She smoothed the bones, drilled several tiny holes and then washed the entire area with Essence of Dittany before summoning a spool of acromantula silk and rapidly suturing the tendons to the bones. She'd visualised, practiced, and reviewed the procedure a thousand times in her room, the precise order of every movement. Once she'd completed the myodesis, she began wand-suturing layer after rapid layer of stitches. They were quicker to perform and more forgiving than the spellwork she'd used on his runes. Her fingers twitched, and she didn't have time to fix the crooked stitches.
She was running out of time.
Stitch after stitch, layer after layer until the fascial tissue met neatly.
*****
“There,” she said, stepping back and giving herself a moment to breathe raggedly. There were drops of perspiration on her face. She was still gasping with relief as she countered the immobilisation on Draco. He was barely conscious. She began carefully inspecting all the diagnostics and monitor spells surrounding him as the sand in the hourglass ran out.
He was stable, although drained both physically and magically. There were still traces of the curse, but the most deadly aspects were countered. She gave him a potion meant for countering vampire antivenin, and it improved his blood platelet count.
Lucius banged his shackles loudly against the bars of the cage. Hermione turned sharply, and countered the silencing spell Draco had used on him.
“I hope you're done. You've run out of time. I'm being summoned,” he said in a tight voice.
Her stomach plummeted, and she nodded. She pulled on her coat, cloak and gloves, and, with a flick of her wand, cast a spell on Draco to make him lighter. She wrapped his robes and cloak tightly around him, muttering warming charms, and put a dragonhide glove onto his remaining hand before taking hold of his right arm, pulling it over her shoulder to help him stand.
She picked up Lucius' wand from the table where it lay and held it towards him. “You can do it? You'll do it?”
He sneered at her as he jerked his wand from her hand. “Get out of my house, Mudblood.”
Hermione spelled all the supplies and extra wands into her satchel and slung it over her shoulder, turning and half-carrying Draco across the room towards the door.
“Draco…” Lucius spoke when they were nearly out of the room.
Hermione wavered over whether to pause or keep going. Draco twitched.
She swallowed hard and stopped, turning him back.
Lucius was staring across the room with the same starved expression he'd worn looking at Narcissa.
“Father. Mother,” Draco said, his voice low and forced.
Lucius rested a hand on the bars of the cage. “I was proud of you.”
Draco was silent for a moment.
“Right…” he said, the word barely more than a whisper.
Narcissa stared at Hermione. “Save him.”
Hermione nodded. “Yes.”
Lucius looked at Draco for a moment longer before his eyes dropped to Hermione. “Get him out.”
Hermione tightened her hold on Draco and walked quickly out the doors of the South Wing.
Bobbin and several other elves were standing outside, holding the reins of the Granian. It was saddled and pawing the gravel impatiently, prancing as it stood waiting at the doors.
The elves helped Draco up into the saddle, and Hermione mounted behind him. She looked down at Bobbin.
“Get all of the elves out of the manor. Don't let any of the Death Eaters find you. Don't ever tell anyone what happened.”
Bobbin nodded.
Hermione took the reins and drew a deep breath before snapping her wrists and kicking.
“Take us home!” She shouted the words.
The Granian bolted forward like a racehorse released from the gate. Its flight muscles tensed tightly as it galloped the length of the manor and took a powerful leap, wings extending. The smoky grey feathers beat surely against the wind, and they were airborne. The Granian circled, carrying them higher and higher as it gained altitude. The wind was whistling around them as they shot through the protective wards of the estate.
There was a roar from below that shook the air.
Hermione glanced over her shoulder as the roof of Malfoy Manor exploded in flames. An enormous fiendfyre dragon rose up, screaming with soul-rending rage as it tore the building apart.
Chapter End Notes
Additional Illustrations:
Let's run away by minxchester.
"Save him"by Jaxx in a box.
The air was cold and the wind constant as the Granian sped across England and over the North Sea.
The horse moved impossibly fast through the air, faster than a Thestral, faster than Hermione thought it was possible for any living animal to move.
She gripped Draco until her hands ached. "Don't die, Draco. Hold on."
She kept whispering diagnostic spells and verifying that the curse hadn't evolved, that there wasn't fluid accumulation, reassuring herself that his heart rate remained steady.