Chapter 5.
I hate myself. Hermione thought bitterly, waking up to find herself naked next to a man she barely knew. Utterly defeated and disgusted with herself, she couldn't help but find herself thinking he was adorable in his sleep. Long eyelashes reaching his cheekbones, and an innocence about him she didn't see otherwise.
She sighed, stretching out and rolling away from his sleeping form. Only then did it hit her. She would never be able to return home without him getting in trouble, and probably thrown in Azkaban or something. And there was no way she could tell the truth. Harry and Ron would never forgive her, nor would they understand. Besides, would Malfoy even let her?
She knew deep down in her heart that she didn't love him, how could she? These feelings were strong, and she convinced herself it was just lust. So why had she thrown her entire life away in a moment of lust and guilt? She had to come up with a story. Something that would make everything work, so that she could be with Ron and Harry. And Malfoy could return without any trouble from anyone. But she knew that was impossible, Harry was going to kill Malfoy, and Ron was certainly going to help.
There was always lying. She could contact them, have them rescue her, and then Malfoy would be arrested and she could move on with her life. Things could go back to normal. But once again she knew deep down in her heart she could never betray him either. But why? What was it about him that made her want to throw away her life?
It had to be that she suddenly began to notice him as human. He was no longer that git who used to soil her name just for fun. Now he was just a person, being as loyal to his father as anyone else. He wasn't some snotty kid who would give his dad away at the chance of being freed. He would take his secrets to his grave. More importantly, he didn't deserve any of this, as much as she would have liked to believe that he did. Was there more to that? Hermione refused to delve any deeper into herself for that answer.
So now she was stuck in a place she'd never been to before, and completely dependent on a man she didn't really know. "Oh if mum could see me now…" She mumbled, watching the sunlight stream into the window. Tiny dust particles floated carelessly in the air, dancing around each other like diamonds shining in the sun. It was all so enticing, this imaginary life he had created for them. A couple on their honeymoon, imagine that. Then his words from last night replayed in her head. Just good fun, right? For some reason it really hurt, but Hermione had too much on her mind to think about any of that now.
She stood up and began to collect her clothes from the floor, making her way to the shower. Behind her she could hear Malfoy stirring in his sleep, yawning as his eyes fluttered open. She dared not look behind her as she hurried inside the bathroom and shut the door loudly. The brunette smiled to herself. If he hadn't been completely awake yet, he was certainly awake now.
The hot water felt so good as it washed over her. She shut her eyes, a flash of last night entering her head suddenly. Her knees weakened, as she remembered the sensation that had washed over her as his mouth connected with hers. Get a hold of yourself. She thought fiercely. She had to focus on a plan, anything that could ease the situation at least. Thinking about Malfoy's naked flesh wasn't going to help at all. She banged her head against the wall, realizing she was acting very un-Hermione-ish.
"Oh that's hot Granger." Malfoy's voice popped up out of thin air, causing the wet brunette to jump about ten feet in the air. Despite himself, Draco had to laugh. She's being cute. Didn't know that was possible of the bookworm.
"Malfoy! Get out of here! What are you doing?!" She yelled, watching him hop into the shower beside her.
"Relax Granger, I'm just having a little fun. Don't worry I'm not going to molest you." The blond chuckled, noticing her eyes roam over his chest for just a second. He reached past her to grab the soap. "I've got wards all around this hotel. If either of your two friends get even close, I'll know and we can split. We've got to stay one step ahead at least, until we can figure something else out."
"I've got wards up too." Hermione admitted. "Can't you just dump me somewhere and leave enough clues for them to find me?" She asked genuinely, unsure why she hadn't thought of it before.
"It's part of the process to give veritiserum. If they find only you, then they'll have to give it to you. If they find the both of us, chances are they'll just give it to me. And if worse comes to worst I'll just invent some tale of breaking free and forcing you to apperate us out of that room, then kidnapping and all that." He said casually, shampooing his blond locks.
Hermione remained frozen, finally admitting she was defeated. There was nothing they could do but wait to be caught. She wondered momentarily if he knew that as well. He seemed pretty confident that they could just run forever. But was that just a show? "I guess… I just wish none of this had happened."
"That makes two of us, Granger." Malfoy responded, eyes shut as he rinsed his head. Hermione, having already finished showering, stepped out and wrapped a really nice cotton towel around her body. She sighed, aware that Malfoy's situation was utterly and completely her fault. She almost wanted to apologize, but there was something there within her that simply wouldn't allow it.
She began to dress when he popped his head out from the shower and clicked his tongue on the roof of his mouth. "Granger, you know I'm just going to change your appearance when I get out, so what's the point in dressing?" He teased, water splashing onto the floor from his soaked locks. She sneered at him, angry that all of her privacy became a mockery simply because of one stupid night that amounted to nothing but "fun."
"I still have my right to privacy." She mumbled, stepping out of the shower and slamming the door loudly for the second time within an hour.
Taking in her surroundings, Hermione felt relaxed suddenly. The bed was so soft and silky, the room lit up as if she was in some sort of dream. It was all so peaceful, so magical, and so completely opposite of the turmoil raging within her head. A knock at the door stirred her from her thoughts, and Hermione froze, realizing that she and Malfoy did not look anything at all like the couple that was supposed to be staying there. For a moment Hermione numbingly thought it might be Ron and Harry, but that thought became extremely unlikely the moment she realized they wouldn't have taken the time to knock.
"Yes?" She responded to the knock.
"It's housekeeping, madam, may I come in?" A woman's voice sounded from the other side of the door.
"Just a moment." Hermione responded, "we're not dressed." She could hear the woman chuckle as she made her way back to the bathroom, where Malfoy had already transformed himself. "It's housekeeping," she said, "hurry, change me."
"Now now Granger," he responded lightly, "you can't change a person overnight, it's simply impossible. You have to want to change, and personally I don't think you have it in you." She stared at him with utter disbelief and he sobered up quickly. "Oh fine." He stated, pointing his wand at her. "There." Hermione, the moment she found her appearance satisfying in the mirror, ran back to the door and breathlessly opened it. Of course, her breathlessness only caused the housekeeper to blush, chuckling nervously as she entered the room. Hermione rolled her eyes, while Malfoy exited the bathroom to greet the woman.
"Hello there." He smiled warmly. "So glad for the wonderful staff here, if you'll excuse us, we're going downstairs to have some breakfast."
"Honey…Can't we just order some here?" Hermione pleaded, not wanting to ever leave the room.
"Nope." He answered, grabbing her hand and practically dragging her out of the room. "Granger, you know we have to act completely normal. And staying locked up in a hotel room on our honeymoon just….well I guess it's normal." He looked confused, but continued his dragging nonetheless. Hermione only smirked, choosing to remain silent until they reached the mess hall.
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"Do you honestly believe they're in muggle Florida, Harry?" Ron asked his friend skeptically.
"That's what the spell is telling me, Ron. What do you want from me, I've been trying to trace them for days, I don't know what else to do. Without their wands its almost useless." Harry answered, frustration evident in his tone. He couldn't understand either why Malfoy would take Hermione to America, let alone muggle Florida. But that honestly didn't matter to him, what mattered was that he find Hermione, get rid of Malfoy, and return to Hogwarts safely so that the three could try to just leave things with the past.
Ron furrowed his eyebrows, unsure of any of this. He was so tired of coming up short, being unable to find her. If anything happened to her, he'd never be able to forgive himself. He hadn't even waited for her to arrive before leaving that morning. Maybe Malfoy had found a way to escape and surprise her when she arrived. The guilt was becoming unbearable, and Ron's obsession with finding the blond and snapping his neck became stronger by the second. He was surprised by his friend's hand on his shoulder, and he jumped back a bit.
"Sorry." Harry said, hurt evident in his eyes as he removed his hand from Ron's shoulder. "Just trying to provide some comfort."
"It's ok…" Ron began, seeming troubled. "You know, I've always had this weird obsession with Malfoy." He started, unsure of how his friend would react. Harry only looked at him, face blank and almost…hurt? "Ever since first year I've had these fantasies. Just me and Malfoy. My hands around his…his throat, killing him. I always kill him, and I feel good about it." Ron stopped there, turning away from Harry's pained expression.
"Well now there's a reason." Harry responded. He wasn't quite sure how else to respond. Ron looked deeply troubled. Yes, the obsession was very unhealthy, but how does one tell their best friend that they might need some help? Besides, Harry was no better. He had a few unhealthy obsessions of his own. "Don't worry about it mate, I'll go work on the spell some more, see if I can pinpoint the exact location, and as soon as I do we'll go find her. She'll be so happy she'll definitely fall for you if she already hasn't." It had been so painful to say that. He knew Hermione would never love Ron, they were just too different.
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Breakfast was absolutely delicious, Hermione noticed with a full belly. "Malfoy…" She trailed off, wanting to get some information out of him that could be useful.
"Yes?" He answered, after swallowing his last bite of cheese Danish. He looked at her curiously, it had been the first word she'd said to him since they left the room.
"I don't know much about you and where you stand in this war." She said quietly. His eyes nearly popped out of his head but he checked himself rather quickly.
"There's not really that much to it. I mean, I'm the only heir, my father has always been my mentor as well as my protector. He's always kept me out of trouble and as far away from you know who as possible. He didn't want me to make the same mistakes he did, and for a while I hated him for not allowing me to make my own decision. Until one day I witnessed something that made me change my mind completely. Since then my father has been training me in preparation for the war, knowing he would one day have to be against me, the moment I deny the dark lord my servitude."
He took a sip of his juice, as if nothing at all were the matter. "I've decided to stay neutral though, as I hate Potter way too much to join his side. But I know at some point I will have to fight someone from some side. I'm just hoping I can remain alive, and that Voldemort is defeated once and for all, so my father can finally be set free."
She stared at him for a moment before finally averting her eyes. "Fair enough." She told him. It was a lot of information to digest. "What was it that you witnessed?" She asked casually, knowing he probably wouldn't answer her, but hoping still that he might.
"Granger, too many questions. Let's ask that nice old man behind that welcome desk if he knows of any good places to visit while were here." He stood up quickly and began to walk toward the front. She could scarcely keep up with his swagger.
"Wait, why Florida? Last question I promise." She stumbled behind him.
"Only state I've yet to visit." He responded, a slight smile returning to his closed off face. He grabbed her hand and practically carried her to the desk. Their happiness rubbed off on the old man behind the welcome desk and he gladly named off some places they could go to sight see.
Malfoy took mental note of some of the places that sounded interesting, a sinking feeling suddenly making its way to his gut. "Malfoy…" He heard a slight whisper from his side. Granger was pulling on his arm in what seemed like fear.
"Don't be rude, Ginger, he's speaking to us." He chided, placing a kiss on her nose, only then did he notice what had her in such a panic. Ronald Weasely and Harry Potter walked through the door, dressed as muggles and ready to kill. "Ok Granger," he whispered in her ear, playing it off as a kiss and sweet nothing, "act completely normal, remember we look like two completely different people. I'll get us out of here and we can apperate to the nearest airport." Her hands were shaky and he grabbed onto them, turning back to the old man.
"Thank you for those lovely suggestions. We need to get going now. Here are our keys." He calmly walked away, keeping Hermione in check behind him. Ron and Harry passed right by them, completely unaware of anything, they seemed to have only one destination on their minds. She knew that look, the look of pure concentration and determination written all over both of their faces. She gulped, trying so hard to keep the pounding in her heart from getting to loud. They were outside the building, and she looked behind her to see Harry's body stopped, as he turned his head toward them. And then everything disappeared as she felt the familiar whirl of apparition. They had just barely made it.
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Harry turned his head toward the couple he had seen walking past them. Something about them seemed, off. But by the time he completely turned to have a closer look they had already disappeared into the sunlight. Strange, he couldn't quite put his finger on it. It couldn't have possibly been Hermione and Malfoy. Surely she would have run into their arms or signaled or something. Wouldn't she have?
"Come on mate, we've got to surprise them." Ron said from in front of him. The two raced up the stairs, towards the honeymoon suites. Finding the right room, they pulled out their wands and the door unlocked itself as they rushed in, wands held up.
A housekeeping woman screamed, dropping the duster in her hand as she scrambled toward the bathroom. "Where are they?" Ron asked her, but the woman seemed too hysterical to answer.
"Please don't hurt me!" She yelled, tears streaming down her face. Harry took a moment to erase her memory and the two searched the room, then made their way downstairs to search the rest of the hotel.
After absolutely no luck, the two approached the nice old man behind the welcome desk. "Where are the people who were in room 323?" Harry asked nicely. The old man smiled.
"The Bristols? They checked out about an hour or so ago. Lovely couple, just lovely. Said they were going sightseeing, if that helps." The two young men stared at him confusedly. He wondered what was so confusing about what he just said. Then the boys thanked him and practically rushed out of the hotel room, only to disappear into the sunlight. Strange. He thought, just strange.
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Hermione's tears became evident as she brought her shaky hands up to her face. "I don't think I can do this. That was so close, I was so scared." Malfoy hugged her to him, petting her hair as she rambled on. "Harry…Ron…they looked so determined. They'll kill you. What am I going to do? I just want things to go back to normal."
"Shh. It'll be ok, Granger. We're hopping on the next plane out of here and we'll figure something out." He whispered into her hair, unsure of what else to do. Crying girls were not his specialty, although at one point his friend had told him they like to be held and told that everything is going to be alright. And that's exactly what he did, until the tears and shakiness went away and she nodded, following him out of the stall and into the real world.
For the next few weeks, they were able to stay one step ahead of their enemies, constantly hopping from hotel to hotel, state to state. There had been no more close calls, and the two were getting very comfortable with each other. Hermione found herself astonished by the blond enigma who had suddenly become her only companion. As her feelings grew stronger, she noticed that Malfoy's didn't change much at all.
One particular night, as she watched him sleep (on the couch, because she had decided that their "fun" was over, and had told him so), Hermione suddenly realized something that would probably change her life forever. This was the first man she was in love with, since what's-his-face. Her stomach twisted into several knots. How was it possible that a man she had hated for so long was suddenly making her feel things she thought she'd be immune to for the rest of her life? She was in love with Draco Malfoy, and with this realization Hermione shut her eyes to a sleepless night.
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Dumbledore shut his eyes after a long month of searching with no success. These kids were constantly on the move, and Harry knew exactly how to hide his magic so that he couldn't be traced. He only hoped that he could find him before he did anything stupid. He didn't know if he could protect Harry or Ron from charges as serious as murder. He knew the boy was embarrassed, and just wished he would have come to him before going through with any of his plans. Now they were faced with something far more serious.
Dumbledore was failing, and if he didn't find them soon, he knew it would cost a life and he'd be forced to send the boys to be sentenced. And poor Hermione, being held hostage, depending on him for her rescue.
His only thought as he fell into a restless sleep was that he was getting much too old for any of this.
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((Ok, all done. Please review! It makes me happy, even if it's just some constructive criticism. Next chapter should be up before the end of the month.))