Disclaimer: I do not own anything.
Warning: Swearing in this chapter.
Abundance of Feelings- Chapter Four: Unexpected
"Attention," boomed the voice of the Hogwarts Headmaster. He was nowhere to be seen, but his voice was magically enhanced to be heard throughout the castle. "Everyone, please head to the Great Hall immediately."
This was serious.
Screams and yells of "What's going on?!" filled the classroom. Josh got up quickly and glanced out the window, fear etched onto every corner of his face. Draco grabbed Hermione as the school shook once more, making parchments and quills fall to the floor. Everyone scrambled for the door, panic in the air.
"Malfoy, what are you-" Hermione started, shocked at his sudden gesture.
"Shut up, follow me!" He yelled over the noise, grabbing her hand. She turned, glancing around for Harry, Ron, and Josh, but she couldn't see as the crowd of students surrounded him. Frustrated, Draco picked her up and ran out into the hallway.
"Hey!" she exclaimed, blushing furiously at their close proximity. "Put me-" the rest of her sentence was droned out by the sound of the castle rocks crashing to the floor, apparently the ones just outside. Draco just ran faster, heading for the stairs, trying not to trip over the debris on the ground. Suddenly, he stopped, gazing out at the grass below through another window. Herds of students stampeded past them, pushing past each other going in every direction. Hermione froze, seeing what Draco was staring at.
"Oh, shit."
There was a group of black-clad wizards surrounding the school, one every 15 feet or so. Their faces were unrecognizable, faces Hermione had never seen before. They all had their hands above their heads, wands casting the same spell at the school. The magic looked like bright blue electricity bolts, crackling with energy. As they hit the school, they made it shake with the immense power that each bolt obviously held.
"What in the bloody hell is this?" Hermione murmured. She didn't care that she was still being held in Draco's steady, firm arms. She didn't care that he was a Slytherin and she was a Gryffindor, not to mention enemies. She only cared about what was happening now.
"Draco, what's happening?" She turned to gaze up at him, an expression of fear and confusion on her face. She noticed that only a small stream of people were running down the hallway, most of them safely a few floors below. "Draco, tell me now!"
He finally looked down at her, a scowl on his face. "Later. Cooperate and do I what I tell you. Now shut up and don't make a sound." Normally, Hermione Granger wouldn't have even put up with demands such as these. However, circumstances change, and she sensed that these were very different circumstances. She decided to oblige.
Draco delved into his pocket and grabbed a small metal object- a silver medallion by the look of it, bearing the mark of the Ministry of Magic. Within seconds they were squeezed through time and space, gone far away from the school. Hermione closed her eyes, trying to avoid the sick feeling her stomach was making. Instead, she concentrating on hearing.
Abruptly, the noises changed to people talking, children laughing, and the general bustle of people. She quickly opened her eyes and was surprised be standing outside a telephone booth that which she knew to be a secret entrance to the Ministry of Magic. They were in the heart of London then. Seeing that she was about to open her mouth, Draco hissed, "Not now!" He glared at her and walked at a brisk pace through the street, weaving through throngs of people and vendors. He made several turns and walked several blocks until he came to a small, dingy building. Kicking the door open, he rushed through the hallway and proceeded to an empty bedroom.
"We're safe now," he said, dumping Hermione on the brass bed. The mattress was uncomfortable, making squeaks when her weight was added.
"Okay, Malfoy, what was that back there? And why are we here? And what are you doing?" she asked in confusion. He was murmuring spells under his breath, small amounts of light emitting from his wand every now and then.
"Skipped the formalities, I see," he said smirking. He was back to his usual self now. "Too many questions. I wonder if I should really answer them all..."
"You'd better!" Hermione yelled, getting off the bed. He pushed firmly her back down at once.
"Geez, Granger," he exclaimed. "Calm down! I thought you were supposed to be smart. For your information, I'm casting protective charms around the building." Of course. Why hadn't she realized that?
"And? My other questions?" she prompted.
Sighing, he sat down next to her. "This is gonna take awhile."
"Get on with it."
"Fine," he glared. "Ever heard of a group called The Rebels?" Hermione shook her head. "I thought not. They're a group of wizards who are... not exactly supporters of either side. You know, Voldemort or your precious Potter. They want to, well, take over the wizarding world I suppose," he said frowning. How cliché. "Sort of like your alternative group. They basically want to get rid of any other competition."
"How come nobody's ever heard of them?" she asked.
"They're just showing up now because they'd hoped that one of the sides would have finished the other off," he explained.
Hermione let this information sink in. They had another enemy. One that would only increase the death rate of her friends, especially Harry. "And... how do you know all this?"
Draco could tell that the girl had lost her attitude. "Uh... my sources." He obviously wasn't going to reveal them now.
Forgetting about her other questions, Hermione flopped backwards onto the uncomfortable bed. "This isn't happening," she muttered. "Not now..." She had enough to deal with. Being the best friend of someone with so many foes was kind of tough sometimes, albeit worth it. Voldemort and the Death Eaters were definitely something that kept her up at night, and she wasn't sure if she could handle another huge mortal enemy.
At first glance, you'd believe that Draco Malfoy was one who always looked down upon those in distress. He certainly played up the facade well. Nobody knew the truth.
The truth it this: Draco Malfoy put on a false, cold demeanor to everyone around him so to not be broken. So that others could never truly see the heart that many thought was missing. The huge, beating heart that would reach out to someone that he cared for.
And he cared for Hermione.
Reaching out, he gathered her in his arms and sat up against the wall, cradling the girl against his chest. She looked up at him, shocked beyond belief. Neither of them spoke.
And they stayed like that for a long time, worrying about the chaos happening miles away.
Author's Note: Thanks so much for all of the support for this story! I'm very happy that you guys like it. I want to say thank you to my friend kougaismine4eva89 for pointing out a mistake I made in my last chapter.
I hoped you all liked this chapter, I know it might be kind of a lot... sorry about that. Also, Draco's a bit different in this story... Is that called OOC? (Out of character?) Anyway, I apologize!
I wonder what's happened to Josh, Ron, Harry and everybody... And the castle was crumbling... ahhh.
Sienna-shirou