Lestrange's Daughter

Part Thirty Six: Shrieking Shack

.Hermione's Dress.

Our little group takes the Whomping Willow out and we crawl through the small tunnel. I hear some soft talking from upstairs and I look at my brother-in-law, Rabastan. "Who's going first?" "I will," Severus replies calmly.

He walks up the wooden stairs and I follow, behind me Rabastan, then Lucius, then Draco, then the two boys and then the Greengrass girls. I go first to open the door and we walk into the dusty old bedroom.

Hermione lays in an old fashioned black nightgown which Narcissa got for her from Malfoy Manor. Her chest slowly goes up and down and you can clearly see the cut I made in her throat.

I sit on Rodolphus's lap and stare at the pale face of my child. The Glamour charm was taken off again and her black curls are spread over the white cushions behind her head and back. She sits a bit up while sleeping and has her hands folded above the blankets.

Everyone silently watches the sleeping Hermione until Severus spoke. "How is she?" Narcissa was the one to answer. "She's doing great as far as she can. Swallowing is difficult but she soon went to sleep so she would not notice it."

On that moment Hermione makes a hoarse sound and she twitches a bit. "What happened,"  Draco asks a bit higher then he probably intended to. "She's fine Draco, just a bit shocked from what happened. She will soon wake up, I think," Rodolphus replies calmly to his nephew.

Draco nods in understanding and goes back to silence again. When I turn my gaze at the young teenagers I see one was more affected by the state of my daughter then I thought he would be. Theodore Nott stands there as if his heart was shattered.

I decide to ignore it, I will later hear him about this matter, and watch my daughter's sleeping face again. Just like that one Muggle fairytale she once told me about, she loved it when she was younger. Sleeping Beauty.

Hermione

My throat feels like sandpaper, a dry desert in the Sahara, and I can nearly breathe because of the pain. It hurts but for the rest I'm fine. I open slowly my eyes and blink with my long eyelashes.

People sit or stand around my bed, watching me. I knew speaking wouldn't be good for me so I say nothing. "Honey, you're awake," the soft voice of my father mutters. I nod and look further into the room again.

Oh Merlin, everyone of my family is alive! I was so worried I would miss something while I was unconscious. Wait, one of the students were missing- "I am so sorry dear.. I still feel guilty for pushing you into this," the voice of my mother whispers.

I grab her hand and shake my head. Without talking I tried to tell her to not feel guilty. When Voldemort explained his plan I understood it would hurt but that it was necessary.

All the people I love watch me sternly when I place my hands on the mattress and try to sit up more. Narcissa quickly does the cushions in my back good. The Shrieking Shack.. it had been so long since I last were here.

I part my lips and try to make a sound, but my throat is on fire and nothing but a horrifying gurgle comes out of it. Narcissa quickly grabs a piece of parchment, a quill and some ink for me. "Write down what you want to say darling." I take it from her and write down.

"What has happened while I was unconsciouss? Is someone dead?" My mother squeezes my hand. "Harry is dead love.. the plan worked. I unfortunately have to say that.. Pansy Parkinson died when she separated herself from your protection-group."

"It was Weasel. Pansy tried to attack Fleur and Ron stopped her before she could do anything. She was helpless," Lucius snarls, obviously angry and hurt. I nod in understanding and cross my arms for my chest, the writing stuff laying next to me.

"We will bring you to Malfoy Manor soon. You can't speak for one week, your throat has to heal," father tells me calmly. I nod again and throw the blankets off me. My throat hurts like I was on fire and my feet hurt for some weird reason.

Lucius and Rabastan quickly rush over to me and pull my arms over their shoulders for support. "Shall we Floo or Apparate," Draco asks. It was the first thing he had said since I was awake. My uncles push me between them into the fireplace and Lucius throws Floopowder on the ground, yelling: "MALFOY MANOR, LUCIUS MALFOY'S OFFICE".