𝐌𝐎𝐂𝐇𝐀 | 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘦

thirteen

"This had better be good," Pansy said with a sniff, opening the door and ushering him urgently inside. Harry stared at her, before slipping by and muttering, "Merlin."
Theo was in the kitchen, shirtsleeves rolled up to his elbows and a glass of wine in hand. Harry said, "I hope I wasn't interrupting anything..."
Theo just shrugged, and Pansy said, "Well, a little too late for that, Potter, isn't it? Now tell me all about your problem."
"I came home early because I felt like something was off. Hermione and Abraxas were always giving each other weird glances and whispering, and then they would stop when I got in the room. And apart from that, there was the whole thing with Hermione and Abraxas and their PDA-"
"What? Hermione and Abraxas?" Theo interrupted. Pansy frowned.
"Oh, I thought you'd have known, it was in the Prophet," Harry said.
"We don't get the Prophet," Pansy said. "I hate that Skeeter woman. What about Hermione?"
"She- well, she and Abraxas are in some sort of-er, relationship," Harry said uncomfortably. Pansy shrieked.
"No! That can't be right," she said.
"That's what I thought, so it was really weirding me out to see her like that. It was part of the reason why I left," Harry said. "Hermione would never do that to Draco, especially because that's what Ron did to her."
Theo was nodding along. "So what are you supposed to do now? There's nothing officially wrong, except that Hermione is supposedly cheating on Draco."
"But she can't be," Pansy burst out.
"That won't hold up legally," Theo said logically. "What would we say to the Ministry?"
"We could connect it to Blaise, Luna, Ginny and Draco's disappearances. Make it a missing persons case," Harry suggested.
"Isn't that Astoria's department?" Pansy asked Theo, who nodded. Pansy said, "Then we know someone in the office. If we get there quickly she might still be there, she's a workaholic like Hermione."
    "I'll phone her," Pansy agreed.
"Let's go, then," Hary said.
-
They had gone with Hermione's third plan, because she insisted that the third time was the charm. Draco doubted how well superstitions would hold up, but she seemed confident enough that it would work.
Hermione tried her best to look defeated, and Draco looked as annoying as possible when Abraxas came in. It wasn't hard since it came naturally, as Hermione had explained to him. He knew she was right but was still offended. Tilly was with Abraxas once again, and this time she didn't leave. Excellent, this was what Hermione was relied upon.
"Ready for a round two?" Abraxas said brightly, looking as impeccable as always, not a single hair out of place. His silver eyes glinted as they ran down Hermione, lingering on the new wounds on her arms. He smiled.
"What's wrong with you?" Draco snapped.
Abraxas's smile was frozen in place, but his tone became more irritated, his eyes hardening. "I don't think you're in such a place to speak to me that way. Remember what happened last time?"
Draco stopped, but began to fiddle with something behind his back, discreetly. Tilly and Hermione didn't notice, but it didn't escape Abraxas's sharp eye. He swept down and used wandless magic to body Draco onto his stomach, his face hitting the ground. Hermione winced at the painful crack that rang out, probably his nose. Abraxas lifted a pretty knife from Draco's bound hands, laughing slowly. "You thought that I wouldn't notice that you had this?"
He traced it down Draco's spine, pressing harder at the middle of his back. "Your little mudblood girlfriend will pay the price for you."
Draco silently prayed for strength as he heard Hermione's screams pierce the air.
-
"Get the hell off me," Ginny grunted, using her body weight to check Natalia away from her. Luna sighed, wishing that she wouldn't be so Ginny. Natalia shoved a knife to Ginny's back, the point digging into her skin. "Move, scum. I won't hesitate to put this through your back."
Blaise growled under his breath, but a measured look from Luna shut him up. He walked along, looking like a sullen five-year-old. It would have been funny, save the situation that they were in.
They were walking in the woods, and Luna had absolutely no idea where they were. They had woken up yet again someplace they didn't know, but this time Natalia was there, rousing them and forcing them onto their feet. Luna assumed that she didn't want them to call for help, but why not just keep them unconscious and Apparate them wherever they needed to be? She was bored of walking.
After what felt like a million years, they arrived to a house that looked exactly like Draco's parents', but overgrown with vines and weeds. Luna much preferred this one, but she supposed that the cute exterior didn't exactly correlate with the reason why they were there. Natalia shoved them through the door, into a well-kept hallway. Just like Draco's parents'.
Luna looked over her shoulder at Blaise, and his confused expression told her that he recognized it too. Natalia kept them moving, down a staircase, into a bleak-looking cellar, much like the one Dobby had rescued them from.
"Here they are," Natalia said, delight lighting her eyes as they fell on Abraxas, his back to them. He turned, a wide smile spreading over his face.
Luna cried out as she saw what he revealed from behind him, a blood-coated dagger in his hand. Hermione lay unconscious, and it was obvious that the blood had come from her. Draco sat next to her, hands bound behind his back, his head hanging forward. Defeated.
"Draco," Blaise said, shocked. Draco didn't so much as look at him as Abraxas snapped his fingers. A little house-elf appeared, looking terrified. Luna didn't blame her.
"Tilly, bind them up. If you need to cut a rope, use this." He tossed her a knife and she caught it, fumbling to avoid the sharp end. She took a sharp intake of breath, looking at something on the handle. Draco's head rose slightly, a glint in his eye. Abraxas paid them no mind, his attention on Natalia. "Good work, my dear."
She grinned. The two disappeared with a pop, and Luna shuddered. "Gross."
Tilly was still freaking out. She said with a stutter, "This- this is a clothes! Master has given me clothes!"
Tilly held up a shining ring in her trembling fingers, and Luna and Blaise immediately recognized it as bearing the Malfoy crest. They turned to Draco, who was smiling. "It was you! You tricked him into giving her clothes!"
"Shh," Draco said. "Tilly, do you think that you could help us out here?"
"Anything! You has made me free!" The house-elf cried, slipping the ring over her little fingers. It didn't fit, but she paid it no mind as she rushed to untie Draco and Hermione. As Draco turned to untie Blaise, Luna and Ginny, he asked Tilly, "Do you know where our wands are?"
Tilly nodded. "Yes sir, they is in the locked cabinet. Tilly can't get at them, sir, only Master Abraxas can."
Blaise swore under his breath, but Draco just shrugged. "Just as well. Tilly can get us home, though, can't you?"
"Of course," Tilly sniffed. "I has to take you one at a time."
"All right," Draco said. "Take Hermione first. To the Malfoy Manor, do you know where that is?"
"Yes," Tilly said hesitantly. "But the Malfoys-"
"Don't worry, they won't hurt you," Draco said soothingly. Apparently satisfied, Tilly nodded resolutely and Disapparated with Hermione. Blaise appeared shocked. "Your parents? But-"
"It will be fine," Draco insisted. Tilly came back, taking Luna and Ginny without incident. She poked Ginny in the eyes curiously, wondering why they were open but unseeing, and Ginny slapped her hand away, exclaiming, "Hey!"
Tilly popped back into the room, grabbing Blaise's shoulder. Before she could take him, Abraxas and Natalia Apparated into the room. Everyone froze.