Disclaimer - I don't own Harry Potter, that would be the amazing lady named JK Rowling
The title for this and all the chapter titles come from lyrics or song title.
The title of this book is from the song "Be My Escape" by Relient K and this chapter title is from "I Gotta Feeling' by Black Eyed Peas
Sun shined through the dormitory windows causing Hermione to open her eyes. She stayed in bed for a moment trying to gather her thoughts. She concentrated trying to remember her dream from last night. Suddenly it all came to her in a rush that made her jump out of bed. That was no dream, it really had happened. At least she thought it had happened. Hermione stood there for a moment making positively sure that it hadn't been a dream. She hoped a little that it had been a dream. It would make things much easier. But, from the moment she jumped out of bed, she knew it had really happened. All the feelings and emotions that came flooding back to her were just too real to be a dream. She had to go find him to be absolutely sure. 'But where would he be?' she thought to herself. She decided to start with the great hall. She quickly dressed and headed out the portrait hole. She got to the top of the marble staircase, and that's where she saw him coming out of the door that went to the dungeons. He looked up and they held each others gaze. Hermione slowly descended the staircase not knowing how to act, or what to say. He just stood there, transfixed staring at her.
24 hours earlier
"You ready Ron?" Harry asked. He looked at Ron's pale face and he was reminded of his first match.
"You'll do great Ron" said Hermione smiling at him "and you too Harry" she said with an apologetic smile for momentarily forgetting her other best friend.
Harry laughed and said "Ahh no worries, it is Ron's first game, nothing to worry about mate, trust me you have it in the bag."
"Harry! What did you just put in Ron's drink" Hermione shrieked.
"umm.. Nothing, I didn't put anything into his drink" Harry answered
"Harry I saw you put your Felix Felicis into Ron's drink" Hermione said angrily
"Of course I didn't! that's not allowed, drink up Ron" Harry added, looking away from Hermione's dubious gaze.
Hermione was still convinced that Harry had put something in Ron's drink, as she watched Ron make one amazing save after another. Ron was good; she knew that, but not that good. She decided to question Harry up in the common room during the after game party, since, at that point, it was pretty obvious that Gryffindor was going to win.
"Harry, Harry, Harry stop moving!" Hermione yelled trying to get Harry's attention as he moved throughout the crowd. "Harry!" she tried again. This time he turned around, saw her standing there and beamed at her.
"Ron did well today didn't he?" Harry said smiling at her.
"Yes Harry that's why I wanted to talk to you, I know that you poured some of the Felix Felicis into Ron's goblet, and I know you already did it. But Harry, you have to understand that it is wrong, and completely against the rules to do somethi.."
"Hermione" Harry said cutting her off. "You don't think Ron could've done those things on his own?
"Well, I mean, I saw you pour.." Hermione stammered awkwardly
"You mean you saw me pour this into his glass" Harry pulled out of his robes a full bottle of Felix Felicis.
Hermione looked down at it in awe "Oh, I'm sorry Harry she said" smilingly at him guiltily. "I just though.."
Hermione was interrupted by cat calls and wolf whistles from the crowd. Both her and Harry turned to see what had cause the sudden uproar. And she saw it, a sight that made her heart drop; Ron was standing there intertwined with Lavender Brown, snogging her. She couldn't make words come out of her mouth. Hadn't she asked Ron out? She asked him to Slughorn's Party did that count for nothing? Hermione turned back to Harry and said "Um, I'm going to go …. I need a bit of fresh air".
"Do you want me to come with you?" Harry asked looking at Hermione with concern.
"No, I'm okay thanks." Hermione said she walked off, away from Harry, away from Ron and Lavender, but no matter how fast or far she walked, through the portrait hole and down the stairs she couldn't get the image of Ron and Lavender out of her head.
She just wandered aimlessly for a while, not really looking or caring where she went. After all she was a prefect, so she could not get in trouble. She grew tired of walking and realized her face was sticky from all her tears. She decided to go wash her face and maybe take a nice long hot bath. She looked around to see where she was, trying to figure out the best way to get to the prefects bathroom. She took a random right turn hoping to find a stair case to lead her upstairs. She walked a little and saw that she was quite familiar with this hallway. She smiled to herself thinking that the only person who would look worse than her right now would be in this bathroom. She walked into the girl's bathroom on the 2nd floor, better known as moaning myrtle's bathroom, and went to the sink in front of her and looked at her reflection.
Suddenly she heard a voice, a cold, sneering, oddly familiar voice making weird hissing noises. Before she knew what was happening the floor under her was moving, disappearing. What was happening, she screamed. She saw him as he came around, he look alarmed to see her standing there.
"Granger!" he said bewildered to see her there, he rushed forward to help her off the disappearing floor. He went up to the edge of the solid floor; he looked down and saw a great hole being uncovered in the ground. He stretched out his hand for Hermione to grab on to. Before he had a firm grim on her, someone from behind him shrieked. He screamed and turned around and lost his balance, he felt him self falling and pulling Granger with him.
They landed with a thud on the slimy floor. He looked up at her. "What the bloody hell are you doing in Moaning Myrtle's Bathroom Granger? No one comes in here!"
"What am I doing here?" she asked her voice cold "what are you doing speaking Parseltounge in the middle of a girl's lavatory Malfoy?".
"I thought you knew everything Granger" Malfoy retorted.
"I know you were trying to open the Chamber of secrets" Hermione said gruffly lifting herself off the floor. "You didn't by chance think of bringing a broom or something down here to get us out?"
"First of all Granger, I didn't plan on actually going into the Chamber, I just wanted to open the Chamber.
"Great so now we are stuck in this disgusting Chamber, way to go Malfoy!" Hermioine snarled.
"This is NOT my fault. If I remember correctly it was you who was about to fall in!" Mallfoy said stepping toward Hermione storming with anger. "Geez Granger you look awful."
"That's rich coming from you Malfoy". Hermione knew she looked like shit, but she wasn't about to let Malfoy get a kick out of it. She quickly started to put her hair back into a plait.
"You missed a hair" Malfoy said gesturing toward her collar bone where a piece of brown hair lay. Hermione tried to pick it up, but kept missing the piece. Draco automatically stepped forward the put the piece of hair in her hand. For a brief second his hand touched her collarbone, he felt a shock. Not a painful electric shock, but a pleasant tingling. He quickly stepped back and cleared his troath. Did she feel that too? Draco wondered and than he realized who he was talking about. I just imagined it Draco thought to him self.
Hermione quickly finished her plait. She had felt the weirdest thing when Draco touched her. Putting that thought aside Hermione glanced down and saw skeletons of little animals. "ewhh I suggest moving into the chamber instead of just standing here and waiting for the next idiot to open the chamber".
Looking down at the bones Malfoy nodded his head and followed Hermione through the tunnel and further into the chamber. "Don't you have any spells that could get us out of this Granger" Malfoy asked. God Malfoy thought of all the people to get stuck here with, it would be her.
"No" Hermione sighed she had been raking her brain since they fell into the Chamber. "Oh my this is better than Harry and Ron described" Hermione said in awe as she walked into the large Chamber. It was covered in green tile which gave the whole room a feel as if it was underwater. Great big gold statues of serpents lined the corridor leading up to the Chamber. On the far wall there was a massive gold statue of Salazar Slytherine surrounded by a seemingly bottomless black lake. In the middle of the lake was a basilisk. "Wow" Hermione exclaimed. "This is so much bigger than I though" Hermione said.
Malfoy wasn't sure if she was talking about the Chamber or the Snake, both were quite possible. "It is amazing" Malfoy said walking up toward the great serpent. He looked at the monsters great mouth. "Wow look at the fangs" Draco exclaimed. He brought his finger to the tip of one of the fangs, and touched it for a second. "Ahhhhh" he exclaimed "What's happening?".
"Draco! Did you touch the fang, Basilisk venom is highly poisonis and can enter into your bloodstream through the tiniest cut!" Hermione screamed rushing toward him. She pulled out her wand and yelled "diffindo" right where he had touched the fang. A cut immediately sprouted. With another spell Hermione pulled out all the blood from the cut. Her hand was shaking and more blood than she wanted flew out of the cut.
"Ahhhhh" Draco screamed sinking to his knees. "Granger the venoms out stop, I'm losing too much blood.
"Sorry, here" she pointed her wand and the cut healed, and bandages sprouted up. She led Draco over to the wall, and he sunk to the floor. Hermione sat down next to him panting.
They sat in silence for a couple minutes. Draco was sprawled almost lying on the floor. He was pale, paler than normal. He had lost a lot of blood and was slowly recovering. "Are you okay" said Hermione there was true concern in her voice.
Draco looked at her, he didn't even have the energy to scowl at her "Yea, I think so."
"You really need a blood potion, but as we are stuck here that is impossible. So just try not to move as much as possible" Hermione instructed.
"Is it your desire to be a healer Granger?" Draco asked, he was truly curious; she was quick on her feet, and knew how to heal him immediately.
"I don't think so, but I do want to learn to be a healer, have the abilities and skills they do. It would come in handy in the war" she didn't realize who she was talking too. She looked at him to see if he would respond
"Yea, it would be nice to be able to save someone, or at least know what your doing" Draco said unaware of Hermione's gaze. He was too lost in his own thoughts, who would he save if he had the ability? His mother, defiantly not his father; it bothered him that he could think of no one else.
"You saving someone? I thought you'd be the person who caused the pain not assuaged it" Hermione said full of hatred.
"Granger, we're stuck in this chamber, for Merlin knows how long, can you at least try and be civil?"
"You Draco Malfoy are asking me to be civil towards you? Who has taken every opportunity to insult me and my friends?" Hermione scoffed "You must be joking."
"I wasn't the one who threw a punch that made the other person bleed for an hour" Draco countered. He really did not feel like arguing, he still felt weak. Even if he hadn't felt like he was going to puke any second, he wouldn't have wanted to bicker with her. He had so much of hate in his life that he didn't need any more.
Hermione smiled at the memory "ahh, that was so satisfying!" she exclaimed. "I really made you bleed for an hour" she said looking at him.
He smirked "Yea, not something I would like to admit to the public. "
"You deserved it" she said still smiling.
"You're right, I did. I was quite the prat back then." Draco admitted
"Did Draco Malfoy just admit to being wrong? And than in addition call himself a prat?" Hermione asked in a mock shocked voice. Though in side she was very surprised that he admitted that. She looked down at him. He was lying sprawled on the floor, in a blood and water covered shirt. His hair was messy, and he still looked pale. He had completely let his guard down, perhaps he didn't have the energy required to keep up his tough guy façade. He was quite pretty; everything about his face was perfect. She was quite jealous for his skin look smoother and more refined than hers.
"I'm not the same person I was back than. I've grown up a little don't know if it's for the better or not, but I would like to think so. I've finally, after 15 years of my fathers influence, been able to think for myself. Make my own morals and rules. Of course he still thinks I believe everything he has taught me. But I have started to realize that my father and mother are impaired by their own pride and prejudices."
Hermione stared at him stunned, unsure what to say. Malfoy had just shared a very personal moment with her. She blurted out the first thing that came to mind "I love that book".
"Huh" Draco asked trying to replay in his memory when he had mentioned a book.
"Pride and Prejudice" she replayed "but you wouldn't have read it because it's by a muggle author named…"
"Jane Austen" Draco finished for her.
Hermione completely bewildered gawked at him. He, someone who hated muggles knew her favorite muggle author!
Draco chuckled enjoying Hermione's eyes popping out of her head. "Like I've said Hermione I've changed. I am well read in muggle literature. It's quite good. I love the books about magic to see what the muggles think of it. I think my favorite book is the Iliad by Homer or The Divine Comedy by Dante have you read either?
Hermione was having a hard time grasping the fact that Draco Malfoy was well versed in muggle literature. She didn't understand that this boy, who she had hated, was completely different than who she thought he was. She realized something else too "You called me Hermione" she said, even though it was a statement he knew she meant it as a question.
"Well yea it's your name isn't it?" Draco asked, He was enjoying Hermione's incredulous expressions very much. He thought her face might permanently be etched that way if he told her all the things he had done that summer. Like his obsession with roller coasters, or his fascination with the internet (he didn't quite understand that concept). Or that he rode the subway when he was overwhelmed because he liked watching the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Or that he drove a car and found it exciting. Or how much he wanted to try riding a bike and skiing. He smiled at the thought of her face being in that shocked mode forever.
"Yea it's my name, but you usually prefer Granger or Mudblood" She saw him wince when she said mudblood.
"I can call you Granger if you want" he said frowning. He liked the way Hermione rolled off his tongue. "But I will NOT call you the other name. I know I have before and I'm sorry, my only excuse is pure ignorance. I have changed. Things, events in my life have forced me to see the wrong in my earlier beliefs.
"Hermione is fine" she said smiling. "and I've read the Iliad, its really hard to understand but I did like it. I've never read The Divine Comedy, why does going through seven layers of Hell appeal to Draco Malfoy?" she asked with a smile.
They sat there, for what must have been hours discussing the pros and cons of various book. Draco asked her to explain the internet to him, and other muggle things he did not understand. Eventually their conversation turned to more private and personal things, but they answered each others questions truthfully. She wasn't sure what was happening, but she knew that she truly liked this knew and improved Draco Malfoy. He was funny, smart, and charming. It was happening so quickly that she wasn't even aware of the feelings that were brewing in her heart and neither was he.
So I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter, of what is hopefully going to be a many chapter fanfiction. Please Rewiev!!!!!!