Consumed | Hermione x Draco

Bloodline

"Lucius told you?" he asks.

I shake my head. "Telling me is a big word, he said some things, I said something back and eventually I put it together."

"It is a sensitive matter," he avoids my gaze.

"How much of it do you have?" I ask again.

"Hermione," his voice stern.

I take a few steps closer to him, trying to feel his magic, but nothing radiates off him, like it does with others. "I rarely see you use magic... Did you use it all when you were younger? Is that how it works, that it is limited?"

He shakes his head.

"What if I unleash it all at one moment, near someone... would they survive?" I wonder out loud, a plan already forming in my mind. Flashes of all my blue-white power exploding from my body and wiping away everything near me. Burning the grounds and all around me, leaving a scorched circle with nothing left inside.

He scoffs. "You are not even at the peak of your power," he regrets the words as soon as they are spoken.

"What," I look at him. "How do you know? When will I reach it, do I train for it or does it come with age? Is it something I can use in this war?"

He shakes his head, avoiding my gaze. "Hermione, don't. It's not worth dying over."

"Just tell me how much power you have? I rarely see you use it..."

I think back on all the moments I have seen him using magic, there are just a few moments I remember him having a wand in his hand. My mind is still foggy from the torture, but I have been wondering about this for longer. He doesn't have a wand hollister, he has his wand tucked into his robes, a place that is difficult to reach in a matter of moments. Even during brewing he barely uses it, but he touches the cauldrons. I remember the moment Gilderoy Lockhart called him an assistant and wanted to humiliate him, but instead Gilderoy got blasted to the end of the room. A simple disarming charm sends the man flying. That was only years ago... it feels so much longer.

He sighs and leans against the transfigured bed. "I think we are at a very similar level. I hide my power within me, whereas you don't hide it."

I push myself on the bed, exhaustion taking over, I pull my legs underneath me and lean forward on my knees. My body hurts and my head is throbbing. "How do you hide it?"

He looks down at me. "I spent years training myself, my mother started it as soon as I started showing accidental magic. She helped me understand. My magic grew and I knew how to handle it."

"It's too late for me to start hiding it," I whisper, already knowing the answer, I can literally feel it in my veins. While my body is tired, my magic is thundering and ready to lash out. "Why am I this powerful?" I ask, looking at him. "Why am I able to wield Ancient Magic without much trouble or practice?"

"You are a strong witch," he shrugs and looks me straight in the eye.

I squint slightly. "Was Lily a strong witch?"

"I only saw her magic at school, never on a battlefield," his face is a mask.

"So it's your bloodline, the Prince bloodline," I raise one eyebrow. I cross my arms over my chest, my mind is racing with all the information.

He remains silent.

"I rarely see you use magic..." I start, but think again about all the hours we spend in the lab together. "No..." I shake my head. Focussing more on the memories. "You use magic, but you don't use your wand, you use your fingers. Touching cauldrons. Why didn't I notice it before?"