Terrifié
Chapter Thirteen [Rain]
Last Time:
He smiled and gently pushed her towards the stairwell. At then entranceway she paused, turned and said in an almost-whisper,
"Thank-you, Albus."
TBC
***
The rain started slowly. It fell gently onto the ground, nourishing it. The sky was light grey and the grass was brilliant emerald.
But it didn't stop. The clouds grew dark and the rain beat down upon the castle and grounds, pounding on the rooves and windows.
The rain kept coming. Leaks sprung. Streams formed in the grass. The lake rose. The giant squid played.
Hermione sat in a window in the astronomy tower. The rain fell so fast it distorted her vision. Sheets of water poured off the eaves. It was Saturday morning, 7 o'clock. She had woken at 6:30 and not been able to get back to sleep. The sound of the rain disturbed her. She has this irrational feeling that if it kept on they would all be swept away. Maybe God was wiping the slate clean once again. Maybe somewhere someone was hurrying, stowing the last few animals onto their ark. She carried her blanket up to the Astronomy tower and sat silently.
Draco lay in bed, not having slept that night. He listened to the rain as well. He turned onto his side, closed his eyes and pulled the blankets around him tighter. But he still heard the rain.
Dumbledore sat with McGonagall in his office and they talked quietly. The clink-clink of their spoons against their mugs seemed so sweet and light against the loud drumming of the rain.
Breakfast was subdued. Hermione made her way down with Ron and Harry in silence. She saw Draco and looked away tiredly. The circles under his eyes had darkened.
Students sloshed their way towards Hogsmeade. Their umbrellas would fly away or turn inside out if they were not careful. Hermione, Ron, Harry and Ginny went together, huddling together under two umbrellas. Hermione wore Muggle clothing for once, jeans and a sweater, a yellow raincoat and yellow rainboots. Harry wore a similar outfit, and Ron and Ginny looked at them curiously. Despite their umbrellas, by the time they reached Hogsmeade, the four friends were soaked. Hermione wiped her face with her sodden sleeve, and wrung out her hair. They stomped their feet on the wet mat at The Three Broomsticks, and warmed up with Butterbeers.
"I've got to go Christmas shopping, so I've got to go by myself. I don't need an umbrella." Hermione said.
"Well I'm all done my shopping, I just want to go to Zonko's." Ron said, and Harry and Ginny agreed.
"I'll just see you guys back at Hogwarts then ok? I might be late. Don't worry." Hermione hugged her friends goodbye and was about to leave.
"You sure you don't need an umbrella?" Harry asked, catching her arm and looking concerned.
"I'm already soaked!" Hermione laughed lightly.
"Well don't catch a cold now, that'd be horrible!" Ginny said, feeling her face to see if she was chilled.
"And be careful! Don't go off the main street, this place could be dangerous. Actually, maybe I'd better come with you-"
"No Ron! I'll be fine! I know how to take care of myself guys, honestly. And I've got my wand... come to think of it..." Hermione flicked her wand, muttered something under her breath and was instantly dry, except for her hair, which was annoying exempt from most common drying spells. She smiled at her friends and escaped out the door before they could make any further comments.
She was already soaked again by the time she got to a little shop. She walked through the aisles looking for gifts. She found some pretty wrapping paper and a magical mirror which said encouraging things for Ginny, as well as some neat moving figurines for her Dad. She went next to the bookstore, where she got her mother the "Simple Introduction to the Wizarding World" which was meant specifically for Muggle parents, and a journal with a picture of a couple dancing on the front. They moved to whatever music you were playing. She found some magazines for Lavi and Pavi and moved on. She got Ron a new scarf and decided to give him some spending money. She couldn't think of what to get for Harry though.
She stood on the street, looking at the stores around her and wondering. She saw a store she hadn't noticed and walked towards it to take a closer look. The fading sign read, "The Toy and Trinket Shop". She smiled and went in, a bell ringing as she did. The store was dusty and obviously didn't get many visitors, but she found the things in it to be rather fascinating. She eventually decided to get Harry a pen that wrote in any colour you thought of, and a little snitch that flew around. She brought the items to the counter, and looked around. There was no one there. She rang the bell on the counter and waited, but still no one came. She rang again, and decided to wait for just another few minutes before giving up. They were such nice gifts. She looked into a display case at the counter. There were several books and some pens and watches. And then she saw it. It was a silver cloak pin in the shape of a roaring dragon, with emerald eyes. As soon as she saw it she thought of Malfoy. She hadn't planned on getting him a Christmas present, but it seemed so perfect....
There was a cough and an old man drew aside a curtain from behind the counter and limped up to the cash register. He had a cane and short grey hair, and a little grey beard. His eyes were an unusual light green color.
"Hello there. Sorry about the wait, I was in the attic. Don't get much business in here." He shrugged and smiled apologetically, ringing in the items she had laid on the counter. "Is that it, miss?" He asked, looking at her with an eyebrow raised. Hermione took a breath.
"Actually..." She gestured toward the display case. "I'd like to get that silver dragon cloak pin as well, please." She said, indicating which one she meant. The old man smiled.
"Aah. Good choice... that's no simple cloak pin. It records and plays back as well. The instructions are included." He opened the case with a key from around his neck, took the pin out and it put it in a little black box with the instructions, and rang up the price. She paid him and he handed her a bag. "Thank-you very much, Miss, it's been a pleasure dealing with you. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas." The old man smiled one last time and then walked creakily back behind the curtain. Hermione left and went to Honeydukes to get some treats for the outside of the gifts, and then went outside yet again. It was still pouring and water ran over and around the cobblestones of the street. Hermione decided she had finished all her shopping and was about to head back to Hogwarts when there was a loud crack of thunder and a lightning bolt lit up the sky. A strong gust of wind came up and one of her lighter bags somehow got loose.
"Fuck!" Hermione cried, although she rarely swore. She chased after it down the road as it bounced on the cobblestones, splashing. She finally caught it but slipped in a puddle and crashed into it face first. She lay there for a moment before she sat up, slouching dejectedly. "Oh Merlin above." She said, a tear of exasperation mingling with the raindrops pouring down her face. At least her bags were plastic. She couldn't really work up the energy or desire to stand up, so she simply sat there, letting the rain thoroughly drench her and people weave around her, looking at her curiously before rushing on. She sneezed four times in a row, and then moaned. This was really not a good day. A cold was the last thing she needed. She wished she had of stayed with Harry, Ron and Ginny. Or in the Three Broomsticks. Or that someone would find her.
"Hermione?!" She heard a voice yell. Running footsteps behind her, someone's hand on her shoulder. She looked up.
"Oh. Hi." She said simply. Who else would it have been but Malfoy? Life was like that.
Cruel.
"Hi?... Hi?! What are you doing? You're going to die of cold! I've got a room rented in the Hog's Head, come on!" He pulled her arm, but she didn't move. His hair was plastered to his head and his robes were completely sodden. He peered at her through the descending dark and rain. "Hermione, are you ok?" She stared at him.
"I guess." She said, when she realized he wanted her to answer. He bent down and picked her up, bags and all, and ran with her to the Inn. They barely merited any attention at the bar, it being crowded, and Draco carried her up the stairs, unlocked a door, and kicked it open. He flopped her down into an armchair, shut the door, and watched her from the corner of his eye as he took off his robes and shoes, performed a drying spell, and shook his hair. The room was a fading peach colour and dimly lit, and held a single bed and bedside table. There was a door leading to the bathroom. The armchair Hermione sat in was the only one in the room. Draco took the bags out of her hands and lay them to the side, then left. He came back a few moments later and looked at Hermione She sneezed 6 times in a row.
"Oh God, don't tell me you've got a cold! That's awful!" He said, shaking his head, which was still wet. She looked up at him and smiled.
"Well thanks for the little break. I must be on my way now. Got to get back to school..." She said, beginning to do a kind of slide out of the armchair.
"Are you kidding me? Hermione it's dark and dangerous out. And besides that, there's a storm! The wind is really up and it's thunder and lightening!" As if to prove his point, the room lit up and there was a loud rumble. "I've already written to the teachers saying that we're here, I'm sure they'll be fine with it." Draco crossed an arms in a way that meant she should not argue. Hermione was too tired to argue anyway. She sneezed.
"Ok." She said simply.
"You look like a drowned rat." Draco stated truthfully, prying her boots off and taking her coat as well. He turned the boots upside down over the heater and a load of water came out and sizzled. He hung the coat and turned back to her. He performed a drying spell and took off her socks, and then wrung out her hair. Hermione sat passively through all of this. Wetness had always drained her, when she was home her mother did these things for her. He stood back and looked at her. She looked back. And sneezed. He put her in the bed with a box of tissues next to her, and then turned up the heat in the room. He dried off the armchair and sat down with a book.
Hermione watched him, and blew her nose. They listened to the sounds of the rain outside.
"Go to sleep Hermione." He said. "I'll sleep on the floor." He went back to reading. Hermione sneezed. After ten minutes he looked up again. She was still looking at him.
"What?" He asked, annoyed that she wasn't asleep.
"I'm cold." She said.
"The heat's up as high as it goes. Sorry." He got up and checked around for extra blankets, found one, and put it over her. She turned back a corner of the blankets and looked at him. "I said I'd sleep on the floor, it's fine." He said, shaking his head.
"I'm cold though." She said. Draco sighed, put his book away, turned off the light, and got in bed next to her, flicking off the bedside table lamp. He stayed at the very edge of the bed, careful not to touch her. He stared at the ceiling. He felt a hand on his arm, pulling him closer.
"You'll fall off." Hermione said, sniffling. He handed her a tissue. She pulled him a little closer. And then tried to pull him closer again, but he wouldn't budge anymore. He stared at the ceiling again. He wasn't really that tired. He was uncomfortable. He wasn't used to being in bed with girls he wasn't... sleeping with. Well, he was sleeping with Hermione. But sleeping with in that other way... he stared at the ceiling.
Hermione squirmed closer. She inched slowly towards him. Until finally, before he had fully realized, she was snuggled closely to his side with her arm wrapped around him, and her head on his chest.
He looked down, wondering how this had happened while he was staring at the ceiling. He put an arm around her, and looked down. Her breathing had deepened and turned rhythmical. Her eyes were closed.
"Hermione?" He whispered. She didn't answer. Suddenly he felt very warm, and tired.
He fell asleep.
The rain fell from the dark clouds, and lightning and thunder crashed down upon Hogsmeade. But Hermione and Draco slept on, silent except for the occasional sniffle.
TBC
***
Chapter Thirteen [Rain]
Last Time:
He smiled and gently pushed her towards the stairwell. At then entranceway she paused, turned and said in an almost-whisper,
"Thank-you, Albus."
TBC
***
The rain started slowly. It fell gently onto the ground, nourishing it. The sky was light grey and the grass was brilliant emerald.
But it didn't stop. The clouds grew dark and the rain beat down upon the castle and grounds, pounding on the rooves and windows.
The rain kept coming. Leaks sprung. Streams formed in the grass. The lake rose. The giant squid played.
Hermione sat in a window in the astronomy tower. The rain fell so fast it distorted her vision. Sheets of water poured off the eaves. It was Saturday morning, 7 o'clock. She had woken at 6:30 and not been able to get back to sleep. The sound of the rain disturbed her. She has this irrational feeling that if it kept on they would all be swept away. Maybe God was wiping the slate clean once again. Maybe somewhere someone was hurrying, stowing the last few animals onto their ark. She carried her blanket up to the Astronomy tower and sat silently.
Draco lay in bed, not having slept that night. He listened to the rain as well. He turned onto his side, closed his eyes and pulled the blankets around him tighter. But he still heard the rain.
Dumbledore sat with McGonagall in his office and they talked quietly. The clink-clink of their spoons against their mugs seemed so sweet and light against the loud drumming of the rain.
Breakfast was subdued. Hermione made her way down with Ron and Harry in silence. She saw Draco and looked away tiredly. The circles under his eyes had darkened.
Students sloshed their way towards Hogsmeade. Their umbrellas would fly away or turn inside out if they were not careful. Hermione, Ron, Harry and Ginny went together, huddling together under two umbrellas. Hermione wore Muggle clothing for once, jeans and a sweater, a yellow raincoat and yellow rainboots. Harry wore a similar outfit, and Ron and Ginny looked at them curiously. Despite their umbrellas, by the time they reached Hogsmeade, the four friends were soaked. Hermione wiped her face with her sodden sleeve, and wrung out her hair. They stomped their feet on the wet mat at The Three Broomsticks, and warmed up with Butterbeers.
"I've got to go Christmas shopping, so I've got to go by myself. I don't need an umbrella." Hermione said.
"Well I'm all done my shopping, I just want to go to Zonko's." Ron said, and Harry and Ginny agreed.
"I'll just see you guys back at Hogwarts then ok? I might be late. Don't worry." Hermione hugged her friends goodbye and was about to leave.
"You sure you don't need an umbrella?" Harry asked, catching her arm and looking concerned.
"I'm already soaked!" Hermione laughed lightly.
"Well don't catch a cold now, that'd be horrible!" Ginny said, feeling her face to see if she was chilled.
"And be careful! Don't go off the main street, this place could be dangerous. Actually, maybe I'd better come with you-"
"No Ron! I'll be fine! I know how to take care of myself guys, honestly. And I've got my wand... come to think of it..." Hermione flicked her wand, muttered something under her breath and was instantly dry, except for her hair, which was annoying exempt from most common drying spells. She smiled at her friends and escaped out the door before they could make any further comments.
She was already soaked again by the time she got to a little shop. She walked through the aisles looking for gifts. She found some pretty wrapping paper and a magical mirror which said encouraging things for Ginny, as well as some neat moving figurines for her Dad. She went next to the bookstore, where she got her mother the "Simple Introduction to the Wizarding World" which was meant specifically for Muggle parents, and a journal with a picture of a couple dancing on the front. They moved to whatever music you were playing. She found some magazines for Lavi and Pavi and moved on. She got Ron a new scarf and decided to give him some spending money. She couldn't think of what to get for Harry though.
She stood on the street, looking at the stores around her and wondering. She saw a store she hadn't noticed and walked towards it to take a closer look. The fading sign read, "The Toy and Trinket Shop". She smiled and went in, a bell ringing as she did. The store was dusty and obviously didn't get many visitors, but she found the things in it to be rather fascinating. She eventually decided to get Harry a pen that wrote in any colour you thought of, and a little snitch that flew around. She brought the items to the counter, and looked around. There was no one there. She rang the bell on the counter and waited, but still no one came. She rang again, and decided to wait for just another few minutes before giving up. They were such nice gifts. She looked into a display case at the counter. There were several books and some pens and watches. And then she saw it. It was a silver cloak pin in the shape of a roaring dragon, with emerald eyes. As soon as she saw it she thought of Malfoy. She hadn't planned on getting him a Christmas present, but it seemed so perfect....
There was a cough and an old man drew aside a curtain from behind the counter and limped up to the cash register. He had a cane and short grey hair, and a little grey beard. His eyes were an unusual light green color.
"Hello there. Sorry about the wait, I was in the attic. Don't get much business in here." He shrugged and smiled apologetically, ringing in the items she had laid on the counter. "Is that it, miss?" He asked, looking at her with an eyebrow raised. Hermione took a breath.
"Actually..." She gestured toward the display case. "I'd like to get that silver dragon cloak pin as well, please." She said, indicating which one she meant. The old man smiled.
"Aah. Good choice... that's no simple cloak pin. It records and plays back as well. The instructions are included." He opened the case with a key from around his neck, took the pin out and it put it in a little black box with the instructions, and rang up the price. She paid him and he handed her a bag. "Thank-you very much, Miss, it's been a pleasure dealing with you. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas." The old man smiled one last time and then walked creakily back behind the curtain. Hermione left and went to Honeydukes to get some treats for the outside of the gifts, and then went outside yet again. It was still pouring and water ran over and around the cobblestones of the street. Hermione decided she had finished all her shopping and was about to head back to Hogwarts when there was a loud crack of thunder and a lightning bolt lit up the sky. A strong gust of wind came up and one of her lighter bags somehow got loose.
"Fuck!" Hermione cried, although she rarely swore. She chased after it down the road as it bounced on the cobblestones, splashing. She finally caught it but slipped in a puddle and crashed into it face first. She lay there for a moment before she sat up, slouching dejectedly. "Oh Merlin above." She said, a tear of exasperation mingling with the raindrops pouring down her face. At least her bags were plastic. She couldn't really work up the energy or desire to stand up, so she simply sat there, letting the rain thoroughly drench her and people weave around her, looking at her curiously before rushing on. She sneezed four times in a row, and then moaned. This was really not a good day. A cold was the last thing she needed. She wished she had of stayed with Harry, Ron and Ginny. Or in the Three Broomsticks. Or that someone would find her.
"Hermione?!" She heard a voice yell. Running footsteps behind her, someone's hand on her shoulder. She looked up.
"Oh. Hi." She said simply. Who else would it have been but Malfoy? Life was like that.
Cruel.
"Hi?... Hi?! What are you doing? You're going to die of cold! I've got a room rented in the Hog's Head, come on!" He pulled her arm, but she didn't move. His hair was plastered to his head and his robes were completely sodden. He peered at her through the descending dark and rain. "Hermione, are you ok?" She stared at him.
"I guess." She said, when she realized he wanted her to answer. He bent down and picked her up, bags and all, and ran with her to the Inn. They barely merited any attention at the bar, it being crowded, and Draco carried her up the stairs, unlocked a door, and kicked it open. He flopped her down into an armchair, shut the door, and watched her from the corner of his eye as he took off his robes and shoes, performed a drying spell, and shook his hair. The room was a fading peach colour and dimly lit, and held a single bed and bedside table. There was a door leading to the bathroom. The armchair Hermione sat in was the only one in the room. Draco took the bags out of her hands and lay them to the side, then left. He came back a few moments later and looked at Hermione She sneezed 6 times in a row.
"Oh God, don't tell me you've got a cold! That's awful!" He said, shaking his head, which was still wet. She looked up at him and smiled.
"Well thanks for the little break. I must be on my way now. Got to get back to school..." She said, beginning to do a kind of slide out of the armchair.
"Are you kidding me? Hermione it's dark and dangerous out. And besides that, there's a storm! The wind is really up and it's thunder and lightening!" As if to prove his point, the room lit up and there was a loud rumble. "I've already written to the teachers saying that we're here, I'm sure they'll be fine with it." Draco crossed an arms in a way that meant she should not argue. Hermione was too tired to argue anyway. She sneezed.
"Ok." She said simply.
"You look like a drowned rat." Draco stated truthfully, prying her boots off and taking her coat as well. He turned the boots upside down over the heater and a load of water came out and sizzled. He hung the coat and turned back to her. He performed a drying spell and took off her socks, and then wrung out her hair. Hermione sat passively through all of this. Wetness had always drained her, when she was home her mother did these things for her. He stood back and looked at her. She looked back. And sneezed. He put her in the bed with a box of tissues next to her, and then turned up the heat in the room. He dried off the armchair and sat down with a book.
Hermione watched him, and blew her nose. They listened to the sounds of the rain outside.
"Go to sleep Hermione." He said. "I'll sleep on the floor." He went back to reading. Hermione sneezed. After ten minutes he looked up again. She was still looking at him.
"What?" He asked, annoyed that she wasn't asleep.
"I'm cold." She said.
"The heat's up as high as it goes. Sorry." He got up and checked around for extra blankets, found one, and put it over her. She turned back a corner of the blankets and looked at him. "I said I'd sleep on the floor, it's fine." He said, shaking his head.
"I'm cold though." She said. Draco sighed, put his book away, turned off the light, and got in bed next to her, flicking off the bedside table lamp. He stayed at the very edge of the bed, careful not to touch her. He stared at the ceiling. He felt a hand on his arm, pulling him closer.
"You'll fall off." Hermione said, sniffling. He handed her a tissue. She pulled him a little closer. And then tried to pull him closer again, but he wouldn't budge anymore. He stared at the ceiling again. He wasn't really that tired. He was uncomfortable. He wasn't used to being in bed with girls he wasn't... sleeping with. Well, he was sleeping with Hermione. But sleeping with in that other way... he stared at the ceiling.
Hermione squirmed closer. She inched slowly towards him. Until finally, before he had fully realized, she was snuggled closely to his side with her arm wrapped around him, and her head on his chest.
He looked down, wondering how this had happened while he was staring at the ceiling. He put an arm around her, and looked down. Her breathing had deepened and turned rhythmical. Her eyes were closed.
"Hermione?" He whispered. She didn't answer. Suddenly he felt very warm, and tired.
He fell asleep.
The rain fell from the dark clouds, and lightning and thunder crashed down upon Hogsmeade. But Hermione and Draco slept on, silent except for the occasional sniffle.
TBC
***