Silly life day by day
Dips your face into the blood.
Come on! Submit! Listen to me!
There will be no fairy tale with a bright ending.
Take it away! Back off! Live for yourself!
Hide your compassion far!
Trust me! Submit! Go without grieving!
Forget! And don't listen to their bitter cry!
Indifferent fire, eternal fire. He didn't care about petty disagreements between stupid people. He had all the time in the universe at his disposal.
Hermione watched the flames play in the fireplace, listening intently to the conversation behind the wall. It was hard to imagine that this voice, ringing with tension, belonged to the cold-blooded Draco Malfoy.
"It's true?" he asked the question for the third time.
"Draco," Narcissa finally spoke up, "listen ..."
"I can't believe it! Did you know ?!"
Hermione thought that if she had to face Malfoy's flamboyance, she probably would not have rejected the company of the cute troll so recklessly as an alternative to this gentle boy. It seemed that the grunt of the formidable creatures could not be half as fierce as his screams.
"Draco, you must understand," Narcissa has not yet lost hope in her son's prudence. "Just don't tell me what a great honor our family has received," Malfoy's voice suddenly became barely audible.
Well, how can you do that? Either he yells like a madman, then he broadcasts in the voice of an announcer broadcasting a weather forecast. You still have to look for such an inconsistent person. And it's impossible to behave like that at seventeen. Harry or Ron, if they start yelling, they only stop talking when they say it. Right…
"How could you agree? How ?! You thought it would be?! You saw close to this ... this ... I don't know how to describe it. Such a word has not yet been invented. What were you thinking?"
Listening to his quiet, icy voice, Hermione flinched as Narcissa shouted:
"What were you thinking about ?! What were you thinking two months ago when you dragged me out of the house to the beach in defiance of Lucius? You could not hold back the momentary impulse and now you are reaping its fruits ... After all, you knew that you yourself were giving them cards. are you wondering now? " she paused, catching her breath.
"What are you talking about?" Draco asked suspiciously.
"About that," Narcissa said quite calmly, "that you could not think of anything better for them. Lucius spent half his life trying to find your weak point. You simply did not have it: you are not afraid of pain, you do not care about his good disposition. , you do not tremble before the Dark Lord. You have a core that was never in Lucius himself, Draco. And now, when he was completely desperate to find the coveted door, you yourself handed him the key. They found a way to get what they wanted from you. "
"Did they threaten you?" barely audible question.
"No, they are too smart for that. They just said that accidents often happen in the scout camp. It happens that children do not return home from vacation. You yourself understand everything. If they decide something, then it is impossible to prevent it. And I ... I couldn't let you ... "not come back from vacation." Do you understand? "
"Nonsense. I'm already home."
"Firstly, I didn't know that. Secondly, so what?"
"So they're using us against each other?"
"Bravo, you are not hopeless!"
"Why did you agree? I wish I hadn't returned from the camp!"
"Draco, don't talk nonsense! No one asked me. They've already decided everything. And with my refusal, I would not have achieved anything - only hurt you."
"Mom, an hour ago when I said I had no choice in my engagement decision, you said I didn't need it. What about you? You didn't want to choose? Why?"
"No Draco. You can choose if you have something, I have not. For two years now," Narcissa said quietly.
"Two years? Two years ... What happened two years ago? So ... Aha! Father and the company were put in Azkaban. But I don't see the connection."
"You don't need to."
Draco sighed and, after a pause, said:
"Harry Potter in the castle."
"I know. Poor boy."
"Poor boy? Is that him?"
"What a bastard!" Hermione wanted to hit Malfoy with a poker.
"She has a date with such a monster on her nose that the nozzle would have died from its mere sight, not to mention being close to him, and she pity Potter!"
"He's just a kid, Draco, who certainly isn't to blame for being dragged into this."
"What kind of child is he ?!" Malfoy protested.
Narcissa said nothing. There was silence. Hermione listened to the crackling of the logs and thought it was all some kind of bad dream. Well, this nonsense cannot be real! This does not happen. They are mother and son. They are at home, within their native walls. They just can't talk about things like death and choice. And this doom in the voice ... It doesn't have to be that way. And nothing bad can happen to Harry either.
Suddenly Narcissa said:
"Harry Potter will be there too."
"Where?" Draco didn't understand.
"The Lord needs Harry Potter to conceive an heir," Mrs. Malfoy said wearily.
"Stop! My roof will go right now. Five minutes ago he needed you. Potter is there why? The Dark Lord is going to give birth to his heir. Or will there be several of them? Mom, I still, for complete happiness, did not have the offspring of Potter as a relative ..."
Malfoy spoke softly, but faster and faster.
All signs of hysteria, Hermione thought with a touch of malevolence, although she herself was not in the best condition.
"Draco, stop it! Sit down! You make me dizzy."
The creak of the bed.
"So! Calm down. Do you know how this is supposed to happen?"
"Now they are trying, under the influence of spells, to conjure up the boy's childhood memories of his parents. About some kind of spell of his mother. Although they probably already deciphered it, since Lord made an appointment for the evening. Then in the very ... process, he will need this boy's blood. "
"How 'in the process' itself?"
"Draco, I beg you, nothing can be changed anyway," Doom in Narcissa's voice was heard.
"Hell no!"
"Draco, I don't want to endure the humiliation in vain. They will kill you if you try… And what can you do with two such wizards, and with the guards?"
"Potter's blood. Potter's blood ... Do you think they got it already?"
"I told you - it is necessary during the ceremony."
"That is ... no blood - no heir. And no Potter - no blood."
"What are you up to?"
"Good night, Mom," with these words Draco rushed into the room and, slamming the door, began to cast locking spells on it.
There was a desperate knock on the other side.
"Draco, I forbid! Stop it! I'll get out anyway."
"Mom, sixth floor, there are no wings, but you still don't know how to fly on a broomstick. I'm at Lucius's at six in the morning. Well, well, well ... Tomorrow at half past six I'll let you out of here."
Draco Regulus Malfoy!
"Yes, I know all about the gaps in my upbringing. Mom, you wake up the whole house, and then they will definitely kill me."
"Okay," Narcissa said quietly, "I hope you know what you're doing."
"And then!" the son responded.
Then he happily repeated under his breath:
"No Potter - no blood," and looked at Hermione who was still standing in the middle of the room with a strange look.
"Malfoy! Don't even think about it. If you're going to do something with Harry, you'll have to deal with me first," she hoped her voice didn't tremble too much.
Judging by Malfoy's reaction, she was hoping in vain. He laughed: harshly, abruptly.
"Granger, why scare you like that? You look so belligerent ..."
Ignoring the girl's indignant look, the owner of the room disappeared into the bathroom. Hermione remained confused. What to do? Run out of the room and call for help? Malfoy was obviously up to something. Yeah, and the rest of the inhabitants of this castle are just angels - no one has any mean thoughts. Maybe open Narcissa and talk to her? Yes, but you have to use a wand to do this. What did Malfoy say about the guard trolls?
Without thinking of anything, the girl went to the bathroom door and called:
"Malfoy! What are you up to?"
The door swung open, letting in steam, and this unbearable bastard appeared on the threshold. Unbearable because he is naked. Well, not really, but the towel on the thighs doesn't count.
Hermione stared blankly at his damp shoulders, the bruise on the collarbone from Blaise. She had never imagined that Malfoy was so perfectly complex. Muscular, fit. How much time does he spend on his body? Or is it from constant Quidditch training? And that damn scout camp too ... Hermione swallowed as she glanced down the muscles of his abdomen. That blush was completely inappropriate.
"Trouble, Granger?" Malfoy asked sympathetically as he squeezed past her into the room. At the same time, he touched the girl with his shoulder, which is why she certainly had to knock steam from her ears. Hermione clearly felt like a boiling kettle.
"So what did you ask?" with these words he opened the side panel of the cabinet and began to study its contents.
Hermione screamed before she knew what was about to happen.
"Malfoy, couldn't you get dressed in the bathroom ?!"
"What?" Draco asked, turning around.
In his hands he was holding something suspiciously similar to underwear.
"Granger, this is my room, and I can stand here all night at least on my ears. And in any form," he raised an eyebrow pointedly. "If you are worried about something, you can turn your back."
The girl turned sharply to the window, exposing her flaming cheeks to the wind. If she gets out of here, she will definitely not forget this scene soon. Although Malfoy promised that she would not even remember her name. It's a shame.
"That's it! You can turn around without worrying about your innocence."
"Malfoy, you know, you are the most ..."
"Hey! Think hard, is it worth continuing?"
Hermione turned to see that Malfoy had time to put on black skinny jeans and a thin tight sweater, also black. This color was amazing for him. He set off a light tan and blonde hair, still slightly damp from a shower.
"Well, well, well ..." Malfoy walked quickly across the room past Hermione and turned a hundred and eighty degrees by the fireplace. "It's simple. They want Potter. Right?"
"That's right," Hermione nodded.
Malfoy gave the girl a glance, making it clear that he was just thinking out loud, and her opinion was not at all interesting to him.
"There will be no Potter ... The whole question is how?"
He stared at Hermione, who felt uncomfortable under that gaze. She was already beginning to miss the old Malfoy. Well sarcastic, well, not happy ... She has been watching this for six years. And nothing - I'm used to it. The same version of the hated Slytherin was, in her opinion, too active, and, therefore, anything could be expected from him. Here is staring! But after a minute the girl realized that although Malfoy was looking in her direction, he saw something completely different. It looked like a plan was slowly ripening in his head. Hermione took a step to the side - the boy didn't even blink. Exactly! Had she jumped out of the window, he wouldn't even have reacted. Hermione paced the room and sat down on the edge of his bed in front of the desk.
"So!" Malfoy responded, and Hermione pulled herself together. "We're getting out of here."
"Where?" the girl asked warily.
"Visit Potter."
Hermione tensed.
"But you said that ..."
"Granger, take it easy. There is nothing we can do to help Potter."
"But you ..." the awakened hope was slowly fading in her soul.
"We need someone who can help. Quickly and efficiently. And no questions asked."
With that, Malfoy walked towards the closet past the frozen Hermione. She had no idea who could help them. Meanwhile, Malfoy pulled out from under the closet what looked like a long suitcase and opened it. There was a broom inside. Hermione did not understand brooms at all, but immediately realized that this was a very expensive model, and also realized that few people Malfoy treated with such trepidation as his broom. It was in perfect condition.
"So," he straightened up and went to the window, "there are spare brooms in the barn. Of course, not of the same class as mine, but you still hardly flew anything cooler than Potter's Flash, let alone pieces of wood. owned by the Weasleys. So you can make do with what you have. "
As he spoke, Malfoy studied the broom and tweaked something in it.
"I didn't fly ..." Hermione said quietly.
"Well, even more so. If Potter did not give his" Flare ", then you will not see anything more comfortable in life ... Repeat!" he interrupted himself.
The meaning of the words began to sink in, and Draco slowly turned to the girl. Delaying the moment when she had to look him in the eye, Hermione with enviable persistence continued to study Narcissa's sandals, abandoned by her, or perhaps by Malfoy under his desk. Such graceful, all in precious stones ...
"Granger, did I hear wrong?"
Pebbles sparkle in the glow of the fireplace. Eh! We'll have to answer ...
"I can't fly on a broomstick."
"That's it! I said that, let him kill now."
"What are you talking about? Everyone was taught to fly in their first year. You must have flown too. Otherwise, you would not have passed the exam."
Hermione blushed.
"I got the mark for the exam for diligence and excellent knowledge of theory. Since then, I have not come close to the broomstick."
that way! Have arrived. A brilliant plan crumbles to hell because the know-it-all Granger got a grade for knowing the theory. Well, you're going to use it today! "Malfoy snapped.
"Malfoy, I won't fly," Hermione pulled back, "I can't, I'm afraid of heights, I won't be able to control."
Malfoy carefully set his broom to the desk and walked over to Hermione. The girl tried to merge with the veil. It didn't work out.
"I want to remind you that your beloved Potter will be given the badge of a deserved donor. Posthumously!"
He hovered over her, forcing the girl to squeeze into the bed.
"Decide!"
"Malfoy, could it be something else?"
"Yes, easily! I fly away, and you go on foot through the main gate. How do you plan?"
"Lousy," the girl replied grimly.
The Slytherin stopped pretending to be a cliff and returned to the table. Hermione sat up.
"Did you come in this?" Malfoy glanced around at Hermione's modest outfit: suede shoes, frayed jeans, and a light linen shirt.
"No! I have a whole suitcase of luggage with me. Your butler is about to bring it in," the girl quipped.
The young man silently went to the closet and began to rummage in it. A minute later, he tossed a warm black sweater at Hermione, which featured a silver dragon with a terrible grin.
"What cute things he has. I hope this charm does not bite me. "
"This is the smallest size. I don't have the smaller one," said Draco Malfoy.
Wow! Malfoy donates his sweater to her. Such a concern.
"I don't want to fly to Hogwarts in the company of a blue corpse," he immediately spoiled the impression.
"Are we going to Hogwarts?" asked Hermione, putting on her sweater.
"Any other suggestions?"
"No! Malfoy ..."
His broom was already hanging in the air, and he was tossing on a light black jacket. At her plaintive call, he turned around, measured her crumpled figure with a long glance and sighed wearily:
"Have you ever tried flying together?"
He never ceases to amaze her.