Unbreakable
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Disclaimer: My claim to owning any Harry Potter character is as true as my claim that Harry has a tattoo of the Dark Mark on his butt. :P
A/N: This fic is dedicated to darhling Alcestis for White Valentine's. Yes, it's one day late, gomen! It's deeply inspired by Tsubasa Resevoir Chronicles of Clamp. It's this prologue of Syaoran and Sakura in this glass capsule-thingy. It's amazing how I can't express a few pictures into words. -.-
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Hermione blinked twice and tried to adjust her eyes to the glaring light. Pulling herself up from the floor, she observed her surroundings.
As far as she could see, she was in a white rectangular room. The room was bare, not even having windows or a door, yet there was this annoying bright light.
How in the world did she get here? Concentrating hard, she couldn't remember what she had been doing before she arrived in this weird little place. Reaching into her jeans pocket, she swore inwardly when she realised her wand was missing. Her logical self immediately started scanning the room for any escape routes.
A figure in black crouched in the other end of the room caught her eye. It was kind of comforting to know that she was not alone. "Hello?" she called out, surprised that her voice echoed loudly. The figure appeared not to hear her, not responding in any way.
She cautiously walked towards him, peering curiously. How did he end up here as well? Who was-
THUMP!
"OW!" She swore again, rubbing the painful spot on her forehead where a bruise was gleefully forming. What the heck happened? It was as though there was this… this wall that she could not walk through.
Her little accident was loud enough to catch the stranger's attention. He jerked his head up sharply, grey eyes filled with fear. He opened his mouth to speak, but she heard nothing. Horrified, he ran towards her, slamming right into the wall-thingy. He started gapping like a fish; she assumed he was trying to talk, but she could not hear him.
"Malfoy, I can't hear you!"
To her surprise, he did not seem to hear her. Had she lost her voice? Impossible! She could hear herself clearly. Then… could Malfoy be deaf?
He had calmed down, breathing heavily. Looking at her, he placed both hands before him until they could go no further. Her instinct told her to comply with him, and she did likewise. Peering closely at the invisible barrier, she realised it was not as invisible as she thought. Not only could she see Malfoy, she could see her own reflection as well.
Glass.
There was a glass wall separating them, she realised. Malfoy seemed to have noticed the exact same thing, for he began pounding furiously at the glass. It was no thicker than her palm, yet Malfoy's continuous assaults seem not to affect it in any visible way. The glass held strong.
"Stop it!" Hermione yelled, though she knew very well that he could not hear her. Blood trickled down his clenched fists from cuts the glass happily claimed credit for. She knocked at the glass hardly, hoping to catch his attention.
He finally stopped and looked at her, cold grey eyes resembling a haunted prey. They pleaded with her to understand him, to hear him. She shook her head in desperation, unable to communicate with him at all. He banged the glass in frustration, making a jump.
"Stop it… It won't break…" she sobbed, covering her ears with both hands, trying to block out the horrible silence. She wanted to hear Malfoy's voice; she needed to hear Malfoy.
Slowly she crouched down, trying to get rid of the nagging sense of insecurity. Tears streaming down her cheeks, she hugged her knees tightly to her chest. She hated this silence… No matter how much she hated Malfoy, she desperately wanted to be comforted by him. She needed to talk to him, to know what was going on. Though he was just less than a metre, he was so distant from her. She had never felt so alone and lonely.
Malfoy was looking down at her, at loss for what to do. He knelt down beside her and hammered gently on the glass, gaining her attention. He drew a finger across one eye, trying his best t hint to her not to cry.
Hermione could not help but laugh at his feeble attempt. Malfoy looked… weird. She had never seen him looking this hilarious ever since the 'Ferret Incident'. She hastily wiped her tears away with the back of her hand and a genuine smile tugged at her lips. It suddenly occurred to her how comical this scene must look:
Long-time enemies Slytherin Prince Draco Malfoy and Gryffindor's Pride Hermione Granger stuck in an interesting white room, he trying to comfort her and her smiling back at him.
He was probably thinking along the same lines for he burst out laughing; laugh line brightening up his beautiful face. He looked like a complete stranger, more of a Hufflepuff nerd than a pure-blood Slytherin.
She found herself wondering how his laughter sounded like. She imagined it was the gentle tinkling of bells and the wind breezed through. The very thought brought disobedient tears back to her eyes, reminding her of the void in her heart that was filled with loneliness.
Malfoy immediately stopped laughing, pounding on the glass again. No matter how much she wanted to stop, they just kept flowing. He placed his bloodstained hands onto the glass, urging her to do the same. Trembling, she placed both hands across his. If that irritating glass was not there, she would be able to feel the warmth of his hands.
He was speaking again, but she just could not hear him. The glass trapped them and their voices in their respective 'enclosures'. She pressed her head against the cool glass, banging against it a couple of times, trying to let the physical pain numb out the torture her mind was going through.
Malfoy punched it hard in frustration, cracking his knuckles in the process. Despite the intense pain, he continued attacking it with all his might. "STOP IT!" she shrieked, "it's no use." Her tears were dripping down the glass, matching his blood and perspiration on the other side.
He leaned against the glass, head bowed, defeated. He glared in her direction, fire burning behind his soulful orbs. Hermione knew he was not angry with her, but with himself; his reflection. With a look of sheer determination, he gave the glass wall a final punch.
"MALFOY!"
A heart-wrenching crack rang in her ears, though she heard nothing. Hermione's hand flew to her mouth and tried her best not to scream. Her reflection stared mockingly back at her, boasting that the glass wall was still undamaged.
"Malfoy…" she whispered, pressing both hands against the glass. "C'mon, Malfoy…" she hammered it gently, watching him clutching his hand unblinkingly.
Panting heavily, he placed one hand on the glass, but his right hand hung carelessly by his side. "Malfoy, please." He could not hear her, but she suddenly did not mind talking to the glass. With much effort, he heaved his hand onto the glass, leaving a bloody handprint. Hermione let out a sigh of relief. Though their hands were not touching, she felt better this way; it was her only source of comfort.
Minutes turned to hours as time flew by. Neither had budged from their positions, enjoying each other's silent company. Hermione felt her arms aching and her hands felt numb, but she refused to tear them away from the glass; from him. She was sure Malfoy felt the same, and her conscience bit her hard.
Tears, blood and sweat stained the glass but she did not mind. It was evidence that both of them were here, together. A smile found its way to her lips when she caught him staring at her and he bashfully returned it.
A blinding white light appeared behind Malfoy and two cloaked figures entered through the wall behind him. Fear was etched into his eyes as he threw a quick glance over his shoulder.
Hermione could not tear away from the intense gaze he gave her. The figures grabbed him by his shoulders and dragged him away from the glass wall, from her.
He fought back but to no avail, his broken hand proving to be a huge disadvantage. He did his best not to let his hands leave the glass, but they were eventually yanked away.
"Malfoy!" Hermione called out, desperately clawing at the glass, trying to grasp his hands; but the two figures just dragged him, kicking and struggling, further and further away, until they were pass the wall.
She was left in a daze. Staring at the bloodied handprint, the image of him trying to reach out to her, begging for her to help him kept replaying in her head. Hermione collapsed onto the floor, shock finally leaving her and despair settling in. She hammered on the glass, trying to get to the other side, to Malfoy.
Fatigue slowly consumed her as she lay down, her vision blurry with tears. Her hazel eyes never once left the white wall, the exact spot where she last seen Malfoy. She thought she saw the ghost of Malfoy heading towards her, his arm outstretched, inviting her to go with him.
She weakly reached out and placed her hand in his. Darkness flood-filled her mind and she knew she was with him.
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A/N: Hope you enjoyed the fic, darh! Happy White Valentine's! Get well soon, okay?
Yes, rubbish ending, I know. There are a lot of blanks in the story as well; I leave it up to you to fill in the details (I'm out of ideas, shh…). I'm trying to portray the um… barrier between Draco and Hermione that they can't break through. Both will never fully overcome it and truly understand each other. Ah! Tragic love story. :D Classic. :P
A review a day keeps the doctor away! (Wink wink.)