Hermione's hand immediately jumped to her heart, her fingers tightening upon her hidden scars. "Damn them. They can't come here. Not here." Tears blurred her vision, iron bands seemed to clench around her ribs, forcing her breath to become harsh and shallow.
"Mi ángel." Aaren pulled Hermione into his arms, shielding her from the world. Everyone had fallen silent, fear and anger so thick it was possible to taste them on the air. Cynthia was the first to break from her trance; gently she shook her family members until the glazed look in their eyes had retreated.
"C'mon, breakfast is getting cold." Her normally perky voice was softer and missing most of its pep. Silently the others followed, Hermione gritting her teeth to keep from screaming out. This weekend would be devoted to forgetting.
The weekend had come and gone in a blaze of improvement projects; transforming the bleak and desolate house into a home. She was back behind stone walls, the suffocation closing in again, fear climbing from its hellish hiding place to claw at her mind.
"Are you alright?" Hermione jumped, fighting her immediate instinct to turn on her heel, box the boy's ears, and run.
"Yeah, yeah I'm fine." Hermione said, extremely careful to keep her English accent in place.
"That's good. You had me worried, you were just standing there." The boys thick Boston burr made Hermione twitch.
"I'm fine, I'm fine. It's just a little strange to think of the fact that it's finally safe here." The words burned Hermione's mouth to speak. "But where are you from? You're not from around here, are you?" Hermione asked softly, her fingers flickering against her leg in an almost imperceptible rhythm.
"No, I just got here. My Professor said that your Headmaster would introduce us at dinner."
"Then we better head up to the school then, hadn't we?" Hermione said, forcing herself to smile at the boy. He nodded; it was physically painful for Hermione to walk beside him. The walk up towards the castle seemed to last an eternity, she only lasted to the edge of the lake.
"Oh! I promised Draco that I'd play Quidditch before dinner! I completely forgot!" Like a flighty teenager she ran after the distinctive blond hair of her enemy, cringing internally at the thought of him as a savior. Sliding her arm into the crook of his she leaned and hissed in his ear. "Right now you are the lesser of two evils, pretend you're my friend until we reach the castle and I won't tell anyone about the old Dark Mark on your arm."
"My, my Granger. Blackmailing me are we?"
"Yes, yes I am. I am so sorry I forgot about Quidditch this afternoon! I was shopping for a new dress."
"What happened to all your other dresses?" Draco drawled wondering where this was going, and did Granger even own dresses?
"Oh, but they're all so formal." Hermione whined. "This one's so much more fun!" Draco watched as Hermione's eyes followed their shadow as he passed them. "Not a word to anyone, Malfoy." Hermione hissed her mask slipping, her New York accent slipping through. "Believe me, you'll regret it."
A. N. Short chapter i know. please tell me what ya think