Hey everyone! So I is back (after a very long time) with a new chapter.
Hope you enjoy it!
Flashback
"I'm glad you could make it. My name's Hermione Granger."
"Of course I know who you are Granger. Who doesn't?"
Hermione froze. Of all people…no it couldn't be. But no one else ever called her Granger…
"Who are you?" she asked cautiously. She heard a snort of amusement.
"Thought you were the brightest witch of our age… You should be able to tell by now." He said in a lazy drawl.
No. It was the one person who. Damn Harry Potter. Once she got her hands on him. All of Hell's fury would be released.
End Flashback
"Why are you here Malfoy?" Hermione said while gritting her teeth.
"Oh didn't you get the memo? Potter sent me to help you out." Draco said dryly.
"No, I mean why did he send you? And when did you join the Order?"
"I just explained he sent me to help you" he said as if he was explaining to a small child "and I joined the Order the night that Dumbledore died."
Hermione stared in shock. Who would've thought the biggest prat of all would have joined the Order.
"Close your mouth Granger, it makes you look stupid. And we all know that's one thing you're not."
Hermione's mouth snapped shut and she glared at him. Choosing not to respond she turned her back on him and waved to let him enter and get comfortable. In the mean time she had to get packing again. She had to leave the hotel before someone could trace her here.
Hermione walked quickly to her piles of papers and stacked them into one. She then proceeded to stuff them all into a binder and zipped it up. She walked to the balcony and retrieved her dried clothes and folded them and packed them into a small duffle bag.
She looked around to see if anything was missing and noticed that Draco looking curiously into her little blue bag.
"Granger…" he said slowly and turned to look at her. He still had his hood up so she couldn't see his face.
"What?" she asked while scanning the room for any other items. She walked over to the kitchen counter and grabbed her box of granola bars and stuffed them into her duffle bag.
"Why on earth do you have so many books in this tiny little bag?"
"To eat. What else do you think books are for?"
He rolled his eyes at her sarcastic response. "No, I mean why do you feel the need to keep books even when you're on the hunt for the Dark Lord?"
Hermione looked at him sharply. It seemed Harry hadn't told him what Hermione's mission was.
Instead of answering his question she asked one of her own. "Did Harry tell you what my mission is?"
"Well all he said was that you were doing something that would weaken the Dark Lord. As to how you're planning on doing it I have no clue."
Hermione opened her mouth to answer when she felt the hairs on her neck prickle.
They were here, and they were coming for her.
She picked up her duffle bag and her beaded blue bag and turned to face the kitchen. She quickly cast a spell to clean the place up and then grabbed Draco's arm and led him to the balcony.
"What the hell Granger!" He said in annoyance as he tried to pull his hand out.
"Shut up Malfoy for once in your miserable little life and listen to me. If you don't want to die then keep your mouth shut until I tell you it's safe."
Hermione could hear footsteps and voices thundering on her floor towards her door. She took a sharp breath and turned on her heel. She could feel the tight suffocation that came with apparition and then stumbled to the ground when they had arrived.
She let go of Draco's hand and leaned against a nearby tree to slow her breathing. Draco wasn't in much better condition. He was leaning on his knees to try and catch his breath from the surprise of apparition.
"Nice one Granger. A little longer and they would've caught up." He straightened up and while he did so his hood fell off. Hermione stared at him in surprise. He was a lot handsomer then she remembered. Draco still had his platinum locks, but now they hung around his face instead of their gelled up state. He had a strong chiselled face with aristocratic features. And his smouldering grey eyes were overwhelming.
"What are you staring at?" he asked confused. Hermione jerked out of her thoughts and turned her face away embarrassed.
"Nothing. Forget it."
Draco stared her unbelievingly while she stubbornly turned her face away. He hadn't really paid attention before but now he could really see it. Hermione had grown up from that bushy-haired beaver that she used to be. She definitely wasn't the most beautiful woman around but she was quite beautiful in her own way. Long legs (though she was still shorter than him), smooth skin, flawless features and even somewhat tamed hair (though that wasn't saying much…).
Hermione pulled out the tent and erected it with magic. She had found a way to remove the trace from herself before the end of her sixth year. The tent that she had was the same one that she had used when she went to the Quidditch World Cup.
She pulled her bag up on her shoulder and walked around the perimeter casting different spells to keep them safe. If the death eaters had followed her to the muggle world, there was no way they weren't going to find her here, in the middle of nowhere.
Hermione could feel Draco's stare burning a hole through her back. She turned around to face his mercurial gaze.
"What?" she asked, her voice tinged with annoyance.
He raised his eyebrow at her but said nothing. Instead he turned towards the tent and walked into it. Hermione chose to ignore his strange behavior and instead followed him inside the tent.
Inside the tent there were two beds one atop the other against the right hand side. On the left was the kitchen and straight ahead was the bathroom. Near the two beds there were at least 4-5 bookshelves cramped one against the other. There was a warm comfy chair sitting beside them and in front of a warm cosy fire.
The inside was decorated in red and gold, defining her Gryffindor pride. Draco walked through analysing the entire tent and noting where everything was placed. He noticed that Hermione had her sweater placed on the top bunk along with a warm duvet.
"Well this is nice and cozy…" he said almost distastefully.
"It's the best we've got so don't complain!" Hermione snapped at him.
"Sheesh calm down Granger, I just called it cozy. Last I checked that was a compliment not something to spaz at me for."
Hermione turned to glare at him for a few moments before she sighed and turned around to go and sit on her comfy chair. She quickly transfigured him one as well so he could take a seat near the fire as well. She curled her legs up to her chest and placed her head on them while closing her eyes. This on-the-run thing was completely draining her energy.
She felt Draco sit down beside her and turn his head towards her waiting for her to begin talking. Hermione lifted her head and took a deep breath before beginning.
"I'm looking for Horcruxes." She began but was quickly interrupted by Draco.
"Are you crazy?" She turned to look at him and saw the surprise etched onto his features and raised her brow at him; telling him to continue.
"Well I mean, the Dark Lord has those protected under every spell and stupid trick up his sleeve."
"But that doesn't mean we can't get to it. He doesn't know that we know about Horcruxes and are looking for them."
He snorted and rolled his eyes. "So tell me O Great One…how many Horcruxes have you found then, if it's as easy as you make it sound?"
"Oh please Malfoy, I never said it was easy!"
"You didn't answer my question" he said with a tinge of smugness.
Hermione grit her teeth and mumbled "Justonesofar" He looked at her in confusion.
"English please."
"Just one so far" he looked impressed.
"Well that's a surprise" he said lounging back onto the sofa and placing his hands behind his head. "I had assumed you had gotten none as of yet."
"I'm a lot more competent then you give me credit for Malfoy" Hermione said, in a slightly bitter tone.
"Whoa Granger, I no longer have anything against you. If I do insult you, it'll be for some stupid mistake you make in front of me." He had his hands held out in front of him in surrender. Hermione looked at him in surprise as she saw sincerity reflected in his eyes.
She quickly composed herself before turning back to staring at the fire. "myapologies…"
"What?" he asked looking to her as she mumbled something out. Draco had an inkling of what she had just said, but he wanted her to say it to him.
"I said… my apologies for judging you too quickly" she said while still staring at the fire.
He chuckled to himself slightly, "Don't fret it Granger, I don't blame you at all." He leaned back and placed his hands behind his head and kicked his shoes off his feet before placing them on the coffee table ahead of him.
"So tell me, what are your next objectives?" Draco watched as Hermione stared at the fire for a few moments gathering her thoughts (or her wits and courage) to tell him something.
"I need to find a way to destroy the Horcrux and also find the rest of them" she answered while twirling a strand of her beastly hair.
"And which one do you have?" he asked curiously. Draco watched as she stuck her hand under her shirt and pulled out a beautiful silver locket with a giant letter S engraved onto the front with emeralds.
His eyes widened as he saw the fabled item belonging to the founder of his own house sitting in the palm of a muggleborn witch. He could almost chuckle at the irony.
Hermione had turned to watch the surprise unfold onto Draco's face and she pulled the locket over her head and held it out to him. Draco looked into her eyes searching for something before reaching his hand out slowly and taking hold of the locket. He dropped almost immediately as he reacted to the evil of the locket.
"What the hell?" he almost yelled as he put the locket onto the coffee table. "How on earth do you still have such fine tuned senses when you have something that evil around your neck?" Draco was looking at her with almost admiration in his eyes.
Hermione looked at him for a moment before sighing and pulling the scarf around her neck off and showing her the huge burn mark from the locket around her neck. His eyes widened in surprise as he saw the huge scar and barely healed wound on her neck.
"This happened the first time I put it on. After that moment I've been on greater alert. I've also learned spells to alert me of an enemy close by. But most of my escapes are from my sixth sense I suppose." She slowly picked up the scarf from the table and wrapped it around her neck again and snuggled back into the sofa.
"Any more questions Malfoy?" she asked quietly.
"Just one more… what are you planning to do now?" He watched her sigh slightly before answering in a tired voice.
"Destroy this one, find the rest and try to stay alive." Draco snorted.
"Sounds like a plan."
So thats that for today, hopefully I'll get to writing the next chapter along with my next chapter for Jade Dreams and At the Beginning. If anyone here reads At the Beginning, I need songs for the letter H. I am music dead and my friend believe i live under a rock. So help me out :D
Peaceout
PWNAGENINJA
