A/N - Written for the Halloween Challenge over at Dramione Drabbles.

Prompts : Bat, Forest, Niffler

Title: While Out Hunting

Rating: G

Word Count: 1473

Warnings: None.

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Biting her lower lip nervously, Hermione looked over her shoulder, her eyes studying the darkness that seemed to envelope her where she stood, the partially covered moon hardly giving her sufficient silvery light to let her eyes adjust. She stood at the edge of the Forbidden Forest all alone as she shifted from one foot to the other while she eyed the shadow of the Hogwarts Castle that seemed too far away to offer any comfort. The yellow lights that dotted a few windows gave her some courage, but not enough.

Reluctantly, she turned her attention back to the thick, dark shadows that were created by ominously shaped trees, the silence of the surrounding environment causing her heartbeat to quicken slightly.

She really didn't want to do this. No one knew where she was and they probably wouldn't think of trying to find her just yet. On the other hand, in retrospect, this was all her fault and she really couldn't contemplate living with herself if anything bad happened as a result of her ever present need to prove that she was right.

Searching deep for her Gryffindor courage and pulling out her wand for light, Hermione took a deep breath and took the leap, moving fast through the Forbidden Forest.

No matter how many times she had frequented the forest well known for its hidden charms, Hermione always found herself apprehensive of walking through the shadowed area; especially alone and at night. Still, it didn't stop her from doing the very thing that could attract unwanted attention and call out a name softly. Logically she knew that it was dangerous, but the faster she finds the person she had been hunting, the faster she could leave this place and go back to the comfy common room couch and savour a mug of hot chocolate.

She said the name a little louder, and swirled around when she heard a twig snap.

Completely alert, Hermione advanced towards the area where the sound came from, her footsteps quiet and the light emanating from the end of her wand a welcome companion.

It was not until she walked cautiously around a large tree that she finally found him.

His hair shone brightly in the dim light as he stood still, his Hogwarts robes ripped and the Slytherin tie loose around his neck. But it wasn't his appearance that she found disturbing, it was what he was doing.

Draco Malfoy was staring straight into the blind eyes of a bat that hung on a branch barely a foot away from him, wings wide and fangs bared almost as if it was ready for an attack. But, Malfoy didn't seem to notice. With his eyes glazed, he cocked his head to the side and regarded the bat curiously, his nose twitching like a mouse who was trying to figure out a certain smell.

Hermione knew she had to get him away before he hurt himself. But, she found herself unable to think of a possible solution where she could successfully get Malfoy away from the bat and keep him from running away from her.

With cautious steps, she moved forward, trying her best not to step on any twigs that littered the forest floor. But that plan wasn't meant to be.

Snap.

Almost immediately, the bat spread his wings and took off while Malfoy's head snapped towards her. Hermione barely had time to think before he turned and tried to make a run for it.

With a well-aimed charm, ropes shot out of her wand, spiralling towards him fast before it twisted itself around him and pulled him to the ground. He struggled, grunts escaping him as the ropes tightened around his legs and arms, keeping him in a tight body bind.

"Shh…It's all right..." Hermione said with a soothing voice as she made her way towards him. Malfoy jumped and jerked as she tried to grab his head, the effort to keep him still proving fruitless. With a determined glint in her eye, she straddled him to stop him from squirming away, pocketing her wand so she could grab his jaw with one hand and pull out a vial with light blue liquid from her robes with the other.

Malfoy continued to cringe away from her, but Hermione held on tight. Using her teeth, she pulled out the cork and spit it away, trying her best to keep her balance on the ungrateful Slytherin while she tried to keep his mouth open while simultaneously trying to stop his teeth from getting too close to her fingers.

It was with great effort that Hermione finally managed to pour the potion down his throat, using her hands to cover his mouth to force him to swallow it rather than spit it out. She felt him swallow under her hands, before he suddenly jerked, his eyes rolling back in his head for a split second before he started shivering uncontrollably. Hermione stared in panic, hoping that she had brewed the potion right. The last thing she wanted to do was kill the bane of her existence, no matter how annoying he might be.

It was the moment when his eyes closed and he stopped moving that Hermione truly felt the sense of panic tighten her chest.

"Malfoy," she whispered, a gentle shake to wake him up.

"Malfoy," she said again, pressing her hands against him harder. She felt his chest and breathed out a happy sigh when she felt the familiar rise and fall under her fingers. "Malfoy." Still, he didn't move.

Biting her lip, she raised her palm and brought it down hard, slapping him in an effort to wake him. "Draco!"

His eyes snapped open and he groaned, which only succeeded in Hermione letting out a sigh of relief.

"Wha...Granger…?" His eyes narrowed, a hand rising to touch his cheek which had turned a light shade of pink. "What the bloody hell did you do to me, woman?"

"Me?" she asked in outrage, poking her finger against his shoulder. "I just stopped you from spending the rest of your days as an animal; that's what I did."

"Really? 'Cause from right here, I think all you did was slap me." He rubbed his cheek. "And it hurts."

Hermione rolled her eyes at his innocent pout. "This would have never happened had you just stuck to your side of the table."

"And here I thought Gryffindors knew how to share."

"We do," she snapped. "But we don't share with Slytherins who steal."

His jaw dropped. "When have I ever stolen anything?"

"Hm…Let's see." She pressed harder and bent over so she could glare over him. "You stole my notes, my cauldron, the main ingredient to my potions project, the recent essay about animal properties I wrote-"

But Malfoy didn't let her continue. With his eyes wide, he stared at her in disbelief. "You put something in my pumpkin juice, didn't you?"

Hermione pursed her lips, her tone taking on a certain haughtiness. "You drank my potion with essence of niffler by mistake. Although how you could be so daft is beyond me."

"And you didn't stop me?" he asked incredulously.

She looked at him pointedly. "You kept elbowing me during class and dropping ink on my parchment." She raised an eyebrow at him. "I told you you'll regret it."

With great effort, he raised himself onto his elbows, his eyes narrowed. "I hope you realise that you've started a war."

Hermione chuckled, though her intestines felt twisted in knots at the disturbing way he was looking at her. "Oh, Malfoy." She leaned forward, brown eyes meeting grey and noses nearly tip to tip. "I hope you realise that you don't scare me."

He smirked slowly, the movement calculating. "I don't intend to scare you, Granger." Then, he grabbed her arms and with a strong nudge rolled her over so that he was above her, their legs still entangled and his body so close it was unsettling. "I intend to win."

Hermione was at a loss for words, acutely aware that her chest rose and fell fast against his. His eyes darkened as he bent his head closer. "And I always get what I want." With an evil glint in his eye, he brushed his lips against the corner of hers lightly. But, before Hermione could react, he was off her, dusting his robes casually. "See you tomorrow at potions, Granger." With a wink, he turned to leave.

Hermione sat up and glared after him. Tomorrow, she could start brewing the potion with essence of ferret which should be ready in time for Halloween. That should be a satisfactory form of revenge for the way he always tried to unnerve her.

But, for now, she had to concentrate on slowing down her breathing and her rapidly beating heart.

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