Disclaimer: I own nothing... Not a damn diggidy thingy... Yup Yup or I would be richer the gates... If only if only...!
Each Other
By: Breeze
"But Granger, I don't see why we can't just magically go to London. These Muggle planes really do get old after a while." He snatched the ticket from her hand and gave it to the man across the counter. "I mean, we're a wizard and a witch." Hermione noticed the ticket man at the counter giving Draco a 'crazy person' look. She grabbed the tickets from the man before he could and laughed.
"Aww, that's right Draco, and there will be lions and tigers and bears. Oh my!" She gave the man a sweet smile. "It's just easier to humor the poor boy." The man nodded understandingly as Hermione gave Draco a rough shove. "To the land of Oz we go, Dorothy." Draco gave her a death glare as they walked to the plane. It had taken them almost an hour to get through security, and Hermione was exhausted. She hadn't slept in; well, it had been a while. Her side was throbbing with pain, but she would rather die than let Malfoy know that their frantic pace was catching up with her. She had to stay strong.
"It would be faster to ride a broom." She stopped in the center of the aisle and turned to face him. She sighed out of frustration, exhaustion, anger, and about a thousand other emotions. He stopped walking as she faced him and smirked. "What, Granger? Change your mind?" She tried to calm herself. She had to say this nicely or not at all, that much she was sure.
"Listen Malfoy, you can't just talk about broomsticks and wands around Muggles." She subconsciously looked around to make sure no one else was walking toward the plane. "They will think you're crazy and suspect you of things. The whole point in taking a plane is to remain low key. So can you just try and forget about all the magic stuff for the duration of this flight." He snorted.
"Now, why should I listen to you, Granger?" She took a step closer to him. It was her turn to smirk.
"Let's put it this way, shall we? I know as much about Muggles as you know about Death Eaters." He looked at her for a few moments before allowing defeat. He knew she was right. Her smirk turned into a smile. "Alright then. Let's go eat some bad food and watch a lame movie." She turned and walked towards the two flight attendants standing by the plane door.
"Wait, you didn't say anything about BAD food," he called from behind her. She only rolled her eyes.
As he stepped out of the airport doors and into London's cool air, he tweaked his neck to crack it. The flight had been nothing short of life altering for Draco Malfoy. He was a different man than the one that had stepped onto the flight. He looked down at the short girl giving him a suspicious eye. "I just—I can't believe he beat the dragon slash witch in the end."
"And I still can't believe you have never seen nor heard of Sleeping Beauty before." She headed toward a taxi sitting in the drop off area, pulling her luggage behind her. She hit the trunk once and it popped open. She piled her bags inside, and he followed her actions smoothly. He slammed the trunk shut before giving her another look.
"Is that really how Muggles used to make thread?" He was completely serious and puzzled, only making the question ten times funnier for Hermione. She opened the door and tired not to laugh at the foolishness of his question.
"Yeah, and they used to make fire with sticks." She got in the cab and lightly laughed, and he climbed in behind her, his face full of amazement and disbelief. The taxi driver turned around and looked at the two young adults.
"Where to?" Hermione was about the say 'The Leaky Cauldron Shop,' when Draco cut her off.
"The nearest hotel please." Hermione gave him a confused look. "Listen Granger, it's late and you need to sleep. Besides, Dumbledore and Snape aren't meeting us until tomorrow; I figure it's safer to stay away from Diagon Alley until then." She gave him a small glare.
"And who are you to tell me if I need sleep or not?" He gave her a look that almost said, 'Duh!'
"Oh, come on Granger, making fire with sticks?" She was about to say something when she decided to let it go. She was really too tired to argue with him, and she figured he wasn't about to grasp the concept anytime soon.
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"Another night, another hotel." He heard the sarcasm in her voice and smirked.
"Well it's better than being dead." He then looked her, then up and down and around the cozy room. "Well, not by much, but it is better."
"Well, Malfoy, the only way to find out which is really better is to die; therefore, you can compare and contrast. Here, let me help you with the situation." She gave him one of her sweet smiles. Still, the ones she gave him were very different from the ones she gave total strangers. How ironic it was; she could give a stranger a warm inviting smile, but when it came to her "foreseen future husband," she could only deliver sarcasm and disgust. To think, he was supposed to fall in love with her by choice. Ridiculous.
"Honestly, Granger, I know you're tired, but do your jaws ever get tired of flapping about?" She gave him an irritated glare before moving to pick up her bag.
"You know what, Malfoy, just shut u—Ouch." He glanced over at her. She was holding her side where the injury was. The pain was written across her face. He walked over to her and grabbed the bag out of her hand, throwing it onto the bed. "Thank you." The kindness in her voice startled him. In a way, it made him extremely uncomfortable. He didn't know how to respond. She bit her bottom lip, proving to him that she was just as uncomfortable.
"Sure, Granger." He tried to sound nice, but it, as usual, came out as superior. He stared at her for a moment before walking over and pulling the curtains closed and double bolting the door shut. The room turned a dark gray color. "Don't turn on the lights. We need to keep the room looking as empty as possible." She nodded quickly, and he realized she was spacing out. "Granger?" She lightly jumped back and gazed at him for a moment.
"What? Oh, okay, no lights. I got it." He looked at her questionably for a moment before he really noticed how tired she was. Her shoulders were slouched, and her eyes were distant. Yet he realized, unknowingly, that she was still pretty. Not in the, 'I want to have my way with you,' way but in the... "Sorry, I guess I just need some rest." Her voice snapped Draco away from his thoughts.
"Yeah." He looked at her stomach for a moment and sighed. "Go change and then I'll change your bandages." She stopped looking through her bag that she had been rummaging through while he was staring at her.
"You?" He smirked at her.
"Yes, Granger, me, the person who put them there in the first place." Her lips made an O shape before she walked into the bathroom. He heard the door lock and smiled. She was still as modest as she was in school. Still as innocent. She was still the same, yet she was different. Or maybe she had always been this tough, and he had been too busy judging her to see it. He ran his hand through his hair and sighed. He was beginning to think he needed sleep as much as she did.
The bathroom door opened, and Draco opened his own bag to pull out some gauze and disinfectant. He had learned early on to bring the essentials. His life, unlike her own, was used to both this frantic pace and danger. His death seemed to constantly be two steps behind him. He was always trying to stay ahead.
Always.
She silently walked across the room and stood in front of him. She slowly lifted her shirt to reveal her stomach. He felt himself gulp. Not out of lust but out of fear. He was a hundred and ten percent sure that if Hermione caught him eyeing her in any way imaginable, she would kill him.
Two steps ahead.
He sat down on the bed to be level with the wound. He pulled back the gauze and looked at the wound for a moment. It had healed a little but was still rather large. He opened the disinfectant and looked up at her.
"Don't move, Granger." Before he could even breathe, she jumped back.
"What? Why? What's wrong? Oh God, I knew I should have gone to a doctor instead of trusting you." He fought the urge to roll his eyes.
"Granger, would you calm down? Everything is fine, but this stuff is going to burn, and I was giving you a warning." He could have sworn she blushed with embarrassment. She looked at the ground before taking a step closer.
"Sorry." She pulled up her shirt again and bit her lip.
"Honestly, you can be such a girl."
"No? Really? I thought the hair and nail polish would give that away. Or maybe the skirts and high pitched voice. But, alas, it was my fear of having a four-inch gash on my stomach to bring out the girl in me. Well, if that's all it took to make it clearly obvious that I am, in fact, a girl, I guess I can cancel the—what are you doing?" She looked down at him, and he smirked.
"Building a house." She glared.
"Malfoy!" He ignored her and continued taping the clean gaze onto her cut. "What about the disinfectant?" He reached up and grabbed her shirt to pull it down.
"I put it on while your mouth was exercising." He kicked off his shoes and took off his jacket. As he stood, she sat down in the spot he previously occupied. She watched him double check the door before walking to the bed and lying down on his stomach. She followed suit and laid down with her back to him. She laid there in silence for a few moments before clearing her throat.
"Malfoy." She heard him grunt a distorted 'what.' "Do you believe it?" She turned onto her back, and he followed suit.
"I don't know, Granger." He looked over at her and almost sneered. "I highly doubt it."
"Likewise." She rolled over away from him again. He looked up at the ceiling and frowned. He though to himself with almost a bit of irony, Hermione Granger at times probably wanted him dead more than any death eater.
One step ahead.
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The Leaky Cauldron did not seem to be the best place to meet Snape and Dumbledore. Hermione had, of course, been extremely vocal about this on the way to meet the two superiors. She had finally stopped due to the look on Draco's face. Not because she was afraid of him, but because it was just too amusing for words. He wasn't the only one that got joy out of driving the other crazy. In fact, he was so obvious about this enjoyment, while with she, it was more of her own secret pleasure.
Now, as she stepped through the door, she was practically glowing. She glanced around the room before spotting the two sitting at a booth in the back, secluded from the others, not that it mattered much. Suddenly, the glow disappeared from her face as she remembered why she was here. And who she was here with.
She, as well as everyone else, knew nothing was kept secret in the Leaky Cauldron. There is always someone listening. Especially when a Malfoy is around. Add a headmaster, a professor, and a member of the "Golden Trio", then you basically have a thousand ears listening. Still, it was one of the few safe places to meet due to the amount of pure wizards around. They were safe, yet heard.
They reached the darkened booth and sat on opposite sides of another. Draco next to Snape, and Hermione sat next to Dumbledore. The two young adults didn't notice this, but the two wiser ones did. Snape shot Dumbledore a quick glance that seemed to say, 'Well, they still hate each other.'
"Miss Granger and Mr. Malfoy, it's safe to say you're alive and well." Hermione looked at Professor Snape quickly before glancing away. She had promised herself to be polite to the Professor, but it was hard. She had spent so many years being, in her own way, defiant of the man.
"Yes sir," Hermione squeaked while Draco barely even shook his head in agreement. Snape's favoritism for Draco had bothered her during her days at Hogwarts, and she now comprehended this situation would be no different. The two seemed to have some strange secret code or something. She had never been able to put her finger on it. She figured no one ever had, except the two of them.
"Well, Miss Granger, Mr. Malfoy, we won't waste time." Her heart skipped a beat. Did she really want to hear what Dumbledore had to say? Whatever it was, she knew it would be final. "I truly wish I came bearing better news of your situation." Hermione looked at the aging man seated next to her, her heart sinking as his words hit her like a tidal wave. She knew all too well that if Dumbledore believed it, there was very little room to doubt their fate. She looked across the table at Draco, his face stone. His eyes met hers for a brief second before he looked away. "You two are to fall in love..."
And there it was.
Straight from his lips to her ears. She didn't know whether to laugh outright or cry. All she knew was that she suddenly felt sick to her stomach. She glanced at Draco again, his face still blank and controlled. Snape, on the other hand, had the same look playing on his face that she was almost certain was on her own. Shock slash humor at the irony of it all.
"... and the death eaters are intent on killing you before that happens. We're not sure why; all we do know is that it involves the outcome of their strengthening rebellion." Hermione shifted uncomfortably. She thought about putting her head between her knees and breathing into a paper bag. Basically, she was freaking out. She looked at Draco again, but this time, she was mad. How was it that this person, this one annoying person, kept floating back into her life. 'Fate.' Her mind echoed the words, and she knew it was true. Still, she wasn't ready to accept it.
"So, then why are we staying together? If we are separated, then we can't fall in love. If we don't fall in love, there's no reason to kill us." Was she the only one who was thinking this? Draco snorted.
"Because, Granger, they're going to kill us no matter what. Even if we aren't physically together, they're still going to kill us to make sure we never fall in love. Ever." Dumbledore nodded in agreement. She was getting frustrated again.
"So, what does that mean? I have to stay with him so we can what? Protect each other?" Snape looked at her.
"Precisely, Miss Granger." A new wave of sickness washed over her, if that was even possible. She looked at Snape and then at Draco. Their smug looks finally pushed her to the edge. She stood up without hesitation, knocking the table. Dumbledore only steadied his butterbeer while looking at Hermione. She could have sworn he was about to offer her a lemon drop or some kind of thing to 'calm her down.' Still, she spoke, well, lightly screamed, before he got the chance.
"NO! No, no, no, do you hear me? I am not—will not—stay with this—this—" She pointed to Draco. "—Jerk! He is not responsible for my life, and I am not responsible for his! I don't love him! I don't even like him as a human being! The only thing being around him has brought me is a lost job and a cut on my side bigger than a wand. I am tired, and I am going to my apartment now that I'm back in London, and I pray to everything that is good in this world that I will never see you," her finger gave another fierce jolt in his direction, "AGAIN!"
And with that, she stormed out of the building. Dumbledore sighed tiredly. He looked at the swinging door and then towards Draco. He said a few vital words to the young man before the blond haired boy chased after the brunette that was annoyingly pushing his limits.
In the very worst of ways.
She was walking as fast as she could without looking like she had lost her mind. Then again, she might have. The adrenaline was pumping through her veins, and she felt horrible for speaking to Dumbledore in such a disrespectful manner. But she had had enough. She had been dragged around and pushed around, and Hermione Granger was not that kind of girl. She was independent and smart and she had had enough. The situation was ridiculous, and she would have nothing to do with it anymore.
"Granger." She stopped walking and turned. Coming down the sidewalk was the one thing she wanted to get away from. She wanted to punch him. Again.
"What, Malfoy?" She spat the words out so coldly she even surprised herself.
"You can't just go back to your apartment. You just can't walk down the street." He took the last few steps toward her before stopping.
"Don't tell me what to do, Malfoy." She turned on her heel and began walking away. "You can't tell me what to do."
"Yes, I can, Granger." She turned to face him, finally realizing he was just as mad. Beneath his dull eyes, there was anger. She took a few steps toward him and put her hands on her hips, trying to be as intimidating as possible.
"No, you can't." He looked at her with disdain. They had both had enough, and Snape may have spoken too soon about the alive and well thing.
"Why can't you just shut your mouth for ten minutes and listen to what they have to say Granger?"
"Because, you idiot, if Dumbledore says it, then it is true. Don't you realize what that means?" She put her hand next to her ear, mockingly pretending to listen. "Hark, are those the sounds of wedding bells? Oh, no, wait, it's the sound of hell freezing over!" Draco only ignored the last part.
"Of course I know what it means, Granger." His voice slightly raised. "What makes you think I am any less pissed off about the situation than you are?"
"Maybe because you have the emotional span of a brick." She deepened her voice to imitate him. "I'm Draco Malfoy, when I am mad, sad, glad, or happy, I smirk. Occasionally I get a little wild and grimace. But not very often. Why? Cause it's my thing. Still, you should know how I feel. Wait, what? You can't read minds?" He smirked at her, and she knew he did it just to piss her off more.
"Sarcasm is not becoming of you, Granger." His voice was in a low growl of warning.
"Well it's the truth," she shot back.
"And do you know what also is the truth, Granger? We are stuck together. We are in this together. So, no matter how long it takes, and no matter what it takes, we have to rely on each other. Can you not understand the danger we are facing? Death Eaters are not something to be taken lightly." She practically jumped at him with anger.
"Don't you dare assume I don't understand how dangerous the situation is! I have been in these situations since my first year at Hogwarts, and this is nothing new for me. Unlike you, I didn't go through school having a name to protect me. And, unlike you, I'm not a coward, and I don't run from the things that go bump in the night!" He reached out and grabbed her shoulders harshly, his fingers digging into her skin, bruising it, no doubt. She finally thought she had gone too far. In fact, she knew she had. She held her breath, waiting for him to explode. She had heard of the Malfoy temper and seen it a few times herself.
"We are going back to the hotel, Granger. Then we are waiting there until Dumbledore owls us with some information he's waiting for or something. Now, I am letting you go and heading back to the hotel, and, so help me Merlin, if I don't hear your footsteps behind me, I will render you unconscious and carry you back."
He paused for a few moments, looking around the street. She did the same, trying to calm down. After a few seconds, a sudden wave of realization washed over her. The few muggles walking down the street were watching them. And they were probably thinking they were having some kind of lovers' spat.
Oh God.
She had to get away from him. She really did. And yet, for some hopeless and unexplainable reason, she followed him, unaware of the foreshadowing that was taking place as they walked together. One leading and the other following.
Yet both knew exactly where they would end up.