Manacled by Senlinyu

Chapter 58: Flashback 33

May 2003

When Hermione woke, Draco was still beside her. He had a large stack of books he was cross-referencing. Hermione blinked and narrowed her eyes to read the titles and found he was researching Gringotts regulations and inheritance law.

"What are you doing?" she asked after a minute.

His eyes flicked up from the page he was on.

"Rodolphus Lestrange was found decoratively strung up in a number of pieces while traveling through Bulgaria."

Hermione swallowed. Gabrielle. It had her fingerprints all over it. Gabrielle's methods had grown increasingly ruthless and extreme in recent months.

"It was the reason for my summons," Draco said as he snapped the book closed. "The Dark Lord is incensed by the audacity of the assassination and—curiously enough—intensely concerned about who will have access to the Lestrange vault now."

Hermione froze, and her eyes widened. "Do you think—"

He gave a short nod. "The Lestranges would be an obvious choice to entrust with a horcrux. If my father was chosen, Bellatrix and her husband were equally likely. Old families with heirlooms and excellent security. Bellatrix transferred her inheritance as a Black into the Lestrange vault. Aside from Andromeda's daughter, who's currently a wanted criminal, I'm the last with Black blood. There are no more Lestranges unless a bastard crawls out of the woodwork. I believe that by blood and technicality, I may be able to access the vault."

Hermione's mind raced. "Bribe the goblins. They're highly possessive of anything goblin-made. If you agree to give them some of the Black or Lestrange heirlooms that are goblin-made, they'll cover up that you were ever there. That's how we got access to some of the vaults."

Draco's eyes glittered. "Useful."

He flicked his wand and summoned several vials from across the room. "Can you move?"

Hermione lifted her arm and tilted her chin downwards to look at her chest. At some point while she was asleep, Draco had banished the exoskeletal cast. The sheets were pulled carefully up to her regrown collarbones. Her fingers caught the fabric, but she hesitated and glanced up at him. "Is it bad?"

He shrugged, but his eyes were fastened on her face. "It's minor."

Hermione tensed her jaw slightly as she pulled the sheet back and stared at her chest.

It looked as though a tiny bomb had exploded from her sternum. The scarring was concentrated in the dead centre of her chest and then spattered in tinier scars up toward her shoulders and down over the tops of her breasts.

She could feel Draco's eyes on her although he didn't move. She blinked hard as she studied it.

She swallowed slowly.

The scarring was quite minor considering the injury. She was hardly disfigured. It wouldn't have any lifelong consequences. With time, it would fade. She knew she could treat it so that it would fade.

She was very lucky. A few scars were nothing compared to the injuries other people in the Resistance would carry for life.

It was fine. She would just wear shirts with a high neckline.

She swallowed again and looked up at Draco, who was still watching her carefully. She forced a smile. "How—how many vials of Dittany did you use on me to manage this?" She dropped the sheet and pressed her hands against it.

Draco rolled his eyes. "Still not as many as you've used on me."

She gave a wry smile. "Your scars are prettier than mine."