CHAPTER 3

18 December 1998 – Enchanted Forest

"Dumbledore can't be The Wizard," Draco whispered almost as if he were wishing it. "I saw… I saw him die. He can't be…." He mumbled the last bit so Hermione wouldn't say anything.

Hermione didn't say anything, but merely gave Draco a rather unsettling look.

"What?" he asked sharply.

"He was the greatest wizard there ever was," Hermione said more to herself than to him. "Is it so crazy to believe that he might be The Wizard?" she asked finally looking at Draco. Immediately he felt the guilt and pain rise in him at the very hopeful look Hermione wore.

"Yes," he answered firmly, though his voice carried none of its usual malice. "It is crazy to think that he could be The Wizard because he's dead. Dumbledore is dead Granger. I would know… I saw him die." Draco said remorsefully.

Hermione snapped her focus back to him. She had forgotten that Draco had been in the tower along with Harry and Professor Snape. He had seen the whole thing unfold. She couldn't bring herself to doubt his words, not when he wore such a pained expression. Almost as if he was reliving the night itself. Hermione heard the pain and anger that was almost well hidden in his voice. "I'm sorry," she said quickly, though she had a feeling that Draco would not appreciate her pity.

Right to her assumptions; Draco scowled dangerously, "Spare me your pity Granger. What's done is done." He said harshly.

Hermione bit her lips anxiously unsure of how to proceed. She couldn't offer him her sympathy as he obviously wanted none of that and she highly doubted he wanted her to empathise the whole situation with her of all people. So instead she did the only thing that seemed like a fair middle ground.

"Fine," she conceded breaking away from her silence, "You don't need my pity. It won't do any of us much good right now. So let's just focus on solving the riddle."

Draco stared at her shocked for a moment. He hadn't expected her to give into what he wanted so easily. He had been expecting Hermione to pester him a bit more about it all. Nevertheless he simply nodded and looked at the map again, hoping the answer to the riddle would find him.

"So what exactly are we suppose to be looking for?" Draco asked trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.

"It said, to find our answer we need to look to the starry night. But we're not going to see much now." Hermione said looking out the cave at the rain.

"Best bet is to wait for the rain to stop then," Draco said noticing her look.

"Well what about the other parts?" Hermione questioned. "What does this happiness and light bit have to do with our task?"

She was getting deeply frustrated and Draco could sense it too. "Perhaps it's another one of his lessons?" he offered, "Or it could be a warning. You know, keep the fire going and you won't die." Hermione looked at him confused. "Well I don't know about you but I'm rather happy when I'm not freezing my arse off."

Hermione smiled slightly, "Perhaps you're right. Maybe it is a lesson The Wizard feels is something we need to know." she said scowling slightly as Draco's smirk grew at the words 'you're right' leaving her mouth.

Silence soon filled the cave as Hermione sat trying to work through the riddle. Draco seemed to be pacing again, whether it was because of the riddle or having to relive those memories, she wasn't sure. Feeling a headache building, she tossed the map aside with a groan.

"None of this makes any sense!" she cried.

Draco sighed, "Look Granger, it's been a long day. Why don't we call it a night?" he suggested. Hermione was surprised at this thoughtfulness, something he was quick to pick up on. "I'm not always... how did you put it – oh yes a foul, loathsome, evil little cockroach."

She flushed at the memory of their third year came back. "You know you never did apologised for punching me," he said smirking slightly.

"I didn't need to!" Hermione said scowling, "You were a foul, loathsome, evil little cockroach, and you deserved that punch after all you put Hagrid and Buckbeak through."

"That bloody over grown chicken was a menace!" he argued back.

Hermione didn't respond choosing only to roll her eyes in annoyance. "Perhaps it would be better if we continued this in the morning," she said motioning to the discarded map.

It didn't take long for both to sort out their sleeping arrangements as they pulled out sleeping bags and laid it beside the fire; keeping a safe distance from each other. A thoughtful silence filled the cave as the fire crackled and burned beside them. Draco was plagued with unwanted images of the night on the astronomy tower. No matter how hard he tried to push them back; they seeped forward and turned his dreams into nightmares. The familiarity of sleeping on the ground with a fire next to her took Hermione back to her year on the run. The horrors of the past bled into her dreams as she tossed and turned.

Hermione woke not long after panting and breathing heavily, grasping at the sleeping bag looking for her wand. Panicked and scared she didn't realise someone calling her name.

"Ganger!" Draco called trying to get her attention as he rose from his spot. He watched as she frantically searched around her for something. Clearly she was afraid, whatever she had been dreaming about had left her scared. "Granger!" he called more forcefully before grasping her arms in an effort to stop her panicked movements. She struggled against his hold but didn't look at him, in fact Draco was sure she didn't know he was that close.

"Granger, stop. It's okay. You're fine." He said; having no idea why he was comforting Hermione Granger. His voice seemed to register something within her and she surprisingly stopped.

"I… the snatchers… were…." She mumbled incoherently. Draco felt his stomach twist into an awful knot, knowing what had followed Hermione being caught by the snatchers.

Nevertheless he pushed down his surprise, "They're not here. You're safe. I promise."

"I… they were chasing us…"

"Sshh Granger," he pacified as best he could crouching beside her. "Don't think about that now. Go to sleep." He urged. She shook her head frantically still lost in her nightmare. Draco sighed and tentatively reached out to push the hair away from her face. "They're not here Hermione," he said; her name just tumbling from his mouth. It didn't sound as strange as he thought it might.

She finally looked up into his eyes; and Draco saw the fear and terror etched upon her face. He felt his own guilt rise as he watched her trying to fight those demons away. He grasped her tiny hand in his gently and was surprised when she squeezed it tightly. He guided her back down into her sleeping bag and made to move his hand away. Only Hermione refused to let go. She avoided eye contact but her hold on his hand was strong.

In that moment Draco realised he could do one of two things: be the heartless bastard everyone expected him to be and toss aside the frightened woman before him, or he could prove his worth in trying to be better than that old stereotype and help her. Draco fought his conscience and his heart for a moment, before he knelt further into the dirt and allowed Hermione to grasp his hand tighter.

"Go back to sleep Granger," he said softly. Hermione was surprised at his gentle tone before she complied with what he had said. Draco drew his sleeping bag close and slipped inside to lay down facing her. Though once inside, Hermione reached out and grabbed his hand again.

"Thank you," she whispered finally looking at him before closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep again.

Draco nodded numbly, shocked at himself for reacting the way he had. Comforting others was not his strong suit and he especially didn't think he would be chasing Hermione Granger's nightmares away. But it didn't feel nearly as odd as it should have. Strange though it was to him, it felt almost like second nature in a way. That scared him beyond a doubt. When did he become so concerned with Hermione Granger's emotions? He wanted to scowl and rip his hand away from hers but as she sighed and was pulled deeper into her sleep, she gripped his hand tighter still. He didn't have the heart to do so, instead he closed his eyes and allowed himself to be lulled to sleep by the crackling of the fire beside them and the warmth of Hermione's hand in his.

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Taken From: Coveted Chapter 4