Hermione tried to ignore it. He was just sitting so damn close. She still couldn't believe that she had turned away from him when they were so close to kissing. Maybe it was her pride, maybe it was the thought of what others may think or say. Maybe it was that she was scared that he was going to push her away, laughing at her. If that happened, he would tease her until she was deep in her grave.
She had no idea that he was as tense as she was. He was having the same dilemma. Of course, he knew he could simply get up and separate from her, which would ease his muscles, but that would make him look like a jerk, wouldn't it? She would probably take it as a sign of aggression- but he was just as unsure as she was…had she pulled away because she wasn't interested or because she was uncertain? Was she even intending to kiss him?
These internal battles were really starting to tick him off. Why should he care? If he wanted to kiss her, why didn't he just kiss her? Did he doubt her intentions too, as well as his own? Why did someone even need feelings? All they did was cloud the logic. Malfoy was ready to start bashing his head against the rock wall once again, except he remembered the unbelievable headache that had delivered him last time. He just wanted only two minutes of peace- was that too much to ask?
Yes.
Obviously.
Hermione had noticed he had tensed but didn't think anything of it. Maybe he was just angry she had almost kissed him- almost and didn't, or almost and almost did? She hated boys. They complained about GIRLS being hard to read- please! She thought she was sort of easy to read. At least, that's what she'd like to think.
The two teenagers continued to wage war with their own thoughts, bringing them both closer to insanity for quite some time. Neither wanted to strike up a conversation with the other because they a) weren't sure what to say, and b) didn't know where such a conversation may bring them- the same awkward situation perhaps?
One thing was certain for the both of them. They saw the chemistry. They knew it was there…hell, maybe they had known for a while, but the teasing, fights, come backs, and background had stopped them from realizing it. The only question left for the moment that served importance to them- which one was going to act first, if act at all?
Hermione thought he may- after all, he was the male. He thought she might, as she was confident in herself and what she wanted. But they still doubted the other shared the same feelings.
No one acts on their feelings if they are unsure of who they are feeling for. Hermione remembered her mother telling her this one night, when Hermione had asked about love. She was a girl, she was romantic, and hey, she wanted to know. Her mother had laughed, and told her this one sentence that replayed over and over in Hermione's head now. Suddenly, she realized it was true.
Malfoy was wondering what the school community might say. The Slytherins would tease him until he threatened to beat them up, or actually did, and the teachers would probably see it as House Unity. Shit. He hadn't thought of that. Of course, then he would have to deal with the Gryffindors, and how they would feel about their Princess with the Prince of Darkness.
Unconsciously, Malfoy had begun tapping his fingers on his knee. This constant movement distracted Hermione from her own thoughts, and she simply watched him for a full minute. She hated being a teenager. She hated boys, and their stupid, unreadable and unpredictable feelings. She hated the situation she found herself in. She hated this cell. She hated a lot of things right now.
Once Malfoy realized Hermione was watching him, his fingers stopped. Suddenly, he remembered that she had entered the cell, and hugged him, almost as if she couldn't believe he was there in once piece. This was the next topic his mind decided to ponder on. Where had she gone? Why had she looked so frightened? Why had she blushed when he asked her what was the matter? Oh, she probably thought he hadn't seen…hell, a blind man probably would have noticed the bright red glow that had been emitting from her cheeks. It probably didn't matter…
Luckily for the two teenagers, just as the tension between them was about to begin crackling in the air, their cell door opened. Both unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief. But it was short lived.
A stout, fat man appeared in the light from the corridor, carrying a tray. He set it down just inside the cell, then glanced up at them. From the light behind him, they saw he broke out into a sneer.
"Comfortable?" he asked, sniffling. Hermione hoped he hadn't been the one to cook the food. He didn't look like hygiene rated particularly high on his To-Do List.
"Very." Malfoy replied silkily, the tension from his muscles evaporating.
The man sniffed again, then slammed the door.
"Sniffling little creep." Malfoy said, rolling to his feet. It was like the stress they had both felt only moments ago was gone- like it was never there. Malfoy picked up the tray, and brought it back to where Hermione was sitting. He set the tray down in front of her, grabbed a few grapes, then settled on the other side of the cell.
Hermione gratefully tucked into the food, aware that Malfoy was staring at a point on the wall just next to her head while he slowly, very slowly, popped a grape into his mouth and chewed. It unnerved her. It was like he was hypnotized. It took him a full thirty seconds to chew the one grape and swallow. Then he stared for another twenty seconds before putting another grape slowly into his mouth.
"Umm…" Hermione coughed. He didn't look at her- just continued to chew at an agonizing pace. "Is something wrong?"
He didn't answer. "Malfoy, you're creeping me out." Hermione said another ten seconds later, when he hadn't stopped chewing. "Malfoy?" she picked up on the strange note of anxiety in her own voice. Without hesitating, she put her food down, and went over to him, kneeling so they were eye level. His eyes were unfocused, yet still looking right had her. And he still continued to bloody chew. "Malfoy?" Hermione whispered.
He still didn't answer. He just put another grape in his mouth. Hermione wondered what he was going to do when he ran out of grapes. "Malfoy, stop it." She clicked her fingers in front of his eyes, but he didn't seem to notice- didn't even blink. She waved her hand only inches from him. "Hello? Anyone in there?" Hermione began to frown. Something wasn't right. It was like he wasn't there. "Malfoy, I'm telling you that you're creeping me out. Blink if you understand me."
His eyes remained opened, focused, yet unfocused on her. He swallowed the mashed grape. His hand put another one into his mouth and the process started again. With some amusement, Hermione realized he had run out of grapes- he was mashing his last one. What was he going to do now?
She reached out and grabbed his hand, lightly hitting it, as if that would startle him from whatever twisted daze this was. "Malfoy, come on, enough games. What's wrong? Can you hear me? Hello?" she was close to calling for help. If he didn't snap out of it in a minute, after he had finished chewing his last grape, she was going to scream, shout and yell, pound on the door until someone came to help.
"Malfoy?" she was barely whispering now, her eyes filled with concern. She rubbed the back of his hand with her own. "Come on, talk to me. Blink at least."
She watched as he swallowed the last grape. She bent a little closer, trying to see if he was about to snap out of his daze. She waited a tense few seconds. Hermione was just about to get up to start her attack on the door when he moved. He slowly lifted his hand, the one Hermione was holding, towards his mouth. She had no fricking idea what he was doing, until he opened his mouth, and was inches away from biting her fingers.
"Hey!" she screamed, jerking her hand back. Just as she did, he launched forward, after her hand like some rabid dog. Hermione wondered if he was possessed as he lent forward, trying to get her hand that she had put behind her back. For some reason, it didn't occur to her to get the hell away from him. "Malfoy!" she pushed back against his chest with her other hand. He obediently lent back against the wall. Suddenly his features had changed. The bastard was grinning at her. Actually ginning. And laughing.
Understanding suddenly dawned on Hermione, and she realized the prick had played a joke on her. The whole thing was a joke. She pursed her lips, still sitting in front of the bastard, but her muscles relaxed. Despite herself, she was smiling. "You jerk." She said, hitting him on the arm. Malfoy was openly laughing at her now.
"I'm…" he struggled to breath. "I'm sorry."
"No you're not." Hermione said, still smiling.
"You're right." he said, calming down and continuing to grin wildly. "But it was funny."
"No, it wasn't. I thought something was seriously wrong." Hermione said, then frowned. The amusement of the situation was gone. She was now angry.
"You always think something is seriously wrong with me." Malfoy pointed out, still grinning.
"That's beside the point." Hermione said, shuffling back a few centimeters. "You really scared me."
The grin slowly dissolved off his face as he realized he had really shook her. "I'm sorry." He said, sounding more serious.
"You should be." Hermione said, then saw the deep regret that was creeping into his eyes. "I forgive you." She saw the regret evaporate immediately. "Stop playing me!" she snapped when he was grinning again. "I'm serious. Don't do it again."
He was smiling softly when he replied. "Ok. I won't. I was just trying to break the ice."
"By eating my fingers?" Hermione asked skeptically, even though she felt herself smiling.
"Can you think of a better way?" he asked slyly.
"Cannibalism is frowned upon in most societies Malfoy." Hermione said.
"Not in mine." He replied, winking.
"Yours obviously lacks many qualities." Hermione snapped, even though her tone was light.
"Yes, and yet people flock to join it." He said.
"I bet they do." Despite that she hated the way he had done it, Hermione no longer felt awkward. He definitely had broken the ice. Hermione turned around and grabbed her half eaten food, and remained sitting in front of him while she ate. She gave him a firm warning that if he ever pulled a stunt like that again however, she would break his arms. This threat had more creditability after he had seen what she had done to the two Death Eaters. He laughed but agreed. Once Hermione had finished eating, she lay down, stretched out. His knees were up, in line with her waist, so they formed a strange T shape.
"How did you do it?" Hermione asked after two minutes of comfortable silence. She had rested her head on her arms, and was staring at him.
"Do what?" he asked, opening his eyes.
"The whole statue thing. A bomb could have gone off and you wouldn't have blinked." She said, frowning as she recalled how perfectly statue like he had been, apart from the chewing.
"Years of practice." He answered. "Practice which included tuning out to lectures, and classes."
"Are you serious?"
"Perfectly." He said, looking at her sincerely. "You have no idea how boring family history lectures can get once you've heard them ten times." At this point, he chose to stretch out his legs, which planted his feet on her stomach. She glared at him but didn't say anything. "Honestly, I learnt how to look like I was paying attention, but actually totally focusing on something else."
"It's unnatural."
"That's what my friends used to tell me. They hated it when I did it to them- they really do come up with some boring crap." He said, sighing.
Hermione smiled. "They're Slytherin. What did you expect?"
"Hey, it may have escaped your notice, but I am a Slytherin too."
"Oh trust me, it hasn't." she mumbled, so low he almost thought she hadn't said it. She waited a moment before she spoke again. "Well at least you've gotten practice at it. I'm forced to listen to everything."
"They're Gryffindors, what did you expect?" Malfoy replied lightly. This earned him a hit on the foot, as both, were still planted on her stomach.
"We have better conversations then you." She said, in a hurried attempt to defend her house.
"I highly doubt that." He said, smirking.
"Well maybe one day you should find out."
"Maybe I will." He said. Then it hit both of them that Hermione had practically invited him to come and sit with them- though not in as many words. Strangely though, the awkwardness didn't return. They both stayed where they were, comfortable and silent. Before Hermione knew it, she was drifting off to sleep, the light weight of Malfoy's feet barely noticeable. He felt his feet rise and fall in rhythm with her steady breathing and felt himself relax. Soon, he too had dozed off, still grinning about his earlier joke.
Harry, Ron and Ginny startled awake when the train they were on came to a jolting halt at Kings Cross Station. They scrambled to get their things together, then hurried for the door, where they quickly blended into the tiny crowd exiting from the train. No one seemed to notice them. It probably had something to with the fact that Harry had once again covered them in the invisibility cloak. But even then, that didn't stop Ron from hissing painfully when someone stepped on his foot. Ginny smashed her hand against his mouth as the man looked around briefly, then continued on his way, stepping off the train.
Harry, Ron and Ginny followed silently, then made their way out of the station. Once outside, they found a small alley way where Harry safety removed the cloak and no one noticed three teenagers suddenly appear. He stowed his cloak safety away in his bag, then slung it over his shoulder, along with the others.
"Now where?" Ron asked, rubbing his hands against the chilly morning air. He wrapped his jacket closer around his body and hoped they were going to go somewhere slightly warmer.
"I don't know…" Ginny said, only now realizing that she probably hadn't planned this very well. In fact, her plan at the time had only consisted of two things- get to Hermione, and get out of Hogwarts using the train. Between these two points, she had no idea what they should do. Luckily, Harry had been thinking while they were on the train, and had come up with a range of options.
"Okay, well we can go to a hotel and rest up, or we can make our way to the Malfoy Manor and snoop around to try and get a clue as to where they've gone."
Ron voted for the first option while Ginny fiercely opted for the second. "Ron," she said, in attempt to convert him. "We just had hours of rest."
"I know, but I'm cold." He complained.
"Then put on another jacket." Ginny suggested snippily before turning to Harry. "Where is the Malfoy Manor?"
"I don't know." Harry replied. "But I'm sure someone in Diagon Ally knows."
Ginny nodded. Ron grumbled something that sounded like reluctant agreement as he dug out a thicker jacket from his bag and put it on. Harry and the others left the ally, now prepared with a plan of attack. They walked over to the bus stop, and checked for a bus that could take them where they wanted to go. Ron had asked why they didn't just flag down the Knight Bus, but Harry had pointed out that once the teachers found out they were missing, it would be the first thing they checked, besides the train.
"But they'll guess we've gone to the manor." Ron hissed, having to lower his voice as an old lady took interest in the three squabbling teenagers.
"It's a risk we have to take- I don't plan to stay at the manor long." Harry replied, running his finger over a map of London. "Okay, this is the bus."
"May I help you dears? You look lost." The old lady said, standing in front of them and blocking their path to the bay where their bus was sure to pull up in a matter of minutes.
"No thank you." Ginny said politely.
"I couldn't help but over hear part of your conversation…" the old lady said, stepping in front of Ginny as she tried to go around her. "A manor you mentioned…well I know many manors around the London area…perhaps if you told me which one you were after, I may be able to help."
"I don't think so." Ginny said, forcing a sweet smile on her face. She saw their bus was coming towards them. "Thank you anyway." She grabbed Harry and Ron by the hand and dragged them to the bus just as it pulled to a halt. Then she realized they had no muggle money.
"It's ok." Harry said quickly, aware that the old lady was watching them. "I always have a stash of emergency money." He stepped onto the bus first, paid for all three of them, then headed to the back of the bus and sat down.
Eventually, the bus dropped them off a few streets away from the Leaky Cauldron. The three of them quickly walked the distance, having to bustle their way through the crowds, and then disappeared into the dark pub. They crossed it, unnoticed by the patrons, and stepped out into the ally. It was, as usual, crowded with shoppers.
"Who should we ask?" Ron asked, gripping his bag tighter in case someone tried to steal it. Harry had no idea why they would.
"How about Fred and George?" Ginny suggested. Harry and Ron mentally slapped themselves for not even thinking of it, then they began fighting their way down the ally towards the Twin's shop. Once inside, they found George, and pulled him aside. He seemed extremely happy to see them here, especially since he knew school was still on.
"Congratulations little sister! Rebel hey?" he said, winking.
"Shut your mouth." Ginny snapped quietly. "We aren't here as a rebellion."
"Oh…" George's mouth sagged slightly. "I thought you wanted to scare Filtch with some of our new fireworks creation- almost deadly!" he said, rubbing his hands together and beginning to lead them towards said fireworks. "Can turn someone deaf for five whole minutes, then stuns them for-"
"George, we aren't here for toys and tricks." Ginny said urgently. "Is there somewhere we can talk?"
George picked up on the tone in her voice then nodded. "Follow me." He led them to the back room of the shop, which was stacked with boxes, and tricks in the making. "What's up?" he asked, sitting himself on a bench and picking up something that looked like a Rubik's cube.
"You heard about Hermione?" Ginny said. He nodded.
"Everyone has- by that, I mean the family."
"Mum's talking to you again?"
George nodded, smiling. "Yep."
"She wasn't talking to you?" Ron asked, rising an eye brow.
Ginny nodded. "Fred and George had sent her an exploding pudding for her birthday. Exploded three times, covering the kitchen before mum could kill it."
"You make it sound alive."
"It was." George said, still grinning. "That's the tragic part."
"Well moving on." Ginny said impatiently. "We need to ask you a question."
"Shoot."
"Okay. You have to promise me something. If someone comes asking, you never saw us- got it?"
"Ooo, now I'm interested." George said. "Fire away little sis."
"Okay. Do you know where the Malfoy Manor is?"
George's face went completely blank. "You're kidding right? Okay, now ask me the real question." At their expressions, all humor drained from his face. "You're serious."
"Of course I bloody am." Ginny said.
"I…"
"What's this? Half our family turns up and you don't tell me?" A voice suddenly shouted. They all spun around to see Fred standing there, grinning from ear to ear. "Hey, hey little sister!"
"Hi Fred." Ginny said, forcing a smile.
"What brings you here to our neck of town?" Fred asked, coming to sit beside his twin brother.
"They have a most amusing question." George said, not looking at Fred. His gaze was focused on Harry.
"Oh?" Fred asked, not noticing the odd tension. "What is it?"
"You're going after her, aren't you?" George asked Harry, ignoring Fred.
"Going after whom? Who are we going after?" Fred asked, still clueless.
Harry nodded. "Someone has to." He said.
"Harry,"
"They're only talking. We want her back."
"Are you talking about Hermione?" Fred asked, finally catching on. He suddenly looked as serious as his twin brother. Ron nodded to confirm it. "Are you insane?"
"We want her back." Ginny said, not comfortable with Harry taking the blame for this. "We are going to find her."
"Yes, but Ginny, she could be anywhere." George said, turning to focus on his sister. "I expected this from them two," he jerked a finger at Harry and Ron, "But I'm surprised at you…well done!" all seriousness evaporated as he jumped off the bench and hugged his sister. "I'm all for it. You go and get her back."
"What's the plan?" Fred asked, following his bother and rubbing his hands together.
"To get her back." Ron said.
"Really?" George said sarcastically. "I figured that out."
"Look, just tell us where the Malfoy Manor is and we'll be out of your hair."
George and Fred were silent a moment before slowly nodding. They then gave them directions to a town a few hours outside the main city. "If I were you," Fred advised, "I would make sure you are well equipped with wands and brooms."
At this, the three of them exchanged looks.
"You didn't bring brooms?" George said, eyes bug wide.
"No." Ginny said sheepishly.
"Oh good Merlin, you aren't prepared."
"We can get some." Ron said.
"How? Steal them?"
Harry raised an eye brow.
Fred saw this. "You have completely lost the plot now…I like it." He grinned. "George and I will create a diversion and you three take brooms from the shop down the road."
George was nodding. Harry and Ginny were reluctant, but Ron seemed pleased.
So, ten minutes later, once Harry, Ron and Ginny were hidden away in an ally way closest to the broom shop, Fred and George were outside their shop, shouting for the shopper's attention.
"Step right up, step right up, come and see our latest invention- the new and improved firework. Ever had a step mother, or father you didn't like? A Mother or father in law who made you curse Merlin's name? Have we got the thing for you!" Fred shouted, immediately catching the attention of everyone around them.
"How about a brother or sister who needs a lesson taught to them?" George chimed in. "Well, if you buy one of our new fireworks, you get a Stop Lolly, which prevents them from moving exactly like the binding curse, or a Dance Beatle, which wont let them stop dancing- for FREE! In ten minutes, this offer will start- but it will only last for five!"
This caught the attention of anyone else in the Ally. The shops near the Weasley's emptied as word quickly spread. Even the shop assistants in the shops came out to see what all the commotion was.
Harry, Ron and Ginny waited as they saw the broom shop, along with manager, emptied. They slowly, and sneakily crept out of their ally and made their way towards the shop. Fred and George let their fireworks off, and did they deliver? Yes they did. But they worked better then Harry could have imagined- they stunned the crowd, so no one noticed the three of them walk into the broom store, and it momentarily turned them deaf so they didn't hear the door to the store room explode open or the loud whooshing the three of them made as they took off into the air with the latest three broomsticks.
Only twenty minutes later when the rush for the buy of the fireworks, and the free items wore off, and the manager returned to his store, did he think something was amiss. Though it wasn't until days later when he checked his stock that he found that three of his most expensive brooms that had been in storage were missing. Confused, he ordered three more. He had just lost a few thousand pounds. For some reason, it didn't bug him.
Okay, it's a short chapter compared to the last few, but hey, at least it's a chapter right?
Ok, well R&R if you want more.
Aj.