IWSC, summer school, Ravenclaw.
Week 4: The overnight - Write a story set in the woods.
Hogwarts, Hufflepuff, Assignment 4.
RE, Task 9, Write about somebody 'dark' turning to the 'light'.
Hogwarts, Hufflepuff, September event, back to school.
Prompt: 45 (character) Hermione Granger
Word Count: 1062
Beta(s): Dhirsh, CupCakeyyy, Aya
The usual and almost painful squeeze of Apparition never got comfortable. She pinched her eyes shut until her feet hit the ground and then instantly pointed out her wand, ready to put the defenses up to keep her and her friends safe. But something in the distance caught her eye. In the shadows of the trees, Hermione caught sight of something that didn't look natural; a head of blond hair.
Hermione's eyes met Draco's. She took a step back to give her distance, but she didn't break eye contact, not wanting to miss when he moved, attacked, or alerted the Death Eaters. But the blond just stood there. Silently. Was he waiting? For what? Was this a trap?
She could hear Harry and Ron murmuring behind her, oblivious to the threat.
Her eyes zoned into Draco's lips, paying careful attention to the word he was mouthing. "Leave."
Instantly, Hermione knew she had to act, and that turning her back to him wouldn't mean her doom. With a flick of her wand, she summoned the tent back into her bag, the one that the boys had just been putting up, and that action gained their attention. "We have to go," she whispered.
This put her two friends on high alert, they looked around suspiciously, trying to spot the danger she knew existed, and approached her wordlessly.
The second they were close, Ron took their hands and apparated them; after all, it was his turn to choose the location. Hermione turned but couldn't see Draco in sight. However, the shadows were moving closer; the Death Eaters were nearby.
Hermione tried to slow her heavy breathing. Her instincts screamed that she needed to be ready to fight, ready to face the Death Eaters that would inevitably come for them. But despite how many times her eyes scanned the dark shadows in the woods or the moving branches of the trees, she always found nothing.
Raising her wand, she put up the defense barriers around their new campsite.
"What happened?" Ron asked her the second she had finished setting up the last spell.
"Death Eaters."
"How did they find us?"
Hermione shrugged, indecision clouded over her face as she turned to him. "They knew we were going to be there. I saw… Malfoy, he warned me to run. It was only when we were about to apparate that I saw the others."
Harry walked closer. "Malfoy?"
Hermione nodded.
The three of them shared a look but none of them knew what to do with that information at that moment. It wasn't long until they started to really discuss it.
"You must be deluded! It's Malfoy! He's pure evil!" Ron argued, hitting his fist against the bed as he dropped down onto it.
Hermione couldn't argue that Malfoy was a good person because he was far from it.
Harry, however, had a different input. "His family is involved, you saw him last year too, he was unravelling. He didn't have the choice of which side to choose."
"He's still a Death Eater!" Ron argued.
"I say we reach out. It's worth a shot," Harry said.
"I say no," Ron voted and then looked at Hermione. "Dividing vote."
Hermione looked between the two of them. She had been the one to see Malfoy in the woods, had seen him give the warning. It wasn't a trick. Malfoy wasn't setting them up for a trap. He saved them from an ambush. However, he could be playing the long game, letting them contact him and then walk them into an even worse trap.
"Well?" Ron prompted.
They had been roaming around for weeks, or was it months? Taking the risk might benefit them more than playing it safe. They'd just have to be careful. "I think we should contact him."
With a loud huff from Ron, it had been agreed. They would be contacting their hopefully former enemy.
Draco Malfoy reread the letter from 'Lion Trio' four times. He knew exactly who it was from and what it meant. Potter, Weasley, and Granger wanted his help. They wanted him to give them the location of Nagini when it wasn't near Voldemort.
His Master's familiar was probably the most protected pet there was on planet Earth. It rarely ever left his side and if it did, it was surrounded by the strongest of charms and shields anyone could only dream about. The Dark Lord was a master at magic, frighteningly powerful, and only someone who had completely lost their mind or will to live would even dare to think about going up against him.
And why would they write to him? Why ask him? He was a Death Eater. A loyal supporter and follower of the Dark Lord. Evil. He had made sure of that by taking the Dark Mark in the first place, so why in the name of the Dark Lord would they willingly reach out to him? He had made his decision, he had chosen his path, and that path was in the darkness that was slowly, ominously covering and devouring what was left of the magical world.
The Gryffindor idiots must have misinterpreted his warning for them to run as the Death Eaters were ravaging and killing everything in sight. It wasn't to help them. It was… for him. Not them. He was on Voldemort's side. Completely.
So as he stared at the slightly crinkled parchment in front of him, he could all but feel a battle break out inside of him. He knew what he would do, and he couldn't help but hate himself for it.
Regardless of his mind shouting at him that he couldn't go against Voldemort, he picked up his quill and wrote down what he knew about Nagini's location habits. It was the right thing to do. And unfortunately bad for his health if anybody found out.
He didn't care though, he had to do the right thing. He wanted to. Therefore, he didn't hesitate to attack his answer to the owl that had brought him the letter three hours ago. A warm feeling slowly grew inside him as he watched it fly off. Maybe it'll help the Gryffindor's win the war. Then he can… His thoughts halted as his door opened. He looked away from the window and froze his expressions.
Time to be that loyal soldier to the Dark Lord.