Labyrinth ^ A Dramione fanfiction^

18. SONDER

The realization that everyone is living their own vivid life.

The light of full moon was penetrating the large window and dancing all over the living room. Draco sat on the space under the window, watching outside as the wind blew through the trees afar. It was getting colder everyday. Soon it would be time for Christmas. 

Hermione brought some bandages and healing lotions in a tray and sat opposite to him. She wanted to ask him for his wand to heel him, but she doubted that it would work for her. It was no matter for trial and error and besides she wasn't exactly his friend to just ask him to lend it to her. She tried to take his arm but he twitched. She looked at him. Assuring him that it was alright. 

He allowed her to take his hand into hers. Even after all the pain, her warm touch sent slight shivers through his arm. It was quiet similar to the magic one would feel entering their body. 

She cut open the sleeve of his shirt which was red and wet in his blood. 

"Drink this, you've lost lot of blood" she said handing him the potion in phial.

"Where did you find this?" He asked out of curiosity.

"There are few potions stored in one of the kitchen drawers." 

He took it and gulped it down. She then took out one bottle which resembled a one of firewhisky but was white than typical brown. 

"What's this?" he asked.

"Oh, it's vodka. I think Teddy must have stored it while setting up this safe house." she answered casually but the look on his face told her that he needed more explanation.  "It's a type of liquor from muggle world. I'm using this as rubbing alcohol to clean your wound." 

"How  does it taste?" He asked but wondered why Granger looked so uncomfortable by that question. 

"I- I don't know. Never tried one." she said and went back to preparing the needle and thread. 

"Okay, this is going to hurt since you've never had stitches muggle way and we don't have any anesthe- numbing potion." 

"Can't be that bad" he said, considering the pain from heeling the skin can't be more than scratching it. But boy was he wrong. He jerked with pain when she penetrated his skin with the needle. Hermione noticed and stopped. 

"Here, drink this too" she said handing him bottle of vodka. "they say it helps numbing the pain. can't say for sure, but just try. "

He hesitated because, drinking anything besides wine in front of a lady was not something taught in his manners lessons from Narcissa. But he took it and gulped few large sips. He did like the taste though. He took few more when Hermione stopped him. "Alright. That's enough."

She began stitching his wound when after few moments, he felt his pain settled down. 

"So, tell me, what happened?" Hermione asked.

He looked at her for a moment then looked out of the window. Few seconds he contemplated whether to tell her or not but something inside him screamed at him to just tell her. So he started from the arrival of Dark lord at Malfoy manor and assigning him the task to kill Dumbledore. Draco didn't even realize when she finished stitching him up and wrapped bandage. She was looking at him intently taking in every word he spoke. She was shocked when he told her about Bellatrix and her nasty attempts of taking advantage of Draco. A tear fell down her cheeks when she heard about his mother's condition and what she did to save him. She did feel guilty for being there, in his mother's place in this safe house. She was so so grateful that he helped Harry get away. If it wasn't for him who knows what would have happened. There was long silence when Draco finished telling her his life events. 

"Listen, Granger, I- I didn't mean when I said it was you're fault. I don't blame you. I-" he struggled to say next words. "I'm sorry." 

Hermione's head turn to look at him when she met his eyes. He didn't look away when he repeated, "I am really sorry. Forgive me." In his right mind Draco would have never apologized this way, it was definitely vodka talking.  She placed her hand gently on his. 

"There is nothing to forgive." She said with a soft smile. Smile he never thought would ever be at him. He used to watch her laugh with Potter and Weasley in Hogwarts. It was so pleasant, he often kept starring at her whenever he watched her laugh or smile. She suddenly looked away from him removing her hand from his. He didn't know why but he felt empty without her touch. As though he was a drowning man and she was his rescue boat. No no, what was he thinking. He can not think about her that way. No. It must be that stupid muggle drink messing with his head.

"Why did you lie to Blaise about me being here?" She asked.

"Because he was my only ally. Every death eater we worked with knew that. I couldn't help but speculate that he could be compromised by other death eaters to get my location"

"But the floo network. It seems that it has limited connections to it."

"Which is why I asked him to get Andromeda. If he really was using her safe place floo to connect here then we would soon see her."

Hermione was impressed. He was indeed a quick thinker. No wonder he was always second in class just after her. But he may have been in tie with her, when it came to dealing with real life situations and threats. 

"But you said to him that it was a family matter" 

He could not help but smirk a little at her question. She was sharp as ever, remembering every single detail. 

"That too. I'm afraid I can not tell you about that. Hope you understand"

"Sure sure. I was just curious"

"When ever are you not?" He said with full blown Malfoy smirk.

"Never" she said with smirk as equally striking as his.  

"Tell me this though, what were you and others were doing before you were caught and brought to the Manor?" Draco asked the question he was thinking of asking from the moment he saw her.

She wondered whether she should tell him about the horcruxes. Though she had started to trust him, it wasn't her place to tell. Dumbledore trusted three of them with a job of finding them. It would be unwise of her to tell Draco without the consent of the other two. But she didn't want to keep him hanging either. "We were finding ways to destroy you-know-who"

Draco seemed to have understood her position so he didn't push her to tell him any details. "Were you any close?" 

"We had a lead. I hope Harry and Ron are doing their best to go on with it. " She said as she looked up at the night sky which was now getting darker as the dark clouds covered the moonlight. 

"Me too" 

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"Are you sure that's hers?" Ron asked Luna.

"Absolutely. I have blonde hair. This one is long jet black."

"Let's go then. Ginny, are you sure you want to do this?" Harry asked looking worried at Ginny who was wearing clothes similar to what Bellatrix used to wear. 

"I have been ready for long time. Let's do this." She said and dropped the hair in pollyjuice potion and gulped it down. Ron did the same with his pollyjuice potion with different hair of a death eater. Soon there was Replica of Bellatrix and a Death eater. 

"We're relaying on you Griphook. You help us get pass the guards and into the vault, the sword is yours."

Griphook joined hands with the rest and they all vanished.