Abyss

Draco looked away and focused on Granger, not knowing how to answer the question. Inspiration struck him at the most appropriate time. He lifted his wand and aimed it at the Ravenclaw.

"Wh-what are you doing?" he demanded, taking several steps back and raising his hands to protect himself.

"Malfoy!" Granger said, her eyes wide.

"Don't worry," Draco spoke, calm in his voice. "This won't hurt a bit." He made a quick gesture similar to the number fourteen, and said, "Iva Halman!"

A blue strip of light that emanated from his wand struck the student at the very middle of his forehead. Within moments, Garson was engulfed in that light and both Draco and Granger saw him shrink until he resembled a small potted cactus on the floor.

"You're a genius," she said, throwing him a grin and moving towards the plant. She picked it up and placed it near the window to make it look more natural and less conspicuous. Granger then paused, her eyes glued at the wall.

"I have to do the same to you," he said, lifting his wand. But she didn't seem to hear him, as her face was completely blank. He expected some sort of argument from her, or perhaps even an outburst. "Granger?" he called, stepping towards her and lowering his wand. "Didn't you hear me? I said I have to turn you into a plant as well." Draco glanced at the door, the silence outside them unnerving and threatening to him. It could mean either of two things: one, that the Death Eaters moved out of the house and left the second floor untouched because they lost interest and got convinced that no one was in it, or, two, the Death Eaters moved out of the house and left the second floor untouched because they wanted to make the fugitives believe that the Death Eaters had lost interest in finding them. Luring technique, he thought, clutching his wand tighter. As if I'll fall for that. He was distracted from his thoughts when Granger dashed from her frozen spot and went to the wall. "What is it?" he demanded.

"A laundry chute," she answered, her eyes alight. She crouched and pushed a chair away, revealing a small door. "Oh my God, it is here." Granger opened this, and peered inside. "We could hide in here."

He scrutinized the size, and found it faulty. "No," he said, shaking his head. "Are you mental? They'll discover us if we do."

"Of course they won't," she argued, looking at him. "The chute is wide enough for both of us. I used this before, remember? The space around me then was sufficient for two people."

Draco pointed at the chute. "And what could we use to hold on to if we do hide in there? I doubt that the Death Eaters would ignore twenty fingers sticking out of that little door!"

Granger narrowed her eyes at him. "You really ought to read more about neutral spells," she said, reaching out and snatching his wand away. She murmured two spells unfamiliar to Draco, and soon the insides of the laundry chute glowed pink. She looked quite proud of herself as these spells took effect.

He rolled his eyes, peeved at her arrogance. "What did you do?"

"Just watch." She apparated out of his sight, and for a moment he panicked - until her head appeared inside the laundry chute. Granger shoved the wand back into his hand. "Quick, apparate in here!"

Draco did. When he reappeared, he found himself beside her, standing on a soft thing that enabled them to be inside the laundry chute without sliding down. "What is this?" he asked in a subdued tone.

She reached for the door and closed it, engulfing them in total darkness. "No time to explain," she whispered back.

In the silence of the confined space, he could hear the rustling of her clothes as he drew her to him, detaining her in his arms. As one, they lowered themselves until Draco was sure that even if the Death Eaters peered inside the chute, they would only see absolute shadows. He held her tight against him, and he felt her bury her face on the curve of his shoulder, breathing on his skin. He closed his eyes, knowing that even in this dangerous a situation he could still find comfort in the knowledge that she was with him, alive, breathing.

A few moments later, and he felt her tense, her limbs pressing closer to him, her breathing becoming shallower. He knew the reason; he also heard the unmistakable noise of the door opening, the sounds of robe swishing and footsteps moving. He sunk his face on the cushion of her hair, and kept quiet.

"No one's here," a voice said.

Draco swallowed. Goyle, he thought.

"Nothing but a cactus," another said. "Nice cactus."

Crabbe!

"Come on," Goyle said, his footsteps noticeably louder and heavier than Crabbe's. "I have to tell father we found no one."

Their footsteps resounded again as they left the room.

Draco and Granger did not move a muscle as they lay there, intimately entangled in a mess of arms and legs. After a few minutes, he felt her tense again. She lifted her head from his shoulder, though in the darkness he could not see her face. "Do you smell something?" she whispered hurriedly.

Draco lifted himself off the soft thing underneath them, and pushed her away. He inhaled deeply, trying to detect something amiss - a the faint but distinct smell overwhelmed him. "Smoke," he said.

"They're burning the safe house!"

He tried to find her hand in the darkness, and when his fingers groped hers he handed her his wand. She understood his message, for a loud pop resonated within the chute and Draco found himself alone.

A moment later, and the door opened, revealing a face framed on the light that rushed towards him. She handed him his wand, and he apparated again, appearing beside her. True enough; the smell of smoke was stronger and more pungent than before. Draco pointed his wand at the cactus, said, "Finite Incantatem!" and instantly Joey Garson was back on his feet, albeit a little wobbly as he stood.

"Let's go!" Granger said, running to the door. The two boys quickly followed suit.

The sight that greeted them almost caused Draco to choke; smoke thick and concrete as white linen assaulted their senses as soon as they stepped out the door. "Granger!" he called, moving his arm to block his nose and mouth. She'd disappeared from his view as soon as he saw the smoke, and it didn't help that his eyes were watering as the fumes stung him. "Hermione!"

She didn't answer.

Draco had no choice; he forced himself to move forward and feel his way down, and as he reached the bottom of the stairs, through fleeting glimpses, he saw that flames as tall as he was were already licking the floor clean of any flammable material. He could hear Garson behind him, coughing and sputtering. Closing his mouth firmly and pressing his sleeve to his nose, Draco ran towards the door even if he saw that it was between two giant walls of fire. Fortunately, the distance he ran was short, and his movements were quick, so his robes and hair did not burn. He collapsed on his hands and knees on the path outside the house, suddenly, entirely spent. Intakes of breaths beside him told him Garson was out and safe as well.

And Granger...

"Hermione!" he yelled, struggling and pushing himself to his feet. He could still feel the heat touching him, and he took a few steps back. The house in front of them was burning furiously as flames shattered the glass windows and reached out to the night. Draco took deep breaths, trying to cleanse himself of the smoke that had almost eaten him alive. He looked around, desperately trying to see if she was anywhere. "Hermione!"

Grass crunched behind him, and when he turned he briefly closed his eyes in relief as Granger emerged from it, dirty, coughing, alive. "Are you hurt?" he asked, grabbing her shoulders and looking at her face. She stank of smoke and grime, but he didn't care.

She gave him a half smile. "Are you?"

He smirked. "It's not like a little flame and smoke could bring me down."

"Then I'm fine." Granger laughed. "You're dirty."

"Spoken like someone who obviously overlooked her own appearance," he quipped.

"I know," she said, wiping at her face with the sleeve of her robe. Then, her face hardened, the smile on it disappearing. "Crabbe and Goyle are already far from here," she spoke. "As soon as I was out the door I tried to see where they were. I saw them head towards the other safe houses." Granger grasped his sleeve. "Do you think the others are already at Languid Valley? Do you think they know the Death Eaters are attacking tonight? We didn't warn them, I know we didn't!"

"Calm down," he said, stroking her back. "Dumbledore must have done something. But we shouldn't worry about them when we're still in danger ourselves. Come on." Draco looked back at Garson, who was still on all fours. "Follow us. And don't ever make the mistake of staying behind."

The Ravenclaw nodded, rising to his feet.

*

Draco allowed Granger to take the lead, but he didn't dare let her disappear from his sight again as they hurried towards the clearing. He didn't light his wand as he was sure it was going to call attention to them, and he didn't want to risk that. A few minutes passed, with them alternately running and walking, before they arrived.

No one was there.

Granger became agitated, wringing her hands in front of her when she realized that no one was waiting for them at the clearing. "Where is he?" she asked, looking at him. "Where's Harry?"

Draco shrugged. "How should I know?" he said. "I was with you, remember?"

"Ohh... where could he be?" she muttered, walking away. She made several trips around as she walked in circles, burning her own path on the ground.

Draco looked at Joey, who was panting and had his hands resting on his knees. Turning so that Granger as well as the Ravenclaw was in his sight, he placed a hand on Garson's shoulder. "Are you alright?"

"Yes," Garson answered, still flushed and obviously perspiring. "I'm fi...yaaahhh...!"

"Good," Draco said, squeezing Joey's shoulder as hard as he could. He got a lot of satisfaction from seeing the boy writhe in pain, straightening his upper body and straining to get away from his hold. He stopped applying pressure, and the Ravenclaw scrambled away from him.

"What are you doing?" he asked, clutching his shoulder.

"Make a scene and I will hurt you even more," threatened Draco, as he noticed Granger glance at them, her brows drawn together. He nodded at her, and she looked away again. He returned his gaze, advanced on the boy, and Joey shrunk in terror. He was not expecting his vehemence, Draco could tell. "Let's get something clear here," he said, looking straight at the boy's eyes. "Who saved you?"

"Y-you did," Joey immediately answered.

"No," Draco said, elongating the pronunciation of the word as if talking to a dumb child, which he obviously was. "Granger did."

"B-but--"

"Listen to me, Garson," he said, taking a step forward, his hands shoved in his pockets and his face a cold, frightening mask. "I don't give a damn about you, I'm sure you would've realized that by now. If I could have my way, you'd be roasting along with the other things inside that safe house." He leaned forwards until their noses were almost touching. "Aren't you glad it wasn't up to me?" He grinned. "She risked her life for you, a worthless worm. Do anything stupid to have her do that again, and I assure you, you won't live to do another pathetic thing."

Then Draco pulled away, and began adjusting Joey's wrinkled and dirty clothes. "And, just so we understand each other," he said, smiling. "We never had this conversation."

"I saw him," Granger said, running to them. "Harry's almost here. Thank God, we're safe." She smiled at Joey. "You're safe now."

The Ravenclaw met Draco's eyes, and he nodded, his eyes traveling to the ground.

Draco turned to Granger. "We better meet him halfway." He took out his wand and lit it, and they made their way towards the Gryffindor.

*

Harry paused when he saw a small ball of light moving towards him. Feet stepping on grass met his ears, and then the greenery parted before him, revealing a very dirty Hermione, Malfoy, and Garson. They were covered in soot, with Hermione's cheek colored to closely resemble a burnt wood, Malfoy's pale, pointed face blackened, and Joey's fat one darkened and smudged. "What happened?" he asked, moving his wand near Hermione so as to see for himself that she wasn't hurt. "Are you okay?"

Hermione shrugged that off. "I'm fine, but the Death Eaters, Harry," she answered, her eyes widening and filling with tears. "They burned the safe house."

He looked at Malfoy, saw the Slytherin's grim expression, and knew it was the truth.

"Where are the others?" Malfoy asked, lifting his wand higher to cast light behind Harry.

"They're at Languid Valley, along with the other students," he answered, glancing at Joey. "We all should have been there by now, if you weren't stupid enough to stay like that."

Garson hung his head, and said, "I'm sorry." Harry looked at Hermione and shrugged when he heard a very distinct sob.

"There, there, Garson," Malfoy drawled, crossing his arms in front of him. "Stop being such a weas--er, wimp." He looked at Harry. "Can we go now?"

Harry turned around, and started walking. He could hear the others as they moved behind him.

"How far away is it?" Hermione asked.

"A few minutes' walk," Harry answered, without breaking his stride. "It's not that far, but I was delayed because no one was there when we arrived, and the children refused to let me leave without anyone to watch over them."

"So when you left, there were already other people with you?"

He nodded. "Seamus and Dean were. They arrived a few minutes after we did. I heard from them that Justin, Hannah, Neville, and Susan were also to arrive, though I don't know when."

"I told you, Granger," Malfoy spoke. "You don't have to worry. We're all safe."

Harry looked back, and saw Hermione nod.

Nobody spoke for the rest of the journey. Every once in a while, Harry would look behind him, and see that Joey was trailing behind Malfoy, Malfoy was right behind Hermione, and Hermione was looking at the ground as she walked. He then would return his eyes to the north, where sooner or later he was bound to see a huge oak tree with a hole in the center, the pathway to Languid Valley.

And as soon as he saw it, he exhaled aloud. "We're here," he announced, looking at the others. "We have to pass through this tree. It's the only way to get in. I'll go first, and do exactly as I would, all right?"

Hermione and Joey nodded. Malfoy just looked skeptical.

Harry pocketed his wand, and approached the tree. He placed a hand on the left, near a wide stain on the trunk, and pushed. A thin film of light emerged from that stain, and slowly the hole changed color and brightened until it revealed the houses in it. He removed his hand and entered. He turned around, and waited. Soon, Hermione came out of the tree trunk, then Joey, and finally, Malfoy.

"Welcome to Languid Valley," Harry said, spreading his arms wide.

"Harry!"

He turned, and saw Neville approaching them, a huge smile on his face. "Hermione! And--" He paused as his eyes met the Slytherin's. Neville looked at Harry again, his smile disappearing and his face tightening. "What is Malfoy doing in here?" he demanded.

"Speak lower, Longbottom," Malfoy said, sneering. "I could still hear you."

Neville took out his wand so fast his actions were a blur to Harry. Soon, he had it pointed at Malfoy's face. "I'll kill you," he said, his neck becoming red and the holes on his nose widening as he breathed. "For all you've done--"

"Finally grew a pair, Neville? Ooh, I'm shaking in terror--"

"Neville, wait!" Hermione cried, taking hold of his wand and lowering it. "Don't do it."

The Gryffindor frowned as he swiped his wand away from Hermione's grasp. He aimed it at the Slytherin again. "Have you gone mad?" he asked, his eyes on fire. Harry had never seen Neville this heated before. "Why are you protecting this snake, Hermione?"

This time, it was Harry who lowered Neville's wand. "Because he's one of us," he said finally, knowing that sooner or later he'd live to regret saying these words. "He could help us get Hogwarts back, Neville."

Neville looked away, but Harry could still see the grim determination on his face. He knew that, given the opportunity, Neville would carry out his threat.

Malfoy, though, still looked like he couldn't care less, and did not seem intimated at all.

"Where are the others?" Harry asked, clearly changing the subject.

Neville pointed at the house nearest to them. "The aurors are in there, as are Dumbledore, McGonagall, Sprout, Flitwick, and Snape."

"And the children?" Hermione asked.

"Asleep." He pointed at a house with several rooms side by side. "In there."

"Neville, would you bring Joey to the other children?" Harry asked. "We're going to talk to the others for a little while."

He nodded, shot a venomous glare at Malfoy, then took the Ravenclaw away.

"Finally, he's gone," Malfoy said, pretending to wipe his brows with his hand. "Dying in the hands of a Longbottom, how degrading could that be?"

"Shut up, would you!" Harry said, looking at the Slytherin. "Neville's only one of those who wants to kill you, Malfoy! I'm very sure that if anyone else sees you, you'll get the same reaction."

"Ye because it's my idea of a warm welcome to have wands aimed at my face!" Malfoy said.

"Harry, Malfoy--"

"Look. Let's make a deal here. You stop making those snide remarks and I guarantee no one's going to point their wands at you. Agreed?"

Hermione snorted. "You're stripping him of his personality, Harry."

Malfoy glared at her, before he nodded. "Agreed."

"Wonderful," Harry said. "Now let's see what the aurors are up to."