A/N: Thank you to all who reviewed!
just me~it was quite sad for me as well when I learned that Kili and Fili would die in the books, although I do agree with the logic behind wiping out the line of Durin. But seeing as this is a fanfiction, anything could happen right? (No guarantees though, it all depends on how I'm feeling the day I write that chapter);)
Again, thank you to everyone who commented on my story! I want to know what you guys think! I promise that I read each and every review and will consider any suggestions you guys have to improve my story and writing as a whole! Thanks!
As always, the characters, settings, most of the plot, dialogue do not belong to me, but to their respective creators. Please read and REVIEW!
Pain. So much pain. Draco almost blacked out when the waves of pure pain crashed into him. Getting branded with the Dark Mark? He would rather take ten. Have shards of falling chandelier cut his face? He'd take that any day. The Cruciatus Curse? Didn't seem that bad right now. Each pump of his heart brought a new tidal wave of torment. And just as he was about to slip into that blissful state of unconsciousness, he found himself splashed in the face with freezing water. So he lingered in that state of only being able to comprehend one word: pain.
Panicked shouts came from the rest of the company as the orcs had continued to follow them as they splashed and bobbed down the river. Had Draco been able to process the murky thoughts that swirled around in his brain better, he would have helped but...from where he was, the company seemed to be doing just fine, although having the elves scaling the trees and shooting orcs down had its benefits as well.
Thorin tossed as many weapons around to the dwarves so they would at least have some better defenses than the small daggers Bilbo had managed to procure. Dwalin smashed an orc with his bare head and sent it sprawling into the fast moving water. However what did catch Draco's attention was when the barrel that contained the fat one...Bombu...no, Bombur, went sailing over his head and crashed onto the shore, coincidentally taking out multiple orcs. Draco snorted then gasped in pain as his injured leg knocked against the side of the barrel.
His head jolted to the side as an elf, the blonde haired prince-y one, jumped across the river using the company as stepping stones. The elf wasn't heavy, but every small movement caused Draco's leg to excruciatingly burn. Someone had sent an orc tumbling down into his barrel and into him, and for a moment, Draco saw stars. Bloody hell, he swore vehemently when the barrel twisted and fell down another waterfall. The orcs tore after them in vain, but Draco hazily watched as their forms became smaller and smaller and were soon left behind.
It was then, that the water became more peaceful, and by some miracle, the elves had stopped pursuing the company.
The company drifted and paddled along the river until the reached the shore. It took all of Draco's strength to haul his barrel over to the rocks where waterlogged dwarves were stumbling around, wringing out their clothes.
"Malfoy!" He heard Hermione gasp out when she saw him sitting down on the rocks, moaning in pain. "Draco!"
She rushed to his side and took in his injury with wide eyes. "I'm fine," he bit out.
"Uh huh," She nodded sarcastically. Hermione waved a dwarf over, Oin, and asked him what he could do.
"Not much. We gotta pull the arrow out, laddie. And it's gonna hurt." Oin grimaced.
"Okay," was all he managed to choke out. His eyelids began to droop. A sharp snap and stinging pain on his face brought him back to reality.
Hermione looked down at his leg with a slightly guilty expression. Slightly.
"On three," Oin informed Draco. "One, Two,"
"Ahh! Merlin's f-!" Draco cursed profusely in language that would have made Weasley proud.
"Get him up," Thorin Oaken-ass looked down on him, completely disregarding the fact the Draco had just had an arrow pulled from his leg. An arrow that he took so that Thorin could survive.
"Draco's wounded." Hermione protested hotly. "His leg needs binding."
"There is an orc pack on our tail. We must keep moving."
"And he's going to die before we get anywhere!" She exclaimed.
Thorin sighed and rubbed his eyes. "You have two minutes."
Hermione didn't waste a second. She quickly cleaned the blood, ignoring his hiss of pain. After a few quick drops of Essence of Dittany, she bound his leg tightly to prevent it from bleeding any more. "You fool, Draco. Why did you do that?"
"I don't know, Granger. Quit asking me stupid questions I don't have answers for." He snapped.
"And the Slytherin is back." Hermione rolled her eyes. "That was a pretty Gryffindor move for you to make."
"Don't remind me." Draco closed his eyes. "I mainly did it to save my own skin."
"I think you did it because you-" She trailed off, looking over his shoulder in surprise.
Draco twisted around and…saw yet another person pointing an arrow at him. "Bloody hell, I am done taking arrows for this bloody group of dwarves!" He exclaimed. He picked up a stone that was next to him and made to throw it at him when it was shot out of his hands.
"Do it again and you're dead." The man, yes a human, warned.
"Excuse me, but um...you're from Lake-town, if I'm not mistaken? That barge over there, it wouldn't be available for hire by any chance?" Balin, ever the diplomatic one, asked.
The man considered it for a moment before heading down to his barge and began to load the empty barrels they had rode in onto the boat.
Hermione helped Draco stand, but couldn't bear his full weight, so she asked Kili to come over and help him up. Together the three hobbled down to where the rest of the company was bartering with the man.
"I'll wager there are ways to enter the town unseen." Balin inquired.
"Aye, but for that you would need a smuggler." Bard agreed.
"And for that, we would pay double."
The man pondered this for a moment, and finally consented, stepping aside and letting the company aboard his barge. He glanced at Draco and Hermione curiously, wondering what two humans were doing in the presence of dwarves, but he said nothing.
The dwarves argued amongst themselves, like always, until Balin persuaded each of them to turn out their pockets to pay the man, Bard. They all grumbled about it, but soon enough the table was filled with glimmering gold coins.
"There's err…a wee problem." Balin confessed. "We're ten coins short."
Draco had really hoped they wouldn't come to this. He had kept a few coins from the troll cave when Hermione had told him to leave the money. He knew that to survive, anywhere really, your main bargaining chip would always be money. As was the case now. He'd kept the gold, hoping to spend it on something worthwhile, but as he was still slightly delirious from the pain of his injury, and if he would allow himself to admit, scared of Bard, he grimaced and decided to cough up his share.
Draco slowly reached into his pockets and handed forward five coins. But they still were five short. It just so happened that Gloin had not paid his share yet, and he was the only one who adamantly refused. However, when the dwarves caught sight of their Lonely Mountain, standing majestically in the mist, Gloin hastily turned in all his money.
It wasn't a moment too soon, because Bilbo had cleared his throat to warn the company as Bard approached them.
"Give me the money, quick." He demanded.
"We will pay you when we get our provisions, not before." Thorin glared up at Bard.
"If you value your freedom, you will do as I say." Bard insisted. "There are guards ahead."
With one last distrustful glare, Thorin reluctantly handed over their coins. Bard had them climb into the barrels, which Draco made sure to do with much grumbling and complaining. He winced in pain as his leg gave a painful throb. And then, to make matters worse, he found fish, dead fish being dumped on his head. He felt nauseous and wanted to throw up as the stench of the fish invaded his nostrils and fogged his mind.
Draco faintly heard arguing and the sound of fish being dumped into the lake, when Bard gave a sharp shout, and someone called the dumping off.
"The Master has his eye on you. You'll do well to remember, we know where you live." The person threatened.
"It's a small town, Alfrid," Bard retorted. "Everyone knows where everyone lives."
Draco felt his barrel being turned over, quite unceremoniously. He lay, sprawled out for a moment on the ground trying to control his pain, when a hand helped him up. Bard patted his shoulder then moved on to the other barrels. After Granger was dumped out, she stumbled towards him and gave him a once-over, checking to make sure he was alright.
"M'fine," He mumbled.
She only gave him a withering look before stalking after Bard. He watched as she conversed with him for a moment, the two glancing in his direction before he nodded. She walked back to him and grabbed his hand.
Draco looked at her curiously. "Well if you wanted to hold my hand, all you had to do was ask." He couldn't help drawling.
"Shut up, Malfoy. Bard's given us permission to apparate into his house. I told him you were too weak to travel anymore."
"I'm not weak," Malfoy protested lightly, before his leg gave another painful twitch and he grimaced. It sure had bloody good timing.
"Right," Hermione said sarcastically before turning on the spot and the duo vanished with a crack.
A/N:To possibly clear things up Hermione apparated knowing the address of Bard's house, he gave it to her when she was talking to him and asking for permission to apparate into his house.
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~lilyevansmrspotter