Scars of Time

SCARS OF TIME

CHAPTER SIX - NIGHT OF ALL NIGHTS

* * *

The night was cheerless. The moon hardly showed itself, and there were no stars hanging above the heavens to decorate the shadowy sky. A storm was coming up. People fled from the streets to find cover and families gathered around the fireplace in search of warmth. The flash of lightning cut through the misty clouds, followed by the roar of thunder. The water hadn't tumbled from the clouds yet, but everyone knew that it was going to be an unusual night.

Then suddenly, there was silence.

But not for long.

* * *

Draco and Yuna rushed into the inn, for the conditions were getting worse. "Better close that door, boy, or we'll all be windswept!" said the innkeeper urgently. Draco shut it with a mighty push and locked it. The inn was dark and people were whispering in fright. "I have never witnessed such bad weather!" said the innkeeper to Yuna. "Has something evil entered Bavelle?"

"That'd be me," she murmured under her breath, then turning to Draco. "Shouldn't we go see your friend now?"

"Right," he said, and they bounded to Draco's chamber. "You'd better watch out though; Hermione will bounce around and choke you with her 'special' hug."

"Have you ever been hugged by her before?"

"I don't even want to, and don't talk about things like that." They reached the entrance. "That's funny," he said, turning the handle, "she didn't lock the door. Oy, Granger! I'm back! Did you miss...?" Draco trailed off when he saw the room. He glanced around. His grey eyes had a hunting stare. "Granger?" he shouted. "Granger, are you in here?"

"I don't think anyone's here," said Yuna cautiously.

"Of course she's here. She's here. She's just playing hide-and-seek," Draco babbled, lifting the covers.

"She's not here, Draco," the older woman repeated.

"She's here! She's not stupid enough to leave! She's -- she's -- " Something dawned upon him. She's not here. Hermione's not here, he realized. "She's not -- where -- for God's sake! Where in the blazing hell did she go?" he hollered unnecessarily. "I told her not to freak out, I told -" You didn't tell her anything that calmed her down, he protested to himself. You didn't do anything.

"Would you like to go out to look for her?" Yuna asked quietly.

There was no need to answer that question. Both of them rushed out to the streets, braving the powerful force of the wind to find Hermione.

* * *

"Take a seat, Miss Granger," said Icarus imploringly. Hermione smiled at him and sat down on the comfortable leather couch. She sighed contentedly, glad that there was someone who understood her desires. Icarus had listened to her story attentively on the way to the Mayor's Building and had told her that he believed every single word she said.

"Thank you for believing me," she expressed.

"Why wouldn't I believe you, Hermione?" he asked, surprised. "I don't think you're a liar."

The corners of her mouth lifted. "Well - can't you find a way to send me home?"

Icarus placed a hand on her shoulder. "There is a way, and I will find that way, no matter what, to help you."

Hermione frowned slightly. Why does he trust me so easily? She wondered. There is something wrong here. Politicians aren't supposed to be gullible. She shifted away from him, a suspicious feeling creeping over her. Is it really right for me to ask for his help? She was feeling distressed now. I should have listened to Malfoy...

"Is there something wrong?" Icarus questioned.

"No..."

"You are suspicious," he spoke up suddenly.

Hermione looked into his blue eyes and nodded. "You're not supposed to trust me so quickly."

"Oh, but I do trust you, Hermione."

"You do?"

Icarus began playing with a strand of her brown hair. "I do," he paused and moved closer to her. "Do you trust me?"

"I don't know, Icarus." She paused. "Maybe I should go..."

"But what if I don't want to let you go?"

* * *

"GRANGER!" Draco yelled. "GRANGER!"

Yuna threw him a disdainful look. "You're ruining the search," she snapped. "What's her first name again?"

"Hermione," he mumbled distractedly, going off to another corner to call out for his friend again. Yuna was amused, and yet something was paining her heart. Is this how Tidus would act when I had been missing? She asked herself. Looking at him reminded her of Tidus. Not because they had the same appearance (they certainly didn't) but because of the passion they had for the one they loved.

Yuna wasn't sure whether there was something between Hermione and Draco, but she knew that the boy had special feelings for the girl. He was so worked up about her vanishing; his affection was obvious. It was practically imprinted on his face. "You're really not helping, Draco," she snarled. "You're really not."

"WHY DON'T YOU JUST HELP ME, WOULDN'T THAT MAKE THINGS EASIER?"

"You don't have to shout, idiot," Yuna grumbled. "Call her by 'Hermione'. 'Granger' is an unfamiliar sound if she's far away from you. 'Hermione' is clearer."

"I don't want to call her that!" Draco objected. "Can't you see we don't like each other! I hate her! She hates me! That's why I name her 'Granger'!"

"Push your damn pride aside and say her first name!"

It began to rain. The two of them found themselves soaked within seconds. Draco took a deep breath.

"HERMIONE!"

* * *

Harry, Ron, and Hermione were studying in the library. Their N.E.W.Ts examination was drawing closer, and the trio was very apprehensive. "What on earth is a 'mooncalf'?" Ron grumbled out loud, getting a glare from Madam Pince, the librarian. "What? WHAT? All this Third Year stuff is going out of the window!" he groaned loudly. "I am doomed. I am dead. Mum's going to

kill me!"

"Everything's going to be all right, nitwit!" Harry snapped irritably. "Now stop whining!"

"Honestly, both of you are such nuisances!" Hermione hissed angrily, jumping up from her seat and making her way to the bookshelves. She sighed and tried to concentrate on the ancient runes in the book.

I have to focus, she told herself sternly. This exam is everything to me. Everything. She closed her eyes and took deep breaths.

"My, my, my. If it isn't Mudblood Granger!"

Hermione looked up to see Draco Malfoy smirking at her. "I have no time to deal with your immaturity, Malfoy." She eyed him frostily before returning to her book.

"Why are you concentrating this much, Granger?" he enquired breezily. "N.E.W.Ts aren't that important."

"They are, to

me," she replied, still not looking at him.

"Don't you have other important things to care about?" he asked, his voice deep and intense.

This time, she stared right into his opaque eyes. "I do," she answered. "But it does not concern you."

Draco started to smile. It was so startling that Hermione nearly dropped her book. "What is it?" she asked, slightly uncomfortable by the suddenly cheerful Draco. "Why are you smiling like that?" It wasn't a nasty grin and he was certainly not sneering at her. There was something odd about the expression on his pale face, and how his eyes seemed to brighten up so suddenly. "Malfoy, are you all right? You're not possessed, are you?"

He laughed this time, softly, of course. "So you

do care about me, Granger?"

Hermione spluttered. "I -- I -- That was a nasty trick, Malfoy!"

Draco smirked. "But you were actually troubled?"

"You were smiling like an insane person!" Hermione insisted. "I was worried that you were --" She stopped. Draco was gazing at her queerly. Very queerly. "You - you - OH!" She stomped off angrily, leaving the Slytherin behind, not caring the least what he thought of her right there and then.

No, she didn't care much.

She cared

a lot.

* * *

"What do you mean?"

Hermione was scared. Icarus had a mad, dangerous glint in his eyes. She rose and made her way to the door. "I am going now," she said shakily. "I don't know what's wrong with you, but I am going. If you don't want to help me, that's fine. I'll just talk to my friend about it all and we'll settle down..." She gulped. If I ever find Malfoy, that is. "So everything's going to be fine. Just fine."

"Malfoy?" Icarus asked, his tone superior. "He's the blonde one, isn't he?"

"Yes," she answered without thinking.

"He is the reason you're staying, Hermione..." Icarus stood up and took a long, fine, wooden stick from his pocket.

"You have a wand!" she exclaimed.

"Surprised, aren't you?" he said, twirling it expertly. She took out her own, but Icarus was too fast. He pointed the thin rod to Hermione and shouted, "Expelliarmus!" Her wand flew out of her ready hand and went into his. Hermione turned to run away...

But the door was locked.

"Come to me, Hermione," he ordered. "Help me trap that Malfoy boy. Don't make me force you," he added, almost playfully.

"NO!" she yelled. "I won't let you hurt him! He's been through enough!"

"You see," Icarus whispered, walking to her. "He will go through more soon. Anyway, what do you care about him?"

"I - Let me out of here!" she commanded bravely.

"So you do care about me..."

He cupped her face with his two hands and whispered, "Be mine."

Draco was gazing at her queerly. Very queerly.

"No," she said, trying to release herself from his grasp, but found her strength weakening.

"Be mine."

"I will not," she whispered.

The last thing she ever saw before plunging into darkness were Icarus' eyes. They were alluring. His gaze made her obey him. She placed her arms around him and smiled.

"I'm yours," she found herself saying.

* * *

"Let's go, Draco!" Yuna bellowed, trying to defy the sound of the rain. "It's no use! She won't hear us!"

"There is no way I'm letting her wander off on her own at a time like this," he said fiercely, calling out Hermione's name again. "That girl! Why isn't she answering?" Draco was more than panicked -- he was frightened. He didn't want to think about what he would do without Hermione. Stop pondering about these stupid things, he told himself firmly, but all to no avail. He kept imagining days without her; without hearing her voice, seeing her smile, seeing her frown, and hearing her laugh... "What if she gets stricken by lightning?" he continued. "What if she dies before we even go home? It's bogus!"

Yuna stared at him nimbly, wet from head to toe, her brown hair tangled together in a mess. "She has to be somewhere. Do you have any idea where she would go?"

Draco shook his head hopelessly. Yuna lowered her head. "Then the search is over. Come on, Draco. It'll be better once the weather's cleared. I am sure she has found cover..."

But he didn't want to go back to the inn. He wanted to continue seeking Hermione. However, Yuna was right. There was no way they could reach her with these conditions. He shuffled his feet, looking blankly at the pavement. "All right," he agreed reluctantly. He sighed and they began to make their way back to the inn.

"Did you see the girl the mayor was with?"

Draco whirled around at the speaker - a woman, talking to a man. "Yes - bushy, brown hair she had, no?" the man said, frowning contemplatively. "You know, Agnes, it would be better if you'd stop talking. We still have a long way to go and the rain is making me cold to the bones!" They walked off, but Draco stayed put. Yuna, who was ahead of him, noticed that he wasn't there and retraced her steps.

"What now?" She was slightly annoyed at his useless determination.

"I know where she is," he croaked.

"How...?"

"I heard a man and a woman talking about it. Granger followed Icarus back to the Mayor's Building, I think... At least, I heard she was with him."

"Why don't we go - "

"You heard me," he spat. "She went off with that pretty boy. She's probably spilled about us being from another world. I should have known."

"Listen, I don't think -- "

"Icarus is a nice chap," he continued, his face forlorn. "He's been buying Petrification Potion for his daddy, trying to heal him and he was so sorry about you being sent to Corel. He tried to stop his daddy but the pretty boy failed. Oh, Hermione's going to have a blast."

Yuna's mouth was wide opened. "He was what?" she shouted. "Sorry for me being sent to Corel? Draco, it wasn't his father who sent me to Corel! It was Icarus! He told me I was 'the spawn of evil' and banished me! And don't you even know what a Petrification Potion is?"

Draco blinked. "No."

"It's a potion used to petrify people, not to heal them!" she screeched.

He realized what she meant. "Are you saying that Icarus has been lying to us all?"

Yuna nodded vigorously. "Yes. He's not someone to be meddled with. He has this pointy stick thing that can turn people into dust or kill them instantly. It's his most powerful weapon, even more powerful than my staff..."

"Is it like this?" Draco pulled out his wand and showed it to her.

Her eyes bulged in surprise, making her affirmative answer redundant.

His mind was spinning and he was feeling faint. Hermione was a wizard's captive, not some ordinary, nice, humble mayor. Icarus was a wizard. He was a wizard. That means...

"Oh, no."

* * *

What have you done to me? Hermione wanted to say, but no words came out of her mouth. She couldn't even feel her body. It was as if she was taken over by someone else. She was in a darkened room, apparently on a soft couch and she could see nothing. Nothing at all. What are you going to do? She thought. What are you going to do, Icarus?

Hermione knew she was strong enough to free herself from the spell. She really could. The spell was weakening rapidly. Looking sideways she saw a light flickering. It was him, eyeing her hungrily. "This would be a consolation prize," he said to himself. "For getting the Source." The Source? She was puzzled. She found herself frowning -- freely.

The spell is broken! Hermione wanted to jump joyously into the air.

"I know you are yourself now, Hermione," Icarus smirked and sat down next to her.

Hermione felt her pockets for her wand, but it was not there. "Oh, I am not that stupid," he silkily said, pointing to the table where the wooden object lay.

"What do you want with me?" she snapped.

"You are merely a pawn, Hermione," he replied, placing a finger on her cheek. She pushed him away immediately.

"What do you mean?"

"When he comes here... He will face the truth."

"What...?"

"That is none of your business, little witch," he pulled her to him. She resisted by slapping him hard. "Don't make me angry, Hermione," he said dangerously.

"Get away from me!" she shrieked.

"Look at me."

Without meaning to, she stared at him, stared into his cold blue eyes. When she did, she was no longer herself. "Can you make yourself comfortable, Hermione?"

She nodded slowly.

Icarus smiled satisfyingly. "Now is the time."

She placed her hand on his chest, and he kissed her lips so deeply that they commenced bleeding. She let out a small whimper, and his lips went to her neck, smoothing against it. As her mouth emitted jets of white light, she grew paler and paler. The beams went into Icarus' body. Her hand was now growing limp and she could not hold her grip on him anymore. The light began to disappear gradually...

Her lips were bloodless except for some stains under her chin. Her face was drained of all colour and expressionless, her eyes closed tightly as if in a deathly sleep. Icarus brushed away her hands cruelly and they fell lifelessly next to her body. He draped a white linen sheet over her and laughed madly. "She was such a pretty girl."

* * *

They stepped into the mayor's building, Draco feeling relieved to get away from the rain. But there was something not right about the atmosphere. It was dim and there was a rotten smell coming from somewhere. There was no one at all, not a single person. He supposed they'd gone home because of the thunderstorm.

He pulled out his wand. "Lumos." Light sparked from the end.

"It's so quiet," Yuna whispered. "Unusually quiet."

"There were many people when I came here," Draco looked around. Suddenly, a strange sensation grasped his heart, entwined it like hardened strings and made him choke violently. Yuna glanced at him, alarmed. "Draco?"

"I'm fine..." A sharp pain seared one of his fingers. He looked down at it and saw that it was bleeding.

He was not fine. Was it Hermione? Surely she was all right? Surely she was not harmed? He feared for her life, that Icarus would kill her. He wouldn't, Draco thought. He wouldn't, right? He gripped his wand tightly until he felt it would break. He knew that it concerned Hermione.

Something was terribly wrong.

"So you came after all, Draco Malfoy," Icarus stepped out from the shadows, cackling. "Welcome. Welcome to your death."

* * *

Five-year old Draco Malfoy was with his mother in the Manor's beautiful garden. Narcissa was gathering white roses, a smile on her beautiful face. Draco was pulling out the fresh green grass from the ground, getting his hands filthy at the same time. "Don't play with the grass, Draco," said Narcissa warningly, placing a bunch of the pale flowers into a basket.

"All right, Mummy," said Draco obediently, and got up.

Narcissa took her son's hand and lead him back to the manor, passing several bushes of roses. "Don't play with them either, Draco," she told him when he wanted to touch one near him.

"Why, Mummy?" he asked.

"Just don't," Narcissa answered.

"But I WANT TO." Draco, with a mischievous smile, reached out for a rose and held it. Unfortunately, a thorn pricked one of his fingers. He squealed in pain. "Mummy! It hurts! It hurts!" Narcissa's eyes were filled with panic. But not because of his finger, but because of what had just happened.

"Draco!" she exclaimed. "I told you not to play with them!"

"But they were pretty," he pouted.

She wiped away the blood with a dainty handkerchief. "I didn't let you because I had a reason, Draco."

"Which is?"

"You will get a sudden searing cut when your true love dies," she answered. "Your finger will bleed just like it did now. I didn't want you to get hurt, Draco." Her eyes glistened with tears.

"I'm fine now, Mummy!" Draco said cheerfully. "Can you ask Dobby to bake me some muffins?"

Author's Notes #2:

Most of you will probably wonder why I made Draco such a sweet, innocent five-year old - and the explanation is this: He was innocent when he was a little boy and something happened to him that made him bitter. Hee. I won't tell you what it is - yet. Draco also seems panicky and emotional in this chapter because of Hermione. I will continue writing Classy!Draco through out this story, but at the moment, he has to let out all of his emotions. This is Hermione going missing we're talking about. Draco did look pathetic when she slapped him during his Third Year, no? Heh.

Perhaps all of you are also pondering why I keep making flashbacks? Well, it is because I am experimenting writing them. Plus, memories play a VERY big part in SoT. Chapter seven will reveal many, many things. Well, not that many things, but you will be more confused than you already are. Just so you know, chapter seven will come up later in October. I have Finals at the end of September. Although it pains me to take a break from SoT, I have to.

I hope you will still be supporting the continuance of this fanfiction.