Chapter V: Mudbloods don't float.
Hermione snorted as she ran down the snowy grounds of Hogwarts to escape the snowballs that had been bewitched by Seamus and Dean following the Christmas tradition of the Weasley twins. The girl had tried to stop them with a Stunning spell, but had only managed to increase their speed even more. She mentally cursed Seamus and Dean, who had bewitched the balls to repel spells and run even faster. Hermione felt the snow crunching under her feet and her face was flushed and drenched in cold sweat while her breath was visible as steam against the frigid air of the final month of fall. Hermione began to feel a twinge in her lungs that kept her from breathing correctly but she did not stop running until she heard familiar giggles.
She looked to the right slowly and found two known Slytherins: Pansy Parkinson and Draco Malfoy. They both smiled derisively at the sight of the Gryffindor escaping a couple of snowballs. Hermione felt extremely ridiculous. Of all the Hogwarts students she could meet, it had to be these two. She squared her shoulders and tried to look at them with all the dignity she could, but Pansy giggled stupidly pointing a finger at her and said: "Watch out, Granger! That snow could mess up your hair!"
Draco at Pansy's side merely made a grimace similar to a smile and he never took his eyes off of Hermione. The mockery she saw in his eyes, enraged Hermione. After spending days looking at her angrily and without addressing a word at her, he was now laughing at her. For a moment she just stared at him, the pale color of his face stood out in sharp contrast with his dark black coat and hat covering his hair, his eyes matched the ice frost layer that had taken over Hogwarts, and Hermione thought Draco looked surprisingly handsome. Trying to erase those thoughts from her head, Hermione's brown eyes now rested on Pansy who still had that stupid smile and that look of superiority on her face.
Hermione felt the anger running through her veins and without being very conscious of what she was doing, she ran to the Slytherin. Pansy scared, took a couple of steps back, fearing that the Gryffindor would attack her and she reached for her wand, but when Pansy pointed her wand at Hermione, she quickly lowered her head a few inches and the snowballs that had chased her before crashed into Pansy's face. She threw a little scream, and the snowballs tried hitting the Slytherin again. Pansy ran away, throwing spells over her shoulder which only made the snowballs accelerate.
Hermione sat up leaning her hands on her knees and gasping for breath between laughs. She looked over at Malfoy and found his pale face with something like a smile. She could not keep resist to smile at him too, and as if suddenly aware of who he was smiling at, Draco became very serious, staring icily at her. Hermione pressed her lips together, feeling offended by his reaction and shaking off the snow that was in her coat. Then she snapped: "Why don't you go chase Parkinson? Save her and you'll have her under your spell."
And grimly, she walked through the snow, leaving Malfoy behind.
"I do not need to save her for Parkinson to fall under my spell, she already has." Malfoy replied arrogantly. Hermione just snorted and walked faster and faster, too furious to see where she went and crushing snow with each stride. Hermione heard footsteps behind her, and turning, saw that it was Malfoy.
"Leave me alone Malfoy, I'm not in the mood to hear your stupid comments." Hermione snapped sharply before turning away again and continuing walking through the snow.
"Well, Mrs. Know-it-All's in a bad mood." said the blond. By the sound of his voice, Hermione knew that he was still following her.
"Your intelligence surprises me Malfoy," she said wryly. "And now do me a favor and stop following me."
She started down the hillside, and she barely knew where she was headed but Hermione sensed that she was increasingly moving away from Hogwarts. Probably the best thing would be to turn around and retrace her own steps, but she was unwilling to come across Malfoy. Maybe if she got away, he would get tired of persecuting her and would leave her in peace.
"Are you going to meet Dewey somewhere?" Malfoy's mocking voice asked from behind.
The girl did not answer and walked another space with long strides.
"If I were you, Granger, I wouldn't give one more step." The Slytherin said stopping.
"Why shouldn't I?" She asked taking a couple of strides energetically just to contradict him.
"Granger..." Malfoy's voice sounded strangled and that made Hermione stop abruptly. She turned slowly to look at him and saw him a few feet away from her with an expression that the girl failed to define.
"What?" She asked, and was surprised to hear that her voice sounded shrill, panicked.
"Do not move." he suddenly snapped. Hermione frowned beginning to realize that Malfoy only intended to make fun of her because she did not observe anything near or behind her, but he looked at her straight in the face with an indefinable expression. She clicked her tongue, upset because she was being naïve, and she took a couple of steps back glaring at him until she felt something was breaking under her feet.
Hermione looked down and then realized that she was not stepping on snow, but on ice. She had been too angry to realize that she had drifted into the frozen lake that was now beginning to give way under her weight, as evidenced by the thin cracks that had formed around her feet. She let out a muffled groan without daring to just breathe with fear that if she did too hard, the ice would break and she would just fall into the icy waters of the lake. She looked at Malfoy with eyes full of fear and unable to speak for help. He just watched quite tense and motionless, as if he had become a statue.
"Malfoy..." Hermione hissed, her eyes beginning to moisten and her heart beating painfully in her chest. "Do something ... quick!"
He blinked a few times and he seemed to have awakened from his dream state and the face that he used to do instead of a smile came to the light, although his mouth was more tense than normal.
"Help me." she moaned desperately, and a crunch of ice accompanied her voice.
"Why should I?" Draco asked coldly.
Hermione felt tears stinging her eyes too and could not help it; she blinked allowing them to glide from her eyelashes. She did not want to mourn in front of Malfoy, but she didn't dare to move her hands to wipe her tears. She clenched her fists breathing, feeling as if she was about to suffocate.
"Please ... no ... no, you can't leave me alone." She whispered in panic.
"Oh, really? I don't have to do anything for you, mudblood." he replied, his voice sounded strange. "You are smart aren't you? You deal out of it yourself. If you fall into the icy water, the giant squid might pity you & rescue you, or you may make part of the lake's decoration. Whatever, I don't care." Malfoy said dryly.
Hermione thought he would leave immediately without looking back, letting her know how indifferent she was to him, but Malfoy looked at her a long moment and despite the distance and her nerves, the girl had a queasy feeling of seeing the ice in his iris ... on fire. But the image lasted just a few seconds, because Malfoy turned around with bluntness unusual in him and began to walk slowly as if his legs were very heavy and would sink too deeply into the snow. That particular scene reminded Hermione when two years ago at the Quidditch World Cup when she had seen the Winky running to the forest to escape the Death Eaters. Anyway, that thought quickly faded from her mind when she saw that Malfoy really planned on walking away and leaving her alone ... to her fate.
Desperate, Hermione weighed her options. She couldn't think of any spells that might help, even if she was able to take her wand from the pocket of her winter coat. Staying there forever couldn't help either, since it was obvious Malfoy wasn't going for help. She had only one option: to venture off toward the shore, that seemed far away.
Breathing with difficulty and muttering to herself that she could reach the shore, Hermione stepped forward slowly. When her foot landed on the ice, it seemed that the very air had stopped and the girl did not dare to breathe or even blink. Nothing happened. Wondering if it was possible that her heart came out of her chest, she let out all the air that she had kept in her lungs. A creaking stopped her breath and the area surrounding the foot just cracked and new marks and the one was that had arisen earlier merged forming a complex fissures.
Hermione began to sob heartlessly. If she took another step, it was probable that the ice would break and she would fall into the icy water. She was so scared she did not dare look up from the ground, if she had, Hermione would have seen that Malfoy had stopped on his way to the castle and had come to her with an angry grimace.
Hermione decided to take another step and take a risk again; standing there didn't offer a lot of security. Taking all the strength and bravery she had, she took another step with the same result as the last one: another crash, this time louder, and the surface of the ice close to it even cracked; there were new cracks and enlarging old ones.
The girl's throat made a guttural sound, Hermione felt suffocated and she was not able to fill her lungs to their full potential for fear of breathing too deeply, however she took another step. This time, the crunching sound lasted many seconds, like a shock wave spreading across the ice and cracks multiplied even more, while the liquid ice that lay beneath the frozen surface was beginning to peek through some stretch marks.
"Damn it! Stop moving!" Spat Malfoy's voice. Startled, Hermione looked up, she had forgotten about him. The blond strode toward her with a gesture of profound annoyance, as if he had to do something he hated. Hermione did not know why but knowing that he had not given up filled her of something deeper and stronger than the simple relief, and that made the tears come harder.
"Stop crying or we'll check if mudbloods float." he said with disdain, but Hermione saw an expression in his eyes ... remotely warm?
Soon Hermione's own tears turned Malfoy into a little more than a stain that approached cautiously and she breathed deeply, trying to calm down. Tears ran down her pale cheeks until some of them fell from her chin, a couple of them landed on the ice merging with it, and the floor began to creak again. Hermione only had time to open her lips before the ground at her feet broke and the lake welcomed Hermione with its cold waters. It was only a matter of seconds before her quivering body had sank completely into a water so cold it hurt her skin with its mere touch, numb with cold and preventing her from doing any movement. She could only open her eyes to glimpse the only ray of light that entered the waters otherwise completely dark, while the last the bubbles flowed from her mouth and floated away to the surface.
Her brown eyes took on a vacant expression, she began to fade, and she felt the pain in every pore of her skin until it came to a limit where she couldn't feel anything. Hermione began to lose all sensitivity and the bit of life she still had in her. At the same time she believed her lungs would burst and all would end, she suddenly felt a tug on his scalp and began to perceive everything as her body slid languidly upwards. Moments later, she opened her mouth at full capacity to take a breath and immediately started coughing and trembling, unable to open her eyes.Hermione did not know how, but she was on the surface.
She felt hands grab her shoulders and pull her tightly, pulling her entire body out of the water and placing it on the cracked ice. Hermione tried to shrink and she was hugging herself in an instinctive gesture to keep warm. She clung to the arms that held her and dragged her body on the ice surface for several meters making some deep cracks in its path. Hermione felt completely dizzy, until at last the motion ceased and under herself she felt the soft snow. She shrugged, shivering and coughing while her head was spinning and her whole body ached, but she did not open her eyes until she felt something between her and the sunlight. Then he saw Malfoy, leaning over her with closed lips, eyes wide and icy hair, and the free black cap, falling wildly over his face certainly giving him a wild air. For a moment in bewilderment, Hermione could not recognize him and was afraid of him, but with hearing his voice she had no doubt of who was speaking.
"They definitely do not float." He said wryly.
If she had had more strength at the moment, she would've smiled, but Hermione only managed a little sound that seemed poorly like a chuckle. A violent shaking hit her again and she began coughing preventing her from breathing normally. Malfoy helped her to facilitate the intake of air. Hermione, unable to sustain herself, rested her back against Malfoy's chest while she shook vehemently, and he threw his arms around her almost instinctively. Feeling a slight warmth enveloping her, Hermione closed her eyes and relaxed, staying asleep.
"Hey… Granger, do not fall sleep, no... Mudblo- Hey Granger, tell me something, talk to me… damn... Her-Hermione…"
She regained consciousness a bit to hear her name coming from Malfoy's lips. It was the first time he called her by her name and Hermione gave a slight smile without opening her eyes. Draco chuckled and shifted uneasily, his hands trembling slightly, but not as much as Hermione's body.
"I have to take you with Pomfrey." She heard him whisper. She felt Malfoy's thick coat around her icy body and then she lost consciousness of everything.
Hermione sighed and tried to move but her body felt numb and sore, as if they had beaten every inch of her skin. Even without opening her eyes, she winced in pain testing every part of her body. She had a strange feeling, Hermione could feel the pores of her skin having goose bumps and she was cramped and numb, but pleasant warmth spread through her veins reaching every part of her being. She experienced the burning sensation inside and to be frozen outside.
Hermione shook her face a little and blinked a few times before opening her eyes normally. It took a few seconds to recognize the room, but she had spent many hours there: nursing. Soon a lot of memories crowded in her head, forcing her to close her eyes again. The lake, ice shedding under it, the icy waters ... and Draco Malfoy, helping her.
Could she have dreamed? It seemed impossible that that had happened, but if that was not true, how had Hermione come to the hospital? She tried to take her hand up to her temple, but her arms were completely clubbed and she could barely move her fingers a little. Throwing a little moan, she turned her face sideways examining room.
Hermione noted the stone roof and then the white screen on one side of her bed, but a sudden movement to her left made her look there. Standing with his hands behind his back and staring through the window, was Draco Malfoy. Something in his posture, he gave the impression that he had placed in front of the window a few seconds ago. Hermione watched him for a moment expecting him to say something or at least look back to her, but he seemed oblivious to her presence. She bit her lower lip, feeling it congested and ignoring the pain it caused her, she wondered why Malfoy was there. It was impossible that he was waiting for her to wake up to make sure she was okay, but Hermione found no other explanation. She did not over think the detail that there was no one else, not Harry, Ron, or Mrs. Pomfrey.
Hermione was beginning to think she was lost in an absurd dream, when Malfoy turned to her. His face was an unreadable expression and except for the exaggerated pallor of his skin and the humidity of the coat there was nothing in it that betrayed that he had saved her in the lake. Slowly he took a few steps until he stopped within a meter of Hermione and he didn't look her in the eyes. Draco seemed to find a wooden table much more interesting. In the table, lay a half-empty bottle of a potion. Hermione watched as he slowly opened his lips to say something, and inside she wanted him to call her by her name again. Troubled by her thoughts, she felt a blush spread across her face and she felt grateful that Malfoy wasn't looking. Hermione didn't dare to face him until the blush had disappeared, but he continued to watch something else. He seemed speechless, so Hermione decided to speak first.
"Malfoy…" She said without really knowing what she was going to say.
"Miss Granger! I see that you're already awake." Said a woman's voice, and Hermione saw Mrs. Pomfrey approaching her and staring at her with concern. "It is time for you to take the rest of the potion. It will make you feel better." She took the bottle that Malfoy had been watching so intently before and took it to Hermione's lips, which did not have time to take a breath before the nurse had poured the potion into her mouth. She swallowed loudly as Mrs. Pomfrey's tucked her in neatly, pinning her body with blankets. Then he glanced at her. "Can you tell me what were you doing in the lake? How did you happen to step on ice? How did it even occur to you to do such a thing?"
"I.." Hermione thought for a good answer.
"No need to answer me, I have an idea." Hermione watched as the nursed frowned at Malfoy. "You're still here, Mr. Malfoy? I've said several times already that you have nothing to do here. Miss Granger needs to rest and I'm sure you have better stuff to do than watching her sleep.
Draco's entire body seemed tense, as if he was holding himself back. His lips curled into a sneer, and Hermione watched as the boy squeezed the wand in a pocket of his coat. She was torn between two feelings: fear at the thought that Malfoy attacked Madam Pomfrey and a mixture of bewilderment and joy at the words of the nurse, had Malfoy been watching her sleep?
"You have five minutes, Mr. Malfoy. If I see you here again when I get back, I'll kick you out myself." Said Madam Pomfrey sternly, apparently oblivious to the reaction of the boy. And looking at them both suspiciously, she walked down the hospital aisle to her office.
Hermione felt suddenly very nervous to be alone with Malfoy, he had relaxed his body slightly but he still had that sneer and he was staring at the place where the nurse had gone. After a few seconds, Malfoy looked at her face and his eyes like ice reminded Hermione of what had happened in the lake before and felt the urge to thank him for what he had done.
"Malfoy, I ..." she sought the best way to thank him, but she had never imagined she would have to thank a Slytherin for something. "Thanks for what you did before."
He said nothing and looked intently into her eyes, and the girl had the feeling that the cold dark iris was like a shadow that had passed him, then perceived as the guy's look went down her face to stop at... her lips. Hermione felt the nerves extend from her chest to her stomach and her heart started beating faster. Malfoy was still standing, staring without blinking, and she felt she needed to break the tense silence once.
"Why ... why did you?" She asked hesitantly. Malfoy looked up abruptly and looked away. When he returned to watch Hermione's face he had a mask that emanated such coldness and contempt that made something inside the girl deflate like a pricked balloon.
"Do not ask something you'd rather not know, Granger." He said, slurring the words as usual with a scornful tone. "But do not make the mistake of thinking that I care if there's one more or one less mudblood at Hogwarts.
"So why not let me drown in the lake?" She asked in a tone harsher than she pretended it to be.
"In the future, try not to be so stupid if you can help it, Granger ... because next time I'll sit down to watch you sink."
"You did not answer my question." Hermione repeated stubbornly.
"Do not tell anyone what happened, make something up, whatever ... the truth is that I do not care. But say nothing about it or I'll deny it, and no one will believe you." Draco said and he made a grimace that was intended to emulate a cruel smile. "Sleep tight, Granger."
With a final ironic look at the girl, Malfoy turned around and left. Hermione took a deep breath trying to calm down, and at that moment, Madam Pomfrey was approaching her bed.
" Are you okay, Miss Granger?" She asked.
"Yes…" Hermione murmured.
"At last the boy is gone. I hope he did not bother you. I wanted to take him out a couple … or rather a half dozen times, but he refused to move from your side." Madam Pomfrey said placing her hand on Hermione's forehead. "You're recovering your normal temperature, but it's strange that you're still shaking."
Hermione pursed her lips, she wasn't exactly trembling with cold. In that moment, she felt more than ever, that she had no idea who Draco Malfoy was, and for the first time, she wanted to know.
-
"But… how?"
"I've already told Ron." Said Hermione wearily. "I went out for a walk on the lake by myself."
"And you came alone to the hospital?" asked Ginny suspiciously.
"Well ... I ... Hagrid!" Hermione suddenly exclaimed and for a few seconds, she opened and closed her mouth without saying anything. "He-he found me on the way to Madam Pomfrey. He brought me."
Hermione watched as Ginny and Harry exchanged glances but refrained from saying anything, Ron instead seemed content with Hermione's explanation.
"Hermione!" Cried a voice from the entrance. The girl gazed toward the door and found Hagrid moving toward her with concern in his face. "How are you? Neville told me that…"
"That I'm feeling good, right?" Hermione interrupted him quickly, the half-giant looked at her confused and she decided to add. "I know you became very worried after you left me here, but I'm fine. Madam Pomfrey says I can go soon."
Hagrid opened his mouth to speak but he seemed so embarrassed he did not know what to say.
"Fortunately, nothing bad happened to me." she continued with an unconvincing smile.
When she was alone again, Hermione wondered why the hell she had lied to her friends, only because Malfoy had asked her.
A/N
Sorry it took me so long to update, but I was on the beach for vacations & with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 on theatres, I've been busy. I've been dealing my post-potter depression. And also, it took a little while more for you guys to have over ten reviews, it had me down a bit. In my opinion, the movie was bloody brilliant, I loved it! What did you think of it? Tom Felton was hot, DEFINITELY & the Voldemort-Draco hug was definitely awkward but it made me laugh & I cried a lot. So back to the story. Why do you think Draco saved Hermione? ;) You'll find out. The story is going to get more interesting soon, I promise. I hope to update by tomorrow or so, let's see how many reviews we get. I loved the reviews you left me guys! Thank you so much, it means so much to me. So before I begin to bore you, Goodbye & I hope you enjoyed the chapter.
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