Chapter 10
When Hermione had been very young, perhaps 5 or 6 years old, She had fallen down the last two steps on the staircase in her home. Her head had hit the tile flooring so hard, that she had been knocked unconscious. She had been pulled back to consciousness in part by her parents concerned yelling, and in part by the terrible pain in her head that the fall had caused. Her head had ached, and throbbed so much so that her parents feared she had had a concussion. She didn't, thankfully. Her head felt like that now, with jagged, piercing throbs rocking her from the top of her skull to the base, where it met her spine.
Neville! Luna! Hermione remembered with a start, snapping her eyes open, and trying to sit up. But her eyes weren't met with the scenes of Grimmauld Place's courtyard. She sat up and realized she was sitting against a tree, in a foggy knoll area, with other trees strewn about.
Sweeping her gaze across the area around her, she realized Draco was sitting propped against a tree next to her, eyes closed, breathing softly. With his eyes closed, and no sneer that was usually ever-present on his face, he looked somehow not like himself. He looked...amicable, somehow. He looked like the kind of person who would duel Death Eaters back to back with Luna Lovegood, or urge Hermione to cast to kill. The boy who called her a mudblood, and sought to embarrass her in a long forgotten potions class room by enlarging her teeth, was just a ghost of a memory on this face. Hermione hadn't noticed the day before, but Draco had grown a white-blonde layer of stubble over his jaw that seemed to make his face look less long and sharp. It suited him.
"Draco," She said. He didn't move, or register that he heard her. "Draco, where the bloody hell are we?" She said louder, reaching her hand out to touch his leg. When she made contact, Draco's eyes snapped open and he aimed his wand at her, startled.
"Oh, just-just Granger," He mumbled to him self, lowering his wand.
"Draco where are we?" She asked again.
"First place I could think off- outside of a town Called Arundel, West Sussex area." He answered, closing his eyes again. "Mostly muggle populated."
"Why?" Hermione hissed. "And where is Neville and Luna? Moody? Bill? Percy?" she listed off in rapid fire.
"I realized I had no chance at survival if I tried to help every one, So I grabbed you and aparated to the first place I could think of. Would you rather I have left you to die, or be captured?" He asked nastily, not opening his eyes.
While Hermione could understand the logic in assessing all the options in front of you, and choosing the safest bet, with the best secured outcome, she still didn't like it. Draco had just decided to leave every one behind? Why even grab her anyways? Hermione would have preferred to stay, and fight. She was loathe to abandon more people to the Death Eaters.
"I'm going to aparate back," She said determinedly, rising to her feet.
"Good luck Granger. I'm sure they have grabbed their people, and yours, and taken off to where ever they were expected to bring Order members." Draco responded coolly. "But, fine, go, knock yourself out." He added sarcastically, flinging his hand at her in dismissal.
The twats got a point, Hermione thought acidly, sitting back down. "So then what's our next move?"
"No sodding idea," Draco answered. "But if you could give me a few moments before prattling on at me with your grating voice, I did just happen to lose my mother-you may have noticed- and would like a minute to collect myself." He said, turning his head away from her.
Hermione's first instinct was to argue back. There's a war going on! You abandoned Order member who were protecting you! Collect yourself later! But she didn't. Her own mother's face popped into her mind's eye, and Hermione couldn't fathom what the pain of losing her would be, especially just days after losing a father, too. So she leaned back against the tree, and closed her own eyes, too.
Just bloody great. Harry's invisibility cloak is back at Grimmauld Place. I'll never forgive myself if I lose it for good. Merlin, I hope they're all ok back there. Hermione felt hopeless. Where could they even go after this? She supposed they could go to Bill's cottage, Fleur would need to be informed of Bill's capture. What if the Death Eaters had been there too, though? How did they manage to get into Grimmauld Place? Could they do the Same at The Cottage? Or McGonagalls family home? What magic did they use? She felt dejected. I'm sure Malfoy only grabbed me to ensure his own safety with other Order members. Self-centered prat. Hermione thought coldly. Although she no longer felt that He, or his mother, had been setting them up, him fighting on their side had not erased 7 years of bad blood between them. How many people know of The Malfoys rescue by Moody? What would happen if she did take Draco to the Cottage?And Fleur is pregnant, Hermione remembered, groaning internally. And Moody is secret keeper for McGonagalls house! What a sodding mess.
Hermione breathed deep and surveyed there area again. All she could see were trees, and grass. And they had nothing. It's not exactly like she could pack an overnight bag during the attack, after all. Her stomach growled lowly in her stomach, reminding her of how ill-prepared she was. She should have been wearing her bag at all times, in case of emergencies. Idiot girl, she mentally scolded herself.
Perhaps I don't have to stay with Draco. Surely he has some sort of resources, or person he could reach out to. In my owl form, I could maybe figure out how to free Moody and the rest. And I don't want anyone to know about my new ability. Yes, Draco will just hinder me.
As drowsiness set into Hermione, she leaned back to possibly take a cat nap when a thought struck her.
"Draco, did you send any protective spells out around us when we got here?" She asked hurriedly, pulling her wand out.
"Do you think i'm as thick as the people you normally associate your self with, Granger?" Draco retorted back with a snort. "Of course I cast some protective spells in the area. Now, please, leave me alone." He finished curtly.
"You're unbelievable. Those people you're calling 'thick' were protecting you, trying to make a new life for you. You're an ungrateful prat," Hermione fumed at him.
"Yes, yes, protecting my mother and I, who coincidentally happens to be laying dead somewhere in that disgusting hovel you all were living in, with no hope of me recovering the body. I feel very protected right now, Granger." He spat back, opening his grey eyes and staring her down. A pulse beat in the temple above his left eye.
"Moody was prepared to risk his own life to remove you both from the country. This is a war Draco, and try as we might, we can't stop our enemies every time. Grow up! You think we haven't lost people?" Hermione rebutted, voice rising. He hasn't changed at all.
"Oh, I know all about the people you've lost Granger. It isn't a competition. You're right, this is a war. I should have left you at that grimy place with the rest of them." Draco hissed, standing to rise. "I don't even know why I bloody grabbed you anyways!"
"Because you only care about self preservation, and you need some kind of buffering if you run into more Order Members. Sodd off Malfoy!" Hermione nearly yelled, rising to stand as well.
Draco's eyes flashed at her, and Hermione felt a small tremor of doubt echo in her body. How stable is Draco, really?
She watched his back as he walked about twenty feet from her, and lowered himself down to sit against another tree. I could just transform, and fly away. He'd have no clue, the snobbish git. But she didn't feel that was the right thing to do, for some reason. Perhaps she could glean some information from Draco, when he was ready to talk again, that could help her in any small way, gain access to Hogwarts. But than what will I do with him? Hey, thanks for standing beside us as the Death Eaters attacked, And for aparating with me to safety, I've got to go now, see ya? But Hermione had a suspicion that if the rolls were switched, that's exactly what he would do to her. So who cares if I do the same? This is a war after all, and he cares more about saving his own arse than helping us win. But deep down, she knew she wouldn't just abandon him. She had a heart, after all, even if he didn't, and he did just lose his parents, possibly leaving him alone in the world.
Hermione allowed her shoulders to relax, and sat back against her tree. Perhaps she should rest, too. Life had no structure anymore, no security in scheduling, and she was fatigued under the weight of that. There was nothing she could do right, as she hadn't a clue where they could go, what options were open to the, what was safe, and what would be peril. Her head was still throbbing, and her eye felt swollen and puffy, where she had been punched. A little sleep might help her think, anyways.
