Chapter Six: Disturbing Dreams and Possibilities
Draco turned and walked out of his room, a smile was on his lips that he wasn't able to hide.
"You should do that more often," came a voice from the loveseat. Hermione sat curled up, reading a large book in her lap. She didn't look up from the tome resting in her lap.
"Do what?" he asked sitting down and taking a loaded plate that had just appeared on the table. Draco wasn't about to let his good mood be floundered, so he decided to play nice for a while.
"Smile," Hermione said still reading, though a frown creased her forehead.
He glanced up at her from his plate. He wasn't really used to this side of Granger.
"Since when have you noticed that?" he asked curiously.
"Truthfully, just now. I haven't seen anything on that face of yours except that annoying smirk I tend to want to slap off. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to bed." And with that, she stood up and left.
He listened to her trod up the stone steps and pull door closed with a soft snap.
Draco stood up and stretched languorously. It was time to inspect the rest of the residence, mainly the bathroom.
As he walked back to his room, he couldn't get Hermione out of his mind. 'Merlin, why can't I get her out of my mind?' he thought in frustration, only to have his conscience reply, 'She knows how to get to you is why. Not many can, but she does without really trying. She's no more than a mere enigma to you.'
"Well, that's no help," Draco muttered to himself in aggravation.
He crossed his room quickly and tried the other door hurriedly. He needed something to get her off his mind, fast.
The bathing chambers were amazing. Scarlet and green, checkered tile spread out at his feet. The walls were black with silver and gold lining around the edges. A large bathtub was set into the floor. It, like the Prefects' tub, had the many taps all around for the many different scents and bubbles. A glass shower chamber was in the far corner, he could just make out what looked like a bunch of silver buttons along one wall. The commode itself had its own small alcove, with a silver and gold speckled curtain in front of it. Close by was the large sink on black marble with gold and silver swirls over its surface. The sink had two drawers on each side to hold the students toiletry items. A large mirror reflected his weary form.
He then saw the vanity; it was behind him. The vanity was small and all the contents on top were neatly organized.
"You need some rest, dear," the mirror kindly stated the obvious, "Oh, there is a note!"
Stuck to a corner was a note with Dumbledore's neat and precise writing, but underneath that was another message written in a neat, loopy hand in silver.
Mr. Malfoy and Ms. Granger:
I have placed a privacy charm on your shared bathroom. (That's when he noticed that oddly there were no other doors.) So, like your bedrooms, no one can enter lest invited. (Draco could again see the familiar twinkle in the old wizard's pale blue eyes.)
Sincerely,
Albus Dumbledore
Headmaster of Hogwarts
Malfoy,
I have dibs on this vanity. Knowing how vain you are, I conjured up a mirror for you. It is in the top drawer.
Yours,
Hermione Granger
'Vain am I?' Draco thought but gave in to his curiosity anyway. He pulled open the drawer and found a perfectly normal mirror, or so he thought.
He turned it over in his hands, marveling at its simplicity and beauty of its design.
On the back of the reflective surface was on elegantly carved dragon. Every scale was shaped with intricate precision from silver, all except for the brilliant emerald eyes. Underneath the dragon was his name in gold cursive.
"Bloody hell, Granger. Where did you learn to do this?" he asked the air alone.
When he turned the mirror back over, he about dropped it. Where his face should have been was Hermione's.
"Hello, Malfoy," she said smiling. The amusement was clear in her eyes.
"To hell with greeting, Granger! How did you do it?"
"Oh, Advanced Book of Spells, Chapter 27. Mirror connection was made when you said my name," Hermione answered wearing a smirk worthy of a Malfoy, "I thought they'd come in handy during our duties."
"Damn it, Granger. That book wasn't assigned until this year!" Draco exclaimed in awe and disbelief.
"Point is?" she asked matter of factly, "Anyway, the spell that is on the bathroom works only if the other person's closed their door while they're in the room. So, when you are in the bathroom, my door disappears. Understand?"
"I'm not one of your dumb ass friends, Granger. Yes, I understand," Draco spat foully, "Now, how do you turn this thing off?"
"Oh, how silly of me!" Hermione said acting innocent. Draco wasn't fooled.
"Just answer me, Granger."
"Just rub your thumb across your name," she said almost sounding disgusted with his ignorance.
"Go to sleep, Malfoy. You look like shit," she said with a smile, "Goodnight." And with that, Hermione's face faded out and was replaced with his own again.
Draco rubbed his face vigorously with his hands and then shook his head hard.
'Gods, she's so annoying. Now I can't even so much as curse her under my breath without her hearing. She's probably planned it that way…' he thought stubbornly.
'You could always throw it away, you know?' his conscience reminded him unfairly.
Truthfully, Draco knew she had a point with the using them for their duties, but he wasn't about to admit that to anyone.
With a couple of quick jerks, he took off his clothes. A sigh escaped his lips as he sank down onto his bed. He was nearly asleep before his head hit his pillow.
Hermione had a harder time falling asleep.
Her mind swarmed with thoughts about Draco Malfoy. 'He's so cold, but when he smiles it's as if he's another person. Why does he hide his emotions, and why isn't he a deatheater?'
Eventually Hermione fell into a fretful sleep.
She was running through trees. It was a dark and crescent-mooned night. The moon's pale rays lit up the forest occasionally, but was only hid by clouds again soon after.
But Hermione wasn't alone. Her hand was held firmly by a tall, dark figure, who was nearly dragging her along through the ominous foliage.
They crashed through the underbrush nosily, but with no lengthy pauses. The figure seemed as though he was frightened for both of their lives, and he kept tugging Hermione's arm with labored breaths.
"Stupefy!" a man's voice screamed some where around them. A bright red ball of magical energy hit a large tree to Hermione's right.
She stumbled but was quickly pulled back up by her companion.
"Keep running, Hermione!" he shouted over another crackling spell that whizzed overhead.
His voice filled her with another burst of energy. They hurtled a bulky fallen tree in the screaming adrenaline rush coursing through their veins. Her legs were tiring, but her comrade showed no signs of fatigue.
"Fortis casus!" anther voice screeched in a high voice. The burning orange spell hit the log, splintering it to pieces.
"Fool! Don't kill them, just stop them!" a commanding voice rebuked harshly.
Hermione didn't want to know why they only wanted to disarm the fleeing pair. She didn't care much to find out.
"Rictusempra!"
The only person that seemed to be on her side was knocked off his feet hard. His body hurtled into a tree ten feet from her.
Hermione slowed to aide him. She checked and found his leg to be broken. It was twisted in an unnatural angle.
He pushed her off of him forcefully. "Run, Hermione! They can't get you!" he said waving her on. His face was ghost white from the pain. "Go, now!"
Hermione cast him a fleeting glance before turning on her heel and running as fast as her tired legs would carry her. She could hear the noises of other people approaching fast. All she could do was hope he was okay and run faster.
Her feet snagged on tree roots that seemed as if they were rising up just to trip her.
As she ran, she recognized the feeling of a great loss. There was something about her only help.
Her unprepared flight took her deeper into the dark forest. The humid air felt thick to her heaving lungs.
She suddenly collided with something that hadn't been there a second before.
"Well, well what do we have here?" an icy voice asked maliciously.
She fell to the ground in a startled heap. Invisible binds twisted around her arms, wrists, and feet. Hermione let out a piercing shriek, hoping for some help. But she knew it was hopeless. She struggled with her binds, twisting frantically hoping to free herself.
"Now, mudblood, why do you fight so hard?" the malevolent man asked cruelly. She then recognized him as none other than Lucius Malfoy.
Another scream erupted from her lungs. She couldn't help it; the long, frightening chase couldn't have ended any worse.
Draco jerked out of his dreamless sleep at the sound of a piercing scream. Instinct sent him hurdling down his stairs and up Hermione's in an instant. He wasn't even aware whether it was genuine concern or saving his own skin that was the reason he was there then.
"Granger, are you okay?" he said beating on her door with a clenched fist. 'Damn it, what is she doing?'
He grabbed the doorknob and twisted vigorously. Draco wasn't met with the suspected click, but an electrical shock jerked his arm painfully.
Draco started to beat the stalwart door again, but as soon as his fist rose to hit it again, the door swung open as if it had gave in.
Hermione stood in it looking disheveled and surprised, but the look didn't last long.
"Sorry to have disturbed you, Malfoy. I hope I didn't wreck to much havoc on your beauty sleep."
'There she goes again with her witty comments. What the hell is she wearing?' Draco thought testily.
Like Draco, Hermione had gotten up in a rush in what she had went to sleep in. She just happened to be wearing silky, blue pajama pants with a tight, white tank top.
Hermione's eyes widened slightly at what Draco was wearing, or more suitably not wearing. He was just standing in her doorway with black boxers on.
He watched her eyes change ever so slightly. He smirked self-assuredly.
"So what caused that abnormal, feminine scream to leave you, Granger? The Weasel finally recognize you as female?" he asked tauntingly.
A faint blush touched Hermione's cheeks, but disappeared when anger flared stronger. "No, Malfoy," she snapped coldly, "I suppose I ought to tell you since you did come to my rescue."
Draco could nearly hear the drips of sarcasm hit the floor.
"Well, spit it out, woman. I haven't got all night."
"I had a strange nightmare. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going back to bed."
"Sure, Granger," he said nodding, "Goodnight."
Hermione turned around and shut the door. She figured he hadn't come for her skin but his own, but she knew she should have been nicer with him coming period.
'He could have put some clothes on!' she thought disconcerted, but her conscience like Malfoy's loved to contradict people, 'Oh, but you didn't mind it too much, now did you?' it asked cynically. She shook the thought loose forcefully.
Hermione thought back to all of the awful things he'd done to her and her friends and all of the names he'd called her since first year.
'Wait a minute! Names…Malfoy hasn't called me a mudblood, yet. He used to at least three times every time he saw me…'
Hermione's large amber eyes flashed with the horrible possibility that was forming in her head.