Disclaimer: I own nothing in either The Odyssey, or Harry Potter.
Hermione sat up, her breath caught painfully in her throat. The eyes that were staring into hers were the color of midnight, and she couldn't tear her gaze away. She opened her mouth to speak, but it was a male's voice that flooded the clearing.
"Who the hell are you?" Hermione was finally able to break out the trance she was in, and she turned to look at Draco. He was on his feet with his wand pointed at the man in the clearing with them, his eyes narrowed in distrust. She turned back to the stranger, and words escaped her once again.
He was beautiful, with white skin accentuating the deep black of his eyes. Dark hair fell softly around his face, and he had cheekbones that stood out sharply from the rest of his features. His eyes were framed by long eyelashes, and he never took them away from Hermione.
"I have been sent to save you." His voice was soft, and nearly musical, but there was something darker behind it – something that spoke of horrors seen and lived through. "The vampires are getting ravenous. Azreal has tasted your power, and it is corrupting him, making him want more. He will not stay away from you for long."
"I won't go with you." Hermione was surprised at the strength in her voice. "You're only bringing us to him quicker. I'd rather die than face him."
"I know the one you speak of…and I also know you are not so hesitant to be with him. He can lure even the most reluctant woman into his arms. The dreams are getting clearer, aren't they, Hermione?" As he spoke her name, his eyes simmered with dark heat.
"How do you know my name? And I don't know what dreams you are talking about." Her lie faltered only slightly before emerging, but he only nodded his acceptance with a hint of a smile before going on.
"I know many things. But I will not bring you to him." Hermione nodded as trust filled her, although she couldn't explain what had prompted it.
A hand gripped her arm, bruising it where the fingers grasped her. She spun to face Draco, who wore a mask of hatred. "No. I don't believe him…we can cope just fine without him."
Hermione shook her head, annoyance consuming her. "The vampires…Azreal… they'll just kill us. There's no point in denying it, Draco. We need him, and he's offering us a way out."
"How do you know he's just not bringing us to this guy?"
"I just know, ok?" The irritation increased, and Hermione shook Draco away. "You can stay here if you want. Have fun being eaten by vampires. I'm going with…" She turned towards their visitor, who was standing quietly watching their discussion, once again, "What is your name?"
"You may call me Malachi."
Hermione smiled at him and turned her attention back to Draco. "I'm going with Malachi, Draco. You can come if you want." She spun around briskly, and gathered her things. She closed her eyes tightly as the world started to spin, but collected herself. It felt as if something was holding her head in a vice, but she was unable to concentrate fully on the pain.
She followed Malachi as he turned into the forest, and noticed that the trail she had been following the night before was gone.
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Panic gripped Harry. They had heard the rain hit the soil above them for days now, and the water was beginning to seep underground. It dripped through every crevice in the walls of the war-weakened subway system, and it brought with it the stench of the decay it had worked itself through.
He stared at the ground, watching the ever-steadying stream of almost black water running underneath his feet. It was barely a centimeter deep, but he knew it would build. Even if it stopped raining, the amount of water the earth above them held was too much. It would leak through, and flood the Colony. And it was going to happen soon.
Nobody else seemed to realize the impending disaster, and were simply side-stepping the water as they went about their chores. He watched Ginny as she sat in a wooden chair by their tent, wringing her hands and staring at the statue of Hermione that she had moved closer to their home. She had been doing that for days – ever since the night she woke up because of thoughts about the baby. Harry knew something else had been wrong with her that night, but didn't question. She would tell him when it was the right time.
He slowly walked to her, not wanting to give her any more concerns, but knowing he had to. She looked at him as he came closer, and he saw her wipe tears away with the back of her hand.
"We have to move." His voice was flat as he realized even more how true it was. "We're going to get flooded out of here."
Ginny looked around her, and slowly nodded. "I know." No emotion crept into her words, but Harry saw her lips tremble as she spoke. "It's going to be hard…in my condition especially."
He knelt next to her, caressing her pregnant stomach. "We'll be careful, Ginny. Nothing is going to happen to you, or to our child. I promise." He sounded surer than he felt, but her eyes seemed to brighten slightly. "I have to tell the rest of them. We move tonight."
Ginny nodded once more, and watched as Harry approached the rest of their group. Fear was evident on many of the faces, but they hadn't survived the war without a reason. They were prepared for disaster at any moment, and finally it was coming. She bit her lip, and turned back to the silent statue.
"God Hermione…where are you?" Her voice was barely above a whisper, but the words seemed to echo around her. She had been having the dreams every night, and Hermione's pale eyes had only gotten more uncaring. The tears of blood she shed had begun to fill the space around them, and Ginny remembered far too well the tangible feeling of sick warmth it brought with it.
She heard footsteps approaching, and turned her head to face Pansy. The girl was looking indifferently at the water running beneath her, and only met Ginny's eyes when she was stopped in front of her.
"I hear we're going to move tonight." Ginny nodded, and Pansy looked away again. "That's probably a good idea."
Silence seemed to create space between them, until Pansy finally broke it. "I've been having dreams Ginny, of Draco. I know it sounds stupid, but they feel almost real, and I didn't know who else to go to." Her voice was heavy with tears, and when she raised her eyes they spilled onto her cheeks. Ginny watched their trail quietly, thinking horribly back to the dream where blood made its own path down Hermione's face.
"What happens in the dreams?"
"I'm running through darkness…a sort of darkness that creeps through your skin and makes its home in your veins. Draco is standing, his back to me, and I touch his shoulder. He turns around…and his throat is," Her voice cracked, "it's torn out. Blood is pouring down his robes, and leaking out of his mouth as he forms words I can't make out. Then Hermione comes up behind me with two other people, two men that are hidden in black robes. They are completely different though, I'm not sure how. But both are shielding Hermione so much that I can barely see her. I meet eyes with one of the people beside her, and it feels like razors are shooting through me, tearing me apart from the inside…I can still feel that when I wake up, but not as bad or for very long."
Pansy met eyes with Ginny once more, a pleading look within her dark orbs. "I'm so sorry to come to you like this Ginny, you have enough to worry about…it's just that Hermione says your name every time, right before I wake up, when I can barely concentrate because of the pain."
Ginny swallowed; her mouth suddenly dry. "I've been having the same dreams Pansy, only it's mostly Hermione and I only see one man beside her…but Draco, he looks the same."
Pansy's voice was quiet, and Ginny couldn't tell if she was hopeful or scared. "Do you think that Draco's alive…that he's with Hermione?"
"Maybe…maybe it's just something to trick us, or something with the magic in the air…"
Pansy nodded, a strange look painted on her face. She smiled silently at Ginny, and then turned to go. Something about the way she was walking seized Ginny's mind, taking it back to that day.
She didn't want to remember.
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Draco glared at the two people in front of him, his lip curling in disgust. Hermione was glancing at her companion every now and then, thinking that nobody noticed. She seemed unable to concentrate on where she was going, and continually tripped on roots and rocks. Every time, Malachi stretched out his hand just in time, and kept her from completely falling.
The stranger, as Draco still referred to him, was using some sort of magic to create a small ball of light which illuminated the forest around them. A cold breeze cut through Draco, and caused the entire night to seem alive. It moved on its own accord, and Draco thought he heard voices calling out in strange tongues.
Suddenly, a voice wailed in the dark. It sounded like a woman, and Draco tensed. Hermione clutched onto Malachi, who was standing completely still.
"We must stop for the night. They have sensed us." His voice was eerily soft, but Draco could hear notes of triumph within it. Hermione didn't seem to notice, and nodded vigorously. Malachi turned his light to a clearing that was in front of them, and Draco narrowed his eyes. He could see a fire burning in the clearing once again.
Something wanted them to be safe, to survive their nights in comfort. Hermione had hesitated before letting them stop in the last one, but now she stepped eagerly into the cleared area, hurrying over to the fire. Draco contemplated just walking on, but then remembered the threat of the vampires. At least if he was by a fire, he wouldn't be torn apart by sharp teeth laced with promising whispers.
He shivered at the thought, and stepped nearer to the fire. He glanced at Malachi, and froze at what he saw. The man was coaxing a small animal closer to him, his eyes shining. As the furry creature sniffed his outstretched fingers, it suddenly squealed in fear and tried to run away. It was too late.
As Malachi skinned the animal, Draco remembered that he hadn't eaten since the night before, and felt the hunger pierce through him. When their leader held the animal over the fire, impaled on a stick, the smell lured Draco to the fireside at last. Warmth seeped through him, and he tried not to look at the gory animal cooking next to him.
Malachi had grabbed the creature, and sliced through the skin on its throat with sharp nails akin to an animal's. The skin on their dinner's throat was ragged and dripping with blood, which sizzled as it hit the flames. Dread seeped through Draco as he stared at the sight, some memory brushing his mind teasingly. It was gone before he could grasp it, though, and he was left with the unnamable apprehension.
Finally, the meal was finished, and Malachi split the animal in half, giving it to Hermione and Draco. When the girl protested, he shook his head quietly, as if laughing at the idea of eating to sustain himself.
Settling next to the fire, Draco looked at Hermione. She was taking out her book, and as she opened it to where they had left off the night before, she met his eyes and gestured for him to sit next to her. He did, and they both stared at the page in front of them. He finished it, and looked at Hermione, expecting her to be done as well. Instead, she was staring at the stranger, her eyes sharp.
"I don't trust him." He hissed his dissent into her ear, not wanting Malachi to overhear. She didn't respond to him, instead just turned to meet his gaze for a moment before looking back over at their companion. Draco started, and drew away from her. Her eyes had been emptier than any he had ever seen, including the vampires, who held fiery evil behind their icy exterior. He shuddered, and looked back down at the book, wanting desperately to forget her image.
And one is still alive, held captive, somewhere, off in the endless seas…
A/N: I just love The Odyssey…lol so yeah; the next chapter is going to be a rather eventful one, so stay tuned! I'll try to get it up fast, but I just got a job, so I'm so busy now! I stayed up WAY past my bed-time to write this one lol, thanks to all who reviewed, and I'd like to give a special thanks to BootstrapBoula, who always writes such long reviews…I love it lol
Please, please review it is my favorite thing in the world to get reviews lol good or bad, at least I know people care! Thanks again!