Disclaimer: Please look at the last chapter!
Author's Notes – As a special Easter treat, I've decided to update two chapters in one go! This means however, that you guys need to reward me with a special favour: TWICE AS MANY REVIEWS please!! Please REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!
Chapter 5: Was it just a dream?
Tom closed his eyes for a brief second behind his sunglasses and stopped. "Stop screaming Granger. I need to explain."
I blinked and stared at him, my mouth opening to reply but nothing coming out. He had let go of my wrist now, but I stood still, watching his face and feeling him watch me behind his veil. Granger?! Was I imagining that arrogant drawl just now...was he really who I thought he was at the very beginning?
"Ma..."
"Shut up!" he hissed. "As I said before, I need to explain, but I can't do it here! I'm taking you back to my flat, will you come with me?"
I eyed him suspiciously. "How do you know you're really who I think you are?"
He sighed heavily with irritation. "Ok, so you want proof do you? Fine. Well, here's a good one, even though I cringe at the very memory of it. One week in seventh year, you had to bow down to me three times a day because you didn't want Professor McGonagall to know that I had walked in on you while you and Weasley were..."
"Ok! Ok! I believe you. So, where's your flat?" I smiled maliciously. "I thought I'd never see the day when you, of all people, would be serving muggles in a muggle café and living in a small flat in London..."
"Granger, this is no time for petty arguments. We need to hurry!" He glanced anxiously around him and then ushered Hermione onto a bus that was heading their way, while clambering onto it after her.
He smirked. "Although, I have to admit, I thought I'd never see the day when Hermione Granger, Weasley's sweetheart, would blush so much at the sight of me."
I fumed. I had all that time been admiring the slimeball Malfoy! What was the world coming down to! We both took seats at opposite ends of the bus and I was feeling exhausted as the bus rattled onwards. Dealing with two Malfoys in one day was just too much.
"We have to get off at the next stop."
Hearing the voice faintly inside my mind, I registered what he said and stood up from my seat, having opened my eyes and glared at him first. Surprisingly enough, he didn't glare back, but merely gestured for me to come forward as he stepped down from the bus.
Grudgingly, I followed him as he led his way up the street and he stopped in front of a small, grey building that looked about four storeys high. "My flat's on the third floor. There's no elevator – we have to use the stairs."
I followed him up the three flights of steep stairs, panting slightly in an effort to catch up with his effortless strides. He turned a key in his lock and threw open the door, allowing me to go in and then closing the door hurriedly.
I examined my surroundings. Hmm. It was small, but tidy. Not badly kept actually, in honest truth. I had no idea that Malfoy could clean up after himself.
"Sit down." He motioned to a sofa in front of a television.
Better manners that his own mother at least! And a TV? Since when did Malfoy watch TV?
I sat down, smoothing the creases out in my robe as he went into a portioned off part of the room. I suspected it was the kitchen.
"Do you want a drink? I've only got orange juice if that's ok with you."
"That's fine." Malfoy politely asking me if I wanted a drink? Living for five years with muggles had a very good effect on him. "You've changed."
He pulled a chair over to the sofa and smirked. "Maybe it's just the fact that you have at last noticed my devilishly good-looks. Took you long enough Granger, for someone known to be as intelligent as yourself."
"You know what I mean Malfoy." I said coldly. "Why are you wearing those sunglasses anyway?"
"I just had a little accident." He replied quickly.
"What sort of accident?"
"Do you always have to be so inquisitive?" he snapped.
Wowee. Feistiness. "I've never been interested in your life ever before Malfoy. I'm only asking now as it's been my job to try and find you and take you to Dumbledore."
He turned away. "I don't want to go to Dumbledore yet."
"Great. Does that mean that I have to sit around waiting until you want to meet your old headmaster again so that I could finish my job?"
"Don't you get it Granger? It's not that I don't want to see Dumbledore just for the sake of not wanting to see him, I'm not ready to face him yet. I've been living here like this for all these years because I want to forget." He told me quietly. "And it's not working that much either." He added bitterly.
I looked down. I hadn't actually thought about how much trouble he had gone through. And I knew that it was more, much more than what I had suffered. "I'm sorry."
"I didn't tell you that so I could get your pity Granger."
My insides twisted together then. I didn't know why I felt so angry – he had said worse to me before. But I had said it meaning to be helpful and he had no reason to let his pride jump down my throat. He hadn't changed...not really...well I thought he had, but...oh this was getting way too confusing.
"You're an arrogant prat, did you know that Malfoy?"
"Yes, I did actually. You've told me that many times before, why waste your breath saying it again?" Malfoy told me looking, in my opinion, rather smug.
I banged my glass of orange juice down on the table, so that it nearly spilled over the side. Calm down...calm down, I've been through this for seven years; it's nothing too bad...but it was bad. For some strange reason, it was very bad indeed. "I liked you much better when your were Tom Steel, Malfoy. We could have actually got on."
"You LIKED me Granger? Well, that's a huge confession to come out of your mouth. Congratulations."
"You must have liked me too when you didn't know who I was, as you asked me out. I'm refusing that offer by the way." I said huffily.
"And I'm glad. I never asked you because I liked you, I did because I felt sorry for that girl who was sitting there, blushing crimson everytime she looked at me and spilling coffee all over the place."
That really got me then. It really did. But I hadn't even wanted to go to lunch with him anyway...so why was I standing here getting in a rage? "I hate you Malfoy. I always have and always will. I regret ever thinking about helping you from your danger or whatever it was that Dumbledore said you were in. If someone tells me you've been hurt, see if I care 'cause I won't. And you deserve it too. Farewell Malfoy. I'm probably never going to see you again."
Storming out of his house, I ran and ran and ran until I was gasping for breath, my eyes stinging. My eyes were stinging. Malfoy had made my eyes sting. NO, that couldn't be true...they were stinging because something had gone into them while I was running. But I knew it was true. And I was never going to let that happen ever again.
I contacted Ginny as soon as I got home, but there was no one there when I popped my head around to her fireplace. I groaned, knowing that she was probably meeting with Harry. Lucky her!
Coming back to my desk in my room, I organised the stacks of paper lying around into clean files and stashed them away, while taking out a new piece of parchment and sucking on the end of my quill.
Dear Professor Dumbledore
How are you? I am sorry to say, but I no longer want to -
I scrunched it up and started again.
Dear Professor Dumbledore
Draco Malfoy has been found but I am no longer able to -
No. No. And no. How was I meant to tell him this? Ok, this was going to be my last time.
Dear Professor Dumbledore,
I hope everything is well and that you are in good health. I have located Draco Malfoy's whereabouts and with your permission, I will be only too willing to owl you with his address. However, due to busy circumstances in my office at the Ministry of Magic, I do not believe that I will be able to further accompany Draco to your office. If necessary, I will send him a letter by owl, or even by the muggle mail system, asking him to visit you whenever it is suitable. I apologise deeply for any inconvenience I may cause.
Best wishes, Hermione Granger
Satisfied, I sealed the parchment up, apparating into my office to find an owl. The office was empty, with both Ron and Harry not in sight. I sighed and attached my letter to a rusty looking owl. "Take that to Professor Dumbledore ok?"
The owl gave a hoot and flew out of the open door and soon afterwards, I arrived back into my house, shuffling into my comfy night-gown. A siren rang out disturbingly in my head: "Hungry! Hungry! Hungry!" and I realised that I had not eaten very much that day.
Dragging my unwilling legs to the kitchen, I saw an apple lying on the table and bit into it, the juice seeping through my tongue and into the depths of my stomach. The sirens began to fade.
When I finally snuggled myself under my duvet, I found that all my sleepiness had been robbed of. What had come instead were chains and chains of thoughts, each leading onto another and another and another...
I woke up the next morning feeling more than a little groggy. I had no idea when sleep had arrived, but I knew one thing was for sure – I had stayed up most of the night. Rubbing my puffy eyes, I tried to brush my hair that was wildly displaying itself on either side of my head. Just what I needed. I then noticed a piece of folded parchment lying on my dressing table.
Hermione,
I came earlier this morning and saw that you were fast asleep, so I decided not to wake you up – after all, you did spend most of the day with that incredibly hot waiter – was he Malfoy by the way? I predicted he was after he dragged you out of the café like that. Anyway, do you want to meet up at that same café this afternoon? Around noon? I'll get Harry and Ron to come along.
See you there
Ginny xxx
I groaned. No way was I going to be going to that café again. I mean, they did nice coffee, but that was only when Malfoy was making them and Malfoy was just a plain old fart – well maybe not...but anyhow, you get my point.
I went over to the fireplace, wanting to talk to Ginny so that I could suggest someplace else, but then I caught sight of the time. Five to twelve. Hell! I had to be there in five minutes – it was too late now to change the location! Not to mention having to do something with my hair and sleep deprived face...
"Hi Hermione!"
I glanced at the clock. Whew. Only five minutes late. Harry waved me over and I took a seat next to Ron who was busy stuffing himself full of waffle and ice cream.
"I've told them everything I could figure out so far." Began Ginny.
"I'll tell it all to you after I've ordered myself something to eat." I stood up and went to the counter. The girl that was there the first time round was there again – the one with lots of spots. "Could I please have a cappuccino please? And this panini here." I needed a break from caffe lattes. And plus, I couldn't even see Malfoy anyway, so it was probably not worth ordering one. Where was he?
"Five pounds thirty please."
I handed over a ten quid note. "Do you know whether Tom Steel is here today?"
She shook her head as she handed back my change. "He was supposed to be in quite a while ago, but he hasn't turned up yet."
I nodded and carried my tray back to my table. When I had finished retelling what had happened, starting from way back in Malfoy Manor, Harry looked at me incredulously.
"Are you saying that Malfoy's changed?"
Ron snorted. "Of course he hasn't changed. He can't have."
"But he has! You should have seen him yesterday!" Ginny argued. "He was apologising and stuff and he even asked Hermione out, didn't he Hermione?"
Both Harry and Ron turned to look at me sharply. "And what did you say?"
"I said I was busy."
Ginny rolled her eyes. "Oh Hermione! That's pathetic."
"No, it's not!" Ron began hotly. "If Hermione had said yes to that git then God know what I would have done..."
They had started bickering again. There was one good thing about it; I could doze away while they were too absorbed in their own arguments to notice. I hadn't told them about the incident in his flat of course. I wasn't exactly sure why not – but it seemed a little personal, although I knew it was only because I took it so personally. I wished that he really had changed though. Funny how nice he could be one minute and then as soon as he found out who I really was, so annoyingly conceited again the next, smirking all over his face. I had to admit that I really liked the sweet side of him. If only I could see his smile one more time...
Draco slumped back down onto the sofa, sighing heavily and flicking through the channels on TV. Nothing there, boring, useless, childish – fed up, he turned it off and threw the remote control at the wall. It banged the wall squarely beside the TV and crashed to the floor, the batteries scattering on the ground. He leaned his head back against the arm of the sofa and closed his eyes, while reaching over with one hand and grappling for the light switch. Click. The room became instantly dark. He didn't know his words would have hurt Granger so much. He had said worse things to her before, lets face it, he hadn't even mentioned the word mudblood at all! She was probably just not used to it after five years of constant praising from Potter and Weasley...
The same dark room appeared and Draco was once again engulfed in the mighty smell of sweat and blood. Only just catching himself after losing his balance he saw someone twitching just beneath his feet. He knelt beside the body and saw that it was the Gryffindor boy Seamus. "Finnigan!" he whispered urgently. "We need to get you out of here..."
Seamus opened his eyes and looked at him through heavy eyelids. "Just leave me. You don't need to waste your energy dragging me around. Can you see anyone else nearby?"
Draco shook his head and Seamus opened his cracked lips to speak. "Can you do something for me Malfoy? I know I'm a Gryffindor and everything and you usually don't carry out the wishes from somebody else, but this is important. Can you tell me mam when she comes to pick me up at the station, can you tell her how much I love her and how sorry I am for all the past things that I've done wrong. Can you tell her..." with a sudden gasp and choking noise high up in his throat, he suddenly fell silent, his head turning limply to the side.
Draco shut his own eyes before standing up. "I promise Seamus. I'll do my first and last thing that I ever do for you. You don't need to worry."
His hands trembling slightly, he turned to walk away when he heard footsteps echoing from not far away. Tap. Tap. Tap.
Tap. Tap. Tap. Draco's eyes sprung open. He could hear definite footsteps and it wasn't just inside his mind either. Jumping up swiftly from the sofa, he turned the light on and looked around, searching anxiously for any sign of the intruder. From in front of the door leading to the bathroom, a hand shot out and whisked away an invisibility cloak. The man was wearing a death eater's cloak and hood, his wand held out in front of him.
"Hello Draco. Long time no see eh?"
Draco scowled, reaching behind his back and fumbling with the cushions on his sofa.
"Come on Draco. Come with me. You want to see your father again don't you?"
"Never." Draco growled, while his hand continued to seek for something underneath the sofa.
"You know you will give up in the end. If you just follow me calmly now, there's no chance at any of us being hurt..."
"Expelliarmus!"
Antonin dodged the curse being thrown his way. The door behind him cracked. "You're fast aren't you? Just like your own father."
Antonin expertly dodged more curses thrown his way. "Can you not see that I spent five years in training while you sat here, your wizarding skills gradually rotting away? Such a waste Draco. You could have turned out to be a very fine death eater. Crucio."
"Protego!"
There was a loud bang as a large part of the wall smashed, leaving a large hole and making the clock shatter with it. A sharp piece lodged itself in Draco's arm. His arm faltered with the pain for a mere second, but that was enough time for Antonin to act. "Crucio."
Draco collapsed to the ground, contorting with pain. He had not endured so much physical pain since five years ago, but he could not yell, he could not yell...
"Hermione! Hermione! Are you ok?"
I blinked and saw a pair of emerald eyes blinking back at me. I had fallen asleep and I had dreamt about something horrible. What was it? And then I remembered it. Every single detail. Without another word I sprinted from the café.
"Malfoy!"Author's Notes: You know it. REVIEW! Remember it has to be twice as many! Happy Reading xx