DISCLAIMER: I don't own ANY of the Harry Potter characters. (Although I do wish every Christmas for Draco Malfoy, but it seems like Santa's been slacking off.)
Chapter Three: A Heated Confrontation
I feel like, I would like
To be somewhere else doing something that matters
And I'll admit here, while I sit here
My mind wastes away and my doubts start to gather
– Relient K "More Than Useless"
Draco glanced around the room warily, clenching the battered piece of parchment in his hand. He has never even heard of this so-called, top-notch Healer school. And now here he was. In America. Supposedly becoming a qualified Healer himself.
The room was very simply furnished in shades of dark-blue, black, and white– very masculine colors. There was a four-poster bed made upof navy bedcovers to his left and a magnificent bay window, complete with a window-seat, directly on the wall opposite the door. Carefully, he set his trunk down on the foot of the four-poster and strolled to the window itself to examine the view. The hustle and bustle of muggle New York City greeted his cold, stormy eyes.
"Merlin, please tell me I'm dreaming," he mumbled to himself, pressing his forehead against the window pane. Indeed, he felt very worn out and disoriented as if a Bludger had just knocked him off his broom. A strong feeling like he was drifting in between dreaming and reality lingered with him. The past couple of hours seemed very surreal to him now. Saying good-bye to his mother... packing his things... arriving by Portkey... "Ah, the joys of using a long-distance Portkey," he muttered darkly, feeling slightly woozy ever since he arrived. And now that he was actually here, this whole kidnapping-Granger thing was starting to worry him little by little.
He had absolutely no clue how he would abduct Granger and serve her to Voldemort on a silver platter. How was he, Draco, supposed to just approach Granger without being hexed to oblivion, especially after what happened last year? And if he should try to catch her unawares, he would probably end up being hexed in the end anyway! She wasn't the brightest witch Hogwarts in their year for nothing. Not to mention all those dangerous stunts she pulled with Potty Head and the Weasel. How was Draco supposed to beat that?
The one time he ever pulled a dangerous stunt, he ended up being branded a coward, mocked by his Death Eater mentors, and living as an outcast. And now this! At first, he had thought the mission would be terribly easy and that it would be the perfect chance to redeem himself in front of the ultimate Dark Lord. But as the days passed by and the arrangements were made, Draco felt less and less sure of himself as his confidence slowly ebbed away. He would not be able to face the shame and humiliation if he failed Voldemort a second time. And this time, he thought with horror, there would be no one here to help him.
He was utterly and completely alone.
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Hermione was lost.
She checked the letter again and automatically her brows furrowed together. The letter had specifically stated that her room should be on the fifth floor, in the East Wing, third door from the right. But from some reason the corridor she was in only had two doors on the right. Obviously, she had taken a wrong turn somewhere.
Sighing, Hermione walked back down the dim hallway and sat on the topmost step of a rickety, wooden staircase. It was quite different from the two curved, marble staircases in the Grand Foyer that had branched off in opposite directions. And while the corridor up here was extremely dim and narrow, the Grand Foyer downstairs was brightly lit and welcoming.
This place was starting to confuse her.
Hermione rested her head in her hands, desperate for a moment to think. She had to retrace her steps if she was going to find her room. Let's see, first, she had arrived by Portkey into one of the many Portkey stations lined up against the wall in the underground cellar. Then she had clambered up the stairs that led into the Grand Foyer along with the other incoming students to locate her room. She had marveled a bit at the moving galaxy depicted on the Grand Foyer's domed ceiling and the gilded portraits of famous American healers that ran all around the circular foyer. In her awe, she remembered being jostled by a particularly rambunctious group onto the moving staircase on the left, believing it to be the East Wing...
Hermione smacked herself hard on the head.
Of course! She was in the completely wrong wing! Instead of going right like she should have, she had wandered off into the West Wing by mistake! She couldn't believe her silly mistake. 'Must have been from that woozy Portkey trip,' she assured herself, getting up from her seated position and dusting off her robes.
Now that she knew exactly where to go, Hermione rushed through the series of corridors branching out left and right, bursting with the thought of finally finding her room. It actually never occurred to her that the N.Y.M.P.H.S. building would be so big. Or that so many people had signed up for their medical program and got in. But Hermione herself was only a scholarship student, so she guessed that some people had just paid the tuition to attend.
Still, she never imagined it to be this humongous...
Suddenly, something solid knocked into her as she veered right in a particularly narrow corridor. The force of the impact was so unexpected that Hermione was literally thrown across the floor and landed with a thud a few feet away. Groaning, she tried to push herself off the ground.
"Watch where you're going next time!" a male voice barked at her, sounding particularly nasty and mean-spirited. Hermione could have sworn she heard that exact tone of voice somewhere...
As she propped herself on her elbows and struggled to get up, she had to brush away the wavy locks that fell into her face, hiding her from view. She never did get to properly apologize, though, since she fell into a state of shock a few seconds later. That pale blond hair... those icy gray eyes... that unbelievably infuriating smirk...
She gasped, "YOU!"
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"YOU!" Draco watched in disbelief as Hermione Granger stood stock-still in front of him, her mouth forming a perfectly round "O." What a bloody coincidence! Hmm...if only he could stupefy or petrify her right this moment and get it all over with... He began to reach inside his pocket for his wand.
However, Granger got to her wand first. What a surprise.
She pointed it straight at his heart and shrieked loudly, her face turning as red as a ripe tomato, "MALFOY! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE! HAVE YOU COME TO FINISH OFF THE MUGGLEBORNS HERE ON VOLDEMORT'S ORDERS NOW, YOU BLOODY DEATH EATER?" He narrowed his eyes at the enraged girl in front of him as her yelling echoed down the hallway... Sure enough, people began poking their heads out, wondering who had caused such a ruckus and why. Granger, however, was not paying them any attention.
Oh, how lucky for him.
Quite suddenly, all thoughts of petrifying Granger flew out the window as he attempted to get her to calm down through clenched teeth. If Granger was going to hex him, he would prefer it not to be done in front of an audience, thank you. "You don't understand. Can we not talk here right–"
"OH, DON'T YOU DARE TELL ME I DON'T UNDERSTAND, MALFOY, YOU HORRIBLE, EVIL, GIT!" she spat, brandishing her wand like a sword. More people started to appear, apparently hungry for some juicy drama. His patience was wearing thin...
"Granger, you're acting totally irrational–"
"OF COURSE I'M BEING IRRATIONAL, YOU PRAT! AFTER WHAT YOU DID TO US! AFTER WHAT YOU DID TO DUMBLEDORE!"
'Keep calm, Draco,' he told himself quietly, taking deep, calming breaths. 'Keep calm... Don't lose your cool... Think of the Dalai Lama... Granger is probably mentally ill from hanging around with Potty Head and Carrot Top so much... Do not blow up at a mentally ill person... Dalai Lama, Dalai Lama, Dalai Lama...'
"Fine. But can't we just–"
"FINE! WHAT DO YOU MEAN FI–"
"WOULD YOU LET ME FINISH?" Draco bellowed, now aiming his wand at Granger's bristling form as well. Screw the Dalai Lama, he was pissed. When she actually did shut up, he was quite taken aback. "...Okay then. This is good... Let's talk in private somewhere else..."
Granger's eyes turned to angry slits as she roared, "SO WHAT? SO YOU CAN ATTEMPT TO KILL ME JUST LIKE WHAT YOU DID TO DUMBLEDORE?"
Draco, who has had it up to here, now shouted right back at her, "WOULD YOU SHUT UP ABOUT THAT CRACKPOT OLD FOOL ALREADY? I DIDN'T BLOODY KILL HIM, ALRIGHT?"
"YES, BUT YOU TRIED TO NONETHELESS!"
"THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ACTUALLY KILLING SOMEONE AND ATTE–"
"ENOUGH!"
Both outraged teens swivelled around only to face a very angry-looking woman, storming down the hall towards them. She was tall and regal with smooth, auburn hair pulled back into a simple chignon on the nape of her neck and wise, indigo eyes currently flashing in rage. No doubt, she was a woman of importance in this place.
Sure enough, as the woman strode angrily towards them, Draco could faintly make out the words, 'Miriam Henley, Dean of N.Y.M.P.H.S., Healer-in-Chief of Salem Witches' Medical' engraved in silver on her midnight-blue robes. Instantly, Draco dropped the arm holding his wand. Hermione quickly followed suit with a look of horror on her face as she realized what she had done.
"Follow me!" she barked at them, striding past both of them in annoyance. They went through numerous corridors and wooden staircases until they finally reached a burnished ivory door in a marble corridor lined with an assortment of Impressionist paintings. A silver plaque hung on the door displaying the same words Draco had seen on the woman's robes. They both trailed after her silently as the ivory door shut itself behind them. Draco noticed that Granger looked particularly embarrassed and out of sorts.
"Sit," the woman, Dean Henley, commanded, settling herself down on a high-backed chair behind the gleaming oak table. She was frowning upon both of them now, her anger slowly ebbing away only to be replaced by something short of disappointment and sheer curiosity. "Now, I want to know exactly why two respectful N.E.W.T. graduates would duel each other like two silly five-year-olds!" Draco shuffled his feet as Granger hung her head pitifully. Dean Henley sighed, "I'm sure we can sort this out like adults if you would just give me a logical explanation for what happened back there."
Both he and Granger remained completely mute.
It was not as if their situation was exactly simple. How exactly would he be able to explain to this Dean woman that Granger had gone completely bonkers at the sight of him, because she had reasons to think that he was a murderer and a Death Eater? And how was he supposed to explain to her that that was exactly what he was here for? To kidnap Granger on Voldemort's orders?
Dean Henley, noting the lack of explanation from either of them, added almost regretfully, "Either you two tell me what happened, or I'm afraid I would have to resort to drastic measures." Granger immediately lifted up her head, looking as if she was on the brink of tears. Draco merely rolled his eyes. However, neither of them said a word. Dean Henley sighed again, "Very well then. I suppose I have no choice, even though it's only the first day of term." She frowned at both of them and continued, "I shall speak to Dean Wilkes and arrange a week's worth of suitable punishments for both of you. In the meantime, I advise you both to steer clear of trouble or that can easily be changed to TWO weeks. Understand?"
Draco could see Granger's jaw drop from the corner of his eyes. Yes, it was disgraceful and unfair that they should get punishments this early on in the year, but neither one was about to object. They were both smart enough not to make matters worse.
After nodding rather pitifully and getting excused from Dean Henley, Granger exited first, leaving him a couple of steps behind. Never in a million years would he have expected her to wait for him, leaning against the marble wall with her arms crossed before her.
"What are you doing here, Granger?" Draco sneered viciously, keeping up his cold veneer. However, he was still awfully curious as to what she was doing there, waiting for him.
When he approached, she looked up and stared right into his eyes, "Look, Malfoy, I don't know why you're here or what you're here for. And unfortunately, I can't hold any false accusations against you since nobody's drop dead yet. But if I'll ever have any suspicions whatsoever that you're behind something then I'll hex you to the North Pole if I have to."
Draco wasn't surprised by her words. He fully expected that from someone like Granger.
She paused then flinched here as if not sure whether or not she should be saying the next part, "...In the meantime, let's call a truce." At this turn of events, Draco's near-colorless eyebrows shot straight up and disappeared into his hair. Hermione continued, "I mean, we can't let anything like this happen again... It'll be better if we just stay out of each other's way. So... truce?" After a moment's hesitation, she extended a hand out to him.
Draco was beyond shocked. What the hell was Granger playing at? One minute she was yelling at him, blaming everything on him, and the next she was calling a bloody truce? Extending a hand out even! Could there be anything else wrong with this bloody picture?
Yet however wary or skeptical Draco was, he shook Granger's hand anyway, agreeing to her little arrangement. He'd make this truce work in his favor. After all, she was the reason he was here in the first place.
A/N: Okay, how much did you love that little dispute between Draco and Hermione? xD If you think that I slightly overdid it, please understand the emotions Hermione must have gone through when she saw Malfoy. Just think about it for a minute; all that history between the Golden Trio and him, his infamous connections to the Dark Lord, and the fact that he tried to kill Dumbledore (GASP GASP). To tell you the truth, it was really fun for me to write that! I know that's horrible of me! You're all probably wondering if I'm a true D/Hr shipper or not, but TRUST ME, there will be a lot more fluffy, lovey-dovey stuff in the future! (As well as a truck-load of angst-y stuff, but there's still a long way to go until that!) But for now, it's just fun to make them bite each other's head off! Oh, and I added the truce in there for good measure. It just seems like what Hermione, the peacemaker and S.P.E.W. activist, would come up with after letting herself lose control like that. And as for Draco knowing about the Dalai Lama, let's just agree for comic relief's sake that he does know about the Dalai Lama. ;D