Chapter I – Whispers of the Colored Wind
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She took in a breath, to breath again. She was still raging, ready to breath fire on anyone. Another breath in…
Okay…
"You done Granger?" Malfoy asked suddenly and sarcastically, making Hermione's eyes narrowed intensely. Another breath… out… She looked up at him directly in the eye, he stared back.
"Look," she said to him reasonably, "The others have to be around here, lets go look."
He raised an eyebrow in response, "Right, lets go."
The walk along the beach was silent and tense. It was also one of Hermione's ideas of a romantic date. Except, it wouldn't be Malfoy, they would be holding hands, and sneaking random kisses. But in their case, they were about fifteen feet apart, avoiding each others eyes, well may avoiding looking at each other altogether. Hermione had it admit that Malfoy was a little handsome.
Looking down at her shirt, she realized it was covered in grass, sand and soil, and smelled strongly of sea salts. It was still a little damp and needed a washing. Ugh.
They walked a little further until they reached a point where the water was a perfect blue color, giant granite boulders, and sparkling white sands. This was paradise, the perfect tropical island. If only there were signs of life. Hermione gave a side look to Malfoy who was off by a tree packing his mouth with something.
"What on earth are you doing Malfoy! We have to get going!" Hermione said impatiently, as he turned around to face her.
"Don't you eat Granger? Or do you have to, maintain a perfect body," he said mockingly examining her torso and legs. Hermione furrowed her brows and glared at him boldly.
"Actually—"she started, but decided not to make another confrontation with Malfoy.
"Bananas," he said plainly, "We'll have to eat."
"Of course, Malfoy."
They set off again, refraining from speaking, or trying to.
"You think everybody got here?" she asked him, looking for a second opinion.
"Probably not, I hope it was Potter or Weasel who died," he said smirking.
"How dare you! Yes its too bad that I can swim, some might have ended up like me, and falling into the water."
"Everybody did Granger, the life boats popped, nobody could repair them."
"That's terrible. Why are you smirking! That's not a good thing is it?" she said surprised, but why would Malfoy care, even for his dense cronies.
Some few hours later they were still walking, looking for signs of life.
"Oh, finally!" exclaimed Hermione, as she caught sight of a shoe sitting up on the beach. "I wonder who it belongs to." She handed it to Malfoy who shrugged.
They continued the walk, Hermione keeping the shoe with her. They rounded a corner of another point and saw, for real, people.
"Harry, Ron!" she called at the sight of a disgruntled Harry and Ron.
"Hey 'Mione, thats my shoe," said Ron approaching her. "You got stuck with –Malfoy?" He asked condemningly while putting his show back on.
Hermione chose to stay silent about Malfoy, and told him about the bananas.
"Oh, there are some into the forest a little bit," Harry informed her.
"Good, where are the others?" she asked critically.
"Some, Parvati, Lavender, Susan, Hannah and Padma are gathering food. Cho… Katie… and Marietta are over there, sitting," said Harry, "And the guys are somewhere, unknown. Not everybody turned up you know."
Hermione's eyes widened, "That's horrible, firewood?"
"Right he—" Ron's words were interrupted by a loud band coming from the forest, birds immediately cast up from the trees and the wind picked up suddenly, creating a windy atmosphere.
"What was that…" Ron said in a baby like voice.
Crows, ravens, toucans, and parrots all circled the Island at once, and flew back to their nests. The wind soon stopped and it was perfect again, but fear soon filled the air.
"What was that?" Harry inquired.
"I don't know…" Hermione mumbled, she didn't know everything, but it looked like an ancient ritual to her…
- - - - -
That night, they built a fire. It was mostly among friends, Slytherins at one, close knit friends at another. It was like each men for themselves, survival of the fittest; not that they couldn't conjure a fire with their wands.
Hermione was at first with Harry and Ron, but they left to talk with Seamus and Dean about their beloved quidditch. A breeze soon picked up; a comforting tropical breeze, smelling of mangoes, pineapples and the sea. It seemed to whisper her name, calling her.
"Come here…
"Hermione… we need you… help us…
"Hermione, come…"
She found her obedient, against her conscience, but to the wind. She got up and stepped silently into the humid night jungle, without thinking. This was most unlike Hermione, strolling through the forest at night. Many dangers awaited, tigers, leopards, quicksand, crocodiles, giant tarantulas with inch long fangs and lethal venom, vipers, boa constrictors ... and maybe about fifty more magical creatures she had read about.
"Come here Hermione…" The breeze continued to whisper, like a following shadow, mellowing her out.
Wandering she came to a humongous growth of bananas, mangos, pineapples, and even some berries all under the random rays of moonlight, awed she continued further, trekking until a giant ruin lay in her path.
"Welcome… It said.
"Stay… eat… speak…
"Your always… welcome…"
The word… woke her up. No she wasn't… she was in danger.
"What do you want!" she wailed, wondering is she was just possessed to come out here. She could see the wind; it was black, and orange, and red, and green, also blue.
"We want… life… a shape…"
"Permanent… your… perfect."
"NO! LEAVE ME ALONE!" she bellowed at them, when a sudden solid figure pushed her over, and they both tumbled down a few steps onto some freshly wet soil.
It was a human figure, but Hermione's vision was blurred and she wouldn't distinguish who it was, besides he was male. Picking her up and ran to a spot behind a large, tall thin wall like rock, blocking the wind out.
"What are you doing?" he cried.
"Nothing, I—"
"Don't know?"
"No… I don't…" she said somberly, shifting in his grip, feeling rock scrape her back.
Seconds later her vision cleared and she saw the shirt of figure who had taken her away. He had her sitting up against the rock, and seemed to be covering her from something. She looked up to see the grey eyes of Draco Malfoy, looking down on her not bitterly, but almost softly.
"Why did you save me?"
"What you think I don't care about human life forms?"
"No, as a matter of fact I --didn't…
"But it's me… mudblood? Granger?"
His grip loosened, and he took a step back and looked around the clearing, seeing vines hang down from tall, noticeably old trees, and palm trees alike. He sighed, as he shoved her up against the wall and held her closely, with Hermione trying to resist
"What was that about?" she asked him, escaping his grip marching into the open.
Hermione… it whispered as a dagger sliced the air and she screamed loudly moving out of its path.
"What on earth?" she breathed as she ran back to the wall drawing her wand.
"Do you know what you were talking to? Those different colored winds?"
"No."
"Neither do I, but I thought I saw one."
"Oh, why again, would, you care about my wellbeing?" she demanded.
"Just the same, I don't know."
Hermione was smarter that that, there was a reason, and she would find out.
"Mmm, lets go shall we, suppose their gone?" she said advancing towards a the path she came out here on, and followed it, avoiding another embarrassing converse with Malfoy.
Stepping out of the jungle ahead of Malfoy about twenty feet looked nearly suspicious. Hermione soon remembered her hunger. If only they were still on the ship, they would have had an exquisite dinner, and then a delectable desert. It's too dark to get some fruit too, should have done it when you had the chance. She thought.
Looking around towards the black starry horizon she sat down on a log and removed her shoes and stockings. Inhaling a deep breath of fresh air she crossed the beach headed toward the water. Which wasn't warm, nor cold. The island was in a dark solitude of danger. Everything seemed to whisper and talk, colored winds that whisper? Birds circuiting the island? Strange bangs?
Like a slap in the face she had a horrendous thought. Something else as in others may be inhabiting the island? Storming her brain to think of a possibly rare creature it would be.
"Shapes…" she whispered.
It couldn't be Lethifolds, they smother you, not attract you. She thought logically scratching the bridge of her nose pushing up a pair of invisible classes.
She was worried they wouldn't make it off the island alive. Whatever those things were, they will me most likely lethal. The glowing harvest moon reflected off of the oceans water. What ocean was this anyway? Certainly not the pacific. The island was definitely seemed like the kind of island you would associate to swaying palm trees and tropical fruits, but as long as those others are here you wouldn't.
Sparkling stars always attracted Hermione to a window, or even better a dark field. She could see Venus, Phoenix, Delphinus, and Pisces, only some of the stars visible in the skies. She guessed that they were down south somewhere, far away from their original destination. Hagrid had seemed a little antsy at dinner the night before they sunk; they never saw him that way before, ever. He probably knew the ship was going off course, for he and Dumbledore had been in hushed conversation all throughout the meal.
The underwater mountain must have been exactly as Dumbledore had said, "quite unavoidable." Hermione gained back a sense of reality, realizing it was late, the moon was nearly to the west of the island, it passed overhead hours ago, leaving the east side in a blanketed darkness that scared the knickers off of a few seventh year girls, and even boys.
Sleepily Hermione fumbled for a banana on a tree and settled in a spot by the fire near Harry and Ron, who were sound asleep, both snowing like chainsaws. Finishing she grumbled and tossed the peels into the fire and fell into a sound, comforting yet distorted to the current updatesof the circumstances she was in, a farfetched dreamland.
She was at home, a warm sunny summers morning, the living room smelled of citronella candles and the kitchen on coffee. The glorious golden sunshine shining thought the French doors. Through them she saw unrealistically blue lagoon. Walking to the doors she looked out taking in every cedar, fur and pine, every eagle, raven and sparrow, every koi pond, water jug, and pipe hose. She looked around the room examining every inch. To her left was a beautifully carved glossy wooden door, she went to open the doors. They wouldn't budge.
Frantically dashing to the kitchen in search of a key or something to open that door, curiosity had gotten to her. Her house had turned into a sea side cottage. It was not a strange room though, it had the same features of her own house, but was more exquisite.
Finding a key she hurried back to the door, upon entering the key into the lock and turning it the house started to rumble and shake. Loud wails, groans and howls escaped cracks and crevices.
After it ceased nothing was out of place. Not the porcelain otter her mother had given her, nor the crystal chandelier. Pushing the door open to her horror books upon books lay in piles and heaps, broken glass and windows, and wet soggy floors. It was the Hogwarts library destroyed…
"Noooooooooooooooooo…!" she wailed into her hands. "Noooooooooo!"
Hermione woke up breathing heavily in a cold sweat. Swiftly sitting bold upright she looked around examining her surroundings. Ron and Harry snoring. Seventh year girls whispering to each other in fear of wild animals. Slytherins sleeping gingerly off a little behind the trees just barely in view.