The Gallows Chapter 6

The Slytherins arrived the next day.

It had been the result of a desperate late-night owl once Hermione had pulled herself together and sat in the bath until her skin pruned and the water cooled.

Theodore Nott was the first to step through the floo, clutching a shiny white box wrapped with string. The smile he gave her was blinding, all white teeth and dimples as he waved his wand over his soot covered robes.

“Hermione,” he breathed, placing the box down on a small side table and enveloping her in his arms.

She froze within the sudden show of affection and awkwardly patted his back. “Hello, Theodore. Thank you for coming.”

His chuckle was soft and he squeezed her tighter before letting go. “Call me Theo. And it’s me who should be thanking you. Speaking of which,” he picked up the box and shook it gently, “I’ve come bearing gifts of butter, pastry, and chocolate.”

A knot loosened in Hermione’s chest at his easy smile. Lottie appeared with a pop, hugging Theo around the knees, commanding them towards the sunroom, and then disapparating with the box in her hands.

“Bossy little thing, isn’t she?” He commented dryly, moving out of the way as the fire flared green again.

Pansy flicked her wand before she even exited out of the grate, the scant traces of ash and soot disappearing from her immaculately tailored black trousers and silk blouse. Hermione expected the witch to sneer at the sight of her, but those sharp green eyes only assessed the muggle denims and sweatshirt ensemble quickly before she too swept Hermione into a hug.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you.” Pansy repeated the words over and over until Hermione was smoothing a hand down the woman’s back, rocking her lightly.

That was how Blaise Zabini found them as he stepped through the floo and Hermione could not help but think how similar the image must have been to the embrace she had found herself in yesterday with her three friends. Especially when Blaise came forward to run his hand over Pansy’s hair.

“Hey,” he murmured. “I thought we agreed no waterworks on the Gryffindor.”

Pansy hiccupped, drawing back with a laugh that could have been a sob, wiping her cheek on the back of her hand. “Oh, Salazar, we did agree to that didn’t we?”

Blaise kept a hand on the back of Pansy’s neck, but he leant forward to wrap Hermione in a one-armed hug, and kissing each of her cheeks. “Hello, gorgeous. Thank you for inviting us.”

“I had no idea you lot would be so affectionate,” Hermione blurted.

Thick eyebrows raised in surprise before the three laughed, bass, baritone and alto mixing into harmony. They did not appear offended by her statement, especially when Pansy linked arms with Hermione and tugged her down the hall, the wizards following behind.

“When you grow up as the four of us did… you find affection where you can,” Pansy explained. “You either grow desperate for it or—”

“Or fearful of it,” Theo cut across her, giving Hermione a meaningful look when she glanced back at him.

Pansy led them through a small door Hermione hadn’t seen before. Granted she hadn’t done much exploring given the panic that tended to slink through her veins if she wandered from the traveling parlor — the cackle she was sure was ringing through the halls only to vanish in the next breath. This room was smaller than many of the others, painted a bright sunshine yellow and the far part, towards the gardens, was more window than wall. Most surfaces were covered in winding ivy and lush leafy plants, putting Hermione in mind of a jungle.

“I always loved this room,” Pansy murmured with a sigh, letting go of Hermione’s arm and falling into one of the cream damask armchairs settled around a small white table.

The rest followed suit, a tray of tea and the pastries Theo brought appearing on the table in front of them. And though the rest fixed their tea and loaded a pastry on to their plate, Hermione could only frown.

“What is it?” Theo asked.

“Aren’t you… Aren’t you here to see Malfoy?”

Slowly, Blaise set down his tea cup while Pansy leant forward to take her hand.

She squeezed it lightly. “We are here to see both of you. Now, tell us more about what’s going on.”

In fits and bursts, Hermione explained all that happened since they left the Ministry. Her letter to them hadn’t said much, only that she felt Malfoy needed them and if it was not too inconvenient, would they be willing to drop by for a visit? In no way had she imagined that the three would reply back within the hour with news that they would arrive via floo bright and early the next morning.

When she finished explaining about the closet, the three wore the same hollow-eyed gaze she saw that morning in her own mirror — similar to the one she saw on Malfoy. Theo blew out a long breath, looking between his two friends. It was quite like how she sometimes looked at Harry and Ron. Decades of friendship had created a silent form of communication between them and it was fascinating to see it play out before her.

“That’s a lot to put on your shoulders,” Theo finally said, folding back up his napkin and scooting his chair out to face her fully.

Hermione shrugged, playing with the delicate edge of the teacup before her, contents now cold. Pansy also turned, face pinched.

“We wrote to him for years, Hermione, years, and never once did he write back.” Pansy sighed, shaking her head. “And it made me so mad for longer than I want to admit. Over and over, I wondered why it was he had given up when we hadn’t. It took me until last Christmas to finally figure it out.”

When Hermione did not answer, her lips only turning down into a frown, Pansy shot a look at Theo.

A warm hand wrapped around hers, tugging it until she turned towards him. Theo leveled his gaze with hers. “Can you think of a reason why he didn’t write us? Why he didn’t speak to you when you came to his cell? Why even now he’ll barely say more than a few words to you?”

“Because he knew he was going to die…” she breathed.

The three nodded. The solemn expression on Theo’s face was a strange contrast to the bubbling joy she’d seen when he’d arrived. “When you think for so long that you are lost to this world only to find yourself alive and free… That does things to a person, Hermione. Things you cannot imagine.”

He turned his head and finally Hermione caught sight of the tattoo running down the side of his neck, covered by his curls. She’d forgotten that Theo served time in Azkaban, only a few cells down from Draco. He’d spent the better part of a year within the prison and countless articles were written in the Prophet during that time wondering if he would be the scapegoat for his father’s crimes.

“Did I make a mistake?” The words were barely more than a sob, tears stinging her tired eyes. “Would it have been kinder to let him die?”

Shame coiled around her throat — that she would cry before someone who had suffered more than she could imagine. She had been tortured, yes, but Theo? Malfoy? That was a torture she could not fathom.

Someone wrapped their hands around her shoulders, squeezing tight. “Hermione, look at me.”

She blinked through her tears, Blaise’s face swimming in her vision, his cheeks shining in the morning light from the grief spilling down his face.

“Sometimes the kindest option is not the best.” Blaise crushed her to his wide chest, shushing her with his own hiccupping sobs.

Hermione wasn’t sure how long they stood like that. But she did know that her tears had dried long before Blaise’s, and, from the desperate way he clung to her, that he had needed the embrace much more. And so, it was her turn to comfort, head spinning from the heavy weight of grief that settled in the last twenty-four hours.

Yesterday had been just another day, another case she hoped to win. She’d barely thought of today other than the meetings on her calendar, the dinner she might make for Harry and Gin since Ron had planned a date with Oliver.

And now here she was, surrounded by Slytherins in the ornate sun room of Malfoy Manor.

“I won’t keep you from him any longer,” Hermione finally said, stepping away from Blaise and wrapping her arms around her middle.

Theo frowned, but it was Pansy that stepped forward, brushing back the curls around Hermione’s face with perfectly manicured nails.

“Draco is family,” she gave her a small smile, “and now you’re our family too.”

They left Hermione after that, with promises of coming down for lunch and what sounded like a mild threat from Pansy about a shopping trip.  

She spent the rest of the morning staring at Narcissa’s roses. First from inside the sun room before eventually wandering her way out into the grounds. They were gnarled, more thorns than blossoms, with leaves edged in black and brown.

That was where Harry found her, nose so close to one of the blooms she was in danger of falling in, a summoned quill and parchment in either hand. For the last hour she’d catalogued the decay of the blooms, the size and color of the leaves in hopes of finding the best solution for the roses. There was just something about leaving them in this state… It felt much like when she had watched Malfoy from her seat within the court.

She just could not leave well enough alone.

“Have you already resorted to communing with nature?” Harry asked, arms crossed over his chest and a brow raised behind his glasses.

Hermione didn’t look up, only moved on to another blossom tipped with black rot. “Do you think Neville would know anything about roses?”

“Is the sky blue?” Harry laughed. “Come on, let’s get inside before you… I don’t know… turn in to Professor Sprout.”

Slinging an arm around her shoulders, Harry tugged her towards the open sunroom doors, skittering to a stop as Theo, Pansy, and Blaise filed in from the hall.

“Erm… Hello.” Harry’s cheeks darkened and he ran a hand through his hair as if that would cover the awkward moment.

The look of horror that stained their faces melted at the sight of Harry, Theo’s grin spreading so wide it took up half his face.

“Potter, you’re looking lovely as ever.”

The heat from Harry’s cheeks radiated outward until Hermione stepped away for fear of being burned. Behind Theo, Blaise waggled his eyebrows while Pansy frowned again at Hermione’s muggle denims.

“Would you like to stay for lunch, Potter?” Blaise offered finally, gesturing towards the table now beautifully laid with sandwiches.

Hermione bit the inside of her cheek, watching the play of emotion across Harry’s face. The discomfort he felt around people he did not know warring with the delicious spread and whatever that blush had been about.

“Stay, Harry, if you have the time,” Hermione murmured, tugging on the sleeve of his robes.

With a sigh, Harry nodded, allowing Hermione to tow him towards the table. As luck would have it, he found himself nestled between Pansy and Theo across from Hermione. The corner of Theo’s lip curled into a grin, pouring Harry a glass of pumpkin juice, while Harry looked over at Hermione, widening his eyes in the universal symbol of: help me.

“Tell me Potter, truly, are all aurors this fit or is this just your fantastic genetics?” Theo asked mildly.

Pansy rolled her eyes, biting delicately into one of her tea sandwiches before turning to Hermione and Blaise. “Should we call for Lottie and have her bring a mop? Theo’s getting his drool all over the floor.”