Here's the next chapter!
Draco Malfoy sat in a high, Italian black leather chair at the white marbled counter of the island in the center the condo's kitchen. He stared at the newspaper in his hand while drinking Hawaiian Kona Coffee. Sure, if anyone merely looked at him, he would come off as a man deeply engrossed in whatever he was reading, but if you took a second look at him he seemed to be lost in thought. Apparently, The Daily Prophet was no longer that important.
The sun was just coming up in the horizon. Surprisingly, he had opened the bamboo shades, filtering fresh light into the darkened hotel room. The elegant fan in the living room was on, slightly ruffling the pages of the newspaper Draco was 'reading.'
He was only one awake due to more nightmares. Ever since that Aspen girl had appeared his nightmares of Hermione dying had gotten progressively worse. He couldn't send her away though; he needed to figure out why she looks so much like Hermione. He couldn't shake off the feeling that she was more than what came from looking at her face.
Slam! He was suddenly shook out of his thoughts by the sound of the guest room doors opening and closing alarmingly. Aspen stomped into the living room, picking up the remote for the fan. She walked out onto the porch and promptly threw it over the edge. The fan then slowed to a stop after the control was destroyed, laying. She then walked into the highly equipped kitchen, grabbing a pan and spatula before turning to him with a pleasant smile plastered on her face.
"Morning!" she smiled, the expression sickly-sweet.
U-Oh. Draco thought, worriedly. What did I do this time?
"Well I'm up now and I'm hungry." Aspen announced. "How do you like your eggs? Sunny-side-up or scrambled?" Draco looked at her shocked. "Hello? Cat got your tongue Mr. Auror Malfoy?" She asked, smirking, while waving the pan in front of his face. When she didn't get a reply, she huffed and turned back to the stove.
"You're not going to hit me with that pan are you?" Draco asked, fearfully.
"No, you idiot. But since you suggested it I don't see why not. You do know when you turn on you fan it turns on the rest in the condo, right?" Draco shook his head no before smirking himself. "And how did you come up with the great idea of me hitting you with a pan? It really it a brilliant idea."
"I once watched this movie on a muggle telly about this blond girl with extremely long hair. She hit a guy with a pan when he showed up in her tower." Aspen looked at him oddly. "I have a question myself though. Why the hell did you throw a perfectly good remote to its death on the street? Are you going to make it so I have a spectacle every morning? Not that I'm complaining. Huh, that was more than one question, but you still have to answer." Draco smirked. Aspen turned fully around still clutching the pan in her hand. Oops! I should have waited till she put the pan down.
Aspen clutched the pan even tighter, her knuckles going white. Her face was contorted in anger, in Draco's opinion it made her look even cuter. "Well,Mr. Malfoy I wouldn't need to cause a spectacle every morning if you don't have the bloody fan on high. Freezing me into an icicle!" she burst out, pointing the pan at him accusingly. Draco smirked at her raising his arms in surrender.
"Actually, I like omelets for breakfast." He stated, pleasantly. Aspen lowered the pan slightly, looking at him in confusion.
"Excuse me?!"
"You asked how I liked my eggs!?"
"Like I was actually going to make you food. I'm not your maid." Aspen scoffed.
"Well, you asked so you have to deliver." Draco shot back, becoming irritated with the girl's behavior.
"Make your own food, Oh Mighty King." She drawled, bowing mockingly. Aspen turned to go back to her room when suddenly she found herself unable to move. She heard footsteps come up to her and, in her mind, she shook in fear.
Draco stared down at her. His voice low and deathly. Not to mention, if glares could kill, Aspen would be dead on the dark Mahoney wood flooring.
"I invited you to stay at my hotel. I let you eat my food. Then you come right back and act downright rude to my face. Not to mention you broke my property and now you have to pay me back for breaking that remote. So, if you think about it, you are now in my debt and I could choose to have you as my maid." Aspen looked back at him challengingly. "Fortunately for you, I am not like the Death Eater I saved you from. So would it be so much for you to respect my property and myself?" He released the spell and turned to walk back to his coffee.
"I'm sorry," Aspen's meek voice floated to him and he stopped. He instantly softened and turned back to her.
She looks and sounds just like my Hermione. Draco thought to himself. If only I knew why.
"I'll be more aware of what I say and do while I stay here. In case you didn't realize I might be a little hot headed." She apologized, cheekily. Draco smiled at her.
"'A little' is a huge understatement." He replied. Draco looked at the girl before him. Her hair was just as unruly as his Hermione's had been when she had just gotten up from bed. Her nightdress was completely horrendous. It looked like it came from the middle ages. He chuckled. "I don't mean to be rude but do have any clothing that is from our time period?" Aspen's cheeks colored red.
"Not really. I don't have much money so I can't really get the latest fashions." She answered, looking at the floor.
"Well you can't hang around me wearing those clothes. I'm going to call my friend Pansy after we eat breakfast. She'll help me get you some proper clothes." Aspen nodded, mumbling a quiet 'thank you.'
He went back to the kitchen and finished his coffee while Aspen went to get ready. Draco then ordered some food from a nearby café and called Pansy. She replied that she would arrive via Floo around 11. By the time Aspen had reappeared, he had set out an assortment of croissants, scones, and crepes, along with some orange juice.
As he heard his guest's door open and close he turned to see Aspen, in the same clothes as yesterday. She smiled gratefully and took a pumpkin scone to nibble on. He looked contemplating at her. Aspen looked up from her scone as if she could feel him looking at her and met him eye to eye.
Her eyes! Draco's mind screamed. She has Hermione's eyes! And it was true, she did have Hermione's eyes. The exact round and innocent shape. The same chocolate color with honeyed specks. What was happening to him! Hermione was dead. Dead, dead, dead. If he went and dug up her grave right now he would see her decaying body in the deep pit. Then why is it that she is looking right at you?! His mind spoke to him. Aspen stared at him confused.
"Is something wrong Draco?" she asked. He didn't hear her. His mind was screaming at him that it couldn't be true. That Hermione was dead. "Draco?!" her voice broke through his haze of emotions. His head snapped back to see Aspen looking at him slightly frightened. He had slightly calmed down when he saw a glimpse of a golden tiger around her neck. His mind raged a he stalked up to her and tore the necklace from her neck. Aspen jumped back looking terrified.
"Where did you get this!" he screamed at her. Aspen stared at the necklace's pendent. It was a gold lion and a silver serpent intertwined. She had gotten it from her mother before she died. It had been in the family for about five years. She told him this. He looked scathingly at her. "You're lying." He stated. Aspen's eyes widened at the accusation.
"I am most definitely am not lying Mr. Malfoy. And why does a stupid necklace means so much to you!" she raged right back at him. His eyes turned cold and unreadable.
"That is no matter to you." He retorted.
Aspen took a step towards him. "As a matter of fact, it does matter to me considering you tore the necklace from me for no apparent reason and began to make unjustified accusations." She replied, glaring at him heatedly. By then they were glaring at each other nose to nose. Actually nose to forehead, considering that Draco is taller than Aspen. At that exact moment they heard the fireplace roar and out walked a woman with long black hair and blue eyes.
"Hello Draco! Hello… Hermione?!" Pansy Parkinson shouted in disbelief, before falling to the ground in a faint.