A/n- Thanks for the reviews guys!!
Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter.
Summary: Dreams. Train. By the way, this chapter is a little choppy, but otherwise it would be WAY too log.
The Other Side of Fate
It was the first dream Draco had in a very, very long time and he wasn't sure he liked it.
Something about the damp walls on either side of him, closing in steadily, made him uneasy. Truly, if walls were closing in rapidly, ready to crush you, some would be panic stricken.
Not Draco.
He sat, on the floor, with impending doom calmly crushing him.
It was one of the strange apparitions of the psyche, when a full stomach and a chest aching from laughter turned on you, painting scary images upon the walls.
The edges of Draco's vision were blurry, and when he stood, he had to squint in order to see his hands.
Like feather touches did the wall brush his shoulder blades. Draco jumped and twitched as the cool stone pressed more readily against his spine. Annoyed, Draco inched away from the wall, bending his head forward. His forehead came into contact with the wall in front of him.
Was it getting darker?
The stone behind him was cold and as his hands were flat against the stone. Slowly, his back was straightened forcibly, the stone pressing on either side of him, making him stand up strait.
Draco could feel his hands move through the stone, yet his body was still stuck.
Crushed by your own doubts, eh? A voice whispered in his ear.
The wall behind Malfoy hurt terribly against his pale skin, as if a fire was burning there.
Panic raised itself within Draco's chest.
He was dying, he could feel the oxygen being pressed out of his lungs; it burned him.
Suddenly, he fell through the wall, pitching forward.
"Draco?"
Malfoy's eyes snapped open, a face looming over his; twitching, his limbs convulsed under his sheets.
"Bloody hell!"
The figure pulled away sharply as he barked the oath, a hand rushing to their heart.
Draco was clutching the sheets in a white knuckled grip, his head on the mattress instead of the pillow. Hermione was sitting calmly on his bed- had been sitting calmly- his start had given her a scare.
"What the hell are you doing?" He panted, more a whispered statement then a question. Hermione stared at him.
"You were talking in your sleep."
Draco gulped a breath of air, his heart beat slowing steadily. Sitting up against his headboard, he ran both his hands over his face and looked around. Hermione had thrown open the window, light pouring in onto the floor. It illuminated the room with a ray of heat and Draco was reminded of the day in summer when he had awoken to his cold bedroom.
Absently, he scratched his bare collarbone.
Hermione was already dressed, her muggle shirt fluttering about the sleeves in the warm breeze, her hair pulled back with a brown scrunchy.
"Why did you wake me up?" Draco didn't particularly mind, but she had scared him. She was also staring at him. Draco smirked softly.
"I- it's nearly ten o'clock," She said plainly, smiling sweetly, her gaze going from his naked chest to his tousled and tangled hair. She squinted a smile at the way it stuck up oddly at the back.
"Oh," Was all Draco said, pulling back the sheets to slide out of the bed. Hermione inched over so his feet could touch the floor. Malfoy moved past her as she stood to smooth the bed back into place. Draco shook his head absently.
They had house elves here for that.
Bending down at his trunk, Draco opened it with a click, the magical compartments bending to his touch.
"I brought you some breakfast. A muffin, something to drink. You kind of missed everyone this morning." Hermione sighed, her back to Draco as she stared politely at the wall.
Draco kicked off his silver boxers, pulling out a new pair along with black slacks and a green shirt. Murmuring to himself, he wrinkled his nose at the creases in one of the pant legs. His bare feet slid into them easily, the mar then barely noticeable.
"You can turn around now," He said coyly, pulling the shirt taunt and looking it over, checking for perfection.
Hermione rolled her eyes and fiddled with his wallet, the wallet she had given him, which was sitting on his night stand.
Pulling the shirt over his head, slipping on shoes, Draco closed back up his trunk.
"Do you have to go get your school books?"
Hermione nodded, handing Draco back his things. The boy grinned, running his fingers through his stalk white hair. Flipping open the wallet, he pulled out the blue ribbon he had kept there. Reaching over, he pulled off the tie that held Hermione's hair and wrapped the ribbon around it instead.
Hermione smiled and planted a sweet kiss on his lips.
The coldness that had set itself between his chest and his heart was shaken away, the nightmare slipping like fine sand through his fingers. He could barely remember it now.
"Ready to go?"
Draco raised his eyebrows at the muffin; Hermione grinned and placed it in his hands.
"Yep."
.o.o.o.o.
White beams of light ricochet off the windows and hoods of passing cars, throwing hot streaks across those walking upon the sidewalk. Up the street, a large gray building shadowed a roundabout of cars and pedestrians. Masses of people hurried in and out of the station.
"You do realize I'm carrying twice my body weight."
Hermione felt Draco's breath heavy on the back of her neck at he leaned in to drawl in her ear.
"You wanted to carry everything…" She grinned and pulled her books from the crook of his arm as they entered King's Cross station.
As the pair walked through the crowds of people, Hermione's hand brushed Draco's lightly. The girl smiled but Draco ignored it. Hermione shifted her books to the other arm.
"Hermione! Hermione!" Someone called up ahead. Ginny, perched precariously upon the cart trolley waved her arm over her head, surrounded by her brothers and her mother.
Draco was pulled along by the arm as Mrs. Weasley kissed her two children goodbye, the twins having stayed back at Diagon Ally.
"Are you not coming onto the platform?" Hermione murmured as the woman pulled her into a large bear hug, sticking the spines of her schoolbooks into her ribs. The woman pulled away and smiled brightly.
"Oh no, I've got to get back to headquarters! Remus is in need of some extra special attention these days."
Draco looked away.
Ah, full moon apparently.
"Now, now, the train is leaving soon! Off you all go!" The woman pulled Draco into a swift hug, nearly crushing the boy to her, even if she was a full head shorter. Malfoy stiffened but patted her shoulder gingerly. The rest of the Weasleys were already disappearing into the barrier.
Draco held the woman's arm as she unclasped his shoulder.
"Thank you," He murmured, eyes narrowed as if he had to search for the words. Mrs. Weasley patted his arm comfortingly.
"You stay out of trouble." She wagged her finger in his face, the other hand on her hip. Draco grinned as Hermione pulled him through the barrier.
The rush of laughter and pitched voices grew with increasing volume as Platform Nine and Three Quarters materialized in front of Malfoy's eyes.
"They'll save a car for us," Hermione murmured from his shoulder. She already had out one of her books and was thumbing through the pages. Draco had to swerve her around a group of first years running down the platform.
A hand on her shoulder, Draco steered Hermione and his trunk towards the car of the train where Ginny was hanging out the window talking to Hannah Abbot.
As Draco took a step around another first year and paused momentarily, a frown creasing his lips.
All he saw when he turned around was the bobbing heads of students and parents, yet he scanned the crowd.
"Draco?" Hermione whispered as he stopped.
"Malfoy," A voice to their left crooned softly.
"Zabini," Draco, a hand on Hermione's shoulder moved a pace back from the boy standing so close to his shoulder, having seemingly appeared there. A group of about six Slytherin boys stood behind their grinning leader, Crabb and Goyle among them, still looking as stupid as ever.
"It's good to see you back at school, Malfoy." The boy rocked back on his heels, his hands shoved deeply within his pockets. Although he grinned, the warmth never reached his eyes, and his cold gaze flickered over toHermione; they glimmered with malice and misplaced lust.
"What do you want Zabini?" Draco was already tired of the game he knew Blaise would play.
"Nothing," The boy smiled.
"Good," Draco grabbed Hermione about the upper arm and practically dragged her away. "Don't look at them," He hissed as she turned her head a fraction. Above them, the train whistle screeched and Harry pushed open the train car door.
"Here!"
Hermione lifted her trunk into the railcar and was pulled up to the platform. Draco swung his chest easily up onto the grate and Harry looked puzzled for a moment.
"Charm. Less heavy."
Harry's mouth formed an 'o' and the three of them opened the sliding door of the car open and stepped into the carpeted hallway. Once did Draco look back upon the platform. It was no surprise to him to see the Slytherins gone, but he had a nagging feeling at the back of his mind nonetheless.
The only car really open was the one Harry, Ron, and then Neville occupied. Harry had explained that Ginny had run off to sit with Luna and a few others. With Hermione and Draco, there would be enough seats, even with Neville.
As soon as the pair sat down, Ron stood up.
"Getting a drink, mate." He murmured to Harry before the door slid closed.
Draco smirked and leaned back into the seat, staring out the window of the slow moving scenery as they began to move. He let out a long breath and closed his eyes for a moment.
Perhaps this year would pass with little incident.
A small smile passed over Draco's lips.
"Neville…" Hermione said with a little laugh in her voice.
Perhaps the Slytherins would just forget he ever existed.
Draco opened one eye, then the other, turning to stare at the boy sitting across from him.
Neville, his toad clutched desperately against his chest, was staring wide eyed, pale as a sheet, at Malfoy, his mouth opening and closing silently.
Perhaps…
Neville let out a little squeak of fear as Malfoy caught his gaze, a puzzled look echoing in his blue eyes.
He looked like he was about to pass out or something.
Draco's shoulders hunched a fraction.
Perhaps…He could only pray
.o.o.o.o.
Hours later, the landscape before the compartment window had leveled and then regained its shape within rolling hills and wooded outcroppings.
Twice did Draco fall asleep against the glass, head lulled forward upon the cool comforts of the rumbling train, lulling him along with the friendly chatter around him. As his eyes closed, he heard Hermione laugh softly at something Potter had said. His soul felt comfortable then, as she leaned against his side, her back against his shoulder, her feet drawn up upon the seat.
He didn't dream.
"Draco?" Someone whispered close to his face.
Hermione brushed a few blond strands out of his face as his eyelashes flickered open.
"Hmm?" His voice came out scratchy from sleep.
"We're almost there, I'm going to go change, you should put on your school things."
"Mmm," Draco stretched as he sat up against the seat. Hermione smiled at him, a hand on his. She dropped it as she moved to the train car's door, going to Ginny's compartment to change, robes slung over her arm.
"Be right back." She smiled at Harry, who looked up from his school book. After the door slid shut, Harry stood and reached up to his bag, pulling down his school shirt, waking Ron in the process.
"Hey, get changed." He grinned and tossed Ron the last of the Chocolate Frogs. Neville was checking the back of his Frog card.
Draco shrugged off his cloak, Hermione having draped it around his shoulders as he slept. He smiled slightly at the thought of her kindness as he magically clicked open the lock of his trunk, pulling it down from the overhead rack, rummaging through it to find his tie and shirt.
Neville, having already been changed, murmured something about the toilet, and exited the compartment. An unnatural hush descended over the remaining occupants.
Malfoy, feigning ignorance of the murderous looks the Weasel was giving him, calmly placed his school shirt in his lap and peeled off the one he was wearing.
Ron's rapidly decreasing comfort was practically audible.
Harry tried to ignore it all, already buttoning his school shirt and fiddling with his tie.
Draco's own tie, folded perfectly and warded off of any wrinkles, lay across his neck, draping down across his chest. For a moment, Draco marveled at the way the silver reflected the lamplight. Glancing up, he saw Ron pulling on his shirt, his gold and red tie, and Malfoy smirked.
For some reason, perhaps the bleariness of sleep muddling his mind, Draco had a strange little thought.
How odd was it… that kin and color could destroy and divide such a people as wizards?
Green and gold and red and silver.
They were colors.
And he was Slytherin.
"Oiy!" A voice distracted Draco from his thoughts.
With a thrill Malfoy realized he had been staring.
Draco leaned back in his seat and sneered at Ron for good measure.
"Oiy!" The boy said again, pointing his finger in Draco's direction. Ron's school shirt hung loosely off one arm.
Malfoy blinked.
"Don't you play innocent, you snake." The Weasel's ears were pink by then. "You may be able to fool Hermione, Dumbledore, my own mother; but you don't fool me, Malfoy. I don't trust you."
Oh, so that was it then?
His trust!
Draco's lip curled; familiar dislike of the boy rose like bile in his throat.
"You know Weasley?"
Ron looked livid, yet set, as if he was readying himself for a punch. Neville had opened the compartment door and was looking around nervously.
Draco smiled as he chuckled softly, eyes turned up towards the ceiling. "I don't give a damn what you think." Slowly his gaze shifted so he was glaring at Weasley out of the corner of his eyes. "Put a shirt on for Merlin's sake, Weasel." The smirk on Draco's face grew he eyed the boy's bare chest. "My, my, looks like its mighty cold in here… doesn't it?"
Ron stared blankly for a moment, his face soaking in heat.
Without warning he snapped and lunged forward, Harry and Neville gave a start and attempted to hold their friend back.
Four compartments down, Ginny's head snapped up.
Echoing off the walls of the train car was a gale of malicious and slightly mad laughter.
Ginny's head swiveled around to stare at Hermione, wide-eyed.
Hermione glanced up, met Ginny's eyes, rolled hers', and shook her head.
"Boys." She murmured, buttoning the collar of her blouse.
A/n- Ah! Summer! I'm so glad I'm out of school!!
Anyway, sorry for the wait! I think by now most have my routine down. If ya don't, here it is: I try and update every Sunday afternoon, as close to 12 pm (or if I miss that, 3 pm) as possible.
Next chapter coming soon, maybe sooner because now I'm outta school! YAY for HP&DH!
Review, it makes me happy and helps me write faster.