But at noon on the dot, the door to the Conservatory pulled open, and she looked up to find him strolling toward her, wearing a pale grey button up and dragon leather shoes — out of uniform. He looked as if the hours of space between them hadn't done any favors for him either.

She stood from her bench and wrapped her cardigan tighter around herself in the humid chill of the morning. As she prepared to ask questions, she realized that Draco had managed to strengthen his mask overnight. He stared at her, a slight tilt to his head, with eyes cool and grey.

That's just fine, she thought. I've strengthened mine as well.

"What happened to Edinburgh?"

A slight expansion of his ribs, like he was taking a deep breath but trying not to show it. "The Death Eaters seized the castle two weeks after the Battle of Hogwarts. They took over the Muggle city of Edinburgh a few hours later, but most of it had already been evacuated. The Scandinavian Ministry had an emissary there, and she acted quickly. This was a few days before the Apparition Line was finished."

Hermione blinked, trying to keep her focus on getting all the answers she needed.

"And what's the fallout of this?" she said. "Surely the Muggle world has noticed that Edinburgh has been extinguished from the map."

"There was a confrontation once the Dark Lord's forces caught on. The papers reported a terrorist attack, a nuclear explosion. The Muggles aren't concerned with the comings and goings of Edinburgh any longer. Not until Muggle scientists have examined and decontaminated it. The Muggle government thinks it will be years before it's safe."

She felt her heart in her throat as she asked, "And why the castle? Does he have plans to seize other castles and estates?"

"No. Edinburgh is his experiment." A pause as Hermione tried to think about what he meant.

A memory of the Ministry's newest statue rose in her mind. Muggles, gnarled and twisted, their faces turned in blinding admiration towards the wizards above them. Magic is Might.

A jolt down her spine that set every nerve ending on edge.

"But whatever's left of the Order didn't want to take any chances," Draco was saying. "The Muggle Prime Minister escaped the U.K. shortly after the Battle, and the Dark Lord installed a new Prime Minister, under Dolohov's Imperius Curse. We have it on good authority that the Queen and young princes are either in Canada or Australia."

Her eyes flickered once before she settled a mask over her face, a lake with still waters. Australia. Her parents.

Draco's gaze was on her, and he blinked once, eyes narrowing to examine the reaction she failed to hide.

She needed to ask. She needed to know if the Death Eaters were searching for the Queen in Australia, but it would confirm whatever suspicions were in his mind. She couldn't trust the secret with anyone else. Her own mind was hardly safe from prying — she couldn't hand Draco Malfoy the key to her parents just by asking the question—