"Blackbird"
Chapter 4
"Granger, what the hell are we doing? I practically killed a professor! Do you really think Dumbledore has anything to say to me?" Draco moaned as Hermione dragged him through the corridors.
"Oh, shut up." Hermione snapped. "You obviously need help, and if anyone can help you, it's Professor Dumbledore." Draco glared at her.
"I do not need help. I would've been fine if you didn't need to be so nosy all the time."
Hermione snorted. "Yeah, you would have done really well on your own, right up until some Death Eater ran into you and killed you." She said sarcastically. Draco remained silent for a moment, hating to admit to himself that she had a point.
"Hey, why do you even care?" Draco asked as he stopped walking. "I can handle my own problems, and, from what I heard last night, you have your own problems to deal with. So really, why do you feel the need to 'help' me?" Draco examined Hermione's face carefully, truly wondering why she even cared. Hermione looked up at him.
"I'm helping you because I KNOW you need help. You were about to run away mere minutes ago, when I think we both know you wouldn't have lasted long on your own." Draco opened his mouth to protest, but Hermione silenced him with a glare before continuing. "And as for my own problems, that's none of your business, and something you really don't know much about, so don't even bring it up." She said before she once again pulled at his sleeve and started walking. Draco stared at her, shaking his head slowly.
"Right, so even though your problems are none of MY business," Draco said, pausing their walk once again, "My life is so obviously YOUR business." He finished sarcastically. "So, let me get this straight," Draco said, looking at her as if she were his teacher and he was clarifying something, "if I told YOU that I KNEW you needed help, I could take YOU to Dumbledore's office so that he could yell at YOU and straighten YOUR problems out?" Draco acted as though he were thinking for a moment, "Hey, that's kind of like what you're doing to me...." He said, his voice filled with sarcasm.
Hermione just looked at him. "Look, Malfoy, you may not think you need help, but the fact remains that you DO." She made as though to continue walking, then paused. "And your problems ARE my business ever since you've told me about them. You may not think any of this affects me, but it does now, because if you just disappeared tonight after telling me all of this, then people would ask ME where you were since I would obviously have been the last to have seen you. Then I could either tell them why and where you'd gone, at great risk to your life, or remain quiet and be stalked by Death Eaters wanting to find you, at great risk to both of our lives." She paused for breath. "So, you see, Malfoy, I am far more involved than you might think. Not to mention it's my fault Snape called you into his office today in the first place. Now, let's go see Dumbledore, shall we?" She turned her back on Draco, continuing her walk to the headmaster's office. Draco hesitated before running to catch up with her brisk pace.
"Okay, Granger, you've proven your point about being involved, but do you seriously think that Dumbledore will have any answers?" Draco waited for a response, but upon not getting one, he continued, "The answer is no, he won't be able to help, and I have a feeling that practically killing a teacher might be against the rules. Just a guess, though." He said sarcastically. Hermione continued walking, not even bothering to look at Draco, let alone speak to him. They walked in silence for a few minutes before Draco changed his mind. "Granger, this is fucking insane! I'm not going to Dumbledore; I'm leaving without his expelling me, thanks." Draco turned and headed in the opposite direction, back towards their quarters, but not before Hermione whirled around and grabbed him by the arm.
"Malfoy, please, you're being even stupider than usual! Leaving by yourself isn't going to accomplish anything if you get caught, which is extremely likely!" Hermione said as she held on to Draco's arm, not allowing him to escape.
Draco tried to shake Hermione off him. "Get off, Granger! It's going to Dumbledore that's not going to accomplish anything. Oh, and thanks for that comment about my intelligence, real nice." He pulled on his arm, but Hermione held on tight.
"Malfoy, why are you so afraid of expulsion? You're just going to leave, anyway!"
"Get off! If I get expelled, they'll notify my parents, smart one." He tugged at his arm again, pulling Hermione with it. Hermione stubbed her toe, tripping and bringing both herself and Draco to the floor.
"OW!" moaned Hermione, massaging her shoulder, which had been knocked into the knob of a door that was slightly ajar. Draco slowly sat up, groaning as well.
"Thanks for that, Granger." Malfoy commented sarcastically as he began to stand.
"Who's there?" Snape's voice rang through the corridor. "Show yourself! It's past nine o'clock, all students should be in their dormitories!" Hermione and Draco froze, listening to hear where his voice was coming from. Since they couldn't see him, they assumed he must be just around the corner.
Hermione looked at Draco and mouthed, "LET'S HIDE IN THIS CLASSROOM," pointing to the door that was slightly ajar just behind her. Draco nodded to show he both understood and agreed. They stood quietly but quickly, carefully sliding into the deserted room. Hermione closed the door and they both sighed in relief.
Snape rounded the corner just in time to see a door down the hallway close inaudibly.
"That was close." Hermione whispered, shaking her head. "I'd hate to think—"
The door was opening. Draco grabbed Hermione—who was staring at the door, horrorstruck—and pulled her behind an old bookshelf. The two sat there, holding their breath and watching Snape fully open the door and enter the room. In the light of the doorway, they could see the terrible gash on Snape's forehead and there were neon green stains on his robes where the potion had splattered. Hermione let out an audible gasp when she saw what a wreck Snape was, and though Draco immediately clamped his hand over her mouth, it was too late. Snape had heard her, and he quickly started walking across the room.
"Fuck!" Whispered Draco under his breath as he pulled himself and Hermione further into the shadows. Draco felt his back hit the wall, but then both he and Hermione fell backward through what they imagined later could only have been a secret passageway. Hermione shrieked as they suddenly tumbled backwards through the dark, but her noise was muffled by Draco's hand, which still covered her mouth. Neither of them could see anything, but they felt themselves tumbling down steps and they clung to each other instinctively as they fell. After what seemed like a long time but was only a matter of seconds, they stopped tumbling over one another and realized that the floor beneath them was solid.
Draco groaned loudly from the pain he was feeling in every part of his body. He opened his eyes and, to his surprise, saw the night sky above him. Confused, he turned his aching head to the left and saw the outskirts of the forbidden forest, dark and mysterious. He pushed Hermione off him and slowly sat up. He knew where he was; this was the East side of the castle, and he could make out the shimmering surface of the lake a little ways away. "Granger?" Draco shook the motionless form of Hermione next to him. She was unconscious. 'Great. Just swell.' Draco thought to himself sarcastically when Hermione didn't respond.
On the other end of the passageway, Professor Snape began quickly descending the stairwell Draco and Hermione had discovered mere seconds ago.
Chapter 4
"Granger, what the hell are we doing? I practically killed a professor! Do you really think Dumbledore has anything to say to me?" Draco moaned as Hermione dragged him through the corridors.
"Oh, shut up." Hermione snapped. "You obviously need help, and if anyone can help you, it's Professor Dumbledore." Draco glared at her.
"I do not need help. I would've been fine if you didn't need to be so nosy all the time."
Hermione snorted. "Yeah, you would have done really well on your own, right up until some Death Eater ran into you and killed you." She said sarcastically. Draco remained silent for a moment, hating to admit to himself that she had a point.
"Hey, why do you even care?" Draco asked as he stopped walking. "I can handle my own problems, and, from what I heard last night, you have your own problems to deal with. So really, why do you feel the need to 'help' me?" Draco examined Hermione's face carefully, truly wondering why she even cared. Hermione looked up at him.
"I'm helping you because I KNOW you need help. You were about to run away mere minutes ago, when I think we both know you wouldn't have lasted long on your own." Draco opened his mouth to protest, but Hermione silenced him with a glare before continuing. "And as for my own problems, that's none of your business, and something you really don't know much about, so don't even bring it up." She said before she once again pulled at his sleeve and started walking. Draco stared at her, shaking his head slowly.
"Right, so even though your problems are none of MY business," Draco said, pausing their walk once again, "My life is so obviously YOUR business." He finished sarcastically. "So, let me get this straight," Draco said, looking at her as if she were his teacher and he was clarifying something, "if I told YOU that I KNEW you needed help, I could take YOU to Dumbledore's office so that he could yell at YOU and straighten YOUR problems out?" Draco acted as though he were thinking for a moment, "Hey, that's kind of like what you're doing to me...." He said, his voice filled with sarcasm.
Hermione just looked at him. "Look, Malfoy, you may not think you need help, but the fact remains that you DO." She made as though to continue walking, then paused. "And your problems ARE my business ever since you've told me about them. You may not think any of this affects me, but it does now, because if you just disappeared tonight after telling me all of this, then people would ask ME where you were since I would obviously have been the last to have seen you. Then I could either tell them why and where you'd gone, at great risk to your life, or remain quiet and be stalked by Death Eaters wanting to find you, at great risk to both of our lives." She paused for breath. "So, you see, Malfoy, I am far more involved than you might think. Not to mention it's my fault Snape called you into his office today in the first place. Now, let's go see Dumbledore, shall we?" She turned her back on Draco, continuing her walk to the headmaster's office. Draco hesitated before running to catch up with her brisk pace.
"Okay, Granger, you've proven your point about being involved, but do you seriously think that Dumbledore will have any answers?" Draco waited for a response, but upon not getting one, he continued, "The answer is no, he won't be able to help, and I have a feeling that practically killing a teacher might be against the rules. Just a guess, though." He said sarcastically. Hermione continued walking, not even bothering to look at Draco, let alone speak to him. They walked in silence for a few minutes before Draco changed his mind. "Granger, this is fucking insane! I'm not going to Dumbledore; I'm leaving without his expelling me, thanks." Draco turned and headed in the opposite direction, back towards their quarters, but not before Hermione whirled around and grabbed him by the arm.
"Malfoy, please, you're being even stupider than usual! Leaving by yourself isn't going to accomplish anything if you get caught, which is extremely likely!" Hermione said as she held on to Draco's arm, not allowing him to escape.
Draco tried to shake Hermione off him. "Get off, Granger! It's going to Dumbledore that's not going to accomplish anything. Oh, and thanks for that comment about my intelligence, real nice." He pulled on his arm, but Hermione held on tight.
"Malfoy, why are you so afraid of expulsion? You're just going to leave, anyway!"
"Get off! If I get expelled, they'll notify my parents, smart one." He tugged at his arm again, pulling Hermione with it. Hermione stubbed her toe, tripping and bringing both herself and Draco to the floor.
"OW!" moaned Hermione, massaging her shoulder, which had been knocked into the knob of a door that was slightly ajar. Draco slowly sat up, groaning as well.
"Thanks for that, Granger." Malfoy commented sarcastically as he began to stand.
"Who's there?" Snape's voice rang through the corridor. "Show yourself! It's past nine o'clock, all students should be in their dormitories!" Hermione and Draco froze, listening to hear where his voice was coming from. Since they couldn't see him, they assumed he must be just around the corner.
Hermione looked at Draco and mouthed, "LET'S HIDE IN THIS CLASSROOM," pointing to the door that was slightly ajar just behind her. Draco nodded to show he both understood and agreed. They stood quietly but quickly, carefully sliding into the deserted room. Hermione closed the door and they both sighed in relief.
Snape rounded the corner just in time to see a door down the hallway close inaudibly.
"That was close." Hermione whispered, shaking her head. "I'd hate to think—"
The door was opening. Draco grabbed Hermione—who was staring at the door, horrorstruck—and pulled her behind an old bookshelf. The two sat there, holding their breath and watching Snape fully open the door and enter the room. In the light of the doorway, they could see the terrible gash on Snape's forehead and there were neon green stains on his robes where the potion had splattered. Hermione let out an audible gasp when she saw what a wreck Snape was, and though Draco immediately clamped his hand over her mouth, it was too late. Snape had heard her, and he quickly started walking across the room.
"Fuck!" Whispered Draco under his breath as he pulled himself and Hermione further into the shadows. Draco felt his back hit the wall, but then both he and Hermione fell backward through what they imagined later could only have been a secret passageway. Hermione shrieked as they suddenly tumbled backwards through the dark, but her noise was muffled by Draco's hand, which still covered her mouth. Neither of them could see anything, but they felt themselves tumbling down steps and they clung to each other instinctively as they fell. After what seemed like a long time but was only a matter of seconds, they stopped tumbling over one another and realized that the floor beneath them was solid.
Draco groaned loudly from the pain he was feeling in every part of his body. He opened his eyes and, to his surprise, saw the night sky above him. Confused, he turned his aching head to the left and saw the outskirts of the forbidden forest, dark and mysterious. He pushed Hermione off him and slowly sat up. He knew where he was; this was the East side of the castle, and he could make out the shimmering surface of the lake a little ways away. "Granger?" Draco shook the motionless form of Hermione next to him. She was unconscious. 'Great. Just swell.' Draco thought to himself sarcastically when Hermione didn't respond.
On the other end of the passageway, Professor Snape began quickly descending the stairwell Draco and Hermione had discovered mere seconds ago.