Chapter 11
Behind Enemy Lines
Hermione woke up surprisingly early the next afternoon, around noon, seeing as though she only got four or five hours of sleep after all the extensive researching she did the night before. Her dreams had been plagued with dreams of Harry turning into a thestral who promptly turned into Draco who was bleeding blue from his eyes. He turned into Delores Umbridge, who turned into...
She awoke groggy, but couldn't go back to sleep so she got up unwillingly and ate lunch and showered. She attempted to look for more information about Malfoy's illness, but found no other book with any new information. There were an extensive number of books here and if she couldn't find any other context with that in it, then it MUST be very rare. Grudgingly, she halted her search and decidedly worked on her animagus potion which was the exact shade of pink that it was in the book. She was at least two weeks ahead of schedule. Wonderful.
She spend the rest of her time either researching more potion or defense spells for the hell of it, or cutting up spare ingredients for her potion that she would need in the future. For now it needed to simmer. She wrote a letter to Harry and Ron, and one to her parents, while stroking her cat Crookshanks. He had somehow managed to catch a stray mouse in the house and was happily mutilating it. Ew...
"Hermione, I'm home! Minerva is with me, but she can't stay long, so hurry up and get out here!" Lupin yelled from the front doorway. If McGonagall was here it had to be important, right? She rushed out of the room, flinging Crookshanks unceremoniously off the couch.
"Yes professors?" Hermione asked curiously.
"We have some good news and some bad news for you. Bad news: McOwens, the perpetrator that was apprehended in the Hogshead two days ago... he committed suicide. Fortunately, however, we coaxed information out of him about some of Voldemorts past, as they knew each other in their school days. This may have allowed Arthur, Harry, and Ron better Intel about the next horcrux, Helga Hufflepuffs teacup. This will leave only two horcruxes left. One of which is in his own body. Unfortunately, we can no longer, obviously, receive any more information from him, as he is no longer with us. That is all; I need to return back to Hogwarts. Farewell and good luck Hermione," she said and disapparated in a loud Crack.
"Since the Malfoy's were indeed spotted in Bangkok, there will be a team of Aurors and such, sent into attempt capture before they are to return home tomorrow evening," Lupin stated easily with a smile on his face," Everything is working out. I am so glad I found you that one day almost two months ago in Hogsmead. You three are doing a wonderful job, and are exceptionally dedicated to it. I want you to know I'm proud." He may have realized he said too much and was acting like a parent, for he coughed uncertainly and mumbled something unclear. "Well have, err, fun tonight Hermione, or something," he said, and walked away.
"Right, fun," Hermione snorted. Fun would likely never occur if Malfoy was involved in any way. Never the less, she headed off with her notebook, cloak and rug. When she got outside, she realized that it was snowing lightly, enough to cause her chills. This sucked. She drew her jacket closer to her body and set off into the snowy sky.
When she arrived, she uncovered only her head, as it was so cold; she left the rest wrapped around her body. The material was relatively light and thing, however, so it really didn't have much use, except to maker her look like a strange floating head. Malfoy glanced out his window; she saw he had been pacing rather fervently before spotter her drifting outside his window.
"Waiting for m-me w-were you?" she shivered out.
"Don't let it go to your head, but I had to ask you something," he said snobbily.
"Whi-which was?" So cold.
"Quit stuttering Granger."
"My sincerest apologies your asshole, f-for your information it's a b-bit cold out here!" she yelled.
"You stupid muggles, no back bone. Come in here so I can interrogate you," he announced, opening the window for her to clime in while locking the door with his wand. She wasn't stupid. He was more than likely just trying to get her into the house so he could catch her and torture her and maim her! Never!
"Granger, you idiot, get in here."
"Are you crazy, I'd rather freeze!" she said stubbornly, teeth chattering violently.
"I'm not going to kill you Granger, I think we have already established that. If I was going to kill you, I would have done it already. Just stop resisting and get in here. I'll even put my wand all the way over here." he said indicating his desk all the way across the room. This was probably not a good idea but...
"Fine, but don't try anything funny Malfoy, or you'll be back to being a little white bouncing ferret." He cringed absentmindedly.
"Whatever," he said as she climbed through his window with the rug floating behind her.
"Stay?" she asked it, and surprisingly it did as it was told, hovering lightly outside the window that Malfoy closed. She felt locked in.
"Now, Why did you save me Granger, tell the truth. I still have plenty of Veritarserum in my cabinet."
She paused. This was all he wanted to know? are you serious?
"Why do you want to know" she implored.
"Because no one would have ever... just tell me Granger."
"Well, it was..." Why did she save him? That was a good question. "I did it because..." Why was this such a hard question? " You were just lying there... I don't know, it was instinct I guess. IF you saw someone lying in a pool of blood, wouldn't you... oh, of course not. Never mind." She said lamely. OF course he wouldn't.
"Why do you say that? That I wouldn't..."
"Because I know you wouldn't! That's how you are, you have no... emotions. Unless you couldn't anger and... no wait, that's it."
"Don't act like you know anything about me granger. You know nothing." he said angrily, slightly proving her point.
"I can tell you that you aren't a death eater, but you desperately want be one. You are angry and unhappy with your life and you are seldom found not insulting everyone around you because it makes you feel better about yourself. You're a spoiled rich boy who has earned nothing yourself in your entire life. That is who you are. " She said, matching his anger perfectly.
"You're wrong."
"I'm wrong?" She started incredulously, "And how's that?"
"I'm not a death eater because I chose not to be. I have to tell my father that I want to become on because otherwise he would commit me to such torture and make me join anyway so why risk the pain? As for the other things... I am angry because, have you seen my father? You would be angry as well don't you think?"
"You sound like you're blaming everything on your father," She said scathingly, trying to mask her surprise at his outburst.
"Well look what he did to me!" and he grabbed his wand from his desk and pointed it at his arm. Hermione was startled. A large gash appeared, dripping blue all over his immaculate white carpeting.
"I can't... I don't.. know what to do! I still haven't found out who did this to me, " he trailed off sounding slightly defeated and angry at the same time, if that was even possible.
"I don't think you were attacking by anyone" She said quietly.
"What do you mean? OF course I was attacked! You of all people should know that!"
"No, I believe you did this to yourself."
"Excuse you, why would I..."
"Shut up Malfoy! Listen to me," And she explained all about what she read. To her amazement, he looked surprised.
"You mean to tell me... it's actually, like, living?"
"Something like that. How did you not know that? I mean it is a part of you, whether you like it or not."
"Well, they did say it could happen, I just didn't believe..."
"Who? What all do you know? What did they do? Who's they?" She asked in quick succession.
"The death eaters of course, on the dark lord's orders. Said something about an experiment. They're only normally supposed to do a couple of fusions over many years, but..." he paused.
"What?" She was captivated now, never mind the fact that it was Malfoy she couldn't look away from.
"They completely.. they did.. a complete transfusion. Right when I was born. My mother of course, was against this."
"You mean to tell me you have NO blood that isn't a dragons?" He nodded.
"They said it would make me different.. stronger. And it has, I'm very skilled, more so than I should be, I'll admit."
"But you could be dead at any point, with it wanting out. Aren't you afraid?"
"Malfoy's have no fear, Granger. Especially me. However, I do not believe that the Dark lord expected me to live. He had a grudge against my father at the time and what better way to punish him than to kill his only son? But, because I lived, he wants to include me in his plans.
"What are those?"
"I don't know, I'm not permitted to know, which I might add is complete bullshit, since it's me they're talking about in the first place."
"So, you aren't a death eater? I just don't understand. What about what happened at Hogwarts? Dumbledore..."
"A monstrosity. My father told me to go, didn't bother to tell my mother. Thought it was high time I got active. She found out, but couldn't go against his orders to stop me or he'd have killed her. I went but I just.. couldn't do it." He didn't understand why it was so important that she understand he was not a murderer. He didn't know what he believed anymore.
"I'm confused. I don't know what to do. If you tell anyone that, I'll hurt you, but the way," he finished thoughtfully.
"Now, now Malfoy. We both know you wouldn't hurt a fly." she said in a babyish voice and resisted the urge to pinch his porcelain cheeks. What he didn't know was that she had a new found respect for him, even if only a little. He glared at her after her response, so she just kept going. This was truly how they communicated best.
"Oh wittle Malfoy, do you need a hug?" he looked affronted.
"Maybe a kiss..." he said winking. He couldn't believe he just said that... and to a mu---
And then he felt it, cool and pristine on his lips, like all of the wonderful things in the world all rolled into a split second. She had actually kissed him.
'She just kissed me.'
' I just kissed him'
'What the hell!'
'What the hell!'
Her automatic reaction was to bolt. Run for her dear sweet muggleborn life. Run like she had never run before. She got up and grabbed her bag that had been sitting next to her, as well as the large invisibility cloak, She opened the window and carefully backed onto it, never once glancing at his face which must have been full of such anger at her act and disgust at who she was. She didn't even know why she did it. WHY DID SHE DO IT! When she was securely fastened onto the rug with her vice-like grip on its tassels, she chanced a glance at him. She couldn't determine what his face was contorted into. It wasn't necessarily anger, maybe confusion? Inner turmoil? Either way he would never let her live down what she had just done. And to even imagine Harry or Ron's opinions on the matter. She looked down at her hands as she was not yet covered by the cloak. This was probably a good time to leave. She turned to go.
"Wait!" she turned back around. HE seemed to be struggling with what he was going to say.
"Save me." What?
"Excuse me?" He wouldn't say it again. HE knew she had heard him "How?" she said instead.
"I don't know but I can't..." Come with me. We can protect you. Your parents are gone. This is the perfect time." He blinked. Was this what he wanted?
"I won't be friends with Potter." he said blankly. She smiled.
"This is not a good idea, I just know it," she stated plainly. He nodded.
"But we can try. If you try, that is. Don't expect some kind of royal treatment, and also, if this is some kind of ploy that you think will help you do anything for the death eaters in anyway, they will not hesitate to kill you." It was true, really.
"It is no ploy... I don't know what else to do." She nodded.
"Hop on then."
When they arrived at the cabin about an hour later (he had grabbed ALL his belongings it seemed and it took longer for the rug to make it back with all the extra weight. They walked in slowly, Hermione in the lead. Lupin was in the shower, she knew, as she could hear the water running. They hurriedly moved all of his things into her room, as she didn't know where else to put it. That was when she noticed the window was as sunny as could be. And Malfoy was smiling.
"Hey Malfoy, you're an ass!" she yelled. He scowled.
"What the hell, Granger?" The window started raining.
"You're really good looking," she hated herself for saying that, but she really had to see if...
"What the hell again! What are you on!" The window turned foggy. It all clicked. The window was somehow connected to Malfoy's emotions, though she didn't know why. That was why it was always so horrible. Hurricanes and snowstorms and whatnot.
"Ignore all of that Malfoy." She started for the door.
"What, so you don't think I'm good looking?" She didn't even dignify that with a response.
"Stay here," Lupin was out of the restroom.
"Hello professor," she said warily. He jumped.
"Oh, hello Hermione, you startled me. I didn't even know you were home. Get caught yet?" He chuckled.
"Well, no professor, but I... we might have a little bit of a problem." Malfoy stepped out of her room and Lupine's smile faltered and vanished.
"Yes... indeed," he said eyeing him with something that resembled confusion and suspicion.
Something wicked this way comes, indeed