Cherry and Jasmine. Hermione inhaled her mother's scent deeply and didn't twitch when she felt bangs being pushed out of her face, giving her a whiff of the Sulfur still on her mother's fingers.
"Mum," she murmured, feeling as if she was five years old as she laid on her mother's chest with her eyes closed. She didn't care though, but she felt like it had been forever since she had spent time with her mother like this. Why don't I do this more? Hermione wanted to keep her eyes closed, but she had the nagging feeling in her chest that she needed to get up. "Mum, my head hurts."
Jean Granger chuckled as Hermione felt someone sit bedside her. "That's because you sleep too much, Sunshine." William Granger's baritone voice answered her. She opened her eyes to see she was in a white room with a glowing pastel pink light, but she didn't lift her head off of her mother's chest.
She gave her father a broad grin, but couldn't keep it as her mood sank. Why am I sad? "It's the only thing that helps, da." Da. She hadn't called him that in years.
He gave her a shadow of a smile. "You can't expect to grow if you keep yourself hidden from the sunlight. Tell me, when you choose not to handle things before thinking about it, does it ever end well? Your feelings will demand to be felt and choosing to ignore them will never make the real issue go away." He put a hand on her knee. "You've done so well today, but you need to keep going- and not just for tonight either."
Hermione was used to her mother being the one who laid down the truth so when her dad did it, it alarmed her. She tried to wrap her arms around her mother but Jean grabbed her wrists. Hermione fought a little bit, tears stinging her eyes as her inner ache became almost crushing. "Why can't I hug you? You feel so far away."
"Hermione, you can't hug us." Hermione looked up at her mom's hazel eyes then. She had always wished he had her mother's pretty eyes instead of her father's brown ones. "If you do, you'll end up like us." Hermione blinked and she remembered. Her parents were dead and hugging anyone dead in a dream was supposed to mean the dreamer would soon die.
Hermione sat up to glance between her mother and father, frowning. "You don't believe in superstitions."
Jean cupped Hermione's face with both hands. She kissed her daughters forehead and smiled. "We're always with you Hermione. Even when you're living with your new family."
"They're not-" She started as she stared up at her mom. "They're not your replacement!"
"There, there. We never said they were." William patted Hermione's knee and she looked at him. When she did she knew her mother had vanished. Panic started to fill her and the white light of the room started to grow dimmer. "It's time to wake up."
"No, Dad, don't leave me!" She quickly gripped the front of his shirt, begging him to stay.
"We love you, Hermione. Please be good and- wake up!"
"NO!" Hermione sat up and nearly collided with Harry who was shaking her awake.
"Hermione, stop!" Harry gripped her wrists tighter until she stopped fighting him. She looked around, remembering not just where she was, but how she got there: Pettigrew had ran away, Everyone chased after him- Hermione toting an unconscious Snape- until the clouds cleared the way revealing a full moon that Lupin was unable to resist, making him transform. Everyone split up as Sirius fought Lupin off, causing Harry and Hermione to end up in the forest where they were attacked by dementors. When they had woken up again, they discovered that Snape had woken up and saved them, but only so he could be awarded with an Order of Merlin by Minister Fudge who had returned to the school at the news of Sirius Black being caught. Not a second after Snape and Fudge left the hospital wing, Hermione was given permission by Dumbledore to use the Time-Turner to save Buckbeak and Sirius. It was only her and Harry who were able to go back in time as Ron was unable to move around properly and had to drink Skelegrow to repair his damaged leg.
"You must still be weak from the dementors." Harry commented, taking note of her pale complexion.
"I'm fine." She said as she got up from her spot against the tree, not wanting him to know that he was in fact right. Neither of them had thought to grab chocolate before leaving and Hermione regretted it entirely. On top of everything that had happened in the day before getting attacked by dementors, she was already daydreaming about how great she would sleep tonight. That's because you sleep too much, Sunshine. She shivered at the whisper from her dream, but spoke so Harry would not comment- if he had even caught it in the shadows the forbidden forest had provided them. "What did I miss?"
"Not much. We haven't arrived yet, but I imagined we are getting close to that time- the sun is setting."
She sighed, "I went back too far. My fingers were shaking so much..."
"We only had to wait a little longer- We both needed to rest anyway." He gave her a look that reassured her that he genuinely didn't mind and she thought it best not to argue.
Remembering a camping trick her parents taught her, Hermione held several fingers horizontally on the horizon where the sun met the trees beside the castle. Each finger was supposed to equal fifteen minutes until sun down and the distance between the treeline and the sun was less than a finger's width. "We should have less than fifteen minutes until we get there then." She looked over the grounds before her eyes drifted over her shoulder, back to the area of the forest where they had been attacked. "Harry, there's something I don't understand." She said this quietly before tucking a stray curl behind her ear and glancing up at him. "Why didn't the dementors get Sirius? I remember them coming as the three of us had ran into the forest to escape Professor Lupin, and then I passed out... there were so many of them..." The shadows beneath her started to swirl around the floor, looking like the edges of the dementors cloaks. She closed her eyes tightly, willing herself to not fall into a flashback. Not here, not now.
Harry explained what he had seen; that Sirius and Hermione passed out and right as he was about to, a large silver thing had come galloping across the lake and drove off every single dementor. His vision was blurry as he had been on the edge of consciousness, but he thought he saw another figure across the lake.
"Well, what was the silver thing you mentioned?"
"There's only one thing it could have been, to make the dementors go. It had to have been a real patronus. A powerful one." He had explained he was getting private lessons from Lupin on how to conjure one, but she could hardly find material on the spell herself when she looked.
She looked thoughtful and her lips twisted to the side in thought. "But who conjured it? Do you think it was Snape?"
Harry was silent for a moment, and his hands turned into fists as he shook his head. Hermione recognized the stance well enough to know that Harry was holding something back.
"Didn't you see what they looked like?" Hermione pressed. He took a deep breath, but did not reply. He avoided looking at her and she took a couple steps closer to him. "It must have been a really powerful wizard, to drive all those dementors away... If the patronus was shining so brightly, didn't it light the wizard up? Couldn't you see-?"
"Yeah I saw him," Harry said slowly. He was close to saying what he thought and Hermione knew it. "But... maybe I just imagined it. I wasn't thinking straight and I did pass out right afterward..."
Her patience was wearing thin and she forced herself to sound as calm as possible. "Who did you think it was?"
"I think-" He swallowed hard and Hermione noticed for the first time that he had an adams apple forming. It was weird to think back at how he had grown from the beginning of the year. "I think it was my dad." He looked up at Hermione with hesitant eyes. It hurt that he felt the need to walk on eggshells around her with his own thoughts and feelings, but she didn't comment on that.
"But- Harry..." Her voice sounded far away as thoughts filled her head. Who did Harry see? Was it actually his father's ghost? If Harry's parents could come back as ghosts after thirteen years, would mine? Could my parents become ghosts sooner than that? Did that mean there was a chance I could see them again?
"I know, he's dead." His voice broke her out of her thoughts.
"Yes." She replied simply, still feeling a thread of hope build in her. "You think you saw his ghost?" She wanted him to verbally confirm her theory, and was deflated with his reply.
"I don't- No..." The crease in his brow deepened. "No, he looked solid."
"But then-"
"Maybe I was seeing things," Harry said again, convincing himself he was wrong so he wouldn't get his hopes up. "But... from what I could see, it looked like him... I've got photos of him." He looked away from her and he saw movement in front of the hut. "Look!"
The topic of conversation completely forgotten, Hermione jumped behind a tree for additional cover as she saw the door to Hagrid's cabin open, then close. "That had to be us he let in, let's get closer." They had hid themselves off to the sides by the greenhouse to make sure not even Hagrid had seen them. Now that they were right behind his hut where Buckbeak was tied up, Harry was ready to act.
He took a step closer, but Hermione grabbed him. "Not yet."
"Why not? This is perfect-"
"We need to get Buckbeak after the Ministry see him tied up. If they come and don't see him, Hagrid will be accused of letting him go."
There was a crash from inside the hut followed by Past Hermione's scream when she found Peter Pettigrew in one of Hagrid's milk jugs.
"That's only give us like sixty seconds. What if we just run in and grab Pettigrew now?"
"No!" She hissed and he looked down at her, frustrated he had to stand by instead of act. "We are breaking one of the most important Wizarding Laws! Nobody's supposed to change time, Nobody!" She then went into a condensed, but still lengthy explanation straight out of Time-Turners: A History about why even only being seen by your past self could result in death.
"Okay!" said Harry in the middle of her tirade. "It was just an idea, I just thought-"
Hermione had nudged him and pointed to the castle where Dumbledore was being followed by Fudge, the executioner and Lucius. "I'm going to hex all of his hair off when I get back to the manor." Hermione growled making Harry chuckle before he grabbed her sweater and pointed to Hagrid's hut.
Hagrid's back door opened with Harry, Ron, and Hermione spilling out. Past Hermione was trying to open up the invisibility cloak as wide as possible so they could all disappear under it as they no longer fit as well as they had in their first and second year.
"Go!" Hagrid said, unaware about the adults making their way to his hut. "It's bad enough without you lot in trouble an' all!" Hermione and Harry watched as Past Hermione threw the Invisibility Cloak over the their past selves. "Go quick. Don' listen..."
"Is that what my hair looks like?" Hermione wondered out loud and Harry gave her a quizzical look.
"Now is not the time to be a girl, Hermione." He joked.
"Oh, shut up." But there was very little venom in it as she smiled.
Right as the back door closed, Dumbledore knocked on Hagrid's door and the men climbed inside the hut as three pairs of feet flattened random patches of grass as they walked back to the castle.
Hermione and Harry were now able to hear the conversation that took place inside the hut after they left the first time;
"Where is the beast?" Hermione assumed this was the voice of the executioner as it sounded nothing a like the other four men.
"Out-outside," Hagrid croaked.
Harry was about to step out of the cover of the trees when the executioner's face appeared in Hagrid's window, causing Hermione to pull him back in such a haste, he ended falling on her. Hermione thought she saw Macnair staring in their direction and held her breath hoping that he hadn't seen them.
If they were discovered, it would be more than Buckbeak and Black who would be dead.
"We- er- have to read you the official notice of execution, Hagrid." Fudge said. The more Lucius hung around the Minister, the more pitiful he found him. Fudge was nervously licking his lips and trying to look everywhere, but at Hagrid, who towered over them all. A sheep in wolf's clothing for sure he thought. Fudge was starting to remind Lucius of Peter Pettigrew, a former death eater who was bullied by the rest of their group for being a weakling, only on their side because it seemed to be the winning side. "I'll make it quick, then you and Macnair will need to sign it." When Macnair didn't move from the Window, Fudge continued, "Macnair, you're supposed to listen too." Macnair shifted from one foot to the other as he turned around. He seemed as if he had seen something outside, but wasn't sure of it and was anxious to investigate.
"There's many creatures in the woods behind this hut, you shouldn't try to behead all of them." Lucius said and the two morbid men shared a laugh before returning their attention to Fudge.
"I thought this was an appeal?" Hagrid said, glancing between Fudge, whose breathing quickened at being addressed by the half-giant. "I prepared tea and- and rock cakes." Dumbledore placed a hand on Hagrid's arm to stop him. Hagrid bent over so Dumbledore could whisper something in his ear and the half giant straightened up again. This time with watery eyes but a stern look on his face. "Go on, Minister."
The gruffness in his voice had Minister Fudge reading the order in a brisk sweat. "It is the decision of the committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures that the hippogriff Buckbeak, hereafter called the condemned, shall be executed..." Lucius let his mind wander as Fudge spoke. He didn't need to be here, he only came to make face and to see if he could meet with Draco. Any chance he had to physically verify Draco was alright, he took, even if he was in a fortress like Hogwarts most of the year. Unfortunately though, he hadn't been able to spot his son anywhere and Lucius was not in the mood to haggle with Dumbledore on visitation time. "Sentenced to execution by beheading, to be carried out by the Committee's appointed executioner, Walden Macnair, as witnessed below. Macnair, you sign here." Macnair obliged with a quill that was conjured by Dumbledore. "And Hagrid-" Fudge said quietly, holding out the parchment as far away as he could as if Hagrid would grab him and break him over a knee.
"Well, let's get this over with." Lucius said, making a show of slipping on a glove before touching Hagrid's door. He stepped outside and froze in the middle of putting on his other glove at the sight of Hermione and Harry Potter trying to pull a resisting Buckbeak into the forest. He had a split-second to consider the cons of letting her and Harry getting caught verses letting them get away.
Lucius rushed back inside, nearly bumping into Fudge who was about to step out himself. "Lucius, what are you-"
"On second thought, what type of tea do you have, ah, Hagrid?" He enunciated every vowel in Hagrid's name in a way that barely concealed how he felt about the groundskeeper.
Hagrid, was not as stupid as Lucius hoped and did nothing but stare at the platinum blond aristocrat. Dumbledore, who wanted to delay having Hagrid watch the execution, walked over to the cauldron and lifted the lid. He took the time to swirl the boiling liquid. "Do you mind if the tea leaves are floating free in your tea, Lucius?"
Lucius' eye twitched at the Headmaster not calling him by his surname, but did not correct him. Beggars and soothsayers drink tea like that. "I do mind, perhaps a rock cake? Is that what you called them?" Sweet Circe, let them be softer than they sound.
Hagrid seeing that Dumbledore was being polite to Lucius, decided to follow suit. "Yes, mummy's recipe." Hagrid turned around to pick up the metal pan on the table behind him. Fudge and Macnair jumped to the side as Hagrid extended the hot pan to Lucius. Lucius stared down at the cakes and picked up the one that was almost a golden brown rather than a deep brown or charcoal colored.
"I think we should get this started." Macnair said this, looking over from Lucius' cake to Fudge as he thumb his ax with slightly more vigor than he did earlier. A trigger finger for sure, Lucius noted as he tried to bite into the cake. He thought he felt a crack form in his teeth and pulled back immediately, looking at the 'cake' with a traitorous glare. Not even a bite mark.
Everyone started to walk towards the door Lucius had been blocking. He went to put his cake down when he heard a faint voice outside. "Quick, quick, quick."
"What was that?" Macnair looked over his shoulder where the window was.
"My stomach, I'm famished." Lucius gave an embarrassed laugh as he lifted the dessert to his face again. Why does that blasted girl have to meddle in everything?! "Perhaps I should have some tea to soften it up a bit."
Dumbledore made to grab a mug to put tea in when Macnair spoke again. "Oi, we can't take all day now!"
"Would you like some tea, too?" Dumbledore asked after pouring some of the hot liquid into the mug and holding it out to the executioner. Macnair answered by pushing the tea back to the older wizard.
"I agree," Fudge quipped. "Hagrid, perhaps it would be better if you stay inside with Lucius while he gets his fill and-" Fudge tried to suggest, too scared Hagrid would become violent over the death of a creature in his care.
"No, I- I wan' ter be with him... I don' wan' him ter be alone." Hagrid looked completely defeated and his eyes were full of tears. Lucius would have laughed at the half-giant if he wasn't scrambling to think of anyway to delay the men from leaving the hut.
The men collected in front of Lucius who was completely blocking the front door while he gingerly sipped his tea, pretending not to notice. He couldn't think of anything else to delay everyone from going outside. Fudge and Macnair were itching to get the slaughter over with to go back home, while the rest of them were wanting the inevitable delayed- all for different reasons.
Lucius reluctantly stepped to the side and Macnair brushed by him as he opened the door. Lucius glared at the back of his head and gripped the cake tightly between his fingers- only causing pain and annoyance as the cake did not even have a crumb appear from the pressure he put on it. If she's still here there I'll murder her myself for the scandal she'd have caused...
When Lucius stepped out behind Macnair and saw a now empty back yard where he had last seen Buckbeak, Hermione, and Harry, he left out a silent sigh of relief that she didn't get caught.
"It was tied here!" The executioner said furiously, pointing an arm in front of him. "I saw it! Just here!"
Hermione couldn't help but let a smirk crawl into place as she glanced back at a very still Harry and Buckbeak- both who seem to be listening intently at the scene they could hardly see before them.
"How extraordinary," Dumbledore said, a hint of amusement in his voice as he turned to Lucius Malfoy. "I wonder where it could have gone."
Hermione saw Lucius not just silently, but wandlessly vanish the contents of his mug and rock cake. He straightened when Dumbledore addressed him as he was caught by surprise. She thought she saw him purse him lips before glancing at the woods, as if searching the growth for any sign of Buckbeak. "Perhaps it flew off, Headmaster."
There was a swishing sound followed by the thud of the executioner's axe as he swung it into the fence in anger. Hagrid didn't comment on the assault against his property as he was overcome with tears of joy. "Gone! Gone! Bless his little beak, he's gone!" Musta pulled himself free! Beaky, yeh clever boy!"
Hermione heard a heavy footfall and saw Buckbeak straining against the rope to get back to Hagrid. Harry pulled back with everything he had and Hermione quickly joined him in digging their heels into the dirt. "Buckbeak, no!"
"Someone untied him!" She heard the executioner exclaim. "We should search the grounds, the forest-"
"Macnair, if Buckbeak has indeed been stolen, do you really think the thief will have led him on foot?" Said Dumbledore, sounding amused. "Search the skies, if you will... Hagrid, I could do with a cup of tea. Or a large brandy."
"You had Brandy?" Lucius asked in a clipped tone before he could stop himself.
Buckbeak had stopped pulling and Harry pointed back to the area of the trees behind the green house where they hid before, suggesting they started to move further into hiding. Hermione shook her head as she pointed at the men before her, then pressed the same finger to her lips.
Hagrid gave a look to Lucius that made the shorter wizard blink and hand the mug back to Hagrid. "I best be heading back to the manor, Narcissa's waiting for my return." With that, the men all started to disappear- Hagrid and Dumbledore entered the hut while the rest of the men walked towards the front of the castle to dissapperate. Harry and Hermione were alone again with a slightly disgruntled Buckbeak, who was clawing at the ground anxiously, wanting to get back to Hagrid.
"Now what?" Harry asked as he ran his finger's through Buckbeak's feathers, in a gentle attempt to calm him.
"We'll have to keep hiding in here." Hermione replied as she ran a hand over her hair, trying not to look shaken, but could feel herself failing. Her mind remained unclouded though and she willed her body to keep up. Sirius still needs to be saved. "We need to wait until they've completely gone back into the castle. Then we wait until it's safe to fly Buckbeak up to Sirius's window. He won't be there for a while..." She bit her lower lip. "Oh, this is going to be difficult..." Calm yourself she heard Dr. Augsen's voice in her head.
She took a deep breath before looking at her best friend again. Harry had a stern look on his face and she knew he was thinking hard about their current situation. "We're going to have to move," he said finally. "We've got to be able to see the Whomping Willow, or we won't know what's going on."
She nodded vigorously. "Okay." She carefully maneuvered around Buckbeak while keeping her grip on the rope. She was careful not to look directly into Buckbeak's eyes as she stood in the direction closest to the Whomping Willow. "But we've got to keep out of sight, Harry. Remember: We can not interfere or-"
"Be seen." He gave a nod as he joined her side and held on to Buckbeak's rope in the event the Hippogriff tried to veer off. "I got it."
They set off towards the part of the forest where they could clearly see the Whomping Willow. Determined not to fail, lest they be forced to face the consequences of what would happen.
"Harry!" Hermione was tugging at Harry's sleeve as he stared at where Sirius and Buckbeak flew off from the west wing's tower. She was still slightly pissed at him for tricking her into staying hidden with Buckbeak while he ran off to see who had cast the patronus that saved their lives by the lake. It turned out it was this Harry who had saved them all, so it was a good that he did interfere, but it didn't stop her from being left in a flurry of both negative and positive emotions. As much as she wanted to celebrate having saved Sirius, there was no time to celebrate. "We've got exactly ten minutes to get back down to the hospital wing without anybody seeing us- before Dumbledore locks the door so we can go back in-"
"Let's go!" He wrenched his gaze from the sky and grabbed Hermione's sleeve, bolting down the hallways and sliding down the stairs with a quick glisseo. Hermione would immediately release the charm after they got to the bottom to make sure their tracks were covered. Her legs burned with a familiarity she had forgotten, and her breathing slipped back into the same pattern it did when she used run track and field competitively. Her body objected, but it still helped her remain focused.
"Hermione- What'll happen- if we don't get back inside- before Dumbledore locks the door?" Harry panted. He had fallen behind her, but she refused to look back in the event it slowed her down.
"I don't want to think about it!" They were on the ground floor and she allowed herself an attempt to check her watch. "One minute!" Hermione refused to acknowledge the stitch in her side until she and Harry were turning the last corner so they were in the hallway where Dumbledore would be stepping into before locking their past selves in the hospital room.
Hermione nearly stumbled into the door as she pressed herself against it to hear any signs of the being too late. "I can hear Dumbledore!" She half hissed to Harry who was still half-way down the hall behind her. "Come on, Harry!" When he finally came to a stop in front of her, gasping for air, Dumbledore finally stepped out of the room after instructing past Hermione and Harry on using the Time-Turner.
Dumbledore closed the large wooden door before him and withdrew his wand to lock it. "Headmaster?"
Dumbledore turned to Hermione and smiled. "Well?"
"We did it!" Harry said breathlessly. "Sirius and Buckbeak..." Harry had straightened up, but was gripping his own stitch.
"Well done. I think-" Dumbledore cracked opened the door. "Yes, I think you've gone too- get inside. I'll lock you in, for real this time." The old wizard chuckled as Hermione and Harry slipped inside. Hermione wiped the sweat off of her face as she climbed back into the bed she was in. She wished she was back in her dorm so she wouldn't have to sleep in such heavy clothes, but knew she probably wouldn't even need her dreamless sleep draught with everything that had happened.
Hermione checked on a still sleeping Ron, and a moment later Madam Pomfrey appeared, hands on her hips and grumbling- she was in such a bad mood. "Did I hear the headmaster leave? Am I allowed to look after my patients now?" She started to work at the block of chocolate between Hermione and Harry's bed with something that looked like a wide version of an icing spatula. Hermione had never seen Madam Pomfrey so angry, but then again, she never saw Madam Pomfrey be dismissed from her practice like she was before her and Harry traveled back in time.
When they had gotten their fourth piece of chocolate down, they started to hear an angry buzzing. Madam Pomfrey looked up and Hermione looked over at Harry, both students being concerned by the noise. The buzzing grew into a rumble before shortly turning into what Hermione identify as words.
"HE DIDN'T DISAPPERATE!" Snape roared, now very close to the closed doors of the hospital wing. "YOU CAN'T APPARATE OR DISAPPARATE INSIDE THIS CASTLE! THIS- HAS -SOMETHING- TO- DO- WITH- POTTER!"
"Severus- be reasonable- Harry has been locked up-"
The hospital wing burst open and Hermione winced, imagining some of the wood hand to splinter when it hit the large stones that made the wall.
Snape strode towards them with Dumbledore and Fudge flanking him. Dumbledore looked calm and almost as if he was enjoying the scene before him. Hermione wanted to smile herself knowing his delight meant she would be alright, but knew that it was hardly appropriate. Fudge looked angry, which gave Hermione a feeling of grim satisfaction. Snape was completely beside himself and it slightly alarmed her. Hermione knew that he was more than aware she had hexed him and wouldn't put it past him for Snape to seek revenge on her like he had with Sirius and Lupin.
"OUT WITH IT, POTTER!" he bellowed and there was a slight echo from the sound bouncing off the walls as Harry, Ron, and Hermione were the only students in the wing.
"Professor Snape!" Madam Pomfrey shrieked as she wielding the spatula in front of her. "Control yourself!"
"THEY HELPED HIM ESCAPE, I KNOW IT!" Snape howled and Hermione was reminded of a toddler having a tantrum as the professor pointed at Harry and Hermione, especially when spit started to fly out of his mouth from how angry he was.
"Calm down, man!" Fudge barked, wanting to regain control of the situation. "You're talking nonsense!"
"You don't know Potter, Minister!" Snape turned to away from the two Gryffindors. "He did it, I know he did it-"
"Professor, we've been here the whole fifteen minutes you've been gone."
Hermione almost regretted not taking Fudge and Snape's advice in holding her tongue. The look he gave Hermione made any look he gave Harry look entirely welcoming. He nearly took a step forward, but Dumbledore came to her rescue- quite literally.
"That will do, Severus," the headmaster said quietly. "Think about what you are saying, This door has been locked since I left the ward. Madam Pomfrey, have the students left their beds?"
"Of course not!" Madam Pomfrey placed her fists back on her hips at the question. "I would have heard them."
Dumbledore raised his eyebrows to Severus. "Well there you have it. Unless you are suggesting Hermione and Harry could be at two places at once, I don't see any point in troubling them further. They need rest."
"Exactly! It's past curfew and being kept up helps none of them!" Hermione knew Madam Pomfrey to be stern, but she had never been known to loose her cool like this, even when faced with a student who looked dead.
Snape stood there, seething for a moment before whirling around so his robes swished behind him. Hermione wondered if it was a Slytherin thing that they insisted on having their robes whip behind them. Hermione was humored for a second imaging Draco trying to flick his robes in the same fashion as Lucius and Snape.
Fudge let out a heavy sigh and Hermione wondered how a politician could barely handle confrontation, but still manage to become Minister of Magic. "Fellow seems quite unbalanced. I'll have to send him an owl saying we were unable to offer the Order of Merlin first class... Who knows what he may do to me face to face..." Fudge started to walk towards the exit and Dumbledore nodded to Hermione and Harry before following. "I need to contact Rita Skeeter, I promised her an exclusive interview to whomever caught Black-"
Their voices faded, but not before Hermione could faintly make out Dumbledore asking about Fudge's wife as they grew farther away from where she sat. Fudge sputtered before they both stepped into the hallway.
Hermione laid down and her vision filled with gray almost immediately after blinking. Her eyelids were heavy, making them droop lower and lower. She felt every ache and pain in her body hit her at once and she silently groaned as she slipped into a deep sleep that was well-deserved.
Before she completely knocked out, she imaged her father's jovial laugh and her mother whispering into her ear: We're proud of you, allowing her to fall asleep with a smile on her lips.
Draco kept a bored expression on his face as he unlatched Pansy from his shoulders and turned around.
"Drakey-" She tried to object, but the look he gave her stopped her in her verbal tracks.
"I told you, you were not sitting with us in our cabin." Theo and Blaise slipped past Draco and Pansy, throwing their trunks on the overhead shelf.
"But-" Her eyes grew wide with panic, but he refused to let her argue.
"No." Blaise took Draco's truck from him, earning him a nod from his blonde companion before Draco returned his attention to Pansy. He grabbed her shoulders, twirling her around to look at a fidgeting Milicent Bulstrode down the hallway. "You've neglected Milicent the last week of school to hang around me and my friends. Quite honestly, your company is tiring and you should apologize to her." She gasped and looked over her shoulder at him. He's said worse to her and wasn't phased by the hurt look on her face as he pointed down the hall. "Go." Pansy hurried off then, trying to get to her friend and in a cabin to hide her embarrassment. Draco slipped into his own cabin before locking it behind him.
The Slytherin's didn't talk for hours; Theo almost immediately fell asleep once the train started to move, Blaise was reading and Draco was laying on the opposite seats of the cabin with an arm draped over his eyes to help him practice occulemency. It was something he did every year when returning back to Hogwarts. Logic told him that he wouldn't have to worry about Lucius, but his fear from his experiences said that he could never be too careful. Sometimes it was one good lie that saved him from being punished by his father. Lucius never used legimens unless he was already in a rage, but it helped Draco keep a stoic demeanor when talking to anyone.
However, he was having trouble focusing this time around. His mind kept drifting back to Hermione. Draco visited her when Harry and Ron went to the last Hogsmeade trip of the year while she insisted she stay in the hospital wing. He wondered if she knew that he would come after hearing that she was attacked again. He almost expected her to fall into harm's way with the Goldren Trio's reputation, and had carried the best Honeyduke's chocolate on his person in the event she had another encounter with a dementor, but got to her before Madam Pomfrey did. His lips turned upward remembering her reaction of him handing her the chocolate in the hospital wing;
"Norman Love Dark Chocolate?" Hermione asked, turning the chocolate bar over in her hands. "How did you know it was my favorite?"
He smirked as he stretched. "Because you just told me." She gave him a questioning look and he elaborated. "I don't buy my sweets unless they're imported from somewhere." He shrugged, "We happen to have similar tastes, I suppose." It was a lie it didn't dare eat the chocolate knowing it had muggle origins, but he figured it would help cheer her up after an attack if she ate something she recognized.
Hermione unwrapped the decadent chocolate and made a happy sound as she bit off a square. Closing her eyes she was brought back to happy times in her childhood, but she refused to let the chocolate go bitter in her mouth with memories. She wondered if Draco knew that the candy was muggle, but didn't dare bring it up if he did. After swallowing she held out the chocolate as an offering, but he waved a hand to decline. "No non-imported sweets? You have very expensive taste, you know."
"You can't say while stuffing your face with the expensive thing I bought." She had the grace to look bashful before they both ended up laughing. When they both stopped, he sat in the chair next to her bed. He glanced around to make sure they were still alone before he leaned forward. She had taken another bite of chocolate and was wrapping the foil over itself to save the rest for later. "So now that you have unknowingly accepted my bribe, tell me how you saved Buckbeak."
She didn't stop folding the foil, but she looked up at him, eyes wide in faux innocence and lips pressed together in an impish pout. "I didn't save Buckbeak."
Draco raised an eyebrow at her, but he expected the push back. "You expect me to believe that our humble groundskeeper, Hagrid, was dishonest enough to purposefully do a poor job at tying the hippogriff down so it could pull free?" He scooted the chair closer and held out his pinky. "Come on now, I don't care about how you saved Sirius- if you did- I just want to know about Buckbeak." Lucius had informed Draco of what he saw, but Draco not only wanted to know the full story, he wanted to know Hermione trusted him.
He stayed egging her silently for minutes by poking her with his pinky until she finally bit her lip and linked her smallest finger with his. "Fine, but not here and you tell no one."
He couldn't object like he wanted to as at that moment, Lavender and Parvati came into the hospital, each baring gifts for the only student who was admitted into Madam Pomfrey's care. He stood up and gave Hermione a glare- one that was strictly for show and Hermione knew it. "Fine. When then, Granger?"
"At the manor." She fixed a hard glare of her own on her face and crossed her arms. "And that's the best I can do, Malfoy."
The two Gryffindor girls were nearly by her bedside so he made a show of sucking a teeth and kicking the leg of her bed causing her to jump. He might have kicked it more forcefully than he meant to though. He hated waiting.
Replaying the scene fully, he was grinning. A moment later, Blaise hit him on his stomach causing him to jump up. "What the hell?" Draco propped himself on his elbow as he glared at his dark friend. "What was that for?"
"You weren't focusing so I figured why not?" Blaise shrugged a shoulder. "Daydreaming about your manor-mate, are we?"
Draco couldn't fight the heat raising to his cheeks. "Shut up."
Baises smile wavered as he stared at Draco. "Oh. I was only trying to be funny, but this is rich." Blaise waved a finger at Draco and the look he had in his eye had Draco's joke about being a wealthy instead of rich died on his lips. "You were thinking about her!"
Draco threw his Slytherin robes he was using as a pillow at Blaise. "I said shut up! I was not." Draco crossed his arms over his chest and stared at the ceiling of the train.
Blaise clucked like a hen and Draco didn't need to look over to know that Blaise was shaking his head. "I'm not the one who would have the problem about you fancying Hermione." Blaise did an impression of an English accent to emphasize the word 'fancy' and tossed the robes back to Draco who rolled them back into a makeshift pillow. "It's everyone else."
"I don't fancy anything. I was just thinking about something she told me." He didn't like Hermione. He couldn't like Hermione. He knew that- but Draco found himself frowning. How would he even know if he liked her? He never had a serious crush on anyone before anyway. There had been celebrity crushes and he found girls so pretty he nearly forgot how to speak but fancy? That was completely foreign. "I don't want to talk about it anymore. I'm going to sleep, wake me when we get there." Draco turned towards the seat of the train leaving his back to Blaise and a still sleeping Theo.
"Can I use your money to buy something off the trolley?"
Draco nearly objected, but then waved a hand as a sign to go ahead. He trusted Blaise and knew the Italian wouldn't of had asked for no reason. "Sure. So long as you get me... something imported." Draco smiled at his private joke and closed his eyes, syncing his breathing to every fifth 'chug' sound the train made.
Blaise snorted and there was a jingling of coins, followed by a comical "Yes, Lord Malfoy," Which sent both boys into fits of laughter before they both returned to their pastimes, waiting for the training to return them home.
When the Hogwarts students got back to Kings Cross Station, Draco, Blaise and Theo were some of the first students off the train. It was never hard for Draco to spot his parents, but was surprised to see them talking to Molly and Arthur Weasley.
When his mother hugged him in greeting, Draco had to bite the inside of his lip to keep from grinning like a fool as he relaxed in his mother's embrace. The hug was short like it always was and he didn't fight for more time. Lucius nodded at him in greeting then shifted his eyes back to the Weasleys. A small signal to inform Draco that he needed to greet them too.
"Good evening, Mr. Weasley, Mrs. Weasley." Draco didn't have any personal issues with the parents of the Weasley bunch, just most of their kids. He knew his bullying had probably had been relayed to them through and was not surprised to see them return his stare with a neutrally polite one of their own.
Arthur nodded and Molly spoke. "Good evening."
There was a tense air hanging between the adults and Draco wondered what was the cause. He knew it had something to do with Hermione, as his arents would never talk to anyone of the lower class otherwise, but they all stayed silent as families bustles around them, happy to have their children back home.
When Hermione finally joined them, she was accompanied by Harry and the whole Weasley clan. She was carrying her trunk as Harry didn't think to grab it and Ron was holding Ginny's. She looked a thousand miles away, but she was able to give a small smile to Narcissa. "Hullo."
Narcissa's eyes flicked from Hermione's face to her eyebrow. "Hello Hermione. Could you place come here, please?" Draco silently reached over and pulled Hermione's trunk from her when she stepped forward. She rewarded him with a small smile and Ron glared at him, confirming that he still had a crush on her that Draco would exploit in anyway he saw possible. When Hermione was close enough, Narcissa grabbed Hermione's chin and tilted it up, causing Hermione to look straight up at the glass ceiling of the station. "This is worse than you said, Lucius." Narcissa rattled off in French looking at her husband before returning to Hermione. "And why did you not tell me? Did Pomfrey botch your healing?" Hermione shook her head free.
"No, Madam," Hermione opened her mouth to continue and Lucius decided to use this as an opportunity to continue the conversation he was having with Arthur before the kids joined them.
"I do hope you'll change your mind." Lucius said looking at Mr. Weasley. "It seems that Hermione is really close to your family and it would be a shame if she didn't have friends at the gala."
Oh. Draco glanced at Hermione who looked over at Molly and Authur Weasley. Father is really going to use Hermione against them?
"You're not coming?" The young girl asked, already looking hurt.
Mr. Weasley grew angrier than he already was so Molly Weasley jumped in. "It's not that we don't want to dear... We just may not be able to bring everyone. And if we can't go as a family, we would rather stay home."
Hermione studied the parents of her best friends closely. She wasn't a social butterfly, but she knew when someone was obviously lying to her. She pressed her lips together and felt her face grow pink as she tried to find a polite way to ask them why they were refusing to come when she personally asked Narcissa to invite the Weasleys.
She licked her lips and took a few steps forward, her eyes nearly pleading for the truth. "But why-"
"Now, now, Hermione. We mustn't be rude." Narcissa reached over, gripping Hermione's shoulder to pull her back so she stood between Narcissa and Lucius. The image made Draco's throat tighten as he was reminded of the boggart he faced. It caused him to stand closer to his mother for reassurance. She wouldn't do that. Not intentionally at least...
The move was misinterpreted by Harry and Ron, something that Draco caught and he sneered as he stared them down, directing his anger towards them. You may be in her house, but it's my home that she'll come back to every summer. "We ought to go though. I've prepared your favorite's for dinner tonight, Draco." Narcissa raked a hand through the side of Draco's head, a subconscious gesture she made every time she thought his hair needed a cut.
"Thank you." Draco looked up at his mother and took in her warm smile before they all turned away from Harry and the Weasleys. They took a few steps towards the magicked brick wall that would bring them back to the Muggle King's Cross station, before Hermione broke away from Narcissa, pulling Harry and Ron into a bear hug.
"You two better write me." Her voice warbled and Draco clamped down on the jealously in his chest, forcing himself not to betray any emotion.
"Of course, 'Mione." Ron said with a slight blush coloring his face. Draco nearly rolled his eyes, but remained in control.
Hermione pulled away and turned to Harry. "I heard Sirius Black was on the muggle news. I'm sure your aunt and uncle know about him." Harry blinked at her trying to figure out what she was implying before a grin came on his face.
"Yeah, I'll have to tell them about him." The two laughed and she waved before returning to the waiting Malfoys.
Draco was the last to turn around, lost in his thoughts of what this summer held for him and Hermione.
A/N: So in the very beginning when Hermione is dreaming, part of that is inspired by a poem by my favorite poet 'Schuyler Peck.' The poem is called 'A Conversation with my Dog.' She has once book out right now called 'To Hold your Moss Covered Heart' and is filled amazing soul touching works.
NOW THAT YEAR THREE IS DONE, it may take me a while before I start writing book for- only because I want to reread the Goblet of Fire before I fly off the canon wheels. Thank you for your continued patience.
Also, I would like to share a song (If FFN will let me post a link): watch?v=yXPB90A-aZo
It's a cello and piano version of One Summer's Day from the movie Spirited Away. It's a coincidence that it has the two instruments they play and it fits my dramione perfectly I think. The repeated, sad, deep, notes of the cello in the beginning, with the piano notes dancing around it, sounding almost curious. Then the piano goes silent as the cello breaks from the notes and piano joins in so they can play together in harmony. It's just so... *chef's kiss*
