Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Breaking the Chain	By : RynStar15 Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Hermione Views: 42452 -:- Recommendations : 5 -:- Currently Reading : 4
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, that belongs to the glorious J.K Rowling. I don't make any money off of this writing, I simply twist her world for my own pleasure.

Chapter List
- 16
- 17
- 18
Hermione stood stock-still as the sounds moved closer, her heart thundering in her chest. She turned to Draco and cast a Disillusionment Charm on him, watching as he faded into the glass panes they had diligently sat at, waiting for the Trackers.
"Go," she whispered. She saw a ripple in front of her as Draco turned to her, grabbing her arm.
"I don't like this," he said lowly.
"It's the way it has to be. Besides, it's not as if I've never done this before," she smiled reassuringly.
"This isn't nearly the same," he argued.
"I'll be fine; I'll meet you at the tallest tree out back, twenty minutes tops. Now hurry, I need your eyes on the back!" she urged, for every second they delayed might be one too long. She could feel his lips descend upon her own for a swift kiss and she sensed more than saw him leaving the room, knowing he was going out to the edge of the forest as they had planned.
She could almost feel the Trackers closing in on her and she pulled the cork from the potion bottle in her hand and drank it quickly, her gag reflux on high alert. The potion, however, was not as bad as it originally had been. Far from appetizing, it tasted like burnt, over-cooked potatoes with a hint of a minty aftertaste. She shivered and closed her eyes as her body began to change. She smacked her palm to her head as she remembered that she had forgotten to change her clothing before drinking it.
While her skin boiled and rippled beneath her very own eyes she ripped off her robes and Muggle clothes as they began to get tighter. The ground moved further away as she pulled on an emerald green dress draped over a chair for her. She tied on the gold rope belt around her waist, the strings hanging down to the generous folds of green. Hermione gasped and fell to her knees as the ending stages of the transformation were completed and she feared she might be sick. When the last of the stretching, pulling, twisting sensations left her she stood shakily, adjusting to her new, much taller body. Walking a little oddly, she made her way to the window and looked into the reflection of herself.
Alvida Eynon stared back at her. It had worked perfectly, as Hermione had known it would. And none too soon as the feeling of being surrounded increased. She moved to the fireplace, Levitating a cauldron into it and lighting a fire beneath it. She made it boil so the steam would make it seem as if she was in fact hard at work with a potion. She quickly hid all of her belongings in the leather satchel and threw it into the shadowy space of the hall.
She reached for the stone that was a twin of the one Draco had neglected to tell her about (which she was still slightly miffed about) sitting on its pillowed throne on top of the mantle. Squeezing it tight in her palm she extracted the magic in it which Alvida sent upon her call. She could feel the magical connection surging through her body like an electrical shock. Hermione raised her hand palm down and felt herself lowering the guards surrounding the cottage. She felt vulnerable, but she knew they had planned this out just right. It would work. Alvida would not let them down.
There were shouts in the distance. She went back to the cauldron and made it shoot sparks and colorful steam while she pretended not to hear the men sneaking into the bushes outside the window.
"Witch! Ye will burn in hell!"
She turned as if shocked, running to the window. Below her a bush burned merrily, mocking her in her playact. This was real, the danger was real and yet she felt like she was in a staged production, one of the many her parents had taken her to over the years.
She felt the heat as she turned her face into a mask of horror. She ran to the door and tugged on it. It was locked from the outside with a simple spell. Did they honestly think a great witch such as Alvida would not be able to simply Alohamora her way out? But she didn't do the spell, instead running through the house trying the various windows and doors while the men outside whooped and hollered at her pathetic attempts to escape.
When she reached the kitchen window the heat was immense. She once again tried to simply pull open the window which, of course, remained shut.
"C'mon witch! Why don' ye try somma yer magic, eh? We know ye can do it! C'mon! Spell yer way out!"
Hermione did her best to look the distressed damsel. Indeed, the room flooded with heat and she was starting to get somewhat nervous. You planned this all out, relax. You'll be fine. Just stick to the script, she calmed herself.
"Please sir!" Alvida's smooth tones floated from her lips. "I know no magic! Please, do not do this!" she screeched as flames licked the outer wall, their presence creating a furnace-like atmosphere while the men cackled in delight outside. She let out a very real shriek when the fire crept through the dry wooden walls, igniting the kitchen. She had to leave this room. It was time for phase two.
Hermione lifted the skirts of her dress and ran through the house, jumping when loud cracks of wood splintered around her, making her dodge the sagging beams. She hoped Draco was alright; he was Disillusioned so if he was hurt she might not be able to find him and it worried her.
When she reached the door to the living room she found her path barred. The fire had spread more rapidly than she had anticipated and a wall of flame greeted her, licking at the ceiling. She squeezed the warm stone in her hand, taking the power that Alvida sent through her duplicate one to carve a path in the fire so she could pass. The heat was immense, pressing in on all sides as she pushed through it and into the next room which was completely engulfed in flames. Smoke filled her lungs and she coughed, hitting the ground to get away from the dangerous carbon monoxide. She crawled, pouring water from her hands to create a path.
A shelving unit next to her snapped and fell, crashing onto her legs and fire consumed her dress. Screaming, she poured water on it from her hands until the flames were extinguished, but the agonizing pain made her stomach roll. Keening yells were ripped from her as she pushed the heavy shelf and ceramic shards from her left calf to assess the damage. Her skin was charred, the acrid smell mixing with the smoke from which she could not escape and nauseating her.
She had to move, the fire was closing in on her. She used her arms to pull herself into the hallway, her left leg useless as the searing pain radiated from the burnt skin throughout it.
The hallway was still flame-free, the fire having not reached it yet, but the smoke lingered at the top, waiting to choke her. Hermione cast a Bubble-Head Charm on herself, berating herself for not thinking of it sooner. She grabbed the leather satchel waiting for her there and used the wall to pull herself up. Hermione limped towards the back of the house, sweat pouring down her face, the pain in her leg tearing through her.
When she reached the room at the end leading to the back door she gasped in horror. The fire had consumed her exit. She looked around nervously for another. There was none, every single wall was ensconced in the blaze. There was no way out. She had a slight moment of panic before she forced herself to calm down. Think, you are a witch for crying out loud! You can get out of this without being seen!
She couldn't simply Apparate out; the Trackers would sense it and they had to think that Alvida had gone down with the house.
The heat was too intense, it was making it hard for her to concentrate. She limped back into the hallway which was slowly being swallowed at the other end. This was the middle of the house, the last bit to be taken. She couldn't go out either end, couldn't go up without being seen and she couldn't Apparate without them knowing. Her only option was down.
Defodio! she thought and a hole began to dig itself into the floor. When it was deep enough she lowered herself into it, jarring her leg and causing her to gasp in pain. The world spun for a minute and when it slowed she was able to revel in the coolness of the earth surrounding her. Slinging the satchel across her body, she dug a tunnel towards the woods big enough for her to crawl in. She didn't have enough hands to cast light as she dug with one and repaired the floor with her other, filling in the earth behind her so she left no trace of what she had done, so she moved forward in the darkness, willing herself to stay calm.
The process was long and grueling; her leg hindering her and the vast amount of magic she was using began wearing on her still much weakened body. The hole was pitch black and silent but for the sounds of the earth being displaced and refilled around her. She had no way of knowing where she was, what was happening above her, or how long she was taking. She had to stop several times to catch her breath since she was still recuperating and her leg was throbbing something awful. Her hands clasped and unclasped themselves against the agonizing pain; she'd never known how much burns hurt having received only minimal ones as a child.
At one point in her journey she had to stop for probably ten minutes as her body changed back to normal and she thought she was going to be sick from the sensation of her guts being torn out and replaced. The scar on her side tinged with a dull, achy throb adding to her discomfort. Alvida had warned that it might never fade and she hoped she was only referring to the ugly gash and not the pain.
Hermione figured she had to be far enough in the forest by now to not be seen emerging so she began the process of her ascent. She was glad the Bubble-Head Charm was still on because dirt cascaded upon her as she dug for the surface. This part was harder, as she was required to dig a few feet, use her arms and right leg to climb up the walls of the tunnel until her head hit the top and fill in the bottom below her until she could stand and repeat the process. She did this three times before she broke into the night, woodsy sounds filling her ears.
It was quiet but she waited to make sure the coast was clear before climbing her way out and hefting herself onto the forest floor. She rolled onto her back breathing hard and stayed there for a few moments catching her breath. Knowing Draco was waiting for her she refilled the hole and covered it with bits of leaves and sticks to make it look like the ground around it.
The night was eerily still, the only sounds that met her were crickets and bullfrogs and the sound of a merrily crackling fire in the distance that she knew to be Alvida's home. The Trackers had obviously gotten bored of their little bonfire and left.
Now she had to find Draco and since he was Disillusioned she had no way of knowing where he was. She hoped he had stuck to the plan and stayed by tree they'd chosen to meet at.
She wanted desperately to get out of here and go back home where someone would know how to fix the burn on her leg. Although she knew it meant that this would be the last time she would ever be around Draco again, she also knew she needed to get back to Grimmauld Place and help the others. She once again wondered if everyone was alright, if the war was over, who was ruling, what had happened. The last two weeks had been both thrilling and agonizing and she was ready to see her family once more.
Hermione hitched up the overly long dress which was now hanging on her much more petite frame and set off for their meeting place at the edge of the woods, hoping Draco would be there waiting for her, praying that his Disillusionment Charm had kept him safe from prying eyes.
"Draco!" she called out quietly, not wanting to bring unwanted attention to herself in case the Trackers were still about. How would she find him if he didn't see her? Glancing at the moon above her she realized it had taken her much longer than she'd thought to dig her way out. They were supposed to have met over an hour ago when she was supposed to sneak out but her plan had backfired and now she had no way of knowing if Draco would still be there or not. Hurrying as fast as she could, Hermione dragged her injured leg back to the burning house, wincing with every step. She almost collapsed with relief when she saw Draco sitting on the ground watching the burning cottage diligently.
"Dra-" was all she got out before she hit the forest floor, stiff as a board.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
Draco stared at the flames licking at the last vestiges of the house. After the men had left Draco had made himself visible and hid behind some trees for extra precaution, waiting for Hermione to suddenly emerge. He had done his part, keeping out of sight at the ready in case he had Stun any of them if they caught Hermione escaping. He had panicked when they had set the back of the house on fire where she was supposed to make her getaway, but she would find another way, she always did. He waited patiently and was about to send up high-pitched screams of a dying woman as per instructions when they came from the cottage on their own.
His heart had stopped right then and it was all he could do not to go rushing into the house and ruin their plan to make sure she was alright. But Hermione had warned him of the consequences of messing this up and he wasn't about to let her down. It was possible she had sent up the screams herself or something had simply scared her for she didn't continue to scream as if she were burning to death.
The men had whooped and hollered and his fingers had itched to find their way around their throats. He could hear them asking one another if they thought the other two witches were in there with her so Draco thought he'd make a clean job of it by magicking his and Hermione's terrified shrieks as well. They had left soon after, figuring their job was done, leaving one man to make sure no one escaped. Draco had quickly taken care of him with a flying board to the back of his head so the others would think he had simply been knocked unconscious from falling debris.
And still, Hermione didn't emerge. Every minute that passed his heart sank, his stomach twisting. He knew the heat would be intense, the smoke consuming. A person could not live for long in a burning building and the house was completely engulfed now. There was no way for her to get out.
Hysterical, he charged at the flaming structure screaming her name, dousing the flames with his hand, trying to get to her, but the fired raged fiercely, keeping him at bay. It had been too long, he had waited too long. He should have gone in when he had heard her scream but his faith in her abilities had caused him to sentence her to a hellish death.
Shouts of anguish tore from his body as he hit the ground, unable to stand. He couldn't move, couldn't breathe, couldn't think. His mind was numb with terror. She couldn't be gone, she couldn't…
He was fused to the forest floor as guilt assailed him. In his mind he begged for her not to leave him, stranded here in the past knowing that she had died scared and hurt and alone in the worst way imaginable. He longed to throw himself into the flames with her but only the thought that if he found Alvida in France he could fix this, he could get her back, kept him from doing so.
His heart felt as if it had been ripped from his chest as his mind replayed all the images he had of her; eating in the Great Hall between Potter and Weasley, studying in the library amidst books that weighed as much as she did. He still felt her writhing beneath him in ecstasy, the punch in his gut when she'd raised her stubborn face to him in the forest and telling him to kiss her. He could see her yanking herself onto the gallows to save him, the determination in her eyes as she fought the Trackers in the meadow.
Tears scored down his cheeks unchecked when he thought about her sweet face being burned alive, the pain and terror she must have gone through. He wondered if she had thought of him in her last moments...
A snapping twig made him turn and scream Petrificus Totalis! silently. The person hit the ground and he hurried over to the still body on the ground. Draco fell back into the nearest tree, his mind reeling.
A green dress. Alvida's green dress, the one she had given Hermione to change into after she'd taken the potion, was sprawled across the forest floor.
Draco threw himself at the figure hardly daring to believe. A quick Finite Incatatum and there she was, wide eyes staring up at him, terrified, but alive. The tears resumed their path, this time in utter joy, as he cried out in relief and fell to the ground beside her, enveloping her in his arms, clinging to her while she questioned him and attempted to comfort him. He couldn't let go, he rocked her back and forth until he was able to regain some self-control.
When he pulled back enough to see her soot covered face his hands wandered her face and hair, drinking in her beauty, the sickening claws of dread easing their grip on him.
"Draco, what on earth-"
"I thought you were dead," he croaked, his hands shaking. "You didn't come out and I thought-"
"Oh, Draco, I'm so sorry, I didn't realize how long it would take me to get out. By the time I tried to escape my exit was blocked, I had to dig my way out. I'm so sorry!" She hugged him tight against her and he felt his head beginning to level. This was definitely his Hermione, apologizing for being alive.
"You screamed," he grated out, not able to get out more than that through the emotion still clenching his throat.
"Yes, a shelf fell, it hit my leg, but I'm alright. Madame Pomfrey will be able to fix it in no time."
"Let me see." He had to know, for certain, that she was alright. She shifted without question and showed him where the flame had burnt through the dress and her badly burned leg.
She wasn't alright, but she would live. That was it, she had burned her leg, she hadn't died, hadn't been swallowed in flames. She explained to him how she had gotten out and he hugged her to him again. She was so unbelievably clever, he never would have thought about doing that.
"Oh gods, I thought I'd lost you," he whispered against her hair which smelled of wood fire and smoke.
"I'm sorry," she breathed. "I'm alright, we did it, it's over. We can go home."
Draco's heart sunk. He knew she was only trying to comfort him, but the thought of returning home, returning to his father, his master, his task, was terrifying. He clenched her tighter, wishing he could keep her here a little longer, have her to himself just one more day…
"Draco, we have to go. We need to get to the point," Hermione gently reminded him. He nodded and stood, taking both of her hands and helping her slowly to her feet where she put her weight gingerly on her leg, gasping in pain. Before she could protest he had swept her up in his arms and headed back through the woods towards the designated spot where they would take the Time Turner back home.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
XOXO
RynStar15
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Breaking the Chain