Chapter Six: present day

The eagle soared through the air effortlessly as it searched. Its wry smile seemed to curse each tree and shrub as the bright sunshine made for deep shadows among the foliage. Back and forth it flew, higher and lower, round and round until… The cat darted so quickly from one patch of trees to the other it almost seemed an illusion, but it was enough. With incredible speed the eagle dove for its target. Letting out a loud cry, it startled its prey and watched with triumph as the cat froze for just a moment in terror. The moment was all it needed. The collision was hard, but it was not deadly. And as the two animals reeled from the impact, they changed form. When the dust had settled, Draco and Hermione were tangled on the ground, she firmly in his arms. And despite her fierce struggle, he wasn't about to let her go.

"Let me go," she hissed through clenched teeth. As she fought to escape, she felt Draco hold her around her middle even tighter, nearly cutting off her air supply.

"Not until you calm down," he managed to reply as he rolled her over and wrestled his way on top of her.

"Bastard!" she spat as she felt his body press hers to the ground. The faint spice of his cologne jolted her senses as though she had been slapped. The memories of his touch and his taste flooded her mind against her will and she felt herself momentarily soften in his arms. Dear God, how was it possible to want someone you hated so much?

"You always were a charmer, Hermione," he grinned as he pinned her arms to her sides. He had sensed the subtle change in her body and it amused as well as aroused him. "Now be a good girl and calm down and perhaps I'll let you up."

"Bugger off, Malfoy," she cried as she struggled with all of her might to no avail. She didn't know what angered her most: her inability to fight him off or her body's immediate betrayal of her mind

"I'm impressed," he ignored her temper and continued to hold her still, his face only inches above her own. "An animagus? I should have known." He chuckled lightly. "But a housecat?!? Merlin, Hermione, couldn't you have chosen a more noble animal than that?"

At this Hermione went rigid in his arms. "How dare you?" she breathed incredulously. "You speak of noble when you don't know the meaning of the word! I'm surprised you even have it in your vocabulary." She trembled at the darkening of his stormy gray eyes but continued with vehemence.

"Lest you forget, I wasn't the one who gave up what I believed in. I wasn't the one who betrayed the people who trusted me. It was you who deceived me. It was you who turned against me and everything I believed in. It was you who killed my chance for happiness when you killed…" Her voice broke on a sob as a tear ran down her cheek. She pushed back the others threatening to escape and lifted her chin in defiance. "It was you who took away my life when all I wanted once was to give it to you freely." Her voice had dropped to barely above a whisper. "You are a cold-hearted snake, Draco Malfoy. You don't understand honor. You don't understand love. And you certainly don't understand nobility."

She watched Draco's face harden into a bitter sneer with every word. She had pushed him too far and she knew it. She remembered another time when he looked at her that way – before their friendship, before their understanding, before their love. She used to tremble in fear then. But no more. She had known his vulnerability. She had known his generosity. She had known his total surrender. But none of those could be found in his eyes now. Now all she saw was a reflection of herself. He had shut her out.

Mustering every emotion she wanted to convey to him into her voice, she lifted her chin even higher. At least she would get the last word before she surrendered to her inevitable death at his hand. "Damn you for what you did, Draco. Damn you to the pit of hell. And damn me for still wanting what can never be. Please," she lowered her gaze to his mouth before returning once more to the cold fire of his eyes. "Please," she whispered as if in prayer. "Draco, if you ever loved me at all, even for just a moment, kill me quickly so I can finally be rid of you forever."