Hermione drug her feet along the grass and fallen branches. While she had dressed for outdoors travel, she had not expected to do as much walking as they had today. They had been trudging along for hours, going in random paths only to turn about in a different direction.
She resisted the urge to hit her wand to get it to work properly. She knew it wouldn't do any good.
"How much further?"
Hermione stopped. The thin line that lead them blinked one way then another.
She gave an irritated sigh before turning to him.
"Honestly, I haven't got a clue! Some sort of ward is interfering with my spell."
Draco swore under his breath and ran a hand to sleek his hair back from his face.
Then he smirked.
"Figures. This damn place is like a maze of trees. Even our magic is lost here."
Hermione looked around, feeling a bit hopeless and confused. The two emotions did not set well with her.
"Now what?" She asked, not really expecting him to know any more than she.
Of all the people to get lost in the woods, it would be the two of us. At least Luna could follow the sun out or something.
As she fumed, Draco glanced around. Said sun was setting behind the treeline. The air was growing noticeable cooler. And he had no idea what sort of creatures would be prowling around after dark.
"We need to find a camp," he suggested.
Hermione shot him a look.
"Do I look like I brought a tent with me?"
He smirked at that.
"Well, are you a witch or aren't you?"
Another hour passed before they had found a suitable area. Hermione set a fire and they huddled close to its warmth, hoping the flames and their small wards would be enough to protect them from potential danger.
She sat down carefully beside him. She wasn't sure what to do now. Today had not gone to plan, to say the least.
She looked up, watching the sky turn purple through the leaves.
"How do you do it?"
She turned to face him.
"Hmm?"
"You're just so damn calm. Like nothing in the world is wrong, like we aren't lost in the wilderness with who knows what waiting to attack."
Hermione gave him a light smile, feeling the irony of the situation hit her all at once.
"It helps that I've done this before," she reminded him. She turned to look at the fire, not wanting to see his face as he processed this.
"Things were a bit different back then. I always had Ron or Harry - though mainly Harry - beside me. We had a tent, which was a lot lovelier than not having one, though I'd be hard pressed to admit it then." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Even though we could be caught or dead at any given moment, I had them."
Silence floated in the air around them.
She wondered why she had said it. That year had been horrible for him too. An image of him worn thin with lines etched into his face and bags under his hollow eyes as he stared Harry in the face under the commands of his wild aunt floated to the front of her mind. She was sure he didn't want the reminder.
"You have me."
Hermione jerked her head up at his soft spoken words. Her hair tumbled down her back at the sudden movement.
The way he gazed at her brought flames to her cheeks. The softness in his misty eyes. The way his pale pink lips parted just slightly as he took her in. The sincerity written clear as crystal on his face.
She found herself moving closer. She would sort through the waves of emotion and confusion later.
His lips felt like rose petals, so soft and smooth. But she already knew that. She leaned in more. Draco's hands moved slowly up her back, smoothing over her neck, and cupping the back of her head gently as his fingers tangled into her hair. A soft breath escaped her. She closed her eyes as her own hands came to rest at the back of his neck.
"Hey! What are the two of you doing?"
They jerked apart. In seconds, they were both on their feet, backs together, wands drawn.
A man and woman stepped into the firelight. Both wore dark green button ups and long brown trousers covering boots. The woman's braids were pulled back into a big bun, uniformly neat. Both held wands of their own, pointed to Hermione and Draco.
The man raised an eyebrow to the pair.
"You are on restricted land. This area is a wildlife sanctuary for magical creatures and mythical beasts. It would be in your best interests to stow your wands and follow us."
"Under whose authority?"
The man pulled a badge from his pocket. "The Wildlife Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures."
Hermione hesitantly took the badge.
Relief settled over her shoulders. The Magical Congress Seal shined across the man's identification. Everything looked in order and now she knew where they were.
Hermione lowered her wand, not missing Draco's bewildered look before hesitantly following suit.
"I am Hermione Granger, Head of the Department for Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, British Division. We were brought here while pursuing an unknown creature, a deer that seems to be quite abundant here."
The rangers shared a worried look.
"Pursuing it where exactly?" The witch asked.
"Wiltshire, England. It appeared and left to its own accord, apparently," Hermione answered, sharing a dry look with Draco.
The witch let out a small groan and placed her hands on her hips.
"I told Randal the young buck was gone! Tagged and bagged, my butt."
The man cut her off with a look.
Hermione stepped forward before more could be said.
"I assume you have a facility nearby?" Her voice held authority even though she did not have jurisdiction here.
The wizard nodded, stowing his wand in a holder on his leg.
"Yes, ma'am, we do. If the two of you would like, we can lead the way."
Hermione looked back to Draco, feeling their luck at the situation had turned in their favor. The sour look on his face suggested otherwise. Nevertheless, he nodded to her questioning look. They lowered the wards, which she had found out were not at full power because of the restrictions on the land, and extinguished the fire before following the rangers to their brooms.
Author's Note:
Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the Harry Potter series. Those rights belong to JK Rowling. I am only borrowing her beautiful creations.