Anchor and Rose | Dramione

Eleven.

When Draco had told Hermione he had to visit a friend for business, she had half expected to have ended up in some dark alleyway. She had even half expected to end splinched on the Malfoy Manor table-Just like in the sketch that had been pressed against her chest all those weeks ago.

And, Hermione had almost believed him to have been lying.

Draco didn't have any friends. Not anymore. Not since Blaise Zabini had apparently killed his mother and Theo and Pansy had refused to rebuked him for it.

Secretly, she wondered if there was more truth to be discovered. Blaise Zabini had never looked like a murderer in her eyes.

Her heart had broken when she spotted the mark beneath his sleeve last year- For she had also believed Blaise to be good.

Yet, she stood shivering in an open field, her boots being swallowed thick puddle of mud. Rather than snow, the air was simply cold. Muggy. It was very foggy and small droplets of rain fell against her eyelashes.

She was staring at a black-coloured cylindrical house on top of a hill with a stream at the base of it.

It almost looked like a giant chess rook.

She felt as though she should recognise it, but she did not. It seemed somewhat familiar, but distant all at once.

There was no time to dwell on the familiarity, as Draco had begun to walk, heading up towards the house with determination on his face. He stopped outside of the stream a few minutes later, adjacent to a green hedge that held Orange radish-like plums.

They floated upside down and tumbled with the force of the wind.

Beside them, a sign; KEEP OFF THE DIRIGIBLE PLUMS.

For a moment, she thought she recognised the neat handwriting.

"It's probably best if you wait out here." Draco spoke, looking around nervously like he was afraid of someone's arrival. "I'm not sure how they would react to seeing you with me."

Hermione raised an eyebrow as she wrapped her coat around her to block out the cold force of wind that fell over her skin.

Draco pulled her arm so she was hidden by a hedge. It reeked of sweet plums. She wished she could reach out and taste one.

"I thought you needed me as an accessory." Malice was laced between the cracks of her words. "Suddenly changed your mind?"

"Yes. Changed my mind." He glanced at her. "Just shut up and don't go anywhere."

"No, Malfoy." She hadn't realised she was yelling, her finger was pointed at his face. "You can't keep doing that! Doing this-acting like I'm unimportant!"

He sneered down at her. His teeth were chattering, with rage or chill she did not know.

"It's business that does not concern you." He shrugged.

His hands were pulled into fists. He was trying to remain calm under her stare. Turning on his feet, Draco tried to escape Hermione's fury, but she caught his arm and pulled him back towards her.

"Of course it concerns me. You think I've been hiding with you for weeks just to be constantly shut out in the dark?" Her eyes were squinted in rage. "I don't know what's going on in that thick head of yours half the time and it's pissing me off!"

"No one tells you to hide with me, Granger." He shot back. "You're more than welcome to leave anytime you want. I won't care."

Hermione scoffed as he ripped his arm from her grip.