HARRY POTTER AND THE STONE OF DUMBLEDORE’S MANOR

CHAPTER THREE


Unwanted

Ron immediately ran to Hermione and bent down at her side. Her face red, she got out of the kneeling position and sat on the dirty gravel, still holding her neck. Ron looked at her with concern as she rubbed the fresh finger marks that bored into her flesh.

“Hermione! Are you alright?” He asked, putting his hand on her shoulder. She nodded, and then looked at Harry with a look of helplessness.

“Hermione, Ron, we need to get out of here now.” Harry said sternly. He knew they had to get back to the Burrow. What would Mrs. Weasley think of Malfoy just showing up?

Ron helped Hermione to her feet, and turned to Harry.

“She can’t apparate us back. Not in this state?” Ron said, making it sound more like a question than statement. Hermione gasped, then spoke, her voice hoarse and raw.

“No. Come on, let’s get out of here. I’ll apparate us.” Hermione said her voice low and crackling. She once again held her hand out to Harry, who took it. Ron grabbed her elbow. A turn on her heels sending the trio into darkness once more. They spun around for what seemed like an eternity before hitting solid ground.
Harry opened his eyes to see the field near the burrow. Hermione and Ron were still sprawled on the lawn, though they sat up. Hermione got to her feet and started down the path to the Burrow. Ron and Harry followed.
They reached the garden door of the Burrow and entered the kitchen. Except for the pots scrubbing themselves, the kitchen was empty and quiet. Suddenly, a large main of red hair enveloped Harry’s vision.

“Oh, you made it home!” Mrs. Weasley said, turning to hug Ron.

“Mum, gerroff me!” Ron said, rubbing his cheek to cleanse her kisses. After Hermione’s hug, Mrs. Weasley looked troubled.

“Where are the books and things?” She inquired, her face growing red. Ron felt like melting into the counter he leaned against.

“Well….” Harry started. In ten minutes, he had told her what had happened to them in Diagon Alley.

“Surely not here? Not Lucius?” She said, pulling Hermione into a chair and looking at her neck.

“We had no choice, Mrs. Weasley. He had Hermione.” Harry said, looking at the wounds on Hermione for the first time.

“Hide out from the Dark Lord? A coward if I ever saw one, he is!” She said, pulling her wand out and pointing it at Hermione’s neck.

“Episkey.” The wounds sealed themselves and the red rings that engulfed her neck dissipated.

“Mum, what are we going to do? Are you going to let him in here?” Ron said, looking from Harry to his mum.

She sighed, looking at her son. “I suppose we have no other alternative. He will make good on his promise to hurt Hermione, you can bet your chickens on that.” She said, looking forlorn and tired.

A sudden loud bang on the Burrow door sent Harry, Hermione, Ron and his mum scrambling to the door, wands ready. The announce charm the Weasleys had on the door apparently knew who was on the other side of the door, but decided whoever it was, wasn’t worth the trouble to announce.

“Open up! Do you expect us to just stand here all day?” The cool voice of Draco Malfoy bounced into their ears. Ron and Harry looked at each other with deep loathing for Malfoy.

Mrs. Weasley flicked her wand and the door banged open, revealing the brood on the other side. There stood Narcissa in her hooded black robe and Lucius in his long, black cloak, behind his mother stood Draco. His blonde-white hair neatly combed to one side, his sneer reaching his nose. He was dressed in all black, save for the green serpent he wore on his cloak. Harry looked solemnly on as the three entered the Burrow, a new elf carrying their things.

“Take these things….?” Lucius started to tell the elf.

“To Fred and George’s old room, Top floor on the left.” Mrs. Weasley said, instructing the elf up the stairs. Lucius held his nose up, as if smelling a odor that smelled beyond horrible.

“Why do we need to hide here, father? This place is a dump.” Draco said, looking around and making a face.

“Now, now, Draco. We wouldn’t need these accommodations if you had done what was asked of you.” Lucius said, sneering again.

“So, you get a jolly out of threatening people until they do what you want, eh?” Mrs. Weasley said.

Malfoy looked at her, then at Hermione.
“I can see you’ve let worse under your roof. Ron took offense to this statement. He looked at Malfoy with a deep disliking.

“She’s not the scum in this house. There was no bloody scum until you knocked!” Ron replied, gathering a smile from Harry and a lip-curl from Hermione. Lucius looked at Ron, but did not reply.

The elf returned to Malfoy, bowing to him. Malfoy flicked his wand and the elf disappeared.

“You stay out of my way, I stay out of yours.” Mrs. Weasley said, looking at the three of them in turn. Draco scoffed and looked at her with distaste.

The Malfoy’s went to unpack their stuff, as Ron, Harry and Hermione gathered in Ron’s room.

“Can you believe Malfoy? That family has more nose slants then a little, and they want to come in my house and say who we let in here is worse than them?” Ron said, still seething from the comment about Hermione.

“I still don’t understand why he feels the need to hide here. I mean, isn’t there other places where they accept old death eaters?” Harry asked, picking at an old hole in the camp mattress.

“It is odd. Why would Malfoy want to hide here, when his connections could obviously hide him? I mean, not all his connections are death eaters. And he could always threaten them if they didn’t comply.” Hermione said, sitting at the desk near the window of Ron’s room.

“Most of his connections are death eaters. And he knows they are all a lot more faithful to Voldemort than he is. They’d kill him simply with a nod from him. They don’t care about connections or friends.” Harry said. Ron and Hermione nodded in agreement.

“Whatever Malfoy does, if he is telling the truth, he will never escape Voldemort. Staying here under the enchantments won’t save him when he leaves here.” Harry said, his voice cracking with tension.

“Neither will we.” Hermione said ominously…….