Power in the Darkness
I can't believe them. They can't resist a fight with that git, Hermione thought as she dunked her sponge into the bucket and resumed scrubbing the floor of the Potions classroom.
'Just let him be,' I said. 'He's just trying to get us into trouble,' I said. Do they listen? Nooo... Because they can't let anything slide with that git.
"You missed a spot, Granger."
She stopped and looked up into the smirking face of the idiot that put them in this position in the first place.
Sighing, Hermione sat back on her knees and rolled her eyes at Malfoy. "Then you clean it, you cretin."
"I believe Professor Snape left me – the Slytherin Prefect – in charge. So, listen up, you little –"
"What's this?" Ron called from the closet, effectively stopping Malfoy's rant.
Standing, and glaring at the blonde Slytherin as she did, Hermione walked over to the redhead.
"What's what?" Harry asked as he joined them.
Ron pointed at his feet. "What's this?"
"Well, Weasel," Malfoy started, walking over to the three Gryffindors. "It looks like a door."
"On the ground?" the redhead asked, visibly confused.
Oh, Ron. Why not just put a sign on your forehead saying 'Easy Prey,' Hermione thought with a sigh.
"Yes, Weasel. They are known as trap doors," the Slytherin answered in a tone reserved for four years olds.
Ron's face scrunched up in anger as he looked between Malfoy and the wood below him. "I know that. I never understood the na –" his last word was cut short as the floor fell out from beneath him.
Unfortunately, he grabbed a hold of Harry as he fell, who, in turn, grabbed onto Hermione.
Hermione, panicking and running out of options, grabbed the only thing near enough to grasp at the moment – Malfoy.
"Let go of me!" he yelled as he realized he was being dragged down the hole as well.
Serves him right, she thought as she hit the ground and everything went black.
Hermione didn't know how long she had been out when she awoke to Ron shaking her.
"… ione! Hermione! Wake up!"
"Yeah, I'm sure shaking her like a rag doll is going to help a whole hell of a lot, you poor, poor Weasel."
Hermione felt the redhead's grip on her shoulders tighten painfully and decided to intervene before he did something else to get them in trouble for.
"Ron, you're hurting me," she said, unable to move from his grasp.
He spun back to her and slid his hand behind her back, helping her sit up. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I think," she said, bringing her hand to the back of her head and wincing as she felt the bump forming there. "What happened?"
As Ron opened his mouth to answer, Malfoy stepped forward. "Well, apparently the wizard inept here couldn't figure out that standing on a trap door is a bad thing, and, somehow, you ended up pulling me down into this pit with you," he ranted, clearly upset at being stuck with them in an unknown place.
Looking around, Hermione's eyes widened as she noticed something wrong. "Where's Harry?" she asked, still glancing around at the near-dark. "And where's the door?" noticing the conspicuous lack of light the opening would have provided.
"The door sealed up right after we fell and Harry went ahead to see if he could find a way out of here," Ron said, helping her to her feet.
"Speaking of the annoying prat," Malfoy mumbled as a light turned the corner.
"I heard that, Malfoy," Harry said as he appeared, looking none the worse for wear, but obviously disappointed. "There's a fork in the tunnel up ahead, and they seem to lead in opposite directions. So I suggest we pick one and see where it leads," he said stepping up to the other three.
Malfoy walked by him without a word, shouldering the other two boys aside as he did.
"Where do you think you're going, Malfoy?" Harry yelled after him.
"Anywhere you're not," he said as he turned the corner.
Ron mumbled a few choice words Hermione chose to ignore.
Shaking his head, Harry followed the Slytherin, holding his wand up and providing light.
Rolling her eyes, Hermione followed as well, Ron right at her heels.
After roughly five minutes of walking and stumbling, the trio caught up to Malfoy. He was leaning against a wall near the fork Harry had mentioned, eyes closed.
"Do you have to walk so fast?" Ron spat. "And I thought your wand was broken, how could you see in here?" he asked, obviously irritated at the other boy.
Not like that's a new development or anything, Hermione thought wryly. The smug little prat even irritates me.
"It's not my fault the three of you are so feeble when it come to basic motor functions," Malfoy said without inflection, eyes still closed.
"Besides," he smirked. "I had to scare off all the widdle spiders for widdle Ronnikins. I saw quite a few big ones lurking about."
Hermione saw Ron stiffen and begin looking around wildly. I swear, Ron. You just make it too easy for him sometimes, she thought.
Sighing, she stepped forward and put herself between the boys. "All right, Harry and Ron, you two go right. Malfoy and I will go left."
"No," Harry said, crossing his arms. "You go with Ron, I'll go with Malfoy."
Still smirking, Malfoy pushed off the wall and began to walk down the right-hand corridor.
Hermione rolled her eyes as she watched him. I knew he'd do that.
"Listen, I'm not going to argue with you. I can handle Malfoy. If you get out before us, go find a Professor and lead them down here, okay?" she said as she turned and jogged to catch up to Malfoy, lighting her wand with a quick lumos as she did.
Hermione couldn't tell if they had been walking down the tunnel for minutes or hours, but if she were given a choice, she would have taken the latter. And it's just that much worse because I'm stuck with the last person I'd want to ever be stuck in a dark tunnel with.
Except maybe Snape; he just creeps me out.
And it's not like we have a lot to talk about, she thought as she glanced at the blonde boy walking next to her.
While she knew most girls thought he was drop-dead gorgeous, Hermione couldn't see what was so damn special about him.
His hair was a radioactive yellow and covered in that disgusting gel, his nose was almost pointed, and he was so pale that she would have mistaken him for a ghost if not for that damn hair.
I wouldn't be surprised if that's how he sees in the dark, she thought with a smirk. His hair gives off this bright yellow glow, allowing him to traverse the dark passages of Malfoy Manor, she mentally waxed poetically. It must be a family trait.
Hermione's musings were interrupted when Malfoy stopped and turned to her, one eyebrow raised. "What must be a family trait?" he asked calmly.
Her eyes widened as she realized she must have thought out loud. "Ummm… your hair…" she said weakly, unable to think of anything else quickly.
"No shit, Granger. It's called genetics," he said in the same tone he had used when explaining trap doors to Ron, before turning and resuming the same breakneck pace they had been traveling at the entire time.
"Malfoy, stop," she called, finally tired of walking.
Huffing in annoyance, he turned to look at her. "What now?"
"I need a break. Not everyone is a track star like you," she said, leaning against the wall.
Blinking, Malfoy walked over and leaned against the wall across from her. "A what star?"
"Never mind, Malfoy – it's a muggle thing," she muttered as she tried to control her breathing.
"Kind of like you? A muggle … thing?" he baited her.
Why can't he just let me be for once? she asked mentally before standing up and looking him in the eye.
"Listen, I know you hate me because I'm better than you at everything – even though you being a pureblood is supposed make you this almighty … thing – but how about you just shut up for the rest of the time we're down here. Please?"
He simply glared at her for a few moments, causing her to feel extremely uncomfortable, before speaking. "I don't care what you think of me, Granger. I don't care that think you are better than me at damn near everything.
"What I do care about is the fact I have you alone, for once," he said, looking her up and down. "And Scarhead and his pet Weasel aren't here to save you."
Hermione's eyes widened in fear as she realized what he was suggesting. "You wouldn't dare!" she cried, backing up and running into the wall. "I… I… I have my wand!" she said, trying to think quickly. "Stay back or else!" she cried, brandishing her wand.
She was almost in hysterics as she noticed him laughing lightly. "What's so funny?" she yelled, furious that he could find humor in this situation. The sick ones always do, she thought.
"As much as I would love a good shag right now, Granger, that's not what I was talking about," he said, crossing his arms.
Confused, Hermione lowered her wand and stared at him. "What are you talking about then?"
Smirking, Draco pushed off the wall and resumed walking. "Follow me and I'll tell you," he called over his shoulder.
Pouting slightly, Hermione pushed off the wall as well and started after him. "But, I'm not done resting yet!" she whined.
An hour later, by Hermione's reckoning, she was finally fed up with the silent treatment she had received since they had resumed their march.
Stamping her foot, she stopped and crossed her arms defiantly. "I'm not taking one more step until you tell me what you were talking about."
Stopping and turning to her, Malfoy rolled his eyes and stooped. Putting a finger to the ground, he swept it across quickly. "Good, the floor isn't too dusty," he said before sitting on it and leaning against the wall with his hands behind his head. "I'm going to take a nap, Granger. If you would keep a look out?" he asked, closing his eyes.
"I will not!" she yelled, furious at his presumptuous nature. "Tell me what you were talking about!"
Opening one eye, Malfoy glanced at her lazily. "Fine," he sighed, sitting up. "Please, sit," he said, motioning to the floor in front of him.
Hermione plopped on the ground across from him and glared. How is it he can still look regal just sitting on a dusty old floor, she thought crossly.
"The reason I wanted to get you alone is this: I have a plan, and I need your help."
She just stared at him for a few moments as his words sunk in. "You need… my help?" she asked, confused.
"Don't get me wrong, Granger. I wouldn't be asking if I could do this on my own. In return for your help, I can give you the one thing you want more than anything."
Hermione raised an eyebrow skeptically. "And what would that be, oh son-of-a-Death-Eater? A place of power in the new world shaped by your lover boy V-Voldemort? Countless riches?
"Sorry, Malfoy, but that stuff doesn't interest me," she said, preparing to stand up and continue walking.
"Knowledge."
Hermione paused and looked at him, wide-eyed. "What?"
"You, Hermione Granger, are a scholar. You thirst for knowledge, and I possess it.
"Malfoy Manor has one of the largest libraries in the Wizarding world. Many first edition books, many more only edition books. We have several that were all thought to have been burned during the Dark Ages. Books that Malfoys of generations past had the foresight to store and preserve.
"If you help me, this knowledge will be at your fingertips, with unfettered access to it all," he said, hands spread, an enigmatic smile on his face.
Hermione sat back down, the offer of so much from someone like Malfoy coming as a shock. If he's telling the truth, then… I could read forever and never come close to reading them all…
"I'm not agreeing to anything, but what would I need to do?" she asked hesitantly.
Smirking, Malfoy leaned back against the wall, once more closing his eyes. "You have to keep me out of prison," he said simply.
Hermione's eyes widened at this statement. "What?"
"I've done some things, Granger. Things I'd rather not speak of. Most of them at the order of my father or the Dark Lord himself. When Scarhead defeats that old loon, they will all come to light, and I will get sent to prison.
"I need you to vouch for me. You need to tell the Ministry of Magic that I passed on vital information to you – and only you – during the war."
Hermione's eyes were roughly the size of saucers now. "What kinds of things? And what do you mean when Harry beats him?" she asked carefully.
An eyelid cracked open at the question and a sliver of silver gazed at her from under it. "I said I didn't want to discuss them. And I have no doubt the Dark Lord will lose. Unlike my father, I can see the faults in his reasoning, the cracks in his power. You, Potter, Weasley, Dumbledore – all of you – are those cracks. And he will lose because he cannot see them."
"So you're covering your behind by making a deal with the enemy," she said matter-of-factly, slightly annoyed.
"Of course. Unlike my father, I learned how to be a Malfoy correctly. I always have a contingency plan, and will never get trapped in anything," he smirked.
Hermione, tired of the conversation and feeling her eyelids beginning to droop, leaned against the wall next to Malfoy. "I'll think about it," she said as she drifted off.
"Of course, you could always marry me, and no one would question me ever again," he joked.
Not really hearing him through her tired state, Hermione mumbled an answer. "I'll think about it."
Hermione was stirred from her slumber by a sudden shift in the soft, warm mass under her head.
Cracking her eyes open, the first thing she saw were silver-gray eyes staring down at her. The second was radioactive yellow hair.
It took her a moment to realize her head was lying in the Slytherin's lap.
Jumping back with a squeak, she grabbed for her wand. Or, she would have, had Malfoy not been twirling it between his fingers. He got his feet under him swiftly and crouched down; looking down the corridor in the direction they had come from.
"What do –"
"Shhh!" he said, quickly cutting her off. "Something's down there," he whispered.
Hermione's eyes widened and she whipped her head up to look, but found she couldn't see more than a few feet in front of her. "I can't see," she whispered, crouching down next to Malfoy.
"Here," he said, waving his hand over her eyes.
Suddenly, her world grew brighter. She was able to see much farther than before, and saw a rather large creature sniffing the air.
Holding a finger to his lips, Malfoy handed her wand back and took off his shoes. He then motioned for her to do the same.
Quickly and quietly removing her own footwear, Hermione stood and began following Malfoy, who had began to walk swiftly away from the creature.
Turning to see where it was, she bit back a scream as she saw it start running toward them.
Without thinking, she began running.
"Crucio!"
Hermione turned at the sound of the spell and her eyes widened in amazement. The creature – a baby manticore, she realized – was suspended in midair, convulsing violently.
The shocking part, however, was Malfoy was casting the spell from his bare hands. A spell that powerful needs more focus than that, she thought, still not believing her eyes.
Finally, after thirty seconds, Malfoy dropped his hands. The manticore fell as well, still twitching, but obviously not moving.
She watched as Malfoy scanned the hallway, growing slightly afraid.
With power like that, why would he need me? she thought nervously.
"Come on," he said, jogging up to her and grabbing her arm. She jolted slightly at his touch as she felt something akin to an electric shock at his touch. "That's not the only one. I have a feeling there's a manticore nest around here somewhere, and I'm not too eager to meet the mother."
They began running – full-tilt this time – stopping every so often to listen for the sound of claws on stone – the sound of another one following them.
They had been running for several minutes, and the sounds of squealing and scratching was growing louder behind them, when Malfoy spotted a door and dragged Hermione in with him, casting locking and barricade charms on it after he did – once more with his bare hands.
"Hermione?"
The chestnut-haired witch spun to face the voice with wide eyes. "Ron!" she cried, running to him.
She stopped short, however, when she noticed his face was covered in dried blood, a deep gash running from his right ear across his cheek, cutting into the corner of his mouth.
"What happened? And where's Harry?" she asked, looking around for her other best friend.
"We got attacked by a group of those things. I don't know what they are, but one of them clawed me pretty good before I could get a spell off. Harry knocked it off me, and we just started running. This was probably over an hour ago. We got split up; I don't know where he is. I managed to lose those things –"
"They were manticores, Weasley," Malfoy cut in, stepping forward. "And unless Potter managed to find a room to hide in, I expect he's nothing more than dinner by now," he sneered.
Hermione felt her anger rise at his holier-than-thou attitude.
Standing, she brought her hand back and slapped him, the impact echoing around the small room. "How dare you," she hissed. "It's bad enough that we're lost somewhere underneath Hogwarts – if we're even still under Hogwarts – but you have to proclaim one of our friends dead? How dare you act all high-and-mighty."
"In case you have forgotten, Granger, I am high-and-mighty. I am also a realist, and I'm saying that unless he managed to either get out or find another room, those manticores have probably ripped him to shreds," he spat, looming over her rancorously.
"So we find him," Ron spoke from behind her, standing up. "I'm not dying down here as food for a bunch of mutant dogs," he said, stepping between the two. "And unless you want to die, you're going to help us Malfoy."
Hermione had rarely seen the redhead so determined about anything, but even his determination couldn't override the fear she was feeling. Don't tick him off, Ron. You don't know what he's capable of.
"They're actually half-bird, half-cat, Weasel," Malfoy said, raising an eyebrow. "But whatever, acne-head, let's go," the Slytherin said, spinning on his heel and walking to the door, where several scratching sounds were now coming from.
Hermione blinked at how easily Malfoy complied. "That's it? 'Let's go?'"
"I don't want to die down here either, Mudblood. So grab your wand, stop being afraid, and let's find your friend so I can change my clothes and take a hot bath," he said, holding his hands out to the door.
Ron stepped forward and stood to Malfoy's left, while Hermione stood to his right.
"So what are you going to do without a wand, ferret? Ask them to play nice and let us through?" the redhead joked.
Hermione saw Malfoy smirk from the corner of her eye and shuddered.
"Why not," he said, dropping his hands. The door flew off its hinges, letting in the swarm of carnivorous beasts.
"Imperio!"
The three of them had been walking down the tunnel Ron had taken to reach the room for almost half an hour. The passage was beginning to look as if the manticores had dug it out themselves, compared to the uneven brick-and-mortar hallways they had been traversing.
Hermione noticed Ron looking around nervously for the fiftieth time in the past five minutes. She empathized with him; she was scared out of her mind too. After all, it wasn't everyday you were escorted down a forgotten passageway by a half-dozen manticores controlled by your nemesis.
The Imperius Curse requires an extreme amount of power, even to control one person. He's controlling six creatures that would like nothing more than to have us for dinner, she thought, looking at Malfoy with a mixture of fear and awe.
"This is what knowledge brings," he said suddenly, turning his head and looking at her pointedly. "This is what you could have," he whispered.
Hermione looked away quickly, not able to meet his gaze for long. With knowledge comes power, and with power comes responsibility, she reminded herself.
Could I hold myself responsible if I somehow abused the knowledge I would gain from helping him? Or would I revel in the power, doing anything for the feeling?
The three froze as they came upon another group of manticores, these ones scratching at a steel door, several gouges taken out of it from their claws.
There were only three, and Malfoy pointed at them.
Immediately, the manticores protecting them attacked the others.
Hermione averted her eyes, but she couldn't block out the screams from the dying creatures. Creatures Malfoy had ordered dead with a wave of his hands.
The hands that had saved her life.
When the screams and screeches finally subsided, she opened her eyes and immediately wished she hadn't. Her vision was still magically enhanced, thanks to Malfoy, and she saw the blood that covered the walls, the broken bones and rendered flesh that littered the ground, and the black glasses that lay broken, half on the ground, half inside a stomach.
No…
Stepping forward, tears threatening her eyes, Hermione picked up the glasses, only to drop them immediately, burned by the stomach acid coating them.
Malfoy waded through the carnage, two of the manticores still alive and well, walking at his flanks. Stopping before the door, he pounded loudly. "Potter, are you alive in there?" he yelled.
Hermione almost cried in relief when she heard a voice answer from the other side.
"Malfoy, I never thought I would be glad to hear your voice in my entire life!" Harry shouted.
Ron, unable to bring himself to step into the slaughter, yelled with his back turned to it. "Are you all right in there, mate?"
Hermione watched the door push open and Harry step out, blood crusted over a cut on his arm, but smiling nonetheless. "Well, I can't see, but otherwise I'm fine."
Malfoy leaned over and picked up Harry's glasses and tossed them to him. Hermione was about to warn them of the acid, but stopped when she realized neither one of them had been burned. He probably cleaned them with a spell, she thought, confused.
"Let's go Potter. These two will lead us out," the Slytherin said, turning and walking after his new pets.
Harry put on his glasses – which had somehow become fixed in the thirty seconds since Hermione had touched them – and his eyes widened as he took in the scene around him. He then turned and stared after the blonde boy. "Is he doing what I think he's doing?" he asked, the disbelief evident in his voice. "And did he do this?" he motioned to the carnage around him.
"Yes," Hermione answered, carefully picking her way through the bodies, dragging Ron behind her. "But I find it best not to think about it."
"Hey! I see light!" Ron yelled, running past Hermione and Harry, then slowing down and edging his way past Malfoy and the manticores.
Harry ran to join Ron in his dash for daylight, leaving Hermione alone with Malfoy. Again.
She watched as he crouched down and scratched the heads of the two baby manticores, and then he stood and pointed down the hallway, sending them back into the depths and darkness they preferred.
"So Granger," he smirked closing the space between them. "Do you have an answer?"
Hermione looked into his silver eyes, noticing intense curiosity, and strangely, no hate. He's so powerful; he doesn't really need my help. So why?
"Malfoy, you know as well as I do, that you were lying. You don't need my help for anything. You may have this grand plan, but it doesn't involve me vouching for you. What do you really want?" she asked, deciding to end his game here and now.
He chuckled lightly as he leaned in, mere inches from her face now. "I respect you, Granger. And my offer of knowledge still stands, but you're right. I don't need you to vouch for me. But just remember this:
"If I was as evil as you thought I was, I could have left you all to die down here," he said, turning and making his way to the hole her two friends had climbed out of.
As Hermione walked behind him, she ran over her conversations with him through the day. There was one half-formed memory that was bothering her; one that wouldn't quite come forward.
Then, with a flash, she remembered.
"Of course, you could always marry me, and no one would question me ever again," he joked.
Smiling, she realized Malfoy was hitting on her in his own, strange, way by saving her life. She laughed lightly as she walked up and held her hand out for him to pull her up.
Sitting on the grass, she looked around and almost laughed as she saw Grawp, Hagrid's half-brother, snoring nearby.
She shook her head as she watched Harry and Ron creep around the giant, doing their best not to wake him.
The chestnut-haired witch watched as Ron stopped and waved at her frantically, urging her to join them.
Hermione shook her head, laughing slightly.
"You better get over there before Weasley thinks I used the Imperius on you," Malfoy chuckled from beside her.
Looking up at him, Hermione adopted his smirk. "I guess you're right," she said standing and walking toward her two friends.
"Oh, and Malfoy?" she turned and called to him quietly, walking backwards.
He raised an eyebrow in acknowledgement and smirked.
"I'll think about it."
A/N
This was a challenge fic I did a couple of years ago, and I just refound it on another website, so I figured I'd re-post it here.
I know some of you will remind me tehre was another chaoter to this, but until I finish Repercussions this will be a one-shot.
After I'm done, I'l condsider adding to this.
Thank you as always,
Damien J. Frost