A/N:- Before you read this, or even after, I'll really appreciate it if you pop over to my profile & scroll towards the bottom and click on a link there that takes you to a story called The Crusade against time by Nacrolyte. Please review over there...and then please review here too! :D
Can you do that for me?
x
The girl was taking forever. Malfoy clutched his broom tightly, and glanced impatiently up the stairs. Mysteriously the hallway seemed vacant of all paranormal or normal activity. Weird. He hadn't been expecting a send-off with trumpets and marching bands but all this silence was starting to wear thin.
Malfoy reached a hand to his throat and slid his thumb between the space of his neck and school tie. He jerked his thumb out, effectively loosening his tie.
She wasn't coming. Great. He preferred it that way. He ignored the thumbnails at the back of his head, tap-tapping away into his skull. Nothing would happen to her, he was sure.
Draco stood up straight from his position against the wall, crossing the eerie hall to the main door. He placed a firm fist around the handle and pulled only to be greeted by a mass of curly ringlets floating before him.
Malfoy fell back as Hermione turned on the spot, her face fixated with a large smile.
Malfoy gulped. Why was she so cheery all of the sudden? What happened to the miserable, upset Hermione he had appreciated all these years at Hogwarts? Especially if he was involved.
"Oh. It's you," he spoke, sounding unsurprised and truth be told- unimpressed. Malfoy blocked out the tiny feeling of relief exploding in his gut. His hatred outweighed it any day of the week.
Malfoy watched in satisfaction, as Hermione's smile faltered for a moment, looking incredibly unsure with herself. He couldn't help but let a snide grin play on his features at the familiar territory they had discovered again. He had been worried for a minute. Draco moved the direction of his gaze towards her middle, growing alarmed as he saw nothing inside her hands except a shimmering bag that would have been more fitted towards an evening night out on a date or something. Malfoy bit his tongue to stop himself saying something snide as the last thing he needed was a hysterical female rushing of into the forbidden forest.
As much as it revolts me, I need her….
"Where's your broom?" he asked, blatantly peeking around Hermione to see if she was concealing it behind her back.
"My bro- broom?" Hermione stuttered, clutching her bag to her even tighter. Draco shot a odd look towards the bag as if showing his disapproval.
Hermione then noticed the sturdy piece of wood in Draco's palm and she shot it a nervous glance.
"Well, where is it?" he asked impatiently.
Hermione drew up to her full height but scowled when she just about managed to reach his chin. Malfoy, as if realising what she was trying to do, inclined his head and deliberately stared down at her. Hermione gave Malfoy a dangerous glare which would have intimidated her best friends but he just glared right back.
With a sigh, Hermione changed her gaze to the floor. "I can't fly." she mumbled.
"What was that?" Although Draco did feel slightly relieved she was there, that didn't mean he was going to make her life any more easier.
"I CAN'T FLY!" she hissed, raising her voice to a strangled sort of yelp.
Hermione blinked. Why wasn't he lording it over her? In fact he kind of looked displeasured that she couldn't fly. Was she seeing correct? Malfoy wanted her to be good at something?
Malfoy let his head rise up until he had his head thrown back to the sky. Hermione chewed her lip as her eyes fixed on his Adam's apple. God why, oh why, whenever she saw anybody's adam apple did she feel entranced? It was probably because the said male looked like he was offering it to someone…her? No way. The Gods. Hmm, he seems to think he was God himself, so nope.
Malfoy jolted his head forward to face her. He ran a hand over his face as if exhausted, until it reached his chin and he rubbed his beard area very slowly.
"The Hogwarts Express, then" he said tiredly.
"Nu-uh," she responded, "It clearly states in Hogwarts, a history that Hogwarts Express only operates in the beginning and end of the school year, alongside Christmas and Easter."
Malfoy actually growled. Hermione jumped as a low rebating rumble echoed from his throat.
"So go on then, miss smartypants," he said sarcastically, "How the hell do we get to London? And how the hell did Snape get to so fast to tell you to meet me here?"
Hermione rolled her eyes which Draco didn't like one bit.
"Go on! Tell me!" he demanded, heisting his broom to his shoulder.
Hermione thought very quickly. There was apparition, but it was more then likely that Voldemort kept tabs on his servants. She could apparate herself and he could side-along apparate with her but she needed as much time she could get to get into Malfoy's mind. The journey to London would be brilliant, and she planned to make it long as possible. And there was no way she was telling him about the thestrals, though he could probably see them from all the murders he committed and all.
"Why don't we take a car?" she replied brightly and misreading Malfoy's confused look for a cannibalistic one.
"A what?" he frowned, looking dejected. With his spare hand he was now playing with his loosened tie, apparently thinking very hard.
"A car, " she promptly pronounced. "It's a muggle contraption designed for transport. It's quite fast but it will take us to our destination and we won't leave a magical trace behind.."
Malfoy grimaced. He had to hand it to her…she was good. Even though he'd rather kiss Potter than admit it out loud.
"Where will we find one?" he asked, looking towards the main gate. "This car?"
Hermione breathed a sigh of relief and nearly coughing in the process. Phew. He was buying it!
"Simple. We'll go to a village outside of Hogsmeade and find a car rental, I have some Twenty pound notes, we can also buy some food- hey, wait!"
In the midst of her speech, Malfoy had set out in a steady stride towards the gate, and with his longer legs was putting more and more distance between them with each step.
Hermione wrestled with her bag as she ran after Draco, trying to put it away within her robes. Malfoy didn't stop.
"Malfoy?"
"What now, Granger?" came the moody words.
"I don't think it's best to stride into a muggle village, with the whole wizard regalia going on…people might get suspicious of us, you know and -oomph"
Hermione's butt contacted with the floor, after walking into Malfoy's tense back just seconds before. "Ow! A warning would be nice, ferret-"
Malfoy swivelled around, his eyes pinning her to the ground. Jesus. Now she felt even more belittled than before, christ he's opening his mouth-
"Fine!" Malfoy yelled, "I'll do it! There! Are you happy?" If the last three words had been uttered in a more agreeable manner, she would have been worried. Now, she wasn't the slightest.
She remained on the concrete road, about three metres wide in total, and both sides made up of knee-length wild grass. It was the type of road were seclusion was promised and ambushes lay in wait. The midday sun was beating down on the pair, and the robes that usually protected them from the cold was now becoming a hindrance.
Hermione turned her face to the sun, letting the rays fall upon her face and warm it nicely. This was perfect weather for a picnic-even though it was autumn. But that was British weather for you…Unpredictable as hell.
A cool shadow passed over her upper torso and she angrily opened her eyes only to see Malfoy pulling of his school robe. His tie had been long discarded off. Underneath he was clad in a pair of black trouser and a white cotton short unbuttoned at the collar. It fitted his upper body quite nicely….Hermione shook her head.
"What are you doing?" she grumbled.
Malfoy turned to look at her, his eyebrow raised as if questioning himself about this being before him.
"I'm taking my robe off- what does it look like?" He glanced at her body strewn on the floor. "Shouldn't you be taking your robe off too? I promise I won't look…"
"You'd better," she responded angrily. A mumbling came from Malfoy's lips as he turned that sounded suspiciously like 'As if I want too."
After a few minutes, she called out "Right, I'm done…"
Malfoy didn't even bother turning around. "Good." came the petulant voice.
"What are we going to do?" Hermione cried out in distress, "This village doesn't have any car rentals!" She had just exited a greengrocers after having queried about local business. Meanwhile Draco had languidly stood outside the shop staring at a car parked outside. From all he could pick out was it was big. How could something that big go so fast? And second it was green and had wheels. Well at least one of them was a plus.
Hermione joined Malfoy in the pavement, her brown eyes wide with worry.
"How do you ride this thing?" Draco nochantly asked, guestering at it. "Isn't it a bit wide to stretch your legs over it?"
Hermione giggled but quickly disguised it as a sneeze after Malfoy sent her a reproaching look.
"It's not a broomstick, Malfoy. You don't ride on top of it, you ride inside."
"Like a carriage? But what's the difference between that and this?" he looked genuinely puzzled.
"Well carriages are generally pulled by animals Malfoy- and well Cars aren't…"
Malfoy glanced quickly behind him into the shop, and after checking that nobody inside was looking, he discreetly took out his wand from his back pocket and shot a spell towards the open door, angled so the spell will directly hit the tubby guy behind the counter.
Then Malfoy wrapped his fingers around Hermione's wrist dragging her towards the green ford fiesta directly before them.
"Alohomora!" The door to the driver seat swung open and he placed two hands on her back. Hermione felt paralyzed as time seemed to stop for a moment. The shirt covering her back was thin and his burning hands were placed directly over her bra strap. Draco Malfoy's hands were splayed over Hermione's back and she wasn't resisting!
"What do you think you're doing?" she yelped, as she pushed backwards on the hands. Malfoy, who seemed clearly unaffected, placed a hand on her head and bundled her into the car. He shut the door after, nearly breaking her ankle in the process.
She sat primly on the seat as Malfoy crossed the front bonnet before opening the passenger seat door and sliding inside. He twisted sideways to face her profile. "Let's go."
Hermione didn't have a driving license, but she knew enough to place a wand on the engine and mutter a spell. The engine roared into life and she quickly placed her hands on the steering wheel as the car eased out of the parking spot.
"Can't you control this car by magic?" Draco asked, not having fastened his seatbelt and getting restless with his feet.
"No, " Hermione lied, "Electricity and magic doesn't mix,"
He didn't know that this car didn't run in electricity. So she had used that to her full advantage. In the pretence of driving the car, she could go as fast or slow as wanted.
"Won't the guy back there call the police?" Hermione spoke, looking in the side mirrors to check if any white and blue cars with flashing lights were tailing her. Nope it was all clear.
"The Pol-eesh? What's that?" Malfoy asked, staring out of the windscreen.
"Muggle version of the dementors," Hermione explained.
"They suck out your soul?" Draco glanced wide-eyed out of side window.
"Not exactly, Malfoy. Not exactly"
"Why did we stop?"
Hermione gazed straight ahead, tapping her fingers away on the steering wheel. For a hour or so there had be pin-dropping silence only to be broken by Malfoy now. She wasn't exactly getting Malfoy to talk but to be honest she really couldn't be bothered now.
Hermione sighed resignedly before pointing a finger towards the traffic lights.
"When the red light shines you have to stop." she pointed a slender finger towards the left hand side of the road.
"So you don't crash into other cars or pedestrians," she sated him tiredly.
Malfoy, for the first time since the ride began, reclined on his seat, letting his nape rest on the head rest.
Hermione felt like falling asleep, but that was not the thing to do. She blinked her eyes blearily keeping a tight grip on the wheel.
"Care for a flower, my pretty?" crooned a elderly voice seemingly from within the car.
Both Malfoy and Hermione froze, before a cloud of warm stale air hit Hermione's cheek instead of the cool mid-afternoon breeze.
Hermione peered to her right, and nearly jumped away in shock as a face loomed towards the window next to her, which she had unrolled a good forty five minutes ago.
Malfoy gazed on in disgust as he took in the tramp's limp white hair hanging from his hole ridden beanie. Wrinkles creased his face alongside a few mis-shapen boils. Malfoy watched with increased anomisity as Hermione patted her skirt pockets checking to see if she had any spare change. She found a two pound coin and passed it to the tramp- quite generous for a rotting lily he had just obviously picked up from the street.
The tramp didn't go away much to Draco's annoyance. He hovered by Hermione's window staring into her lap like no tomorrow and blatantly ignoring Malfoy. Malfoy's close inspection continued as he noticed his eyes were still looking in Hermione's lap, and he was liking what he was seeing. The tramps mouth opened to reveal swollen black gums with only five rotting teeth left in the canvas of his mouth.
Draco then followed the eye direction and watched with narrow eyes as Miss Granger's skirt as it rode up to mid-thigh, leaving her flesh from knee to her mid-thigh revealed in all their pale glory as the tramp continued to ogle them.
Malfoy's upper lip twitched. A sudden urge to pull her skirt back down to her knees overtook him, so nobody dared look at her in that way.
Hermione was oblivious to it all. Instead she had returned her eyes upon the traffic light. When would it go orange? When?
So it immensely surprised her when Malfoy lurched across her and placing his elbows quite forcefully in her lap- and boy did he have pointy elbows-he grabbed the seemingly harmless man but the scruffs of his neck and hissing words that were too low for her to catch.
It seemed to scare the poor man away, and he half-stumbled on his back, falling to his backside. Hermione would have gotten out and helped him, but he stuck up two fingers in the air as a rude geusture.
The light turned Orange, and Hermione tapped the engine with her wand, instantly thrumming it to life. The car lurched and was away.
"Pull your skirt down," came a low voice and Hermione glanced over to Malfoy to find his eyes were drilling into the side of her head. Hermione quickly glanced at her lap, her eyes growing wide in horror as they were much higher then she deemed acceptable. If Malfoy hadn't warned her, her knickers would be on display..
Hastily, she pulled down her skirt to well past her knees, wiggling on the seat as if trying to get into a more comfortable position.
A long drive awaited ahead.
It was night. The moon hung high in the air, and the streets were much less busier now. Hermione had deliberately directed the car just past a village to a desolate run-down barn where interruptions were scarce.
"Why are we stopping?" Malfoy asked looking outside of the window. "I'll drive now, just teach me the basics-"
"No!" Hermione's reply was more desperate than she planned. "We need some rest."
"You expect me to sleep in there? I'd rather stay in here, and if you knew what was best you would too."
"Stop moaning," Hermione whispered, "I'm making some dinner, join me if you want."
Malfoy gave her a sneering look but his stomach rumbling gave him away.
"Okay, I'll come…"he reluctantly gave in. Strangely he felt that he couldn't be further away from the beaver than ten metres….He put it down to not wanting her to be taken over by the Dark Lord and possibly escaping into the night.
The barn, at night, was no beauty. It looked big and it had roof, so that was a plus. However it looked like it hadn't been used in decades. The roof was made of hay, patching all over the framework. There were gaps, where if it rained it would make the barn very damp. The bricks looked like mortar, dusty but sturdy looking.
Hermione emerged from the car, again holding that purse of hers.
"What are you waiting for?" she called out, her voice carried away by the wind.
Yes, he thought, WHAT am I waiting for?
A/N:- I feel REALLY, REALLY exhausted. I just really want to go bed now, although normally I don't go for three hours yet. It'd be really nice if I woke up tomorrow and discovered lots of emails from this site in my inbox...(HINT HINT):D
Ok, so this civilised conversation...Well bits of it continues in the next chappie as well. I hope for now you guys are sated with Draco feeling angry she flashed her thigh, although unintentional. That's not to say he's in 'love' with her. No way. There's still plenty to come before that happens but I hope this romance will start to seep through to you guys soon.
Ok, i really must post this now. does anyone else feel tired?