The Battle of the Highest (Dramione)

Chapter 14: The Box

*DRACO*

I've done it.

I've broke through.

I smile at Hermione. "Really?" I say.

She gives a slight nod. "I...I think so. But it's very impossible." She walks back to the bed and sits down, thinking.

"What's impossible?" And walk over and sit close to her. "What'd you see during the second challenge that was so horrifying?" I ask softly.

She takes a deep breath. "When I was in the course...I saw you...dead. You had a hole in your chest." She starts to get teared-up. "So I freaked out, and I just sat there for who knows how long, and then I kept going, but I looked over the edge and I leaned too far over and then I was falling and I saw you standing, and I freaked out even more."

She leans against me. "I don't wanna be a part of this," she says quietly.

"I know," I say reassuringly. "We can do this."

"How are we supposed to both stay alive during the next challenge? We're the only ones left!"

"We're gonna find a way. C'mon, you're smart, you can do this."

"I don't know about this time, Draco. It's gonna be even harder, especially if they're going to try to break us apart."







Hermione starts sitting with her friends now and she's speaking again, and everyone's really pleased. I know that they feel bad for us though; the third challenge is coming up soon.

I sit at lunch, ignoring Pansy's irritating voice again, when McGonagall hurries over.

"Mr. Malfoy," she says. "Come with me." I stand and swallow. That's the thing about McGonagall: her facial expression and tone of voice never change, so you don't know when she's angry or happy and frustrated or has something bad to tell you.

I follow McGonagall out of the Great Hall and we enter her office. Hermione is sitting in the chair in front of the desk. I go over and stand beside her and McGonagall sits in the chair behind her desk.

"I have news," McGonagall says. "The box you were supposed to find...no one retrieved it."

"So was the box disposed of?" Hermione asks.

McGongall shakes her head. "No, we brought the box back." She opens a drawer in her desk and pulls something out and sets it on the top of the desk.

"This is the box," she says. It was pretty, really. It was black, about six inches by four inches, and small diamonds are encrusted on the rim of the lid.

I make a grab for it, but McGonagall slaps my hand away. "Don't touch it!"

"Why?" I say. "I mean, nothing's wrong with it."

"Actually, there is," McGonagall says. "Zacharias had made it to the box, but when he touched it...he died."

Hermione furrows her brows. "What's wrong with it then?"

"I'm not sure, Miss Granger, but it's Dark Magic."

"Well, you can fix it, can't you?" I say.

"We're trying, Mr. Malfoy. We never bewitched it before the tournament. Someone else got a hold of it," McGonagall says.

"And how'd you get it here, anyway? You can't touch it," I say.

"Levitation?" McGonagall said with a "duh" tone.

All I reply with is "oh".

"How long do you think it will take," Hermione says, "to fix it?"

"Again, I'm not sure. It should only take a few days."

Hermione nods and stands. She grabs my hand and leads me out.

"I want to know what's in the box," Herrmione says impatiently.

"We'll find out soon," I say calmly.

"I want to know now, though! So we can prepare!"

"Just settle down," I say sternly. "Just wait." Hermione huffs and I smile weakly.

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Sorry for the length but I need to skip ahead in time.