Chapter 3 - Easy Does It
Hermione was standing in the middle of a corridor that wasn't in Hogwarts. She knew it wasn't because of the sunlight peering in at the windows, and the calm breeze that was gently wafting it's way around her. She looked around, but could find no way out. Right then, Granger. She psyches herself up. What are you going to do this time? You have it Granger. The thing we want. That's why you're here, a voice in her head speaks to her. Come forward. There's a door along this corridor. Find it. Enter. They're waiting. Who is waiting? Hermione thinks to herself, but is surprised. They are, The Voice speaks again. Now, hurry it up, Granger, or you'll be late. We wouldn't want that, now, would we? Hermione is frozen to the spot. How can this. thing. hear her thoughts? It's not that hard, Granger. A simple spell. You might know it. The Voice seems to think for a split second. MOVE IT! Come on, girl! Hurry up! Hermione's legs jerk back into wakefulness and she starts to walk. Better. The Voice seems pleased. Whether it's with her or itself, Hermione isn't sure, but The Voice hasn't spoken again, so she assumes that it doesn't want her to know. After walked for about ten minutes, Hermione started to wonder if she would ever find the door. Then. "There it is!" she whispered to herself, and started to run towards it, but it just got further away. She figured that if she could just hold onto the wall, and walk slowly, she could get there. Why she thought that, she would never know, but it worked, and within a few more minutes, Hermione was standing in front of the door. Taking a deep breath, she stepped up to it, and she took the doorknob in her hand. In one, fast, fluid motion, she opened the door and stepped it. "So, so glad you could join us, Ms Granger. The soon to be Mrs Malfoy, so I hear," a high-backed chair was in the room, the other side of a desk, ornately decorated, but strewn with papers, which, Hermione noticed, disappeared as soon as she acknowledged them. The latest wizarding computer stood on another ornate desk to her left. Hermione noticed that the voice that had spoken was one she recognised. She couldn't tell from where, though. Suddenly, she felt extreme anger at the comment made by this person, and rallied with harsh words that had never been heard in that tone of voice from her before. "Well, you heard wrong, didn't you?" she retaliated, defending herself. Best form of defence? Attack. "I only tell what I hear from the 'horse's mouth', mudblood." The chair that the person was sitting on spun around. Hermione gasped. "You!" "That's right, Granger. Me. Blaise Zabini. The one and only." "But. why?" "Really want to know the answer, Granger?" Blaise looked at her solemnly. "What's the answer to any question like that? Because I can." Hermione was gobsmacked. Not something, that often happens to her. "Well, in that case, why am I here, and why did The Voice say 'they'?" "Because we can bring you here. You have what we want. Why did it say they? Are you blind, Granger, as well as thick?" "I'd hardly say I'm th-" "Shut, up, mudblood," Blaise said harshly, before clapping her hands. Hermione was suddenly on a chair, bound and gagged. "Now. Hermione. Nice name. I think I shall stick to mudblood though. Mudblood. You know what we want," she turned around. "Goyle, come here." Out from the shadows came Gregory Goyle. With the same haircut - he looked hardly any different to when Hermione had said goodbye to Draco at the end of Hogwarts. Draco had had regular correspondence with Goyle, though, so Hermione was even more confused. "Gee-gee!" she tried to scream through the material that was gagging her. She had taken to calling him Gee-gee at the end of the sixth year, when he left on a horse. No one was sure why he had left on a horse, though. Goyle turned at the familiarity of his old nickname. He looked at Hermione for a while, and then at Blaise. "You never told me it was Her," he grunted. "You told me she had a sister in America. You told me that that was a different Granger," his eyes filled with tears as he looked back at Hermione. "Goyle!" Blaise shook him out of his staring competition with Hermione. "Goyle!" He mentally shook himself, and finally backed away into the shadows. "I'm sorry, Blaise. I'm not doing it. It's just not right. She's my friend," at which Hermione's eyes also filled with tears, and she bent her head. "Crabbe and I will be taking her home to Draco, now." "Oh, no, you won't." Blaise clapped her hands again, and the door through which Hermione had entered burst open, and wizards in electric blue robes and masks of a similar blue entered, quickly filling the small office. Crabbe stepped out of the shadows also, and he stepped over to Hermione, joined with Goyle, who was wiping a tear from his sorrow-filled face. Hermione looked up at them gratefully, while one of the blue clad wizards stepped forwards, his wand pointing at. Blaise? He ripped his mask off, revealing the startling beauty of. "Draco!" a muffled shout from Hermione.
Hermione was standing in the middle of a corridor that wasn't in Hogwarts. She knew it wasn't because of the sunlight peering in at the windows, and the calm breeze that was gently wafting it's way around her. She looked around, but could find no way out. Right then, Granger. She psyches herself up. What are you going to do this time? You have it Granger. The thing we want. That's why you're here, a voice in her head speaks to her. Come forward. There's a door along this corridor. Find it. Enter. They're waiting. Who is waiting? Hermione thinks to herself, but is surprised. They are, The Voice speaks again. Now, hurry it up, Granger, or you'll be late. We wouldn't want that, now, would we? Hermione is frozen to the spot. How can this. thing. hear her thoughts? It's not that hard, Granger. A simple spell. You might know it. The Voice seems to think for a split second. MOVE IT! Come on, girl! Hurry up! Hermione's legs jerk back into wakefulness and she starts to walk. Better. The Voice seems pleased. Whether it's with her or itself, Hermione isn't sure, but The Voice hasn't spoken again, so she assumes that it doesn't want her to know. After walked for about ten minutes, Hermione started to wonder if she would ever find the door. Then. "There it is!" she whispered to herself, and started to run towards it, but it just got further away. She figured that if she could just hold onto the wall, and walk slowly, she could get there. Why she thought that, she would never know, but it worked, and within a few more minutes, Hermione was standing in front of the door. Taking a deep breath, she stepped up to it, and she took the doorknob in her hand. In one, fast, fluid motion, she opened the door and stepped it. "So, so glad you could join us, Ms Granger. The soon to be Mrs Malfoy, so I hear," a high-backed chair was in the room, the other side of a desk, ornately decorated, but strewn with papers, which, Hermione noticed, disappeared as soon as she acknowledged them. The latest wizarding computer stood on another ornate desk to her left. Hermione noticed that the voice that had spoken was one she recognised. She couldn't tell from where, though. Suddenly, she felt extreme anger at the comment made by this person, and rallied with harsh words that had never been heard in that tone of voice from her before. "Well, you heard wrong, didn't you?" she retaliated, defending herself. Best form of defence? Attack. "I only tell what I hear from the 'horse's mouth', mudblood." The chair that the person was sitting on spun around. Hermione gasped. "You!" "That's right, Granger. Me. Blaise Zabini. The one and only." "But. why?" "Really want to know the answer, Granger?" Blaise looked at her solemnly. "What's the answer to any question like that? Because I can." Hermione was gobsmacked. Not something, that often happens to her. "Well, in that case, why am I here, and why did The Voice say 'they'?" "Because we can bring you here. You have what we want. Why did it say they? Are you blind, Granger, as well as thick?" "I'd hardly say I'm th-" "Shut, up, mudblood," Blaise said harshly, before clapping her hands. Hermione was suddenly on a chair, bound and gagged. "Now. Hermione. Nice name. I think I shall stick to mudblood though. Mudblood. You know what we want," she turned around. "Goyle, come here." Out from the shadows came Gregory Goyle. With the same haircut - he looked hardly any different to when Hermione had said goodbye to Draco at the end of Hogwarts. Draco had had regular correspondence with Goyle, though, so Hermione was even more confused. "Gee-gee!" she tried to scream through the material that was gagging her. She had taken to calling him Gee-gee at the end of the sixth year, when he left on a horse. No one was sure why he had left on a horse, though. Goyle turned at the familiarity of his old nickname. He looked at Hermione for a while, and then at Blaise. "You never told me it was Her," he grunted. "You told me she had a sister in America. You told me that that was a different Granger," his eyes filled with tears as he looked back at Hermione. "Goyle!" Blaise shook him out of his staring competition with Hermione. "Goyle!" He mentally shook himself, and finally backed away into the shadows. "I'm sorry, Blaise. I'm not doing it. It's just not right. She's my friend," at which Hermione's eyes also filled with tears, and she bent her head. "Crabbe and I will be taking her home to Draco, now." "Oh, no, you won't." Blaise clapped her hands again, and the door through which Hermione had entered burst open, and wizards in electric blue robes and masks of a similar blue entered, quickly filling the small office. Crabbe stepped out of the shadows also, and he stepped over to Hermione, joined with Goyle, who was wiping a tear from his sorrow-filled face. Hermione looked up at them gratefully, while one of the blue clad wizards stepped forwards, his wand pointing at. Blaise? He ripped his mask off, revealing the startling beauty of. "Draco!" a muffled shout from Hermione.