The Bond Of Fate - DracoxHermione

Chapter Three

She tried to twist, to kick, bite, scream, but nothing happened, she didn't move. Everything was dark but she could feel the pressure on both her arms and stomach. Icy spidery hands crawled up her body and tightened around her neck, choking her.

"Please," she sobbed as the air tightened around her.

"I'm going to ask one more time," the woman whispered in her ear, her hold of Hermione's throat tightening, "where did you get that sword?"

Hermioe shook her head with a whimper and the woman tore open her arm. She wanted to scream but air had left her lungs forever, she was going to die and they had already given up on her.

"Hermione!" someone shook her shoulders aggressively, "Hermione wake up!"

Her eyes flew open and cold fresh air flooded into her lungs. A pair of silver eyes were staring into hers, silver eyes that watched silently from the side, that looked away when she begged for help. Still half asleep, Hermione let out a small scream and slid backwards until her head hit the headboard.

She blinked a few times and the darkness began to dissipate. Slowly, the bedroom started to come into focus, but Draco Malfoy didn't disappear. He sat on the edge of the bed, his face impassive as always.

"What are you doing here?" Hermione whispered, after she had composed herself. She pulled at the twisted sheets so as to cover her bare legs from him. Malfoy looked at her in silence for a few seconds before standing up and walking towards the door. As he reached it he turned to her and pain flashed in his eyes for an instant.

"You were screaming bloody murder," he said simply and he closed the door behind him.

*****

"You look like you've been run over by a hippogriff," Ginny exclaimed as soon as Hermione walked into Potions. She had skipped breakfast to try and sleep in but had had little success as the memories of her night kept shaking her up. She hadn't had a nightmare as vivid in weeks and her arm burned where Bellatrix's knife had cut deep into her flesh.

"Bad night," she said, dropping her books onto the empty seat. Ginny grabbed her hand and pressed gently, reassuringly, but Hermione's eyes travelled around the room, anxiously.

"It's okay," Ginny whispered, as she watched Hermione shift in her seat, "I'm sure you're not the only one feeling that way."

Hermione followed her friend's eyes towards the redheaded boy sitting in front of them. He had propped his head on his hand, but soft snores were echoing around the dungeon.

"Very well now, settle down please," Slughorn said as he walked into the room. With a flick of his wand, chalk started to write on the blackboard behind his desk.

"Harry m'boy!" he exclaimed, clapping Harry's back enthusiastically. "I was so glad to hear you decided to come back to us, so glad indeed."

"Thank you sir," Harry said and Hermione knew he was starting to regret his decision. Whispers broke out and some people shifted in their seats to get a better look, but Slughorn wasn't an amateur and he directed the attention back to himself immediately.

"Some of you," he begun, giving the younger students a small wink, "have returned to school this year to find everything has changed. Your class has gotten bigger and you have new classmates. Some of you, have returned changed yourselves. Some of you-" his eyes hovered on Harry, Hermione and Ron, "became adults last year and achieved what many had thought impossible. All of this to say, that this will be a different year at Hogwarts, and the staff is sensible to everything that has- happened. Now, let's turn to page 63 of your textbooks. We are going to start with Polyjuice Potion the brewing is complicated and time consuming. I don't expect you all to get it perfect, but let's see what you can do."