Fathers

Draco Malfoy

When Granger started talking about my father, I had to shut her up. This was one topic area she knew absolutely nothing about. Granger might think she knows how my home life is, but she doesn't have a clue. Does my father physically beat me? Sometimes. Does he perform illegal curses on me? Often. Does he want people to know about this? No. And I don't either.

Just the thought of her assuming my father physically attacked me made me boil over in anger. So I knocked her over on her back, held myself above her, and practically glared a hole in her eye sockets. She looked frightened for a moment but she regained her composure and wouldn't let me see her fear.

She's too damn brave for her own good.

----

"Wake up!"

I was starting to really hate it when Granger was my personal alarm clock.

"Damn it, Malfoy, get up!" she ordered, shoving me awake. "Come on… we have to try and meet up with the rest of our group!"

"I'm up, Granger," I growled. "You can get your hands off my chest, now."

She blushed and scrambled away.

"Which way do you think we have to go?" she asked.

"Gee, Granger, let me think," I mocked deep thought. "We didn't know that answerlast night, so what makes you think we'll know it today?"

"You're not making this any easier."

"Who said I was trying to do that?"

She groaned and muttered, "I think we need to go that way."

I looked where she pointed. "No," I remarked, shaking my head. "I think we need to go in the total opposite direction."

"Are you serious?" she asked. "Are you just trying to disagree with me or something? We obviously need to go that way!"

"Might I remind you that just moments ago you valued my opinion."

"Malfoy," she said dangerously, "I don't give a crap about your opinions anymore. I'm going this way, and if you disagree with me, go off by yourself!"

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

"I hope I never see you again, Granger!" I said as we walked off in different directions.

"And I hope the exact same thing!"

----

"Stupid, stupid, stupid mudblood!" I cursed over and over as I got myself more lost than I was before.

"I heard that!"

"Granger?"

"Malfoy!" Granger exclaimed happily. I gave her a suspicious look. "I've been looking all over for you!"

"Who are you and what have you done with Hermione Granger?" I asked.

She laughed. "It's me, honest. I've just been out here alone for the past three hours and I just got more and more lost. I was hoping I'd meet up with you again."

"Are you sick?" I asked, pressing my palm against her forehead. "You do seem to be a little warm…"

"Malfoy," she said half seriously, "I'm fine. Now can we please try and get out of this mess? I want to find the others."

"Alright, well, I haven't gone that way," I pointed to my left.

"Okay, let's try that."

Looking back, this was a big mistake. I read somewhere once that women have a better sense of direction than men. If that's true, than Granger's the exception. When I pointed left, she willingly agreed to go that way, as I reminded her later.

But anyway, we walked to the left. We didn't say much… only occasional comments or complaints or observations. At some point, Granger started walking ahead of me a little. I didn't mind… I was trying to save my energy for when it mattered most. And that moment came sooner than I expected.

Granger followed the rough path we were on and all of a sudden, there was an ear-piercing scream. I ran after her and stopped dead in my tracks. "Shit!"

"Help!" she yelled.

She was hanging off the edge of a cliff. I could only see her hands grabbing onto a root. "Didn't you see the end of the cliff?" I asked, unsure of how she could've not seen it and fallen.

"The ground gave way underneath me!"

"Alright, stay calm, just hold on a second," I went to find a longer stick to pull her out with. There wasn't anything strong enough. I took a deep breath and got down on all fours.

"What are you doing?" she asked impatiently. "I can't stay here all day, you know!"

She was hanging by her hands, her feet suspended in mid air. "I know."

I crawled over to the edge, testing to see if the ground could support me. If I fell, too, we'd end up dead. I got over to the edge when I was sure it would sustain my weight and grabbed her hand. "Pull yourself up," I ordered.

"I… can't!"

"Yes you can, Granger, you can. Come on, just try."

I grabbed both of her wrists and pulled. I could hear her feet kicking against the cliff's edge. Some rocks fluttered to the ground. I took the chance to peer over the edge, and I took a deep breath. It was a long way down. I couldn't drop her.

I used all the strength within me to pull her up and over the edge. I fell onto my back, and she tumbled on top of me. We were both breathing heavily, trying to relax ourselves again. I wanted to say something to break the ice. This was an awkward position.

"So, what are we up to here, Granger?" I asked with a smirk. "Is this is fourth time I've saved your life or what?"

She didn't get angry with me. Instead, she smiled and laughed, rolling off of me and lying on her back beside me. "I think it is."

We stayed that way for a while, and then we found the motivation to get up and keep moving. "Do you think we'll ever find them again?" she asked after we'd been walking for a while.

"Do you want the truth or do you want a sugar-coated lie?"

She pretended to be thinking deeply. "The truth."

"The truth can be brutal, Granger," I told her. "Most of the time, the lies are a lot more appealing. Are you sure you can handle what I really think? Because, you know, my mind can be—"

"Just tell me what you think, Malfoy," she said softly.

"I think we'll find them eventually," I said. "But it won't be any time soon… we're really lost here."

"Maybe Ginny was wrong about you," she mused.

I raised my eyebrows at her.

"Maybe you aren't such a pessimist, after all."

I glared at her. "Oh, no," I said, shaking my head. "Malfoy's are total cynics."

She shook her head. "I was beginning to think we were past all of that "Malfoys" stuff."

It was my turn to shake my head. "Granger, listen," I sighed. "I can't just snap my fingers and change who I am."

"I wasn't expecting you to, but—"

"I am who I am and it's not going to change for anyone, got it?" My voice was growing louder by this point. "Not for you, not for the Weasleys, not even for me."

She looked away. "I suppose you're right."

"I am right," I gloated. "Malfoy's are always right."

She rolled her eyes.

I smirked.

----

"Hey, is that where we camped out last time?"

"No," she said, eyeing the fire pit. "That's what they built without us."

"I see they've left already. This morning, it must've been."

"I told Ron to keep going if something happened to me," she confessed.

"Oh," I cocked my head to the side and looked at her curiously. "Who's the pessimist now?"

"I was just making sure he wouldn't try and be brave or stupid if I got lost or... worse…"

"Don't worry Granger," I said. "People are savages at heart. They think they care about others, but when it comes down to it they don't give a damn."

"I guess we're both pessimists, then, huh?"

"I guess."

"Hey! Look!" she pointed to a patch of the ground that was written in with a stick. "They knew we'd find our way back and they left us a note!"

"What does it say?" I asked, walking toward her.

"Hello, Draco." We both spun around quickly. "I was looking for you."

I instinctively backed in front of Granger, protecting her from the person in front of me. "What are you doing?" she hissed.

"If you keep quiet and do what I tell you," I whispered, keeping my eyes on the man before me, "I'll be saving your life for the fifth damn time."

I reached into my pocket and realized there wasn't a wand there. It was Ginny's turn today. I remembered the advice my father gave me once. You don't have to be bigger or stronger or faster than your enemies, Draco. You just have to be smarter and luckier.

"Do you feel lucky, Granger?" I asked.

She gulped. "Yes."

"Good. Act optimistic for the time being."

Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews! I'm glad some of you thought my next story sounded good. I thought of a title, which is: My Latest Mistake. Which, if you read, you'll find out has multiple meanings. NEXT CHAPTER SPOILER: Who is that man that found them? What did Ginny write in the dirt? What did Ron bury next to the campfire? Will Hermione and Draco manage to escape their attacker? Will they ever meet up with the others? Will they ever find The Blaze? Okay, enough questions, already! The next chapter will have the answers. REVIEW!