The Order Of The Serpent

Chapter 53

Hermione woke up feeling perfectly happy... And she felt so guilty for it. What were Harry and Ron doing? Were they safe? She huffed and looked over to Draco. He was still sleeping, his hand buried underneath his pillow, his hair in disarray. His lips looked a little tender from the night before and she felt her own lips tingle in response.

"Draco...", she whispered, shaking his shoulder, "Draco wake up..."

He groaned and opened one eye to glare at her.

"What?", he asked, his voice still heavy with sleep.

"You promised to help me improve my duelling skills. Have you found a place yet?"

He was silent for a moment and she looked to be sure he hadn't gone back to sleep again.

"I actually came across a useable location last night", he answered. "The Weasley twins left one of their portable swamps in a corridor up on the third floor. It's a rather big one, about fifteen metres. There's only one classroom past it and that's abandoned, so no-one bothered to remove it. Only catch is that you have to fly to the other side."

She swallowed hard.

"I hate flying."

He didn't answer, but then again, she didn't actually expect one.

"Can you take me tonight?"

"Sure Sweetheart", he smirked. He knew she wouldn't back out in the end. Ever the brave Gryffindor.

***********
Hermione spent the day practicing her wandless magic while the guys went to their classes. She helped them with their homework afterwards until it was finally past curfew and time to go.

"We should all go", Draco decided, "We can always use the practice."

He motioned for Theo to take the lead and they went on their way, Hermione and Draco closing the line.

When they passed down a narrow corridor on the first floor, a red jinx came shooting towards them. Soon hexes and jinxes were bouncing off the walls in all directions. Hermione whipped out her wand to help, but Draco stopped her.

"Hey!", he shouted loudly, "Be careful with those hexes, you might hit Granger!"

Suddenly the attack paused.

"Ah", Blaise smirked, "Definitely your people Princess."

"Give her up Malfoy", one of them snarled.

"Don't think so Not-Weasley", Draco drawled when he saw the red hair. He moved to the front of the group with Hermione right behind him.

"I'll blow you to pieces you shit!", he blew up.

"No you will not Seamus!", Hermione replied sternly.

She pulled Draco's arm until he bent down a little to listen, even if his eyes never left the six people in front of him.

"Let me go over and talk to them", she whispered.

"No", he snapped, his eyes turning to her.

"Ten minutes", she pleaded. "I promise I'll come back Love."

He looked in her eyes and damn it, he couldn't refuse.

"Five minutes", he announced loudly, "Don't leave my sight."

"Thank you Malfoy", she answered primly and with a swish of her hair she turned from him and walked over to her friends.

Even though he knew it was an act, he felt his heart die a little when she called him by his last name and turned from him without a glance. He had to suppress a growl when she was sandwiched in a tight hug between Longbottom and that hotheaded Irishman, Seamus fucking Finnigan.