Chapter 6... The plan...
"And run from them, from them, with no direction, we'll run form them, from then with no conviction"- Paramore- Misguided ghosts
Draco's POV...
After I'd left Granger to her own devises I set of to bed to convince the rest of the household that that was where I was going to stay. How wrong they were... I took a rather large box down from the shelf directly above my bed that was labeled "Emergency MudBlood stuff".
I cringed at the word "MudBlood" I wasn't like that anymore, the only reason I called Granger it before was because I was angry with her, so I checked just to be sure that my father was not standing behind me- that man had eyes and ears everywhere...- pointed my wand at the label, closed my eyes opened them a second later. It now read "Emergency Muggle stuff" I smiled this was my way out of here and the road to a new Draco.
I stuffed all the other needed appliances such as clothes and potions in my rucksack and shuffled it under my bed and checked the time. It was seven o`clock so time to get to going... I closed my eyes once more and soft warmth spread through my body. Then everything went black before I was swallowed whole by darkness and pain...
Hermione's POV...
It was cold there. In that room. But the draft from the upper floor's barely touched my skin as I remembered my unusual conversation with Malfoy earlier just before he left the cellar earlier the same day...
"So I had an idea..." He hesitates slightly as if wondering whether or not to trust me with something important or whether to trust me at all. I am about to question him when he says out of no where...
"Granger what if I told you that I need you to trust me just for tonight because both of are life`s depend on it? Would you do it? W-what I'm trying to say is... Please. Trust me..." He realises my hand slowly.
Wait... wait, did he- Draco Malfoy- just say please and for me to trust him?! As much as I really don't want to... we both have no choice anymore...
I take a deep breath.
"I trust you..."
He looks over his shoulder, and then looks me dead in the eye's.
"Ok, so here's the plan..."
What he tells me shock's me more than if Voldemort himself came crashing through door and tried to kill us both. (But if that happened then my views would most likely change)
But... how can he? Where did he? Just how?! His voice jolts me out of my frantic mind which is racing faster than ever. He just sounds so infuriatingly... smug!
"You know Granger" He yawns "I can practically hear your brain on over drive right now. I mean, if you want to know how I accomplished such a great feat that you could never even think of the please, by all mean's just ask!"
Just count backwards from ten so you don't hit the smirk of his face... again...
Ten...
Nine...
Eight...
"Come on Granger, don't you want to know what the secret to my- and can I just clarify not your success- of how I did it? No? Fine, then! Suit yourself!"
Seven...
Six...
Five...
"Are you even listening to me?!Granger? Granger?! Be like that! I don't care! I'll just stand here and go on and on talking to myself about how I got one more O.W.L than you! Yes, that's right people I got beat her-Hermione Granger, the so called `brightest witch of our age` in the single most important exam ever! Well! Guess who`s the brightest witch now!? ME!"
His face drops slightly as he realises what he just said...
"Did I really just say witch...?"
Four...
Three...
Two...
O-
"Just so you know. I am and always will be better than yo-"
SMACK!
He reels backwards, almost topples over a chair and has to throw his arms out to catch himself. He's just stood there, arms flying all over the place in an effort to steady himself. The look on his face is priceless. Blood is now dripping from his cheek and on to the floor at an alarming rate.
"Ok, I'm going to forget this little incident. For now. Just don`t try anything like that ever again or I swear down on my grand- father's grave you'll live regret it!" He sneers. I know it`s meant to be a threat but I can`t take him seriously when he`s practically bleeding to death on his own floor.
So instead of cowering like he wants' me to I decide to try and beat him at his own game. I simply simile sweetly and say:
"Ok, then anything else? Or are you just going to leave now?"
He starts to walk towards the door when he turns' round and whisper's:
"Remember be ready for when I come later, or else!" He sneers and I smirk.
Suddenly the door's to the cellar shudder and twist outwards as if there was a magnet that was repelling the bars against the other and a second later a thin but stocky and pure white wolf quietly sleeks in. It sniffs the air and it`s eyes lock on mine. In the dim moonlight a pair of beautiful grey-blue eye's find mine. I just stand there utterly transfixed by this creature. I mean I knew it was, but I just never expected it to be... And to be so... It then cocks his head to the side as it notices me staring at it. And I swear I can see a smirk curve at the start of its muzzle. I shake my head and snap out of it. So to make up for that I saunter past it.
"You know I half expected you to be a ferret or at least a cockroach..." I whisper innocently.
I smirk as I hear rather annoyed growling following me up the cellar stairs. I regret it though when I have to bite back a wince as a white tail bats against my leg, hard.
But I'm not done there...
"Touché... aren't you ferret?" I mutter coyly.
More annoyed growling...
"Oh, sorry I can`t hear you, I don't speak foul, loathsome, evil, little cockroach..." I smile to myself when I don`t get an answer.
I stop and look round when I can`t see it anymore. Where is it-
I try to scream but can`t when one hand wraps around my mouth and the other pin's my hands behind my back I'm about to fight back when...
"Ssh... Granger for God`s sake! It's me! Malfoy! Just- quit squirming women and listen! I'm going to lead you like this through the manner and no I'm not going to hurt you... I just need an excuse encase my deranged aunt comes down and try's to kill us both, so I can just say that I'm "taking you for a walk and we'll be back soon" but we won't be, got it?"
His breath smells like a wet dog's mouth. I`ll be sure to remind him of that later and yet under that I can't help inhale the faint smell of peppermint toothpaste... Don't faint, don't faint or you'll never be able to live it down...
He slowly removes his hand from around my mouth; take's out his wand and mutters.
"Incarcerous"
I don't struggle as small but firm rope's bind my writs together. As he secures them together- surprisingly genteelly- and rush of warmth shoots up my arms like fire and I flinch.
"After you then" He whisper's and I shiver though not from the cold. He then gestures towards the door. Once we get through we are in a rather long corridor. In the dark I can barely make out paintings all with white blond hair, all exceedingly pale and all with cold blue eyes. Even though I know there either dead or somewhere else in the world one can only handle one Malfoy at a time looking at you like your nothing.
"By the way that punch earlier... it didn't even hurt" He mutter's.
I fight back a laugh and roll my eyes.
"Of course it didn't, Malfoy. Of course..." I answer.
I can't help but actually smile for the first time in weeks.
"Oh, were almost here" He says.
We have stopped outside a door, he let's go of my wrist and gestures for me to stay here. I nod silently and he walks in.
I wait for what seems like hours at a time. Just when I`m on the verge of leaving him there he just swaggers out like he wasn`t even gone for one second.
"Where did you go...? Narnia by any chance!?" I hiss.
"What's a Narlia?" He asks.
"Never mind..." I sigh.
"Granger, what the heck is a..." He demand`s.
"Look it really doesn't matter now can we just go bef" I start but I can barely finish my sentence however when we hear a crashing sound from upstairs. Bellatrix. He looks at me panic stricken. He steps closer and points his wand at my face...
"Please, trust me..." In that moment he looks so sincere... that I can`t help but whisper.
"Yes"
"Oh... and err... apologies in advance..." He mutters.
I can barely register what next happens when he whisper`s.
"Furnunculus"
It's then that I really worry. The things on my face that I cannot identify are horrid. It's like trying to see through a mask. I try to get words out but it's no use and I only sound like a wounded animal. Plus what infuriates me even more is I can swear I can hear Malfoy sneering... wait, yes he obviously did it on purpose so I couldn't talk...
Little idiotic, moron, ferret, cockroach... I think.
His smirk just gets even bigger as far as I can see through my tunnel vision and in the back of my mind I could hear him thinking...
`Now that that's shut her up...`
The distant footsteps got ever closer...
My heart is beating fast now and I can't contain my terror. Malfoy can sense it to and to my surprise gentler than I accepted takes hold of my writs once more and lead's me backwards towards the other end of the corridor. All the while muttering things like.
"Need to be quiet... cannot be seen... this girls more trouble than she's worth" or "Granger, you'll be the death of me I swear it..."
I hear a door open faintly and through my already battered, vice shut eyes my vision gets even darker behind my eye lids. A second later something warm is pressed up against me and the smell of freshly mown grass infects me.
"Now listen Granger. Were in a broom cupboard and no don`t panic, squirm or squeal because we won't be in here for long and don't look so frightened or worried. I won`t hurt you. But it`s a completely different story with my aunt Bellatrix`. So... what can we talk about to pass the time? Or if you don't want to talk then? What? What wro..." He trails of and really looks at me. Or at least tries to because the cupboard is so small that its only purpose is to hold one person at a time! So- trying my best not to hyperventilate- and failing miserably I crane my neck up which is hard to do considering that it's pushed against his chest. Also- which just makes this even more humiliating- he`s practically pinning me up against the wall, because his arms are at either side of my head and his face is buried in my hair.
And the only sound I can hear is my own breathing trying desperately to slow its self down. And just when I think it can't get any worse...
"You know Granger I think we're going to be stuck here for a while..."
Three Hours Later...
I yelp as a hand yanks on my hair and I jerk awake. I feel numb, and cold. Yet as soon as I look at him a kind of... warmth fills me.
"Granger, wake up!" He whispers.
Draco's POV...
"This way" I whisper. She nods and follows me out and, as silently as possible we walk across the drawing room. I can see her determinately trying not to look at the please where she was tortured earlier. I can see the tears well up in her eyes and clear my throat rather loudly. I can't handle crying girls, no male can... it's virtually impossible. She doesn't move when I nudge her to go to the apparatetion point... She still won't...
She sinks to her knees. Her agony is apparent and I know who she need's right now. Potter and Weasly... It`s them. It will always be them. So I do the only think I can. I kneel down in front of her (since all the boil`s are now gone and her face is back to normal), and bring my hand to her face and gently wipe away her tears with my thumb. She looks up startled at first; as if she's forgotten I'm even here. Then she smiles ever so slightly, stands up and faces me.
"Thank you..." She whisper`s and I can't help but just stare at her.
It's then when she clears her throat loudly, gently take's my wrist and the last thing I hear before the sensation of being sucked through a rubber tube over whelms me is my aunt Bellatrix's distant howls of outrage and a knife missing us by mere seconds...