Chapter 3
A/N: Hello readers! This story was a little slow starting, but it's really be picking up now.
Thanks to DragonMaster65 for betaing and the kind words! Also thanks to everyone who reviewed the earlier chapters!
~Frosty
In Lisette's memories of Bryn, he was the kindest, gentlest person she knew. She'd once watched the man risk drowning because a duckling had wandered too far from its mother and got caught in a nasty current before it had learned to swim properly. How could the same soul reside in someone like Malfoy?
Not that I had much in common with Lisette. She'd been shallow and spoiled, treated like a princess from the day she was born. The woman had never raised a finger to do actual work and was completely hopeless with magic. I supposed both Malfoy and I weren't much like our previous selves. It brings to mind the whole nature versus nurture debate; if I, Hermione Granger, had been raised like Lisette, would I have ended up like her as well? And Malfoy: did he have the capacity to be caring somewhere inside that prickly exterior of his?
I glanced at him across the potions room, contemplating. As I watched, he sneakily pulled out his wand under the table and made Ron's potion explode all over the redhead's face and hair. It was probably safest to assume he was prickly all the way through.
"Detention Mr. Weasley," Snape called from the front of the room without looking up from whatever he was writing – I knew he wanted us to think he was grading papers, but I was pretty sure he just doodled while he sat up there.
Ron turned bright red with anger, but he didn't protest – it was best to just accept Snape's punishments lest he double them. I shook my head at the blatant favouritism of the greasy man, but there was nothing I could do for my friend.
"I didn't do anything wrong with my potion, it shouldn't have exploded like that," Ron grumbled as the tree of us made out way to the Great Hall for lunch. Apparently he hadn't seen Malfoy's stealthy wand-work. I wasn't about to enlighten him; it would only lead to a fight between the two.
A potion brewed by Ron going horribly wrong wasn't something new, but that wrong potion exploding was a phenomenon only Seamus seemed to manage on anything close to a regular basis, so there was some room for suspicion. "Could someone have tampered with your ingredients?" Harry asked.
I tuned them out as they argued the plausibility of someone having tampered with the potion. Eventually they'd either accept that Ron had done something wrong or move onto blaming the Slytherins – my bet was on blaming the Slytherins.
"Hermione, do you have patrol tonight?" Harry asked, drawing my wandering attention back to my friends.
I sighed before answering; they were like bottomless pits, taking the information I told them and burying it under Quidditch statistics, hatred of Slytherins, and conspiracy theories. "Yes Harry. I've told you, I have patrol every night this week. Why?"
I knew something was up when I saw their evasive looks. It seemed that they were counting on my patrol keeping me busy while they got into something I would no doubt frown on.
In anticipation of having to scold them later for taking stupid risks, my face settled into a disapproving look of its own volition. "What are you two up to?"
Their guilty looks continued for the rest of lunch and throughout the classes we shared together, but I didn't manage to get their plans out of them before my patrol. I would just have to catch them at whatever they were getting into before they got themselves killed.
On my way to meet Malfoy, I spotted two figures slinking in shadows, skirting the edge of the Forbidden Forest.
Bristling indignantly that they were going to go gallivanting in the forest without me – again – I turned around and raced through the halls. If I really rushed, I could probably catch them before they got too deep.
Had I been thinking with something besides my anger and hurt at being left out, I would have realized that going into the forest alone was even more dangerous than going in together like my friends were doing. I also would have remembered that Malfoy was sure to be furious that I didn't show up for patrol and report me – probably to Snape, who hated me and would be sure to mete out a heavy punishment.
My headlong rush through the halls slowed as I approached the entrance hall, I was going to have to be sneaky if I was going to get outside undetected; Filch was always on the lookout for students to punish.
I shivered as I pushed the door open a crack and a frigid breeze blew over me; I should have worn my heavy cloak, but I hadn't been counting on going for a walk across the grounds when I dressed that morning. Too stubborn to allow the temperature to give me pause, I set out across the grounds.
The Forbidden Forest was just as daunting as it'd been when I was in first year. I was bigger and more adept at magic now, but that didn't mean it wasn't perfectly reasonable to still be a little scared of the place. It was Forbidden for a reason!
The trees seemed to loom over me threateningly as I finally got underneath their sinister canopy. If I wasn't going to let the cold get to me, then I wasn't going to let a bunch of trees stop me from finding the boys either. Determined, I continued on into the forest. They were going to be in so much trouble when I found them.
For equal parts comfort and safety, I pulled my wand out. Something about the flimsy little stick made me much more dangerous than I'd have ever managed without it.
In a normal forest, there would have been shuffling sounds of animals and the like even so long after sunset. The fact that I couldn't detect even the rustle of a mouse under the carpet of leaves was more unnerving than the approach of something large and hungry would have been.
A twig snapped somewhere off in the distance. I froze and strained my ears to catch any sound. My breathing quickened and I backed up until I hit a tree trunk as a second and third twig snapped. There was something coming – something large.
A trembling length of wood was my only defence against the approaching thing – whatever it was. I knew that if it was an animal, I shouldn't run; that would mark me as prey, but standing my ground didn't exactly seem like a safe option either.
My knees nearly gave out when I saw that it wasn't something big, it was a lot of something mediums - wolves to be exact. Why did it have to be wolves?
I'd never once said anything to my friends, but I was more afraid of dogs than Ron was of spiders. I'd been attacked by a friend's pet when I was young and had been terrified of the four-legged monsters ever since.
They slowly advanced on me, and I was sure their eyes were glowing red with an unholy evil from within. All of them were the same black that seemed to actually absorb the little light that was available. These were no normal wolves.
In the face of my greatest fear, I found that all of the Gryffindor courage everyone was always on about seemed to have disappeared. I wasn't even thinking anymore when I turned tail and ran, instincts taking over as I fled.
I could hear their paws pounding the ground behind me, getting closer and closer as they gained on me.
Had I not been blind with panic, I may have noticed the figure step into my path and been prepared for the blazing red light as it passed just over my shoulder and caused a yelp behind me. I didn't turn to check the damage the spell had caused, but it seemed to slow my pursuers. The second and third shot stopped them completely, but I kept running.
As I got closer, I was able to identify the familiar silvery hair of my patrol partner, looking less than pleased with me.
"You absolute moron! Do you have a death wish? Why didn't you use your wand?" I could see a vein sticking out in his neck and there was a red tinge to his cheeks, I'd never seen Malfoy so furious. I'd also never seen a more welcome sight.
I disregarded his furious yelling and kept running at him, ignoring his confused and slightly alarmed look. I only stopped my headlong rush when I'd collided with his chest. He froze in shock at me actions and I used the opportunity to wrap my arms around him, desperately seeking comfort.
"You can yell at me later, just... not now. Please?" I knew I sounded pathetic, but I just needed him to hold me, at least until the trembling stopped. Maybe it was the little bit of Lisette that remained in my soul was drawn to the little bit of Bryn in him, or maybe I just needed someone solid and Malfoy was the only option other than trees.
I nearly burst into tears of relief when his arm wrapped around me in comforting warmth. I stayed like that for a moment, regaining my nerves.
Taking a huge, shuddering breath, I stepped back from him, putting the space that had always separated us back where it should be: gaping obviously between us.
Once the immediate danger and resulting panic were out of the way, there was only awkwardness to fill the space between us.
"What the hell were you thinking running off into the forest alone you stupid Mudblood?" Malfoy demanded angrily. For once I was grateful for the fact that he was an insufferable prat: anger was an excellent reliever of the tension.
"If I didn't know better, I'd say you were worried about me Malfoy," I teased, ignoring the Mudblood comment.
"It's a good thing you know better than. I would never waste energy worrying about a worthless Mudblood," he snapped. Turning away from me, he started making his way out of the forest.
I glanced behind me to make sure the wolves were gone. They were, save for the two dead ones left behind. I shuddered and hurried to catch up with the blond, not wanting to be left alone with the bodies.
"You wasted an awful lot of energy finding me for someone who wouldn't even expend the energy to worry about me." The adrenalin was fading and I was starting to feel shaky and spent – not to mention freezing. I was arguing with him on autopilot.
I barely remembered what I'd said when he turned and gave me a very nasty look. The intensity of his glare actually made me step back a step. I mentally scrabbled, trying to remember what I'd just said to make him look at me with such hatred.
"I didn't do it for you. I saw you going into the forest from a window and knew you were going to get yourself killed. I –" He stopped suddenly and faced the bits of the castle we could see between the trees again.
I puzzled over his actions; he obviously still hated me with the same passion he'd always felt, so why did he save me instead of laughing while those horrible wolves tore me to pieces?
My eyes widened in realization and then fixed on the shoulders of the perplexing git in front of me. He could care less about me, but part of him had once cared very much about Lisette.
For someone as starved for affection as I imagined Malfoy to be, it made sense that his happy -until the burned-at-the-stake thing- past life held more sway over him than I'd let mine hold over me.
A mournful howl from the forest made me jump and speed up, keeping pace with Malfoy and his longer legs. "What were those things?" I asked, shuddering. I wasn't really expecting an answer, but it seemed like Malfoy had one.
"Dark Lord's newest toy; Shadow Wolves. They're made to hunt down his enemies." His gaze didn't leave the castle, leaving me unsure if he was actually aware that he was being helpful or he was just lost in his memories.
We finally made it clear of the trees and the ball of terror and anxiety in my chest that had gone unnoticed until then loosened a little bit. I glanced back towards the forest, it was starting to hit me that I'd just looked death in the foaming muzzles and survived.
As the castle door creaked shut behind me, my waning energy finally ran out. I stumbled into the wall beside the door and then slid down it, exhausted and freezing. I watched vacantly as Malfoy made his way over to the stairs, stopping half-way when he realized that I wasn't behind him.
He made a disgusted noise when he saw me sitting on the floor. "Don't you dare go into shock," he growled at me. He was so intimidating that I would have obeyed him if I had any conscious control over it.
Instead, I could only watch as he got nearer and hope he wasn't going to try slapping me. I flinched a little and closed my eyes when he stopped in front of me and brought out his wand. As a warming heat spread through me and my shivering slowed down slightly, I realized he'd only been casting a warming charm.
I opened my eyes to see him watching me closely, probably making sure I wasn't in danger of passing out or hypothermia or something. He gave a small nod, seemingly satisfied that I was out of danger and turned to walk away.
"It must be terrifying to hate someone so much but want to keep them safe," I said through chattering teeth as he left – I wasn't freezing anymore, but I was still cold. My words actually stopped him in his tracks.
"I'll finish the patrol tonight, but I'm leaving half-way through tomorrow. Don't be late," was all he said before he left me there.
