Detention with Destiny - Chapter 2 (Draco/Hermione - Harry Potter)
Title:Detention with Destiny
Author: leopion
Character(s): Draco Malfoy/Hermione Granger
Genres: Adventure, Angst, Mystery, Suspense
Timeline: Year 7, HBP-Compliant until the Astronomy-Tower scene
Rating: MT
Warnings: Mild Violence, Psychological Trauma, Strong Profanity
Disclaimer: I do not own nor claim the Harry Potter series, which belongs to J. K. Rowling.
Summary: When the Head Boy and Girl’s failure to cooperate leads to severe consequences, they end up in a detention with the Headmaster himself.
Also archived on: Hawthorn & Vine, Granger Enchanted, The Manor, AO3, and fanfiction.net
AN: Originally written for the tenth dmhgficexchange: Darkest before the Dawn. Revised for archiving.
My deepest gratitude to dormiensa , elizpeace, mccargi, silviaelisa , wake_the_dragon , and the mods at dmhgficexchange. Full acknowledgement (plus table of contents) can be found here
Detention with Destiny - Chapter 2
by Leopion
Hermione couldn’t believe her ears. Had Professor Dumbledore really just asked her to go with him on a Horcrux hunt? She found it almost impossible to contain the excitement bubbling inside her. However, this sentiment was soon tainted by apprehension as it occurred to Hermione that the privilege was also extended towards Malfoy.
She cast a furtive glance in his direction. If Malfoy had known about Horcruxes, he didn’t show it. However, Hermione knew better than to trust appearances. After all, Malfoy had incentive to hide his knowledge, didn’t he? Otherwise, it would only serve to show how deeply he had steeped himself in the Dark Arts.
‘Miss Granger, I trust that Mr Potter has already told you about these dark artefacts?’
Hermione slowly nodded, her brain still furiously processing the situation. Had Dumbledore lost his mind? Giving Malfoy the Head Boy title was one thing, but entrusting him with such confidential information regarding the destruction of Voldemort and actually involving him in the process was simply ludicrous. At last, she chose to voice her doubt in the most discreet way possible.
‘But sir, do you truly want me and Malfoy to go with you on the Horcrux hunt?’
‘If you don’t wish to-’
‘Oh no, it’s not that, sir,’ blurted Hermione before even realising that she was, in fact, interrupting the Headmaster. Blushing slightly at her own lack of manners, she apologised and added, ‘I would be honoured to join you. I was just wondering whether Harry would be a more suitable companion.’
‘As it happens, I do not want to bother Mr Potter. He has too much on his plate already. What is more, I believe that the skills and intelligence you and Mr Malfoy possess will be invaluable to our mission tonight,’ said Dumbledore gravely.
His words did little to ease Hermione’s hesitation. What skills could she and Malfoy possibly possess that Dumbledore did not already have? Had Dumbledore known all along that Malfoy possessed useful information about the Horcruxes and wanted to exploit that? Though Hermione wasn’t opposed to the idea of using Malfoy for their cause, it simply was not something Dumbledore would do. So, this couldn’t be the case. Hermione’s theory was solidified by the kind smile Dumbledore directed at Malfoy, asking if he knew what a Horcrux was.
‘No, but I may have heard of it somewhere.’ Malfoy’s answer sounded somewhat truthful.
‘Miss Granger,’ said Dumbledore, turning back to Hermione with a gentle smile, ‘would you be so kind as to explain the subject to Mr Malfoy while I make some preparations before our journey?’
‘Of course, sir,’ she replied, although unsure exactly how much information the Headmaster wanted her to disclose. It would be awkward to ask the question in front of Malfoy, though. As Dumbledore walked across the office towards his wondrous collection of tomes, she began with the most basic points and hoped that the Headmaster would stop her before she went too far.
‘A Horcrux is an object into which a wizard has hidden a part of his soul. That way even when his body is destroyed, he cannot die because part of the soul remains earthbound and undamaged.’
‘And that was how the Dark Lord managed to stay alive sixteen years ago, wasn’t it?’ asked Malfoy, looking mildly interested.
Hermione nodded. She wasn’t surprised at how fast Malfoy seemed to catch on. A part of her conceded that he was actually quite smart, though another sternly reminded her that he might have known everything beforehand.
‘In order to create a Horcrux, the aforementioned wizard must commit murder as the killing would tear the soul apart.’ Hermione paused. It was not until the words had come out of her mouth that she realised how close Malfoy’s soul had come to suffering the same fate. Hermione thought she saw him flinch at her statement, though it was so brief that she could have imagined it. ‘He would then encase the torn portion into an object, making it into a Horcrux.’
Hermione stopped speaking. She was getting to an important turn. It was one thing to tell Malfoy about the concept of Horcruxes and even to let him know why Voldemort had survived, but going into details about how far the monster had gone-creating several Horcruxes-and how far Dumbledore had gone in the quest of destroying them was something entirely different. If Malfoy reported the knowledge back to Voldemort, all of their efforts would amount to nothing. On the other hand, they could still make it seem like they only knew about one Horcrux and were setting out to destroy it tonight. Hermione looked at Dumbledore, who had just returned to the desk with an enormous ledger, her eyes seeking guidance. At Dumbledore’s encouraging smile, she took a deep breath and continued, ‘Voldemort has split his soul into seven pieces.’
‘Seven?’ gasped Malfoy. ‘That means he’s made a total of-’
‘Six Horcruxes, yes,’ said Hermione. She hesitated for a second, but then Dumbledore gestured for her to go on. ‘A diary, the Gaunt’s ring, Slytherin’s locket, Hufflepuff’s cup, his snake Nagini, and finally, given Voldemort’s obsession with the Hogwarts’ Founders, a relic of either Ravenclaw or Gryffindor. The first two have already been destroyed, and someone named R.A.B allegedly destroyed the third. So that leaves three, including the snake.’
‘Thank you for the concise account of our position, Miss Granger,’ said Dumbledore, and Hermione assumed she was meant to stop. Though to be quite honest, anything Dumbledore said after this would be new information to her as well. ‘And as you might have guessed, tonight we will hopefully be recovering either the cup or the unknown relic.’
‘May I ask where it is, sir?’
‘We shall discuss that on our way. Now, we should get this detention out of the way first.’
Dumbledore pushed the ledger towards Hermione and Malfoy. On the leather cover was the Hogwarts crest and golden letters: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry: Record. Dumbledore waved his wand, and before each of them appeared a pile of parchment and a quill. ‘Could you please copy down the title of this ledger?’
Despite her surprise at the request, Hermione swiftly did as told. Malfoy didn’t protest either, though she detected a derisive snort from him.
‘I think that should do it,’ said Dumbledore when they had both finished and set their quills down. With another flick of Dumbledore’s wand, the two quills began writing on their own, and Hermione could see that the one she had just used imitated her handwriting exactly.
‘To everyone else, you two are still serving in detention tonight while I visit Hogsmeade for a drink. I trust that both of you know how to cast a Disillusionment Charm?’
‘Yes, Professor,’ said Hermione while Malfoy merely nodded his response. Not waiting to be asked twice, he pulled out his wand and performed the spell. Hermione followed suit.
‘If you will please follow me,’ said Dumbledore, peering right at Hermione’s spot as though the concealment didn’t exist. ‘And please refrain from speaking, lest others hear you.’
They made their way to the oak front doors without incident. When they headed outside, night had already fallen. Hermione hurriedly followed Dumbledore down the stone steps into the moonlit drive. The rising wind sent the Headmaster’s travelling cloak flying behind him. Hermione, too, had to hug her cloak to herself to keep it from flapping at her sides. Not very far from their path was the lake, glistening in the moonlight. The scenery could have made for a spectacular painting, though Hermione had little time to admire it as she was practically jogging in order to keep up with Dumbledore’s long, quick strides. She took in a deep breath of the cool autumn air and briefly wondered how their group would have looked to someone from the outside. While neither she nor Malfoy could see each other, Hermione could still hear the muffled sound of his footsteps just a little bit behind her.
Hermione was eager to hear about their destination, but she didn’t dare ask. Although there was certainly no one who could have overheard them now, Dumbledore remained silent. Hermione felt her heart flutter with anticipation. Were they going to Albania? How would she help in this mission? Hermione mentally scolded herself for not finishing her reading on the area. She had made it her duty to educate herself and then Harry about Albania just in case something similar to the poison incident happened. That way, Harry would at least know how to cope in the foreign country if Dumbledore was somehow injured during the mission. It was ironic that when Hermione was given a chance to accompany the Headmaster herself, she was totally unprepared.
Only when they had started down the deserted lane that led to Hogsmeade did Dumbledore finally speak up.
‘I am sure that you are both impatient to know our destination tonight. It is the house of Tom Riddle Senior in Little Hangleton.’
‘Tom Riddle Senior?’ blurted Hermione. ‘You mean Voldemort’s Muggle father, sir?’
‘The Da-I mean, You-Know-Who’s father was a Muggle?’ asked Malfoy, and Hermione couldn’t help but smirk at the incredulous note in his voice.
‘It is not surprising that Voldemort has hidden his unfavourable heritage exceedingly well,’ said Dumbledore seriously.
‘But what about his Slytherin bloodline?’
‘It comes from his mother’s side,’ answered Hermione, unable to contain herself. After all, Malfoy didn’t exactly direct the question at Dumbledore. Then she glanced around to make sure they were still alone before adding, ‘It’s pathetic how he’s made sure everyone knows about it.’
‘You are quite right, Miss Granger.’ Dumbledore chuckled before returning to his solemn tone. ‘You have both realised, I am sure, that of his six Horcruxes, three either used to belong to Slytherin or at least emphasise Voldemort’s connection to him.’
‘If You-Know-Who is so obsessed with his heritage, wouldn’t the idea of a Philosopher’s Stone be more appealing to him in his quest for immortality? Although Slytherin himself didn’t admit it, he did make a substantial contribution to alchemy.’
At this Hermione instantly stopped and wheeled around to look at Malfoy, momentarily forgetting that they were both currently invisible. It was a good thing that she realised her mistake soon enough to avoid any crashing, though she really wished she could have seen Malfoy’s expression at that moment. Despite her avid reading on Hogwarts and the Founders, she had never encountered this piece of information. In fact, she was kind of hoping that Dumbledore would reject it as wrong, which, unfortunately, was not the case.
‘Asking is actually answering, Mr Malfoy. If you know about Slytherin’s role in the field of alchemy, I presume that you also know the reason why he never admitted to being an alchemist?’
‘Because he considered alchemy merely a delusional search, not the proper path to immortality. The Elixir of Life, if it exists, can only guarantee biological longevity, and one must become far too dependent on it to live on.’
‘So, there you have it. I suppose your father has an extensive collection of Slytherin’s work?’ asked Dumbledore casually.
‘That he did,’ replied Malfoy, sounding somewhat uncomfortable, ‘but I actually read this in Hogwarts’ library.’
‘I see,’ said Dumbledore, looking over his shoulder at the spot where Hermione assumed that Malfoy currently occupied. The Headmaster seemed to consider Malfoy for a moment before resuming his normal stroll.
They reached the High Street within a minute. Therefore, despite the burning question at the back of her mind, Hermione was forced to remain silent, given the greater likelihood of them running into someone. They did indeed encounter Madam Rosmerta, who greeted Dumbledore with a mild reproach as he admitted to heading to the Hog’s Head instead of the Three Broomsticks again.
‘Is there anything else you would like to inquire?’ asked the Headmaster as soon as they turned the corner into an empty side street.
‘Yes, sir,’ said Hermione, thoroughly grateful for the prompt. ‘I thought you already discovered the ring in the Gaunt’s house just outside the village. Why would Voldemort want to place the two Horcruxes so close to each other? I mean, doesn’t that make it more likely that someone would discover and destroy both of them?’
‘Reverse-psychology,’ whispered Malfoy’s voice from behind her.
‘Precisely,’ agreed Dumbledore. ‘And I have to admit that it has managed to fool me for quite a while, causing me to spend time searching in Albania and not expecting the next Horcrux to be so much closer to us.’
They finally drew to a stop in front of the Hog’s Head. Though both Hermione and Malfoy had already received their Apparition licenses, Dumbledore offered for them to Side-Along since neither knew the exact location. They reappeared under the cover of a small copse of trees near the summit of a hill.
‘You can remove your charm now,’ said Dumbledore, dusting off the grass caught on his travelling cloak with a swish of his wand. Hermione quickly obeyed and followed Dumbledore’s example as well. They both had to wait for Malfoy to complete his procedure of various cleaning spells. The vain git!
‘I’m afraid we shall have to walk a little farther before we can reach our final destination.’ Dumbledore gestured towards the far side of the village nestled at the base of the hills surrounding of the valley. Hermione frowned; she could not see any house that resembled the big manor Harry had described.
‘The house is currently invisible,’ explained Dumbledore. As they headed towards the village, Malfoy kept his distance but still remained within earshot. Dumbledore resumed his explanation of Voldemort’s choice of hiding place for his Horcrux.
‘Given the evidence,’ he began, ‘I believe that Voldemort didn’t hide the Horcrux here until very recently, after he had managed to secure a new body. Having acquired the ring from the Gaunts’ shack, I could not find the Riddle House. After a quick survey of the location, I concluded that it had been demolished. With the same reasoning as Miss Granger, I assumed that the house had little importance in my search for the Horcruxes. However, I recently decided to ascertain the validity of my previous theory. According to Muggle files, the demolition took place in 1994, but there has been no record of construction on the site that the house previously occupied. This raised my suspicions, and after a thorough search, I have indeed found the house still standing, one of its enchantments such a subtle deterrence spell that even I did not detect it during my initial, cursory examination.’
‘But why didn’t Voldemort hide the Horcrux right after creating it, sir?’ asked Hermione. ‘And where was it all that time?’
‘Again, this is merely guesswork, but by that point, Voldemort had stopped trusting the protection method he had previously used. In fact, Mr Malfoy may be able to help us. Can you recall any occasion when Voldemort demanded the return of an important object? From your aunt Bellatrix, perhaps?’
For a fraction of a second, Malfoy looked like he was about to shake his head, but then realisation spread over his face. ‘It was the cup,’ he said. ‘I heard that he demanded it as soon as she broke out of Azkaban.’
‘Well, that clears up matters,’ said Dumbledore. ‘If I am not mistaken, after being informed of the destruction of the diary in the possession of Mr Malfoy’s father, Voldemort decided that it would be safer to protect the Horcrux himself.’
Upon arriving at the boundary of the village, the three fell into silence once more. The lane was quite deserted, and the only sign of activity was the sound of television sets and the flickering of lights from a few windows.
A few streets down, they hit the border of a forest. Dumbledore drew his wand and gave it a casual flick. The forest instantly vanished from their sight, and in its place appeared another hillside with what Hermione could only assume had once been the Riddle manor house. In front of her now was a giant mass of very dense ivy that left only a few scattered hints of the bricks underneath.
‘This is the temporary ward I set up this afternoon after undoing Voldemort’s concealment on the place,’ explained Dumbledore. ‘It appears that he meant for the house to remain hidden from all even when they actively searched for it. However, there was a loophole in the spell that allowed me to eventually locate the manor. Had Voldemort chosen to use the Fidelius charm instead, I would never have been able to penetrate it. Perhaps Voldemort didn’t like the notion of trust connected with the Fidelius charm, and he was obviously confident in his own spell. This, once again, demonstrates his arrogance and ignorance, and he will pay dearly for it.’
‘But it would be disastrous to place your trust in the wrong person,’ said Hermione, eyeing Malfoy contemptuously.
‘Indeed. What happened to the Potters was a tragedy,’ said Dumbledore with a heavy sigh, but Hermione knew that he didn’t miss the other implication of her statement.
‘Now,’ said Dumbledore, taking a more serious tone, ‘Mr Malfoy, Miss Granger, I’m afraid that I will need your help cleaning up the ivy before we can find the entrance.’
They divided up the task so that Dumbledore would tackle the middle part while Hermione and Malfoy dealt with the left and right sides respectively. Hermione wasted no time in following Dumbledore’s instructions and was the first to approach the house. The cutting spell she was going to use worked best in close proximity. Before Hermione could raise her wand, however, a loud thump from behind made her spin around. Dumbledore was lying flat on his back about six feet from where she last saw him. Malfoy had also stopped in his tracks to the other side of the house, apparently as stunned as she.
Only as the Headmaster groggily attempted to stand up did Hermione recover from her initial shock. She raced down the hill to help him.
‘Sir, are you alright?’
‘I am quite fine. Thank you. But it seems like I have been marked.’ Dumbledore raised his blackened hand and, for the first time that evening, he looked exceedingly tired. ‘Voldemort has been getting more and more paranoid about the safety of his Horcruxes.’
‘What do you mean by that?’ asked Malfoy, having also rejoined them.
‘I see that you two had no trouble coming close to the house?’ enquired Dumbledore, looking at Hermione and Malfoy over his half-moon spectacles. As they both shook their heads, the Headmaster went on, ‘I, on the contrary, have just been thrown back. Please forgive my lack of modesty, but this place appears to have a means of identifying and excluding the most dangerous enemy, in this case, the one who has once defied Voldemort.’
As the words slowly sank in, apprehension crept over Hermione. What were they going to do without Dumbledore? She had never once considered that possibility, having always assumed that all she would need to do was follow his guidance and help out when she could.
‘I’m afraid we have come here for nothing,’ continued Dumbledore. ‘I cannot let you go on without my aid. I apologise for my poor provision.’
Despite her worry just moments ago, Hermione couldn’t help but feel the crushing disappointment. Now that she thought about it, it would be particularly unlike Dumbledore to let them enter alone. Then again, what other choices did they have? The mission still needed to be completed.
‘But professor, sooner or later, we’ll still have to do it, won’t we?’ she asked. ‘With all of these securities, there must be a Horcrux hidden in there. Maybe I can come back with Harry and-’
‘I doubt that Mr Potter would be able to enter the premise.’
‘Because he stabbed the diary?’ asked Hermione, not quite following Dumbledore’s logic. True, Harry had destroyed one of the Horcruxes, but he had not suffered any lasting consequences by doing so.
‘Or simply because he is Harry Potter,’ said Dumbledore. ‘Please keep in mind that Voldemort designed this barrier after he had established Harry Potter as his worst enemy.’
‘In that case, I will go, sir,’ Hermione nervously volunteered. Malfoy’s conspicuous eye-rolling clearly didn’t help matters.
‘Are you sure, Miss Granger?’ asked Dumbledore, his forehead creasing with concern. ‘I must stress that this mission will be exceedingly dangerous.’
‘I am sure, Professor.’ Hermione tried to sound braver than she felt.
‘I’m afraid I still cannot let you go alone,’ said Dumbledore firmly before turning to Malfoy. ‘Mr Malfoy, I know this will probably be too much to ask, but would you mind accompanying Miss Granger on this mission? I dare say that I will be much less worried if the two of you go together.’
At this proposition, Malfoy appeared as though he was going to shout at Dumbledore that it was the worst idea ever and that if sent together, one of them was liable to end up dead even without the assistance of Voldemort’s lethal traps. For a moment, Hermione heartily concurred, though that was before she realised that doing so would effectively ruin her chance.
‘Professor,’ she said as Malfoy had yet to provide an answer, ‘is it alright for me to go back and bring Ron instead?’
‘If Malfoy here does not wish to go, of course,’ added Hermione, although her tone clearly implied to Malfoy, ‘I’d rather go with him than you any day.’
Just as she had expected, it was enough to incite an answer from Malfoy.
‘I’ll go with her,’ he blurted, before Dumbledore could even open his mouth to reply.
‘Excellent,’ said Dumbledore. ‘Before you go, I must prepare you. Firstly, always remember that appearances can be deceiving. And secondly, whenever you find yourselves stumped, put yourself in Voldemort’s shoes. His arrogance sometimes gives a solution much simpler than you may first realise.’
Hermione nodded gravely, drilling every word into her mind. Although she didn’t know how well she would be able to apply them, they were definitely worth remembering. Judging by Malfoy’s expression, however, she could tell he didn’t seem that impressed.
‘Well, then, I’ll be here waiting for your safe return. Good luck!’ finished Dumbledore after a brief pause.
And so, Hermione and Malfoy left Dumbledore at the bottom of the hill and began walking towards the house again.
‘Congratulations, Granger,’ sneered Malfoy, scrunching up his nose as they got nearer to the ivy-laden old manor. ‘Thanks to your heroic volunteering, now it’s only you, me, and this mess.’
‘It’s okay if you want to change your mind, Malfoy,’ replied Hermione placidly. ‘It isn’t like I can’t ask anyone else to help.’
Malfoy chose to ignore her remark. ‘You do the left,’ he said briskly. ‘I’ll take the right. And then we’ll both deal with the middle part.’
‘Fair enough,’ said Hermione despite half-wanting to mock him for diverting the conversation. With Malfoy, it was almost impossible to know precisely when she’d gone too far, and Hermione didn’t exactly entertain the idea of repeating the incident of the previous night.
They mutely proceeded to unravel the wild creeper, looking for an entrance. As it turned out, the front door of the house, stripped of varnish and almost decayed, was located a fair bit to the right of where they had initially considered the centre.
‘Shall we?’ asked Hermione quietly. Malfoy gave a curt nod. Holding her breath, Hermione used her wand to charm the door open without direct contact. It gave an eerie creak that reminded her of the horror films her cousin had made her watch last summer. However, what caused Hermione to gasp was what she saw on the inside of the manor, lit up to her as the moonlight streamed in. It bore no resemblance to any of those films, or to the outside of the house for that matter. The parlour was immaculate and so were its walls, which oddly possessed no doors or windows at all.
Hermione did a double take and began considering all kinds of magic revelation spells in her brain, though she couldn’t recall anything helpful. If she had known that they would go Horcrux hunting, she would have read a few more references on the subject beforehand. Overwhelmed by the feeling of unpreparedness, Hermione stood gaping on the steps. She briefly considered whether she should go back and ask Dumbledore for guidance. However, Malfoy had already pushed past her to enter the room, his wand aloft. She decided to follow, gingerly tracing Malfoy’s exact footsteps, just in case.
They both lit up their wands. The bright light reflecting off the faded white walls only served to emphasise their flawlessness. Even after careful scrutiny, Hermione could not detect a single crack. Meanwhile, Malfoy appeared to be scanning the room more purposefully from his spot in the centre. He turned around slowly, seemingly examining every single inch of the walls and ceiling. Every once in a while he would stop and focus on a particular spot before moving on. While Malfoy appeared to know what he was doing, Hermione found it hard not to be sceptical. Nevertheless, she kept silent so as not to disturb his concentration. Well, at least, if he was actually concentrating in the first place.
Malfoy finally completed a full circle of inspection and stood with his back to the outside once more, yet he made no indication of moving away from the spot. Oh dear, don’t tell me that he’s clueless, too.
‘Do you know how to unveil the concealment?’ she asked, unable to contain herself any longer.
‘I used to live in a house that abounded with hidden doors and deadly traps, Granger. These are basic survival skills,’ scoffed Malfoy, turning around and glaring at her. ‘Now if you will please shut up, I might just be able to locate the entrance.’
Hermione huffed. She had merely asked a question after all. Even if Malfoy really did know how to find their way, it didn’t mean he had the right to act like an arsehole. All the same, when Malfoy closed his eyes, as if trying to sense the magical traces surrounding them, Hermione found herself not even daring to breathe too loudly. The only sound left in the room was the whistle of the wind coming in through the open front door.
Hermione thought she sensed something as well. Still, she couldn’t quite place it. That was why she settled on directing her attention at Malfoy. During that short time, his neutral expression had turned quizzical. As Malfoy’s frown gradually deepened, Hermione felt her heart quicken. Had he discovered something?
Without warning, Malfoy’s eyes flew open. He whirled around and strode towards the far corner of the room. Stopping just in front of the blank wall, he began to run his fingers on the surface, chanting under his breath. Hermione could only catch some of the words, but within seconds, she managed to recognise the incantation. It was a very Dark and ancient truth spell she had come across in her desperate search for Horcruxes in the library.
Although Malfoy was currently using it to penetrate through whatever concealment was present, the spell was originally created to torture the victim with every falsehood that escaped from his or her lips. The detailed description of its effects had disgusted Hermione to the point that she’d had to stop reading any further. Nevertheless, she had seen enough to know that the drastically destructive power of the spell made it effective on immaterial objects as well. The logic behind this other application of the spell was rather simple. The concealment-its purpose to hide the true nature of something-could be considered a lie. The spell thus used would strip away the deception.
In any case, the thought of Malfoy knowing how to use such a spell scared her. Hermione found herself subconsciously taking a step back. One of the floorboards creaked slightly under her feet, but fortunately, Malfoy was too absorbed in his task to care about or even notice the noise. He had been reciting the spell again and again, covering a relatively large area until finally pausing at a particular spot. He repeated the incantation once more and rubbed his palm back and forth over the spot before withdrawing his hand.
An odd engraving appeared on the wall where Malfoy’s hand had been. It wasn’t a runic symbol or an astrological sign or anything Hermione could possibly identify. Instead, she thought it looked like a flower of sorts, with an over-sized calyx and long, thin petals which left too much space between them. There were two types of petals: four long, thin ones in the middle, all pointed upward while two slightly stouter ones stretched nearly horizontally on either side of the calyx, being almost completely separate from the others. The overall effect was absolutely hideous.
‘What is it?’
‘I don’t know,’ said Malfoy with a grimace.
‘And I thought you were the master of hidden entrances and deadly traps,’ said Hermione despite herself.
‘No two concealments are the same, Granger,’ retorted Malfoy, irritated. ‘Otherwise, they may as well have a “Hello! I’m a hidden entrance. Open me!!!” sign stuck on them.’
Hermione simply glared at him.
‘However,’ continued Malfoy slowly, ‘there is a particular characteristic that is common among-’
‘They demand payment?’
‘Well, sort of,’ he replied. ‘Unless you are the creator or have some sort of key or password. And if I’m not mistaken, the first thing one should try would be ...’
Hermione swallowed hard. She didn’t exactly like where this was going. Malfoy took out a silver dagger and made a cut across his right thumb, wincing slightly. Hermione could only see a tiny hint of red before he proceeded to press his injured thumb against the centre of the ugly flower. The blood smeared around the tip of Malfoy’s finger, a stark contrast against the white wall. Deeming it sufficient, he removed his thumb and tapped it with the tip of his wand, leaving the skin as pristine as ever. They waited with bated breath.
Nothing happened.
‘Um ... Maybe it needs more blood,’ suggested Hermione. She half-expected Malfoy to tell her to shut up and supply the blood herself, but he merely repeated the procedure and held his thumb steadily over the previous bloodstain. This time his expression didn’t change. A small streak of blood started trickling down. Malfoy then moved his thumb over the entire surface of the sign.
‘I think that should be enough,’ said Malfoy, withdrawing his hand and quickly muttering a spell to heal the wound. He turned around and leaned back on the wall next to the symbol. ‘At least now we know that it doesn’t want blood.’
‘What other kinds of sacrifice can these things demand?’ she asked.
Malfoy crossed his arms over his chest and looked at her archly.
‘Let’s say if someone told you that it cost him an arm and a leg to retrieve a particular treasure from Slytherin’s tomb, he could very well mean it literally.’
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Author: leopion
Character(s): Draco Malfoy/Hermione Granger
Genres: Adventure, Angst, Mystery, Suspense
Timeline: Year 7, HBP-Compliant until the Astronomy-Tower scene
Rating: MT
Warnings: Mild Violence, Psychological Trauma, Strong Profanity
Disclaimer: I do not own nor claim the Harry Potter series, which belongs to J. K. Rowling.
Summary: When the Head Boy and Girl’s failure to cooperate leads to severe consequences, they end up in a detention with the Headmaster himself.
Also archived on: Hawthorn & Vine, Granger Enchanted, The Manor, AO3, and fanfiction.net
AN: Originally written for the tenth dmhgficexchange: Darkest before the Dawn. Revised for archiving.
My deepest gratitude to dormiensa , elizpeace, mccargi, silviaelisa , wake_the_dragon , and the mods at dmhgficexchange. Full acknowledgement (plus table of contents) can be found here
Detention with Destiny - Chapter 2
by Leopion
Hermione couldn’t believe her ears. Had Professor Dumbledore really just asked her to go with him on a Horcrux hunt? She found it almost impossible to contain the excitement bubbling inside her. However, this sentiment was soon tainted by apprehension as it occurred to Hermione that the privilege was also extended towards Malfoy.
She cast a furtive glance in his direction. If Malfoy had known about Horcruxes, he didn’t show it. However, Hermione knew better than to trust appearances. After all, Malfoy had incentive to hide his knowledge, didn’t he? Otherwise, it would only serve to show how deeply he had steeped himself in the Dark Arts.
‘Miss Granger, I trust that Mr Potter has already told you about these dark artefacts?’
Hermione slowly nodded, her brain still furiously processing the situation. Had Dumbledore lost his mind? Giving Malfoy the Head Boy title was one thing, but entrusting him with such confidential information regarding the destruction of Voldemort and actually involving him in the process was simply ludicrous. At last, she chose to voice her doubt in the most discreet way possible.
‘But sir, do you truly want me and Malfoy to go with you on the Horcrux hunt?’
‘If you don’t wish to-’
‘Oh no, it’s not that, sir,’ blurted Hermione before even realising that she was, in fact, interrupting the Headmaster. Blushing slightly at her own lack of manners, she apologised and added, ‘I would be honoured to join you. I was just wondering whether Harry would be a more suitable companion.’
‘As it happens, I do not want to bother Mr Potter. He has too much on his plate already. What is more, I believe that the skills and intelligence you and Mr Malfoy possess will be invaluable to our mission tonight,’ said Dumbledore gravely.
His words did little to ease Hermione’s hesitation. What skills could she and Malfoy possibly possess that Dumbledore did not already have? Had Dumbledore known all along that Malfoy possessed useful information about the Horcruxes and wanted to exploit that? Though Hermione wasn’t opposed to the idea of using Malfoy for their cause, it simply was not something Dumbledore would do. So, this couldn’t be the case. Hermione’s theory was solidified by the kind smile Dumbledore directed at Malfoy, asking if he knew what a Horcrux was.
‘No, but I may have heard of it somewhere.’ Malfoy’s answer sounded somewhat truthful.
‘Miss Granger,’ said Dumbledore, turning back to Hermione with a gentle smile, ‘would you be so kind as to explain the subject to Mr Malfoy while I make some preparations before our journey?’
‘Of course, sir,’ she replied, although unsure exactly how much information the Headmaster wanted her to disclose. It would be awkward to ask the question in front of Malfoy, though. As Dumbledore walked across the office towards his wondrous collection of tomes, she began with the most basic points and hoped that the Headmaster would stop her before she went too far.
‘A Horcrux is an object into which a wizard has hidden a part of his soul. That way even when his body is destroyed, he cannot die because part of the soul remains earthbound and undamaged.’
‘And that was how the Dark Lord managed to stay alive sixteen years ago, wasn’t it?’ asked Malfoy, looking mildly interested.
Hermione nodded. She wasn’t surprised at how fast Malfoy seemed to catch on. A part of her conceded that he was actually quite smart, though another sternly reminded her that he might have known everything beforehand.
‘In order to create a Horcrux, the aforementioned wizard must commit murder as the killing would tear the soul apart.’ Hermione paused. It was not until the words had come out of her mouth that she realised how close Malfoy’s soul had come to suffering the same fate. Hermione thought she saw him flinch at her statement, though it was so brief that she could have imagined it. ‘He would then encase the torn portion into an object, making it into a Horcrux.’
Hermione stopped speaking. She was getting to an important turn. It was one thing to tell Malfoy about the concept of Horcruxes and even to let him know why Voldemort had survived, but going into details about how far the monster had gone-creating several Horcruxes-and how far Dumbledore had gone in the quest of destroying them was something entirely different. If Malfoy reported the knowledge back to Voldemort, all of their efforts would amount to nothing. On the other hand, they could still make it seem like they only knew about one Horcrux and were setting out to destroy it tonight. Hermione looked at Dumbledore, who had just returned to the desk with an enormous ledger, her eyes seeking guidance. At Dumbledore’s encouraging smile, she took a deep breath and continued, ‘Voldemort has split his soul into seven pieces.’
‘Seven?’ gasped Malfoy. ‘That means he’s made a total of-’
‘Six Horcruxes, yes,’ said Hermione. She hesitated for a second, but then Dumbledore gestured for her to go on. ‘A diary, the Gaunt’s ring, Slytherin’s locket, Hufflepuff’s cup, his snake Nagini, and finally, given Voldemort’s obsession with the Hogwarts’ Founders, a relic of either Ravenclaw or Gryffindor. The first two have already been destroyed, and someone named R.A.B allegedly destroyed the third. So that leaves three, including the snake.’
‘Thank you for the concise account of our position, Miss Granger,’ said Dumbledore, and Hermione assumed she was meant to stop. Though to be quite honest, anything Dumbledore said after this would be new information to her as well. ‘And as you might have guessed, tonight we will hopefully be recovering either the cup or the unknown relic.’
‘May I ask where it is, sir?’
‘We shall discuss that on our way. Now, we should get this detention out of the way first.’
Dumbledore pushed the ledger towards Hermione and Malfoy. On the leather cover was the Hogwarts crest and golden letters: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry: Record. Dumbledore waved his wand, and before each of them appeared a pile of parchment and a quill. ‘Could you please copy down the title of this ledger?’
Despite her surprise at the request, Hermione swiftly did as told. Malfoy didn’t protest either, though she detected a derisive snort from him.
‘I think that should do it,’ said Dumbledore when they had both finished and set their quills down. With another flick of Dumbledore’s wand, the two quills began writing on their own, and Hermione could see that the one she had just used imitated her handwriting exactly.
‘To everyone else, you two are still serving in detention tonight while I visit Hogsmeade for a drink. I trust that both of you know how to cast a Disillusionment Charm?’
‘Yes, Professor,’ said Hermione while Malfoy merely nodded his response. Not waiting to be asked twice, he pulled out his wand and performed the spell. Hermione followed suit.
‘If you will please follow me,’ said Dumbledore, peering right at Hermione’s spot as though the concealment didn’t exist. ‘And please refrain from speaking, lest others hear you.’
They made their way to the oak front doors without incident. When they headed outside, night had already fallen. Hermione hurriedly followed Dumbledore down the stone steps into the moonlit drive. The rising wind sent the Headmaster’s travelling cloak flying behind him. Hermione, too, had to hug her cloak to herself to keep it from flapping at her sides. Not very far from their path was the lake, glistening in the moonlight. The scenery could have made for a spectacular painting, though Hermione had little time to admire it as she was practically jogging in order to keep up with Dumbledore’s long, quick strides. She took in a deep breath of the cool autumn air and briefly wondered how their group would have looked to someone from the outside. While neither she nor Malfoy could see each other, Hermione could still hear the muffled sound of his footsteps just a little bit behind her.
Hermione was eager to hear about their destination, but she didn’t dare ask. Although there was certainly no one who could have overheard them now, Dumbledore remained silent. Hermione felt her heart flutter with anticipation. Were they going to Albania? How would she help in this mission? Hermione mentally scolded herself for not finishing her reading on the area. She had made it her duty to educate herself and then Harry about Albania just in case something similar to the poison incident happened. That way, Harry would at least know how to cope in the foreign country if Dumbledore was somehow injured during the mission. It was ironic that when Hermione was given a chance to accompany the Headmaster herself, she was totally unprepared.
Only when they had started down the deserted lane that led to Hogsmeade did Dumbledore finally speak up.
‘I am sure that you are both impatient to know our destination tonight. It is the house of Tom Riddle Senior in Little Hangleton.’
‘Tom Riddle Senior?’ blurted Hermione. ‘You mean Voldemort’s Muggle father, sir?’
‘The Da-I mean, You-Know-Who’s father was a Muggle?’ asked Malfoy, and Hermione couldn’t help but smirk at the incredulous note in his voice.
‘It is not surprising that Voldemort has hidden his unfavourable heritage exceedingly well,’ said Dumbledore seriously.
‘But what about his Slytherin bloodline?’
‘It comes from his mother’s side,’ answered Hermione, unable to contain herself. After all, Malfoy didn’t exactly direct the question at Dumbledore. Then she glanced around to make sure they were still alone before adding, ‘It’s pathetic how he’s made sure everyone knows about it.’
‘You are quite right, Miss Granger.’ Dumbledore chuckled before returning to his solemn tone. ‘You have both realised, I am sure, that of his six Horcruxes, three either used to belong to Slytherin or at least emphasise Voldemort’s connection to him.’
‘If You-Know-Who is so obsessed with his heritage, wouldn’t the idea of a Philosopher’s Stone be more appealing to him in his quest for immortality? Although Slytherin himself didn’t admit it, he did make a substantial contribution to alchemy.’
At this Hermione instantly stopped and wheeled around to look at Malfoy, momentarily forgetting that they were both currently invisible. It was a good thing that she realised her mistake soon enough to avoid any crashing, though she really wished she could have seen Malfoy’s expression at that moment. Despite her avid reading on Hogwarts and the Founders, she had never encountered this piece of information. In fact, she was kind of hoping that Dumbledore would reject it as wrong, which, unfortunately, was not the case.
‘Asking is actually answering, Mr Malfoy. If you know about Slytherin’s role in the field of alchemy, I presume that you also know the reason why he never admitted to being an alchemist?’
‘Because he considered alchemy merely a delusional search, not the proper path to immortality. The Elixir of Life, if it exists, can only guarantee biological longevity, and one must become far too dependent on it to live on.’
‘So, there you have it. I suppose your father has an extensive collection of Slytherin’s work?’ asked Dumbledore casually.
‘That he did,’ replied Malfoy, sounding somewhat uncomfortable, ‘but I actually read this in Hogwarts’ library.’
‘I see,’ said Dumbledore, looking over his shoulder at the spot where Hermione assumed that Malfoy currently occupied. The Headmaster seemed to consider Malfoy for a moment before resuming his normal stroll.
They reached the High Street within a minute. Therefore, despite the burning question at the back of her mind, Hermione was forced to remain silent, given the greater likelihood of them running into someone. They did indeed encounter Madam Rosmerta, who greeted Dumbledore with a mild reproach as he admitted to heading to the Hog’s Head instead of the Three Broomsticks again.
‘Is there anything else you would like to inquire?’ asked the Headmaster as soon as they turned the corner into an empty side street.
‘Yes, sir,’ said Hermione, thoroughly grateful for the prompt. ‘I thought you already discovered the ring in the Gaunt’s house just outside the village. Why would Voldemort want to place the two Horcruxes so close to each other? I mean, doesn’t that make it more likely that someone would discover and destroy both of them?’
‘Reverse-psychology,’ whispered Malfoy’s voice from behind her.
‘Precisely,’ agreed Dumbledore. ‘And I have to admit that it has managed to fool me for quite a while, causing me to spend time searching in Albania and not expecting the next Horcrux to be so much closer to us.’
They finally drew to a stop in front of the Hog’s Head. Though both Hermione and Malfoy had already received their Apparition licenses, Dumbledore offered for them to Side-Along since neither knew the exact location. They reappeared under the cover of a small copse of trees near the summit of a hill.
‘You can remove your charm now,’ said Dumbledore, dusting off the grass caught on his travelling cloak with a swish of his wand. Hermione quickly obeyed and followed Dumbledore’s example as well. They both had to wait for Malfoy to complete his procedure of various cleaning spells. The vain git!
‘I’m afraid we shall have to walk a little farther before we can reach our final destination.’ Dumbledore gestured towards the far side of the village nestled at the base of the hills surrounding of the valley. Hermione frowned; she could not see any house that resembled the big manor Harry had described.
‘The house is currently invisible,’ explained Dumbledore. As they headed towards the village, Malfoy kept his distance but still remained within earshot. Dumbledore resumed his explanation of Voldemort’s choice of hiding place for his Horcrux.
‘Given the evidence,’ he began, ‘I believe that Voldemort didn’t hide the Horcrux here until very recently, after he had managed to secure a new body. Having acquired the ring from the Gaunts’ shack, I could not find the Riddle House. After a quick survey of the location, I concluded that it had been demolished. With the same reasoning as Miss Granger, I assumed that the house had little importance in my search for the Horcruxes. However, I recently decided to ascertain the validity of my previous theory. According to Muggle files, the demolition took place in 1994, but there has been no record of construction on the site that the house previously occupied. This raised my suspicions, and after a thorough search, I have indeed found the house still standing, one of its enchantments such a subtle deterrence spell that even I did not detect it during my initial, cursory examination.’
‘But why didn’t Voldemort hide the Horcrux right after creating it, sir?’ asked Hermione. ‘And where was it all that time?’
‘Again, this is merely guesswork, but by that point, Voldemort had stopped trusting the protection method he had previously used. In fact, Mr Malfoy may be able to help us. Can you recall any occasion when Voldemort demanded the return of an important object? From your aunt Bellatrix, perhaps?’
For a fraction of a second, Malfoy looked like he was about to shake his head, but then realisation spread over his face. ‘It was the cup,’ he said. ‘I heard that he demanded it as soon as she broke out of Azkaban.’
‘Well, that clears up matters,’ said Dumbledore. ‘If I am not mistaken, after being informed of the destruction of the diary in the possession of Mr Malfoy’s father, Voldemort decided that it would be safer to protect the Horcrux himself.’
Upon arriving at the boundary of the village, the three fell into silence once more. The lane was quite deserted, and the only sign of activity was the sound of television sets and the flickering of lights from a few windows.
A few streets down, they hit the border of a forest. Dumbledore drew his wand and gave it a casual flick. The forest instantly vanished from their sight, and in its place appeared another hillside with what Hermione could only assume had once been the Riddle manor house. In front of her now was a giant mass of very dense ivy that left only a few scattered hints of the bricks underneath.
‘This is the temporary ward I set up this afternoon after undoing Voldemort’s concealment on the place,’ explained Dumbledore. ‘It appears that he meant for the house to remain hidden from all even when they actively searched for it. However, there was a loophole in the spell that allowed me to eventually locate the manor. Had Voldemort chosen to use the Fidelius charm instead, I would never have been able to penetrate it. Perhaps Voldemort didn’t like the notion of trust connected with the Fidelius charm, and he was obviously confident in his own spell. This, once again, demonstrates his arrogance and ignorance, and he will pay dearly for it.’
‘But it would be disastrous to place your trust in the wrong person,’ said Hermione, eyeing Malfoy contemptuously.
‘Indeed. What happened to the Potters was a tragedy,’ said Dumbledore with a heavy sigh, but Hermione knew that he didn’t miss the other implication of her statement.
‘Now,’ said Dumbledore, taking a more serious tone, ‘Mr Malfoy, Miss Granger, I’m afraid that I will need your help cleaning up the ivy before we can find the entrance.’
They divided up the task so that Dumbledore would tackle the middle part while Hermione and Malfoy dealt with the left and right sides respectively. Hermione wasted no time in following Dumbledore’s instructions and was the first to approach the house. The cutting spell she was going to use worked best in close proximity. Before Hermione could raise her wand, however, a loud thump from behind made her spin around. Dumbledore was lying flat on his back about six feet from where she last saw him. Malfoy had also stopped in his tracks to the other side of the house, apparently as stunned as she.
Only as the Headmaster groggily attempted to stand up did Hermione recover from her initial shock. She raced down the hill to help him.
‘Sir, are you alright?’
‘I am quite fine. Thank you. But it seems like I have been marked.’ Dumbledore raised his blackened hand and, for the first time that evening, he looked exceedingly tired. ‘Voldemort has been getting more and more paranoid about the safety of his Horcruxes.’
‘What do you mean by that?’ asked Malfoy, having also rejoined them.
‘I see that you two had no trouble coming close to the house?’ enquired Dumbledore, looking at Hermione and Malfoy over his half-moon spectacles. As they both shook their heads, the Headmaster went on, ‘I, on the contrary, have just been thrown back. Please forgive my lack of modesty, but this place appears to have a means of identifying and excluding the most dangerous enemy, in this case, the one who has once defied Voldemort.’
As the words slowly sank in, apprehension crept over Hermione. What were they going to do without Dumbledore? She had never once considered that possibility, having always assumed that all she would need to do was follow his guidance and help out when she could.
‘I’m afraid we have come here for nothing,’ continued Dumbledore. ‘I cannot let you go on without my aid. I apologise for my poor provision.’
Despite her worry just moments ago, Hermione couldn’t help but feel the crushing disappointment. Now that she thought about it, it would be particularly unlike Dumbledore to let them enter alone. Then again, what other choices did they have? The mission still needed to be completed.
‘But professor, sooner or later, we’ll still have to do it, won’t we?’ she asked. ‘With all of these securities, there must be a Horcrux hidden in there. Maybe I can come back with Harry and-’
‘I doubt that Mr Potter would be able to enter the premise.’
‘Because he stabbed the diary?’ asked Hermione, not quite following Dumbledore’s logic. True, Harry had destroyed one of the Horcruxes, but he had not suffered any lasting consequences by doing so.
‘Or simply because he is Harry Potter,’ said Dumbledore. ‘Please keep in mind that Voldemort designed this barrier after he had established Harry Potter as his worst enemy.’
‘In that case, I will go, sir,’ Hermione nervously volunteered. Malfoy’s conspicuous eye-rolling clearly didn’t help matters.
‘Are you sure, Miss Granger?’ asked Dumbledore, his forehead creasing with concern. ‘I must stress that this mission will be exceedingly dangerous.’
‘I am sure, Professor.’ Hermione tried to sound braver than she felt.
‘I’m afraid I still cannot let you go alone,’ said Dumbledore firmly before turning to Malfoy. ‘Mr Malfoy, I know this will probably be too much to ask, but would you mind accompanying Miss Granger on this mission? I dare say that I will be much less worried if the two of you go together.’
At this proposition, Malfoy appeared as though he was going to shout at Dumbledore that it was the worst idea ever and that if sent together, one of them was liable to end up dead even without the assistance of Voldemort’s lethal traps. For a moment, Hermione heartily concurred, though that was before she realised that doing so would effectively ruin her chance.
‘Professor,’ she said as Malfoy had yet to provide an answer, ‘is it alright for me to go back and bring Ron instead?’
‘If Malfoy here does not wish to go, of course,’ added Hermione, although her tone clearly implied to Malfoy, ‘I’d rather go with him than you any day.’
Just as she had expected, it was enough to incite an answer from Malfoy.
‘I’ll go with her,’ he blurted, before Dumbledore could even open his mouth to reply.
‘Excellent,’ said Dumbledore. ‘Before you go, I must prepare you. Firstly, always remember that appearances can be deceiving. And secondly, whenever you find yourselves stumped, put yourself in Voldemort’s shoes. His arrogance sometimes gives a solution much simpler than you may first realise.’
Hermione nodded gravely, drilling every word into her mind. Although she didn’t know how well she would be able to apply them, they were definitely worth remembering. Judging by Malfoy’s expression, however, she could tell he didn’t seem that impressed.
‘Well, then, I’ll be here waiting for your safe return. Good luck!’ finished Dumbledore after a brief pause.
And so, Hermione and Malfoy left Dumbledore at the bottom of the hill and began walking towards the house again.
‘Congratulations, Granger,’ sneered Malfoy, scrunching up his nose as they got nearer to the ivy-laden old manor. ‘Thanks to your heroic volunteering, now it’s only you, me, and this mess.’
‘It’s okay if you want to change your mind, Malfoy,’ replied Hermione placidly. ‘It isn’t like I can’t ask anyone else to help.’
Malfoy chose to ignore her remark. ‘You do the left,’ he said briskly. ‘I’ll take the right. And then we’ll both deal with the middle part.’
‘Fair enough,’ said Hermione despite half-wanting to mock him for diverting the conversation. With Malfoy, it was almost impossible to know precisely when she’d gone too far, and Hermione didn’t exactly entertain the idea of repeating the incident of the previous night.
They mutely proceeded to unravel the wild creeper, looking for an entrance. As it turned out, the front door of the house, stripped of varnish and almost decayed, was located a fair bit to the right of where they had initially considered the centre.
‘Shall we?’ asked Hermione quietly. Malfoy gave a curt nod. Holding her breath, Hermione used her wand to charm the door open without direct contact. It gave an eerie creak that reminded her of the horror films her cousin had made her watch last summer. However, what caused Hermione to gasp was what she saw on the inside of the manor, lit up to her as the moonlight streamed in. It bore no resemblance to any of those films, or to the outside of the house for that matter. The parlour was immaculate and so were its walls, which oddly possessed no doors or windows at all.
Hermione did a double take and began considering all kinds of magic revelation spells in her brain, though she couldn’t recall anything helpful. If she had known that they would go Horcrux hunting, she would have read a few more references on the subject beforehand. Overwhelmed by the feeling of unpreparedness, Hermione stood gaping on the steps. She briefly considered whether she should go back and ask Dumbledore for guidance. However, Malfoy had already pushed past her to enter the room, his wand aloft. She decided to follow, gingerly tracing Malfoy’s exact footsteps, just in case.
They both lit up their wands. The bright light reflecting off the faded white walls only served to emphasise their flawlessness. Even after careful scrutiny, Hermione could not detect a single crack. Meanwhile, Malfoy appeared to be scanning the room more purposefully from his spot in the centre. He turned around slowly, seemingly examining every single inch of the walls and ceiling. Every once in a while he would stop and focus on a particular spot before moving on. While Malfoy appeared to know what he was doing, Hermione found it hard not to be sceptical. Nevertheless, she kept silent so as not to disturb his concentration. Well, at least, if he was actually concentrating in the first place.
Malfoy finally completed a full circle of inspection and stood with his back to the outside once more, yet he made no indication of moving away from the spot. Oh dear, don’t tell me that he’s clueless, too.
‘Do you know how to unveil the concealment?’ she asked, unable to contain herself any longer.
‘I used to live in a house that abounded with hidden doors and deadly traps, Granger. These are basic survival skills,’ scoffed Malfoy, turning around and glaring at her. ‘Now if you will please shut up, I might just be able to locate the entrance.’
Hermione huffed. She had merely asked a question after all. Even if Malfoy really did know how to find their way, it didn’t mean he had the right to act like an arsehole. All the same, when Malfoy closed his eyes, as if trying to sense the magical traces surrounding them, Hermione found herself not even daring to breathe too loudly. The only sound left in the room was the whistle of the wind coming in through the open front door.
Hermione thought she sensed something as well. Still, she couldn’t quite place it. That was why she settled on directing her attention at Malfoy. During that short time, his neutral expression had turned quizzical. As Malfoy’s frown gradually deepened, Hermione felt her heart quicken. Had he discovered something?
Without warning, Malfoy’s eyes flew open. He whirled around and strode towards the far corner of the room. Stopping just in front of the blank wall, he began to run his fingers on the surface, chanting under his breath. Hermione could only catch some of the words, but within seconds, she managed to recognise the incantation. It was a very Dark and ancient truth spell she had come across in her desperate search for Horcruxes in the library.
Although Malfoy was currently using it to penetrate through whatever concealment was present, the spell was originally created to torture the victim with every falsehood that escaped from his or her lips. The detailed description of its effects had disgusted Hermione to the point that she’d had to stop reading any further. Nevertheless, she had seen enough to know that the drastically destructive power of the spell made it effective on immaterial objects as well. The logic behind this other application of the spell was rather simple. The concealment-its purpose to hide the true nature of something-could be considered a lie. The spell thus used would strip away the deception.
In any case, the thought of Malfoy knowing how to use such a spell scared her. Hermione found herself subconsciously taking a step back. One of the floorboards creaked slightly under her feet, but fortunately, Malfoy was too absorbed in his task to care about or even notice the noise. He had been reciting the spell again and again, covering a relatively large area until finally pausing at a particular spot. He repeated the incantation once more and rubbed his palm back and forth over the spot before withdrawing his hand.
An odd engraving appeared on the wall where Malfoy’s hand had been. It wasn’t a runic symbol or an astrological sign or anything Hermione could possibly identify. Instead, she thought it looked like a flower of sorts, with an over-sized calyx and long, thin petals which left too much space between them. There were two types of petals: four long, thin ones in the middle, all pointed upward while two slightly stouter ones stretched nearly horizontally on either side of the calyx, being almost completely separate from the others. The overall effect was absolutely hideous.
‘What is it?’
‘I don’t know,’ said Malfoy with a grimace.
‘And I thought you were the master of hidden entrances and deadly traps,’ said Hermione despite herself.
‘No two concealments are the same, Granger,’ retorted Malfoy, irritated. ‘Otherwise, they may as well have a “Hello! I’m a hidden entrance. Open me!!!” sign stuck on them.’
Hermione simply glared at him.
‘However,’ continued Malfoy slowly, ‘there is a particular characteristic that is common among-’
‘They demand payment?’
‘Well, sort of,’ he replied. ‘Unless you are the creator or have some sort of key or password. And if I’m not mistaken, the first thing one should try would be ...’
Hermione swallowed hard. She didn’t exactly like where this was going. Malfoy took out a silver dagger and made a cut across his right thumb, wincing slightly. Hermione could only see a tiny hint of red before he proceeded to press his injured thumb against the centre of the ugly flower. The blood smeared around the tip of Malfoy’s finger, a stark contrast against the white wall. Deeming it sufficient, he removed his thumb and tapped it with the tip of his wand, leaving the skin as pristine as ever. They waited with bated breath.
Nothing happened.
‘Um ... Maybe it needs more blood,’ suggested Hermione. She half-expected Malfoy to tell her to shut up and supply the blood herself, but he merely repeated the procedure and held his thumb steadily over the previous bloodstain. This time his expression didn’t change. A small streak of blood started trickling down. Malfoy then moved his thumb over the entire surface of the sign.
‘I think that should be enough,’ said Malfoy, withdrawing his hand and quickly muttering a spell to heal the wound. He turned around and leaned back on the wall next to the symbol. ‘At least now we know that it doesn’t want blood.’
‘What other kinds of sacrifice can these things demand?’ she asked.
Malfoy crossed his arms over his chest and looked at her archly.
‘Let’s say if someone told you that it cost him an arm and a leg to retrieve a particular treasure from Slytherin’s tomb, he could very well mean it literally.’
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