Disclaimer: I don't own anything anyone else does.
HAPPY ST. PATRICKS DAY PEOPLE!
I screamed. Really, it seemed the only thing I could do. Then I sprinted back down the corridor and launched myself at Snape my arms outstretched to wring his neck and snatch my wand.
I didn't quite make it that far however, Malfoy had come up behind me and with a cry of "stupefy!" I found myself lying in much the same position as Ginny who appeared to have lost all control of her own body and was also unable to move.
Malfoy's smirk seemed to widen as he realised we were both unable to fight back. He walked over to my side making sure as to kick Ginny nice and hard on the way. Bastard.
I glared up at his towering height, trying to inject all my anger into my gaze my eyes being the only thing I could actually move. A snigger escaped Malfoy's pale lips. "Well, well Granger, we meet again!"
I rolled my eyes at his totally cliché remark.
"What do you think we should do with them?" Malfoy sneered with a questioning glance at Snape who imitated my action and rolled his eyes at Draco's melodramatics. He then turned back to me and aimed his wand with terrifying accuracy.
"Avada Ked…" His echoing call was cut off by sudden thump. From the sound of it and the disappearance of his body he tripped or something, though why would that happen?
My question was answered a second later as Professor McGonagall appeared by my side.
"Enervate." She whispered; my face was suddenly flushed with a golden light and I felt all my muscles relax. "Miss Granger, what happened?" Her voice was thick with worry and fear. "Did they do anything to you and Miss Weasley?"
I swallowed. "No, at least I don't think so. Malfoy got Ginny with a trip jinx, I guess she's been too scared to anything. I know exactly how she feels."
Professor McGonagall shook her head her eyes still wide with shock and horror.
"Professor, what happened? Why are they here? Did you know about them?" Ginny's small terrified voice spoke my very own thoughts.
"No." McGonagall's voice broke, and I could of sworn I saw a tear appear in the corner of one of her bright, intelligent eyes.
"No, I didn't know for definite that they were here, though I had my suspicions. I knew that they were on the run from He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, but their exact location has, I thought, been unknown to me. Oh if only I had acted sooner, to think Miss Granger almost…" The last sentence was a hoarse whisper as the Head of Hogwarts bowed her head in, well, almost shame.
"Come on Miss Granger, Miss Weasley, you must go up to the hospital wing."
"No!" Me and Ginny objected simultaneously. "Professor, we really want, need, to know what's going on." I continued.
"Yes," chimed in Ginny. "Can't we at least hear why they're here Professor, please?"
McGonagall sighed but eventually gave in. "Well, Snape." She was now stood glowering down at the old professor.
"What have you got to say for yourself?" Her voice had lost its fearful, worried tone and gained an icy, cold edge.
From just behind her I heard Malfoy mutter, "and she's supposed to be smart. Maybe she should try taking off stupefy if she wants him to talk to her."
I whipped my head around to glare at him with my coldest, most furious frown. He is so rude! Even when he's in a position of defeat he still manages to drive me mad with his snide comments, and insulting Professor McGonagall's intelligence! Which is about ten times more than his own, oh I hate him!
Really? A new voice seemed to have found its way into my mind, hate? I thought you could never hate? I thought hate was the path to the dark side, how come you can feel it then?
Well, the first thought trail seemed to accept this argument, maybe not hate. But definitely dislike strongly. He deserves to be hated, he deserves to die!
At that last thought however I realised just how ridiculous this was, I was having an argument with myself! Argh! I must stop doing that!
I tuned myself back to reality just in time to hear Snape's explanation to McGinagall of his and Malfoy's presence in the school.
"After killing Dumbledore I hurried Draco of the premises. I was wondering where to go, Draco was crying out for his mother so I took him to her. We travelled to Malfoy manor first of all to tell Narcissa what happened. She was horrified, pleased that Dumbledore was dead and relieved that Draco was still alive, she wanted to keep Draco with her. She said that if Dumbledore was dead there would be no need for the Dark lord to punish Draco. I however knew better, the Dark Lord would punish Draco for being too weak to kill the old man. The Vow I had made to Narcissa bound me on pain of death to protect Draco to the best of my ability, so that is what I did. Me and Narcissa burnt down Malfoy manor with her and a house elf inside. The ruins were found later by the Ministry but were not, I understand made general news. I took Draco and fled north, both of the Hogwarts letters found there way to him, McGonagall obviously hadn't looked at whether he was still alive or not in Ministry records, or maybe she just didn't believe it? He is according to them no longer in existence, the safest place for him to be. This would not be enough to put off the Dark Lord for long, I knew, particularly as I was still alive and not answering his summons. Sure enough in early November I got wind that he was sending death eaters after us. Me and Draco ran from our hideout, but we had nowhere to go. We were outlawed from the rest of the wizarding community for murdering Albus Dumbledore and we were on the death list of the Dark Lord for not returning to him. The only place we could think to go was Hogwarts."
His voice was cold and emotionless, it sounded like he was under an extremely potent dosage of Veritaserum which was what, I guess, he was. The whole story seemed to fit well enough and it made sense, though there were still rather a lot of unanswered questions buzzing around my head.
Firstly, what vow? Harry had said that it sounded like Snape had made an unbreakable vow to Malfoy's mum but me and Ron had dismissed it as soon as we'd heard it. Why on earth would he do that? Bound to protect Malfoy until one or the others death, that must be a terrible life to lead.
Then there's what does Snape mean about him burning down Malfoy Manor with Narcissa Malfoy inside? Surely they wouldn't do that? Malfoy can't be heartless enough as to murder his own mother, can he?
A choking sound interrupted my thought process, I am starting to make a habit of losing myself inside my mind… ehem. I glanced over my shoulder to see Malfoy with his head in his hands, he looked so vulnerable. It was scary. I wondered what was wrong with him, then slowly, slowly my hand reached for his arm as if it had a mind of its own.
I froze instantly as I realised what I was doing, what was I doing? My hand however seemed to take advantage of my lapse in concentration to close the last couple of inches to rest gently on his pale arm.
He stiffened instantly. His white blonde hair whirling around his ghostly, pallid face to fix me with that cold stare. His eyes, gray as a storm tossed ocean glared furiously at me.
"What do you think you're doing, Mudblood?" He spat, venom dripping off the end of his tongue.
I sprang back my dark eyes flashing, trying to come up with a snappy response for his rude statement. The problem was, I couldn't. I had no idea what I was doing, to comfort Draco Malfoy? Even if such a thing was possible I wouldn't seek to do it, and yet, the way his face contorted with pain as he seemed to forget my presence again. I wondered idly what he was thinking of, maybe he did regret burning his mother alive. Now that I thought about it that effectively left him an orphan, with his mother dead and his father in gaol (I hope, though it seems unlikely that that is where he remains).
A shiver ran down my spine and, quite suddenly, I jumped up. Shooting Malfoy one last icy glare I marched over to Ginny's side.
"Are you ok Gin?" I questioned gently.
Professor McGonagall looked over at me sharply. "Take her up to the Hospital wing will you Miss Granger and make sure you get some rest yourself, you must be exhausted." I smiled weakly and clasped Ginny's slightly sweaty hand in my own.
"Come on Gin, we've just got to get you up to the Hospital wing then you can have a nice long sleep." I crooned nonsense softly into her ear. She jerked slightly seeming to come out of a trance. Her pale, pretty face lit up ever so slightly with a gentle smile.
"I'm coming." Her voice was so faint that it was almost nonexistent, I slipped my arm around her slim delicate shoulders and helped her to her feet.
"Do you think you can walk?" I enquired gently. She bowed her head slightly in the affirmative so I began to support her as she hobbled down the corridor and up to the Hospital wing.
Later
"Hermione what on earth were you thinking!" Ron exploded his face bright red with anger and worry. "You could have both been seriously injured or worse, why didn't you wait for McGonagall to help you or something?"
I looked up at him from my comfortable position in one of the soft beds lining the Hospital wing's walls. I rolled over onto my back feeling the crisp, white, linen sheets shift under my weight so as to take in the faces of my friends who were stood and sat around my bed. All bore the same worried slightly exasperated expressions. The worried I can understand, why they were exasperated though I will never know, by all rights it was me who was exasperated with them. And I was.
"Oh Ron, McGonagall asked me to take Ginny up to the Hospital wing. I couldn't exactly refuse her could I? She was busy anyway."
"Busy with what! What could be more important than two of her best pupils about to collapse, and you still haven't told us why by the way."
I closed my eyes for a second feeling the muscles in my lids pull taught as I screwed them up and sighed, then opened my mouth and prepared to tell them all about Malfoy and Snape. The moment I tried to speak though, I found the words just wouldn't come. I thought hard for a second, considering what Ron, not to mention Harry's reactions would be to the startling discovery that it was in power to uncover. Anger was my first thought, fear, pain, sadness. I couldn't tell them, but how could I hide it?
After the second was up I found myself deciding that I was unwillingly to reveal the secret. I would have to talk to Ginny about it later but I had a feeling that this wasn't the right time for this sort of revelation, I wonder if there is ever a right time to tell your best friends that their worst enemy and the murderer of the man they admired the most have just arrived at the only place they considered reasonably safe.
I guess not, nevertheless I felt a pang of sadness as I glanced up through my lashes at my best friends in the world. Never before had I kept something of this magnitude a secret from them, it just wasn't in my character.
After a long pause and another deep breath I screwed up my courage and finally replied with; "Ron, I can't tell you right now, ok? It just doesn't feel right, maybe later."
With that I closed my eyes and let my body collapse into the soft, comfy bed as a soft gentle feeling of sleep and rest washed over me, relaxing my entire body and tenderly shutting down my extensive mind with loving caresses.
A/N Yay! I got this chapter up much sooner than usual, go me! I hope you enjoyed it. We should be having the Hallowe'en ball in the next chapter and I want Draco and Hermione, of course to go, but have no idea what they should go as. Suggestions would be very much appreciated! Ideas for Harry, Ginny or Ron would be great too. Review replies:
1madcat: There you go, I updated! And sooner than usual, hope you liked it. Do you have any ideas for costumes? Please tell me...! Thanks for reviewing!
Sparkle Black: I love your ramblings and analysing of my story! It makes me feel wonderful, particularly when you pick up on little tiny things that I thought no one notice like Snape and Draco's relationship. It gets more obvious later on though. Do you have any suggestions about costumes? I would love to hear from you. Thanks for reviewing!
PrincessAngelz: Yay! Love Draco and Hermione! I'm really glad you liked it! Have you got any ideas for Hermione or Draco's costumes? Please let me know, thanks for reveiwing!
LovelyBlueRose: Thank you! Hermione and Draco may take some time but they will be together eventually, hope you enjoy, thanks for reviewing!
Thank you so much! 4 reviews, that's the most I've ever got for 1 chapter! Pretty please will you review, please? Yes and you too, I know where you live...jk lol.Anywayz I'm really glad you guys enjoyed it, Gracias y adios mi amigos;
Miss Moonshadow
