" — and yet her name was like a summons

to all my foolish blood."

— James Joyce

Sunlight slipped through the slivers between the wooden boards that walled the shack. Despite looking dilapidated and small on the outside, the inside was spacious enough to hold a dozen Order members. Draco looked around, noting a single small room in addition to the kitchen that seemed to also function as a living room.

"The scouts have mapped the area just a few miles west of our location. You already have your groups and know the protocols. Each pair of partners has one emergency portkey that will bring you back to HQ. As Hermione discovered, this jungle has some natural, but very weak, anti-Apparition wards. It's still possible to Apparate with a lot of focus but there is a high chance it won't take you to the accurate location and an increased risk of splinching — hence we do not recommend it. We will reconvene at this shack which has some basic medical supplies. For any severe wounds, take the portkey straight to headquarters," said an ex-Auror Draco didn't recognize. She handed out the portkey coins wrapped in cloth to each pair, a severe look on her face when she passed him and dropped the coin in Granger's hands.

"Thank you, Anja. You all know the plan. Find what you can," Moody said gruffly.

The rest of the team dispersed to prepare. Granger stayed behind talking to Moody and Anja, who was appointed lead for the mission. Outside, Draco took a moment to adjust his boots and shield cloak. The mission wasn't meant to last longer than half of the day but he had told Scorpius (who was left with Watson at HQ) to expect him the next day.

"Need a hand with that?" A blonde witch approached him as he began tightening the wand holster on his arm. He vaguely recognized her from Hogwarts, a Slytherin perhaps. Lately, the Order members seemed less hostile towards him. Although they were still wary, gradually they came to grudgingly accept his presence. They continued to keep their distance however, which Draco preferred anyways.

"No thank you," he said, looking back at what he was doing. When he realized she was still standing there he looked up at her impassively. Irritation started to spread through him when she said nothing and continued blushing.

"I'm Corin by the way. I was a Slytherin but a year younger than you back at Hogwarts," she said shyly, looking up at him through her lashes. Draco simply stared at her blankly, not knowing what to do with the information. "Well, I know what it's like being a Slytherin in the True Order. It can be quite lonely. So if... erm... you ever needed some company — " Her hand reached out but Draco flinched, pulling back instinctively before she could make contact. She seemed to read the hostility in his eyes and pulled her hand back immediately.

"Malfoy!" Draco relaxed and turned towards the firm irritated voice.

"Yes, Granger?" he drawled, his lips tilting upward at the sight of her scowl. Her brown eyes flickered between him and the girl.

"If you're done here, I thought we could go over some details for our part of the mission."

"Of course," he replied smoothly. The bushy-hair witch sniffed and turned away. Draco shook his head and followed her back inside the shack.

"She's a Slytherin right? Did you know her before?" Hermione asked nonchalantly while they examined the layout of the area. Draco paused, looking at her from underneath his lashes. She was still concentrating on the parchment before them, making little notes here and there.

"Yes, she was a Slytherin but a year younger. I didn't know her. She said her name is Coral or something," he shrugged.

"I'm pretty sure it's Corin," she corrected, still not looking up at him. However he noticed the edges of her lips twitch when he simply grunted in response. Uninterested in continuing the conversation, Draco resumed studying the map.

***

It was humid in the jungle. Sweat trickled down Hermione's neck as she and Malfoy walked through the vines and brambles. Hermione felt flushed and bloated. She continually cast Cooling Charms on herself and although they gave her relief from the heat, they still left her sticky and irritated. She glared at Malfoy's neck, noticing that he wasn't affected by the humidity. Benefits of being cold-blooded, she huffed inwardly.

"We should be reaching the pit in a couple of meters," Malfoy said as he turned to look at her.

Hermione was wiping the sweat off her forehead with her wrist then paused when she felt his eyes on her. If it was even possible, she flushed even more knowing what kind of state she was in. Without even looking, she knew her hair had grown in the humidity — she could almost feel her hair tie straining, close to snapping. She peeked up at him and caught his grey eyes flickering down to her chest briefly before he averted his gaze and cleared his throat as a soft pink tinged his cheeks. Hermione's brows furrowed. She looked down then noticed her white top was drenched with sweat and sticking to her chest, leaving little to the imagination. Quickly, she cast a Drying Charm on herself and another Cooling Charm as a renewed wave of heat spread through her body.

"Erm yes, should be up ahead," she coughed out as she walked past him to hide her embarrassment. He made no comment, instead silently followed her.

They kept their guard up as they continued walking but did not meet any threats from the wild life. Large orange beetles buzzed across them lazily, beating their tiny wings hard to keep their round bodies in flight. Occasionally, they were watched with curiosity by tiny lizard-like creatures that bore silver eggs that shimmered on their backs. Unlike the forests she had visited before, the Ostium Jungle seemed to constantly be in full song. Birds with peach-colored feathers that shifted to a turquoise color in the amber sunlight fluttered above them, spreading their song from tree to tree. The harmonies swelled all around her along with the heavy beat of hooves from the very heart of the jungle.

"I believe it's up ahead," Malfoy pointed out as they approached a large circle of rocks. They crept closer, wands ready. Once they reached a rock large enough to shield them both, they peeked over the edge. True enough, below the rocks was the pit on their maps. Hermione looked closer when she noticed something odd with the ground — it seemed to be moving. Her eyes widened and gasped.

"It's a snake pit," Malfoy murmured, as if reading her thoughts. The floor of the pit was covered in earth colored snakes, slithering and tangling amongst themselves. Something caught their attention however. Along the shadowed areas of the pit, there seemed to be large clumps writhing.

"Over there," Hermione pointed, "what are those?"

As if in answer, one of the lumps raised its head. Two clawed arms stretched as a pained hiss emitted from it. Hermione drew back as the light hit what looked like a snake-humanoid creature. Its body was covered in greenish-black and silver scales. They still had limbs but their legs seemed to have merged to form a membranous tail. Their noses melted into slits, their eyes gleaming an acid yellow. Some still had hair and patches of human flesh, while others were completely covered in scales.

"Godric, what have they done..." Hermione choked out in horror. Malfoy looked pale as more of the creatures moved.

Along the borders of the pit, Hermione caught sight of the other groups in place. Their instructions were to retrieve samples and destroy the weapon, whatever it was.

Draco pointed to one of the creatures that was writhing in pain. He seemed to still have most of his human flesh intact, but he clawed at it, tearing it like snakeskin to reveal gleaming scales underneath.

"This must be the weapon they've been experimenting on over here," Draco pondered out loud. "It would explain the bodies found along the perimeter of the jungle. They don't seem ready for battle however." True enough, many of the creatures looked unstable, some with blood oozing out their scales and others sinking talons into their own skulls.

"They don't seem to be controllable. If there's one thing the Dark Lord values when it comes to his servants, it's control," he said darkly. Hermione silently agreed. These creatures left in the pit looked like failed experiments. A chill shivered down her spine wondering what the perfected version would look like. Their best bet was to extract samples so they could at least prepare for some kind of antidote or counter weapon should the perfected version be used in battle.

After waiting a couple of moments, a hand-sized phoenix made out of red light landed before them. The signal.

All at once, ropes shot from various wands, tying up the creatures. The hissing increased as they struggled. Four pairs, including Hermione and Draco, conjured rappelling ropes secured to the north, south, east, and west of the pit while the other groups stood guard.

The groups began to descend into the pit using the ropes, trying to stupefy the moving snakes, but there were too many of them. Draco cursed from below Hermione as a viper jumped in their direction. He sent a well timed confringo, blasting the snake to bits.

"Granger, Malfoy," Anja called out as they both landed on a rock. The other pairs had managed to find either a ledge or boulder to keep them away from the snakes. "The closest creature is a couple of feet from you both. We'll watch your backs while you levitate the creature to the team above."

Draco and Hermione acknowledged the command. They pointed their wand towards the creature — it was the one with the most human flesh intact. The pair first tried stunning spells but it did nothing to immobilize it. It continued hissing and gnashing its fangs when they decided to start levitating it upwards.

Hermione grunted as they steadily lifted the creature in the air. They had it five feet above their heads when suddenly the ropes that bound it snapped, giving it the freedom to roll away from the aim of their wands and lunge in their direction. Instinctively, Draco and Hermione split when the creature fell where they were standing.

"Granger, behind you!" Hermione rolled out of a way as a particularly large python shot in her direction. Rattling and hissing invaded her ears as she shot spells blindly at the serpents coming her way. The other groups tried to help them keep the snakes back, but they kept coming.

A scream pierced the air as one of the other creatures broke loose of their ropes and grabbed Corin by the leg. Hermione immediately lept into action, sending a well aimed Slicing Hex that cut off the creature's scaled arm. It let out an inhuman shriek, still alive, but its distraction was enough for Corin to crawl away.

"Corin! Get back!" Hermione growled, pulling the girl back to her feet. They stumbled backwards trying to get away from the livid creature whose arm started growing back.

Fire licked across the sides of the pit, as the team above tried to hold the snakes at bay. They had to be careful however so as not to burn their teammates.

"Get out! Now!" Anja commanded. Chaos broke across the pit, flames and ice trying to hold masses of serpents and creatures back, most of whom had broken free of their ropes. With all the chaos, it was too risky to pause and activate the portkeys. Additionally, many of the pairs had been separated, leaving half the team without portkeys should they not find someone who did.

Hermione hauled herself up on a rock and pulled Corin up afterwards to join her. "Here, go!" The witch handed the wounded girl one of the rappelling ropes, urging her to climb up while she watched her back. Corin did as instructed as Hermione blasted another group of serpents to pieces. She caught a flash of Draco Malfoy sending a blast of ice at a creature, sticking it to the wall. Malfoy shot another spell just before a hand shot out from a ledge hauling him upwards.

After quickly scanning the pit and seeing everyone safely evacuating, Hermione went to climb up the rope but noticed from the corner of her eye a creature still bound. She knew it was her only opportunity — going in blind when Voldemort attacked was too much of a risk, especially when she knew what the snake-humanoid creatures were capable of.

She made her choice. Hermione lunged off the rock then ran, shielding herself with spell after spell, ignoring the shouts from above. Suddenly, a wall of fire blocked her path.

"Granger, get the fuck back!" Malfoy stood on the ledge, wand raised and eyes livid. As if in answer, a peal of thunder shook the air and rain began to pour, extinguishing the flames. Hermione took the opportunity to make her way again towards the bound creature, blasting back the others that came her way. If she could just get to it and Apparate, no matter how displaced the apparition would be, as long as it was out of the pit, it would be enough.

She almost reached the creature when out of nowhere she was knocked to the ground by a hard body. Hermione made to blast the attacker but upon catching the white-blond hair, paused. Malfoy let out a hiss from on top of her, his body going rigid then starting to spasm. Icy raindrops dripped from his chin onto her cheek as his face contorted in pain. It was only then that she noticed one of the creatures fallen on the spot she had been, blood dripping from its mouth. She didn't have to look at Malfoy's leg to know that it was his blood.

"Stupid... Gryffindor..." he grunted.

Hermione didn't have enough time to panic over his wound before the creature that had attacked them recovered and turned towards them. She lifted her wand, straining and pulling on every ounce of her magic. Her magic swelled and struck, turning the rain pelting against the creature into ice daggers. The creature let out an agonized scream as thousands of shards of ice pierced its body. Hermione's arm shook and she knew she couldn't hold it any longer. Before she knew it, she felt herself and Malfoy being lifted off the ground.

"Malfoy, Granger, don't move!" Anja shouted against the rain. Hermione looked up and saw half a dozen wands pointed towards them, trying to lift them up while the others shielded them from the serpents and creatures. She tried not to look down as she felt herself going higher and higher. The ascent was shaky and to keep balance, she clung on to Malfoy who was going in and out of consciousness.

Finally, they were dropped to the ground outside of the pit. Hands began lifting Malfoy off of her, and pulling her upright.

"What the fuck, Granger!" Anja's furious face met hers as she got on her wobbly feet. Before she could respond, however, a commotion erupted from where Malfoy was brought. She and Anja looked over, only to see the rest of the team circled, their wantds pointing threateningly at Malfoy who was now standing at the center. Another man lay on the ground outside of the circle as if he had been pushed.

"What's going on!" Anja demanded. As Hermione got closer, she noticed greenish-silver scales beginning to appear in patches on Malfoy's pale skin. Fangs protruded from his mouth and his eyes turned into a bright yellow. He growled, swiping with long clawed hands at members who attempted to come closer.

Fuck.

"He was bitten by one of those things! He's gone rogue! Thankfully we were able to get his wand!" a man answered.

"Everyone stun him!" Anja shouted. Hermione screamed in protest, knowing it would only make things worse, but she was unable to stop the blast of red light. She pushed her way into the circle, finding Malfoy on his knees but not stunned. He looked more livid as he lunged at some of them, easily dodging their spells. Hermione saw someone aim a curse at his back and she erected a shield.

"Stop!" she protested, keeping her shield up.

"Hermione he's gone — "

"There's still a chance! Attacking him with spells will only make it worse!" Hermione put down her shield but continued to keep her wand raised and aimed it towards the members around the circle. She stared down each one of them and they looked back at her incredulously as if she was mad, and perhaps she was. "When poison enters the bloodstream, it only spreads faster with adrenaline because of the accelerated blood flow. We need to keep him calm if we don't want the poison to spread quickly!" An angry hiss drew her attention to Malfoy who was clutching his calf but still staring dangerously at the people around them.

"Malfoy," she said gently. At her voice, his attention shifted to her. His brows creased as his slitted pupils zeroed in on her. "Malfoy it's me, Hermione. Hermione Granger."

Hermione lifted both her hands in surrender and slowly turned to face him completely.

"Hermione — " she heard George protest, but she cut him off with a wave of her hand.

"Draco," she began again, keeping eye contact with him. A war broke out across his features. He shook his head, screwing his eyes shut before groaning in pain. His body shuddered then arched as he staggered to full height. Before she could stop him, he clawed at himself, tearing off more skin and leaving silver and green scales gleaming in patches along his cheek, neck, and arms. "Draco, I'm here to help you."

Hermione took a few tentative steps forward. She froze when his head snapped up, his eyes flitting between silver and yellow. There was a predatory set to his features, a danger defined in the cold cruel beauty of his marred scaled flesh that should have scared her, should have repulsed her.

"Come, Draco," she said softly, extending her hand towards him. A moment passed before Malfoy shakily lifted one of his clawed hands, taking her smaller one in his own. He staggered forward until he was looming over her. Raindrops dripped across his silver scales, making them shine like silver coins. His hair was matted, dirt and blood smeared across his pale skin.

His head dipped towards hers and she felt his breath against her cheek — cold — followed by the faint graze of his fangs against her jaw, oddly gentle, eliciting goosebumps along her shoulder. He shook with restraint when Hermione lifted her other hand. Slowly, she looped her arm around his shoulders. Her fingers trembled once she made contact with his ice-cold skin. She felt a shudder go through him at her touch. Suddenly, his arms automatically locked around her, clutching her against him like a vice.

"Hermione," he breathed against her ear.

Before she could process what was happening, she felt as if she was being sucked into a vacuum and before she knew it, she was in the shack. She was startled at the sudden Disapparition — the strength of Draco's wandless magic, likely heightened by his condition. Still finding her bearings, Hermione found herself stepping away from him to balance herself, but a growl rumbled in his chest before he pulled her back against him.

"Hermione, I — I can't," he gritted out, clutching her closer as his head lulled on to her shoulder.

"I know, I know. We'll figure it out — you've got to trust me, okay?" she said shakily as she slowly untangled herself from him and accio'd a bottle of Draught of Living Death that she knew was kept in the supplies. "I need you to drink this."