My warmest and biggest thank yous to those who had reviewed! I hope you continue with your positive feedbacks. :)
Chapter 4: Convoluting Morning
"Draco, come here. Your reward is waiting for you. I know you have been keen in getting this since you were a mere child…," drawled a deadly, venomous wizard with features that made him less human. His lazy, icy voice made Draco's hair behind his neck stand to great heights as he obediently complied with his command. He did not want to go. Heck, he didn't even want to be there at that moment, but there he was, standing in the middle of Voldemort's circle, surrounded by his Death Eaters, one of them his father. A smug grin of pride was carved onto Lucius' face as he watched his only son strut closer and closer to the great Dark Lord, whom had showed his greatness through evil and Dark Magic.
"That's it, Draco," said Voldemort lazily as his nostrils flared up, eyeing the air around him. Draco had feared for this day. This was what was going to become of him for the rest of his life. Once he became a Death Eater, there wouldn't be any way back.
"Put your right arm out," Voldemort instructed and Draco reluctantly pulled the sleeve of his right arm up and showed it to Lord Voldemort, whose eyes were red as blood. He stared intently at his arm. With just one glare and being near his presence, Draco's pulse went haywire as it thumped louder than ever. Fear invaded his insides. He wanted to turn back, run away. But before doing anything else, Voldemort ceased all actions by grasping his arm by the wrist with his ice-cold white hands, hauling Draco closer to him painfully.
It was now or never. This would determine his life, his future, and his place after life. Heaven or Hell. Hell appeared to be the only place that would accept him now. He had murdered someone. He had killed his own kind for this demon, this thing.
Voldemort drew out his wand and pointed it directly at Draco's arm. Fear could be seen in Draco's eyes as his heart pumped tremendously louder; loud enough for him to hear it in his own ears.
The Dark Lord muttered an incantation that Draco could not quite make out, but he felt it.
Like a thousand striking daggers, the pain was beyond anything Draco had ever experienced. It was excruciating. From his arm to his brain, everything was burning. His muscles were getting tighter as every aspect of his whole being was in agonizing torture. He wanted it to end. It felt as if he was going to die a slow and painful death.
The pain – it felt like being struck by lighting with a mix of the Cruciatus curse. An agonizing scream emitted loudly from Draco's mouth as a malicious grin appeared on Voldemort's face. The pain, the agony, the terrible smile on Voldemort's white, un-human face, and the proud smirk playing on his father's lips; everything was spinning. Every matter he had seen in his eyes was a blur.
He wanted it to stop. He had an awful momentary urge to and stop this slaughtering torture. He could feel the salty tears on his lips, as the pain grew worse.
"AAAH!"
center> /center>
Draco woke with a start. With bulging eyes and shallow breaths, he lay flat on his back. Someone had kneed him in the crotch. Instead of the pain being in his sensitive area, it was altered in his head. He was breathing as if he had been running a mile from werewolves who hungered for young flesh.
But he was not. He was right there, after a nightmare.
Draco awoke from the horrendous dream with his hands on his face. He wiped his sweaty forehead with his comforter while trying to settle down. He was boiling and the need to be cooled down was vital. In that vivid moment, he was afraid to fall asleep again.
It was six o'clock in the morning, the earliest time he had ever awoken. But he did not have the desire to return to sleep. He did not wish to have another dream that may hold airs of plausibility of his future.
Sitting by the edge of his spacious bed, he rubbed his temple and tried to erase what he had seen in his head. After re-swallowing his stomach, Draco walked to the lavatory, knowing a good shower would slightly relax him.
center> /center>
Hermione woke up with a feeling of something wet stroking her fingers. It tickled her and she released a giggle. Opening her eyes, she greeted Crookshanks good morning and the ginger furball meowed in response.
As she got up, she could feel her head throbbing as if something had hit her in the temple.
She recalled last night when the deranged Malfoy had shoved her into the solidity of the stonewall in the common room after their senseless, mad bickering. Rubbing the back of her head, she felt a bump. With a sigh, Hermione went to brush her wretched hair.
While looking at her reflection at the mirror, dark circles invaded the area under her eyes and the need for supplementary sleep was obvious on her features. As much as she desired for a doze, she had to wake up. She has classes to attend and Malfoy to wake.
Her slumber last night was not a peaceful one, and for only three or so hours did she get sleep. Something seemed to have kept her awake for the whole evening. She remembered at around two o'clock or so, without her knowledge of when or how, she was in the common room against the wall, face to face with Draco Malfoy. The latter accounted that she had been sleepwalking.
Hermione was confused and unsure of the situation, so she responded with no answer, knowing that she never sleepwalked. Yet, another question seemed to bypass her thoughts: what was Malfoy doing in the common room at two o'clock in morning, when there were classes the next day?
She bit her bottom lip—a habit she had gained over the years when she was in a deep thought.
After a few moments of pondering, she shrugged the thoughts off as she lazily and less enthusiastically gathered her belongings for the morning.
When Hermione entered the shared washroom, steam and mist clogged her view. Heat surrounded her as a very confounded look appeared on her face. Setting her garments down, she wiped the foggy, wide mirror. Someone had been in the lavatory before her.
Her face took a pondering form. She stewed for a moment.
No one had ever gotten to the washroom before her; she was always the one to wake up early in the morning and get ready promptly, but today someone had beaten her to it.
The only possible person that could have entered the washroom was Draco, but no, he would never. He didn't have the capability of waking up early in the morning, let alone before seven.
It was six forty-five after sunrise -- which was late, considering she usually woke up six o'clock every day --, and Malfoy usually got up at around eight o'clock.
She furrowed her eyebrows and drifted off with a thought. i>Maybe the detention taught him a lesson this time, /i> she stated to herself while getting into the shower. Hopefully a warm bath would wake her senses.
center> /center>
Draco could faintly hear Hermione enter the bathroom as he slumped restfully, almost half asleep, in the comfort of the sofa in the common room.
The warmth of the sun from the window by the commodious common room stroked his now-cooled face as the sun began to fully rise. From where Draco sat, the sight of the outside area of Hogwarts looked fantastically breathtaking.
The rays of the sun glimmered on the surface of the water and the forest looked bright as ever. The leaves were all different shades and sizes.
Draco, not being the kind who was appreciative on how the weather outside looked in an early November morning, was too busy thinking about other things. Very tired and altogether anxious and confused at what his mother might have meant by "task" the other night in their quick and interrupted conversation, he listed in his head possible assignments Voldemort would have in store for him. i>Kill Harry Potter; be a spy like Snape; be the Dark Lord's personal apprentice… /I>
This thinking and guessing about the matter resulted with an unsatisfying headache. If the rules of being Head Boy did not include him having to go to breakfast and to the classes together with the Head Girl, he would be having a surprise visit to the Slytherin common room by now.
Knowing that he hadn't finished his homework for his most despised subject, Transfiguration, he pulled out his quill and his unfinished essay to complete.
With only two sentences written, Hermione arrived in the room fully clothed and ready to go. He could pester her for the essay and simply copy it off her, but he chose not to.
Draco purposely ignored her gaze as he remembered what he had done to her last night. He had erased her memory.
i> "How much of that did you hear, Mudblood?" Draco spat angrily to the trapped Gryffindor, who appeared to be threatened.
He withdrew his wand and pointed it at her. His eyes narrowed down to hers as he stepped closer to her immobile form.
Hermione's insides went berserk as the seething Slytherin poked her neck with his wand. She could hear her heartbeat in her own ears and she had no clue of what Draco might do to her.
The only thing she hoped for at the moment was to end up alive or uninjured. She held her breath to calm down her thumping heart that probably sounded audible where Draco stood, which was an inch away from her. Adrenaline rushed in her veins and her mind raced for a good excuse or alibi to say to the Slytherin.
She knew from a couple of hours before that toying with a Malfoy's rage would lead to a mad man's actions. He had literally shoved her against the stonewall a few hours ago and almost choked her.
The light that only shone in that intense moment was from the fireplace that still seemed luminous from the stairway where the two stood. Draco's wand was pointed directly at Hermione's neck as her body stopped all movements, her back against the wall, making it hard to make a run for it.
"Say it, Mudblood!"
"No-nothing, I just came to see what was the noise ab—"
"Liar. You can't bluff, Granger. What have you heard?" he repeated, his eyes focused on hers. His eyes ate at her with hate as her brain scrambled for the right words to say.
He spoke in a tone that made the hair on her skin stand. She didn't know what he was going to do. The worst thing he could do was perform an Unforgivable or Obliviate her memory.
As if he were reading her mind, he said, "Have it your way, Mudblood… /I>Obliviate I>."
After one glance of abhorrence, Draco swiftly and carelessly crammed his belongings in his sack and sauntered ahead of her to breakfast. Hermione instantaneously followed behind without a word.
Hermione and Draco did not utter a sound as they silently and almost awkwardly walked their way to breakfast. Draco wanted to keep it like that. He could start something if he wished, but he did not want to. He simply was not in the mood.
Without one glance or glare, the two Heads journeyed to the empty Great Hall.
Only a couple of students were at the Slytherin table. If it weren't for that atrocious dream, Draco would be asleep in the comfort of his expensive linen cotton right now.
Seating himself, an echoing morning greeting entered his ears. To Draco's surprise, it was Pansy.
"Er…'morning. Why the hell are you up so early?" questioned Draco gruffly. Pansy shrugged and rewarded him with a peck on his lips.
"Well, Draco, I thought you knew. I'm a morning person," she cheerfully answered and took buttered bread and popped it into her mouth. A twitching fake smile appeared on Draco's face as if trying to mirror Pansy's over-excited one.
"And, Draco, why are you up so early? It's 7:15. It's funny 'cause you're usually…late."
Draco yawned and a shrug sequenced after it. Resting his fatigued forehead on his palm, he sighed heavily. A weary look dressed Pansy's fair face.
"What's wrong? Love, tell me."
Draco shook his head and did not bother to think of an answer to inform her.
"Something's bothering you, honey."
"Nothing's wrong, Pansy. I'm just tired."
"Oh," she replied. "Anyway, I think I've got a plan for that stupid dare that blasted Zabini told you to do."
"You do?" asked Draco, a bit more interested. His forehead detached from his pale palm.
"Oh, yes. You know Polyjuice Potion?"
Draco nodded.
"Well, seems like I remembered seeing stocks of them in my attic back at home. My father makes a great deal of them for the Death Eaters to disguise themselves. Since Daddy's in Azkaban, mum hid them in the attic, but I ended up discovering them."
A smug grin was evident on her face as she boasted her plan to Draco. To her fortune, he was grinning maliciously as he glued his lips to Pansy's lips.
Pansy had soft lips, just like those he had kissed in the past. But what was different about her from those other girls was that she didn't tease or play the teasing . She begged for it right away and got aroused very easily.
After their igniting battle in that lustful kiss, the two parted, leaving Pansy almost breathless. She had received her reward.
center> /center>
Hermione had never been early for Potions for the whole year; this was going to be the first time. The thought of her seeing Snape not sneering at her was almost too good to be true. Some teachers would, at times, give a kind, grateful smile at what their students are capable of doing, but if Snape ever did try to smile, chances are that he would pop a blood vessel.
Gathering her belongings, Hermione stood and glanced slightly at the Slytherin table. After her eyes unglued from the explicit scene of Draco shoving his tongue in Pansy's ready mouth, she heard a tremendously loud female yell out in frustration.
She rotated her head back to the entrance.
A girl with bright, brilliant red hair came storming in and a tall, thin, black-haired teenage boy trailed her. He also yelled back in agitation.
"Yeah, well, if you would just stop fraternizing with that shit, we wouldn't be yelling in the first place!" bellowed Harry, whose eyes showed fury at his girlfriend, along with hurt and a tint of remorse in his tone. Ginny, whose eyes were filled with tears, threatening to break through, was on the urge of hexing someone into complete oblivion.
Hermione, who was standing not very far from Ginny, was unaware of the big scene that was taking place in the Great Hall. The peering eyes of the students, who had made their way out several minutes after she had, watched as it unfolded.
"Just shut it, Harry!" Ginny yelled back.
"No, don't tell me to shut up, Ginny! First of all—"
"You need to hear me out, Harry. It was nothing. Why are you accusing me of cheating with that Slyth—?"
"I'M NOT! I'm just ing saying that you need to stop talking and socializing with that !"
"I'm not!"
"Just stop ing lying, will you? Damn it, Ginny, just stop it."
"Harry, just go. I—I…Why won't you just believe me?"
"Because that guy was—You know what? I'm not even going to say it."
With that, Harry left the Great Hall, fuming. Ginny slumped into the seat beside Hermione. Hermione stared at her with sympathy. Harry's anger had taken the best of him, like always.
"Uh, Ginny?" said Hermione, awfully naively. This was the first in what felt like a century that she had spoken to Ginny. However, the young girl had taken a seat beside her. Hermione would normally have just walked away and not associated with her.
With a heaving sigh, Ginny looked at Hermione.
"Hi, Hermione," she replied with a tickling smile on her face. "Haven't talked to you in a while…"
"Yeah. Guess school and everything is really invading our time, huh?" Hermione replied, also with a matching prickling smile.
The two came to an awkward silence.
It looked like something was truly bothering Ginny. Well, of course there was; what were the two Hogwarts lovebirds fighting about, anyway? By the sound of it, Ginny had been with someone Harry truly abhorred and he thought she was cheating on him.
Ginny finally spoke. "Hermione, I know that we haven't spoken to one another, and it seems like we're not even in good terms with each other, but I just want to say sorry about Harry and Ron's behaviour for the past months."
A warm feeling filled Hermione as Ginny apologized. That was what she had needed. What Ginny had said was her chicken soup for the day.
"Ginny, it's nothing," Hermione feigned. All these times they had ignored her and completely went on with their lives without noticing her had truly affected and stung her.
Ginny sighed and went on. "Hermione, we are sorry – for my part, at least. We…we just didn't hear from you over the summer and you seemed so busy."
"I know. Things came up over the holidays, sort of dramatic events," said Hermione, feeling quite better opening up to Ginny, who gave her a sympathetic smile.
"Oh, no wonder you looked like Moaning Myrtle at the train! You looked devastated."
Hermione gave a slight laugh and said, "Yeah, it was a bit depressing, really."
For almost ten minutes, Hermione talked to Ginny about what had happened in her family; how her father had secret infidelities with a young Muggle that almost drove her mum to the brink of insanity.
"That's awful! I mean, this year is quite dreadful and appalling, really. I mean, Malfoy, the bouncing ferret, Head Boy? I thought a Head Boy is supposed to be mature and well mannered! Malfoy and mature don't even belong in the same sentence! I mean, you, Hermione, are the perfect example of a Head Girl. Why hasn't Dumbledore considered that Draco Malfoy is the son of a Death Eater that's now in Azkaban?"
Hermione shrugged a bit and let out a small laugh. "He said that he was voted in or something like that."
Ginny snorted. "What did he do? Threatened Hogwarts and bribed them?"
"That's what I thought, too! Insane, really…"
The two snickered like old times. They used to be like this, opening up to one another and laughing at horrendous things Harry and Ron did.
Hermione glared at Malfoy. He was still sitting with Pansy Parkinson, who made goo goo eyes at him as if she was some deranged Professor Trelawney. A boy with high, levelled cheekbones matched Hermione's glance.
He seemed to have been staring at Ginny, not at her. Ginny matched the unfamiliar Slytherin's glare and suddenly blushed, almost matching the colour of her hair.
"Umm, Ginny? What happened between you and Harry, anyway? You two looked angry at one another," said Hermione, smelling something a bit odd between the two. Ginny, as if in a trance, unglued her eyes off the Slytherin.
She nervously sighed, as if scared to tell Hermione what was happening in her life. Hermione felt a feeling of insecurity.
"Well…Please don't tell Harry and Ron."
"Not a soul."
"Okay. You know that Blaise Zabini from Slytherin?"
Hermione pondered on the name for a moment. Zabini…Zabini…It didn't seem common to her. "Is he that boy that hangs around the ferret?"
"Yeah…" answered Ginny, bowing her head slightly. "You see, he told me about Ron and Lavender expecting a baby soon. And I guess he seemed nice. I noticed he's a bit of a flirt. Every time he sees me now, he smiles, and when it's a good chance, he comes to talk to me and…I think I'm sort of fancying him."
"What? Are you serious, Ginny? Did Harry found out?" asked Hermione, very shocked at Ginny.
"No, but he's smelling something fishy between us because this morning he saw how close we were. I sort of almost kissed Blaise…"
Guilt filled her voice as she told Hermione her secret. Hermione was quite appalled at the confession. What was wrong with Ginny?
"But – but you love Harry, don't you?"
"I I>do /I>! I really, really do, but I'm feeling something toward Blaise. Even I'm confused. I'm sort of stuck…" She trailed off with uncertainty.
'How in the name of Merlin is she stuck when the options are Harry, the one that will love you till the end, and Zabini, the mischievous user that associates with Draco Malfoy?'
"What? Ginny, you can't be in love with Blaise Zabini. You possibly can't," said Hermione after another sigh from Ginny. She looked everywhere other than Hermione, who eyed her with a look that would make anyone guilty.
"I'm not in I>love /I>. No, of course not. I…I love Harry. I really, really do, but he's…umm…well…" stammered Ginny, trying to find words to say to the brunette, who intently watched her every move.
Then the Great Hall doors burst open with a high scream of jubilant joy. A very jumpy, happy Lavender Brown entered. It was eight o'clock and the hall was filled with students trying to finish their meals, but they were interrupted by Lavender's very girlish shrills.
"Oh my God, Parvati! Guess what? I'm engaged!"