Recap:
"Do you believe we'll get the Time-Turner?" Hermione asked solemnly after a moment's pause. "Honestly?"
"As things stand the odds are in our favor."
Chapter 7: Allies in the Alley
It would be months—nearly three—before any new information regarding the Time-Turner reached the stranded time-jumpers. Leala had been gone in all this time, sending only scant letters that told little, if anything useful. She'd left a few days after the gala, gone to her brother's home to persuade him to give up his treasure. And as the time ticked on Hermione and the others grew restless, their nerves worn raw with anticipation.
One evening Hermione had had enough. As the house slept, she slipped on her day clothes, her cloak, and her boots, then proceeded out the front door and down the hill into town. For too long she had sat in wait for something profound to happen. No book or thought enlightened her to the path back home. She was miserable here, the corset confining her air while Ron confined her living area to any space that he himself occupied. He wouldn't let her near Malfoy alone, not that she would want to be alone with him, but she liked to think it was her decision where to go and who to spend her time with. She loved Ron, as she always had, but his possessiveness was becoming overbearing. If ever she needed time alone it was now.
She made it halfway down the hill, her boots making no noise on the soft grass, when she was tugged back into something hard.
"Are you trying to get us caught?" a harsh voice demanded; Draco.
"We have been here for three months!" she yelled, shoving him away. Perhaps her violent aggression was a bit uncalled for, but her stress levels had reached their ultimate pitch. "I can't take another minute in this stupid time! With its stupid corsets and these damn boots!" She was in such a frenzied rage that she actually looked the part, her hair appearing bed messed even though she'd never slept. Her cheeks were flushed the perfect shade of pink. She looked phenomenal.
"Where are you going?" he asked calmly, keeping his distance. She was liable to strike. That, and his tranquil attitude would piss her off more, and no matter how much he loved her he still enjoyed their feisty brawls with relish.
"I need to get out," she snapped back waspishly. "I was going for a walk around town."
"And what girl with a dress like yours would walk alone in the middle of the night?"
She groaned loudly. He had a point, a very good point. If anyone recognized her then they would be under suspicion. As would Maddock, who certainly didn't deserve it. A mass hanging was not the sort of break from routine she was looking for.
"Well I'm not going back just yet," she said after a moment, crossing her arms over her chest, pushing it up further. "I can't stand sitting around doing nothing."
"How is a walk productive?"
"At least I'm not sitting on my ass."
Draco laughed, startling her. It was the first time she'd heard him laugh genuinely.
"Come on, Granger," he said, continuing on in the direction she had been heading. "Hermione," he corrected, still unused to saying her first name; mostly due to the fact that he hardly saw her to use it.
She was glued to the spot with shock.
"I thought you wanted to get out."
"Why are you helping me?" she asked skeptically, not moving.
"Let's just say I'm repaying a debt," he said nonchalantly, referring to when she'd saved his life back in their time.
"A debt I excused." Her teeth were clenched with something akin to anger. But mostly frustration.
"I don't work that way. Are you coming or not?"
She caught up in a matter of seconds and fell into step beside him.
"This doesn't mean I trust you."
"Ok." He shrugged. He never expected that. Not ever; even after the truce, which was little more than words.
"And I certainly don't forgive you."
"Yes, you told me that months ago. But I never asked you to."
"That night—" The night at the fire pit, the second night they were there. Surely he meant forgiveness.
"I was simply telling you where I stand. I realized I was wrong about a lot more than what side I chose. And I realized that I'd never apologized." He said all this with a straight face, his voice level. For all anyone knew he could have been reading from a script. What they wouldn't know, however, was how deeply he felt these words.
"Meaning?" She wasn't buying his act for a minute. He could still switch sides without getting all remorseful.
"Meaning I hated you for the wrong reasons."
"There were right ones then?" she scoffed.
"No," he sighed. He was beginning to regret helping her. She wasn't responding quite the way he'd planned. Or hoped, rather. "Look." He stopped, pulling her to stop with him. "I could never make you understand how I grew up. I'm not asking you to. All I want is for you to know I'm on your side. But you continually deny me that."
"Harry and—"
"I don't care about Potter and Wasley."
"But you just said—"
"I said you as in you. Hermione."
Suddenly she found it hard to breathe; nothing compared to wearing a corset. Her thoughts found the night of the gala when Ron had suggested that Malfoy could like her, love her even. She had never given it a second thought. Until now, though it still seemed utterly ridiculous. But still, something told her not to dismiss it completely, to keep her guard up.
"Draco?"
"Come on." He started walking again. "I don't want to be out all night."
He was kicking himself the whole way there. How could he be so stupid? What game was he playing? How much further towards the truth was he going to lead her? He didn't want her to know!
Or did he?
They reached the village in silence, but it was anything but. At nearly midnight the streets were bustling as if it were noon. Mostly drunks and whores and beggars, but a few scattered respected patrons. They tried to appear as such.
"Where to?" Draco asked, sounding annoyed. In truth he was very tired, but nothing would let him allow her to go off in a strange and dangerous town in the dead of night. Especially with its nighttime inhabitants.
Hermione shrugged.
"Just walk I guess."
She was about to continue on when he halted her. Her words were half-formed when he reached up and gently smoothed down her mussed hair, the palms of his hands brushing against her cheeks, then pulled up her hood, hiding her noticeably disheveled appearance.
"Don't want the townspeople to think you're a working girl," he explained with a certain degree of amusement. And to his astonishment she laughed along with him.
"Thanks Draco," she said, smiling uneasily. "I really needed to get out."
Without another word they set off into town, their arms linked at the elbows. If they were going to pretend to be together for safety's sake ten they were going to have to look the part. Neither questioned the others' willingness.
The rest of the night was relatively uneventful. They walked on, barely speaking, making a circuit around the village. All was calm, peaceful, as most people were now stone drunk in a sewer or back to their houses. That is, until they were on their way back to the cottage.
"Hang on," Draco said, stopping before an empty alley. "I have to piss."
Hermione wrinkled her nose at his crudeness. He walked on into the darkness, disappearing. And then she was all alone.
"Draco?" she called, hearing a rustle beside her.
Nothing.
"Draco?"
And then a bony white hand reached out, clasping tight around her exposed and frail neck. She was backed immediately into the brick wall behind her, her airways blocked to the point that she couldn't breathe, let alone cry out for help. A sallow face with sunken eyes loomed before her, a man with breath that reeked of cheap liquor and meat. She would have gagged if she could.
His mouth came down on hers, his other hand reaching offensively between her legs. And then she became conscious of the fact that her arms were free and grabbed for her wand. But the drunken rapist was too quick and smacked her arms behind her head, her knuckled crashing against the brick with a sickening crunch.
At least she could breathe now. Breathe, and scream.
And scream she did. She belted out a cry so loud and so fast that he hadn't the time to realize his mistake. He hitched up her skirts, fumbling with her undergarments, the white linen pant-like underwear she had to wear. Another man, seemingly out of nowhere, jumped in to restrain her arms to allow the first to do his deed.
Hermione squeezed her eyes shut, preparing for the inevitable. Clearly she was powerless to stop him, especially now that he had a friend aiding in this disgusting act. And all she could think about was that she was still a virgin and how many diseases these men must have. It made her want to cry, like the weak woman they saw her as. But she held strong and opened her eyes, staring straight on at her attackers. They seemed unfazed by this, and more aroused if anything.
"Whore," the first man breathed, undoing his belt buckle. The second man laughed, his grip on her wrists tightened. "Filthy whore."
He pressed himself against her, his hot sweaty skin nauseating. She felt the bile rising in her throat. Any second now and she would lose everything.
She braced herself with a deep breath, her eyes still open. There was a small noise in the distance, but nothing close enough to help her. There was a flash of light as the man positioned himself, and then he fell, stiff as a board, to the gravel ground.
Hermione was too shocked and scared and a hundred other emotions to comprehend the situation right away. Too shaky to sink to the ground like she wanted.
The second man keeled over just as easily. No sound. No struggle.
She registered the magic finally and turned her head to see Draco running towards her, his face white and contorted with rage. He had a dark spot of urine on the front of his pants from his haste, but he didn't seem to notice this. He kicked the rapist in the ribs with such force she was sure he'd broken at least one bone. She hoped he had.
After a few minutes his breathing slowed to normal and he turned to face her.
"Th-Thank you," she whispered, her body still shaking. She had never felt so helpless, unable to reach her wand. A sheen of sweat painted her forehead; she had been seconds from being raped. And Draco had saved her.
"Drunken scum," he muttered, giving the man's unconscious body another good kick.
"I guess now we really are even," she said, for lack of something better, something more suitable. Her shock still hadn't worn off.
"Fair enough." He shrugged. Inwardly, however, he was still trembling with fear. He was never going to let her out of his sight again!
He checked her over in silence, and she allowed this. Nothing obscene. Only making sure she wasn't injured; her face, her neck, her wrists. He smoothed down her hair like before, taking extra care this time.
"I think I can trust you now, Draco," she said, looking directly at him. "That was a very selfless thing you did. You didn't have to save me."
He looked up, their eyes meeting. The urge to kiss her, to hold her close to him, was so strong he felt himself actually leaning in. But, most shockingly, she was not backing away. Their lips were close enough to touch, when one of the drunks moaned in pain, his consciousness returning. Hermione hissed at him, adding to his bruises with another swift kick. Draco did a silent spell and he returned to his dead sleep.
"We should go," Draco said, though it was the last thing he wanted to do. They had been so close! Another inch and—Who am I kidding? She would never go for me.
"Yeah," she sighed. "I guess we should."
They walked all the way back to the cottage without further incident or words. In the front room they removed their cloaks and boots in silence. It wasn't until they were nearly departed for their separate rooms that Hermione finally said something.
"I know you haven't had it easy," she said, not looking at him. Suddenly she was very shy. "I understand that. And I understand your desire to be known as a good guy. What I don't get is your change in behavior towards me."
"I treated you the worst," he said, hoping to get out of this quick and easy. He was exhausted and over stimulated, in both good and bad ways. Though the more he thought about it, it was mostly bad, all bad in fact. He couldn't think about Hermione that way, especially now, after what had almost happened to her.
"Ok." She nodded with a small smile.
"What?"
"If you don't want to tell me just say so."
"But I—"
"Good night, Draco," she said, giving him a small, friendly peck on the cheek."I'll see you in the morning."
He was left standing in the darkness, his flesh burning from her touch.
Confrontation with Harry and Ron was unavoidable the following morning. Her conduct was so swayed, so off that they noticed the change in her immediately. So she told them what happened, leaving out certain points, such as Draco being so tender with her, or at least as tender as he could ever be.
The house was in an uproar by nine o'clock, and the only person that this didn't affect was Snape, who drank his morning tea as normal. Maddock insisted that they hunt for these men and show them true justice. Ron was all fire and ready to curse them into oblivion, as was Harry, his wand gripped tight in his quivering hand. Draco stood in the shadows, watching this activity until his was forced to participate when Harry approached him, tight-lipped and breathing heavy.
"Thank you," he said through his teeth.
"Lowering your pride far enough to speak to me?" Draco mocked, a smirk on his mouth. No, he wasn't going to make this easy. And for the first time Hermione didn't care, or notice for that matter. She was just happy to still be a virgin. As far as she was concerned Draco could do whatever he wanted. "How noble of you."
Before Harry could retort Hermione stepped in, her little hand pressing softly on his chest. He eased back and went to stand with Ron on the other side of the room, who was riled up with Maddock and ready to charge into town.
"You're such an ass," she said, shaking her head. But her tone was humorous, a smile hidden somewhere that the others couldn't see. A new understanding had been reached. They were beyond a truce. But no where near friendship. "Please don't provoke them."
"That's not part of our deal."
"You did a decent thing last night. Don't overshadow it with arrogance."
Draco huffed and rolled his eyes.
"Gryffindors ruin everything, you know."
"I know. But we also fix Slytherin messes."
"Does this truce last in our time, too?" He didn't know where the question came from, only that he wanted desperately to know.
"I hope so."
His heart lightened at these words, even if he remained outwardly passive. What was happening with them? They were being friendly, helping each other. He loved her, for Merlin's sake! When had things become so complicated? So different?
And somehow he had his parents and Voldemort to thank for this. If they had never been sent here none of this would have happened. Yes he would have switched sides, or so he supposed, but certainly no truce would have occurred. No semi-kindness. No hints at his true feelings, which he figured she was beginning to suspect. Last night her eyes had widened at something he'd said; she had realized something profound. He hoped she didn't try to talk to him about it.
"Right."
"Hermione!"
They spun around to see Celeste bursting through the front door, something shiny clutched to her chest. Her face was alight with joy, her cheeks red. She swept across the room and buried Maddock in her arms, kissing his face.
"I have it!" she cried, embracing Snape next, who stood stiff as if she were trying to pull his wand off him. "I have the Time-Turner!"
"No!" Hermione gasped, unbelieving.
Celeste thrust the small hourglass into her trembling hands. Draco stood close at her side, mesmerized. He was both delighted and sad. Was this to be the end of their civility together? He wanted suddenly to destroy it, smash it into a hundred tiny pieces.
But the look of complete elation on Hermione's face ceased these criminal thoughts.
"Let's get to work," she said, and gave Draco a pat on the shoulder, a simple gesture that had a thousand meanings.
Haaha! I can't believe I have another chapter already. Ok, so I have more time than I thought I did. But now I really do need to do my work. No chapters for a few days. And I mean it.
I WANT LOTS OF REVIEWS:D
