Draco woke up parched and with searing pain in his chest. He groaned as he scrambled to undo his shirt and assess the damage. His chest was a shade of pink and his recovering wound was now red and angry.
The bitch had shot him point blank.
He moaned and clutched his chest as he sat up on the side of the bed. His ankles were still tied. He looked at his hands. They were free.
He noticed a cup of water beside his bed. Grabbing it, he guzzled down the liquid.
"Thought you might need that," said Hermione.
Draco looked over at her; she was crouched and stuffing small lamps, and other odd objects, into her bag.
His eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"You could have killed me, Granger."
"I stunned you."
"You just about re-opened my wound," he raised his voice.
"What's done is done; you're alive and well enough to yell at me about it," she responded dryly, standing up.
"You're such a hypocri-" he started but stopped when she flicked her wand in his direction.
The ropes at his feet unwound and disappeared. He looked at her with confusion and further suspicion.
"I need you to get out of the tent while I finish packing up," she explained.
He became alarmed but schooled his expression.
"Why are you packing?"
"Because we are leaving; it's not safe to stay in the same place for very long," she said.
With a flick of her wand, the only table and chairs in the room shrunk and flew into her bag. He kept his face passive as creeping panic settled within him. They couldn't leave. He had to ensure it.
He stood up and put his hands in his pockets, a move he hoped wouldn't catch unnecessary attention, and casually stood back.
"What about Potter and Weasley," he cautiously inquired, properly using their first names as not to insult her. Convincing her to stay was a necessity and that meant playing nice.
She glanced over at him as the beddings rolled themselves up.
"What about them?"
"They're probably out looking for you."
"I hope not," she said. "They should be focusing on their task."
"What task would that be?"
"It's not something I can discuss with you," she said as she began folding the sheets.
"Fine, but if we leave now and they do come looking for you, you're going to miss them. Then you can chase each other in circles while the dark lord grows stronger."
She became immediately suspicious of his behavior.
"Why would you care if they find me Malfoy?"
He kicked himself internally.
"I don't. The longer we stay here, the higher the chances Donovan and Davies trace us."
"So let me get this straight," she crossed her arms. "You want us to stay here in hopes that one of our respective parties' shows up to find us."
He nodded.
"Unacceptable," she dismissed him. "If Donovan and Davies are still on our tails they will track us down within the next week. I don't know if Harry and Ron are even looking for me. It's best to leave now."
"Think about it Granger, you're the brains behind whatever operation Potter and Weasley are tasked with. Chances are, they'll hit a dead end and come searching for you."
She hesitated.
"If you lot have been running around the woods for the past couple of months, I'll bet Potter will return to the places you've been," he pressed.
"It's a possibility," she acknowledged.
Granger was an analytical thinker. Throw enough logic at her and all he had to do was wait for her to choose the most rational option. It wouldn't fail.
She mulled it over.
"Then I'll just need to leave them an indication of my presence and a hint of where they can find me next," she stated.
It failed. He resisted the urge to swear as he watched her exit the tent.
"Like what?" He snapped instead, following her.
"Well, the fire will have freshly burnt branches in the pit," she stated and looked around the forest for further ideas.
He kept his mouth shut. He wasn't about to give her any suggestions. Her eyes fell to the sand around the fire.
"Of course," she said and bent down to write the name of a location.
When she finished, she took her wand out of her pocket and pointed it to the written word.
He laughed mockingly, "A concealment charm?"
She looked to him in surprise; she hadn't even started the incantation.
"Honestly Granger, they're not that smart."
She looked as if he had insulted her, "Harry is perfectly capable of gathering the common sense to-"
"Potter's strengths lie in the defense against the dark arts, quidditch and his persistent stupidity in the face of danger-"
"You mean his bravery-"
"-while Weasley doesn't have any. If you're going to give them a hidden clue, you'd better be sure Potter can figure it out."
She frowned.
"And I don't recall either of them being exceptionally good in charms either. Expecting them to uncover a hidden message is insanely unrealistic," he finished and rubbed at his chest. His tolerance for the pain was dwindling as was his façade of keeping his cool.
He watched her grudgingly weigh the possibility of truth in his logic.
So he gave one final push and played on her empathy.
"Besides Granger, I don't think I'm ready to apparate just yet," he said, pulling open his shirt and showing her the trauma she gave him earlier.
Her face fell. She was in conflict with herself.
Bingo.
"Ok," she reluctantly agreed.
He almost let out a sigh of relief.
"Just a couple more days until you're feeling better, after that we leave," she decided and returned into the tent to unpack.
That's fine, he thought, eyes surveying the forest around them.
He suspected a few days was all he would need.
He sat down near the fire as Hermione finished unpacking.
She watched him like a hawk, ensuring he didn't attempt to make a run for it.
But for the rest of the afternoon, he remained seated and silent.
His begging for them to stay did not go unnoticed. She hadn't yet figured it out, but he was clearly up to something. She checked her wards again and again while he sat there, staring into the woods, as an extra precaution.
Part of her wanted to know what it was while part of her never wanted to find out. She hated to admit he might have made a point about the boys. If they were well then the chances were high they would be looking for her. But the dangers of snatchers, death eaters, and the corrupted ministry were prominent. Every day she stayed increased the possibility of being found and captured.
Speaking of which…
She walked to the other side of the fire and squatted, letting her gaze focus on the dancing flames.
"How did you find us Malfoy?" She asked.
"Wouldn't you like to know," he smirked.
She looked up to his face, "as a matter of fact, I would."
He leaned forward, sticking his face closer to the fire, as he taunted her, "it'll be a first; mudblood Granger doesn't have an answer to the question".
Blood rushed to her ears as the word easily slipped off his tongue. Her eyes returned to the fire, where she contemplated her next action. His attempts at provoking her always seemed to succeed. It took no effort from him.
She pulled her wand out of her pocket and pointed it at him.
His face contorted in fear at first, then annoyance as ropes shot out of the end of it and once again tied his wrists and ankles.
"Are you serious Granger," he groaned in frustration.
"I'm going to try to find us some food," she answered as rope length continued to pour from her wand.
"You will stay here and gather more firewood for when I return," she finished tying the end of the rope around a nearby tree.
He awkwardly pushed himself up.
"And how exactly am I supposed to do that?" He asked, royally pissed.
"I don't know Malfoy," she smartly responded, "I don't have an answer to your question."
He stood there stunned a moment before shouting.
"And I'm not a sodding dog you tie up when you leave!"
Stepping through the foliage, a slight grin emerged on her lips.
It felt terribly good to leave him there.
Authors note: Hello again! Just wanted to point out that this is, in fact, an adventure/love story and Hermione and Draco will be getting together. Having that said, I'm trying to keep them in character. Love can't happen over night and they are on opposing sides of a war. So don't worry love's! It's going to happen; just really slow ;).
See you again next week!
Love, your friendly Canadian.