Sometimes, You Just Know
Part I
By Sagittarius
Hermione Granger stood in front of the barrier of Platform 9 3/4 on a cool morning of September 1st. There was a slight drizzle coming down over her head, and she noticed that small beads of water decorated Crookshanks's coat. She took a step forward followed by another, and soon she was through the barrier. She had always loved to do this, for she got a tingling from her head to her toes that somehow told her that she was complete.
She began to look around for Harry and Ron. A little blanket of red came over her damp cheeks as she thought of Harry. Not because of affection, because there was no boy that she liked, but because of what she had done the last time she had seen him- kissed him on the cheek. It had just been an impulse. As for Ron- she had not kissed him. Hermione had been having a feeling about Ron since her third year. She thought Ron liked her, for when she was with Krum last year, Ron never seemed the same. In fact, he was downright nasty. She had felt a little edgy around him, but she had pretended to be fine.
Then, she saw him, but he did not see her. Harry did.
"Hey, Hermione!" he called out, and she rushed over and hugged them both. She even kissed them both on the cheek. She drew back and looked at Ron. She had never seen him so red- in fact, he was almost purple! She cast a look at Harry, and he gave her a knowing look back. So it was true! Ron did like her! Hermione felt herself regret what she had done as she began to blush.
She had to break the silence. "It's great to see you guys!" she exclaimed.
"Yeah, It's just not the same without everybody during the summer," said Harry.
"I would think that would be true, Harry! God knows what I would think about you if it wasn't!" Hermione started, smiling and giving him a friendly punch on the shoulder.
"Yeah, I agree." Said the monotone voice or Ron. He really didn't seem the same.
Hermione couldn't help but realize that Harry and Ron's voices had dropped noticeably and that their height had increased. She also couldn't help realizing how… un-talkative Ron was. Then, Hermione heard a cold, but familiar voice behind her. Harry and Ron, who were in front of her, completely changed the expressions on their faces.
"You're blocking the way, Mudblood." She whirled around, and too her surprise, her cheek bumped into Draco's jaw. Since when had Draco been so tall? He was taller than she.
Then, all of a sudden her observation was broken as Ron launched himself forward, knocking her into Ginny Weasley, who had recently shown up.
She stuttered an apology and then joined Harry in trying to break up the fight. Draco and Ron were rolling on the ground. Harry managed to pull Ron away and Draco stood up, brushing himself off. Ron broke away from Harry and Hermione launched herself between the two. Ron, who had been getting ready to throw a punch at Draco, hit Hermione instead. Hermione was engulfed in pain. She crumpled forward into Draco's arms that surprisingly didn't drop her. He lowered her to the ground and whispered a spell, then turning around to leave.
Harry, Ron, and Ginny crowded around Hermione, who lay motionless on the ground.
"What did he do to her?" shouted Ron, who looked insane, sporting a bloody nose and an eye that was rapidly turning black.
"I don't know." Said Harry, just as confused as Ron. It was Ginny who solved the mystery.
"I think that he used a sleeping spell on her." She exclaimed.
"But why?" asked Harry, voicing the question that everyone had been thinking.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Ginny Weasley put herself in Hermione's position. She tried to imagine Draco putting a sleeping spell on her, but she couldn't think of why he would. She then imagined Harry doing so, and she thought of one reason. She couldn't bring herself to believe it, but it was the only explanation- he wanted to put her out of pain. 'But why?' Ginny pondered. She knew for a fact, as did everyone, that Draco did not like Hermione. It was a known fact that if you liked someone, you wouldn't dare call them a Mudblood.
Soon, the train started to move, but Hermione still had not roused.
"But why?" She whispered to Hermione's blank face, slumbering in her lap. "But why?"
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Harry had reached the same conclusion about Hermione and Draco as Ginny had. Did Draco like Hermione? Impossible! Was Draco just an elegant and gallant person ho would do that for a girl? No- he could not believe that he was actually thinking this about one of his archenemies. He would not and could not except the fact that it was a possibility that Draco was… noble. It was not at all fitting to his personality. Another idea slipped into his mind, but it was soon forgotten. Hermione had begun to rise.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Hermione opened her eyes and was suddenly aware of a terrible pain in her face. She recalled the previous evens with little difficulty. The last thing she remembered was a scream of rage from Ron, and pain. Then she was here.
No- that was not it. She remembered Ron's scream, and the punch that had caused her all of this pain. She remembered falling, falling, waiting for the ground to welcome her and cause her more pain, but it never happened. She remembered careful, gentle, and…cold hands catch her and lower her to the ground. The last thing she had seen was a blanched face with a fringe of light blonde hair surrounding it- Malfoy.
Hermione became to tired to think, but she sat up with difficulty anyway. She felt dizzy from pain and thrust her face into her hands and started to cry. She felt the hand of Ginny on her back, rubbing it. Soon, she found that crying took up too much energy, and she groped for her wand. She pointed it at her face and whispered a complex healing spell. The pain lessened immediately, and she muttered that she needed some water. She left the compartment without a backwards glance, bringing her robes to change into with her.
Hermione entered a bathroom and gratefully splashed cold water over her face. She now felt about 80% normal instead of 10% functional. She then surveyed her wound inflicted by Ron. Her cheek was blue and purple, her skin broken in three places, probably where Ron's knuckles had struck her.
She turned hot all over when she thought of Ron. She was shaking with anger. Why did he always ruin everything? She had planned on changing everything between them- getting to know him like they had in 1st and 2nd year.
Then, she thought of Draco and her anger increased. He was always provoking everyone. He was the main reason why she was mad at Ron so much. He was always calling her Mudblood. She scoffed. Who did he think he was anyways? She wished that everyone would disappear.
A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. She threw her robes over her jeans and sweater and opened the door. It was Ginny. Hermione shook off her anger. Ginny was such a good friend. Hermione felt lucky about that.
"Are you all right, Hermione?" she asked. "Everyone is getting worried about you."
"I'm fine," answered Hermione immediately, as she began walking with Ginny towards the apartment.
All of a sudden, there was a sickening lurch. Ginny and Hermione were thrown to the floor. Hermione got up, seeing students sprawled on the floor all around her. The lights had gone out, and she quickly whispered 'lumos'. She started at a brisk pace to her compartment, and then heard a blood-curdling scream that could have waken the dead.
"NOOOOOO! HELP ME! NO!"
"Avada Kredevra!" Shouted another, much lower voice.
The first scream had belonged to Harry. "HARRY!!!" Screamed Hermione as she recognized the voice of her friend. She sprinted to the compartment, jumping over students as if they were mere hurtles. She found Ron lying on the compartment floor motionless, and Hermione just assumed that he was knocked out like everyone else. She looked towards the wall, and there was a gaping hole in which she looked out and saw an un-shaped mass carrying away an unconscious Harry Potter. Hermione had to do something! She thought of what Harry, Ron, Dumbledore, anyone would have done at this moment. Then, she thought of her Harry, Ron's, and her encounter with Voldemort in her 1st year at Hogwarts. Flashbacks hit her like a tidal wave. Ron's words from the past echoed through her head. "Are you a witch or not?" she repeated out loud to herself.
"HARRY!" she called out again. "ACCIO FIREBOLT!" she said and she leapt onto Harry's firebolt as it came to her. She had never been good on a broom, but she knew that she had to do it. She kicked off of the ground and sailed through the hole in the wall. She caught a glimpse of Harry and the creature as a bolt of lightning lit the sky.
"MORSMORDRE!" said a voice. Where had Hermione heard that before? All of a sudden, a green light shot right at her from the cloaked figure holding Harry captive. It hit her with full force, pushing her aside like a paper doll. It continued on its way to the dark, stormy sky, and before she knew what was happening, the dark mark loomed in the sky and she was falling, tumbling through the air, and then she fell to the ground, landing hard, thinking that it was the end.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Hermione awoke in the Hogwarts infirmary. Her whole body ached as if she had broken every bone in it. For all she knew, she might have.
Poppy Pomfrey noticed that she was awake, and immediately she forced a burning liquid down her throat. She felt a little better, but not much.
"Miss Granger, I wish you didn't have too…" she looked peeved, "Dumbledore said it was an emergency. He wants to see you right away."
Hermione kept wondering- what had happened? Then, she remembered. From somewhere deep inside of her, she summoned up enough strength to get out of the bed and quickly get the Dumbledore's office. As she left the room, she heard Madam Pomfrey muttering, "That man…that man…"
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Dumbledore had obviously been expecting Hermione. He magicked a chair from the corner of the room and motioned for her to sit down. There was a chair identical to it right next to hers. When she sat down, she glanced that her chairs twin and expected to see Ron. Instead, she saw Draco Malfoy.
Fawkes the Phoenix came up to Hermione, and perched on her shoulder. She felt soft, pearly Phoenix tears roll down her face, mixing with her own. She hadn't realized that she had been crying. She felt embarrassed that Malfoy had seen her so weak, crying.
Soon, Hermione felt herself cured by the Phoenix's tears and felt better, but there was a hole inside of her that would never be cured. She lifted her head to look at the old man, looking more wearisome than ever, sitting in front of her.
"Where are Harry and Ron?" asked Hermione, calm and collectively.
"I knew that you would ask, child, and I fear that you are not ready to hear it."
"I'm ready for anything."
Somehow, she knew exactly what Dumbledore was going to say next, and the hole inside of her expanded.
"Harry has been kidnapped by Lord Voldemort, and Ron is…" he trailed off.
Hermione knew what he meant, and she started to sob. She finished his sentence. "Dead."
The word seemed to echo and fill up every space in the room. She looked up through tears, remembering how mad she had been at him just before he had died. She started, "Oh, Headmaster… I was… so… ohhhh… it can't be…" She was so engulfed in grief that she thought that she would drown.
"Be strong, child, be strong." Dumbledore's voice cracked and she could hear the grief in his voice. Dumbledore let her cry, and when all her tears were gone, she looked up.
"I have cried my tears for Ron, and now I must ask you: what do I have to do?" She was holding back a fresh flood of tears.
"Miss Granger… You have to take on a great danger and go face to face with death…" he paused and continued, "that is, you and Mr. Malfoy." Hermione looked stunned and gasped, stealing a look at Malfoy who still hadn't moved or said a word. He was staring straight ahead. Dumbledore continued, "You are the only two people who can save us. You mush find Lord Voldemort and rescue Harry Potter."
"No- I can't." said Draco. Hermione whirled around and was about to start yelling at him when he continued. He turned and started at her. "My father. He will kill me." He turned back to Dumbledore. "You know that."
Hermione didn't think it possible, but she felt sorry for him. "Yes, that is true Draco, but that cannot hold you back. You and Miss Granger each have destinies, and they happen to cross each other in many places. You must go, go swiftly and together and fulfill them. I hate to put you in a position like this, but there is no time. I am too old, and you are healthy, strong, and young. Together, you shall save us. Now go, and Godspeed."
A/N: I hoped you liked it! Part II coming soon. R/R.