The Brightest Black - A Dramione Fanfic

The Rescue

The sudden sound of a desk being shoved across the floor made Draco's hand slip; creating a huge splotch of ink in the middle of the transfiguration notes he'd been writing.

He scowled and looked up, opening his mouth to yell at Black.

But as soon as he saw her he knew something was terribly, horribly wrong.

There was such a look of pure, unbridled terror on her face. Before he could ask what was wrong she was on her feet and racing out of the classroom, her wand appearing in her hand as she flew past him.

He didn't stop to think about it.

He followed her.

Though as he slipped through the doorway and lifted his robes to accommodate his longer stride he found himself wondering what his life had come to, chasing Black through the corridors of Hogwarts.

If he hadn't had such long legs he didn't think he could have kept up with her. She was moving so fast, her hair had fallen out of its usual bun, trailing behind her like a long, shimmery cape.

"Black! Stop! What's going on?!?"

She ignored him as she tore through an archway, racing down a circular staircase.

They were on the other side of the castle, somewhere on the fifth floor, when Black let out a pained gasp and fell to the ground, clutching her left forearm.

He skidded to a halt and fell to his knees beside her. He felt her wand digging into his knee, but he ignored it.

"Black? What's wrong? What's going on?" He reached out, hands shaking, trying to see if she was injured.

She didn't respond, her face frighteningly pale under her tangled curtain of hair.

"Black? BLACK!"

Still no response, he moved her right hand and looked at her arm, but everything looked normal on her black sleeve.

He was very confused, and her refusal to answer made him wonder about her sanity. Though, much as Black annoyed him, he'd always thought she had a sound mind.

Her lips moved and he barely heard her whisper, "Drown, please drown," repeatedly.

He started to push her sleeve up, to see what was wrong.

Her right hand was suddenly gripping his wrist and she was shoving herself away from him. He looked up at her, meeting her soft brown eyes with his own steely grey ones.

She gasped, her eyes wide with fear, viewing something he couldn't.

"Black?"

Her breathing quickened and her hands began shaking as she felt around on the floor, searching for her wand.

He moved his knee and handed it to her, but didn't let go as she took it.

"Black, answer me!"

She just tugged on the wand, as if trying to pull a cranky mandrake out of its pot.

"Hermione!" He gave in and used her given name. It twisted across his tongue in a rather unsettling way.

She jerked and looked up at him, meeting his eyes once again; but this time she actually saw him.

"He's back."

"What do you mean? Who's back?"

She just yanked her wand out of his hand and hopped to her feet. There was a panicked, yet fierce note in her voice as she spoke, "He's got Harry and he's back. We need to go, NOW."