Chapter 7

Once they were out of the viewing range of the camp grounds Hermione pulled out the map. Draco stepped closer to have a look himself. She pointed to a dot on the map. "That's us here and we need to be there." She pointed to another dot on the map.

"Well lets go then, the faster we get there the faster I get to go home."

"The quicker the better, that way I can get rid of you sooner." Hermione stated and glared at him.

"Oh piss off Granger, just get on with it." He bowed and moved aside," Lead on Jeeves." He snickered as she started walking off the main path and he followed.

After about hour of walking through the forest the brush and trees seemed to thicken in density. It was proving impossible to move further. "Now what do we do?" He asked as he leaned up against a tree wiping the sweat from his brow. Hermione opened her bag and retrieved a long knife from it.

"Whoa what are you going to do with that?" He asked eyeing the big machete nervously. She rolled her eyes. " You stupid prat! This is for you to cut down the shite blocking our path!" She held the knife by the blade and pointed the handle to him. " I knew that mudblood, I just meant what were YOU doing with it. You couldn't possibly be strong enough to do much good with it." He said trying to cover up his fear.

"Yeah, whatever, you were scared of little ol' me holding the big knife." She mocked him smiling.

"Shutup." He had started to cut away a path for them to continue through.

They kept silent as they trudged through the landscape. They came to a small clearing and Draco stopped." Breaktime, I'm beat." Hermione looked around and put down her bag."Yeah I guess its been a few hours now we can sit for a few." He looked at her and smirked," Oh thanks for your permission Granger, although I don't need it." He sat down on a grassy area next to a large tree, his head resting against its bark.

Hermione was referencing the map to make sure their course was still in correct heading. She glanced up to see if Draco looked ready to go. "Draco don't move." Of course the most stupidist thing to say to someone when you don't want them to go anywhere. Draco was about to tell her to shove it when he heard a long hissing sound come from above his shoulder.

He froze as he watched Hermione draw her wand. "Flingorium Reptilian!" A snake that was about as long as he was tall, flew through the air and landed in a heap at the other side of the clearing. It looked back to hiss once more but slithered on its way knowing it had lost its prey. Draco was trying to control his stomach so he wouldn't lose his breakfast. "Oh Merlin! That thing had to be at least six feet long! It was going to eat me alive!"

He had jumped from his place at the tree and started to pace back and forth in his raving. Hermione noted that even though he was quite pasty in complextion already, his color had paled to match his white blond hair. "Oh stop your bellyaching Malfoy its gone now. Shouldn't you be use to snakes? You were in Slytherin house remember?" She was stifling her laughter with a clenched jaw.

He stopped abruptly and glared at her."Yes, well, the snakes that we kept in the dungeon weren't big enough to swallow you whole! I am surprised at myself that I didn't end up pissing myself!" That was it Hermione couldn't hold it any longer and started to roll on the ground clenching her sides.Her laughter made her stomach hurt.

Draco crossed his arms across his chest as he watched her try to control her laughter. It died down to a fit of giggles every couple of minutes."Are you done?" He glared at her."It's so nice to see someone laugh at my near death experience."

Hermione pulled herself together and stood up putting the map back in her bag. "You have such a big head Malfoy. Get over yourself already! Breaks over by the way. Let's go before night hits." Hermione slung the bag over her shoulder and Draco picked up the machete as they were off again.

A few more hours had passed since the snake incident and Draco was beginning to tire again. "Can we stop yet?" He whined.Hermion sighed behind him," Your like a figety child you know that? I am half expecting you to start droning on like one on a long car ride. Are we there yet? Are we there yet?" She said in a annoying mock child's voice.

He ignored her insolence and continued through the brush, cutting away at branches of tall grass. He was about to complain again when Hermione gasped. He looked towards her quickly, expecting the unexpected. She pointed up to above the grasses clearing. He followed her gaze and gasped as well. "Holy shite." He drew in a breath and let out a low whistle.

They pushed through the remaining tall grass and looked at what lay before them. The temple was monumental in size. It had to be as large as a football field. Large colums stood everywhere, though some had fallen over and were littering the ground with broken stone. Hermione inched forward wand in hand ready for anything. Draco drew his as well and kept the knife in a hearty grasp.

They came to a set of stairs that led up to the temple. A statue of a man stared down at them from above. "Oh my Merlin! Do you know who that is!" She stared at Draco searching to for an answer but didn't wait for it. " That's him! That's Mars! That's the God of War!" Draco backed away from her flailing arms. Her wild tantrum scary the sheezies out of him."Um, can you calm down a bit Granger. I mean I understand this is like your passion and all but I would like to refrain from losing an eye."

She finally realized that she was acting like a ninny and composed herself. Draco sighed a breath of relief only to watch her speed up the stairs in the blink of an eye. He rolled his eyes and ascended the staircase. She was staring face to face with the statue. She reached up to touch its cheek,"Wow this looks so lifelike. Its almost as if a human body turned to stone. A great master must of carved this likeness."

Draco was studying her eyes. They were sparkling with girlish delight. He almost smiled but instead scowled.'What the hell am I doing admiring her eyes?' He forgot about the statue and Hermione and moved towards what he believed were the doors to the temple. He stared at the massive doors in front of him. There were intricate symbols and designs carved in the heavy stone. He had no clue what they meant or might say. " Hey Wisenheimer get a looksie over here why don't ya."

Hermione snapped out of being engrossed in the statue of Mars and advanced toward Malfoy. Draco examined her as her brows furrowed. She was obviously deep in thought he gathered.

"Quien busca el fin del principio caerá aquí." She said slowly in confusion. "What in the name of Merlin does that mean?"Draco asked dumbfounded."He who seeks the end of the beginning will fall here,"she said. It bothered her that she couldn't figure out how to interpret its meaning.

He lifted an eyebrow," And again I ask what in the hell does that mean?"

Hermione shrugged, " You should mark this day in the history books Draco. For once I have no idea." He mimed out the act of being struck in the heart. He stumbled backwards. "I think I'm having a heart attack! Did the infamous Hermione Granger, the know-it-all mudblood, just say she didn't know something?" He laughed," I have died and gone to Summerland!" If looks could kill Draco would have been lying in a bloody heap at her feet.

She tried to ignore him and went back to inspecting the door. She traced along the pattern woven throughout the stone. Celtic knots made unimaginable designs of artwork along its matter. Draco was inturn pushing at the door to see if it would budge. With no such luck he stepped back giving up to watch Hermione poke at a hole in the door. To his disbelief ,he watched as she was swallowed into the earth.