"Blackbird"
Chapter 6
Hermione sat up and looked around, her eyes adjusting to the darkness. She momentarily forgot why she was in this strange place, but as her hand bumped into the sleeping form of Draco, she remembered everything. Obviously she had fallen asleep during the trip and had slept all through the day. As she sleepily rubbed her eyes, Hermione yawned and looked up at the sky, which was filled with twinkling stars. She leaned back against the tree trunk she had been sleeping against at continued to look up at the stars with awe. She was perfectly content with sitting there forever in the silence under the brightly lit sky, but was startled back to reality by a groan to her right. Draco had just woken up.
Draco looked up at Hermione with confusion for a moment, but realization finally hit and he sat up as well, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "How long have you been awake?" He asked, looking over towards Hermione once again.
"Just a few minutes." She replied, turning her gaze back to the heavens. "Where are we?"
Draco shrugged. "I don't really know. A field somewhere."
Hermione rolled her eyes and paused for a while before speaking. "Where exactly are we going?" She noticed Draco shift uncomfortably. "Don't tell me you don't even know...." She said incredulously.
"Well, I didn't have that much time to think about, okay?" He said in defense, searching his mind quickly for a good place they could stay. "Er...I've heard there's a wizarding town a bit east of Hogsmeade, but we're long past that...." They sat in silence for some time, each thinking about possible places to stay. Finally, Hermione gave up.
"Oh, this is stupid. We're wasting valuable traveling time while we just sit here. Let's start walking down the road, and we can try to figure something out as we go." She said, standing and grabbing her backpack. Draco nodded and followed suit, grabbing his own bag and hoisting it up onto his shoulders. He then proceeded to put a shrinking spell on his broomstick, which he put into his pocket. Together, they hiked along the road until dawn, neither having much to say, they remained silent throughout their trek. It wasn't until dawn arrived that Hermione spoke. "Look over there," she said, pointing. "Is that a town?"
Draco squinted into the sunlight. "Yeah, judging from the way it looks like a large group of buildings, I'd say your guess is right."
Hermione glared at him, and he smirked. "I'm starving. Let's see if they've got anything to eat." She said, grudgingly moving her feet once again. Draco followed.
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"Albus, I have some terrible news." Professor McGonagall fidgeted nervously with her wand as she sat opposite the headmaster, who put down his copy of "The Daily Prophet" and listened intently. He could tell that Minerva was deeply upset about something, but had no idea what could possibly be bothering her so on the fourth day of classes. "Sir, Ms. Granger and Mr. Malfoy, the Head Boy and Girl, they...they're gone." She looked down at her hands sadly as the news set in.
Dumbledore leaned back in his chair, frowning. "When?" He asked.
Professor McGonagall shrugged. "Last night, I guess. They weren't at breakfast, so I went check their dormitories, and not only were the two students gone, but most of their belongings have disappeared as well."
At this, Dumbledore nodded. It was obvious to him what had happened, but he couldn't understand why. "Minerva, I do believe that Ms. Granger and Mr. Malfoy have run away...possibly together."
Professor McGonagall looked at him in disbelief, unwilling to accept his odd conclusion. "But Albus, the two have been enemies since they arrived here seven years ago. It is highly unlikely that they would run away together, never mind the fact that neither of them had any particular excuse to leave. What about their families? Their friends?"
Dumbledore clasped his hands together and leaned over his desk, thinking. "Minerva, over this past summer, Ms. Granger had a lot of family difficulties. Both of her parents died in a car crash, and ever since she has been switched to several different foster homes." He paused and looked sadly down at his desk. "I have reason to believe that none of these foster homes were very welcoming, especially the last one she was in before she came here. I think that Ms. Granger has changed drastically since last spring, and that perhaps she is still having difficulties dealing with all that has happened to her in such a short time. It does not surprise me that she wanted to get away from it all."
Professor McGonagall sat rigidly in her chair, shocked by the ordeal her best pupil had gone through in the span of a few months. "And Mr. Malfoy? What reasons could he have had to run away?"
Professor Dumbledore continued to look sadly down at his hands. He hesitated before answering. "I have a strong feeling that Mr. Malfoy may have been under some intense pressures lately. As you probably know, Lucius Malfoy has always been somewhat supportive of Voldemort," Professor McGonagall flinched, but Dumbledore ignored her and continued. "and I believe that Draco may not have any intention of following in his footsteps."
Professor McGonagall shivered in disgust whenever she thought of the Dark Lord and his supporters. The fact that a father would put so much pressure on his son to do something that was so wrong...it was simply grotesque. They sat in silence for some time, each grieving for the two head students and thinking about where they could possibly be at that very moment. Professor McGonagall broke the silence with a question. "What are we going to do about it, Albus?" she asked softly.
Dumbledore slowly looked up at her, the usual cheeriness in his eyes replaced by remorse. He sighed, rearranging several items on his desk absentmindedly. "We have to bring them back, Minerva. They may not know it, but Hogwarts is the safest place for them at this time." He paused. "Please contact the 'Daily Prophet' immediately. Tell them that two students have gone missing and give their descriptions. I'm sure that this is the last thing Ms. Granger and Mr. Malfoy would want, but for their own protection...." His voice trailed off and he looked over at one of his many bookshelves guiltily. Professor McGonagall stood and left silently, closing the door behind her. Dumbledore looked over at the perch where Fawkes stood, as beautiful as ever. "Was that the right thing to do?" He asked his pet quietly. "Did I just make those poor students' lives harder? I don't know if I can live with the guilt if I did...."
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Hermione and Draco reached the small town at eight o'clock in the morning. The place was eerily quiet as they walked through the deserted streets. Even as they reached the central square, there were few people around. The citizens they did see didn't look particularly trusting of the two new strangers, casting them nervous smiles and not speaking at all. Draco and Hermione tried to appear as friendly as possible, but were made uneasy by the townspeople.
"Maybe we should go somewhere else." Draco told Hermione quietly as they crossed the central square. "The people here don't seem er...fond of strangers." Hermione looked up and could see the anxiety in his features. She turned away, slowly scanning the almost completely empty area and then shrugging, trying to hide the uneasiness she felt.
"Yeah, maybe we should just keep walking." She said. Her stomach grumbled as they passed a closed café. "Damnit!" She moaned under her breath, eyeing the menu of the small restaurant. "I'm starving!"
Draco sighed. "Yeah, me too, but a) nothing seems to be open now, and b) this place gives me the creeps." He shivered slightly at the thick silence that surrounded them.
"Alright, then let's keep going." She grumbled, adjusting her backpack and continuing to walk across town.
They walked to the very edge of the town and then, only then, did they see a little shop that was open. As the two approached the little corner store, they saw that it was basically a news stand, but that in the back it looked like there were some sandwiches on sale. Hermione was eager to check out the food, and turned to Draco for approval.
"How 'bout we get some food here? There aren't any costumers at this time, so we won't get any glares, and who knows when we'll see another place to stop?" She said, looking at him pleadingly. "PLEASE? I can't remember a time that I've been more hungry."
Draco looked at her begging expression and smirked. "I guess it wouldn't hurt." He said, shrugging. Hermione immediately disappeared into the shop, uttering a few words of thanks. Draco followed her in and looked around. It, like everywhere else in town, appeared to be deserted, but the sign hanging on the door read "open," so Draco assumed it was fine that they were there. He looked around at the newspapers while Hermione rummaged through the sandwiches in the other aisle. He knew there was something peculiar about them, but didn't have time to figure out what it was, as the store owner appeared seemingly out of nowhere at that time and smiled at Draco.
"Is there something I can help you with, young man?" The store owner asked Draco kindly.
"No, I think we're fine, thanks." Draco began to turn back towards the newspapers, but the owner tapped him on the shoulder before he could examine anything more carefully.
"Are you a traveler?" the man asked, squinting at Draco suspiciously.
Draco looked uncertainly at the man before him. "Er, yes. We were just coming through and thought we'd buy some sandwiches for breakfast." The man paled a little, all traces of a smile gone from his face. "Why?" Draco asked, noticing the owner's change in attitude.
The man began mumbling to himself and walked briskly back to the register. Draco continued to look at the row of papers, shrugging, but kept an eye on the owner as he disappeared behind the countertop. Draco was still certain that there was something unusual about the newspapers, but forgot about them altogether when he saw the store owner reappear down the aisle, now carrying a wand, which was aimed at Draco. Suddenly Draco realized why everything had seemed so strange today; this was a wizarding town, and the townspeople obviously thought that he and Hermione were muggles. Obviously something was wrong with the newspapers: the pictures MOVED. Draco cursed himself for mot realizing sooner as he tried to explain everything to the owner, who now stood only a few feet from him.
"Wait! I'm not a muggle!" Draco stammered as the man opened his mouth to cast a charm. "I'm a wizard! And my, er, friend in the other aisle is a witch! I swear it!" Draco reached into his pocket and drew his wand to prove his point. The shop owner noticeably relaxed, lowering his wand and sighing with relief.
"Oh, sorry." He muttered, putting his wand in his back pocket. "As a law, we have to put a memory charm on any muggle that enters one of our shops." He hesitated before continuing. "Well, technically, we're supposed to keep muggles out in general, but I got sidetracked this morning...you understand, right?" He offered a feeble smile.
"Yeah, of course. I'm just glad that we found out why people here treated us so weirdly." Draco said, restoring his wand to his pocket.
"Yes, I can only assume that must have been odd." The owner said and walked back to the register. Draco, yet again, turned back to the newspapers and picked up a copy of the Daily Prophet. He quickly scanned the front page, and his jaw dropped. He looked around quickly and rushed over to where Hermione stood in the other aisle, picking out sandwiches.
"Granger!" He whispered as he approached. Hermione looked at him curiously and he showed her the front page. She looked down and gasped. Right there, plain as day, were two pictures; one of her and one of Draco. The title of the article was "Head Students at Hogwarts Not Setting the Best Example." She read the article, each word making her more nervous.
"The Head Boy and Girl at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger, disappeared last night without a trace. Their rooms were found almost completely empty and the Professors suspect that the two ran away and were not taken by force. No one has any idea of the motives, but some connect the mysterious finding of the Potions Master Severus Snape lying stunned in the forbidden forest this morning to the disappearance of the two teenagers. Professor Snape was not available for comment as he is still currently in Hogwarts' hospital wing and is suspected to have temporary memory loss due to his long-term unconscious state." Hermione whispered to herself. When she finished the article, she looked up at Draco in horror. "What are we going to do?" She whispered desperately.
Draco was feeling extremely anxious. By now, probably the majority of the wizarding world knew about their disappearance. Thankfully no one had recognized them so far, but Draco knew that it was only a matter of time before someone who had read that morning's paper spotted them. He looked over at the man behind the counter apprehensively, but the store owner obviously hadn't read the newspaper yet; he simply smiled at Draco. Draco turned back to Hermione, who was nervously wringing her hands together. "Look," said Draco, "Let's just get the sandwiches and get out of this wizarding town and find a muggle town somewhere. That way we stand less of a chance of being recognized."
Hermione opened looked down at the newspaper in her hands and a look of dawning comprehension crossed her face. "So this is a wizarding town..." She said, more to herself than to Draco. She gave the paper back to Draco and proceeded to take the food she had picked out to the counter. Draco hurried back to the row of papers and magazines and casually placed the Daily Prophet back in its place. He waited for a minute while Hermione bought the stuff and then the two quickly exited the store and hurried down the street.
Before long, they were out in the country again, and they felt it was safe to stop and eat their breakfast, as it was already eleven o'clock. They sat under a large tree that was on the side of the road. Hermione still couldn't believe their luck.
"What were the chances?" She asked aloud, "Honestly, of all the towns we could've gone through, we just happened to come across a WIZARDING one?" She sat down and hungrily started on her sandwich.
Draco watched her with wide eyes as she gulfed down her entire sandwich in less than a minute. "Hungry, are you?"
Hermione looked up guiltily. "Well, really, it's been over A DAY since I've had anything to eat. She continued to eat the pack of chips she had started on, though with a slightly slower pace.
Draco smirked and looked back towards the way they'd come. "At least no one from that town recognized us. It could've been worse." He stated optimistically. "And now we know to be careful, as everyone in the magical world probably knows we're missing." He leaned up against the tree trunk and started on his own sandwich.
They sat in silence for a while, the reality of their situation dampening their spirits slightly. When they had both finished, they stood and started off again. Hermione spent their silent walk thinking about Draco, and wondering for the billionth time whether she had made the right decision in coming with him. Draco spent their silent walk thinking about Hermione, and wondering for the billionth time whether he had made the right decision in letting her come along. They both came to the same conclusion:
Their decisions had already been put into action, and, come what may, they were stuck with their decisions.
Chapter 6
Hermione sat up and looked around, her eyes adjusting to the darkness. She momentarily forgot why she was in this strange place, but as her hand bumped into the sleeping form of Draco, she remembered everything. Obviously she had fallen asleep during the trip and had slept all through the day. As she sleepily rubbed her eyes, Hermione yawned and looked up at the sky, which was filled with twinkling stars. She leaned back against the tree trunk she had been sleeping against at continued to look up at the stars with awe. She was perfectly content with sitting there forever in the silence under the brightly lit sky, but was startled back to reality by a groan to her right. Draco had just woken up.
Draco looked up at Hermione with confusion for a moment, but realization finally hit and he sat up as well, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "How long have you been awake?" He asked, looking over towards Hermione once again.
"Just a few minutes." She replied, turning her gaze back to the heavens. "Where are we?"
Draco shrugged. "I don't really know. A field somewhere."
Hermione rolled her eyes and paused for a while before speaking. "Where exactly are we going?" She noticed Draco shift uncomfortably. "Don't tell me you don't even know...." She said incredulously.
"Well, I didn't have that much time to think about, okay?" He said in defense, searching his mind quickly for a good place they could stay. "Er...I've heard there's a wizarding town a bit east of Hogsmeade, but we're long past that...." They sat in silence for some time, each thinking about possible places to stay. Finally, Hermione gave up.
"Oh, this is stupid. We're wasting valuable traveling time while we just sit here. Let's start walking down the road, and we can try to figure something out as we go." She said, standing and grabbing her backpack. Draco nodded and followed suit, grabbing his own bag and hoisting it up onto his shoulders. He then proceeded to put a shrinking spell on his broomstick, which he put into his pocket. Together, they hiked along the road until dawn, neither having much to say, they remained silent throughout their trek. It wasn't until dawn arrived that Hermione spoke. "Look over there," she said, pointing. "Is that a town?"
Draco squinted into the sunlight. "Yeah, judging from the way it looks like a large group of buildings, I'd say your guess is right."
Hermione glared at him, and he smirked. "I'm starving. Let's see if they've got anything to eat." She said, grudgingly moving her feet once again. Draco followed.
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"Albus, I have some terrible news." Professor McGonagall fidgeted nervously with her wand as she sat opposite the headmaster, who put down his copy of "The Daily Prophet" and listened intently. He could tell that Minerva was deeply upset about something, but had no idea what could possibly be bothering her so on the fourth day of classes. "Sir, Ms. Granger and Mr. Malfoy, the Head Boy and Girl, they...they're gone." She looked down at her hands sadly as the news set in.
Dumbledore leaned back in his chair, frowning. "When?" He asked.
Professor McGonagall shrugged. "Last night, I guess. They weren't at breakfast, so I went check their dormitories, and not only were the two students gone, but most of their belongings have disappeared as well."
At this, Dumbledore nodded. It was obvious to him what had happened, but he couldn't understand why. "Minerva, I do believe that Ms. Granger and Mr. Malfoy have run away...possibly together."
Professor McGonagall looked at him in disbelief, unwilling to accept his odd conclusion. "But Albus, the two have been enemies since they arrived here seven years ago. It is highly unlikely that they would run away together, never mind the fact that neither of them had any particular excuse to leave. What about their families? Their friends?"
Dumbledore clasped his hands together and leaned over his desk, thinking. "Minerva, over this past summer, Ms. Granger had a lot of family difficulties. Both of her parents died in a car crash, and ever since she has been switched to several different foster homes." He paused and looked sadly down at his desk. "I have reason to believe that none of these foster homes were very welcoming, especially the last one she was in before she came here. I think that Ms. Granger has changed drastically since last spring, and that perhaps she is still having difficulties dealing with all that has happened to her in such a short time. It does not surprise me that she wanted to get away from it all."
Professor McGonagall sat rigidly in her chair, shocked by the ordeal her best pupil had gone through in the span of a few months. "And Mr. Malfoy? What reasons could he have had to run away?"
Professor Dumbledore continued to look sadly down at his hands. He hesitated before answering. "I have a strong feeling that Mr. Malfoy may have been under some intense pressures lately. As you probably know, Lucius Malfoy has always been somewhat supportive of Voldemort," Professor McGonagall flinched, but Dumbledore ignored her and continued. "and I believe that Draco may not have any intention of following in his footsteps."
Professor McGonagall shivered in disgust whenever she thought of the Dark Lord and his supporters. The fact that a father would put so much pressure on his son to do something that was so wrong...it was simply grotesque. They sat in silence for some time, each grieving for the two head students and thinking about where they could possibly be at that very moment. Professor McGonagall broke the silence with a question. "What are we going to do about it, Albus?" she asked softly.
Dumbledore slowly looked up at her, the usual cheeriness in his eyes replaced by remorse. He sighed, rearranging several items on his desk absentmindedly. "We have to bring them back, Minerva. They may not know it, but Hogwarts is the safest place for them at this time." He paused. "Please contact the 'Daily Prophet' immediately. Tell them that two students have gone missing and give their descriptions. I'm sure that this is the last thing Ms. Granger and Mr. Malfoy would want, but for their own protection...." His voice trailed off and he looked over at one of his many bookshelves guiltily. Professor McGonagall stood and left silently, closing the door behind her. Dumbledore looked over at the perch where Fawkes stood, as beautiful as ever. "Was that the right thing to do?" He asked his pet quietly. "Did I just make those poor students' lives harder? I don't know if I can live with the guilt if I did...."
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Hermione and Draco reached the small town at eight o'clock in the morning. The place was eerily quiet as they walked through the deserted streets. Even as they reached the central square, there were few people around. The citizens they did see didn't look particularly trusting of the two new strangers, casting them nervous smiles and not speaking at all. Draco and Hermione tried to appear as friendly as possible, but were made uneasy by the townspeople.
"Maybe we should go somewhere else." Draco told Hermione quietly as they crossed the central square. "The people here don't seem er...fond of strangers." Hermione looked up and could see the anxiety in his features. She turned away, slowly scanning the almost completely empty area and then shrugging, trying to hide the uneasiness she felt.
"Yeah, maybe we should just keep walking." She said. Her stomach grumbled as they passed a closed café. "Damnit!" She moaned under her breath, eyeing the menu of the small restaurant. "I'm starving!"
Draco sighed. "Yeah, me too, but a) nothing seems to be open now, and b) this place gives me the creeps." He shivered slightly at the thick silence that surrounded them.
"Alright, then let's keep going." She grumbled, adjusting her backpack and continuing to walk across town.
They walked to the very edge of the town and then, only then, did they see a little shop that was open. As the two approached the little corner store, they saw that it was basically a news stand, but that in the back it looked like there were some sandwiches on sale. Hermione was eager to check out the food, and turned to Draco for approval.
"How 'bout we get some food here? There aren't any costumers at this time, so we won't get any glares, and who knows when we'll see another place to stop?" She said, looking at him pleadingly. "PLEASE? I can't remember a time that I've been more hungry."
Draco looked at her begging expression and smirked. "I guess it wouldn't hurt." He said, shrugging. Hermione immediately disappeared into the shop, uttering a few words of thanks. Draco followed her in and looked around. It, like everywhere else in town, appeared to be deserted, but the sign hanging on the door read "open," so Draco assumed it was fine that they were there. He looked around at the newspapers while Hermione rummaged through the sandwiches in the other aisle. He knew there was something peculiar about them, but didn't have time to figure out what it was, as the store owner appeared seemingly out of nowhere at that time and smiled at Draco.
"Is there something I can help you with, young man?" The store owner asked Draco kindly.
"No, I think we're fine, thanks." Draco began to turn back towards the newspapers, but the owner tapped him on the shoulder before he could examine anything more carefully.
"Are you a traveler?" the man asked, squinting at Draco suspiciously.
Draco looked uncertainly at the man before him. "Er, yes. We were just coming through and thought we'd buy some sandwiches for breakfast." The man paled a little, all traces of a smile gone from his face. "Why?" Draco asked, noticing the owner's change in attitude.
The man began mumbling to himself and walked briskly back to the register. Draco continued to look at the row of papers, shrugging, but kept an eye on the owner as he disappeared behind the countertop. Draco was still certain that there was something unusual about the newspapers, but forgot about them altogether when he saw the store owner reappear down the aisle, now carrying a wand, which was aimed at Draco. Suddenly Draco realized why everything had seemed so strange today; this was a wizarding town, and the townspeople obviously thought that he and Hermione were muggles. Obviously something was wrong with the newspapers: the pictures MOVED. Draco cursed himself for mot realizing sooner as he tried to explain everything to the owner, who now stood only a few feet from him.
"Wait! I'm not a muggle!" Draco stammered as the man opened his mouth to cast a charm. "I'm a wizard! And my, er, friend in the other aisle is a witch! I swear it!" Draco reached into his pocket and drew his wand to prove his point. The shop owner noticeably relaxed, lowering his wand and sighing with relief.
"Oh, sorry." He muttered, putting his wand in his back pocket. "As a law, we have to put a memory charm on any muggle that enters one of our shops." He hesitated before continuing. "Well, technically, we're supposed to keep muggles out in general, but I got sidetracked this morning...you understand, right?" He offered a feeble smile.
"Yeah, of course. I'm just glad that we found out why people here treated us so weirdly." Draco said, restoring his wand to his pocket.
"Yes, I can only assume that must have been odd." The owner said and walked back to the register. Draco, yet again, turned back to the newspapers and picked up a copy of the Daily Prophet. He quickly scanned the front page, and his jaw dropped. He looked around quickly and rushed over to where Hermione stood in the other aisle, picking out sandwiches.
"Granger!" He whispered as he approached. Hermione looked at him curiously and he showed her the front page. She looked down and gasped. Right there, plain as day, were two pictures; one of her and one of Draco. The title of the article was "Head Students at Hogwarts Not Setting the Best Example." She read the article, each word making her more nervous.
"The Head Boy and Girl at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger, disappeared last night without a trace. Their rooms were found almost completely empty and the Professors suspect that the two ran away and were not taken by force. No one has any idea of the motives, but some connect the mysterious finding of the Potions Master Severus Snape lying stunned in the forbidden forest this morning to the disappearance of the two teenagers. Professor Snape was not available for comment as he is still currently in Hogwarts' hospital wing and is suspected to have temporary memory loss due to his long-term unconscious state." Hermione whispered to herself. When she finished the article, she looked up at Draco in horror. "What are we going to do?" She whispered desperately.
Draco was feeling extremely anxious. By now, probably the majority of the wizarding world knew about their disappearance. Thankfully no one had recognized them so far, but Draco knew that it was only a matter of time before someone who had read that morning's paper spotted them. He looked over at the man behind the counter apprehensively, but the store owner obviously hadn't read the newspaper yet; he simply smiled at Draco. Draco turned back to Hermione, who was nervously wringing her hands together. "Look," said Draco, "Let's just get the sandwiches and get out of this wizarding town and find a muggle town somewhere. That way we stand less of a chance of being recognized."
Hermione opened looked down at the newspaper in her hands and a look of dawning comprehension crossed her face. "So this is a wizarding town..." She said, more to herself than to Draco. She gave the paper back to Draco and proceeded to take the food she had picked out to the counter. Draco hurried back to the row of papers and magazines and casually placed the Daily Prophet back in its place. He waited for a minute while Hermione bought the stuff and then the two quickly exited the store and hurried down the street.
Before long, they were out in the country again, and they felt it was safe to stop and eat their breakfast, as it was already eleven o'clock. They sat under a large tree that was on the side of the road. Hermione still couldn't believe their luck.
"What were the chances?" She asked aloud, "Honestly, of all the towns we could've gone through, we just happened to come across a WIZARDING one?" She sat down and hungrily started on her sandwich.
Draco watched her with wide eyes as she gulfed down her entire sandwich in less than a minute. "Hungry, are you?"
Hermione looked up guiltily. "Well, really, it's been over A DAY since I've had anything to eat. She continued to eat the pack of chips she had started on, though with a slightly slower pace.
Draco smirked and looked back towards the way they'd come. "At least no one from that town recognized us. It could've been worse." He stated optimistically. "And now we know to be careful, as everyone in the magical world probably knows we're missing." He leaned up against the tree trunk and started on his own sandwich.
They sat in silence for a while, the reality of their situation dampening their spirits slightly. When they had both finished, they stood and started off again. Hermione spent their silent walk thinking about Draco, and wondering for the billionth time whether she had made the right decision in coming with him. Draco spent their silent walk thinking about Hermione, and wondering for the billionth time whether he had made the right decision in letting her come along. They both came to the same conclusion:
Their decisions had already been put into action, and, come what may, they were stuck with their decisions.