Survive !

Draco looked at his broken wand in the palm of his hand. It was his most precious possession and it had just been destroyed. He'd had it for so many years that sometimes he felt like it was an extension of his mind, even his arm. Didn't the old wand-maker on Traverse Road say something to that effect ? Draco felt as if he could hear Mr. Ollivander's voice echoing in his head : "The wand chooses its wizard, not the other way around." At the time, Draco had called him an old fool. But after all these years of practicing magic with her, he understood all too well what the wizard had meant.

The blonde was still staring at his wand, looking dazed. By Merlin, how could such a catastrophe have happened ? He wished he had an explanation, but nothing came to mind. Suddenly a terrible scream echoed from the castle; a bloodcurdling scream ! Draco snapped out of his stupor : Lord Voldemort was furious.

The Slytherin dropped the broken, irreparable pieces of his wand. He grabbed Hermione's arm and forced her to her feet.

— "Move it, Granger !" he ordered her.

The brunette could do nothing but follow him as he pulled her vigorously after him. They walked briskly to the nearby forest. Draco wanted to put as much distance as possible between them and the castle. Especially since he had no way to cast any protective spells around them.

— "Malfoy...," the brunette called to make him slow down.

But the wizard didn't answer her call ; he just kept moving forward and out of sight. His senses were alert ; he listened for the slightest suspicious noise around them.

— "Malfoy !" the Gryffindor repeated more forcefully.

— "What ?" he replied with annoyance.

— "I'm... I'm sorry," the young woman announced in a soft voice filled with compassion bordering on pity.

— "For what ?" the wizard gasped.

— "You know very well why...," the brunette answered as if it were obvious.

— "Shut up Granger ! You're going to get us spotted," he whispered before resuming his journey through the forest.

Hermione didn't insist on explaining to him how she felt. But she did feel compassion for the Slytherin. Losing a wand was a very painful thing for a wizard ; it was something that should never happen because there was a very special bond between the magical object and its owner.

They walked like this for at least thirty minutes, stopping briefly to listen to their surroundings. After a while, Hermione couldn't help but speak again.

— "What's next ? What's the plan ?"

— "To find a safe place," the blond man said without stopping.

— "Where is it ?"

— "Over there !" Draco pointed as they emerged onto a vast flat expanse.

A village was visible a little further on, on the edge of the forest. The wizard looked up : there was nothing. No Dementor. No wizards. No one was flying around. The young man began to pull again on the arm of his parcel, but met with slight resistance.

— "Let go of me, Draco !" the Gryffindor witch demanded sharply, "you're hurting me."

The blond glowered at him but he agreed to loosen his grip.

— "You stay by my side and until we are safe, you keep your mouth shut ! Is that understood, Granger ?"

She sighed with weariness ; she had no choice but to follow him ! She did not like having to stay in his presence, and while she waited for better conditions, he was still her only hope of staying safe.

They began to walk to the village in almost religious silence, watching out for the slightest noise or suspicious movement. As they got closer and closer, Hermione realised that it was a Muggle village. But the sight before her eyes made her clench her fists. The village had been abandoned by its inhabitants, or so the witch secretly hoped. Most of the buildings had been destroyed. Rubble was piled up here and there. Cars were mostly burnt out or crushed on top of each other. Basically, everything Muggle-specific had been savagely destroyed ; a testament to the visceral hatred the Death Eaters felt for the Muggle world.

— "You monsters...," Hermione muttered in deep disgust.

The wizard paid no attention to the brunette's remark, he looked up and down the streets for a place to hide. He noticed a house that was still intact because it was much further back than the others. He nodded to Hermione to follow him. They climbed the small steps of the porch and approached the door. Draco tried to open it, without success. He pushed a little harder thinking it was just locked on the other side.

— "It's a Muggle lock ! You can't push it open..."

Hermione paused in her explanation when she saw the blond make a slight movement with his hand in front of the door and it opened. Magic without a wand ? Was Draco capable of that ? she wondered silently. Very few wizards had this ability to use simple spells without a wand. And as Hermione thought about it, she remembered that the only wizard she had ever seen perform this feat was the late Professor Dumbledore.

— "Hurry up !" ordered Draco, who had crossed the threshold of the front door.

The witch entered in turn before Draco quickly closed the door behind her. They were plunged into darkness.

— "And now ?" asked the brunette who didn't want to go any further without seeing a bit more clearly.

— "You allow it !" said the blond man who seemed to be looking for something in his pockets, was exasperated.

After a few seconds, a faint glow appeared. Draco was holding some sort of orb in his hand that provided a bit of light. It was enough for them to see where they were going. They walked along the entrance hallway until they reached a room on their left : the kitchen. The layer of dust on the worktop and table showed that the house had been uninhabited for some time. The curtains were open and let in the light from outside. Draco hurried to close them and as quietly as possible pushed the table away from the window.

But once he had done that, Draco stopped, not knowing what else to do. He looked briefly at the brunette who was leaning against the doorframe. She looked exhausted and extremely pale. The wizard remembered that she was hungry; but what could he possibly find in this Muggle kitchen ? If only he still had his wand !

— "Granger ? Where do you get food in this place ?" he asked, looking around the room they were in.

— "We're in a kitchen, Malfoy. Look in the cupboards !" she replied, annoyed at the obvious.

The wizard glared at her before moving towards the furniture. It was a servant's task, but the blond man did it anyway, giving up the idea of entrusting her to the witch he knew was close to fainting. He opened several cupboards before coming across some canned food. He had no idea what they were but the picture of a pineapple made him hope that they were food. He grabbed the can and showed it to the brunette.

— "Can you eat it ?" he asked skeptically.

— "Yes !" she replied with great enthusiasm.

At the witch's positive response, Draco grabbed several boxes and placed them on the table. But another question came to mind, he didn't know how the food inside could be eaten. There had to be a way to get it out of the metal container. He winced at the thought that muggles had some very strange practices for storing food.

— "And how do you eat these... these..."

— "Cans, Malfoy. They're cans. We need a can opener."

The blond inhaled slowly as he pursed his lips. He didn't like it when Hermione was being a know-it-all, and he was making a considerable effort to ask her for help. Hermione, on the other hand, was far too tired to be happy about the predicament Draco was in. She never imagined that she would ever have to explain to the Slytherin how to open a tin can. She gathered her last bit of strength and made her way to the kitchen cabinets. She opened one of the drawers where the utensils were. She rummaged around a bit and found what she was looking for. She finally collapsed on one of the chairs and ran to one of the boxes. At this moment Hermione didn't care about manners. She opened the first box she had grabbed and poked her fork inside. She pulled out a pale yellow slice, dripping with juice, and gobbled it up almost in one sitting. There was really nothing graceful about the way she ate.

Draco saw that she could regain some strength and left her in the room. Even though they hadn't heard anything since they entered the house, he decided to check if the place was really empty of occupants. The house was not large; opposite the kitchen was the living room and at the end of the corridor a bathroom and two bedrooms. All these rooms were unoccupied and had been for some time, given the dust that had settled in them. The wizard returned to the kitchen where Hermione was eating a second pineapple picture box.

He stood behind the curtains and observed the outside. Everything was quiet, no movement on the ground or in the air. Had his plan worked ? Did the Dark Lord consider them to have perished in the explosion ? Draco hoped so, though he had no idea how they would continue on their way without a wand.

— "What now ?" the brunette asked, her mouth not entirely empty of her slice of fruit.

— "For now we stay here. You eat and we rest; tomorrow we hit the road. I don't want to drag out the time to find out whether or not they think we're dead."

— "And then what ?" she insisted to find out the blonde's motives.

— "Are you stupid or are you doing this on purpose, Granger ? I didn't do all this to keep you around ! What am I supposed to do with a..."

The wizard couldn't finish his sentence, as if something was blocking him. The young woman did not take offence at the insult that he was surely going to hurl at her again.

— "So why did you do all this ? We've always hated each other ! You're a monster ! You've killed dozens if not hundreds of innocent people ! You're nothing but a pawn in Voldemort's game..."

— "Don't say his name !" he exclaimed sharply.

— "It's only a name ! Vol...

Hermione couldn't finish her sentence: Draco had moved quickly and was pressing his hand against her mouth. He was staring at her with his steely gaze ; there was no anger or threat in his eyes but rather a warning.

— "The Dark Lord has a way of knowing when he is being spoken of ! So stop saying his name !"

The witch had a surprised expression on her face. She had never thought that their enemy had such an ability, but she understood even more why the other side had such an advantage over them. The Order were not afraid to speak Voldemort's name ; thinking they were doing the right thing, they had continued to perpetuate the habit of calling their enemy by his name. As she realised this, she thought of all the people who had died when they could have escaped their doom if they had all been more careful. In rage, she pulled away from the blonde's hand with vigour, as if she had been burned just by his touch. She winced and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. They both defied each other for a brief moment, but this silent fight would lead to nothing useful.

— "So what ? If you're not going to keep me by your side, where are you going to take me ?"

— "To France."

— "... where ?" she asked.

— "You're so stupid, Granger !"

— "How... how are you..."

— "Know that your Order is there ? I just know, that's all. Eat and stop asking questions !"

But the witch couldn't be satisfied with such an answer. The Slytherin had a knack for not answering all the questions she asked clearly. And that was particularly annoying for the young woman who couldn't stand not understanding things.

— "Did Severus tell you ?"

— "Why would he ?"

— "You were always his favourite at school and Harry told me he was your godfather."

— "Holy Potter and his big mouth..."

— "Am I right ?"

The blond didn't answer anything, he went back to the window in silence, leaving the brunette without an answer.

— "But why did you do that ? Why did you set me free ? You hate Harry as much as I do ! Your actions are totally contradictory, Malfoy ! You are known as the right hand man of... the Dark Lord and you save my life to bring me back to your enemies ! Answer me ! This doesn't make any sense !"

Draco remained silent, his gaze fixed on the outside, deaf to Hermione's tirade. Hermione was stunned by his lack of reaction ! After several seconds, she added :

— "If you know where the Order is, take me back there immediately ! You can finally get rid of the package I am for you !"

— "And how ?" he asked as if it were obvious.

— "You call me stupid, but you're just as stupid as I am. By apparating, of course !"

The wizard turned to her again and glared.

— "This is no longer stupidity, Grange r! It's total recklessness ! No one is allowed to apparate outside the Dark Lord's castle ! All of England is under a tracking spell ! Anyone who uses this means is immediately spotted by the Death Eaters !"

Hermione opened her mouth but no sound came out. She was now aware of the full extent of the enemy camp's power. The Order of the Phoenix had been totally outmatched by the schemes they had put in place to counter them. Draco had just given her another explanation for why they had lost the war.

— "You see why you need to get your strength back ! It's going to be a long way to France," the wizard added before resuming his observation from the window.

The kitchen fell silent, everyone lost in their own thoughts. Hermione started to eat again ; she knew she needed to eat to get her mind right. Then she got up and went to the cupboards to look for something else. When she found the glasses, she picked one up and headed for the sink. Luckily the water was still flowing and looked perfectly drinkable. She took a very long sip and sighed loudly in relief.

— "Aren't you going to eat ?" the witch asked, turning back to the young man.

— "No," he replied without showing the surprise he felt at her question.

The young woman walked over to the table, opened another can of pineapple and handed it to Malfoy. Malfoy turned towards her when he sensed that she was close to him. He nodded from the open can to the witch.

— "You should eat too," she added, waving the can gently under his nose. "There's no danger of you eating pineapple, look at me, did something bad happen to me ?"

The blond seemed to hesitate for a moment before grabbing the can she was holding out to him. After all, eating wouldn't hurt him and it would be a really long way to their destination. He stuck his fork into the slice, drained it for a moment before taking a bite. He was surprised by the taste and texture; it was nothing like fresh fruit, but it wasn't so bad.

— "How are we going to make it to France without apparate ?"

— "On foot," Draco replied softly, without taking his eyes off the small window opening.

— "On foot !" Hermione repeated a little too loudly for the Death Eater's taste.

— "Keep it down Granger !" Draco said, rolling his eyes. "I didn't risk my life to have you spot us !"

— "You're really going to walk all the way across Britain from Scotland ?!" said Hermione, "It'll take us months..."

— "I've already told you, we can't go by plane and risk being spotted and intercepted. Forget the air route, with all the Dementor roaming the country, we might as well turn back and be taken prisoner. The whole chimney network is also under his control. There's only one thing left to do : go by ourselves."

Hermione looked down at the possibilities that were denied them. How could they get across the country safely, without being intercepted ? There had to be another way, a way to divert the magic controlled by the Dark Lord. The witch tried to think of all the other alternatives that existed.

— "Portkey ? she asked, for she knew it was a completely separate magic.

— "Do you know how to make it ?" he asked, raising an eyebrow in scepticism.

— "No... but maybe... "

— "I don't have a wand anymore and I don't know how to make one anyway," he admitted.

Hermione sighed in discouragement : they had no easier solution than to travel for weeks or months and all together. But why, by Merlin, did he have to go with her ? He could very well leave her to fend for herself. She had hated him for so long that she didn't understand his behaviour. Nothing made sense. He was supposed to be the Dark Lord's right-hand man, but he hadn't hesitated to kill dozens of Death Eaters to help him escape from the fortress. Was he really a traitor ? Or was it a Machiavellian plan to get her to tell him secrets about the Order ? Had he pretended to know where he was so that she would tell him herself ? He had come at the wrong time : she had not had time to be informed of the exact location. So many questions were running through her head and none of them had a concrete, tangible answer.

— "Malfoy..."

— "What ?"

— "Why would you become a traitor to your blood and name to free a Mudblood ?" she asked sharply as he gave her a cold look. "Why, you who have always proclaimed the supremacy of purebloods, do you now turn your back on your master ?"

— "I have my reasons... and they are none of your business !"

— "Always so egocentric ! Everything is always about your little navel !" she retorted sarcastically.

— "Aren't you glad you're still alive ? You should be thanking me for getting you out of there instead of bugging me with all your questions !"

The witch opened her mouth but changed her mind. He was right on that point, she should have thanked him for sparing her a lot of torture and torment. But she couldn't be satisfied with that ; she couldn't believe that Draco Malfoy had done all this out of sheer goodwill.

— "Why ?!"

— "It's the same word over and over again, it's all you can think of : why this, why that ? Can't you just stop being an insufferable busybody ?"

— "Why ?" Hermione insisted, wanting answers. "Why is the heir of House Malfoy disgracing himself by saving me ?"

The blond crossed his arms before breaking eye contact with the brunette. He looked out the window once more to make sure no one was around. Then, after a few long seconds, he answered :

— "I'm only half a Malfoy..."

This answer caught Hermione off guard, she had expected many things, but not this answer.

— "This does not answer my question."

— "I am not like my father ! I don't forget where I come from. Yes, I claim the importance of blood ! I come from two great pureblood families : I am the son of Lucius Malfoy and Narcissa Black."

Hermione wanted to retort that he was indeed his father's son and even more ruthless than his sire. However, something in his last sentence made her frown.

— "Black ? Your mother is a Black ?"

— "Yes, so what ?" he asked as surprised as the young woman.

— "I thought Sirius was the last of his line... "

— "Only born Muggles like you would spout such nonsense ! Only true wizards know the blood ties between the great families, all ties, even those who deny their origins... just like that traitor Sirius...," he muttered at the end of his sentence.

— "Spare me your sarcasm, Malfoy," Granger shouted, controlling her voice.

— "For your information, Bellatrix Lestrange was born Black ; she is my mother's sister. Even though they took their husbands' names, blood never forgets where it came from. Sirius Black, their cousin, was by no means the last in his line, even if his name has been erased from our genealogy."

Hermione didn't miss a beat on this lecture about the Black bloodline. Was it the sugar in the pineapple ? But she had regained her sharpness of thought.

— "Kreatur !" she exclaimed with an enthusiasm that was incomprehensible to her interlocutor.

— "What ?"

— "Kreatur... the house elf in Harry's employ. He was Sirius's family elf and... and Sirius named Harry as his heir..."

— "And what does this story about the elf and Potter have to do with what I'm telling you about my family ?"

— "I'm getting there. Kreatur obeys Harry because he has no choice : it's the last order he received from Sirius. But Kreatur has always proclaimed his loyalty to the House of Black, so if you have Black blood in your veins as you tell me you do..."

The blond did not allow the brunette to finish her explanation ; he had immediately understood what she was getting at. He had never known that an elf belonging to his family was still alive and if this information was true, it would probably be their salvation !

— "Kreatur !" Draco said loudly in the same way he used to summon Dobby in the past.

Barely a second had passed when a pop was heard in the middle of the kitchen where they were standing. An old, crumpled, grimy house elf appeared and bowed to the blond.

— "The honorable master called the insignificant Kreatur ? What can Kreatur do for his magnificence ?" said the elf in a voice full of exaggerated deference.

— "Do you know where the headquarters of the Order is ?"

— "Yes, my lord."

— "Can you take us there ?" asked Draco hopefully.

The elf looked away at the "we" and saw that Draco was not alone in the room. However, when he recognized Hermione, he made a face that made him look even uglier than he already was.

— "Your highness wishes to travel in the company of the Mudblood ? It would be a great dishonour to..."

— "I have no use for your remarks ! Answer my question, elf !"

— "The magic that protects this place prevents me from carrying anyone from outside, my master," he replied, bowing almost to the ground.

Draco's hopes were dashed at this answer ; but he was still reassured that the members of the Order were not so stupid as to not think of protecting the magical access to their headquarters. However, Draco had an idea that occurred to him.

— "Do you know where the old Order of the Phoenix Headquarters is ?"

— "In the former house of my honourable mistress ? If my lord wishes me to take him and... and the Mudblood... I will do as my venerable master commands."

Draco didn't wait a second longer, he grabbed Hermione's hand as well as the house elf's.

— "Kreatur, I command you to teleport us to the main room of the old Blacks' house !"

— "As the lord commands," said Kreatur before bowing once more.

The two wizards felt as if they were passing through a tube and being compressed; the magic of the house elves was different from that of the transplants. But in no time they were in the middle of the living room, 12 Grimmaurd Square.

— "You may go, Kreatur. Don't tell anyone about what you've just done and how we met," Draco ordered before the elf bowed respectfully and disappeared.

Hermione was not entirely comfortable being in this house. Draco didn't pay it any mind, but he started to look around for something. Indeed, when he had been asking the elf all those questions, the blonde had remembered a discussion he had had with his godfather. As Severus was giving him the explosive vial, the Potions Master had said, "When you get to Grimmaurd Square, look for your house symbol."

It didn't take Draco long to find what his godfather was talking about: there it was ! On the edge of the fireplace was a prefect's badge, that of Slytherin House. The blond quickly stepped over the distance that separated him from the object and as soon as he grabbed it, he understood what it was : a portkey !

— "Thank you, godfather," Draco whispered to himself.

But his relief was short-lived, his senses were once again on alert : something was wrong. He turned sharply and saw his former master, Lord Voldemort, in the doorway. His red eyes glowed in the darkness of the room and Draco knew he was extremely angry. The blond reacted quickly and ran towards Granger who had not yet seen the danger. He should have been more careful ! The Death Eaters must have placed a whole bunch of detection spells in this house !

— "Avada kedavra !"

At the same time, Draco jumped on Granger and wrapped his arms around him before activating the portkey. The sensation of having a hook in your belly button and being pulled by it was always unpleasant to experience. A maelstrom erupted around them before they landed heavily on the ground.

— "Hermione ! Is that you ?"

— "Harry ?" the brunette asked completely stunned and disoriented.