Bang! Hermione slammed through the bathroom door and shot up the carpeted steps, barely registering her surroundings.
God! Hermione thought. Where is he? She tore around in frantic circles, panicked thoughts running in a marquee through her head. What if it's...him? Not here? Why would he-why would he waste his time here when he was supposed to be out plotting to murder Harry? Oh, great, now I'm cursing my best friend!
"Draco!" she yelled. "Where are you?"
In no time at all, she heard him shout back. His voice sounded throaty and hoarse. "The library...hurry up...losing...time..."
Oh no! I might be too late! For the first time in her life, Hermione felt a deep worry and self-hatred well up inside her. Leaping back down the spiralling staircase, she thought, If only I had called out to him just a bit faster! Now he-he might not be here. Not anywhere. Not even on Earth...
"Ow!" Hermione cried out in pain as she jumped down one step too many and hit her head on the opposite stair rail. Her forehead throbbing, Hermione ignored the searing pain as a huge bruise swelled happily on her head. Picking herself up immediately from the floor, she glanced into each and every room she passed, but none was the right one.
"God, this place is huge!" Hermione muttered furiously, as she continued with her desperate search. Sofa, table, television...Bed, lamp, desk...Books, shelves, computers...
Hermione skidded to a halt and backtracked. This had to be it! Ignoring the urge to pick up a book and flop in the nearest corner, she cried out again, "Draco! Where are you?"
His voice sounded much closer now. "Right at the back...hurry..."
Hermione rushed across the vast room. Nobody. The colour drained rapidly from her face. "Oh no...what if..." But she had no time to finish, as a cold freezing hand grabbed her shoulder.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Hermione whipped around. Her 'attacker' was none other than...Draco.
He frowned at her. "What's the matter with you?"
"Draco!" Hermione breathed. "I thought you were in trouble! And why are your hands so cold?"
His face suddenly cleared. "Ask the Muggles. They rigged up some sort of cold air things to freeze me to death." He gestured to the numerous air-conditioners. "ANd, yes, I am in trouble." He pointed to a computer set in a corner. "That thing has some kind of timer on it," he said calmly. "I thought it was some kind of bomb that might explode."
"You're so cool about that?" Hermione said sarcastically, though relieved. That idiot! Causing her to worry so much when it was only a computer beeping! Hermione went over to the computer. The moniter bore the words: This page cannot be refreshed without resending the information. Click Retry to send the information again, or click Cancel to return to the page you were trying to view.
"Nitwit," Hermione muttered under her breath as she clicked and shut down the computer.
"What?" Draco whined. "insult me just because I warned you?"
"That-it-what-how dare you-argh forget it!"
Hermione threw her hands up in despair. "You really know nothing about Muggles, do you? And do you know exactly how much you put me through? Why the hell were you screaming like that? And what happened to your voice? Unless you are late in puberty, I don't see how you can find an excuse for this!"
"So what if I don't? Who cares. I wasn't screaming; you were just slow. It's dusty in here. Mudblood."
Hermione tried to make sense of what he was saying, but failed tremendously. "Forget it, Draco." Hermione added, trying to be nice, "Look, I'll show you how a computer works later. In the meantime, can we not fight, please? I don't have the energy."
Draco peered at her curiously. "Talk about mood swings," he muttered.
In five seconds he found himself being pelted by a thousand hard hardbacks.
God! Hermione thought. Where is he? She tore around in frantic circles, panicked thoughts running in a marquee through her head. What if it's...him? Not here? Why would he-why would he waste his time here when he was supposed to be out plotting to murder Harry? Oh, great, now I'm cursing my best friend!
"Draco!" she yelled. "Where are you?"
In no time at all, she heard him shout back. His voice sounded throaty and hoarse. "The library...hurry up...losing...time..."
Oh no! I might be too late! For the first time in her life, Hermione felt a deep worry and self-hatred well up inside her. Leaping back down the spiralling staircase, she thought, If only I had called out to him just a bit faster! Now he-he might not be here. Not anywhere. Not even on Earth...
"Ow!" Hermione cried out in pain as she jumped down one step too many and hit her head on the opposite stair rail. Her forehead throbbing, Hermione ignored the searing pain as a huge bruise swelled happily on her head. Picking herself up immediately from the floor, she glanced into each and every room she passed, but none was the right one.
"God, this place is huge!" Hermione muttered furiously, as she continued with her desperate search. Sofa, table, television...Bed, lamp, desk...Books, shelves, computers...
Hermione skidded to a halt and backtracked. This had to be it! Ignoring the urge to pick up a book and flop in the nearest corner, she cried out again, "Draco! Where are you?"
His voice sounded much closer now. "Right at the back...hurry..."
Hermione rushed across the vast room. Nobody. The colour drained rapidly from her face. "Oh no...what if..." But she had no time to finish, as a cold freezing hand grabbed her shoulder.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Hermione whipped around. Her 'attacker' was none other than...Draco.
He frowned at her. "What's the matter with you?"
"Draco!" Hermione breathed. "I thought you were in trouble! And why are your hands so cold?"
His face suddenly cleared. "Ask the Muggles. They rigged up some sort of cold air things to freeze me to death." He gestured to the numerous air-conditioners. "ANd, yes, I am in trouble." He pointed to a computer set in a corner. "That thing has some kind of timer on it," he said calmly. "I thought it was some kind of bomb that might explode."
"You're so cool about that?" Hermione said sarcastically, though relieved. That idiot! Causing her to worry so much when it was only a computer beeping! Hermione went over to the computer. The moniter bore the words: This page cannot be refreshed without resending the information. Click Retry to send the information again, or click Cancel to return to the page you were trying to view.
"Nitwit," Hermione muttered under her breath as she clicked and shut down the computer.
"What?" Draco whined. "insult me just because I warned you?"
"That-it-what-how dare you-argh forget it!"
Hermione threw her hands up in despair. "You really know nothing about Muggles, do you? And do you know exactly how much you put me through? Why the hell were you screaming like that? And what happened to your voice? Unless you are late in puberty, I don't see how you can find an excuse for this!"
"So what if I don't? Who cares. I wasn't screaming; you were just slow. It's dusty in here. Mudblood."
Hermione tried to make sense of what he was saying, but failed tremendously. "Forget it, Draco." Hermione added, trying to be nice, "Look, I'll show you how a computer works later. In the meantime, can we not fight, please? I don't have the energy."
Draco peered at her curiously. "Talk about mood swings," he muttered.
In five seconds he found himself being pelted by a thousand hard hardbacks.