Memories
"Malfoy?" She screamed.
As soon as the light had disappeared the only thing she could see was Malfoy's unconscious body on the floor a few feet away.
"Malfoy!" She ran towards him and crouched down by him, his usually flat hair sprawled untidily over his face.
Suddenly his eyes opened and he slowly sat up, a dazed look in his eyes that made her feel uneasy. "Granger."
"Malfoy what happened."
"I...I" a look of realisation passed over his features as he got to his feet. "I have to go." He tried to leave through the door but before he could she grabbed his arm. He stopped.
She didn't know what she was doing she just stood there looking up at him as her small hand was wrapped tightly around his wrist. "What happened."
He wouldn't look her in the eye, and stared at her hand on his arm as he replied. "Granger would you just leave it."
"No because if it was a curse that made you collapse I need to know, it could be dangerous."
"It's not okay. I'm fine." He said pulling her hand off his arm and continued towards the door.
"How do you know that?"
He turned around so abruptly that she took a step back. "Because I feinted okay."
Suddenly, for what felt like the first time his eyes met hers and the brightness in them started her. Now she had to look away. "What do you mean you feinted?"
"You probably didn't notice but that bright light happened to have a green tinge to it. I..." He stopped and slid down the wall behind him so he was on the floor. "I...I saw so many people get killed by Voldemort, so many people that the last thing they saw was the green light of the killing curse. I...I shouldn't be telling you this." He stated as he ran his hand through his silver hair.
"No I'm listening." She responded as went and sat next to him leaning against the wall.
"I used to get nightmares where the only thing I could see was that green light and the sound of his voice, the dark lord whispering in my ear. The worst part is that I was always holding the wand, casting the killing curse. I can't even use the floo network anymore without feeling dizzy because of the green flame. I did what I did to protect my mother."
"I'm sorry I never knew that..."
"That I'm traumatised."
"No, it's not just you, I...I struggle to open my eyes in the morning because the colour of the curtains in the room is the same colour as blood. People thought that I was close with Ron and Ginny but they never knew I was friends with Fred as well."
He raised an eyebrow. "Really you and Fred?"
"What? No it wasn't like that. We had a sort of mutual understanding and we became friends after a while. Most people thought that I was so upset at the start of the year because Ron dumped me but it wasn't just that. Everywhere I went I saw reminders of on of my best friends."
"I'm sorry." He said. Words she never thought she would hear from those pale lips. "It seems our scars run deep Granger."
"Yes so it seems."
"So then, what is that you want Weasley to experience because he made you feel you were worthless. I have to be honest, I'm intrigued."
"Well if we do win this thing, I think it will be enough because when the winners are announced we will have to stand at the front of the hall to get the wishes. Once he sees that I picked working with Slytherins, especially you over working with him, I think that will make him feel as worthless as it made me feel."
"Well why did say that you wanted me to teach you to manipulate people?"
She started playing with a strand of her hair as she said "I knew that if I had told you that working with you was enough, you probably would have manipulated me into helping you even."
"So you made me barter with you because you didn't want to do more than you had to."
"Yeah."
"Well maybe you have changed Granger. The old you would never manipulate someone to that level." He chuckled.
"Oh yes she would have, you never found out about Rita Skita."
"Do I even want to know?"
"Yes, and I will tell you one day."
He smiled as he got to his feet and gestured to her wand. "I'm guessing that it being a spell was not correct then."
"Probably not." She replied getting to her feet as well.
"Listen, don't be surprised other people start thinking it's a spell because it's good to mislead people in these situations, throw in a few red herrings."
"Umm yeah, that sounds good. I'm also fine with sabotaging other people's clues."
"Hmm you have given me an idea there Granger."
With that he opened the door and left, leaving Hermione to leave the room a few minutes later to head back to the Griffindor common room.
Draco hated how people knew his dad was in prison. He occasionally heard whispers from first years in the common room about how his farther failed at being a death eater and to be honest he was glad his farther had failed. As he walked back to the common room he noticed a figure walking towards him. He squinted his eyes in the dark to get a better look of who it was.
It was the Ravenclaw boy from detention. He was sleep walking. As Draco watched the boy walk he couldn't help feeling that there was something odd about how he looked. It was probably because the boy was carrying a bag whilst wearing pyjamas. Draco just walked past him and carried on to the common room. When he got there Blaise, Pansy and Theodore were sitting around the fire place.
"Blaise, Pansy Theo, I have an idea and I thing you are going to like it." He yelled as he walked over to his friends.
"Well don't leave us in suspense, tell us what your idea is."
"We are going to spread rumours that the clue is actually a spell, and that it only works if you cast it on a specific object."
"Now that is an idea I can get behind." Pansy stated. From there they started to plan.
Hermione only noticed that it was late when she got into the common room. She had been with Malfoy for two hours and it was evident from the atmosphere that people had been wondering where she was and had probably been looking.
Soon she was met by Ginny and Luna. "Mione you will not believe what we found out earlier."
"What is it, is it about the clue?" She asked hopefully.
"No, it's about Lavender, she has been disappearing for hours at a time and Ron thinks that she is cheating on him."
"Oh, is that so?"
"Yeah. We were going to tell you earlier but when we went to the library earlier you were gone." Luna chimed in.
"Oh, sorry I went to go and speak with Professor Slughorn."
"That's fine. Mum just sent a delivery of cake. So you want some cake and coffee?"
"How could I possibly say no." They laughed about and then went to get the cake.
The next few days were strange to say the least. Everywhere she went there were people chanting the mysterious clue and pointing their wands at random objects, bright lights everywhere. It wasn't long till she found out that Malfoy had indeed spread a rumour that the clue was a spell, and she had to admit, his plan was as amusing as it was clever. Her and her friends went to Hogsmead on the weekend and she had to say she had fun, which was surprising. Maybe she was starting to move on from the war.
It had been a long night of her and Malfoy trying to figure out the clue, pulling out books they thought would be of some help, when she got back to the common room and she was met by Harry outside the portrait hole. There was a very serious look on his face and as she neared she noticed the Marauders Map in his hand, the old yellow paper crinkling as he tightened his grip.