1.1 Chapter 5
Ron was screaming, shouting at the top of his voice.
"I'll get you for this, Malfoy! I'll get you!"
Ginny and Harry were sitting, looking at Hermione, lying peacefully on her back. There was no sign of violence apart from a livid mark across her throat.
It had taken them most of the day to find her, sweeping backwards and forwards through the trees as they moved away from the Gryffindor camp to the tower of smoke that had betrayed the Slytherins' location. They had known before they began their search, though, that it would be a bleak one, one that they would not like to conclude. Malfoy had intimated as much when they had asked him about Hermione's disappearance.
"This is my domain, and I am the greatest here. You either follow me, or you are not worthy."
Ron was about to start pushing through the undergrowth, but Harry held him back.
"Not now, Ron. Not now. He isn't worth it."
Ron tried to break free, but Harry wouldn't let go.
"Come on," said Harry. "We need to bury Hermione."
Eventually, Ron stopped pulling, and breaking down in tears, he joined Harry and Ginny in their sorry task.
*****
It was dark again by the time they had finished with the second grave. All three were tired, but none of them wanted to sleep. They sat around a small lamp, and talked.
"He should be stopped," said Ron.
"We can do nothing," repeated Ginny. He will let us stay here in peace if we leave him alone."
"Our existence troubles him, Ginny," Ron said. "He cannot even accept that we are here. He wont be happy until we are gone."
"Then we have to face him," said Harry. He was weeping.
"Malfoy has ruined my life," said Ron quietly.
"What Malfoy has done is surrender to the darkness of his own heart, and destroyed the innocence of all those who have come here."
Together they wept for their loss of innocence, and the fall through the air of a true, wise friend.
*****
Early in the morning Harry, Ron and Ginny could be seen from a great distance, walking along the sward. Their dressing gowns were looking grubby and torn, but they were dry, and making good progress.
Each held their own wand.
Goyle, whose hunger had woken him earlier than the other two, alerted Malfoy to their presence. The Slytherins were all fully dressed, complete with shoes, but only one of them had a wand, much longer than usual.
Malfoy's wand had Hermione's grafted to it, handle to handle.
As the Gryffindors turned to enter the forest near to the small Slytherin camp, Malfoy faced them and casually spun the joined wands in his fingers.
"What do you want, Potter?" he demanded.
"I want order, and peace, Malfoy," answered Harry. "I want us to work together to get us all back to Hogwarts."
"Let me show you how to work together, Potter," shouted Malfoy. He raised the wand.
"Your way hurts you as much as us!" said Harry. "Like your wand – it cannot be used in one direction only. It is aimed, but the person wielding it is struck just as violently as the target."
"You were always nothing but a coward, Potter. Why should I be afraid of a wand loaded at both ends?"
With a swish, and a flick, Draco Malfoy cast his spell.
*****
The plotline for this fic is borrowed from William Golding's 'The Lord of The Flies.' I apologise for any violence I have done to his great work.
I hope you read this in the spirit it was intended.
Ron was screaming, shouting at the top of his voice.
"I'll get you for this, Malfoy! I'll get you!"
Ginny and Harry were sitting, looking at Hermione, lying peacefully on her back. There was no sign of violence apart from a livid mark across her throat.
It had taken them most of the day to find her, sweeping backwards and forwards through the trees as they moved away from the Gryffindor camp to the tower of smoke that had betrayed the Slytherins' location. They had known before they began their search, though, that it would be a bleak one, one that they would not like to conclude. Malfoy had intimated as much when they had asked him about Hermione's disappearance.
"This is my domain, and I am the greatest here. You either follow me, or you are not worthy."
Ron was about to start pushing through the undergrowth, but Harry held him back.
"Not now, Ron. Not now. He isn't worth it."
Ron tried to break free, but Harry wouldn't let go.
"Come on," said Harry. "We need to bury Hermione."
Eventually, Ron stopped pulling, and breaking down in tears, he joined Harry and Ginny in their sorry task.
*****
It was dark again by the time they had finished with the second grave. All three were tired, but none of them wanted to sleep. They sat around a small lamp, and talked.
"He should be stopped," said Ron.
"We can do nothing," repeated Ginny. He will let us stay here in peace if we leave him alone."
"Our existence troubles him, Ginny," Ron said. "He cannot even accept that we are here. He wont be happy until we are gone."
"Then we have to face him," said Harry. He was weeping.
"Malfoy has ruined my life," said Ron quietly.
"What Malfoy has done is surrender to the darkness of his own heart, and destroyed the innocence of all those who have come here."
Together they wept for their loss of innocence, and the fall through the air of a true, wise friend.
*****
Early in the morning Harry, Ron and Ginny could be seen from a great distance, walking along the sward. Their dressing gowns were looking grubby and torn, but they were dry, and making good progress.
Each held their own wand.
Goyle, whose hunger had woken him earlier than the other two, alerted Malfoy to their presence. The Slytherins were all fully dressed, complete with shoes, but only one of them had a wand, much longer than usual.
Malfoy's wand had Hermione's grafted to it, handle to handle.
As the Gryffindors turned to enter the forest near to the small Slytherin camp, Malfoy faced them and casually spun the joined wands in his fingers.
"What do you want, Potter?" he demanded.
"I want order, and peace, Malfoy," answered Harry. "I want us to work together to get us all back to Hogwarts."
"Let me show you how to work together, Potter," shouted Malfoy. He raised the wand.
"Your way hurts you as much as us!" said Harry. "Like your wand – it cannot be used in one direction only. It is aimed, but the person wielding it is struck just as violently as the target."
"You were always nothing but a coward, Potter. Why should I be afraid of a wand loaded at both ends?"
With a swish, and a flick, Draco Malfoy cast his spell.
*****
The plotline for this fic is borrowed from William Golding's 'The Lord of The Flies.' I apologise for any violence I have done to his great work.
I hope you read this in the spirit it was intended.