Serpent in the Lion's Den

11. Choices or Mistakes?

Draco had resorted to pacing up and down the length of tent, counting his steps as he went. 20 steps one way but only 18 back, he reckoned he walked faster on the way back as it meant he could look out of the tent, hoping to see Hermione. Or anyone, any sign of life would do. Draco had always felt alone but had been surrounded by people, now, with no one near him his isolation was impending and all-consuming. After pacing for ten minutes Draco had managed to position himself against the table in an angle so he could see a slither of the world and waited, knees drawn up to his chest.

The rustle of leaves caused Draco to stir, he hadn't fallen asleep but his mind often took him to places that shut out the rest of the world when he was alone. Wishing he had his wand in case it wasn't a friend, which was likely, he walked out the tent to find Hermione on the forest floor. Her hair was more of a birds-nest than usual and her eyes were puffy and raw from crying.

"Granger... are you okay?" Draco stayed well back to give Hermione space and because, after his time with McGonagall, he was nervous to talk to the witch. She looked up, anger flaring her tear-filled eyes and shouted, still crouched on the floor for support.

"I am fine Malfoy, bloody fine"

"Granger I-"

"Just stop Malfoy, just stop and leave me the hell alone" Hermione's words were a mix of anger and sorrow and her anger not only confused the wizard but made him just as angry, she had left him alone and now she was angry at him.

"Granger I don't know why you're so angry but I haven't done anything" Draco started but a deep, malicious laugh burst from the witch in front of him that would've given his Aunt Bellatrix a run for her money.

"You haven't done anything Malfoy? So, you didn't pledge allegiance to the man who hates my kind, who wants to kill me and everyone like me and who asked you to kill Dumbledore? And you didn't agree to killing Dumbledore? My mistake I thought that was all you, let me be the one to apologise Malfoy" with each statement Hermione rose off the ground and stepped towards the blonde wizard, pointing at the part of his forearm where his mark sat beneath his jumper. Despite her words being true Draco couldn't help but let his anger rise up within him, something about the witch set his mind ablaze and his skin burning.

"Granger that is not what I meant, I am more than capable of admitting to my mistakes and-"

"Mistakes?" Hermione lifted her swollen eyes and Draco cursed himself for his honesty and for forgetting that Hermione Granger never missed a trick. He decided to play off his wording with a bored shrug before switching back to anger.

"I meant choices Granger, I can admit the choices I made but tell me, is that the reason you're so angry or are you just going to blame everything on me?"

"It is your fault Malfoy! You're a death eater don't you get it? Everything happening is your fault, it's your fault Dumbledore is dead, it's your fault that my kind are in danger and it's your fault I just had to erase myself from my parent's lives!"

Hermione's screams would've been deafening if she had whispered them, the silence of the forest seeped through the wards and whipped in the air between the two wizards. Her words took moments to sink in for Draco but once they had he felt as though a stone had been tied to his shoes and he had been pushed into the ocean – he was fighting for breath and salt water stung his eyes. He stepped forward, closing the gap between the pair with the same softness and vulnerability that had tugged at Hermione's heart the night before.

"Granger I... I am sorry" His hand reached out to take Hermione's own but she pulled back, a fresh wave of tears spilling from her brown eyes that caught and reflected the sun seeping through the trees, creating golden flecks.

"So, you should be Malfoy, it's all your fault just like it's your fault Professor McGonagall had to waste her time to babysit you and... wait, where is McGonagall?" Hermione looked around, stepping away from Draco with a sudden fear in her eyes, "Did you..."

"Did I what Granger? Kill her? Shove her body in the bloody tent? Merlin Granger, there was trouble at Hogwarts and she had to leave, did you honestly think I would do anything like that?" Draco's voice faltered slightly from the angry tone he had tried to adopt. His feelings toward the witch were becoming undeniable since their journey together and his earlier conversation with McGonagall.

The idea of her being scared of him made him feel physically sick. His eyes steamed with tears and he turned away to walk into the tent before the witch would see him like this, not even his closest friends had seen him cry. Hermione, oblivious to the tears rolling down the wizard's face, had been grateful for this for as soon as he was out of sight, she let her own tears cascade and she propped herself up against the tent pole and silently cried for all she had lost.

She was unaware that on the other side of thetent, Draco was also sat against an adjacent tent pole, crying without a sound.