Lestrange's Daughter

Chapter Twenty Nine: Potion brewing

The next morning I throw my blankets off and search for some clothes. Out of the closet I grab a black dress and my usual black boots. After that I curl my curls, put on some make-up and put my wand in my boots.

I walk downstairs, into the dinning room. My family is already there.. including the Dark Lord. I take my seat next to Draco and grab my breakfast together. "Did you sleep well Hermione," my father asks. As reply I smile at him and nod.

"Mum.. dad.. where are Harry, Ron and Ginny now?" "We still don't know. Don't worry, we'll catch them," Rabastan answers for them. I nod again and turn my gaze at my breakfast. Where would they be.. are they mad at me? Did they know I Petrificus Totalus-ed Mrs Weasley?

Draco shows me the big 'Dark-section' of their library. It was pretty amazing, but it was indeed full of very dark magic and potions. "Can we try this potion, Draco," I ask him. He looks over my shoulder at the book I was holding and the recipe I was pointing at.

"'Draught of Slow Torturing'? Well, we have those ingredients, but I won't be your guinea pig for this!" "Do you think I want to torture my cousin? Rather not.. I just began to like being family of a Malfoy."

We laugh and I close the book with my finger between the pages. Draco takes me to their basement and we walk pass the dungeons, where three cells were filled with wailing people. "What are they doing here?" "Prisoners of the Dark Lord, I don't kno-" "Hermione?"

That voice was familiar. Draco and I turn around and we face the bright blue eyes of Luna Lovegood. She looked sad, clinging on those prison bars. I kneel before her cell and look into her eyes. "What are you doing here Luna?"

"Father wouldn't stop publishing articles about You-Know-Who, so they kidnapped me. I hoped it were all lies about you, but.." A tear rolls down her cheek. "I'm sorry Luna.. who's that over there?"

"Olivander. The wand maker, you know?" "Yes my dear," Olivander asks out of the shadows. "Oh, it's nothing. I was talking to someone." Olivander crawls over to us. "You.. you are the Lestrange daughter! The one.. the one the Dark Lord is very proud of. You would have immense power.." 

"How do you know that?" "We heard guards talking about that. The prophecy of Molly's brother." Draco taps on my shoulder. "Shall we go Hermione?" I nod and stand up. "Bye Luna.." With that Draco and I leave.

We walk into a room which looked a lot like the office of professor Snape. I walk over to the cauldron while Draco gathers the stuff. Some hours we are busy when the House Elf walks in with our lunch.

Again some hours until it is dinner. A House Elf tells us dinner is served upstairs, but we decline. We were just at an important point of the potion, we couldn't walk away now! It was nearly midnight when someone knocks on the door.

I wipe the sweat off my forehead while Draco goes to open the door. Both of us had our sleeves up, sweat on our body from the smoke and steam that comes off the cauldron, wet hair and dirty hands.

"What have you two been doing here," Narcissa snaps at us. She had come down with Lucius and my mother, checking if we were okay because we missed dinner. "We are busy brewing a potion," Draco explains to his mother.

My mother walks over to the cauldron and sniffs for the potion's smell. "Draught of Slow Torturing? That is very difficult to make.. but this one seems perfect. You two are talents." I blush, not because of the heat this time, and carefully hug my mother.

"Where's dad?" "Mission for the Dark Lord. They are trying to catch those Weasley twins, they are very irritating." "Why?" "They have a radio station which tells all they know about us and holds the hope high up. They are also very difficult to catch, because they keep moving. Maybe the Death Eaters have luck this evening. By the way, the reason why we are here is not only because we were worried, but also because the Dark Lord wants to speak with you. Both of you." 

"But.. the po-," Draco begins, but he got interrupted by his father. "We will take care of it, you two go to my office. It's important," Lucius says. We fix our appearance with a spell and run upstairs. What would the Dark Lord want from two teenagers?