The Sound of Two Hearts

"How could you not tell me about all of this Selena?" Draco's head was buried in his hands. He was trying so hard not to yell at her, but it was extremely difficult under the circumstances. Hermione had left the room already, maybe in hopes of regaining her composure but he highly doubted it. She had just stood up and walked into another room. She didn't even look back. Draco had tried to follow her but Selena had held him back. It wouldn't have changed anything however. As soon as she had left, a streak of pale orange energy had surged towards the cherry oak door and encased it with light. It slammed shut and small clicks of a lock were heard from inside it. She was way too powerful for her own good.

Draco sighed and stared up at her now placid face. "You know how I feel about her." Selena sat down and grasped his hand lightly.

"How?" He knew that she was just trying to open him up—calm him down maybe. He also knew that he needed it, so he took the bait.

"She's everything to me. I loved her back at Hogwarts. I loved her the moment I saw her on the plain. I love her when she smiles. When it rains because she cries. When she tries to act like she's invincible. Every little thing she does—every part of her wondrous life leaves me in awe."

"Then why so frustrated?" He saw a flick of question flash across her eyes. He leaned back and sunk down into his seat.

"She doesn't deserve this. The way everything happened. She deserves someone who asks her to marry him with real intentions in mind. She should have someone who she wants to spend the rest of her life with." He looked down at his hands and memories flashed across his mind. "Someone that didn't spend the majority of his own life trying to degrade hers." Draco looked away. Out the window. He stared at nothing, but thought of everything. Of regret. Of remorse.

Selena stood and smiled. "I give you permission to court my daughter." He turned around and looked at her in a tumult of perplexity and perhaps even slight stupidity. "As long as you promise to set your relationship aside for 3 hours everyday and to train her to your greatest ability."

"Uh…yeah?" Draco's head had started to hurt. Was she telling him that he was right for Hermione? That they would be good together? This was all just a little too much for him handle right now. Selena seemed to realize this because she started to head out.

"Oh and by the way," she said just before shutting the door behind her, "this is yours and Hermione's room. Sleep well dear for tomorrow brings a new day." Then she was gone. Draco sighed and slumped down even further. He had to go talk to her. There was no way he was going to go to bed knowing that she could be in less disarray than she was in now. But what could he do?

It was too much. Way too much. Hermione laid there; her stretched out body limp and weak—eyes wide in concentration. Who was she? What scheme in life had she been thrown into? Was there a greater purpose to her being? To her past? To her future? She stood up and paced the floor slowly—deep in thought.

Suddenly a light drumming began in her ears. She glanced around quickly but no one was there. A light surged to the right of her and she jumped. Looking towards it, she saw a gold slab upon the wall. She walked towards it carefully; the drums in her ears growing louder; her heart beating faster. Thump. Thump. Thump. The light surged again as Hermione drew closer. She reached her hand out to touch it and the light flickered and went out. In the darkness the gold began to glow. Etching started to form on it. Old symbols—those of a different era. But somehow they made sense. She knew what they said. "Help us…Save us…"

The pounding in her head was practically screaming. She was glued to the spot. Her mind was trying to run, but her body would not follow. A hiss slid across her mind. "I am here…I am always here." She tried to scream but nothing came out. Her mouth was dry and her mind was failing her. "No matter where you go I will always be watching you. I will have control. Do not try to fight it. MY POWER WILL RULE!" Hermione's body gave up, but her mind wouldn't. Power gathered in the pit of her chest then exploded. Her head flew back—eyes solid white, hair at every angle. Green light flooded the room and in the back of her mind she could hear a woman's screech fading away.

Everything went dark again and Hermione fell to the ground limp and weak. She heard the sound of feet on the carpet and her name being called. But it was all at a distance. All too far way. Everything was growing cold. She could hear the sound of her mother cooking—her father's laughter. The smell of after shave…Draco's after shave.

But then warmth flooded her body and she awoke. She opened her eyes to see Draco standing above her. His necklace was glowing faintly and he was heaving a sigh of relief.

"Has anything like this happened before?" His voice was stern but she could sense the worry in it. She opened her mouth to talk but nothing came out. Her mouth was still dry. Her tongue could taste old air. Draco waved his wand once and a glass of water appeared. He put it to her lips gently and helped her drink. She swallowed gratefully and sat up.

"Not like this. It's always just been in my dreams." She wrapped her arms around her knees and pulled her legs into her chest.

"Well it's about time it stopped." He slid his hand into hers and stared at her with determined dark brown eyes. "Come with me."­­­­­

"Where are we going?" Hermione panted along behind him. Draco had been pulling her through the mansion for almost half an hour now, and she was getting exhausted. It was probably about the twentieth time she had asked him, and so far all he had responded with was a hush. He turned down another corridor and pulled her towards a small brown door.

Draco spun around and grabbed Hermione by her shoulders. "Now Hermione, you have to listen, and listen well. Beyond this door is Selene, the goddess of the moon. Every night before she treks across the night sky, she bathes in the sea. This little brown door you see in front of you is a path to the pool that she bathes in. Go to her, and ask her for help. Don't look in her eyes, and more importantly don't touch her. Just being in her presence kills normal mortals. You, however, have been blessed, but you are not one of them." He kissed Hermione's forehead and began to walk away. He paused momentarily and looked back at her. "Oh, and don't lie to her. Some gods are merciless."

"Where are you going?" She glanced back at the door hesitantly. Was she supposed to just waltz through it and say, "Hey Selene, what's shakin'?"

Draco smiled and shook his head. "To get the key. Wait right here and I'll be back in second."

Hermione frowned as he walked out of her sight. Wait here? Did he think she would go anywhere? She was without her wand and completely lost in a humungous mansion. Where was there to go?

She stood there for at least a minute, just staring at the empty space where Draco had last been. She tried to piece together the puzzle that had been jumbled and strewn across her mind but all she could do was give herself one big head ache. She turned back towards the door and frowned. A light melody was grazing her ears and it was coming from behind that door. Hermione took a step forward and reached out her hand. As she did the hairs on her arms began to rise. The tips of her fingers tingled and began to glow a light white. She could feel a power in her purring. It was a wonderful feeling. Scary. But oh so wonderful.

The air around her became unsettled and spun uneasily around her body as if it could feel the purring too. Hermione's eyes clouded over and her hand stopped inches away from the knob. "Let's see what I can do…"

She breathed in deeply and relaxed her mind. She could feel a tingle coming up her throat and onto her tongue. It seemed to move on it's own as it formed an unfamiliar word. "Espetra…" Open. Hermione's hand grew even brighter as she felt power surge towards it. She swept it through the air and the door creaked open. "Woah…" Light flooded towards her and she blinked. But when her eyes opened she beheld something completely different from before.

A beautiful woman stood before Hermione, facing out towards the sea. She was waist deep in a crystal clear pool and completely bare except for a chain barely visible around her neck. Water was rising up from around her and forming a gentle waterfall above her head. At Hermione's presence she ceased her singing.

"Why do you come here?" The woman's head turned and Hermione's eyes shot down. She had to remember what Draco said despite how enchanting this lady's voice sounded. Hermione tried to speak but her throat caught and all that came out was air. "I am the goddess Selene. Mother of the moon. Do not fear me child, you speak not to an enemy as of present."

"I…I am Hermione. I've come to ask for help with…" Her throat caught again and she took a deep breathe. "With…well, I'm not sure what."

"Dasha…" The power in Hermione purred again and she looked up. Her eyes locked with Selene's and she gasped. She hadn't meant to but that name…It felt so familiar.

Selene turned completely towards her and the miraculous waterfall fell back to the pool. She walked towards Hermione, slowly rising out of the water. As she did, a white fabric formed around her body covering the once bare skin. "You are troubled child." Selene stood inches away from her now. "What does your mind hold that makes you so disturbed?" Her hands reached out and the tip of each middle finger found their way to either of Hermione's temples.

Screams flooded her mind. Darkness covered her vision and she could feel something writhing inside of her. It pushed at the inside of her ribs making it hard to breathe. Through the darkness pale hands shot towards her with one final piercing shriek. But before they could reach her, light flooded back in and Selene stood before her once more.

"She lives…" Selene looked down at her hands and frowned. "She lives in you."

"Who?" Hermione shivered and tried to wipe off the cold sweat that had formed on her neck. The corner of her eyes grew wet as tears formed. That had been the most unpleasant sensation that she had ever been through.

Selene stared at her. Her hands reached out again, this time touching the corner of her eyes. "Cry not Dasha. I can protect you in your waking hours." The tears slid towards her fingers and hardened into small diamonds. Hermione felt a shock run through her and then complete peace. She breathed in deeply and smiled. "But as for your dreams, that is something only Morpheus can touch." Selene's hand pressed into Hermione's back as she lead her towards the ocean. "I will speak with him. Expect his response tonight."

Before her now was the pool that Selene had been in on her arrival. The sunset cast a collage of colors on its surface and Hermione could swear that she could see Draco's face. Selene smiled and stared at her.

Hermione leaned forward. She could see Draco! His reflection was there, plain as daylight! "Be wary of your feelings for him Dasha. His love for you will get in the way of your training. And a time of evil approaches. The last thing this world needs is a distracted guardian." Selene's arm rose and stretched out towards her. Out of instinct Hermione lifted her own and pressed her palm against Selene's. "Now go to him."

Hermione turned back to the pool and stared at Draco's face. She took off towards it and leapt into the air at the water's edge. As she dove head first into the cool liquid she felt an even greater calm soak through her body. The ground turned into light as she dove deeper and deeper towards the bottom. Soon, all that was visible was that golden glow that was attempting to blind her. She blinked and she was once again back in the hallways of the giant Hawaiian mansion.

She sighed and looked down at her body. Surprisingly, Hermione was entirely dry and in new, unfamiliar clothes. Instead of the stunningly expensive dress she was wearing before, another one was in its place. This one was pure white and flowed over her skin gently in waves covering her chest and stomach but leaving the majority of her back and shoulders bare. Hermione smiled and spun in a circle watching the bottom of the dress rise and then fall back to her bare feet as she stopped.

She stood there a moment in silence trying to think. Things just weren't clicking together correctly in her head. Relief flooded her when Draco turned the corner giving her a chance to occupy her thoughts. He was staring casually down at the key in his hand looking absolutely adorable. She was just about to say something when he looked up and recoiled.

He couldn't even imagine who the goddess in front of him was. He had studied all of them. Olympians or not, he knew about each one. But this one, she was a mystery to him. Her hair was in perfect, large ringlets and was a blonde-brown. Her skin shimmered a golden brown making her seem to glow in the poorly lit hallways. He fell to the ground throwing his hands above his head to make the gods cross. "Forgive me for my intrusion."

"Malfoy…What are you doing?" Hermione was not only confused but also amused. She had never seen him so scared before. Not only that, but he was at her feet begging for forgiveness. What a sight.

Draco looked up. His eyes locked with hers and his jaw dropped. "Granger?" Hermione giggled as his dark brown eyes shifted to hazel.

"So does hazel mean you feel like a complete idiot?" She patted him on the head and strolled by smiling. "Oh, and I guess I can forgive you." Draco frowned and stood up, following Hermione right on her heel. "But what took you so long anyway? I was in and out in twenty minutes and you were still weren't here yet. I thought you said you'd be right back?"

Draco crinkled his nose. "First off, it took me no more than two minutes to get this key. And second off, what the hell do you mean in and out?"

"Well…I went in." Hermione bit her lip and glanced down at her palm. "I just kind of waved my hand and told the door to open. And it did." She looked up at him with panicked eyes. "Is that ok?"

Draco smiled at her and wrapped both his arms around her waist. "Yes, it is definitely ok." He pulled her closer to him and his eyes settled into a golden brown. "Hermione…" She looked up. Had he just called her by her first name? Draco leaned down towards her and gently placed his lips on hers. It was so delicate, so soft that Hermione's knees grew weak. She felt love. Blazes of it. Radiating in deep rhythmic pulses. Could this be what Selene meant? That this wonderful feeling would get in the way of…what was it? Protecting the world?

Hermione tensed and Draco pulled back. "I'm so sorry," he said, "This is all too much for you. But…just think about." Hermione shook her head.

"Give me a minute." He stepped back and stuffed his hands into his pockets. Hermione stood there and just let everything sink in. She was in precarious position without Draco being a distraction. She loved him—she knew she did, but she knew that Selene had warned her of it only minutes before. Hermione knew what had to be done.

"Malfoy…" Draco felt his heart tear open. "This is something that just can't be here right now." He felt tears whelming in his eyes and looked away.

"Why can't it?" He walked towards her and put his hands on her shoulders. "Why not? What is so wrong about this? We're getting married anyway!" He was yelling now.

"And when we do, then we can work this out." Hermione bit her lip. She wasn't going to let herself cry. Draco let go of her and stared.

"Work what out Hermione? I love you! You here that? I love you. I always have. And I have a hunch that you love me too." Hermione stared off at the wall and shook her head. "Don't you dare deny it! Just because your eyes don't give away your feelings, doesn't mean your face doesn't either." She looked up at him and felt warmth cover her. He was the only person that could do that…

"Hermione," Draco took her hand in his and brought it to his cheek, making her hold it. His voice was gentle again. His arm swung around her making the distance between them almost nonexistent. "If you can look me in the eyes and tell me that I mean nothing to you, then I will let you be." Hermione looked down but Draco just lifted up her chin again. "But if you can't, I will never give up on you.

"Try and tell me you don't feel anything." The tears that she had been trying to hold back flooded out. His lips met hers again. She felt her heart leap and swell in her chest. She felt the fluttering in her stomach—the weakness in her knees. It was all there. And it all left her on hinges.

But there was something more to life than she had ever thought about. Something beyond the limitations of magic. It was a power. A globe of pure energy that she could feel deep in her soul. And in it was an evil that Voldemort couldn't even begin to fathom. Hermione felt an obligation to stop it and Selene had told her about something that might get in her way.

She shoved him back and stared one more time into his beautiful, blood-shot eyes. "I can't do this…"

With that, Hermione turned and ran off down the corridors leaving Draco in a pool of despair.

Kosmo smiled as the scene before him unraveled. She was destroying the only thing that could make her untouchable to him. He rose and walked over to his beloved's throne. Leaning forward, he blew out and the cobwebs that covered it tore away. "Stacia, my love, you will be free from your prison soon…"
A/N: Dun Dun dun! Ok...ya so as always, Read and Review!