Beginning at the End ⏃ Dramione

Chapter 27: Persist

Hermione landed roughly, sending a piercing pain to her shoulder. She guessed they were outside from the cool air and the glow of a distant lamp post. Straining her eyes in the dark, she discovered where Harry and Ron were by the sounds of their faint groaning. Getting up too fast, it felt as if the blood had drained from her head, while her legs were wobbly at best. Holding her arms out for balance, she accidentally hit something cold and rough in the dark and flinched in surprise. After discovering it was merely a brick wall, she lowered her wand.

Harry got to his feet, leaning his hands on his knees, then reached over to Ron to give him a hand. "Sorry, we had to get out of there."

Ron grunted as he stood, pushing back his hair and looking around. "Diagon Alley?"

Harry stood up straight, explaining, "Right, well, the mission."

Judging from the foul stench of rubbish, they were near the back of some establishment. There was a hint of ammonia Hermione picked up on, so it seemed likely that blokes had relieved themselves there as well. Hermione concluded that they must have landed behind a pub. Though, with limited vision, she sensed that the area appeared devoid of anyone at the moment.

Hesitantly, Harry looked over at Hermione and she only glanced back at him, recalling the plans they had intended for the next day. She truly wanted to be her old self, ready to take on the next mission, but she was filled with the emptiness of leaving Draco behind. It was difficult to accept that she was actually in a different location from him, robbed of the opportunity to at least say goodbye. He had been so impassive in front of Bellatrix, fused into his role, that she truly feared that he had become his façade.

Ron took a few steps toward her, his attention focused on her arm. "You're bleeding..."

She looked down at her forearm, to the scar Bellatrix had carved. Blood was smeared across her skin and her shirt, while the wound continued to steadily ooze. The ache from her jammed shoulder, thankfully not splinched, was small compared with the immense burning of the scar. Emotionless and drained, she cast a scouring charm on her skin, aware that Ron's eyes were on her. "It's... fine."

"Hermione-"

At the feeling of his hand coming to rest on her shoulder, she quickly pulled away, unable to read his expression in the dark alley.

He trailed off defensively, "Right..."

Harry chimed in, "Shops are still closed."

There was an awkwardness, wherein the boys seemed not to know what to do, like they were waiting for Hermione to collect herself and lead the way. All she wanted was a break, to reflect on what had just happened, but Harry was intent on their mission, and she knew he was right. She was still hanging on to her last seconds with Draco, her thoughts weighing heavily on what would happen to him now. Would Bellatrix discover her own nephew was a traitor, and hex him as well? It occurred to her then, that she really did not know the details of Draco's relationship with his aunt. The thought that she and Bellatrix might share a similar admiration for Draco made bile creep up in the back of her throat.

Reaching for her shoulder to rub at the pain, she felt around her neck for the medallion, quickly casting a lumos. Certainly he would have left a message, she reasoned, considering that Draco had done so when he had merely gone to collect firewood back at the tent. She fumbled with the chain, turning slightly away from the boys for privacy, the message she found there had clearly been sent right as Bellatrix had arrived. It read: -plan-C-

She huffed, trying not to burst into tears. The two of them had come up with such a long list of potential plans; they could have done that one. Why had they not just Apparated separately to the appointed meeting place? If she had actually read his message... Instead, he had been forced to choose the last resort in their long list of plans, giving himself up. However, it was a relief to see a message at all, considering her last encounter with him had been hollow.