Oh Fifth, pt 2

"Experience is a brutal teacher, but you learn. My God, do you learn."

– C.S. Lewis

"Merlin, Malfoy! I don't know what you want me to tell you! Just think through your miserable little life and pick your happiest memory! It's not like you have to tell me what it is," she shouted. They were ensconced in the Room of Requirement after dinner. She could already tell their lesson was going to be a disaster. But his highness so insisted.

He glared at her. "I'm thinking! Calm down. I can't think of anything happy with you harping on in my ear."

Hermione spun around and grabbed her book bag. She stomped forward a few steps and slammed it on the top of the desk she'd willed to appear there. "Well, your highness, while you are thinking about it, I'm going to do actual work. Is that acceptable? Or should I expect to be expelled in the morning?"

They glared at each other as Hermione reached into her book bag and pulled out her arithmancy work. She hoped she was pulling out her arithmancy work. She didn't want to lose the staring contest to make sure. She pulled the chair out from the desk and sat down, still glaring at Malfoy.

Finally, he turned away and Hermione let out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. She glanced down. Huh. Arithmancy. Nice.

"Just think through your favorite memories and pick a few. Then we'll go on." She'd tried to explain she wasn't actually very good at the spell. Theory was her strong point. The spell didn't come easily to her. He didn't care.

Malfoy stomped over to the fireplace the room provided and tossed himself onto the couch. "That just seems like a stupid way to create a spell. What if the memory isn't 'happy' enough? Who decides what happy is anyway?"

What, he wanted to debate philosophy with her?

"Ugh!" Hermione reached back into her shabby book bag and pulled out the theory book she'd checked out in anticipation to teach Malfoy. She stood and stomped over to where he lay on the couch, arm over his eyes. He was the very picture of elegant discouragement. She dropped the book onto his stomach. "Page two hundred and seven. Theory behind the patronus charm. Read that and we'll chat."

Malfoy curled around the book with a soft groan, but said nothing else, so she stomped back to the desk her arithmancy work was laid out upon.

This was stupid. She didn't have time for this!

Two hours later, Malfoy still hadn't said a word, and Hermione finished with her Arithmancy essay. She stood up from the desk to stretch and glanced over at the couch where Malfoy lay - asleep! No wonder she'd been able to get so much work done! What a waste of time.

She shoved her work and books back into her bag and slung the bag onto her shoulder before stomping over to the blond slumbering on the couch. The fire was low, the light playing off his hair. It was too bad, really, that Malfoy had such a bad attitude to go with such good looks. He was pretty in a way that most people could only ever dream of. Stupid boy. Pointy chin and pretty hair.

She snatched the book from his stomach where it lay open. He was going to ruin the library book! "Hey," she hissed. "Wake up!"

Hermione didn't know what she expected when waking a sleeping Malfoy. But his reaction wasn't it. His eyes snapped open, glazed over with sleep, and he shot off the couch, grabbing Hermione's shoulders as he went. He rolled the two of them onto the floor until she was pinned beneath him. One arm was thrown across her collarbone the other holding his wand to her throat. His teeth were bared and he was breathing heavily. The book lay flung out on the floor inches from her fingertips.

Hermione lay very still, waiting for him to wake up fully. She suddenly remembered a few words he'd said to her frozen form back in second year. It's not a risk I'm willing to take…

Hermione stared at the nearly feral face of Draco Malfoy as the haze of sleep faded away. He jumped off her in horror and backed away from her.

"Um," she said.

"I'll contact you when I've picked a memory, then." He turned around and nearly sprinted out of the room, leaving the theory book on the floor beside Hermione.

Hermione sat on the floor until the cold from the stone seeped through all her layers of clothing. The fire was only coals, and her heart had finally resumed a regular pace.

Something shifted in her mind. What was going on? People don't just wake up like maniacs. No one does that. She had to know. What was going on with Draco Malfoy?

Stupid girl really needed to try harder. No subtlety at all. She was like the ghost of a drunk wrecking-ball trying to sneak into his head. Or he liked to think so anyway as he felt her trying to sneak along his mental blocks. He grimaced, took a bite of his apple, and threw her out of his head.

He'd fallen asleep in front of her, then attacked her when she tried to wake him. It was embarrassing. No wonder she was trying to break into his mind. Poor Malfoy wakes up from his sleep in a rage. I'll figure out what's wrong and help.

Stupid girl, with her magical hair and sympathetic eyes.

He growled at his breakfast.

Blaise took offense. "If you don't like your food, take it up with the house-elves, don't ruin our morning with your foul mood."

Theo glanced up at them and turned a page in his book.

Draco bristled. "I didn't sleep well."

"You slept like a log. Once you actually got into the dorm," Blaise said, a sly grin on his face. "Something wear you out?"

"Shut up."

Theo glared at them over his book, irritated. Theo didn't growl at them, but Draco could tell he wanted to. He was a bear until he was fully awake. And not a cuddly one.

"What are you reading, Theo?" Blaise's voice was too loud, too cheerful.

Theo lifted his book so Blaise could read the title himself.

Potions was a disaster. Draco tried to peer into Granger's mind again, only to be met by that stupid office room. He would have to time his approach for when she was distracted, didn't have her guard up. Like in the library before. She was trying to access his mind, it was only fair he do the same to her.

He was trying so hard to access her mind his potion was only just passable. Hers was better and she'd been thinking about a stupid room the entire brewing period!

He growled at Blaise as they jostled each other toward the exit. Theo, finally awake, eyed him out of the corner of his eye and reached to his bookbag. The Healing Arts. Draco never figured out how the man could walk and read at the same time, especially with all the traps the castle liked to spring on students.

Granger drifted by them in the hallway. She turned slightly and smirked in his direction.

Stupid girl.

Theo watched his best friend and that Gryffindor square off to do battle again. They were getting so obvious, it was actually making him uncomfortable. Either they were having a marathon of the world's creepiest staring contest, or Draco tried practicing Legillimency on her, and she stood her ground. Or fought back. Entertaining as it was, it was uncomfortable. Would be worse if Blaise caught on.

He shuddered. Blaise catching on would be a nightmare. Good thing they were sitting in the library. Blaise, while studious enough, could only concentrate on studies for so long before he needed to get up and move around. He was currently chasing his tail or some tail or something in the hallways. Theo was grateful. Blaise wanted to talk. They didn't need to talk, they needed to study. To practice.

And Draco wasn't helping with his fascination with the Granger girl.

Finally Granger disappeared into the stacks of the library. First he felt relief, then only a few minutes later he watched with a quiet sort of horror as Draco casually stood up and left the table. He followed her.

Into the stacks.

Oh Merlin. No. Draco, no.

Theo debated. What to do. To sit here and wonder, or be like Blaise and stick his nose into it?

He got up. Stick his nose into it. He crept toward where Draco disappeared and wandered quietly until he found them.

They were whispering at each other in furious voices. He crept closer in the row next to theirs.

"I can't tonight! I have things to do, I don't bend to your whim, Malfoy!"

Draco was leaning on the bookshelf across from her, examining his nails, of all things.

"I would make time, if I were you, Granger."

She threw her hands up. "Have you even picked a memory, yet?"

"Yes." He looked affronted.

"Fine," she hissed.

She stomped away, back toward her table. Theo was about to sneak back when he saw Draco slump against the shelves, almost deflating.

Bizarre. What were they doing? He had to stop himself from sneaking into Draco's mind. They'd practiced so much this summer, it would be easy. So easy. No. He'd respect his privacy. Draco would tell him what was going on eventually. Probably.

He thought about that a moment. Something having to do with Granger? No. Draco would never say a thing.

He snuck back to the table, managing to slip in before Granger got back to hers.

Draco didn't come back until Theo finished his chapter and started into the next. He regretted sticking his nose into it.

Best to pretend he hadn't. Draco would let him know if things got out of hand, surely.

She wasn't trying to pry into his mind anymore, but that didn't mean their lessons stopped devolving into fights. He wasn't quite sure how their tumble ended this way, but he was frozen. Tired of being the bad guy. She had to have guessed it by now, right? They were almost friends, after all. Or at least, not enemies, which was a fair step toward friendship, he thought.

He hit his head lightly against the stone beneath him, trying to knock some sense into himself. He couldn't. Not when she was straddling him, wand pointing at his nose. Her eyes were lit up in fury, her hair a halo around her head, floating around with righteous indignation.

She was glorious.

He shied away from the thought immediately. It wouldn't do to have that in his head. Someone would find it. Someone who should never see it. No one should ever see it. Not even him.

"Granger," he finally murmured. They couldn't stay like this forever, not without him embarrassing himself. "Get off."

The light in her eyes dimmed a bit, and she looked around, startled. Like she was waking up. She scrambled off him and scooted away on the stone floor until she hit the wall.

"Just keep practicing then," her voice was pitched too high. Nervous. What started that fight? He couldn't remember, as he watched her stand up and bustle around her book bag.

/

Theo was watching him too closely. He glanced at him sideways as he slid into his seat in the library.

"Oh, you're studying here tonight?" He kept his voice light, but Draco knew his friend. There was something else there.

"Yes." It took effort to not make his answer a question. Theo would talk if he wanted to.

"I just thought you'd been studying in one of the abandoned classrooms lately."

"Yes, for practical stuff, but I still need books." Short answers were best. Stick mostly to the truth. Empty his mind. Was this a test?

Theo didn't respond, simply scratched out a sentence on his parchment and continued writing. Draco didn't feel Theo slipping into his mind at all. So not a test, then?

After an hour in the library, Draco watched out of the corner of his eye as Granger slipped through the main doors and out into the castle. He waited fifteen minutes and made his excuses to leave. He was finished with his essay anyway, Theo had no reason to suspect anything was amiss.

"Do you want help with practicing?"

He stopped cold. "Practicing?"

"Yeah, you're going to go to the classroom and practice tonight, right? Or are you making rounds for Umbridge?"

"Umbridge." The lie slid so easily out of his mouth, he almost didn't realize it did. He could walk around and pretend for a bit to be on rounds. That would make it not a lie anymore.

"Want some company?"

What was Theo's problem? He was never this clingy.

He shook his head. "Better not, I'll speed through my rounds and turn in early tonight, I think."

Theo's lips twitched. Was he trying not to smile? Draco sped out of the library, uncomfortable. He would cut the practice short tonight. Do rounds on the way to the Room of Hidden Things, practice with Granger for an hour at most, and turn in early.

He couldn't tell Theo about Granger, but he could do his best to not lie outright.

They didn't practice at all. In a bizarre turn of events, Granger made him quiz her on defense spells.

The quizzing didn't stay peaceful long, and they got into a debate on the best defensive spell for nonverbal hexes from a possibly dark magic wielder. He couldn't help it, he enjoyed taking a contrary opinion to hers, simply because she got so worked up about it. The best was when she, so sure of her defense, suddenly decided he might be right and she needed to study more about it. Not tonight, though, she was so convinced she knew best. Not enemies, at least.

/

Weeks. Months? He hadn't warned her in time. That girl gave them up, and the only thing he could think of was to send his old house-elf to warn them. Even that hadn't been a guarantee. They'd got out, but Dumbledore disappeared that night. And now Granger refused to help him with his patronus. Refused to study with him. She refused to acknowledge his existence. Weeks. Months.

Really frustrating. And Theo kept looking at him suspiciously.

Equally frustrating.

/

The letter from his mother made his blood run cold. He had to say something. He'd been so content to just wait it out, do what he needed to do. This wouldn't end well, maybe he could warn Granger…

Things were moving ahead of schedule.

Umbridge required his immediate assistance.

Granger was struggling in his arms, his wand jammed against her neck while the Gryffindors' wands burned holes in his pocket. Her hair choked him, like it had a will of its own and desired his immediate demise. Maybe he could salvage this…

Umbridge had a sick look in her eyes, was she insane. Insane. The same look he'd seen in…

The mufflatio he'd made Granger teach him seemed to do the trick, but Granger broke his nose with the back of her abnormally thick skull when he tried to warn her.

Then she was gone. Into the woods. She never came back. Merlin.

He hadn't practiced. She wouldn't ask him about it, but it was obvious. With Malfoy's words ringing in her ears, Hermione ran down the empty hallways of the Ministry.

She would never ever tell Harry 'I told you so," but Merlin she wanted to. She'd known something was wrong, especially when Malfoy tried to tell her not to go tearing out of the castle tonight. But here she was, tearing around the Ministry.

She'd never been more terrified. Never. Her throat felt tight, like she'd never take a full breath again. She would take up sprinting if they got out of this alive. And she'd duel with everyone she could convince to practice with her. She'd even talk to Malfoy again if he'd help her learn to defend herself. Even if he was Umbridge's pet. Even if he was a Death Eater's son. Even if he might become one himself. If she just made it out alive.

They were trapped. They were split up. If she could just… Men burst through the door behind them.

"Silencio!" It worked! Now she just –

A/N: Thanks for reading, please let me know what you think (while staying kind, I believe you can do both even if you hate it). Trying to stay true to my original idea while still letting the story do its own developing... ha. Anyway, I had almost zero time to edit this, so if you see anything either let me know or ignore it.
Anyone else freezing? November is my second favorite month, just after October. I like how the autumn leaves look, but I also really enjoy the spindly dead-looking branches of trees after the leaves have all fallen off. Is that weird? Idk. Anyone else?
Anyway, I appreciate the feedback and all you guys who have read the story thus far, I super appreciate all of you!
Ta-ta!

LL