Chapter Text
October 31st
The wind battered violently against her cheeks, hurling icy rain into her skin and forcing her to pick up her pace. She moved her feet a little faster and silently chastised herself for opting to walk. But she always walked, come hail or rain or blistering heat, she always walked from the ministry apparition point to her home. She'd been offered a private floo on the day of her hiring but had declined; she'd claimed it was in the name of fairness. Her ministry appointed therapist called it 'imposter syndrome'; either way, she had to walk through Salisbury, in the wind and frozen rain, to get home.
She eyed the spire of the distant cathedral as she came to the edge of the city, where the population became sparser and the houses grander. She turned left down a lane only visible to those gifted with magic; a private and vast enclave of enchanted manors came into view as she passed through the wards set to protect them. She rubbed her hands up and down her arms in an attempt to draw heat into them as she trotted up the crooked path which wound between estates. She hadn't wanted the house, but the minister had insisted she be rewarded for her service, as though it had been a choice for her.
As had become their daily tradition, her eyes swivelled toward the empty manor which sat on the land bordering hers. A house that had been inaccessible to even the most experienced curse breakers since its master's incarceration, many in the ministry believed it to be an ancient defence mechanism. Whatever the reason, the house was dead. It was the closed-off carcass of what had once been a stately home. Her eyes scanned the façade, and a shiver wrenched at her spine. She hadn't been there since they'd held her. It was a vault, probably filled with the putrid stench of rotten flesh and fear… something caught her eye, her brows furrowed, and she moved closer to the dark fence surrounding the cursed land.
"impossible" she mumbled as she pushed at the wrought iron gate instinctively. It swung open quickly. Hermione paused as her feet stepped over the threshold onto Malfoy land; something was seriously wrong. She pulled her cell phone from the deep pocket of her parka and dialled;
"Ginny wants to know if you're bringing anyone tonight?" Harry asked by way of greeting.
"Malfoy manor… it's just the house that they can't get into right, not the whole estate?" She asked, attempting to keep her breathing steady as she walked up the gravel drive leading to the grimy, stately home. She already knew the answer, she'd read the file.
"no, we couldn't even get through the gates. The entire thing's been sealed up for a year and a half." Harry paused as he listened to the subtleties of his best friend's breathing, "where are you?" He already knew the answer.
"I'm standing at the Malfoy's door." her tone was matter-of-fact. Her breath was rapid.
"Get away from there, Hermione, I'm sending people now." She heard her best friend's feet pounding as he ran towards his home study and his floo.
"There's someone in here. I saw them through the window." She said gently, "what if they've been trapped." She pushed the door, and it swung open obligingly. The only smell that billowed forth was dust.
"Granger's gone in!" she heard Harry shout to an unseen Auror through the Floo. "Hermione, don't go in!" he turned his attention back to the phone.
"too late." She uttered as she scanned the grand entry hall with her wand light, there was no blood, she'd imagined the place would be full of it, but she couldn't see any. Just large dust sheets hanging over pieces of furniture. Her fingers tingled with anticipation as she made her way through room after room. Each blind turn made her heart pound. Each dark corner took her breath away.
"Hello?" a small voice came from behind her when she reached the centre of what appeared to be an office. She swung on the spot; her light finally fell on a figure. He raised his arm to his eyes to shield himself "Drop your wand" Hermione yelled, instinct and training taking over "Drop your wand and keep your hands where I can see them."
"I don't know…" he yelled back, his voice mirrored hers in panic and fear "I don't know what you're talking about." He held his open hands up in surrender, "don't hurt me." He sounded so little.
"Malfoy?" Hermione, now able to breathe again, was staring at the scarecrow cowering in front of her. His limbs were rake-thin, his face gaunt and his hair long and dishevelled "Draco Malfoy?" it bore repeating, he'd been missing since the day before he was deemed 'innocent' by the Wizengamot. The whole world had assumed the craven Malfoy heir had bolted to live it up on an island in the sun or that he'd been killed by literally anyone. Everybody had enough motive.
"You know me?" he asked; his voice shook, he didn't move from his position of submission.
Hermione ignored his question, unsure what to make of it and answered her phone, which had been buzzing incessantly since she hung up on Harry. "WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?" Harry Yelled as soon as she pressed the green button.
"I've found Draco Malfoy." She responded, careful not to take her wand off him.
"WE'RE STUCK… what?" Harry stopped his yelling, caught off by her words.
"I think he's been trapped in here the whole time."
"You were looking for me?" Malfoy asked, gazing up at her from in between his outstretched hands.
"shut up Malfoy." She shot before turning her attention back to Harry.
"We're stuck at the gate." He was saying, "can you walk him out?"
"on it." Hermione hung up once again, knowing it would vex Harry endlessly.
"come on then Malfoy." She reached for his arm and pulled him too easily from his grovelling half-crouch. He was made of nothing now.
"When was the last time you ate?" she asked as she guided him from the room with no protest. She also noted how unbothered he was by her touch.
"the food ran out." He said distractedly as they reached the front door. It had closed behind her, and for a second, Hermione feared it wouldn't open again, but it did at her merest touch. She heard surprised shouts as she emerged from the manor, a dozen Aurors waiting impotently at the gate stared open-mouthed.
"We'll get you to a healer." She said as they drew closer to the waiting men, one of them apparated away, no doubt to report back to the minister that the missing Malfoy had been found. Draco Malfoy stopped in his tracks "What the hell was that?" he asked with terror.
"what was what?" she turned to look at him.
"That man just… he just vanished." Draco Malfoy glanced around him nervously.
"He apparated Malfoy." Hermione grabbed his arm once again, forcing him forward despite his current protest.
"and what on earth does that mean? And why are you all holding sticks? And…" Draco Malfoy was starting to lose his breath "what is going on?" he yelled, his voice full of anxiety, his eyes full of tears.
"Take him to Saint Mungo's at once" Hermione attempted to hand the now sobbing Malfoy off to one of Harry's colleagues, but they all stepped back with raised hands "chain of custody." A man yelped as an explanation.
"Harry!" Hermione roared, "tell them."
"take him to the healers' Jeff." Harry commanded, "he's not a wanted man. He's not under arrest… no paperwork at all." Jeff didn't look like he believed his boss but obliged.
"Now, Hermione, let's walk up to your gaff and discuss how you managed to walk through a wall of wards like they didn't exist." Harry flung his arm over Hermione's shoulder and led her away from the law-men and the terrified Draco Malfoy.