In The Shadows² ★ Draco Malfoy

*Gregorovitch

When Briar opened her eyes again the light above her was almost blindingly bright, but after a few moments she managed to regain her senses and looked around, seeing Harry lying next to her and she realised they were surrounded by trees.

"Oh, Ron" Came the squeaky voice of Hermione Granger and Briar whipped around to see that the brunette was leaning over Ron, her hands covered in blood and eyes shining with tears. Briar and Harry were quick to push themselves to their feet and hurry over, and Briar was almost sick when she saw the state Ron was in.

Blood drenched the whole of Ron's left side and his face stood out, greyish-white, against the leaf-strewn earth. The Polyjuice Potion was wearing off now: Ron was halfway between Cattermole and himself in appearance, his hair turning redder and redder as his face drained of the little colour it had left.

"What's happened to him?"

"Splinched," said Hermione, her fingers already busy at Ron's sleeve, where the blood was wettest and darkest. She tore open Ron's shirt and Briar's eyes immediately landed on Ron's left arm, where a great chunk of flesh was missing "Harry, quickly, in my bag, there's a small bottle labeled'Essence of Dittany'— " 

"Bag— right—"

While Harry sped towards Hermione's tiny beaded bag on the forest floor, the two girls got to work quickly trying to suppress the bleeding of Ron's arm before he would bleed out

"Quickly!" Hermione shrieked as the blood continued to pour onto the leaves

"Accio Dittany!" They heard Harry shout from behind them, before he came running back holding a small brown bottled. Hermione tookit and poured three drops of the potion onto the bleeding wound.Greenish smoke billowed upward and when it had cleared, the bleeding had stopped. The wound now looked severaldays old; new skin stretched over what had just been open flesh.

"Wow," said Harry. 

"It's all I feel safe doing," said Hermione shakily. "There arespells that would put him completely right, but I daren't try incase I do them wrong and cause more damage. . . . He's lost toomuch blood already. . . ." 

"How did he get hurt? I mean— whyare we here? I thought were were going back to Grimmauld Place?"

Briar was wondering the same question and when she saw the crestfallen expression on Hermione's face, her heart dropped "I don't think we're going to be able to go back there." 

"What d'you—?" 

"As we Disapparated, Yaxley caught hold of me and I couldn'tget rid of him, he was too strong, and he was still holding on whenwe arrived at Grimmauld Place, and then—well, I think he musthave seen the door, and thought we were stopping there, so heslackened his grip and I managed to shake him off and I broughtus here instead!"  

"But then, where's he? Hang on. . . . You don't mean he's atGrimmauld Place? He can't get in there?" Briar's heart was now pounding in her chest fearfully

Hermione's eyes sparkled with unshed tears as she nodded. "I think he can. I— I forced him to let go with a Revulsion Jinx, but I'd already taken him inside the Fidelius Charm'sprotection. Since Dumbledore died, we're Secret-Keepers, so I'vegiven him the secret, haven't I?" Briar closed her eyes in despair. Grimmauld Place had been their one safe hiding place, and better yet it was hers, but now it was in the hands of Voldemort's followers "Briar, I'm so sorry, I didn't know what to do but-"

"It's okay" the youngest girl said. Truthfully she was slightly angry, but she knew it wasn't Hermione's fault "Where are we anyway?"

"In the woods where they held the Quidditch World Cup," saidHermione