Title: Fire and Powder
Chapter: 5
Disclaimer: See first chapter. Basically this isn't mine.
Notes: I struggled to get this one out today, and I was super tired when reviewing so I apologize if I missed some things. (SPEAKING OF MISSING THINGS: I NEED A BETA STILL PLEASEEEEE SOMEONE VOLUNTEER AS TRIBUTE) Anyway, I chose Cadiz for this story because just a year ago I was in Cadiz, and I dunno, that tiny Spanish town always seems to make it into my writing. Some character development going on here...a little tension...I love tension...and angst...and, yeah. Okay well I'm pretty sure my typing is majorly disturbing my roommate who's attempting to sleep so goodnight.
"I cannot fix on the hour, or the spot, or the look or the words,
which laid the foundation. It was too long ago.
I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun"
- Jane Austin (Pride and Prejudice)
They had just sat down to breakfast the next morning when the familiar brown owl clawed at the window, a thin letter in its talon.
Narcissa read over the letter from her sister quickly, her face betraying nothing. When she was finished she blankly handed the letter to her husband. Draco's heart sank in his chest.
"We will leave at once," Lucius stated, setting the letter down after skimming it.
"What's happening?" Draco asked, even though he knew his father might find his question impertinent. But this concerned him. He needed to know.
His father's eyes were calm as he responded. "It is as we expected. The Dark Lord is occupied searching for Potter. We will continue to Cadiz while we can. The Dark Lord will never admit publicly that one of his most loyal servants has failed him, it only makes him appear weak."
Draco followed his line of thought, thinking it all a bit of a gamble, especially when dealing with a leader as unstable as the Dark Lord. But it wasn't his decision to make.
"I'll pack," Narcissa announced, leaving the room to do just that.
Draco peered out the window above the kitchen sink, seeing the childhood games of the muggles nearby, jealousy welling painfully in his chest.
Zürich Hauptbahnhof was one of the largest and busiest train stations in the world. Lucius assured his son it was perfectly safe for them to travel in such a conspicuous way. "Hiding in plain sight," he explained, "is often the cleverest method."
Draco felt the need to argue the point but knew his father wasn't in the mood for his attitude. At least they wouldn't be sitting with the lower classes, Merlin forbid, on the muggle train to Cadiz. Father had purchased the best seats money could buy in their own private first class cabin, so that was reassuring at least.
"This is certainly a change in scenery," Hermione said, peering around at the linoleum floors and concrete walls.
Draco didn't bother to look at her as he sat on the bench next to his mother. They were waiting for their train to begin boarding. His father was standing rigidly nearby, somehow managing to look both confident and uncomfortable in his Muggle suit and trousers.
Of course his own personal menace wouldn't be limited to his private time. No, of course not. She now showed up in public places, heaven forbid he could expect to proceed through his day like a normal person. Not that anything about his present situation was normal to begin with, but lurking dead Gryffindor's certainly weren't helping matters.
"Not even a hello?" Hermione asked, pretending to look offended. "Where are your manors, Malfoy?"
She looked between him and his parents, "What would your parents say?"
Draco glared at her and she glared back.
An announcer on the intercom informed them that there train was now arriving at the platform. Lucius motioned for them to follow him towards their platform, Narcissa reaching to take her husbands arm while Draco trailed behind.
"Where are you going?" Hermione asked as Draco left without glancing in her direction.
"Wait!" she shouted, scrambling after him. "What's going on?"
"Mind your own damn business, mudblood," Draco snapped under his breath.
Hermione ignored his jab. She was used to him saying such cruel things, and she wouldn't dream of giving him the satisfaction of knowing how much they affect her.
"Is this…Switzerland?" she asked, taking note of the signs and connecting the dots.
"Brilliant observation, it only took you how long?" Draco murmured.
Hermione huffed angrily next to him but remained silent as she followed him to the platform.
The train pulled in and people rushed in droves to board. "Draco, dear, keep up," Narcissa said, turning towards her son briefly before stepping onto the train after her husband.
"Yes, mother," Draco responded automatically. He took one last look at the train station, Muggles bustling every which way with their briefcases and trunks full of belongings. He suddenly understood why his father felt comfortable traveling this way. It was easy to get lost in such a crowd.
"What are you waiting for?" Hermione questioned. He looked up to see she was already on the train, standing to the side waiting for him to join her. People were pushing past him, and he was horrified to see people stepping directly though Hermione as though she wasn't there. Most gruesome, indeed. Hermione realized what was happening at once and pressed closer to the inside wall of the train to keep out of the way.
Draco gripped the handle and pulled himself up.
Switzerland passed swiftly outside the window, rushing by like a sped up Muggle film. Hermione sat in the open seat next to Draco, as far away from the Slytherin as the first class bench would allow. The pale forms of Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy sat directly across from her, completely oblivious of her presence. She didn't like being in such close proximity with the Malfoys, especially Lucius, who had tried to kill her and her friends on more than one occasion.
She glanced towards the boy next to her, who sat pensively staring out the window. He hadn't looked at her since boarding the train, and Hermione didn't understand why that upset her so much. Perhaps, she thought, because she felt she deserved his attention. He had killed her. Taken her life. And now he just felt as though he could ignore her? She didn't understand why she was here, but she highly doubted she was hanging around Malfoy in her afterlife so she could be treated like she was invisible. That happened enough in her life before she died, she certainly didn't need to continue doing that for all of eternity, did she? All of these thoughts of an eternity spent in this miserable hell of an afterlife sent Hermione spiraling into another pit of depression.
Draco watched the snowy landscape transform outside the window. It was hard to admit to himself how much he was going to miss Switzerland and his families cottage. He still wasn't completely sold on the idea of Cadiz holding all the answers, but only time would tell. He didn't want to think about what would happen if Cadiz didn't pan out as his father planned. Would they have to continue on somewhere else? The planet was only so large, and by then The Dark Lord could possibly control most of it.
And then there was the issue of the girl next to him whom he had resolutely been ignoring since he saw the people walking right through her when he boarded the train. How was he going to get rid of this ghost (or whatever she was, that was another problem to be solved) that refused to leave him alone?
There was simply too much to think about. Instead, he allowed himself the scenery to completely absorb him, forcing solely on the horizon.
"Son," Lucius prompted, "We'll be there momentarily."
I must have drifted off, thought Draco as he rubbed the tension out of his neck. The landscape was completely different outside the train now, the Swiss Alps worlds behind them. An employee announced that the train would be arriving at their station in a minute, and Draco followed his parents towards the door to their compartment.
He was startled to discover Hermione was still with him, sleeping with her head against the wall, brown curls falling into her face. Draco hesitated in the doorway. He could leave with his parents now, and what would happen? Would she stay here, wake up in a confused daze, never to see him again? Or would she simply disappear or whatever she does to wherever she goes when she's not with him?
"Draco?" his mother prompted from the hallway, confused at what was keeping her son.
"Coming," Draco responded, looking back quickly at Hermione before following his mother without a second glance.
They waited at the exit as the train came to a stop. The doors slid open, letting in the humid Spanish air. Lucius helped his wife down the steps, and they waited at the bottom, wondering why their son suddenly looked so conflicted.
"Draco—" Lucius began, only to be cut off.
"One moment, I forgot something."
Lucius pondered the unidentifiable flash in his son's eyes. Was it guilt? Concern?
Hermione was where Draco left her, her hair obscuring even more of her face. Draco had the sudden ridiculous urge to brush it out of the way, but was immediately repulsed with himself for having such a thought about a mudblood. He was truly losing it.
"Granger," he said, reaching out to push Hermione's shoulder in an intentionally not gentle manner.
Hermione jerked awake, looking up at Draco with startled brown eyes. "Was I sleeping?"
Draco nodded. "Obviously."
"I didn't know I could do that," she responded before looking around the compartment and realizing it was completely empty, save her and Draco. Where had everyone gone? The landscape was still outside the window, so they were no longer moving. Where were they now?
"Yes, well, now's not the time for analyzing the effects of sleep in the dead, let's go." Draco turned on his heel and headed back towards his parents, feeling Hermione's footsteps close behind him.
"Did you find whatever it was you were looking for?" Narcissa asked casually as Draco rejoined his parents on the platform looking somewhat more at ease.
Draco glanced at Hermione who came up beside him. "I suppose."
End note: Please review/favorite/follow, it makes me write faster, seriously.