Hermione doesn't know the exact reason why Malfoy has abandoned her, but she believes that he has. Until now; until she hears lone footsteps where the guards always, always come in pairs. She hides her face against the stinking rags that barely pad the stone floor beneath her, and begs for it to be him, striding down the hallway toward her, past the pile of smouldering bodies that fills the dungeons with a foul, sickening stench. She is so hungry that the smell of cooked flesh makes her stomach crave it, no matter how awful and depraved that makes her feel. The cell door screeches faintly as the unknown person pushes it open, and then there is a heavy, metallic thunk as it is pushed shut again, the locking mechanism falling into place. Hermione balls up even more, holding her breath until she feels like she's going to pass out as the footsteps draw nearer and nearer.