Bound

Chapter Thirty-Two ~ New Year's Scream

A/N: I managed to edit this weekend! Just! This one is not smutty (Whaaaaa?) but I'm sure you'll enjoy it anyway.

Cheers!

Four days.

Nobody had heard from them in four days.

After a rowdy dinner, Lucius and Severus had waited until late at night to leave. Hermione had followed them as far as the stoop, where they had each kissed her goodbye, before stepping out into the night.

They had apparated away with a soft crack, and Hermione had stared into the dark street for a long moment, before turning and going back inside.

She had sat in the silent kitchen that night, until the small hours of the morning, warming her hands on a cup of tea. The rest of the household were asleep in their beds; nobody had cared to see them off.

A report had been delivered by owl on the first day, arriving in the evening just in time to be read at the dinner table.

The Dark Lord had tasked them with retrieving Draco. With Draco safe, they were instead hunting down Death-Eater sympathisers; those who were unmarked, unremarkable, quietly awaiting their marching orders. Their absences should go unnoticed, but the Dark Lord's militia forces would be diminished – without bloodshed.

So far, they were ahead of schedule.

After dinner, Hermione had returned to her bedroom, only to find the same owl perched outside her window.

The letter had not been detailed and gave no obvious hints as to its sender. It was only the contents of the message and the owl that had delivered it that gave away its senders. Apparently, she was to work on her duelling, either by training with Tonks, or recruiting one of her friends. There had been no signature and the letter looked as if it had been finished abruptly. She had turned the parchment, cast revealing spell after revealing spell, but there was nothing more.

The following days had been spent studying and duelling.

Hermione had recruited Draco, and Harry often sat in on their sessions, watching with quiet interest until Draco would goad him into a duel.

Hermione would sit and watch them most times. Harry was a naturally talented duellist, and Draco matched him evenly, but they both still lacked the experience and calm grace of Severus and Lucius.

Tonks had offered to duel her in the evenings, a welcome distraction from the uneasy quiet that followed dinner. Harry and Draco had soon joined them, and it wasn't long before Ron and Ginny had noticed their absence and sought them out.

Working with another person was not easy. It required trust and an ability to anticipate each other's next moves – a skill they were still learning. Working with two teammates was even harder.

On New Year's Eve, as she watched the two boys duck and weave about the yard, Hermione couldn't help but worry about her wizards. The whole house was agitated. Their first missive had been their last and they were supposed to return in time to ring in the new year. With only ten hours left, they were cutting it close.

Sighing, she stood and called out to the boys that she was going in for lunch. She joined the rowdy table and ate quickly, before picking up something for Harry and Draco.

When she returned to the back yard, the racket of their duel was gone, replaced by the unnatural quiet of the warded garden.

Scanning the small space, she soon found the boys.

Draco had pinned Harry, bodily, against the far wall, holding his wand hand aloft, sans wand. They were staring at each other, faces close, eyes wide.