WE HAVE DONE IT! We have gotten over twenty reviews on one of our stories! *Dances happily while giggling* Now, the reviewer who can guess our first story gets to pick the pairing of our next story! Simply review like this:
"WOW! This story is amazing! It's the best thing I've ever read. You two are going on our favorites list!
I think that your first story is Bob Bobsons story and I want the pairing to be Harry/McGoganal."
You can copy and paste this onto you review for all we care, as long as you change the name of the story and the relationship. Bob Bobson's story is not real, though we did think about writing it. And we will not do McGoganal/Harry, or slash. Not that we mind slash, we just don't write it well.
Thanks for reading all of this, I'm sure that you are wondering whether or not there is actually a chapter attached to this. Here it is!
Disclaimer: Ok, we lied. You have to read this before you can read the next chapter. We are not J. K. Rowling! We never will be! *sob* oh, well. Here you go, it's the next chapter.
Chapter 21
The Fight
Harry
I can't believe I am doing this. If Hermione found out she would be FURIOUS, but hey, I had to back up my best friend and maybe hope that he won't get himself killed.
Ron and I were under the invisibility cloak walking silently out the door and into the night. I still can't believe that Hermione is with Draco. However I seem to be the only one. It seems Dawn the Gossip Queen wrote all about it in her article.
Ron and I arrived at the Womping Willow and we saw Malfoy standing waiting for us. He however did not see us. I didn't think of this, could I trust Malfoy to know we had an invisibility cloak? Probably not but I had no choice.
Ron and I took the cloak off and Malfoy jumped when he saw us but chose not to say anything about the cloak.
"Come on Malfoy, let's fight!" said Ron.
"I'm waiting for Crabbe. You guys go ahead."
"Where are we going?" I asked.
"It's to exposed here, a teacher could just walk right out here and find us." With that he picked up a stick, and pressed the knot on the trunk of the tree, while it's branches whipped around. Suddenly, it was still. He started to show us where the secret passage was but Ron informed him that we already knew.
"How do you know about that passage?" I asked.
"I know a lot of things, Potter." He said this dead flat. It was scary.
We walked into the passage, alone. It looked pretty much as it did in third year. We had not gone very far when we heard two people coming up behind us.
"Can we fight now?" Ron asked turning around and I did the same. I was surprised with what I saw. Malfoy was there but instead of the huge, hulking figure of Crabbe, we saw the short outline of a girl.
"Hermione!" Ron burst out suddenly, at the same time she yelled, "Harry! Ron!"
"Malfoy, she can't be your second. She's our best friend," I said.
"Let's not exaggerate," Ron replied.
"First of all the rules say anyone can be my second. And second there is not going to be a duel tonight, Weasley." Malfoy answered. Hermione seemed to be utterly confused.
"What's going on?" she asked, proving my point that she was utterly confused. Draco leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. Even this short kiss provoked Ron to make another attempt to kill Malfoy, but luckily, I was there to grab on to his robes, as usual. Then, Malfoy pulled out his wand. "What are you doing?" Hermione asked, still looking bewildered.
"I am pointing my wand at you and saying STUPIFY!" Hermione fell to the floor in a heap.
"Hey-" Ron started to shout, before he too, was stunned. I pulled out my wand, but not fast enough.
"STUPIFY!"
Chapter 22
Gloating
Hermione
I suddenly woke up from my unconscious state, dizzy, like I usually feel after being stunned. I looked around to see Ron and Harry, like me, handcuffed to the wall. Several people in black robes stood, not far from us. I knew who they were. Death Eaters!
One of them turned around and I saw his face. It was Draco! I gasped. From the movement Ron's hands were doing, he was either trying to comfort me, or kill Draco. I bet it was the latter.
"Well, well, well. Look who's awake," said the cold, sneering voice of Draco. It was strange, just yesterday he was talking in a warm, happy voice.
"Malfoy! This is new! Crabbe and Goyle had nothing to do with this brilliant plan of yours, did they?" asked Harry in a cheery voice.
"I wouldn't talk just now, Potter," said another cold, sneering voice, except this time it belonged to Lucius Malfoy.
"And older Malfoy! Wow! This keeps on getting better and better. Let me guess that the other two of you are Wormtail and Nott. How nice to see you two again. It's almost like a family reunion. There's my enemy, my other enemy, the guy who killed my parents, and Nott. I don't really know you Nott, but you're a Death Eater, so that makes you another enemy. I do have a lot of enemies, don't I?"
"Harry!" I hissed. "What are you doing? They could kill us anytime they feel like it."
"They won't kill us. They'll torture us first, because I killed Voldemort.
"Your smarter then I realized, Potter," said Lucius. "Crucio!" Harry's head drooped down, and his body twitched. I couldn't help but to scream.
When the spell was removed, Harry look flushed but to my surprise he smiled. "Speaking of Voldemort there is something I never got to say: Nananana." Harry sang in a teasing voice."
At that moment I looked at Draco. I saw his eyes, they were the same eyes I saw yesterday when we kissed. The friendliness and warmth was not lost from them. What does it mean?
Chapter 23
Who Should I Torture First?
Ron
I'll kill him. He really hurt Hermione. He used her to get to Harry, just like I said. But no one listens to me. If people would listen to me the world would be a better place. But, no. Changed, my ass. He's still the same old Malfoy.
Harry is being a stupid prat. We're locked up, without our wands, and he is gloating about killing You-Know-Who.
"So you're just gonna torture us for a while until you get bored, and then you'll kill us right?" Harry asked.
"That's the plan." answered Lucius Malfoy
"How boring," Harry teased. "You guy's have no original ideas since Voldemort died."
"Harry!" I snapped. I couldn't take this anymore. "If you don't stop bugging them, you'll only make things worse for us. You know the Cruciatus curse is ten times more painful and powerful when there is hate behind it."
"Of course I know that, Ron," Harry said, yet his eyes said something else. They gave me an "I know what I'm doing" kind of look. Wow, being friends for seven years has actually made us almost be able to mind read.
"Now, which one of your friends should I torture first? The girl?" a smug older Malfoy asked.
"Before you do anything to one of my friends, I'd like to say something to you. I believe the word is SIKE!" With that Harry's hands were pulled free of the handcuffs, as though they were never handcuffed at all. Younger Malfoy, who had been holding our wands tossed all three over to Harry, then turning, pulling out his own wand and stunning Nott. Harry busied himself freeing us and handing over our wands. We were only able to hold them for a minute, and then Wormtail disarmed us, which thew us against the opposite wall. Younger Malfoy turned and stunned Wormtail.
While all this was happening, however, Lucius had been acting as well. Shortly after the Wormtail fell, he summoned Harry and Malfoy's wands and magically binded the boys to the wall.
"Is that the best you can do? Ha! That was too easy." Older Malfoy looked around at us. "The only thing that little outburst did, was knock out two useless minions and tell me that my own son has betrayed me. Well, all this did was make me angry! So, which one should I torture first?"
Chapter 24
Silent Night
Draco
"So, which one of you should I torture first? I know I'm repeating my self, but the girl does seem more scarred then the rest of you. Potter and Draco, you two have taken the Cruciatus almost as much as me, and Weasley, you wouldn't lose your hate even if your brains were leaking out your ears. So the only one I can see any real reason in harming is her. She's so-." He started to move toward her. Cackling, he reached out for her face.
"TOUCH HER AND DIE!" I yelled. I couldn't help it. My father looked at me, starring at me without much apprehension.
"Draco?" he asked sounding confused, "Why so much sympathy for a mudblood?" I was silent. However my father understood.
"You love her," he said slowly. I nodded. "How long?" he asked.
"It should have been since I was eleven, but Harry Potter was able to prevent that." I answered, confidently.
"Me! What did I do?" he asked, sounding outraged.
"Oh, good point. You know what? I could blame anybody. Me, Hermione, Ron, Voldemort, Mom. But, I'm gonna blame you, Dad. You know why? I just don't like you. You raised me to believe that Voldemort was powerful and good. So naturally I disliked Harry, who destroyed him. So, naturally, I disliked his friends. There for hating Hermione, the one I love. Not to mention liking Voldemort, the bastard!"
My father gasped. "You have cursed the Dark Lord!"
"Yes, I did."
"That's just gonna make me torture you longer, Draco. You'll die, just like these people."
That's when I could hear the footsteps. Sounding lost and uncertain, they stumbled nearer and nearer to where we were bound. When her head whipped around the corner, we all gasped at who our supposed savior was
"Draco?" said the small timid voice of Pansy Parkinson. "Draco, I heard there was going to be a fight between you and Weasley, so I came to cheer you on. Draco, what is your dad doing here?"
Pansy had been holding her wand and using it as a light. I guess that Hermione saw this because she yelled, "STUN HIM!"
Being confused, Pansy said the only thing imaginable. "What?" Hermione opened her mouth as if to speak a couple of times, then gave up, put her head between her knees, and started to sob. "What's wrong with her?" Pansy asked me, since I was the only one there who she would talk to.
My father, however, was not as slow to be stunned by a fourteen year-old girl, who had not the faintest idea what was going on. "STUPIFY!" he yelled, but, fortunately, Pansy was directing her gaze toward him and realized that my father was not a man of good intentions. She dodged out of the way.
"STUPIFY!" she yelled, and my father fell to the ground. "Draco, your father is so rude!" I started laughing hysterically at the irony of it. My father had just tried to kill all of us, and all she could say was that he was rude! "Well, if that's the way you feel about it, then fine!" Pansy spun on her heel and turned to leave.
"Wait a sec, Pansy!" I screamed. She could not just leave us here until one of the Death Eaters woke up and decide to finish what they started. "Can you unbind us first."
"Whatever." Pansy unbound me, and then walked briskly out of the tunnel. I unbound everyone else. Silently and slowly, we walked down the passageway. When we reached Womping Willow, we climbed out one by one and stood outside. We all starred at one another for a while.
"You guys do know I was just acting back there, right?" I asked. I couldn't help but not wanting them to think I was that heartless and cruel. The all looked at each other, appearing grim. Then, Harry and Ron both threw themselves at me, but not in a violent way. First Ron, then Harry shook my hand happily. After they backed away, they headed back toward the castle.
"Herm-" I started, but before I knew it, Hermione had flung herself at me. We held each other for a while, then her face turned up and out lips met. Once again, I broke the kiss, but this time, I put my arm around her shoulders and, together we walked up to the castle.
Being out side tonight was a wonderful experience. It was beautiful out, as I expected it would be. A clear starry sky except for a few white fluffy clouds. The plants in and around the greenhouses were in bloom, and there was a beautiful girl with dirty blonde hair standing next to me. This night was perfect!
Chapter 25
An Explanation
Hermione
It was Monday; the day after the Death Eaters captured us. It was also Gandalf Day, the day when we honor Gandalf the Wizard for his work in destroying the One Ring of Power. Usually on this day I stay in my dorm and study but instead I was lying next to Draco on the grass outside in the sun.
"Draco?"
"Yeah?"
"Last night, we didn't have a chance to talk about it with, going to Dumbledore, and him calling Ministry officials to arrest the Death Eaters, and then Wormtail got away again and all. So do you want to talk?" I asked.
"I think so." he answered seriously, "My father was bringing me up to be a Death Eater. That was my future, it was all I was allowed to be, and for many years it was all I wanted to be. When Voldemort died, my father thought that the Death Eaters should still stay together and finish Voldemort's business, like Potter. I mean Harry. He told me that if I got better NEWTs then Harry Potter that I could be right-hand-man. When I was studying for Divination, I let Herbology slide, there for gaining you as my tutor. That was the best thing that ever happened to me.
"Soon after I realized we were friends I got a letter from my father asking me to help him get you guys together by the Womping Willow. It took me some time to decide if I should help him or not. Eventually I realized that that was not a good thing to do, and that instead of ignoring it I decided to get them all arrested. So I formed my plan.
"After I stunned you guys, I levitated all off you and my father and the others wanted to tie you up. They left me to tie up Potter, which off course I didn't do, but I awoke him very quietly so they would not hear and told him to play along until I gave him the signal, and you know the rest. I just wish that they could have gotten Wormtail while they were in there."
"Harry is really broken up over that. You do know the whole Sirius deal, don't you?"
"Yeah, my father mentioned it once, when Wormtail and I were introduced."
"It makes me so nervous knowing he could jump out at any time. He could be listening right now for all we know." He put his arms around me and pulled me so close to him I could feel him breathing on me.
"I'll never let anything hurt you." He whispered softly in my ear.
"Draco, do you want to go to the Seventh Year Ball with me?" I asked. I held my breath while waiting for an answer.
"Of course, I do. I was too scared to ask you." We laughed. I tilted my head up and looked at him. Then our lips met and I felt so safe. Wow, this was a perfect moment.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
It was later that night; I was going to the Gandalf Day Feast. Draco and I were meeting there and he was going to eat at the Gryffindor Table with me. We won't be taking our food outside anymore.
After every one had sat down and was eating, Dumbledore rose to say a speech. He had never said a speech on Gandalf day before so I was surprised when he said, "I have few words to say about Gandalf."
His speech was as follows: "Gandalf the Grey was a good friend of mine. When he went out on his voyage to save the one ring of power, I was very worried about him, but when he came back all white and everything he started acting like he was better then me. We grew apart and we haven't spoken for years. The moral of this story is never stop speaking with your friends, soon you might regret it." When he was saying this I could have sworn that he looked right at Ron Harry and me. I bet he knows everything that goes on here. I bet he knew all along about our fights and Draco getting the letter from his father. Odd.