Last Chapter: "And where, may I ask, are we going?" Hermione asked, now feeling unsure about using apparation to get to the place they had to go, but wrapping her arm tightly around his.
"Shell Cottage. Home of Bill and Fleur Weasley and currently the temporary home of Mr. Ollivander, England's best wand maker." And with a pop, Hermione and Draco disappeared from The Leaky Cauldron to land in the outskirts of Tinworth, Cornwall, England, by a small cottage overlooking the sea.
Hermione found herself breathing heavily as they popped onto the grass. She closed her eyes and ran a hand through her hair, trying to calm down her heart that was beating so loudly she could hear it through her ears. "Sorry." She heard Draco mutter softly. "I guess I should have explained apparation more carefully to you."
Hermione opened her eyes and glared at Draco, but the glare didn't last very long. Upon looking up at Draco, Hermione had also spotted the view that was behind him. With curiosity and the thought of the amazing view, Hermione slowly approached Draco, only to stand to the side of him and facing the other direction. Draco turned slowly and looked out at what Hermione was seeing.
They were standing on a huge cliff, overlooking the sea. Hermione looked down at the sea smashing into the rocks and sand, creating a monstrous sound, but in some way, relaxing. The sea wind blew through their hair and Hermione couldn't help but inhale the salty breeze coming off from the endless sea. "It's so beautiful here." Hermione said quietly. She turned and looked at Draco, a small smile on her face, but he wasn't paying her any attention. While Hermione looked out at the endless sea before them, his eyes seemed to be locked between where the rocks and the water met, the most dangerous place along the shore line.
After a few minutes of silence, Draco finally spoke. "We should go inside." He said quietly, finally averting his eyes from the rocks and turning quickly on the spot, walking away from the cliff. Hermione stared at him for a few minutes in wonderment, before turning back to the sea for one last look and then quickly walking to catch up with Draco. As she walked closely behind him, she couldn't help but stare at the little cottage they were heading towards. It walls seemed to only be made up of shells.
They approached the front door and Draco extended his hand, forming it into a fist and knocking promptly on the door three times. They waited about a minute, but nobody came to the door. Just when Draco was about to knock again, the door flung open and a tall, slim, red head stood before them, deep scars all over his face, deforming it, and holding a wand out a couple inches from Draco's nose. Hermione took a step back, hoping to avoid any curse that might be sent from the wand, yet Draco didn't seem to panic. After a couple seconds, the man lowered his wand and just glared at Draco, rolling his eyes. "Oh… it's you."
"Hello, Weasley." Draco said with a smirk. "I told you I would be back."
"And I told you not to come back, so why are you here." Bill asked, not removing his eyes from Draco.
Draco merely looked at Hermione, kept his gaze on her for a few seconds, then turned back to Bill, who was now staring at Hermione as well. "I found her."
Bill studied Hermione very carefully, looking her up and down. Hermione looked at the ground and licked her lips nervously. When she finally looked up, she met his gaze and decided to give him a warm smile. Her smile caused him to quickly look away and turn his attention back to Draco. "You're sure this is her?" Bill asked. When Draco nodded, Bill ran a hang through his ginger hair and exhaled a deep breath.
"We just need to see Ollivander, Weasley." Draco said, his voice turning impatient.
Bill merely shook his head. "I'm sorry Malfoy, I can't do that. I already made my decision the last time you were here and I'm sticking to it." Bill grabbed the door and went to close it quickly but Draco stuck his hand out to stop him from closing it and placed his foot in the door frame.
"Don't do this Weasley." Draco said, using all his strength to push the door open enough and slip inside. Hermione watched them battle it out, having no clue what was going on. "I told you I would be back." Hermione heard Draco say from the other side of the door. All signs of struggle were up and Hermione slowly made her way towards the front door that was now open ajar. Hermione reached out and pushed the door open some more so she could slip inside, listening to the arguing going on from the inside of the house as she did so.
She walked inside slowly and shut the door. When she turned back she couldn't help but smile slightly at the homey touches all over the small cottage. "I already told you I don't trust you, no matter how many times you say you never were a deathea-." Bill's definition was cut off as Draco quickly pushed him against the wall, holding his wand to the red head's throat. This brought Hermione back to earth and she quickly ran over to help.
"Don't…call…me…that." Draco said through his teeth, glaring at Bill. Hermione slowly extended her hand and placed it on Draco's arm, the same one he was holding his wand with.
He seemed to flinch slightly at Hermione's touch, but didn't take his eyes off of Bill. "Come on, Draco. Lower your wand." She said kindly. "If you want somebody's help, you shouldn't threaten them with a piece of wood."
Draco shot Hermione a look of utter disbelief. "Piece of wood?" Draco repeated, making sure he heard her right. "Hermione, a wand isn't just a piece of wood! It's made up of a bunch of other things, magical things, like unicorn hair for example. Do you really think that witches and wizards can use their magic through a piece of wood?" Hermione dropped her hand from Draco's arm, looking at him like he just made fun of her intelligence, which he actually had. "You can't use you're magic without your wand, and now this stupid weasel," Draco said, looking at Bill quickly before turning back to Hermione. "Won't even let us see the one guy who can help us make yours."
"Well… there has to be other wand makers. I mean, he can't be the only one." Hermione said crossing her arms over her chest.
"He is." Draco snapped, glaring back to Bill. "But I don't care what Ginger here says. We had a deal." Draco said the last part in a whisper, only loud enough for Bill to here.
"Deals off." Bill said, finally finding his voice and bravery, pushing Draco off of him.
Draco only laughed at him. "Fine. I guess ickle Ronnikins and scar face are just going to have to deal with the fact that their beloved Order doesn't even know what they're up to."
"They don't need you, just like we don't. I never understood why the order used you anyway."
"Because they're smart. I'm the only one who can ever find them." Draco said crossing his arms and staring Bill down.
"You know, if you really were smart, and you wanted the Order to trust you, you would tell us how you track them down so easily."
"See Weasley, this is why you're kept out of the inner circle of the Order. You're stupid." Draco said, smirking at Bill.
Bill took a couple steps forward until he was about a foot from Draco. "What did you call me?"
"Stupid."
"Why you-" Bill sneered through his teeth, grabbing his wand from his pocket and holding it out towards Draco.
"Oh, stop the dramatics, Weasley." Draco said rolling his eyes and looking extremely annoyed at Bill.
"I was head boy, you hear me? Head boy!" Bill said, face turning red from frustration.
"And then you, a 'head boy', went to work for Gringotts." Draco said, a small smile approaching on his face from the knowledge that he was annoying Bill.
"I was a curse breaker." He said through his teeth, hands shaking and trying to prevent himself from cursing Draco to next week.
"Point proven." Draco said under his breath. "Don't you want Voldemort gone Weasley? Or maybe I should let the Ministry know that a Voldemort supporter may live here."
"I want you out of my house, now!" Bill yelled.
"What is all ze yelling about?" Hermione, Draco, and Bill all turned their attention to the far corner of the room, where a tall, skinny, and beautiful blonde had just entered the room. She looked at Bill with a puzzled look on her face, but then her eyes met Draco and her confused expression fell. "Oh." She said simply. Catching the look of frustration in Bills eyes, she placed the towel she was carrying in her hands down on the window sill and made her way cautiously towards him. "William, why are you pointing your wand at 'im?
Bill didn't look at the girl, instead he kept his eyes locked on Draco, not wanting to let him out of his sight. "Go ahead 'William'. Tell Fluer about how you don't want Voldemort dead." Draco said with a smirk.
Fluer placed a hand over her mouth and gasped, looking up at Bill with surprise. Bill quickly turned to his wife and gave her a reassuring look. "I want him dead Fluer. Don't let this… boy allow you to think otherwise."
Draco only laughed. "If you want him dead then how come you won't let us in the room to see Ollivander?"
"Because I don't trust you." Bill said through his teeth.
"Trust isn't an issue here." Draco said quite calmly.
"Of course-"
"Do you want Voldemort dead of not?" Draco questioned, cutting Bill off mid sentence.
"I just told you th-"
"Then let me see Ollivander!" Draco practically yelled. "Here I am, knocking on your door telling you I have the one thing that Potter and your brother need to stop him," Draco pointed at Hermione, and Hermione licked her lips nervously. "and you won't even grant me this one thing! She is the key to their success, but she won't be unless she has a wand! Stop being so bloody hard headed Weasley and just let us go see Ollivander!"
Bill inhaled a deep breath and looked at Draco intently for a few seconds, probably trying to figure him out, but being unsuccessful. Peeling his eyes away from Bill, he turned and looked at Hermione. Hermione forced a kind smile, hoping to win him over with that. He turned away from her quickly and looked back at Draco, finally lowering his wand. "Fine." Bill said shortly, looking like he regretted it the second he said it. "But I'm warning you Malfoy, no funny business."
"We're just getting a wand Weasley. Get your knickers out of that knot their in." Draco stated, looking at Hermione and signaling for her to follow him as he pushed his way past Bill and Fluer.
Hermione followed quickly, smiling a thank you at Bill as she passed him. Hermione ascended the stairs after Draco, staying close behind him. When they reached the top, Draco took a couple more steps before reaching a door. He knocked lightly and then without waiting for a response, pushed the door open. He walked inside slowly, and Hermione followed after him like his shadow. Once she was inside, Draco turned towards her and nodded at the door, telling her silently to close it. Hermione quickly obliged, then turned back and watched as Draco approached an old looking man, lying in a bed, obviously in recovery from an injury he sustained a while back. "Hello Mr. Ollivander. Sorry to barge in on you like this." Draco said quietly.
Hermione stayed back the door, watching from the shadows of the poorly lit room. "Is there something I can help you with, boy?" The older man asked, watching Draco intently. Hermione couldn't help but notice that he held some sort of restraint against Draco, and looked at him with fear in his eyes.
"I know that I'm probably the last person you want to see right now, and probably the last one you want to hear this from, but… I need your help." Mr. Ollivander just looked up at Draco, an unreadable expression plastered on his face.
"Tell me…. Why should I help you? You didn't help me when I was locked in your family's dungeon and being tortured for information." The wand maker said quietly.
"Please, Mr. Ollivander. This isn't the time to talk about that. I made a mistake and now I, no… we really need your help." Draco turned towards Hermione and nodded his head for her to walk over. Hermione slowly approached the bed. "She has the power and knowledge to end this, Mr. Ollivander. She just needs a wand."
"And you expect me to make one for you?" Draco nodded silently at Mr. Ollivander, who then turned towards Hermione and looked her up and down. "What's your name dear?"
"Hermione Granger, sir." Hermione said with a smile.
"And do you believe what this boy here has been telling you? Do you really feel like the one who can put a stop to all this madness in the world?" Hermione help but feel as though the old man could look inside her as he studied her eyes deeply. And somehow, this gave her the courage to speak honestly, not to mention Draco's eyes that were now looking at Hermione so intently they might as well be imbedded in the back of her head.
"I feel… something. I'm not sure what it is, but I always knew growing up that I didn't belong in the world I lived in. I had no friends and nothing seemed right. Coming here, hearing about this world, I feel somehow completed." Hermione found herself looking at Draco. "I believe what he's saying, not only because he's very convincing, but because somewhere, deep down in the bottom of my heart, I know that this is where I belong. And I know that I have to face whatever lies ahead, no matter what kind of danger comes with it."
Draco merely smiled at Hermione before she turned back to face Ollivander. He was looking at her with a satisfied look on his face. "Very well then. I will make your wand. Can't promise anything amazing though. You see, my dear, the wand chooses the wizard. And making the wand won't be all too easy, especially since I will be making it from my sick bed."
"Thank you, Mr. Ollivander." Hermione said with a kind smile.
Mr. Ollivander nodded, then turned towards Draco. "Tell William that I will need to see him. I will need some supplies from Diagon Alley before I can make her wand."
Draco nodded and then turned towards the door, Hermione following him. They closed the door quietly and then approached the stairs to make their descent, leaving Mr. Ollivander to rest. On their way down, Draco turned towards Hermione and gave her a quick smile. "Nice choice of words back there. You really hooked him on that."
"Well," Hermione said shrugging. "I am a writer."
I hope you guys are enjoying reading this story as much as i'm enjoying writing it.
Any ideas as to what Draco is up and the story behind him helping Hermione?
Let me know! And please remember to review guys!!