Darkness is My Light

Chapter 4:

Draco Malfoy had always been there when Hermione hadn't wanted him to be; now that she wanted to find him, he was no where to be found. Granted, the manor was huge, but still, he had said he'd be there. So the only option Hermione had was to find him.

She left the library with a purpose, but it didn't take too long before she was quite lost. When she thought the Malfoy Manor was huge, she hadn't thought it was this huge! She gave up looking for Draco by the first ten minutes. Instead, she opted for exploring. After all, Malfoy had said she could, and even if he didn't she would have. People had always called her headstrong and stubborn; she blamed it on being an Aries.

She stopped; she could have sworn she'd heard something. Something sweet. She tried to still her breathing, just to hear, but the sound never came back to her ears. Ignoring it, she walked to the end of the hall. There were huge back drapes that went to the top of the wall, twenty feet up. Curiously, Hermione reached for the velvet, trying to find an opening. She slipped her hands in between the heave pieces of fabric and pulled. The drapes opened a crack to the right with her arm. The sun's rays trickled in to the room, lighting the walls with a golden magnificence.

She smiled; finally, some light in the Malfoy Manor. She felt renewed by the light and let the child inside her indulge. She firmly wrapped the fabric firmly in her left hand and ran. She ran until the right curtain was almost all the way open. The room glowed in the daylight, and the images of rainbows streaked the walls. And for once in a very, very long time she actually laughed out loud.

Hermione stopped; there it was again. That sound, that joy, that feeling. She timidly placed a hand on the stair railing and looked up. The stairs went on into the dark, up and up and up. /Curiosity killed the cat...But if that was true, I wouldn't have a pet anymore./ Hermione took a deep breath in, held it, then exhaled slowly. Deep breathing was for pregnant women and panic-ridden victims, or so she had been told. Whatever it was for, inhaling deeply and slowly helped her gather up her Gryffindor courage. She reached her hand up and grasped the railing; soon her body followed her hand as she began to ascend the staircase.

Her heart beat wildly; she had always been afraid of what the dark held, especially here. She kept her footing slow and deliberate, as to not loose her resolve. She passed from the stairs to the dimly lit hallway. The darkness wrapped itself around her, and she felt as though she was slowly being swallowed whole. She passed doors of oak and silver every so often, and stopped only long enough to peak into each room. Each room held spare furniture and some storage items. She passed three bathrooms, a sitting room, a workshop, a collectibles room full of masks and art, and several other barren rooms, as well.

But she continued for sometime, up another stairwell, then another, and took to wandering the fourth floor, before she was rewarded with hearing the sound again. This time, she was quite close enough to make it out to be a very soft trickle of music that floated down the hallway. Classical, if she wasn't mistaken.

As she walked further down the hallway, she was rewarded with the knowledge of being correct. Though, she had a feeling she would not find Draco in the room, but perhaps the other person in the house. Which may not be so bad, in her opinion.

"The Movement for Spring" by Vivaldi*; it sounded so familiar to Hermione, though she was sure it was only the second or third time she had heard it. But none-the-less, she heard it, going over again and again. She had been so confident of herself just moments ago, but now she stood in front of the door with classical music drifting and light streaming from under the door, completely frozen with a silent fear.

What would be said of her if people knew she went snooping in someone's house, in Malfoy's house? What would be said of her of being in Malfoy's house? She rather not know the answer, to either question.

She slowly twisted the doorknob, and to her own horror, it was unlocked. The door opened revealing bright sunlight and fresh plants. Flowers of every kind were in the room; it was almost like a Muggle greenhouse. There standing, or more accurately dancing, in the middle of the room was a woman Hermione had never met. With beautiful brown curls, and deep purple robes, the woman turned to Hermione in the doorway. Her bright green eyes sparkled and her rouge lips formed into a beautiful, unearthly smile.

"I was beginning to think you'd never make it up here to see me."

"The Movement for Spring" is a song. I have never heard it, but my Dad suggested it when I asked for something, so I hope it fits...

Alrighty, there it is, took damn long enough, too. Sorry about that. Please review.

Thanks to my beta reader Flame Tigress. Grrrr...yelled at me for being mean and ignorant for once.