Hey everyone! I am really sorry for the super late update. But I couldn't really.. I was BRAIN DEAD with Ideas. But my beta (xaNicole) helped me out. And I THANK her for helping (:
I know its really late, but I hope you guys still like it.
ENJOY :DDD
Draco sat on his bed. Thinking of what had just happened. His terrible dream, Hermione waking him up, and their little talk.
You must stay…
He knew that he had to go to the Manor and save his mother. But, what if it was a trap like Hermione had said. What if it wasn't and his mother was really getting tortured.
Your mother is a strong woman…
If you go in now, all her efforts will be gone..
He lied back down and pulled the covers over him then turned to his side and faced the window.
Stay for Dumbledore and Snape who went through all the trouble to get you here, this far.. Stay safe for them.. For me as well.. Don't go and Regret it. We don't want you hurt.
"Why would she want me to stay?" Draco asked himself.
Sure, they are civil to each other already. They have gotten along these few weeks already. But, why would she want him to stay? She despised him.
Just as Draco was about to sleep he heard a tapping noise out his window.
"Who the bloody hell could that be." He grumbled as he got up and went over to the window. He pulled the curtains away and saw the same owl that had given him the letter from his Aunt Bellatrix.
He let the bird in and took the letter that was attached to its left leg and shooed it out the window. Draco looked at the seal and saw the Malfoy Crest on it. He broke the seal, unfolded the parchment and, with a shaky sigh, read the letter that was written in frantic, messy scrawl.
Draco,
We feel the need to inform you that your mother, in our possession, is not doing so well. Struggling does no good. She needs to learn that we do not appreciate rebels and traitors. Give yourself up. Now. You no longer have any options. If you fail to do so, we will continue to torture your mother... or maybe even worse.
- Auntie Bella
"I'm going to miss you all so much.." Jayda said as she hugged everyone. She stopped in front of Hermione and Draco. "I know we're not as close, but thank you. For everything the both of you had done.. Josh told me all about the behind the scenes things about that concert at school." She chuckled.
"Its no problem." Hermione said said, hugging Jayda.
Jayda went over to Josh and gave him a fierce hug. "I am going to miss you so much!."
Josh hugged her back with all he had, trying not to break down there in front of her and his friends, "I'm gonna miss you too Jay."
He backed away and took something out of his pocket.
"Turn around.." he told her softly.
Jayda did as she was told then Josh put the necklace on her. It was a heart shaped pendant with a part missing... almost as if a key would fit to complete the shape. The inscription on her necklace said: He who holds the key can unlock my heart.
Jayda looked at it and turned around to face Josh, tears in her eyes, she hugged him. "I love you.."
Josh took his own necklace out, "I have the key." He smiled.
"You'll always have the key to my heart." She replied leaning towards him and giving him a kiss.
"Jayda!" her father called. "We have to go check in now."
"Coming!" She looked at them all once again. "Thank you all so much. I could never ask for better when it comes to you guys." She went over to them and they all shared a big hug. Once they were don't, she went over to Josh and gave him a hug. She looked up and kissed him as her tears were running loose.
"I love you." Josh said to her, "Never forget that."
The duo were in the lounge room relaxing. Hermione on the carpeted floor reading and Draco on the couch.
"Draco?"
"Yeah?"
"Can we talk?" she asked as she put her book on the table.
"Uhh,sure. What about?"
"Us. And where we stand."
"What do you mean?"
"Like, we're tolerating each other right now.. We're getting along.. But what happens to us when we get back to Hogwarts?" she shifted to a more comfortable position. "Will we still act like how we are right now, or.. Will we hate each other like we used to and forget all this ever happened?"
Draco didn't know what to say. He wasn't sure what was going to happen. Will they act the same and go back to hating each other or stay like this. Civil towards each other. Well, you can't even call it civil anymore! They were much closer than civil. And he couldn't even concentrate right now! The letter he got from his aunt Bellatrix was still fresh in his mind. They had his mother. They were torturing her. And it was his fault.
"I- ummm, I really don't know."
"Oh.. Okay."
"What do you think?"
"Umm, I don't know either. I mean, it is a bit weird. Don't you think. Gryffindor and Slytherin getting along? Tolerating each other. It's a bit out of character don't you think?"
He nodded.
"Draco.. Is there something wrong?"
"No. Nothing."
"You are lying. I know when a person is lying Draco."
"Its nothing! Okay?" he retorted.
"Okay then. If you don't mind. I'll be going to my room." She got up and went up the stairs.
"Hermione!" Draco called running over to her. "Wait. I'm sorry. Just.."
"Yes?" she replied coldy.
"I need to show you something." He told her as he took her arm and brought her to his room.
Hermione sat looked at him skeptically and asked, "Why did you bring me here?"
"You sound like I'm going to bloody have a go at you or something." He wiggled his eyebrows, "Unless you want me to, Granger."
"Ugh, you're a pig Malfoy. Now what did you want?"
He took a letter out of his pillow case and gave it to her. "Read it."
Hermione looked at the back of the letter and saw the Malfoy seal, she unfolded the parchment and read it. Her eyes widened then looked at Draco.
"They tortured her?"
Draco nodded.
"We need to tell the Order about this, Draco. They need to know."
"How though? I can't leave this house or this place. "
"Let's just send them an owl." Hermione scratched the top of her head, "But then, we don't have an owl here…"
"How do you not have an owl, Granger?"
"This isn't a family of wizards, Malfoy. We're Muggles, remember? Having an owl would be strange."
"Well how do you expect to send a letter to the Order if you have no owl?"
Hermione thought for a moment before gasping excitedly and fumbling for her wand.
"What?"
"We can communicate by Patronus!"
"What?" Draco repeated.
"It's a type of communication that only the Order uses. Dumbledore invented it and only members of the Order know how to do it."
"Oh. But I can't…"
"You can't cast a Patronus?"
"And I suppose you do?"
"Why yes, Malfoy, I do."
Hermione took out her wand and cried, "Expecto Patronum!" and a silvery mist shot out of her wand, forming the shape of an otter.
"Your Patronus is an otter?"
"That's more than I can say for you."
Draco was going to make a comeback, but slowly closed his mouth.
"That's what I thought.
Hermione turned to the Patronus and spoke in a loud clear voice.
"Narcissa Malfoy is in danger. Death Eaters have captured and tortured her for information on Draco. Please send return owl or Patronus as soon as possible. Draco's being a baby and wants to know now."
"Hey!"
The silver otter shot out the window leaving behind a silver mist.
"An otter… that's really brave, Hermione."
"Shut it, Malfoy, at least I can cast a Patronus!"
"Well, we didn't all have the privilege to be in Dumbledore's Army now did we?"
"Are you saying you want me to teach you how to cast a Patronus?"
"No!"
"Draco…"
"Yes…"
A smug smile settled on Hermione's face.
"That's what I thought."
ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo
It had been an hour and a half and Draco had managed the weakest form of a Patronus.
"Expecto Patronum!" he cried again, causing nothing but a silver mist to escape his hand, "This is hopeless."
"No it isn't," Hermione said, "All of our Patronuses started out like that. You just need to practice more… focus on the happiest memory you have. Let it fill you up with happiness and release that happiness into your Patronus. The dementors suck happiness from your soul… fight them with the happiness they're trying to take. That's the point of a Patronus!"
Draco sighed and closed his eyes, seeming to be deep in thought. He opened them with a fearless look in his eyes, raised his wand and cried, "Expecto Patronum!"
Bright, silver light erupted from his wand and a silver animal shot out and bounded around the room before disappearing in a thin, silver mist. Draco, rather proud of what he had just done, looked over at Hermione to see her doubled over in laughter.
"What?"
"Your… your Patronus!" she giggled.
"What about my Patronus? I thought it was rather good."
"Did you not see what animal it was, Draco?" She said, falling into another fit of giggles that left her unable to speak.
"No… what? Expecto Patronum!" He cried. The small animal shot out of his wand again, twisting and looping around in the air before disappearing in a silver mist.
His Patronus, much to his dismay, was a ferret.
"A… a…"
"A ferret!" Hermione squealed, giggling again.
"No, Granger, how do you change your Patronus? Granger!"
"You… you… you can't! The only way you could do that is through some sort of… of…" Hermione paused to giggle some more, "Through some sort of emotional upheaval. Like if you were to fall deeply in love with someone, your Patronus would change into something like theirs."
He let out a low growl as he stomped his way up to his room, murmuring words like, "Bloody ferret. Stupid Patronus.."
Hermione couldn't stop laughing until she heard the door slam.
"Hey Hermione." Kate greeted.
"Oh, hey guys. What brings you here?"
All three stepped to the side revealing Josh. And damn, he looked horrible.
Kate leaned towards Hermione, "He had a bit of a break down yesterday when Jay left. James and Bryan went over to his house just to be sure and they found him on the bed just there. Honestly, thought he was dead or something. He didn't move until they sat on his bed."
"Aww." Hermione went up to Josh and gave him a big hug and rubbed circles on his back, "It's gonna be okay Josh."
She pulled back then let them all come in and they went into the lounge room.
"Hey, Hermione. Where's Draco?" Bryan asked.
"Oh, probably still in his room. " she giggled, "Mad at me."
Kate looked at her, "Why?"
"It was nothing. Just. Well, something came up with him and well, we just practiced some magic. Its called a Patronus."
"What's a Patronus?" James asked,
"Well, its this shield, I guess. But it can also be a use of communication as well. But only for those special witches and wizards."
"And your one of those special witches, right?"
"Yes. So anyways, your Patronus will take the shape of an animal. Mine is an otter."
"Oh, I think I know why its an otter.." Bryan chuckled. "Remember that time when we all went to the marine thing. We got to play with the sea animals there. Hermione really bonded with that one otter. Ummm, what was its name again?"
"It was a she." Josh said, shocking everyone because he had spoke, "And her name was Quinn."
"Oh yeah. Hermione really got attached to her, didn't you Hermione.?"
She nodded. "Yeah. I always went there to go visit and play with her until… until she passed."
Josh put an arm around her shoulder, " Well, at least she is in a better place, right?"
"Yeah. And I guess that is why my Patronus is an otter, huh?" Hermione smiled weakly.
"Yeah."
" Oh come on you guys!" James exclaimed. "It's a beautiful day! Let's go to the park or something. Let's have a picnic! Something. Let's just hang out like the old days when Hermione would visit."
"Yeah you guys. I miss hanging out and everything." Said Bryan. He turned to James, "You go and get Draco out of bed and we'll get the picnic basket ready."
"Got it." James smiled.
So..
What did you all think of this chapter?
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If you want to see the necklace Josh gave to Jayda, it will be on my profile :D
I want to know what you all think.
And I really want to know if I should continue.. Because it kinda seems like i'm not doing a real good job with this story. But i REAALLLYY want you all to know what the secret is!
So, tell me.
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- loverdearestMaria