DRAGON'S HEARTSTRINGS || dramione | harry potter

Chapter One

A dark figure appeared through the fog near the Great Lake, and Hermione was the only one to witness it.

It was by far not the first time she saw someone in Death Eater's mask, but it was definitely the most surreal experience—the way its outline slowly darkened amidst the white gloom, turning into a shadow, then becoming something more, something else—a figure with no face—and that face turned out to be bone-white with a metallic sheen to it. It had holes for eyes and showed no expression – a grotesque skeletal mask. The last time she saw it with her own two eyes was three years ago, although since then, she's still had second-hand experiences with Voldemort's minions – as a Healer, she was tending and caring for those harmed by Death Eaters.

Hermione stared at one of them now. She was used to spending her mornings by the Lake before the workday, where it was usually cold and moist – that helped clear her mind. But she had never seen something as suspicious there. She knew she should've done something – attacked the Death Eater herself or at least screamed for help – but she did nothing, feeling immobilized – not by fear, but by fascination. She watched as the figure took a few steps forward, their black cloak fluttering in the invisible wind. They ascended through the fog and seemed to float through the ground. Hermione noticed something in their arms – a petite frame.

The Death Eater stopped, and Hermione had a strange feeling she was being watched by them, the bottomless pits of their eyes piercing right through her. Without breaking eye contact, they put the person on the bank of the Lake, then straightened back up, giving her one last look.

Before Hermione managed to say anything, the Death Eater vanished back into the fog.

She took a precious moment to inspect the person they left behind from afar and then jumped back on her feet to check more closely. It was a small young woman huddled into what seemed to be the same black cloak material the Death Eater was wearing. When Hermione crouched down for a better inspection, she recognized the woman whose black bob was now practically outgrown.

Hermione cast a diagnostic spell – a deep wound in the stomach, a lot of bruising, and a wicked cruciatus. She put a few quick first-aid spells to stop the bleeding and ease the pain as well as put her cloak on the woman so she wouldn't freeze to death before levitating her to the castle. Hermione ran until she lost her breath, and still, the castle seemed so far away. When she finally got inside, she was met with Neville's shocked gaze that soon turned to recognition as he watched the woman levitated by Hermione.

"Neville, please, find Harry and tell him to come here!" she yelled under her breath while running to the infirmary. Neville did not say anything, but she heard him running up the stairs.

Upon getting to the infirmary, Hermione laid the woman on the first free bed she saw and only then stopped for a moment to take a few deep breaths.

Cho Chang's head appeared through the curtain that separated the patient she was taking care of and the one Hermione brought in. Her eyebrows were drawn in surprise. Cho was a Healer too.

"Hermione, what has—" and then she saw it, "Oh..." she left whatever she was working on and came closer to them. "What happened? How did she get here?"

Hermione tried to answer fast while her lungs still longed for oxygen, "One of the Death Eaters left her by the Great Lake... I saw it all, I brought her here—"

"Ours or theirs? That Death Eater?"

"I don't know..."

Cho's frown deepened this time in focus when she softly brushed off the hair from the young woman's face and slowly unwrapped the cloak from her, checking the vitals. "Must be ours, then," Cho said.