My dears!
School has been pretty mental, but I've been trying to write whenever I find a spare bit of time.
Your reviews on the last chapter were delightful and you are amazing and darling and all the love! .right-tho, I can't respond to your review personally like I want to because the reviews are playing around again, but I just wanted to say thank you. OMG. You are amazing. ALL of you who reviewed on the last chapter are absolute darlings, really, you are brilliant *hearts*
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Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, and only the story line and any OC's belong to me.
All is quiet. All is still. The portraits slumber, as do the elves, the staff, and the students-well, most of the students that is-as well as the other occupants of the castle.
Using as little light as possible a raven haired witch was waiting. Waiting, waiting, waiting.
Her wild curls brushing her lap, her back was pressed into the cold stone wall behind her, her knees were tucked to her chest and her hazel eyes were trained on the small white-blue light at the tip of her wand as she rolled her wand between her hands. Her long, black nightgown was pulled up and over her knees, brushing her ankles, her bare feet were resting on top of each other and she had placed a warming charm on them to chase away the cold from the stone floor.
One of the thin straps was falling off of her shoulder, and the swell of her breasts rose and fell with her shallow breaths.
The witch was hidden away in a dark alcove with only her thoughts and the occasional passing ghost-who she watched float by as they went about their business, too wrapped up in themselves to notice her-to keep her company.
She automatically stiffened when she heard his shoe scuff the stone slightly as he entered. Old habits die hard after all.
He silently sat down beside her, his own knees bent, his own wand with a small light at the end in his hands-his forearms are resting on the tops of his knees. His head was resting back against the wall. Raven hair messy and untidy on his head, his grey eyes sparkling even in the poor light even though his pupils have almost swallowed the thin ring of grey.
He's wearing black pyjama bottoms and a teal t-shirt, and unlike her, he's wearing shoes.
"Why aren't you wearing shoes?" Draco asked, breathing out through his nostrils as he rolled his head to look at her.
"Why not? Didn't feel like silencing my feet and I didn't feel like putting on shoes," Hermione shrugged, letting her own head gently fall back against the wall.
"I suppose if you stepped on something sharp you would have just healed it when you got back to the Tower…" Draco trailed off, studying her, but recently she found it was hard to discern what he was thinking. Not like when they first came to this time, no, they were different people now than they were then-but something about it made her feel uneasy. As if she was losing something.
Part of Hermione wanted to snuggle into his side, to ask him outright what was happening, why things were changing between them. Instead she simply said, "you said you wanted to talk to me about something."
In an instant the look was gone and the corners of Draco's lips were tugging upwards. "I did it."
"Did what?" Hermione asked with a frown. "That's terribly vague, Draco."
"The Wolfsbane Potion. I did it. I figured it out, I wasn't too sure if I got it right, but it smells the way it did when...Snape used to make it, and it's the same colour. I am positive I've got it," Draco said, his bright smile causing her to grin like an idiot as well.
"Oh! That's wonderful!" Hermione exclaimed, a little louder than she should have, but she had placed a Muffliato up when she sat down so no one else could hear them. She flung herself sideways into Draco and he chuckled softly as he caught her awkwardly, almost falling completely sideways onto the ground.
Draco adjusted his grip and shifted slightly and then her arms were around his neck, her face buried in his chest and his arms were around her back.
"You're brilliant...do you know that?" Hermione asked, voice barely audible. Focusing on his steady heartbeat and how nice the fabric of his shirt was against her cheek.
"Of course. You should tell me more often," Draco teased lightly.
"Git."
"Bossy."
"Bossy? That's the best you can do?" Hermione challenged, and she heard the rumble in his chest as he laughed at her response.
"Witch, you are definitely something to behold."
Things were quiet for a moment, there was a long, drawn out pause. Which Hermione broke, but any mirth was now gone from her voice, replaced with a wave of sadness that she couldn't hold back.
"Now I just need to figure out how to save Frank and Alice," Hermione said, her breath shuddering out of her. She sniffed hard, once, twice.
"I know you can do it. If anyone can do it you can," Draco encouraged gently, his thumb began to move-rubbing smooth circles on a small section of the right hand side of her back.
"Sometimes...sometimes I feel like we can't change time. As if it's too rigidly set and I can't save them. No matter how hard I try," Hermione sniffed and she felt Draco's lips press against the crown on her head. Tears were welling up in her eyes and she hated the sudden wave of emotion that was tumbling throughout her.
"We may not be able to save everyone. Especially some that we would do anything to save...but there has to be a way to help them. I'm not giving up. I'm always going to believe in you, Hermione."
Hermione pulled back then, enough to look him in the eye and with a watery smile said, "thank you."
Draco removed a hand from around her waist and reached up-the calloused pad of his thumb wiping away a tear that had begun to run down her cheek.
"No problem, love. Now. I think we need to get back to our beds. We have classes in the morning," Draco pointed out, and Hermione shifted so that she was kneeling. Sighing, she nodded her head in agreement. In one smooth motion she stood up, extending her hand for Draco to grasp. His rougher hand suddenly felt very big and it only then seemed to hit her that Draco was even taller than before and puberty was really making headway.
Sometimes when you spend time with someone a lot, when they begin to change, you don't notice it since it's usually a gradual process. Until it hits you one day. Hermione was currently having one of those moments.
She leaned back slightly as she helped pull Draco to his feet.
"Godric, we can't be late for our first day of classes-" Hermione gasped mockingly, "-especially during our OWL year!"
"Okay. Enough of that out of you. Let's go," Draco laughed, pulling her by her hand toward the exit of the alcove.
They checked to make sure the coast was clear and then they proceeded to walk down the corridor; Hermione was trying not to study that Draco was still holding her hand.
"When are we telling Moony that we're animagi?" Draco asked as they walked.
"As soon as possible," Hermione sighed. She'd been worried about it for days.
"Tomorrow?" Draco suggested as they walked.
Hermione hesitated before answering, that was awfully soon, "let's talk to the boys and see what they say. They're part of this decision too."
"True. So talk to the boys tomorrow and decide when we're going to tell him?" Draco asked for affirmation.
"Sounds good to me," Hermione replied.
Their walk was fairly silent after that, small comments about how their fifth year may go. The schoolwork was going to be more rigorous this year, but if they had survived once they could survive again. They'd survived worse things either way.
The Fat Lady merely grunted at them when they gave her the password, eyes narrowed. She was used to the Gryffindors escapades and after four years she didn't even bother to make a fuss anymore.
Hermione stepped through the portrait hole into the Common Room first, still holding Draco's hand.
The room was still a touch warm from the roaring fire in the fireplace earlier-the embers in the hearth were now growing cold.
Hermione felt the comfy rug under her feet and wriggled her toes as she waited for Draco to join her in the Common Room.
The only sound as they crossed the room was the soft shutting of the Fat Lady's portrait.
Hermione glanced up at Draco in the darkness when they reached the stairs to the girl's dormitories. "I'll see you in the morning, Draco." Letting go of his hand, moving forward and hugging him tightly. Draco instantly wrapped his arms around her and she took in his minty scent. Smiling softly.
"See you in the morning, love," Draco responded, kissing the top of her head before releasing her, taking a few steps backward.
"Night, Draco," Hermione said, the corner of her lips curling upwards.
She turned to ascend the stairs, the icy stone a bit of a shock to her system-sending a jolt up her legs-after the warmth of the carpet. She heard a soft, "good night, Hermione," follow her up the stairs.
Her dynamic with Draco had definitely changed when she hadn't noticed, and she hadn't the foggiest idea what it meant. She imagined that only time would tell.