𝚂𝚎𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚜 & 𝙻𝚒𝚎𝚜 ||𝙳.𝙼 𝙵𝚊𝚗𝚏𝚒𝚌||

From Vaults to Shadows

Olivia Montgomery's POV

I groan as I stir awake, a sharp pain pulsing from my stomach reminding me of everything that's happened. It takes a moment to adjust, but when I finally open my eyes, the first thing I see is Hermione—fast asleep, right beside me, our fingers still intertwined.

A small, tired smile tugs at my lips. Her hair is a wild halo across her face, so I gently brush it back and cup her cheek. I lean in and press a soft kiss to her forehead. Her warmth—Merlin, it feels like home.

I've missed this. I've missed them.

How I've longed to escape that godforsaken place.

No offence, Draco.

None taken, darling ;)

The door creaks open, and Ron steps inside. The moment his eyes land on me, he rushes over. "Hello," I whisper as he wraps his arms around me. I hiss softly at the pressure on my wound. "Ronald, you're hurting her!" Hermione scolds, sitting up with a sleepy frown and rubbing her eyes.

"That's quite alright, Hermione," I say, still holding Ron. "I missed him." He doesn't pull away, and neither do I. "What were you doing in Malfoy's house?" he asks, voice laced with anger just as Harry walks in.

"You're okay!" Harry beams and runs to hug me too. "Not – quite – yet," Hermione mutters, smacking his arm between each word. Harry pulls back quickly, and the three of them are now staring at me, waiting. I take a deep breath. "The day I left for work? That was the day You-Know-Who kidnapped me."

"What?" they shout in unison.

"Yeah... I was just packing for the Burrow. He came out of nowhere. I was locked away for three months—no human contact, barely any food. He tortured me, cruciated me for hours. The letter I sent Fred..." I trail off when I see their confused faces.

"I guess you'd already left for the Horcrux hunt," I say softly.

"The first thing he did was search my mind. For information. Anything useful. I blocked everything about you three," I say, meeting Harry's eyes. "Everything."

"I showed him what he wanted to see. That I was a Slytherin. That I was close to Draco. That I had no idea where you were." I glance down at the ring on my finger. "Malfoy..." Harry mutters, his tone skeptical. "But looking at you, it doesn't exactly seem like you were held captive."

"That's because I wasn't. Not for the past month," I say, finally looking up at Hermione.

"Why not?" Ron asks.

Before I can answer, Fleur steps into the room. "The goblin is ready to talk," she says, and Harry nods. "Let's go," I say, shoving the covers back. "Whoa, whoa, whoa—where do you think you're going?" Ron says, pushing me gently back onto the bed.

"With you," I argue. "Oh, come on, haven't I missed enough?"

"Right now, you need rest. So you're going to rest," he says sternly. I sigh. "At least let me walk around the house, please?" I give him the full puppy-dog eyes. They exchange glances, then reluctantly agree. Ron helps me down the stairs, and I settle at the table beside Bill.

"How are you feeling, blondie?" he asks. "Better now that I'm here with all of you," I say, sipping from the mug Hermione brewed for me. I immediately gag. "Bleh."

"That bad?" Bill chuckles. I nod, nose scrunching.

After some light conversation, Luna floats down the stairs like a moonbeam. "Luna!" I exclaim, standing and wrapping my arms around her. "Liv," she says with that dreamy softness, hugging me back. "How are you?"

"Better now that you're okay," she answers, then her gaze drops to my hand. "That's quite a nice ring you've got there." My eyes dart around to make sure the Trio isn't listening. If they find out I'm engaged to Draco Malfoy right now, I will never hear the end of it.