Stars faded from a purple sky as the sun rose behind Malfoy Manor. Hermione stood at the edge of the wards, gripping her beaded handbag. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, steeling herself before stepping forward.
A screech filled the air as the wards shimmered around her. She jumped. Sitting above her on a tall hedge was a white peacock, its long tail draped down the side. It turned its head to glare at her.
Great. Not two feet in and the residents are already behaving like pests.
She glared back, knowing that it was just an animal and she was being childish.
"A little rude, isn't it, to enter someone's home and antagonize their pets?"
Hermione looked up to see Malfoy strolling down the walk. His hands were shoved into the pockets of dark jeans. Apparently he, like her, decided to dress comfortably for this little expedition.
"If people didn't keep such rude pets, visitors wouldn't feel the need to be rude back."
Malfoy shrugged and looked up at the offensive animal. "Father liked flare and with flare comes arrogance."
Hermione wondered if he meant himself or the bird. She did not reply. He turned back towards the manor and nodded.
"Shall we?"
She clutched her purse in her hand and made a point to look straight as she followed him up the stone path. Hedges loomed over her on both sides. Even in the morning light, the place felt clammy and grey. Or maybe that was just her. She took a silent breath.
At the front of the marble porch, he turned left. She looked up the ivy covered walls, confused for a moment. She felt a bit lighter as they moved away from the manor and into the lush gardens Luna had raved about.
They passed bushes filled with giant roses, the long tentacles of flitterbloom, and what appeared to be the little eyes of mandrakes poking out of clay pots. She took it all in. She had to admit Luna was right; as much as she hated to admit it, the garden was lovely. They walked through an archway of morning glory, leaving the domesticated gardens behind.
Sunlight filtering through the trees glinted off Malfoy's hair, making him an easy guide among the undergrowth that threatened to swallow her after they left the path. They crashed through bushes and wove around trees. She gripped her purse, glad she had packed small as the branches seemed to reach out for her jumper. She could have sworn she heard Malfoy mention a time or two about his broom being easier.
Finally, just as the sun rose to mid-sky, they pushed their way into a small clearing. A tall black tent took up the entire area.
Malfoy gave an audible sigh. Hermione seconded it.
He held open the tent flap for her and she ducked under. It was like a small flat with a proper dinning room, plush dark couches, and a small kitchen tucked in the corner. Doors on either side led to other rooms. Malfoy joined her in the foyer and slipped his shoes off before going to a couch. She followed suit.
She sat opposite of him and, not knowing what else to do, began pulling notes out of her bag. Thankfully, when she packed, she had enough good sense to file them correctly in the cabinet. Malfoy watched with a bored expression. She spread papers across the coffee table: papers from her notes, his notes, & their combined effort from the library. He picked up a few.
"What good will all this do? All it did was lead us in the wrong direction."
Hermione looked up, her arm in the bag.
"This way we will know what information to dismiss." She pulled out a stack of books that she had borrowed from the Ministry Library.
"More?"
Hermione nodded. "A few that we missed."
He sighed dramatically. Hermione ignored him.
"Fine. But I'm starting a kettle." He got up and went to the kitchen. After the kettle was going, he moved to the pantry.
"What's your poison?" He called.
"Earl Grey with a touch of honey." She replied absently, already buried in a book. She heard rustling and looked up to find him coming back, arms filled with junk food and two cups floating behind him. He dumped the food on the table and sent her cup towards her.
"I thought the whole point of this was to go out and actually look for the creature."
Hermione closed the book. "Alright." She pulled a parchment towards her and picked up her quill.
"Where was the last place you spotted it?"
Draco grabbed a pack of cauldron cakes and ripped it open. "About half a kilometer from here."
She scribbled it down as he described the direction and area.
"When?"
"Five days ago."
"Have you noticed any habitat markers?"
He gave a quizzical look. "I'm not a tracker, Granger."
She about threw her quill down. She was not good at this. Neither of them were.
So why, in Merlin's long grey beard, are we even here?
They could have done all this right in her office. She reached a slightly shaking hand towards her cup and took a sip.
Draco stretched put over his Egyptian cotton sheets. After hours playing fifty questions, more horrid notes, and a small supper, they had called it a night. The day felt wasted. He rolled over and stuffed his face into the pillow.
Sleep. Let me sleep.
He rolled over again and threw an arm over his eyes.
Across the tent, he could hear rustling. He had thought Granger had fallen asleep ages ago. She said something but he couldn't make out what.
Slytherin's hat, if she is trying to talk to me about the damn notes, I swear...
He swung his legs over the bed and padded his way through the living room. He raised his hand to knock but paused. She murmured again, but this time he heard her.
"Run, Harry! Run!"
The thrashing continued. He started to open the door but thought better of it. Even in the midst of a nightmare, she may not appreciate him bursting into her room. Reluctantly, he turned away.
The next morning she trudged into the kitchen and slowly made a cup of tea from the kettle he had started. He leaned against the counter, sipping from his own mug. She looked ready for the day in her jeans and orange jumper, the front of which had a faded lion roaring. He was half tempted to get out his old scarf if they were going to dress from their alma mater.
Though he wanted to ask about her night, he did not think it was his place. Best not to mention it. He sipped his drink again and grabbed a cream covered bagel from the plate left on the counter. Dotty had apparated with fresh breakfast just minutes before Granger had emerged. He took a bite and waited for her to speak. She sat on a bar stool and seemed to savor her tea. Maybe her night was worse than he had thought.
He began to move away from the kitchen.
"I think we should do some field work today."
He turned back at her words. "Okay."
She took a bagel too, no cream but blueberry filled.
"Yesterday was a waste," she echoed his thoughts between bites. "We need to go search for the thing like we had planned. Backpacking and all that."
He nodded. "So, when?"
She looked up. "As soon as you're ready." He was still in socks where as she had put on hiking boots. He went for his trainers. She grabbed her bag and they headed off.
After that, their days consisted of going over possible paths through the forest, looking at wild berry bushes that he did not know had grown here, and looking for hoof markings around the edge of the pond. They had covered a range of sixteen acres in two days, barely catching a glimpse of the creature.
The third day found them twenty acres from the tent. Granger had a clump of fur the same shade as the deer's and decided they needed to hike through the woods an hour after they usually called it a night.
"How do you know we are even going in the right direction?" Draco grumbled.
"I don't."
Great. Just bloody brilliant. Lost in my own back yard.
He pushed by another bush and landed shin deep in a mud bog.
"Bloody hell!"
Granger spun around.
"Are you hurt?"
He yanked at his wet, muddy leg but it did not give.
"No." He replied curtly.
She came about. "What's the problem?"
He gave a pointed look to his stuck foot.
She huffed. "Well, are you a wizard or not?" Before he could so much as blink, she whipped out her wand and waved it. The mud vanished around his leg. She scowled at him, hands on her hips.
"I mean, honestly, what's the point in having magic if you don't use it properly?"
He jerked his foot out of the now clean hole. "Yes, Granger, I am a wizard. A damn brilliant one if I do say so myself. And a wizard who will find this creature, with or without your insufferable company. Accio, broom!"
Before she could close her mouth, he was mounted and in the air.
Damn witch.
Hermione stared at the treetops as Malfoy disappeared through the leaves. Her mouth hung open.
He left me.
Heat rose in her face. She did not know what to think.
He freaking left me out here.
Anger bubbled up, overcoming the fear and exhaustion that had been her constant companion this week.
"Agh!" She threw her hands into the air. "That arse!"
"Fine." She took a breath and roughly pulled her hair into a giant scrunchy. "Fine. Let him fly about. Go play seeker. I'll find the bloody thing myself!" She stomped off into the wild of Malfoy Estate.
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.