A.N: It's my Birthday tomorrow, so if you would review, it would make my day ;)
Chapter 4 ~ A leap of faith
Hermione was bored.
It takes a lot to get Hermione Granger bored.
She would concentrate fully during each lecture given by professor Snape.
She would stay awake in History of Magic, even when every other student had nodded off on a hot summer's day.
She would probably be interested if you decided to tell her how toilets function.
However, stuck in a never ending maze, with no sign of anything in their way, along with a very silent Draco Malfoy… Hermione was bored.
She sighed and ran her hand along the cool stone walls, letting herself follow Malfoy around another blank corridor.
Mr Malfoy was not bored as such, but irritated.
Of course, he didn't show this. He had been instructed as a boy to never show his emotions. That was what his father said anyway.
"Point me" he whispered to his wand as they reached another fork, and carried on down the left passageway, hopefully going north.
He was irritated at Ron Weasley.
It wasn't a rare occurrence, in fact it happened on a daily basis, but lately Malfoy had decided to keep out of his way. If the slytherin managed to put Hogwarts' precious 'King' of the golden trio in the hospital wing, he'd be hated forever more.
The again, I'm hated anyway.
He wasn't doing anything wrong in Hogsmead that afternoon. He and Blaise had just returned from sending a letter, as well as looking at some new luxury quills, when he was bombarded by a bundle of red-heads, freckles and Saint Potter. And Hermione. But he didn't think she counted really, as all she did was clutch her book bag and shout at Ron. Understandable really.
Insults and hexes I can take. Thought Malfoy. But there was no need for physical violence. He winced at he gently prodded his bruised cheekbone.
Suddenly, Hermione issued a small shriek from in front of him accompanied with a sharp 'Zap' and she crumpled to the floor like a rag doll.
"Granger?"
She issued a small moan and sat up, rubbing her head.
"Don't go that way" she said and pointed down the passageway she had just been turning into. It looked clear enough, but as soon as Malfoy had extended his fingers, they came into contact with what felt like a sharp jolt of electricity, and he jumped back cursing to himself.
"Told you so" The Gryffindor muttered, still sat on the floor. Surprisingly, a pale hand was stuck in front of her face and she stared incredulously up at Draco Malfoy.
"What?" said Malfoy shrugging. "I'm not going to bite"
Hermione ignored him and got up without any help. "I suggest we go that way" and pointed to another corridor, without breaking his gaze, which was again, unreadable.
He nodded, and they both set off.
XxXxXxXx
Fred and George were singing.
They had both decided that since they were stuck in an empty box for the next hour, singing wasn't a bad idea. Maybe it would help them face the wrath of the others later when they were all scrubbing used cauldrons or the dungeon floor.
"But when he felt Ill
He lay down to die,
Not a goblin 'o fay
Would see him go bye…."
George was singing a melancholy tune to 'Gruff the dead dwarf' as Fred joined in with some rather interesting sound effects.
"O' Gruff was pale white
His brain oozing green,
It slurped out his head,
Like Devonshire cream…"
At that gruesome part, Fred made some slurping noise and George stopped.
"That my brother, was a terrible slurping sound."
"No it wasn't! That was prime slurping!"
"Fred, if you were in a slurping competition, the 9 year old muggle girl you scared last week when apparating directly in front of her would get a higher place than you."
"Probably." Fred replied.
"Percy could get a higher place than you!"
"Hey!" shouted Fred. "That was offensive."
That was when Ginny and Blaise found them.
Well, found is not exactly the right word.
That was when Ginny and Blaise heard them.
Ginny was still marching on purposefully with a few scratches down her cheek, and Blaise was limping slightly, having just encountered around 20 Cornish pixies blocking their path.
They had swarmed down and attacked, one even biting Zambini's toe quite hard, hence the limping. Luckily, he had remembered the spell Hermione Granger had shouted in 2nd year, right before he ran out the classroom door.
They both reached another dead end, and Blaise was already turning away.
"C'mon Weasley"
"Wait!" she said and she pressed her ear against the cold stone wall.
"Can you hear that?"
Sure enough, a muffled conversation could just about be made out.
"….you…try again!" they heard
"Oh Gruff…as a sheep…
…listen…not asleep…"
"GEORGE! Those….not the right words!"
"It's Fred and George!" squealed Ginny and she started to bang against the stone and shout with all her might. Zambini covered his ears quickly. Boy, she could shout loud.
" FREEDD! GEEOORGGEE! IT'S MEE! GINNYY!"
"You might need to shout a bit louder Gin" came the muffled voices of the twins, slightly clearer than before.
"Yeah, the students in the astronomy tower might not have heard you."
"Why are you singing?" she said, no longer shouting.
"Because it is an entertaining past-time"
"And we're trapped", the other twin said.
"Blaise sighed and leant against the wall.
"Stand well back!" shouted Ginny, and on the other side of the wall, both Weasley's ran to the far corner of their room, knowing full well what Ginny planned to do, and knowing she was very capable of doing it.
"REDUCTO!" She shouted and Fred and George hugged each other tightly, afraid for their lives.
But nothing happened.
"Maybe you said it wrong" said Blaise patronisingly. Ginny scowled.
"I did not say it wrong, something's wrong with the flipping wall."
"Or your flipping head" he muttered under his breath so no-one but himself could hear.
Ginny was staring hard at the wall in frustration, when a small symbol of a water droplet appeared on the stone wall, again in emerald ink.
"What could that mean?" pondered the red-head to herself.
"Oh I don't know….water?" replied Zambini sarcastically.
"Oh haha, well done for winning 'state the obvious award' with water…."
Ginny stopped. She looked again at the sign.
"Water…" she muttered.
"Agumenti" she whispered and a jet of water hit the inked symbol.
It flashed blue before fading away and a symbol of a feather appeared in the bottom left hand corner.
Ginny smiled. She had this covered.
"Wingardium Leviosa"
The feather rose and disappeared, but this time two symbols appeared.
"Gin?" came a muffled voice.
"Are you doing anything useful?"
"Shut up!" she snapped. "I'm concentrating!"
The Gryffindor attempted the symbols one at a time, but nothing happened. Suddenly she whipped round to Blaise who was now sitting on the floor, idly twirling his wand in his fingers.
"Oi. Zambini. I need your help too!"
He sighed, and together, they managed to get past 25 magic related symbols. The stone wall slid back to reveal both twins, who had been surprisingly silent for a while, slumped on the floor.
They weren't moving.
"Fred? George?!" Ginny cried and rushed over to her brothers sides. She tenderly held Georges face, trying to see any sign on life
"George? Wake up George!"
All of a sudden his eyes flicked open and a large grin filled his freckled face.
"Come to rescue the damsel in distress have you love?"
A sharp smack echoed round the room and George sat up quickly, rubbing his cheek which was now decorated with a small red handprint.
"It wasn't my idea!" he defended.
"You had me worried!"
"It's nice to know you care" said Fred snickering, but stopped and backed away and Ginny growled, her facial expression remarkably similar to a certain Mrs Weasley…
"Ok we're sorry, we're sorry" The twins said in unison before she could inflict any more damage.
Blaise smirked.
XxXxXxXx
"Another one?" cried Hermione in frustration as they reached another dead end. They both had no choice now but to go the corridor that was protected by a large force field.
"It makes sense if you think about it." Replied Draco. "They wouldn't put it there and still let us find another way. This is our first obstacle."
They reached it again. This time however, as small piece of parchment was on the floor next to it.
Hermione rushed forward and scooped it up in excitement and nervousness.
"Read it aloud then" The slytherin said impatiently.
"The only way to you goal
Is past your trial right here…"
"Told you so."
"…It won't be easy or kind,
Not necessarily a fear,
Something like a thorn in your shoe,
Maybe a tad unfair,
Maybe it will open your heart,
To something new found there.
What is it? I hear you cry,
It's really simple, to keep you sane,
Read the following passage and use your brain."
Hermione stopped there and frowned at the parchment in puzzlement.
"Well? Carry on!"
"I can't" she said "It's in Latin!"
"Oh give it here." Said Malfoy, taking the riddle and scanning the words.
"You read Latin?"
Hermione begrudgingly admitted she was impressed.
"My father forced me to learn…" he muttered, concentrating.
As he continued his eyes grew wide and his face drained of colour. To Hermione it wasn't fear… could it be…anxiousness?
"Well?"
He cleared his voice.
"Masculus et femina,
oblitus praeteritis experimenta
quiete et felicitate mergi;
Ut mihi satis fieri tibi,
sit amet, vehicula at… oscularetur."
He said the last word rather strangled.
"English please."
He gulped and repeated himself, this time in English.
Male and Female,
forget past experiences
drown in the quiet and bliss,
All i need to let you pass,
is a simple, yet meaningful…
"Oh hurry up! We only have an hour!" Cried Hermione in exasperation as he paused again.
"…yet meaningful kiss."
Authors note:Sorry for all the 'Cliffys' but that's what makes a story interesting doesn't it? I made it longer to make up for the long lag time between updates, but I warned you it would be infrequent! Bonus points to anybody who can guess the campfire song I nicked some of the lyrics to, in Fred and George's sing along. Make my birthday special and REVIEW! :D