The Odd Couple Part 2 -
This story takes place shortly after the events of 'The Odd Couple'. I
strongly recommend that you read that fanfiction before you embark upon
this sequel. Fans of the Odd Couple, I want to thank you all very much
for writing to me and for reviewing my story. I hope you enjoy part 2
just as much ^_^
Chapter 1 - Summer Holiday.
"Now, you are sure that you two shall be alright?" Hermione's mother
looked upon her daughter and frowned with concern.
"Of course they will dear! Now lets hurry!" Hermione's father tugged upon
her mother's sleeve "Our daughter is 17 now, and she has her friend to
help keep the place tidy!"
"Oh Hermione darling!" Her mother bent down and pressed rushed kisses on
her daughters check. "Please take care, the dental convention is only for
the week. We shall see you soon!"
"Come on dear! We shall miss our train! Be good Hermione!" And with that
Hermione's parents hopped onto the train and slammed the door shut. With
a loud creak and a hiss, the train set away and Hermione stood and
watched until it was completely out of sight. She was dressed in the
usual muggle clothing. A small strappy top, tight fitting jeans and very
scruffy looking trainers. Her hair was pulled back into a pony-tail, as
it was far too hot to have it loose about her ears.
"Your parents are pretty strange." Draco looked down the tracks and
raised his eyebrows. "They worry too much." Draco, dressed in a loose
summer shirt and plain black trousers, looked to Hermione quite normal
(and cute!) but he felt an utter fool in muggle clothing, so he insisted
on keeping his smart black leather shoes on.
"It's only because they care for me." Hermione sniffed. "Should we go
check out the house?" She grinned, pulling a large metal key from her
pocket and swinging it on her finger.
Draco and Hermione where down in Norfolk for the summer. Hermione's Aunt
Florence owned a converted barn and as she was away in Australia Hermione
and Draco where left house sitting. Draco hadn't been in the muggle world
for more than two weeks, and he found everything to be both very bizarre
and an inconvenience. And it wasn't just the culture shock, it was class
shock as well. Draco had all his life lived waited on hand and foot in a
vast manor house. Servants had taken care of things like cooking and
cleaning, Draco couldn't get used to helping Hermione wash up the dishes.
And no magic either! It was awful!
They strolled through an idyllic churchyard and stopped to sit on a
crumbling redbrick wall, to bask in the heat of the midsummer.
"That's an impressive temple." Draco yawned, shading his eyes with his
hand and kicking his feet against the wall. Before them St George's
church towered upwards and disappeared into the suns glare.
"It's called a church." Hermione chuckled. She thought Draco's innocent
ignorance of anything Muggle was so sweet. "Here in the muggle world
people have many religions, and worship many gods."
"Is that one black or white magic?" Draco asked, pointing to St George's.
Hermione shrugged and hopped off the wall. "It's just a church." She said
flatly. "Lets go, I want to see the house!"
They walked out of the sun, through a rusted gate and down an ally-way
dappled in cool shadows.
"Oh wow!" Hermione skipped on the spot and clapped her hands. They had
arrived at last at their new home for the next week. It was everything
Hermione had hoped it would be. Redbrick like those of the churchyard
wall, all aged and dusty. The converted barn was immense, and the roof
slanted with lead slates. Dry tall grass rustled in the faint breeze, and
dry forests surrounded the entire property. They stood behind a large
wooden gate and wondered at it beauty. Lucky Aunty Florence Hermione
thought. Living here, in this wonderful old building. Hermione spotted a
sty and clambered nimbly over, Draco following.
"It looks so old!" He said, breathless from the long walk from the
churchyard.
"And it's so quite. We must be quite aways from the town." Suddenly
Hermione paused and held out her hand. "What's that?" She hissed. Draco
tilted his head. He could hear the murmur of the birds in the trees,
humming of insects, the soft rush of air in the grass. And what else? A
padding of feet? More than one person, but it was so soft.
"Stay here! I'll check it out." Draco held Hermione back and crept
forwards. It sounded like it was coming from a side barn. As he got
closer the sounds became louder. Loud sniffing and guttural growls came
from behind a peeling door. A quick look over his shoulder to glance at
Hermione filled him with a moment's courage. He flipped the heavy bolt on
the door and slipped inside.
Hermione bit her fingernails as she watched Draco disappear inside. Five
seconds later she saw him slam back through the door, his face stricken
with fear.
"Get over the fence!" He yelled, thudding towards her and waving her arms
madly.
"Huh? Wh..." She started, and then she too whirled about and ran for the
gate. From out of the shed bounded three wild looking doberman dogs, they
snarled and snapped at Draco's heels. Hermione quickly leapt over the sty
and gripped the gate, urging Draco to run faster.
"Waaaagh!" Draco reached into his shirt and pulled out his wand. What
the? He still carried it about with him?
"No Draco! No magic!" Hermione tried to shout over the commotion, however
she was too late. There was loud bang and horrific yelping followed by a
puff of green smoke. Draco dashed out from the smoke and hopped over the
fence.
"Phyew!" He grinned at Hermione. "That was close!"
Hermione was gob-smacked. She loved Draco and everything, in a weird way
she couldn't understand sure, but she still cared for him. But even so,
he could be so.. so.. infuriating! She hadn't even gotten through the
front door of their summer home and he had murdered her Aunts dogs. And
he was using magic outside Hogwarts! "Draco! You just killed my Aunts
dogs!" She mouthed, fixing him with her most evil gaze. He laughed slyly
and pointed to the scattering smoke, three French poodles stood there in
the grass, looking very confused, and not quite as ferocious. "Just a
little spell. Its not safe having three brutish dogs hanging about here."
And winking at Hermione he hopped over the fence and past the poodles.
They snarled and snapped at him, and he hurried past, still looking a
little worried. Hermione rolled her eyes and followed after him. She
would make sure he turned them back later on.
The large key clicked in the lock, and with the poodles at their feet
Hermione and Draco pushed their way inside their new home.
"Wow!" Hermione looked up, it was so large inside. Wooden beams arched
upwards and rafters criss-crossed overhead. They wandered from the
hallway to the kitchen, which was warm and muggy and smelled of dried
herbs. Gloomy too. She flicked a light switch up and down, nothing.
"The electricity isn't working." She said, clicking the switch
repeatedly.
"Well, that just makes it more romantic doesn't it?" Draco purred in her
ear. Hermione swatted him away and blushed. "Get away!" She babbled,
brushing past him to the living room. A fine looking Georgian fireplace
was the centrepiece of the room, surrounded by a heavy mantel. Worn but
comfortable furniture lined the walls. Hermione noticed there was no TV.
Good thing really. Draco and Television, two things that don't go well
together. He already had blown up the television back at Hermione's
house. It had startled him, and he still didn't understand how it worked.
"Gaah, its so hot!" Draco wandered in fanning himself with his hand.
Hermione thought it was a shame they couldn't use the fire. In winter it
must be so nice to have its warmth and light. Romantic too. And she loved
the smell of pinecones on the fire.
"This place is great." She smiled, sure that her and Draco where going to
have an amazing summer break here in the Norfolk countryside.
**
Night had fallen. Hermione made Draco feed the poodles and secure them
all outside, tied to the fence. Then they settled down in the living room
to relax. Hermione lay with her head resting on Draco's lap. She was
engrossed in a book titled 'The Mystery of the Pink Crayfish'. Draco was
sitting on the floor with his back against a chair, stroking Hermione's
hair and asking her continual questions about the muggle world.
"I still don't get 'cars'."
"Hmmm?"
"Why don't people fly." It was far too much like hard work to go into
the ins and outs of Chritianity to Draco.
"They do."
"What, on brooms?"
"Airplanes."
"What?"
"Like cars, but in the sky."
"What? Stupid muggles." He muttered.
Hermione turned the page and left Draco to wonder about 'sky-cars'. It
was hard having to explain things to him all time. She had bought him a
children's encyclopaedia with pictures, but she had a feeling he lost it,
or blown it up. He wasn't the most patient person she knew.
The night ticked by, and Draco slumbered as Hermione lay propped up on
him. He awoke suddenly, Hermione was poking him. Hard.
"Ow!" He slapped her hand away. She looked up at him, her eyes shone with
worry. "What's the matter?" He snapped, annoyed at being woken up.
"Didn't you hear that?" She whispered.
"No."
"Shhh." She pressed her hands on him and looked about in the darkness.
Beside her a candle guttered. The 'Pink Crayfish' lay on the floor, open.
Draco sighed. "No. I didn't hear anything. What is it?"
"The dogs! They where screaming!"
"What?"
"It sounded horrible, like the desperate cries of death."
"Hmm." Draco ruffled her hair and chuckled to himself. "That 'Mystery of
the Pink Crayfish' has been giving you bad dreams."
Hermione looked up at him and puffed out her cheeks. "At least lets go
check on them! And bring your wand!"
"What? And use magic outside Hogwarts?" He joked.
Hermione scrambled to her feet "Come on!" and she grabbed his hand and
pulled him up. As they passed through the kitchen Hermione went to the
sink and grabbed a large knife. "just in case" she said.
Slowly, carefully, Hermione clicked open the lock and pushed open the
door. The night was barley lit by a crescent moon, and the forest was
swallowed in darkness. Hermione wrapped her arms about Draco's arm and
together they head off towards the gate where Draco had tied the dogs
earlier that evening. It was too dark to make anything out, but as they
got closer Hermione could see the silhouette of the three dogs, laying on
the floor.
"See, they are sleeping." Draco said. "Now lets go back inside.
"Wait!" Hermione let him go and kneeled down, placing her hand upon one
of the dogs. "Oh God. Its wet! Give me some light."
"Lumos." Draco held his wand up and the light beamed out. Hermione gasped
and stood up suddenly. There on the ground three small corpses lay. Each
with it belly torn open and intestines strewn over the grass. Blood
sprayed in all directions, the violence of it all was shocking. She
looked closer, each of them had had their eyes gouged out, and she could
see from their gaping jaws their teeth had been cracked and chipped away.
No animal had done this.
"Oh my God." Hermione whispered. "Who did this?"
"Whatever it was, it can't be far away." Draco said, extinguishing his
wand.
**~** Wow. That's a nice start to the holidays no? I'm sorry this chapter
was all description and not much action, I wanted to set the scene before
all the good stuff happens ^_^ Creepy stuff too. **~**
This story takes place shortly after the events of 'The Odd Couple'. I
strongly recommend that you read that fanfiction before you embark upon
this sequel. Fans of the Odd Couple, I want to thank you all very much
for writing to me and for reviewing my story. I hope you enjoy part 2
just as much ^_^
Chapter 1 - Summer Holiday.
"Now, you are sure that you two shall be alright?" Hermione's mother
looked upon her daughter and frowned with concern.
"Of course they will dear! Now lets hurry!" Hermione's father tugged upon
her mother's sleeve "Our daughter is 17 now, and she has her friend to
help keep the place tidy!"
"Oh Hermione darling!" Her mother bent down and pressed rushed kisses on
her daughters check. "Please take care, the dental convention is only for
the week. We shall see you soon!"
"Come on dear! We shall miss our train! Be good Hermione!" And with that
Hermione's parents hopped onto the train and slammed the door shut. With
a loud creak and a hiss, the train set away and Hermione stood and
watched until it was completely out of sight. She was dressed in the
usual muggle clothing. A small strappy top, tight fitting jeans and very
scruffy looking trainers. Her hair was pulled back into a pony-tail, as
it was far too hot to have it loose about her ears.
"Your parents are pretty strange." Draco looked down the tracks and
raised his eyebrows. "They worry too much." Draco, dressed in a loose
summer shirt and plain black trousers, looked to Hermione quite normal
(and cute!) but he felt an utter fool in muggle clothing, so he insisted
on keeping his smart black leather shoes on.
"It's only because they care for me." Hermione sniffed. "Should we go
check out the house?" She grinned, pulling a large metal key from her
pocket and swinging it on her finger.
Draco and Hermione where down in Norfolk for the summer. Hermione's Aunt
Florence owned a converted barn and as she was away in Australia Hermione
and Draco where left house sitting. Draco hadn't been in the muggle world
for more than two weeks, and he found everything to be both very bizarre
and an inconvenience. And it wasn't just the culture shock, it was class
shock as well. Draco had all his life lived waited on hand and foot in a
vast manor house. Servants had taken care of things like cooking and
cleaning, Draco couldn't get used to helping Hermione wash up the dishes.
And no magic either! It was awful!
They strolled through an idyllic churchyard and stopped to sit on a
crumbling redbrick wall, to bask in the heat of the midsummer.
"That's an impressive temple." Draco yawned, shading his eyes with his
hand and kicking his feet against the wall. Before them St George's
church towered upwards and disappeared into the suns glare.
"It's called a church." Hermione chuckled. She thought Draco's innocent
ignorance of anything Muggle was so sweet. "Here in the muggle world
people have many religions, and worship many gods."
"Is that one black or white magic?" Draco asked, pointing to St George's.
Hermione shrugged and hopped off the wall. "It's just a church." She said
flatly. "Lets go, I want to see the house!"
They walked out of the sun, through a rusted gate and down an ally-way
dappled in cool shadows.
"Oh wow!" Hermione skipped on the spot and clapped her hands. They had
arrived at last at their new home for the next week. It was everything
Hermione had hoped it would be. Redbrick like those of the churchyard
wall, all aged and dusty. The converted barn was immense, and the roof
slanted with lead slates. Dry tall grass rustled in the faint breeze, and
dry forests surrounded the entire property. They stood behind a large
wooden gate and wondered at it beauty. Lucky Aunty Florence Hermione
thought. Living here, in this wonderful old building. Hermione spotted a
sty and clambered nimbly over, Draco following.
"It looks so old!" He said, breathless from the long walk from the
churchyard.
"And it's so quite. We must be quite aways from the town." Suddenly
Hermione paused and held out her hand. "What's that?" She hissed. Draco
tilted his head. He could hear the murmur of the birds in the trees,
humming of insects, the soft rush of air in the grass. And what else? A
padding of feet? More than one person, but it was so soft.
"Stay here! I'll check it out." Draco held Hermione back and crept
forwards. It sounded like it was coming from a side barn. As he got
closer the sounds became louder. Loud sniffing and guttural growls came
from behind a peeling door. A quick look over his shoulder to glance at
Hermione filled him with a moment's courage. He flipped the heavy bolt on
the door and slipped inside.
Hermione bit her fingernails as she watched Draco disappear inside. Five
seconds later she saw him slam back through the door, his face stricken
with fear.
"Get over the fence!" He yelled, thudding towards her and waving her arms
madly.
"Huh? Wh..." She started, and then she too whirled about and ran for the
gate. From out of the shed bounded three wild looking doberman dogs, they
snarled and snapped at Draco's heels. Hermione quickly leapt over the sty
and gripped the gate, urging Draco to run faster.
"Waaaagh!" Draco reached into his shirt and pulled out his wand. What
the? He still carried it about with him?
"No Draco! No magic!" Hermione tried to shout over the commotion, however
she was too late. There was loud bang and horrific yelping followed by a
puff of green smoke. Draco dashed out from the smoke and hopped over the
fence.
"Phyew!" He grinned at Hermione. "That was close!"
Hermione was gob-smacked. She loved Draco and everything, in a weird way
she couldn't understand sure, but she still cared for him. But even so,
he could be so.. so.. infuriating! She hadn't even gotten through the
front door of their summer home and he had murdered her Aunts dogs. And
he was using magic outside Hogwarts! "Draco! You just killed my Aunts
dogs!" She mouthed, fixing him with her most evil gaze. He laughed slyly
and pointed to the scattering smoke, three French poodles stood there in
the grass, looking very confused, and not quite as ferocious. "Just a
little spell. Its not safe having three brutish dogs hanging about here."
And winking at Hermione he hopped over the fence and past the poodles.
They snarled and snapped at him, and he hurried past, still looking a
little worried. Hermione rolled her eyes and followed after him. She
would make sure he turned them back later on.
The large key clicked in the lock, and with the poodles at their feet
Hermione and Draco pushed their way inside their new home.
"Wow!" Hermione looked up, it was so large inside. Wooden beams arched
upwards and rafters criss-crossed overhead. They wandered from the
hallway to the kitchen, which was warm and muggy and smelled of dried
herbs. Gloomy too. She flicked a light switch up and down, nothing.
"The electricity isn't working." She said, clicking the switch
repeatedly.
"Well, that just makes it more romantic doesn't it?" Draco purred in her
ear. Hermione swatted him away and blushed. "Get away!" She babbled,
brushing past him to the living room. A fine looking Georgian fireplace
was the centrepiece of the room, surrounded by a heavy mantel. Worn but
comfortable furniture lined the walls. Hermione noticed there was no TV.
Good thing really. Draco and Television, two things that don't go well
together. He already had blown up the television back at Hermione's
house. It had startled him, and he still didn't understand how it worked.
"Gaah, its so hot!" Draco wandered in fanning himself with his hand.
Hermione thought it was a shame they couldn't use the fire. In winter it
must be so nice to have its warmth and light. Romantic too. And she loved
the smell of pinecones on the fire.
"This place is great." She smiled, sure that her and Draco where going to
have an amazing summer break here in the Norfolk countryside.
**
Night had fallen. Hermione made Draco feed the poodles and secure them
all outside, tied to the fence. Then they settled down in the living room
to relax. Hermione lay with her head resting on Draco's lap. She was
engrossed in a book titled 'The Mystery of the Pink Crayfish'. Draco was
sitting on the floor with his back against a chair, stroking Hermione's
hair and asking her continual questions about the muggle world.
"I still don't get 'cars'."
"Hmmm?"
"Why don't people fly." It was far too much like hard work to go into
the ins and outs of Chritianity to Draco.
"They do."
"What, on brooms?"
"Airplanes."
"What?"
"Like cars, but in the sky."
"What? Stupid muggles." He muttered.
Hermione turned the page and left Draco to wonder about 'sky-cars'. It
was hard having to explain things to him all time. She had bought him a
children's encyclopaedia with pictures, but she had a feeling he lost it,
or blown it up. He wasn't the most patient person she knew.
The night ticked by, and Draco slumbered as Hermione lay propped up on
him. He awoke suddenly, Hermione was poking him. Hard.
"Ow!" He slapped her hand away. She looked up at him, her eyes shone with
worry. "What's the matter?" He snapped, annoyed at being woken up.
"Didn't you hear that?" She whispered.
"No."
"Shhh." She pressed her hands on him and looked about in the darkness.
Beside her a candle guttered. The 'Pink Crayfish' lay on the floor, open.
Draco sighed. "No. I didn't hear anything. What is it?"
"The dogs! They where screaming!"
"What?"
"It sounded horrible, like the desperate cries of death."
"Hmm." Draco ruffled her hair and chuckled to himself. "That 'Mystery of
the Pink Crayfish' has been giving you bad dreams."
Hermione looked up at him and puffed out her cheeks. "At least lets go
check on them! And bring your wand!"
"What? And use magic outside Hogwarts?" He joked.
Hermione scrambled to her feet "Come on!" and she grabbed his hand and
pulled him up. As they passed through the kitchen Hermione went to the
sink and grabbed a large knife. "just in case" she said.
Slowly, carefully, Hermione clicked open the lock and pushed open the
door. The night was barley lit by a crescent moon, and the forest was
swallowed in darkness. Hermione wrapped her arms about Draco's arm and
together they head off towards the gate where Draco had tied the dogs
earlier that evening. It was too dark to make anything out, but as they
got closer Hermione could see the silhouette of the three dogs, laying on
the floor.
"See, they are sleeping." Draco said. "Now lets go back inside.
"Wait!" Hermione let him go and kneeled down, placing her hand upon one
of the dogs. "Oh God. Its wet! Give me some light."
"Lumos." Draco held his wand up and the light beamed out. Hermione gasped
and stood up suddenly. There on the ground three small corpses lay. Each
with it belly torn open and intestines strewn over the grass. Blood
sprayed in all directions, the violence of it all was shocking. She
looked closer, each of them had had their eyes gouged out, and she could
see from their gaping jaws their teeth had been cracked and chipped away.
No animal had done this.
"Oh my God." Hermione whispered. "Who did this?"
"Whatever it was, it can't be far away." Draco said, extinguishing his
wand.
**~** Wow. That's a nice start to the holidays no? I'm sorry this chapter
was all description and not much action, I wanted to set the scene before
all the good stuff happens ^_^ Creepy stuff too. **~**
