44. …Ginny hopes Harry is right
Hermione and Reginald had eventually found the cave and Draco had told them of, and
Hermione was not pleased. It was little more than a glorified hole dug out of an
overhanging bank with a muddy bottom and roots straggling down the walls. The only
real advantage that Hermione could see was that the entrance was hidden behind and
screen of bushes so they had a better chance of not being found, either by Lucius or
whatever other predators roamed the swamp at night.
There was, however, food, for which they were both grateful. It was old and stale but
sustenance nonetheless and it helped to warm their bodies, which were becoming
increasingly stiff with cold. Reginald was exhausted and as soon as they had eaten he
curled up along the back wall of the cave and fell quickly assleep. Hermione draped a
cloak from the bundle she carried over him and then sat, brooding, at the entrance of the
cave, praying desperately for Ron's safe return. It quickly became obvious, however,
that she would not be able to stay awake long. Regretting the necessity, Hermione
stretched out next to Reginald where they could share warmth, and pulled some of the
other clothes over her in a makeshift blanket. She didn't really believe she could sleep,
but soon was dead to the world.
Draco wended his way through the darkness of the winter swamp. From his excursions
with Madrid he had a rough idea of where the kraken kept its lair but had never been
there, avoiding it like the plague. Now he knew he was getting closer. Around him the
swamp appeared to be more and more devoid of life and all the trees still standing on
uncertain patches of ground lifted long dead skeletal branches to the night sky.
Gradually the scraggly grasses thinned out and the muddy banks receded, giving way to
larger patches of open water. Draco smiled a dragon smile and dove beneath the surface,
continuing his journey under the water. The kraken's lair would be in deep water and far
below the surface. Now Draco needed to be able to see the underwater terrain, look for
signs of the kraken's presence, whatever those signs may be.
Suddenly, as he was skirting the edge of a reedy bank, a large form hurdled past him
from the direction he had come. Draco coiled into the weeds and watched it pass. Its
form seemed to be a writhing mass of darkness, impossible to make out in the black
water, and Draco felt a chill go up his spine. Stealing himself, he followed after, praying
that it would lead him to Ron and not out into the far reaches of the swamp.
He almost missed it when the darkness that was the kraken disappeared beneath a pile of
old, rotting logs and twisted branches. He was trailing far behind and it had seemed as
though it had continued around the corner, but a stray bit of movement caught his eye and
he saw it. The entrance to the kraken's lair. Draco hesitated. Going in there did not
seem like a good idea. Not when he knew the kraken was in there. On the other hand, he
didn't know when it would come out or what it would do to Ron in the mean time.
Fortunately, he didn't have to make that decision. Moments after the kraken had gone in,
it came gliding out again and into the darkness of the swamp. Draco just prayed that it
wouldn't come back right away.
"It's already night and they haven't come back yet. What if something went wrong?"
Ginny was practically wringing her hands as she sat on the couch with Harry. "Maybe
they need help. Maybe we should tell somebody."
"Who could we tell? What could we say?" Harry dropped his voice as Seamus Finnegan
walked past. "Let's just wait it out a little longer. They probably just got delayed." He
put his arm around Ginny, trying to look nonchalant to the others who were beginning to
fill up the common room.
"I hope you're right." Ginny leaned her head on his shoulder, simply scared and totally
uncaring as to what the others might think.
Ron awoke with a start, having been unaware of falling asleep in the first place. The
whispery, slithery sounds were back. He curled up into a little ball and put his hands
over his ears, trying to block them out. He knew that the maybe-if-I-ignore-it-it-will-go-
away approach was stupid, but it was all he had right now. Soon the sounds were gone
and he was alone once more. He wasn't sure if that was better or worse.
Then he heard another sound, something breaking the surface of the water, and he froze
again. The fear shattered at the next sound, however. "Ron. Ron are you in here?"
Draco's voice echoed softly through the cave.
"Draco?!" Ron was weak with relief. "Draco I'm here. How did you find me?"
"Oh, thank God." Ron's relief was echoed in Draco's voice and he heard the sounds of
someone swimming over to the rock. A wet hand reached up, grabbing at Ron's own,
and Ron helped Draco up onto the rock.
As soon as he was up Ron grabbed him in a fierce embrace and they clung together,
shaking slightly. Normally, and in his own body, Ron would have been embarrassed to
cling like he was to another boy, but these were extenuating circumstances and he was so
glad that Draco was here that he felt like crying. In fact he did start crying. Tears
streamed from his eyes and he started hiccupping.
"Shhhh. It'll be all right." Draco petted the side of Ron's face comfortingly. "Soon
we'll get out of here and you will be safe." Ron felt himself crumbling at these words,
and his arms tightened around Draco. He found his face by feel and kissed him ardently,
clinging to his only anchor in the darkness.
Then, he heard a soft scraping on stone and the two froze. "It's back," was all he could
whisper in Draco's ear before burying his face in his shoulder, praying for the nightmare
to end.
Hermione and Reginald had eventually found the cave and Draco had told them of, and
Hermione was not pleased. It was little more than a glorified hole dug out of an
overhanging bank with a muddy bottom and roots straggling down the walls. The only
real advantage that Hermione could see was that the entrance was hidden behind and
screen of bushes so they had a better chance of not being found, either by Lucius or
whatever other predators roamed the swamp at night.
There was, however, food, for which they were both grateful. It was old and stale but
sustenance nonetheless and it helped to warm their bodies, which were becoming
increasingly stiff with cold. Reginald was exhausted and as soon as they had eaten he
curled up along the back wall of the cave and fell quickly assleep. Hermione draped a
cloak from the bundle she carried over him and then sat, brooding, at the entrance of the
cave, praying desperately for Ron's safe return. It quickly became obvious, however,
that she would not be able to stay awake long. Regretting the necessity, Hermione
stretched out next to Reginald where they could share warmth, and pulled some of the
other clothes over her in a makeshift blanket. She didn't really believe she could sleep,
but soon was dead to the world.
Draco wended his way through the darkness of the winter swamp. From his excursions
with Madrid he had a rough idea of where the kraken kept its lair but had never been
there, avoiding it like the plague. Now he knew he was getting closer. Around him the
swamp appeared to be more and more devoid of life and all the trees still standing on
uncertain patches of ground lifted long dead skeletal branches to the night sky.
Gradually the scraggly grasses thinned out and the muddy banks receded, giving way to
larger patches of open water. Draco smiled a dragon smile and dove beneath the surface,
continuing his journey under the water. The kraken's lair would be in deep water and far
below the surface. Now Draco needed to be able to see the underwater terrain, look for
signs of the kraken's presence, whatever those signs may be.
Suddenly, as he was skirting the edge of a reedy bank, a large form hurdled past him
from the direction he had come. Draco coiled into the weeds and watched it pass. Its
form seemed to be a writhing mass of darkness, impossible to make out in the black
water, and Draco felt a chill go up his spine. Stealing himself, he followed after, praying
that it would lead him to Ron and not out into the far reaches of the swamp.
He almost missed it when the darkness that was the kraken disappeared beneath a pile of
old, rotting logs and twisted branches. He was trailing far behind and it had seemed as
though it had continued around the corner, but a stray bit of movement caught his eye and
he saw it. The entrance to the kraken's lair. Draco hesitated. Going in there did not
seem like a good idea. Not when he knew the kraken was in there. On the other hand, he
didn't know when it would come out or what it would do to Ron in the mean time.
Fortunately, he didn't have to make that decision. Moments after the kraken had gone in,
it came gliding out again and into the darkness of the swamp. Draco just prayed that it
wouldn't come back right away.
"It's already night and they haven't come back yet. What if something went wrong?"
Ginny was practically wringing her hands as she sat on the couch with Harry. "Maybe
they need help. Maybe we should tell somebody."
"Who could we tell? What could we say?" Harry dropped his voice as Seamus Finnegan
walked past. "Let's just wait it out a little longer. They probably just got delayed." He
put his arm around Ginny, trying to look nonchalant to the others who were beginning to
fill up the common room.
"I hope you're right." Ginny leaned her head on his shoulder, simply scared and totally
uncaring as to what the others might think.
Ron awoke with a start, having been unaware of falling asleep in the first place. The
whispery, slithery sounds were back. He curled up into a little ball and put his hands
over his ears, trying to block them out. He knew that the maybe-if-I-ignore-it-it-will-go-
away approach was stupid, but it was all he had right now. Soon the sounds were gone
and he was alone once more. He wasn't sure if that was better or worse.
Then he heard another sound, something breaking the surface of the water, and he froze
again. The fear shattered at the next sound, however. "Ron. Ron are you in here?"
Draco's voice echoed softly through the cave.
"Draco?!" Ron was weak with relief. "Draco I'm here. How did you find me?"
"Oh, thank God." Ron's relief was echoed in Draco's voice and he heard the sounds of
someone swimming over to the rock. A wet hand reached up, grabbing at Ron's own,
and Ron helped Draco up onto the rock.
As soon as he was up Ron grabbed him in a fierce embrace and they clung together,
shaking slightly. Normally, and in his own body, Ron would have been embarrassed to
cling like he was to another boy, but these were extenuating circumstances and he was so
glad that Draco was here that he felt like crying. In fact he did start crying. Tears
streamed from his eyes and he started hiccupping.
"Shhhh. It'll be all right." Draco petted the side of Ron's face comfortingly. "Soon
we'll get out of here and you will be safe." Ron felt himself crumbling at these words,
and his arms tightened around Draco. He found his face by feel and kissed him ardently,
clinging to his only anchor in the darkness.
Then, he heard a soft scraping on stone and the two froze. "It's back," was all he could
whisper in Draco's ear before burying his face in his shoulder, praying for the nightmare
to end.