Love and Other Misfortunes

Chapter 10

Hermione slowly regained consciousness. Her head felt leaden. Shifting as she tried to sit up, she found that her arms wouldn't move.

She froze. The fogginess in her mind disappeared as she began to take in her surroundings .

She wasn't in St Mungos. She was in a dark room, restrained, her arms tied to a chair.

She glanced around carefully, taking note of what she could see. She was in a bedroom of an abandoned house. An ancient bed with a large, dusty canopy was to her right. The light was dim as it streamed through the smudged glass and heavy drapes. It must have been hours since she'd lost consciousness.

There was a cold fireplace at her left. A heavy door led out of the room, slightly ajar. The room was strangely cold and damp for a summer's day.

It was a old wizarding home, she was certain. The sensation of ancient, faded magic hung over the place like a shroud.

She twisted her wrists, testing the ropes. They weren't cutting off her circulation, but the knots were tight, biting down into her skin enough she couldn't get loose from them. She shifted in the chair; if it was old it might be fragile. She pulled firmly at the arms, checking for any rotting.

As she twisted and tested her restraints, she thought back. Who had kidnapped her? Could it be in revenge for passing the WRA?

It must have been the tea. That was the flavor she'd found odd.

Pansy.

She froze.

She'd drunk the tea too and tried to take Hermione to the hospital.

She arched her neck, trying to look around and see if Pansy was in the room too.

She was alone.

Hermione tried to think. Her mind still felt hazy. Pansy had been taking her to St Mungo's, that was the last thing she remembered. They just have been apprehended on the way.

She scrunched up her eyes, trying to remember anything else, any details she'd missed.

"Awake now?"

Her eyes shot open.

"Pansy?" she gasped, looking at the woman in front of her with astonishment.

Pansy Parkinson stood in front of her, looking brittle enough to shatter. Her wand was clenched tightly in one fist. She gazed down at Hermione with an indecipherable expression.

"Are you alright?" Hermione leaned forwad. "What happened? Where are we?"

Pansy's face twisted slightly. "You still haven't figured it out." Her tone was almost pitying.

Hermione stared, her eyes widening.

"What are you doing, Pansy?" she asked after a moment.

"I'm saving Draco." Pansy said, straightening and tensing further.

"You know," she pivoted away from a Hermione and walked over to the gloomy window. "I've always been in love with him. Even before Hogwarts. We've known each other for as long as I can remember. I was sure that eventually we'd end up with each other. I tried everything to get his attention at school, and it never worked. I mean, we dated, but it was never serious for him. After the war, I thought that if I waited, he'd realise how I'd always been there, that I was important to him, that he couldn't do without me." She gave a brittle laugh. "I even became a journalist—because I thought it could be an asset for his family."

Hermione's mind was reeling. Pansy had kidnapped her.

Because of Malfoy?

She couldn't understand why. Was Pansy under the impression Hermione was some sort of competition for her so she was 'saving' Draco from having his bloodline sullied by Hermione?