Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Harry Potter, except those that clearly aren't from J.K. Rowling's stories. And since I expect anyone reading this by now to be a complete HP aficionado, I'm sure you'll know which ones they are.
Chapter 10 — Snow Day
There were many times over the next few days when Draco had to bite his lip to keep from falling back into his old acrid habits. Making life miserable for someone for seven years was a difficult routine to break. If Hermione noticed his struggle, she said nothing, treating him with a nonchalant friendliness that was far better than the fawning thuggery Crabbe and Goyle usually showed him, but which left him strangely unsatisfied as well.
The two teens spent their days in the library, undisturbed by inquisitive students. They would pour for hours over Hermione's notebook, trying to determine which ancient relic could be doubling as a Horcrux, and where it might be hidden.
"Hermione, I'm bored," Draco said one afternoon, stretching his long limbs and looking longingly out the window. "We haven't gotten anywhere yet."
"Exactly!" Hermione exclaimed. "We can't stop now. Voldemort is getting stronger and we don't even have a list of all the possible Horcruxes yet!"
She smoothed down the edges of her parchment restively. Draco sighed and gazed out at the pristine snow-covered landscape. Harry pawed forlornly at the window, looking just as restless as Draco felt.
"Have you ever considered that Harry might be a Horcrux?" Draco spoke up suddenly. "I mean, it would make sense, wouldn't it? He's always boasting about that weird connection he has to Voldemort."
"Harry doesn't boast," Hermione said distractedly. "Although, I have to admit, the thought has crossed my mind."
She added "Harry" to the parchment she was staring at, along with a large scarlet question mark. Draco came over and stood behind her, rubbing her shoulders absently while he peered at what she had written.
"So we have Marvolo's ring, Riddle's diary, and Salazar's locket, all destroyed," he mused.
"That leaves something of Hufflepuff's, Ravenclaw's, and Gryffindor's," Hermione said, trying not to show how light-headed Draco's circling thumbs were making her feel. "We know that the Hufflepuff Horcrux is some type of golden cup. The only known artifact of Gryffindor's is his sword, which is definitely not a Horcrux. I think it's safe to assume that Voldemort never got around to making a Gryffindor Horcrux."
"So, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw, and possibly Harry. I'm pretty sure that Nagini is a Horcrux, too," Draco said. Hermione looked at him in surprise.
"That would make sense," she confirmed slowly. "When Nagini attacked Mr. Weasley, Harry said he saw it from Nagini's point of view. We all thought that was because Voldemort was controlling her, but if Nagini she hosts a part of Voldemort's soul, it would explain why Harry could see through her eyes."
"Which leads us back to why Harry has this connection in the first place," Draco added. "Didn't you say that Dumbledore told Harry that Voldemort had transferred some of his powers to him the night he tried to kill him? You know as well as I do that a wizard's power is indistinguishable from the wizard. The only way a transference would be possible is if Voldemort accidentally gave Harry a piece of his soul."
"An accidental Horcrux," Hermione gloomed, feeling her stomach lurch slightly as she accepted the truth of Draco's words. "Rare, but entirely possible when someone has split their soul as many times as Voldemort has."
Draco suddenly laughed, dropping back into his chair; Hermione tried not to look disappointed as the kneading of his thumbs stopped. "Oh, I can just see the look on all the faces of everyone who thinks Potter is so perfect, so golden. Wouldn't it be a riot if they knew he was harboring a piece of Voldemort's soul?"
"Yes, a real hoot. Tell me Draco, how are we going to destroy that piece of soul without killing Harry as well?" Hermione demanded.
Draco immediately sobered. Together, they mulled over the possibilities for another half hour, before Draco finally pushed back his chair and stood up.
"Enough Hermione, I'm fried. We're not going to get any closer to the answers thinking about this now. I'm going to go out and have some fun, and you are coming with me."
"No, if you're leaving, I need to work on my potions essay," Hermione demurred, packing away their papers in her bag.
Draco stared at her, aghast. "Hermione, you have three more weeks! Give yourself a break."
"Really, it's okay. I'll see you at dinner?" She brushed a stray curl out of her eyes.
"No, it's not okay." A wicked grin sprouted on the boy's face. "You are going to have some fun whether you like it or not!"
So saying, he snatched her bookbag from her hands and took off running, earning an angry shout from Madam Pince.
"Malfoy!" Hermione yelled, chasing him down the corridor. "You give that back this instant, do you hear?"
Ooh, that boy, she steamed, almost slipping on a patch of ice as she followed him out of the castle and onto the grounds. Wait until I get my hands around his wonderfully pale neck….
Suddenly a snowball hit the side of her head.
"Oh!" she gasped as crystalline ice seeped down the neck of her robe. She caught a glimpse of Draco as he ducked behind the corner of the castle.
"So that's how it's going to be, is it?"
Hermione smirked as she scooped up a handful of white and began to pack down snow.
-:-+-:-+-:-+-:-
Draco peered around the corner. Hermione was gone. Cautiously he ventured out, snowball at the ready. A clod of white burst against the back of his head.
"There you are!" he cried, ready to lob his weapon at the apparently defenseless girl. That's when the huge ball of snow she'd enchanted to hover over him fell.
"Not cool," Draco muttered, attempting to climb out of the mountain of snow pinning him to the ground.
Hermione couldn't help it. The sight of Draco covered in ice, his blond hair plastered at odd angles and looking utterly shocked was too much for her. She began to giggle, covering her mouth with her hands as she hunched over, consumed with mirth.
"Stay back," she warned as Draco finally worked his way out of the drift and stalked towards her, a large clump of snow in his hand. She put out her hand as if to stop his advance, still doubled over laughing. "I mean it," she giggled, and then shrieked as Draco pounced, shoving ice-cold snow down her shirt.
The two teens fell over, wrestling in the frigid powder, their hands flying as they rapidly tried to shove snow down each other's collars while avoiding the next sally. Finally they came to a stop, their faces red with the cold and panting heavily. Hermione discovered that she was lying half-sprawled on Draco, her face very close to his. Almost without knowing what she was doing she bent over, the tips of her lips touching his….
"We'd better go back inside," she said, pushing away from the boy and shivering with more than the cold.
"Yeah," Draco said, his lips tingling from where she had almost kissed him.
Unable to meet the other's eyes, the two youths walked back into the castle.
Chapter 10 Summary:
Draco and Hermione devise a list of possible Horcruxes, and have a friendly fight in the snow.