Bride of the HP Dragon

It took them fifteen minutes to manage to reach the kitchen and the adjoining servants' quarters, all because there was a Death Eater standing at the bottom of the servants' stairs.

Hermione petrifying everything from a distance worked, and then they hid people in the wine cellar.Draco didn't want to complain about it because he was in a better mood after discovering a bottle of superb Merlot. (Annotation: merlot, one of the world's most famous red grape varieties), and the wine looks like it has just been opened.

"Bastard," he muttered to himself, then uncorked and took a swig, closing his eyes to savor the taste.

Hermione looked at him incredulously, and Draco replied innocently, "Would you like some?"

She refused.

Armed with a bottle, they climbed back up the stairs behind the pantry.

"Tell me again why we're in the kitchen?" Hermione asked.

Draco made a silent movement, then walked silently to the small room adjacent to the kitchen, the crack above the door could be clearly seen by the candlelight.Hermione guessed that the room was inhabited by the house-elves of the manor.

Draco knocked on the door, but there was no answer.

"Boris, if you're here, you're going to help out in the banquet hall." Draco called to him.

There was a brief pause: "Malfoy, is that you?"

"No, I'm the Dark Lord," Draco snapped. "Why is everyone asking me that question tonight?"

These words seemed to prove the identity of the person who came, the spell was removed from the door, and the lock was unlocked.The door creaked open, and a short, dark-haired man stood beside a single bed with a wand in his hand.Hermione recognized him as the servant who had taken her and Nick's coats at the beginning of the party.

Beside him was Tolly the house-elf, holding a candlestick taller than she was.

"Miss!" Tolly called out. "It's great to see you again!"

"It's nice to meet you too, Tory," Hermione smiled. "Except that things aren't right now."

Boris looked at them in surprise: "I thought you'd be in the ballroom with the others."

"We were lucky," Draco replied, and he handed the bottle to Boris, who took a sip without saying a word.

Boris looked down at the faded label. "Good wine, though it would be better if you waited a year or two."

Draco was annoyed: "They opened the wine."

"What a bunch of bastards." Boris spat.

Hermione looked at the two people: "You two know each other?"

Boris opened his mouth to answer, but was interrupted by Draco: "His family used to work for Malfoy." He answered fluently.

He was lying, but Hermione didn't intend to pursue it: "If you finish drinking, can we start saving the people in the banquet hall?" Hermione raised her voice and reminded: "For God's sake , we don't even know where Harry is."

"Potter? They gave him a shot in Lucius' study," Boris told them.

Hermione looked at Draco with concern: "We have to save him now."

"And startle the twenty Death Eaters in the ballroom? I don't think so. We've got to try and act at the same time."

"But they'll kill him!"

Boris shook his head quickly: "Potter will only be in danger if they take him out of the manor, and they won't hurt him just yet." He seemed quite sure: "Thugs know never to harm their prize, unless Voldemort orders .”

Hermione looked at him brightly. "How do you know? Do you have a guide to evil thugs or something?"

Boris suddenly looked uncomfortable, and Draco cleared his throat: "He's right."

"Dodds and Carmen should have found Scrimgeour, why didn't they wait for the backup to arrive?"

"There's a risk that they'll move Potter if they know the manor is under attack. They might use the effective flyo in my father's study."

"We can do it," Boris assured Hermione, "and there are more people now besides me and Tory."

Draco wasn't particularly excited about it: "Really? What do you have?"

"A crossbow, a few swords, a dagger, razor cord, a blasting stone, two bottomless jars, and poison, but maybe one or two is missing right now..."

Boris politely ignored Hermione, who was looking at him suspiciously.

Draco categorized these things in his head: "What else?"

"There's still half a bucket of hypnotic powder."

The corners of Draco's mouth curled up. "So, my dear Boris, here's a plan."

"Is half a barrel enough to knock everyone down in the hall?" Hermione asked.

Walking in the dark was difficult, and after being spotted by Dominic, they couldn't risk even a silent fluorescent flash.Hermione could only feel her way along the corridor by touching the walls on both sides.

They went back to the second living room at the other end, Draco clutching a sealed bag of hypnosis powder over his shoulder, a bottomless jar in his pocket, and the other Boris carrying it.

"Maybe it won't work, but the powder makes them sleepy and can be easily disarmed. How about your Whirlwind Charm? If we can use the wind to lift the powder, we can buy more time."

Hermione raised her eyebrows: "Then what do you think of my Whirlwind Curse?"

The answer is clear enough: "Very well, wait a minute, we are about to reach the second floor, and my father's study is just below us."

They listen carefully and can pick out indistinct sounds.

"How are the guards watching Harry?"

"Don't worry about Potter, Boris and Tory can handle it."

Hermione wished she could be as confident as Draco, she tiptoed to the ground, eager to hear what was going on down there, she hoped Harry was well.

"Granger, come back here!"

The movement got louder, and Hermione could distinguish two separate voices, and then she heard Harry's loud, defiant tone.He was sure to be fine for now, Hermione breathed a sigh of relief.

There must be a staircase somewhere in front of her, she clearly remembered the staircase when she first came to Malfoy Manor.Draco came out of his father's study and almost tripped on the last level, and it's hard to forget that special experience.

"Where are you?" Hermione heard Draco whisper gravely.

"On the stairs." She also whispered back.

He should have been quicker, said Hermione, holding on to the banister firmly, and stretched out her foot.

"Granger, wait!"

The next step wasn't where Hermione guessed it was, it was supposed to be there!Her feet touched nothing but air, and her forward momentum meant she was plunging into empty darkness.Hermione's wand was within reach, but her instinct was to reach out and grab something to stop her fall.

She was perfectly sane and didn't scream, and if she was so stupid that she stumbled and fell to her death, at least letting her die silently wouldn't expose Draco's whereabouts.

But the fall never comes, and somehow she just knows he'll catch her in time.He'd have to jump across the platform to catch her, which he did.

A hand grabbed her left wrist, and her right hand grabbed his left arm, groping for a grip.Under her fingers, Hermione could feel his muscles tense from the load, and it was his old injured arm, which, Hermione realized, could easily dislocate.

Hermione's palms were sweaty as she slid down.

"Hermione," he said very quietly, and the great calm in his tone dispelled the fog of her fear.This was a new and improved Draco, she reminded herself, and she couldn't question him a second time in this bad situation and in this risky action mode.

"I've got you, don't struggle."

Hermione didn't realize she was thrashing, but settled down immediately, and he found her other fumbling hand and held it tightly.

"Where's your wand?" he asked, and now Hermione could hear the tension in his tone.

"In my gown." Hermione gasped, and they were so close to being spotted.

"Okay, no problem," Draco said, sounding a little disappointed. "Now, I'm going to move you. You'll need me to climb up on your own, because I can't lean out anymore, or we'll both be together." I'm going to fall, do you understand?"

"Yes."

Hermione knew they'd all fall down and die before one of them had time to cast a spell to save themselves, maybe because of the hard marble floor downstairs, maybe because of the Death Eaters in Lucius' study.

Her right hand continued to slide under his tight grip, and the pain in her arm became more and more intense.

Draco slowly pulled her up with his forearm, and once within reach, Hermione grabbed Draco's shoulders tightly.Grabbing his coat, Hermione climbed onto him with Draco's help pulling her around the waist.

It seemed like a mission of eternity, and both of them gasped.

Then: "I forgot you're not good at taking stairs."

Apparently he was referring to the incident on the stairs when she was heading to the owl house, a secret rendezvous they had had some years before.

Right now he's a total schadenfreude.

"I'm fine with stairs! It's not my fault your stupid house has a landing without stairs!"

She thought he was trying to keep himself from laughing. "Normally that's not the case. This part of the house is a no-go area. The stairs were taken down by your Ministry of Magic."

That's your Ministry of Magic too, Hermione wanted to correct him.Why does he always insist that he belongs to the other gang?

He was still holding her, and Hermione tried to look up at him, but her nose bumped against his chin, which was so smooth he must have shaved before the party.

He tilted his head down to make it easier for her.

What would be more convenient, Hermione asked herself, but the question was so overt, she knew exactly what was going on.

Then there was silence, the kind of silence that two people hold their breath in the pitch-black darkness.

She couldn't see in the dark, but she somehow knew that his lips had been slightly parted, just enough to cover her own.For a moment, there is only air, only the intimate mingling of breaths, and then there is a keen sense of soft touch.

The way he held her lips as if he wasn't sure how to go any further, whispering maddeningly soft, Draco Malfoy had never been so unsure of himself.

Hermione was dizzy, and the blood seemed to rush into her face, making her lips even more sensitive.

Draco sighed, unbelievably tempted to back off because he sounded so hesitant.Hermione felt the tip of his tongue slide hot and wet along her lower lip, savoring her tenderly, felt him sweep the air deeply from her mouth, and Hermione's mouth opened to deepen the kiss, perhaps He enters, but he retreats.

Then Hermione opened her eyes, and the moment of fascination was really over.Draco stood up and gave her a hand.Hermione couldn't see his face, but she could feel his gloom.Suddenly she was distressed by what had just happened, really distressed.When it was Draco, she seemed to have no self-control at all.

"Winter is waiting for you in the banquet hall." Draco said, his tone was cold enough to freeze beer.

There were three Death Eaters guarding Lucius' study, and Goyle tried to surprise the first two by throwing well-placed bottomless jars.

Although the name is called a bottomless pit jar, it is not worthy of the name.It just falls a long way and the magic takes hold of the space until someone lets you out, or at least you can hope someone does.

But his hiding place is discovered, and the third man is very difficult to deal with.The explosive stone was in his pocket, but he was hesitant to throw one before Draco and Hermione started raiding the ballroom.

It's best not to startle them before they have a chance to break the defensive spell around the ballroom.

He was about to use his wand flames on him when Tory dropped from the sky and smashed a large vase full of fresh flowers on the Death Eater's head, then dropped the vase on the Death Eater with a heavy sigh.

"Miss Pansy liked that vase," Tolly said plaintively.

"Miss Pansy will understand, come on!"

When Goyle finally kicked open the study door, they found a sweaty and panting Harry Potter holding a poker and two wands.His glasses were missing and he had a cut and bruise on his forehead.

On the ground lay an unconscious Death Eater who looked much worse than Harry.

Tory peeked from behind Goyle's feet.

"Hi," Goyle said hesitantly, "I'm... er... Boris, Miss Pansy's servant."

Harry dropped the poker when he saw them, and it fell heavily on the carpet. "How is everyone?" He was limping towards someone who had previously been bound by a binding spell.

Goyle knew Harry's eyes, damn it, he was drawn to them. (Translator: I think Harry unconsciously used the mind-taking...)

Pansy was as much a prisoner as Ginny Weasley, and if Goyle had provided any other news than what he said next, Harry would have given that look as if the whole world he had depended on was about to crumble.

"As far as I know, no one was harmed."

Harry went limp with relief, and then he noticed the doorjamb being kicked all over the place, and he glared at Tory, then at Boris.

"That's a good kick, man," said Harry, impressed. "I think you should work for us."

"Boris" regained his composure from the adrenaline rush, and his heartbeat also calmed down: "I promise, this is just a momentary rush..." He said: "Can I take you to the banquet hall now, Mr. Potter? There may be a There's a rescue going on, maybe you're going to help?"

The hypnotic powder worked as expected, although some people reacted a little more violently than others.The hard part was breaking the defensive spells around the ballroom as quietly as possible, or letting the complex spells bounce in their faces.

Draco's attempts didn't work, and he handed the task over to Hermione in a bit of frustration, and she succeeded on the fourth try.With the defenses removed, icy winter air invaded the house through the broken windows.

The Death Eaters, aware of the breach, stood ready at the entrance, but were no doubt stunned when the attack came from above.

Hermione concentrated on using the Whirlwind Charm at the hiding place on the ceiling of the banquet hall. There was a huge wind blowing in the huge space. In order to maintain the spell, she needed to concentrate more.

Neville Longbottom fell violently, and it was really unfortunate that he was very good at passing out.Ginny, on the other hand, was barely affected by the hypnotic powder, and with the help of a dazed Nicholas, knocked unconscious the nearest Death Eater with a silver tray.

The other guests joined the fray, though all seemed wobbly and unresponsive.

The Whirlwind Charm had done its job, Hermione stopped casting it, and purple dust rained down on the floor.

Draco entered the room without knowing it, and crouched silently.He could see a dozen Death Eaters pass out before they could react, and Hermione could only catch a glimpse: a black figure disappearing into the colorful, slow-moving crowd, which he captured with the speed and precision of a sniper. Death Eaters.

To Hermione's relief, Harry and Boris arrived by the main entrance as planned.The hypnotic powder was wearing off, so spell fights in the banquet hall started to get heated.

Since Harry was no longer a hostage and the Death Eaters no longer had the upper hand, the guests began to summon their own wands.

With so many people joining the fight, two hundred men were not a fight against twenty Death Eaters.

Therefore, the attack on Malfoy Manor ended in less than 10 minutes.

Hermione stood beside Harry, holding his arm as he limped along.After Ginny took over, she immediately held Harry's face and rained kisses, and Harry yelled "Ah yo".

Neville was still lying there, someone understandingly stuffing a jacket under his head as a pillow.Professor Sprout giggled and drank another bottle of champagne from the waiter.

Boris and Pansy show the wine cellar to the newly arrived Ministry reinforcements, as they have kept the Death Eaters captive there.

Hermione stood there still a little dazed, smiling and nodding to anyone who came up to ask if she was okay.

Nick finally found her, picked her up and hugged her tightly.

It was a terrible night, with a dozen guests in need of medical treatment, but none of them were life-threatening.

Draco stood in the middle of the banquet hall, the tip of his staff still glowing red from the previous use.People laughed and hugged each other, and they walked around him looking for others.Tory had conjured up a dustpan and marveled at the broken window.

Draco was sure no one had noticed him walking out of the ballroom to speak to Rufus Scrimgeour, but Hermione watched him go over Nicholas' shoulder.

The author has something to say:

Master, your back is as lonely as snow, jealous as blood

I laughed unkindly, retribution...