Do or Tell

Hermione Granger

Three days later, we were still traveling. We were so tired and hungry and scared. Or, at least, I was.

"How much longer do you think we need to do this?" I asked miserably one afternoon.

"Until we're forced to run," Malfoy smirked.

"Very funny," I mumbled.

"Honestly, Hermione, why are you so miserable?" Ginny asked gently.

I thought about this. I could lie… tell them I wasn't nearly as sad as they thought I was. Or I could tell the truth. In my experience, the truth is often a lot worse than the lies. The truth can be so ugly that you'd much rather hear false things.

Why was I so upset? Well, first of all, I was walking to a place I wasn't sure would still be there. And secondly, my worst enemy had saved my life three times, and as much as I hated to admit it, I did fell as thought I should owe him something. Thirdly, everyone I knew from Hogwarts could possibly be dead… and I knew for a fact that at least two girls I had been in classes with were, indeed, dead. Fourthly, there was the whole Harry thing. Malfoy said he was alive when he last saw him… but… I was so afraid that he would be finished off and the dark lord would rise to a greater power than anyone could imagine. And did I mention Malfoy was getting on my last nerve?

"I'm fine," I said through my teeth. "I'm just a little tired, that's all."

"Well, hopefully we'll get past this stage soon," Ron said with a reassuring smile as he patted my upper back.

And there was another thing to be upset over. Ron and Ginny fell for my lies. They always did. Every time.

Yes, yes, I lie to my friends on a regular basis. They don't need to know some things about me. They didn't need to know that I cheated on a potions exam once… I added a hair to it, making the potion turn the right color, but not really do what it was supposed to. They didn't need to know that I was terribly afraid of death… that just the thought that everyone I knew—and myself—would someday die made me dizzy and nauseous.

----

We were resting for the night. Going four days without sleep isn't good for anyone… even people who were desperate beyond belief.

I managed to build a small fire… one that wouldn't be easy to spot, but that warmed us and allowed us to see a little. According to Ginny, we were so far from Hogwarts that no one would even think anyone was out here. So we thought we were safe for now.

"Let's play a game," Ginny said as we were all just sitting around the fire, staring intently into the flames.

"That is the lamest idea I've heard in a while. And I've spent the last five or so days with you lot," Malfoy muttered grimly.

"What kind of game?" I asked dully.

"How about do or tell?" Ron asked.

"What?" I asked slowly.

"You've never heard of that?" Malfoy asked. "Wow, I almost thought you were smart."

"Oh, you know, like a truth or dare type game," Ginny said, ignoring Malfoy. "Hermione," she smiled evilly. "Do or tell?"

"Uh…" I stuttered. "Tell…?" I squeaked. I wasn't sure what Ginny would ask me. I was even more afraid of what I would answer.

"Oh, damn, I forgot!" Ginny said suddenly. "We can't use magic! That means people could lie if they wanted to. But that's just rotten," she said with a meaningful glance in my direction.

I sighed. "I promise I won't lie." I wasn't sure if that was a good thing to say.

"Good!" Ginny exclaimed pleasantly. I wondered how she could be so cheerful in a situation like this. I supposed she was really feeling sick inside, but she didn't want it to show. In that case, she was a brilliant actress. "Now, Hermione, tell us what you miss most about Hogwarts."

I thought about this. "Feeling secure. Learning things I never even dreamt were possible. Having friends all around. Knowing that every day was the same… I had a schedule and nothing was spontaneous."

"Now you get to ask a question," Ron said. "To anyone you'd like," he continued, nodding in the direction of Malfoy, who was staring into the fire.

"Malfoy," I said with fake pleasantness. "Do or tell?"

"I'm not playing," he snapped, not looking into my eyes.

"Oh, come on, Malfoy," I said soothingly. "Are you afraid you'll say something you didn't want us to know?"

"Fine!" He caved in, just like I knew he would. With him, it was about pushing the right buttons… pulling the right strings… saying the right words. It didn't take much. "Tell," he muttered.

"Okay, then," I said happily. I wanted to make this worthwhile. "Are you really as cynical as you like to make it seem?" I asked carefully. "Or is it all an act?"

"It's not an act," he said sharply. "Love isn't real. Feelings mean nothing. Acting upon those feelings makes you crazy."

I felt pity toward him. I shook my head. "That's sad."

"Well, if you've lived a life like mine, you realize things other people don't. You see firsthand that things like love are a waste of time and they don't mean anything."

"Then what do you think makes the world turn?" I demanded.

"Money," he said simply. He looked at me with malice in his eyes, as though he didn't mean to say all of that. "What can I suppose keeps you going? Books? Weasley? Learning? Potter? Your muggle parents? Hogwarts? McGonagall? Love?" He scoffed.

I turned away from him and looked out into the darkness. I held myself and rocked back and forth slightly. "I hate you," I whispered into the wind.

----

It was on the seventh day on the run that we finally learned what "until you're forced to run" meant.

It started out like a pretty normal day. Well, not quite, but you know what I mean. Malfoy and I were completely ignoring each other, Ginny and Ron were arguing over stupid things, and the sun was barely beginning to rise. It was probably about four in the morning, and we had all been woken up by some loud sound in the distance. The fire had been extinguished since none of us bothered to stay up and watch it. I was freezing, stiff, and still seething from Malfoy's comments from the night before.

We heard a loud noise and we all woke up instantly. "What the hell was that?" Malfoy asked, sitting upright quickly.

"It sounded like a…" I paled. "Shit!"

"What?" Everyone asked, as they saw the look growing on my face. I had heard that sound before… I knew what it was.

"It's a…" I paused, biting my lower lip. "It's a hippogriff."

"Shit!" Everyone exclaimed, gathering themselves up off the ground.

"Are you sure?" Ginny asked me cautiously.

"Positive. And there's more than one. It's a herd," I said with regret.

"Damn it!" Ron said angrily. "Now I know what they meant by the running thing!"

"Maybe they were trained," Malfoy theorized. "Maybe whoever founded The Blaze trained them to chase people to a certain spot."

"Interesting idea, Malfoy, but I'll have to disagree," I said. "It doesn't make much sense… they could chase Ministry workers or Death Eaters to the right direction."

"Maybe they were trained to spot the difference," he offered.

"Oh, right," Ron drawled sarcastically. "The founders said to the hippogriff, 'Hey, little buddy! When you see people that are mean and scary and have a weird tattoo on their arm, chase them to the left! And when you see normal, school-aged looking people, chase them to the right! And if you're too dumb to spot the difference, just attack them!'"

"Very funny, Weasley, but in case you didn't know, Hippogriffs can sense feelings. They know if you're afraid of them or if you want them to help you. They can tell if you have hatred within you or if you have love within you."

"All this coming from the idiot who insulted one and got his arm scratched up because of it!" I said, rolling my eyes.

"Either way it doesn't matter," Ginny said. "Because it'll sense that Malfoy's a big cynic and it full of hatred and it won't send him along with us. It'll think he's a death eater."

"Unless, of course," I said with my eyes sparkling. "Malfoy really is a liar."

"You know," he scowled. "I don't exactly have time for these petty debates. Considering, especially, that there is a particularly pissed-off looking hippogriff headed straight for us."

"Shit!" Ron, Ginny, and I cursed simultaneously.

And so, we learned the meaning of the riddle. We ran. We ran fast and far and we didn't look back until we stopped hearing the thundering footsteps pounding behind us.
And then we saw something else that worried us. Or, rather, we saw someone else… and that worried us. Malfoy drew out the wand and aimed. The figure turned to face us and Malfoy dropped the wand. "Longbottom?"

Author's Note: Sorry for the cliff hanger! But come on, admit it was a good one. Thanks for all the reviews and for reading this! Please review for this chapter! NEXT CHAPTER SPOILER: Neville tells them more about The Blaze. Yes, he does know what it is and he is going there. He knows a lot more than they do about who founded it, where it is, and where to get the directions Luna had. Why? Because he's got a special job that has to do with The Blaze. As it that's not shocking enough, the person who gave him the job will blow your mind.

Review! Thanks!