Hermione's feet touched the ground with a thump, and she stumbled forward, landing on her knees on a small patch of grass. She looked around, breathing heavily, her wand already in her hand. It seemed that she had been taken into the outskirts of London, on a small hill.
As she turned around, she noticed Caleb sitting just a few feet away from her. He was hunched over in the grass and looked like he was sobbing.
"Caleb." Hermione called out nervously. "Are you alright? What happened? Why are we…"
But her words were soon covered by Caleb's violent sobs. He was holding himself tightly, curled up on the grass, his eyes tightly shut. All Hermione could hear and understand from his erratic mumbles were the words 'sorry' and 'no choice'.
Hermione was starting to feel very nervous at this point.
'This cannot be good.' She thought as she got up, grasping her wand tighter.
The next moment she heard a popping noise and a figure appeared next to her. It was definitely a man. He was tall and was wearing black robes and a white mask.
'A Death Eater's mask.' Hermione noticed with a stab of horror.
She leaped backwards raising her wand and casting a stunning spell at the lone figure, but he easily deflected it. Without uttering a single word, the man strode closer and grabbed her by the arm. Feeling the vice-like grip, Hermione squirmed and fought to release herself, managing to shoot a few more spells at her attacker, but he deflected them just as easily.
Feeling her blood boil from both fright as well as anger, Hermione whipped around and in a split second she managed to surprise her attacker enough to punch him square in the face. The mask shattered and started to fall apart, small pieces of it falling on the grass.
The man stumbled backwards, raising his hands, trying to cover his face, but it was too late. Hermione saw with horror the face of Lucius Malfoy, looking at her from behind the remaining pieces of his mask.
"You" she breathed out, feeling anger choking her. "How could you? How could you do this to him?" she hissed at Lucius, as the last piece of the mask fell on the grass between them.
Lucius Malfoy straightened up, every bit as arrogant and intimidating as she remembered him. The difference was that she wasn't the same fifteen-year old girl that fought against him in the Department of Mysteries so many years ago.
Hermione got a grip on herself, taking sharp breaths of air, trying to calm her nerves. It was a difficult task, though. Seeing him looking at her in that condescending manner made her whole body seethe with anger.
"How could you betray him like that? Your own son." She said in strangled fury.
"I never betrayed Draco." Lucius finally spoke, his tone just as disdainful as his expression.
"Indeed, you've done something worse. You've broken him. You've manipulated him until he ended up being just like you." Hermione spit with venom in her voice.
"I taught him how to be a man. I have given him everything he needs in order to survive in this world. Isn't that what fathers are supposed to do, Miss Granger?" Lucius asked her in a glacial tone.
Hermione let out a disgusted sound, all the while edging away from Lucius, her wand pointing at his chest.
"I believe, Miss Granger, that you are under the impression that you know best." Lucius said, his low drawl reminding her so much of Draco's. "Generations upon generations of Malfoy fathers have passed down their knowledge to their sons, thus ensuring the survival of family honor and principles. That has been the tradition in our family for hundreds of years and yet, you state it's wrong."
A small smirk was starting to form on Lucius's face as he approached Hermione slowly, carefully eying her.
"I believe some traditions need to change." Hermione retorted, clenching her fingers on her wand, gripping it so tightly that she felt her fingers going numb.
"You think so? Then, may I ask what you find lacking in Draco's education? He had everything he could possibly want: blood status, money, fame, the promise of a glorious future."
At Lucius's words, Hermione's chest raised in anger.
"He needed to be protected from that evil monster, he needed to be cared for, he needed …" but she caught her words just in time.
Hermione's eyes went wide in shock. She was just about to say 'love' and even though she felt the truth in her words, she still felt very uncomfortable talking to Lucius Malfoy about that particular subject.
As if he had guessed her thoughts, Lucius narrowed his eyes and a pleased expression flashed across his face.
"Love, Miss Granger? Were you about to say that he needed love?" he said slowly.
Hermione frowned in response, keeping her mouth shut. She glared at the man in front of her, shaking with suppressed fury.
"And could you, Miss Granger, love him? Could you ever forget what he's done and give him the so-called love you believe he needs?"
Hermione stopped her retreat and simply stared at Lucius, baffled by his words.
'What in Merlin's name is he going on about? Why is he asking me that?'
Taking advantage of her bewilderment, Lucius closed the distance between them in a single leap. Before she could react, he was in front of her, rendering her wand useless.
"Do you think yourself so above the rest of us that you would be able to love a man you hated your whole life, a man who has hated you and who harmed you in more ways than one? Would you be able to forget the past and give that man the love you think he needs?"
"I don't hate him." Hermione stated simply, boring her eyes into Lucius's grey ones.
They reminded her so much of Draco that it pained her to look at them.