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Chapter 7 - Two Strange Encounters

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Over the next week, he continued talking to her, though in a rather harsh manner. She knew he was still rather enraged by that one night when she escaped. Frankly, she was afraid of him. He was very far emersed into the Dark Arts and although she knew many spells that others didn't and she was the smartest witch in her year (when she actually went to Hogwarts), she was not going to kid herself into thinking that he could not hurt her if he really wanted to. She remained cautious about making any sounds even when he continued having one sided conversations with her. She had no doubt in her mind now that he hadn't told Lucius because Lucius was the type of rash person that would jump to the throats of suspected spies, kill them, and ask questions later. Since all seemed calm, she was pretty sure that Lucius had no idea.

Night after night she came back to see him talking to seemingly thin air, knowing that she was there. Telling her stupid things, things about Pansy that she CERTAINLY did not want to hear. After about a week, she noticed that he seemed to doubt himself... wasn't entirely sure if she was even there. He tried insulting her, her family, her heritage -- but she would not rise to the bait as she normally would. This made him think she indeed had been scared off by their last "encounter". He wanted desperatly for her to come back, at least to fight with him, so he told himself.

Hermione didn't rise to the bait for several reasons. For one, she didn't want a repeat of the night where she was convinced that he was going to kill her. Also, some of the things he had said... let slip, more like, when he was starting to think she wasn't there were quite useful. After 2 weeks straight he was completely convinced that she was no longer watching him or his family because there was obviously no way Granger could be so quiet, so sneaky, so docile.

However, after so long of being able to talk endlessly with noone in particular, it felt good to be able to speak his mind some times, though he wouldnt admit to being so.. weak. Even if it was something stupid, like how much he hated dinner with his parents, or how he wished he could go back to school (not because it was being run by ANOTHER 'mudblood lover' though, of course), he still felt weak sharing it to anyone, even if it was no one.

He would occasionally slip things such as where his parents were... places other people were, deatheaters, and things that to him, were pointless, but to Hermione and the Order, they were gold. Hermione would report such things to Lupin, but found herself increasingly wary of telling him the personal things that he told her, so she kept that quiet even though Lupin insisted she should tell him, she convinced him it was nothing important.

Meanwhile, Hermione continued with her studies, never one to slack off, even though she wasn't even in school any more. She already knew the material for all of 7th year, and was progressing on to bigger and better things. She was busy trying to convince Mcgonagall to let her take her NEWTs at the end of the semester, or at LEAST at the end of the school year with all the others. Animagi training was difficult. She had decided on becoming little brown barn owl, so it would be difficult to discern her from all the other owls, very inconspicuous. Although, she still wanted something... different... so she decided to get a little white star on her left wing. Brewing the potion was moving along nicely.

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Draco would walk around his room in only his boxers during the first week after 'the incident', just because he knew Hermione would blush everytime, no matter how often he did it. Hermione thought about flashing him once from underneath the cloak but even when she was invisible, she was still too proper (prude some -- like Draco -- would call it).

One night, roughly 2 and a half weeks since they had "spoken" last, and after hours of Draco's incessant, unperterbed babbling, Hermione simply snapped.

"Could you stop talking for like 5 minutes! You just wont shut up!" She yelled, forgetting momentarily that she was supposed to be holding her tongue and keeping quiet. He stopped in mid-sentence, flashing the smirk that enthralled most girls, but made Hermione cringe with utter disgust.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't mudblood Granger, out for a midnight stroll -- or fly...? I was starting to think I was talking to myself," He said, still smirking.

"Well, technically speaking, you were, seeing as how I didn't say anything back until just now.." Hermione said haughtilly. Draco's grin grew. "And stop with that incessant smirking!" She wenched off the cloak and glared at him as he leaned back, looking like he had just won a maration.

"I knew you were out there Granger, you just couln't resist my charm could you?"

"Resist you! Are you crazy? I'm here on orders, if there was any way I could get around being here, I wouln't be! Do you honestly think I would want to be here, looking at you half n-naked every night? NO!" She said angrily, he just continued to smirk.

"Sooo, how'd you like all the stuff about Pansy? I thought you would especially like that," he said, looking smug. In Reality, he was just covering up for the fact that he wished he hadn't told her all the things he did. He really did think she was gone, and he was now trying to divert her attention towards some of the lesser revealing things; away from his problems.

"Not really Malfoy, actually I found them quite vulgar. I can't beleive she can stay with you even when you're obviously just using her for sex!"

"Technically, mudblood, she's not WITH me, and secondly, shes too stupid to realize that im using her for sex, even if I told her flat out to her face," he said lazily.

"Why drag her around?" she retorted.

"Why ruin a good thing?" he said simply.

"Why are you such an asshole?"

"Why do you ask so many questions?" She glared at him malevolently for a few seconds while he basked in the glory of winning the argument. She wouldn't let him for long.

"Why do you act like such a prat when you've told me things I know you wouldn't have if you had REALLY known I was still there?" Malfoy's face dropped considerably, and this time, it was Hermione's turn to smirk. "Oh yes, don't think I've forgotten, in fact.. hang on a moment.. I wrote one of them down..." She said turning to rummage around in her bag while Malfoy's blood ran cold.

"Wrote one of WHAT down, exactly?" He asked forcefully. Hermione didn't answer, instead, she pulled out another notebook and turned a couple of pages in and began to read.

"Our hearts surrounded in warmth,

The world's cold exterior pulls us in

As it pushes away with unfeeling hands

We forget for a moment what is with us

I grab for an outstretched hand,

But it recoils as I reach for it.

Now everything has turned its back on me,

I forgot for a while what is gifted to me..."

He cut her offf and she looked up, slightly shellshocked and slightly afraid that he would lunge at her through the open window.

"Give that to me, I don't want you to have it," He said, reaching his hand out for the paper. Hermione retracted it and made the rug fly a little farther away, not wanting to give it to him.

"No, I dont think I want YOU to have it," She said sarcastically.

"It's mine."

"Well, now it's not," She said, stuffing the entire notebook back in her back as he looked at her, his eyes seering into her own and for a moment... just a moment, she lost all rational thought. How could eyes that can hold the passion of such hatred towards her not be able to love? If hate is passion and passion is also love then why couldn't he manage it? And though Hermione had never really been in romantic love before, she knew she was capable of it. She had really and truely liked Viktor, but love? No. She had given him up after Ron had made such a fuss over him and she loved Harry and Ron more than anyone knew, she would do anything for them. She thought she had liked Ron, in 5th year, but she came to realize it was just her sisterly feelings getting a hold of her and trying to confuse her. It had been a long time, a truely long time since she had liked anyone, and she had never loved anyone for more than family or as friends.

Looking at Malfoy again, she wondered if he had ever loved... if he even loved his family, no matter how horrible they really were. She wondered if he ever had more than lust for Pansy, and did he care about his goons for friends at all?

"Stare much Granger? I mean I know I'm good looking but.." He sounded sarcastic, but she could tell he was still angry about the poem.

"Have you ever loved anyone Malfoy?" she blurted out, instantly regretting it.

"Have you ever heard of thats none of your business? I don't even know why I'm sitting here talking to you when I could be doing much more important things... Why don't you scamper off and stop bothering me!" He shouted, turned and shut the window in her face. Pretty much exactly as she had expected. The window was closed now, and there was really no point in staying when there was noone else in the house and Draco was just going to go to sleep all in a huff, so reluctantly, she pulled the cloak back over herself and flew off in the direction of the cabin.

All the way back she was emersed in her thoughts. She couldn't beleive she had just sat there and had a civilized (well civil for them anyway) conversation with Draco Malfoy, and about things she never would have thought. He looked truely hurt when she refused to give him his poem, but honestly she wanted to keep it, if not only for a keepsake to prove to someone, anyone that a Malfoy had a soft side. Though she thought this, a small part of her, in the very back of her head knew she would never show it to anyone, that it was much too personal; and if she were him, she wouldnt want him to show anyone anything of hers.

When she arrived at the cabin, she opened the door slowly, as to not awake Lupin, but instead, she was met with the strangest sight and before she could even register what was going on, everything became blurry and the last thing she saw before she tumbled to the ground were several pairs of eyes and Lupin trying his hardest to catch her before she fell.

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When Hermione awoke the next morning, she felt a considerable lump on the back of her head where it collided with the hard wooden floor. She was positioned in her bed with a raging hurricane going on in the window on the far side of the room. She wasn't certain how she had even gotten in bed, but she knew one thing, last night had to have been a crazy dream... she couldn't have seen what she thought she had. Certainly not! She closed her eyes and rubbed them, trying to will away the pain in her head and leaned back against the pillow. When she opened up her eyes again she didn't see her room, but instead a pair of strikingly green eyes WAY too close to her face. She almost tumbled out of bed.

"HARRY! Don't do that!" She yelped, clutching the covers towards her chin as he laughed, jumping up on her bed.

"Well, good morning! It's a WONDERFUL day isn't it! Just fantastic! Simply superb!" he said beaming and looking around her room, not even bothering to frown at the storming window in the corner.

"Harry what is wrong with you? You're starting to act like Bagman... just not as large.." she said hesitantly, wondering what the hell could be wrong with her friend, and why he was there. Speaking of which, "Harry, why are you here?"

"Why am I here, you ask? Well, Ron's here too, he's in the kitchen, in fact a lot of the order was here earlier in the morning when you came in.. but then you kind of...Anyways, we have FANTASTIC news!"

"They caught Voldemort! They caught more giants! They caught Death Eaters! I swear, if they got Lestrange..." Hermione babbled, letting her imagination get the best of her.

"No, no, no! You know the mission they were talking about... the one none of us were supposed to know about? Well... Ah, I don't want to tell you, you're going to have to see it for yourself!" He said, obviously the happiest he had been in the longest time. She wondered what on Earth could make him this happy, when he just said it wasn't the capture or demise of Voldemort or his followers. Moments later, it was cleared up, however.

"Promise not to scream Hermione.. promise me..." Hermione nodded reluctantly, somehow worried that something was wrong. Harry beamed even wider (if that was possible). Just as she did so, the door to her bedroom creaked open and Remus Lupin walked in, followed closely by Ron, then Tonks, Mcgonagall, Moody... and a shaggy black dog? Hermione's breath caught in her throat as the black dog transformed in front of her very eyes. Mere seconds passed, which seemed like an eternity, and then, there in front of her stood a man. A dead man? Sirius Black.

"Hello Hermione, long time no see."