The Girl Next Door (a DRAMIONE fan fiction)

Chapter 5

It was a rainy day in October when Draco's whole perspective changed. As
he sat in the library pretending to be studying, he looked out over the grounds of Hogwarts. The rain made everything look blurred and distorted. As he gazed over the landscape, he almost thought he saw a small figure darting across the open field towards the forbidden forest. He tried to make
out who it was and saw through the downpour, a flash of bushy brown hair. Hermione Granger was running into the forbidden forest on a rainy Tuesday afternoon for seemingly no reason.

Draco furrowed his brow in confusion. Why would Hermione be out in such weather? And why would she want to go into the forbidden forest? There were plenty of beasts in there that could hurt or kill her. His concern for her mixed with his curiosity to find our what she was doing drew his feet out from under him and led him down the stairs and through the halls until he found himself standing before the doors that led out to the field.

Draco found himself contemplating his options for only a second before his hand was on the handle and he was pushing open the doors and stepping out into the cold rainy air.

Hermione had left small indents in the grass from where she ran across, and Draco followed those, moving quickly and stealthily across the field. When he reached the edge of the forest he peered in, not wanting to admit it but feeling slightly apprehensive about returning to the forest after his last experience in their first year. Once again, he hesitated for only a second before continuing on.

Draco entered the forest and looked around in search of Hermione, finally locating her to his far left. Where before she had been running, she had now slowed to a cautious walk and Draco had to halt abruptly so he didn't run into her. Luckily, Hermione was so focused on something ahead on the path, she didn't notice Draco at all.  Draco quickly moved off to the side in order to observe what Hermione was doing.

From what he could see, Hermione appeared to be slowly approaching some sort of magical creature but Draco couldn't get a good view of what it was. As Hermione moved slowly forward, Draco shadowed her zigzagging from tree to tree so if she looked behind her, she would see nothing. Hermione was walking very slowly and as Draco got closer and closer, he began to see what she was approaching.

At first all he could make the out was a stringy tail, but eventually he could make out the hindquarters of a horse-like body, and then a back, then a torso. But it wasn't a horse torso, it was a human torso and then, the back of a human head.

Hermione was approaching a centaur! Draco remembered how in his first year at Hogwarts, when he and Potter had encountered Voldemort feeding on a unicorn, the centaurs had saved Potter's life. But Potter was... well, Potter was Potter and everyone liked him, he was a special case. Draco knew centaurs were extremely territorial and he wasn't sure Hermione would be able to just approach one like that. He was sure she would get hurt. But what could he do?

As Hermione approached the centaur, she stepped on a twig and it snapped loudly startling the centaur which whipped it's head around angrily. The centaur bellowed and Hermione took a step back.

Draco acted without thinking, he pulled out his wand
"Expelliarmous!!"

Nothing happened. The centaur and Hermione both turned to gape at him. Hermione looked puzzled and the centaur bellowed

"What are you doing in my woods? This is centaur territory and you are trespassing! How dare you try to use your magical spells on me!"

With that, the centaur jumped past Hermione and charged straight at Draco.