Begin Again - Dramione

Avada Kedavra

Hermione's POV

It is cruel, you know, that music should be so beautiful. It has the beauty of loneliness of pain: of strength and freedom. The beauty of disappointment and never-satisfied love. The cruel beauty of nature and everlasting beauty of monotony. - Benjamin Britten

Draco's words rang in my head as I made my way into the forest. The eerie silence, disturbed occasionally by cold draughts of wind made me shiver, even under all my thick clothes. Ten minutes into the darkness, and I was already starting to kind of regret my decision to separate from Draco. Moreover, if Professor McGonagall found us here, she would definitely lose her marbles.

My nerves were making my head swim, and the thought of a potential criminal on the loose made my insides churn. It wasn't that I didn't trust the abilities of the aurors to find whoever it was, they were in fact, the most capable out of the lot and perhaps the best ones too, that Shacklebolt had chosen to come along, but I just couldn't keep myself locked in the library and wait for someone to give us the green signal. I was too worked up to sit idle like that.

Most of all, I was hating the chaos going on, in the pit of my stomach, it made me feel sick and also, it reminded me of the war and the constant feeling of being in danger. It was way too much to take in.

My wand held before me, illuminating the way ahead, I went along the curving path, which was filled with wild moss, ferns, and nasty jumble of roots that made me stumble every now and then. Catching my foot on a root again, I silently cursed in my head, stopping for a minute to get my balance right. It was then that I heard it.

There was a faint rustling noise on my immediate right. I took a sharp turn, my grip tightening on my wand before me. The light from my wand illuminated the thick trees on the side, but there was no one. I stood still for a moment, my breathe held, the forest alive around me.

The crickets hummed along, while I could hear the soft buzz that came with all the other insects and small animals living in the trees. Shaking my head at the thought of being too paranoid for my own good, I started again.

This time, I felt someone brush past my shoulder. An involuntary scream sounded from my lips, as I swerved again, battle instincts kicked into action mode. But my wand showed a dark canvas void of any human. But I could swear I'd felt someone brush past me.

"Wh-whose there?" I called out, my voice cracking. A shiver ran down my spine, making my wand shake slightly in my hand. "Show yourself." I demanded, in a firm voice.

There was no answer. But now, I could feel it, someone was nearby, a human presence. I could feel eyes on me. Someone was definitely watching me.

"I demand you to show yourself. Who are you?" I called out bravely. A thought struck me and I clutched my pendant in my palm, and whispered "Draco" softly. I felt it turn hot as I uttered his name. Draco would soon find me.

This time, as I turned to the left slightly, I heard someone move. It happened so fast but this time I was sure someone was near me. I froze in my spot, my heart thundering in my chest. It felt like ages, as slowly, the footsteps grew louder, the crunching of dead leaves sounding deadly to my ears, and a silhouette came into view.

Hiding half behind the tree, I saw it stumble forward slightly. I could feel adrenaline coursing through my veins.

My instincts told me that I needed to inform the Ministry people right away, and not try and play hero but curiosity got the better of me. I would find out who this intruder was first and then report them.

"Who are you?" I called out, squaring my shoulders and taking the customary duel position. There was no answer.

"How did you manage to breach the security wards? What are you doing inside the school premises?" I fired at the person, discreetly inching forwards.