She huddled against the manor and tried to guess when ten minutes had passed. Her feet and hands were aching into the bones from the chill.
She was feeling very regretful about wherever her cloak had ended up. Apparently she did still have a little bit of Gryffindor impetuousness left. Just enough to allow herself to occasionally do very stupid things. Now that her rage and horror had eased slightly, she was able to appreciate her impulsive idiocy more.
Trying to stick it to Malfoy by refusing the care he was mandated to provide was not hurting anyone but herself. It was like refusing to eat. Weakening herself to show him she could still be obstinate was the exact opposite of what she should be doing. Malfoy wasn't going to become careless if he thought she still had fight in her.
She was cutting off her nose to spite her face.
She groaned and smacked her head against the wall of the manor.
A minute later the sound of crunching gravel caught her attention. She looked up to find Malfoy approaching once more.
His expression was cold as the wind.
He reached out and dropped her cloak at her feet.
“You found it,” she said, looking down.
“Magic. The Accio spell is quite useful for those of us who can still use it,” he said with a cruel smirk. “Are you going to get up, or shall I drag you? I do have more to life than merely monitoring you. There are so many Muggles still alive. There are also several house-elves I haven't kicked lately.”
He smiled thinly at her.
Hermione bit her tongue. Picking up the cloak, she stood and wrapped it around herself. He turned sharply on his heel and strode back to the veranda. He stopped by the door and waited for her to catch up.
When she reached him, she realised he had paled slightly and was staring at the ground behind her. She turned and saw that she had left bloody footprints across the white marble. He grew faintly contemplative as he studied them.
“Surprised to realise our blood looks the same?” she asked in a mild voice.
He sneered.
“All blood looks the same. My hounds bleed the same colour. So do my house-elves. The question of superiority is answered by power. Given that I am the master of the hounds, and the elves, and you, I do believe the answer to that question is sufficiently clear.”
“Yet I'm the one intended to give you heirs,” Hermione said, meeting his eye with her own cold expression.
“
“I suppose I can't have you ruining the rugs, regardless of how amusing it would be to leave you bleeding.”
He flicked his wand at her feet and scourgified them before casting a series of careless healing charms. Then he banished the mud caking the hem of her robes.
“I trust your brain still functions enough to find your own way back to your room. If not, you can sleep on the floor somewhere.” He vanished with a crack.
Hermione stood alone before the door for several seconds. She was freezing but—
She darted over and snatched up the copy of the The Daily Prophet that had been left lying on the ground. Slipping through the door, she moved just far enough into the hallways to get away from the biting cold before she hurriedly opened it and began devouring every bit of information it contained.
Chapter End Notes
Illustrations by Avendell, follow her on tumblr and instagram.
"I forgot-what wind feels like" by _knar.m_.
"If you get lost in the hedge maze" by _knar.m_.
She needed her mind off by bookloverdream.
Stark against the monochrome by wvx_pic.
Hermione by abrilas.
She needed to run by yunna.fanfiction.
If you get lost in the hedge maze by yunna.fanfiction.
Start against the monochrome by yunna.fanfiction.
Malfoy watching Hermione by flyora.
Hermione running by flyora.
Repopulation Efforts Underway!
“Potter's Mudblood is among the first surrogates chosen by the Dark Lord to increase the magical population.”
Hermione read on.