An Outlandish Affair

Chapter 10

Hermione followed closely behind Draco and Lucius as they walked Septimus back to his tent. She hardly paid attention to anything around her, she was so absorbed in her own thoughts.

The fact that Draco was a wizard didn't matter in Hermione's particular situation. Or did it? Her conscience questioned her. He had to be roughly her age, probably a bit older. The only way a wizard that age could think he was a squib was if he were being abused, seriously abused. Not just physically either, it took immense emotional and mental trauma to bury magic that deep into someone's psyche.

The puzzle pieces were slowly starting to put themselves together, although Hermione was far from seeing the full picture yet. Lucius was Draco's father, and somehow he had beaten his son's magic so deep within him that it no longer manifested itself in any way, as far as she knew from her brief time with them. Lucius frequently used the Imperius Curse to control Draco, both during battle and to do his bidding. She thought the latter was a little over the top; Draco clearly didn't have any outward intentions of disobeying his father.

Outward intentions. Hermione's mind stuck on that phrase for a moment. Of course, Draco couldn't have any intentions at all, inward or outward. Lucius was, aside from many other less flattering things, clearly an accomplished Legilimens. He would certainly not hesitate to invade his own son's mind any time he felt compelled. I'm going to have to be extra careful when I try to help-

Hermione stopped that thought. She couldn't help him. She needed to focus on getting away from this camp, away from Lucius, far enough away to apparate herself back to the stones.

She couldn't deny her newfound healer heart though. There were still dozens of injured men surrounding her, and there was a young man mere feet in front of her who had been so taken advantage of, so mistreated, that his magic might have suffered permanent damage.

She could try to help, maybe.

They had arrived at a small tent in the sea of ramshackle tents. This one didn't have waves of magic rolling off of it like the Malfoy tent did, but she could still detect some minor wards and repelling charms to keep the muggles out. It must be magically expanded to a certain degree too because Lucius entered the tent with Septimus and the canvas didn't move an inch.

Lucius must have communicated through the curse to Draco because the second the two other wizards were out of sight he turned back to her and grabbed her upper arm. "We're to go back to the tent now," he said in a monotone voice.

"Lead the way," she mumbled, knowing it didn't matter what her response was. She wished she knew a way to break through the Imperius Curse, but she supposed that's why it was one of the Unforgivables; there was no way to break it. She wished she had just kept her cool instead of begging Draco to help free her, then Lucius wouldn't have put him under the curse. She could've asked to cast the diagnostic, she could've told him what he was, they could've... what? What could they have done? Hermione couldn't tell him, Lucius would find out. She doubted she would ever get another unsupervised or uncursed moment with Draco now.

They were coming up on the Malfoy tent now and Hermione wondered what Draco was going to do once he completed his task of delivering her. He didn't hold the tent flap for her this time, instead shoving her through rather roughly. She knew it would be pointless to try to argue or resist. He followed her through silently.

"Aye, Master Draco, Master Lucius told me ye'd be here soon, come wi' me to yer chambers, sir," Peeper hurried over to them as soon as they entered and took Draco's hand, instantly disapparating the two of them away. For just a moment, as soon as their hands touched, the milky glaze on Draco's eyes disappeared. Odd, Hermione thought, I wonder if that's Lucius letting go or some override of elf magic. She knew elf magic was immensely powerful but it was almost always stuck behind the barricade of slavery.