Captured

Chapter Nineteen: Progress

Hermione woke the next morning, cold and stiff. She was still curled up against the door where she had been leaning the previous night, but weak sunlight was now shining through her window, filtering through the grey of the cloud cover. She stayed still for a moment, despite her aching joints, to be sure he was no longer on the other side before she groaned and pushed away from the cold wood.

She stood slowly, stretching out her limbs, sore from the awkward position she had slept in. A kink had formed in her neck and she wished she had her wand, if only so she could do a quick muscle relaxing charm to relieve it. She massaged it slowly, kneading the knotted muscles as she stared out at the grey day.

It was going to snow soon. There was frost coating the hedges and trees beyond the maze, and the clouds were thick, and heavy. She could see them bursting into snowfall at any moment and the thought brought a small smile to her face.

She loved snow.

She knew most of her classmates preferred the bright, sunny days of summer, but she would give anything for a grey, winter day. She was never happier than when she was curled up with a good book next to a window where she could watch the snow fall outside, a mug of steaming cider or tea next to her.

She hoped the snow would fall sooner, rather than later. She could use something to lighten her heart right now.

Which brought her mind back to the night before. To Malfoy. To where he had been.

She was sure if her eyes weren't already swollen and red from the night before, she would have begun to cry again. Her heart ached so badly it was nearly a physical pain as she thought of her classmates, at least three of them younger than her - too young to have nothing ahead of them, no futures.

To have their lives end before they ever truly had a chance to start.

She hoped to Godric that Harry and Ron were finding success in their hunt for the horcruxes. It was the only thing that would be able to stop the ongoing slaughter and torture of anyone who dared to stand against the Death Eaters, of anyone guilty of nothing more than not being pureblood.

She glanced at the maze, the hedges tall and imposing, winding in a pattern she had long since memorized.

She might be able to do it.

If she could make it to the maze without the dementors seeing her, there was a chance they wouldn't notice her past the cover of the maze. She had read everything she could about dementors and knew that while they didn't work by sight, their senses weren't infallible. If they weren't searching the maze actively for someone, then there was a good chance they wouldn't notice her.

If she could keep control of her emotions.

Too much despair or fear and it would be like a beacon to them.

But she had to try.

She almost snorted as she remembered the last time she thought that and had nearly suffered from one of those very same dementor's soul-sucking kisses.

But instead, she sighed. Because she knew that she wasn't capable of not trying.

Once she thought of a plan, a possible one, if it was for an important enough cause, she knew she wouldn't be able to stop herself from trying it. And she'd say helping her boys save the wizarding world to stop the unjust slaughter of all of those like her was an important enough cause.

She didn't let herself think on it, jumping into action and working quickly, knowing that it would be easiest to control her emotions if she didn't allow herself to obsess over the negative possibilities. She pulled on the thickest clothing item she had been given, and was pleasantly surprised at the warmth of the forest green sweater. She slipped on one of the pairs of jeans, and her worn sneakers and slipped out of the room, the door thankfully unlocked like normal.