A/N: Here's the next Chapter! Hope you guys like it! Anyway, Read and Review!
A New Adventure
It was days before Draco and Hermione communicated except for the occasional nod and "Yes," or "No," other than that, neither acknowledged the other's presence. Both immersed in their own thoughts of: loneliness, murder, family and in Hermione's case, friends. Hermione longed to be with them. Longed to stroll in the halls of Hogwarts and drink butterbeer with them. She would even put up with Ron's infuriating eating habits and complaining. Draco on the other hand, never gave them a thought. It was not because he was a selfish prat or because he didn't care for them. It was because it pained him to think about them. It was because of him that they had become servants of the Dark Lord at such a tender age even if it was inevitable. It pained him to think that because of him, his friends lead a secret life of hell.
He was sitting in the couch inside their tent, clutching his cup of tea for warmth. The weather wasn't hot. He just had nothing better to do. He started to sip when something startled him from behind making him jump and spill the tea on his shirt. He cursed silently before looking up to see Granger standing facing him. His eyes narrowed guardedly as Granger lowered herself on the couch facing him.
"What do you want?" he asked quite civilly.
"Nothing much," she said as she waved her wand on his wet shirt.
"Er…thanks." he said uncertainly.
"I was thinking…could you-would you tell me about the Death Eaters?" she asked her face expressionless yet her voice showed how uncomfortable she was.
"Err…why?" he asked surprised.
"Well, we haven't really done anything, have we? I mean-we don't really know what to do except to find out about the killer. And…I've been thinking about what you said." she said.
"And what exactly did I say?" Draco asked her, sitting down on the other couch.
"That maybe this is because of the Death Eaters." she said.
He raises an eyebrow.
"That maybe they want payback or something-I don't know. You're the Death Eater aren't you?" She said sounding cross.
"Were a Death Eater. Know the difference, Granger." He emphasized. "And I don't have news about them or whatever they're doing ever since I changed sides."
"But what about new leader of the Death Eaters? I mean-" She continued.
"As I said to Lupin at the shop, it must be just talk." He said airily.
"That reminds me, what did you talk about?" Hermione asked.
"Certainly nothing that concerns you, Nuisance." He teased with his trade mark smirk plastered across his face. The audacity of this boy to tease in such a circumstance was making her anger flare up.
"Fine, but I want to talk about anything unusual happenings when you were still a Death Eater." She said indomitably.
Malfoy gave a loud sigh. This woman was really making him tired with all the pestering. But since he was part of this mission, he had no choice once again but to participate.
"There had been some strange happenings on some Death Eater meetings," he said looking down at his cup of tea. Granger was looking at him intently as if he had just given homework worth sixty percent of their grade. "There was this strange bloke that the Dark Lord used to carry around with him on meetings. He stayed behind him all the time. He always wore black robes that hid his face completely. No one would talk to him. When it would be time to reveal our faces, he would not do the same and the Dark Lord wouldn't mind. On important meetings, he would sit in a corner. Just sitting, just listening. No one has heard his voice. The Dark Lord ordered him to stay in the Manor but I never saw anything of him and I don't know which part of the manor he sleeps in." He said shaking the dregs of tea leaves.
"Is that it?" She said after a moment. "There's nothing more?" she said doggedly.
"Yes. That's all I have." He said, rising. "Excuse me," He walked to the entrance flap but was stopped with yet another question by the Nuisance. "Where're you going?"
"None of your concern. I'll be back in five minutes." He crossed the barrier and apparated away.
He appeared near the river where he used to throw stones in when he was still a child. He kept thinking about Granger and it was ireful. He cursed under his breath. He located a tree just across the bank of the river and was ready to empty himself when unexpectedly, he heard a loud popping sound behind him. Instinctively, he drew out his wand ready to hex the lights out of the intruder when to his astonishment, he saw Granger.
"You!" he whispered angrily. "What are you doing here?"
"What am I doing here? What are you doing here?" She said looking bewildered and unsteady.
"I was-How come you know this place?" he said coming closer.
She was blinking rapidly as one does when trying to remember something. She looked at him, worried and confused.
"I don't know." She whispered.
"You don't know? Wha-what do you mean don't know?" he said angrily. How stupid was it to apparate to someplace you don't even know? She could have splinched herself. Draco shook his head.
"You left the tent and I was about to wash my cup when suddenly, I felt myself apparate." She breathed.
"You mean you didn't mean to? But that's im-"
"Impossible, I know." She sat down beside the river. "Let's get back to the tent." She said after awhile.
Together they apparated outside the boundaries of their protective spells. They find it deserted and empty as if no one has set foot on it. Perfect.
"Good. The spells work. They cross the boundary and instantly, the tent comes in sight.
"I'll go cook dinner." He said uneasily. She answered him with a nod.
Hermione Granger was thinking. Nothing like this has happened before in the history of Disapparition and Apparition. Shaking her head, she sat on the bench facing the table. She could hear Malfoy chopping mushrooms. She was about to stand up and grab the Horcrux book she summoned from Dumbledore's office even though she knew it would be of no help. She opened the book when a sharp pain pierced her thumb. Probably a paper cut. She thought. But there was no blood, no cut yet there was pain. She heard Malfoy curse loudly.
"What's that?" she asked walking to him.
"Nothing," he said.
"There's blood. You're hurt." She looked over him and could see blood all over the plate he was chopping on and the blood stained knife he was using. The cut was deep and also big. Also, it was right where she felt the jabbing pain in her hand. Her eyebrows furrowed.
"I said it's nothing." He said stubbornly.
"Don't be ridiculous. You're bleeding." She took her handkerchief and passed it to him. "Apply pressure on that. I'll get essence of dittany." She quickly took her purse and accio-ed the bottle out. A tiny bottle half filled with amber colored liquid fell into her hands. She walked back to him and took his hand and poured the essence into the wound.
"Ahh—" he winced as smoke emitted from the wound and it healed itself. The throbbing pain in Hermione's hand throbbed even more.
Draco gave her a nod and whispered, "Scourgify!" at the blood stained mess. It boggled her brain at how her hand had hurt in the same place as Malfoy's wound. Was there some kind of connection between them? She shook her head in disgust. A connection with a prat was something she didn't want although this gave her an idea. She took the knife from the stove, pulled up her pants and cut herself on the leg. Not one to cut herself, it was utterly painful and she clamped her mouth shut from making any noise. The reaction was immediate. As blood trickled from her wound, Malfoy winced and grabbed his leg at exactly the spot where Hermione had cut herself. Malfoy pulled up his pants but there was no blood.
"It hurts over there, right?" Hermione asked. Malfoy looked up to her leg and saw the blood.
"What the-you cut yourself?" he said staring at the gaping wound.
"When you cut yourself, I felt the pain. Right where your wound was." She said ignoring his question. "Did you feel some kind of stabbing awhile ago?" she asked.
"Yeah, I did. It still hurts." He massaged the part of his leg where there was supposed to be a cut.
Hermione got the bottle of essence of dittany and poured it onto the wound. The wound smoked and healed doubling the pain; Malfoy winced again.
"Don't you think it's odd?" she said.
"Odd? It's unnatural!" he practically screamed as he stood there, rigid.
"Here take the knife." Hermione handed him the knife. Malfoy took it gingerly.
"Stab me." Said Hermione.
"What? I think I heard you wrong-you want me to stab you?" he said incredulous.
"Yes. Stab me." Said Hermione bracing herself.
"With a knife?" he said unsure. This beaver has lost her marbles. Thought Malfoy.
"Of course with a knife you idiot. You can't really stab me with a spoon can you?" she said impatiently.
"You are fully aware that I could hurt you. Most probably kill you." He said and gripped the knife firmly.
"Of course I do." Came the reply of Hermione.
"And that if I kill you it won't be in my conscience and that I won't be held against it." He continued.
"No." she nodded firmly.
"Very well. Here goes." He twirled the knife on his hand as he came closer and closer and closer… Suddenly, he lunged himself at her, the knife expertly handled and he stabbed her at the heart. Hermione was waiting for the pain yet there was none. Malfoy was standing there, knife in hand.
"Well?" asked Hermione.
"I couldn't."
"What do you mean you couldn't? I just—"
"It won't."
"It won't?"
"Yes. The knife won't touch you." He said quietly.
"Try again." She said and try he did. He tried to stab her multiple times but as if by a barrier, the knife won't come in contact with her. Finally, he got tired.
"There's no use. You've got some kind of force that I can't penetrate." He said sitting on the bench.
"How about I try?" she said after a moment.
"You're going to stab me?" he asked calmly.
"Yes. At least I'll try." She said taking the knife.
"I doubt that you can harm me." He whispered to himself.
"What's that?"
"Nothing. Just stab me." He said standing up but as Hermione stabbed him, the outcome was the same. A barrier stopped her from harming him and she had a vague idea on what's happening.
"Let's stop. This is getting us nowhere." He said plopping back down.
"I have a plan to know who the Death Eater's new leader is." Said Malfoy.
Hermione raised an eyebrow curiously.
"Usually the Dark Lord hold meetings every full moon of every month and next week is the full moon." He said as Hermione thought of Lupin and his painful transformation. How lonely he must be to be separated from Tonks in such a horrible time.
"Nuisance!" yelled Malfoy as he kicked her on the leg.
"Ouch!" shouted Hermione roused from her reverie. "What was that for?"
"I just made a plan and apparently you had your head in the clouds." He said in contempt. Seemingly the Heir is not used to being ignored when speaking.
"Sorry. What's the plan?" she mumbled.
He gave a contemptuous puff air and took out a multiple of papers and a quill from his bag. He drew lines and circles to what seemed to be a map and labeled them with tiny words like: ballroom, kitchens, pantry, a multitude of rooms and powder rooms and the likes. After about twenty minutes of drawing and shading he finally pointed at a square marked stable.
"We apparate outside the grounds which is about a mile and a half from the manor-"
"A mile and a half!" yelled Hermione. Used to living in a rather small and innocent looking house, this came as a shock that someone could be that rich.
"Yes, why?" asked Malfoy.
"N-nothing…it's just—it's huge, your estate." She stumbled.
"Yes, well…that's beside the point but it will probably be swarming with Death Eaters if what Professor Lupin is true…" he trailed off and took another fresh parchment from his bag.
"Anyway, we could sneak to the stables unnoticed with that cloak of yours or we could fly up to the tower-no-it would be too dangerous and the main entrance would be just stupid…" he said mostly to himself. Hermione sighed. Besides cooking and drawing, Hermione doesn't know how to fly and even the thought of heights scared the wits out of her and that is saying something.
"There's this secret entrance in the stables that leads to the kitchens and outside the kitchens a statue of my great-great-great-aunt Felicity covers an entrance," he points at a rectangle.
"The entrance leads to forks to three different tunnels each leading to either: my father's study,"-he points to a square on another paper marked second floor-"the ballroom and the drawing room." He pushed papers aside and pushed another paper full of drawings to her. "We could go there tomorrow." He continued.
"But this needs careful planning! We can't just bombard in there and not expect to get caught! You're being too rash." she said shocked.
"If not now, when?" he argued. "Next month? We can't wait till next month—"
"But there must be patrols out there! We don't know the patterns and the times!" Hermione threw back.
"Granger, you're looking at an ex-Death Eater or did you not notice? I know their times and how many people there are and they're as dumb as that Longbottom can be and no one knows my manor better than me." He said stubbornly.
"But-" Hermione began. She knew he was right and that if they wait for more time, the patrol patterns would have changed and that they would have more trouble looking for a way to get in, but something wanted her from entering the manor. Perhaps it was the memory of her torture in that house-if you could call it a house-or the sick feeling that she had whenever she was to embark on a risky mission.
"Here," he took a paper full of diagrams and a map on top of everything else. "This is the map of the estate. You can study it all you want but we'll go." Said Malfoy.
Finally, Hermione agreed. "Alright," she said after a moment. "But not now-maybe tomorrow because I'll have to study these drawing and plot our route. And I'll need you to make a list of the Deah Eaters protective spells and their patrol boarders. " She said piling the papers into order and took out a quill of her own to make notes.
Malfoy gave her a nod.
"Granger, I'm not as stupid as you think I am." He said as he took a parchment. "I'll take watch." Hermione looked at him intently; his back turned towards her and as he sat down on the entrance, Hermione smiled.
"Of course you're not." She whispered to herself. "You've changed, hadn't you?" She turned back to the paper and thought of the word change. What a beautiful word that was.
A/N: Don't forget to leave a review!