Shades of Grey

Chapter Nine: Predictions

"Knowing too much of your future is never a good thing."

- Rick Riordan

He haunted her dreams. She didn't want to think about him, not after what had occurred the night he'd let his walls down and expressed emotions that she didn't think him capable of, yet she found herself devoting her thoughts to him whenever she allowed her mind to wander. During the day, it was easier to handle—she could curb her thoughts to fit whatever she needed or wanted to. She could keep herself busy; distract herself from noticing him. But at night, when her mind was most vulnerable, he invaded her thoughts and penetrated her dreams. He overwhelmed her.

It was her turn to go and hunt for dinner one night, and Hermione gladly took the chance to be alone with her thoughts. Every time she looked at him; even if it was the merest exchange of glances, she could feel his lips pressed against hers again. The way his mouth had molded against her own; so warm and soft…no, no, she shook her head, exhaling softly. He was Draco Malfoy of all sodding people. It was the air, she decided as she peeked through a thick bit of brush before her for any edible berries, but to no avail. It was the air that had caused her to do something as ridiculous as kiss her fair-haired enemy.

And they were enemies…weren't they? Surely, they were. They fought all the time! She reminded him when he was being a pain in the arse, and he lived up to the title. He infuriated her; she hated him! She did! No, no…she thought for a moment, her teeth sinking into her bottom lip as she moved away from the bush, she didn't hate him; there was no sodding way in Hell she could after what had transpired between the pair.

So, what did she feel? As the bushy-haired Witch reflected over her emotions, scouring the grounds for something she and the Malfoy git could eat for the evening, she realized she didn't have the faintest clue of what she felt. Confusion, perhaps? Either way, it wasn't as though she could march into the tent and demand that she and Malfoy sort out the tense awkwardness that now lingered between them—what had happened was, in all honesty, her fault, even if he had kissed her back. And Merlin, that kiss…ever since that night, he'd avoided her like the plague. Wouldn't even look at her! Refused to hold conversations or speak to her…she'd ruined everything, hadn't she? The calm indifference that had settled between them. It was unspoken, to be sure, but it was nice, as well.

Sighing in defeat, Hermione rummaged through a few more bushes until she found a particularly juicy kind of red berry hanging from the stems of a nearby brush. Carefully, she plucked one of the berries, inspecting it thoroughly and struggling to determine whether or not it was poisonous. Deciding it was harmless, she set to work collecting enough for them both to survive off of for the night, tucking them in the small basket she carried with her whenever she was collecting food.

There was little else she could do to distract herself and procrastinate heading back to the tent now that she had a basket full of berries, and it wasn't as though the Forbidden Forest was exactly safe for her to aimlessly wander through. So, Hermione tucked her basket and wand close to her, making it through the forest as soundlessly as she could manage. Her shoes crunched on fallen and decaying leaves, and when she felt as though she was close to where the campsite was, she paused, hearing the rustling of hooves against the forest floor. With wide eyes, Hermione scrambled to hide behind a large tree, pressing her back against the bark and exhaling through her nose. Her hazel eyes grew wide as she surveyed the area, noticing a group of Centaurs galloping through the thick underbrush of the forest.

One of the Centaurs with raven black hair and a body the color of midnight stopped, lowering his arms as well as the crossbow he'd had poised and ready. He looked around the deserted floor of the forest, peering into the darkness. The Centaur had a wild and dangerous look about him, and Hermione couldn't shake the feeling that she'd seen him somewhere before. Her heart pounding in her chest, she pressed her back further against the bark of the tree, clutching her basket of food closer. While Firenze had been accepting enough of humans to accept a teaching position at Hogwarts back in her fifth year and was willing to help Harry, Hermione was no fool-she knew that even now, long after the end of the Second War, that most Centaurs still despised the Wizarding community. The dark-colored Centaur sniffed once, scuffing his hooves against the ground, and another Centaur turned and saw him, trotting back to where he stood.

"Bane-what is it?" The second Centaur began, and Hermione perked up, her attention peaked. Bane-that's who he was! She remembered him as the Centaur who had so openly disagreed with Firenze; he was no friend to her, so Hermione made sure to slow her breathing pattern, praying to Merlin that he wouldn't catch sight of her.

"I sense a disturbance, Ronan," Bane spoke quietly, his eyes cast towards the sky. Ronan, a Centaur with fiery red hair whom Hermione recognized as one who had protected her and Harry during one of their treks to the Forbidden Hogwarts in past years. The young Witch allowed her brows to furrow together, desperate to hear more of their conversation. A disturbance? Centaurs were supposed to be intelligent creatures-they relied far too much on the stars and fate for Hermione's taste, but she couldn't deny that they seemed to know more about the ways of the world than the common man.

"A disturbance?" Ronan pressed, lifting his gaze in the hopes that he could locate what it was Bane was referring to.

"The humans are becoming distrustful again," Bane continued, his voice low and even. "I've tried to warn Magorian, though I'm not sure how effective my warnings have been."

"What is it you see in the stars?"

"The same fate I saw for their kind last time-for all of our kind. Dark powers are rising again; far more reckless than before. And I suspect their leader is close to finding what she's been hunting for."

To this, Ronan gave a small snort of protest, his eyes moving to land on his companion's.

"We have to tell Magorian-I suspect he already knows as such, but if this is the case, then we have to protect the colony," Ronan said quietly. Bane nodded stiffly, casting his gaze across the forest floor once more. Inhaling sharply, Hermione pressed herself further against the trunk of the tree, freezing when the Centaur's gaze passed over her. After a few moments, the two galloped off, and once the patter of their hooves against the forest floor had ceased to drum in her ears, Hermione exhaled slowly, stepping out from behind the tree she'd concealed herself behind.

Oddly enough, only one thought crossed her mind in that instant.

Tell Malfoy.

Gripping the rough handle of the basket, Hermione ran back to the campsite, gripping her wand with a clammy hand and murmuring the incantation that would reveal to her the location of camp that she and Draco had set up. She burst through the protective enchantments, nearly tripping over herself as she scurried to enter the tent. The chill of the fall air bit and nipped at her throat as she gulped for air, and she charged into the campsite wide-eyed and wild-looking, her fingers shaking slightly as she slammed the basket down on the table top. A few berries fell out and rolled to the floor when she did so, and she cursed Merlin under her breath.

Draco had been seated on his cot, laying down and resting his eyes when Hermione came barging in. He sat upright in his bed when she entered, and if the situation had been any less urgent, the frazzled Witch might've managed to laugh at him. As it was, she had no time for such foolishness, and as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, she swallowed her embarrassment from those nights before and stepped forward, her nostrils flaring slightly.

"Get up," She demanded, reaching down and picking up his pillow. She swatted him with it once, and the scowl that flickered across his face was absolutely priceless.

"What the hell is your problem, Granger?" Draco spat, glaring at her as he shoved the pillow away from him, smoothing down his tousled hair. Hermione managed to roll her eyes. "Do you ever stop bloody hitting people?"

"Oh honestly, Malfoy, now is not the-"

"Alright, alright, I'm up," Draco growled, shoving off the bed and standing up. He moved past her, his shoulder brushing hers slightly as he sulked over to the table. Slumping down onto the bench, he ran his hands through his light hair as Hermione moved to sit across from him, setting her wand on the table and looking at him apprehensively. It was the first time he'd so much as acknowledged her existence for a period of time spanning longer than two minutes since the...since the incident, and Hermione couldn't help but be troubled by that. If even for a moment.

"So," Draco drawled, and the utter lack of concern in his voice had Hermione nearly seething as he plucked a red berry from the basket, inspecting it closely. "What the hell was so urgent that you had to smack me awake to inform me of?"

Hermione paused to glare at him, her lips pressed together in a thin line as she wrung her hands together. A cruel thought nearly overwhelmed her mind; she could keep this information from him. She could Owl Harry and tell him in secret-how would Malfoy enjoy being kept in the dark like that, hmmm? But just as soon as the thought sprung to her mind, it dissolved-she couldn't do that to him. He was her partner, stubborn arse or not, and he deserved to know what she'd overheard in the Forest. Who knows? He might even be able to help.

"When I was out in the Forest just now...searching for berries, I-I came across a group of Centaurs," Hermione began, exhaling slightly as she started speaking. Draco froze, his gaze sliding from the berry and locking onto hers, searching for some sort of explanation.

"What? Did they want to give you a free ride through the bloody forest?" Draco responded testily, struggling to make light of a situation that Hermione could tell he already knew was bleak.

"One of them-Bane, was his name; I-I remember him from earlier...encounters-"Hermione rambled, tucking at a loose strand of hair. "He-he stopped, and another Centaur came over to him, and they started discussing current...dangers." She nearly choked the last word out, struggling to remember what exactly it had been that Bane had said. Something about dark powers rising worse than before? Her lips tugged into a slight pout, and her hazel eyes slid over to watch as Draco's face contorted into bemusement.

"...danger..." He mumbled, urging her to continue.

"Yes, danger. They-Centaurs, you know, are able to predict things about the future based on the stars and well, Hagrid always said they were extremely intelligent and-" She was rambling again, and Hermione inwardly cursed herself for not being able to finish her thought without going off on some stupid rant. Pausing, she inhaled slowly before daring to begin again.

"-and anyways, I overheard them discussing what they'd seen in the stars. They predicted that trouble is coming-which, obviously, we already knew, but-there was...insinuation that the power rising is much more reckless before, and...and they fear that Bellatrix is already close to finding exactly what she needs."

Draco sat in silence in the aftermath of her confession, his face blank as he undoubtedly processed the information she'd just professed to him. Slowly, his brows knit together-whether in confusion or anger she couldn't seem to tell-and Hermione dug her nails into the wood furnishing of the tabletop, swallowing heavily.

"So," Draco began finally, his voice hoarse in the thick silence the consumed them both. "We need to look harder, then."

Hermione nodded stiffly, unsure of what to say. Now that she'd released the information she felt he deserved to know, she was surprisingly at a loss for words.

"I suppose, yes," She said, her voice soft and low. "And we need to find the stone and the wand soon-she's helpless without them, but..."

"...a weapon of destruction with them," Draco finished, and Hermione nodded her head solemnly. Slowly, Draco stuck the berry that had been pinched between his fingers in his mouth, chewing quietly. Hesitantly, Hermione reached for the basket and took a handful of the red berries for herself. There really was no use in starving herself due to the bundle of nerves inside of her. And besides, she had to make sure she received enough nutrition to keep her senses alert and her body ready for action at any moment.

Not that they'd seen much action, of course...

Sighing, she began to half-heartedly eat the berries, pausing every few seconds to glance over in Malfoy's direction. He seemed to be pointedly ignoring her again, and Hermione couldn't help but grow angry at the realization that he still held something against her for what had transpired at this very table those few nights ago.

"Are you ever going to talk to me again?" She asked desperately, setting her hands down on the table and looking straight into his eyes; imploring for him to see reason. Reluctantly, his head lifted and his silver orbs locked onto her light brown ones, and Hermione struggled to glower at the pale-haired Wizard; a task that was damn near impossible with the way he was looking at her.

"I'm talking to you right now, aren't I?" He replied icily, his lips pulled back to bare his teeth in a gesture of hostility.

"You know what I mean," Hermione pressed, resisting the impulse to snap at him. Oh, he was so bloody irritating!

"I don't."

"You can't just-you can't just sit there and pretend the bloody kiss never happened, Malfoy!" Hermione snapped before she had the chance to stop herself, and the utterance of those words caused her to turn a sickly shade of white. She watched Draco cautiously, begging him to respond in some manner. He glared at her in silence, and the lack of conversation from his side of the table was deafening and painful. Hermione swore she could hear her heart thundering in her chest and inhaled a jagged breath as she waited for him to respond.

As she hoped he would respond.

After what seemed like an endless period of waiting, Draco slowly moved to stand. No, no-what was he doing?

"Sure I can," He replied coldly, moving away from the table. Hermione scrambled to her feet, leaving behind their half-eaten dinner and stomping towards him. She blocked the path to his bed, balling her hands into fists and glaring up at him. Merlin, he was so bloody tall!

"Stop acting like a petulant child!" She hissed, growing more irritated by the minute. "We-we kissed, Malfoy!"

Scowling, Draco bent his head towards her, his silver eyes scanning hers for a moment.

"No," He protested, his voice eerily low and calm. "Nothing happened."

With that, he shoved past her, leaving a wide-eyed Hermione gaping after him in shock. How-how dare he! Of all the insufferable, rude, arrogant-

"And where do you think you're going?" She shrieked, storming after him. Draco plopped down on his bed, turning on his side so that he didn't have to face her. In frustration, Hermione kicked the bed, watching as the cot rattled.

"You can't-you can't do this to me! I deserve for you to at least scream out your anger!"

In a fit of rage, Draco tossed the covers that had been wrapped around his form to the foot of the bed, kicking them to the side and sitting up. He turned to face her, glowering at her as angry so clearly coursed through his veins.

"I can do whatever the fuck I want!" He screamed, his voice going hoarse from the force he was using to yell at her. Hermione blinked, taken aback by his sudden outburst. "I don't think you deserve anything, no! I couldn't give a shit less what you think, Granger, and I couldn't give a shit less about you. Are we clear?"

At his words, Hermione paled considerably, feeling ill. Oh, she was a bloody fool, wasn't she? To have convinced herself that he actually enjoyed the kiss? That he felt as burdened by the act as she did? That maybe, perhaps, he viewed her as something close to a friend of sorts? That he even viewed her as anything?

But he didn't. He was just Draco Malfoy-the stubborn Pureblood who teased her in school and tread over others without a second thought.

"Yes, Malfoy," She whispered tautly, her throat aching with the comprehension that she'd just embarrassed herself so wholly. She turned hotly on her heel, moving as far away from him as she could manage. He didn't bother to respond-not that she'd expected him to, anyway.

It wasn't until Hermione had tucked herself safely into the confines of her cot that she dared to allow herself to feel disappointed.

For a few short weeks, Hermione Granger had allowed herself to feel civility towards a man who clearly didn't care whether she lived or died.

And that almost hurt worse than the fact that she had grown to consider him as something relatively close to a friend.

a/N: Hello, everyone! I apologize for the delay in this chapter; my computer was in the shop for a bit, and then I had hard time finding inspiration to write this chapter on top of that. The next chapter or so are going to be big ones, which means I'll probably end up writing those quicker, considering I've been looking forward to them for a long time now. Anyways, I hope you're all doing well! Please review/PM and let me know what you think xx!