A/N: I'm horrible. I just haven't updated out of pure laziness. I'm sorry! I finished Order of the Phoenix two days after its release, though. I will not give away anything, and please, in reviews do NOT spoil it for other people. I will refrain from putting anything from OotP in my story, except for of course what Dumbledore already told Draco, Hermione, Ron and Harry. I guessed on that, and I was right, but that is the ONLY thing from OotP that will show up in here, seeing as how I posted it before the book came out. Anyway, thanks to my reviewers!
Bluefuzzyelf: Like I said right now, it's not a spoiler for OotP, I just happened to be right on what I said the Order was...sorry if it gave away too much! Gina: Thanks. A simple review makes my day great. Malfoychic: The books out now, Sam, so no need to count down anymore, hehehe. Thanks for reviewing.
Don't forget to review again!
Chapter 17
The people in the room all turned their heads to look at Hermione.
"Hermione!" Draco said, glad to see she was awake. Hermione glanced around the room, as if trying to figure out where she was, before she sat up.
"Professor Dumbledore...Muggles…attacked…I saw it..." she mumbled, rubbing her head. Madame Pomfrey stepped forward to push Hermione back down on the bed, but Dumbledore held out a hand to stop her. The nurse looked angry with this, and walked to her office, muttering about not being able to take care of her own patients.
"What did you see exactly, Miss Granger?" Dumbledore said quietly, his blue eyes fixed directly onto Hermione.
"I don't know...I...Death Eaters...taking them away...I couldn't see who the Muggles were...they were afraid, they were yelling. The Death Eaters took them away. Professor, you must help them…" Hermione said, closing her eyes and rubbing her head again. When she opened her eyes, she could have sworn Dumbledore had gone pale, but after she blinked, he appeared perfectly normal.
"Harry, Hermione...I think it best if you stay in the hospital wing," Dumbledore said, but Harry quickly protested.
"I feel fine," he said, and Hermione nodded in agreement. The aged Headmaster looked at them closely before nodding.
"Right then. You are allowed to go now...if anything pains you, seek a professor immediately," Dumbledore said. Him and Snape walked out of the room, but stopped just outside the door to talk.
"Hermione, are you sure you're feeling all right? We can go to the Great Hall and have dinner, I'm sure you're famished," Draco said, holding her hand tightly as Hermione stood.
"No, I need to go for a walk...I need air," Hermione said, standing up.
"Harry, are you ready for dinner, mate?" Ron asked, as Harry stood up. Harry nodded, and with a final glance to Hermione and Draco, the two friends walked out of the infirmary.
"You gave me a scare, Hermione," Draco said as they walked out a few minutes after them. Hermione smiled apologetically, but before she could answer, Snape stopped Draco.
"Mr. Malfoy, I would like a word alone," he said formally. Dumbledore and Snape were still at the door, apparently have waited for them. Draco gave a look to Hermione, then nodded.
"Continue on, Miss Granger," barked Snape, in his usual tone. Hermione looked at Draco.
"Go on, I'll meet you by the lake," he said. She nodded and walked down the corridor alone. Glancing back, she saw both Snape and Dumbledore talking to Draco quietly.
Her feet took her outside quiet quickly. The sun was setting, but it was concealed by the grayness of the clouds. As she walked out of the main entrance, she moved down a path towards the lake. She stuck her hands in her pockets as she saw Pansy Parkinson appear from behind one of the bushes. Not paying much attention, she continued walking, Pansy passing her with a scowl. Shrugging again, she kept walking in the direction of the lake. Her head was down, but she raised it to make sure she was going to the right way. Ahead on the path, she saw something on the ground. As she walked closer, she figured it was a book. It was fairly large, looked to be about 1000 pages or so. She stopped as she came to it. Looking at the faded cover, she smiled. It was Hogwarts, A History. She bent down to pick it up…
"Hermione!" shouted a voice behind her. She hesitated, didn't touch the book and looked up. She smiled as she saw that it was Draco. He jogged lightly towards her and hugged her as he reached her.
"What'd Snape want you for?" she asked curiously, hugging back.
"Nothing…important. Hey, what's this?" Draco asked curiously, looking at the book. Both him and Hermione bent down to pick it up, and they both touched it at the same moment. Dizziness took over both of them. Hermione felt her feet leave the ground, and she felt herself speeding forward, before she closed her eyes she caught a glimpse of the swirls of colors around her. She was feeling the odd feeling she had felt only once before…and that was when they used a Portkey to get to the Quidditch World Cup...but surely…the book couldn't have been… The thoughts raced to her mind as she landed with a thump on the cold grown, her eyes tightly closed. Another thump told her that Draco had landed beside her, just as ungracefully. He groaned.
"Hermione…?" he whispered, and Hermione opened her eyes. The room was dark; the only source of light was a fire. Her eyes traveled to the window, which was boarded up. She felt herself being pulled up, and saw that Draco was lifting her to her feet. Her wand was out, so she did the same.
"Where are we?" Hermione asked. Draco shook his head to say that he didn't know.
"You are in the Riddle house, Mudblood." Came a voice from behind them. Hermione and Draco turned around and came face to face with Lucius Malfoy.
A/N: Only three pages, not too long, sorry…Review and I'll get the next chapter up soon!