Hi! What's up? I GOT 105 REVIEWS! I LOVE YOU GUYS! That's to the people that reviewed, which are: MoMalfoy, natyslacks (The 100th reviewer, congrats!), SpicySugar (Sorry, you weren't the 100th, but you were the 101, I'll mention you, somewhere…), ProwlingKitKat, Slytherin-Gryffindor gal, DvChicka15. Thank you bunches for reviewing and I hope this chappie is up to your standards… To the people that didn't review, shame on you! I'm writing differently in this chappie and I hope you like it! Read on!

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FLASHBACK

DRACO'S POV

"Well, there's not much to think about. While we stand here crying over something and staring into nothing, she might be dying. So, if we don't hurry up…" I said this as they all scrambled about doing God knows what.

"Well, as I said before, she isn't shown in the map which means she has to be very deep into the forest or extremely deep in…" the Weaslette said.

"Let's go then." Weasley said as he led the way into the forest.

"Wands out. We don't know what wanders here at this time of night." He said. Which reminded me of my detention in the first year and my first encounter with Voldemort, that I remember of.

We walked for what seemed like an eternity. When the sun started rising and some rays of light crept in between of the gaps made by the large tree branches, we reached the edge of the forest in the map. Which meant that from here on we should search for her by our eyes and ears, if she could still make a sound.

"Keep your eyes open for any mound of earth, anything unusual, more unusual than the unusual you find here, and if you do, make a sound with your wands with this enchantment: Somnorus amius. Good luck and remember keep your eyes open." He said with a last nod as he turned and disappeared between some bushes. I looked around and nodded to Weasley and Weaslette as they gave a nod, or something like a shake, and left.

END FLASHBACK

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Chapter 20: Sentimental

Timed dimmed out for Ms. Hermione Granger as the minutes drew by quickly and they still hadn't seen an opening in the earth, lest a little mount or any sign at all of her. Draco was soon tired and was almost wishing that he were with Hermione, if anything happened to her. He also thought it was his entire fault that she was in that awkward position, buried deep down in the Forbidden Forest (AN: Sorry if I called it the Dark Forest but that was how I pictured it, thanks for correcting me!) God knows if she was breathing, conscious or even dead. It made Draco swoon in the darkness not knowing what was her present state. But, unfortunately, he had to deal with it.

To top it all off, he had to work with Weasley, his cute, but fiery, sister, the Weaslette and he almost had to work with Potter but, thank God, he didn't want to come look for Hermione. That was another issue on his mind. What was the deal between Potter and Hermione? They were best friends and now they didn't even speak and he had even abused her to a near death state. He had wanted to kill him but Hermione insisted that it was her fault, that she had incited him. How? She never had done something bad or something that could endanger herself or her friends (only if it was for a good cause).

She was Draco's total opposite, in some ways. She was good hearted and liked to do stuff just for the fun of it. Draco needed a good reason, a damn good one, to do something he was ordered to do. He didn't like to do something, unless it had a benefit for him. She, on the other hand, liked to something to benefit others and sometimes she even forgot to take care of herself for that cause.

Ok, back to the search. There was nothing except for a little opening Draco had found, but it was so small that he didn't make it a big deal. He didn't, but Ginny, once she passed by it, did. She fired the sound spell and moments later they heard some tumbling sounds. Ron, who was the closest one in the moment, came running to them seconds later with a look of distress in his face.

"What's up? Did you find her?" he looked frantically around, as if expecting Hermione to be there standing. When he finished looking, his face fell with a frown.

"No, but I just thought you might have a look at this." Said Ginny, pointing to the small, but evident, opening in the soil.

Ron looked in closer, as if to check if there really was something there. When he did notice, he looked up at Ginny with a bored face.

"That's what you found?" he said with an amusing, almost funny, tone, "I thought you had found a little mound or a opening a bit bigger than this one." He said while standing, not knowing that the others had already arrived and had heard the whole conversation.

"Well, Mr. Weasley, it may be small but there's a big possibility that the person that hid Ms. Granger had the ingenuity to make it look like a natural opening. What do you say if we look into this? It won't hurt anyone." Dumbledore said with his usual serene tone.

Ron hesitantly started digging with a shovel Dumbledore had conjured up. 5 minutes later, all they had was a big and deep hole in the ground and a tired Ron Weasley.

"I'm sick of this. I can't even feel my hands. I love Hermione very much, nothing on you Malfoy, but I just can't keep on." Ron said between breaths.

"Oh, come on. Let's see if there's anything here." Draco said taking the shovel from Ron's hands and digging more.

They had all lost hope of finding Hermione alive when they heard a loud 'thump' coming from Draco's direction.

"I think I found something." They all heard Draco shout. Draco started digging rapidly and he discovered a red, metal coffin with an inscription in the front.

"There's a red coffin in here. Do you think we could lift it with a simple Levitating Spell?" Draco shouted up at the others. He then heard some murmurs of agreement and got out of the way so Dumbledore could do the spell since he was too tired to even do that.

After the coffin was in stable grounds, they were able to read the inscription, which, apparently, was in some Latin or Spanish language. It read:

Eht tsom suoicerp gniht ni eht dlrow si ni siht niffoc, erac rof ti dna uoy lliw eb dedrawer. Mrah ti dna uoy lliw eb desruc. Eb denraw.

The professors were looking at the coffin with extreme amazement, as if it were filled of galleons or made of them. When the Weasley's noticed this, they looked at the coffin perplexedly, as if to notice what was their amazement. Draco, on the other hand, just stood staring blank

"Professors, what's wrong? Shouldn't we open this?" said Ginny looking back at the professors.

"Minerva, do you really think this is the coffin? I mean, how could a student get a hold of this kind of instrument. The possibilities are immense, unless, they are doing this under someone's orders. And, if so, why would they want to harm her and enlighten her at the same time?" Dumbledore said while still staring at the coffin.

"I don't know. I really think that they are working under orders. Whose, I don't know. If not, then I'm afraid we're not dealing with a student. And why would they do good and bad a t the same time… There is an evil scheme to this." As McGonagall said this, Draco was already moving towards the coffin in discussion with no one noticing him due to the talking. He passed a finger on top of the words in the front of it and the coffin glowed red and lifted itself from the ground.

"Mr. Malfoy, don't touch that!" said a panic looking Dumbledore but, alas, it was too late for Draco had already started opening it when it landed on ground.

Then top slid off and he saw what he was expecting and needing to see for what seemed to be an eternity (but it was only a couple of hours). Hermione Granger was lying there, with a pallid, almost gray, face and, clearly, unconscious or even dead. He rapidly pulled her out and, with the little strength he had left, started making his way out of the forest and to the Hospital Wing. The others were looking at him with mixed feelings: happy, that they had found Hermione, confused, (as in the Weasleys) by the utter amazement their professors had shown at the sight of the rare coffin and horror, (as in the Professors) that Malfoy had just opened what might be his own grave in a few hours, days or even years.

Explanation: The inscription the coffin had was in a not so weird language. In fact, it was in English, only it was written backwards. It was like the mirror of Erised… put Erised backwards and you got Desire, which was the feeling that the mirror showed. This coffin, in backwards, read: "The most precious thing in the world is in this coffin, care for it and you will be rewarded. Harm it and you will be cursed."

While the others still stood perplexed in the middle of the forest, Draco was almost out of it and could see the Hogwarts grounds from his current position. He was tired out of his mind but he had to save Hermione, if it was still possible. He had made it to the doors in the entrance to the castle and he could see that dawn was approaching. He had no strength left in his bones to carry her all the way to the Hospital Wing and he prayed that anyone would come and see him, which is anyone but the Slytherins. So, he just did what first came to mind and said the spell Dumbledore had told him before and shot red sparks in the air before he gave in to the unconscious world.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~HOURS LATER~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Draco woke up to rays of sunshine streaming onto his face from the- windows? How was that possible? When was he brought to the Hospital Wing? Maybe they had found him and brought him here. Maybe they had seen his signals and hurried to his rescue. Or maybe Filch was wandering around and just casually saw him there and called Madame Pomfrey to the scene while the others were still staring blankly at their own stupid faces.

But, none of the possibilities he thought of were true. In reality, Ernie McMillan was "out for a simple stroll" when he "bumped into" Draco's and Hermione's unconscious bodies… He informed Madam Pomfrey immediately and she put herself to work. Or so Md. Pomfrey told Draco once he woke up. The one thing she failed to mention was Hermione's current state.

That could mean both good and bad. She could be dead and they would have not told him so he wouldn't do something stupid and kill himself or she could be alive and well but they chose not to tell him for their own disclosed reasons. Whichever the choice was, he didn't want to know. He just wanted to be peaceful and worry-free for a few minutes… Even if it meant not seeing Hermione in her last moments… Wait, what was he thinking? He should be there for her, not being selfish and trying to forget everything… How selfish was he? Enough to forget about Hermione? No. 

He opened his eyes again and looked around for Madam Pomfrey. She was tending to a first year that had sprouted boils all over his body. Gross. He called her over and she came to him as fast as her legs could take her.

"What is it Mr. Malfoy? Are you seeing spots? Do you hear voices in your head?" she said while looking at him as if he was a mental patient. She had an expression on her face like she was dealing with a 2 year-old. That disturbed Draco a bit too much.

"No. I was just going to ask if Hermione's ok." He said while lifting his head and looking around the room for her.

"Oh," she said while a smile crept on her face, "yes, she's fine now. If you hadn't discovered her and brought her here when you did, well, her luck might have not been so good." She said still smiling.

"Right. When can I see her? Is she up now?" Draco asked while laying my head on the pillow again.

"No, of course not. After such an ordeal we'll be lucky she wakes up next week. She wasn't even cured when they, um, when they took her." She said uncomfortably.

"Yeah, I know." Draco said remembering the night before her disappearance when we were making up from the whole Pansy kissing me problem. At least I know she forgave me, if something were to happen. Although I hope it didn't.

"You can go see her if you want. Some people say that when a person is unconscious or in a coma, they can still hear you. I'm not saying she will but it's worth a try. She's in the private room." She said as she turned away. "The one neither one of you seem to get out of." he heard her mutter when she was walking to tend the 1st year.

In part, she was truthful. Neither Draco nor Hermione had had 2 weeks together without one of them being in the hospital wing. You could blame that to Harry, Ron, quidditch or a Slytherin. They never had a moment of peace. Some unexpected thing or person always ruined it.

While he was walking towards the room, he noticed that there were more people in the Hospital Wing than normal. What seemed to be all the Slytherin and Gryffindor first years were being treated with boils, skin eruptions or some type of little balls in their faces… Draco, already having enough problems to last him a lifetime, didn't put too much attention to it and made it out to be a potions class gone wrong.

When he reached the room he realized that she was asleep or unconscious. He pulled a chair from the corner of the room and sat next to her bed. He took her hand and caressed it as he cried openly for the 100th time. It seemed to be that she had changed him more than he himself knew. He had never cried before, not even when his father had beaten him. Now, he cried whenever something came up.

He stayed there for what seemed to be hours and he eventually fell asleep with his head in the bed and her hand still in his. He never heard the door open and never saw the glare a certain Harry Potter gave him before turning away and leaving.

AN: So, did you like it? I wanted Hermione's search to be longer and more prolonged but my hands already hurt. I hope you liked my new style of writing. If you do, review; if you don't, review too! In fact, review and that's it! Since I'm going to be updating every weekend, chapters might be shorter but they will still be good. I hope so. Review! Ciao, Alannah