Chapter 2
The carriages rattled as they slowly made their way along the steep edge of the hills leading directly into the Black Lake.
Hermione stared out the window of the Head's carriage. The walls were a deep burgundy (much to Draco's obvious distaste), with mottled cream-colored velvet seats. Black wrought iron swirls adorned the back of the doors and rested in an elegant pattern above the seats. Draco was in a stony silence as well, after 5 or so failed attempts to persuade Hermione to let him copy her notes.
After growing bored with the murky view out of the carriage window, Hermione took to staring at the spot of burgundy carriage wall directly above Draco's head. He looked up and met her gaze with smirking eyes.
"Are you staring at me?" he asked. "So you've finally come round, Granger."
"What are you blathering on about?" she asked, her voice laced with a hint of sarcasm as she raised an eyebrow. "Don't flatter yourself. I was looking at that very interesting bit of wall above you, Malfoy." she finished, smirking slightly. Draco's green-gray eyes narrowed at her.
"Well, Granger's got a spine this year." he said mockingly.
"Surprised?"
"Somewhat." he replied airily, examining a particularly shiny spot on his shoe.
"Well, get used to it." she said, turning towards the window again. The tense silence descended on them once again. The horses' hooves clicked loudly on the cobblestones, the wheels squeaked, even the gentle crashing of the waves below them took up the silence in the carriage. Hermione tapped her fingers on her book.
"Could you stop?" Draco asked, thoroughly irritated.
"No." she said defiantly, but she stopped after a moment anyway. She was desperate... she sighed.
"So, erm, how was your summer, Malfoy?" she asked somewhat uninterestedly, brushing some imaginary dust from her robes.
"None of your business, actually, Granger." he drawled. There was a hint of haughtiness in his voice. He felt a small terror welling from the pit of his stomach as his mind frantically chased away the memories trying to resurface. No one would ever know what went on in the solitude of Malfoy Manor; he made sure of that. Hermione clenched her fists at her sides.
"I was trying to be polite. You should try it sometime." she snapped.
"To you? Why should I waste my manners on a M-" Hermione cut him off.
"Don't you dare get started on calling me 'Mudblood'-", at this she made air quotes, " and 'Know-It-All' and such like a child. You could at least dignify me with better insults, Malfoy, but I shouldn't expect much from you." she spat. Her eyes had the same fiery quality as they had in the compartment earlier, the moonlight shimmering in them wildly. He opened his mouth to voice his rebuttal, but she continued.
"You know, it really amazes me. After being in the same school with you for 5 years, enduring classes with you, seeing you out of school, and putting up with you seemingly everywhere I go, you haven't changed from the snotty little kid in the bookstore, who thought he was better than anyone else because his mommy and daddy told him so. You know what the truth is? You're a coward. You can't fight with anything but nasty names and- well, I shouldn't say magic, because you can only seem to use that properly in a fight when your opponent's back is turned!" she rattled off. 5 years of pent up hate and frustration were building up inside of her. She remembered the incident from 4th year, when she punched him. A smirk settled onto her lips as she remembered his expression.
"Where do you get off?" he yelled. His face was twisted in an ugly grimace. "You can't insult me like that!" With that, he stood. She joined him. THey were practically touching noses in the small carriage; they could feel each others' hot breath on their faces. Hermione's amber eyes bored defiantly into Draco's own greenish-grey. She leaned towards him, her lips just inches from his cheek.
"I believe I just did." she whispered into his ear. She pulled away and he raised his wand to her face.
"One more word..." he said through gritted teeth.
"And what, you'll call Daddy for help?" she said coolly. His eyes lit up with a new rage Hermione had never witnessed from Draco. He brought his face close to her. She lowered her eyes.
"Don't you dare bring my father into this conversation. You always think you know the answer, don't you? You're such an overachiever. But you know nothing about my father, so don't parade around like you know exactly what goes on, okay?" he said. He had started out angrily, but the slightest hint of pleading crept in at the end.
"Or what, he'll sic Uncle Voldie on me? You're like a puppy. Always doing what Daddy tells you. Get away from me!" she said, her voice raising to a shout. A new light passed through Draco's eyes. His side began to burn with pain as a memory surfaced...
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Draco cowered on the floor, pain shooting through his body. His eyes continued to fill with unshed tears, but he blinked them back. He would not give his father the pleasure of his anguish.
"Crucio." Lucius said boredly, flicking his wand. A smirk lay on his lips.
Draco's body twisted from the inside out, and he writhed in pain on the stone floor of the dungeon guest room. He clamped his teeth together hard; he choked back shrieks of pain. His left side was riddled with purple and black bruises, marbling his porcelain skin all the way up his left side and across his chest, stopping at his collarbone. Blood seeped from the web of lacerations crisscrossing his pale chest and stomach. He struggled to stop his racing heart; every beat seemed to bring forth a new pool of blood that seeped into the waistband of his pants and added to the puddles already marring the floor.
"On the bed." Lucius hissed. Draco shook his head with effort, pain shooting through his skull. Lucius stood and strode to where Draco lay vulnerable on the floor, his long blood locks swishing against his bare back. He picked Draco up roughly by one arm and threw him towards the velvet laden guest bed. Draco fell to his knees on the stone floor and another shockwave of pain echoed across his body through his kneecaps. He gasped and leaned against the soft velvet bedcovers.
Lucius pulled him to his feet by the same arm, digging his nails into Draco's delicate skin, and spun him around, pushing him roughly into the velvet. Draco couldn't help shrieking into the soft bedcovers as Lucius dug his nails into Draco's shoulders, trailing them down his slender, bruised back until he reached the waistband of Draco's pants. Draco felt the nails leave his skin and grasp onto the only clothing he still had on. He let a few tears spill forth; he knew what Lucius intended to do.
Lucius tore them off brutally, and they fell into a heap on the floor next to the remains of Draco's shirt. Draco trembled, grasping the covers until his knuckles turned white, as Lucius leaned over him, his long blond hair falling on the deep scratches he had made on Draco's back. Shivers traveled through Draco's spine as Lucius's hot breath tickled his ear as he hissed.
"You're mine."
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Draco moaned in pain as he came back to reality. Hermione's amber eyes were inches from his own; they were filled with worry. He noticed the carriage ceiling loomed behind her head. He slowly sat up. His whole body ached, as if he had been transported back into that memory... his wand lay discarded on the floor.
"What happened?" he croaked. His voice was raw against his throat.
"You got a strange look on your face... and you knocked me against the seat, and tried to do some kind of wandless magic, I suppose, because you didn't say anything, but there was this light at the end of your wand... I thought you were going to kill me." she said softly. He noticed that her eyes shimmered with unshed tears, and there were several tear streaks already marring her face. Her lip was trembling, although he could see that she was trying hard not to cry. She was as defiant as ever.
"I used Expelliarmus on you, and you passed out and hit your head on the edge of the seat. I thought you were dead." she said. Another tear fell from her eyes, her long eyelashes glistening. She looked away and hurriedly wiped her cheek with the sleeve of her blue sweater.
A shockwave passed briefly through Draco's thoughts; she had cried because she thought he was dead. He had expected her do be doing a victory dance or something when he woke up. He laughed silently at the previous thought.
His side throbbed rhythmically. He slowly got to his feet, wincing as he felt a few of his scars open again. He hoped that they wouldn't bleed through his shirt; he didn't want to have to explain if she noticed. She would want to see; he knew that she aspired to be a Healer at St. Mungo's since the job consultations last year. He willed the blood to stay behind his skin as he opened the carriage door.
She grabbed his left arm; he gasped and tore it away from her. He could still feel the bruises in the shape of Lucius's long fingers as they wrapped around his arm.
"Uh, I can do it, thanks." he said hurriedly. She gave him a strange look. He stepped down from the carriage and sighed when he felt the hard, sure ground beneath his feet. He took a confident step forward, and his knees buckled under him. He heard her gasp and hit the ground, rushing to his side.
"Draco, are you okay?" she said, worry stabbing at her voice. He noted silently, with the same shock that had come from her tears, that she had used his first name. Strange what brought enemies closer.
'Why did I just call him Draco?' Hermione thought. 'It's strange what brings enemies closer.' she thought wryly. She helped him to his feet and draped his arm across her shoulders before he could protest again.
They hobbled around the empty cluster of carriages and silently made their way towards the great, twinkling mass that was Hogwarts.
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How was that for a second chapter? The third is almost finished too! Yay!
REVIEWS
CHAPTER 1
Rebell: YAY! YOURE BACK! lol, and very good, yes more detail is always wonderful! COOKIE! (nibbles greedily, guards) It's mine... yum... lol, funny stuff eh? I like being hyper, i make me laugh... -lol, and rereading that sentence made me laugh...- Luv alwayz, Rebell
Thanks! And also thanks for being such a loyal reviewer!
CHAPTER 2
Rebell: EK! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? (trails off moaning) Por Draco, poor baby... Sniff... I LIKE! ABSOLUTELY SQUEE! Luv, Rebell
Lol, I started to read your review, and I thought it was bad! I was freaking out! Then I saw the Like and Squee bits and I was fine. shows snapshot of Violet breathing in a paper bag Hehe! Thanks again! Yeah, that was the darkest thing i think I've written so far. Danananananaaaaaa innuendo! pretends to barf I hate Lucius.
Broken Crayon Dreams: Wow. That was dark, very well written, but dark. Keep going, I like it.
Thanks!
hands cookies to all Thanks for reading!
Charlotte
