Treasure Hunt | Dramione ✔

Chapter Twenty Five

"It's been a while since Granger left," Theo mumbles sleepily, turning towards Draco, who was munching on an apple with his eyes closed.

Draco swallows and glances behind Theo, narrowing his eyes. "Did she take her wand?" He asks.

"Nope," he replies, popping the 'p', "lets wait for a while before drowning ourselves in worry."

Draco only nods, his eyes glued where the witch had walked off to.

ooo

Hermione grumbles as a throbbing pain builds inside her head. She tries to lift a hand, but is unable to. She hears the shackle of chains and dread pools in the pit of her stomach. She tries to move, and gasps when sharp steel digs into her arms and legs.

She was blindfolded, her mouth was taped shut, and she was chained to a stone wall. Literally.

"Look who's awake," someone purrs. Hermione snaps her head in the direction of the voice, trying to remain calm. She tries to speak, but the tape muffles everything that comes out of her mouth.

The man chuckles, and goosebumps erect on Hermione's skin.

"Don't even bother trying, Hermione," he emphasises her name. She catches a whiff of his ghastly breath, and has to swallow a few times to keep herself from gagging.

"A one sided conversation isn't much fun, is it?" He tsks.

Good, she thinks. At least he'll remove the- "aah!" She cries out as he rips the tape off her mouth.

"There there. Not so strong, are you?" The person laughs.

"Who are you?" She asks defiantly.

"I doubt you know me, Miss Granger," he replies.

"What do want from me?" She questions, barely keeping herself from licking her chapped and torn lips.

"You talk too much," he huffs. "Perhaps we should try this," he says, and sticks the tape back onto her bruised lips, making her wince in pain.

Next thing she knows, the weight of the blindfold disappears from her eyes and she exhales a sharp breath. Cracking her eyes open slowly, she comes face to face with someone she had never seen before. The man standing in front of her looked roughly around her age. His eyes were a sharp blue colour and his features pointed. Apart from the light stubble on his chin (which was quite uneven), he looked rather normal. Not someone who'd abduct her and chain her to a wall.

"This isn't fun either," he drawls. Hermione squeezes her eyes shut to prevent herself from crying out loud as he rips the tape off her mouth once more. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

She feels warm liquid dribbling down the side of her mouth, and she's horrified to find evidence of it all when the man lifts the tape and shows it to her.

"Who are you?" She asks fiercely.

The man chuckles. "Feisty. Feisty," he taunts. Lifting an ugly finger, he traces the curve of her jaw. Hermione turns her head away, glaring at him. "Who are you?" She yells at him, hoping someone might hear them.

He pulls his hand away and pushes his tongue in his cheek. "That's no way to talk, Miss Granger."

For the first time since opening her eyes, Hermione takes note of her surroundings. The place looks an awful lot like a cave and she shudders involuntarily. What if this man was a werewolf? What did he want? Who was the other person? So many questions....If only this bastard would answer.

"Your curiosity is killing you, isn't it?" He snickers. "Well Miss, let's not make it any harder than it already is," he says before pulling out his wand.

Hermione's eyes widen in alarm and then the only sound in her ears are her own screams.

ooo

"Fucking stupid witch. Who the fuck doesn't carry their wand with them?" Draco grumbles under his breath as he walks alongside Theo. They'd been wandering around the forest, looking for any sign of Hermione Granger, but none was found.

"What in Merlin's could've happened?" Theo huffs, kicking a stone from his path.

Draco scowls into the air, his mind playing the worst scenarios inside his head. "I don't see a sign of a fucking wild animal," he grumbles. "Ticked that off the list," Theo mutters. "May be she was...uh..you know..taking a dump?"

Draco sneers at him, "who takes an hour for that?"

"Granger...maybe."

Draco shakes his head and tries to calm his frantic heart. She was safe. She is safe. She's Hermione Granger. And no one messes with Hermione Granger.

"Fuck!" He roars in frustration, and pulls his hair. "Draco," Theo says cautiously, "we'll find her."

"What if it was bloody Krum?" Draco's eyes narrow and his hand clenches tighter around his wand.

"Let's not assume things until-" Theo begins, but Draco cuts him off. "Until what? What if it's already too late. It's been a whole fucking hour, Theo! And Hermione is not stupid to take a stroll in the forest without informing us, or without even taking her wand!"

By the time he's done speaking, his eyes turn red and the vein on his forehead becomes visible. Theo mumbles something under his breath and then motions Draco to continue walking.

ooo

Three hours and twenty four minutes have passed without a sign of the curly haired witch. Theo looks at Draco and his lips pull down into a frown. Though he may not show on the outside, Theo knew Draco better than anyone else.

The frequent clench of his jaw and the twitching of his fingers around his wand indicated his level of stress. The man was head over heels in love with Granger; had been since third year. Draco would rather die before he admitted out loud, but Theo knew him like he knew himself.

The constant nagging about Granger and her cronies, the unwanted insults he threw at her in the hallways of Hogwarts, all the hidden glances and all the times he protected her by putting himself at stake.

Granger had turned his head around, hell she'd even turned his life around.
Theo still remembers how all breath had been knocked out of Draco's lungs when she'd entered the Great Hall on Viktor Krum's arm in fourth year. Draco had blamed it on the fact that he couldn't believe how someone like Viktor Krum could stoop so low. But, Theo knew better.

Draco hadn't been able to stop himself from sneaking glances at her throughout the night. Hell he had even followed her out when she'd left the Great Hall, with angry tears streaming down her face. Theo had never seen Draco look so confused and helpless.

Draco was lucky to have him by his side throughout Hogwarts. Of course that prat would never admit it out loud, but Theo knew he was appreciated. They had grown up together; him and Draco. Fuck they had even cried together when Granger was captured and tortured only a few days after his Luna was. That had been the beginning of their brotherhood.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Theo lays a hand on Draco's shoulder which was as stiff as a rock. "We'll find her," Theo says sincerely. "I swear on Salazar's grave, we'll find her."

Draco says nothing, his eyes void of any emotion as they continue to walk through the forest, looking for Hermione Granger.

A/N: Any guesses? 😎