Disclaimer: Two words - Not. Mine.
CHAPTER TEN - The Forbidden Forest
Even at late afternoon, the Forbidden Forest was dark as sin, filling Riley with an intense apprehension and sense of foreboding. Leaves crunched beneath her feet and a lone owl hooted in the distance. Remembering the stories she had heard of the forest, Riley gulped audibly - surely the tales couldn't all be true?
"Did it have a name?"
Riley frowned, puzzled. "Did what have a name?"
"That cat-thing. I thought we might call for it, but that can't be done if we don't know its name."
"I guess it's too bad we ran out of the cabin so fast, then. Hagrid never told me what the kitten was called. I don't even know if it has a name."
"Pity. It would have made the job much simpler." Malfoy's voice grew especially terse on the last two words.
They walked on in silence until the darkness forced Malfoy to pull out his wand and mutter, "Lumos". Trees seemed to pry at Riley's robes with twisted, knobbly fingers. She walked on boldly, determined not to let Malfoy know she was afraid.
"Take my hand," Malfoy said abruptly, peering at the brush.
"Why?" Riley drew back slightly.
"Lessens our chance of being separated." Tentatively, Riley reached out and grasped the strong white fingers of Malfoy's right hand. He shifted his palm briskly until he had encased her hand in his own. To Riley's surprise and delight, Malfoy's touch was cool and fresh.
They plunged deeper into the Forest. The occasional owl or twig-cracking-underfoot was alarming, but didn't particularly frighten either student. For a while, neither said anything. It was a long while. The sun came up. The sun went down. Grass grew and flowers bloomed. Time passed. Winter changed into Spring. Spring changed into Summer. Summer changed back into Winter. And Winter gave Spring and Summer a miss and went straight on into Autumn.
Until two hours later, when Riley heard noises behind her.
"What was that? Shh, listen."
"How the bloody hell am I supposed to know? Let's just find the Kneazle brat and get out of here."
"Shh!" she repeated urgently, gesturing behind her. Malfoy did something that could have been rolling his eyes - 'could have' being the operative phrase, as this was Malfoy and he wasn't given to the rotation of his ocular appendages - and glanced behind them.
"Oh, look, it's only that little brute," he said in a rather 'I told you so' manner.
"He's not a little brute," said Riley admonishingly as she released Malfoy's pale hand and stooped to pick up the kitten. "He's the very adorable, very obnoxious Galahad, too brave for his own good and too stupid to know the difference."
"Galahad? What, did you just make that up?"
"No. I figured he should have some kind of moniker, if we're going to go charging into the Forbidden Forest after him. With animals, it's best - " A low rumble interrupted Riley's speech. "Malfoy, I thought you ate before we left. It really is true that teenage guys have bottomless pits for stomachs."
"That wasn't me." Malfoy's voice sounded oddly constrained.
"Then what was it?" Riley twisted up to look him in the face, but he wasn't looking at her. Instead, Malfoy's attention was focused on the large, ungainly, five-legged monster coming toward them at a very high speed.
"Holy crap."
The Quintaped rushed at Riley and Malfoy, oblivious to all of their attempts to distract it or ward it off. Luckily the surrounding trees were difficult for the creature to maneuver around, giving the two a couple extra minutes. After two unsuccessful Stunning Spells and an Impedimenta that didn't work quite as well as one might have hoped, Malfoy's head cleared enough to get them to a safer position. "Up the tree!"
"What? Why?"
"Well, do you think that anything with five legs and a huge, hairy body is going to come climbing after us?"
Riley paused. "You've got a point."
Both scrambled up a nearby oak, which fortunately had enough branches on the lower regions of the tree that they could climb it rather quickly. They had barely anchored themselves in the higher branches when a force equal to that of a small elephant hit the tree and shook the limbs dangerously.
"What are we going to do now?" Riley cried desperately to Malfoy, who was positioned on a nearby limb.
"Call for help, I suppose!" Though both yelled desperately, it was to no avail. Riley steeled herself for another blow when, suddenly -
"Hey, what is that thing?"
Malfoy squinted in the direction that she was pointing. "If I had to guess, I'd say it was some kind of flying car . . ."
As it turned out, Malfoy was right. A large, hideous contraption of turquoise metal went barreling through the air and stopped just short of the oak's mighty branches.
"Get in!"
"But I can't drive!" Riley yelled over the Quintaped's grunts of effort.
"Then I'll drive!" Malfoy hopped into the driver's seat of the ugly car and had barely enough time to put his hands on the steering wheel when the Quintaped hit the oak a second time and the tree began to fall.
"Malfoy!"
Moving quickly, Malfoy revved up the engine and went diving after Riley and the newly-christened Galahad. Swerving between two of the larger branches, he managed to grab the back of her robes and hoist her into the passenger seat, panting lightly. He hit the accelerator and blew out of the canopy of trees.
After he caught his breath, Malfoy turned to look at the girl in the seat beside him. She was turned towards the passenger-side window, looking out over the Forest with wide eyes at the crescent moon that now hung in the sky. He shook his head and continued driving. Minutes passed.
"O, swear not by the moon, the inconsistent moon, that monthly changes in her circled orb, lest thy love prove likewise variable." Riley's voice broke the silence that had prevailed previously. To her surprise, she received a response.
"What shall I swear by?"
"Do not swear at all; or, if thou wilt, swear by thy gracious self, which is the god of my idolatry, and I'll believe thee."
Malfoy snorted. "I wasn't aware that they taught the great writers such as Shakespeare in America."
"They do." She took a shaky breath. "Thank you."
"For what?"
"For - oh, this is going to sound SO clichéd - for saving my life." She turned to look at him. "Since that was what you did and all."
"Yes. I guess I did, didn't I." It was a statement, not a question.
"I owe you one."
The car slowly drifted to a stop in midair. "I wonder what you'll do to repay me, eh, O'Connor?"
She shrugged. "Haven't had time to think about it, really. I could do your homework or something. Help you study."
A slow smile spread across his face. "I've got an idea, I think."
"Really? What is it?"
"Close your eyes," he ordered.
"Why?"
"Just do it." Riley raised her eyebrows at this, but complied. She could feel him scooting closer on the car's seat, tracing her jawbone gently with his thumb, and then tilting her head to one side. "Malfoy, what -"
"Shh," he murmured. "You talk too much. If there's anything I hate about American girls, it's their gift of gab."
"'Gift of gab'? You sound like - "
He made a frustrated sound. "You're ruining this. You owe me, remember?" She nodded sullenly. He bent slowly, very slowly, and brushed his mouth against the soft skin beneath her ear. She became tense almost immediately. Sensing this, Malfoy massaged the sides of her jaw until she opened her eyes to look at him again.
"Don't open your eyes," he told her in a chiding manner.
"But what are you doing?"
"I'm trying to get you to relax. Now, close your eyes again so I can finish this."
She made a visible effort to loosen her muscles and shut her eyes once more. Malfoy smiled to himself, then leaned down to kiss her eyebrows and lashes. Riley's small hands twined around Malfoy's neck, but did not massage his hair as he would have expected her to do. Odd.
"Only a little bit longer," he whispered, and noticed with pleasure her sharp intake of breath as he lightly, languidly, tongued over her pulse point. Malfoy leaned in for what was promising to be a mind-blowing snog when something caught his eye. He sat up and stared for a moment, straightening his robes absently.
It was Riley's Gryffindor tie.
CHAPTER TEN - The Forbidden Forest
Even at late afternoon, the Forbidden Forest was dark as sin, filling Riley with an intense apprehension and sense of foreboding. Leaves crunched beneath her feet and a lone owl hooted in the distance. Remembering the stories she had heard of the forest, Riley gulped audibly - surely the tales couldn't all be true?
"Did it have a name?"
Riley frowned, puzzled. "Did what have a name?"
"That cat-thing. I thought we might call for it, but that can't be done if we don't know its name."
"I guess it's too bad we ran out of the cabin so fast, then. Hagrid never told me what the kitten was called. I don't even know if it has a name."
"Pity. It would have made the job much simpler." Malfoy's voice grew especially terse on the last two words.
They walked on in silence until the darkness forced Malfoy to pull out his wand and mutter, "Lumos". Trees seemed to pry at Riley's robes with twisted, knobbly fingers. She walked on boldly, determined not to let Malfoy know she was afraid.
"Take my hand," Malfoy said abruptly, peering at the brush.
"Why?" Riley drew back slightly.
"Lessens our chance of being separated." Tentatively, Riley reached out and grasped the strong white fingers of Malfoy's right hand. He shifted his palm briskly until he had encased her hand in his own. To Riley's surprise and delight, Malfoy's touch was cool and fresh.
They plunged deeper into the Forest. The occasional owl or twig-cracking-underfoot was alarming, but didn't particularly frighten either student. For a while, neither said anything. It was a long while. The sun came up. The sun went down. Grass grew and flowers bloomed. Time passed. Winter changed into Spring. Spring changed into Summer. Summer changed back into Winter. And Winter gave Spring and Summer a miss and went straight on into Autumn.
Until two hours later, when Riley heard noises behind her.
"What was that? Shh, listen."
"How the bloody hell am I supposed to know? Let's just find the Kneazle brat and get out of here."
"Shh!" she repeated urgently, gesturing behind her. Malfoy did something that could have been rolling his eyes - 'could have' being the operative phrase, as this was Malfoy and he wasn't given to the rotation of his ocular appendages - and glanced behind them.
"Oh, look, it's only that little brute," he said in a rather 'I told you so' manner.
"He's not a little brute," said Riley admonishingly as she released Malfoy's pale hand and stooped to pick up the kitten. "He's the very adorable, very obnoxious Galahad, too brave for his own good and too stupid to know the difference."
"Galahad? What, did you just make that up?"
"No. I figured he should have some kind of moniker, if we're going to go charging into the Forbidden Forest after him. With animals, it's best - " A low rumble interrupted Riley's speech. "Malfoy, I thought you ate before we left. It really is true that teenage guys have bottomless pits for stomachs."
"That wasn't me." Malfoy's voice sounded oddly constrained.
"Then what was it?" Riley twisted up to look him in the face, but he wasn't looking at her. Instead, Malfoy's attention was focused on the large, ungainly, five-legged monster coming toward them at a very high speed.
"Holy crap."
The Quintaped rushed at Riley and Malfoy, oblivious to all of their attempts to distract it or ward it off. Luckily the surrounding trees were difficult for the creature to maneuver around, giving the two a couple extra minutes. After two unsuccessful Stunning Spells and an Impedimenta that didn't work quite as well as one might have hoped, Malfoy's head cleared enough to get them to a safer position. "Up the tree!"
"What? Why?"
"Well, do you think that anything with five legs and a huge, hairy body is going to come climbing after us?"
Riley paused. "You've got a point."
Both scrambled up a nearby oak, which fortunately had enough branches on the lower regions of the tree that they could climb it rather quickly. They had barely anchored themselves in the higher branches when a force equal to that of a small elephant hit the tree and shook the limbs dangerously.
"What are we going to do now?" Riley cried desperately to Malfoy, who was positioned on a nearby limb.
"Call for help, I suppose!" Though both yelled desperately, it was to no avail. Riley steeled herself for another blow when, suddenly -
"Hey, what is that thing?"
Malfoy squinted in the direction that she was pointing. "If I had to guess, I'd say it was some kind of flying car . . ."
As it turned out, Malfoy was right. A large, hideous contraption of turquoise metal went barreling through the air and stopped just short of the oak's mighty branches.
"Get in!"
"But I can't drive!" Riley yelled over the Quintaped's grunts of effort.
"Then I'll drive!" Malfoy hopped into the driver's seat of the ugly car and had barely enough time to put his hands on the steering wheel when the Quintaped hit the oak a second time and the tree began to fall.
"Malfoy!"
Moving quickly, Malfoy revved up the engine and went diving after Riley and the newly-christened Galahad. Swerving between two of the larger branches, he managed to grab the back of her robes and hoist her into the passenger seat, panting lightly. He hit the accelerator and blew out of the canopy of trees.
After he caught his breath, Malfoy turned to look at the girl in the seat beside him. She was turned towards the passenger-side window, looking out over the Forest with wide eyes at the crescent moon that now hung in the sky. He shook his head and continued driving. Minutes passed.
"O, swear not by the moon, the inconsistent moon, that monthly changes in her circled orb, lest thy love prove likewise variable." Riley's voice broke the silence that had prevailed previously. To her surprise, she received a response.
"What shall I swear by?"
"Do not swear at all; or, if thou wilt, swear by thy gracious self, which is the god of my idolatry, and I'll believe thee."
Malfoy snorted. "I wasn't aware that they taught the great writers such as Shakespeare in America."
"They do." She took a shaky breath. "Thank you."
"For what?"
"For - oh, this is going to sound SO clichéd - for saving my life." She turned to look at him. "Since that was what you did and all."
"Yes. I guess I did, didn't I." It was a statement, not a question.
"I owe you one."
The car slowly drifted to a stop in midair. "I wonder what you'll do to repay me, eh, O'Connor?"
She shrugged. "Haven't had time to think about it, really. I could do your homework or something. Help you study."
A slow smile spread across his face. "I've got an idea, I think."
"Really? What is it?"
"Close your eyes," he ordered.
"Why?"
"Just do it." Riley raised her eyebrows at this, but complied. She could feel him scooting closer on the car's seat, tracing her jawbone gently with his thumb, and then tilting her head to one side. "Malfoy, what -"
"Shh," he murmured. "You talk too much. If there's anything I hate about American girls, it's their gift of gab."
"'Gift of gab'? You sound like - "
He made a frustrated sound. "You're ruining this. You owe me, remember?" She nodded sullenly. He bent slowly, very slowly, and brushed his mouth against the soft skin beneath her ear. She became tense almost immediately. Sensing this, Malfoy massaged the sides of her jaw until she opened her eyes to look at him again.
"Don't open your eyes," he told her in a chiding manner.
"But what are you doing?"
"I'm trying to get you to relax. Now, close your eyes again so I can finish this."
She made a visible effort to loosen her muscles and shut her eyes once more. Malfoy smiled to himself, then leaned down to kiss her eyebrows and lashes. Riley's small hands twined around Malfoy's neck, but did not massage his hair as he would have expected her to do. Odd.
"Only a little bit longer," he whispered, and noticed with pleasure her sharp intake of breath as he lightly, languidly, tongued over her pulse point. Malfoy leaned in for what was promising to be a mind-blowing snog when something caught his eye. He sat up and stared for a moment, straightening his robes absently.
It was Riley's Gryffindor tie.