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In a dark AU, High Warden Draco Malfoy is trapped in an Order safehouse, and Hermione Granger is the one stuck guarding him.

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“I’ve been meaning to ask you,” he continued, conversationally, “when I found you, you were carrying a book. It seemed as though you went to great lengths to obtain it. What was it?”

Hermione couldn’t believe his arrogance. And she couldn’t help it as a smart response came to her lips.

“Hogwarts, a History.” She smiled sarcastically. “I can bring it to you if you like.” She floated out last night’s tray. Malfoy tracked it as it passed.

His eyes glimmered like instead of mocking him she’d done something delightful.

“I’ve already read that one, actually.”

Hermione doubted that very much.

“Oh, really? What was your favorite—”

“Chapter Sixteen, The Depths and Dangers of the Black Lake.” he said, flatly.

Hermione watched him. His face turned smug. So he had actually read it. It made her wonder if Malfoy… enjoyed reading. No, that couldn’t be right.

“I read it before I turned eleven. I wanted to know everything I could about Hogwarts before I attended. And of course, a dark tale of a couple foolhardy Slytherins getting dragged into the abyss was enough to catch a young boy’s attention.”

“I hated that part,” Hermione said, an absent smile forming on her lips. It had detailed how three first-years went missing in the underwater caverns, their wands found washed up on the shoreline weeks later. She remembered worrying about standing too close to the edge of the wooden boats when they first crossed.

“What’s your favorite part?” he asked, a slight challenge in his deep voice. “That is, assuming you’ve read it.”

She rolled her eyes at his obvious attempt to provoke her. However, she did have a weakness for the book.

“Oh, I couldn’t pick a favorite part. The whole book is a treasure. Well, except maybe the bit about the drowned first years.” She glanced at him warily.

“Oh, come on, a centuries-old lake monster isn't even a little exciting?” he teased with a playful little grin. It was annoyingly contagious.

Hermione felt a slight blush forming as he looked at her under his lashes.

Oh, god. She felt suddenly nauseous. This was how bad her loneliness had gotten. She was mistaking the escape attempts of her captive as genuine flirting. Her smile dropped. Malfoy noticed.

She cleared her throat. This would not happen again. —

In a dark AU, Draco Malfoy is tasked with retrieving an in-hiding Hermione Granger to save the Lord Chancellor—his close friend and mentor. But when a heavily dazed Hermione (suffering from a Calming Draught overdose used to bypass a magical guardian) triggers a rogue portkey, both are stranded in a dangerous wasteland.

—

He reached down to check her pulse, something he’d been rather making a habit of because of the blank stare and pale face she was constantly sporting. He placed his fingers on her neck and nearly jumped when her head turned towards him, light brown eyes almost finding his, but not quite.

“Malfoy…” she said again in a raspy voice.

“Yes, I think we have established that.” He muttered.

“You didn’t tell them…” she said, almost sing-songy.

Didn’t tell them?

“Granger, where are we?” He asked tersely, trying to lock on her eyes.

“You looked so scared…” she continued, as if he hadn’t said anything. “You didn’t want to be there anymore than we did, did you?”

He grit his teeth. His wand hand flinched, a silencing hex lay eagerly on his tongue. 

He hated that he knew exactly what she was referring to. Of course she’d say the one thing that would cut straight through him and turn him inside out. 

He had many horrible memories from the war, but his Aunt Bellatrix torturing Granger near death while he stood rigid in place was one of his least favorite. Not because he held any particular care for Granger, but because he had to watch. For almost half an hour, watch as his school nemesis, top of her class, proud muggle born, was turned into a screaming, crying, begging mess in front of his seventeen year old eyes. 

“Granger,” he said urgently, “you need to tell me where we are. How do we get out of here?”

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Lord Chancellor Gideon Vale is dying. The ancient rune that secured his rise to power has begun consuming him, and only one witch alive may know how to stop it. Hermione Granger. Ten years after the fall of Voldemort, Draco Malfoy is sent to retrieve a politically exiled Granger by any means necessary.

A Dark AU that features a competent, resilient Hermione, a dangerous Draco running from his supremely inconvenient and unwanted feelings, and an unforgiving magic system.

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While the setting is dark and the stakes are high, you can expect plenty of banter, friendship, and humor along the way.

Draco is complicated. His wounds run deep, and his journey is slow. He's willfully blind to many problematic things to keep his familiar and safe world from changing, until he hits a true breaking point.