Blessed Release: The Pardon

Blessed Release: The Pardon

Chapter Three: A Quest to End all Quests

And I find it kind of funny

I find it kind of sad

The dreams in which I'm dying

Are the best I've ever had

I find it hard to tell you

I find it hard to take

When people run in circles

It's a very, very

Mad world

Tears for Fears, Mad World

The class erupted. Lavender Brown shrieked and fainted. Pansy Parkinson began repeatedly screaming every five seconds. Snape roared something that sounded like: "Shut that girl up or I swear I'll hex her myself!"

Needless to say no one did anything, hoping that Pansy would graduate Hogwarts with a face Joan Rivers would be proud of. And, of course, no one actually paid any attention to the single person who was really in danger: Hermione. She lay motionless on the floor, her hair spread around her face with its tips alight like some demented halo.

Harry felt queasy. His girlfriend, no, one of his best friends, had just been proclaimed dead. Sure, she'd been declared deceased by Neville Longbottom (who wasn't going to make medical marvel of the year any time soon), but it was still a shock to hear that anyone had recently departed their ranks. For good. No coming back. It was a finality that no one wanted to face, especially not Harry.

He tried to go over to Hermione, but Snape was suddenly blocking his way. The professor performed a quick spell and, waving his wand, directed her now floating body out the door.

"Class is dismissed," called Snape. "You will all proceed directly to your appropriate houses and wait until further notice. If any of you dally, I shall know." Snape directed a last glare towards Ron and Harry, both of whom had gone incredibly pale.

After Snape had vanished, the other students did the same, including Harry and Ron. They were actually planning on following their potions professor at a safe distance, and then waiting till had left the Hospital Wing, after which they could go and see that Hermione was all right.

But while most of the students understood the Snape was not to be messed with, and decided to leave well enough alone, Draco Malfoy stayed inside the classroom. Although Draco had no concern whatsoever for the Mudblood he had tormented over the years, Draco did not want to be a murderer, because he had his suspicions about that potion. Draco reached down into the miraculously intact cauldron that the potion had been brewed in. To make sure that the cauldron wasn't going to collapse on his hand anytime soon, Draco kicked the base of the cauldron, but only succeeded in stubbing his toe rather painfully.

Draco swore loudly, but no one was around to hear it (luckily.) Then Draco pulled a shiny piece of white bone out of the depths of the cauldron. He examined it closely in the dim light of the classroom, and then cursed again. The bone had been ground to a sharp point, and Draco barely avoided impaling his finger on the thing. But the only reason he was able to do that was because he knew what it was. And it did not bode well for Hermione.

~

The Hospital Wing was quiet. Madame Pomfrey was bustling around in her office when Snape burst through the double doors of the Wing. Angry that he had disturbed the peaceful silence of her workplace, Madame Pomfrey stormed out of her office, ready to give Snape the tongue lashing of his life. That was, until she saw the half-dead pupil floating eerily ahead of the professor.

"Goodness gracious what happened?" she asked.

"I have no idea," answered Snape. "Good luck!"

And then he left. The matron took one more look at Hermione and then shoved her in a bed, covering her with extra blankets and running a tap for hot water immediately. Then Madame Pomfrey went back into her office, and began collecting the ingredients for a rather tricky potion. She wished that Snape had stayed, because he, after all, was good at this kind of thing. The doors opened again, and Madame Pomfrey thought her wish had been granted till she saw that it was Hermione's friends, Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley. Madame Pomfrey rushed out towards them, before they could get to their friend.

"You there," she cried, breaking the silence that had returned over the Hospital Wing. "Get away from my patient!"

Harry and Ron backed slightly away, but still not as distant as Madame Pomfrey would have liked.

Get out!" cried the matron, then grabbed them by the ears and booted them out of her workplace. Then, sighing, she went back to working. The next time the doors opened, Madame Pomfrey didn't notice, because she was slumped asleep over her desk. Because the person that opened those doors knew that never, in a million years would Madame Pomfrey let him into see Hermione Granger. That person was none other than Draco Malfoy himself.

~

Hermione woke with a start, with something that tasted like old sock being shoved down her throat. She tried to scream, but managed only to voice out: "Mflwwerjip!"

She was then shushed with a brutal: "Shut your mouth or I'll glue it shut!"

Hermione tried to scream again but didn't even get as far as "Mflwwerjip!" this time. After the potion was finished she fell back into a deep sleep, but it was far from dreamless. In fact, it was more detailed than Hermione liked...

Brad: Toady here is our first contestant. He likes walks on the beach with his girlfriend Samantha. What he doesn't know is that Samantha is really...a blonde bimbo!

Samantha: I'm good at keeping secrets.

Brad: Okay, come in Toady!

*Crowd Applauds Ecstatically*

Toady: Samantha! Brad told me you have something to say.

Samantha: That's right, Toady. I do have something to say, something that's really important to me. What you don't know is...I'm a blonde bimbo.

Toady: How could you keep this from me? This is a joke, right? Where are the cameras?

Brad: There, there and there. But this isn't a joke, Brad.

Toady: But you're a brunette!

Samantha: It's a wig.

*Toady attacks Samantha and they roll off the stage into the Crowd. The Crowd applauds ecstatically. Draco appears off stage left and shakes his head*

Draco: The producers aren't gonna like this! Toady was supposed to attack Hermione!

*Draco turns and points a manicured finger at Hermione. Hermione is shocked and tries to run away, but the giant from The Goonies is there and stops her*

Giant: Me likes little girly!

Draco: No, don't hug her; kill her!

*The giant puts Hermione down and starts making himself a sandwich*

Draco: Kill! No, don't make yourself a sandwich! Kill!

*Hermione suddenly finds herself inside the sandwich, squashed between pieces of bacon, lettuce and tomato*

Hermione: No, not a BLT!

*The giant takes a bite out of the sandwich, and Hermione. Draco laughs maniacally and turns into Nosferatu. Toady appears tousled and crazed. There is blood on his shirt, and he is holding a slice of what looks like human meat. Samantha is nowhere to be seen*

Toady: Want some, Hermione my dear?

*Toady turns into Peter Pan and flies away*

Hermione: PETER!!!!!!!!

Producer: End scene, and cut.

Hermione woke again, with a blanket wrapped around her arm and cutting off her circulation. She felt hot and flushed, and when she sat up a pile of blankets slipped off of the bed and onto the floor. Hermione shook her head to clear her mind of the dream, but was suddenly convinced she was crazy when the world came properly into focus and she found that Draco Malfoy was sitting asleep in a chair beside her bed. Terrified that he would order the giant from The Goonies to come back, Hermione hunched herself into a ball and curled up near the headboard of the bed.

She kept a fearful watch on Draco, who appeared guarded and just as he always did in daily life. He did not stir, either, as Hermione found that most people did while asleep. It was quite fascinating, really. In fact, if Hogwarts gave lectures on your average teenage villain's mind, then she would be there in a flash.

Then just when Hermione was starting to feel safe (or as safe as you can feel in the presence of a maniacal teen who can change themselves into Nosferatu at will), Draco suddenly spoke.

"I am not asleep, as you might think," he said, without opening his eyes. "So you can't get away with staring at me like some love struck little girl."

"What?" spluttered Hermione. "I do not like you."

"Oh please. It's obvious you're in love with me. Don't worry; I don't blame you. Girls just find me irresistible."

"What girl in her right mind would seriously want someone who has the ability to transform into Nosferatu?"

"Who in the what now?"

"Nosferatu. He's a famous vampire. In fact, he's one of the greatest vampires of all time."

"No one's greater than Dracula."

"Oh please. Dracula is just some guy who likes to dress up and scare small children while terrorizing girls he loved in a past life."

"Listen up, no one, and I mean no one, disses the vampire who shares the same first three letters of my name."

"Dracula is his last name."

"So?"

"Well, Draco is your first name."

"Really? I never noticed."

"Has anyone ever told you you're an arsehole?"

"All the time."

"Please just leave me alone."

"It would be my pleasure," said Draco, and he stood up and left. After a few minutes Madame Pomfrey entered the room, and was so astounded to see the Hermione had recovered that she dropped all her ingredients on the floor.

Draco, meanwhile, was leaning against the door, convinced that he had thrown Granger off the scent. Now she would never believe that Draco was the one who had saved her life.

~

By the next day Hermione had been released from the hospital wing, with a strong warning from Madame Pomfrey that if she didn't rest over the next few days that she'd be back in the hospital wing before you could say "Permanent Damage."

Hermione knew that she should go and see Harry and Ron, to tell them that she was okay, but she didn't really feel like it. And there was another thing: She was HUNGRY! The food in the hospital wing had mostly been watery gruel because Hermione had been "too weak and stressed to eat solids."

Ha! Now that Hermione was freed, she'd been eating whatever solid foods she could get her hands on for the most part of the day.

Although she was still a firm supporter of S.P.E.W she let the house elves cater to her, because the look in their big eyes when they saw how much she liked their scones almost made her cry. They were just so desperate.

So after this all-day binge fest she began the ascent to the Gryffindor Common Room. But just as she was rounding the corner right before the painting of the fat lady, Hermione heard a voice boom into her right ear.

"Miss Granger? Hermione? Can you hear me?" Hermione recognised the distinct voice of Dumbledore. She was immediately curious.

"Yes, Professor," she said. "But exactly how can I hear you?"

"I'll explain some other time," he answered. "Could I please see you in my office for a moment?"

"Of course, but may I ask why?"

"Yes, it's because I have a proposition for you. There's this rumour that in the heart of the Forbidden Forest there is a temple that houses a most wondrous oracle. I would like and a few others to go and find that oracle." And then suddenly the Headmaster was gone.

~

Draco was walking around the school corridors aimlessly. It was the weekend, so there were no classes, and he had passed on going to Hogsmeade. He didn't feel like it.

It was amazing how much things could change in a day or so. One moment he'd been quite content, some might even have said he was happy, and then when everything seemed to have clicked in his life, Lucy dumped him.

It was the first time a girl had broken up with him. Sure, he'd stomped on girl's hearts before, but no one had ever done it to him.

Well fuck her. Draco didn't need her. He was perfectly fine by himself, although right now becoming a hermit; starting a button collection and never talking to a human being again seemed like a perfectly swell idea.

It was at this time that Draco wondered if he was going crazy. A catchy Muggle tune was stuck in his head (but he couldn't for the life of him place where he'd heard it) and now the words "I will survive" were going round and round his mind.

He felt like screaming. But that was something that Malfoys did not do. Just like they didn't run with scissors. It was common knowledge, or at least it was according to the Malfoy Code of Conduct.

So now Draco was forced to walk around like a normal person with all this pent up anger inside of him screaming to be let out, and he really wanted to find some stranger and yell in their face: "I don't know why I even exist because it seems that everything I do seems to backfire and leave me feeling angry and wishing that every one would die and then I go to the Great Hall to get some comfort food and there's none there! Damn those house elves! Can't even make me a good piece of cake!"

It would make him feel so much better.

These thoughts made him hungry, though. So Draco decided it would be a very nice idea to go and get some cake from the kitchen.

It was only last year that he'd found out where the kitchen was, and now he went there all the time, and he had become something of a friend to the house elves.

Although he had threatened them with freedom if they breathed a word to anyone about how he was actually quite nice to them.

Draco was walking down towards the kitchen when he heard a voice boom in his ear.

"Mr Malfoy? Draco? Can you hear me?" Professor Dumbeldore's voice called. "Could you please meet me in my office?" he asked without waiting for an answer. (Not like Draco was actually going to give one.)

Draco stood there, extremely confused. Why would Dumbledore want Draco to go to his office?

Oh shit. He was onto to Draco's abuse of the house elves! Double shit! Now he'd know how Draco had gotten the house elves to give him food! His reputation as an evil, malevolent, nefarious (Draco really did like big words) snake would be totally ruined!

Noooooooooo!

Thinking no one was around; Draco fell to his knees in slow motion.

Draco heard a cough above his head, and when he turned to see who was so obviously dissing him, he realized it was an innocent looking painting, who repeated its cruel abuse.

"Cough, cough, drama queen. Cough, cough."

Draco rolled his eyes.

"Nice comeback!" the painting called after Draco, who was already halfway down the corridor.

Draco ignored it. He just felt lucky that the painting couldn't throw anything at him.

~

Hermione entered Dumbledore's office just a few minutes after she'd heard his voice in her head. He smiled benevolently at her, and then her sit down.

Hermione obeyed, and then turned curiously towards him.

"I'd like to continue our discussion about this little "quest" to find the Oracle of the Forest," said Dumbledore.

NO! Thought Hermione. She knew that adding air quotes was never a good thing, and Dumbledore just had.

Plus she didn't want to go on this stupid "quest" anyway.

"But," Dumbledore continued, oblivious to the inner monologue that had been running through Hermione's mind, "We just have to wait for another student. Ah, here he comes."

He? Thought Hermione warily. Maybe it's Harry! It was, after all, the most likely choice.

And when the door opened, Harry did come through it, followed by a Slytherin girl Hermione had only seen once before. But Hermione knew who she was. The girl was infamous at Hogwarts, because (if the rumours were true) she had been spotted on many occasions making out with Draco Malfoy in various places on the school grounds (Including several caretaker's closets.) Her name was Lucy Carter.

*Okay, interrupting to say one thing: Bwahahahahahahahaha! *

Hermione turned expectantly to Dumbledore, curious to hear what else he had to say.

But instead of telling them more, Dumbledore just gave a knowing (and slightly creepy) wink.

Shortly after that someone else burst through the door of Dumbledore's office. It was Draco Malfoy.

"What?" shouted Harry, rising to his feet. Dumbledore simply asked him quietly to sit down.

"Please," Dumbledore said. "May we begin?"

"Of course," said Lucy happily. "Now, Professor, what is this all about?"

Dumbledore smiled at Lucy's politeness. "Well," he said. "I'll just get to that.

"You," he began. "Are the four best students at Hogwarts. And I'm sure you're all aware of Hermione's misfortunate accident recently. Because I think life is too short, I have decided for you to go on a well, let's call it a quest, shall we?"

He beamed at the astonished looks on Harry and Hermione's faces, and noted with slight displeasure that Lucy was examining her nails and Draco was staring at the ceiling.

He started up again. "This quest will take you into the very heart of the Forbidden Forest. There are stories, you see, of a very ancient and powerful...power that resides there. It has been called an Oracle, who can see how every single person in the world will die.

"And I know you will be thinking, "But aren't there all those stories about how it's bad for you to know the future?" well, I'm here to tell you those stories aren't true. Mr Malfoy, Miss Carter, please pay ATTENTION!"

Draco and Lucy looked up, surprised. Professor Dumbledore hardly ever raised his voice. Even when he was addressing the entire school he managed to perfectly pitch his voice so that everyone could hear him without yelling.

"Ahem," said Dumbledore. "If everything goes according to plan, Hagrid will accompany you for a short distance into the Forest, but then after that you will be on your own. Naturally, you have permission to use whatever magic you want to create shelter, food and other...necessities, but other than your wands you're not allowed to take anything into the Forest.

"And," he added, "You are not allowed to harm any creature you meet in the Forest. Certainly not the Oracle."

"Um, excuse me, Professor?" said Lucy. "When exactly are we going to begin this "quest"? She added the air quotes and everything.

"Well, let's see," said Dumbledore. "Right now. Go."

"What?" asked Draco, suddenly sounding furious. "You can't just do that!"

"Ah, yes I can," said Dumbledore. "Go."

The student occupants of the room exchanged worried glances. Their headmaster had just gone stark raving mad.

"Okay, listen," said Dumbledore. "You are currently on a quest into the Forbidden Forest. This is not a race, but I would prefer it if you got going right now. And if it was a race, Mr Malfoy would be winning because he is the one NEAREST TO THE DOOR!" All four students jumped, then looked at Draco curiously.

"GO!" shouted Dumbeldore, and the shout immediately made them jump to their feet and race out of the room.

They stayed in a clump, wandering aimlessly, and quite confused as to what had just occurred.

"Okay," said Lucy. "We are currently on a "quest." what are we supposed to do now? Go down to that Hagrid's hut, knock on the door and say: 'Oh, well, Dumbledore just told us we're all going to find some crazy person who thinks they're an Oracle in the heart of the Forbidden Forest, and you're apparently supposed to help us?' He'll think we're insane! Most likely Dumbledore hasn't told anyone but us, and we'll be expelled if we go anywhere because everyone thinks we're bunking!"

She took a deep breath, ready to go on, but Draco held up a hand to stop her. "Well, I'm certainly not going. I suggest all of you just go back to your common rooms and forget this ever happened."

It was then that Hagrid entered the corridor they were standing in, and said in a gruff voice: "Come with me."

Blinking in a dazed and confused manner all four followed him through the castle, out the door of Hogwarts and into the school grounds.

Hagrid then sharply turned away to the left. Draco did an unusual pirouette before managing to follow them, which made Harry and Hermione stare.

Lucy remained seemingly detached from the whole situation.

"I can't turn left," Draco offered by way of explanation. "I'm not an ambi-turner. Ever since I was baby I've never been able to turn left." he looked defensive about it, and Harry knew to leave well enough alone.

Hermione didn't pay any attention, though. She burst into hysterical laughter.

"That's unfeasible!" she cried. "It's impossible to not be able to turn left!" They had to pause for a few moments as Hermione giggled uncontrollably.

Finally, sounding very pissed off, Draco said: "Laugh it up, fuzzball." Hermione immediately sobered.

(Next Day)

Hermione awoke feeling tired and worn out. And stiff. The bed beneath her was hard, but she felt relieved.

The whole stupid thing had been a dream. She was back in the castle, ready to begin another school day, and there was nothing better in the whole world.

Hermione felt ecstatic until she looked around. She was lying in a clearing surrounded by creepy looking trees that almost seemed to have faces. The canopy above was so thick she couldn't see the sky, and it gave the whole forest a sense of being in permanent twilight.

Nearby lay Harry and the other two, Draco and Lucy, who were all still sleeping.

Well, not all of them were, actually. Harry and Lucy were still, but the Draco-sized lump lying on the ground actually appeared to be bundles of sticks.

Nice one, she thought. Choose something that doesn't look at all like a person and expect it to work.

But a suspicious notion suddenly crept into her mind. If Malfoy isn't here, then where is he?

She looked around, expecting at any moment for Draco to loom up out of the shadows and gnash his teeth. She didn't have to wait for long. She whipped out her wand, ready to protect herself if he tried to hurt her, but he just blinked in surprise.

"Oh," he said, and dropped the wood he'd been carrying to the clearing. He then bent down, but instead of picking them up he began arranging them into careful patterns. Hermione couldn't help herself. "What are you doing?" she asked.

Draco didn't answer for a few minutes, but then he looked up, apparently satisfied.

"Can't you see?" he scoffed. "It's a help sign. Look. It says: HELP!"

"Did you really need to add the exclamation mark?" asked Hermione sarcastically.

"Yes, because now people will know we're serious."

"And who's going to see it?" continued Hermione.

Draco looked up in disbelief. "Wizards flying over," he said, gesticulating towards the forest canopy. He looked up, saying: "Take my word for it, any minute now someone's going to..." he trailed off as he saw that no one would be flying over unless they had a death wish.

He grumbled under his breath and sat down on the ground. Hermione got up, flourished her wand and said: "Cibus appearo!" Immediately a large array of foods appeared on the ground, and although Draco looked impressed, Hermione frowned.

"I forgot I'm supposed to specify what type of food I want," she muttered to no one in particular. "Well, too bad."

She was about to go and nudge Harry awake when she saw Draco move towards the food.

Always the polite gentleman, he paused when he saw her watching him. "May I?" he asked, pointing to the food.

Hermione nodded numbly, and watched as he magicked a plate out of the air and piled it with bagels.

Seeing her still staring, he raised his eyebrows in question.

"Bagels?" she said, smirking. She couldn't believe she was having this conversation with Draco Malfoy.

"Bagels: The Thinking Man's Donut," he said.

"What's that?" Hermione asked, fighting the desire to laugh.

"The title of my biography," he answered. "You like?"

"You're crazy," she said.

"Like a fox," he said, and grinned, showing his unusually pointed incisors. Now Hermione did laugh. He did actually look like a fox. No pun intended.

"But please tell me why it's so strange to be eating bagels for breakfast? It's a perfectly normal breakfast food," said Draco.

Hermione paused for a moment, and then she said: "Well, I just imagined you'd be eating very rare steak or something. You know, covered in blood?"

Draco smiled. "Oh, no," he said. "That's what I eat for brunch."

"Isn't brunch a combination of breakfast and lunch though?" asked Hermione.

Draco shrugged. "If this were a perfect world, there would a breakfast, a brunch, a lunch, a dunch, a dinner and a dessert. Oh, and a supper. And a midnight feast."

"What's a dunch?" asked Hermione.

Draco grinned. "You mean you've never heard of a dunch? They're all the rage."

Hermione shook her head slowly.

Suddenly Harry stirred. The smiled disappeared off of Draco's face, and Hermione felt oddly sad. He had a nice smile. Harry stood and stretched, then came over to her. "There's nothing like a good stretch," he said, kissing her on the cheek. Draco made a retching noise and stalked off into the forest. Harry watched him go darkly.

"He's got problems," said Harry.

Hermione shook her head. "I can't believe I'm saying this, Harry, but I just had an extremely civilized conversation with him. He made me laugh."

Harry stared at her in horror. "You laughed?" he echoed, as if it was the most unnatural thing in the world. "At Malfoy? I think I'm going to faint." Hermione punched his arm. "Shut up," she said, sounding exasperated, "And have something to eat. We've got a big day ahead of us."

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