Things get exciting, to confusing, then to just all got infuriating- But not all on Draco's behalf... At least, until the realization comes out in a flurry.
"This is just really, really bad!" Jarina exclaimed as she tossed her bag into the back of the SUV, quickly followed by the rest of ours as we filled into the car swiftly, wasting no time in leaving, "Pugot don't come out during the day!" she continued, already pulling onto the road, the vehicle moving quickly, "They're nocturnal monsters. Mostly perverted creeps that like stealing underwear."
Her words did not help my mood in the least, seeing as I was pretty much chest-humped by another mAN, "Well, this one decided to change its ways!" I snapped, turning my head to look at the building, "What the bloody hell just happened back there anyways? I know we just killed something, but what was it doing there?"
In the rearview mirror, I could Jarina's jaw set grimly, and her eyes narrowed at the road as we moved onto a two lane highway, "Things are a lot more serious than I thought." She let out, "Capiz is pretty much the harbor of supernatural beings, and there's a barrier that supposed to keep them all inside. But with the times going as they are, the barrier's weakening, and everything it's been designed to keep in are starting to move out already." She bit her lip and let out an aggravated noise, "It's all going to end up in chaos!"
"Jare!" Harry exclaimed suddenly.
I blinked as something big and flat started towards the windshield. I had been too busy listening to Jarina's story to realize that she was driving point-blank into a large cement wall at the apex of a deep curve. My arms lashed out on instinct, one grabbing onto the top handlebar, the other thrusting out in front of Hermione to the handle on the door, pinning her to the seat.
Was the woman out of her mind enough to kill us all?
"What the fuck-!"
We went right through the wall, the expectation of an impact so great, none of us moved for a moment, our breaths hitched high in our throats as the car seemed to have gone through the wall like a thin sheet, everything passing in a blur.
"Like platform 9 ¾." Hermione breathed, slumping forward against my arm.
Eyes wide, I stared at the windshield, absorbing the scene outside.
"But it isn't platform 9 ¾," Harry said a bit shakily as he sat up properly in the passenger's seat.
Jarina frowned and let out a huff, "I'm getting real tired of everyone making it seem like I'm about to kill us all. Seriously, it's like as if no one's experienced magic before."
"That's because you don't come with a hazard label." I said on impulse, "Giving us a warning would help the lot of us, you know."
Hermione let out a groan of exasperation then looked out the window beside her, "Jare, where…? A beach?"
Jarina popped her door open and nodded, "Secluded really, but we're at a beach cove in Capiz, the closest open area to the forest as possible without really having to live in it."
"Like Hagrid at the Enchanted Forest at Hogwarts." Harry said, reminiscing with a smile as he too opened his door-
BAM! BAM!
The doors suddenly slammed shut, the locks snapping down automatically.
"What the bloody hell?" I exclaimed, pulling and pushing at the handle of my door angrily, "Jare, what the fuck is going on?"
"Alohamora!" Hermione let out, pointing her wand at the door, but to no result.
Jarina was staring at the door in shock, her mouth open in confusion, then the car horn blared on its own, making everyone inside jump, then she shut her eyes tightly and screamed, "JACKSON! YOU BRAT!"
Then, a variety of sounds went off inside the vehicle, making my ears hurt, Hermione even took the initiative to cover her ears, and then a tall and large silhouette went up to the car-
And patted the roof soundly, Pom-Pom.
Everything stopped, and Jarina got out of the car in haste, her brown eyes livid, "You Brat!" she screamed, jumping a tall young man, and they fell to the fine white sand in a heap, arms and legs lashing out dangerously.
"Jare!" both Hermione and Harry let out as they got out of the car.
Our tour guide must've known the person, so I didn't bother myself with it, rather, I looked out at the scenery in amazement. The sand crunched lightly beneath my shoes, a light cool breeze passed, rustling the nearby trees while the clear ocean's waves crashed some ways in front of us. It was like the perfect place for a vacation.
Fuck the monster hunting.
"It's so beautiful, isn't it?"
Snapping out of my reverie, I looked down at Hermione. She too, must've turned her attention away from the little quarrel, and had instead chosen to walk up beside me. She had her hands clasped behind her back as she smiled, "I wouldn't mind spending our time here, even if it meant we had to work a bit… I mean, at least we've got this to enjoy afterwards."
Fuck what I just thought about fucking the monster hunting.
"-And these two are Hermione and Draco." Jarina's voice suddenly piqued in.
I was suddenly hunched over as a tough and heavy arm fell upon my shoulders, bowing me down somewhat, "What the-?"
"Enjoyin' the view?" a low voice asked lively, "Yeah, they all do, 'coz you're all supposed to, seeing as this a 'perfect' area!" then the person laughed loudly, and I frowned.
"Perfect area?" Hermione asked, skeptically.
I turned my head to see Jarina's brother-
A tall young man who had me questioning their said family relationship. Where Jarina was short and fair, Jackson was tall, and well darkened, his short cropped brown hair streaked with blonde highlights. He smiled broadly and slapped me hard on the back, making me wince.
"Yeah, in weather conditions, food supply, settin'- Everythin' about this little cove is perfect-" he gushed.
"Save for the fact that it's the gate and home of most of the Philippines' monsters." Jarina finished, crossing her arms over her chest.
I watched as Harry walked up behind Jarina and quirk an eyebrow at the three of us. I frowned in confusion and looked at Hermione, who was looking up at Jackson, who in turn had his arms wrapped snug around her waist.
All of a sudden, my skin heated up, and a rage boiled in my veins- Yet, before anything could be done about it, Hermione walked off towards the car.
"I guess this is where we get our bags and set up, hm?" she called out, her arms held up in a light manner.
OoOoOoOo
"So people live here too?" I asked as we walked into a cabin, bags in hand.
The cabin was pretty neat, even in my view- Not classy or expensive, but neat, seeing as it was made in the trees-
Like a sturdy tree house, everything was made from live wood from the trees nearby. They were twisted and manipulated into growing more branches with thicker stems to bend and spread for whatever other use. It was amazing really, a true master of plant manipulative magic must've done it some years ago.
"Yeah, others like Jackson and me, though the people stationed here are supposed to keep watch, making sure the level of monsters escaping stays down." Jarina said, her words growing shallow towards the end, eyes boring into her much taller sibling. Jarina only stood a few inches above his elbow, but she still seemed menacing and very dangerous.
"Stop staring at me like that!" Jackson snapped, "It isn't my fault! We can't oversee the entire rainforest, much less keep watch over everythin' inside it!"
"You could if you'd stop messing around, doing nothing but entertaining yourselves!" she retaliated, "And the place is filthy!"
Harry smiled nervously between them, as Jackson was at his back and Jarina was at his front, "Hey, hey, just calm down, we can settle all this later."
I sneered and continued to walk.
"The wondrous relationship of siblings," Hermione sighed as she walked beside me, the two of us entering a spacious living room.
"Wouldn't know." I muttered, turning my head to look at the trio behind us, "I'm an only child, and seeing those two makes me happy that I am." I continued before finding myself in front of a wooden door.
"Well, so am I, but you have to admit, it must be fun." She replied with a shake of her head before tilting it towards me, "I guess you'll take that room?"
I smirked, "Might as well, it's the closest to the kitchen." And with that said, I reached over and opened it, revealing a brightly lit room, due to the window that pretty much took up an entire wall. A sheath of leaves served as the curtains, and my eyebrows arched as I noticed the cabinet, closet, and desk, all a part of the walls- along with a bed that was set into the floor- Which really had me stare at it for awhile in wonderment. If the sheets weren't white, and the mattress didn't look so soft, I would have asked where I'd sleep. Clearly, the floor was available.
"Yeah, we all question Mom's architectural craftsmanship, but it works out pretty well when you have a sudden desire to just jump into it." Jackson said to me as he poked his head in to see why I had frozen, a happy smile plastered on his face, which was starting to annoy me.
I whirled on him, "Ms. Don made this place?" I exclaimed.
Jarina laughed and shook her head, "What? No. She had a friend of hers make it a few decades back with her telling him what to do, I have no idea why, but there isn't a man on Earth that can say 'no' to Momi."
"… Well… I can't say I have any complaints. It's a little strange but… Isn't everything else?" I let out cheerfully as I set my bags to the side.
OoOoOoOo
Night came along quickly, and I, like the others, had used the time to set up the rooms that we'd be staying in. Luckily, there were five, just enough for all of us. And currently, everyone was getting ready to eat.
"So this is like a headquarters?" Hermione asked Jackson as all of us settled at the dining table.
"You could say that. See, Mom used to be a big part of the Operation." He said proudly, "The Operation being guarding the gateway, or barrier." Then he shrugged, "But I guess something happened, she won't tell us what, and Jare and I have taken the positions instead."
A hot steaming pot and a large casserole dish was set onto the table by Jarina, and she straightened up with a satisfied smile, "Momi doesn't talk much about the past, and we know better than to question her about it." She sighed, "She's an angry wreck when it comes to anything sentimental."
Harry shrugged and stood to pile food onto his plate, the aroma making my mouth water, "Well, everyone's got their problems, and we're all about to fix one, aren't we?" he asked, digging in once he sat down.
"You're bloody optimistic," I commented, pilling my plate as well, starving from all the moving, "I mean, we just got here, and already you're making it seem like we're knights ready to fight a dragon."
"We actually got some of those around here." Jackson said absently, "But they're real old and kinda useless now."
"That's a mean thing to say." Hermione said, looking at him as everyone took their own portions.
Jackson smiled at her, "They used to terrorize the people, I think I got a right to insult their existence."
Then, her brown eyes widened slightly and she sighed in defeat, a soft smile playing on her lips, "Well, since you put it that way, I suppose I should apologize, hm?"
I glowered, and looked down at my food before eating ravenously. That man was getting along quickly with Hermione…
"Oh yeah," Harry started, looking up at Jackson with a sudden interest, "What was all that this afternoon with the car, what did you do?" he asked, "It just went bonkers until you touched it."
Jackson smiled and leaned back in his chair, beaming, "It's my type of magic."
Jarina groaned and bowed her head, "Here we go."
"See, Jare's got the whole 'organic' thing goin' on, right? With the tree movin', the dirt pilin' and junk. Well, then I'm everythin' technical. From cars, to computers, and cell phones!" he grinned, "I work the electronics here, bend 'em, switch 'em on, I'm pretty much a hacking center!"
"And he's so good that he's going to leave tomorrow for some stupid boxing match in Roxas City." Jarina droned sarcastically, obviously irritated.
"You're just going to just leave?" Harry asked, surprised.
"You guys're here, and I've been here for several weeks now. I don't see the harm in joinin' the boys for some fun time." He said, sounding like as if he was being blamed for something he didn't do.
This had me annoyed. Talk about being lax on one's responsibilities… There's no way I'd let Hermione get close to a shit-head like this one!
"Well, that's selfish." Hermione reprimanded.
Clearly, she already knew better...
She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back in her chair, looking like a strict teacher ready to deal out a punishment of sorts, "Even though Jarina just got here, along with us, you can't just neglect your duties, and from what Jare has been saying, you weren't even doing your job right."
"Hey." Jackson said dangerously, his dark eyes boring into the brunette, "You don't know shit about what I went through this past month, but I can tell you I haven't been layin' my ass around like a sloth!"
"Yeah?" Jarina shouted butting in, "So why don't you explain to me the sudden increase in sightings? And in broad daylight even!"
Jackson stood up, the legs of his chair grinding against the floor noisily, "You can't say anythin', Jare! You've been gone for years! You can't just come bargin' in here, tellin' me that I've been doin' things wrong when you haven't even done anythin'-!"
"JUST SHUT THE BLOODY HELL UP! BOTH OF YOU!" I exclaimed, still seated in my chair, my silverware making slight chinks on the plate as I set them down, "You two just saw each other today, and this is our first dinner here. Already, the food is getting spoiled because of the tension and everyone's spit in the air!"
"Draco." Harry said warningly, giving me a look.
"No, he's right." Hermione interjected, her eyes settling on me briefly before she looked at the siblings, "Yes, it was wrong of us to make assumptions about a job we have just started to learn about, and both of you have been under a lot of stress, and-"
"Damn right, I have." Jackson interrupted, "That's why I'm goin' out tomorrow." He grunted and pushed away from the table, making his way out to leave, his plate in hand. "Enjoy the night, I'll stay out at Jerome's." He said, meaning that he'd sleep over at another cottage.
Once he left, Jarina stormed off, Harry following after her quickly- Leaving Hermione and me at the table. I had decided to finish my food before saying anything, though I had to admit, the whole thing had me shaking a bit from agitation. There goes an enjoyable dinner, downed to awkward silence.
The two siblings really were something, opposites, in everything. Jarina seemed very responsible and diligent, whereas Jackson was more laid-back and carefree… Even with their age differences, could it be understandable? Maybe he could relate to the young man, seeing relaxation as a necessity.
"Still entertaining the thought of having had a sibling in the past?" I inquired, breaking the silence that permeated, after I finished my last bite.
Hermione looked at me, her brown eyes deep and dark, and I suddenly wondered if she would laugh or just scowl at me.
"Everyone argues." She said with a shrug, standing up to collect the plates, the empty pot, and the empty casserole, I was surprised that we actually ate everything, "I'm sure it'll all work out in the end, though since they haven't seen one another for awhile, it could take a long time for the things between them to mend. But now that I really think about it, I have to take into consideration both parties feelings. One being left behind while the other worries constantly…"
I noticed the dead tone in her voice and suddenly related it to the time she told me about her situation with the stupid red-head. It made me shiver with uncertainty. Where was the feeling she normally had when discussing events like this? Before, she'd sound serious with concern dripping all over before she got determined and then deciding to do something about it…
"Time heals everything for you, doesn't it?" I asked without thinking- not that I'd take it back.
No beating around the bush anymore, I decided.
She said she was open about it. So let's see just how open she was.
With the plates in a nice pile in her arms, her eyes centered on me and she shrugged again, "Medication most likely would have led me to addiction. Self-inflicted pain complicates things, and suicide helps no one. Time and acceptance seemed like the most rational course to take. Meditation. Reflection." She explained coolly.
I didn't believe in any of it.
Standing up, I took the plates from her and went into the kitchen, setting them in the sink. Then I rolled up my sleeves before turning on the faucet while I poured liquid soap onto the sponge.
"Draco Malfoy? Washing dishes?" Hermione suddenly asked, walking up and settling herself beside me with a dry cloth.
I smirked and shrugged my shoulders, "Life is hard, I can depend on others for only so long." I said as I scrubbed the dishes clean under the cold falling water.
I looked at her as I passed her a dish, and she smiled.
"I think you just didn't have the courage." I said.
Her eyes widened, and she almost dropped the dish I handed to her. But I didn't stop.
"Medication also has side effects, and you probably weren't all too sure on whether or not you could go through that. Hurting yourself would be too obvious. Suicide is just out of the question because you're selfless, and you knew that if you died you'd hurt everyone here you've left behind." I had turned the tap off and faced Hermione directly, knowing that my eyes bore right into her own.
Suddenly, she looked wilted, her skin had paled, and her eyes lowered as she turned away towards the sink, reaching over to turn the tap on again so that we could resume washing, but her tone was strong and solid, "So what do you want me to do, Draco?" she asked, taking the sponge, "Just suddenly break down and cry, scream out my pain and regrets, pour all of my sorrows onto you?"
I frowned, but she continued.
"I learned how to cope with pain over the years, Draco. I'm not that little girl I used to be whenever I was jinxed or made fun of." Then she turned to me bearing an expression I had never seen before.
It was fierce, filled with determination and hatred, "I've realized that the more I accept the pains, the easier it is to live. I don't have to think back on the memories in regret, rather, I can look back and know that I can't change it. I can look back and sigh, and instead of wondering what went wrong, I can think about taking another step forward-" then a dish slipped and clattered onto the bottom of the sink, though it remained unscathed.
While she hastily tried to take hold of it again, I turned off the tap, tossed the sponge aside, and grabbed Hermione by the shoulders. Forcing her to face me, I started, "Hermione, you're just human, meaning that everything is natural. And you're lying. Lying to me, Harry, everyone else, but the one you're mostly lying to is yourself." I leaned down slowly and peered into her face, taking in her features. She shied away a bit, her eyes darting to the floor, but I held her firm and made sure to stay in her vision, "Listen, because I know that your pain is going to eat you up from the inside. It will bounce around your heart, tear it to pieces and one day, you'll break-"
She glared at me and reached up with her own slender hands, grasping my wrists as she threw them off her shoulders and to the side, her cheeks were hot with fury, but her tone didn't rise, "Why are you telling me all of this, Draco? Did you take up psychology? Do you plan on being my shrink? Because I can assure you-"
I stood up straight and let my arm fall to my sides while I looked down at her, "No… It's just that I don't want you to fall to the floor the moment you're alone, to succumb to the darkness in the corner of a room and wonder why everything went wrong in your life. I want you to know that-"
"You're there for me?" she finished, looking up into my eyes, hers suddenly soft like melting chocolate, "Draco, I know that already, I know that Harry's there, that my parents are there- that you're there for me. But what really gets to me is the fact that I can't go to one more friend because he's the reason I need to turn to someone for comfort." Then her jaw set and her fists clenched, "It isn't fair for you to compare my pain to that which you have felt before so many years ago with your family, and the decisions you had to make.
"That experience helped you to become who you are now, but what about me? Will I become someone radical because Ron cheated on me and I did nothing about it? A man-hater?" she laughed hollowly and shook her head, "Draco… You can't possibly try to empathize with me when our situations are completely different."
I stared at her for a time I could not possibly mentally count, but it seemed like years. She looked so worn and tired, but she was strong, so strong that she had built walls of four-inch steel around her heart that had been torn into. Then, I turned away and looked at the sink- to see that all of the dishes had been washed, and were stacked neatly in the rack. Magically.
I sighed and turned back to Hermione, who was gazing up at me expectantly. What could I say to that? She didn't go through the typical process of acceptance, but she had reached it. She was everything I just couldn't be, walking through the Briar Patch of Life, and coming out with a smile despite the cuts and scratches inflicted by the thorns.
"Then…" I started nervously, unable to really look her in the eyes.
"Yes, you can." She said with a nod, already knowing my question.
And with that said, my arms wrapped around her lithe form and I pulled her to my chest, crushing her body to mine. I felt her own slender arms slide underneath mine before wrapping around to my shoulders, and I rested my cheek on top of her hair, shaking my head in disbelief, "I can't believe this…"
She looked up at me questioningly, "What?"
I looked down at her, and before she could say anything to stop me, I closed the space between and kissed her passionately.
Now, understand me when I say that I was scared out of my wits as I did that. I didn't know anything as to how she'd react, and at that moment, I didn't care. So once I started, I didn't stop, instead, I deepened it, and once she responded, I swear I almost passed out from the anxiety I was holding. The minutes it took felt like a millennia, and we broke apart with a quiet gasp.
"I can't… I can't believe that you're stronger than I will ever be." I let out with a breath, resting my forehead against hers.
She smiled and rubbed the tip of her nose against mine, "You can ride a broomstick without fear."
"So I can." I mused.
... End of Chapter Seven... And the Fic...
Tis no lie my readers~
After so long an update, after months of school and the paranoia of catching the current pandemic-
I've had no choice but to finish it. Really though, I had bigger plans for this story, like, more adventure and culture learning, it was supposed to be REAL EPIC-
But no choice! T.T
Thank you, my readers for reading, and the reviewers for reviewing-
But don't think for a moment that I won't write any more!
... I'll just stick to one shots from now on...
Much Love~
=^w^= ReWriter
p.s. My other story, A Few More Waves to Crash is an alternative ending to this. I actually had a lot more ideas for it all… But lack of consistency and persistence on my part ends the series.
