Hi! so this one's a biggie. By that I mean as big as someone loaded with monster and finals can write. I'm pretty sure 90% of my body fluids will be either monster or redbull, by the end of finals.
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Draco Malfoy was taking a walk. A long one that.
It was after a long time that he could actually walk around freely, without the fear of dying. And that was putting it mildly.
"You messed up Potter.' he quietly mumbled to himself, as he made his way into the jungle.
When he decided that he was deep enough in the forest, Draco found a tree to sit under. Because it is not every day that you fight a war, which changed everything you know as of now, and so you get tired.
So, he slumped against a big tree and took a deep breath, trying to forget the smell of burning hair and rotting bodies, letting his mind take off.
Was Potter really dead? No one saw his body. What happened to the rest of his cronies? All dead? What would the Dark Lord do, now that he got everything? How much would their lives change? Why didn't Potter win?
A slight rustle and a very feminine yelp broke him out of his reverie. It was such a faint sound that he would've surely missed it, had his skills not been honed by all the evil in the world itself.
So Draco, wand in hand, started slowly stalking his way up to the tree, where he assumed the sound came from.
When he heard another rustle, from what appeared to be an apple tree, his fears were confirmed. There was someone or something hiding there.
He silently made his way towards the tree, and muttered a spell to clear the branches and make the object of his interest visible.
"GRANGER?!", he roared.
What Draco Malfoy found within the branches was a very twisted Hermione Granger. No, literally twisted.
She was balancing on all fours and trying her best to reach a high branch and pluck a fruit off it. She was so focused in her pursuit that, when he screamed out her name, she almost fell off the tree.
So now she sat there, all colour drained from her face and stared at him open mouthed.
"Malfoy. You're alive."
They both just looked at each other for a while, taking in each other's appearances and guessing what was going on in the other's mind.
Hermione was the one who broke the silence.
"If you are going to kill me, I suggest you do so after 10mins. For I have been trying to get this apple for hours now and it would be a shame if you off-ed me, without me even having a bite of it.'
Draco Malfoy actually laughed.
A fully blown belly laugh. Laughed in a way that people do, when nothing around them makes sense anymore. Then he smirked a little and said, 'Of course, you're killing can wait.'
Saying that, he sat down under the tree, and chuckled to himself because this day couldn't get better.
….
An apple was tossed from above, narrowly missing his head, which he took as food being offered. "Good thing you didn't play Quidditch in school, Granger." He exclaimed loud enough for the witch to hear, who was now comfortably swinging her legs from a branch above.
As they both ate their apples in silence, Draco remembered something.
Hadn't she just lost everyone? What was going on here?
"Grang.."
"Yes, I know that Harry is dead. That, we lost. That I might just as well we dead in a while. I know, Malfoy. Let me eat my apple."
Malfoy nodded. Something told him, that he shouldn't pry. Not right now.
"How on earth did you find an apple tree here anyway?"
"I donno. I passed out and woke up a while back, and Bam! apple tree. I hope it is actually an apple tree though, in here you can't really be sure", she chuckled.
And rightfully, at that exact moment Malfoy put his apple down and scowled at her in distaste.
What he got in return was a watery half smile.
"Malfoy, do you know what it feels like?
To feel powerless? Like there is so much wrong but you don't have the capacity to do anything about it?
You know, everyone assumes that they are prepared for the worst. They assume that after hearing and reading about so much suffering around them, they would be ready.
But do you want to know something else? Everyone secretly believes that the worst won't happen to them. Why would it be us?, we all ask ourselves when our neighbor is a perfect candidate too? Why, out of so many people in the universe, would I be the chosen one upon whom all misfortune befalls?
Surely, we won't say it out loud, because that's mean. But we do believe this. We also extend this halo of safety to accommodate our near and dear ones, with lesser intensity of course. And it is the people outside your halo or hexagon or whichever polyhedral you choose, that are at risk. The Outsiders.
But then, one day, inevitably", she choked,"Once in your lifetime, the worst thing that could possibly happen, happens. You, who were supposed to lead an average, hard working life, with friends and family and love around you, you who had everything till your children's names planned out, you who helped everyone overcome their distress, were now beaten, battered and broken.
That's when you realize, that you are the Outsiders, for someone else too."
Draco who was staring straight ahead into nothingness, heard the girl sob like a dying animal above him. But, he didn't dare look up. He just sat there and waited for her to finish. Why he did that, was something he would ponder about later.
After a long time, he heard her, blowing her nose.
"So much class Granger." he said throwing up a handkerchief.
"Well, for my last monologue, that sure was something. Mark Anthony would be proud", she sniffled.
Draco let out something that could very loosely be termed as a chuckle.
…..
"You know I'm not going to kill you right?"
"Umm hmm.
I used to see you, you know. When you used to come to the head quarters to give Harry and Lupin information. I knew you were helping us."
Now, this was news to him. He had been helping the order on the sly, since any one with two knuts worth of brain would know what was right and what was wrong. And who would inevitably win. But this was kept top secret. He only interacted with Potter and Lupin, for both their and his safety. How she knew about it was well and truly a mystery.
"Well that explains why I got that possibly poisonous apple as a gift.", he said out loud and diffusing the situation.
Then they sat like that, in complete silence, leave for the occasional sniffle and pretended none of this ever happened.
When it started getting late, and Malfoy's royally primed behind started getting sore, he stood up and stretched. When he finally managed to look up and saw her just sitting there hugging the trunk and pretended that two enemies didn't just have a real heart to heart conversation.
Which was fine with him, or so he told himself.
"Granger what are you going to do?"
"I don't know."
"What do you mean you don't know? Hasn't that overworking mind of yours, made a plan to overthrow the Dark Lord yet? Granger, I think that that apple really did a number on you, but hey welcome back to real life, hope you know that suicide is actually the best thing that can happen to you right now, because if he catches you….
Aren't you scared?"
"No.", came a very calm and collected answer as she hopped down a branch and stood before him. Looking at him, like she knew something he didn't know.
"NO? no?
why do I care? Do whatever you Gryfinndors do. Go prance around some sunflowers, for all I care.", he said as he stalked away from her as fast as he could.
And she just stood there and smiled.
'Oh, BLOODYHELL!', he screeched as he made his way back at the same pace as before and grabbed a mildly surprised but highly amused Hermione by the arm and walked away.
ooOoo
Is it just me or is the formatting on here super messed up?And why is this site so weird to use. makes me feel old lol. Anyway review!
