AN: Hi everyone! I know that I said this part would have Sirius and all, but I had no idea how long this in-between part was going to be, however it certainly serves for a nice change in pace.:)
Thanks goes out to my wonderful beta reader, Static, you are the best! What more can I say? Thanks so much for all the help on this part, and not only beta reading it once, but twice after I sent it back *again* with more ideas :). What would I do without you, probably declare a 'National Idiots Day,' and run off into the wild screaming. :) This part is dedicated to you.
Also, thanks is certainly due to bobbi, who is being so kind as to draw a picture for my profile page, with all my main characters in it, thanks so much and good luck with all your stories!
And thanks goes to Tabby, just because, thanks for always being around to talk to!
Two Roads Diverged
Part Five- Half-Baked Ideas
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There are only so many hours someone can have their eyes shut, yet not be asleep. Gemini certainly wasn't asleep, yet for the past hour and a half she had lain there with her eyes closed, pretending. Why would anyone ever do such a boring thing?
Well, certainly not for fun, I can tell you that. Gemini had kept her eyes sealed so tightly, only because she knew what awaited her when she opened them: that stupid, smirking, Malfoy git.
Apparently, the effects of her using the disarming charm at the exact moment he had was not a good thing. One of the numerous things that she had overheard during her sleepless hour and a half had been the carrying voice of Madame Pomfrey. The old woman had tried to explain to a disgruntled Draco that they had both broken a few bones, and would need to spend the next three days in the infirmary.
Human bones could usually be magically mended in seconds, but this was not the reason for their prolonged stay. Madame Pomfrey had assumed that Gemini must have a concussion, seeing as how she had not spoken nor been awake during any of the nurse's frequent visits. In this manner, Madame Pomfrey was holding them both there to make sure there were no after effects of the spells.
Draco had rather loudly complained to the school nurse that Gemini had woken up earlier, sat upright in bed, peered around the room, and gone back to sleep, but Madame Pomfrey was not to be swayed. She was not about to release two possibly ill patients on the word of Draco Malfoy, notorious for his lies and tricks.
Gemini knew that she had just landed herself three very unnecessary days with the one person she would have never chosen, yet what could she have done? Madame Pomfrey might have been even more concerned if she had bolted upright, opened her eyes, and announced in a happy voice "Here I am. All awake and good. I think I'll go now..."
She couldn't take it; she was beginning to feel as if she had lost her vision. Gemini slowly opened her eyes, and winced once at the brightness of the room, in comparison to the darkness of her closed eyelids.
She didn't want to look at Draco, but at the same time she felt compelled to. So, turning slowly on her side, she prepared herself to meet his piercing glare. But something else met her eyes. An empty bed. Sheets in a wild disarray, pillow half falling to the floor, and a piece of what looked like lined paper thrown haphazardly onto the wreck of a bed.
Gemini crossed the room to his bed and leaning in to examine the note she read in a mystified rush, "Gone to get something. Don't tell anyone I'm gone."
If that Malfoy git thought she was going to miss out on this obvious slack in the patrol he was sadly mistaken. Three days with Draco would be enough to drive her insane. She had a few things of her own which might come in handy during the lonely hours.
She threw the note down and turned to go, deciding that *she* was going to do this with class, unlike idiotic Malfoy, who had left his bed all a mess. No one would ever need know she had ever left; Gemini would be sure of that.
Swiveling around to face her bed, she tucked in the corners with hospital flaps, and arranged a pillow under the sheet. Under her breath she muttered, "Engorgio," and watched as the small pillow expanded to a larger shape, closer to the size of a human body. She then pointed her wand at the pillow and mumbled, "Marronion" while slowly dragging her wand over a small portion to turn it the same brown as her hair.
This done, she revolved on her heel, and gave an all mighty shove to swing open the door.
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Gemini was running down the halls at full speed... well, as full speed as you can get running with a newly mended broken leg soon after the pain easing potion begins to wear off. She had no clue how long ago Madame Pomfrey had left the room... how long ago Malfoy had departed, nor when he would be back.
This was, most likely, the plan with the most gaps in the entire world history, but she forced herself on. The thought certainly didn't escape her that this could very well be bogus, planned by Malfoy to get her in trouble. He could have possibly never left the hospital wing at all; maybe he was lurking in the shadows, plotting her demise... but it was too late to do anything about that.
The portrait swung open to an entirely empty common room. The whole house must have been at dinner; after all it was the right time, her stomach made her fully aware of that. Gemini took no care in being quiet as she bounded up the stairs. She was going to find her notebook, and the letter from Hydra.
Pulling back the door to her room she gave a start. Hermione was sitting at a desk, looking straight at her with a surprised expression.
"Aren't you supposed to be in the hospital wing?" The voice wasn't nearly as questioning as it was commanding, and it made Gemini nervous.
"They let me go early..." She ventured.
"So apparently nowadays, good behavior can get you out of both jail and the hospital wing. Nice to know." She was just dying to catch Gemini for something.
"You disappoint me, Hermione, I surely thought you would know that!" And Gemini was pleased with the cut in her voice; what was more, she loved how Hermione puffed up at the accusation of her not knowing something.
"Sorry, I tend to leave criminal matters to the criminals. Besides, I'm sure you would know more than enough about it for the both of us..."
"Ah yes, I learned quite a lot in prison, including a few tricky spells and a couple of helpful connections," she gave Hermione her meanest glare, the one she reserved for her moments of outraged dislike. Even Malfoy had never gotten that look from her. "Why do you pretend to hate me so much? What did I ever do to you?!"
"Who said I was pretending? If you must know, I don't like you because you think you know everything; you think you're so smart."
"Oh yes, and that's your job, isn't it?"
Hermione appeared to have no response so Gemini continued, "Now if you'll excuse me I have a few things I need to collect."
"Over my dead body!" Hermione announced.
"Ok, then... no choice." Gemini fingered her wand temptingly and then with sharp and deliberate actions, pointed it at Hermione. Hermione's brain seemed to be taking a rather large amount of time to react so, and before anything could have been prevented, Gemini had uttered, "Petrificus Totalus!"
Hermione's arms snapped to her sides, her legs lurched together, and her body fell to the floor, motionless, and seemingly lifeless.
Gemini stepped carefully over the body, and mused aloud, "Only pity is that it isn't dead."
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Draco was sitting in his dormitory and staring up at the green drapes, which were hanging over his head much like the cloud over his happiness. He hadn't departed to get anything, but figured that it was better to say that he was, if only so he might keep her quiet, by fear that he would come back with a boa constrictor to finish her off.
Stuck in the hospital for three days, with no company beside for the stupid, sniffling Pomfrey, and that obnoxious Gryffindor wasn't very appealing.
What was she playing at, keeping her eyes shut, making the nurse think she was ill with a concussion? Now they were both stuck there, together, for what would surely seem to be an eternity.
Didn't she know who he was? He was Draco Malfoy- and who was she? A nobody, that was who. So what did she think she was doing, faking sick, and keeping him there with her because of it?
She should have announced her good health on the spot, so that they could both go on their separate ways, and never see each other again. And, if she hadn't been well, she should have pretended to be, and waited until they were safely in the hall, before falling down a disappearing stair. Sure would save him a lot of trouble.
He switched his attention towards his mantel clock; he had only a few minutes before he would need to depart. The Slytherins would be back dinner soon, and he would rather not be around when that happened. His head was hurting far too much to create a bogus, yet believable tale for his short absence from the clinic. That, if anything, was a sign that Draco was not feeling like himself...
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Turning her attention towards the nightstand and away from Hermione, Gemini pulled the drawer open and began to search for her notebook and her letter. The crumpled letter was easy enough to find; smoothing it out, she pocketed it and continued her forage.
Surely her eyes were deceiving her, for the old, battered picture of what she believed to be her father's apartment, which concealed her notebook was no where to be found. She gave a long tug and nearly flew backwards when the drawer separated itself from the stand.
Veering towards her bed, she dumped the contents onto her deep maroon sheets. Riffling through them, it became all too clear that the object of her searching was not there. The parchment with her notebook was missing, and she wasn't sure if it had ever been there to begin with...Had she ever packed it? Was it still at Sagitta estate?
'Oh my goodness!' Gemini gasped. 'What if mum finds it! All she'll have to do is touch it with her wand and it will open. Moreover, if she opens it she'll know that all these years I've been trying to discover his identity...behind her back! And even if she doesn't know how to open it, it's still the picture that I accused her of drawing of my dad's flat!' She was breathing fast now, her heart could barely supply enough blood to reach her head, which was spinning like the earth on its axis.
Never had she been faced with such a predicament; what was she to do? She could only be halfway sure that it was even in her house. Halfway didn't cut it. Where would the world be if Einstien had only been 'halfway' sure about the recipe for an atom bomb? But what was left? Nothing. There were only two places in the entire world that the notebook could possibly be; at home or at school. It wasn't at school, so it must be the other...
She turned towards the door, and with a second thought directed her wand at Hermione, and murmured, "Finite Incatatem ," before slipping out off the room.
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Draco was hurrying down the corridors; he checked his watch at random intervals and then picked up the pace. He could hear the sounds of children, students, teachers coming from the great hall, chatting, walking, and talking. It would only be a minute before Madame Pomfery returned from dinner to continue her watch. He continued on, his eyes on his feet, not daring to look up for fear of being discovered.
Draco had to be securely in bed before she arrived. He would need to get in, arrange the covers around him neatly. And, most importantly, convince Gemini not to tell on him, or at least modify her memory before she could give him away.
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Gemini walked at a quick pace. She was staring at the floor below, contemplating her options. She could not simply forget about the notebook; it had everything in it. Yet she couldn't write home for it, because then whomever sent it would see what it was, and might even set it off if they tried to put a packaging charm on it. She had no idea what effect another charm would have on an already enchanted notebook.
She would need to fetch it on her own. Not a small task. However, she was stuck in the hospital wing anyway, so she could simply depart that night, and be back before dawn. No one need ever know.
Up the back of her robes she could feel her broom, a Firebolt III, strapped to her leg. It was her vehicle for departure. It would be on that broom that she made her way to the Sagitta mansion. And on that broom she would return, notebook and all.
She was still starring at the floor when she bumped into something very solid in front of her.
'Funny,' she thought, 'I shouldn't have reached the end of the hall already!' She directed her gaze upward. Draco Malfoy was standing before her, gray eyes looking rather dazed, apparently he had not seen her coming either.
They heard Madame Pomfrey's voice down the hall, saying goodnight to Professor Dumbledore. With twin looks of horror, they both whispered, "You didn't see me!" And slipped into the infirmary.
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Madame Pomfrey took one look at the two patients, and then turning her full attention towards Gemini, announced, "Oh, good! You're awake! I was so worried!" Bustling out of the room she went to prepare for bed; that had been her last visit of the night.
Gemini leaned over to turn out the lamp, thinking the sooner she convinced Malfoy to go to sleep, the sooner she could depart. However, Malfoy threw her a glance which clearly stated "Touch the lamp, and die."
Gemini sighed. It would not be easy waiting for him, but if she rushed him too much, he would be bound to become suspicious. Even Draco Malfoy wasn't that thick. So Gemini contented herself with reading and rereading the letter from Hydra.
When Malfoy finally turned off the light, without consulting Gemini, she breathed easier. Now she would just wait for him to fall asleep. That wouldn't take long, maybe an hour tops.
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Damn, that stupid Malfoy! It had been two hours since they had turned the lights out at ten.. what was he doing?! At this rate she would never make it home and back before Madame Pomfrey came in again in the morning. He had been tossing and turning for the last two hours, and every now and then she saw him rise up to check the bedside clock.
Silence. It had been about fifteen minutes since he had made any movements. She couldn't be sure that he was asleep, but there was nothing she could do now. Time was of the essence. She needed to act now, before she lost her nerve.
Blood was coursing through her veins as she carefully lifted one foot, then the next, onto the cold tile flooring. She slowly raised her mattress to reveal the Firebolt III, shinning in the glimmer of the moonlight. Pulling it out, as quietly as possible she heard something, a low ruffle.
'NO! NO! NO!' Gemini repeated in her head. 'He CANNOT be waking up!' She turned towards Malfoy, and as her glance slid across the room she realized that one of her blankets had fallen from the floor, that was the source of the noise. Malfoy was still sound asleep, but for how long?
Gemini tip-toed her way across to the window, and pulling the curtains back, ever so slowly, she began to raise the window, one notch at a time. *Screech!* The window had obviously not been opened in quite some time, and was in desperate need of an oiling. When it was ajar enough for the access of a person on broomstick, Gemini turned to the side to collect her broom, which was resting against the wall. There was another distant sound of ruffling.
"It's just the sheets." She said aloud, confident and annoyed.
"Are you prepared to make a wager on that?" Came an icy tone behind her.
She made an about-face. Draco Malfoy, in the flesh, was standing before her, an angry glint in his grey eyes. She uttered the first thing which popped into her head. In a soothing voice, while waving her hands lightly she said, "This is a dream, just a dream...Go back to sleeeeeeep."
Draco gave her a cold stare, extended a hand and pinched her nose. Then said, "Nope, feels like the same thick headed Gryffindor to me."
"Crap," Was all Gemini could choke out in her moments of anguished distress.
"Going for a ride, Sagitta?" His voice was not interested, but one of contempt.
"Now where would you get a crazy idea like that?" Gemini began, "I simply wanted some fresh air." She made a vain attempt to conceal the broom behind her.
"Ah, and your broomstick needed fresh air too?" Draco sneered.
"Well, it was rather stuffy in here, dust and all, so I figured I'd give the room a good sweep." She was grasping at straws here, but maybe he wouldn't catch on?
Draco stooped down to read the label on her broom, and standing back up he gave her a smirk while asking, "And Firebolts make good cleaning brooms?"
"The best on the market..."
"Listen, I don't buy your lame story, so sell it to someone else. Tell me, where did you think you were going?"
"Nowhere!" Gemini's tone was loud and angry, threatening to wake the whole castle, or at least Madame Pomfrey, but she didn't care. Where did he get off questioning her as if he had any right?
"Let's try this once more shall we, you know for old times sake, where are you going?"
"Not like I don't love revealing my intentions to my archenemies and all, but I think I'll pass on that one, plead the 5th and all. And is it just me, or is this conversation going in circles?"
"Well, seeing as how your pit has made itself large enough for even you to fall into, I would be willing to settle for ovals." He said all this with the air of someone presenting a rare gift.
"Oh how kind..."
"Yes, you know me. Kind to the masses, doer of good, walker of elderly ladies,-"
"Insufferable git." She finished. "One word and I'll-"
"Great idea, you know I always say to myself 'Hey, you know what would be a fun idea? Totally piss off the person who could get me in enough trouble to be up to my-'" His eyes were glinting, his hair was falling forward in the darkness, and he took a menacing step towards her.
"Yea, well, too bad! If you think I'll let you get me expelled from Hogwarts, you've got another thing coming. If you refuse to stay here quietly then I'll take you with me, kicking and screaming the whole way!" Her eyes did their best to stare a hole right through his head.
"I'd like to see you try!"
"Just stick around for the second act."
Gemini stuck her wand out and muttered her spell while ropes sprang forth from her wand tying themselves around Draco's arms, mouth, and legs. This did not, however, prevent him from making an extremely rude gesture at her. He looked furious, his eyes darkening until they were almost black, and she couldn't help but be glad that he *was* tied up, for fear of what he would do to her if he wasn't.
"Hey! You put that finger back where it belongs, or you'll find you don't have one..." Yet she couldn't help but laugh at the pitiable state on the floor before her. "Now, now Malfoy, don't worry, I'm sure the air won't ruin your lovely hair style."
Malfoy attempted to growl something at her, probably some vulgar profanity, but the gag muffled his words.
Gemini paid him no more mind as she looked at the Firebolt III. Surely it could not support the weight of the pair; Malfoy was no pixie.
'Hmmmm, I can't leave him here. He's seen enough to write a book, I don't know how to modify memories, and if I tried I might just screw up, and give him something else to tell Dumbledore...'
"Malfoy, do you have a broom?"
He gave a long annoyed noise, which sounded remarkably similar to, "Yes, you incredible moron!"
"Ok, I'm going to untie your gag, for one second, you will give me the Slytherin password, and that's it, understand? Then I'll get your broom from your dormitory."
He nodded, eyes glistening. A little voice in the back of her head told her that this was way too easy, but Gemini ignored it, thinking there was no other way, and stupidly untied the gag.
"What the hell-" Malfoy yelled, attempting once again to wriggle out of the ropes and bindings.
Quicker than you might have blinked Gemini had pounced upon him, retied the gag, and delivered a strong, steady, kick to his ribs. "Unless 'What the hell!' is the password you better start praying for mercy."
She directed her eyes away from the writhing Draco and to the clock. It was 12:30; precious time was slipping away. She decided to ask him again.
"What is the Slytherin password?" However, this time she added, "Or I will go back to Gryffindor common room, get Colin Creevy's camera, and snap photographs of you tied up in the hospital room by 'An Incredible Moron.'"
He narrowed his eyes but seemed to give in, probably thinking what was the point in fighting with a girl who was tottering on the edge of sanity as it was? She bent over him again to remove the gag, and this time he seemed not about to scream, so she proceeded.
Gemini leaned closer to him; he then remained completely still as she withdrew to replace the gag, his expression one of complete anger and perhaps some helplessness. She gave him a backwards look of warning before slipping the door open and hurrying into the hall.
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The halls were cold to Gemini's barefooted feet, and she was dimly aware of the prospect of being caught by a teacher, but what was that in the grand scheme of things? A small problem, at the worst. She slid along the narrow passages to the Slytherin common room, down the familiar passage to Potions, and stopped before a suspicious looking stone.
Taking a deep breath, Gemini announced the password that Malfoy had given her, and waited, perhaps for a deadly snake to come out to eat anyone who tried to get in with a fake password. But she was rather lucky to see the stone shift in its place and allow her to enter.
The common room was not empty yet, and she muttered a curse under her breath, she could never get into a boys dormitory with other people around, even worse, what if someone recognized her?!
She slipped into the room and slid into a chair in the most secluded corner of the room, out of the light of the fire, hoping that everyone would ignore her, while she waited as person by person departed. Just when she thought that it would never end the last girl went up to bed, clearing the entire room of all people, except for Gemini.
Sliding like a predator she made her way across the room, along the stairs, which creaked dangerously with her every step. When she reached a dormitory with the number 7 on it she gave a low sigh and pushed on the door.
Four snoring boys met her eyes. And Gemini held her breath while she passed bed after bed. Why did Malfoy have to have the last bed?! His bed was easy enough to find, being the only empty one in the room. His trunk was lying as the foot of the bed, it appeared that he must have forgotten to lock it, for the latch separated easily.
His broom was inside, along with his school books, and other various items of possession. Pulling it out of the case she smiled; that had been easy enough. If she hadn't been so surprised with her actual success she might have stopped to be cynical.
She shut the trunk, turned to the door, and exited the room.
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Malfoy was exactly where he had been when she left. Then again where had she expected him to go with ropes on his legs? She untied the ropes, which bound his legs and used the rope to tie the two broomsticks together; the end of hers was bound to the front of his.
Then she held the broomstick out in front of him. Rather reluctantly he scrambled to his feet, with a menacing glare, and sat down.
She lowered herself upon her own broomstick and pulled a compass out of her pocket that she had nicked out of Malfoy's trunk. She had charmed it to point her towards the Sagitta estate. There was nothing left to be done.
She had already conjured the pillows to resemble them, in case they were late getting back; she only hoped this wouldn't be a problem. Old Madame Pomfrey might be, but stupid she was not.
Pointing her broom at the opened window she gave a small kickoff, and glided through just barely fitting. Malfoy followed after a rather tense moment where he had become wedged in between the window opening and the sill.
The air was cold and she almost did a flip in the air to relieve some stress, before she remembered that Malfoy was still attached to her broom. Speeding up and flying past the castle below, she felt almost happy. 'Almost' being the operative word. Now she not only had to get to Sagitta estate, but she had to do it with Malfoy holding her up every step of the way.
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AN: Ok, next time, well I'm not totally sure, I suppose it all depends, but somehow I can imagine that their journey will not be a trip to the county park, just a hunch. Also I can promise that there will be more Sirius and Andromeda! :) So now, I leave you to review.
Another thing, before you go, check out Static's stories, she is my wonderful beta reader and her stories are some of my favorites. Oh so sexy Draco, with really great D/H plot lines, make sure to read and review her stories and I'll see you all when I post part 6.
Thanks goes out to my wonderful beta reader, Static, you are the best! What more can I say? Thanks so much for all the help on this part, and not only beta reading it once, but twice after I sent it back *again* with more ideas :). What would I do without you, probably declare a 'National Idiots Day,' and run off into the wild screaming. :) This part is dedicated to you.
Also, thanks is certainly due to bobbi, who is being so kind as to draw a picture for my profile page, with all my main characters in it, thanks so much and good luck with all your stories!
And thanks goes to Tabby, just because, thanks for always being around to talk to!
Two Roads Diverged
Part Five- Half-Baked Ideas
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There are only so many hours someone can have their eyes shut, yet not be asleep. Gemini certainly wasn't asleep, yet for the past hour and a half she had lain there with her eyes closed, pretending. Why would anyone ever do such a boring thing?
Well, certainly not for fun, I can tell you that. Gemini had kept her eyes sealed so tightly, only because she knew what awaited her when she opened them: that stupid, smirking, Malfoy git.
Apparently, the effects of her using the disarming charm at the exact moment he had was not a good thing. One of the numerous things that she had overheard during her sleepless hour and a half had been the carrying voice of Madame Pomfrey. The old woman had tried to explain to a disgruntled Draco that they had both broken a few bones, and would need to spend the next three days in the infirmary.
Human bones could usually be magically mended in seconds, but this was not the reason for their prolonged stay. Madame Pomfrey had assumed that Gemini must have a concussion, seeing as how she had not spoken nor been awake during any of the nurse's frequent visits. In this manner, Madame Pomfrey was holding them both there to make sure there were no after effects of the spells.
Draco had rather loudly complained to the school nurse that Gemini had woken up earlier, sat upright in bed, peered around the room, and gone back to sleep, but Madame Pomfrey was not to be swayed. She was not about to release two possibly ill patients on the word of Draco Malfoy, notorious for his lies and tricks.
Gemini knew that she had just landed herself three very unnecessary days with the one person she would have never chosen, yet what could she have done? Madame Pomfrey might have been even more concerned if she had bolted upright, opened her eyes, and announced in a happy voice "Here I am. All awake and good. I think I'll go now..."
She couldn't take it; she was beginning to feel as if she had lost her vision. Gemini slowly opened her eyes, and winced once at the brightness of the room, in comparison to the darkness of her closed eyelids.
She didn't want to look at Draco, but at the same time she felt compelled to. So, turning slowly on her side, she prepared herself to meet his piercing glare. But something else met her eyes. An empty bed. Sheets in a wild disarray, pillow half falling to the floor, and a piece of what looked like lined paper thrown haphazardly onto the wreck of a bed.
Gemini crossed the room to his bed and leaning in to examine the note she read in a mystified rush, "Gone to get something. Don't tell anyone I'm gone."
If that Malfoy git thought she was going to miss out on this obvious slack in the patrol he was sadly mistaken. Three days with Draco would be enough to drive her insane. She had a few things of her own which might come in handy during the lonely hours.
She threw the note down and turned to go, deciding that *she* was going to do this with class, unlike idiotic Malfoy, who had left his bed all a mess. No one would ever need know she had ever left; Gemini would be sure of that.
Swiveling around to face her bed, she tucked in the corners with hospital flaps, and arranged a pillow under the sheet. Under her breath she muttered, "Engorgio," and watched as the small pillow expanded to a larger shape, closer to the size of a human body. She then pointed her wand at the pillow and mumbled, "Marronion" while slowly dragging her wand over a small portion to turn it the same brown as her hair.
This done, she revolved on her heel, and gave an all mighty shove to swing open the door.
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Gemini was running down the halls at full speed... well, as full speed as you can get running with a newly mended broken leg soon after the pain easing potion begins to wear off. She had no clue how long ago Madame Pomfrey had left the room... how long ago Malfoy had departed, nor when he would be back.
This was, most likely, the plan with the most gaps in the entire world history, but she forced herself on. The thought certainly didn't escape her that this could very well be bogus, planned by Malfoy to get her in trouble. He could have possibly never left the hospital wing at all; maybe he was lurking in the shadows, plotting her demise... but it was too late to do anything about that.
The portrait swung open to an entirely empty common room. The whole house must have been at dinner; after all it was the right time, her stomach made her fully aware of that. Gemini took no care in being quiet as she bounded up the stairs. She was going to find her notebook, and the letter from Hydra.
Pulling back the door to her room she gave a start. Hermione was sitting at a desk, looking straight at her with a surprised expression.
"Aren't you supposed to be in the hospital wing?" The voice wasn't nearly as questioning as it was commanding, and it made Gemini nervous.
"They let me go early..." She ventured.
"So apparently nowadays, good behavior can get you out of both jail and the hospital wing. Nice to know." She was just dying to catch Gemini for something.
"You disappoint me, Hermione, I surely thought you would know that!" And Gemini was pleased with the cut in her voice; what was more, she loved how Hermione puffed up at the accusation of her not knowing something.
"Sorry, I tend to leave criminal matters to the criminals. Besides, I'm sure you would know more than enough about it for the both of us..."
"Ah yes, I learned quite a lot in prison, including a few tricky spells and a couple of helpful connections," she gave Hermione her meanest glare, the one she reserved for her moments of outraged dislike. Even Malfoy had never gotten that look from her. "Why do you pretend to hate me so much? What did I ever do to you?!"
"Who said I was pretending? If you must know, I don't like you because you think you know everything; you think you're so smart."
"Oh yes, and that's your job, isn't it?"
Hermione appeared to have no response so Gemini continued, "Now if you'll excuse me I have a few things I need to collect."
"Over my dead body!" Hermione announced.
"Ok, then... no choice." Gemini fingered her wand temptingly and then with sharp and deliberate actions, pointed it at Hermione. Hermione's brain seemed to be taking a rather large amount of time to react so, and before anything could have been prevented, Gemini had uttered, "Petrificus Totalus!"
Hermione's arms snapped to her sides, her legs lurched together, and her body fell to the floor, motionless, and seemingly lifeless.
Gemini stepped carefully over the body, and mused aloud, "Only pity is that it isn't dead."
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Draco was sitting in his dormitory and staring up at the green drapes, which were hanging over his head much like the cloud over his happiness. He hadn't departed to get anything, but figured that it was better to say that he was, if only so he might keep her quiet, by fear that he would come back with a boa constrictor to finish her off.
Stuck in the hospital for three days, with no company beside for the stupid, sniffling Pomfrey, and that obnoxious Gryffindor wasn't very appealing.
What was she playing at, keeping her eyes shut, making the nurse think she was ill with a concussion? Now they were both stuck there, together, for what would surely seem to be an eternity.
Didn't she know who he was? He was Draco Malfoy- and who was she? A nobody, that was who. So what did she think she was doing, faking sick, and keeping him there with her because of it?
She should have announced her good health on the spot, so that they could both go on their separate ways, and never see each other again. And, if she hadn't been well, she should have pretended to be, and waited until they were safely in the hall, before falling down a disappearing stair. Sure would save him a lot of trouble.
He switched his attention towards his mantel clock; he had only a few minutes before he would need to depart. The Slytherins would be back dinner soon, and he would rather not be around when that happened. His head was hurting far too much to create a bogus, yet believable tale for his short absence from the clinic. That, if anything, was a sign that Draco was not feeling like himself...
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Turning her attention towards the nightstand and away from Hermione, Gemini pulled the drawer open and began to search for her notebook and her letter. The crumpled letter was easy enough to find; smoothing it out, she pocketed it and continued her forage.
Surely her eyes were deceiving her, for the old, battered picture of what she believed to be her father's apartment, which concealed her notebook was no where to be found. She gave a long tug and nearly flew backwards when the drawer separated itself from the stand.
Veering towards her bed, she dumped the contents onto her deep maroon sheets. Riffling through them, it became all too clear that the object of her searching was not there. The parchment with her notebook was missing, and she wasn't sure if it had ever been there to begin with...Had she ever packed it? Was it still at Sagitta estate?
'Oh my goodness!' Gemini gasped. 'What if mum finds it! All she'll have to do is touch it with her wand and it will open. Moreover, if she opens it she'll know that all these years I've been trying to discover his identity...behind her back! And even if she doesn't know how to open it, it's still the picture that I accused her of drawing of my dad's flat!' She was breathing fast now, her heart could barely supply enough blood to reach her head, which was spinning like the earth on its axis.
Never had she been faced with such a predicament; what was she to do? She could only be halfway sure that it was even in her house. Halfway didn't cut it. Where would the world be if Einstien had only been 'halfway' sure about the recipe for an atom bomb? But what was left? Nothing. There were only two places in the entire world that the notebook could possibly be; at home or at school. It wasn't at school, so it must be the other...
She turned towards the door, and with a second thought directed her wand at Hermione, and murmured, "Finite Incatatem ," before slipping out off the room.
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Draco was hurrying down the corridors; he checked his watch at random intervals and then picked up the pace. He could hear the sounds of children, students, teachers coming from the great hall, chatting, walking, and talking. It would only be a minute before Madame Pomfery returned from dinner to continue her watch. He continued on, his eyes on his feet, not daring to look up for fear of being discovered.
Draco had to be securely in bed before she arrived. He would need to get in, arrange the covers around him neatly. And, most importantly, convince Gemini not to tell on him, or at least modify her memory before she could give him away.
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Gemini walked at a quick pace. She was staring at the floor below, contemplating her options. She could not simply forget about the notebook; it had everything in it. Yet she couldn't write home for it, because then whomever sent it would see what it was, and might even set it off if they tried to put a packaging charm on it. She had no idea what effect another charm would have on an already enchanted notebook.
She would need to fetch it on her own. Not a small task. However, she was stuck in the hospital wing anyway, so she could simply depart that night, and be back before dawn. No one need ever know.
Up the back of her robes she could feel her broom, a Firebolt III, strapped to her leg. It was her vehicle for departure. It would be on that broom that she made her way to the Sagitta mansion. And on that broom she would return, notebook and all.
She was still starring at the floor when she bumped into something very solid in front of her.
'Funny,' she thought, 'I shouldn't have reached the end of the hall already!' She directed her gaze upward. Draco Malfoy was standing before her, gray eyes looking rather dazed, apparently he had not seen her coming either.
They heard Madame Pomfrey's voice down the hall, saying goodnight to Professor Dumbledore. With twin looks of horror, they both whispered, "You didn't see me!" And slipped into the infirmary.
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Madame Pomfrey took one look at the two patients, and then turning her full attention towards Gemini, announced, "Oh, good! You're awake! I was so worried!" Bustling out of the room she went to prepare for bed; that had been her last visit of the night.
Gemini leaned over to turn out the lamp, thinking the sooner she convinced Malfoy to go to sleep, the sooner she could depart. However, Malfoy threw her a glance which clearly stated "Touch the lamp, and die."
Gemini sighed. It would not be easy waiting for him, but if she rushed him too much, he would be bound to become suspicious. Even Draco Malfoy wasn't that thick. So Gemini contented herself with reading and rereading the letter from Hydra.
When Malfoy finally turned off the light, without consulting Gemini, she breathed easier. Now she would just wait for him to fall asleep. That wouldn't take long, maybe an hour tops.
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Damn, that stupid Malfoy! It had been two hours since they had turned the lights out at ten.. what was he doing?! At this rate she would never make it home and back before Madame Pomfrey came in again in the morning. He had been tossing and turning for the last two hours, and every now and then she saw him rise up to check the bedside clock.
Silence. It had been about fifteen minutes since he had made any movements. She couldn't be sure that he was asleep, but there was nothing she could do now. Time was of the essence. She needed to act now, before she lost her nerve.
Blood was coursing through her veins as she carefully lifted one foot, then the next, onto the cold tile flooring. She slowly raised her mattress to reveal the Firebolt III, shinning in the glimmer of the moonlight. Pulling it out, as quietly as possible she heard something, a low ruffle.
'NO! NO! NO!' Gemini repeated in her head. 'He CANNOT be waking up!' She turned towards Malfoy, and as her glance slid across the room she realized that one of her blankets had fallen from the floor, that was the source of the noise. Malfoy was still sound asleep, but for how long?
Gemini tip-toed her way across to the window, and pulling the curtains back, ever so slowly, she began to raise the window, one notch at a time. *Screech!* The window had obviously not been opened in quite some time, and was in desperate need of an oiling. When it was ajar enough for the access of a person on broomstick, Gemini turned to the side to collect her broom, which was resting against the wall. There was another distant sound of ruffling.
"It's just the sheets." She said aloud, confident and annoyed.
"Are you prepared to make a wager on that?" Came an icy tone behind her.
She made an about-face. Draco Malfoy, in the flesh, was standing before her, an angry glint in his grey eyes. She uttered the first thing which popped into her head. In a soothing voice, while waving her hands lightly she said, "This is a dream, just a dream...Go back to sleeeeeeep."
Draco gave her a cold stare, extended a hand and pinched her nose. Then said, "Nope, feels like the same thick headed Gryffindor to me."
"Crap," Was all Gemini could choke out in her moments of anguished distress.
"Going for a ride, Sagitta?" His voice was not interested, but one of contempt.
"Now where would you get a crazy idea like that?" Gemini began, "I simply wanted some fresh air." She made a vain attempt to conceal the broom behind her.
"Ah, and your broomstick needed fresh air too?" Draco sneered.
"Well, it was rather stuffy in here, dust and all, so I figured I'd give the room a good sweep." She was grasping at straws here, but maybe he wouldn't catch on?
Draco stooped down to read the label on her broom, and standing back up he gave her a smirk while asking, "And Firebolts make good cleaning brooms?"
"The best on the market..."
"Listen, I don't buy your lame story, so sell it to someone else. Tell me, where did you think you were going?"
"Nowhere!" Gemini's tone was loud and angry, threatening to wake the whole castle, or at least Madame Pomfrey, but she didn't care. Where did he get off questioning her as if he had any right?
"Let's try this once more shall we, you know for old times sake, where are you going?"
"Not like I don't love revealing my intentions to my archenemies and all, but I think I'll pass on that one, plead the 5th and all. And is it just me, or is this conversation going in circles?"
"Well, seeing as how your pit has made itself large enough for even you to fall into, I would be willing to settle for ovals." He said all this with the air of someone presenting a rare gift.
"Oh how kind..."
"Yes, you know me. Kind to the masses, doer of good, walker of elderly ladies,-"
"Insufferable git." She finished. "One word and I'll-"
"Great idea, you know I always say to myself 'Hey, you know what would be a fun idea? Totally piss off the person who could get me in enough trouble to be up to my-'" His eyes were glinting, his hair was falling forward in the darkness, and he took a menacing step towards her.
"Yea, well, too bad! If you think I'll let you get me expelled from Hogwarts, you've got another thing coming. If you refuse to stay here quietly then I'll take you with me, kicking and screaming the whole way!" Her eyes did their best to stare a hole right through his head.
"I'd like to see you try!"
"Just stick around for the second act."
Gemini stuck her wand out and muttered her spell while ropes sprang forth from her wand tying themselves around Draco's arms, mouth, and legs. This did not, however, prevent him from making an extremely rude gesture at her. He looked furious, his eyes darkening until they were almost black, and she couldn't help but be glad that he *was* tied up, for fear of what he would do to her if he wasn't.
"Hey! You put that finger back where it belongs, or you'll find you don't have one..." Yet she couldn't help but laugh at the pitiable state on the floor before her. "Now, now Malfoy, don't worry, I'm sure the air won't ruin your lovely hair style."
Malfoy attempted to growl something at her, probably some vulgar profanity, but the gag muffled his words.
Gemini paid him no more mind as she looked at the Firebolt III. Surely it could not support the weight of the pair; Malfoy was no pixie.
'Hmmmm, I can't leave him here. He's seen enough to write a book, I don't know how to modify memories, and if I tried I might just screw up, and give him something else to tell Dumbledore...'
"Malfoy, do you have a broom?"
He gave a long annoyed noise, which sounded remarkably similar to, "Yes, you incredible moron!"
"Ok, I'm going to untie your gag, for one second, you will give me the Slytherin password, and that's it, understand? Then I'll get your broom from your dormitory."
He nodded, eyes glistening. A little voice in the back of her head told her that this was way too easy, but Gemini ignored it, thinking there was no other way, and stupidly untied the gag.
"What the hell-" Malfoy yelled, attempting once again to wriggle out of the ropes and bindings.
Quicker than you might have blinked Gemini had pounced upon him, retied the gag, and delivered a strong, steady, kick to his ribs. "Unless 'What the hell!' is the password you better start praying for mercy."
She directed her eyes away from the writhing Draco and to the clock. It was 12:30; precious time was slipping away. She decided to ask him again.
"What is the Slytherin password?" However, this time she added, "Or I will go back to Gryffindor common room, get Colin Creevy's camera, and snap photographs of you tied up in the hospital room by 'An Incredible Moron.'"
He narrowed his eyes but seemed to give in, probably thinking what was the point in fighting with a girl who was tottering on the edge of sanity as it was? She bent over him again to remove the gag, and this time he seemed not about to scream, so she proceeded.
Gemini leaned closer to him; he then remained completely still as she withdrew to replace the gag, his expression one of complete anger and perhaps some helplessness. She gave him a backwards look of warning before slipping the door open and hurrying into the hall.
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The halls were cold to Gemini's barefooted feet, and she was dimly aware of the prospect of being caught by a teacher, but what was that in the grand scheme of things? A small problem, at the worst. She slid along the narrow passages to the Slytherin common room, down the familiar passage to Potions, and stopped before a suspicious looking stone.
Taking a deep breath, Gemini announced the password that Malfoy had given her, and waited, perhaps for a deadly snake to come out to eat anyone who tried to get in with a fake password. But she was rather lucky to see the stone shift in its place and allow her to enter.
The common room was not empty yet, and she muttered a curse under her breath, she could never get into a boys dormitory with other people around, even worse, what if someone recognized her?!
She slipped into the room and slid into a chair in the most secluded corner of the room, out of the light of the fire, hoping that everyone would ignore her, while she waited as person by person departed. Just when she thought that it would never end the last girl went up to bed, clearing the entire room of all people, except for Gemini.
Sliding like a predator she made her way across the room, along the stairs, which creaked dangerously with her every step. When she reached a dormitory with the number 7 on it she gave a low sigh and pushed on the door.
Four snoring boys met her eyes. And Gemini held her breath while she passed bed after bed. Why did Malfoy have to have the last bed?! His bed was easy enough to find, being the only empty one in the room. His trunk was lying as the foot of the bed, it appeared that he must have forgotten to lock it, for the latch separated easily.
His broom was inside, along with his school books, and other various items of possession. Pulling it out of the case she smiled; that had been easy enough. If she hadn't been so surprised with her actual success she might have stopped to be cynical.
She shut the trunk, turned to the door, and exited the room.
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Malfoy was exactly where he had been when she left. Then again where had she expected him to go with ropes on his legs? She untied the ropes, which bound his legs and used the rope to tie the two broomsticks together; the end of hers was bound to the front of his.
Then she held the broomstick out in front of him. Rather reluctantly he scrambled to his feet, with a menacing glare, and sat down.
She lowered herself upon her own broomstick and pulled a compass out of her pocket that she had nicked out of Malfoy's trunk. She had charmed it to point her towards the Sagitta estate. There was nothing left to be done.
She had already conjured the pillows to resemble them, in case they were late getting back; she only hoped this wouldn't be a problem. Old Madame Pomfrey might be, but stupid she was not.
Pointing her broom at the opened window she gave a small kickoff, and glided through just barely fitting. Malfoy followed after a rather tense moment where he had become wedged in between the window opening and the sill.
The air was cold and she almost did a flip in the air to relieve some stress, before she remembered that Malfoy was still attached to her broom. Speeding up and flying past the castle below, she felt almost happy. 'Almost' being the operative word. Now she not only had to get to Sagitta estate, but she had to do it with Malfoy holding her up every step of the way.
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AN: Ok, next time, well I'm not totally sure, I suppose it all depends, but somehow I can imagine that their journey will not be a trip to the county park, just a hunch. Also I can promise that there will be more Sirius and Andromeda! :) So now, I leave you to review.
Another thing, before you go, check out Static's stories, she is my wonderful beta reader and her stories are some of my favorites. Oh so sexy Draco, with really great D/H plot lines, make sure to read and review her stories and I'll see you all when I post part 6.