DEVOTED | dramione ✓

| Thirty-seven

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37

B A T T L E

F O R

L O V E

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HERMIONE STEPS INTO THE ROOM WITH HER OWN WAND DRAWN. Narcissa glances at her, then her eyes dart back to Snape.

"Good," she says over her shoulder. "You're both here just in time to find out what this coward was planning." She flicks her wand at Snape and he is lashed, revealing a set of scars comparable to Pansy and Blaise's.

"You don't know what you're talking about, you old bat." Snape wipes at the blood with his sleeve, but the cuts keep pulsing out more. "You're a fool, just like your husband."

"He was only a fool to trust you," Draco replies from behind Hermione.

She turns to watch him further descend the stairs to reach his mother's side, his own wand drawn as well.

"What has he done? Where are the others?" Hermione glances around the room, but there's no trace of the rebellion members, or of Pansy and Blaise.

"They went to fight the Dark Lord because they believe you're already there. He was planning on stealing the time turner this entire time, to use it against us, to help him." She points her wand to the doorway at the end of the hall, to where the front door is.

Standing in the doorway is a dark figure, cloaked and soaking wet from the rain outside. He steps inside the house and instantly he dodges Draco's Avada curse. The lime green bolt narrowly missing his arm.

Tom laughs, and it sends a shiver down Hermione's spine. This is not what they had planned.

"Now, now, Draco," he says in a silken voice. "Is that how you greet an old friend?"

"We were never friends," Draco spits. "You used me. You used her. You used everyone. It was never about friendship, or even comradery with you. It was about control."

Tom looks at Hermione.

"Ah, Hermione. My starring pupil. You look as ravishing as ever, and you've completed your task of finding Draco. Excellent. Now, you may join me once more among the Devoted. Come." He motions for her to join his side. A cruel smile twists his face.

Hermione suddenly can't breathe, the world is a hundred degrees of fury waiting to swallow her whole. She wants to sway and fall into the darkness, but suddenly she can hear someone talking to her. A calm voice that leads her back into the light. It's Draco, speaking through his mind. Hermione is using her Legilimency to listen to him.

It will be all right -

Go -

Run as far as you can -

She turns to him upon seeing the final plans laid out for her - she is to go to King's Cross on the day she met Peter for the first time and kill him.

She nods, and then Draco raises his wand. She watches as he attempts to disarm Tom, but the other wizard is too strong, keeping hold of his weapon and striking back. He throws a restraining spell across the hall, and it narrowly misses Hermione. She takes that as her cue to leave.

Hermione runs down the hall, passing the living room where Narcissa and Snape are dueling like a pair of dancers, elegant and fatally perfect in every step. They're so synchronized, it will be a wonder if either of them even fails or if they'll simply tire themselves out.

She keeps running, aiming for the back door when it bursts open and in steps Bellatrix and in front of her, Theo Nott. The first cackles loudly.

"Thought you got rid of me that easily, did you? Get her, Nott!" She points her wand at Hermione just as she dodges left, missing the other woman's assault by inches.

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