Next Chapter!
Don't own Harry Potter.
'Mione squeezed her eyes shut tight waiting the Avada. But the curse never came. Instead the feeling she'd had at the train station wrapped carefully around her. She was learning to recognize the warm prickling sensation that meant Draco was near.
"Blaise it's Draco," Hermione whispered feverishly. "It's Draco and who knows who he's with!." And here we are laying in the street, what an excellent idea.
Blaise pressed a finger to his lips and ever so slowly reached for his wand.
The Light vanished, leaving them in complete darkness, but soft footsteps sounded on the pavement. 'Mione's thoughts raced through defensive spells as her fingers crept to the pocket her wand was in.
"Duck Hermione? If I'd really wanted to kill you do you think that would have stopped me?" A playful voice teased in her ear.
"Dra-!" 'Mione Leapt up, her exclamation cut short by Draco's hand pressed firmly over her mouth. His silver eyes flashed in the dark night.
"Shhh now "Mione we don't want my father to hear that I'm over here do we?" He spoke quietly. His other arm locked around her waist to keep her from pulling away. "I need to-"
"You need to let her go Draco." Blaise's wand was point-blank at Draco's throat. A sort of danger danced in Blaise's dark eyes while it was clear that he would do nothing unless Draco provoked him. They were still friends after all.
"Good Blaise. Protect her from me, Ginny and I both. We are not to be trusted, not for a second." He looked down at Hermione in his arms.
God she's beautiful.
He resisted the urge to lean down and kiss her, the idea banging around in his head like a caged bird. Helping Granger and Blaise was like fighting gale force winds, every move had to be deliberate and took every ounce of of his willpower. Oblivion sat impatiently at the edge of his thoughts, waiting for him to slip up just once, so that it might take back over the body they now shared. The growing pain in his chest was a warning, his time with them was limited.
"Promise to be quiet?" His voice was like silk to her ears, soft and smooth it brushed past her thoughts and haunted her long after it had left.
She nodded as best she could with Draco's hand still over her mouth. Slowly he slid his hand over the side of her face and letting his fingertips graze her neck, dropped his hand to his side and let go of her waist. Cold air rushed to fill the gap between them , sending a shiver up Hermione's spine. Blaise's wand was still nestled in the curve of Draco's neck, an idle threat.
"What do you want Draco?" Blaise's voice rumbled like thunder in the distance.
Draco answered with his eyes glued to 'Mione, "To give you a warning."
'Mione stood like a deer in headlights under Draco's intense gaze. She could almost see his reluctance to look away from her, like he was afraid she would disappear if he did. Or maybe it's him that would disappear…A dull pain was starting in her chest. She loved being so close to her Draco even though she was terrified of what would happen next.
"Well then spit it out." Blaise's arm and voice never once faltered but his eyes begged his friends forgiveness.
"You can't go this way," Draco's steel eyes cut to Blaise, "They are waiting for you at the next corner." His eyes slid back to 'Mione, who couldn't stop staring.
What's going on? Why is he helping us?
'Mione searched his storm grey eyes for an answer. A little over twenty-four hours ago he had wanted nothing to do with her. Now, he seemed almost like… himself. The twinge of pain in her heart had begun to grow, though still unfocused. She brought a hand to her chest as though the warmth generated between them would stifle the sting there.
Draco's eyes almost looked a bit fuzzy… A trick of the light?
"You should walk down the cross street behind you about two block and then apparate." Draco's face could have been that of a statue. There was never a flicker of emotion in his features. He radiated, strength control and purpose as though they made up his very being.
"But Dra-" 'Mione started.
"Listen." Draco grabbed her shoulders, Blaise tightened his grip on his wand. "You have to go NOW, quickly! I can't guarantee I won't tell my father whats gone on here."
He pushed 'Mione from him. Oblivion encroaching on his conscious. He would go back to his father soon. "NOW!"
And he vanished. Blaise's wand pointed at nothing but air. Both teenagers were frozen where they stood, trying to make sense of what exactly had just happened.
Is this a trap?
The pause ended abruptly as Blaise cast her a wild glance, caught her arm, and Ran down the dark street.
Draco reappeared seconds later, gasping for air.
I made it.
He smiled, just a little, before collapsing to his hands and knees. His thoughts were getting muddy. He couldn't quite remember why he'd helped Granger and Blaise. His father wouldn't like it, not at all. The grit from the street bit into the heels of his hands as the oblivion and the pain from his heart consumed him. He bit his lip until it bled to stifle a scream that threatened to shatter the night. His eyes dulled in the moonlight, turning into a static grey.
Then, as though nothing had happened, he stood and was gone again.
'Mione and Blaise had made it about a block and a half at a full sprint when the dull ache in Hermione's chest exploded into thousands of merciless stabs of straight pain. She nearly toppled over on the spot, her balance lost as her mind tried to wrap itself around what had just happened to her body.
Unable to go on, 'Mione greedily sucked in air as Blaise raced on. Half a second the pain was gone, but her lip was bloodied for no reason.
What is wrong with me? Fear played in Hermione's thoughts. The pain, though dull at first, had lasted longer than before. She wiped at her mouth as the salty taste of her blood seeped into her mouth.
"Granger?" Blaise had come back. "Are you alright?"
"Yes, yes I'm fine" 'Mione focused on steadying her breathing.
Blaise looked her over skeptically, but dropped the subject seeing that she was in no mood to share. "Say, Granger…"
"Yes Blaise." She straightened up slowly, wondering if any place else on her body would start bleeding unexpectedly.
"How do we apparate to a place we have never seen and I can hardly read the street name of?" Blaise looked further down the empty street.
'Mione's stomach flipped. "Good point." Her palms were sticky with sweat as she pulled the slip of paper from her cloak. Dumbledore must have had a backup plan. Right?
She studied the address again.
1717 Rue de Le Petit Chevre
Nice, France
Nothing... there's nothing there.
She flipped over to the directions. Nothing stood out there either. Had Dumbledore really left them with no other means of getting there? With a little grunt of disapproval she turned the paper back to the address.
But this time, her eyes caught on a small ink-blot resembling a cat on the corner of the otherwise pristine piece of parchment.
"Gerbil Schnaps," 'Mione guessed, her breath seemed to be stuck in her lungs.
Neon green eyes popped open, filling the black night with a bright light. The little eyes closed again and slowly a picture poured onto the page.
"Blaise! Blaise I got it!" 'Mione held the parchment out with a triumphant laugh so that he could see the worn leather sofa sitting in front of a crackling fireplace. Plush red and silver blankets were draped over the back of two leather armchairs and two steaming mugs sat on a small coffee table.
Blaise let out the same deep breath 'Mione had been holding, relieved, he smiled for the first time since Ginny had left. "Looks rather comfortable doesn't it?" He took the paper from her gently, as though he were afraid he might rip it, "Well we'd best be off then, they must have figured out by now that we aren't coming the way they'd expected."
'Mione closed her eyes, holding the image of the cozy room in her mind. "See you in a few then." And with a quick turn and a pop she was gone.
When 'Mione opened her eyes again the biting night air had been replaced by a surge of warmth. The smells of burning wood and chocolate filled her nose, and the floor beneath her shoes was thick and soft with a rich gold carpet.
CRACK! Blaise was in the room beside her.
"It's nice," 'Mione said to no one in particular. She walked over to the sofa and plopped down, reveling in the cushy leather cradling her. After sitting in a train car for an hour or so and then laying in the street, this was heaven. The chocolate scent wafted past her nose again and to her delight 'Mione realized that the mugs she's seen on the parchment contained hot coco.
Grabbing a mug, she stood and started to wander around their little flat, well little was not quite the correct word for it. Two bedrooms, one decorated in all green and silver with an alabaster chest of drawers and another, hers, was filled with deep reds and more decadent golds, a mahogany dresser sitting in the corner, sat at one end of the flat.
At the other end lay the kitchen with vanilla white cabinets, and a grey-silver flecked marble counter-top all over a Spanish terra-cotta tile floor. There was also a large restroom, fully equipped with a magical bath, a toilet, and grand gold sinks set in black marble. Their 'Safe house' was grander than any muggle hotel Hermione had ever been in.
While she ooo'd and ahh'd over their surroundings Blaise located their trunks near the front door and set to work levitating them into their individual rooms. Before collapsing on his achingly soft bed, which he rather wished he would never need to get up from, and falling asleep, boots and all.
'Mione was busy studying the twelve different faucets for the bath when she was interrupted by a low growl from her stomach. Having been so nervous to talk to Harry and Ron, she'd forgotten to eat dinner and only now that she was out of immediate danger, was she noticing. With a little skip in her step she made her way eagerly towards the gleaming white kitchen and threw open several cabinets in search of some food. She nearly fell over laughing at what she found there.
Thank you guys! The next chapter will be up by Friday at 8:30 pm.
Liked it? Hated it? Ideas? Let me know!
Ange