Disclaimer: I own the plot. Nothing else.
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-Chickadee91
Dumbledore led Hermione and Draco through the crowds of first years to the other end of the platform. After making sure that everyone else had left with Hagrid for their trip across the lake, Dumbledore went over to a wall of tall bushes lined up on the side.
He muttered a spell and taped his wand lightly on two of the tallest bushes. Draco and Hermione watched in wonder, as the two bushes moved aside, making a space just wide enough for them to squeeze through.
Hermione started to step through the bushes. Suddenly, she felt her foot catch on something. She tried to maintain her composure, but she lost her balance and went crashing to the ground. Seconds later, she felt something heavy land on top of her. She opened her eyes to see that Draco had fallen on her, and their faces were inches apart.
For a few seconds, his silvery blue eyes were sparkling, but that disappeared as quickly as it came. Draco scrambled off of her.
"Are you stupid Granger?" he asked sarcastically. "Why don't you watch where you step?"
Hermione threw him a dark glare, but said nothing. Suddenly Draco did something she'd never seen him do before. He held out his hand to help her up. Hermione stared in wonder for a moment, then slowly grabbed his hand. His grip was soft but firm and he pulled her to her feet.
"Thanks," Hermione almost whispered giving him a small smile. Draco smiled back for a second, then seemed to return to his senses. He realized that he was holding her hand, and quickly let go. They exchanged glares then they started again down the path behind Dumbledore.
The path was long, and went as far as they could see. The large tangle of trees and sounds of birds seemed peaceful, but oddly quiet for that large of a forest. Hermione watched as Dumbledore kept his eyes steadily on the path, never looking away for a second. She couldn't see and markings of a trail, and she wondered how he knew where he was going. She looked back at Draco who seemed to be noticing the same things.
After a few minutes of steady walking through the large groups of trees, Hermione couldn't contain her curiosity.
"Excuse me Professor Dumbledore," she said politely. "Where exactly are we going?"
"You'll see!" the old man replied. Hermione shrugged.
"I thought that the Head dorms were in the highest tower." Hermione stated.
"They are," replied Dumbledore. Hermione pondered this for a second, but couldn't make sense of it.
If we aren't headed to the dorms, then where are we headed?
Hermione opened her mouth to ask more questions, but thought better of it.
I'm never going to get a straight answer out of him. I might as well go along for the ride.
She glanced back at Draco, who had been silent since their fall in the bushes. He was staring suspiciously at a group of trees in the distance.
"What is it," she asked in a whisper.
"I…" he replied slowly. "I thought I saw… it's nothing." He finished. He tore his silvery eyes away from the trees, and back towards the path Dumbledore was leading them down. Hermione eyed him suspiciously. Draco looked at her.
"It's nothing." He said more forcefully. Hermione turned back around, although she was unconvinced.
He can be so stubborn!
Finally, Hermione saw what looked like a small shack in the distance. There was only one window that they could see, and it was so dirty you couldn't see inside. The shack was made of old wood that seemed to be rotting from the inside out. When they neared closer to it, Hermione could see thousands of spider webs and other bugs crawling in and out of it. She giggled to herself.
Ronald would have a fit, if he had to go in there.
Dumbledore walked up to the old wooden door, and carefully pushed it open. Hermione half expected the rusty hinges to give way and the door go crashing to the floor, but the door just swung open allowing them inside.
Inside Hermione saw that it only had one room with a few pieces of furniture. There was a tattered old couch, a broken stove, and a sink that had long ago rusted over. The only thing that looked younger than 50 years old was a small metal box resting in the corner of the couch. The house creaked as Dumbledore walked over and picked it up. After Dumbledore muttered another spell, the little box clicked open.
Hermione and Draco stood on their toes, trying to see inside the box.
"Here we go!" Dumbledore exclaimed happily. He turned around and opened his hands to show them.
He was holding two of the most interesting coins she had ever seen. They were gold and silver, with small shapes cut into them. Hermione and Draco stared in wonder.
"What are those for?" Hermione thought aloud.
"These," Dumbledore replied. "Are the keys to your rooms."
"What kind of key is that?" asked Draco skeptically.
"You'll figure out how to use them when we get to your dorms." Dumbledore replied. "These keys give you access to everything in your rooms and a few things in your common rooms. If you lose these, the person who finds it will have access to all of your things. I suggest you keep this close to you at all times."
Dumbledore handed Draco the gold coin, and Hermione the silver. He also handed them two small black cords.
"Wear them around your neck." He said to them. "I've put a spell on the cords, so they will not break. As long as the coins stay around your neck, you can't lose them."
Hermione slid the cord through a triangle on the coin, and tied it around her neck. Draco frowned at the cord and muttered something about it being tacky. After a sharp stare from Hermione and Dumbledore, he did the same.
"Now," said Dumbledore placing the empty box back on the couch. "It's time to go see your dorms."
Draco sighed at the thought of the long walk back to the castle. He wasn't a lazy boy, but he was tired from the train ride, and upset that he was missing the feast.
Draco started to walk towards the door of the old shack, but he felt a wrinkled hand on his shoulder.
"Hold on, Mr. Malfoy." Dumbledore said smiling. "We're not leaving that way."
Draco winced at being refereed to by the same name as his father, but his anger was replaced by curiosity.
Dumbledore opened the cabinet underneath the rusted sink. Inside was an old cleaning rag that looked tattered and worn out.
"What's that for?" asked Hermione looking disgusted.
"It's a portkey, Ms. Granger" Said Dumbledore. "It takes you directly outside your common room. All together now."
Dumbledore held on to Draco and Hermione, and then gently touched the old rag. Draco suddenly felt as if he was flying at a tremendous speed, and then falling back down to earth.
Suddenly, Draco felt hard ground, and almost stumbled to his knees at the impact. He glanced at Hermione who looked as if she'd fall over any second.
Suddenly, she began to tip, and Draco ran to her. He caught her in his arms, just as she went limp, and attempted to steady her.
Hermione regained her composure and stared blankly at Draco. His arms were still around her waist, and her arms were around his neck. They stood there, staring at each other for a second, then Hermione quickly broke away. Draco mentally slapped himself.
Why did I feel the urge to pull her closer? Is something wrong with me? Was it something I ate?
Draco saw Hermione turn slightly pink, not realizing he had as well. They both looked at Dumbledore who was staring at them with a look of satisfaction.
"What?" asked Draco a bit sharply.
"Nothing at all!" Dumbledore chuckles. "Are you going to open the door?"
For the first time since their rough arrival, Draco looked at their surroundings. They were standing at the top of a long staircase, that seemed to continue downward forever. In front of them, was a large wooden door decorated with the Griffindor colors on one half, and Slytherin colors on the other.
Draco began walking towards the large door.
"PASSWORD?" boomed a voice that seemed to come out of nowhere. Draco jumped slightly, then quickly tried to hide his surprise. Dumbledore gave a small chuckle.
"There's no need to be startled Mr. Malfoy. I forgot to tell you that you the password. Your password is Dramione."
(A/N: He he! Added for my personal amusement.)
Draco nodded at Dumbledore. And stood a little taller, as if to show the voice he wasn't afraid.
"PASSWORD?" boomed the voice again.
"Dramione," Draco said boldly.
Suddenly the large door creaked open, and Draco heard Hermione gasp behind him.
The room was large with a tall ceiling almost three stories high. The walls were painted an ocean blue, and the rich carpets were a deep sapphire. There was a large brick fireplace, with a blazing fire that lit the room. Around it were a few overstuffed arm chairs and matching couch. On the left and right walls of the room, there were two staircases meeting in the middle of the room over the fireplace. On the balcony where the two staircases meet, there were two doors obviously leading to their dorms.
"Well?" asked Dumbledore. "What do you think?"
"It's beautiful!" exclaimed Hermione. "I love it!"
"It's okay." Muttered Draco. Despite his lack of enthusiasm, it was the most amazing room he had ever seen.
Dumbledore smiled at them.
"I'm glad you both like it." He said happily. "Well, I'm going to let you unpack. When you get settled, ring the bell on the mantle of the fireplace, and a house elf will get you whatever you want to eat."
Draco noticed Hermione frown slightly at the mention of the house elf.
She'll be more for the idea when she gets hungry enough.
Dumbledore smiled at them both then left the room. He closed the door, then quickly pulled it open again.
"I almost forgot!" he exclaimed sticking his head back through the door. "Don't forget, I'm trusting you two to be responsible in here. You are alone, and there is no one to stop you from doing things you shouldn't."
Draco and Hermione exclaimed glances.
"I don't think you'll have to worry too much about that professor." Hermione replied.
"Mmhmm." Muttered Dumbledore skeptically. He gave them both his "be responsible" stare, and left them alone together.
I hope you liked it! Please review with your thoughts! Thanks!
-Chickadee91