Out of Hand by relativelypositive
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and I make no money from the use of J.K. Rowling's characters.
Chapter 28
Professor McGonagall met Hermione and Harry at the base of the staircase to Professor Dumbledore's office. Professor Snape nodded to her, then took off the way they came.
"Hurry, Hermione, we have to get you out of here!"
"What's going on?"
"I'll tell you when we get there!"
"Professor!"
"Hurry!"
"Stop, Professor!"
Hermione stopped in the stairwell and started back down. She felt bad for running away from the elderly witch, but knew in her heart she didn't have a choice.
"Hermione! Where are you going?"
"I have to get Draco! If I'm in danger he's in danger, too!"
Harry was on her heels as she raced back towards the Great Hall. She was grateful for his company and his immediate faith that she was doing the right thing.
"Where do you think he is? Slytherin?"
"You don't think he'd go to class?"
"Are you kidding? He's got a temporary Get-Out-Of-Class card."
The friends stopped at an intersection. They looked at each other helplessly.
"Marauder's Map?"
Hermione quickly thought through that option. Five minutes to get up to Gryffindor tower, barring obstacles, a few minutes to locate him on the map, and up to twenty minutes to actually get to him. Too long!
"Owlery!" she yelled and took off running. If it worked once, it would work again.
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"What is going on out here?" Pomfrey came running out of her office and slowed down when she saw the boys. "Where has Miss Granger gone now?"
"Are you kidding? Can you not see the bloody body?" Blaise yelled and pointed at the body at their feet.
"Step back!" The medi-witch levitated the body onto the nearest bed. She vanished the blood, revealing…Rita Skeeter.
"Shit! You don't think Granger did that to her, do you?" Blaise wondered.
Draco didn't think so. Despite…recent events…Draco didn't think Granger would physically attack someone. Plus, her friends had been with her when he left. Even if a fight came to be, he couldn't see her leaving a bleeding woman on the floor without at least alerting Pomfrey.
Pomfrey performed a few diagnostic spells, and hummed to herself as she started to heal the bleeding head wound.
"She's alive. She has an awful head wound, but it could have been caused by falling and accidentally hitting her head or by being hit in the head by an object," revealed Pomfrey.
"Is there any way we can tell?"
"Not until she wakes up."
"Where's Hermione? She wouldn't have just left. Maybe she knew something was happening. Maybe she and Potter and Other Weasley did this! They're probably hiding somewhere! Or getting help. Where would she go?"
"I haven't left my office. Whoever did this was stealthy! I didn't hear a thing!" Pomfrey claimed.
"I need to find Granger. That's all I really care about right now."
Draco didn't care if he seemed callous. He truly didn't care about Rita Skeeter. If she were out of the game for a while it would only be to his advantage.
He did need Granger. The sense of urgency returned and he abruptly turned to Blaise. The boys nodded to each other and left the Hospital Wing.
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As they passed the Great Hall, Hermione and Harry ran past Ron, who had joined his brothers in passing out t-shirts.
"Wait!" he yelled as he tried to catch their attention.
"Catch up!" Hermione countered, not breaking her stride. Their group of two quickly became a group of five.
"Where are we going?"
"Owlery!"
"Why?"
"To send an owl!"
"Why are we running?"
"We're in a hurry!"
"Who are you owling?"
"Malfoy."
"Why are you owling that jerk?"
"Quit asking stupid questions!"
"No need to be snippy."
Hermione stopped and wheeled on Ron, "Go away. There is no way you could help this situation, so just go away, Ron!"
She turned and sprinted away. She could hear multiple pairs of feet behind her, so she knew she hadn't lost most of her entourage, but she really hoped Ron stayed back.
Hermione felt bad, but she didn't have time for Ron's bullshit. When they did find Malfoy, having Ron along would only start a fight and put Hermione in another awkward position. She could see Harry out of the corner of her eye. He didn't look happy, but at least he knew he would have to wait for answers. He was patient. He was her best friend.
She didn't think Ron was anymore.
They raced up the stairs and Hermione grabbed a quill and parchment.
"Grab an owl!" she ordered. She didn't care who did it as long as she got an owl now.
She wrote down two words, attached the scroll to the owl Fred had gotten for her, and ran to the window.
"Take this to Malfoy!" she yelled, and shoved the bird out the window.
Everyone was breathing heavily from the run and the adrenaline. Hermione looked at each one of her friends and said a quick thank you to whomever there was that she did have friends that cared about her.
"Hermione?" Ron snuck around the corner and into the owlery.
"Ron!" Hermione was exasperated.
"There's something awful happening in the Great Hall. A bunch of Slytherins and a couple Ravenclaws have set up an anti-protest protest."
"They're protesting the protest? I protest the protesting of protests," George protested.
Hermione ignored him. "On what grounds?"
"As far as I could tell, they're just trying to pick a fight. I didn't stick around. I thought you'd want to know."
"Well, get back down there and keep an eye on the situation!"
"But 'Mione, it was looking like it might get violent!"
"What am I supposed to do about it? Go get a professor!"
"Stop being such a…" Ron trailed off.
"Finish that sentence," Hermione dared him. "See what happens."
"Dude, you should run," George advised.
Ron tried to stare Hermione down, but he knew he was outmatched.
"Fine. I'll go. What are you going to do?"
"Wait here for Malfoy. If you see him, send him up here. It's important."
"Honestly, if I see Malfoy, I'll run the other way."
Ron stalked back down the stairs, while everyone watched him go.
"Maybe that'll keep him out of you hair for a while, Hermione," Fred said.
"Funny, Fred."
"Sorry. Bad choice of words."
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Draco ran towards the Great Hall. It was the only place he could think of, other than Gryffindor tower. His head was spinning and unfamiliar feelings were making him feel panicky. He was worried. He had sent Blaise to get Vince and Greg out of Herbology. He would search this entire castle by himself, but he had good friends that would help.
"Draco! Have you seen Granger and Potter?" Professor Snape came from behind him.
"I'm looking for her, too. What's happening?"
"Your father is going to kill her. Instead of being sensible and staying where she would be safe, Miss Granger is running around the castle looking for you…stop looking so fucking smug. She's in danger, and you're just happy she's thinking about you! Prioritize!"
"Sorry. How did he get away from the aurors?"
"They didn't confiscate his second wand."
"Do you think he's already here?"
"I do not know, but we won't be able to protect Granger if we can't find her."
"If we can't find her then my father can't either!"
"Wishful thinking."
"She could be anywhere. Where should I start looking? Gryffindor?"
"Where would she go that she knows better than anyone else?"
"The library!" Draco was positive she'd go there for comfort.
"You go, then bring her back here. I see an issue I must take care of."
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"Where is your owl going?" George asked.
"Huh?" Hermione ran to the window and watched the owl head off into the woods instead of going to the castle.
"What would Malfoy be doing in the woods?"
"Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit!"
"Hermione?"
"Harry, we have to run! Right now!"
"What's wrong? What did you write?"
"It's not what I wrote! It's who I sent it to!"
"You sent it to Malfoy! I heard you!"
"But I didn't specify which Malfoy! We need to get back into the castle right now!"
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Draco made it to the library in record time. He ran into Vince and Greg there, and they searched the place from top to bottom.
"I was sure she'd be here," said Vince. "She's always here! That's her table. That's her chair. That's her butt groove!"
"Butt groove?"
"Where the chair padding has taken the shape of her butt. No one else can sit there now because the chair would be too uncomfortable, unless you fit into her butt groove."
"I don't want to know why you've put so much thought into it."
Draco wanted to laugh, he really did, but he couldn't drop the worry. Granger wasn't here.
The boys decided to go back towards the Great Hall. At the very least they'd be more likely to accidentally run into her in a central location.
As they were passing the Entrance Hall, Draco saw one of his parents silhouetted in an adjoining hallway, skulking.
They were backlit, and Draco had the disconcerting thought that he couldn't tell his parents apart. They had grown to look that much like each other.
"Draco, come now. We're leaving."
His mother. Draco thought he should be happier to see his mother than his father, but in this case it was a toss up.
Scratch that, his mother wasn't deadly. At least he didn't think she was.
"Mother, why did you come back?"
"We must leave the castle. Trust me, Draco; I am only doing what is best for you. Let's hurry."
Draco thought for a moment…then realized he couldn't trust his mother. She wanted what was best for him in her mind, not what was best for him.
"I'm not going with you."
"Boys, would you excuse us for just a moment?"
Vince and Greg automatically obeyed her and started backing away, when Draco called them back.
"Mother, go home. I am not leaving Hogwarts. I am going to marry Gr-Hermione. If that means we sever ties, so be it."
"You don't know what you're saying! You're following your hormones! This will pass!"
Draco laughed, "Have you seen Hermione today? Do you really think I'm being led around by my dick? She is a scrawny bald bruise! I want her anyway! That's not lust, Mother. I like her."
"I was afraid of this. Stupefy!"
A/N:
Stupefy and Superfly sound an awful lot alike. I think there's a joke in there, but it's probably too American.
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