Absolute Gravity

Chapter 9: Too Close For Comfort

A/N: Thank you for your continuous support! This isn't a very nice chapter to be honest but we have reached that point in the story.

Sunlight illuminated the dust moats that swirled through the air. Draco watched them, bored stiff. He was sitting alongside a windowsill as Astoria curled up beside him, flicking through pages of her textbook. They had been seeing each other a lot more over the past few days, getting to know each other. He found she wasn't that bad, someone he got on with easily but not the person he wanted to marry. He knew the feelings were reciprocated.

She would be coming over for a few days in the fast approaching Christmas holidays to "bond" as Narcissa had put it.

"Draco?" she asked.

"Mhmm?"

She pushed her textbook towards him, pointing a painted fingernail at an diagram. "Does this count as counter Transfiguration?"

He leaned forwards to get a better look before nodding, "Barely, though. If you can find stronger examples then use them but if not, that'll do."

She muttered a word of thanks before continuing her search. He let his thoughts drift to Granger. She would be able to find something for Astoria in seconds. Compared to Granger he was pretty useless in Transfiguration. He pressed his lips together. He ached with the thought of her.

His gaze moved as he looked out the window and over the grounds. Granger, Potter and the Weasleys were walking through the frosty grounds. A scarf was wrapped around her neck, a bobble hat sitting over her curls. Both striped with her house colours. He saw her flash a toothy grin in Potter's direction before he pulled her into a sideways hug, their arms slung about each other. He clenched his jaw. Fucking Potter. As if he didn't hate the bugger already.

"You really hate Potter, eh?" Astoria inquired teasingly, a small smirk gracing her face.

He turned back to her, "Yeah, he's a dick."

She laughed, "I don't even know how you work with his Mudblood." He stiffened, a gentle anger started to pulse through his veins "I mean look at her," Astoria scowled as she watched Granger, "So full of herself, so ugly. Can't she-"

"She's not ugly," Draco said sharply.

Astoria snapped back around to him, "I'm sorry- what?"

"Regardless of what she is, you cannot deny she's beautiful. I mean she was awkward looking when we were young but through the years she's sort of… blossomed," Draco finished, gently.

There was an awkward silence in which Astoria stared at him, horrified. Draco quickly realised his mistake, "Come on, you don't think I actually like her?" He forced a laugh. Terror struck chords in his heart, making his breaths shallow.

She narrowed her eyes, "But the way you spoke about her…"

He rolled his eyes. "I'm not blind, Astoria. I may not like the fact but she is beautiful… but at least that's ruined by her hideous personality and of course, being a Mudblood and all," he lied smoothly.

Astoria exhaled, "Fuck, Draco. You had me worried I thought you were some sort of Mud Lover or something." He chuckled and hoped she couldn't hear his fear through it. Fortunately, she looked satisfied and returned to her book. The blood was still pounding in his ears when she said her goodbyes half an hour later.

Too. Fucking. Close.

The warmth from Harry's last hug was fading from her, allowing the cool air to engulf her. A shiver rippled up her spine as she tugged her scarf tighter around her neck and she started to regret giving Ginny her hat back now. She started to climb the stairs towards her common room when she heard a scuffle of shoes.

Hermione's heart jumped and the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. Why was she scared? There was no reason to be scared, her head reasoned. Students come around this staircase all of the time. Yet she couldn't ignore her instincts.

But before she could look, someone grabbed her by her hair and threw her against a wall. Her head slammed into the stone and immediately the world started spinning, dark spots speckled the world as nausea churned throughout her. She heard a whisper of someone casting a spell before the world went black. She blinked frantically but to no avail. They had used a blinding curse.

Strong arms pushed up against her, forcing her back up against the wall. She felt a wand dig into her neck. "Now listen here, Mudblood," a voice growled. She couldn't identify the voice. She assumed they'd used a cloaking charm on it. "We hear you've been getting too close to Draco."

She choked out, "Well you must be an idiot if you thi-" Something hard slammed into her nose- a fist probably. Her nose crunched and she felt blood start to trail down her face.

"You're not here to talk. This is a warning. Stay away."

Then the force and the wand lifted away from her. She heard footsteps echo away from her and then terror swept through her, making her even dizzier. She still couldn't see. She wracked her frazzled brain for information about counter curses or how long a curse like this might last. Finally, white splotches started to appear and then the whole staircase came into view.

She gripped the banister and hauled her way up towards the common room. She was trained in healing. She could heal herself without having to travel halfway across the castle. She stumbled into the common room, then everything lurched violently. She thought she heard Malfoy's voice but she couldn't tell. She saw blood drop down from her and onto the wood below her before everything went black.

Draco was sitting on the sofa, scanning through his textbook and scribbling notes for his potion essay when he heard the common room door swing open. He lifted his head to make a sarcastic comment about the time when he saw her. Blood was dripping from her now crooked nose and it had splashed down her scarf. She leaned against the side of the entrance, breathing heavily. "Granger?" He suddenly didn't care about how scared he sounded or about how he was close to ruining everything or about who he was supposed to marry. Honestly, he didn't care about anything except her.

She didn't respond. He saw her start to sway. He lurched forward and caught her as she crumpled. He held her for awhile, his whole body rigid with panic. Then he lifted her, brought her up the stairs into her room and laid her on her bed. When he lifted his hands from behind her head they came out scarlet.

"Oh god."

He wrenched his wand out and hastily started muttering spells. Thank God his mother had insisted he spend time over last summer in a Healer training course By the time he had finished healing her, the blood had dried. He swallowed. He could use a spell and get it all off her but he decided take a cloth, wet it and start to gently wipe the blood from her face.

As he was cleaning her, his heart-beat began to slow again as her breathes began deeper and slower. She would be fine. Now he had time to wonder and to figure out what had happened to her.

Bile crawled up his throat as the realization suddenly came to him. They had attacked her. Astoria was known for her deep blood hate. She had told them what he said and they attacked her. He drew the cloth away from her and brushed his shaking fingers along her peaceful face.

He couldn't put her in that danger again. He felt tears sting in his eyes. He pressed his lips softly against hers before he stood up and left, with the blood soaked cloth still in his hand.

Hermione sat frozen in Dumbledore's office. It was late morning.

She had taken awhile, when she had awoken in her own bed with her wounds healed, to figure out if her attack had actually happened or if it had been a cruel dream. It was the bloodstains on her pillow which made a halo around her head and the blotches of dried blood on the Common Room floor that finally convinced her.

Once she knew that she had raced towards to Gryffindor common room, knowing full well Harry, Ron and Ginny would not have gotten out of bed yet. She had shook them awake and retold them her story. Harry and Ron immediately flamed up, yelling and planning out over ambitious revenge plans on Slytherins because "it has to be the Slytherins, Hermione!"

Then, with the help of Ginny, she calmed them down. "You have to tell Dumbedlore," Harry had urged.

"No, I wouldn't want to-" But they wouldn't hear it. Now, at eleven thirty-two she was planted in front of the headmaster with Harry beside her, holding her hand encouragingly.

"Now Miss Granger," Dumbledore began, "Tell me exactly what happened." And so she did.

"Couldn't she just use your Pensieve to see who it was?" Harry asked Dumbledore.

"Pensieve's use memories," Hermione answered robotically, "If I never saw who it was they'll just be black ghost like figures in the Pensieve."

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled, "Presicely, Miss Granger."

"I don't understand why they've attacked now," Ginny murmured, "Hermione and Malfoy's relationship hasn't changed. I mean, obviously you two work together but you still clearly don't like each other." Hermione avoided Dumbledore's piercing gaze.

"I don't understand why it was so violent. I didn't know people were still that prejudiced," Harry replied.

"Remember there was that protest in Diagon Alley over the summer," Hermione said quietly, "People were dressed in black, wearing Death Eater masks, shouting about rebuilding You-Know-Who's army. 'Death to the Mudbloods' they were saying."

Harry's grip tightened on her hand, "So people are getting restless?"

Dumbledore nodded, his expression serious, "I expected them to do so. When there were so many rumours escaped after Peter Pettigrew's trial about Voldemort-" Ginny and Ron winced. "-potentially still being out there, many dedicated Death Eaters became eager to see their Lord. It's taken them awhile but they've finally grown the courage and members to begin."

"Lucius Malfoy was at the trial," Harry said darkly.

"As were many other former Death Eaters," Dumbledore agreed.

"So you think they are searching for You-Know-Who and they want to bring him back?" Ginny whispered.

A long silence echoed throughout the room.

Dumbledore sighed, "I'm afraid so."

"Then we know who to go after," Harry said decisively. Hermione raised her head to look at him. He raised an eyebrow at her, "Isn't it obvious? Malfoy."

No.

"Oh don't look at me like that, Hermione. If they went after you because you were 'too close' to Malfoy, clearly he's gotten them on you because he thinks your close to finding out their secret," Harry explained.

"He wouldn't-"

"He's a Slytherin, Hermione," Ron insisted.

She frowned disapprovingly, "I don't think that's enough reason to-"

Harry sighed, "Hermione, listen. I know you don't want to think so because of that whole 'see the best in everyone' thing you've got going on but it makes sense that it would be Malfoy."

She nibbled her lip, "Harry…"

"Just look at the way he treats you. How he bullies and humiliates you," Ginny urged.

'Does it surprise you that your enemy tried to humiliate you?'

Dumbledore fixed his gaze on her, "Do you think we should go after Mr Malfoy?"

"Why should I decide?" she asked, startled.

"Surely, you know him best," Dumbledore said innocently but his sparkling eyes hinted to a deeper meaning.

'I know exactly who you are, Granger.'

"I'll… I'll keep an eye on him."

Dumbledore smiled brightly contrasting to her friend's outraged expressions, "Good. Now that that's settled I can assure you I have been aware of the growing situation for awhile and now I will begin planning our move against it. I will keep you informed."

"But Malfoy-" Harry began.

"Is under Miss Granger's watch. I'm sure she can manage him," Dumbledore cut him off. Hermione resisted the urge to squirm under the professor's gaze.

Draco avoided the common room like the plague. Even after he had removed all of the blood, the smell still remained. This was what he had been so carefully avoiding, drawing the attention of the new generation Death Eaters. It was easier now Lucius was out of the house but he had still heard whispering from his friends and he knew some of them had joined up. They wanted him to join them. He knew that.

He was walking up to them. To those whose arms hissed and twitched from the presence of the Dark Mark. He didn't know what was he was doing or if it was even safe. He just knew he had to protect her.

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