Chapter 7

Hermione awoke at 3:45 A.M., drenched in cold sweat. She knew something was wrong, but could not pin her finger on it. Perhaps she was simply nervous.

She always got worried before performing a big piece of magic. She wondered if Draco was worrying too. She shook her head, and dismissed her thoughts of Malfoy. He wasn't thinking of her, of this she was sure.

She crawled from under the warm sheets and stood by the window, letting the moonlight stream over her body.

Hermione wandered from class to class in a daze, running over every aspect of the story.

What could go wrong?

Nothing, she hoped.

Hermione ate dinner at an alarming speed, and found herself rushing to the infirmary.

Draco was waiting, sitting in a chair, dressed as a muggle would, reading.

"You ready?" she asked, her voice wavering.

"No," he replied, folding the corner of the page and placing it on the bedside table heavily. "You?" He smoothed his jeans nervously.

"What do you think?" she asked with a slight laugh. "Of course I'm nervous. My heart is pounding furiously."

"Hermione," Draco started. "What if this goes badly?"

"Well, then we're in trouble," she joked. He frowned.

"I…"

"What, Draco?"

"Never mind, Granger," he finished lamely. "Just do the spell."

"Tell me. Is there some weird medical condition I should know about?"

"No. Just, be careful."

"I will be."

"Don't get me hurt."

"I won't."

"Don't get yourself hurt, I don't want to get blamed," he muttered.

"Sure," she said faintly.

"Hermione, really."

"I'm taking you seriously, don't worry," she assured him. "Now let's just get this over with."

He sighed. "Just get it over with. Okay."

Hermione took a deep breath and cleared her mind, pulling her wand with shaking hands from her bag.

"Wish me luck," she murmured.

"Luck."

Hermione raised the wand, and opened her mouth.

"Umbra Recantem Draco," she said with a wavering voice. "Umbra Recantem Draco!"

Suddenly, the windows in the infirmary flew open, sending cold winter wind into the already chilly room. The wind swept around the beds, snapping sheets and sending up shrieks. The air swirled and twisted like a vortex in the center of the room, the fog caught up in the tornado. Hermione watched in horror as something stepped out of the fog.

It was Draco.

Or it was Draco before the accident. He was flawless and beautiful in his cruelty. He raised a hand and reached toward her. Hermione froze.

Draco interrupted her frozen thoughts.

"Destroy it Hermione!" he yelled over the din of the wind.

"I can't!" she replied, filled with fear. "He looks to much like you!"

"Just do it Hermione," the other Draco said, pointing at Draco. "Kill me and you kill him."

"No!" she shrieked, and turned to Draco for help. "You do it!"

"I can't!" he screamed back, his blue eyes filled with fear and shock. "I'll mess up!"

The other Draco stepped forward, his handsome face pulled into an ugly sneer.

"Hermione," he said, voice like honey. "You know you can't do it, so, prepare to die!" He pulled a silver blade from his back pocket and raised it.

Hermione gasped.

He took a step closer.

"Run Hermione!" Draco bellowed, and chucked a book at the doppelganger.

That moment was enough for Hermione to break free of the reverie and bold. The doppelganger roared in anger, and chased after her.

"Oh, god," she muttered to herself as she sprinted down the hallway, pushing students out of her way. "Move, move!" she yelled as she shoved her way to the stairs. "Got to get to Dumbledore."

The doppelganger had broken into a run and she could hear his light footsteps behind her, laughing maniacally.

"Hermione," Ron yelled. "Where are you going?"

"I'll talk later," she explained as she rushed past. She ran out into the quad, and ran through a puddle. The doppelganger followed her through it, and now she could see its footprints when she looked over her shoulder.

It was gaining.

Hermione rushed up a flight of stairs, hoping that she could get into Dumbledore's office.

She pounded on the office door, but no one opened.

"Lemon drop," she said to the gargoyle, panting furiously. "Cockroach clusters, Blister Bubblegum, umm…." She could hear the ghost coming. She pushed the door while muttering candy names.

"… Blood lollipops, Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans," she screamed in desperation, seeing the wet footprints get closer and closer. "Oh, god, fine, um… Chocolate Frogs!"

Suddenly the door opened and Hermione fell in. She dazedly jumped to her feet and ran up the revolving staircase. Her feet felt like lead and her lungs were going to pop.

She slammed Dumbledore's office door open, scrambling as fast as she could.

"Dumbledore!" she screamed, desperation making her voice crack. "Oh please, Dumbledore!"

No one was there.

The office door swung open, and Hermione spun around hopefully. She screamed.

Draco's doppelganger was standing there, an evil glint in his beautiful eyes, holding the knife.

Hermione backed up.

"Leave me alone!" she begged, groping for her wand. The doppelganger smiled evilly.

"Hermione," he whispered, caressing the blade with a pale hand. "Why are you so afraid?"

"I don't want to die," she sobbed, cringing as he stepped closer.

"Death is beautiful," the ghost murmured comfortingly, reaching out with his knife-free hand. He stroked her cheek with his cold hands, sending a chill down her spine.

"Leave me alone," she stuttered, nearly knocking over Fawkes' cage. The beautiful bird was not there, and Hermione wished that she had been able to die with the bird there to comfort her.

The ghost's face turned ugly. "You thought you could steal Draco from me, didn't you? You little whore."

"Steal Draco? What are you talking about?" she spat, gathering her hatred close to her heart. "You're just a stupid insignificant ghost."

"I know you love him," the ghost hissed loudly. "A stupid mud-blood slut likes a pure-blood gentleman. How touching."

Hermione raised her wand and pointed it at his face. "Draco wouldn't say things like that to me."

"Are you so sure of that?" the doppelganger purred.

Hermione hesitated. The ghost took the opportunity.

"Accio wand!" he exploded, and Hermione's wand flew from her hand into his. The ghost smiled, and raised the knife again.

He looked at the knife lovingly. "I think I'll kill you the muggle way, painfully."

Hermione looked desperately for a weapon, but could see nothing that would help her.

She was doomed.

The doppelganger's smile dropped, and his hand swooped down in an arc, the blade glittering madly in the candlelight.

Time held still as Hermione gasped in fear.

Suddenly someone screamed,

"Umbra Necavit!"

The Draco doppelganger suddenly froze, his beautiful features twisting horribly in pain. He shrieked once, and disappeared in a cloud of foul smelling smoke.

Hermione collapsed onto her knees as the knife hit the ground beside her. It shattered upon impact, and the shards disappeared in another plume of smoke.

Draco was by her side, calling her name.

"Hermione, are you hurt?" he begged, smoothing her hair out of her dark eyes. "Did it hurt you?"

"No, it didn't," she said, looking up into his deep blue eyes. "I'm fine. Just a little scared."

"Why didn't you destroy it?"

She blushed furiously. "I can't say."

"Tell me."

"He looked too much like you, I couldn't bear to destroy it. Plus, I wasn't sure who was who."

"I'm sorry I couldn't come sooner, Madame Pomfrey delayed me."

"You did the spell perfectly, why were you so afraid to do it?" Hermione asked. He shrugged.

"I guess after the potions accident, I've had really bad self-esteem. I was worried I'd hurt you in the process."

"You were worried about me?" she asked quietly. He nodded slowly, looking at her with liquid eyes.

Hermione smiled softly, and tentatively touched ran her finger across the pale scars on his cheek. He reached up and covered her hand with his.

He sighed. "Hermione, there's so much I want to say…"

"Me too," she replied. "But-"

Swiftly, he leaned forward and kissed her on the lips.

Hermione drew in a deep breath, but suddenly jerked away.

Dumbledore stood at the door of his office watching them amusedly, Fawkes sitting serenely on his shoulder.

"Good evening Ms. Granger, Mr. Malfoy. I believe you have some explaining to do."

A/N:

Okey Dokey, since it was my spring break, I left you all for roughly a week, and I am dreadfully, dreadfully, sorry. I would have updated every day, but even starving writers need breaks. I'm not quite starving, yet, thank god for my parents (you don't hear every teenager uttering that!) but in a couple of years I'll be released into the wild, and then, beware publishing world, anglachel is ready to wow you with her pathetic writing skills.

Now, enough of my ego trip, I need to thank and shout out to the people who keep me writing with their inspirational advice and support!

Kisses and Hugs to sumnox, because though you never review :( what else are best friends for?

Big kudos and highfives to all my loyal readers (i.e. N.Flora, Tacroy, sumnox, Bloduedd, and if I forgot you… I'm sorry)

Thank you's and love to all those who have recently joined the band in reading my junk, you make me feel so loved. Esp. those who review:

Samhaincat (are you wiccan? because if you are, so am I, and I'd love to talk to you about it), s.halliwell24, LilJuwan, PART-TIME SINNER, Spaced Out Space Cadet, Angelic Night Goddess, Catalysmic Silliness, Princess Kyra and all my anonymous reviewers, esp. fieryred20, Lila, and Angel.

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Love you all bunches,

your very confused buddy in lala land, who is going to go romp in the snow for the hols:

anglachel

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