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The Paths We Take	By : Luckycharms Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Hermione Views: 18436 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 4
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. That right goes to the AMAZING JK Rowling. No profit is made off this story. Shout out to Scorpia11 for being my awesome Beta!!

Chapter List
- 5
- 6
- 7
Posting early-ish because I am going out and won't be home to post at my normal time. I hope you enjoy and don't forget to comment :)
Chapter 6- When the Mountain Screams…
Thursday, May 6^th, 1999
“How much longer is this going to take?” Pansy groaned while throwing her head back in irritation. “It’s been hours and the map just entered the fourth century. How far back did they actually go? I’m starving and this stupid thing doesn’t seem to know what the bloody hell it’s doing!”
“Can you stop complaining? For once in your damn life, Pans just shut-up!” Theo exclaimed with a roll of his eyes. “I am seriously getting sick of hearing you speak. Literally, I am growing nauseous from the grating sound of your voice.”
“You shut-it, you prat! We wouldn’t even be in the mess if you didn’t have a gambling problem!”
“Right, blame me because the guy, who by the way will never want you, touched the damn necklace I didn’t even ask him to pick up in the first place!”
“For your information, he does want me! He just doesn’t like showing public displays of affection around his friends!” the raven-haired girl claimed, making Theo shake his head and chortle. “And the fact that you even tried to get Granger and Weasley to pick it up, knowing full well they won’t break any rules, caused him to do it instead because he was probably tired of hearing your incessant pleas for someone to like you!” she argued as she stood at the desk in the Malfoy Library, her palms firmly pressing against the wood as Theo stood across from her with rage emitting from his eyes.
“Please!” Theo scoffed has he shook his head. “Draco doesn’t like you and he never will! You’re just bitter that he is not stuck in the damn past with you!”
“I am not!”
“Oh, okay, so the fact that you keep bitching about him be trapped with Granger, isn’t you being bitter then? ‘Oh, my poor Drakey-Poo,” the brunette wizard began to mock with a pout “he’s stuck Merlin knows where, with that know-it-all priss, who thinks she is soooo much better than everyone else. I just can’t imagine the torment he has to endure listening to her spout off useless information that no one gives a shite about!’ And my personal favorite, ‘That wench must be crazy if she even thinks that being lost in the past with my man, will get him to stop antagonizing her! It’s a good thing my Drakey-Poo would never stoop as low as to befriend that flea-ridden stray!’ That doesn’t sound like embitterment to you?” he asked while crossing his arms and holding out a hand before turning to the crowd watching with their mouths gaped open. “Doesn’t that sound like someone who has a stick up their arse or am I just imagining it?” he questioned the group memorized by the fight occurring between the two Slytherins.
“Alright, that’s enough!” Molly reprimanded after snapping out of her trance and slamming her hand on the desk. Theo smirked at Pansy and fully crossed his arms as the Weasley matriarch resumed her outburst. “We are all a little worn from waiting for the map to find them and studying this ritual, but bickering will get us nowhere! If I see another toe step out of line, I will send you all straight back to Hogwarts, do you hear me? Straight back! The headmistress can then punish you how she sees fit, do I make myself clear?”
“Yes, Ma’am” Pansy answered without looking at the redhead and instead kept her focus strictly on Theo staring her down.
“Mr. Nott” Molly harshly spoke with a strong hint of dour in her voice.
“Yes…Ma’am” he answered with furrow brows as he too refused to remove his gaze away from Pansy’s.
“Now,” Molly continued in a slightly calmer tone “Minerva said she will be back soon, and Mrs. Malfoy is checking on lunch so, let’s not bite each other’s heads off before then, shall we? We were told the map will notify us when it has found the lost, so until then, we will continue with our studies as if we are all grown adults capable of decent behavior.”
Releasing a loud sigh, Molly went back to her research while everyone else pursed their lips; grateful she wasn’t yelling at them instead.
Hours passed by like minutes as the group ate in the library and studied the ritual, they soon found to be more ancient than Merlin himself, and much more complicated than they originally thought. However, they had read and reread as many passages as they could before gathering in the center of the room with over a hundred black pillar candles arranged in a large hourglass shape on the grey marbled floor.
The lights in the room were dimmed as Harry exhaled sharply and stepped cautiously into the timepiece figure. Standing in the center with exactly two feet between him and the candles place on either side, he slowly sat down and held his breath for a moment while his mind yelled at him to back out. But he wasn’t giving in, he was determined to find Hermione and ask her how they could help bring them back. She was their main hope and he silently sent up a prayer to anyone who would listen, that he could find her and still make it back…alive.
“Now, Potter” Narcissa began in a strong tone as she stepped in front of the raven-haired boy and crouched down to his level. “We do not have anything of Granger, Weasley, or Zabini to grab at this time so, Draco’s family ring will have to do” she claimed while handing Harry the large silver ring, imprinted with the Malfoy family crest. As Harry gingerly took the heirloom with his fingers, Narcissa quickly clasped her hands over his and spoke softly. “I hope he is with everyone but in case he’s not, Draco is just as intelligent as your friend and I am sure given the circumstances, he will try and help you. I don’t know what you will experience while Spirit Walking, but I do know that the further back in time you travel, the harder it will be for you to return to your body.” She searched his green eyes through his dark-rimmed glasses to make sure he understood before continuing. “Listen to me, Potter, you cannot stay in the past for longer than necessary. You have one hour, though to you it will feel more like twenty minutes, so be fast, alright? Time travel works much differently then you or I are aware.”
Nodding his head in understanding, he thanked the blonde witch before she removed her hands from his and stood up. Placing the ring into his breast pocket while Narcissa exited the sacred space, the boy-who-lived took one last deep breath before closing his eyes and concentrated on Draco.
Molly stood at the head of the hourglass with a very old open book in her hands and an antique silver pocket watch dangling from a chain wrapped around her right wrist. The former Slytherin Queen nodded her head at the witch before placing herself between Elizabeth and Pansy and taking their hands in hers. The group followed along in the same manner and took their positions around the symbolic shape of candles before clasping the hand of the person nearest them to form what the tome called, a strong energy bond.
Arthur then placed his hand on Molly’s’ right shoulder as Luna placed hers on the mother’s left, closing the barrier between them and the outside world.
The elder Wesley began to chant in the dead ancient Egyptian language known as Coptic. She had studied the strange dialect for hours with the help of Luna, and together they had perfected the passage. Where Molly lacked on certain parts, Luna took over and vice versa. It became a team effort that they may or may not…regret later.
Strong wind began to swirl through the room, from where though no one knew, since there were no open windows for it to penetrate through. The invisible air shot about the library and slowly began to pick up speed in the process as it blew the hair of each individual, in all directions. However, the flicker of the candles only danced with the motion of the force as Harry stayed sitting on the floor and kept his eyes tightly closed while attempting to focus. The doors and windows began to rattle while papers flew off the desks and circled throughout the room causing everyone to grasp on the people next them harder.
But in less than two minutes, the chanting ceased, and the room suddenly grew eerily quiet. Nothing but the sound of papers settling on the floor could be heard and nothing seemed to have happened. Neville glanced at the mess scattered around him and was just about to release his hand from Theo’s, when the flames of the pillar candles shot into the air like multiple baby dragons breathing fire in unison. The group startled at the action but kept their holds on each other as Harry felt a sudden push against his chest from a force he couldn’t see, shoving him backwards and knocking the air from his lungs. His eyes went milky white as his body laid flat, motionless…and barely breathing.
Fall of 79 A.D.
Scrambling to her feet, Ginny gazed around at the vast green grass and hay fields before her eyes followed a single dirt road leading up to a large city encompassed by breathtaking mountainous scenery. The route held tall cream-colored walls with red brick colored trim on either side of the drab roadway, as it hosted hundreds of people walking in and out with horses and carriages.
She looked down at her warm clothes before gazing back to people mingling near the city’s boarder. Thinking quickly, she turned around and transfigured her peers clothing to those of the crowd she recently saw. Dressing the boys in brown tunics and cleaning the blood from Draco’s clothes, Ginny matched herself and Hermione in light purple and pale blue long tunics before realizing Blaise and Draco looked more like they were wearing burlap sacks. In fact, their ensemble seemed fairly modest in comparison to even what a middle-class person would wear. However, she barely had time to transform their boots into sandals before she was forced to quickly holster her wand, leaving their outfits as they were for the time being.
A line of chained, dirty, grungy men, escorted by a few soldiers that looked very similar to those of Rome but in all black armor, began to walk down the pathway. But as Draco lay on the hard ground, trying to not only control his breathing, but also wrap his mind around what he had done, Blaise rushed to stand up and looked around in confusion just as the people began to pass them.
“Are we back in Rome? Is this fucking Rome again?” he asked as he glanced around at his fellow classmates.
“Warm enough for you now, Zabini?” Ginny inquired with a sarcastic smirk causing Blaise to roll his eyes in distaste.
Draco fumbled as he stood and wiped the blood from his temple while Hermione stayed transfixed in a trance just opposite the three students on the other side of the road. The picture of Draco nearly dying at the hands of the dark-haired brute mere moments before replayed in her mind. She couldn’t shake the image of the knife grazing the blonde’s neck just before he stabbed the man with a broken spear. Without looking at her surroundings or taking in the fact that other humans were indeed around, so history was just fine, the curly-haired witch snapped her gaze to the Malfoy heir and furrowed her brows with animosity. Storming up to Draco with hatred playing at her heartstrings, she pushed him hard in the chest catching him off guard and forcing him to stumble backwards.
“You! You slimy, no-good, son of a bitch!” she yelled as she pushed him again.
Both Ginny and Blaise watched in mixture of shock and confusion as the brunette began to hit Draco over and over again, tempting the dark-skinned wizard to break up the fight before anyone noticed. However, he and Ginny both knew to not mess with the Golden Girl when she was pissed and decided to stay out of the argument that could easily turn on them just as quickly.
“What the fuck, Granger-stop!” Draco defended as he grabbed the witch’s wrists to stop her from beating him. The pair behind them widened their eyes in horror while the blonde held firmly to both of Hermione’s arms, and looked at each other as the bookworm struggled to free herself. “What is wrong with you, that’s enough!” he demanded sharply.
“I hate you, you-you daft arse!” the curly-haired Gryffindor shrieked while ripping her limbs from the grasp that held them. “You could have royally messed up human history by killing that man! You’re an idiot Draco Malfoy! A fucking bloody idiot!” Everyone stood frozen for a brief second in absolute shock as Hermione breathed heavily before them. It was a rarity that the witch ever cursed, but apparently the anger she felt for the Slytherin still bleeding from the head in front of her, was enough for her to give up trying to control the foul language spilling from her lips. “Fuck you!” she continued as she hit Draco solidly in the chest. “You could have died, you stupid, stupid bastard!”
As Draco rubbed the pain ridden area where her fist had landed, he eyed her skeptically when he realized she knew he hadn’t mess up the past, because they were all painfully aware, she couldn’t really ignore the herd of people passing by them. Concern riddled her last statement and it was clear as day that she was worried for him, though it completely threw him through a loop as to why. But before he could tell her he was okay, Hermione raised a hand and slapped him hard across his face; much harder than she had back in Rome and the meaning behind it was very different than he was used to.
However, when Draco raised his eyes to the angry Gryffindor, a burly soldier that had crossed their path earlier with the group of sullen prisoners, had apparently seen the fight and raced over to the group after hearing the ear-splitting smack. Pushing past a stunned Ginny and quickly placing himself in between the arguing duo, he glared at the pair with a menacing sneer before noticing the blood running down Draco’s temple.
“Quid est hoc? he demanded, but when everyone looked at him perplexed and no one answered, he turned to Hermione and raised a finger. “Nunc autem dic mihi tu! Quod dat vos ledo ius in homine?”
“H-he wants to know what gives you the right to hit a man?” Blaise whispered after he covertly performed the language spell. The brunette witch turned her gaze quickly to the Italian as he tried to translate what the soldier was saying before looking back at the man and began to mumble. “It is none of your concern, sir.” Blaise hastily spoke, in an effort to calm the situation and remove the man’s attention away from the petite bookworm. “Please be on your way. It was just a lovers-quarrel and there is no need to bother yourself with such an insignificant altercation” he lied, hoping the soldier would listen.
The brute guard raised a brow before glancing back at the witch trembling in fear at his frightening stance. He then snarled sharply before back handing her across the face, knocking her to the ground and forcing gasps to be heard from the three people watching in horror. Hermione silently wept where she fell and held her left cheek as a bit of blood dripped from a fresh split in her bottom lip. Ginny darted to her friends’ aid and checked on her before looking back at the man with a fierce scowl. Blaise began to yell angrily at the soldier he could no longer call a man, shouting at him that she had done nothing wrong to deserve the strike, while Draco…only saw red.
He couldn’t explain the intense rage coursing through his veins, because he had never experienced a woman being punished in such a manner; especially a woman who didn’t merit the slap in the first place. Though, in that moment, the blonde lost all sense of right and wrong as he gazed at the bruise blossoming over Hermione’s crimson cheek while she sobbed into Ginny’s chest, compelling a surge of raw anger to brew deep within him.
Clenching his fists tightly at his side, Draco growled as his grey eyes darkened and his magic began to crackle and spark. Blaise caught a glimpse of his friend behind the burly soldier and his eyes quickly widened in fear for the individual in front of him. He had already witnessed what Draco would do to survive, but something about the way the blonde held himself now, was different than anything he had ever seen.
Before the Italian even had a chance to blink, Draco tackled the brute to the ground, and quickly turned him over. Having had enough of the shite they all had experienced in the last few days, the blonde released his pent-up fury and began beating the guard with heavy fists. One hit after another landed hard and fast while blood began to coat the skin of his pale hands. But he didn’t care.
He was no longer listening to screams of the girls telling him to stop as more guards approached and his wand fell from his pocket. He didn’t feel the hands of his friend trying to pull him away while Hermione quickly wiped at her face, crawled over to his wand and picked it up, before tucking it into her bag so the muggles wouldn’t see. He ignored the numbing of his knuckles from the beating they were being subjected to, and he sure as hell didn’t see the tears streaming down the wailing man’s face that was now covered in a mix of dirt and blood.
The only thing Draco paid attention to, was his mind telling him to harm the soldier for hurting a woman. As his right hand now choked the guard struggling to breath, the Slytherin continued to land blow after blow with his left to any part not covered in the red fluid. He poured all his frustrations from his past deeds, the anger from the arguments he wanted no part of, and the sadness from the hatred he was now exposed to thanks to the Dark Lord into each painful strike before being suddenly ripped off the man laying half-dead in the grass.
Kicking and cursing as he struggled to break free from the many hands restraining him, Hermione, Ginny, and Blaise watched in an overwhelmed daze. It was almost like observing a mental patient being dragged away in St. Mungo’s, but instead of orderlies trying to harness a crazed lunatic, it was intimidating soldiers in all black armor, trying to contain the rage exploding from a very pissed off Slytherin wizard.
Not giving it a second thought, Hermione stood up and rushed over to Draco still struggling against his detainers in an attempt to finish the man off, while Ginny called out for her to stop. The three men struggled to hold on to the blonde as the brunette witch placed herself directly in front of him with both hands stretched out cautiously.
“Malfoy stop!” she pleaded; however, he didn’t seem to hear or see her through his frenzied state. “Malfoy please” she begged, but he still wasn’t listening. “THAT’S ENOUGH, DRACO!” she shouted, causing everyone’s eyes to snap to her, including the blonde Prince.
Staring deep into her beseeching brown gaze, Draco instantly halted his struggling as his lips parted in realization of where he was and what he was doing.
“Hermi-” he began calmly but was quickly cut off as one of the men jabbed him in the gut with a sharp uppercut, forcing him to double over in pain as he gasped for air.
“By Titus imperator ordinis vel civitatem et Pompeiano, tu coniectus in pro an officer opprimit” one of the guards stated firmly and directly.
“Oh, Salazar, fuck!” Blaise expressed as his body went rigid before turning around to view the mountain behind the city.
“What?” Ginny asked anxiously as the men began to place shackles around Draco’s wrists. “Zabini, what did he say?”
But the Italian simply ignored Ginny’s questions, took out his wand and his money pouch, before racing over to the redhead, and whispered in her ear as he handed her the items. He then quickly pulled away from the stunned witch and rushed at one of the soldiers arresting his friend.
As the dark-skinned wizard tackled one of the men, Hermione worryingly looked to Ginny who had wide eyes as she held Blaise’s wand and pouch in her hands.
“What is going on, Gin?” she inquired desperately while her eyes flickered back and forth between the boys fighting…again, and her best friends’ uneasy gaze. “Ginny!” she urged as her body shook with impatience; fully ready to pull out her wand and stun everyone.
“Pom-Pompeii…Italy…” was all the redhead could manage to say, making the brunette’s jaw drop in dismay as she looked back to both boys now subdued and cuffed at the ankles as well as their wrists, before glancing up at the tall mountain to her left.
“Shite!” she exclaimed when she gathered what was about to happen to the two Slytherins. Pompeii was not known for taking it easy on their prisoners.
Pulling out her vine-wood wand, Hermione was about to point it at the guard closest to Draco when a hoard of excited people began to parade down the dirt road. Realizing she couldn’t stun everyone without being seen and potentially captured as well, the curly-haired witch tucked her weapon back into to her bag and ran over to the Slytherin Prince.
Throwing her arms around his torso, shocking both him and the soldiers, she reached down her right hand and grabbed his money pouch attached to his worn leather belt as quickly as she could before being pulled off and tossed to the side.
As she stumbled through the grass, Ginny caught her before she could crumble to the ground and both girls watched in unease as the boys were carted off towards the city.
“Yo-you still h-have the amulet, r-right?” the redhead asked with a shaky voice.
“Yeah…I uh, Dra-Malfoy handed it to me when you two were sparing yesterday…” Hermione answered, her eyes never wavering from the boys being sullenly escorted away.
“Good…Let’s hope it take us all away before something terrible happens to them…”
XX
Thrown into a dark and dirty cell with barely enough light to see anything, Draco and Blaise both scrambled to their feet and reached the iron barred gate just as it closed in their faces. The guard laughed at them before telling a random man to lock the cell in the way of a wooden lever just barely out of their reach, and then walking off.
The dungeon was dimly lit by large suspended urns filled with flames hanging between vaulted stone archways. Prison cells lined the perimeter of a large cavernous Mess Hall supported by stone pillars and housing well over fifty convicts. The prisoners in the room ate sloppy meals from hand-carved wooden bowls but kept to themselves and didn’t seem too eager to start a conversation with anyone. A few men, however, began to argue and fight in a far corner, causing armed bodies to rush in to break up the brawl.
Leaning back on the bars as the scuffle continued, Blaise sighed heavily as he looked around at the dingy damp enclosure. Draco, in his anger, hit the gate with his fist in resentment as he grumbled loudly, forcing the dark-skinned wizard ‘s gaze to flicker over him.
“How good are you at wandless magic?” he asked as he crossed his arms and leaned off the iron bars.
“What?” the blonde answered in frustration while turning to follow his friend into the darkest corner of their cell.
“Draco, neither of us have our wands and we are stuck in Pompeii with no way to communicate with anyone. Well, I mean I have maybe twenty minutes left on the language charm from earlier, but if we are going to survive this prison and get back to the girls, we need to be able to communicate. So, I’ll ask you again, how good are you at wandless magic?”
“I’m alright, I guess. I don’t really use it often.”
“Okay, try and perform the charm while I listen in on the people out there. Once you have it down, I’ll reset mine and we can then come up with a plan to escape that doesn’t involve us disappearing out of nowhere, possibly changing something in the process.”
“You think we can make it out of this bloody hell hole without changing anything? We shouldn’t even be here! We already messed with time by getting arrested!” Draco retorted rigidly while crossing his arms. He grumbled once more before taking a seat on one of the flat uncomfortable beds near the back of the cell in utter defeat.
“That’s my point! We can fix this if we remain calm. And as long as you don’t murder anymore people, we won’t alter anything else.”
“I didn’t murder that soldier a-and that bloke in the cave was an accident! It was self-defense!”
“I’m not arguing your sound reasons, mate. I am simply saying to not slaughter anyone else. Keep your cool and we can make it out of here alive, beat someone to an inch of their life again, and we are sure to be killed. Now, practice the charm without your wand while I listen in. Afterwards, I’ll heal that nasty gash on your head.”
XX
“Where do you think they took them?” Ginny worryingly asked as she and Hermione walked swiftly through the streets of Pompeii, searching for any sign of the boys.
The city was massive yet held so much natural beauty it was hard not to be amazed at their surroundings. It looked so much like Rome but more elegant in a way. The creamy white walls were much cleaner, and the terracotta rooves were in almost pristine condition, as if the city was just rebuilt not too long ago. There were still plenty of buildings that looked out of place however, older and more run down, but a good portion of the metropolitan area appeared to be in excellent shape.
The people dressed nicer as well and it made both girls think they were beyond the time of Caesars’ reign. Which didn’t sit well with either of them.
“Maybe we should ask someone if they know where they take their detainees?” Hermione suggested as she stopped walking and viewed the people chatting cheerfully around them.
“We would need to perform the spell to speak with anyone, Mione, and we can’t very well do that out in the open.”
“I know th…at…” Hermione stopped studying the faces around them when she realized they were standing very close to the monumental port, welcoming grand ships into the city’s wharf.
The vessels appeared to be arriving from all over the world, or at least neighboring cities, with massive sails and twenty colossal oars to guide them. One after another the ships lined up as they waited for their turn to enter through the port gate into the impressive harbor situated between towering rounded walls. Two soaring steeples, acting as lookouts, sat on either side of the wharf as people walked along the top of the barrier to watch the extraordinary scene.
It was an alluring site to witness and reminded her so much of first year when they all had arrived at Hogwarts via small boats over the Black Lake. Except this time, she was watching sizeable Viking-like vessels rowing towards her, rather than small innocent children excited for their first day at the castle. Hermione, nevertheless, recognized some of the ships to be Roman, and a troubling feeling began to churn just above her navel.
“Mione…I-I have a bad feeling about this…” Ginny stated as she held her stomach with her left hand and stared discouragingly at the Roman ships entering the harbor.
“Me too” the brunette replied softly. “Let’s just find the boys and get out of here…quickly.”
XX
“Would you hurry up!” Blaise whispered through clenched teeth as he clung to the bars with both hands and turned his head slightly to his right. “We don’t have all day!”
“I’m bloody trying!” Draco retorted in annoyance while holding his left-hand inches away from his temple as he sat on the shoddy bed. “Give me a minute, I think I have almost got it.”
“Well ‘almost get it’ sooner! I think whatever this bloke is saying is important and I need to reset like now!”
“Shut…up!” the blonde spat as he tried to concentrate. “I can’t think with you blabbing! It’s bad enough my arms are killing me after fighting two people! I don’t need your incessant whining on top of it! And why the hell can’t you do this for me since you’re sooo good at it?”
“I’m not that good at it, but to answer your stupid question, the spell can only be done by the person who wants to use it. I haven’t perfected it enough to be able to use it on others.”
Draco rolled his eyes as Blaise grew increasingly impatient. He didn’t want to miss anything the man four cells down from him and on the other side of the gate, was saying. Raising his hand to his right temple, he restarted the charm and went back to listening just as Draco finally managed to perform the wandless magic correctly.
The blonde Slytherin quickly stood up and hurriedly walked towards his friend to see what all the fuss was about, when the two men sauntered up to their cell forcing the boys to step back in surprise.
“And what of these two, Felix?” the man dressed in stylish robes inquired as he gracefully stood next to what Draco could only assume to be the Head Honcho and the man who cuffed him. “I do not recognize them, are they new?”
“You do not want these…savages, Thaddeus” the guard answered, making Draco clench his fists to hold back the anger boiling within. “They were arrested after the blonde one nearly beat Magnus to death and the black one tackled Marcus to try and stop us from taking his friend away…I have yet to see what the Governor would like to do with them.”
“So, they can fight?” Thaddeus questioned, intrigued as he looked both Slytherins over.
“They have not gone through training. Your money would be wasted on filth” Felix replied adamantly.
“But entertaining to say the least. New blood will arouse the crowds and I am sure it will please Senator Corvus as well. If he is pleased, then Emperor Titus will be pleased, which means the Gods will shower our boarders with more riches and people.”
“But Thaddeus-”
“You want them to pay for what they did to one of your best men…don’t you?” Thaddeus raised a curious brow as he looked to Felix with an impish smile. “They obviously show potential if they are willing to take on someone as large as Magnus and the rest of your legion…What do you believe the odds would be if we pinned them against that Spartan or maybe the Barbarian…or maybe even both?” he asked, making Draco and Blaise look to each other in shear horror.
“They need to be placed on trial and serve their punishments at the hands of the coun-”
“I run this stadium, Felix, and I will be the one to decide who is to fight. But I assure you, these slaves will receive a just punishment. I’ll toss in a hundred gold against them. Throw them into the arena for today’s sport, I wish to satisfy the Gods with everything we have” the elegant man stated firmly while tossing a full pouch of coins at the guard. “And if that means they are slaughtered at the hands of many men, then so be it. Get them a better ensemble while you’re at it, I want them dressed and ready in one hour. They will fight first, and they will die…” he paused as he smirked iniquity at the stunned boys breathing heavily with panic filling their eyes, “first.”
“Understood…”
XX
“How big is this freaking city?” Hermione grumbled as she weaved in and out of the massive throng of people dressed in beautiful colored tunics and robes. Ginny followed the best she could, but the crowd leading up the coliseum was large and consuming, making it difficult for her to keep up as they pushed through the horde of eager bodies. “We’re never going to find them at this rate!” she yelled over the boisterous noise filling the metropolis.
“What makes you even think they will be in there?” the redhead replied as she tightened her arms close to her chest while trying to push past a woman and her child.
Hermione stopped walking when she noticed Ginny was farther away then she thought and waited for the witch to catch up to her before answering. Once the redhead was in front of her and had released an aggravated groan, Hermione grabbed a hold of her hand so they wouldn’t be separated again.
“Didn’t you hear that woman when we passed that tavern on the way here?” the brunette Gryffindor inquired as people shoved into her on their way into the stadium.
“No! I was too busy trying to stop some runt from stealing my wand off my leg! Almost punched the little shite for going up my dress! Stole his money pouch though” she claimed with a smirk. “Kid never saw it coming. He probably stole all of it from others anyway so finders’ keepers. We can probably use the money to get into that place anyway…” she chortled while gesturing to the towering arena behind the brunette.
Hermione shook her head in disappointment that her friend would steal from a child, even if he had lifted the money from random strangers. But there was nothing they could do about it now, and they did sort of need funds in order to gain access to the hippodrome, so she let it go, and began to explain.
“She was talking to her friend, Gin, and mentioned how she hoped they had new blood during the remaining games this year” she yelled, but only slightly raising her voice above the chaos of the crowd.
“So?”
“So, I continued to eavesdrop, and her friend said she hoped the two boys she saw being escorted by a few soldiers about an hour ago, would be tossed in. Then she mentioned something about how she just wanted to see their sculpture…Whatever that means…”
“Their bodies, Mione! She wants to see them with their shirts off, ugh, which is how gladiators fight, not prisoners!”
“They’re the same thing! Gladiators are slaves and those imprisoned turned into slaves, Gin! Those soldiers are going to want justice for what Malfoy did to one of their own. The best way to do that quickly and efficiently, is by making them fight!”
“Merlin’s beard…they’ll die in there!” Ginny claimed with wide fear filled eyes.
“Exactly! Which is why we need to find a way into the dungeon and get them out! It’s my fault they’re in there! If I hadn’t gone after Malfoy for being a blithering idiot, then he wouldn’t have tried to protect my honor! And before you ask, I am sure they’re both smart enough to know not to apparate or someone could see them. But if they are daft enough to do so anyway, then we won’t find them in there, and we can meet them where we landed.”
“Can we please hope they are daft imbeciles…I really don’t want another Rome on our hands.”
“Trust me Gin…” Hermione stated with a slump of her shoulders. “Rome was nothing compared to what might happen to Malfoy and Zabini if they end up in that amphitheater.”
“Godric, this is so fucked up!” Ginny exclaimed as she began to storm through the crowd angrily while dragging Hermione swiftly behind her. “I swear if they get themselves killed because Blondie chose now to be a fucking hero, I will personally see to it they are brought back to life just so I can kill them myself!”
“That’s not how it wor-”
“I’ll make it bloody work!” she snapped in annoyance.
Ginny was pissed at Draco for losing his temper, even though it was for a worthy cause, and aggravated at Blaise for joining in, though she knew it was because the Italian didn’t want his best mate to go it alone. But now it was up to her and Hermione to save the foolish idiots she was starting to consider friends.
XX
“On your feet, Savages!” Felix stated in disgust as he stood outside the iron bars of the boys’ cell with a large coiled whip attached to his belt. “Open the gate!” he told the man standing impassively next to the wooden lever.
Draco and Blaise had just finished resetting the language charm once again and stood from the flat over-used mattresses while adjusting the cloth strips covering their arms and wrists for padding. They each wore black canvas loin cloths, with leather sandals that weaved up their calves. They were allowed black leather padded leg armor that wrapped around their shins but were restricted from wearing anything that would cover their chests; a symbol of masculine virility, or so they were told. Draco half thought it was to please the women in the crowd after he overheard Thaddeus approve of their builds, but the other half knew it was to provide easier access to their exposed flesh.
Being previous Slytherin Quidditch players helped both boys out in the muscle department, though they still felt slightly uncomfortable to have a million or more people gawk at them, cheering all the while for their eminent demise. Now if it was just for show, neither boy would have cared, but since their lives literally depending on winning, they felt being exposed in just a simple clothed skirt, was less than masculine.
Part of them had also thought about saying ‘fuck it’ and apparating out of the situation they fell into, but they knew it would cause more problems than it would solve and neither knew if the girls would even still be outside the gates. If they left and the girls were out searching for them, they would have to make their way through a busy city without being identified.
Thankfully, they were both skilled sword fighters, taught by the best of the best, thanks to the belief that fighting with weapons of steel was a necessary skill for all pure-bloods. However, for the longest time Draco had always thought the skill was useless and he would never use it in life, but now more than ever, he was grateful for talent he possessed.
“How’s your swinging arm?” Blaise whispered as the pair walked out of the cell and down the long-cemented tunnels.
“Sore. But I think it’ll be alright” Draco answered covertly, so not to get either of them in trouble. “I appreciate the healing spells by the way; really helped a lot.”
“I’m proficient at healing but I meant your sword fighting. When was the last time you picked up a weapon other than your wand…or the spear you used to murder a man in the Ice Age?”
“Can you stop with the murder shite! It was self-defense!” he retorted through clenched teeth.
“Whatever, how is your fighting? It’s been awhile for me, but I think I remember everything I was taught” Blaise stated right before being pushed from behind to walk faster.
“I’m a little rusty but-”
“Enough talking!” Felix interrupted as he shoved Draco forward. “Turn left here!” he demanded.
Blaise and Draco reluctantly followed orders and began to walk down the corridor to their left. Glancing behind them they both noticed about six other densely built men trailing after them. Felix once again pushed both of them in order to have them face forward and continue onward. It took about three minutes before they finally began to see sunlight scintillating through a large archway and it only took thirty seconds before they passed under the open gate and walked into the massive arena full of cheering people.
Sand covered the oval shaped ground as high walls lined the edges to prevent escape. The entire coliseum looked a lot more like the stadium that held the 1994 Quidditch World Cup than the field the boys were used to practicing on at Hogwarts. It was a tiered structure, specifically designed to allow the audience to stand or sit upon stone benches while they viewed the sport below. There was no roof on the amphitheater as it showed Mount Vesuvius standing tall in the background, all the while giving the ‘gods’ a perfect view of their offering. A large raised and encased stage, that housed the Governor and his family, along the visiting Roman Senator, was placed closest to the ground but still a safe distance from the prisoners; a VIP section of sorts for royalty.
In the middle of the arena, sat a tall grey pillared stone encased with boulders and long iron chains at the base. Wrist and ankle shackles could clearly be seen attached to the ends of each chain, enough for all eight prisoners expected to fight.
Blaise gulped loudly as he internally cursed himself for being a good friend and not allowing Draco to go through this alone. Though in all fairness, he didn’t think they would have to fight six well-structured men, who looked to have fought in the arena many times over. He only thought they would have to deal with being held prisoner for a short period of time before either being rescued by the girls or escaping their cell in the middle of the night. Now, he was beginning to regret ever tackling that guard to help the blonde out.
As the slaves lined up shoulder to shoulder, with good foot or so between them, eight soldiers began to chain them as the spectators continued to flood into the coliseum. But as the boy’s hearts almost beat out of their chests, Hermione dragged a pissed off Ginny away from a guard the redhead was about to smack with a bat-boggy hex.
“I can’t believe him!” the red-headed witch screeched in anger. “Not only did he not fall for my seductive charm as a distraction, but he out right pushed me away! If I ever see him again, he is having bats fly out of his arse instead of his nose! DO YOU HEAR ME YOU FILTHY VERMIN! OUT OF YOUR ARSE!” she shouted behind her as Hermione continued to pull her away.
“Gin, calm down” the brunette uttered with an eye roll. “He was probably just still in the closet and you weren’t his type. Either that or he is really sexist.”
“His type?” Ginny yelled as she stopped walking and stomped her foot indignantly. “I’m everyone’s type! And why would he be in a closet? I didn’t see a closest anywhere.”
“In other words, he’s gay, Gin” the curly-haired witch replied with a chuckle. “Come on, we’ll find another way into th-Oh, shite…”
“What? What is it?” the fiery witch inquired before following Hermione’s gaze to the center of the arena where Draco and Blaise where being tossed shields and weapons. “Ahhh, fuck me! I…am going to kill them both!”
The slaves picked up their gear from the sandy floor and stood up straight to face the Governor and his council. But Draco instead, glanced around the stadium to see if he could spot Hermione and or Ginny. Unfortunately, there were too many people in the stands and all their faces began to blur together from the distance he was at.
“TO THOSE ABOUT TO DIE, WE SALUTE YOU!” the gladiators around Blaise and Draco yelled loud enough for the whole coliseum to hear before hitting their weapons against their wooden shields.
“I am not saluting shite!” Blaise whispered as he leaned to his left so Draco could hear him but was quickly interrupted by five men dressed in all white tunics, encased with bright golden robes, and matching over-sized masks, hiding their identity.
“BY THE PATRONAGE OF MARCUS CASSIUS SEVERUS” the golden men began in unison just off to the left of the arena “AND THE GLORY OF EMPEROR TITUS, WE WELCOME, ALL HERE, TO THE AMPHITHEATER OF POMPEII WHERE THE BATTLE FOR VICTORY IS UPON THOSE WHO HAVE DONE INJUSTICE TO THIS CITY. A FIGHT TO THE DEATH WITH ONLY ONE…SURVIVOR…” they claimed while all five men raised a single finger at the same time.
“Only one?” Hermione gasped as Ginny grabbed her wrist in fear. “We have to get them out of there, Gin.”
“Okay, but how?” the redhead questioned as her gaze lingered on the men facing away from them. “There are way too many people to obliviate and it’s not like we can just jump into the arena and help them fight. Mione, I really don’t see a way out of this unless the amulet jumps us. And for all we know, it will only take whoever is in range.”
“We have to do something!” the bookworm stated with a stomp of her foot. “He can’t die down there!”
“He?” Ginny inquired with a curious brow while turning her gaze to the witch beside her. “You mean they…”
“What? Yeah, that’s what I said…” she argued while trying to brush off the fact that she knew she was only talking about Draco. “They…can’t die down there.”
However, when Ginny opened her mouth to retort, a large gate began to raise before the slaves, forcing her attention to be drawn away from Hermione and her apparent mix up. It was twice now that the brunette had shown she was beginning to care for the Slytherin Prince, and it made Ginny wonder if maybe the talk she and Blaise had interrupted back in China, changed her friends’ mind about the blonde boy she once loathed.
The boys watched in horror as eight brawny, powerful looking men emerged from the shadows of the tunnel and Draco suddenly found himself doubting his skill set. Granted he was limber and agile, but one hit from the over-sized bulky men, he could only assume that they were the Spartans and Barbarians Thaddeus had mentioned earlier, and he would be knocked out in seconds.
He worried for his friend as well who was staring wide eyed at the heavy weapons the men were carrying, and he strongly wondered if they still had time to apparate away. Blaise however, had had a sudden idea as he studied the brutes before him, but it would be pushing their luck if their attempt failed…or he was seen.
“PEOPLE OF POMPEII!” Senator Corvus stated strong and proud with his arms stretched out to his sides with a bowl of grapes clutched in his left hand. “MAY JUPITER AND VENUS BLESS THE VINALIA AND HONOR THESE GAMES!” he declared before reaching into the bowl, grabbing a handful of the purple fruit, and squishing them together in his hand. “LET THE GAMES BEGIN!”
The crowd around the girls all stood up and cheered in delight while the boys stepped backwards and raised their shields; waiting for the first attack.
The brute men, all at once, suddenly charged at the eight prisoners as they released thunderous battle cries, forcing Draco and Blaise to take their fighting stances. As the largest of the men went after Draco, swinging his broad sword down like a hammer, the blonde raised his shield and blocked the attack; though the vibrations of the blow sent a painful shock down his right arm, forcing him to quickly spin backwards while swinging his weapon swiftly at the gut of the slave trying to kill him, but only grazing the flesh of the man’s abs.
“Oh, my Gods!” Ginny expressed while clasping a hand to her chest and watching as one of the burly men clinked swords with Blaise. “This isn’t a fight, it’s a massacre! They are going to have to actually kill to stay alive!”
But as Hermione looked on at the fight with horror filled eyes, and more men from the tunnel entered the arena, a sudden idea came to her and she quickly covered her lips like she had during the Gryffindor Keeper tryouts sixth year. She whispered a softening charm against the strong iron chains to weaken them, just as Draco fell backwards and dodged a hefty blow from the large man he was fighting. When the sword hit the chain with a sickening crunch, it broke the fragile metal attached to the Slytherin, completely shocking both the man and the blonde.
Blaise, in his attempt to block a swinging axe, kicked the man he was battling in the chest before slicing his blade across the brutes’ throat, killing him instantly as blood flowed from the wound. When he turned to face another attacker, he noticed Draco scrambling to his feet with furrowed brows as he stared at the shattered chain laying on the hot sandy ground; realizing belatedly that his friend was no longer attached to the stone pillar. Glancing up into the crowd, he spotted Hermione and Ginny behind him, and concluded the brains of their group was the one to weaken the metal links.
Sending a silent thank you to the Gryffindor Princess, for a deed he was about to do himself but struggled as he fought valiantly, he turned around to thwart a hit with his shield while simultaneously stabbing the assailant in the gut. Blood dripped down the tip of his sword before he buried it to the hilt, watching as the man’s eyes widened in fear momentarily before rolling back and showing the white of his eyes. Blaise forcibly removed the sword and wiped a smattering of blood from his face before turning back towards the onslaught, ready to take on another brute.
All the while, the burly man fighting Draco shook the perplexing daze from his mind and turned around before once again charging at the Prince. However, Draco was much faster and dodged the attack before turning around and slicing the back of the aggressor’s thigh, causing a painful scream to release from the mouth of the slave as he fell to his knees, splattering blood over the pale boy’s shins. Sweat broke out across the blonde’s brow as he quickly twirled the sword in his hand before walking up to the man, placing the blade across his neck as he stood behind him, and in one swift motion cut his throat.
His silver gaze was hardened as he was grievously reminded of the training he’d suffered through under the Dark Lord’s reign and was momentarily grateful for the vicious Death Eater’s he’d had to duel. Sweat dripped from his hairline as his heart pounded in his chest, but as he turned his gaze to the next target there was a resolve in his eyes that showed no remorse for the life he’d taken.
It was a kill or be killed engagement now, and neither Draco nor Blaise, were going down without delivering bloodshed to those contending against them.
While Draco watched the prisoner fall face first into the sand, he heard a familiar voice begging for his life, behind him. Quickly turning around he spotted Blaise with two burly hands choking him against the base of the pillar as blood dripped from a fresh cut on the Italians left shoulder. Throwing his shield at the head of the man, stunning him for just a moment, Draco jumped over the bodies of fallen victims and jabbed his sword directly into the side of the serf trying to murder the wizard. He then swiftly removed the crimson steel blade from the ribs it had impaled and helped his friend to his feet before breaking the chain connecting him to the pillar.
The pair then swiftly climbed the stones to obtain a physical and visual advantage over the men below as their weapons clinked hard against spears, axes, and swords. The roar of the crowd was near deafening as they fought from atop the boulders, slaying the barbarians below as they attempted to amble up the stones. Before long the number of men they were fighting against slowly began to exceed the number of slaves the duos group had started with. They had both lost count as to how many people they had slaughtered, but they had a strong idea they would later come to regret each death if they wound up surviving the bloodbath and carnage.
One after another, the prisoners in the arena began to dwindle until it was only Draco and Blaise versus four convicts. The largest of the men was a giant brute with a beastly axe made for cleaving through flesh and bone. However, the remaining three were sort of scrawny fellows with spears and swords, whom Blaise wondered how they even made it this far with their small stature. Readjusting their grips upon the sword hilts, they briefly looked to one another and nodded in understanding that this was it, all they had to do was surpass these four men and victory would be in hand. Taking a deep breath, the Slytherin boys turned back to the group and took a fighting stance once more, intent on hiding their exhaustion for a little while longer.
As the boys began to fight the smaller men, Ginny shrieked and pointed at the larger of the four running around the pile of stone. He quickly attempted to climb the boulders in an effort to ambush one or even both of the Slytherins. While a guard on a horse galloped around the arena and the crowd roared for the pair atop the pillar, Hermione tuned out the loud noises and whispered a tripping jinx, forcing the man to stumble up the boulder and grunt in pain.
Blaise kicked the slave he was fighting in the stomach with his sandaled foot before taking on another while Draco pierced a prisoner with a downward thrust of his blade, spewing blood once more across his chest. He then quickly turned to his left to witness the burly man trip and fall in confusion. It was the second time something strange had happened and he finally looked up to the stands to see the girls gripping each other’s hand in fear as their eyes met his fierce gaze. When Hermione nodded once in encouragement towards him, he knew that she was trying her best to protect them.
Jumping down from the stacked stones, Draco landed in the sand as the Barbarian stood in anger and dropped down after him. Looking briefly at the ground around him, the blonde spotted a gladius and hastily picked it up. Now armed with two weapons, he turned to the man, cracked his neck with a slow tilt of his head, and readied himself in a fighting stance while crimson fluid that was not his, dripped down between his fingers.
Worn, tired, and covered in mixture of sweat and blood, the Prince flicked his blonde hair out of his face and smirked menacingly at the man staring him down. No longer caring about the crowd or the girls, or even Blaise who was holding his own with an injured arm in the battle for survival, the Slytherin focused all his energy into the nearing fight and waited for the barbarian to attack.
The pair began to circle each other while the crowd clapped and hollered for the clash to begin. Gripping both weapons firmly in his hands, he artfully twisted the blades with his wrists as he glared down his enemy. The man suddenly sprinted towards him, quickly closing the gap between them before leaping into the air and swinging his blade down in a single solid stroke. Instinctively, the Malfoy heir raised the gladius in right hand up to block the strike before attempting to stab the dark-haired brute with his sword. His attack was hindered but it didn’t stop the Prince from swiftly swinging the smaller weapon fast and hard across the Barbarian’s abdomen, forcing him to double over in pain as blood seeped onto the sand.
The audience shouted excitedly as the savage regained his composure and swiped his axe through the air, grazing the bare skin of the blonde’s abs diagonally up to his shoulder. Draco winced as he glanced down at the cut but quickly lifted his head before the man had another chance to hit him. The dark-haired slave jumped into the air as he swung his axe down, compelling the Slytherin to deter the heavy weapon before promptly spinning around, throwing the man off, and slicing his throat in one foul motion as he brought up the gladius during his rotation.
The man’s eyes widened and his movement halted, just as Blaise brutally stabbed the last of their opponents, before falling to his knees in defeat. Draco scoffed before raising his left leg and punting the Barbarian with his foot, knocking the brute backwards, before walking off to join his friend.
As the spectators went wild, both Hermione and Ginny found themselves jumping up and down, cheering and laughing, in relief. But their excitement was cut short when a horde of soldiers with long shields, sharp swords, and bow and arrows, emerged from the shadows of the gate and began to swarm the last two survivors.
The guards with drawn arrows circled the Slytherins and pulled back on their readied bows as the Senator stood from his seat and thrusted a fist out in front of him.
“What are they doing?” Ginny worryingly inquired as she held on to Hermione’s bicep like her life depended on it, and the crowd began to chant ‘live’ over and over.
“Only one…is s-supposed to survive…” she answered with a shaken voice. “A-nd there are two…left.”
“Merlin! Are they going to make them fight each other?” the redhead panicked. “They won’t do it!”
“I think…” the brunette sighed “I think they know that…”
But as the audience continued the chant for the boys to live, the Senator clearly seemed to be warring with the idea of murdering them both. However, knowing he would have had to deal with a raging mob if he went against his people’s wishes, he gave a reluctant thumb’s up. As the spectators roared with euphoria and jubilation, the girls breathed a sigh of relief when the men holding the bows, lowered their weapons.
Both Blaise and Draco looked up to the mass of people filling the stadium and saluted the girls before the earth, without warning…began to violently shake.
Everyone began to scream in terror as some fell to their seats and others attempted to run. Draco and Blaise glanced at each other in terror as they tried hold themselves steady before the Senator raised his arms as the earth slowly began to stall its rumbling movements.
“PEOPLE OF POMPEII!” he shouted above the chaos of the crowd, however the sound of loud thunder-like grumbles continued on. “PLEASE, PEOPLE OF POMPEII, VULCAN SPEAKS!” The masses began to settle down and turn their attention to the Senator, giving him the drive to keep going. “THE GODS DECREE THESE MEN TO BE THE CHAMPIONS OF POMPEII! THEY HAVE BEEN DEEMED WORTHY TO STAND FACE-TO-FACE AGAINST THE MIGHT OF ROME!” However, as the rumbling sounds increased instead of fading away like any normal earthquake, Hermione snapped her attention Mount Vesuvius. “GREAT AND MIGHTY GODS, WE HEAR YOU SPEAK AND WILL OBEY!”
“Ginny, we have to leave!” the brunette witch urged as she began to pull Ginny through the stands.
“Why? The quake passed-Oh, mother of Merlin!” she exclaimed when she saw the fear embedded in her best friends’ eyes.
“We need to leave, now! We’ll find the guys later!”
“What? No! We can’t just leave them down there!” Ginny spoke sharply as she pulled her wrist from Hermione’s’ grasp. “They didn’t leave us in Rome, we can’t leave them here!”
“We’re not leaving them, we are going to find them, but we have to get out of here, now! I won’t say it again!”
“You’re not my mother! I’m going down there!” the redhead bit before turning away from her friend and marching down the stairs angrily.
“Ginny! Wait, no!” But Hermione’s cries fell on deaf ears as the earth once again began to vigorously convulse…stronger and fiercer than it did before.
Ginny fell to her hands and knees as Hermione tried to stay standing, grabbing on to anything she could and failing, while the people around her screamed once more. Draco and Blaise as well, fell to the ground as the earth felt like it was trying to rip itself apart and a large fissure cracked and tore through the stadiums’ stands. The archways leading to the tunnels collapsed in on themselves as the amphitheater began to break apart, leaving those still inside the arena with no way out.
But as the four Hogwarts students thought their luck couldn’t get any worse, they looked to the mountain just as she violently erupted with a loud terrifying scream; venting thick grey smoke filled with hot gases and volcanic ash, from her crater.
The two pairs of students, along with everyone too stunned to move, stared up at the monstrous volcano while the earth below them continued to shake. Frozen in a mixture of shock and awe, their eyes widen with horror as the fossil grey ash column rose above the mountain, into the stratosphere, and began coating the sky in a thick layer of darkness.
Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to some of the scenes portrayed in this chapter and the next. Some lines and actions were densely borrowed from movies such as 1997 Volcano, 1997 Dante’s Peak, and 2014 Pompeii. Other notable sources such as Wikipedia, History. Com, and more, were also used to obtain information in order to accurately describe the era. All eras the characters have and will be thrown into, have been researched heavily as well; including Rome where not all prostitutes were required, though it was preferred, to have bleach blonde hair. Also, another shout out to Scorpia11 for dealing with my aggravation on writing the arena scene. She is literally a saint!
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The Paths We Take