Chapter One
The Beginning
Disclaimer: All characters recognizable belong to the wonderful J.K. Rowling.
"I better go to the library and check out some new facts," Hermione said to herself.
It was the trio's final year at Hogwarts.
The day had just faded into a beautiful evening on the day after Christmas. Most of the school had gone home during the vacation, including Harry and Ron.
Hermione had stayed back because her parents were not at home. They were in the United States with her cousin, who was pregnant.
There were about ten students who had stayed back. Draco Malfoy was one of them.
She walked through the chilly corridor rubbing her hands to warm herself. As she turned around a corner, she saw Draco Malfoy.
He was, oddly enough, reading something. He seemed deeply in thought.
It was a small black notebook with red roses on the corners.
When he saw Hermione, he hastily shoved the book into his pocket and walked past her into the opposite direction.
"Pervert!" she murmured.
Hermione and Draco were the Heads of the school, 'the hottest couple' in words of Parvati and Lavender.
But everyone knew they loathed each other! Not a moment passed when they weren't thinking about each other, of course as a source of hatred.
Hermione and Draco had really grown up and both were nothing less than 'hot'. It was too bad that they hated each other.
Hermione was tall and smart with her hair no longer bushy but soft and fine but still curly though, now, it looked beautiful. She had developed a fine figure and boys just drooled over her.
Draco, on the other hand, was also tall (but taller than Hermione), with a bit of pink tinge in his usually pale cheeks. He parted his hair on the right side and strands hung on his eyes, which made him look to the girls, 'extremely cute!'
"What do you want now? You were here about one hour ago" screeched Madam Pince. She had become really tired of having Hermione come again and again in her precious library.
"I need another book," Hermione said shortly going to the back of the library.
At the moment, she really didn't know what she wanted to know. So she shuffled through the dusty books and found one having roses on the cover page.
"I wonder what this is," she said opening the book. As she ruffled the pages, she found that it was about love potions.
"How dumb! How can this book be in the non-restricted section?" she muttered and closed the book.
She gently traced her finger on the roses and suddenly she looked up,
"SHIT!" she practically screamed.
She let the book fall off her hands and rushed out of the library.
"Damn it, damn it, am such a fool" she cursed herself under her breath.
"Have you seen Malfoy?" she asked one of the seventh years she met on the way.
"Finally, you are after Draco!" the girl giggled.
Hermione glared at her and continued her search.
She ran to their common room,
"Is Malfoy in?" she asked the portrait that locked their room.
"No, dear" the tall and dark woman in the portrait said, stroking her black cut who purred loudly.
"The hell of it!" she shouted.
Hermione scurried from one corridor to another. Finally, she thought she saw someone very much like Draco Malfoy on the top floor.
She ran as fast as her legs could carry her. And rightly, she found Draco at the turn of the corridor.
"Malfoy!" she panted.
"Huh?" he said turning at the voice, "Oh. It's you..."
"Give it to me!" She said.
"What are you talking about?" He asked.
"You know very well what am talking about," she said taking a step towards him.
"Oh this," he spoke silkily taking out the same notebook, "it's your private diary, right?"
"Give it here," she warned.
"You know what? You're quite interesting," he drawled opening the diary.
"Give it here," she demanded advancing towards him.
"Catch me if you can!" he smirked giving her a wink and ran off with Hermione hot on his heels.
She ran after him shouting every curse and hex she knew and he ran ahead of her dodging all her curses.
"Alohomora," he chanted as he came to the end of the corridor, which had just a door as the opening.
Hermione caught him by the collar as they entered the room, but the next second they were falling into vast empty darkness.
Hermione remembered the last time when she had fell into such darkness with Harry and Ron. It had been their first year and they fell into devil's snare.
As if her thoughts had been read, they both fell onto something soft but definitely not safe.
"Great!" murmured Hermione as they were caught in the devil's snare.
"HELP!" screamed Draco, "HELP, HELP" he continued shouting as the plant started strangling him.
"Just relax" advised Hermione.
Of course she hated Draco but she couldn't let him die. She knew Harry and Ron would never forgive her for losing the golden opportunity.
"Granger, are you insane?" shouted Malfoy through gritted teeth.
"Suit yourself," she said acidly and slid down the death plant.
She came to stand on something- it was like she was standing in mid air.
Draco on the other hand was still shouting and screaming.
Hermione shook her head and chanted the spell she had used in her first year and Draco fell out of the vicious plant.
"You're even more pathetic than Ron," she said.
"Whatever you meant by that," he panted, "just don't ever compare me with that Weasley," he completed indignantly.
Of course he had no idea what Hermione was talking about.
They walked taking cautious steps. It was really scary; it felt as if they were walking on nothing.
Suddenly they started falling again and landed in hay and they both left their consciousness.
"Ouch!" groaned Hermione as she woke up moments later, "my head!"
Draco opened his eyes and they both clambered out of the haystack.
They were in some kind of a valley and the most astonishing fact was that it was spring in here.
"Where are we?" asked Draco.
"No idea," she replied forgetting her anger.
They took a few steps silently. Both were completely nonplussed.
What kind of a place was this? Had they been transported somewhere out of Hogwarts?
Thinking of it sent shivers down Hermione's spine.
She even forgot about her diary.
"Where are we?" it was Hermione who questioned this time halting.
Draco looked at her as if she was talking nonsense.
"What?" she asked.
"Have you lost it? Obviously we are lost," he replied walking again.
"How can you be so cool about that?" she scowled following him.
"Just look around, there's nothing dangerous in here" he answered without turning.
"There's more to this place than meets the eye" she muttered halting again.
He kept on walking without giving any reply.
After a few minutes, they came to a dark wooden board that was erected beside a large fir tree,
All are welcome in this
Lovely world of love, where
Cascades of changes and
Holy hills of hope will
Eliminate hatred and
Manifest love in
Your hearts…"What does that mean?" she voiced her thoughts.
"Join the club. And anyway, it's so dumb. Whoever wrote it must have been dumber," he retorted and walked off again.
They walked for a couple of minutes but the place seemed unending.
To the north of them were high mountains and to their west was an unending maze of forests. A huge babbling river was flowing to their east, which surely must have arisen in the snowy mountains that stood like a great wall before them. Behind them was the valley stretching on forever and ever.
It appeared there was no way out.
Hermione removed her cloak, as it was getting hot.
How I wish I were in my comfortable clothes, Hermione thought miserably.
And immediately, as though her thoughts had been read, again, she was transformed into a blue top and midnight blue skirt that stopped about two inches above her knee.
"What the hell!" exclaimed Draco as he saw what happened, "How did that happen?"
"I don't know" she shrugged.
But she did know; a bit anyway. Maybe all their wishes were fulfilled in this place.
So she thought of having straight hair, but nothing happened this time.
"What are you doing?" he asked coming closer.
"Actually, I mean- wait" she took a deep breath, "I was just thinking that it would be nice if I had my, you know, muggle clothes and, snap, it happened"
"Just like that?" he asked.
"Uh-huh" she replied, "but when I again thought of having something else, nothing happened."
"Try again," he suggested.
She closed her eyes and thought of transforming Draco into muggle clothes concentrating really hard.
"Merlin's beard!" Draco shouted and she opened her eyes.
"Did you do that?" he asked.
"I think so," she said laughing.
"What are you laughing at?"
"You-you are looking so...so different," she said smiling.
Slowly her smile faded away but she continued staring at him.
He was looking really cute.
He closed his eyes and concentrated on having his proper clothes; but nothing happened.
"I can't do it," he cried.
"Maybe you need to concentrate more"
"What do you think I was doing? Meditation?"
"Or maybe only am able to do it" she added.
Suddenly, Draco was wary. If only she could do it, then she could do anything to him. But he still had his wand, he thought, consoling himself.
"Will you stop it?" he said walking again and looking at what he was wearing.
He was in slate gray trousers and a white shirt.
"What?" Hermione asked following him.
"Staring at me?" he said turning back and smirking, "I know I'm hot, but you are not my kind."
"You? Hot? Puh-lease," she said rolling her eyes and walking off with her nose in the air and this time Draco followed her.
Slowly, it started getting dark and they still had no idea where they were, let alone the fact of getting out.
Three or four hours passed by quite uneventfully with just minor remarks from both of them, which was natural.
Finally they came to something that looked like a sort of a barn.
"Looks like we found a place to rest," Draco declared.
"This?" Hermione chimed.
"You shouldn't be complaining" he smirked, "Your house can't be bigger than this one."
"Shut up," she snapped angrily.
They entered in and found the place quite warm and welcoming.
"Not bad," she mumbled.
"Let's have dinner," he voiced.
"But there is no food in here" she exclaimed.
"I really doubt sometimes how you're able to get such good marks," he said narrowing his eyes.
"What do you mean?"
"Don't you remember what you did in the afternoon?" he questioned pointing towards himself.
"What? I didn't do anything to you!"
He rolled his eyes. Granger, positively, had lost her mind, he thought.
And then it dawned on her.
"Oh yes," she cried happily and closed her eyes immediately thinking about the great dinner that was always served in the school.
And a huge table with loads of food appeared out of thin air.
"Great," he laughed, "It's good that you are classy at least in eating habits"
"I am going to hex you of you say one more word against me."
"Ooh! Am so scared," he said sarcastically, helping him to the delicious food.
She dropped the subject and picked up a plate and started eating.
She felt a bit, no, totally odd having a beautiful candlelit dinner with her archenemy.
She wondered for how long she had to tolerate him.
At this moment, he looked like a cute child whose mum had just cooked his favorite dinner.
It would be way better if he were always this cute, she thought.
Beta-ed by: Witchxhunterxrobin. Many thanks!
