Bloodlust

Chapter XXXIV

Staring at their investigation on the desk made Hermione's head pulse in pain as it had been nearly two weeks and their investigation remained unmoving. Draco was barely home, and remembering the frequent calls Draco kept receiving only added weight to her worries. The calls represent something that was happening inside the Ministry. Her only contact from outside is Draco, hence she's left in there to wait and accept that this is their life now. Draco goes out to respond to the summons and hopefully comes home whole and alive.

The whole set-up made her feel useless. That's it That's the only way to explain what she felt. She took the burden of the investigation to at least help the Order in the only way she could. If she dies in the process, at least she did something. If these could help and if she's not just wasting her time collecting old notes.

According to Draco's last report, the Order was still quiet, somewhat frozen. Hermione wants to see it as a good idea to hold back for a while now. The Order needs more to move, and they cannot only depend on Draco to clean their mess for them. If only she could tell the Order to wait until the research leads to something that might be advantageous for the Order.

She sighed and darted her sight at the window. It was a gloomy day, but it's been a while since she had fresh air.

She took a stroll around the overgrown garden, taking Draco's horse with her. The wind was a tad wild, making the long skirt of her dress dance with the same rhythm. Using the little unsuppressed magic left in her, she waved her hand in a quick and twisting motion, picking up an apple from the tree in front of her, and handed it to the horse.

The air hitting her face wasn't enough to make up for the cramped feeling in her chest. An idea crossed her mind as the horse nuzzled into her. She couldn't contain her laugh as the rush set into her system. Good thing, there was a saddle left on the barn nearby. Her hair was lively flying as she met the pattern of the harsh wind. She went as far as she could with the desire to see the end of the Malfoy property, the ride around the estate felt like a long journey, but still, she hadn't reached the end of the estate.

She hauled the horse to stop upon catching sight of the woods nearby, wondering if it was still part of the Malfoys' property. There was only one way to test it. She hopped off the horse steadied her breathing, and put her mind in peace. She tried to feel the force of the apparition magic in her blood – one of the strongest magical activities that needed a full force of spell work.

Her knees folded, bringing her to the ground. Her fingers twisted the collar of her dress, heaving for air – the woods are indeed part of the Malfoys' property. The heavy wards were countering her attempt to summon her magic. Barely recovering, she hopped on the horse and left the area, her nails digging into the handle trying her best not to fall.

Hermione looked up, as it started to rain and glanced at the horse's wings. Before she could finish imagining the idea, she winced at the feeling of a sharp stab in her chest and lost the light from her view. The only thing she knew was her back hitting the wet ground and her name being called out, fading into an echo.

As her eyes shot open, her head ached when her vision spun, feeling disoriented by the complete darkness surrounding her; panic immediately set in. She felt the rough and moist floor she sat on and the hard cold wall she pressed her back onto.

"Finally, my guest is awake."

"Who brought me here?" She asked firmly, refusing to think it was Draco.

The Dark Lord's laugh rang within the room, "I believed I should be the one asking questions."

For a moment there, she was torn between trying to recall who brought her there and refocusing and guarding her mind from a sudden invasion.