CHAPTER 15: FIGHTING THE FOREST
Draco followed Pansy and her friend through the dungeons quickly.
"I don't see why I had to come" Nicole whimpered beside Pansy.
Draco ignored Nicole's whimper, as did Pansy who was too afraid to be caught talking.
Walking up the last staircase they exited the dungeons and came into the entrance hall where Pansy headed towards the large oak doors.
"SHE'S OUTSIDE!" Draco roared, causing a group of first years to bolt up the nearest staircase and out of sight.
Pansy nodded fearfully, tears sliding down her face.
Draco breathed deeply andnodded calming.
Pansy opened the doors and walked out into the darkness, Nicole sticking close to her.
Following Pansy in the darkness Draco lit his wand.
"How much further?" he asked dangerously.
"Just a little bit" Pansy murmured.
Draco nearly ran into the girls as they stopped.
"She's in there?" Nicole whispered to Pansy.
Pansy nodded, her fearful eyes flicking to Draco's angry face momentarily.
"The Forbidden Forest...didn't know you were brave enough to go in there" Draco sneered.
Draco began walking again but stopped when he noticed that the girls weren't following.
"You two are coming" he said.
"What? WHY?" They both wailed.
"Because I don't know where exactly she is, and besides, you had to go in to put her there, so why not go in to take her out?"
"But it was dawn when i put her in there, i could actually see the grounds!" Pansy protested.
"So?" Draco said.
Pansy stuttered for a moment before nodding, her face noticebly 5 times paler.
"And what about me? I had nothing to do with this!" Nicole yelled, seeming alot Braver then she felt at that particular moment.
"I know for a fact that you would have helped Pansy with this had you known" Draco said, "So technically, you're just as bad as her"
Nicole looked at Pansy then back at Draco in disbelif and defeat.
Draco motioned them to start walking before he once again followed them, this time in the cluster of thousands of miles of trees that created darkness.
"Why the Forbidden Forest Pansy?" Nicole whispered, snapping her head in every direction that she heard movement come from.
"It seemed like a good idea...at the time" Pansy whispered back.
"Bloody good idea" Nicole hissed.
Pansy let out a small sob and continued walking, making each step as quiet as possible as if any sudden sound would send some dangerous creature their way.
"Hurry up" Draco growled from behind them, starting to get impatient with them...and he himself didn't exactly want to be in the forbidden forest all night, it was quite creepy.
The girls didn't answer but their speed definatly increased.
If Draco hadn't been so mad at the moment he'd have probably been smirking at the idea that he could scare them into actually walking into the forbidden forest at night, which was suprising seeming that they were at more risk of something eating them in the forbidden forest then they were at him hurting them in the castle. But then again, both their father's were deatheaters so they'd know that he was as well...
Draco's thoughts were interupted when the girls made a sharp turn left to avoid a huge mass of trees that sounding as if they were whisperring.
"What is that?" Nicole whimpered.
"Something that will kill you if you don't hurry up!" Draco yelled, forgetting that yelling probably wasn't the smartest of ideas in the forbidden forest.
As they went deeper into the forest Draco started to become amazed that Pansy had the courage to venture so far in without anyone else with her, but then again, Pansy was suprising when she was mad.
Deeper and deeper into the forest Draco himself was starting to feel afraid, and matters didn't help when they walked past what appeared to be a tunnel that had a lot of movement coming from inside (a/n: Any ideas to where that leads:P).
Gripping his wand tighter he himself moved a little closer to the girls.
"Pansy how much further?" came Nicole's shaky voice.
"just a few m-more metres I think" Pansy replied, her voice higher then usual...or possible.
As Draco continuedto followthe girls a 'few more metres' he started to hear soft sobs come from somewhereto his right.
Forgetting anything about what could be in the forest he brought his hands around his mouth and shouted "HERMIONE?"
His voice echoed for about a minute before silence took hold once again, withonly the faint sound of movement.
Running towards the sound he came across a large oak tree.
He stopped runningand lent down.
The oak tree would have been the last thing on his mind asheplaced a hand on Hermione's shoulder (a/n: YAY hefound her!).
Hermione stopped breathing almost immediatly and moved closer to the tree.
Draco was taken aback for a moment before he reached for his wandwhichhe had shoved in his pocket as he had run. The wand was still alight so he held it up to his face.
"Hermione it's me"
Hermione breathed out so deeply that Draco was suprised she wasn't having a coughing fit.
Draco walked around to the other side of the tree, and at seeingthe ropes that bound her he lent down.
Hermione regained her breath he untied her, which, seeming she had already been untying herself with much difficulty it wasn't that hard.
As soon as her arms were free Hermione threw them around Draco's neck and hugged him sobbing into his shoulder.
"Come on" Draco said, pulling out of the hug and helping her up.
"Thanks" Hermione said, as her tears decreased.
"Pansy and Nicole are waiting somewhere over there" Draco said, beginning to walk, still holding Hermione's arm.
"PANSY?" Hermione yelled, anger clearly showing.
"Shh, yes Pansy, how esle wasI meant to find you?"
Hermione sighed in defeat as she kept walking.
"Draco" she said.
"Mmm?"
"It's not that I don't appreciate your help and all, but I can walk without your support"
Draco let out an "Oh..." and released her arm.
"Thanks" Hermione said, giving a little laugh which, Draco noticed, was a little shaky.
"Are you sure you're alright?" Draco asked stopping her in her tracks.
"I'm fine" Hermione said clearly.
Draco gave a unsure nod of his head and continued to walk.
"It's funny" Hermione suddenly said.
"Funny? I don't think being hit over the head and waking up in the forbidden forest i-"
"No, not that, well that too...but i meant everything that hashappened this year"
"What do you mean?" Draco asked,frowning in confusion.
"Well, whowould of thought that you would have liked me, HermioneGranger, mud-blood that you wouldn't toucheven with a ten-foot pole (a/n: compliments to a reviewer who didn't like the story, no hard feelings:D)?"
"Yeah well you were different" Dracodefended.
"No,I looked different,there was nothingdifferent about my personality" Hermioneanswered calmly.
"Yeah well, i never got the chance to know you before"
"You nevergaveyourself the chance to know me, you were just rude to me from day one,I never could decide whether it was my blood that you hated or my friends"
"I suppose that it was both of those, not to mention you beat me at everything, except qudditch"
Hermione gave out a little laugh, "I never did like heights"
Draco smiled at these words, the odds he'd like her, aheight fearing mud- muggle-born.
"I'm sorry about how I...treated you at the beginning of the year" Draco said, hoping that the memories wouldn't make her mad.
Hermione stopped walking, she hadn't even thought about all of those horrid things, she hadn't wanted too, she hadn't wanted to be reminded of how Draco had acted.
Looking up into his face she saw fear and sadness flick past his eyes, he was worried and full of regret, it was obvious.
"We all make mistakes" Was the only thing Hermione could say, how could she be mad at him, he had changed, he was different.
Draco smiled a bit, still unsure.
They walked in silence for a few more secondsbefore Draco stopped and looked around.
"What is it?" Hermione asked, her voice higher then usual.
"Pansy and Nicole were meant to be here" he answered.
"Are you sure it was here?" Hermione asked.
"Dead sure,I have a very good memory" Draco said.
"Well maybe we should just head back" Hermione suggested.
"But want if they are still around here in the forest?"
"Pansywas going to leave me in the forest over night" Hermione reminded him.
"Yeah bu-"
Hestopped talking as someone screamed.
"What have they run intonow!" Draco yelled angrily and began running in the direction of the scream.
Hermione who lacked in the ability of running...and well sports, ran behind Draco all the way and when he finally stopped she ran into him.
As both of them looked at the scene before them their mouths dropped.
The trees were moving, MOVING!
"This is not normal!" Hermione murmured, not really thinking that nothing was normal at Hogwarts.
Before she had even began thinking straight Draco had run towards the trees which were forming a circle arounf Pansy ad Nicole and had began shooting spells.
None of the spells had an effect on the trees, in fact the trees appeared to be enjoying it.
"Draco, use diffindo or incendio!" Hermione called out.
Draco took her advice and began to hack away at the trees with the diffindo spell.
As he reached Pansy and Nicole he grabbed then both by the arm and made his way back to Hermione.
"Give me my wand Pansy" Hermione said.
"No way, you'll hex me!" Pansy shrieked.
"I'll do alot worse if you don't give me my wand" Hermione argued.
Just as Pansy was about to back answer Draco pointed his wand at her threateningly, making her shove Hermione's wand in her hand so fast that in shock she almost dropped it.
Wasting no more time Hermione spun around and shouted "Incendio!" making a tree burst into flames.
As if all of the trees were feeling the burn they all scuttled away.
"Nice one" Draco said.
Hermione smiled.
They left the forest quickly and made there was up to the castle without much talk.
When finally they reached the doors they breathed out.
"Well, i'm going to bed" Pansy said, opening the doors and walking in, shortly followed by Nicole.
Hermione and Draco glanced at eachother before following them inside.
"Oi Pansy!" Hermione called out.
Pansy stopped and turned around, hand on wand.
"Don't worry, I said I wouldn't hex you remember? I just wanted to say good night" Hermione said.
Pansy looked at her in shock, before nodding and continuing to walk again.
"Oh Pansy just one more thing!" Hermione called out.
Pansy turned around again this time to cop a fist in the face.
"Sweet dreams" Hermione said, before turning and walking up a flight of stairs, smiling quickly at Draco.
Reachingthecommon room Hermione sawFred, fast asleep on the couch.
Feeling rather guilty about her feelings towards Draco she decided to let him be for the night and instead walked up to her dormitory where she fell on her bed and fell fast asleep.
A/N: I amso so so so so so so so so so so so so so sorry about theamount of timeittook to update! It's just i'm moving house and i have a family member going into hospital, oh and school isn't giving me much time to do want i want. I also apologize if this chapter wasn't good, as i said, its the best i can do under the circumstances so i hope u can forgive me. I will try and update asap, so please be patient.
u don't hav 2 review but i'd appreiate if u did.
luv u all
P2MU