Hello readers. I have made you wait longer then usual for this chapter. But if I get enough reviews, then I will have the next chapter up tomorrow evening. It's up to you readers!
The first thing Draco saw when he stepped back into the gates of Hogwarts was Hermione being carried by two rather dumb looking Hufflepuffs. Helga fretted nearby, moaning and whining about something or another.
"Hey," Draco stalked over, with his usual rudeness. "She okay?" Helga looked up at him and sighed.
"She took a nasty fall down the stairs. I keep telling them to finish them, but it never gets done." she huffed. "Well, the only way to see it finished is to finish it myself." she nodded sharply, and pointed the students in the direction of the of the hospital wing. The two lumbered off, and Draco followed.
"You better not drop her," he sneered, surprised that he actually meant it.
"We won't." He followed, just to make sure that they didn't. He would never admit it, being the self-respecting pureblooded snob he was, but Hermione had always impressed him. If he found himself up late at night, too sore to sleep, he'd imagine what would happen if Gryffindor's and Slytherins didn't hate each other, because he honestly would rather have had Hermione snipping at him like she did Potter and Weasel then have Pansy drool over him all the time. But it didn't matter now. She hated him because of the distaste and cruelty he had shown to her when they were kids. Well, kids the first time around. Just because he had been de-aged to his fifteen year old self didn't mean she felt any better about him.
Hermione groaned and tried to roll over, but the two students held her up, absolutely terrified of the protective boy behind them. The fair skinned blond boy had the same intensity that Slytherin had when they spoke of his late wife. Draco growled at them and they picked up the pace, careful not to jostle the girl to much. Damn!
Hermione
Hermione was dreaming. Or she thought she was. Draco was in front of her, surrounded by a type of mist that floated and dissipated as she touched it. It had no texture, it wasn't cold, nor was it hot. It was just...there. That's why she thought it was just a dream. But as she walked towards Draco, and heard the clacking of her heels against the smooth sun tile underneath her feet, and the wind ruffling her hair.
"Draco what's-" he cut her off smiling.
"Hermione..." The high cackle rose from Draco's throat, and he held out an alabaster hand. "Don't you want me?" It chuckled. "We are one, you and I. Salazar has declared it so."
"No, he said something about being with Draco, not you." Hermione didn't know what partnership was exactly, because Salazar had been cut off, but whatever it was, it seemed intimate.
"But I am Draco," It said smoothly, stepping forward, and Hermione stepped back. "Come now, Hermione. Don't be stingy. Let's consummate our partnership." It struck Hermione. Partnership as in...? She shook her head. With Draco bloody Malfoy? Not likely. As well...hot as he was, he didn't like her. At all. Even if she was back in her fifteen year old body again.
"Get away!" she stepped back, and hit a wall. When in the name of Merlin did that get there?
"It won't be that bad..." It purred. Slowly the other Draco took off his shirt and dropped it to the floor, it pooling to the floor and disappearing. "Just...let..me...eat...YOUR SOUL!" It flew at her, nails extending and meeting sharp points, fangs glinting and dangerous. Hermione cowered, wondering if you could really die in your dreams, and sent out a silent plea for any gods listening.
Well, someone listened, because moments later, a blond figure was ninja streaking through the air, and kicked the fake Draco upside the head.
"Excuse me?" The man asked, stepping on the creature. It twitched wildly. Hermione gasped in shock when she saw the man was Trick. He wasn't wearing his fedora, in fact, he was wearing something that looked like it was from those mangas that she caught the twins reading. He brushed his hair out of his face, and ground his foot into the creatures back.
"U-um.." Trick held up a long elegant finger.
"What exactly do you think you're doing?" he bent over, and waggled his finger in front of it. It growled and snapped. "This is MY house. I am the only one who is allowed to strip at any point in time." He then regarded Hermione, looking her up and now. Then he smiled. "You may strip." Then he stomped on the monsters back and pointed menacingly at him. "YOU may not." It howled at him.
"Trick?" He looked at Hermione, still grinning.
"Don't tell me, you want me to help you strip?" Hermione reddened.
"N-no! Of course not!" He sighed, then pulled a wickedly sharp looking dagger from 'neath his cloak. Not even bothered, he dug it in between the shoulder blades of the creature, then withdrew it. Right in front of her eyes, the creature began to turn to ash, screaming in agony.
"So, Hermione. What brings you here?" he dug his pinky in his ear, and flicked earwax at the body of dust.
"I-thank you." he nodded. "But, I'm confused. I don't know why I'm here."
"Well, theres my answer. You want answers." She nodded, not quite sure. "Well, what exactly do you want to know dear?"
"How'd I get here? What's this partnership thing? Who're you? Can I go home? Why did you-" he brought up a finger.
"First answer is simple: magic. The second answer is extremely long and boring, but I guess you deserve it. Have you ever heard about betrothing and such?"
"Well yes."
"You see, when the founders took you under their wing, they took on responsibility for you. You're their dependent, because you have no relatives etcetera ad nauseum and so forth."
"Okay..."
"That means they can legally give your hand in marriage to whomever they wish." Hermione paled. Trick slapped his knee, "that's my girl! Bright aren't you?"
"He...betrothed me...to Draco Malfoy?" Trick nodded.
"That's the sum of it, yes."
"You're kidding me." he shook his head, still smiling like a maniac. Hermione's knees felt like jello. Trick cocked his head to the side.
"I don't see what the problem is, your sexy, he's sexy, heck I'm sexy. So what are you getting worked up about?" She turned red.
"WE HATE EACH OTHER!" she roared at him. "I'm a bloody Gryffindor and he's a Slytherin for Merlin's sake! We're polar opposites!" Trick raised an eyebrow and pointed to her robes.
"Look again." She looked down at her breast pocket, and saw the Slytherin quest neatly sown on. How could she have missed that?
"B-but.." he made a clicking noise.
"You humans with all your 'buts'! Honestly, they have other uses." he slid beside Hemrione, and made it clear what they should be used for, and he slapped him for it. Caressing his red cheek, he spoke again. "Why can't you guys take a risk? Maybe this boy really likes you, but he just hasn't shown it. Besides, I know plenty of people who hated each other then ended up getting married and living happily ever-well not happily ever after. No one's life is truly that happy, but you get the basic idea."
"He does hate me though. He made my life a living hell at school."
"I didn't think Godric regressed your mind as well." She looked at him. "Aren't you a grown woman?"
"Y-ye-yes." she stuttered. He threw out his hands, and strut forward.
"Prove it. Why don't you try to get along with the brat?"
"Why should I listen to you? I don't even know who you are!" she blurted out, reaching up to brush some hair out of her face. It was wet. She was crying. Great, she probably looked like a big baby.
"I," Trick puffed up, and looked at her. "Am the one, the only-"
"TRICK!" A rather angry man's voice shouted. He winced, and immediately ran over to Hermione.
"Time for little miss witch to go." He pushed her towards what looked like an edge.
"But you haven't told me-" He shook his head.
"No time, but I will tell you this. Zero and I are looking out for you. Just don't do anything stupid, like get yourself killed by that bloody nundu."
"Nun-?" he pushed her, and she was falling, which was natural, she guessed. She nearly opened her mouth to scream, and then stopped. Closing her eyes, she began humming breathlessly and thinking. She was calm, because of what Trick had told her. That they were watching out for her. If he wasn't, he most certainly wouldn't have dropped her off that cloud. Would he? She drove out the negative thoughts, and began thinking about things of much more importance. She'd trust the guy for now.
If she decided to be friends with Draco, it'd take a lot of work. By the looks of things, she didn't have much of a choice. She would have to marry him, if she stayed here long enough. They'd have to have kids, have to have...sex. Oh Merlin, sex with Draco Malfoy. A shiver went down her spine. Not that it wasn't a pleasant idea. Just..Merlin. Anyone who'd seen him fly past in those tight Quidditch robes, or had even looked at him walking down the hallway, would call him drop dead gorgeous. For a minute, she imagined what their kids might look like, then shook out of it. The challenge was getting him to even consider her a person, before she went off fantasizing about the future.
She opened her eyes, and saw she was hurtling through the air towards the infirmary wing. That's probably where her body was. Hermione flinched when she went through the roof, even if she didn't feel any pain. With a thud only she could here, she landed in her body. She opened her eyes, and looked blearily over to her left. Draco was yelling at a pair of students about being careful up steps, so she turned to her right, and saw something she never expected to see. Severus Snape's pitch black eyes bored into hers. She almost tensed up in terror, when she noticed something. He was fifteen too. And most definitely from her time. He was wearing a shabby robe, from a thrift store, no doubt, and he looked a bit sad and miserable. She calmed down, and looked at him back, bringing a finger to her lips.
Draco was done shouting, and walked over to the end of the hospital bed.
"Granger! You better be okay, you hear me! I am not being stuck in this godforsaken place with these idiots." He then stormed off.
"He's nice.." The young Severus whispered, rubbing his crooked nose.
"No, he really isn't." She whispered back. He laughed, and it actually sounded genuine. He stuck out a hand.
"I'm Severus, Severus Snape." She took his hand, and shook it, ignoring the pain in her lower back.
"Hermione Granger."
"It's nice to meet you, Hermione." He released his grasp, and pushed some hair out of his eyes. It wasn't greasy, when you took sometime to look at it. It kind of looked...fluffy.
"Nice to meet you too." She smiled.
"Do you know where I am?" She raised an eyebrow.
"A long way from home, but not to far from the stomping grounds you know and love." he looked puzzled. "You see, this is Hogwarts. But it's not the one you know," she pointed at him. "Or the one I know."
"You're a witch?" his eyes sparkled. "And how is that possible."
"Some guy by the name of Trick sent us back in time."
"But that's-"
"Impossible." She nodded.
"But he did it?" Again, she nodded. "No wizard alive has been able to send anyone back in time. The farthest anyone has gotten is a time-turner."
"Then we have a mystery on our hands." She saw his eyelids drooping. She yawned, feeling tired herself. "We can't do anything tired." she looked at him. "Allied in finding out who's screwing with us?" he yawned.
"Agreed."
"Night Severus."
"Night 'Mione." usually she hated that. But now, she wasn't so sure. She turned over, and closed her eyes, about to fall asleep. When Draco Malfoy quietly slipped in the door and sat on her bed. He leaned over, and kissed her cheek. Then he slipped out, quieter then a mouse. Hermione was flushed and blinked slowly. Maybe getting him to like her wasn't so hard after all...
Guess who owes me some cookies? Ra4chel-the 4 is silent! Well, we came THIS close to finding out Trick's Identity. Too bad. How many of you are drooling? Half-naked Draco is amazingly hot, even if he's being used as a disguise. You probably guessed what a 'partner' was before he explained. But we're smarter then these noobs in my story. Is this moving too slow for you? I care, reviewers, I do. All you readers don't matter cause you never give me any input. Jk. This is your chance to influence the story! For good or for worse! I read every review! Lol. Gabe, thank you for your...enthusiastic responses all in CAPS. Be a good citizen in the fanfiction neighborhood by reviewing.