Just Too Tempting
By Avadne
Chapter 7: A Revealing
"So what did you want to talk about?" Pete asked, flopping down onto his bed; it was pretty late at night, but none were sleeping, because the four Marauders had gathered together and were now all seated in the privacy of their dormitory, gearing up to discuss recent events.
"Mi Hooper and Hunter Brown," Sirius said quickly, pulling his hands behind his head and leaning comfortably on them as he lay on his own bed.
"I don't know. I mean, they know their way around Hogwarts really well for their first year here. And when people tell them about things like Hogwarts traditions they don't seem shocked or surprised at all; it's like they already know. I mean, you can only get so much for Hogwarts; A History," James said.
"I agree. I swear when I first saw them in that closet, they looked different," Remus put in. James and Sirius looked alarmed.
"What do you mean?" Sirius asked sharply. Remus laughed; Sirius was probably thinking of wide-eyed, green-skinned aliens or something.
"No, nothing major… but I saw Hunter's hair lighter, platinum blonde and the same colour all around. It was a bit shorter too. And I remember seeing his eyes; they were really… well, cold. But they were silver, not blue. His features were a bit different too; larger nose, lower cheekbones, just stuff like that," Remus told them. Werewolves had very quick eye sight and sharp memories, so Remus was probably right.
"What about Mi?" James asked interestedly. Sirius smirked; James was just too transparent.
"Well, her hair was a bit… frizzier, I guess, and longer. Just above her elbows, without any streaks. And her eyes, without doubt, were caramel. No blue or green spots. She didn't have freckles and her nose wasn't as upturned. I don't think she had those dimples ether," Remus explained.
"Did you hear what they were yelling about?" Peter asked. This could be a very valuable clue; what if they were using, say, different names?
"A bit of it, they were arguing; I'm sure of it. I remember Mi saying something like 'Are you a wizard' or whatnot. I think something must have just dawned on Hunter then. I did hear something like 'Yeah right, Malfoy. Are you seeing what I'm seeing?' Why would Mi call Hunter 'Malfoy'?" Remus asked.
"That's it! That's who Hunter reminds me of; Lucius Malfoy! I knew he looked familiar," James jumped up, a piece of the puzzle clicking slightly.
"Well Lucius doesn't have any brothers or cousins this age," Sirius offered. "Ok, did you hear anything else after that?"
"Ok, I'm pretty sure that Hunter said 'What? That hot redhead and 3 guys?' Mi must have hit him then. He added afterwards 'You don't have to hit me; I'm stating a fact'. Mi replied something I didn't catch. She asked him if he wanted to be hit again. Here's the other weird part; he said to her, sarcastically, 'Yes, I do. My greatest thrill in life is being hit by you, Granger'. Or something like that. But I'm sure I heard Granger. So why is Mi calling Hunter 'Malfoy' and why is he calling her 'Granger'?" Remus asked them. He only got some shrugs in reply.
"You know the creepiest thing, though?" James began.
"When we told Mi that Remus has to visit his sick grandma, she just got this knowing look in her eye and smiled, like an I-know-a-secret smile. It's like she knew about Remus!" Sirius finished for James. James nodded vigorously.
"She has no problems with anything at all, knows her way around the library even better than Evans and sometimes, I swear that her and McGonagall are old friends or something," James added, standing up to pace.
"I agree. But what can we do?" Pete asked, looking around for an answer. James and Sirius both shrugged.
"I say we wait, and observe. Don't say anything yet," Remus put in, glancing out into the sky.
"Ok, we stay silent for now. But we be careful," Sirius confirmed. The others nodded in agreement.
"I'm off to bed, guys. 'Night," James said quietly, crawling into his bed again, still deep in thought. If Mi is really someone else… then who do I get these feelings for? And why is she hiding?
Draco relished this; such walks had been a regular escape, here at Hogwarts and at home. It was past midnight and Draco was sure that no other sane person would be out here. Hogwarts was a huge place, both the castle and the grounds. Not to mention that the chances of Draco getting caught were highly unlikely.
Pushing platinum blonde hair out of his eyes, Draco looked up. The sky was an interesting combination of colours; overall it was black. A small amount of starts were scattered here and there and the crescent moon gave little light. But there was an orange glow from one of the taller towers and around that tower, the glowing light made the sky shine. It was blue or black, but with streaks of pinks, purples and even orange. It was no where near time for sunrise and the clouds that hung around there seemed puffier than the others, yet a dull shade of blue-grey.
The cold, gushing winds would have frozen an ordinary person by now. But Draco was resistant to the icy temperature. This wasn't cold; cold was actually being scared of your father. Cold was being forced to join a group of murderers. Cold was being raised by a mother than couldn't ever show her love. Cold was being punched up so badly, you couldn't even move. Such a night was definitely not cold.
Draco had never really been one for talking. Yes, he had a sharp wit and a quick mouth, but that was something that had been beaten into him. Draco had never relished on conversations with housemates. To the outside, Draco was the ultimate Slytherin King… back in their time, anyway. He was the one who had it all. But really, Draco never fit in. To them, he might have been perfect, but for himself, he was the loner, the misfit that would never belong, no matter how much it seemed he did.
Usually, one look from Draco's eyes was enough for a thousand words. That was at home, anyway, where he avoided speaking unless necessary. Of course, here at Hogwarts, things were different; there wasn't much silence. And things were settled more commonly by words rather than punches. His father never really physically abused him; the occasional slap, but nothing major. But emotional abuse was a different story. It had taken some time getting used to, that at Hogwarts, it was a fact that people were after a friendly chat, not trying to get you into a mental breakdown. It wasn't usual; they didn't tell him he was worthless or whatnot… no, it was deeper than that.
There was the occasional fight, but not many reports of wizard duels or even old fashioned punch-ups. Slytherin was the main house like that; notorious for picking fights with Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, but best of all, Gryffindor. And the occasional Slytherin, one that didn't fit their mould or wasn't loyal to Slytherin.
"Aren't you cold?" a voice asked from behind him. Draco was leaning comfortably against a stray tree, in a half-sitting, half-lying position, looking up at the sky.
"No," Draco responded, not turning around to look at the speaker; Draco could tell by the voice, it was Hermione. And not adding any additional comments to the side. He wasn't in the mood for a conversation at the moment; coming here was to be alone. But Hermione it was didn't give up. A second later, she was next to him, in the same position he was.
"Do you mind?" she asked. No response, so she took as it okay. "Anyone else would be freezing," she added, not looking away from the stars.
"Are you?" Draco asked, not really interested. He knew what the answer would be; yes. Hermione was only wearing robes over her pyjamas.
"I'm never cold," she answered calmly. Now, she had caught Draco's interest; she had surprised him, which not many people did anymore.
"Why?" Draco couldn't resist asking.
"Because it's not really cold," she answered simply. Draco nodded slightly
"We have to talk, don't we?" Draco asked heavily. Hermione nodded sadly as Draco sighed; screw his alone time, taking a walk for some peace and quiet. Obviously, it wasn't going to happen.
"We have to, but it doesn't mean I want to," Hermione said, also sighing. Draco was, again, somewhat surprised; he always thought she would be the first one jumping at such a chance to share experiences or something.
"We have to be completely honest here, you know that?" Draco asked. Unfortunately, this wouldn't work without the honesty factor. If they were going to make a plan to get out of here, they both needed all the facts. Hermione nodded reluctantly.
"Tell me how Slytherin is going," Hermione began, shifting her body slightly so that she faced Draco. He shrugged in response, avoiding her eyes.
"It's all right," he replied half-heartedly. This was the subject he had hoped to avoid for a while longer, maybe until he had the mess under control and he knew what he wanted.
"Don't give me that," Hermione said sharply, glaring at him. She knew something was up, something big.
"Fine; I'm the latest wanted-recruit for Voldemort," Draco said without humour. His tone was dull and he avoided Hermione's eyes carefully.
"WHAT!?" Hermione was shocked; she had not been expecting this at all. Simply fabulous, she thought. So now Draco is being prepped up for a future Death Eater club.
"Yes, it's all just peachy," Draco answered, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Well, what are they doing to you?" Hermione asked carefully, trying not to imply anything too soon.
"Oh, you know, just the usual; empty threats, equally empty promises, power games. That type of thing," Draco explained.
"So, no physical violence or anything?" Hermione pressed on. Draco suppressed a snigger, but just barely.
"Nah… not yet. I can handle it, though. But what's with you and the Marauders?" Draco asked, eager to drop the subject and move onto something else.
"Well, it takes a lot of self control not to scream murder, bloody murder every time I see Pettigrew…" Hermione trailed off.
"Me too, and I'm not even in your house, not to mention I hardly even like the junior Pott-Harry. But I know a rat when I see one," Here, Hermione nodded in agreement. "Ok, tell me. I know you're keeping something quiet."
"I th-think I'm d-developing feelings f-for…" Hermione began, very quietly and nervously. Obviously, she knew what Draco meant, because she hadn't even tried the 'I don't know what you're talking about' routine. Damn that honesty. Draco could guess what was coming next easily.
"James. It's James, isn't it?" Draco asked heavily. Hermione looked surprised, but nodded.
"That obvious?" Hermione asked, worry visible on her face. Draco shook his head somewhat sadly, looking around, just in case some insane person was out and eavesdropping.
"Careful, Hermione. You don't need a lecture from me; you know what could happen," Draco warned her. He didn't bother with all that you could change the future crap; Hermione knew it all, much better than he did anyway. It was up to her and her self control. Draco was basically powerless.
"I know. Now come on, let's go back. People might start getting suspicious," Hermione lifted herself up and dusted her robes off.
"You go, I'll be there in a minute," Draco replied. Hermione shrugged and walked off. Finally, some alone time, Draco thought happily. Now, back to thinking about his screwed up life and the Death Eater proposal. I am screwed either way, aren't I? He asked his consciousness. Looking around into the black night, he remembered back in his real time the Death Eaters and the terror they inspired. He also remembered what terror was in store for someone to go against Slytherin, Them & the source. Yep, screwed either way.
End chapter 7
This chapter was necessary, believe it or not. It was important to show both the relationship between Hermione and Draco, as well as the Death Eater thing. Vital part of the plot… that's all I'm saying.
Nissy Padfoot
Another great review from you! Hopefully ALL writer's blocks will just disappear because they're the banes of my existence. Blood annoying! By the way, just to make you feel better... I've never gotten the wrapper of a Hershey's Kiss off without tearing the paper... & I've tried many, many times. Yes, that's what I do for fun/out of boredom. Eh. Besides when you DO actually accomplish it, let me know so I can cheer you on!
Gwynn-Potter
Thank you very much. I know this update took me a while and I'm feeling quite guilty, so that means the next chapter will probably be up within a few days. Thanks :)
Kris-tina4
Weasleys and ages are just… too confusing. I'm too lazy to go work it out. Thanks very much for encouraging me, too! By the way, I just finished reading your story 11 Years Later & I'm about to leave a review but since I don't have much time it will probably be short… so it's an excellent story! Even though I'm not a G/D person, I liked it!
Hail to Annie shutting up! Nah, which will never happen… I've learned the art of looking like I'm listening when I'm not. It's quite useful sometimes. OW! That evil little girl just hit me she is reading over my shoulder!. And she says HI KRIS! Er…. I think that's all.
Steelsings
I think your review was the longest I've gotten not just here, but in my whole life. Good for you! And good for Wren Craven too hands doughnuts to W.C & S.
Thank you very, very much. I try to keep people in character as much as possible, although it's not easy since we know nearly nothing about for instance, Pete or James & Lily. And of course Lestrange too. I think I've changed Draco a teeny bit, but it's all in good fun. And Pete… yes, I dind't ignore him completely. I actually tried to include him.
I've heard of Hermione/Sirius the most, but it seems a bit strange because Sirius is so rash and Hermione actually did know him. Same with Remus… but with James, it's a clean slate. And I'm also trying to emphasize that Remus isn't the boring Marauder that is basically a fun-sucking spoilsport. He's just better at not getting caught… although I think him and Hermione would make a pretty wicked couple too! And YAY! A fellow Ron hater? Good for you! hands more doughnuts. I also quite dislike Ginny, but she's tolerable. However, writing about characters you don't necessarily like is also sort of refreshing in a way, I think.
As for the Interludes, they are purposely that vague. Readers aren't meant to realize straight away which one belongs to whom. All will be revealed in the last one, I suppose, but for now it's just vague.
Also I did read some of your stories and I must say they're quite excellent. I especially liked 6 Feet Under, even though I hate the GW/DM pairing it's quite clear they aren't in love. And I always did picture Ginny as a bit of a Voldemort supporter… excellent! Also thought Cat & Mouse was especially good, and I read a few more but then my reviews decided to be stupid little shi- I mean, stupid little things and NOT WORK!
Avadne