Demons, Death Eaters and Malfoys

Chapter 6

Ron's other unexpected discovery.

Ron noticed that Harry looked particularly frantic as they searched for Hermione.

"You can calm down a bit, Harry," he said. "We will find her," he added, as he saw Harry look around nervously. A small bead of sweat trickled down his forehead and over his scar. Harry nodded.

"I know," he replied. "I- I'm just- I..." he stammered.

"You're worried?" Harry nodded. Ron snickered. "Well, of all people, you'd think it'd be me that's nervous and you that's telling me to calm down!" Harry laughed weakly.

"Yeah," he replied, just as weakly. Ron tilted his head and studied Harry for a moment.

"Harry," he said, choosing his words carefully. "You, er, wouldn't happen to maybe, uhh, maybe fancy Hermione as well, would you?" Harry's head snapped around and stared at Ron, amazed.

"What?" he sputtered.

"Do you fancy Hermione?" Ron repeated calmly, his mind panicking, praying for the negative.

"Wh- uh, when did- er..." stalled Harry, turning undoubtedly red. Ron just continued staring at him.

"Yes, Potter, I'm sure we're all interested to know whether or not you are lusting after your friend," came an unexpected (and extremely unwanted) voice from behind them. Harry and Ron spun around to find an amused looking Professor Snape standing behind them. Harry blushed a deeper crimson. Harry opened his mouth, and closed it, then opened and closed it again, obviously at a loss for words. He looked down at his feet.

"Well?" said Snape. Harry's head snapped up, an annoyed look touching his eyes.

"I think that my private life is my own, sir," Harry replied coolly. Snape raised his eyebrows.

"Five points from Gryffindor," he snapped, just as coolly. "For being so rude!" Snape spun around and stormed off down the hall, his robes billowing. Ron stared after Professor Snape and then gaped at Harry, before narrowing his eyes.

"You do like her!" he exclaimed accusingly. Harry looked away but didn't say anything. They were silent for a moment. Harry met Ron's eyes with a guilty look in his own.

"I didn't want to say anything," he muttered. "With you liking her and all."

"Yeah, well, I told you!" cried Ron

"I know," muttered Harry. "I just wanted to give you a chance, that's all." Ron's face softened.

"Thanks," he muttered, turning red. They stood there for a few moments, not saying anything. Harry coughed.

"Soooo..." he said.

"Let's go find Hermione," Ron said hastily. Harry nodded.

"That sounds good," he quickly replied.

§§§

Hermione's heart melted as Draco walked up to her. Then she remembered that they were supposed to be arguing and for the sake of argument she hardened her heart and ordered it to stop pounding- even though that look he was giving was positively gorgeous. She saw that they were outside the Transfiguration classroom that they had previously been occupying and opened the door. Draco stopped beside her, looking blankly from the door to Hermione and back again.

"Did I miss something?"

"In!" Hermione commanded, pushing him into the dark and empty classroom. Draco's face broke into a grin.

"Coming back for round two?" he smirked. Hermione looked at him coldly, straight in the eye.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" she said coldly. His face darkened.

"I heard that charming little 'heart-to-heart' you just had with McGonagall," he replied coolly.

'Oh God,' she thought. 'Oh my God he heard that?!' She forced herself to keep a blank face.

"And?" he stepped up to Hermione. His face was barely inches from her own and his hot breath made her stomach tingle. Her heart began pounding again.

'Oh my God WHAT IS THIS?!' She screamed at herself. She begged that little voice to answer her but it wouldn't.

"And you think that I couldn't distract you?" he smirked.

"What, you think that you could?" she couldn't help in smirking back.

"Why don't we just see?" he replied as he lowered his head in for a kiss. Hermione moved back and just stood, looking at him, one eyebrow raised. Draco moved back as well.

"What?" Hermione stifled a laugh. Then Draco understood.

"Okay, okay; you've proven it," he grinned, again stepping up to her and sliding his arms around her waist. He began to lower his head and Hermione's head screamed for that little voice to tell her what to do.

'Just follow your heart...' it said, fading away.

And that's exactly what she did.

§§§

Harry and Ron walked along the corridors silently, their footsteps echoing in the emptiness of the halls.

"How many places could she be in?" said Harry, getting frustrated. Ron shrugged.

"Who knows? She could-" Ron stopped dead in his tracks, looking murderous.

"What?" said Harry curiously.

"No way..." Ron whispered.

"What?" asked Harry. Ron abruptly turned and began to walk rapidly down to the other end of the hall, leaving Harry in his wake.

"Ron!" called Harry, jogging to catch up to him. He grabbed Ron by the arm and pulled him to a halt. Ron looked around to him furiously. "What is going on?!"

"She- the- Her- Hermione- she-" Ron rushed furiously. He slammed his hand against the wall. He wanted to tell Harry so badly, but...

Suddenly there was a roar from behind them. They spun around to find not one, but three demons standing there, looking ready to attack. They whipped out their wands, ready to fight, when Professor Snape sprinted round the corner with Professor McGonagall and stunned two of the demons, causing the third to fly down the hall, in between Harry and Ron and out of sight. McGonagall raced up to them, flying in a rage, while Snape smirked as he bound the two demons.

"What on earth did you think you were doing?!" she shrieked. "Trying to take on three demons?! After that Troll in your first year, you would think that you would have learned not to go after dangerous creatures!"

Harry and Ron looked guiltily at each other.

"Go! Now! Great Hall! March!"

§§§

Harry and Ron were left by McGonagall in front of the Great Hall. It wasn't 'til she rounded the corner and headed towards the dungeons did Harry reach for the doorknob.

"You don't really intend to go back in there, do you?" asked Ron. Harry hesitated.

"Well, you heard McGonagall-"

"Yeah, I heard McGonagall," interrupted Ron. "And she told us to go back to the Great Hall. But she didn't tell us to stay there!" Harry grinned knowingly.

"You mentioned that you know where Hermione might be?"

This time it was Ron that hesitated.

"Y-yeah," he said finally, feeling slightly guilty about what he was about to do. "Yeah," he said, more assuredly.

"Well, then- what are we waiting for?"

§§§

Professor McGonagall knocked on Professor Snape's office door. She heard a short "Come in," and entered, finding Snape leafing through a Potions book and the two captive demons struggling in a cage towards the back of his office.

"Have you found anything?" she asked, worried. Snape, still not looking up from his book.

"I'm looking for a potion that will sedate them," he replied.

"Well, do you know how we can kill them?" Snape nodded.

"A Death Eater needs to take a pure gold dagger and drive it between its eyes," he replied. "That's where its heart lies." McGonagall's eyes widened and her lips tightened into a thin line.

"Where on earth are we going to find a Death Eater? And one that will be willing to help us?" she cried. "And we would have to turn them over to the Ministry should we succeed in at least finding one!"

Snape shook his head.

"I'm working on that," he replied. "But I have found that it doesn't necessarily need to be a Death Eater. They only need to have a Death Eater's blood running through their veins."

"In other words, they need to be a relative?" Snape nodded.

"A blood relative," he replied. McGonagall nodded. She took a pinch of the powder above Snape's fire, stuck her head in, threw the powder down and called for Dumbledore's office.

"The demons, Professor...you knew that? Well...yes, yes, of course I will. Professor Snape? No, no I don't think so. Can you come down, Professor?...yes, thank you, it would be much appreciated. Thank you, Professor." McGonagall pulled her head out of the fire and straightened her robes. "Professor Dumbledore will be down in a moment," she said, brushing ash off of her robes and into the fireplace. Snape didn't answer her. She looked around. "Severus?" she said.

Snape stared at her thoughtfully.

"Professor, do you know of anyone here in Hogwarts who is related to a Death Eater?" McGonagall looked at him, surprised.

"Well- I- I don't know...I suppose I might...what did you have in mind?" There was a knock at the door. Snape stood and strode over to the door, and flung it open to reveal Professor Dumbledore standing there, looking anxious.

"Good evening, Headmaster," he said.

"You have the Demons?" Dumbledore said worriedly, shutting the heavy oak door behind him. Snape nodded.

"I have just been researching possible means to be rid of them," replied Snape. "Hagrid has informed me that beasts such as this can only be killed by Death Eater stabbing them between the eyes with a pure gold dagger." Dumbledore nodded.

"But they can be a blood relative of a Death Eater, can they not?" asked Dumbledore. Snape nodded.

"Yes, it can be a blood relative- and only a blood relative or else it would be useless to try." Dumbledore continued to nod. Snape opened his mouth, and then hesitated.

"Yes, Severus? You had something to say?" the older man said.

"Headmaster- would it perhaps...help if I said that I knew of someone- a student, perhaps- who was a blood relative of a Death Eater?" Dumbledore raised his eyebrows.

"Why, yes, of course, Severus! You had a particular person in mind?" Snape nodded.

"If we asked this student to help us, it would be completely confidential as to the fact that one in their family is a Death Eater?" Dumbledore nodded.

"Who is this person?" Snape's thin lips curved into a smile.

"Draco Malfoy, Headmaster," McGonagall dropped her water and choked, recounting the recent events that had involved Draco and Hermione. Dumbledore's eyes widened.

"Are you alright, Minerva?" asked Dumbledore worriedly.

"Yes- ...yes," she coughed. "Just...went down the wrong way." Snape looked at her suspiciously.

"Severus, do you really think that Draco Malfoy is an appropriate person?" she asked, choosing her words carefully. He raised his eyebrows.

"Of course, Minerva," he replied, smirking. "If this went through, then, (as an assurance) I would make it quite clear to Mr. Malfoy that I will not tolerate him speaking about this to anyone...on pain of expulsion." McGonagall pursed her lips and nodded.

"Well, Headmaster?" Snape said, turning back to Dumbledore. He nodded.

"I suppose...yes, alright...as long as Mr. Malfoy understands that he is not to say a word of this to anyone!" insisted Dumbledore urgently. Snape nodded.

"Of course, Professor," he said, before he whisked out of the room, his robes billowing.

§§§

Draco kissed Hermione hungrily, again; pressing her up against the wall; and she kissed him back, her body responding to him in ways she never thought possible. His lips and tongue moved down across her neck; licking, sucking, nibbling. She moaned, then shivered: she had wanted this for so long but had never thought it possible. She wanted him so badly...and he was obviously thinking along the same lines as her.

"I want you so much," Draco whispered in her ear. She shivered at the hot minty-ness of his breath.

"Malfoy," she moaned. Draco pulled away and smiled at her. Hermione's knees went weak. He hugged her.

"It's Draco," he whispered in her ear, tickling the hairs on her neck, sending another chill down her spine. Then a thump came from the other side of the door. Draco and Hermione jumped apart as though they had been electrocuted.

"Shit," muttered Draco.

"What was that?" Hermione whispered fearfully. The door began to open and Hermione shoved Draco under a nearby desk. She then began to pace the room as though she had been doing so all this time. Ron and Harry stepped in.

"Hermione?" called Harry. "Is that you?" Hermione rolled her eyes in the dark.

"No, it's the bloody boogieman!" she called sarcastically. "Of course it's me, who else did you expect?!" she snapped. Harry looked taken aback. He peered into the dark room. She quickly moved over to the other side of the room, not wanting to draw attention to the Slytherin that was lying under the desk.

"Where are you?" asked Ron suspiciously.

"Lumos," Hermione muttered. "I'm over here," she said shortly, annoyed that they had just barged in.

'At the same time, though, I can't really blame Ron,' she thought guiltily. Her heart pounded with guilt...and with something else, she wasn't sure what.

'Fear? No...I'm not scared...Why does my heart feel like lead and my stomach feel like it's about to jump out of my mouth?' She couldn't work it out...and now was not the time to start debating on matters of her head and heart. She pushed her feelings aside and forced a hard expression onto her face.

"What're you doing in here?" asked Ron, still suspicious. Hermione struggled to swallow the large lump in her throat and both Harry and Ron lit their wands and stepped into the seemingly empty transfiguration classroom.

"Erm," she began intelligently. "I was, um, thinking!" Ron shook his head disgustedly. He knew better. He only wished he knew where Malfoy was so that he could throttle him.

"Thinking?" he said scornfully. Harry's eyes darted between them, apparently stunned. Hermione stepped up to him, so close that their noses were only an inch apart.

"Yes, thinking," she said firmly. "Is there anything wrong with that?" Ron tilted his head. His heart was pounding wildly. Oh, how he would love to just lean down and kiss her right now... ('Don't even try it,' Draco thought jealously)...until Harry cleared his throat, indicating that he was still there.

"May- ahem- maybe we should get back to the Great Hall?" he suggested. Hermione backed down.

"Why? What's going on?" she asked, directing her attention to Harry.

"There are a couple of demons loose," he replied. "McGonagall and Snape caught a couple, but there's still one running-"

Harry was interrupted by a loud roar that sounded just outside the door. He, Ron and Hermione raced out and stopped just outside the door, and saw the third demon wreaking havoc throughout the corridor. Draco clambered out from under the desk and moved to leave, but Ron swiveled around and cried out angrily. Harry and Hermione spun around- Harry, shocked to see Malfoy there and Hermione, panicked.

"You!" Ron cried angrily. "What're you doing here?"

"Speaking to Hermione!" Draco shot back. "Is there a problem?" Harry looked to Hermione, astonished.

"You- what?" started Harry, confused. narrowed his eyes and looked back to Draco, feeling extremely protective of Hermione.

The trio and the Slytherin suddenly forgot their anger when the demon let out another frightening roar. It looked to Draco, screaming insanely, and raced down the hall towards them. Draco, Harry and Ron ducked out of the way, but a paralyzed Hermione was left stranded in the middle of the hall, right in the demon's path.

She let out a piercing scream; the demon let out a terrifying roar, and it hit her ruthlessly across the head, knocking her out- before scooping her up and taking disappearing down the hall.

"HERMIONE!" cried Draco.

§§§