Cerulean Silver vs. Amber Gold
by hikaranko
Summary: Ed has been put on his stupidest assignment yet: babysitting. Well, that's not what everyone else would call it, but to Edward Elric, it's exactly like babysitting... Over the months, Ed's learned a lot of new things, one of them being "never stick your nose in where it's not wanted." But now it's too late to back out. Something must be done, before the situation gets any worse... FMA/HP crossover. kinda sorta may possibly be slightly AU with HBP and with FMA. rated T for language.
Disclaimer: For reasons beyond my control (and greatly to my own disappointment), I do not own the Fullmetal Alchemist or Harry Potter series. FMA belongs to the great and mighty Hiromu Arakawa, and HP belongs to the equally great and mighty J.K. Rowling. The idea of this story belongs to the not quite as great and mighty me. The story is my baby. MJade-1 is its only godparent:D
Message from the Author: i know, i know, this took FOREVER to put up, but seriously, things have just been so distracting lately. a lot's been happening in my life, and it's just been consuming me whole, and so i deeply apologize for the immense, totally inexcusable lateness of this update. but i'm finally putting this one up now, so please please please don't hurt me?
on another note, WOW, almost 1000 reviews! that is most awesome indeed! i was actually thinking about waiting on this update just a little longer, until it actually did hit 1000 and this'd be like, your reward for diligent reviewing or something. XD but i changed my mind, and i'm pretty glad i did. so yeah! EXCITING TIMES.
anyways. that said. this chapter's been lying in wait for ages now, been getting tweaked on occasion and all that good stuff. and now it finally gets to see the world! or... the world gets to see it. you know what i mean.
so again, i'm sorry for the long wait. enjoy!
Chapter 36
A Mission Gone Awry
Edward rolled over onto his side in the bed, sighing and groaning in discontent. He was feeling inexplicably restless again that night, and he hated when that got in the way of his much needed and very greatly desired sleep. He'd been lying there, listening to the sounds of his roommates as they entered the dorm and got into bed. At that moment, it was the gurgling snorts and snores of one of the Crabbe/Goyles that he was listening to, and Ed was silently wishing for some sort of reprieve from the horrible noise. So far, he'd had no luck. Go figure.
He gave another annoyed grunt as he shifted onto his right side, only to roll back onto his back since his auto-mail wasn't particularly comfortable to lie on. That didn't help him either. So, not knowing what else to do, he did something unthinkable: Edward Elric started to count sheep.
After the first twenty or so, they started morphing. When they had once been perfect white sheep, their fleece began to turn black. Then it wasn't fleece at all, but cloth. The black cloth lengthened and stretched out until it was billowing behind them. Then the figure itself began to change, becoming more humanoid until Ed was sure that he was seeing black-robed figures leaping over a white picket fence, their wands drawn...
The door suddenly creaked open, and the noise pulled Ed from his strange visions (for which he was partially grateful). He raised himself up in the bed slightly, straining to hear what was going on. He knew that all of his roommates were asleep; Draco had come in first, then Zabini, Crabbe, and Goyle all entered at once, talking amongst themselves about something stupid until they fell asleep. So who could possibly be entering their dorm at this time of night?
"Malfoy." The voice came in a hoarse whisper. The speaker padded across the room toward Draco's four-poster bed. "Malfoy."
A sleepy groan answered him from within the dark green blankets.
"Malfoy, get up. Get up, you prat, get up."
There was another sleepy groan. Then, "Wha... the bloody 'ell are you doin' in-"
"Put your robes on and get your arse down to the common room. Need to talk to you. Bring your wand."
The first person crossed the bedroom and headed out without closing the door behind him. Ed listened, wide awake and rapt with urgent curiosity, as Draco pulled himself out of bed and pulled on his robes. He yawned as he also headed out, but behind him Ed could hear the hinges of the door squeaking as it was partially closed. Ed's brow furrowed. What would anyone want to talk to Draco about at this time of night?
Ed pulled himself out of bed, tying his hair back into a hasty ponytail, and slid on his boots and black school robes. He felt rushed somehow; he didn't have time to change completely. He had to catch up and find out what was going on. This could be something important. He never really knew when it came to Draco. He hesitated as he was about to go out the door, turned around, and grabbed his wand. If Draco had been told to bring it, then Ed might need it as well.
Stuffing the wand into the inner pocket of his robes, Ed moved as quietly and carefully as he could toward the common room. He peered around the corner, his eyes sweeping over the room in search of his targets. Draco and another boy with black robes and a hood pulled over his head were just leaving, both clutching broomsticks in their hands. Once both boys had passed through, Ed raced over, using the groaning of the sliding stone wall as cover for his uneven footsteps. He practically dove through the space as the wall slid shut, just barely clearing it. He landed on the other side in a tumble and was immediately thankful for his small stature. Unfortunately, this thought came unbidden to his mind and the moment he realized it he nearly screamed at himself. He'd managed to stifle it somewhat, but a small snort and squeak still escaped him. Immediately, Ed clapped his hands over his mouth.
Draco and the hooded figure both paused in their walking to look back at the door. The latter narrowed his eyes. "Did you hear something?"
They were both silent for a time, looking around them carefully. When they found nothing, they continued on their way. Ed tried not to sigh in relief. He was now utterly grateful for the cover that the dark dungeon shadows provided for him. He stayed hidden in the dark until both boys vanished up the stairway. Only then did he hurry forward, press his back to the cold stone wall, and peer cautiously around the corner and up the stairs. He took careful note of the direction they had chosen to walk down the corridor, then concealed himself again. Paying close attention to the light sound of their footsteps, Ed only moved when he was sure they were at a far enough distance to not catch sight of him.
It was in this manner that he followed them throughout the school. They wound their way down the halls, staying quiet and being ever vigilant of Filch and his pesky cat sidekick as they went. Eventually, they found their way up to the third floor, where they stopped in front of a statue of a humpbacked old woman. Ed kept himself hidden at a distance, watching as the hooded boy drew his wand, looked warily up and down the corridor, and then tapped the statue with his wand, saying something as he did so. Edward was too far to make out what had been said, but it was obviously some kind of incantation since the hump on the statue's back opened to reveal a hole big enough for an adult to slip through.
The boy gestured at the opening. Draco made a face and said something, but eventually stepped up and pulled himself down the hole. The hooded boy followed a second later and the hole shut behind them, making the statue look as though it had never been tampered with.
Ed scowled. Then, once he'd made sure that the coast was clear, he hurried over to the statue as well. He examined it carefully, running his hands over it and concentrating his energy. There was a slight build up of magic in the stone, though not nearly as much as there was back at that wall on the seventh floor, and he could detect how thin the material was. It would be easy to use alchemy to get through and follow them.
And so, after checking up and down the corridor once again, Ed clapped his hands together and laid them on the ground in the small space between the statue and the wall. With a flash of blue light, Ed had himself a tunnel that would undoubtedly lead him to the hollow cavity beneath the statue. He entered it carefully and closed it off behind him, then walked in a crouched over position down his alchemical pathway until he came across what looked like some kind of slide. He pressed one hand to its surface experimentally. Then, deciding it was safe to use, he carefully hauled himself onto it and rode it down to the end, holding in his yells of surprise at how quickly he was picking up speed.
When he finally reached level ground, he found himself on the inside of a large underground cavity. He landed in a tumble, rolling through the dirt and exerting every effort not to yelp and curse as he did so. Ed sat up and gazed around him, looking first at the narrow opening through which he'd come through with his nose wrinkled in disapproval before looking down the way that he was supposed to go. It was damp and dark down there, so Ed reached into his robes and dug around for his wand. Casting Lumos, Ed picked himself up and started down the earthen tunnel. It was a long walk, but Ed at least had the comfort of knowing that there was only one way to go. He'd catch up to his targets soon enough.
After a long while (though fortunately before he lost his patience completely) the path turned into a steady uphill climb toward the ceiling, and not much long after that he found that the ceiling overhead was now poured concrete. Curious, he reached up over his head and pressed one hand against it. Where had this come from? Finding a crack in its surface, Ed flattened his palm on one side of the crack and pushed. When that didn't do anything, he put his still lit wand in his teeth to free his other hand, pressed them both on the other side of the crack and pushed harder. With a soft groan the hard surface gave way, revealing some kind of trap door. As quietly as possible, Ed lifted the door and started to raise himself up through it, looking out to see where he had emerged.
It looked like some sort of storeroom or basement. There were shelves filled with what seemed like an infinite number of jars and pots, several large barrels and heavy-looking canvas bags. Ed pushed the trap door the rest of the way open and slowly pulled himself out, glancing about for signs of Draco or his hooded companion but finding none. He lowered the trap door cautiously until it shut tight, leaving absolutely no sign of its existence behind. He then headed for the cluttered staircase, since it looked like it was the only way out of the place. He wormed his way around the overflowing cardboard boxes that had been placed carelessly on the steps until he reached the door at the top. Fortunately for him it wasn't locked, so once he'd extinguished the light from his wand, Ed simply passed through.
He found himself behind the counter of what he recognized as the candy store in Hogsmeade. Needless to say, Ed was confused by this outcome, but he simply decided that it was just more of the Wizarding World's bizarreness. It was past midnight, so the place was completely empty and pretty much on lock-down (though why anyone would want to steal candy, Ed didn't know). He cautiously made his way toward the door, used magic to unlock it so he could go through, and then again to lock it once he was on the other side.
Ed looked up and down the barren main street of Hogsmeade. The place was swathed in moonlight, a few patches of dim shadow here and there showing where puffs of cloud were trying to cover the moon. Ed quickly ran into a darkened alleyway and hid there, feeling strangely exposed on the street under the soft light. He poked his head out and searched the street from his new hiding place, still looking for signs of Draco and his cloaked companion. He soon found that he was looking in the wrong direction. As he raised his head upward slightly, Ed saw a pair of silhouettes flying off into the midnight sky. When he squinted to make them out more distinctly, he realized that they were figures on broomsticks.
He cursed inwardly. He had no broom - he'd thought nothing of the fact that they'd each taken one down with them - and even if he did, he didn't know how to fly one. How on earth was he to follow them now? Resisting the temptation to punch a large hole into the side of the candy shop next to him, Ed scanned the area once again. He needed something that could fly, as ridiculous as that sounded. Something, anything...
There was a strange sound coming from one side, much like the rustling of feathers or blankets. Ed gave a start and instinctively ducked back into the shadows, but allowed his eyes to sweep over the street once again. He caught sight of something out of the corner of his eye, something the color of fire vanishing over the roof of the buildings. A bird, perhaps? His brow furrowing, Ed took a small step out of the alleyway, trying to get a better look at whatever it was. For a second he thought it looked just like an image of a phoenix he'd seen in a book, but it was now so far away that it was hard to know for sure.
That's when another strange, dark figure stepped out onto the main road and caught Ed's attention. It was built something like a horse, but extremely thin to the point of looking almost skeletal. It was large and black with a pair of scaly wings on its back , and was currently staring straight at Edward with its blank, white eyes. A thestral. For a moment, Ed just looked at it, wondering how on earth it had found its way down to Hogsmeade from the school at this time of night.
Then his breath caught. The ugly chimera-like beast had wings. Wings. Theoretically, the thing could fly.
And science was all about testing theories.
The Slytherin dormitories were silent and still. Their occupants were all fast asleep, occasionally rolling onto their backs or sides, scratching an itch, yawning, twitching, snoring and snorting in the midst of their dreams. They lay more or less content in the plush comfort of their green and silver four-poster beds, long since lost to the call of their dream worlds.
Throughout all of the Slytherin dormitories, only three beds laid empty.
A small voice suddenly pierced through the silence.
"Edward Elric! Edward Elric!"
The small voice came from one of the empty beds. It was muffled, and no one could quite hear it.
"Nii-san! Where are you, nii-san?!"
A black boy made a face in his sleep and rolled over, pulling the covers more tightly around him and groaning. He was the only one that had heard anything, but he was groggy and thought nothing of it. Then again, who would?
"Something's happening... I don't know what... but you have to come help!"
It was just a disembodied voice. It was just a dream to them. No one would have guessed that the urgency in the young voice was real.
"Mr. Harry's in pain... some kind of nightmare, something about his scar. And Ginny says that, she said that Miss Hermione..."
The voice was resonating from the surface of a small round mirror, tucked safely away inside one of the pillow cases on the bed. Had anyone picked up the mirror and looked into it, they would have seen the face of an iron helmet, with eyes that glowed a dim red light.
"Miss Hermione... is gone."
The young Malfoy heir grimaced. He was not at all pleased to find himself forced into a situation where he had to obey a pair of Death Eaters. And ones that he held in complete contempt, no less. But it was - as Elric would call it - an order, and he had no other option. He shifted uncomfortably on his broomstick as it had been quite a while since he'd last flown on it. Draco didn't know what he was being called for... He had yet to complete his task, after all. In fact, he was wishing at that moment that he'd chosen to lock himself away to work on it throughout the night.
Beneath them, the moonlit world rushed by. They were flying out over lush mountain ranges and fields, across rivers and lakes. Draco had no idea where he was being led and partially dreaded what was about to happen - though he was of course much too proud to acknowledge that bad feeling that gnawed at the back of his mind.
At length, the pair in front of him began to descend in their flight. Draco did the same, a bit hesitantly since they were apparently landing in a dark thicket near an open field. They alighted from their brooms and, with the silent efficiency like that of a trained soldier, the taller of the Death Eaters took hold of the brooms (Draco wasn't sure he appreciated such manhandling of his broom and had to scowl slightly) and shouldered them.
"Follow me," he commanded with a jerk of his head. He then marched toward the edge of the thicket, heading for the open field.
The two boys followed wordlessly, the older man picking their way through the tangled underbrush. Once they'd breached the tree line he paused for a moment to place the brooms against one of the tree's trunks, then all three of them walked out into the stony, brightly lit field. There, drenched in the pale moonlight, was the Dark Lord with his usual circle of Death Eaters gathered around him. His wand was drawn and trained on a figure that was writhing at his feet, shrieking and screaming in terror and pain as the usual Cruciatus Curse was inflicted on their body. The high pitch of the voice indicated that it was a young woman, and Draco was instantly sick to his stomach with the thought of yet another Muggle being tortured and killed at the bastard's amusement. Expertly concealing his disgust as he'd learned to do around the Death Eaters, Draco and his companions approached their so-called comrades.
The Dark Lord turned slowly toward them, temporarily lifting the torture from the poor young woman so that he could offer them a twisted sort of smile. Draco tried not to flinch at the man's cold, cruel gaze and kept his pace steady as they came closer. Swiftly, the two Death Eaters in Draco's company bent themselves into a low, humble bow at the Dark Lord's feet. The older one moved closer to kiss his master's robes and then they both withdrew into the circle of Death Eaters. The Dark Lord seemed to have ignored them, his scarlet eyes on Draco's face. Draco lowered his eyes and bowed slightly; he wasn't sure whether or not he ought to mimic their actions. But before he could make any movement to do so, the Dark Lord stopped him.
"So nice of you to join us, young Malfoy," he said, in that same soft hiss of a voice. "We've been waiting for you. Now that you're here, our young guest of honor... we can begin."
Draco swallowed, not sure what the dark wizard was referring to. "... My lord?"
His face twisted into a cruel smile before he spoke again. "As unfortunate as events have been played, with your father put away in Azkaban and you having to take over the Malfoy estate and his role as a member of the Death Eaters... I have observed that you are much too valuable and your skills are more than impressive... Which has led me to the decision of accelerating this initiation of yours."
Draco resisted the urge to glance at the young woman in the grass; he'd seen what had happened to the Dark Lord's followers when their attention seemed to drift when being addressed. So this was going to be the second part - the true part, as they'd called it - of his Death Eater initiation. And the girl on the ground nearbywas to be his first victim.
"Although..." The dark wizard now seemed to be surveying Draco with an air of suspicion. "It seems that you have yet to complete the task first assigned to you at the beginning of the year..."
"My apologies," said Draco at once, bowing his head a little lower and speaking as coolly as his father had ever done before him. "I've been getting sidetracked, there've been... unforeseen circumstances and distractions-"
"Is that so." The Dark Lord was clearly not amused, cutting him off swiftly and breaking away to walk around the circle of his followers. He was silent for a time, watching Draco carefully as he squirmed uncomfortably in his overbearing presence. "Do you wish to endow honor on your once noble, broken family, Draco? Do you want to fully become a member of my circle and complete your mission?"
The younger man's voice came out in a slight croak. "Of course I do, master."
Another cruel smile passed over the Dark Lord's expression. "Then in order to do so, there is something you must do first. I am giving you the opportunity to do away with one of the largest distractions in completing your task."
Draco's brow furrowed. "My... My lord?"
With the same expression still plastered to his face, the dark wizard flicked his wand and a clod of dirt hit the young woman in her side, and she gasped with the sudden infliction of pain.
"I order you to kill this Mudblood. Her kind should have never walked this earth. Send this piece of filth back to where she belongs."
Only now, when the Dark Lord indicated the young woman in the grass, did Draco allow himself to look at her for himself. And at that same moment, she turned herself around slightly and raised her head. Draco's eyes grew slightly rounder and his nostrils flared at the sight. A familiar pair of bright brown eyes had risen to meet his from within a mess of bushy brown hair. Her face was contorted into a pained expression, but there was no mistaking the anger and the power that had suddenly flared up in her eyes when she saw him.
Draco swallowed, keeping his face blank and expressionless as he looked down at her, kneeling near him in the grass and glaring up at him. The Dark Lord circled around and slowly placed one of his long-fingered hands onto Draco's shoulder.
"Pitiful, isn't she?" he hissed softly, his eyes studying the look on the younger boy's face. His voice quavered slightly in what Draco strongly suspected to be amusement, like he wanted desperately to laugh. "Potter's Mudblood... She was one of the feistier combatants that night almost... almost a year ago, now, wasn't it? If I recall... But look at her now. Helpless... Pathetic... At our - no. At your mercy."
There was a brief silence in which Draco merely kept his gaze on Hermione's face, watching with a sinking feeling in his stomach as fear and anger and hate flashed through her eyes. She said nothing, but there was no need for her to. Draco, for some reason, simply couldn't tear himself away. He'd been trying so hard to cut thoughts of this girl out of his life once and for all... Why her? Out of all the Muggleborns that could have been selected as his first victim, why did it have to be her? His heart was racing, pounding fearfully in his ears so loudly that he could have sworn everyone else could hear it, too. After he'd tried so hard to stop his feelings for her in order to keep her safe...
"Your loyalties to me have been doubted, Draco Malfoy," Lord Voldemort hissed into his ear. "Prove yourself. And kill her."
The words pierced through him like a knife. He felt as though his very heart had been run through with a cold steel blade. But, not one to drop his facade, Draco drew in a deep breath through his nose and took a step toward Hermione. And he saw, with another tinge of pain, that the anger in Hermione's eyes was now intricately mixed with a deep rooted terror.
Draco Malfoy hates Hermione Granger.
'That's right,' he thought. 'I hate her. I hate her.' He repeated this to himself like a mantra.
He took another step forward and noted that there was a bristle of excitement running through the circle of Death Eaters. He couldn't see the dark wizard's face, but Draco was almost certain that the bastard looked pleased. He clenched his jaw and gripped his wand so tightly that his knuckles had turned white. Another step, and he stood barely two feet from where Hermione was kneeling. Everything went silent, almost as though even the air had stopped moving and waited to see what Draco would do now.
'I hate her,' he thought again, trying to be more forceful with himself. 'I hate her.'
His grip further tightened around his wand. It was amazing that it had yet to snap in his grasp. Although Hermione stared at him defiantly in hatred, not wincing the least bit as she looked up at him, the fear she so desperately tried to hide pained him more than anything else.
"What's the matter, Draco? Raise your wand!" His aunt's voice, calling out from the circle of onlookers. "Just finish her! Kill her, dear nephew, kill her!"
Slowly, Draco obeyed and raised his wand so that it was level with Hermione's face. He clenched and unclenched his jaw, steeling himself for the task. He would kill her. In a moment, she would be just another body, a Mudblood, killed at the hands of Death Eaters. It wouldn't be surprising. Just another dead in the midst of war. There had been millions before her. There would be millions after her.
What did he care about one more?
Everything. Everything in this godforsaken world.
Draco nervously licked his lips, his resolve faltering. He didn't know anything anymore. Except for the fact that now he was about to die.
The ugly chimera beast proved to be an excellent flyer. It seemed to struggle only very slightly with Ed's unusually heavy weight, but that hardly undermined its ability. What impressed Ed the most, however, was its extremely acute sense of direction. He hadn't known how to drive or direct the thestral, and it certainly wasn't like he knew where exactly Draco and the other boy were going so he couldn't head them off or anything like that. But when Ed had just muttered darkly to himself about needing to catch up with Draco, the thestral had reared back and taken off. Ed assumed that the beast knew where it was going and what it was doing.
Not that he had much choice either way. He was largely distracted with clinging to its neck and mane for dear life. Of course, it wasn't as though he was afraid of heights or anything. It was just that Ed had no intention of falling to his death. If Edward Elric was to die young, it would be with a bigger bang than falling off a flying horse-thing.
The thestral took him out over wide stretches of fields and mountains, and Ed was amazed at how fast they moved and how far they had gone. When his mind wasn't so focused on maintaining his hold on the creature, his gold eyes wandered over the landscapes, trying to commit as many landmarks as he could to memory so that he could retrace this path later. One never knew when these things came in handy.
It was a while before the thestral finally began to descend, making a wide circle in the sky so that it could land in the midst of a dark thicket that lined an open field of grass and stones. Ed quickly scanned the field as they were lowered to the ground. Figures. He could see figures there, gathered together. A shiver ran up and down Ed's spine. Somehow he knew: the snake-nosed bastard was there.
Once the beast's hooves touched down on the ground, Ed urged it to move forward through the thicket until they were closer to the edge of the wood. Only when he could see the black-robed figures through the trees and in the distance did Ed dismount, but he kept his good hand on the thestral's flank for a moment, as though he were telling it to stay put. Then, as quietly as he could manage, Ed crept closer to the group so that he could hear what was going on, slinking from the cover of one boulder to another, the hood of his robes pulled over his head so that his blonde hair wouldn't stand out in the moonlight.
"Just finish her!" he heard a woman shout as he approached. "Kill her, dear nephew, kill her!"
As he got closer, he noticed that the Death Eaters had all formed a circle around Voldemort, Draco, and a young woman on her knees in front of them. They were all looking on at them expectantly, obviously waiting for something to happen. Obviously waiting for Draco to kill the person in the grass.
His brow furrowing, Ed tried to move around the group to try and identify the young woman. He moved carefully but quickly, trying to remain hidden in the shadows offered by the sparse trees and boulders that were littered across the field. He noticed Draco raising his wand so that it was level with the girl's face. Ed shifted his position, craning his neck to see... Hermione.
Anxiety seized him. No. Draco wouldn't kill Hermione. But if he didn't, then he'd be dead. Ed's mind sprang into overdrive and a sudden rush of adrenaline screamed through his system. He had to do something! This wasn't a memory, this was reality. He could stop Draco right then and there. He could actually do something. But at the same time, Ed knew that if he was discovered he was as good as dead. He needed more time to plan a course of action... But there wasn't any time.
Then Ed saw something that made him feel both relief and panic at the same time: Draco was slowly lowering his wand.
"I..."
With that, Voldemort's fingers closed more tightly around his own wand. He seemed about ready to raise it toward Draco.
Ed's instincts kicked in.
His hands came together in a thunderous clap, and he immediately pressed his palms to the ground. Voldemort had obviously heard the sound of his clap, but he was too late to do anything about it. Blue lightning flashed around Ed's hands, then surged through the ground toward the Death Eaters at top speed. Spikes and walls of stone erupted from the earth, surrounding Draco and Hermione like a shield. The attack caught everybody by surprise, making the entire group of Death Eaters jump back and scatter away from their places. Even Voldemort must have been surprised as well, but it was hard to say one way or the other.
Ed clapped his hands again, and this time he made even more spikes erupt outward from the ground. Spikes grew atop the spikes that had already been made, sharply jutting outward in an attempt to hit the Death Eaters. He summoned up every battle tactic he'd learned in his time in the military, recalling Armstrong's stone techniques as best he could and mimicking them. Stone spikes exploded from the ground and shot out as projectiles in all directions. Using the colonel's techniques would no doubt have helped, too, but Ed had yet to experiment with using alchemy to alter components in the atmosphere.
The onslaught of attacks made everyone rush back even further still, shouting out in confusion and anger. A few of them were already blasting out spells to destroy Ed's creations where they stood or as they hurtled toward them, but they had yet to pinpoint his location. He clapped again, and more spikes sprang up from the other side of the group, trapping them. Several calls of "Reducto!" could be heard, followed by the sound of rock and stone crumbling apart. Ed didn't allow that to deter him and continued the alchemic barrage. As long as no one saw him in his hiding place, he would be safe.
Draco looked at the walls that had sprung up around them, shocked and confused. At first, he didn't know what to think. Somebody had obviously attacked their meeting, and everyone was running around outside screaming and shouting. Within a few moments he realized that he and Hermione were safe in the middle of it. Not only that, but they were safely out of Voldemort's sight, hidden and shielded by the stone. The Dark Lord was distracted with finding the intruder.
Quickly, Draco closed the small distance between him and Hermione, bent down, and grabbed her by the arm. He tried to pull her to her feet, but Hermione was quick to struggle against him and fight back. She wrenched her arm away from him with a strength she hadn't realized was still left to her, allowing herself to slump back to the ground.
"Settle down, Granger," Draco hissed, reaching for her again. "Bloody hell, stop-"
She slapped weakly at Draco's hands as he once again caught her by the arm and then glared at him, her lips trembling as though she were on the verge of tears. It was clear that Hermione was just short of hysterical, clawing at Draco's hands and robes to try to get him to release her. Despite how frustrated and simultaneously exasperated he was with the girl, Draco didn't release her. Thinking ahead, he hurriedly pointed his wand to where he assumed the thicket was and called out, "Accio broom!"
His broomstick darted through the air, winding its way toward them over what had apparently turned into a battlefield. Within moments it swooped down into the narrow "room" that they found themselves in and Draco put his wand away into his inner robe pocket so that he could use that hand to catch it. He quickly swung one leg over it and then turned to Hermione.
"Get up, you stupid girl! Get up!"
There was an explosion from the other side of the thick walls and the very ground itself seemed to shake. This startled Hermione so much that her guard dropped for a second as she gasped. Draco took advantage of that moment to force Hermione to her feet and haul her onto the broomstick in front of him. Then, despite her screaming protests, he kicked off the ground and took to the sky, wanting only to leave the battlefield as far behind them as he could.
'Finally,' Ed thought, spotting Draco and Hermione aboard a broomstick and rising up into the sky. In all honesty, he'd expected their escape to have been much earlier, hoping that Draco would have taken advantage of the chaotic distraction to do so.
As another spell was shot his way, Ed dove out of his hiding place and hurled himself toward the stone room he'd created. He had to cover for them. It was better for everyone involved if no one realized that Draco had been the one to take Hermione away. They didn't know who Ed was. He'd adjusted his robes and hood so that the material was much thicker and bore almost no semblance at all to the Hogwarts school robes. As far as the Death Eaters needed to know, a strange hooded figure had appeared from out of nowhere to save her. And that was the way things were going to need to stay.
So Ed raced across the ruined and scarred landscape, dodging spells when he could by throwing up shields or ducking behind rocks and boulders. Deciding it was best for the Death Eaters to believe Ed was a normal wizard, he whipped out his wand as he closed in on one of the walls of the alchemic room he made. He extended it out in front of him and shouted "Reducto!", blasting a large enough hole in the stone for him to dive through a few moments before he'd even reached it.
"He's after the Mudblood!" someone howled. And then there were mangled shouts erupting from amongst them, calling for Draco, asking where he'd gone and demanding he kill Hermione at once.
Mere seconds after diving into the "safe haven" he'd transmuted for Draco and Hermione, Ed took his wand into his mouth so his hands were free to be clapped. He did so hurriedly and pressed them into the ground, creating an underground tunnel that would take him back toward the safety of the thicket. He then slipped into it as fast as he could, and not a moment too soon: the Death Eaters burst through the walls and Apparated into the space nearby, just soon enough to see the last of Ed disappear into the hole.
Ed hurried along the passageway, pressing himself to run faster with each passing second. His wand still in his teeth, he clapped again and slid his hands along the sides of the tunnel, initiating another alchemic reaction. The earth behind him immediately closed in on itself and two fake tunnels were created leading in opposite directions, both dead-ends. For extra measure, Ed fired his wand back at the earthen walls and transfigured a layer of thick rock just behind it as a form of support.
He smirked to himself, approving of his own genius plan. They'd never find him now. Though of course, this would probably mean that Hermione's rescuer was going to become a prime Death Eater target; he had, after all, somehow found out about their meeting place, attacked them all without being spotted beforehand, and foiled some portion of their usual Dark Art activities. Pushing the thought of having yet another bounty hanging over him from his mind, Ed hurriedly continued onward. For now, he had to escape back to Hogwarts.
Draco had lost track of how long they'd been flying. He had one arm around Hermione's back as she was turned towards him, her face buried on his shoulder and her hands grasping the front of his cloak out of fear. He had always known she was scared of flying, but this was the only alternative he had at the time. It was the only way they could get away.
He surveyed the area he was in and spotted the black lake below them. Deciding it would be the wisest distance away from the castle to land, he pointed the nose of his broom down toward the earth and they dove toward it. They landed somewhat awkwardly near the lakebed and as Draco finally touched ground and lifted Hermione off the broomstick, she immediately broke away from him, pushing him away and shaking in fear.
"Granger, let me just explain—"
"Y-You bastard!" Hermione cut him off, her swearing catching Draco a bit by surprise. He quickly shook it off, however, and started towards her again.
"Granger, please listen-"
"Don't touch me!" she spat, immediately backing away. "Don't you dare come near me!"
He took another step toward her, slowly. "Granger, you don't understand—"
"Oh I understand, alright!" she hissed harshly at him. "I was to be the first Mudblood the Great Draco Malfoy was to kill, isn't that right? I understand completely!"
Draco said nothing. She wouldn't have listened to him if he did. He couldn't blame her.
She staggered backward even more, her body shaking uncontrollably. "You're a bloody DEATH EATER!" she screamed at him. "A DISGUSTING, HEARTLESS DEATH EATER!"
Draco winced at her words but still would not look at her. He instead turned away to stare at his reflection on the lake. A Death Eater. Was he really no better than another one of those ruthless, remorseless followers of the Dark Lord, killing everything that resembled some good in their path?
The Cruciatus curse may have weakened Hermione's body considerably but it didn't mar one bit of her fiery spirit. She just kept screaming at him, breathing hard and red in the face. Although sorrow clenched Draco's heart every single time she called him that hateful thing, he felt a sudden anger rise in him. How dareshe call him that? How dare she insult him like that? Who did this girl think she was? She had no bloody right!
"Shut up!" he spat suddenly. "Shut up, Granger, or so help me, I'll-"
"You'll what?" Hermione snapped back. "You'll kill me? Go on then, I knew that was what you meant to do with me! Your father will finally be proud to call you his son! Your master might even build a shrine in your honor! You finally silenced Hermione Granger, the Mudblood!"
Draco moved to close the space between them. "I brought you back here so you'd be safe, you idiotic girl! You want to go on to the castle on your own, then?! Fine! Go on! You can barely take ten steps without eating dirt!"
"Right where I belong, right, Malfoy?!" she continued to shout at him. "In the dirt?! Just like the Mudblood I am?!"
A sharp pain struck Draco in the heart and his retort was momentarily silenced. It hurt, hearing his own stupid words and insults being thrust under his nose, showing him just what kind of ass he had been. He clenched his jaw, steeling himself again, readying himself for a quick retort and reached over to take her by the wrist. But just as his fingers closed around her arm, Hermione quickly pulled it back and slapped him hard across the face.
Stunned, Draco's hand released her wrist and brought it up to the part of his face where Hermione had struck him. He turned to look up at her and to his surprise, she lowered her eyes to the ground, her voice no louder than a whisper.
"And to think," she managed to say, "and to think, I defended you in front of Harry. But he was right… he was right all along." Her voice wavered slightly. "And there I was thinking there was still some good left in you… I was so stupid."
She turned to go, ignoring his pained expression and deep frown, but her exhaustion took over her body and it wasn't long before she collapsed onto the grass. Draco immediately walked over to her fallen form, but made no move to touch her.
"Granger? Can you get up?"
No answer.
Draco bent down swiftly, put one hand on Hermione's shoulder to pull her up while the other hand lifted her head slightly.
Almost immediately, he withdrew.
Hermione Granger was crying, her tears falling freely down her face. "I-I was so scared... I thought I was going to die! Those D-Death Eaters tortured me! V-Voldemort tortured me, a-and you- Youjust stood by and watched! You-You're sick!" She practically spat the last words out.
"Granger," Draco started to say, "there was nothing I could have-"
"I hate you!" Hermione screamed right into his face. "I don't ever want to see your face again! I was so wrong about you! You're the most h-horrible person imaginable! I-I'd curse out your eyes but then you w-wouldn't be able to lookat yourself in the morning and remember just how sick and twisted you are! I don't know how you can live with yourself everyday of your life! There's n-nothing left in you but evil!"
She balled her hands into fists and uselessly flailed her arms against him, hitting his chest repeatedly. Draco grasped both of her wrists and hauled her up to her feet. She let out a series of shrill cries and protests as he did so, still struggling against his touch.
"Leave me be! Please, just leave me be! Leave me!" She started to sob loudly, as though she was choking on her hoarse yells and her tears. "I hate you! I hate you! I hate you..." Then her voice faltered slightly, and once again she collapsed into his arms.
Draco looked down at the exhausted form in his arms. She hated him. Of course she did. Hadn't he always known that? And wasn't he supposed to feel indifferent about her feelings toward him? Wasn't she supposed to mean nothing to him? But then, why did the pain in his heart become almost too much for him to bear when he heard her voice her hatred for him out loud?
He picked her up and carried her, heading towards the castle when a clatter of hooves on the soft earth nearby made Draco look up to see what it was. A strange wave of intense relief washed over him when he saw Edward Elric stepping out from the shadows, moving toward him.
Ed looked flushed and exhausted, his blonde hair unkempt and sticking out at odd angles from his ponytail. He was still dressed in his sleeping clothes, except for his hands being in their usual gloves and his huge black boots on his feet. He had some strange sort of cloak around his shoulders, made of some thick cloth and covered only his torso. There was also a large hood on it, but Ed wasn't wearing it at the moment. His gold eyes looked bright in the moonlight as he looked questioningly between Draco and Hermione as he approached.
He'd been so sure that he'd given them ample time to make a speedy getaway and that by now they would both be back in the castle, safe and sound, as though nothing had happened. But seeing them by the side of the lake was disconcerting at best, and a million nightmarish scenarios regarding how this could have happened sped through his head at light speed.
"What..." He moved closer until he was practically beside them, giving both students a careful once over. "What happened-?"
"Here." Draco placed Hermione upright on her feet and her hands reached out and grasped Ed's shoulder for support. "Take Granger back to the castle."
The other boy blinked in confusion. "What? But-"
"You heard me," Draco said quickly. "Take her back to the bloody castle."
"But it looked like you had a pretty good start there, you should-"
"Just go." There was such a command in his voice that Ed could easily have mistaken him for the colonel. Then, leaving no room whatsoever for argument, Draco grabbed up his broom and kicked off into the sky.
Edward watched him leave for a moment, his brow furrowed. Then he turned and looked at Hermione. She was practically latched onto him, shaking ever so slightly.
"You okay?"
Hermione finally released him from her grasp, opened her mouth and managed to say "I'm fine" between a small sob and a stifled whimper. Ed just frowned at her, looked back to where he'd abandoned the thestral, and signaled for it to come over.
"You're not. Get on."
And suddenly, just as Ed reached over to take Hermione by the arm, she let out a loud sob and tears started to stream freely down her cheeks. Eyes going wide in surprise, Ed withdrew and took a halting step backward. He'd never learned how to deal with girls when they were crying, despite the frequency with which Winry cried in his presence. It was just one of those things he didn't fully understand. So he just stood there, feeling pretty damn stupid as Hermione Granger cried and cried into the still night air, the salty tears making clear streaks down her dirt-stained cheeks. She heaved another loud sob and her arms slowly moved to wrap around herself.
"H-He was going to kill me." Her voice shook and cracked, as though it took an immense effort just to speak. "He was really going to kill me, wasn't he?"
Some combination of fear, panic, anger, and sympathy welled up within him. "No, he..." He paused, struggling to find some kind of explanation that wouldn't bring the girl into a fit of hysterics. "That's not it, Hermione, he wouldn't-"
"I hate him," she murmured suddenly, coming out in almost a hiss. "H-He's nothing more than an unfeeling, cold, cruel person. I-I want nothing to do with him. I don't care. I don't care what happens to him anymore."
Ed was taken aback. Although her tone was barely audible, he'd never heard Hermione speak with such a passionate anger and hatred in her voice before. Ed tried to force down the lump that had formed in his throat as he looked at her, watching her cry desperately into the silent, moonlit night. He tried to hold himself steady as a fresh wave of guilt hit him in full force. He'd been too late. He should have acted faster, he should have arrived at the scene earlier, he should've followed Draco and the other boy more tightly... But none of that mattered now.
Hermione now hated Draco with a greater passion than ever.
From the Author: obviously there's much more at stake here than just one romantic relationship, but you all know that already, right? if you don't, well... i guess you'll see soon enough! ...that, and i just told you. so... yeah. eheh.
so... yeah. there it is. Mjade and i have stared long and hard at this chapter, worked and reworked scenes, tweaked wordings, role played... we attacked this chapter. and this is about the best we came up with. mind you, we were only able to do all that working on for very small amounts of time at random points over the past few... months. wow, yes, months. we fail pretty hard right now, huh?
...at least the update now exists. -sweatdrops-
so much of this chapter is thanks to Mjade. concepts, dialogue, character development stuffs, a good hefty portion of it is all thanks to her. so if you love the story, remember to love her just as much as you love me. it's mostly a collaborative between the two of us, so yes. the credit for this baby belongs to us both. :)
thanks to people who pointed out mistakes (Beboots, Phantom SunsSong, i'm lookin' at you)! damn, i'm getting rusty at checking the document before submitting it.