Chapter 3 -Night Flight.
~*~ Speedy fish strikes again with another (*groan*) short chapter. I'm sorry but they will start to get longer as the story develops. The purpose of this chapter is just to develop the characters a little but more and chapter 4 will be when the plot comes into play. (hopefully!)
Disclaimer: You all know it as well as I do. Not mine.
~*~
***
Harry and Ron had been searching all over the castle for Hermione. She had disappeared as soon as the Hogwarts Express had pulled into the station and no one had seen her since. They knew she had had to see Dumbledore but as they walked into the great hall they saw him arrive at the teachers table. Suddenly Ron gripped Harry's arm and let out a loud hiss.
"What?" asked Harry, alarmed. But then he saw what. Malfoy was coming down the staircase dragging Hermione behind him. Even from a distance they could see that she was in a terrible state with tears streaming down her cheeks. The boys set off towards them at a run and reached the pair just as Malfoy reached for the handle on the main front door.
***
"Get your filthy hands off her!" Harry yelled at Malfoy, tugging Hermione out of his grasp. Ron grabbed Malfoy by the collar and pinned him against the doors.
"If you've hurt her, " he growled, "I swear I'll pound you so hard..."
"No!" Hermione shrieked struggling in Harry's arms as he tried to hold her. "No," she said again, "you've got it all wrong."
"Hermione, " Harry said, soothingly, "it's alright, we're here now and everything is okay"
"No, it's not!" she howled.
Draco pried Ron's fingers off him and pushed him away.
"Potter, Weasley it's like this..."
"Please, " Hermione sobbed, "please don't tell them."
She turned to face Harry. "We have to go." And she hugged him and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, then she ran to Ron and did the same to him. She grabbed Draco by the hand and they ran out of the doors together.
Ron and Harry stood, transfixed and watched them climb into a carriage and be whisked away into the night. Then, as one, they turned and began the journey to the Griffindor common room, their cheeks wet from both Hermione's tears and their own.
***
Draco helped Hermione into the carriage and leapt in himself just as it started to move. He suddenly thought of Dumbledore's words:
`Your bags are at the front gate.'
He panicked for a second thinking they were going to be dumped without any of their possessions but a quick glance around showed that their baggage was safely stowed under their seats. Draco sighed in relief and guessed that their unidentified driver had loaded their belongings for them. He looked at Hermione who was sitting on the opposite side from him and found himself staring straight into her still tearful eyes.
"What Granger?" he snapped, embarrassed at being caught looking at her.
She said nothing, simply lowered her eyes and leant back into the shadows. Draco wasn't sure but he thought she had started to cry again.
`IDIOT!' he screamed at himself, `things are bad enough for her as it is, don't make them worse!'
`You're a Malfoy,' a small voice said in the back of his mind, `Do not feel sorry for a mudblood.' Just then a stifled sob reached Draco's ears and with a muttered:
"Damn the Malfoy name."
He sat down next to Hermione and wrapped his arms around her, holding the small body tight as it was wracked with sobs.
***
Hermione buried her face into Draco's chest and cried until she had no more tears left to shed. She had subsided into sniffles when she realised whose arms she was in. For a moment there she had been sure it was either Ron or Harry who was comforting her, but the feeling was very different. When her two best friends hugged or touched her it was like brother to sister. But Draco? Well this was nothing like anything she had previously experienced, she felt warm and safe in Draco's arms and there was an overall feeling that what they were doing was right.
`No!' her mind screamed, `it isn't right at all. It's about as wrong as you can get. This is Malfoy!'
Draco felt Hermione stiffen slightly and he quickly released her, moving back to the other side of the carriage.
`Great, well done, now she really hates you. Congratulations!' his mind couldn't resist getting his side in.
"Shut up!" Draco whispered.
"What?" Hermione's trembling voice came from deep in the shadows.
"Nothing." He said quickly.
`Fantastic,' his mind piped up, `now she thinks you're mad as well. You seriously screwed this one up didn't you.'
***
~*~ Ah yes. Malfoy is really a sweetie at heart. I hope you all enjoyed it and it wasn't too much of a cliché. If anybody would like to be notified when the next chapter is up please so say in your review or email me and I'll be in touch. I would like to thank these people for reviewing. In order of appearance:
Chikata: My first reviewer thankyou.
Tiwi liwwy: Thanks for the interest and advice.
Vanillalily: I can't wait for them to get together either!
Reina: I will continue, don't you worry.
Undomesticated: I always hate doing descriptions so thanks for your comment.
Fluffy_rose: You love it? Wow thankyou!
Mrs Amanda Malfoy: I like your name, sorry about using your husband in my story!
Tigerhawk567: Keep reading and see!
Jessie: I'm glad you like it and I'll do my best to go fast!
Jaya: Interesting idea, wait and see!
Strife21: A Hermione and Draco fan, good stuff!
Aislinn: Well, since you begged... of course I'll keep writing!
Buffy Anne Summers: Yes ma'am!
Icy Stormz: I loved your comments, Speedy fish is trying her best to be as speedy as possible!
Judge DP: cheese/sugar high. Must try that some day!
OMG!: This is me continuing! Thank you
Bwaye: Dude what can I say?! My beret better be in the post!
Well that's it. I'm sorry if I've missed people but I did my best! Thankyou to everybody for reading and please keep those reviews coming!
~*~ Speedy fish strikes again with another (*groan*) short chapter. I'm sorry but they will start to get longer as the story develops. The purpose of this chapter is just to develop the characters a little but more and chapter 4 will be when the plot comes into play. (hopefully!)
Disclaimer: You all know it as well as I do. Not mine.
~*~
***
Harry and Ron had been searching all over the castle for Hermione. She had disappeared as soon as the Hogwarts Express had pulled into the station and no one had seen her since. They knew she had had to see Dumbledore but as they walked into the great hall they saw him arrive at the teachers table. Suddenly Ron gripped Harry's arm and let out a loud hiss.
"What?" asked Harry, alarmed. But then he saw what. Malfoy was coming down the staircase dragging Hermione behind him. Even from a distance they could see that she was in a terrible state with tears streaming down her cheeks. The boys set off towards them at a run and reached the pair just as Malfoy reached for the handle on the main front door.
***
"Get your filthy hands off her!" Harry yelled at Malfoy, tugging Hermione out of his grasp. Ron grabbed Malfoy by the collar and pinned him against the doors.
"If you've hurt her, " he growled, "I swear I'll pound you so hard..."
"No!" Hermione shrieked struggling in Harry's arms as he tried to hold her. "No," she said again, "you've got it all wrong."
"Hermione, " Harry said, soothingly, "it's alright, we're here now and everything is okay"
"No, it's not!" she howled.
Draco pried Ron's fingers off him and pushed him away.
"Potter, Weasley it's like this..."
"Please, " Hermione sobbed, "please don't tell them."
She turned to face Harry. "We have to go." And she hugged him and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, then she ran to Ron and did the same to him. She grabbed Draco by the hand and they ran out of the doors together.
Ron and Harry stood, transfixed and watched them climb into a carriage and be whisked away into the night. Then, as one, they turned and began the journey to the Griffindor common room, their cheeks wet from both Hermione's tears and their own.
***
Draco helped Hermione into the carriage and leapt in himself just as it started to move. He suddenly thought of Dumbledore's words:
`Your bags are at the front gate.'
He panicked for a second thinking they were going to be dumped without any of their possessions but a quick glance around showed that their baggage was safely stowed under their seats. Draco sighed in relief and guessed that their unidentified driver had loaded their belongings for them. He looked at Hermione who was sitting on the opposite side from him and found himself staring straight into her still tearful eyes.
"What Granger?" he snapped, embarrassed at being caught looking at her.
She said nothing, simply lowered her eyes and leant back into the shadows. Draco wasn't sure but he thought she had started to cry again.
`IDIOT!' he screamed at himself, `things are bad enough for her as it is, don't make them worse!'
`You're a Malfoy,' a small voice said in the back of his mind, `Do not feel sorry for a mudblood.' Just then a stifled sob reached Draco's ears and with a muttered:
"Damn the Malfoy name."
He sat down next to Hermione and wrapped his arms around her, holding the small body tight as it was wracked with sobs.
***
Hermione buried her face into Draco's chest and cried until she had no more tears left to shed. She had subsided into sniffles when she realised whose arms she was in. For a moment there she had been sure it was either Ron or Harry who was comforting her, but the feeling was very different. When her two best friends hugged or touched her it was like brother to sister. But Draco? Well this was nothing like anything she had previously experienced, she felt warm and safe in Draco's arms and there was an overall feeling that what they were doing was right.
`No!' her mind screamed, `it isn't right at all. It's about as wrong as you can get. This is Malfoy!'
Draco felt Hermione stiffen slightly and he quickly released her, moving back to the other side of the carriage.
`Great, well done, now she really hates you. Congratulations!' his mind couldn't resist getting his side in.
"Shut up!" Draco whispered.
"What?" Hermione's trembling voice came from deep in the shadows.
"Nothing." He said quickly.
`Fantastic,' his mind piped up, `now she thinks you're mad as well. You seriously screwed this one up didn't you.'
***
~*~ Ah yes. Malfoy is really a sweetie at heart. I hope you all enjoyed it and it wasn't too much of a cliché. If anybody would like to be notified when the next chapter is up please so say in your review or email me and I'll be in touch. I would like to thank these people for reviewing. In order of appearance:
Chikata: My first reviewer thankyou.
Tiwi liwwy: Thanks for the interest and advice.
Vanillalily: I can't wait for them to get together either!
Reina: I will continue, don't you worry.
Undomesticated: I always hate doing descriptions so thanks for your comment.
Fluffy_rose: You love it? Wow thankyou!
Mrs Amanda Malfoy: I like your name, sorry about using your husband in my story!
Tigerhawk567: Keep reading and see!
Jessie: I'm glad you like it and I'll do my best to go fast!
Jaya: Interesting idea, wait and see!
Strife21: A Hermione and Draco fan, good stuff!
Aislinn: Well, since you begged... of course I'll keep writing!
Buffy Anne Summers: Yes ma'am!
Icy Stormz: I loved your comments, Speedy fish is trying her best to be as speedy as possible!
Judge DP: cheese/sugar high. Must try that some day!
OMG!: This is me continuing! Thank you
Bwaye: Dude what can I say?! My beret better be in the post!
Well that's it. I'm sorry if I've missed people but I did my best! Thankyou to everybody for reading and please keep those reviews coming!