Abyss

Abyss

It took Hermione a few seconds to re-orient herself with her surroundings.

She held Malfoy's hand in hers, not caring whether or not she bruised it in her grip. What mattered to her was that it was her only link to what was real, and she'd be damned if she let go of it. And it seemed as though he was thinking the same thing, for his hold on her was as firm as hers on his.

Her eyes were tightly closed, as she felt the spell take effect. Of course she knew how the wand worked, she had been transported to the Malfoy Manor because of it. But now... who knew where it was taking them? But wherever it was, that was probably the place that the wand deemed to be the safest area for them to hide.

For a few moments, she felt as though she was floating on air. Then, she felt the solid ground below her feet, and she knew that they were already out of danger. But she didn't open her eyes just yet. Hermione waited for Malfoy to comment, to say something about the place where they were, but he never did.

From out of nowhere gasps met her ears, then the murmurs. Finally, a very tentative, very uncertain voice she only knew so well said, "Hermione?"

That was the only time she opened her eyes, and as she did so, she saw about two dozen pairs staring right at her, and at Malfoy. There were many emotions written upon those faces, but none of them was as intricate as those that were written in one. "Harry?" she whispered, too stunned to move. Unconsciously, she squeezed the hand she held, and surprisingly, it squeezed back.

Disbelief was clearly evident on his face, but that quickly disappeared as a smile took over. "Hermione!"

He fought off the crowd that enveloped the two newcomers, and Hermione met him halfway. "Harry," she said, as she hugged him with all her might. The relief she felt, at seeing her best friend alive, was intense and overwhelming. She had tears in her eyes when she drew away from him. "I thought I'd never see you again."

"You don't know how much I'm glad to see you, Hermione," said Harry, as he lifted his hand and gently brushed away the tears that fell on her cheeks. "Thank Merlin you're alive."

Hermione stepped away from him and dried her face completely with her sleeve. "Where's Ron?" she asked, almost half-expecting to see a gangly redhead appear at Harry's side. "I'm sure he's going to have a--" When she looked at him, she noticed that at the mention of the name Harry's face, before lightened with a smile, now darkened with fury as he stared at the space behind her. The smile on her own face died as worry took over. "...Harry?"

His eyes flew towards her. "Why don't you ask him? Surely he knows what happened to Ron."

"What--" She turned to Malfoy, and found him to be busy returning Harry's glare with a malevolent one of his own. "What do you mean? Malfoy's--"

"--friends killed him, " Harry finished, venom dripping from every syllable. He looked at Malfoy again.

"...Ron?" Hermione whispered, as she took a step backwards. She felt hands on her back, and she paused. "No..." The strength in her body was evaporating; every passing second felt like it was robbing her of energy. She stared at Harry determinedly, silently telling him, pleading with him to take his words back. "No--"

"Yes," said Harry, a grim expression on his face. He advanced on her, but his eyes never left the space behind her. "I don't know what you're doing here--"

"Hermione brought me here. Or rather, it was my wand that brought us both," Malfoy said, the first time he spoke since their arrival.

"--but I'm going to make sure that I'm going to KILL you." Harry lifted his wand and pointed it at Malfoy.

Hermione heard gasps from those around them again, and then the quick shuffling of feet as though they were fleeing from the scene. Through her grief she thought it best to put an end to all of it. "Stop--"

Malfoy dropped his hands from her back, and then casually walked to her side. Harry's wand was still pointed at him, but to this he paid no mind. "Oh, really, Potter? Am I supposed to feel threatened now because you got your little stick aimed at me? Because seriously--"

One side of Harry's mouth quirked up. "You really want to know what I can do with this stick, Malfoy?" he challenged. "Feel tough enough to see for yourself? Because seriously, without the two apes by your side you're really quite defenseless."

In one second, Malfoy drew out his wand and pointed it at Harry as well. "Bring it on," he said, arrogantly waving his wand around. "Let's just see who among us is faster with spells, Potter boy."

"NO!" Hermione rushed to stand in between the two wands. Malfoy cursed, but immediately lowered his wand. When she saw this, she gave him a grateful look. Hermione turned around and faced Harry. "You--"

"Get out of the way," he muttered, dead quiet, dead serious.

She could clearly see the want in his face to physically hurt Malfoy, but Hermione would never allow it. "No."

"I'm warning you," he said, and even punctuated his statement with a flick of his wand, pointed straight at her head. "Get out of the way, or I'll--"

"No!" she repeated with stronger fervor. She spread her arms apart. "I won't let you do this, Harry. I already..." Hermione half-choked, half-sobbed, but still she went on. "I already lost Ron. I don't... I won't lose you, too." She met Harry's eyes with her own, and hoped that he would get whatever it was that she wanted to express.

His brows furrowed. "What--"

"Oh," Malfoy said from behind her, "isn't this just the sweetest I've ever--"

"Malfoy, shut the bloody hell up!" Hermione turned towards Harry again. "Harry--"

"You think I won't win against Malfoy? Is that how you think of me, Hermione?" There was bitterness laced in that voice and that look on Harry's face.

"As a matter of fact, Potter--"

"Shut your trap, Malfoy!" shrieked Hermione, as she sent him a look that could effectively freeze hell over. She took deep breaths, and then faced Harry. "I don't think that way. I know for a fact that you can beat the bloody pulp out of this git whenever you want, but--"

"Granger!" mocked Malfoy. "After all you've seen me do, is that how abysmal you think of me?"

Hermione closed her eyes, and counted one to ten. Then, "Harry," she said, almost spitting the word out through clenched teeth, "I don't want you fighting Malfoy right now because I don't believe anyone of you is going to win. It's just as simple as that. We're all on the same side--"

Harry snorted, but finally lowered his wand. She dropped her hands to her sides as well. "You're not making sense, Hermione. How can we be on the same side? This is Malfoy we're talking about, and--"

"--and he just killed Pansy to save me." She looked at Harry, and saw for herself the surprise, the disbelief, then the doubt that flashed on his face.

True enough, he voiced that doubt out loud. "That can't be true," he said. "He can't have possibly saved you, Herm--"

"It must be very hard for you, Potter," said Malfoy, "to hear that someone else can be a hero just like you. Too bad I can't be awarded house points for what I've done."

Hermione shot a nasty look at him, and when he saw it Malfoy just shrugged.

Harry gritted his teeth. "You lying piece of--"

"It's true, Harry," she told him. Hermione was quite apprehensive of his reaction, but he had to know. "I saw him do it. I saw it for myself."

Harry was quiet, apparently trying to digest everything at once. His eyes were switching from her face, to Malfoy's, then back.

"He was found out," continued Hermione, as she tentatively took a step towards him. "That's the reason why I said we're all on the same side." She glanced at Malfoy, and found him to be looking intently at her. She looked at Harry. "We're all fugitives here."

*

"And may I ask where is 'here', anyway?" Draco crossed his arms in front of him, and then looked around him in obvious disgust. He had never seen anything more distasteful in his entire life. The house... or cave to be more precise, looked absolutely rubbish, in his opinion. And that smell! What was that? He crinkled his nose, and waited for a reply.

"Safe house," Potter so succinctly answered, as he tucked his wand unceremoniously down the back of his pants. He turned towards Granger. "How did you get here, anyway?"

"I told you--"

"I was under the impression that I was talking to Hermione, Malfoy," Harry started, "so bugger off."

Draco pursed his lips in annoyance, but said nothing.

Granger just sighed before she said, "Malfoy's wand. It brought us here."

"How?" Potter insisted.

"That's--" She looked at Draco. "That's a good question, Harry."

He met her inquisitive, challenging stare with one of his own. Then, when she raised her brow at him, Draco rolled his eyes. "It's a portkey."

"A portkey?" Potter stupidly repeated. He glanced at Granger in confusion. "But I thought portkeys were just--"

"It's a different kind," Draco told him, as he waved his wand impatiently. "But that should suffice your quest for truth, Potter. After all, I wouldn't want you to be the insufferable Know-It-All in your trio now, would I?" He smirked at Granger, but found her to be cradling her face with her hands. He looked away, as he realized that he said the wrong, stupid thing. With Weasley too busy being dead, they weren't exactly a trio anymore...

"Hermione?" Potter inquired.

Draco glanced at her when he thought he heard a very distinct sob. His first impulse was to reach for her hands and remove them from her face, the way he did when she cried over the vision that she saw from the mirror. But when he saw Potter place a hand on her shoulder, that impulse disappeared.

"Hermione?" Potter asked again. "You okay?"

Draco gritted his teeth. How dim could this scar-headed sod be? How could anyone be okay when they're bawling out their eyes like Granger was? He saw her slowly shake her head.

"Come here." And as though forgetting that they had an audience, Potter reached for her, and pulled her to him again. He placed his arm around her shoulders, then guided her towards one of the corners of the room.

Draco curled his hands into fists, angry that he had been dismissed, pissed that he had been ignored. He dragged his feet towards the opposite corner of the house. One glare at a brat occupying the chair, and the chair was instantly his. He felt a bit better. At least, wherever in hell he was, the people there still knew their place around him!

*

A few minutes passed. Draco noticed that everywhere he turned, glares met him, eyes that relayed their hatred of him, though most of them were only little brats, the oldest of which seemed to be in third year. He could recognize a student or two from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, and from Gryffindor... well. Aside from the annoying sod, there wasn't a single Gryffindor student in the "safe house", which was a good thing, because a single Slytherin could only tolerate so much.

He spotted Granger at the end of the room, deep in conversation with the famous Harry Potter, git extraordinaire. She was no longer crying, but her face was still pale, and she seemed tired. Draco frowned. Couldn't the famous Harry Potter see that his friend needed some rest? Without another word, he rose from his chair and walked towards her. "Granger--"

Potter immediately gave him a look that he always reserved only for him, but he reluctantly forced his expression to turn neutral when Granger placed a hand on his chest. At that act, something flared up inside Draco that made him loathe Potter even more. But outwardly, of course, he kept his face passive, disinterested.

The same could be said about her voice when she spoke. "What?"

Draco blinked.

Granger sighed. "Well? What is it, Malfoy?"

He shoved his hands into the pockets of his robe. "Nothing," he muttered, absolutely hating the feeling of embarrassment that flooded him. What was he thinking? Why did he even bother to come here, anyway? He gave a warning glance at Potter and then stalked away.

*

"What was that all about?" Harry asked, as he watched Malfoy retreat towards the other end of the house, with the students giving him plenty of room to sulk. It seemed as though they were very reluctant to come close to the stinking Slytherin, and for that Harry applauded their intelligence. He watched as the pale boy sank on a chair and proceeded to glare at the table in front of him.

Hermione shook her head. "I really don't know, but--" She also glanced at Malfoy, pity on her face. "--but I guess he's uncomfortable here."

"He can leave anytime he wants," he stated. "It's not like anyone's going to stop him."

She closed her eyes, before she muttered, "I would."

Harry looked at her, chagrined. "You can't be serious."

Hermione opened her eyes, and then shrugged. "Actually, I am." She lifted her chin. "You know what it's like outside this house, Harry. You know what's going to happen to him the minute he steps out of that door. He's as good as dead."

"And?" Harry cocked his head to one side. He felt heat on his face as he glared at her. "I don't really see the negative side to that. Do you?"

She briefly looked away. "I owe him my life," Hermione said, almost murmuring the words to herself. "I can't let him die. I... I won't."

The anger that he felt when he heard those words was indescribable. Suddenly, all he wanted to do was yell at her, or even hurt her; anything he could do to her that would help him vent out his fury. "You owe him your life," Harry repeated, almost mockingly. "But how about the lives of Ron? Of Ginny? The other students? Can't we say that we have the right to take away his life as payment for theirs?"

She flinched. "Malfoy didn't kill them."

"He's one of those who did." His words were filled with so much anger, so much loathing. There was just no possible way that Malfoy was innocent of all that had happened to them! "He's responsible for their deaths."

"No." Hermione's rebuttal was firm, unmoved, the expression on her face resolved, determined. "He's not."

Harry was quiet for a full minute, just staring at her. Slowly, he realized what was happening. He glanced at Malfoy, and then at her. "I can't believe it," he breathed low. "You're on his side."

"I'm also in yours, Harry," she said. "Yours and Malfoy's sides are one and the same. How many times do I have to tell you--"

He suddenly grabbed her shoulders, uncaring whether or not his fingers burned her skin. "What did he do to you?" he demanded.

"Ow!" Hermione started to remove his hold on her, but he was stronger. The more she tried to get away, the harder he pressed his fingers on her shoulders. "Let me go! Harry--"

"Answer me!" He shook her, and he clearly saw the terrified look that flashed on her face. "You'd never defend him to me, not without him doing anything to you! Tell me, Hermione, what did--"

At that second, Hermione was forcefully pushed out of his grasp. Harry saw the rage on Malfoy's pointy face before he lifted his hand and delivered a severe punch. Harry took three steps back, and clutched at his jaw. Already he was starting to feel the trickle of blood that ran down his chin.

A chorus of "Harry! Harry!" reached his ears, but he paid them no mind. All he was seeing right now was Malfoy. Thoughts of Ron, Ginny, the attack on Hogwarts... all these assaulted him as he stared at the other boy. His head pounded madly. With a brutal war cry he launched himself on Malfoy, his desire to inflict pain driving all rational thoughts aside.

From somewhere, he heard Hermione cry out, "Malfoy! Harry! STOP!"

*

"Someone stop them, please!" she yelled. But it was useless; the idiots around them were only chanting for the fight to go on. Her voice was literally one against many. As Hermione stared at the two, a feeling of helplessness flooded her, and she absolutely hated it. She knew she must do something, but what?

"How dare you!" she heard Malfoy yell, as he savagely shoved the other boy on the nearest wall. There, he pinned him, his hands digging on Harry's shoulders. "You hurt her again, you touch her again, and I swear I'll--"

"Malfoy!" Hermione grabbed his shoulder and used all her might to turn him towards her. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

There was blood running from his nose down to his lips. He viciously wiped that off his face and looked away.

Knowing that there was no sense in waiting for him to answer, Hermione turned her eyes on Harry, who was sporting bruises worse than Malfoy. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." Harry straightened up, and then felt the cut on his lower lip. "I'm fi--"

Suddenly, Malfoy let out a loud laugh. "Funny you should ask him that after what he'd done to you!"

Hermione regarded him in surprise. "What--"

Harry moved away from the wall. "Oh, so what, Malfoy?" he jeered. "You're her protector now? Just because you saved her once doesn't mean that--"

"Doesn't mean what, Potter?" Malfoy sneered. "You should be thankful to me that I saved your little friend instead of letting her die, or else you'd be bitter because of two deaths instead of just one. Unlike you--"

"Stop it, you two!" Hermione finally yelled. She glared at Malfoy, and then at Harry. "Can't you be civil to each other? Can't you two talk without pulverizing each other? Stop acting like little brats, for Merlin's sake--you're both adults, not children!" She took deep breaths, and then looked around her. Again, people had already encircled them, and all were looking like spectators attracted to a brawl. Her temper flared. "This is not a bloody COCKFIGHT! Get back to whatever it is that you're doing, all of you!"

She heard the satisfying sound of scuffling feet as the rest of the students moved away. Hermione was beginning to feel a bit better when she heard another, more irritating sound. Laughter. She turned towards Malfoy, and saw that his bloody face was twisted in mirth. "What in hell would you be laughing about?" she demanded.

Malfoy clutched his stomach, the effect of his laughing too much. "I've never heard you use such language before, Granger! Charming, really."

Hermione ran a mental scan on the words she said a while ago. When she spotted the word, she lifted her hands as if to strangle him, then contented herself with pushing him. "Pervert! You dirty-minded--"

"Ahem."

She stopped as she heard Harry mention a name in surprise. She turned around, and true enough she beheld the bespectacled face of their Headmaster. "Professor Dumbledore!"

"Hello, Miss Granger." He have her a warm smile as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm very glad to see you safe and sound." Dumbledore turned to Malfoy. "You too, Mister Malfoy. I'm pleased to see that you are here as well, though not as healthy as I'd want you to be."

Malfoy snorted, then wiped at his face again. "Your favorite student just gave me his version of a warm welcome."

Dumbledore chuckled as he shook his head. "Well, despite all the unfortunate events that occurred to us, it is most comforting to know that there are still some things that remain constant." He turned to Harry. "You both should know that though we are not on Hogwarts grounds the same rule still applies."

"Meaning what, sir?" Harry inquired.

But Hermione caught on quickly, and the Headmaster seemed to know it as he turned his attention to her. "Meaning no one's going to magically mend your bruises," she said. She smirked at Harry, then at Malfoy. "You two are on your own."

Both boys regarded her with scowls on their faces.

"Excellent, Miss Granger. Five points to Gryffindor."