A/N/Disclaimer: Yes, this is a Harry Potter fan fiction. No, as usual, I don't own anything legally, since I am a minor everything that is mine is technically my moms. Of course, in one year, one month, 11 days, and 11 minutes, I will be an adult... Whoah. Scary thought... These disclaimers will mean something at that time.

Waterfall, Wash Me Away

Hermione wandered into the forbidden forest, alone and enshrouded in a disillusionment charm. She had given Hagrid's hut a wide berth, but still hid behind a tree whenever she thought she saw movement in that direction. When she was in the shadows of the trees, she felt more relaxed- though not enough to take off the charm. Wand in her pocket, she slowed her footsteps, gazing at the canopy above her. The forest really was a very beautiful place, if you didn't insult the residents.

She looked down at her feet. One of her disillusioned trainers had an oddly shimmering shape on it, and she had to un-disillusion herself to recognise it. The shape turned out to be a gigantic green slug, and it seemed to be trying to eat her shoelace. She kicked, but instead of going flying the slug stuck firmly. She grabbed a stick and tried to poke it off, but it still held firm. She was getting desperate, and the bottom of her school robes were a bit slimy, so she resigned to pulling at it with her bare hands; this was a horrible idea. Oh yes, the slug came off- with a 'squelch'- but her hands were now slimy and sticky. It was extremely uncomfortable.

"Eugh!" She grunted, trying to wipe her hands on a tree. This only worsened her situation, as now bits of bark and small insects were sticking to the slime. She looked around desperately, and fell silent. Is that- she wondered silently to herself- do I hear water? She strained her ears, listening hard. A bit of static in the distance suggested that she was right. She started running toward the sound, hands held out at each side so as to not get anything nasty on her robes. She almost tripped on a root (that would have been disastrous) but at the last second stumbled and caught herself. She returned to a walking pace, and slowed further as a sound other than the water entered her ears. As she recognised the low murmured voice she let out a shudder, and quickly hid behind a tree.

Leave it to Draco Malfoy to be around right when I wanted to be alone... and of course my hands are slimy as he is. Just my luck.

She peeked around the tree to see not one, but two Malfoys standing next to the stream she so desperately needed. The younger, sitting on a white rock at the water's edge, seemed to be lecturing the older one about something. His voice was cut off as the elder said, "Draco, this has nothing to do with you. Your father is the one who went around, behind my back, selling all of our darkest and most prized possesions!"

"But mum, you can always buy them back from Borgin and Burke's," Draco said flatly. "That's where he sold everything, and I know Borgin wouldn't have sold it to anyone else that fast."

Narcissa Malfoy laughed coldly. "Buy them back! With what money, I ask you? They'll have doubled the prices! Your fool father, trying to cover his arse... I should have seen this coming from miles away. He is not loyal to the Dark Lord! Not fully. He'd sell the entire mansion, if we had anywhere else to stay! Anything to hide the allegiance he swore to. No, Draco, I'm leaving him and there's nothing you can do about it. But don't worry darling, mummy still loves you. I'll see you this summer." And with this, Narcissa turned and disappeared in the direction of the boundary of the forest.

Hermione almost felt bad for Draco for a moment, but then realized she needed to do something about the now hardening shell of ooze coating her hands. She walked upstream a bit, hiding in the trees, until she came to a pond with a waterfall.

"Perfect!" She exclaimed, and ran over the the cascading stream. She thrust her hands under the water, and to her surprise, it was a quite comfortable temperature. I could swim in here... But Hogwarts, a History never mentioned anything like this warm waterfall. It could be dangerous... As she thought this, she looked at her hands. They had cleaned off nicely, and weren't covered in and boils or anything from the contact, but she still took them out of the water and began to dry them on her robes.

She was struck with a vision of utmost beauty. Across the pool a unicorn stepped up to the shore and bent its head so far forward that the tip of its long, glistening white horn broke the surface and sent ripples through it. Deciding it was poison-free, it leaned its mouth in and drank deeply.

If it's good enough for a unicorn, it's good enough for me. Hermione smiled, and stuck her mouth under the waterfall. It was the most delicious water she had ever tasted. Her taste buds prickled when she was finished drinking, and she was tempted to take another sip. She decided not to, as she wasn't really very thirsty at all anymore- one sip had quenched her fully. She sat on the pale, rocky shore, and looked up at the sheer cliff the water was falling from. Green vines traced from the canopy above the waterfall the the base of the pool, as if holding the rockface in place. Though she was in a clearing on ground-level, the forest roof was just as thick above as anywhere else. Small shafts of light shone through the few places there were holes in the canopy, illuminating where she sat and a few other select places. Everything was tinged with green. Who would have known the Forbidden Forest would have such a lovely place?

"It's perfect," she said again, admiring the pool and sighing. This was exactly what she needed right now. She breathed in the cool air, and wondered why she had come into the forest at all, what had made her so miserable she had felt the need to avoid everything and everyone. The words Ron and twat flew threw her head, but were whisked away again as if on the light breeze. Who really cared what stupid old Ron thought of her anyways? He was just a foolish boy, after all.

Her musings were interupted however, by an angry voice.

"What are you doing here, mudblood?" Draco Malfoy spat, glaring at the girl with utmost disgust. "Students aren't allowed."

Hermione laughed slightly, looking at his white hair, which was illuminated by a shaft of light. It was almost a blinding sight. Hermione, no matter how much she hated Malfoy, had to admit that his hair was gorgeous. "I could say the same to you."

He took a step towards her, drawing his wand. "Go away before I hex you."

When he stepped out of the light, she could his face better. The area around his eyes were blotchy and red, in a stark contrast to his otherwise pale skin. "Have you been-" Hermione said, surprised, but was cut off as he aimed his wand at the rock below her and shouted, "Reducto!" The rock exploded and she was sent flying into the pond.

"What was that for?" She exclaimed as she resurfaced, gasping for breath.

"I told you to leave! Get out of here!" Malfoy stalked towards her, wand pointed at her throat. She tread water, staring at him in disbelief. "Alerte Ascendare!"

Hermione felt a jolt behind her navel, as if being transported by a portkey. Instead of spinning to a new location though, she was wrenched thirty feet into the air and then just as quickly she plummeted back to the water. Instead of immediately rising to the surface, however, she fumbled with her robes and grabbed her wand. Then she swam to the surface, and as soon as her head hit the air she shouted, "Expelliarmus!" She shouted, knocking the Slytherin's wand twenty feet from him and throwing him backward into a tree. "What. Was. That. For?" She asked, pausing between each word as she got out of the water. Her wand was pointed at his neck now, and he was cowering behind his hands.

She lowered her wand, and saw that he was crying. "What the bloody hell is wrong with you? Just cos your mum and dad are fighting doesn't mean you can go around and attack people!" He lowered his hands and looked up at her.

"How did you know...?" Tears were still streaming down his face, and he looked quite pathetic.

"I... overheard you and your mother..." Hermione was taken aback by the look on his face. It was so honest, so real... She had never seen him with his guard down before. But it only lasted a second. At her words his face contorted to a grimace and then utter rage. He lunged, grabbing for her neck, and she was too surprised to stop him. He spun around and held her up against the tree, her feet several inches off the ground.

"You were spying on me? You filthy mudblood what gives you the right to spy on me? I am the heir to the house of Malfoy, the most powerful and pure of all the ancient wizarding families! I could have you arrested- even killed on a whim!" He looked at her, struggling to breathe, and snatched her wand away. He pointed it at her and yelled, "Stupefy!"

She woke up several hours later, laying on the ground right where he had left her. The sun had sunk into the sky, and it was almost dusk. Her wand was on the ground next to her, and she rolled over and grabbed it, struggling to her feet. "Point me," she whispered to her wand, and it showed her which direction North was.

She slowly made her way through the forbidden forest, and back to the castle.