In Transit for You
Chapter 2: Several Ways to Die Trying
Hermione opened the letter in her lap with shaking hands. She stared down at the handwriting worried and excited about what it might say.
Hermione,
This week, I had to move hideouts. The death eaters are hot on my trail and don't seem to be slowing down. I'm surprised to be alive. I'm sorry to hear about Parvati. I knew you two were pretty good friends. It sounded terrible by the looks of the newspapers. I'm also sorry that we have to do this to each other. I wish I could talk to you in person, but if I do, Potter will kill me or Voldemort will kill me. It's a lose- lose situation. I'm not sure what I'm going to do. Keep your wits about you.
Malfoy
Hermione breathed a sigh of relief; she was waiting for the worst. She was glad the worst hadn't come…yet. She stretched and looked at the clock. It was about one-thirty in the morning. She was surprised, she might actually go to bed early then three. That seemed to be her personal curfew lately. She rubbed her eyes and was about to take a shower before going to bed, when two hands grabbed her shoulders. She tried to scream, but a hand went over her mouth.
"Jesus Christ, Granger!" a voice from the past whispered in her ear. Hermione froze. It was like speaking to a ghost, though she knew that man she was talking to was far from it.
"Mal….Malfoy," she stammered turning around. She looked into the eyes of Draco Malfoy. His hair wasn't sleeked back anymore. It was tamed, but short. His face was dirty from being on the run.
"Yes, Granger, it's me," he said.
"Why didn't you tell me you were coming?" she asked.
"Owls get intercepted all the time," he simply replied.
"Why are you here?" she persisted.
"I'm injured, terribly. I needed somewhere to go and all I could think was that you're the smartest witch I know," he said. Now that she looked at him, she saw a gash across his side and that his right hand was soaked in blood from clutching it.
"I'm sorry, Draco," she told him her eyes watering. "I'm not trained in healing. But Harry is, if we take you to him…"
"No!" Malfoy yelled. "He'll kill me and then have to arrest you for helping me."
"You don't know that," she replied.
"Oh do I?"
"He's a good man; maybe he'll heal you no questions asked."
"I can't take that chance."
"Look, if he arrests you, he'll have to arrest me too." Malfoy looked at her as though scanning her. Searching for a virus, a defect, something he could argue with. He seemed to find nothing and sighed.
"Fine, take me to Potter. But if I fall, you go down with me," he said limping to the door.
"Don't worry, I will, I always will," she responded helping him walk to the fire place so he could flu powder to Harry's house.