"Ow!" Draco exclaimed, rubbing the side of his temple. "What was that for?"
"Oh, I'm so sorry," Hermione mocked, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "I didn't see your ego sitting there." She threw another acorn.
"Seriously, Granger, what did I do?" he questioned, dodging the nut by an inch. "If it's because I said something about that bushy head of yours, I swear - "
"Why didn't you help them?" Hermione interrupted, staring him down, her eyes as cold as Professor McGonagall's. "They were trying to get out; to survive this - this game that we're in. I get that we aren't necessarily supposed to "help each other out", but you know better than anyone what it should feel like to get left behind."
"You don't know anything about what I've been through, and if you haven't noticed by now, Granger -" Draco practically spat her name as if it were a bitter taste in his mouth. "- they're the competition. You're going soft on two people who are more likely to kill us than whatever these trials are..."
"And how do you know that!" Hermione interjected again. She saw she was beginning to tick him off, but she really couldn't care less. "How do you know they would have left us for dead if we'd helped get them out of that death trap?"
"After a while, you learn not to trust the people who are willing to stab you in the back, and in this case literally, for the prize of - "
"Are you kidding me, Malfoy-"
"Granger, would you just listen to me!"
"It doesn't always have to come to the conclusion everyone you meet is - "
"I never said they were all-"
"You made it very clear everyone is - "
"SHUT UP GRANGER! For Merlin's sake can you not shut that bloody mouth of yours for one minute! You think I don't know what it's like to have to kill, or to have to watch as the people around you are slaughtered? I'm trying the best I can to keep up with you in these Games, but all you do is make them a living nightmare for the rest of us. Honestly, I can't even think around a Mudblood like you before you go and snap at me!"
Hermione stared wide eyed in shock and didn't move. She watched as Draco took in the words he had said, and the anger and annoyance in his pale features immediately turned to regret.
Draco had called her a Mudblood again, and so far during their truce it hadn't been an issue. All at once her hard work to gain his trust came crashing down, the very thing she feared she would do. Never had it hurt this much before to hear him call her that; to say she was lower than dirt, not worth a single galleon, and didn't deserve the magic she possessed. In the week before, she would have considered him something close to a colleague, or at least someone who wouldn't stab her in her sleep to get out of this wretched place.
Apparently she had been blindsided again by something so flimsy as trust.
Clenching her jaw and biting back tears, Hermione got to her feet, brushed herself off, and walked further into the forest not bothering to look behind even as Draco called after her to ask where she was going. Truth be told, she didn't know where she was going. She was happy with anywhere to get away from him.
Hermione walked through thickets and shrubs, around twisted branches, and even passed a large den, though she had no intention of disturbing whatever was inside. Finally coming to a clearing by a small brook, Hermione threw her bag to the ground and released an aggravated huff as the supplies spilled out over the forest floor. Laying her head in her hands, she took a seat atop a moss-covered rock and frantically wiped at her watery eyes. Curling into a ball, she rested her chin on her knees and looked out across the clearing, illuminated by the light of the large, milky white moon plastered across the black sky.
Her thoughts wandered to Remus and Tonks. On a night like this, she would have been curled up on the couch, rocking a sleeping Teddy in her arms awaiting the arrival of her husband. The rest of the Order would sit around the living room creating small conversations, forgetting about the troubles outside of the walls. She closed her eyes and imagined such a scene. When she opened them again, her heart seemed to drop to her feet as it dawned on her such a thing could never exist again. She turned her face away from the silvery moon only to see a pale figure standing off to the side behind the shadows of a tree, watching her.
Draco looked away when their gazes met, his eyes downcast in shame and the tips of his ears pink from getting caught. Hermione glared at him as she felt her anger boiling to the surface.
"Go away." Hermione snapped flatly. "You've already said enough, and I'd rather not hear the rest."
When Draco didn't say anything nor move from his spot, Hermione scowled and recoiled from her ball. She leapt from the rock and made her way over to the many scattered pieces of equipment. Picking up the now empty canteen, she walked to the brook and dunked it into the waves, the cool water filling the bottle to the brim. She ignored the rustling of leaves and twigs behind her.
She took a large swig bringing relief to her cracked lips and parched throat. Hermione, not ready to face Draco and whatever sorry excuse or reason he had for following her, carefully removed her thin socks and leather boots. The cut along her ankle wasn't near as bad as the one still burning into her arm. She placed it into the creek holding back a gasp as the clear water turned copper with blood. A single path made its way down stream before it finally seemed to stop.
Taking her foot back out, she examined it closer than before. Without the surrounding dirt, dried blood, and sweat, the cut wasn't near as bad as she thought. Hermione returned her feet to the gentle embrace of the stream and laid back onto the forest floor. She closed her eyes and listened to the sounds of the forest, and the every so often interruption of Draco cursing whatever it was he hadn't been able to do.
When he all but shouted a word she knew Ron would never dare say around Mrs. Weasley, Hermione sighed and rose from her spot. Not bothering to put her shoes back on, she gathered her things and walked back to the clearing. She stopped dead in her tracks when she spotted Draco sitting on the rock she had occupied minutes before, only now a small but stable fire flickered in front of him. He seemed to have calmed down from his earlier outburst, and she almost smirked knowing he had used her given advice and techniques.
Hermione didn't know what to do as she stood there, watching the fire in admiration and surprise. He didn't seem to notice her standing there until she cleared her throat. Draco looked up to Hermione, his eyes swimming with guilt before averting them back down to the fire before him.
"I didn't mean what I said," he finally blurted. Hermione's eyebrows rose to her forehead in surprise while her jaw almost hit the ground; she figured she looked like a codfish out of water. She hadn't expected him to apologize, and from the uncomfortable expression on his face, she guessed he had never thought so either.
The longer the silence stretched, the more uncomfortable he seemed. Hermione took a deep breath and walked towards him. "You were angry," she muttered, placing her things in the bed of a tree trunk. "But I think you know what Mudblood means by now."
Her back was towards Draco so she couldn't see his expression. However, she was sure his eyes would have burned right through her left arm which had exposed her scar once again. "I know." she heard him whisper, accompanied by the low growl of his stomach.
Hermione finally turned around to face him. Draco looked tired and worn down, and so far throughout the remainder of one night in the Games, they had managed to get themselves lost in the maze, break their truce, and abandon their chance at knowing where the nearest food source was.
She ran a hand over her face and sighed. It had already been a long night, but she couldn't ignore the rumblings of her and Draco's stomachs. "Are you hungry?" she asked, though with no emotion behind it.
"A little," Draco replied, glancing up at her. Hermione nodded and picked up her shoes. Throwing on her boots, she grabbed the bow and sheath of arrows and slung them over her shoulder. "Wait here;\. I'll check if there's anything to eat around here, but if not we can move East."
Hermione didn't miss the way he stiffened at saying "we". She was in no way thrilled or accepting of his previous outburst, but she wasn't about to break her promise to Narcissa.
The further she ventured into the forest, the tighter the uneasy knot in her stomach became. Hermione kept glancing over her shoulder, certain something would pop out and try to snatch her up at any given moment. With an arrow cocked into place ready for her next kill, Hermione found herself an easy hiding spot in the low branch of a tree. Hosting herself up, she made herself comfortable and waited.
All around her, she heard the noises of the forest. While the settling fog was eerie and it felt as if someone was watching her, Hermione felt a sense of contentness being in a forest again. She had missed not being able to enjoy the sights and sounds of the forest on her running trip with her two best friends when Harry had been dubbed "Undesirable No.1". They had been jumping from place to place for months, never staying anywhere more than two days in fear of getting caught by Snatchers. In truth, she had enjoyed some of the sights they had seen, including the one to the Forest of Dean with Harry. Hermione remembered almost breaking down into tears when they had apparated to the center of her and Mr. Granger's favorite hunting spot after their escape from the Ministry.
Being back in nature, even if it was in pursuit of the Games, brought a warm and fuzzy feeling to her heart. The moment didn't last long when she heard the loud snap of a branch a few yards away from her.
Stiffening her grip around the silver bow, Hermione held the feather of the arrow in place awaiting whatever came from its hiding place. She frowned in confusion as a large, overgrown ferret stumbled out just below her branch. Her jaw dropped in shock as it began to talk. Well, almost.
The ferret began ranting a number of rude phrases about something Hermione couldn't understand in the least. Only when she heard it mention something about "Mudblood tributes" did she remember she was supposed to be hunting. Her hand seemed to pull back the arrow in slow motion as she aimed it directly over the little ferret's chest. She felt guilty releasing the arrow as it pierced her target's heart.
Climbing down from her hiding spot, Hermione quickly removed the arrow and picked up the dead ferret. A small chuckle escaped as she realized the irony of bringing back a dead ferret to Draco Malfoy. The memory of him being turned into a white ferret brought a smile to her face. He had been red as a howler when Professor McGonagall demanded Mad-Eye see to it that he use the practiced detention and not those of transfiguration. For the rest of the day he had kept his head down, and avoided their DADA professor for the remainder of the year.
Wiping her eyes, she held her smile all the way back to where they had set up camp. Before stepping into the clearing, she made sure to keep a straight face when she walked over, not wanting to spoil it before she could see his reaction.
Hermione was not disappointed when a moment after she had begun to skin the ferret with a small blade did Draco ask exactly what she had caught, an uneasy expression on his face.
"It's a Jarvey," she explained nonchalantly. "They're a type of creature that are capable of having human vocal abilities, though instead of actual conversations, they tend to stick with short and rude phrases. And, as you can see, they resemble an overgrown ferret." She made sure to accentuate her last word.
In the flickering light of the fire, Hermione looked up to see he wasn't meeting her eyes and his face had gone bright red, the same as it had done in their fourth year. She couldn't help the malicious grin that broke out across her face, nor the small laugh that accompanied it.
"That happened one time, Granger. You get turned into a bloody animal once and nobody drops it." Draco grumbled under his breath. At this, Hermione practically doubled over with laughter. She clutched her stomach and tried to regain her breath, slipping from her seat and falling to the ground. Through it all, Draco stared at her with something other than admiration in his eyes. He had never seen her laugh like this before, minus when he had been dragged by an invisible force towards the shrieking shack in their third year. His face burned an even brighter shade of crimson.
Hermione brushed herself off practically beaming up at him. He scowled and turned away, though she didn't miss the hint of amusement in his eyes. She picked up her knife and continued to skin the Jarvey in her lap. By the time she was finished, Draco's face had regained its natural color instead of the overwhelming blush. In truth, Hermione found it hilarious when he looked frazzled and embarrassed, his usual put-together stature fading away even for just a couple of seconds.
Stabbing the tough meat with a stick, Hermione slowly began turning it over the fire until it was a crisp shade of charcoal. The meat dripped with a golden grease, but the stench of Jarvey meat, even when cooked, was hard to overcome.
Slicing it in half, she handed a piece over to Draco who eyed it suspiciously. With one slim finger, he lifted a side and dropped it back to his hand with his signature sneer. "What's the matter?" Hermione asked in exasperation.
"I've never eaten with my hands," he stated. "It's not…" His voice trailed off when he caught Hermione's cold glare as if daring him to finish his sentence. Looking back down to the meat in his hands with a flicker of guilt, he hesitantly took a small bite and chewed. The meat was rough and coarse, and certainly unlike anything he had eaten before. It took all of his willpower not to gag or spit it back out.
Glancing up, he found Hermione having just as rough a time as he was swallowing the meat. "I know it's not a five-course meal, but it'll have to do." Hermione grumbled, taking another bite of the Jarvey.
In the end both tributes had needed to force it down their throats to even swallow the meat. Hermione grimaced to herself as the taste of bitter grease made its way back to her mouth. Her hunger had not seceded and she bet Draco's hadn't either from his uneasy expression. Rubbing her eyes with the palm of her hand, Hermione sighed and rose to her feet, the silver bow and sheath of arrows in hand.
"You're going out again?" Draco asked in surprise.
"No, I'm just taking the first watch," Hermione replied, seating herself on the moss-covered rock. "You should get some rest."
"If anyone needs rest, Granger, it's you," he drawled.
"I'm fine," she retorted, though her ill timed yawn didn't help her case. "Besides, I'm guessing having an ego the size of Hogwarts and being an insufferable prat doesn't come naturally. You'll need that precious beauty sleep of yours."
Draco rolled his eyes and he stepped forward, snatching the bow and arrows from her grasp. "Hey!"
Hermione tried to take them back, but only succeeded in colliding into him when he held the bag up just out of her reach. She was seething by the time he nudged her back towards the fire, an amused smirk threatening to break out over his face.
"Prat." she mumbled, making sure she was loud enough for him to hear. Reaching into her backpack, Hermione pulled out the sleeping bag and rolled it out in front of the fire. She slipped inside and immediately felt her eyes begin to droop, the warm heat of the fire and the quiet song of the forest lolling Hermione to give into her fatigue. As hard as she fought to prove Draco wrong, she was out within the next few minutes.
Hermione was too tired to notice someone pulling the bag tighter towards her chin when a gentle breeze sent a shiver up her spine.
Hey y'all!
Sorry for the late update, yesterday was jam packed for my schedule and I was exhausted! So I do apologize for that, and the short chapter for today, but I promise that the next update will be released tomorrow, so be sure to keep an eye out for chapter 8!
And, as always to you lovely readers out there, I hope you have a terrific morning, afternoon, evening, or night!
-Summerwinds :)