Mortal Trust or Faerie Dust (Dramione Oneshot)

Mortal Trust or Faerie Dust

Draco watched his partner's eyes flick between the fae woman, the glistening violin in her hands, and him. He was, in a word, fucked.

"What?" she replied. Her magic was useless against the fae; not even wizards dared cross them. This was one thing her muggle heritage had proven to be superior in—her faerie tales spoke more truth than the wizarding ones did.

"You required he be freed- I require you play better than I."

Granger swallowed audibly and the fae's smile made Draco's stomach turn.

"And if I don't?" She asked,

"If you don't what, darling?" the fae purred,

"If I don't play better than you. What happens then?"

"Then both your lives are forfeit."

"Granger, don't. Just leave me. It's not worth your life." He knew even as the words left his mouth that they were useless. She looked at him for a long, long moment, her eyes tracing the lines of his face. His blond hair across his forehead, silver grey eyes that begged her not to put herself in harm's way to save him, and the surprisingly ginger beard he wore now. He'd stopped shaving it after the death of his last partner. There was something in her eyes that he didn't like.

He opened his mouth to speak again but the fae beat him to it "Well, if you'd rather not..." Her voice was sweet as honey and her long fingers dragged through his hair before catching his chin, tilting his face towards her. She bent over him as he knelt, hands bound, at her feet.

"My last husband had hair like yours. This beard shall have to go, though, my sweet." He shivered as her nails scraped along his jaw, and it was Draco's turn to swallow audibly.

"Get your hands off of him," Granger growled, barely keeping herself from slapping the fae's hand away. "I'll do it."
"Granger!" he hissed, "I'm not worth it!"
"We're partners, Malfoy. I'm not leaving you simply to save myself." she turned back to the fae even as Draco struggled with the ropes that bound him. "I accept your wager."

The fae's eyes glistened. "Very well. Who shall play first?"

Granger made a gesture to indicate that the fae, who still held the instrument, should play first.

The Fae set bow to string without hesitation and Draco knew with the first note that fucked didn't quite cut it. He was about to become this fae's thousandth boy toy and there wasn't a damn thing Granger, or anyone else could do about it—two years of silent subtle pining over his auror partner all for naught. He mentally bemoaned the short straw that had brought the two of them to this forest on the solstice of all nights.

As the strains of the melody the fae wove faded into the dark Hermione took a deep breath. The ancient fae was good. She'd give her that. But it lacked empathy. How could a creature as old as this remember the depths of heartbreak? The darkness of overwhelming grief? The spark of new love?

She lifted her chin and met the fae's black eyes. "Do you still wish to play, girl?" she smirked, Hermione simply held her hands out for the violin.

The fae looked at her shrewdly before setting it into her grasp.

Hermione set the fiddle to her shoulder and plucked softly at the strings, testing their tone and tuning, her eyes closed as she listened. It was a fine instrument, the best she'd ever held. She adjusted the tuning slightly before examining the bow briefly. She breathed in once deeply, allowing her magic to reach out to the magic that hummed from the wood and strings still warm from the fae's hands. Then, she set the bow to the strings and played.

Draco had to bite his tongue to keep from gaping. The melody made his heart nearly stop. He recognized it as one Hermione often hummed to herself while doing menial tasks about the office but so much more . Like she'd poured her soul into the music. He felt her grief and could only imagine the remembered loss of her parents, her fiance– his partner and best friend– Ronald, killed in action three years prior and his heart ached for a brief moment before the melody shifted. Her bow slashed through the chords in double and triple stops, the key modulating from minor to major- ascending arpeggios shattering like crashing waves before stilling suddenly. The echo barely died away before she plucked at the strings- the pizzicato notes like gentle raindrops after a storm, the melody calming and sweet, carrying a longing that spoke to the depths of his heart.
Her eyes were closed and a single tear ran down her cheek as she drew the bow across the strings again, the harmonies darker. He couldn't breathe as she made the wood, gut, and horsehair sing in a way he'd never experienced.

Finally, the last note rang out on a triumphant upbow, Hermione's chin raised, face bathed in the light of the full moon that crept from behind the clouds. She brought her arms down and let the violin drop from her shoulder, her fingers lightly grasping the neck.

The Fae stood transfixed as Hermione turned to her.

They stood there in silence for the longest time before the Fae woman finally spoke.
"Only mortal trust or faerie dust can make my fiddle sing. Take your love and leave. " she lifted a hand and the ropes at Draco's wrists dissolved as quickly as they had bound him in the first place.

Hermione didn't hesitate but turned and snagged his hand as he rose to his feet, turning on the spot and disapparating back to their shared office.

She sank to the carpet, shaking like mad. The instrument she still held hit the floor beside her with a light thunk.

"Granger?" he knelt beside her, checking her quickly for injuries- worried she'd splinched herself.

She waved him away, though she gasped for breath, half in tears.

"I'm fine." she choked out, "just- shit that was hard." she buried her face in her palms- "gods- why?" she muttered to herself. Then suddenly she looked up at him, fresh fire in her eyes. "If you EVER ask me to leave you behind in a life or death situation again, I will murder you myself. Are we clear?"

Merlin, she was scary, and he loved it. "Crystal." he settled on the floor beside her, "are you sure you're alright?"

She sighed, shifting to sit more comfortably.

"I'll survive. I just never expected our lives to hinge on ten years of violin lessons."

"Hell, I didn't even know you played."

She rolled her shoulders, her laugh told him she'd got control of herself again. "I picked it back up a few months ago, and thank Merlin I did." she sighed again and laid her head against his shoulder.

"Hermione?" he looked down at her, her eyes drifting shut.

"Mmm?" she snuggled a little closer to him, his arm resting across her back.

"Do you think that Faerie will want her violin back?"