Her heart started again like a drumbeat, a thundering beneath her skin.

"Draco!" Lucius roared from the bottom of the stairs.

He ignored it and spoke quickly.

"If the Manor is invaded, there is a panel in your bedroom wall that connects to my room. In my bedside table, there is a Portkey — I have placed a knife in the drawer and charmed it to cut through bone and cauterize."

"Now, Draco!"

She stared at him with wide eyes as he pried her fingers from his robes and brought them to his lips before dropping her hands and turning from her — dashing down the hall.

Her throat was tight, and her head spun. Her feet followed him. "Draco—"

"Stay in your bedroom until my mother comes back this morning," he called over his shoulder.

"Draco."

"The elves are here—"

"Draco!" Her voice broke. "Draco, wait!"

He spun back to her just a few paces from the top of the stairs, and she threw herself into his chest, her arms winding up around his shoulders and into his hair as her lips covered his. His hands threaded swiftly through her curls, dragging her close. She swallowed a sob as he slanted his lips over hers and brushed his thumb across her cheek.

She was pushed back, her arms unwound. And he was sweeping down the staircase, joining his father at the bottom and rushing past him out the front doors. Lucius stared up at her for a moment longer, and followed him out.

She ran to a bedroom with a view of the drive, throwing back the curtains and watching two tall figures move swiftly through the grounds, their matching hair illuminated by the moonlight. She made out Narcissa just past the gates — Bellatrix beside her. Hermione yanked the curtains closed at the shock of seeing the dark curls. When she peeked through them again, all four figures had Disapparated.

Her lips were cold. And there was nothing but the wind in the trees.

"Miss?"

She jumped and cried out, spinning to find Boppy twirling an ear.

"Miss goes back to her room now? It is safe for Miss there."

She nodded shakily, taking a deep breath. Her legs were unsteady as she walked back to her room; twice she had to brace herself on the wall. Before the door closed, she turned to Boppy, who'd been following her silently. "May I please have the Prophet as soon as the owl arrives?" He bowed and waited in the hall until she shut the door behind her.

Leaning back on the door, she placed a hand on her throat, feeling her thumping heartbeat. Then her eyes snapped open.

A panel in your bedroom wall.

Hermione moved to the wall her room shared with Draco's. It was the same wall as her fireplace, so space was limited. She tried pressing against the left side, touching anything that could be a knob. Crossing to the right side, she pressed her hands against the wall. After a few seconds of contact, the hard surface disappeared. She gaped in astonishment as she pushed her forearm inside the invisible barrier, forward and back again. Then she drew a sharp breath and stepped through.