Within the Smoke

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters. Their J.K. Rowling's.

Rating: PG-13

Summary: Glancing at Hermione now, Draco saw that purity was practically radiating from her. Innocence was a rare sight in war. And, ragged and beaten as she was, she could still no doubt be considered innocent.

===Note====

Bicker Bicker, that's bound to turn into a loving relationship right? Ha, I wish I knew where I was going with this. I'll figure something out though. This chapter was hard to write. Hate it when it takes this long. Ah well, I'll start the next chapter right away.

Within the Smoke

Chapter 5: It Remained Unsaid

In hindsight, Draco found upon consideration that his outburst was not as sensible as he had first presumed. Yes, it calmed his temper, but afterwards it still did nothing and in fact worsened instead of improved the situation. Loss of control was not particularly a feeling he was fond of. Upon reaching adulthood however, Draco found that the restraints on his own emotions simply didn't hold.

He had turned from her again. Draco wasn't prepared to look at her until he was certain the sight wouldn't bring a yell of frustration from his lips. He shouldn't have played hero, he realized, not with her anyway. That was a mistake on his part. Still, Granger shouldn't have attempted to exploit him for her own need for stability. In a matter of seconds, he managed to convince himself that the fault should therefore rest with the witch. Yes, this settled his mind greatly.

Taking a deep breathe, Draco at last felt ready to face whatever would come next. He turned back to Hermione and stared into her eyes with open confidence. Frustratingly, he encountered another dead silence. Reasoning to himself that she had initiated the contact, Draco decided that it was her responsibility to speak first. He waited in vain for some moments though before growing rapidly impatient and finally disregarded the notion that Granger would provide an explanation.

"Alright then," Draco finally said, "So are you going to say something or should be just get moving?" With his temper now diminished, he settled naturally back into his usual mood. What Draco had learned over the years was how to use denial efficiently and whenever possible. Personally, he believed that if the situation was not to his liking, he would simply ignore it. He failed to understand why many deemed denial to be unhealthy. It seemed the perfect solution. Using it now, Draco believed the results to be quite good.

Hermione was looking at him curiously. He noticed her hands trembled slightly still, but chose not to dwell on the thought. Why couldn't she simply forget what happened? She looked so innocent then that she almost lured him to feel guilt once more. Sighing and shaking his head, Draco advanced towards her. Hermione appeared alarmed and took a few steps back.

"Don't be ridiculous, Granger." He reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her into a brisk walk. "Did you forget? You're going to wander with me till the end of time unless we find them." Draco smirked as he said it and realized he could now find some humor in her previously spoken words. Hermione still gazed doubtfully back at him and attempted to wretch her arm from his grip.

"I can walk fine by myself, Malfoy." She said calmly and with an air of pride.

Draco laughed quietly. "Right, we tried that already remember? That didn't work out too well. This time, I'm not losing you."

Hermione looked indignant for a moment but ceased her struggle. Shrugging her shoulders, she seemed to have resigned.

=======

When Draco suddenly grabbed her arm and forcefully dragged her into motion, Hermione felt a flicker of annoyance. She had found it extremely surprising when his fury dissolved and was immediately replaced by a calm, casual air. For a second, she believed him downright mental. Malfoy seemed to change faces as a game. One moment relaxed, the next screaming at her with pure blind fury. It was disturbing not to know what might offend him next.

With her arm trapped by his stony grip, Hermione found herself practically dragged along. Besides the small talk before they began moving, Draco had not said a word. Uncertain of what to say and afraid of a violent response, Hermione was tentative to begin a conversation. What had happened, she decided, was nothing. Obviously, she had temporarily lost her mind. Yes, she thought with satisfaction, it was just stress. Hermione was relieved however that Draco did not interrogate her about her actions. She wasn't certain she could take the discomfort. She knew though that the much avoided topic would have to be discussed eventually. And, if he flatly refused to ask, she would have to bring it up herself.

Now seemed like the best time as any since they were alone and would probably remain so for some time yet. Hermione reasoned that if they were to reach safety, it was unlikely they would ever have a quiet moment again.

"Draco? About the...um, uh" This wasn't a productive beginning. "Well, the thing I did. That was just...well..." Maybe fate will be merciful and strike me down now, Hermione prayed.

"Just what?" Draco responded. "A mistake?"

"Yes! I mean, yes. Right, a mistake." She realized she had spoken a little too eagerly and chided herself. She was grateful however that he was cooperating with this. Hermione would openly admit that she needed all the assistance she could get.

Draco was looking grimly at her now. "Yeah, I figured that Granger." He said evenly.

She wished he would be more obvious in his meanings. His behavior troubled her in a curious way. Though without reason to believe he was concealing anything, Hermione felt never the less that he always only said half of what he meant. Still, she was in no position to question him and would prefer to deter from another possible tantrum. "Okay then," She said with a sigh, "so we're okay. Right?"

"Yes Granger, we're as good as we ever were." He responded with a chuckle.

Hermione smiled when she realized the situation wasn't as dire anymore. Obviously, Draco wasn't going to let this trouble him, so why should she? If possible, she would try to forget the incident all together. And, for some time she did manage to keep the image subdued within the dark recesses of her mind. Whenever the silence became too solemn however, Hermione found her peace disturbed by the familiar face of Draco and the way his eyes never left hers as she traced his features.

=======

In all probability, how could this happen? This was to be the third time Draco found himself walking in the company of Granger during this war. Considering the vast landscape of the battlefield and the hundreds of participants, Draco simply couldn't believe he could really encounter the same person three times in a role. Since the beginning of the fight he had hardly met another soul; that is until he first ran into Granger. Again he cursed fate for playing its little tricks.

This trek was startlingly similar to every other they had taken. The realization caused some bitter feeling since they were obviously making no progress. They had walked for possibly an hour and during that time Draco flatly refused to release his hold on Hermione's wrist. There was not a chance in hell he was planning on going through that again.

Walking in silence was not particularly comforting but he refused to be the first to speak. Mainly this was due to the fact that he had nothing left to say. He perked up when Hermione at last initiated conversation. Unfortunately, she intended to talk about what had just transpired. Though well aware that the topic would have been brought up eventually, Draco had hoped it would have been in the distant future.

Hermione began with some confused mutterings in an attempt to label what she did. When her sentences ran on to nothing, Draco decided to end her suffering. What could the action be called? Personally, he believed Granger hadn't seriously meant a thing by it. No previous attention had been bestowed on him before by Hermione and he certainly didn't expect an abrupt change now. She must have just lost her mind for a moment, Draco reasoned. Therefore, it could be called a mistake.

He proposed this to Granger and she agreed vigorously. Setting his mouth in a grim line, Draco simply nodded along as she spoke and threw in the occasional sentence. Her words confirmed his beliefs. Whatever had happened really meant nothing. Good, he decided, the less complicated this was the better.

Hermione seemed determined however to be reassured that they were "okay." He didn't understand at first. Had they ever been okay? But her expression was practically pleading with him to just allow her this small comfort. Draco sighed and told her exactly what she wanted to hear. It hardly mattered what he said really. He just wished to forget the entire event.

The silence resumed once Hermione was satisfied. Glancing at her now, Draco found an unfocused expression on her face. He wondered what was distracting her then decided he shouldn't care. To bring her back to life, Draco chose a more favorable conversation topic.

"This is your first war right?" He said with a glance.

Hermione started and looked at him in surprise. "Yes, and I hope it's my last."

Draco chuckled. "Don't we all." He was frustrated with the Ministry. Obviously they were desperate if they were using inexperienced young officers in this battle. She shouldn't be here at all, he thought, she should be shuffling papers in the damn mailroom for heaven's sake. Realizing his thoughts were unkind, Draco wisely chose not to turn his thoughts into words. The bickering thus far was sufficient to last him a lifetime. He had no intention of initiating another round.

Glancing at Hermione now, Draco saw that purity was practically radiating from her. Innocence was a rare sight in war. And, ragged and beaten as she was, she could still no doubt be considered innocent. This wasn't the profession for her, he decided. Since Hogwarts Draco had always assumed that Granger would pursue a quiet career, perhaps something in research. She obviously had the mind, if not the endurance. They were quite opposite, he concluded.

Hermione looked weary and Draco began to worry that her loss in hope would result in a lack of will. His determination drove him on and he feared that she had long lost hers. If Granger were to give up entirely, the chances of them reaching safety would diminish drastically. Frankly, he just didn't believe Granger had fortitude to overcome this obstruction.

Fortunately, Draco was soon distracted from his pessimistic train of thought. Looking toward the skies, he saw a flash. "Was that lightning?" Hermione asked foolishly. He dismissed her idiotic comment and responded patiently.

"No, I think this is it." He said quietly.

Relief came quickly. He had not missed the battle as he had feared. It was still occurring and he was still able to participate. Draco couldn't believe his sudden change in luck. Glory was within reach. He increased his pace and dragged the confused witch along with him. More flashes lighted the sky and as they moved toward them Draco began to hear shouts. The familiar sounds of war brought him into a customary calm. Much like life, he considered battle a game which he was usually lucky enough to win. And, with his collective winnings Draco gained credibility. Bitterly though, he refused to be satisfied until he outshined Potter.

"What's happening!?" Hermione asked bewilderedly.

Draco turned to her with excitement and laughed. "We found them! Everyone! Their all here, a part of this! This is going to be the end of the war, Hermione! This is the final battle and we made it!"

He was shaking her; he even gave her a hug out of his enthusiasm but released her hastily. No need to repeat the uncomfortable atmosphere of their initial contact. Quickly, he pulled her toward the center of the commotion with full confidence and all uneasiness forgotten.

===Note===

Right, need more romance. Gah. There's definitely a spark though yes? Review please.

-Captive