Disclaimer - I do not own Draco, Hermione, or anything else related to Harry Potter.
Hermione shuttered as a draft of cold autumn air washed across her face. She slowly cracked her eyes' open and let her gaze rest upon the window of her bedroom. All the leaves hanging from the branches of the trees were shaded brilliantly in hues of yellow, orange, red, and brown. Smiling absentmindedly, she lazily let her legs fall over the edge of the bed and placed her bare feet upon the small woven bedside carpet. Her eyes' slipped shut momentarily as she stood from her bed and breathed deeply, the sweet scent of cinnamon and apples seeping around her.
Cinnamon and apples. Her favorite.
Moping over to her wardrobe, she pulled open the heavy wooden doors and pushed them to the side. She then began to finger her way through her folded sweaters, shirts, and pants. Choosing a pair of normal, everyday pants, she pulled out a deep, blood red sweater (one that she wore for these particularly frigid days, so it was quite worn in) and a matching cloak. She then plucked a single pair of woolen socks from the top drawer and smiled happily as she set her clothes onto the bed…only to remember the night before and a certain, presumptuous note.
Hermione huffed and sat down on the corner of her bed. She rest her chin in her hands as she placed her elbows on her knees.
This was Malfoy. And just thinking his name was a stab in the heart. A painful stab with a frozen, searing, dagger. Too much to withstand and too hurtful to forget. She could almost see the sharp blade as she blinked and let her eyes' rest shut. It was a nightmare that came hurdling back every time she thought about Hogwarts. She could never escape the drear of it and she never expected to be able to. But…
She was going to meet Malfoy today. She just couldn't…not go! It would be entirely rude and most unbecoming of herself. Though…what about all the times he had been so rude to her? What about the tears that would pour from her eyes' all because of him? What about the torture he caused to Harry and Ron? What about the name that danced constantly around her mind as she remembered back to those days?
"Filthy mudblood…"Stupid prat. How she just wanted to grab a hold of his neck and just squeeze…
She couldn't go. Nope. And Malfoy would just have to deal with Hermione Granger standing him up…however, what would happen if she did let him wait there for her while she was not to be coming?
Hermione shuttered for the second time that morning and sighed heavily. Standing from her spot, she shed her nightclothes and pulled her pair of pants on and tugged the sweater down over her head. She quickly flipped her head upside down and tied a red and gold ribbon tightly around her hair, keeping it in a ponytail. After three years, she was still proud to this day of her house in Hogwarts. Gryffindor, the house she had shared with Harry, Ron, and many of her other friends. Smiling lightly at the memories of the good times at Hogwarts, Hermione gathered her black cloak and pulled it around her shoulders, clasping it at the front.
Hermione walked her way down her hallway and after grasping an apple from the basket on her table, she stepped out her front door. Her slender hands then poked out from behind the cloak and pulled the hood up over her head to shelter her from the wind. With a quick shiver she stepped off her front step and began walking down a narrow path through the forest, only to end up on a cobblestone street. It was the same cobblestone street that led right through Hogsmeade and past her destination.
Zonkos.
The place where she could find the cheering up she definitely needed.
Smiling widely, she stopped before the door of the shop and sighed a breath of relief as she looked up at the sign. Then, pushing the door open she walked into the shop, only to be mauled by a few trick spiders that had been set above the entrance. Their furry bodies rubbed against her skin and their many legs tangled in her hair, causing her body to tremble with disturbed shivers. This was revolting. Wasn't Halloween about a month ago?
Hermione let out a frightened squeak and clutched her chest softly. But noticing it was only a joke, she blinked a few times and glared at the two redheads standing behind the desk at the back of the shop. Their eyes' widened with surprise at seeing their friend and they smiled, laughter dancing across their expressions. She was going to murder those two…
Hmm, lets see…a pot of boiling acid should be good…maybe some Tabasco sauce too…
She let her gaze drop to the floor as she walked towards them and grinned, chuckling lightly at her insane thoughts. Those two were a handful. Yet, Hermione had to admit that life would be much more tedious without the two buggers.
"You know," she started holding up her index finger to the boys, who were towering above her, "you are very lucky that it was me walking through those doors." Fred and George exchanged confused glances and looked back to her. Hermione shook her head. They both stood there, looking at her with the exact same questioning look on their faces. Anyone who didn't know the two Weasley twins would of blinked numerous times and asked themselves, 'my Lord, what did I drink last night?' But Hermione just shook it off and smiled, crossing her arms on her chest.
"What do you mean-," George started.
"By that?" Fred finished and then went on to add, "I think we were entirely lucky that it was you."
"Anyone else would have throttled us by now," George stated, a grin creeping upon his thin lips. These two were hilarious. Always seemed to finish thoughts for the other. If one were to close their eyes,' it would almost be impossible to tell there were two!
"Yes, including Ron!" Hermione said, a laugh escaping from her throat. George smirked maliciously and cast his brother a sidelong glance. Fred chuckled and walked to the other end of the table as a young man was standing there, a question on his mind.
"We all know his fascination with spiders!" George teased as he shook his head and looked to his brother, who had stopped his conversation with the boy to add a, 'we got him a pet tarantula for his birthday.' Nodding, George said, "we just hope he likes it," he finished with a sly grin sparkling on his face. Hermione shook her head and laughed, making her way around Zonkos, a shop based solely on practical pranks and jokes. It wasn't exactly the store for her, but when two of her greatest friends owned the place, she could do nothing less that give them a visit once in a while. And before Hermione could go far around the aisles and stands, a young boy had run in, dropped a newspaper on the table, and while lugging the rest of his newspapers, walked on out to visit the next shop.
Fred picked up the newspaper now that his customer had paid and was gone with his new fake wand. His smile fell slowly as he read one of the top headlines of the Daily Prophet. Hermione turned and watched him when she noticed that his laughter had died down. His eyes were widened and George was looking over his shoulder, the same nerved look in his eyes.' "What is it?" Hermione asked, walking over to the twins and standing beside them, trying to read the article.
Fred began to read the article aloud.
"Two young children have been declared officially missing today when their mother informed law enforcers. She was crying and pleading desperately that anyone find her children of ages six and ten. Supposedly, the two children had been roaming the streets of Hogsmeade (after spending many coins in Zonko's) and never returned to their mother. The two were last seen walking into the woods, following the path that leads right up to England's most haunted building, the Shrieking Shack. Any information on the children would be greatly appreciated."
On the way to the Shrieking Shack? Oh no. This had to be a coincidence. A very, very big coincidence. Hermione's mouth dropped and she read it again before she let her voice come out in a stammer. "W-what could have happened?" she asked, cocking her head to the side as she looked up to Fred and George. Both shrugged in unison and muttered something to themselves. "What was that?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Nothing."
"We didn't say anything," George added, his voice seemed very suspicious for some reason. Hermione sighed and began to tap her foot on the floor beside her as she crossed her arms on her chest and narrowed her eyes' at the Weasley twins. They were keeping something from her. She could tell by the way they both seemed to flash their eyes' in her direction and smile nervously. Yes. They were definitely up to something.
"Alright…" Hermione mumbled skeptically. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." The twins both shot their heads up (surprisingly not suffering from whiplash) and widened their eyes.
"We're not hiding anything!"
Right…
"What would make you think that?" Fred asked, fumbling with his hands and then shoving them in his pockets as the two of them smiled innocently.
"Oh…nothing…" Shaking her head, Hermione turned and walked towards the door. But she soon stopped in her tracks and smiled, hoping to get some information out of them. "I'm meeting Malfoy at 7:30, you know."
"What!" Fred and George shouted in unison. Hermione smiled wider, a cunning glint in her chocolate brown eyes.'
"Yes," she answered, stretching her arm and holding her arm out before her as she examined her nails.
"Why!" the both asked again. Hermione chuckled lightly. They had always acted as if they were the big brothers she never had. Not that she had ever wanted any…
"He owled me. So I'm going to see him."
The two twins looked like they were about to burst. "That is ridiculous!" Fred bellowed, his face turning red and frantic in the midst of this shocking news.
"Poposterous!" George added, throwing his arms in the air.
"Ludicrous!"
"Foolish!" Hermione burst out laughing and threw her hand over her mouth as she put her other hand on the wall for support.
"I get the point," she said, chuckles still escaping from her throat.
"Well!" they both shouted, ready to chase Malfoy down and beat him senseless.
"I'm meeting him tonight…" Fred and George's faces might as well of turned to stone. They stared at her, their eyes' burning with anger as they both pictured the sight of her with Malfoy. In their opinion, Hermione seemed to have lost all her senses…and maybe her entire memory at that. And then she began again, finishing the statement she had started, "in front of the Shrieking Shack." With a satisfied smile, Hermione turned on her heel and walked from Zonko's as the twins stood rooted in theirs spots, their jaws dropping and about burying themselves six feet under ground.
After moping around for the rest of the afternoon and dreading the come of 7:30, Hermione had visited Harry once again at their usual meeting spot on his days off from work. She had told him everything about the letter, how she received the letter, and proceeded to burst out in hysterics. Harry laughed and nodded, believing every word of it and not doubting that Hermione was telling the truth the entire time. Draco Malfoy had always been overly arrogant and proud of himself. He always seemed to think he was king of the entire wizarding world, not paying any attention to real life. So Harry had no problem believing her and laughing about it.
She then went on and told him over a late dinner what had happened at Zonko's. Harry's eyes were narrowed and he raised an eyebrow, agreeing that there was something Fred and George Weasley were keeping from them. But he went on to remind Hermione of fourth year, when the two twins seemed to always be doing something in secret. Those 'doings in secret' were only ever revolving around their new products for Zonko's, however. So after thinking it over himself and presenting the facts about the twins, Harry came to the conclusion that the two boys were up to something, but something that was entirely unimportant to them.
Hermione agreed swiftly. Those two were just downright sketchy. But nothing too much to lose sleep over.
Pulling her cloak to her body closer, Hermione inhaled sharply as she held her wand before her. The sun was setting and the cold, blustery air was turning quite dark. "Lumos!" she breathed, a white light appearing at the end of her wand and brightening the path up for her. She smiled deftly and proceeded down the leave-covered path. Her body trembled as she made her way into the clearing and leant up against the fence. She thought about the article. Had it really happened? Or was it just a coincidence like she insisted earlier? Or maybe it was even just a rumor that had gotten far out of hand in the hands of a reporter like Rita Skeeter.
Sounds bumped and moved around her as she held her wand close to her body and kept her body frozen. A few footsteps then began echoing in her ears. Someone was coming. Her breath was caught in her throat as her head began snapping around in various directions, watching for whoever was out there. It was coming closer. Much closer. Hermione squeezed her eyes' shut as she began to shake in her shoes. Then she could feel it. Breath. Hot, moist breath, breathing down her neck. Hermione's eyes' flew open and her mouth dropped open as she pleaded for her life.
What a drama queen… Shall we get the coffin ready or do you think she would like to pick it out herself?
Slowly and cautiously, she turned and drew her wand, pointing it at whomever, or whatever, was standing behind her. "Lumos!" she shouted, her wand glowing brighter. She then began to lift her wand, seeing a black cloak. A green tie. A very pale, slender neck. Light, pink lips. A nose…just a normal nose. And icy gray eyes,' filled with amusement. Hermione squeaked and jumped back, her eyes' now reaching the shiny, soft, white-blonde hair falling about his eyes.'
"Why, hello, Granger. Nice to see you too," Draco whispered, as though he didn't want to scare the being away that was frightening Hermione. She then glared at him and pulled her wand back, still holding it up so she could see. Well, it was about time he arrived. And if he was smart, he wouldn't have.
"What the hell, Malfoy!" she seethed, her eyes' burning with fury. She stood rooted in her spot, staring up at the wizard standing in front of her. His lips were curved into a devious smirk and his eyes sparkled with mirth as she held her wand at him again.
"Granger, please, point that thing somewhere else," he said, eyeing the wand in her hand and running a hand through his silky hair.
'It looks so silky…maybe I can just touch his hair once…he won't mind – ARGH! Get a hold of yourself! This is freaking Draco bloody bastard Malfoy! You want to stranglethe deranged lunatic!' Hermione huffed and lowered her wand slightly as she shook away her aggravating thoughts. "Look at it, Malfoy! The air is black out here!" she shouted.
"Yes, that tends to happen at night," he answered, raising an eyebrow and smirking wider.
"Why you-," she started stepping closer to him, but was cut off. Draco held his hands up and took a step back.
"Whoa, Granger, I have a life to go back to." Hermione took a step back, her hands crumpling into fists, and her face tightening with anger. What in the world had she gotten herself into?
"Malfoy," she seethed through clenched teeth. "What do you want?" Malfoy shrugged and took his wand from his back pocket, muttering the spell, and lighting up his own path as he began to walk. Hermione cocked an eyebrow and ran up to his side.
"Nothing more, just to talk to you. I've been wondering how you, potty, and the weasel were doing."
And I went to the winter ball dressed as William Shakespeare...
"Good Lord, Malfoy, you ferret!" Draco raised a finger and pointed it at her in blame.
"You never forget anything, do you?" Hermione scoffed and shook her head as she walked a good two feet away from his side. "Well, Granger, I don't either."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean!" she questioned, grabbing his arm and causing him to stop. She stood before him, her eyes' narrowed and her hands resting on her hips. "What. Is. It. Suppos-," she began, saying it slowly so his dense mind could comprehend.
"I know what you asked, Granger!" he questioned.
'That fucking prat!' she screamed mentally. "Then answer me!" she shouted taking a rushed step towards him, their faces merely inches apart.
"What do you think it means?" he asked, his cool demeanor falling in shambles. She was like a bomb, buried under his thick layers of stone. A bomb that could hurt him, break him, and end it all there and then. With one simple problem, he would explode and fall to ruin. And it was all because of her. The seemingly harmless, little witch. Who, indeed, knew just how to make him tick.
"I don't know what it means! That's why I asked you!" she shouted, placing a finger on his chest and proceeding to push him back, trying to ignore the surges of electricity that raced through her finger and into her body. Her shoulders trembled slightly and she jerked them as she began to push him back.
What in God's name was wrong with her?
"Give it up, Granger!" he barked back, also trying to ignore the warmth that seeped into his skin as she lay her finger upon his chest. It was a strange feeling, nothing he had felt before. And it was also oddly addictive… His brain seemed to go blank for a moment and his throat tightened as he began to take steps back as she pushed him.
"Ugh! You are so difficult!" she yelled, poking him harder than before. That's it. Draco couldn't bear it anymore. It felt too good. Too good to be right.
"Don't do that!" he growled, grasping her wrist and…
It was like an explosion of white light. The two then fell back into darkness and saw no more. Felt no more. Heard no more. Everything was gone. Each one was alone in a world of utter gloom and both began to panic. Their skin was cold and felt chilled to the point of forming frost at the smallest threat of moisture. And as quickly as it had happened, both had fallen back into light and landed hard on a wooden floor.
Hermione groaned and brought her hand up to her head, which throbbed immensely. It felt as if she had been knocked out with a sledgehammer. Pain coursed through her body as she slowly sat up and cracked open one eye. Where was she? Hermione blinked to clear away to fog and looked around, massaging her head as she stood up from the floor. She was in a room and by the looks of the land out the window, she was back at Hogwarts. Slowly, she took a wobbly step forward and furrowed her eyebrows. The room seemed to be a bedroom, colored in red and gold. Looking around, Hermione noticed that all of her stuff from her years at Hogwarts were there…as if she had been living there for months.
Cocking an eyebrow, Hermione walked out of the room and into a cozy, common room. In the corner there was a few bookcases and a large desk with two chairs sitting side by side. On the opposite wall there was a fireplace with a large, plush couch and a loveseat angled next to it. Walking over to the desk, Hermione picked up a book and pulled a piece of paper that was sticking from between the pages. Up in the right hand corner, the words "Draco Malfoy, Head Boy," were written neatly.
Hermione's eyes widened. She picked up another book at the opposite end of the table. Taking a piece of paper from that book, she read the top corner. "Hermione Granger, Head Girl." But wait. Hermione had never been head girl. Of course she was offered, but she had decided not to take the position since she was, well, going to be working with Malfoy. As she read the paper, she noticed her hands. And arms. And body. She was younger and looked not a day older than seventeen.
Just then, a seventeen year old, Draco Malfoy came walking from his room, a confused expression plastered across his face. He was looking at his arms and clothes, before he lifted his gray eyes' and cocked an eyebrow at Hermione.
Hermione understood. They were back in bloody time! Back to the seventh year of their Hogwarts careers. And she was in the position that she had turned down long ago…for the sake of her own sanity of course. But…why?
Hermione blinked and formed a weak smile as Draco stared at her.
This is just bloody fabulous…
Hope you all liked it! Please review!