Disclaimer: Nope, still not the infamous JK. Would I be here if I were?
Chapter two: Walking through Devil's door
The sun was still low in the sky, casting a grim overtone to the surrounding landscape. Harry Potter shuffled his feet, casting a piercing gaze into the nearby trees.
The location they had arranged to meet was ideal, with close knit trees stretching into the sky as far as one eye's could see. The barks of the tree were five feet wide in some cases, knotted with clinging green ivy and a few weeds raising from the ground to embrace the trunks. Fog swirled around his knees, that even he could not penetrate with his gaze, that completed this desolate and eerie picture.
A cry rang out through the trees and within seconds Harry had drawn his wand, spinning around to confront the danger that he was certain was lurking just out of his vision.
Instead his eyes were assaulted with the vision of Pansy Parkinson, her blue eyes narrowed as she regarded him with a solemnity beyond her years. Harry nearly yelled out but managed to calm his roaring instincts…
It was Hermione. Pansy would never smile at him like that. But the resemblance was frighteningly uncanny. Her black hair was cut to her jaw line and her small snobby nose always upturned forever. Her attire was Slytherin, what else? Donned in a deep emerald cloak that covered her attire within.
"Shocking, isn't it?" her high pitched voice came and Harry could do no more than to agree.
A moment later, a familiar scowl broke across her face and 'Pansy' sniffed. "Out of all people- why her?" Hermione muttered, flexing her fingers and regarding it with distaste.
Harry sighed, "Hermione, we've been through all this- Pansy as far as we're aware has been the only love interest of Draco Malfoy…It is also convenient she was a Slytherin and is now currently in a coma at St Mungo's…"
"Harry!" Hermione admonished, "How could you use a sample from a girl who's unconscious from a broom riding accident?!"
"It's for the greater good," Harry responded, "Her hair will grow back in no time. It's not like she's going to miss it anyway."
"Are you sure that nobody else knows she's there?" Hermione worriedly asked, making Pansy's face curve into a frown.
"Only the people at the ministry," Harry belligerently said, "And they are under oath."
Hermione, with her insecurities eased, looked marginally happier. "Good."
Xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxooxoxoxoxox
Malfoy Manor was a ten minute walk from the woods they had apparated to. Harry and Hermione walked side by side in silence, reflecting on the enormosity of the situation before them. They were an odd pair to be seen. With Harry's tall stature and gangly limbs, he was quite in contrast with Hermione's new body. Pansy's body was quite short and rounded, her stride length not as great as her companion.
At last the forbidding gates were in view, and Harry melted away into the shadows before an unnatural pop filled the air, quite similar to the noise one makes when apparating.
Hermione swallowed. Feeling as if any moment that butterflies would errupt out of her stomach and reveal who she truly was…An impostor.
The rest of the journey to the gates was uneventful, save for a few rustles behind her.
Hermione subconsciously gripped Pansy's wand, but nothing jumped her and she released her strangle hold with a sigh of relief. Pansy's wand was not her own, as that was stating the obvious, but was indeed necessary for her mission. The wand has been successfully acquired with not too may questions asked at the front desk of St Mungos. After all, who could deny the legendary Harry Potter? Not the receptionist, for sure.
The gates were massive, wrought with silver and detailed patterns. Hermione realised with horror that there was a silver snake, metallic, but yet moving through the patterns in a continuous journey around his 'kingdom'. The snake was three dimensional, all angles and planes but yet seemed unable to detach itself. Black stones glinted in the place of the eyes, and it seemed to focus on her, although she couldn't describe exactly how.
"Sssssstate your busssssinesss alongssside with your name…." hissed a voice.
Hermione parted her lips, her body full with trepidation. This was it- make or break time.
"I am Pansy Parkinson, here to request a meeting with Draco Malfoy." she clearly stated. Hermione was pretty impressed that her voice did not waver once.
"Wait here, fellow Ssssslytherin," spat the voice, and Hermione watched in disgust as a black forked tongue flicked out, before retracting just as smoothly. Despite herself, Hermione couldn't help but feel awed at the sheer construction of this gate. If it didn't ooze such evil she would have regarded it as a great masterpiece.
It was getting dark now, the moon setting high in the air and Hermione shivered as an invisible wind whistled by her, carrying yellow/brown leaves with it. She clutched her robe by her, fingering the pouch at her waist connected by a thin belt. She needed another dose of the polyjuice potion soon…
The flask was at her lips in a second, and she let a trickle of the disgusting substance flow into her throat. Just as she was stowing the flask away, a bright glare illuminated the grounds around her and she glanced up, her eyes widening in awe as millions of glimmering lights were cast on the trees and grass, almost like a disco ball but on a much grander scale and outdoors.
The pearly white manor shone in the night, and if she hadn't witnessed this lighting of the house, she would have firmly have believed the house was derelict and inhabited.
In the distance a door creaked open, and Hermione peered through the bars as a solitary figure transcended down the driveway, walking at a leisurely pace and surrounded in billows of black. It was only when this mystery person was twenty feet away she caught glimpse of a shock of pale hair and she just knew it would be Draco Malfoy she would inevitably have to talk to…
Malfoy stopped just before the gates, his aoristic features shown in disbelief as he viewed the girl before him. At the age of twenty, Malfoy had changed in looks very little, but if one took care to look even more closely, they could see his eyes had a hard edge of a man who had seen many cruel things. His mouth was set in a grim line and his blonde hair was cut more shortly than his time at Hogwarts.
With a blush, Hermione realised he was scrutinising her just as closely as she was him. For a dreadful moment she thought he had seen through her clever disguise but then he opened his lips and the spell was broken.
"Pansy? What are you doing here?" came the suspicious voice. Another difference, Hermione noted, His voice is as sharp as an axe, none of this drawling business…
Draco was now definitely looking at her suspiciously. There was no mistaking it.
What will Pansy do?
"Drakey!" she shrilled, wincing at her own voice, "Why do you let this gate separate us? Are we not close friends, you and I? Surely I deserve more than this! Being left out in the dark…."
Draco looked distantly alarmed, glancing around as if to expect a group of robed people to descend upon him. Instead the only witnesses, were a couple of white peacocks lazily fanning their feathers.
"I think it's best you went home, Pansy," Draco replied, a sneer forming on his face. Glad to know some things still haven't changed, then. He half-turned as if he was about to make his way back to the manor, back to the lights and protective walls.
Think fast. Think fast.
"Drakey!" she cried, and this time noticed his tense shoulders. At least he had stopped. "If I can't come in then I will stay out here all night and die slowly in the cold-"
Draco swirled around to face her, a feral snarl taking over his features. "I. Told. You. Not. To. Call. Me. That." he bit out.
There was nothing for it.
"Please, Ma-Draco, for old time's sake. If you don't I'll go to the Daily Prophet and make up a lie to put you under suspicion of Dark Arts. And then you won't be able to breathe-"
Malfoy sent her a deathly glare, before swishing his wand towards the gate. It swung open silently, unbelievably impossible for a construction of that size, but yet it did.
Then there was no space separating them, and Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger stood face to face. The latter disguised as the former's girlfriend.
Again that suspicion in his eye and Hermione realised with horror that he had expected her to throw herself at him, showering him with kisses. She wouldn't go that far but if she didn't go near him soon there was going to be hell to pay.
She stumbled over to Malfoy, just stopping mere inches from him. From here she could not doubt the probing eyes and she closed her eyelids slightly as she leaned in, her lips near the jawbone of Draco Malfoy. He smelled of wood chippings, and an earthy tinge that surprised her. Hermione had expected him to reek of expensive cologne that clogged up one's nose. She kissed him lightly, a grazing of lips over skin and then she drew back, telling herself firmly to not wipe her lips. Not yet, anyway.
"Come on," he growled, turning his back and striding up the driveway, "You'll stay for one night, okay? Then you're leaving first thing in the morning."
Hermione grinned secretly at the back of Malfoy's head, a satisfied gleam entering her eye.
Brilliant.
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