Her Soul To Keep

Hermione staggered a few steps as she landed less than gracefully on the pavement. She landed in front of what looked like a shabby, run down building. As she straightened herself, she gave a quick glance over her shoulder, just to be sure no muggle had seen her magically appear out of thin air. Then she pushed open the creaky, wooden door; that was the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron.

The pub was dimly lit, dingy, and fairly empty. She scanned the room quickly, but nothing came across as a threat. Two witches sat kitting and gossiping at a table in the back while they sipped cups of tea. A small group of warlocks were downing fire whiskeys and talking in hushed tones. Taking a deep breath; Herminone strode over to the bar and took a seat on one of the uncomfortable wooden stools. Tom, the bar man, paid her no mind as he continued to wipe dust off the drinking mugs behind the bar.

Hermione cleared her throat, “excuse me?”

Tom looked up from his task. Herminone saw his eyes widen slightly as he took in her appearance. She felt her face grown warm. She didn't like him looking at her like that.

“What can I do for you miss...?”

Damn. She hadn't given a thought to what her name would be. She had to think fast....

“Angeline. Angeline Alberson.” Hermione said, praying he wouldn't see through her lie. He stared at her for a long moment, as if trying to see if the name really fit her face. Apparently so, because he then nodded.

“What can I do for you miss Alberson?” Tom asked.

She swallowed, “Erm....how much is a room for...a week?”

“10 galleons, but I'll thrown in a complimentary breakfast for 15.” Tom answered hastily, seeing her pull out a handful of gold and shove it across the bar towards him. He grinned crookedly and made his way out from behind the bar and bowed to Hermione, “I'll show you to your room now miss.”

He led her up a flight of worn wooden stairs and down a long, carpeted corridor that smelled slightly of wet dog. Tom stopped outside the door at the very end of the hall. He unlocked it; then bid her a good evening before leaving her alone with her thoughts.

Hermione slipped into the room and closed the door quietly behind her. Pulling out her wand, she turned around and flicked it at the door; the lock slid smoothly into place with a loud click. Turning to face the room once more, she waved her wand gracefully and the gas lamps sprung to life, bathing the room in a warm glow. Tossing her bag onto the already neatly made bed,she made her way across the room. Hermione threw open the heavy drapes that concealed a grimy window which gave way to a perfect view of Diagon Alley.

Aiming her wand at the window, Hermione siphoned off the grime, leaving the glass perfectly spotless. Sighing, she rested her head against the cool glass. She was exhausted, but knew sleep wasn't going to come easily., there were too many thoughts crowding her mind.

Hermione continued to watch the street below her as the setting sun caused shadows to dance around on the cobbled stones below her. Diagon Alley looked exactly as she remembered, except that it now, was also, fairly empty. She suspected it had something to do with the official looking ministry signs that were taped up on most shop windows. Their flamboyant lettering warning people to finish their shopping before nightfall.

After closing the drapes back up around the window, Hermione turned to study the room. It was decently sized and quite dusty. She would have to do some definite cleaning, but was satisfied with what she had paid for. There was a large wardrobe against the far wall and a large four poster bed with end table on either side next to her. Next to the wardrobe was a door she had not noticed up until now.

Cautiously, she walked over to it and held her breath, pushing it open slowly. She sighed in relief, it was only a bathroom.

Figuring that worrying wasn't going to do much good now, she climbed into the bed and tucked the blankets snugly around her but still, Hermione couldn't get rid of the chilling thoughts that caused her to shiver slightly. Trying to clear her mind she closed her eyes, but not before she flicked her wand, extinguishing the lamps with a soft puff. Throwing her into total darkness.

Hermione was running, stumbling over tree roots and foliage as she went, but didn't slow her pace. She had to get away...

“Stupefy!”

She sucked in a gasp as the spell barely missed her head and ricocheted off the tree in front of her. Making a sharp right, Hermione sprinted through a section of closely knit tress, breathing heavily. She paused for a moment, leaning her back against a tree. She tried to control her breathing as quietly as possible. There was a rustle in trees behind her.

Silently, Hermione pushed herself away from the tree and began making her way through the dense patch of trees. There was an unmistakable trickle of a stream nearby. If she could just make it there before...

“Incarcerous!”

Thick ropes flew out of midair, wrapping themselves tightly around her like a hundred angry snakes. The moment Hermione attempted to move, she toppled, landing roughly on the mossy earth.

Malfoy stepped out of the trees and chuckled at the sight of her struggling helplessly against her bonds.

“So you thought you could run away, did you Granger? Didn't think I would find you?”

He knelt down beside Hermione and tilted her chin up so that she was looking up into his eyes.

“Well that was your mistake, I always find what I lose. ” Malfoy said silkily, as he dropped her chin and aimed a kick at her. His foot made contact with Hermione's stomach and she whimpered, unable to move to protect herself. That didn't stop Malfoy from aiming blows at every inch of her body that he could. After what seemed like hours, the assault stopped and she closed her eyes. Tears streamed down her face. She didnt want to know what was going to happen next, she just wanted it to end.

“Just kill me already.” Hermione said bitterly as she opened her eyes to glare up at Malfoy.

He grinned and strode over to her crumpled form. Grabbing a fist full of Hermione hair, Malfoy pulled her to her feet and leaned her against a nearby tree. Then, taking out his wand, he waved it once and a silver knife materialized before him. Taking it expertly in his hands, Malfoy slowly made his way over to Hermione, the silver blade glinting in the sunlight.

Pure terror raced through her veins and she chocked back a sob. She didn't think he would actually kill her...

Malfoy didnt stop in front of her, but instead made his way around the tree, his eyes trained on his captive, like a lion stalking its prey.

With a flick of his wrist, the knife was pressed tightly against her throat, and he bent down to whisper softly in her ear,

“Ready to die, Granger?”

Hermione shook her head, her voice trembling as she spoke, “ No...please...”

“Too bad Mudblood.”

And with that, Malfoy slid the knife cleanly across her throat and she dropped to the ground like a broken marionette.

Gasping for air, Hermione jerked awake. She was drenched in cold sweat and shaking uncontrollably. Reaching over to the bedside table she grabbed her wand and waved it, causing the lamps to shower the room with light once more.

Once her breathing had returned to normal Hermione made her way over to the window and peeked out between the curtains. The sky was a beautiful, deep purpleish, black. Residing in the center was a full moon surrounded by an enormous amount of twinkling silver stars. Judging by the color of the sky, it couldn't be much past midnight.

Sighing, Hermione closed the curtains and climbed back into bed. Extinguishing the lights with another wave, she drifted off into an uneasy sleep.