Hell Above

CHAPTER EIGHT

Malfoy Manor was exceptionally large. It was a three story mansion with long pointed tip roofs. The colors were dark and eerie and all around had an unwelcoming mood. Draco walked between the hedges and up the steps. He saw the backyard and thought about when he was younger. He would fly on his broomstick for hours out here when he was a kid. He should've just flown away. If only he knew then what he did now.

The front door creaked as he opened it. The sound echoed through the vast entry. Draco felt a chill as he stepped through the doorway. His house never felt like a home. It was just long hallways lit by candles and rooms he wasn't allowed to go into. There were hardly any family photos besides the portrait that hung above the fireplace. Draco stared at himself in the painting and felt older. His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of people speaking the next room over. He dreaded this since the moment he left. He walked into the dining room and saw his mother and father discussing something serious. They stopped when they noticed him.

"Draco!" his mother rushed to give him a hug. "We missed you." She kissed him on the head and gestured to him to take a seat.

"I know you've only been there a short time but we trust that was enough time for you to require the information." Lucius' voice was cold and sharp. "Does he have the wand?"

"I didn't see it there." Draco neglected to tell them what Hermione had told him about it. "He must've taken it with him when he left."

"When did he leave?"

"Three, maybe four days ago?" He had lost track of time. All his days were mushed together since he had been spending so much time with Hermione.

"So you were there alone for three, maybe four days?" His father mocked him.

"Not exactly." Draco tried to find the courage to tell them. "I kind of did the one thing you told me not to do." He hung his head.

"Don't tell me you've fallen in love with that mudblood." His mother chimed in and laughed at him. "You're that weak?"

"I'm not weak!" Draco raised his voice. As much as he despised his parents, he still longed for their approval.

"So I suppose you have told her why you're there then. Being in love and all." Narcissa was amused. Draco said nothing. "And here I thought you were going to redeem yourself after you failed so miserably last time." Draco stood up from the table. He didn't know why his mother was being so cruel.

"You're not getting out of this Draco." Lucius butted in. "If she's a distraction for you, we will just have to find a way to take care of her." Draco knew what he meant by that. He cared way too much to let that happen to her.

"And what if i tell her about the plan?"

"Even if you are man enough to tell her that youre planning on murdering her best friend, she will just become another obstacle and we will have to kill her too. That is, unless she supports it." Lucius pondered on his thought. "If she supports you, then we will have her join our side. But knowing her kind, that will be very unlikely." Lucius gave Draco a threatening look. Draco glared back.

"A mudblood on our side?" Narcissa didn't seem impressed with the idea. "Are you sure about that, Lucius?"

"From what I've heard, she's brilliant. She could have good use for us if she had the right influence. And if Draco wants to pursue this, their offspring would be pure blood."

"Ah, okay. Well Draco, bring her back here and we will give her the news together. We can't risk her running away after she finds out."

Draco was furious. How dare he threaten to turn her. Draco left the room and slammed the door behind him. He was all out of options. He thought about it as he climbed the stairway to his room. There's no way she will support him. Even if she loved him back, she would never be with him after she finds out.

He laid on top of his covers and stared at his wall. He wanted to be with her now. He wanted to spend as much time with her before his parents killed her. That night he had a dream. A dream he has had before. He is dancing with Hermione. She is wearing that pink dress. The sun is setting and the song is playing. Over and over again.

***

Hermione grew lonelier the longer Draco was gone. Even if it was only for a day, he was her only distraction. She thought about drinking, then she thought of him, then she thought about drinking again. She paced back and forth trying to come up with an activity to do. She wondered when Harry and Ron would be back. They never told her how long they would be gone and she hasn't received one owl.

Hermione looked out the window and gazed at the view. She saw the beach. The waves crashed down angrily as the sun set behind them. She tried to feel peace but she couldn't conjour it. Her thoughts bombarded her. She thought about shutting them up with a nice cold drink but she couldn't bring herself to go to town. She didn't want to go out in public alone. Her anxieties always got the best of her. She started to pace again.

She paced for a while before she heard something roll off the coffee table and onto the floor. It was her wand. She picked it up and felt its power in her palm. She stared at it for a while before thinking of a spell to use.

"Lumos." She whispered. The wand brightened up the poorly lit living room. She was amazed again. She hasn't practiced in so long she had almost forgotten what it felt like to do magic. She tried to remember some more spells she could try. She pointed her wand at an empty drinking glass on the table.

"Aguamenti." The glass filled itself up with crystal clear water. Astonishment filled her up as well.

"Engorgio." The water glass grew five sizes and then fell over and shattered on the floor. Hermione laughed in bewilderment as she looked at her wand. She was starting to remember more and more spells.

"Reparo." The oversized waterglass mended itself.

"Finestra." Hermione broke it again. She went back and forth using the Reparo and the Finestra spell until she realized that breaking it felt a lot better than repairing it. She shot her wand at the window and shattered it into a million pieces. It felt good. It felt as if her worries and stress were being lifted with every wave of her wand.

She shot her wand again. This time at the kitchen table, exploding it. She had to duck to avoid a leg darting straight at her. The adrenaline pumped through her veins. She began destroying chairs, dressers, and pillows until the house looked like a violet crime scene. She stopped to look around. The destruction was beautiful but she needed more room.

"Bombardo." She busted down the door and headed for the beach. It was pitch black outside but her wand lit her way.

"Bombardo!" She repeated the spell towards the beach. It sent an eruption of sand into the air that then sprinkled over her like rain. She aimed again, sending explosions all the way down the shore. She pointed her wand at the ocean and made the waves bigger and angrier. They crashed down and submerged her legs. When the tide went back in she did it again and again until the water came up to her neck. She held her breath and went under. She swam with the current until it pulled back far enough for her to walk again.

The moon was almost as bright as the sun. she squinted her eyes to look at it. Everything felt intense. From her sharp breaths to the salt on her skin. She sat down to take a break. The waves went back to normal. As she caught her breath, she thought about all the power she had. She's never made an explosion that big before.

She laid down on the sand holding her wand like a teddy bear. She let the water come up and tickle her feet before returning to the sea. She finally found the peace she had been searching for. She closed her eyes and let the sound of the waves put her to sleep.