Harry called out, giving Blaise a reminder jab under the chin.
"You were right!" Blaise persisted. "You can' t give me what I want, Draco."
"I told you to shut up, Zabini!" Ron snapped.
Draco held up a hand. He wanted to hear this. "And what do you want now? To see me dead? But you can' t do it yourself, can you? Because that will mean your own death and we both know you're no martyr."
"To see you dead?" Blaise smiled. "Eventually. But first, I want you to suffer."
The smile held until he looked at Hermione. He had a very expressive face, did Blaise. The sincerity in his expression had them all spellbound for a moment.
"I'm so sorry."
Not quite understanding, Draco instinctively reached for her . She was just two arm-lengths away.
"Harry?" Ron called out the warning. Too late.
Blaise had hurled a small glass ball. It shattered against Hermione's hip.
Overhead, the sun began to rise.
Chapter Forty-Seven
Draco didn't need to lunge. She was too close for that. He simple extended an arm to grab her, not knowing what he was intending to do. The silly girl wasn't even looking at him.
She was still watching Blaise. Likewise Potter and Weasley. Draco noticed these details because it felt as if someone had slowed down time (and his reflexes along with it).
Some primitive, instinctual part of his brain recognised the need to move quickly, but he seemed to be stuck in slow motion.
Blaise had thrown a glass ball. The new, morning light reflected off the orb as it sailed through the air. It struck Hermione on her hip and broke instantly. Thick, dark, smoking liquid spilled out, spattering against her skirt. The acrid stench of Dragon's Blood wafted through the air. Not black then, if it really was Dragon's Blood. In normal light, it would show as a murky, clotted red. From inside this macabre liquid prison, a gold coin was set free.
A ubiquitous gold Galleon.
Draco could only watch, feeling dread the likes of which he had never encountered in his life, as the coin flipped several times over and then fell, striking Hermione on her dusty, worn, school shoe.
By the time Draco's hand reached her, it met mist drenched air. She was gone.
"NO!"
He heard Potter's shout as if it was coming from far away. A horrible numbness descended over him, followed by a stark terror that was not entirely his own. He began to tremble.
Harry stared, dumbfounded for a moment before spinning around and kicking Blaise's legs out from under him.
He slammed one foot down sideways on Blaise's neck and pressed forward. "Where is she?"
Blaise was choking. He tried to swipe at Harry with his right hand, but Harry pinned that to the ground too with his other foot. Blaise's left hand flailed about ineffectually in the dirt. Harry put more weight on his foot and was rewarded by Blaise making a thin, wheezing noise.
"WHERE DID YOU SEND HER YOU SICK FUCK?"
Ron's hand was buried in his hair. He was shaking his head, still gawking at the spot where Hermione had been standing seconds before. "Whatwhat just happened?"
Draco could not reply. He was still staring down at the coin, bright gold stained with blood. There was a noise lodged inside him. He wanted to let it out because the force of keeping it in was hurting him, but his throat had seized.
"WHAT JUST HAPPENED?" Ron demanded again.
Harry's head snapped up. He sent Ron a look of desolation. Harry knew all about portkeys that sent you to bad places.
"Hermione's been Transportedsomewhere."
Ron gaped at him. "Portkeyed? Where?"
Harry was working on finding that out. He stepped over Blaise and pointed his wand to the boy's abdomen. "You're going to tell me where she is right now, or I swear to God, Zabini, I'm going to gut you."
Blaise stared up at Harry with loathing. "It' s too late," he whispered, "she' s dead."
"HERMIONE IS NOT DEAD!"
"She is," Blaise insisted. He sounded equally forlorn. "That's a Death Portal, Potter."
Ron began pacing. "Death Portal! Harrywhat are we going to do?"
Harry was shaking his head. "No, she's not dead."
Draco's voice cut through the panic. "You're right."
Harry' s head lifted. His green stare was piercing. "What? You can feel her? She' s alive?"
Draco's light eyes unfocussed. He shut them and drew in a long, shuddering breath, as if the act of pulling the air into his lungs was suddenly difficult. On his bare back, Harry could see that the tattooed wings looked like they were trying to tear free