The Gloriana Set

Wild For Hold

Hold on to your shorts for this one, folks, because we're gonna meet the one and only Lucius Malfoy. Writing this chapter gave me heart palpitations.

"Azkaban? Lucius Malfoy?"

Ron reacted about how Hermione expected he would: sputtering in outrage and repeating himself. It was only natural, she thought, trying to be patient as she explained her plan. Yes, Lucius was an evil git; yes, he plotted against muggle-borns from Azkaban; yes, Astoria Greengrass was a walking nightmare who deserved to choke on those bloody diamonds; and yes, once Astoria was free of the necklace she'd probably murder the lot of them—Malfoys, muggle-borns and all.

"She's a loon, I tell you," Ron said hoarsely, convinced that if Hermione heard enough horrid stories about Astoria, she'd see sense and they'd spend the day at the Three Broomsticks instead. "George told me about that Inter-House Quidditch match—he said Greengrass nearly killed her own Chaser with a broom!"

"She just beat him around the head a few times. He's fine," Hermione said. She checked her watch as they continued along the tunnel. They needed to quicken their steps if she was going to be back by dinner.

"I still say if anyone needs to be collared, it's Astoria Greengrass," Ron went on stubbornly as he followed. "She gave me the creeps. Narcissa Malfoy did us all a favor, really, and you want to free the bint?"

"Narcissa didn't do Draco a favor," Hermione said. "Astoria's hiding behind furniture and pouncing on him!"

Well, that delayed things a bit further, because Ron practically fell on the tunnel floor laughing. Hermione had to drag him by the arm to keep him moving, which gave her ample time to regret not sneaking off alone.

Ron sobered once they left the passageway and stood in Honeyduke's cellars, preparing to Apparate. He still couldn't believe Hermione planned to interview the worst dark wizard alive to help some Bellatrix-In-Training.

"Be reasonable, Mi," he begged, a hand on the wand she'd raised to Apparate them. "If you're looking to help people, let's find some who deserve it. You're always talking about taking soup to Knockturn Alley. We could do that today. Or we could free some house elves."

Ron beamed suddenly. "I know, we could make a list of all the reasons Gawain Robards is an idiot and shouldn't be Minister of Magic, and pass out copies at Diagon Alley. You'd like that, wouldn't you? You could lecture people all day long."

"That would be a lovely day with you, Ron," Hermione admitted. "But I promised Astoria. Draco and I can't have any future with her baying after him like a rabid bloodhound."

Ron just shook his head; he obviously didn't see any future ahead for her and Draco, Astoria or no. But he quit trying to tempt her with social justice campaigns and released her wand.

"It will be fine, you'll see," Hermione said, taking his arm. "It will be a nice seaside outing."

***

The Azkaban Pier looked anything but inviting on that November day. Hermione and Ron Apparated to a windswept, rocky beach just down the waterfront and climbed the wooden steps to the deserted boardwalk. It was barely noon, but fog was already swirling in from the North Sea, giving the scene a twilight feel. A weak sun glowered behind thick clouds.

Hermione had last been there with Kingsley, just a day after the Battle of Hogwarts, to welcome the innocent Muggle-borns newly released from Azkaban. The isolated island fortress could be accessed only by ship; no Apparating, no owls, not even a Patronus was possible. On that May afternoon, the sun had been bright, the boardwalk's iron railings were hung with flowery garlands, and cheering friends and relatives of the released prisoners swarmed the waterfront.