"What the hell just happened?" Draco spoke to himself as he paced his common room. "That was pure insanity! Those stupid flowers! If they hadn't closed up... It would have ruined everything, absolutely everything. I'll have to keep away from there at night, at least when Hermione's around... There's not a chance I'll let some stupid flowers destroy all that I've been working for." He sighed and realized he should start walking the hallways; he had to be seen before he retrieved Hermione. He stopped pacing and stepped through the barrier that was the entrance and exit to the Head dormitories. It was simply a statue that remained solid to anyone who didn't know the current password. You spoke the password once and as long as the password remained the same (it was changed once a week and both the Head boy and girl had to agree upon the password), you could enter and exit as you pleased.
Draco stalked down the halls, snapping at the younger students and smirking as they scampered. Within seven minutes he had run into Pansy Parkinson, Blaise Zabini, Crabbe and Goyle (the latter two together of course). They all treated him the same; they said hello, smiled, and said they would see him in class. All the Slytherin's had become accustomed to Draco disappearing for a few days. Whether he was hiding somewhere in the castle, or outside of Hogwarts grounds, they didn't know, but they had learned long ago to never ask. It was simpler, less time consuming, and less painful to just pretend that they hadn't even noticed his absence.
Deciding that he had been seen by enough people, he walked back to the dormitory and stepped through the statue. He shut his eyes and pictured Hermione. After the strange tingling had gone, he opened his eyes to find himself looking at Hermione. She was sprawled out on the ground, surrounded by the flowers, with her eyes closed. She seemed to be sleeping. He bent down and gently touched her shoulder.
"Hermione, wake up," he said as he gave her a small shake. Her eyes opened and she peered at him through her droopy lids. He stood back up. "Come on, we have to go see Dumbledore." She yawned and nodded then reached out for him to help her up. Gently, he took hold of her wrists and pulled her to her feet. "You had better wake up or else the old bat is going to think Voldemort drugged you. He's not supposed to believe that you were harmed in any way, and you weren't so it will all work out perfectly as long as you WAKE UP!" Draco's scream in her ear was quite enough to bring Hermione back into the wizarding world.
"Okay, okay. I'm fully awake. There's no need for you to go around shouting at people. It's really rude you know," Hermione said.
"I know." Draco smiled.
"I don't like rude people."
"I know." Draco smirked.
"You are insufferable."
"I wouldn't be Draco Malfoy if I didn't piss you off occasionally."
"Then don't be Draco Malfoy anymore."
"Well now that's positively obnoxious, telling me to stop being myself," he said with a joking voice.
"My comment was plausible, not obnoxious. You're the only obnoxious thing around here," she replied, her voice joking as well.
"I'm a Malfoy. And not just any Malfoy, I'm Draco Malfoy, you have to adore me."
"We established that you are in fact, the one and only Draco Malfoy. And that means I'm supposed to hate you. I don't have any reason whatsoever to adore you in any way, shape, or form." Draco pretended to glared at her before he smiled.
"Come on, lets go. We'll have to hurry so we aren't late for classes," Draco said. Hermione looked mortified. "Yes, yes, I know you can't stand the thought of missing one single, mind blowing, educational, second." He took her arm and transported both of them to the common room. "Now we go see Dumbledore."
"Alright, let's go," she said. Draco stepped through the statue with Hermione right behind him. They walked in a comfortable silence.
"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HERMIONE?!?!" Well, so much for the silence. And the comfort. Draco and Hermione turned around to find themselves looking at a very red Ronald Weasley and a very deadly looking Harry Potter.
"Absolutely wonderful," Hermione heard Draco whisper under his breath.
"WHERE DID YOU TAKE HER YOU BASTARD?!?!" Ron had reached out to grab Draco's throat. Hermione stepped up in front of her newest companion. "MOVE HERMIONE!"
"RONALD WEASLEY, DON'T YOU EVER DARE TO YELL AT ME AGAIN! I'LL HEX YOU INTO NEXT WEEK!" Ron gulped and seemed to have taken a bit of control over himself.
"Sorry 'Mione, it's just that you're standing in front of him and I can't hurt him with you there," Ron spoke, quiet with guilt.
"That's exactly my reason for standing here. Draco and I have something to discuss with Professor Dumbledore and I need him alive and fully functional to be able to do that."
"Why the hell do you need Malfoy to talk to Professor Dumbledore?"
"Why did you just call Malfoy but his first name?" Harry finally spoke.
"Look, I'll explain everything to both of you as soon as I'm done talking to Dumbledore. You'll get every last detail," she said.
"I want to know where you have been," Harry said. "I want to know now." His voice was deadly calm, and it gave Hermione the chills knowing that he was using it to speak to her.
"Not now, we have to talk to Dumbledore," she sighed.
"We?" Harry and Ron questioned in union.
"Draco and I. We really have to go or else we'll never get to finish our talk with Dumbledore without missing class. I've never missed class, except when I was petrified of course, but that doesn't really count, and anyways, I'm not about to start missing class now. I promise I'll tell you everything when we get out of class. We'll go up to my room and sit down with some butterbeer and talk," Hermione pleaded.
"No, we want to know now," Harry said. Hermione brought her gaze to meet Draco's, and he seemed to understand what she meant, and he gave a small nod of acknowledgment with his head.
"Well, to make a VERY long story VERY short, I'm Voldemort's daughter." Ron's eyes bulged out of his head, and Harry turned deathly pale. Draco and Hermione turned ran towards Dumbledore's office, leaving behind to very stunned boys. They slowed their pace when Dumbledore's statue came into view. Draco stopped and faced Hermione.
"Are you ready for this?" Draco asked. "Really ready?" Hermione nodded. "Cream puff." The statue leaped to the side and the two started up the stairs.
Draco stalked down the halls, snapping at the younger students and smirking as they scampered. Within seven minutes he had run into Pansy Parkinson, Blaise Zabini, Crabbe and Goyle (the latter two together of course). They all treated him the same; they said hello, smiled, and said they would see him in class. All the Slytherin's had become accustomed to Draco disappearing for a few days. Whether he was hiding somewhere in the castle, or outside of Hogwarts grounds, they didn't know, but they had learned long ago to never ask. It was simpler, less time consuming, and less painful to just pretend that they hadn't even noticed his absence.
Deciding that he had been seen by enough people, he walked back to the dormitory and stepped through the statue. He shut his eyes and pictured Hermione. After the strange tingling had gone, he opened his eyes to find himself looking at Hermione. She was sprawled out on the ground, surrounded by the flowers, with her eyes closed. She seemed to be sleeping. He bent down and gently touched her shoulder.
"Hermione, wake up," he said as he gave her a small shake. Her eyes opened and she peered at him through her droopy lids. He stood back up. "Come on, we have to go see Dumbledore." She yawned and nodded then reached out for him to help her up. Gently, he took hold of her wrists and pulled her to her feet. "You had better wake up or else the old bat is going to think Voldemort drugged you. He's not supposed to believe that you were harmed in any way, and you weren't so it will all work out perfectly as long as you WAKE UP!" Draco's scream in her ear was quite enough to bring Hermione back into the wizarding world.
"Okay, okay. I'm fully awake. There's no need for you to go around shouting at people. It's really rude you know," Hermione said.
"I know." Draco smiled.
"I don't like rude people."
"I know." Draco smirked.
"You are insufferable."
"I wouldn't be Draco Malfoy if I didn't piss you off occasionally."
"Then don't be Draco Malfoy anymore."
"Well now that's positively obnoxious, telling me to stop being myself," he said with a joking voice.
"My comment was plausible, not obnoxious. You're the only obnoxious thing around here," she replied, her voice joking as well.
"I'm a Malfoy. And not just any Malfoy, I'm Draco Malfoy, you have to adore me."
"We established that you are in fact, the one and only Draco Malfoy. And that means I'm supposed to hate you. I don't have any reason whatsoever to adore you in any way, shape, or form." Draco pretended to glared at her before he smiled.
"Come on, lets go. We'll have to hurry so we aren't late for classes," Draco said. Hermione looked mortified. "Yes, yes, I know you can't stand the thought of missing one single, mind blowing, educational, second." He took her arm and transported both of them to the common room. "Now we go see Dumbledore."
"Alright, let's go," she said. Draco stepped through the statue with Hermione right behind him. They walked in a comfortable silence.
"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HERMIONE?!?!" Well, so much for the silence. And the comfort. Draco and Hermione turned around to find themselves looking at a very red Ronald Weasley and a very deadly looking Harry Potter.
"Absolutely wonderful," Hermione heard Draco whisper under his breath.
"WHERE DID YOU TAKE HER YOU BASTARD?!?!" Ron had reached out to grab Draco's throat. Hermione stepped up in front of her newest companion. "MOVE HERMIONE!"
"RONALD WEASLEY, DON'T YOU EVER DARE TO YELL AT ME AGAIN! I'LL HEX YOU INTO NEXT WEEK!" Ron gulped and seemed to have taken a bit of control over himself.
"Sorry 'Mione, it's just that you're standing in front of him and I can't hurt him with you there," Ron spoke, quiet with guilt.
"That's exactly my reason for standing here. Draco and I have something to discuss with Professor Dumbledore and I need him alive and fully functional to be able to do that."
"Why the hell do you need Malfoy to talk to Professor Dumbledore?"
"Why did you just call Malfoy but his first name?" Harry finally spoke.
"Look, I'll explain everything to both of you as soon as I'm done talking to Dumbledore. You'll get every last detail," she said.
"I want to know where you have been," Harry said. "I want to know now." His voice was deadly calm, and it gave Hermione the chills knowing that he was using it to speak to her.
"Not now, we have to talk to Dumbledore," she sighed.
"We?" Harry and Ron questioned in union.
"Draco and I. We really have to go or else we'll never get to finish our talk with Dumbledore without missing class. I've never missed class, except when I was petrified of course, but that doesn't really count, and anyways, I'm not about to start missing class now. I promise I'll tell you everything when we get out of class. We'll go up to my room and sit down with some butterbeer and talk," Hermione pleaded.
"No, we want to know now," Harry said. Hermione brought her gaze to meet Draco's, and he seemed to understand what she meant, and he gave a small nod of acknowledgment with his head.
"Well, to make a VERY long story VERY short, I'm Voldemort's daughter." Ron's eyes bulged out of his head, and Harry turned deathly pale. Draco and Hermione turned ran towards Dumbledore's office, leaving behind to very stunned boys. They slowed their pace when Dumbledore's statue came into view. Draco stopped and faced Hermione.
"Are you ready for this?" Draco asked. "Really ready?" Hermione nodded. "Cream puff." The statue leaped to the side and the two started up the stairs.