Blood of My Blood

"...And till me from the crown to the toe top full

Of the direst cruelty; make thick my blood..."

~Shakespeare. Macbeth (1606) act I, sc 5, l.

Chapter 5: The Cruelest Blood

October 20, 2003 (Later that day...)

Hermione lay back on the bed waiting. She didn't hear any movement in the room, but she felt eyes on her. Her eyes fluttered open, and she nearly cringed, thinking that Severus had returned. Instead, standing before her was the Bloody Baron, looking fit to kill. She shrieked and started to dive under the covers, but he shook his head, his face losing the anger. She watched as words appeared in the air, in what looked like blood. "Get dressed girl, we are leaving. NOW."

Hermione shivered. She wished she was anywhere but her present location. She sighed and quickly donned her clothes. She reasoned that being with the Baron was probably safer then being with Severus in his present state. The Baron looked at her kindly and started to reach out his hand, but she flinched, and he quickly withdrew it. He shook his head.

Hermione grabbed her wand, but left the rest, the Baron put his ephemeral arms on her shoulders, and they were gone.

Hermione felt like her stomach was plummeting to the floor. She didn't open her eyes 'till the sensation stopped, and when she did her breath caught in her throat. They were in a huge cavern; the walls glowed softly with phosphorescence from the mold. It was beautiful, from the ceiling quartz rock winked at her in the soft light. "Where are we?"

"Below Malfoy manner." A wry grin twisted across his face.

"W-w-what?"

"They will keep you safe, until Samhain."

"Um-you do know they want to kill me, right?"

His smile became enigmatic. "The spell is not what they think it is." The words scrawled across the air. "I assure you, you will not be the one that dies." His smile got bigger, "No, after Samhain you won't have to worry much about death at all."

"Oh. I don't understand."

"You will child, you will." She watched the blood words swirl through the air, mesmerized.

She nodded, and followed him up the stairs into the manor proper.

He stopped on the landing. "You were always my favorite. Out of them all."

She made it up to the top of the stairway. "I'll leave you here. Malfoy should be in his study, down the hall and up the stairs." The words were coming so quickly it was making her nauseous watching them. "Wish I could stay to see the look on his face...but I don't want him to know my involvement." He winked at her, and was gone.

Hermione padded down the hall like the Baron told her to. Her feet sunk into the plush carpet. She wished she had remembered to bring her shoes. She pocketed her wand, and resolutely headed off to see Malfoy.

~*~

Hermione peeked through the doorway. As the Baron had said Lucius was in his study. She smiled a small smile as she pushed the door the rest of the way open. Lucius startled. Hermione's smile got bigger. Her arrival had not triggered any of his wards. She blessed the Baron's foresight.

"Hello, Lucius...I believe you have been looking for me."

He blinked at her, his mouth open like a fish ready to take the bait. Hermione smiled again, as she put one finger under his chin and shut his mouth. "Wouldn't want you to catch any flies, dearie," she quipped. His eyes flashed angrily as he recovered.

"Miss Granger, to what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Oh, please, Malfoy, don't play dumb, it's unbecoming."

His eyes narrowed dangerously. "You are treading on very thin ice, Miss Granger, very thin indeed. How exactly did you make it through my wards without setting them off; one would wonder."

Hermione smiled a secretive little smile. "No you don't, Lucius. A girl must have her secrets, and that would be telling, which I am not inclined to do presently. Mr. Malfoy...Lucius, I may call you Lucius right?" She went on blithely not waiting for his reply. "As I was saying, Lucius, it doesn't really matter how I came here, not at all. All that should matter to you is that I am willing to give you what you want."

"And what do you perceive that to be?"

"Oh, the power from the spell of course."

"What do you get out of it, Miss Granger?"

"Hermione."

"What."

"My name is Hermione, please use it. As for what I get, well, I will be released from the curse. What more would I want? Freedom from this burden will be more then welcome." She smiled again, that small little smile that held so many secrets. It made Lucius very uneasy; but he accepted her deal anyway.

~*~

Hermione was relieved once she was deposited in a guest suite as far away from Lucius' as humanly possible, while still remaining in the manor house. She smiled when she found the note with the blood words scrawled across them. "We'll talk in the morning. I'll wake you up at three."

She settled in her room, quickly. Her stomach was nothing but a mess of nerves and quivering butterflies. Her mind turned to Severus and she felt a deep sadness welling up within her. Perhaps he had been possessed. She shook her head in wonder. Something just did not add up. She sank down into the bed as her knees gave out beneath her. Might as well get some rest before her talk with the Baron.