CHAPTER 4~
At around noon the next day Aneas flew into the open window and landed on the bedpost, where the two teens still slept peacefully. He hopped onto Draco and nibbled on his fingers. Draco stirred at the contact and started yawning. He took the letter off the owl's leg and started reading:
Dear Mr. Malfoy,
I thank you for the information in your last message. I will contact the Ministry so that they can have some authors on the lookout.
If you can, please do not let yourself or Ms Granger into Muggle London. Remain in The Leaky Cauldron and Diagon Alley. I do not want you or Ms Granger to be put in the face of danger.
This year will most likely be difficult for you both, but you must pull through. In your case, September cannot come soon enough.
Professor Dumbledore
Draco placed the note on the bedside table and watched the sleeping beauty beside him. He ran a finger gently across her face so as not to wake her. Everything had fallen apart for them in a manner of two days. His heart was pounding in his chest as he started thinking about where they'd end up in the next few years.
The room was silent. Not even a sound from the street below could be heard through the open window. It almost felt unreal, like he was in a dream. Slowly, Draco stood and crossed the room to the window. People should have been bustling about in the street below, but there was not a soul in sight.
Confusion had begun to settle in. It was midday on a summer afternoon. How could no one be out on the streets? It just didn't make sense. There was not even the hum of a passing car, nor were there sounds of rowdy teenagers in search of a favorite hangout, nor were there little children running about and playing hide-and-seek. No nothing. Everything had stopped.
Draco backed up from the window and sat down on the edge of the small bed. He shook his head a few times to see if that might change things, but when he walked back to the window it was still the same. There was not even a bird in the sky.
Again, he went back to the bed, but this time it was to wake Hermione. Her eyes fluttered open, and she frowned at the look on his face. "What's wrong?" she asked while rubbing her eyes.
He shook his head. "I-I don't know. There is no one outside. No one is walking or playing or anything."
Just as he spoke, the sound of a motorbike could be heard passing under the window. Hermione lifted a brow questioningly as she made her way to where Draco had been standing only minutes before. There were people walking down the sidewalks and children playing and cars passing by.
"Draco," she said slowly, "are you sure you're all right? The streets are plenty full. Why don't you come have a look? Are you sure you weren't dreaming?"
He took a step toward her and peered over the edge of the sill. "None of that was there before you woke up," he defended himself. "And no, I wasn't dreaming. It was like.I don't know. Someone was trying to scare me."
Hermione placed a hand on his forehead to see if he had a fever. "I really think you should lie down and get some rest. I'll bring you some food and some tea."
Draco's face contorted to one of anger. "You don't believe me? You think I was hallucinating or something? I swear to you, none of that was there a minute ago!" His eyes narrowed to dangerous slits. "How could you possibly think I'm lying to you? When have I ever lied to you, Hermione? I am and always have been truthful when it comes to you! I cannot believe you!"
Hermione backed away from him into the corner and suck down with her head in her hands. She couldn't see anything. Her vision became blurred.
Draco knew immediately that he shouldn't have lost his temper. He would have probably reacted the same way Hermione did in that situation. He wrapped his arms around her. "I'm sorry," he whispered gently. "I didn't mean to yell. I am so sorry."
She said nothing, but leaned into his warm embrace. If she lost Draco she didn't know what she would do. He was all she had left.
"Forgive me?" Draco pleaded as he looked down into her chocolate eyes. Nodding slowly, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer to her. He kissed her softly, allowing his lips to linger on hers for some time.
"I'm sorry too," Hermione mumbled as she rested her head in the crook of his neck. "I know that you have no reason to lie to me."
"It's all right," he assured her. "We should go get some food. I don't want you to starve. It probably won't be best to eat together, though, since we are who we are."
She nodded and headed out the door with a backward glance at her best friend. He was the one person who had the power to control her heart, mind, and soul. He could see right through her. He knew what she was feeling, even if she didn't want him to know. Draco was the one person she truly loved.
Draco watched her leave. He hated that they couldn't be together in public. It wasn't fair. It just wasn't fair. Just because she was muggle born and he was pureblooded they were forbidden to be together. He knew that he had scared her when he yelled. He hadn't meant to. The way she looked at him-so frightened, so innocent-it made him feel that she deserved better. She deserved someone who could take care of her, not someone who would try to bite her head off. Truthfully he felt ashamed to call himself her boyfriend.
He leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes briefly. Why, all of a sudden, did he feel so weak? Never had he been so upset. Never had he cried. The thought had never even crossed his mind. Never had he tasted the salt of his own tears. He didn't even know if they were salty, like people claimed them to be.
^Maybe^ he thought ^just maybe I'm not a real human. Supposedly everyone cries at some point in their life. Even men. Why is it that I can't shed a tear? Perhaps I'm a robot and no one cared to tell me.^ He soon realized that that couldn't make sense. Robots are incapable of love. Instead, he decided that he had been cursed from birth and that there was nothing he could do about it.
~
The weeks flew by. Neither Draco nor Hermione had much to do. They bought all their school supplies when their letters had arrived. They spent most of the time in one of the two rooms talking, listening to music, or making out. On occasion they would head out into Diagon Alley and talk to a friend or two.
On the first of September, the Knight Bus picked them up and drove them to King's Cross Station. Before they passed through the barrier to go their separate ways, Draco pulled her to the side and gave her one last kiss before the start of term. "I love you," he whispered before she turned to head through the barrier between platforms nine and ten.
A few minutes later, Draco passed through the barrier and placed all of his luggage into the Prefect's compartment, where Hermione was already sitting with the Weasel and Pansy Parkinson. He didn't like how close the redhead was sitting to his Hermione. "Aw does the redheaded weasel have a thing for the Mudblood?" he sneered. "Ain't that just adorable? I can see it now, Weasel and Mudblood United. What a headline that would be. Don't you think?"
Pansy started glaring while Ron glared at him. Hermione on the other hand winked. "At least I don't go for guys who make better ferrets than they do humans," she retorted calmly.
"Watch you mouth, Mudblood," Pansy snapped. "Don't you dare speak about my Drakie like that."
Draco felt the need to puke. He could feel his stomach churning unpleasantly as she pulled him down into the seat next to her. If possible, the smell of her perfume made it even worse. He felt the need to pass out. He shifted slightly away from her and toward the window.
"How dare you speak to Hermione like that!" Ron yelled. "She is a better witch than you will ever be! Last time I checked, Hermione had top marks in our year, and you weren't even close."
Pansy scoffed and whipped her long hair over her shoulder, her pug-like face turned to a sneer. "Just because she has top marks doesn't mean that I couldn't beat her in a duel. I know enough magic to wipe her off the face of the Earth."
"But you're not going to do that," Draco said in a warning tone. "I do not want Slytherin losing points for stupidity, especially the stupidity of a Prefect."
That stopped all previous arguments. They all knew that Draco was right. Losing points for idiotic reasons was not a good idea.
Draco kept glancing toward Hermione, wishing he could hold her in his arms, protect her, and keep her away from Weasley, who didn't seem to mind wrapping his arm around her shoulders and drawing her to him.
Hermione looked over at Draco. She was very uneasy in the position she was in, but couldn't exactly say anything about it because of the questions that would arise. The silence between the Gryffindor and Slytherin prefects was almost unbearable. All four of them were extremely happy when Ernie Macmillan and Hannah Abbott, the Hufflepuff prefects walked in along with the Ravenclaw prefects, Anthony Goldstein and Padma Patil.
Hermione seized the opportunity to jump up and greet Padma. The two were acquaintances that would speak on occasion, and Hermione found it easy to talk to her, since she wasn't as dense as her sister, Parvati. Ron was a bit put out by this and greeted Anthony and Ernie with a curt nod.
Within a few minutes, the train was rolling along, heading for what was sure to be another action-packed year at Hogwarts. Hermione and Padma were talking about which classes they would be taking that year. Like Hermione, Padma had a passion for learning and acquiring knowledge, however she lacked the courage that Hermione had. Both were taking very difficult and advanced classes so that they would be prepared for the N.E.W.Ts in seventh year.
Draco stared out the window for much of the ride. The clouds became a dark shade of grey as the trip dragged on. Tiny droplets of rain splattered against the window, and Draco couldn't help but think that the weather gods or whatever controlled the weather knew how he was feeling. Now and then he would catch Hermione's eye and they would share a small smile. None of the other prefects seemed to notice these secretive glances.
Suddenly Ron stood and announced that he would be going to visit Harry. He asked Hermione if she wanted to accompany him, and she agreed. The two headed out of the compartment toward the rear end of the train where Harry was sure to be sitting.
Upon arriving at the last compartment, they found Harry laughing at Ginny and Luna Lovegood, whom he had grown to fancy. He looked up at his two best friends and greeted them with a smile before collapsing into fits of laughter once again.
"What in the blue hell is so funny, mate?" Ron asked whilst taking a seat next to the raven-haired boy.
Taking a few deep breaths to calm himself, Harry said, "Oh, it's nothing. Ginny and Luna were just making fun of Malfoy, that's all. It was quite hilarious."
Ron gave him a confused look, but said nothing. He figured that Harry was mostly laughing that hard so Luna would see that he thought she was funny and maybe return his affection for her.
Hermione sat in the corner of the compartment and smiled a little at Harry. She was still thinking of Draco. For once she just wished that Harry and Ron would just get over their dislike of him and see who he really was. He was a human, just as they were. Maybe the only reason she knew that was because she had known him forever, but no one at Hogwarts gave him the chance to prove himself. He was just an emotionless Pureblooded prat of a Slytherin.
The four other occupants of the compartment looked at Hermione cautiously as she let out a long sigh.
"You okay, 'Mione?" Harry questioned. "You don't look so good."
"I've just had a rough summer, that's all. I'm glad to be going back to Hogwarts. Maybe things will settle down a bit."
"What do you mean?" Luna inquired. "Break couldn't have been so bad. Everyone enjoys some time off from school."
Hermione stared at the younger Ravenclaw girl apprehensively. "Yes, maybe, but I would much rather be in school where I know I'm safe and protected."
"Wanna talk about it?" Ginny asked kindly with a sad smile upon her face.
Hermione shook her head, but returned the smile. "You wouldn't understand. It's complicated. Don't worry about it though. If I ever need to talk, I'll take you up on the offer."
"That's what I'm here for."
~
The Hogwarts express slowed to a stop in Hogsmeade Station. Hermione purposely separated herself from Harry and Ron to look for Draco. He saw her looking for him and nodded toward a carriage that two third year Hufflepuffs had just stepped into. She headed toward the compartment and asked politely if she could sit with them. The said she could, so she sat down across from them and smiled. Soon after, Draco stepped in and sat down next to Hermione, but as far away from her as possible. Everyone in the school, no matter what house, knew that Hermione and Draco were bitter rivals, and if anyone found out, both of their reputations would be ruined.
Once the carriage stopped, the two Hufflepuffs jumped out, leaving Draco and Hermione alone. Draco pulled the door closed quickly and kissed Hermione passionately. She wrapped her arms around him pulling him closer. When they broke apart, Draco leaned his head against hers and mumbled, "I've been wanting to do that since we were on the train."
"I know. Me too."
He smiled at her and was about to step out of the carriage when he turned back to her with a smirk upon his face. "One more thing, tell Weasley to keep his hands off my girl."
She laughed a little. "I don't think I can tell him exactly in those words, but I'll make sure he knows that I'm 'unavailable.'"
"Good," he said. He kissed her once more before hopping out of the carriage and heading for the Great Hall. Hermione followed right behind him.
At around noon the next day Aneas flew into the open window and landed on the bedpost, where the two teens still slept peacefully. He hopped onto Draco and nibbled on his fingers. Draco stirred at the contact and started yawning. He took the letter off the owl's leg and started reading:
Dear Mr. Malfoy,
I thank you for the information in your last message. I will contact the Ministry so that they can have some authors on the lookout.
If you can, please do not let yourself or Ms Granger into Muggle London. Remain in The Leaky Cauldron and Diagon Alley. I do not want you or Ms Granger to be put in the face of danger.
This year will most likely be difficult for you both, but you must pull through. In your case, September cannot come soon enough.
Professor Dumbledore
Draco placed the note on the bedside table and watched the sleeping beauty beside him. He ran a finger gently across her face so as not to wake her. Everything had fallen apart for them in a manner of two days. His heart was pounding in his chest as he started thinking about where they'd end up in the next few years.
The room was silent. Not even a sound from the street below could be heard through the open window. It almost felt unreal, like he was in a dream. Slowly, Draco stood and crossed the room to the window. People should have been bustling about in the street below, but there was not a soul in sight.
Confusion had begun to settle in. It was midday on a summer afternoon. How could no one be out on the streets? It just didn't make sense. There was not even the hum of a passing car, nor were there sounds of rowdy teenagers in search of a favorite hangout, nor were there little children running about and playing hide-and-seek. No nothing. Everything had stopped.
Draco backed up from the window and sat down on the edge of the small bed. He shook his head a few times to see if that might change things, but when he walked back to the window it was still the same. There was not even a bird in the sky.
Again, he went back to the bed, but this time it was to wake Hermione. Her eyes fluttered open, and she frowned at the look on his face. "What's wrong?" she asked while rubbing her eyes.
He shook his head. "I-I don't know. There is no one outside. No one is walking or playing or anything."
Just as he spoke, the sound of a motorbike could be heard passing under the window. Hermione lifted a brow questioningly as she made her way to where Draco had been standing only minutes before. There were people walking down the sidewalks and children playing and cars passing by.
"Draco," she said slowly, "are you sure you're all right? The streets are plenty full. Why don't you come have a look? Are you sure you weren't dreaming?"
He took a step toward her and peered over the edge of the sill. "None of that was there before you woke up," he defended himself. "And no, I wasn't dreaming. It was like.I don't know. Someone was trying to scare me."
Hermione placed a hand on his forehead to see if he had a fever. "I really think you should lie down and get some rest. I'll bring you some food and some tea."
Draco's face contorted to one of anger. "You don't believe me? You think I was hallucinating or something? I swear to you, none of that was there a minute ago!" His eyes narrowed to dangerous slits. "How could you possibly think I'm lying to you? When have I ever lied to you, Hermione? I am and always have been truthful when it comes to you! I cannot believe you!"
Hermione backed away from him into the corner and suck down with her head in her hands. She couldn't see anything. Her vision became blurred.
Draco knew immediately that he shouldn't have lost his temper. He would have probably reacted the same way Hermione did in that situation. He wrapped his arms around her. "I'm sorry," he whispered gently. "I didn't mean to yell. I am so sorry."
She said nothing, but leaned into his warm embrace. If she lost Draco she didn't know what she would do. He was all she had left.
"Forgive me?" Draco pleaded as he looked down into her chocolate eyes. Nodding slowly, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer to her. He kissed her softly, allowing his lips to linger on hers for some time.
"I'm sorry too," Hermione mumbled as she rested her head in the crook of his neck. "I know that you have no reason to lie to me."
"It's all right," he assured her. "We should go get some food. I don't want you to starve. It probably won't be best to eat together, though, since we are who we are."
She nodded and headed out the door with a backward glance at her best friend. He was the one person who had the power to control her heart, mind, and soul. He could see right through her. He knew what she was feeling, even if she didn't want him to know. Draco was the one person she truly loved.
Draco watched her leave. He hated that they couldn't be together in public. It wasn't fair. It just wasn't fair. Just because she was muggle born and he was pureblooded they were forbidden to be together. He knew that he had scared her when he yelled. He hadn't meant to. The way she looked at him-so frightened, so innocent-it made him feel that she deserved better. She deserved someone who could take care of her, not someone who would try to bite her head off. Truthfully he felt ashamed to call himself her boyfriend.
He leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes briefly. Why, all of a sudden, did he feel so weak? Never had he been so upset. Never had he cried. The thought had never even crossed his mind. Never had he tasted the salt of his own tears. He didn't even know if they were salty, like people claimed them to be.
^Maybe^ he thought ^just maybe I'm not a real human. Supposedly everyone cries at some point in their life. Even men. Why is it that I can't shed a tear? Perhaps I'm a robot and no one cared to tell me.^ He soon realized that that couldn't make sense. Robots are incapable of love. Instead, he decided that he had been cursed from birth and that there was nothing he could do about it.
~
The weeks flew by. Neither Draco nor Hermione had much to do. They bought all their school supplies when their letters had arrived. They spent most of the time in one of the two rooms talking, listening to music, or making out. On occasion they would head out into Diagon Alley and talk to a friend or two.
On the first of September, the Knight Bus picked them up and drove them to King's Cross Station. Before they passed through the barrier to go their separate ways, Draco pulled her to the side and gave her one last kiss before the start of term. "I love you," he whispered before she turned to head through the barrier between platforms nine and ten.
A few minutes later, Draco passed through the barrier and placed all of his luggage into the Prefect's compartment, where Hermione was already sitting with the Weasel and Pansy Parkinson. He didn't like how close the redhead was sitting to his Hermione. "Aw does the redheaded weasel have a thing for the Mudblood?" he sneered. "Ain't that just adorable? I can see it now, Weasel and Mudblood United. What a headline that would be. Don't you think?"
Pansy started glaring while Ron glared at him. Hermione on the other hand winked. "At least I don't go for guys who make better ferrets than they do humans," she retorted calmly.
"Watch you mouth, Mudblood," Pansy snapped. "Don't you dare speak about my Drakie like that."
Draco felt the need to puke. He could feel his stomach churning unpleasantly as she pulled him down into the seat next to her. If possible, the smell of her perfume made it even worse. He felt the need to pass out. He shifted slightly away from her and toward the window.
"How dare you speak to Hermione like that!" Ron yelled. "She is a better witch than you will ever be! Last time I checked, Hermione had top marks in our year, and you weren't even close."
Pansy scoffed and whipped her long hair over her shoulder, her pug-like face turned to a sneer. "Just because she has top marks doesn't mean that I couldn't beat her in a duel. I know enough magic to wipe her off the face of the Earth."
"But you're not going to do that," Draco said in a warning tone. "I do not want Slytherin losing points for stupidity, especially the stupidity of a Prefect."
That stopped all previous arguments. They all knew that Draco was right. Losing points for idiotic reasons was not a good idea.
Draco kept glancing toward Hermione, wishing he could hold her in his arms, protect her, and keep her away from Weasley, who didn't seem to mind wrapping his arm around her shoulders and drawing her to him.
Hermione looked over at Draco. She was very uneasy in the position she was in, but couldn't exactly say anything about it because of the questions that would arise. The silence between the Gryffindor and Slytherin prefects was almost unbearable. All four of them were extremely happy when Ernie Macmillan and Hannah Abbott, the Hufflepuff prefects walked in along with the Ravenclaw prefects, Anthony Goldstein and Padma Patil.
Hermione seized the opportunity to jump up and greet Padma. The two were acquaintances that would speak on occasion, and Hermione found it easy to talk to her, since she wasn't as dense as her sister, Parvati. Ron was a bit put out by this and greeted Anthony and Ernie with a curt nod.
Within a few minutes, the train was rolling along, heading for what was sure to be another action-packed year at Hogwarts. Hermione and Padma were talking about which classes they would be taking that year. Like Hermione, Padma had a passion for learning and acquiring knowledge, however she lacked the courage that Hermione had. Both were taking very difficult and advanced classes so that they would be prepared for the N.E.W.Ts in seventh year.
Draco stared out the window for much of the ride. The clouds became a dark shade of grey as the trip dragged on. Tiny droplets of rain splattered against the window, and Draco couldn't help but think that the weather gods or whatever controlled the weather knew how he was feeling. Now and then he would catch Hermione's eye and they would share a small smile. None of the other prefects seemed to notice these secretive glances.
Suddenly Ron stood and announced that he would be going to visit Harry. He asked Hermione if she wanted to accompany him, and she agreed. The two headed out of the compartment toward the rear end of the train where Harry was sure to be sitting.
Upon arriving at the last compartment, they found Harry laughing at Ginny and Luna Lovegood, whom he had grown to fancy. He looked up at his two best friends and greeted them with a smile before collapsing into fits of laughter once again.
"What in the blue hell is so funny, mate?" Ron asked whilst taking a seat next to the raven-haired boy.
Taking a few deep breaths to calm himself, Harry said, "Oh, it's nothing. Ginny and Luna were just making fun of Malfoy, that's all. It was quite hilarious."
Ron gave him a confused look, but said nothing. He figured that Harry was mostly laughing that hard so Luna would see that he thought she was funny and maybe return his affection for her.
Hermione sat in the corner of the compartment and smiled a little at Harry. She was still thinking of Draco. For once she just wished that Harry and Ron would just get over their dislike of him and see who he really was. He was a human, just as they were. Maybe the only reason she knew that was because she had known him forever, but no one at Hogwarts gave him the chance to prove himself. He was just an emotionless Pureblooded prat of a Slytherin.
The four other occupants of the compartment looked at Hermione cautiously as she let out a long sigh.
"You okay, 'Mione?" Harry questioned. "You don't look so good."
"I've just had a rough summer, that's all. I'm glad to be going back to Hogwarts. Maybe things will settle down a bit."
"What do you mean?" Luna inquired. "Break couldn't have been so bad. Everyone enjoys some time off from school."
Hermione stared at the younger Ravenclaw girl apprehensively. "Yes, maybe, but I would much rather be in school where I know I'm safe and protected."
"Wanna talk about it?" Ginny asked kindly with a sad smile upon her face.
Hermione shook her head, but returned the smile. "You wouldn't understand. It's complicated. Don't worry about it though. If I ever need to talk, I'll take you up on the offer."
"That's what I'm here for."
~
The Hogwarts express slowed to a stop in Hogsmeade Station. Hermione purposely separated herself from Harry and Ron to look for Draco. He saw her looking for him and nodded toward a carriage that two third year Hufflepuffs had just stepped into. She headed toward the compartment and asked politely if she could sit with them. The said she could, so she sat down across from them and smiled. Soon after, Draco stepped in and sat down next to Hermione, but as far away from her as possible. Everyone in the school, no matter what house, knew that Hermione and Draco were bitter rivals, and if anyone found out, both of their reputations would be ruined.
Once the carriage stopped, the two Hufflepuffs jumped out, leaving Draco and Hermione alone. Draco pulled the door closed quickly and kissed Hermione passionately. She wrapped her arms around him pulling him closer. When they broke apart, Draco leaned his head against hers and mumbled, "I've been wanting to do that since we were on the train."
"I know. Me too."
He smiled at her and was about to step out of the carriage when he turned back to her with a smirk upon his face. "One more thing, tell Weasley to keep his hands off my girl."
She laughed a little. "I don't think I can tell him exactly in those words, but I'll make sure he knows that I'm 'unavailable.'"
"Good," he said. He kissed her once more before hopping out of the carriage and heading for the Great Hall. Hermione followed right behind him.