Triumvirate

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or the songs included in this fanfic nor do I make money off them. These stories are for entertainment only




~~

I think you can do much better than me
After all the lies that I made you believe
Guilt kicks in and I start to see
The edge of the bed
Where your nightgown used to be
Better than Me - Hinder






~
Draco sat in his study trying very hard to concentrate on the issue at hand. That being, the near inability to move due to death eater blockades. The magical map before him flashed with angry red lines. Yes this was very troubling.






So why was it that his mind continued to wander back to the unruly haired woman that was currently acting as his roommate? The memory of her small, sleep warmed body pressed against his drove him to distraction. And did she HAVE to smell like that? Like some decadent desert made with sweet pears. Draco had always liked pears. Damn it all.


.

There is was again. Another movement. Red.

Flash. Flash. Flash.

Naked Hermione.

There was simply something about her that drew his notice.





He swore at himself. He had no time for this. They had to get to Venice. There was a woman he had to kill and one he had to protect. When has his life really become so complicated?


He WOULD get his target. He always did. This time it would be his former lover. The taker of his innocence. Oh yes, even Malfoys started out innocent.





Generally, he had no emotional ties about something so frivilous. However, she had been different. Special. Dear to him even. And now he was going to kill her. For his sake, for Potter's sake. And Hermione's.


The stress of it made his skin itch, like it was pulled to tight across his bones. His nail beds throbbed. With a sigh he reached into his pocket drawing out a small vial which he promptly poured into his firewhiskey.


He slammed the contents back just as the door opened.

Hermione gasped as she noticed that odd bluish sheen to Draco's eyes again. He sat gripping his desk tightly and when she neared him, he jerked his hands from sight.

"Draco?" she asked softly.

he turned his eyes back to the map before him, "Hmm?" he grunted, not trusting his voice yet. Damn now his gums ached. He'd waited too long to take his potion tonight.

"Are you alright?"

He nodded stiffly.



Hermione toyed nervously with the doorknob, "I.. erm, that is, I came to see if I can help you with anything?"

Draco closed his eyes, unseen. Help? Yes she could help. Be it to his itching gums or aching body he wasn't certain. Yes, she could help, if he allowed it.

Which he wouldn't.

And when had he become so damnably noble he wondered.

He swallowed hard, "May I have sometime to myself?" he rasped.

The timbre of his voice warned Hermione of unknown dangers. Something was wrong with him

She nodded, stepped out into the hall, closing the door behind her.


Her heart raced and her throat constricted as she leaned back against the dark.



Always something. Draco Malfoy had always been hiding something. What was it this time she wondered.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Draco left his study soon after and did not return for many hours. Hermione joined Cain and Saya for a very quiet dinner. Saya shooting dark glares at her from time to time, for what Hermione could never guess.



Cain was pleasant but quiet by nature.



When she'd tired of trying to force down food under the angry glare of the she-wolf, Hermione rose and made her way to the study.



She liked it here. It smelled of books and ink and when she sat in his chair, she caught the lingering spice of Draco's cologne. The enigmatic Draco Malfoy.



Her eyes wandered over the many maps and instruments scattered on the desk and then lingered on the parchment in the corner.



His writing hadn't changed in all these years, still elegantly slanted, masculine.



"Magical movement nearly impossible. Too risky. Granger too well known." she read.



So he was trying to muddle a way to Venice. Her clever eyes moved carefully over the map. Her finger tapped along the winding road that led from Florence to Venice. They had been near Florence before, she knew they weren't too far from it now.



The road was a dark slash through muggle territory, with little if any red movement along it. Muggle territory. Hmm, death eaters generally avoided it. Thinking themselves too superior to bother with muggles.



And that was how they would go she decided.



Taking up Draco's quill she wrote with a flourish below his own scrawl,



"Muggle conveyance. Glamours."



She smiled, setting the quill aside feeling better for having helped, if even a small bit.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Draco ran, rather than flew the perimeter of the wards. The curse burning in his blood, his muscles straining to contain the raw power ripping through them. He hated times like this for it meant that his grasp on the curse was slipping.



Animals scattered before him, terrified of what he was, or would be soon enough. His wizarding powers raging around him, amplified by the curse. he loved times like this when there was no question as to how powerful he was.



When the moon was at it's peak, he caught her scent. That pear and sugar confection that he wanted to sample so badly. It riled him, it lulled him. Hermione. With a growl, he sprinted away again.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Maddy watched Hermione carefully. Her large blue eyes wide with questions.



"But why does miss need to know?"



Hermione sighed, "What is wrong with Malfoy? Is he sick?"



"No miss but.."



"Is he cursed?"



"But everyone here knows that miss"



"What kind of curse?"



"Miss, Maddy shouldn't go speaking about master Draco in such a way."



Sigh.



"Has he forbidden it?"



Maddy's ears drooped, "Well no miss. But we don't talk about things that hurt the master. And the change, it hurts him."



Hermione jumped onto the comment. "Change?"



"Maddy should not have said that"



"Is he like Cain and Saya then?"



"No miss. It's best to leave it be. Please!"



"Maddy I can't! Can't you see that? He saved my life. I want to help."



The elf was very still for a long time. "There are rumors miss"



"Rumors?"



"Yes miss, that master Draco's own father left him to be cursed this way."



"That's awful!"



"Yes miss. But there are other rumors."



"Of?"



"A cure. though no one has ever found it. No one knows if it would work."



"Tell me his curse Maddy and I will do my best to find it."



Maddy shook her head sadly, "The curse will not allow itself to be heard. It must be seen."



Then she walked away.



Hermione stared after her for a long time. "Now just what in blazes does that mean?"