Chapter 4
Draco looked at the witch in front of him. Her bushy curls were gathered in a knot that was slightly askew, several tendrils poking out here and there. Her face was flushed, lips parted in a look of clear astonishment. Despite her baggy clothing choices (really, who went out in a thin baggy t-shirt, plaid pajama pants, and an oversized cardigan?) he noted the swell of breasts and the hint of curves that hadn’t been there when they were kids. It was very hard to distinguish her true body shape when her clothes appeared to be swallow her in meters more fabric than she needed. He also noticed the pronounced bags under her eyes and her now pale skin that used to be sun kissed with a smattering of freckles. Gone was the awkward girl from Hogwarts, Hermione Granger had grown into a woman, and a beautiful one at that.
“Granger?” he had to make sure it was actually her. For all he knew this could be another witch that bore a striking resemblance to his swotty former foe, though he didn’t think so. He would not easily forget those rich chocolate colored eyes that used to stare at him in hatred but now stared in open shock.
“Holy shit” her eyes were still as wide as saucers and her mouth was agape in a very unflattering way, he could practically see her uvula.
He tried a step closer and at that her mouth snapped shut and she pointed her wand more firmly at his chest.
“what are you doing here?” she demanded “have you come to capture me for your master? I warn you, I wont go easily” The glare she pointed his way could peel paint.
There was the Granger he knew, the stern fun hating know-it-all with a glare that still made him shake, but only a little now. He was ,after all, much older, smarter, and better looking than he was as a child. He shot her a quick smirk back, he couldn’t resist pushing her buttons just a little.
“Actually, I was looking for- What the FU-“ She had shot a hex at him! She hadn’t even let him finish his sentence before attacking. He had ducked just in time thanks to his exceptional reflexes, but it was very close.
Just as he was rising from his position on the leafy ground she shot another hex at him! No, wait, that one wasn’t even close to him, was she drunk? Her aim was quite off…
Then he heard a scream behind him and remembered that some new American Death Eater scum had been chasing him through this gods forsaken forest after having spotted him in the nearby village, town? Shit hole? He wasn’t sure what Americans called their tiny run down villages…
Turning around to face the enemy he shot a Squidrilla Oraficia hex at the masked Death Eater and watched as every open cavity of the man (or women, death eaters could be both after all, they were equal opportunity evil doers) sprouted tentacles. It was rather easy to disarm their masked adversary when he couldn’t see past the twin tentacles sprouting from his nostrils. Once disarmed he tied the man (it was a man, someone he had never seen before) up and decided he should spend some time in the nearest tree while he sorted out this Granger situation.
“you know” he yelled over his shoulder “you didn’t answer my question” chancing a quick look over his shoulder he noted she was still there, hanging back and watching with a confused and wary expression.
“What question was that?”
“It is you right? Hermione Granger, best at everything, teachers pet, bookish, loves house elves more than any normal person should?”
“I… guess? What are you doing here Malfoy?” the confusion in her voice faded and was replaced with a tone that demanded answers.
That tone was quite nice on the auditory nerves and probably shouldn’t excite him in the slightest but his body had clearly gone rogue because some long unused parts of himself got a slight tingle.
“Well, I can give you the short answer now but the long answer will have to wait until we’re in a safer location and out of the open.” He did his best to look innocent and endearing so she would be more amenable to hearing him out.
“What’s the short answer?” the confusion was back, her expression guarded and her eyebrows lowered. Draco had never had a thing for anyone’s eyebrows before but hers were quite fetching and so expressive it was hard to look away. He should probably try to though lest she think something was mentally unstable about him since he was constantly looking 2 inches above her eyes to study those… Shit, he was doing it again. Pulling his eyes down to study her face he saw she had crossed her arms and was glaring at him again.
“Are you quite alright? Was it time for your daily reboot? Shall I stun you to restart your synapsis?”
“Erm… yes, I’m fine. I’m actually here to find you” giving her a genuine smile then. Blimey he was thrilled to finally see her alive and well and in the flesh. Not quite the pink of health but beggars can’t be choosers as the muggles say.
5 years, he had been searching for her for 5 long years. Every time a lead came up he would rush off to the area she was spotted in only to find stale tracks and not one hint of her whereabouts. Today though, today he had actually seen her! He saw her from a distance walking out of town then veering off the roadside and into the woods where she disillusioned herself. He was in pursuit when a Death Eater had apparated at the edge of the woods and started to pursue her. He could not let her be captured so he did the only thing he could and ran towards the Death Eater yelling “Oi! Look you great sack of Voldy loving trash its me Draco Malfoy! Catch me if you can!” he had led the death eater on quite the chase overnight and he really was rather tired now that he was standing still.
Once his explanation had registered, she took a step back and her eyes started darting around like she was looking for an escape. He held his hands out in a placating way trying to, again, look innocent and harmless to her.
“Granger, look, I can explain if you give me a chance. I really have been looking for you for a very long time, and if you’ll allow me to explain in a more private location it will all make more sense. We should probably get moving though because that” he gestured over his shoulder to the Death Eater hanging upside down still sputtering on his tentacles “is quite unpleasant to witness and I’m sure other Death Eaters will come to his aid soon.”
Her lips pulled into part grimace and part frown and she began to pace.
“This makes no sense, Malfoy! How am I supposed to know you’re telling me the truth? That you’re not working for HIM and just lying to me so you can capture me and drag me to him?” Her arms were crossed again which really highlighted her breasts even with them covered in what had to be 10 meters of fabric.
Taking considerable control he pulled his eyes away from the thin shirt clinging to the dips between her breasts, but not so far as to examine her eyebrows again, he really must stop looking at them so much.
“Listen, I believe what’s-his-name over here can attest to my severing ties with the Dark Lord and all Death Eaters but I actually have one better for you” He had planned for just this exact scenario and had saved one of the Daily prophets from 5 years ago when everything had gone to shit, again.
Handing it over to her he saw her eyebrows (she wasn’t looking at him so he had free reign to examine them now) shoot way up and her mouth pop open in a little O. On that paper he knew there were photos of him, Pansy, Crabbe Jr and several other Slytherins from their class at Hogwarts with a headline that read “WANTED for the attempted murder of the Dark Lord and his faithful servants.”
Looking back up at him she said “alright, but we have to leave this area and find a new place to camp.”
“I know an excellent spot if you’ll allow me…” he raised his arm in a request for her to take it so he could side-along apparate to the location he had in mind. She took it hesitantly, though her grip was strong once she latched on, and he turned on the spot taking them away from that forest and the still sputtering Death Eater.