Hermione heard a overwhelming and distressing cry coming from outside the Three Broomsticks. The bar was silent, the cups and glasses no longer tinted and the usual loud ambient noise ceased just as the scream broke. Ginny exchanged a nervous look with Hermione, who without thinking twice, jumped out of the chair, spilling her drink to the floor She was the first to walk out the door, followed by Ginny who stood behind for a few seconds paralyzed looking at the drink that was flowing from the table to the floor. After the two witches left there was a low murmur among the guests, who slowly peered out and ventured out.
"He's here?" one of the sorcerers asked softly as if they were under attack.
Hermione and Ginny immediately encountered Ron and Harry, paralyzed, face to face with Katie Bell, with her arms spread out in the air, her mouth open, about to utter another agonizing cry. Her black hair fluttered beside her face, and her eyes were fixed on the nothingness, with a constant expression of horror. After a few seconds, Katie was six feet off the ground, she fell abruptly like a dead weight, her body trembling softly as if she had a seizure.
"Someone help her!" a girl scream behind them.
"Harry, be careful." Hermione said as Harry approached Katie's fallen body.
Hagrid pushed Hermione and Ginny aside as he made his way to the body of the young sorceress. He pushed Harry away with one hand, which wandered back a little.
"Stay back, all of you!" Hagrid grabbed Katie and carried her into his large arms. He exchanged a brief glance with Harry who was staring at the suspiciously blue necklace that lay on the floor, wrapped in what was left of the paper. Everything there screamed cursed object and Hermione thanked God for not having to yell at Harry for trying to get the necklace.
The four friends were sitting around the fireplace in the commom room. A few minutes after returning to the castle, the rain swept the roads and shuddered in the old windows, startling the students who were more distracted. The time outside matched Katie Bell's agonizing cries, which continued to be heard in the infirmary until she was transferred to St Mungo's hospital the next morning. Hermione cringed when she heard one of Katie's cries and she was not sure if she was actually listening to them or if they were stuck in her head like a old record. Harry was deeply agitated, after demonstrating his suspicions about Draco to Professor Mcgonagall and Snape, who had obviously misrepresented any of his theories. Harry tried to find support between his two friends, but none of them agreed that Draco had cursed Katie, it seemed impossible to get a cursed necklace alone.
Finally Harry sat on the couch next to his friends and Ginny slowly approached him, resting his head on Harry's shoulder as he look obsessively at the fireplace waiting for something, which this time would not come. Even Ron was silent, lost in thought as he stared out at the storm rumbling outsider. Hermione was saddened by Katie's pain, but most of all by the pessimism that had settled between her group of friends. She wanted to come back desperately for the fun afternoon with her friends in Hogsmeade.
Harry stood up quickly, running his hand through his hair, making him even more unkempt. "I need air, I'll be right back." he said gravely, walking toward the door.
Ginny followed him unblinkingly, clearly the redhead was extremely worried about Harry and shaken by everything she saw.
Ron exchanged a confused look with Hermione as her best friend and sister left the Commom Room.
"What the hell is that about?" he asked Hermione, as if she'd stopped all the answers.
"They're friends, Ron. He's probably keeping Harry from doing something crazy." Hermione said, her eyes on the litter.
There was a stifling silence, expect the sound of a few branches be eaten alive by the fire or the rain tinkling in the window. All her colleagues were already lying around or hiding around the castle trying to find out more about Katie Bell's case.
Hermione was getting sleepy but Ron seemed more awake than ever, and even with his eyes half closed Hermione saw Ron approaching her, sitting next to her, extremely close to her.
"So, how are you?" Ron asked in a tone of affection, very unusual for him. "This year has not been easy, working with Malfoy on that stupid homework and ... all this happening."
"Do you think Harry is right about Malfoy?" Hermione asked, straightening at the couch.
"I don't know. I mean, Malfoy is unlikely to be behind this attack ... it's Malfoy, I don't know if he's capable of it."
"To hurt someone?"
"Of performing this kind of curse. He's quite capable of hurting someone." Ron said in a twisted tone "But Harry's right about one thing, if he's not a Death Eater now, he's going to be one soon enough."
"What do you mean?" Hermione asked.
"He's going to have to choose a side in the war and we both know he's not going to let his father down, because they're the same. Two piece of shit." Ron spat.
"You're probably right, or maybe he does not want to be on either side." said Hermione thoughtly. "Maybe he just wants out."
Hermione was always the kind of girl who saw the world in dark and white tones, even in unambiguous and complex actions of certain people. For Hermione, the world was in fact divided between good people and death eaters, she never knew anyone who stood in the middle, someone who would swim against the current and not choose a side. But everything stopped seeming as simple as that, since the death of Sirius and Hermione could understand a little better certain impulses that are in the middle, between right and wrong and that are as real as all others. Malfoy was not a fool for wanting to get away from the war, for not choosing a side. Despite her brave side, and without ever being able to admit to her friends, Hermione would give anything to disappear with her parents, leave this war behind and keep them safe and sound. She also wanted a way out.
"Well, if he does, he's a coward." Ron said seriously. "Did he tell you that, Hermione?"
"What? Ron, it's Malfoy. Do you really think he's going to talk to me about anything?" said Hermione, half laughing.
"You have to be careful with him Hermione ... he can be persuasive close to ... the girls." Ron said blushing.
Hermione laughed cheekily in her best friend's face. "Ron, I think I can survive the charm of Draco Malfoy. Besides, he hates me deeply and nothing will change that, remember?"
Ron's expression became seriously somber for a few seconds. "He did not attack you when you hit his girlfriend. He did not even say anything."
"Well, maybe he's fed up with her 's understandable."
"That's not my point, Hermione. This is Malfoy, he would not waste such an opportunity to laugh at any of us."
"I don't want to spend tonight talking about him Ron, please. Hermione said getting up. "I think I'm going to bed, I'm exhausted."
Ron stood up next, keeping close enough to Hermione. His flushed cheeks and his gentle smile said it all. This was the moment that Hermione had both dreamed and wished for years, and that eventually lost its meaning or desire. It was too late for them. Before Ron said or did something that would ruin everything, Hermione kissed him on the cheek and practically ran for the door.
The cold and the rain crept inside the castle, despite the temptations to keep the castle warm, there was a chill wind around every corner that Hermione was crossing on the way to her dormitory. Hermione's solitary steps echoed through the stone walls, the cold seemed to cripple inside her bones and she grabbed her hoodie closer to her as her hair practically float in the wind. She wondered where Ginny and Harry were at this time, but Ginny was sure to take care of him.
Suddenly, Hermione's footsteps were not the only ones to echo, she heared a few more steps that seemed to come after her, swiftly. Hermione pulled her wand from her hoodie and pointed behind her.
"Lumos." She sighs.
No one in sight. Suddenly, a horrible thought crossed his mind. The person who hurt Katie that way is somewhere in the castle between them and could be behind her right now.
"Hello?" Hermione asked to the dark void. "Who's there?"
Without a response, Hermione continued to pace. It was not long before she got to his bedroom and was safe. As she crossed the corner to her bedroom, Hermione bumped into someone and fell on the icy ground.
"Bloody hell." Draco screamed as the two fell to the ground. Without noticing, Draco grabbed Hermione's arms to appease the fall. "You." he said angrily.
Hermione was shaking from the cold and the adrenaline, she was practically running a few minutes until she got here. Great, just what I needed.
"What is wrong with you?" Draco asked confused as he looked at Hermione, still on top of him. "You're shaking."
"I heard footsteps and thought someone was following me." she said, looking into Draco's eyes, which seemed a little wet. Clearly he noticed the attention with which Hermione looked at him and got up, forcing her out of him by stumbling.
"Scared, Granger?" He smirked. "I never thought you would be the scared type of girl."
Hermione muttered under her breath and stood up, wiping away any invisible dust that might be on her winter clothes. Draco had his usual uniform and for a few seconds Hermione wondered what he would wear for Christmas, did he also have one of those hairy, ugly Christmas sweaters? She smiled at this thought but quickly reassembled herself.
Hermione rolled her eyes at Draco and went to the bedroom. Malfoy followed her, still smirking, clearly satisfied with what happened.
The living room window was open and the rain came in full force, wetting the floor. "Fuck." Hermione screamed and ran, trying to close the window and wetting herself though. Great, I look like a wet poddle.
Hermione came face to face with a Malfoy sitting on the couch, quite pleased with himself and what he had just seen. Draco's relaxed shoulders and his usual smirk gave him the feeling that he was more relaxed than ever, without a single worry in the world. Clearly, he could not be involved in Katie's accident, Hermione thought.
"Comfortable?" Hermione asked trying to tame her wet hair.
"You look miserable." Draco said but Hermione could not help but notice that he did not say it maliciously as usual.
"I'm happy to entertain you." Hermione sat down on the couch, practically dropping down after such a long day. This looked almost like a domestic scene and also macabre. Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger sitting side by side on the couch without trying to kill themselves. This was some creepy shit. Hermione would know what would ruin that moment and for some reason, avoided talking about the topic hovering over the room. Katie Bell.
"How's your girlfriend?" Hermione asked smilling, trying really hard not to laugh.
"Pissed off." Draco said, as if it was not a big deal. "And she's not my girlfriend."
"Well, tell her that." Hermione said. "And hurry, one day she will try to kill you on your sleep."
"Very funny Granger." Draco said in a mocking tone. "And you should control that temper of yours, maybe someday, someone will kill you on your sleep." Draco said turning his body to Hermione, approaching dangerously. Hermione felt her cheeks flushed, and she thanked everything for being too dark for him to notice.
"My temper is just fine, thank you. Besides, I really wanted to eat the rest of my toast." Hermione grumbled.
Draco smiled and they were silent for a few minutes, just listening to the chaos outside, the wind and rain knocking on the window with the intention of entering. Hermione felt agitated, on the verge of doing something impulsive and stupid like asking if Draco had anything to do with Katie. The silence between them was deadly, and they both knew what was going on. But perhaps this moment did not have to end, Hermione longed for this moment to continue just a little longer. She felt a strange comfort near Draco, something she would never feel with her friends. It was something different, she still did not understand. But this was the boy that mistreated her for years, who made her feel inferior, a piece of shit in every way. Hermione felt stiff and cursed herself for a moment of weakness.
"Did you hear about Katie Bell?" Hermione asked challenging him. She was afraid of the answer.
A moment of silence followed. A calculating silence. "Someone tried to kill her. Everyone at the castle knows that." He said it as if it was the most banal thing.
Draco looked directly into Hermione's eyes. He was expecting something, an accusation perhaps, or that Hermione showed some emotion. Draco always kept his posture. Stiff, cold, determined. His eyes showed no regrets or errors. They were just stormy, hard to read, and hard to ignore. Being so close to each other, only illuminated by the distant moon and occasional lightning bolts, the gray of Draco's eyes caused a tumult in Hermione's belly, and the explicit challenge in them made her want to do something stupid, that she would leave regret the next morning. Draco stank of alcohol, something that was not characteristic of him. Maybe that's why he seemed so relax, even when hell brooke loose out there.
"Clean yourself Malfoy. You stink of alcohol." Hermione stepped away from him, looking disgusting. It was intoxicating to be so close to him, either way. But Draco did not back away, his gaze still fixed on Hermione like a prey.
"You should tell your friend to stop following me. It's getting tiresome now, and if he does not stop, I'll do something extremely irresponsible." Draco smirked.
"Harry is suspicious of you. Maybe he has a good reason." Hermione said confidently. "Or not?"
Draco merely smiled and approached Hermione's face as if to kiss her, and for a moment she froze in time. Draco's lips brushed past Hermione's cheek and stopped in her ear. A shiver ran through Hermione's body and she felt herself losing all control of herself, as if she were a spectator of her life.
"You wish, Granger." He said in a sensual, defiant tone.
Draco stood up with a big smile on his face, victorious even and went to his room. Lightning struck the grounds of Hogwarts, and in a matter of seconds the windows shook with the strongest thunder of the night, but Hermione did not shudder or look away from the floor. The room seemed colder with Draco's absence, but his scent still hung over the air, in Hermione's hair, on her face, on her slightly moist cheek as his lips had quickly touched.
Hermione was right. The calm had passed, this is the storm.
A/N: Hi guys. Thanks for all the reviews, I just wanted to say that I changed the plot a bit in the first chapter. This is going to be a fanfic essentially about a trip to the memory of Hermione and Draco. Hope you like it. xx.
