Out of the Silent Planet

Title: Out of the Silent Planet (9/39)
Author: moirasfate/ianthe_waiting
Rating: MA/NC-17
Disclaimer: The Harry Potter books and their characters are the property of JK Rowling. This is a work of fan-fiction. No infringement is intended, and no money is being made from this story. I am just borrowing the puppets, but this is my stage.
Genre: Plot driven smut, Darkfic, Romance, Drama, Angst...
Warnings: M/F, Bondage, slight non-con, Dark!Draco, and HBP spoilers.
Summary: Post-Hogwarts - Hermione Granger fulfills Severus Snape's final wish, to journey to Japan to ‘retrieve' something of importance. Set eleven years after HBP.
Author's Notes: This is my first DM/HG ficlet, so please be kind to the newbie! The title of this fic is taken from C.S. Lewis' book, first in the Perelandra Chronicles.




Out of the Silent Planet
Chapter Nine - Of owls, wit, and personal poisons



After a long soak in the onsen with Lady Fuumi as an advance guard, Hermione returned to her room to find that two owls were waiting on the snowy porch outside her bedroom window. But before Hermione could move to let the owls in, Lady Fuumi moved to do so. Hermione sighed, in the past few hours Lady Fuumi had proven that, despite her age, she was a spry old woman, sharp in wit and tongue. Hermione sat down at the table in the sitting room as the owls fluttered inside and landed before her.

The first owl was a large black eagle owl, placing a long, slender package before Hermione and screeching for some food in return. Before Hermione could ask Lady Fuumi about some sort of compensation for the owl's long and laden travels, a plate of owl treats and a bowl of warm gruel popped into existence on the table. The first owl made no ceremony about treating itself, but the second owl, a small white screech owl waited for Hermione to take a damp letter from its beak so it could also refresh itself. Hermione gingerly took the sodden letter and smiled at the owl. She had not been expecting a letter from anyone and opened it as Lady Fuumi ambled back into the sitting room, waving her dark wood wand to shut the windows and cast warming charms in the room.

Opening the letter, which consisted of one sheaf of parchment, Hermione frowned. It was from Millie.



'Hermione,

We have just received some strange news from the Ministry. A solicitor, whom I have never heard of, has contacted the Ministry about the Malfoy Estate being reconsidered due to information that Draco is alive... Apparently certain documents, which had been secreted away by Severus’ solicitor, have come to light, affirming that Draco is alive, but indisposed at an unknown location. The only real details I could manage to squeeze out of the Ministry were that this information was magically guarded in the form of some sort of Fidelius Charm. We were contacted due to the settlements concerning Malfoy Sr...You know the moneys we received to start the firm... All of the Malfoy assets have been unfrozen and the Malfoy's solicitor is awaiting word from Draco about what to do next.

Hermione, what is going on? Are you well? It has been almost a week since you left, and no word. And now with this strange news, I cannot help but feel very uneasy. Of course, I am glad to know that Draco is alive. He was always kind to me, even though he chose an unfortunate path. I can only hope that now, after so long, he will return and erase all the damage his father has done to us and to our friends. Draco has been cleared of any criminal charges, so he can return home, but if you know anything about this, Hermione, please write us. We are anxious for your return although everything has been going smoothly in your absence...we just miss our friend.

With love and care,

M and N Longbottom.'



Hermione quietly folded the letter and placed it back in its envelope. She said nothing as she placed the letter on the table and moved to the package the eagle owl had brought. She had sent a request to Ollivander's only that morning, but it seemed that the Ollivander Manufacturers knew that her wand had been broken and sent a replacement... Slowly she opened the small box and smiled as she found a new wand waiting for her. Picking it up, the vine wood hummed in her hands pleasantly. She swished her wand experimentally over the table, transfiguring the wand box into a sprig of spring cherry blossom and back again. Lady Fuumi hummed in interest as she stroked the back of the white screech owl. But the next thing Hermione did startled both owls and the older woman, she set the letter from Millie on fire, careful not to scorch the wood of the table.

"Sensitive information, I gather?" Lady Fuumi cackled, calming the owl under her old fingers.

"Something like that. It seems that Severus' magic has reached beyond this place and into Britain as well," Hermione murmured, casting an Evanesco on the ashy remains of the parchment.

Lady Fuumi hummed again. "Do you feel better now, with your new wand and a nice soak?"

Hermione nodded, tucking her wand into the belt of her yukata. "Much."

"I will arrange some lunch then, and will return," Lady Fuumi grunted as she rose to her socked feet. The owls, finished with their treats and warm gruel seemed to want to remain with Lady Fuumi, the eagle owl flapping its large wings to land on the old woman's shoulder and the screech owl taking flight to flap behind Lady Fuumi as she left the room and shut the door behind her. Hermione was still rattled by her initial confrontation with the wizard, and the known fact that he was still lurking about in the vicinity was an uncomfortable thought.

Hermione was left alone, but she quickly drew her wand again, Vanishing, the remains of the owl's food and the wand box. She leaned her elbows upon the tabletop and cast a quick ward about the room, a detection charm to alert her if anyone were coming or going near her room. And then she began to ponder the first issue that was heavy on her mind; whether or not her motivations were caused by a spell cast with Severus' dying strength. The notion itself was not unheard of in the wizarding world, but for Severus to use the last of his life force to cast an unknown wizard's oath was almost unbelievable. But then again, nothing that Severus ever did was short of extraordinary; he was a powerful wizard, and had his life been different he would have lived to be more famous than Dumbledore...perhaps. But the fact remained; Severus had magically bound her to carry out his last wish. Considering the details of the task she had been set to do, Hermione could believe that Severus would have assured that Hermione would carry her task through to the end.

And then there was Draco Malfoy.

Hermione was at a disadvantage in several ways. First, this ryokan was Malfoy's territory by default and he knew the nuances of the magic surrounding the property as if it had been his own Malfoy Manor in Wiltshire. Second, Malfoy had mastered wandless magic by necessity and while Hermione knew she was a strong witch, she only paled in comparison to Malfoy. Third, Malfoy was perhaps the most forceful Legilimens she had ever encountered. Whether it was due to the situation during the eleven or so years during his escape from Britain, or if he were a naturally gifted Legilimens, was unknown. And lastly, Malfoy was physically strong despite only having one arm, and well versed it seemed in the arts of movement and erasing his presence without the use of magic. During the War, Hermione only had a taste of the brand of 'martial arts' prescribed by the Ministry Aurors, but never continued her training after her injury. It was disheartening to realize that she was not as strong as she wished to be, and perhaps on her return to Britain she would begin to train her mind and body a bit more rigorously. In the meantime, however, Hermione could only battle with one thing she knew she could use as a weapon, her wits.

Lunch passed with Hermione and Lady Fuumi sitting in silence. It seemed that both women were lost in their own thoughts, and after lunch was cleared away, Lady Fuumi announced that she was going to let Hermione rest while she attended to her own matters of the house. And when Hermione was finally alone again, she moved to her wardrobe and began undressing.

Relishing the feel of familiar clothing, Hermione dressed in a pair of jeans and a soft and sturdy jumper. Slipping her new wand into the tight sleeve of her right arm, Hermione tied her hair back from her face, glancing at the diaries sitting on the cedar shelf. She had wanted to read more about Severus' dealings with Draco Malfoy and search for any clues that might help her deal with the man, but her resolve was set, she was going to confront Draco Malfoy on her own terms.



* * *



The enchanted garden was lush with life and as Hermione stood upon a small worn path in the middle of the garden, she glanced up to see an overcast winter sky. Snow was falling like tiny angelic feathers from the clouds, but did not reach the warm ground of the garden. The charms and enchantments that kept the garden warm and growing were very complex, and as much as Hermione would have loved to stopped and analyze the spell work, she knew that she would have to save it for another time.

Letting her wand slide down into her right hand, Hermione walked on, following the path into what appeared to be a wall of dense, tender bamboo. With a violent flick of her wand, the trees parted for her to pass, and just beyond was the small shed she had been entrapped inside days before. The vegetation, which consisted mainly of wild bamboo, seemed to frame the small building, making it appear neglected and forgotten. Reaching out her left hand, palm outward, Hermione felt the crackle of wards and immediately drew back her hand. It was a sure sign that something in that shed was important and needed protecting, whether it be something or somebody. Hermione quirked her mouth and began slashing her wand through the air in complicated patterns and soon a silver shimmer of magic fizzled away, the protective wards disabled. Of course, by disabling the ward, whoever was inside was sure to know, but that was the risk Hermione knew she had to take.

Moving forward with as much stealth as she could muster, Hermione approached the small building from the right side, studying the closed rice paper doors and the disrepair of the wooden slats that held the door together. Sliding against the side of the building, Hermione gazed up to see a high, barred window. Hermione calmed her breathing that had become labored and listened. Inside she could hear slight movement, a scrap of pottery against wood and the soft thudding of bare feet.

"The wards have fallen," a voice said from inside, but Hermione could not distinguish whose voice it was, but could only tell that it was a masculine voice.

"...Trifling women...someone might be outside," said another voice and Hermione's eyes narrowed at the realization that two men were inside the small house.

Around the front, Hermione heard the scrape of the doors sliding open and feet falling upon the small porch. Easing around the corner, Hermione peeked at the person who stood upon the porch, looking out into the overgrown yard and into the bamboo. It was Yuki Matsumoto and Hermione frowned. It would not do to have the younger version of Severus interfering.

With a slash of her wand through the air, Yuki gasped and fell to his knees. Hermione winced at the sound of knees hitting wood, but began moving her wand again, casting a hex to further stun and ensnare the young wizard, still dressed in his black wizarding robes. But before she could cast her final hex, a crash sounded from within the house and Hermione jumped. Quickly, Hermione cast a Mobilicorpus on the black clad wizard and moved him from the porch and to her side. A second pair of thudding feet came running to the door, and onto the stone step and into the lawn.

"Yuki!" a deep masculine voice called with a mixture of confusion and surprise.

Hermione glanced down at Yuki Matsumoto who was stunned unconscious, bound and gagged, lying in a soft pile of bamboo leaves. Hermione smirked and wondered how in the world she could apologize later on, but for the time being, Hermione gazed around the corner of the house to Draco Malfoy's back and the streaming blond hair that was bound in a leather throng.

With a flick of her wand, Draco Malfoy suddenly became rigid, and Hermione felt a strong sense of triumph rise up in her body...but it was short lived. The full body bind was cast off like a filthy cloak, as a wave of raw magic seemed to swell outward from Malfoy's form. Hermione gripped her wand tightly as Malfoy started to turn, his mouth twisted in a beastly snarl and his silver eyes flashing hatefully.

"You..." he growled, but Hermione blinked, stepping from around the corner of the house, her wand moving gracefully through the air.

A stunning hex, a full body bind, a freezing charm, and an incarceration hex were all deflected by waves of Malfoy's right hand as if only to swat flies. Hermione felt drops of perspiration run from her hairline and down her face. Finally she narrowed her eyes and tightened her grip on her wand despite her palm becoming quite sweaty. With a violent slash, Hermione cast a particularly strong blasting curse, a variation she had created long ago during the War. She almost expected Malfoy to also swipe the curse away, but he scowled as streams of raw, bright red magic shot from his hand and met Hermione's curse very close to Malfoy's body. Malfoy grunted as he tried to deflect Hermione's curse, but was suddenly blown backward, falling onto the dirt of the yard, face first.

Hermione took a breath as he began to rise, but did not give Malfoy a chance, casting hex after hex in quick, quiet succession. Malfoy could only gaze at her from the ground, unable to deflect most of the hexes from his vulnerable position. Keeping her wand trained on Malfoy, Hermione moved across the yard and knelt down before the snarling man, just far enough away that any attempt to physically attack her would prove difficult. She bound him with numerous vipers that served as efficient ropes, the snakes hissed angrily about Malfoy's neck, and Hermione smirked. He had managed to deflect a full body bind several times, as well as a stunning hex, but the curses he could not defend against bordered on the Unforgivable, many of which she had learned on the battlefield.

"Mudblood bitch! Release me this instant or I'll..."

"You'll what? Hex me? Kill me? Rape me?" Hermione mocked, standing slowly, her leg aching dully. With a quick wave she conjured a small wooden chair and sat down, crossing her denim clad legs, her feet dangling before Malfoy's face. With another slice of vine wood through the air, Malfoy was forced upright on his feet, standing before Hermione as the vipers that twisted and squeezed around his body hissed in anticipation to strike at his pale flesh. With a streak of silver magic from her wand, the vipers around Malfoy's body increased in number, wrapping tightly over his black yukata and slipping under the fabric for the heat of his body underneath. And with yet another spell, roots shot up from the ground and began wending around Malfoy's legs, forcing them slightly apart and effectively binding him to the ground like the trunk of a tree.

"Dark magic, Granger...who would have thought?" Malfoy hissed with a glimmer of silver eyes.

Hermione stiffened, feeling a prodding in her mind. With a grunt, Hermione pushed the intrusion outward; causing Malfoy to wince and bite his lip enough to bloody it.

"I won't let you have the upper hand, Mal-"

Hermione bit her tongue and Malfoy chucked bitterly. She had almost said his name; to which the consequences could be disastrous.

"Almost slipped, Granger... My, my..."

Hermione scowled and flicked her wand so that the snakes around Malfoy's body tightened causing him to groan painfully. The snakes were not some magical illusion; they were as real as the roots binding Malfoy's legs and the grass under his bare feet. The snakes were poisonous and it was only under Hermione's strict control that they did not bite, only tighten painfully around the man's body. The spell that conjured the snakes and controlled them was Dark in origin and had been used by many dark witches and wizards as a form of torture. Either by poison or crushing, a victim could be killed with such magic; but the main reason for the spell's creation was intimidation and interrogation.

"I came here to talk...Ryu," Hermione hummed, leaning her elbows on her thighs, watching as the vipers rasped their cool scales against Malfoy's bare chest. "I came to talk on my own terms, this time."

"If that was all, you could have asked, Granger. You do not have to..." Malfoy trailed as one particularly curious snake slithered down his side under his yukata and along his hip and down his thigh. Hermione smirked.

"What you did to me was barbaric and unforgivable, it seems only fitting that I subdue you with these lovely snakes...they are your attribute," Hermione mocked to which Draco snarled, spittle flying from between his teeth. "Not to mention that violence seems to be the only language you understand, when it comes to me..."

Draco began cursing, his voice growling with anger, and did not stop as the snakes reacted to his rage and began to tighten about his neck. Hermione watched, hiding her horror as Malfoy tried to struggle against the living fetters about his body, only causing the snakes to hiss and rattle in agitation, some coiling about his neck, their diamond shaped heads poised before his face in readiness to strike. When one snake did strike, barely missing Malfoy's left ear, he stilled in a mixture of fear and shock.

"You will listen to what I have to say, you git," Hermione ground out, her handle on the snakes becoming harder to control. "Agree and I will not let another one of my pets try to bite you."

Malfoy glared at Hermione and she could feel every bit of hatred in those argent eyes. But he nodded slowly, his mouth set in a harsh line.

"Good..." Hermione flicked her wand and the snakes loosened from Malfoy's neck, allowing the blood that had reddened Malfoy's face to drain. She did not command the other vipers to move, lest Malfoy manage to break free and retaliate. "Let me clear a few items with you first, and please hold your tongue, I want you to understand my position."

Malfoy said nothing, but continued to glare at Hermione, shuddering as the snakes slid over his skin and around the stump of his left arm. It was morbidly satisfying to see Malfoy so uncomfortable and Hermione felt all of the nastiness of her dark magic was fair play.

"After Severus smuggled you out of Britain, the War began in earnest. After a year, we, as in the Order of the Phoenix, considered you dead. Through time we learned more about your role on the attack at Hogwarts and the task given to you by the Snake-Snogger (may he burn in hell for all time). It was Harry, actually, who pardoned you before anyone else after Dumbledore's funeral. You could not kill Albus, and you were forced to follow Tom Riddle's madness because of your father's failure at the Ministry...Harry somehow found it in his heart to pardon you. It was Severus that Harry hated the most...

When you did not turn up after the War, we were sure that you were one of many casualties of Tom's madness. No one seemed to know where you were, what had happened to you, and Severus would never say what he knew after you Disapparated from Hogwarts grounds, which cost him greatly, I might add.

Since you forcefully made me relive the memory of your father's sentencing, you know that your progenitor murdered your mother. It was not long after you and Severus disappeared. Tom was looking to punish you, so Riddle charged your father to torture information out of your mother, which resulted in her death. She knew nothing of Severus' plans and died thanking whatever power there was that you were out of Britain, and not a murderer."

Draco opened his mouth to say something, and by the expression on his face he wanted to shout, but Hermione tutted, tapping her wand against her left knee in warning.

"She protected you, loved you, and bought precious time for you and Severus to escape. Your father went on to murder several more people, my friends in particular. And as you saw through my mind's eye, he was the last Death Eater to be sentenced...he had evaded us for so long, but he was not as smart as he thought. Since you did not see my memory of his execution, let me tell you...

When the Aurors held him fast before the Veil, he wept like a child, adamantly exclaiming that he was under the Imperius Curse and did not know what he had done... And when they pushed him through, people cheered...wept and cheered. It was the end of an era."

At this Hermione fell silent, her eyes locked on Malfoy's. Malfoy was no longer struggling or scowling, his eyes were misty and Hermione wondered if tears of sorrow or tears of joy were forming in his icy eyes.

"Time passed; Britain was given a chance to begin anew. Severus and I worked together for many years. He had made it through the War, fighting by Harry's side. After the trials, and the extended stays in the hospital, Severus was no longer the man he once was. He was broken, exhausted and heart-weary, but he forged on and together we created much to erase the wounds Tom Riddle and his followers inflicted on our homeland. No one spoke of you much after the War; we had all assumed you had died. Your family estates and moneys had been frozen, and your cousin Tonks inherited the last of the Black estate in your absence. The Manor in Wiltshire still stands, but empty. Your father's influence in the Ministry is now a taboo subject, and you have been cleared of all criminal charges. We never knew for sure that you had taken the Mark, but looking at you know, and by what I read in Severus' diaries, it seems that you had..."

Hermione paused, listening, suddenly remembering that Yuki Matsumoto was still stunned and bound just out of sight. She knew that it might prove difficult to continue her explanations if Yuki were to suddenly awaken, but she narrowed her eyes, hearing nothing she continued.

"Severus died at St. Mungo's. His health progressively declined ever since the end of the War, and finally there was nothing to be done but to let him go. On his deathbed he charged me to come here, unable to tell me any specifics due to the vows he had taken to protect you. He went to desperate measures to protect you, but I am sure that you already know that. And what you said the other day was true, he truly was desperate that I find you.

He cared for you. And he waited until after you were formally cleared by the Ministry...no, he waited until his death would assure your freedom for you to be found. I suppose, when he set the wards upon you, he had no clue that I would be the one he could trust to bring you back to Britain. It is ironic, as you said, that I, the filthy Mudblood you abhorred in school, would be the one who is magically bound and determined to bring you home," Hermione muttered bitterly, grinding out the word 'Mudblood.'

"And bring you home, I shall. If not to free myself from my obligation to my mentor, then to finally end this final chapter of my past so that I can move on with my life."

At this, Hermione fell silent, studying Malfoy's face for any reaction, but all she noticed was the flexing of his sharp jaw. His eyes bore into her amber orbs and finally he moved his lips, the rumbling of his chest causing the snake binding his body to squeeze around his limbs.

"A touching story, Granger. So what do you propose? Do you want a blood oath to assure I will meekly allow you to take me back to Britain? Do you want to become best friends and catch up on old times over a spot of tea and sandwiches? What makes you think I want to leave such a secure place and possibly face the retribution of the people my sire offended?

Well?" Draco growled deep in his chest, his voice even and controlled, but his eyes flashing angrily.

Hermione sighed; Malfoy had valid points...however... "A blood oath that you will not harm me would suffice to start with..."

"Fuck you, Mudblood."

Flicking her wand, consequences be damned, one of the numerous vipers struck, biting Malfoy's right wrist. Stifling a vocal reaction, Malfoy winced.

"What if it had been Harry instead of me? Or Ron? Or better yet, one of the family members of the people your father had murdered? I am willing to offer you much...I have grown up...changed, and you...you..." Hermione muttered, beginning to rise from her conjured chair, but froze.

A wand was digging into her throat, yet Malfoy stood bound before her...he did not need a wand...so it was a logical estimation that...

"Release him, Miss Granger," a deep voice purred in her ear, sending familiar shivers down her body.

Hermione swallowed, gripping her wand. Ah, she had messed up, royally.

"No."

The tip of the wand dug into the soft flesh of her neck and a large hand grasped her right shoulder painfully. "You let the snake bite him...and I was afraid of that. You are not one to be talking of being more mature, Miss Granger, if you let harm come to Ryu... Your feelings rule you. What is it they say? 'Sticks and stones,' Miss Granger?"

Hermione bit her lip, her eyes moving to the snake that was releasing its venomous hold on Malfoy's wrist. Already the skin was being to discolor with necrosis. And for a moment, she wondered how she could have let Malfoy agitate her so with just three words. But Yuki's grasp tightened and Hermione felt her anger well up again. She was going to have her say, state her terms, and no son of Severus Snape was going to hinder her.

With a strength she only remembered having as a teenager, Hermione shrugged out of Yuki's grasp, kicking the chair backwards to strike the wizard and force him off balance. Internally, Hermione was swearing, she did not want to have to hurt the man, but it seemed, especially as a misaimed stunner whizzed past her cheek, she would have to resort to some more violence that day.

Having mastered silent incantation in her fifth year, Hermione carved the tense air with her wand, sending a freezing hex at Yuki as he was still mid-fall. When he hit the ground, stiff with the affects of the spell, she cast three additional spells, disarming him, binding him to the ground as she had with Malfoy with thick roots and silenced him from speaking.

Behind her, Malfoy chuckled weakly. "You amuse me, Granger..."

"Shut up."

Hermione was panting from her exertion, her hands trembling and her forehead damp with sweat. She turned slowly to Malfoy, noticing that his eyes were becoming glassy, the venom beginning to circulate through his bloodstream.

"I should let you die like this...by the venom of a serpent like which you served! Poison for poison, did you ever learn that by cutting off your arm that you had doomed yourself to madness?" Hermione snarled, moving closer to Malfoy so that her breath was hot against his skin.

"I knew it...and I did not care."

Hermione shut her eyes, trying to calm her pounding heart.

"Why?"

Again Malfoy chuckled, his lips beginning to turn blue. "Better madness than guilt, I suppose. Either way I knew I was dead..."

Hermione opened her amber eyes, "You are so stupid..."

Between casting several bits of complicated spell work, physical exertion, and the fact her heart did not want to slow, Hermione felt nauseous and faint.

And as she began to fall, fogginess taking over her mind and eyes, she felt a sudden heat and then an arm about her, keeping her from falling into a faint on the ground. Distantly she heard Malfoy speaking to Yuki, "You can give up the act, brother...take this wench, I need to find a fucking antidote."

Through the haze and over the pounding of her heart in her ears, Hermione let herself be passed over to another set of arms. She could not fight off Yuki as he retrieved his wand from her hand, along with taking her new wand, slipping them both into his robes and out of sight.

"So it did bite you?"

"An asp, I think...damn it. If I had not banished Hanako and she were not so put out with me, I would call her."

"I'll call Aunt Kaori. But in the meantime, what should we do with her?"

Hermione moaned softly, trying to rouse herself from her stupor.

"Get her out of my sight... I need to think."

Yuki chuckled, and for some reason Hermione could not take comfort in the sound of Yuki Matsumoto's voice.



* * *



In flashes, Hermione remembered watching Yuki hovering over her, his face impassive and hard, and so much like Severus'. In flashes, she remembered watching Yuki rifle through her wardrobe and throwing Severus' diaries onto the sitting room table...and then watching him destroying the diaries with magical fire. As if viewing a moving slideshow, Hermione remembered seeing Malfoy sitting against her wardrobe, his wrist bound with gauze as he raised a small saucer of sake to his chapped lips. Someone was crying somewhere, and Hermione could hear Lady Fuumi's voice rise and fall as if she were giving someone a piece of her mind.

"...Shameful. I should banish you from this house, you ungrateful child..." Lady Fuumi's ancient voice intoned angrily.

Hermione moaned, as she felt lips press against hers roughly. How much time had passed? And she felt liquid trailing from her dark lover's lips and into her mouth, sweet nectar that coated her tongue and throat.

"...Poison for poison, Granger. The Matsumoto family is well known in less savory circles for their poisons. They have assassinated emperors, lords, and ladies back in the feudal era..."

Fingernails raked down her side and suddenly Hermione's first logical thought was that Draco Malfoy was seeing her naked...

"Sweet Hermione...sweet, sweet little Mudblood..."

Kisses were pressed into her throat and her temple and once again nails raked her bare side, drawing blood.

Suddenly, with an audible 'whoosh,' everything became very clear, especially the wood grain of the ceiling above her reclining body. Blinking her bleary amber eyes, Hermione found that she could not move her body no matter how much she knew she wanted to get up and use the loo... In fact it seemed that everything was numb and only her eyes could move as she wished them to. Hermione blinked several times, trying in vain to move her lips, to call out to someone to help her. And as her breathing became panicked, something moved under her head, shifting her limp neck so that her face was turned to the left and to the closed panels of her bedroom. Sitting against the doors was a sleeping Yuki Matsumoto, a quilt around his shoulders and his chin resting against his chest. Her brain shifting, the gears turning, she realized that her head was resting on someone's thigh.

"The poison is still working through your system," Malfoy's voice rumbled against the back her head.

Hermione closed her eyes, a chill running through her bones.

"I will speak with you, civilly, Granger, if you promise to do the same."

She wanted to snort. It had been her original intention to do so, but somehow, in the heat of the moment, she had bound Malfoy and then caused him to be bitten by a snake... Actually, as she thought about it, it was quite absurd.

"I will refrain from hexing you within an inch of your silly little life, if you promise not to have another one your snakes bite me... I must say, though, I never expected you to use Auntie Bella's curse against me."

Hermione opened her eyes, gazing at Yuki whose eyes were open a mere fraction, listening quietly as Malfoy continued.

"I assume that is where you picked it up...Auntie Bella was a nasty bitch, but worthy of the name Black. Did Longbottom kill her or you, I wonder? Ah, I'll ask again when you have the faculties to answer."

Draco shifted again and Hermione's head slipped from his thigh and gently onto the matted floor. From her vantage point, she could only see Malfoy's legs, clad in black trousers and socks as he walked toward Yuki. "I'm going to the springs; see if you can get her moving by the time I return?"

Yuki glanced up at Draco through a curtain of ebon hair and smirked. Draco slid open the door and disappeared into a dim sitting room, sliding the door shut behind him with his right hand. Hermione was left alone with Yuki, and she could not help but glare at the man who kept his position sitting across the room.

"You're wondering how long it has been since then, aren't you?

One week, to be exact.

And you're wondering what has been done to you during that time?

You've slept, in a drug induced sleep.

You are probably also wondering why Ryu and I are in your room... It seems that Ryu has taken a fancy to you, Miss Granger and ever since that day he has been near you, slept with your head on his lap while he poured out his personal poisons into your deaf, sleeping ears," Yuki sneered, his face twisting into a mask that made Hermione shudder with recognition. She had seen that face many times, many years ago... "It has taken time and effort to get Ryu to even consider letting you ever wake. For a while he seemed content to have you like a living doll, lying across his lap. I told you he was mad and if you are not more tactful, he will kill you."

Hermione blinked at the angry tone of Yuki's voice and she began to wonder if it were wise to trust this man at all...at that moment he seemed as dangerous as Malfoy. But there something more as Hermione met his onyx eyes, a strange glimmering of longing that was almost profane, and she shut her eyes again, blocking out the growing fear of the man in her mind and deep in her soul.