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Courage to Find the Strength

Chapter 7

---- "What the hell was that?" Draco whispered, never taking his eyes off her face.

Hermione had no idea how to answer that question. Again, words came out of her mouth before she could think properly, "I, um, think we better get back to class."

Still a little dazed, Malfoy nodded. "Right, then." Both didn't utter a word as they made their way out of the forest and back onto Hogwarts grounds.

An hour later, Hermione winced as yet again Professor McGonagall raised her voice to nearly deafening levels. "You Not Only Decided Not To Attend Your Morning Classes, You Snuck Off The Grounds And Ventured Into THE FORBIDDEN FOREST! Foolish, foolish girl!" As Head Professor of the Gryffindor House and also the slighted Professor of that morning's Transfiguration class, Minerva McGonagall was thoroughly enraged at her normally level-headed obedient student.

"And seeing as how you refuse to tell me what you and Malfoy were doing out in the woods, you should be thankful to Headmaster Dumbledore I don't expel you this instant!" Professor McGonagall cried. Hermione, with her head humbly bowed, flinched.

McGonagall calmed herself down. Glaring at the young girl she decreed, "You will arrive at my class an hour early for the next week. You will spend every night here for the next two weeks performing whatever tasks I assign. You will be forbidden to leave your quarters except for school- related activities for the next month. And, there will be no further association with the Malfoy boy for the remainder of this semester."

Hermione could deal with the early arrival even though it meant skipping breakfast for a week. She could handle two weeks of slave labor in detention. Although it would be hard, she would live without her friends for an entire month. But, this last demand was too much! Even if Harry and Ron had to continue their investigation without her, being near Malfoy was the only real chance she had to get information. For some reason she couldn't fathom, he actually opened up to her earlier, and despite the strange kiss, she thought she was actually getting somewhere. Feeling her cheeks redden, she raised her head to launch an indignant protest.

The Professor was watching the girl's reactions carefully, but she misunderstood the flush in her face. She held up a hand. "Now don't start, Ms. Granger. You'll just have to learn to live without your school chums and that's final. No, not another word!"

When Hermione didn't try to continue, McGonagall looked back to the note she was writing on her desk. "Here is note for you to take to your next class which you're already late for. It explains your tardiness." She handed the note to the rising Hermione and turned her head back to the pile of papers she was grading.

"Professor McGonagall?"

The animagus was surprised to see Hermione still standing there. "What is it, Ms. Granger?"

Hermione hesitated. "What about Malfoy?"

"Even though he missed my class, his punishment will be handled by Professor Snape." Hermione nodded at the answer and walked out of the room. As she headed to her next class past the entrance to the dungeons, the bellowing down there told her that Malfoy wasn't fairing any better.

Later, after another humiliating experience in Snape's class, Hermione purposefully took an extra minute to gather up her things and waited for Malfoy. He walked by her staring straight ahead, but, once outside, he slowed his pace down in the hall so she could catch up.

Barely murmuring under her breath she said, "Second floor. Girl's lavatory. Ten minutes." He nodded almost imperceptibly in response. Hermione swung left down another corridor as Malfoy continued on his way.

Draco was pacing back and forth when she arrived. "Damn bloody ghosts!"

"Uh-oh, where's Myrtle?" Hermione hoped the young ghost hadn't gone screaming off about boys in the bathroom again. She tolerated Ron and Harry, but Hermione wasn't sure about her reaction to other boys.

Draco grinned evilly up at her. "I flushed her."

"Malfoy, you didn't!" She giggled. "How?"

"Never mind," but he looked very smug all of a sudden.

"So what did Snape say?" she queried.

"I'm getting detention until I turn forty." He grimaced and crossed his arms in front of him. "You?"

"Same, plus I'm not supposed to be associating with you anymore."

"Yeah, Snape said the same thing. You'd think that the Professors, knowing how much we despise one another, would think that'd be a given." He shrugged.

"Yeah, I know." She was agreeing, but a flip in her stomach threatened to betray her. "Listen, Malfoy, about earlier."

Draco waved her away. "The forest is home to a lot of things, Granger. Many of which are secret." He glanced up to see if she had taken his meaning. The grim comprehension written on her face told him she had.

Malfoy started to walk out of the bathroom, but Hermione was partially in the doorway. As she turned to move out of his way, he mistakenly turned the same way, and they almost collided. Instead, they found themselves locking eyes again. He felt his body pull towards her and watched her head tilt up. They both shut their eyes as their lips again sought each other's. A hair's breadth away, so close he could feel her quick warm breath on his face, he stopped. Hermione opened her eyes to see Draco engaged in some battle of will with his eyes tightly closed and stress creases wrinkling his pale brow. He swallowed tightly and spun away from her before opening his eyes. He looked both ways to ensure no one was looking and vanished into the hallway.

Hermione felt flushed again. She walked over the sink to splash water on her face, but when she turned on the faucet, a very angry Moaning Mrytle dripped out.

"Oh, that boy! He's so awful to me!" the ghost moaned. "Awful, awful, Slytherin!"

Turning to Hermione with a put out look on her face, she cried, "That boy, he flushed me!"

Hermione tried to hide the grin on her face. "I'm so sorry, Mrytle."

"Boys are horrible. Boys are rotten. Especially Slytherin boys! But, not Harry. He's a Gryffindor boy! He would never flush Myrtle down her toilet!"

"No, Mrytle, Harry would never do that." Hermione's watch told her she had fifteen minutes to get to her next class, and Harry Potter was just the person she needed to talk to beforehand. Myrtle was still wailing when Hermione ducked out of the lavatory.