Dramione - The Sweetest Dream

Chapter 54

They stood on the Cliffs of Moher, the wind blowing through their layers of clothing and whipping their hair across their face. Hermione nestled her head into Draco's shoulder, curling her back against the cold air blowing from the sea, the smell of dead seaweed and salt water stirring in the wind.

"You're sure he lives here?" Hermione tilted her head up to look up Draco, his pale blue eyes narrowed, fixated on the waves crashing against the shore.

"Yes," he said shortly. "Rodolphus Lestrange went into hiding after the Battle. He lives in a cave not too far from here." He rested his cheek against Hermione's wild curls, breathing in the faint aroma of her perfume, subtle hints of lavender wafting from her untamed locks.

"Ready, love?" He whispered into the top of her head. With a quick nod of her head, the two of them turned quickly, apparating to the shore littered with small, angular rocks. They stood in front of the opening of a small cave, hidden discreetly in the rocks of the cliff.

Hermione felt her sweater cling to her skin, the spray from the sea dampening her hair and clothes with droplets of cold salt water. She tilted her head towards the sky, a thick blanket of dark and ominous clouds loomed overhead, heavy with rain.

Draco stood still, the muscles in his jaw flickering as he looked at his uncle's home, digging the heels of his oxfords into the sand. Hermione squeezed his hand lightly, the muscles in his shoulders uncoiling slightly at her touch. He sighed deeply, and then walked slowly into the cave.

The crashing of the waves against the shore roared loudly, the sound echoing off of the damp stone of the cave. Draco ducked his head as he walked in the darkness, his back rounded, not able to stand without scraping his head along the stone ceiling.

"Lumos," Hermione whispered, a small orb of light appearing at the tip of her wand, bathing the cave in a pale blue light. The cave ended abruptly with a wall of smooth rock, sealing off the rest of the cavern.

"I guess I was wrong," Draco shook his head, his blonde hair falling across his forehead. Hermione ran her hand along the stone, pressing her ear against the smooth rock as she tapped it, the hollow echoing of her knuckles rapping against the stone audible from the other side of the wall.

"No, Draco, I think you were right," she pulled her head away and leaned closely to him, her breath brushing against his skin, causing the hairs on the back of his neck to stand up straight.

"Harry told me that when he and Dumbledore had found what they thought was the first Horcrux, Voldemort had sealed the cave with a kind of dark magic that required payment to enter." She grabbed a small angular stone from the floor of the cave, and with a quick, fluid movement struck it across her palm before Draco could stop her.

"Hermione, what are you doing?" He stared at the warm blood oozing from her palm, beads of crimson running down her wrist. She placed her hand flat against the wall, veins of blood trickling down the rock. The stone began to crumble, chunks of rock falling onto the ground and turning into a fine powder.

Draco wrapped his hands into her hair and placed a kiss firmly on her forehead. "You really are the brightest witch of our age," he whispered into her curls, evoking a small chuckle to escape her lips. He wrapped his hands around hers, her hand stained with warm, sticky blood.

"I wish you had let me do that," he said softly, frowning at their clasped hands. He took her hand in his, unfurling her fingers, her palm facing up.

"Episkey," he spoke softly, moving his wand over her palm with a gentle flourish. The skin began to slowly mend itself back together, as if drawn back together with sutures not visible to the human eye. Hermione examined her hand, holding her palm close to her face. There was no evidence of the cut, save a faint pink line running across her palm, and a droplet of blood soaked through the sleeve of her sweater.

"Thank you, Draco," she brushed her lips against his softly. She stared into his blue depths, the dark circles of exhaustion beneath his eyes prominent in the shadows of the cave.

"Now, how sweet is this?" A cold, raspy voice echoed off of the damp stone. Draco and Hermione raised their wands, puffs of pale mist escaping their lips, hanging frozen in the cold air, with each ragged breath. The cave opened into a large cavern on the opposite side of what had been the stone barrier. The silhouette of a shadowy figure stood no more than twenty paces away, dimly lit by the small light emitted by Hermione's wand, was Bellatrix Lestrange.