Hahaha, no, I'm not kidding you! Yes an update after only...what, 3 days? Feel free to bow at my feet *smirks haughtily*. Nah, you know I'm just joking around. Really, I'm bowing at YOUR feet, for being amazing ;-)
This chapter is dedicated to Kristina. No shit, when I got your review, I decided maybe I'd push for a few more hours and get this upn WAY earlier than I intended, just so you can read it while you're still under the weather. That's the best way to spend sick days. :-)
Responses:
MysteryShadow101: omg! I'm so sorry. I totally thought I spelled everyone's name right! Bad Ginger, bad Ginger! Yes, the 101 gives it an awesome ring to it. Kudos, man. Random fact: I want to live in San Francisco when I grow up. Hope you like the super-fast update and thanks for reviewing!
H.E.A.R.T.4.L.I.F.E: Yes, it was somewhat raunchy (my computer says that's the correct spelling, but I dunno), but that was exactly what I was going for. I hope you didn't find it tasteless or something, like my mom and the show Family Guy. Lol. BTW, a cliffhanger is, surprisingly, supposed to be...cliffhanging (apparently that's a real word, according to my computer. You're just chalk full of grammatical surprises, aren't you, H4L?). Thanks for reviewing.
Bethy Ann: Thanks! It's kind of a hard thing to explain, but I did my best. And extra thanks for such a compliment. If it weren't for you guys and sentences like that, I probably wouldn't keep writing. 3! And since that's a vague question, I'll answer it. The person is in either Slytherin or Gryffindor. Not telling who, though! *grins* Enjoy!
Jacquelinedanvers: Thank you so much! I totally agree with you on the DMHG in the books thing. Too bad the HP series is a kid's book and doesn't really have too much romance. Hell, Jo doesn't even go into great detail about Harry and Ginny's relationship, which makes me sad *tear*. Luckily, that's what romance fanfictions are for. ;-)
SeraphimeRising: That's a really cool story. I didn't know that about angels, but then again I'm Jewish/polytheistic/a couple of other things, so angels never really came up in my lines of religious interests. Anywho, enjoy the chapter!
X-Someday-Somehow-X: Thank you so much. It's really cool of you to say that. And it makes me exponentially happy that you'll try out that whole sky thing. That was secretly a hope of mine, that some of my readers would take the hint and attempt it themselves, so gold star for you. I'll probably put in a bit more about all that so you can learn ;-D. Oh, and I totally knew where your name came from. I like that song by Nickelback. Anywho, thanks for reviewing.
HarryPotterFanGirlForever: interestingly enough, you were the first to guess correctly after 6 wrong-answered review. I won't tell you which, but it's one of them. Then again, it's not hard to figure out. Which would be more likely to hide in the shadows? Enjoy ch18!
Pheebster1405: one of your guesses is right! But I can't say which. Don't worry, all will be revealed in time. 'And the mists of the future unfog themselves slowly, slowly drifting along'- To Sing or not to Creep, a poem by Stephanie Zimmerman. ;-) alrighty, read on.
Joseph Santiago: I hate candy canes! Well, actually, it's more that I'm allergic to anything with mint or menthol in it, so, you know... I guess that counts as a random fact, right? Anywho, yes you are correct. But WHICH ONE? Nobody knows... 'cept me o'course. Thanks for reviewing!
Child 4 Life: Assuming you live in the northern hemisphere, lemme guess: you're either a freshie or a sophomore, eh? I totally get that... only I'm on the other end of the spectrum. I don't turn 17 until November, and I'm already a Junior! I'm the youngest in my grade. Good thing I don't care about being immature because, I agree, growing up is overrated! Like the song in peter pan... "if growing up means it will be beneath my dignity to climb a tree I'll never grow up, never grow up, never grow up, NOT ME!" lol, just had to add that. Polytheistic tendencies isn't a phrase in and of itself. It means that I tend to lean more toward Polytheism (you know, like Apollo and Persephone and Hades and Hera, etc.) as my own religious ideas go. I say 'tendencies' only because I don't actually believe in any 1 religion, even though I am technically Jewish, I just have a bunch of ideas. Have you ever seen Dogma? Snape's actor is in it as the Voice of God. Anyway, there's this one part where this guy says that having beliefs is a bad idea, because beliefs just get people killed. Having ideas, now that's subtler, safer. Ummmmmm, yeah, so I'm done ranting, and enjoy the chapter.
Olioli80: Yes, it was quite hot, wasn't it? Mmmmm, giggity. Thanks. See I hate it when I read a lemon that's really vague and indescriptive, and I'm just thinking why write one at all? If you're gonna do a lemon, you should do it right. Glad you agree. Oh, I enjoy making people kind of insane. Did you know one of my unofficial life goals is to corrupt small children? It's fun ;-).
Kristina: no, I didn't forget to reply, even with the dedication. I can honestly say that that was one of the best reviews I've gotten. You're the absolute best, and that is why I dedicated this chapter to you. I've only ever made one dedication before, and that was for my bf, so I guess that's saying something, right? And I know what you mean about the 'crying out loud' because it's over. That's why I always check how many chapters there are, so it's less of a surprise when I get into an amazing story. Thank you for reviewing. I can honestly say that, yes it takes more time, but you should do it more often, generally. All authors appreciate feedback more than you know (unless you're an author, in which case you already know) so review whenever you can. And I totally agree with you! Only weird people (or small children...and even some of those, lol) don't like lemons. I mean, seriously! It's sex you can read! Which means it lasts as long as you want it to. *snorts* yeah, that sounded weird, but you get my drift. I love Draco Malfoy too. If he were my man, hell, I'd never leave my bedroom...or my house. It depends where we'd do it. *laughs embarrasedly* ANYWAY, I hear you like jokes. Here's one my uncle told me last night:
So a Frenchman, a Mexican, and a Californian are lounging on a fancy boat at sea. The Frenchman pulls out a bottle of wine. He drinks half of it and then throws the bottle overboard. The Mexican says, "Why'd you throw that wine overboard?" The Frenchman says, "In Francé we have tons of wine! It doesn't matter." A little while later, the Mexican grabs a burrito. He eats half of it, then throws the rest overboard. The Californian asks, "What did you do that for?" The Mexican replies, "En Mexico, we have so many burritos, who cares?" They continue to lounge.
And then the Californian throws the Mexican off the ship.
Funny, no? Hope this comes to you while you're well on your way to recovery. The flu sucks. Feel better!
Note: the speech Hermione made last chapter about looking at the sky and the clouds comes mainly from a poem I wrote a few months ago. That's why it sounds a little too eloquent and pretty. After all, I did tell you guys I am first and foremost a poet. Fanfiction comes only 1 rank further back on my priorities list, though, so no worries.
Chapter 18: Chaos on the Quidditch Field
"Okay, team, they're almost ready for us out there. Now you shouldn't be nervous. We've been practicing our arses off for this game, and we've gotten pretty damn good, if I do say so myself. Weather's great for a match—sunny and clear—but the wind's picked up in the last hour or so, so make sure you're aware of what direction it's blowing in. Also, I know it's cold out there, so make sure your gloves are tight and secure. We don't want anyone landing halfway through with frostbitten fingers.
"Ed," Draco nodded to his third year keeper, Edward Jonson, on the bench to his right. "Remember to be careful of your swerves. Keep the turns sharp and tight. Joan, Sharon," Draco similarly eyed the two tall sixth year beaters, Joan Suanders and Sharon Ettleburg, standing together in one corner of the locker rooms. "I know you're all about technique, but sometimes the best thing is to just hit that bludger for all you're worth away from one of us. Don't dally on a swing because you're not sure exactly where to hit it. As for you three," he turned to his Chasers, Kirke Shafran, Emma Rose, and Jason Ramirez, in fourth, fifth, and seventh years respectively, sitting on the benches in front and to his right. "We've been practicing those plays. They were designed with Gryffindor's strengths and weaknesses in mind. Stick to them...that means you Jason. I don't want to see your improvised acrobatics when the original plan would have sufficed."
Jason, closest to Draco in age and character, grinned cheekily. "But then again, the word 'suffice' could be used loosely in such circumstances."
Draco suppressed a laugh and scowled instead. "I mean it, Jason. Gryffindor's team is good. We've got to buckle down and work in order to beat them. So no showing off."
Jason rolled his eyes as the bell sounded for their entrance onto the pitch. Draco tightened one shin-guard, then led his team through the small locker area. Before they got to the doorway, though, he distinctly heard Jason mutter audibly, "no showing off unless it includes making a spectacular goal, in which case he'll not be scolding me, but bowing at my feet instead." Everyone chuckled at that.
Draco thought of saying something along the lines of whose job it really was to win the game, and therefore who was usually bowing to whom, but before he knew it they were on the field, and the trumpet blared for them to mount their brooms.
"Good luck!" Draco shouted as they took off, heading toward the scarlet-clad enemy approaching from the other end of the field.
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Hermione had never been a big fan of Quidditch. It seemed to her like just another game where people got hurt. It increased house divisions and created a rivalry that was generally bad for the school.
But she had friends on her team. Ginny was a Chaser, and Harry and Ron had stayed this year as Seeker and Keeper. Harry had been voted unanimous captain even though he was past his 7th year.
So instead of keeping warm with a book in the Gryffindor common room, she was out here in a cold that was all the more harsh from the loud winds, screaming along with the rest of Gryffindor.
Unusually though, she was much less annoyed about it as she normally was. This time she was going to get to watch Draco fly.
Of course, she had seen it before, but she had never made a conscious effort to study his movements, so Hermione was taking this chance to find out why the Slytherin team had made him captain.
And as she saw the two teams in opposing colors approaching each other from opposite ends of the field, her eyes were drawn, not to Harry, Ron, and Ginny as usual, but to Draco, at the front of his line of troops.
The hair that usually fell in his face was pushed back from the wind. He was leaning forward, his muscles taught and ready for the fight about to break out.
Hermione grinned to herself. She wasn't even sure who she wanted to win more.
This game would be fun to watch.
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The moment Draco had flown up to meet Madam Hooch everything felt right in the world. He had a good team that was ready for this. He'd had a wonderful day with Hermione yesterday. Everything was looking good for him and nothing could bring him down.
They were going to win, Draco could sense it.
But now he wasn't so sure. A half-hour into the game and Gryffindor was up 70-30. Ed was still swerving too slow and letting in half the shots that came his way. Joan was hesitating on her swings. Why can't my team just bloody listen to me?!
Draco was moments from flying down from the high circle he was making above the game to reprimand Ed, but his next save was right on point, so Draco decided to give the kid a few more tries.
For a good while there was an impasse. Neither team could make a goal on the other. Weasley was too good for the Slytherins to catch up, but Draco's chasers were too good for Gryffindor to increase their advantage.
That was one problem Draco saw in being a Seeker. Yeah, he was the decider of who won the game, but he didn't really get to participate, and it sometimes ended up stressing him out.
Time was running out. This was a perfect opportunity to find the Snitch and end the game before Gryffindor could get enough points to knock them out of the league, whether they won or not.
But it was hard. Draco had trouble concentrating on finding the Snitch when he was also attempting to follow the game. How could he do both at the same time?
And then a voice rang in his head...
It's not about looking at the sky. It's about seeing the sky, and every part of it at the same time, while simultaneously noticing the small details.
And as Draco circled the pitch, the idea composed itself in his head. Why couldn't he use that strategy, that way of seeing, to help him in the game?
Draco paused in the air for a moment, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. When he opened them again, he gazed hard at the field below him. He was still aware of the quaffle moving from chaser to chaser, of the crowd cheering and the students flying. But now Draco also could seek out that tiny glint of gold that meant the Snitch.
He scanned every particle of air beneath him and suddenly spotted it.
His prize was hovering 4 feet in front of Weasley, who was completely oblivious to it as Emma approached the Gryffindor hoops with the Quaffle.
But Draco didn't care about the goal. He dove.
The Snitch, seeming to sense that it had been spotted, zipped away, but Draco's eyes were locked onto it in such a tight grasp he could almost feel the small piece of metal already in his palm.
Potter was on his tail now, though. Adrenaline pumping, he leaned even further forward into his own Firebolt, making the group of players that the Snitch was moving toward scatter.
Now they were neck and neck, zooming so fast everything else was a blur. They dove and zigzagged and swerved, gaining on the Snitch the whole time.
And suddenly Potter was an inch in front of him, hand outstretched, a mere foot away from Draco's prize, Draco's Snitch.
No way, not this time. He was not going to let this happen.
In a last, ditch effort, Draco attempted to push his broom further up (they were now moving toward the sky in a completely vertical direction). But still, Potter was ahead.
And then, with the adrenaline pounding in his ears, Draco did something rash as Potter's hand inched nearer to the winged golden ball. Damn the consequences.
"Hey Potter, have you heard I've been snogging your best friend lately?"
Now, Harry did know this. But hearing the words come from his enemy's mouth, having that image flash through his mind, Harry faltered and Draco took his chance.
Throwing out his arm and pushing forward in a final burst of speed, his fingers closed around the surprisingly warm metal sphere.
Pulsing with triumph, Draco halted his ascent abruptly, spinning around in joy with his arm outstretched, clutching the Snitch as if he'd never let it go.
Nothing compared to this feeling. He was absolutely on top of the world. Draco was convinced that, had he jumped off his broom at that moment, he would have floated there, suspended in a bubble of magical happiness. No matter how many times it happened, winning a Quidditch game was better than sex.
Draco snorted to himself; maybe not better than sex.
And then his team was around him, hugging him, pounding him on the back, cheering so loud his ears were ringing. They slowly descended in a mass of green robes.
Nothing could ruin this...
Except maybe Ronald Weasley
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Hermione could not be heard cheering for the opposing team by her classmates. It simply was not right and proper. But inside she was jumping up and down in victory. Who cared which House won? She'd been rooting for both Seekers and she'd have been happy either way.
Admittedly, it was sad and somewhat surprising that Slytherin had won. It had looked like Harry was in the lead. But then something had happened as Draco's arm shot forward that made Harry hesitate, and then...
But she didn't really care. Draco had won, fair and square it seemed, and she was happy about it.
As Hermione descended the stairs with the rest of Gryffindor, she thought, I wonder if he's going to go celebrate in the Slytherin common room. Maybe I could convince him to come celebrate with me instead... She grinned to herself.
But as she reached the bottom and stepped onto the edge of the pitch to at least console Harry, Ron, and Ginny, she heard a commotion that was louder even than the leftover cheering and talking.
Recognizing it as Ron's voice, Hermione pushed to the front of the crowd that had begun to form and finally caught what he was saying.
"—son of a Death Eater. You don't deserve to be back here. You disgust me, cheating like that. But then again, you learned it from a pro, didn't you? Sitting at the feet of You-Know-Who all last year, torturing muggleborns, killing muggles..."
Madam Hooch was nowhere in sight. The rest of the teachers had yet to leave the stands. This was going to have to be handled by the students.
Harry had stepped up to Ron now and was trying to pull him back, saying that Draco hadn't cheated at all, but Ron didn't hear a word of it. Hermione could only watch in horror as Malfoy slowly pulled out his wand with a look of pure hatred on his face.
"Don't you dare even—"
"What, Malfoy? Gonna curse me? I bet you learned loads of pretty little spells as a Death Eater. That disgusting Mark on your arm is proof enough. Go ahead, do it, I dare you. Curse me, you fucking son of a bitch."
Hermione knew that Ron was very into Quidditch, and could become very defensive very fast, but this was outrageous.
And she was scared shitless. But not for Ron...no, Ron was asking for whatever he got fair enough. But Draco...Draco had made so much progress. He hadn't once this year acted in any way similar to his former behavior. She never said it, but Hermione was in a way proud of him for that. And yet she recognized the look on his face as the all-too-familiar sign of his old self, the one that obviously had never really gone away. If he did curse Ron, not only would he be severely punished, but he might lose himself in the process.
She saw Draco tense. Every muscle in his body was stiff as a board, but this time in rage, not excitement. His wand twitched ever so slightly and Hermione winced, begging him with her mind not to do what she knew he wanted to.
And then his eyes found hers. They were the darkest grey she had ever seen them, but it wasn't just fury in those eyes. He also looked deeply hurt, like a wounded dog that would lash out only because it had no other defense.
But Hermione was so scared that he would do something he would regret. She tried to convey that in the short glance they shared.
After a moment, Draco turned back to Ron, gave him one single death glare, and hopped onto the broom which he still held in his left hand, in one fluid movement and flew away from the now silent crowd.
Barely allowing herself a sigh of relief, she turned on Ron.
"What the bloody hell was that!" she practically shrieked, striding toward the redhead in a few quick steps. Thankfully the students had begun to dissipate the moment before Hermione's outburst.
Hermione was vaguely aware of Ginny, having begun to come forward, sharing a meaningful look with Harry and then grudgingly walking toward the Gryffindor locker room.
Ron spluttered. "Are you kidding Hermione? You saw what I saw. He did something to Harry and won because of it."
"I can't believe that you would—"
Harry's voice cut sharply through their growing argument. "He didn't."
Ron spun on him. "What are you talking about? Something happened up there. You were ahead of him, but as he shot forward, you pulled back. What else could have happened except that he fucking cheated?!"
"I'm telling you nothing happened! It was a weird air current that messed with my speed, that's all! You had no right to pull something like that."
"Are you sure he didn't—"
"Of course I'm sure! I was there, wasn't I? I think I'd know better than you if he'd fouled." Harry's voice held authority, but as he spoke he glanced at Hermione in such an intense way that she had to fight the idea of using Legilimens to find out what was going on inside his head.
Ron was speaking again, quieter now. "I guess I didn't think—"
Hermione, though, was still furious. "No, of course you didn't think! You never do! What the bloody hell is wrong with you, attacking him like that? Have you just been looking for a reason to curse him? Draco's done nothing wrong all year! I can't even..."
Hermione silently gasped as Harry's and Ron's eyebrows shot up. But it was too late. She had let the name slip.
Harry was looking worriedly at Ron, but Ron himself had a calculating expression.
"So it's Draco now, is it?" The malice had returned to his voice.
Hermione's first instinct was to instantly make a thousand excuses. But stumbling over her words and blushing madly would only give Ron the higher ground in this argument. She had to keep her advantage.
She took a deep breath and looked at him disdainfully. "Yes, Ron, I call him Draco. That is his name after all. And I don't have to defend myself to you. I'm not the one who called him out and verbally abused him in front of the entire school. You should be ashamed of yourself."
"But I didn't—"
"No, Ron, Hermione's right. You were way out of line. If you can't keep that temper in check, especially when we lose—because it does happen—I'll have you banned from the team."
"You wouldn't!"
"I would." Hermione was deeply impressed with Harry for making such a statement, especially because she didn't think he was bluffing. "I won't have you mouthing off to anyone you feel like because you're a sore loser. That's not the kind of reputation I want for this team." Then his features softened and he clapped a hand on Ron's shoulder. "I get it, mate, you were bloody upset we lost. I am too. But that doesn't mean you can go yelling at people and literally asking to get blasted into next week, even if it is Malfoy."
Ron sighed. "Yeah...ok. Look, 'Mione, I'm sorry. Both of you, I didn't mean to...I guess I just flew off the handle and...because I thought that..."
Hermione was still immensely annoyed with him, but was glad he was finally calm enough to apologize. "We know, Ron, but we're not the ones you should be apologizing to."
He blanched. "You don't mean...?" He looked frantically between his two friends.
Hermione smirked. "Yes, we do mean. I don't mean right now. But sometime soon, you should really find him and say you're sorry."
Ron groaned. "Fine, fine, I'll do it."
Harry chuckled. "That's the spirit mate. Now go get changed. A consoling party in the common room is most likely waiting for us."
Ron grinned sheepishly at that and walked off, shoulders slumped just a bit.
Once he was out of sight, Hermione sighed loudly ran a hand through her hair. "Well that was fun," she mumbled. Harry laughed.
With unspoken agreement, they moved to the nearest tower of bleachers and leaned against the magically blue wood.
After a moment, Harry spoke. "He was right in a way, you know."
Hermione turned her head sharply up to him. "What?"
"Something did happen up there, but it—"
"Wait, are you telling me Draco actually did foul you, and you lied about it and defended him? What the hell were you thinking?" I swear, if that ferret has done anything to him I'll hex his balls off.
"No, no, it wasn't a foul. He didn't touch me or pull his wand on me or anything."
"Then what did happen to make you falter?"
"I...he...well, I guess you could say he taunted me a bit."
"What do you mean?"
"Look, I'm used to jibes from Malfoy. I've had to deal with countless comments over the years. It usually doesn't even bother me after a while. But..."
"But?"
"But I was practically home free, and he said something that not only messed with my concentration, but also messed with my head."
"What did he say to you, Harry?" Her voice had darkened.
"Oh, well, Malfoy found that extremely inopportune moment to remind me of the state of his relationship with you."
Hermione's mouth hung open. "Wait...what?"
"When my hand was literally an inch away from the Snitch, he just had to remind me that you two were...were...together. In a very explicit manner, too. It was like a slap across the face."
"Leave it to Draco to use something like that to his advantage in the middle of a Quidditch match." They both laughed. "Harry, I am sorry. He shouldn't have—"
"Hell, 'Mione, why are you apologizing to me? It's not your fault...at least not directly. Besides, I dunno if I would have done much differently in his position. He seemed a bit desperate."
"And besides, he got way more than he deserved once Ron started on him—" she gasped. "Oh no!"
"What?"
"Shit, Harry, Draco's probably still ready to blow up the castle! I have to go find him before he does something stupid."
As she began to back away, Harry asked, "If he didn't succumb to stupidity before with Ron, why would he do so now?"
"Because one gets in a lot less trouble blasting inanimate objects rather than human beings."
Harry grinned. "True." He saw her looking worriedly at the changing tent. "Don't worry! I'll cover for you. Now go, before he ends up killing himself."
As she trotted away from the field, Hermione called over her shoulder, "if he did, would you be complaining?"
She could have sworn she heard him chuckle, 'no.'
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Draco was pacing. Back and forth and back again, he paced. He ran a hand through his hair, trying to get out his frustration. What right did Weasley have to yell at him, to scold him, to tell him he didn't deserve to be at Hogwarts? Draco had as much right as anyone...anyone with magic.
And I didn't cheat either! There are no rules against talking to an opponent. Even a verbal jibe isn't a foul. When it gets physical, yes, but I didn't lay a hand on Potter. He was way out of line!
Besides the fact he had no right—no right—to bring up my past. Does he think I'm proud of who I was and what I did? Does he think that I like to show off my Mark just to prove how fucked up I was? Does he think I enjoyed having to torture people...men and women and children, of any background, of any blood, even my friends? Does he think it's easy to kill someone, to be forced to commit murder because you have no other choice? He doesn't have a clue!
And with this, a pained shout of anger ripped from his throat and he looked around for something to throw.
The only object on the Astronomy tower was his broom, and Draco wasn't quite insane enough to throw one of his most prized possessions off the tallest tower of the school.
Silently, he configured a vase out of thin air. It was black and sleek and flawless. He threw it from the roof with all his might.
The vase hit the ground almost half a minute later with a small crash, but it wasn't good enough.
He conjured another one and, after throwing it off the roof in a high arc, aimed his wand at it and shouted, "REDUCTO!"
The purple sliver of light flew toward the falling vase and then connected with it, making a much louder, more satisfying crash.
As he conjured one vase after the other, blasting each one to bits before it fell even halfway down the tower's height, he thought over and over of the incident.
Draco remembered wanting to pound Weasley's face in. He had been just dying to wipe the look off that loser's face. Ironically enough, Draco did know quite a few dark spells that would have left Weasley in the Hospital Wing for a few days.
But then he had, whether by accident or subconsciously on purpose, looked at Hermione. She wasn't angry like Weasley. She hadn't chosen his side. She almost looked worried...frightened.
And in many ways that scared Draco. Why was she afraid? Was she afraid for what he would do to Weasley? Was she afraid of what the school would do to Draco if he went through with it? Was she scared for Draco? Was she afraid for herself? Did she somehow think he would attack her instead?
But no, the compassion in those eyes had said something entirely different, though he wasn't sure exactly what, and it had steadied him. He had felt no less rage, of course, but suddenly he could control it. So he did what he felt was the best option. He didn't pick a fight. He ran.
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Hermione wasn't sure where Draco would be. She probably wouldn't find him in their room. He had flown off on his broom, after all. Definitely not the library, or the Slytherin common room. She really had no idea.
So, summoning the memory of Draco catching the Snitch, Hermione murmured "Expecto Patronum," and told the otter to find Draco. Hermione jogged off after it, ripping open doors that it passed through with ease, trying to keep it in sight.
Soon, she recognized the route the misty creature was taking her and realized Draco must have flown up to the Astronomy Tower.
Panting, she came to the top of the stairs she had fallen down over a month before. The otter disappeared as Hermione heard the telltale sounds of glass breaking.
Catching her breath, Hermione slowly opened the door to find Draco, mostly facing away from her, firing a spell up into the air. Hermione again heard the sound of breaking glass and gasped without meaning to.
He turned on his heel and spotted her.
Hermione saw the battle of emotions in his dark grey eyes.
Shit. Well, this'll be interesting.
Wow, that bloody took me practically all day. I just sat down and wrote up a storm. Brilliant! I'd do it more often if I had the time. Thank Apollo for 4 day weekends!
I was gonna include their consequential conversation in this chapter, but everything else ended up being too long—I wasn't even planning on having any kind of conversation between Harry, Ron, and Hermione, that's just how things worked out—so I'm cutting it off there and we'll pick it up in ch19. Things get really intense from here on out. And you guys find out just how secretly messed up Draco really is...
Wow, I'm almost at 3000 hits! That's amazing :-D
Oh, before I go, I want to turn you guys onto this fanfiction I discovered while roaming around facebook, surprisingly enough (God, I'm an internet junkie- the group is called "Neville Longbottom is a BAMF") The story is named Dumbledore's Army and the Year of Darkness. It is the tale of 7th year at Hogwarts, through Neville's eyes, and it is fucking INCREDIBLE. It's a bit graphic, cause there's a lot of torture and other crazy stuff, but if you don't mind the M rating, you should really check it out! I swear, even if Jo herself published a book about the same thing, Thanfiction's version would always be the truth in my eyes...always.
Anyways, review! And give me a random fact. Then I respond in kind, and we learn about each other. Isn't that a good thing? Exactly.
I practically live off of soda
-Ginger
