Fire and Powder

Chapter: 4

Disclaimer: See chapter 1

Note: I managed to get this out today, I'm surprised. I really didn't think I was feeling it today, but alas I found myself writing into the evening. This isn't a particularly long chapter, but it keeps the plot moving along steadily. Thanks for favoriting/following, it would be super cool if I could get some more reviews. AND I STILL NEED A BETA! I feel like a broken record.

"Unbeing dead isn't being alive"
- E.E. Cunnings

Draco didn't allow himself to think about the dead Gryffindor as he reentered the cottage. There was no time for such insanity. He just couldn't deal with it. Not now.

"Ah, son," Lucius greeted from his chair, pale face reflecting the flames of the fire. "Take a seat."

Draco did as he was instructed, unsettled by the seemingly calm disposition of his father. Where was his mother?

"Your mother is composing a letter, she will be with us momentarily."

This response only put Draco further on edge. There was a storm brewing in his father's eyes, and he just hoped it wouldn't destroy them all.

They sat in silence for a moment, Draco sitting rigid against the back of the couch, Lucius staring into the fire.

"We are…continuing on."

Draco looked up, perplexed. So soon? Where could they possibly go? His father had said it himself, there was no escaping the Dark Lord.

Lucius continued before he had a chance to voice his confusion. "Cadiz, your mother and I believe, will be of more assistance to us."

Cadiz? Spain? Draco hadn't been to the Spanish coastal home in years. He vaguely remembered the city at all, he had been so young. It was their least frequented family home on the entire continent. Spain was always a bit too…rowdy…for Malfoys, but they had kept the home in the family due to Cadiz's notorious wizard population. It was known to house not only a large collection of European wizards, but also an assortment of more exotic ones. All in all, it was quite a mix, and Draco was having a tough time wrapping his head around why this location was deemed more appropriate than their present location.

"But Father, I fail to see how Cadiz is any different than Switzerland when it comes to the Dark Lord—"

"The Dark Lord is otherwise occupied at the moment and your mother is currently busy determining why and for how long. We will make haste while we can. Cadiz is known to house the more…experimental…forms of magic, and I have some very interesting connections to look into."

Draco took this information in, processing it slowly while he tried to determine what exactly his father wasn't telling him. Hmm.

"Experimental magic?" Draco clarified.

"Yes, neither dark nor light in nature. Perhaps something that can help us with our most pressing…problem," Lucius glanced down at his forearm and Draco got the hint.

Was it possible to remove the Dark Mark? Certainly it couldn't be. But his father would never waste time traveling so far if he did not have well enough reason to believe there was something to be gained. And what of these connections? Thoughts twisted around themselves in Draco's mind, a hurricane of confusion and questions. One question in particular pressed its way to the forefront of his brain.

"So we're switching sides?"

Lucius looked taken aback, almost gaping at his sons words.

"I would never go as far as to say we are switching sides! Malfoy's rooting for the light? That is preposterous! We can believe in the Dark ideals without supporting the Dark Lord. We can also believe in the Light without fighting with Potter and his ridiculous band of Gryffindor's." Draco struggled to force thoughts of Granger out of his head. Not now. "We are removing ourselves from the situation all together. We are neither light nor dark, we support no one but ourselves." Draco had never heard such a Slytherin statement in his life. He nodded at his father's explanation just as his mother walked back into the room.

"How long until we can expect a response?" Lucius asked his wife as she sat herself next to Draco on the couch.

"Andromeda has always been prompt, and we can just pray she will also being discreet," Narcissa responded. Draco was surprised at how easily his mother managed his aunt's name. She hadn't been mentioned in his household since before she could remember. It was a true testament to the desperation of the situation that she was forced to seek out the help of her outcast sister now.

"I suppose all there is to do is wait," Lucius said was a sense of finality.

Draco was quickly becoming bored of the appallingly small library of the cottage. He had read all of the books at least once at this point, and very few were worth reading a second time. It had been two days since his mother's letter was sent asking for information. They still hadn't heard from Andromeda, and hoped it wasn't a sign that she had no intention to help them whatsoever.

He was seated in his bedroom, back once again propped against the headboard, as he sifted through one of the less boring tomes on wandless magic.

"This room again?" Hermione asked, causing Draco to jump and drop his book onto the floor beside his bed.

"What do you think you're doing?!" he demanded, regaining his dignity. He wasn't frightened, of course not.

Hermione ignored his question and instead reached down to grab the book that had fallen. Draco was surprised that she was able to pick it up, that couldn't mean she was real, could it?

"Wandless magic, fifth edition, by Gerome Socrades?" Hermoine read, flipping through the pages. "Hm, this is one of his better works."

Draco rolled his eyes. Of course she had already read it, what hadn't she read? Hermoine set the tome on the bed next to him and Draco resumed his questioning.

"How did you get here?"

Hermione's eyes blazed with anger. "You know perfectly well how I got here!" Her hand automatically reached for her wand, once again surprised to find her pocket empty.

"Yes, yes, very well," Draco responded. "But if I recall correctly, you should be DEAD now, not in my BEDROOM!"

As soon as the words left his mouth he wished he could take them back. Not because of the hurt look on Granger's face, Merlin no, but because he shouted so loud there was no way his parents hadn't heard.

"Why you—" Hermione was cut off by the sound of knocking at the door.

"Draco?" The door opened suddenly and Narcissa was standing in the doorway, peering in with an alarmed look on her face. "Is everything alright? Were you talking to someone?" Her eyes scanned the room furiously for signs of an intruder.

Draco's eyes darted between Granger and his mother.

Hermione looked towards Narcissa, confused. Could she see her? Narcissa's eyes flitted smoothly over Hermione's form, nothing registering on her face.

"She can't see me," Hermione said, mostly to herself, deeply disturbed by this finding.

"No, mother, I'm sorry to have disturbed you." Draco's calm façade came back easily, and he feigned nonchalance. "I must have dozed off while reading. I was probably dreaming."

Narcissa stared at him a second longer, debating whether to accept his rather bizarre explanation. She had distinctly heard him shouting!

Draco sighed when his mother nodded once and closed the door behind her. Hermione was still reeling in her shock from the whole encounter.

"Why can you see me?" she asked.

"I've been asking myself that very question for days now, thanks," he responded sarcastically. He had had enough of this nonsense, surely it needed to stop soon. Draco was struck with the sudden horror of being faced with this for the rest of his life. He wouldn't survive. He would need to be committed to St. Mugios or worse.

"There must be some logical explanation," Hermione pondered, mulling it over in her head. "I shouldn't be here."

"Finally we agree on something. Leave, you've haunted me enough for one day."

"Oh I'm sorry my presence annoys you so much, maybe you should just kill me again!" Hermione shouted.

Draco had to remember to keep his volume to a minimum as the anger boiled up inside him, demanding to hex something. "Trust me, I would if I could!"

"Right, cause you're a murderer! A soulless, evil, murderer!"

"Shut up!" he shouted, before he remembered to be quiet. "Shut up," he repeated more quietly. But she was already gone.

End note: Fun/pleasant/stuff coming soon. Draco and Hermione just need to work out their issues first!