Chapter seven:

Hermione hissed in pain when she stepped right on a sharp rock and she could feel it even through her shoe. She leaned all of her body weight onto a tree and pulled the rock, that was deep in the sole of her shoe, out.

Draco groaned when Hermione made a reason for them to stop AGAIN. That was the fifth time that day, and he especially wanted to get back to Hogwarts and away from her filth as soon as possible. "Again, Granger? Is a little walking too much for the poor wittle Grwffindor?" he mocked.

She glared at him. She stayed leaning against the tree for a while, savoring the feel of the shade it provided. The sun was starting to hurt her eyes, and she couldn't at its brightness much longer. "Shut up, Malfoy. If you want to keep going so badly, then go! You don't need me; you've made that VERY clear. And I surely don't need you."

He scoffed. "Doubt it."

Her mouth fell open slightly and she so badly wanted to hex him. "How dare you!" she yelled. Her hair was frizzier than it normally was, considering she hadn't brushed it in about a week, and it resembled a long afro that fell to her shoulders. "Besides, I can take care of myself," she stated matter-of-factly.

"You positive, Granger? Who was the one who got food?"

"Who was the one who made a shelter," she challenged.

"Yeah, and look at how well that worked out." Now he was getting frustrated. He couldn't take her anymore; he had to leave. He honestly couldn't care less if she made it back to the castle alive or not. It has been a week, and it seemed as though they were going in circles. The forest was like a maze; a maze they would never be able to find they way out of. If Apparation was possible here, Draco wouldn't bother going to Hogwarts; he would go straight home, and most likely complain about how he should have gone to Durmstrang so he wouldn't have to be surrounded by the likes of Granger.

Hermione's eyes narrowed. "Go, then. It makes no difference to me."

Draco said nothing, but he turned and walked off, not looking back once.

Once he was out of sight, Hermione sighed heavily. She leaned her head against the tree and closed her eyes. Now she was alone. But wasn't that what she wanted? Of course! She would rather be alone than with the likes of Draco Malfoy.

So, she kept walking, keeping her head held high.

After what felt like hours, Hermione decided to take another break and sit at the trunk of a very large tree. It was starting to get dark and she hadn't seen Malfoy since their little fight earlier that day. Knowing him, he probably got himself killed or something like that.

She was taken from her thoughts when she heard something that sounded an awful lot like running water. Running water? The Black Lake? Was she finally back at Hogwarts?

Her heart rate quickened and she stood up so quickly and ran towards the sound that she almost fell over in the process. It had to be the Black Lake! Never, would she have thought she would have been so happy to see the Giant Squid.

But her smile instantly turned into a frown when the sound of water did not come from the Black Lake. It was just a small pond that flowed steadily and too loudly for a pond. However, curiosity enveloped her and she walked towards the pond, getting on her knees in front of it, and looking down into it. She wondered if this was good enough to drink or if it was just another one of Dumbledore's enchantments. She decided not to take her chances, just in case it was poisonous or something.

Then something began to form at the bottom of the pond.

Hermione had to squint to see what it was, but it looked like shadows of two people of some sort. But they were too blurry that she was unable to put any names to faces.

In a moment's time, the blurry faces became clear and what Hermione saw in there made her gasp loudly. It was Harry and Ron! They were floating at the bottom of the pond! They were travelling too, and fell in! Hermione had to do something; they could be dead for all she knew and if she lost them, she would have no one who would really understand her.

Her hand clutched tightly to her pink beaded bag and she felt herself leaning forward. It was almost as if she was compelled to do so.

Before she knew it, she fell right into the pond.

She swam down as far she could and reached down to grab Harry and Ron. She had to save them; they were her best friends. But her hand went right through Ron's chest. They were illusions! This was a trick!

Hermione's lungs burned; she had to get up to the surface, or she would surely die. She swam up to about five feet below the surface, but when she tried to swim further up, her eyes began to close and she felt all of the air leaving her lungs. It was almost as if her lungs were shriveling up inside of her chest.

: )

Water left Hermione's lungs as she coughed it up on the ground. What was going on? Where was she? How did she get out of the pond?

She looked around, her dripping wet hair flying around as she turned her neck. A few feet in front of her was Draco Malfoy, who was also soaking wet.

"What the hell were you thinking, Granger? I thought you were the brightest witch of your age!" He yelled, sounding annoyed.

Her breathing was heavy and jagged. "They-they seemed so real. The pond seemed to pull me in."

"They? Who the hell is 'They'?"

"Harry and Ron! I saw them at the bottom of the pond and-" she stopped herself and allowed her eyes to narrow at the blonde boy sitting across from her. She completely dropped the subject of Harry and Ron, and demanded, "Why did you save me? I thought you hated me. Why did you come back?"

He exhaled sharply. "I wasn't much farther ahead of you and a heard a loud splash, and, thinking it was the Giant Quid from the Black Lake, I ran to see where it come from. Then I saw you trying to reach the surface, drowning. I jumped in and helped and because, believe it or not, Granger, I have a conscience."

Hermione was still furious, nonetheless. "I'm not stupid. If you saw your precious little Pansy in the pond, looking like she was drowning, you would jump in after her too."

He snickered. "You'd be surprised. The little gremlin isn't even my girlfriend. She just sits on my lap like she it. I doubt I'd save her if she tried to get herself killed."

"Hold on," Hermione said, picking up on the last thing he said. "If you wouldn't save even Pansy, you fellow Slytherin pureblood, why would you save me?"

"Just be thankful I did," he answered, purposely avoiding the answer to that question.