you on Wednesday then.»
***
It was pitch black, but Hermione insisted on moving on. In the darkness she was sure she could hide better and hoped to find some other useful information.
She had the D.A. coin hidden in her dress but since she had found it a few days before she had not yet tried to use it. It could be risky, the others could be in the wrong hands, it was too risky.
It had come out of its hiding place that the clock marked one in the night but it must have been at least an hour ago.
She ducked a patrol of Death Eater hiding in an alley and after a few seconds she went back to the street, she didn't know where he was going or what she was looking for, she was just hoping to find something or someone.
She skirted one of the few open clubs in Diagon Alley trying to stay away from the lights, went on for some time before realizing that someone was following her.
Not one, but two, probably came out of the pub and noticed her.
She slipped into the first available alley thinking of how to hide, she could certainly not disappear with the blocks on the city, there and she would even make it pass unnoticed in the darkness but the men reached her too quickly.
They weren't Death Eaters, and they didn't even look like Snatchers.
«What are you doing all alone at this hour sweetheart?»
Hermione did not respond by trying to devise a way to escape from there.
«She is of few words.»
«Maybe she prefers facts.»
They approached and as Hermione defended herself from one the another discovered her face.
«She is the wanted!»
She freed herself from the grip of the first, but the friend was immediately on her.
«Don't let she get away. She's worth a lot.»
«What's going on here?»
That icy voice gave her a chill that shook every part of her.
«General Malfoy.»
General was one of the highest recognitions, Malfoy had really made his way over the years, through torture and killings. She got nauseous.
«We found the wanted General.» said one babbling.
«I saw. Congratulations.»
«There is a reward for those who deliver it.»
«I know, I finance it but unfortunately it's not for you.»
«What do you-»
«Obliviate. - the eyes of both of them became vacuous, they left the grip they had on Hermione that quickly rose and abandoned their arms along the body- Imperio.»
They moved like robots and disappeared from view leaving the two enemies alone in that dark alley.
«Hello Mudblood.»
«Will you do what they didn't do?»
He asked with anger.
«No Mudblood.»
He stepped forward but immediately stopped watching her pointing the wand at him.
«Aggressive.» he commented amused.
«Why are you here?»
«To see how you're doing after escaping from Blaise.»
«Very well.»
«I see it, where did you find that wand?»
«I got it.»
The Death Eater took another step and the curly girl convulsively squeezed her hand around the wand, halfway between anger and terror.
«Lower that wand Granger.»
«No.»
They looked each other in the eyes and she shuddered.
«I will not go back with you.»
«No?»
«No Malfoy.»
Draco pulled his wand out of his trouser pocket but did not point it at the enemy.
«I give you the chance to surrender and come with me without any fight. If instead you want to fight I will be happy to defeat you.»
«Go away Malfoy.»
He turned his wand in his hands with ease.
«I don't have much patience Granger.»
«You'll have to beat me.»
Draco's smile disappeared, giving way to a harsh expression.
«Agree, Crucio.»
Hermione was expecting it.
«Stupefy!» shouted out before dodging the curse.
«A stunning spell Mudbloog? Oh come on, we're not kids anymore. Recido!»
She wasn't aspecting that.
«Protego!»
He tried to kill her.
«I didn't realize you wanted to kill me.»
«It will be my last choice. Crucio!»
«Expulso!»
The wall next to the Death Eater exploded forcing him to move away from being hit by the larger rubble.
«Stupefy!»
The crash hit him in the arm causing him to lose focus.
«Sectumsempra!»
Feeling that spell, the pain in his arm dissolved and his reflexes increased.
«I thought I got rid of Potter and he always comes back.»
«He should have killed you that night.»
«Kill? He wouldn't have been able to. I saw his expression after that spell. The terrified eyes staring at me as I bled out in that bathroom. He didn't have the guts to kill anyone. -the smile turned his face away- in fact he died.»
He quickly waved the wand against the woman taking advantage of the moment of confusion that his words had created.
«Levicorpus!»
The girl noticed that her feet did not touch the ground and tried to descend with some counter spell but failed.
«Calm down Granger.»
«Expelliarmus!»
The man easily avoided the enchantment and pronunced: «Exulcero.», the girl with a quick cry dropped her wand while a deep burn appeared on her hand. Malfoy left the spell and she fell ruinously to the ground by twisting an ankle if not worse.
«It's over Mudblood.»
Hermione managed to grab the wand but the blond disarmed it with a simple Expelliarmus.
«Give up, Granger, I beat you.»
«All right, good Malfoy, now you can kill me.»
«I don't see why I should.»
The woman tried the last chance, she disappeared or at least tried, Draco quickly pointed the wand against her and managed to stop her from escaping.
«You tried.»
A force pushed her against the wall causing her head to hit and unconscious.
The Slytherin calmed down, adjusted his breath, picked up the wand of the woman and crouched beside her.
«Let's go home Granger.»
They landed in the hall of the Manor, Draco levitated the girl's unconscious body and took the stairs.
He deposited it on the bed, with some Essence of Dittany he healed the wounds on her hand and on the head then took from the drawer the round collar and looked at it smiling; he left it wider than the previous time and after observing her for a moment went out approaching the door.