Chapter 14 - A blessing or a curse?
Hermione yawned sleepily, and for a few blissful moments was unaware of where she was. However it all came flooding back to her and she groaned. That's right, she was tied to the words most stubborn git, was stuck in his scary home for a week, and was despised by all the members of his household. That and he made her perform a dark arts spell which would probably see her winding up in hell.
Great.
She looked down at her thumb. It was smarting from where Draco had nicked it with a dagger. She looked over to Draco and her heart leapt into her throat. He was awake and was looking at her intently. She hit him lightly.
"Don't scare me like that." She said.
"What time is it?" Draco sat up and rubbed sleep from his eyes. It was still dark outside. Hermione had no watch on, and so assumed it was really early in the morning. Without even waiting for an answer Draco turned to Hermione. "Look. I just. I want to say I'm sorry about that."
"What?" Hermione was shocked.
"I was desperate. To get rid of this curse, to prove to my father I was able to do the magic, to prove it to myself." He fell silent and looked at her deeply in her eyes. "And, and I wanted to say that this string. Its not really a curse. Not in so many ways."
Hermione suddenly felt very uncomfortable. "What do you mean?"
"When we killed the snake. I fell into a horrible dark dream. I was a child again, and my father had beaten me. He used to hit me all the time, like he still does. And as I cried out I saw you come from nowhere and hold my hand. It just made me think, y'know. That having you here, its annoying at times. But not a curse. You're the first person to ever hold my hand like that." He trailed off. His usually pale skin burning red.
"I had that dream too." Hermione said, hugging her knees to her chest. "I saw darkness all around me, and then you spoke to me and pulled me out of it."
"I wish I knew how to break the spell. I'm sorry I had to bring you here." Draco looked to his hands and wrung them. Hermione reached out and held both his hands.
"Don't be sorry."
Draco looked sadly at her. Then he silently leaned forward and he captured her blushing lips in a warm kiss, Hermione's breath caught in her chest and she froze. As he pulled away Hermione stared at him, her eyes wide as saucers. Then she smiled sweetly and brushed his ice blonde hair from his face.
"This string isn't a curse." She said. "it's a small blessing don't you think? Don't be afraid Draco. We will break the string." And she kissed him softly on his forehead.
**
As light spilled through the vast manor windows Draco and Hermione wound their way down the stairs to find some breakfast. Narcissa sat alone in the breakfast room. Her husband was nowhere to be seen. She glowered at Hermione, and looked sternly upon her son.
"Draco, dear. Your father tells me you tried some magic last night." Her eyes darted to the string "Well, never mind. I'm sure your father has some ideas on how to remove it."
"Yes Mother." Draco said. He sat down and Hermione sat next to him. They busied themselves with breakfast. Toast and tea where set out already on the table, and they ate greatfuly. Narcissa held her disapproving gaze of Hermione. But she remained silent.
"So, what do you want to do today?" Hermione asked Draco. He munched thoughtfully on a slice of toast and marmalade.
"How about I show you about the grounds? We have a lake filled with raven blue swans. Bet you've never seen those before right?"
"Oh wow. They sound wonderful. Why don't we take some food and have a picnic? We can take some books as well and try look out for more ideas to break this spell."
"Sure! Ill get the servants to get some stuff together and.."
"I don't think you two should be picnicking!" Narcissa broke into their conversation abruptly.
"But mother. Its half term, and we are going to look into the spell as well." Draco looked at his mother, imploring her to be reasonable. Narcissa threw a look of venomous hatred at Hermione and stood up. "I wont say anything. Just pray your father doesn't find out." And with that she swept angrily from the breakfast room. Draco looked terrified, but Hermione assured him his father cant follow them about all day. He's a busy man,
"Yeah." Draco smiled. But inside his guts squirmed, Hermione didn't know his parents.
**
The gardens of the Malfoy estate was more than Hermione had expected. As they descended down marble steps the symmetrical landscape levelled into view. There was a large fountain of shining black stone of a great dragon entwined with a snake. The water cascaded from the dragons maw and ran in rivets across the snake. Running off from the centre feature of this part of the garden where amazing plants, a maze, and a lake that circled around the manor and out of view. Peacocks and peahens called sweetly from behind a forest, and on the lake in the distance sat majestic swans of purest blue.
"Wow." Hermione mouthed. Draco grinned and lead her towards the lake, the swans cried out and took flight, skimming the surface of the lake as one and gracing into the sky.
They lay a blanket down with a hamper by the lake and as they poured over books they chatted as they ate the food the servants had prepared. They both avoided talking about the failed magical experiment the day before and look instead ahead onto how they could break the spell. Hermione looked at Draco. Yesterday he looked so horrible and treated her badly, but today he was perfectly sweet. It was times like this she was glad of the string. She meant what she had said when she said it was a small blessing. After all, she had managed to see a sweeter side of the boy she once hated at school.
**
Across the lake, inside the house Lucius Malfoy stood at the window overlooking the rather cosy picnic scene. It made the wizard sick to see his son associated with a dirty blooded muggleborn. But to see his son treating the mud blood with kindness. It was an insult to the pure blood line his family tried hard to preserve.
At his hands was an open spell book. It was bound in black leather, and it seemed to emanate an aura of darkness.
Lucius knew of at least one way to get rid of the curse. However it took planning. After all, it wouldn't do for a muggleborn to simply 'disappear' from his estate. He grinned wickedly and consulted the book again.
**~** Hello! Oh dear. I'm so sorry it took so long to update again. So to make up for it I've written both chapters 13 & 14 today ^_^ Thank you again for everybody who told me how much they enjoy my writing. Its such a pleasure to write fan fiction with the knowledge that y'all enjoy it ^.^ Now I've stopped being busy again I'll promise not to leave it so long between updates! Honest guv ^_^ And NO CLIFFHANGERS this time round. But what's that meanie Lucius planning? Well, I know, but you have to wait and see.. He he he!! **~**
Hermione yawned sleepily, and for a few blissful moments was unaware of where she was. However it all came flooding back to her and she groaned. That's right, she was tied to the words most stubborn git, was stuck in his scary home for a week, and was despised by all the members of his household. That and he made her perform a dark arts spell which would probably see her winding up in hell.
Great.
She looked down at her thumb. It was smarting from where Draco had nicked it with a dagger. She looked over to Draco and her heart leapt into her throat. He was awake and was looking at her intently. She hit him lightly.
"Don't scare me like that." She said.
"What time is it?" Draco sat up and rubbed sleep from his eyes. It was still dark outside. Hermione had no watch on, and so assumed it was really early in the morning. Without even waiting for an answer Draco turned to Hermione. "Look. I just. I want to say I'm sorry about that."
"What?" Hermione was shocked.
"I was desperate. To get rid of this curse, to prove to my father I was able to do the magic, to prove it to myself." He fell silent and looked at her deeply in her eyes. "And, and I wanted to say that this string. Its not really a curse. Not in so many ways."
Hermione suddenly felt very uncomfortable. "What do you mean?"
"When we killed the snake. I fell into a horrible dark dream. I was a child again, and my father had beaten me. He used to hit me all the time, like he still does. And as I cried out I saw you come from nowhere and hold my hand. It just made me think, y'know. That having you here, its annoying at times. But not a curse. You're the first person to ever hold my hand like that." He trailed off. His usually pale skin burning red.
"I had that dream too." Hermione said, hugging her knees to her chest. "I saw darkness all around me, and then you spoke to me and pulled me out of it."
"I wish I knew how to break the spell. I'm sorry I had to bring you here." Draco looked to his hands and wrung them. Hermione reached out and held both his hands.
"Don't be sorry."
Draco looked sadly at her. Then he silently leaned forward and he captured her blushing lips in a warm kiss, Hermione's breath caught in her chest and she froze. As he pulled away Hermione stared at him, her eyes wide as saucers. Then she smiled sweetly and brushed his ice blonde hair from his face.
"This string isn't a curse." She said. "it's a small blessing don't you think? Don't be afraid Draco. We will break the string." And she kissed him softly on his forehead.
**
As light spilled through the vast manor windows Draco and Hermione wound their way down the stairs to find some breakfast. Narcissa sat alone in the breakfast room. Her husband was nowhere to be seen. She glowered at Hermione, and looked sternly upon her son.
"Draco, dear. Your father tells me you tried some magic last night." Her eyes darted to the string "Well, never mind. I'm sure your father has some ideas on how to remove it."
"Yes Mother." Draco said. He sat down and Hermione sat next to him. They busied themselves with breakfast. Toast and tea where set out already on the table, and they ate greatfuly. Narcissa held her disapproving gaze of Hermione. But she remained silent.
"So, what do you want to do today?" Hermione asked Draco. He munched thoughtfully on a slice of toast and marmalade.
"How about I show you about the grounds? We have a lake filled with raven blue swans. Bet you've never seen those before right?"
"Oh wow. They sound wonderful. Why don't we take some food and have a picnic? We can take some books as well and try look out for more ideas to break this spell."
"Sure! Ill get the servants to get some stuff together and.."
"I don't think you two should be picnicking!" Narcissa broke into their conversation abruptly.
"But mother. Its half term, and we are going to look into the spell as well." Draco looked at his mother, imploring her to be reasonable. Narcissa threw a look of venomous hatred at Hermione and stood up. "I wont say anything. Just pray your father doesn't find out." And with that she swept angrily from the breakfast room. Draco looked terrified, but Hermione assured him his father cant follow them about all day. He's a busy man,
"Yeah." Draco smiled. But inside his guts squirmed, Hermione didn't know his parents.
**
The gardens of the Malfoy estate was more than Hermione had expected. As they descended down marble steps the symmetrical landscape levelled into view. There was a large fountain of shining black stone of a great dragon entwined with a snake. The water cascaded from the dragons maw and ran in rivets across the snake. Running off from the centre feature of this part of the garden where amazing plants, a maze, and a lake that circled around the manor and out of view. Peacocks and peahens called sweetly from behind a forest, and on the lake in the distance sat majestic swans of purest blue.
"Wow." Hermione mouthed. Draco grinned and lead her towards the lake, the swans cried out and took flight, skimming the surface of the lake as one and gracing into the sky.
They lay a blanket down with a hamper by the lake and as they poured over books they chatted as they ate the food the servants had prepared. They both avoided talking about the failed magical experiment the day before and look instead ahead onto how they could break the spell. Hermione looked at Draco. Yesterday he looked so horrible and treated her badly, but today he was perfectly sweet. It was times like this she was glad of the string. She meant what she had said when she said it was a small blessing. After all, she had managed to see a sweeter side of the boy she once hated at school.
**
Across the lake, inside the house Lucius Malfoy stood at the window overlooking the rather cosy picnic scene. It made the wizard sick to see his son associated with a dirty blooded muggleborn. But to see his son treating the mud blood with kindness. It was an insult to the pure blood line his family tried hard to preserve.
At his hands was an open spell book. It was bound in black leather, and it seemed to emanate an aura of darkness.
Lucius knew of at least one way to get rid of the curse. However it took planning. After all, it wouldn't do for a muggleborn to simply 'disappear' from his estate. He grinned wickedly and consulted the book again.
**~** Hello! Oh dear. I'm so sorry it took so long to update again. So to make up for it I've written both chapters 13 & 14 today ^_^ Thank you again for everybody who told me how much they enjoy my writing. Its such a pleasure to write fan fiction with the knowledge that y'all enjoy it ^.^ Now I've stopped being busy again I'll promise not to leave it so long between updates! Honest guv ^_^ And NO CLIFFHANGERS this time round. But what's that meanie Lucius planning? Well, I know, but you have to wait and see.. He he he!! **~**