An Outlandish Affair

Chapter 13

The ride to Clifton Moor was long and mountainous. Had it been a smooth ride, they probably could've made it in a week and a half, maybe two, but as it was they were on week three and still had another to go.

During the first week of the ride Lucius had stayed annoyingly close to Hermione and Draco, following them in his lavish, magically expanded horse-drawn buggy that no one was allowed to enter, including even Draco. He made the two of them sleep in a smaller, almost normal sized tent and always sent Peeper to supervise them. At first Peeper had also taken Draco away multiple times a day whenever it struck his master's fancy; Hermione assumed Lucius was probing his son's mind for any information she might have revealed.

By day, Hermione rode Bethan and they followed Draco and Magnus as he instructed the men about their duties. It wasn't particularly interesting to her, but it was better than riding alone. Most of that first week, she hadn't spoken to anyone besides Bethan. Hermione was rapidly growing fond of her sweet appaloosa.

She also spent a lot of time thinking about everything she had left behind at the stones. The chance to fix things with Ron, the chance to get back to him and her life, her job, her friends and family. It felt like her heart was being stretched thinner and thinner the further they got from the stone circle.

Something in her gut told her that she was here for a reason though, and her inner healer wouldn't allow her to look past the abuse that was happening in front of her. She kept reminding herself that the stones weren't going anywhere and someday, somehow, she would get back to them and back to her time.

Draco did his best to keep Hermione company, but they still had to be careful about what topics they discussed. Lucius still hadn't removed the tongue tie curse and she was hesitant to remove it herself, lest they get caught and punished. It was mostly 'good morning, lass' and 'g'night, my lady', along with a bit of army or horse talk.

The second week on the road the pair saw slightly less of Lucius, and by the third week Hermione barely saw him once a day. After almost forty eight hours with no sign of Lucius, Hermione finally had to ask about him. She pushed Bethan up a few yards so she was beside Draco as they rode.

"Draco, where has your father been?" she asked him with what she hoped was nonchalance. If Lucius saw her ask about him in his son's memory, she was almost sure he'd instantly become suspicious again.

To her surprise, Draco blushed, deeply. He stuttered incoherently for a split second before he composed himself and replied. "He is around, typically I dinna see him during travel. I believe it is only yer presence that kept him lurking about," he said calmly, but his face was still as red as an apple.

"Has he stopped doing Legilimency on you, then?" Hermione asked, trying to figure out where she stood in Lucius' eyes.

"Err, aye mostly, he said-" Draco began to say but he faltered, still blushing madly.

Hermione waited patiently, beyond curious what could be so embarrassing that it seemingly stopped Lucius from reading his son's mind anymore.

"He said he was scunnered o' listening to us and our boring conversations, that's all," he finished quickly. Finally the blush began to disperse and he gave her a small smile. "Dinna fash miss, I dinna think yer boring."

"Oh, well, thank the Gods for that, aye?" Hermione attempted to joke back in a Scottish accent. All that did was cause Draco to burst out laughing.

"Nice try, Sassenach, but ye'll need a bit more practice I'd say," he said as he calmed down. He had called her that word again, but coming from him it felt less like an insult and more like an inside joke between friends. She returned his smile; he was very easy to talk to.