Death of Moonlight
Chapter two: The Destined
The night was an inky midnight black, twinkling stars winked from their places in the sky. The air was filled with a deep crisp chill and winter lingered like a lost love in the wind.
Hermione Granger was not one for parting, she was not one for staying up late, and she was not one for getting less than the standard eight hours of sleep. So on this particular night we find her asleep in her queen sized bed. Her small form was curled up in the middle of the large bed, her red comforter pulled up to her chin, protecting her from the chill of January frost. Her dark brown frizzy mass of hair was lying across her white pillow like a massive halo. Her delicate features were peaceful and serene as her soft breathing filled the room.
The black digital clock beside her bed turned to read, '12:00' just as the bright full moon filtered through her blinds, light spreading over her form like another blanket.
Her breath caught in her throat as her eyes flew open reveling brown orbs. The covers seemed to slip off the bed like oil leaving her spread paralyzed against the plain white sheets, the moonlight seemed to seep into the room illuminating her skin and her mouth opened in a silent scream of surprise, but no sound dripped form her lips.
Her shades fell from the window magically and with a crash of metal and plastic, letting the full moon's light come crashing into the room, raising the woman from her bed to hover in the middle of the room.
Her shoulder length brown hair lengthened to her mid-back and tamed it's self to messy curls of deep brown. Her normal plain brown eyes changed to a deep brown, with swirls of molten gold reflecting back. Her already petite form was trimming slightly to form hills and valleys of curves and planes of muscle and tone. Her delicate features seemed to enhance themselves to look beautiful yet unattainable and vulnerable like a small child. Her hands and feet shrunk to and elegant and noble size to match her slightly smaller body.
'12:01'
The shades flew up to reattach themselves, while Hermione harshly dropped to her bed, bouncing once before jumping out of bed and flying to the bathroom. The mirror reflected a woman not much different than her standing only an inch shorter that her usual height, now at five two. The woman staring at her had fair skin, kissed with sun and spotted with freckles; she didn't look much different from Hermione except for the hair.
The confused woman ran a small hand through her messy locks, and muttered, "bloody hell."
A smile pulled at her lips as her red-headed boyfriend popped into her mind. She padded her way back to her bed, her brain whirling with information and questions, she climbed back into her bed and lay staring at the ceiling.
'12:20'
She couldn't sleep, she crawled out of her bed and onto the hardwood floor her feet shoulder width apart, her eyes closed. She felt a sense inside of her, like the first time she did magic, another piece of herself now ready to be freed. Her instincts took over, and she let her mind control her body.
She spread her arms out in front of her, palms facing the ceiling. Then she crossed her feet before…
she spun twisting her agile body in an amazing turn, she then felt her self leave the ground for a split second before she began to spin involuntarily her hair was whipping her face and she opened her eyes quickly only to shut them again because all she saw was blurs of locations and people.
After about a minute or two she landed gracefully on a patch of dirt, her small feet touching the earth without a sound. Her bright colored shorts and T-shirt stood out against the darkness of the wood, the trees reached their branches higher to touch the stars and the trunks were bigger than your average car.
Hermione would recognize this wood anywhere; she was in the forbidden forest, in a small clearing that was deeper than she had ever dared to go. Then she heard sound in the distance, the softness of breath and the vibrations of a footstep, maybe a hundred meters away. Obviously her senses had been heightened, the small girl ran toward the nearest tree, her feet hardly touching the ground and she leaped, climbing easily up to a high branch. She leaned down to look at the clearing, the branch not even bending, as if she weighted only as much as a feather.
She could feel the person coming closer to the clearing, and they finally emerged from behind a large tree, the surprise caused the woman to gasp and tumble off of the branch. Yet her instincts once again seemed to know what to do, she curled up in a ball before extending her legs downward, her feet pointing gracefully, and her arms out to the side, she touched the ground as lightly as if she was just taking a step.
The cause of her fall looked surprised for a minute before a slow smirk spread over his face, revealing the second surprising thing that caused Hermione to gasp once again.
&&&&&
Draco Malfoy was always up for a party, always up for staying up late, and almost never slept. This night was no different, the insomniac was out on his balcony staring out at the grounds of Malfoy Manor when he looked up to the sky, and it was a perfect night, all most too perfect.
Suddenly he noticed the moon, it was large and perfectly round, a beacon in the night, a symbol of hope, or darkness. A chiming began to reverberate throughout the manor, and the moon seemed to burst of light. It reached its rays out, fingering Draco's skin and body lifting him into the air like a rag doll. His six foot body elongated two more inches, and his muscles began to tone even more causing him to look lithe and beautiful at the same time. His blonde hair lengthened to fall into his striking grey eyes. His hands and fingers grew to become elegant yet practical. Finally on the final chime he fell to the ground landing on his feet and bending his knees with catlike reflexes.
Running to the bathroom he looked in the mirror at himself, not bothering to be quiet for the sleeping female in his bed. He looked at himself in the mirror and noticed no major problems, just a few improvements, and so naturally he smirked. Revealing his glimmering white teeth, that looked strangely deadly in the dim light.
"Drake?" a sickly sweet voice said from the other room
"Get out," Draco sneered from inside the bathroom.
"But…Drake…" a pout was heard in her voice
"NOW!" he yelled and he heard her form jump to scramble up her clothes and run from the room. The confused man leaned his head against the coolness of the mirror and closed his eyes, and before he had a chance to register his actions he was jumping off the balcony.
Hurtling belly down towards the earth his body spun to land on the ground with relaxed elegance, his knees bent and his body tense. Then he began to run, his feet not even touching the ground, his hair was flying behind him and his mouth set in a grin at his new found powers.
Places and things began to blur behind his heels, he couldn't see where he was going he was just…going. Like a hunger was burning him on into the night, into the darkness and through the blurs of distant towns.
Finally Draco began to slow. He looked around as the world came back into focus; he would know this place anywhere…the forbidden forest.
He had run to Scotland in twenty minutes.
He slowed himself down to a walk, leisurely making his way through the forest deeper and deeper in, his footsteps barely making a noise in the silent night.
Finally he emerged at the clearing where Harry Potter was hit the killing curse for the second time and lived. As soon as he pushed through the last bush, a gasp was heard from over head, and a form fell from the highest tree. The figure curled up in a ball twisting over once before extending each limb and landing gracefully on the ground.
&&&&&&
A smirk spread over Draco's face revealing his teeth, electing another gasp from Hermione.
"Well, well Granger…what do we have here?" he asked his voice heavy with amusement and distain.
"I could say the same to you…Malfoy," The small girl replied staring up at his tall form, she stood a full foot shorter than him.
"Do you always go romping in the forbidden forest Granger?" His eyes glittered down at her.
"No do you?" she asked a Malfoy worthy smirk spreading across her small features.
"Not that it's any of your business but…no," he replied looking away from her face to stare aimlessly into the forest, his brow furrowed.
"Oh…well I'll keep your secret if you keep mine," Hermione said softly staring at his confused face which she was sure mirrored her own.
Draco stared at the small woman for a long minute before replying, "Okay, deal."
With that Draco Malfoy turned and disappeared back into depths of the forest without a sound, and Hermione Granger spun back to her flat.
Their confused faces etched into each other's minds.
