Disclaimer:
Mirror Mirror on the Wall,
No one owns Harry cept J.K. Rowl.
Chapter 3: The Attic's Rafters
Draco Granger strode down the stairs, wiping his eyes quickly to keep from crying in his rage. What gave Hermione Granger of all people the right to be such a selfish witch! He placed his hand on the banister and swung his way down the last few steps. Draco then walked into the kitchen and plopped down at the dinning room table.
Mrs. Granger looked at her son with sympathy. "Honey, is everything alright? You look as though something's upsetting you." Mr. Granger just nodded in agreement, though he made as little of a show about it as possible.
"Nothing much mum. Just a bit of sibling rivalry." Draco spurt before shoving a mouthfull of buttered toast into his mouth.
"Well, I hope you can get over it long enough to tell your sister that her breakfast is getting cold," replied Mr. Granger. Draco just met his eyes with disdain. "I think your mother would appreciate it." Draco just eyed him once more.
"Draco Granger. Stop sitting here like a spoiled brat and go upstairs to get your sister!" Mrs. Granger's words shocked Draco. Was this really what Hermione had to live with? Yes, they were definately concerned for the wellbeing of their children, but they also ran a tight ship.
"Yes Mam," Draco blathered akwardly before stanpeeding upstairs.
-----
Hermione sat on her bed staring at her most prized possesion, the one thing Draco couldn't change through a hex or a spell. In her hands Hermione clapped her acceptance letter into Hogwarts. She searched it over to see if Draco's spell had changed a single drop of emerald of ink. Inwardly she hoped that it had. There was always something that bothered her about the letter that she wished would disapear.
As she stroked the front, nothing had changed. The name on the front still read what it always did.
"Hermione McKlain."
Everything else about the letter was perfect, except that name. Mainly because it didn't belong to her, but secondly because it worried her parents so much. She could still remeber the look of horror on their faces, as if remembering a grave nightmare. A nightmare which they would never share with her. Hermione could feel that the answer to why that name was on her letter, was the answer to unlocking the only secret the Granger's had been able to keep from her.
A rhythmic tapping noise stirred Hermione from her thoughts. The door to her room began to slide open, reveiling that her brother stood on the other side.
"Hey, Mudblood, your food's getting cold." Draco sneered before begining to leave the room.
"Um, Draco, Is that a technical term?"
Draco turned around and came over to her.
"Is what a technical term?" Draco groaned at the question.
"Cold." Hermione stated matter-of-factly.
"Yes, it's a technical term. Now why did you really want me to come back in here?"
Hermione smiled faintly. "Nothing gets past you does it?"
"Granger, if I wanted to beat around the bush, I would've asked to play monkey and the weasel." Draco sneered.
"I'm amazed. So you can teach an old snake new tricks. Well. I was wondering if this name means anything to you." Hermione handed over the letter to him. Draco quickly analyzed it and handed it back.
"Not a thing." Draco shrugged his shoulder and began to walk downstairs. "Sorry sis."
Hermione tapped the letter on her hand. There had to be more than just the dead end Draco had offered her. Surely he knew where the name McKlain came from. It wasn't as if he wasn't an expert on the subject of famous wizards. He had to know. And that bull about being sorry was nothing more than a lame cover.
"You lying jerk. You just wait Draco. I'll figure out how to make you tell me. Someway or another."
Hermione got an idea about how to make him change his mind. The only problem was, she needed access to certain potions. She'd have to go to Hogsmeade.
So being that nothing could be done at the moment, she trudged down the stairs to eat breakfast.
-----
Draco was sitting in Mr. Granger's reading chair, scanning over a muggle newspaper. Hermione walked over to him and placed "Minnistry Weekly" into his hands. She stood over his shoulder to see what he was doing.
"Thank you for the magizine, Sis. But do you mind telling me what you're doing staring over my shoulder?"
Hermione smiled at his gratitude and civility.
"I was waiting for you to thank me," she said in between sips of orange juice. "See ya later."
"Oh, Hermione, I thought you might be happy to hear I have my own room now."
Hermione couldn't help but grin.
"Oh really."
"Oh yes. After our fight this morning, they decided teenagers need their 'own space.' I stole the attic." Hermione's face paled.
"You what?"
Draco rolled his eyes at her. "I stole the attic. It's my room." Draco repeated in annoyance.
"I heard what you said Draco. But how could you steal the attic! That's been my fortress of silence and peace. That's more personal than stealing my room!"
Draco just groaned.
"Get used to it. You can't be an only child forever. Besides, it they would never give me your room, it's too. . ."
"Pink. I know." Hermione stated flatly. "Disgusting isn't it?"
"Very."
Draco went back to reading an article about how to grow hair on a toad and the benifits to doing so. "First take a hair from a wombat. . ." The article lost Draco after that. "What a cook. It makes you wonder who figures this stuff out."
Draco waited impatiently for Hermione to respond, or ask him what the hell he was talking about, or just to call him a jerk for stealing the attic. But there was only silence. Draco looked up and around the room. Hermione had already left, and he was now alone. He didn't know what was coming over him lately. He wished himself into her life, and now that she'd wish herself out of it, he felt completely and utterly alone. He quickly rose from his seat and darted off, curious as to what his new room might look like.
When he reached the attic, he began to assend into a narrow passageway leading from the closet to his new room. When he finally opened the trap door, Draco knew istantly why Hermione loved it here. There was a room full of carboard boxes, one bed, and a nightstand with a lamp. Draco looked at the dark blue blanket on the bed. It was a gorgeous plaid, and looked very soft. Draco walked over to the bed and ran his hand across it. A thin layer of dust rose into the air.
Draco plopped onto the bed and allowed a cloud of dust to rise around him. He felt like he was flying. When the dust cleared again Draco looked up at the support beams above him. He stared at it for a long time without blinking, but then his eyes stung and watered up. On the beam, directly above him, was what looked like a photo album.
Draco stood on the bed to get a closer look. Even stretching out his arms he would barely be able to reach it. But he would be able to. With very little effort, Draco knocked the album onto the bed. He sat down onto the bed and began to open it when the trap door began to creak. Someone was coming! Draco quickly threw the album onto the table and prayed no one could see it.
Hermione came up into the room and let the trap door fall shut.
"So, do you like your new room?" Draco smiled.
"Yes. I like it a lot. When I first got in here there was this layer of dust on my bed, so I jumped on it to knock it off." Hermione's eyes widened with shock.
"You aready did that? Darn it! That's my favorite thing to do every vacation!" Hermione shuffled over to the bed and collasped on it in defeat. "Hey Draco. The photo album on the rafters is gone." Draco breathed deep then smoothed over into a cool exterior.
"What album?" He asked ernestly.
"The photo album. It was always to high for me to reach it. I was sorta hoping you could, but I guess my parents moved it."
Draco's feet shuffled slightly at this, but Hermione seemed to not notice.
"So. How the hell did we become so chummy?"
"Since you stopped being an ass."
"I'm always an ass. You make sick for suggesting otherwise, get out."
"I can't believe you! You're such a jerk! For crying out loud Draco! You come here, steal my family, steal my closet, and now you're stealign my sanctuary. Worst of all, you expect me to conform to how you think this should work. Maybe your the one who needs to stop acting like an only child, Mr. I wanted to not be an only child anymore cause I hate my parents and my life sucks so I'm just gonna steal your parents and your life. You have no right to be sick! I do! You really are an ass!" Hermione grabbed at a book lying on the table and hit him with it. She set it down beside him and then slammed the trapdoor as she left.
Draco looked at the book she'd hit him with, it was the photo album from the rafters. In his anger he grabbed the book and chunked it at one of the wood-paneled walled. Then he kicked his bed a couple of times, and settled for reading a book.
-----
Hermione, once safely out of the closet, strode perposefully to her room and slammed the door behind her. She slid into a wooden chair by the computer and flipped a switch. Her desktop was alive in seconds. 'Thank God Mr. Weasely figured out how to run that computer. Okay, Ron, are you here.' Hermione logged into her instant messenger with incredible speed. And sure enough, Ron, Harry, and the Justin Finch-Fletchley were on.
SPEWforaCAUSE: Hey guys.
MyHairzOnPhyre: hi, mione!
SPEWforaCAUSE: Hello to you too Ron
ScarFace: sup?
SPEWforaCAUSE: Draco Malfoy is getting on my nerves. He's at my house.
ScarFace: DRACO MALFOY! we just red that he disapeared! why iz he at ur houz?
SPEWforaCAUSE: He put a curse on my family. They think he's their son.
SPEWforaCAUSE: I'm actually just glad it's only effecting my parents. I thought for sure it would change something else, like make you go crazy too.
MyHairzOnPhyre: is there a way 2 change them back?
SPEWforaCAUSE: I hope so. I found him asleep in my room this morning.
ScarFace: good hiding place. no1 will look 4 him at ur houz.
JusFizzling: thatz just not rite. u shood tell on him. or sompin.
SPEWforaCAUSE: Don't I know it. Bye guys. See ya at school.
ScarFace: You shood at least do sompin.
SPEWforaCAUSE: Don't worry Harry, I already have a plan.
MyHairzOnPhyre: can't wait 2 git that snake bac.
SPEWforaCAUSE: Me neither Ron.
Hermione got up from the desk and went to her bed. She was anxiously awaiting sleep, but there were a lot of things still playing on her mind.
-----
At five in the morning another instant messege came. All it read was this.
DeathWillComeSwiftly: You cannot hide from the mark of McKlain. And not even the snake can help you. No one can.
The writer of the messege pushed back their chair. They had waited so long for their moment to return. But their moment was not to be yet. It was drawing nearer, but it was not yet.