Until the end Dramione

Chapter 16 Schemes and reunions

He hurried to catch up with the fugitive. The figure in the armchair began to tense, yet he hadn't moved a muscle.

Outside, in the large dark alleyway that was supposed to lead to the manor house, surrounded on both sides by large leafy walls, a young girl had stopped halfway along, in front of the large black iron gate. She soon saw two men coming after her, ready to fight. They began with a simple Stupefix, which she easily avoided. Then followed fireworks of spells of all kinds. The Death Eaters would have loved to cast the Avada spell, but they wanted to be able to make her suffer first, to teach her a lesson. Nevertheless, the young girl cast spells with disconcerting ease and eventually got the better of the two simpletons. Once they were unconscious, she flashed a victorious smile and headed back towards the manor with a somewhat curious gait...

In the living room, Draco was pacing back and forth, waiting to see who would enter first. He was relieved to see a young girl silhouetted in his direction. He was relieved, but also seemed amused. The girl took no notice and disappeared up the stairs, having nodded to the Slytherin. Or at least, pretended to be the Slytherin... At any rate, this character hoped the pretence had worked. He went out to meet the newly-minded Death Eaters. He was impassive in front of them.

- She's run off, the filthy pest," roared one of them. We've got to warn Narcissa.

The tall blond then turned back, wordlessly, closely followed by them. They stopped in the living room, however, as he went upstairs. A few minutes' wait later, they saw Narcissa coming in a robe, along with Draco.

- Madame Malfoy. The mudblood has escaped...

- That shows your incompetence," growled Draco.

- At last the Malfoy son is willing to open his mouth!" sneered one of the followers.

- We'll have to wait until Lucius returns," declared the imposing woman. There's nothing I can do anyway, and warning the Dark Lord about this would only upset and irritate him to no end.

So the two men, along with Draco, waited for the Master of the house, or the Master himself, to return.

Hermione had just arrived in what appeared to be a small forest. A sound she hadn't heard in ages caught her attention. What a surprise it was to discover, further on, a beautiful building with gray and white walls, and just across the way, a crystal-clear sea caressing shiny white sand. The wind blew her hair and gave her a feeling of freshness she'd thought she'd never find again. Without further ado, she decided to enter the house. There were other mansions in the vicinity, each as imposing as the next and also facing the sea. Yet no other life seemed to be present.

Inside, she was surprised by the sweet smell of roses wafting through the air. Probably a spell. The house was large and had two floors. The atmosphere was much less sinister than that of Malfoy Manor. Hermione didn't know why she felt strangely at ease in this dwelling she had only just discovered, but the further she went, the safer she felt.

The living room was a gigantic room with an imposing harpsichord in one corner, a large blue and gold carpet in the middle of the room and, to the right, a glass coffee table surrounded by five Louis XVI-style chairs. The room was magnificently decorated, as if made exclusively for parties and receptions.

She climbed the spiral staircase, without thinking to visit the entire first floor. In the corridor, there were several doors, but also a room at the far end on the right, bathed in moonlight, which had no door. Two stately old-style suede armchairs sat around a small square wooden table, inlaid with jade around the edges. The young woman crossed the room to open the bay window and find herself on a veranda overlooking a splendid view of the sea and the infinite horizon, which the moon seemed almost to touch.