Hermione stepped out into the train corridor, her senses immediately on alert to check her surroundings. It was second nature to her, to examine the environment she was in immediately and quickly. The corridor was deserted, quiet except for the muffled chatter of the students behind closed doors and the deep rumbling of the train as it speeded along the railway. Hermione let out a barely noticeable smile. It was just the way she liked it. It meant that there would be no interruptions when she meets him for the first time.
She turned and walked the few steps that separated her compartment from his, ready to face the challenge head on. Her hand came up to brush aside her brown hair that was obscuring her vision. Noticing that the door to the compartment was wide open, she glanced up... and froze.
He sat next to the window, leaning against the wall. His legs were propped against the edge of the opposite seat, slightly bent at the knees. His arms rested on one knee, crossed at the forearms. His left fingers gripped lifelessly on the window ledge. His shoulders slouched down forlornly as his head rested against the window. He was a picture of sadness and loneliness. His eyes were blank yet deep at the same time. Deep and filled with pain and a hint of fear. The emotion Hermione saw in his eyes reminded her of a small little lost boy. Those eyes drew her complete attention, so much so that she could not look away as much as she tried. She stood in the corridor, transfixed. Her brown eyes followed a lone tear as it leaked out from the corner of his eye, watching it slowly slide down the side of his face and finally drop off the side of his jaw to darken a small circle on his black jeans. Her eyes went back up to examine his face. She squinted slightly from where she was as she looked on in closer detail. His eyes looked up into the open sky, searching for something… or someone up in the heavens above. He looked vulnerable, scared and lost. Hermione felt a strange stirring within her, something she had never experienced before. There was a sudden urge within her to hold his hand and guide him away from whatever that was haunting him at that moment then.
Suddenly her eyes shot down the corridor. Footsteps were coming her way. Someone was approaching. Hermione whipped around and moved swiftly back into her cabin, closing the sliding door behind her. She leaned her back against the door, her eyes darting around in confusion, as though she had lost her bearings for a moment. What was she doing earlier? She had never lost control of herself before... not like that. She had gone in, ready for any angry, headstrong, immature behaviour, prepared to be brushed aside rudely after his fight with Weasely... basically any other behaviour besides what she had actually witnessed earlier. His expression was... intriguing. She had never seen someone so sad and as a death eater, she had definitely seen her share. It was different for the obvious emotions that she had seen throughout her life - howls of grief, shouts of fear, cries of sorrow, violence of anger. Yet his were quiet, hidden, masked...locked up emotions shown in subtle expressions...
Hermione shook her head a few times and took a deep breath to clear her thoughts. What was she thinking? Potter was her target! Her mission! She had to focus on her task. The big responsibility that laid on her shoulders, how could she forget it? What she had just experienced with Potter scared her… but she was not going to let it get in her way. She would not lose her self-control again, not in front of Potter. It was just momentary surprise, caught unawares. It meant nothing, nothing at all.
"Where is he? I don't believe what Ron said, Harry is not like that." A loud voice interrupted her thoughts. "I want to see it for myself."
The noise disturbed Hermione greatly. It was not exactly gentle on her sensitive hearing and Hermione chose to ignore the other reason that was nagging at the back of her mind. Footsteps became louder. Repeated light footsteps. Two girls were coming, judging by the sound of it. Hermione moved her ear away from the door, she was sure she would hear that voice loud and clear.
"Harry! You really are here!" Hermione was right; whoever was the source of the noise certainly would not be quieting down anytime soon.
"Ron just came storming in, swearing and cursing you to hell! What exactly is going on between the two of you? And where have you been the past three months? You didn't even visit us at St. Mungo's, or reply to any of our mail. Do you know how worried we were about you?" Hermione was getting a headache as she went on and on. She wondered how Potter could call Weasley and that girl friends for so many years.
"All we got was ignored mails from you and Dumbledore wouldn't tell us a thing the entire summer. The least you could do was to tell us you were fine and where you were so that we could find you. Spare a thought for us who were worried sick about you! The Weaselys and I were fretting like crazy! Just what were you thinking doing something like that! " That girl obviously was not very smart if she could not figure his intention after three months of ignored mail.
"Now what is this about burdens and normal lives?" She finally finished ranting, to Hermione's relief.
"Cho, I meant everything I said earlier and everything I did over the summer. Just...just leave me alone." Potter's voice was thankfully much easier on the ears than Cho Chang's. He sounded tired but firm. Anyone would be tired listening to the barrage of questions. Cho Chang... Hermione vaguely remembered Draco mentioning her before. Potter's love interest. Hermione was, for lack of better words, disgusted. If that was the type of girl Potter liked, she was up for a really difficult time in Hogwarts.
"What do you mean leave you alone?" Hermione winced slightly. Chang's voice, if possible, went up another notch. "Leave you alone? After 3 months, all we've been through, you want me to leave you alone!" Hermione took a deep breath in order to calm her nerves.
"I'm not surprised, Chang. I don't see any reason why anyone would want a hysterical banshee like you around them," A familiar voice drawled from the background. The trademark footsteps were easily recognisable. Hermione smiled, relaxing slightly. Now, his voice was much better on her ears. "Even if it is an idiot like Potter."
"Shut up, Malfoy." Another female voice cut in. Hermione tensed in irritation; no one tells a Malfoy to do anything, especially Draco. Not that girl, whoever she was.
"Yes, shut up." Chang cut in rudely. "No one asked for your opinion; you're not that good yourself, Ferret-boy." Now Hermione was getting to really dislike Cho Chang. "Why don't you run home to Mommy and leave us alone?" She taunted in a mock-baby voice.
That was the last straw for Hermione. No one insulted her family and Draco like that, and get away with it. Not when she was around to do something.
In a flash, she was standing in the doorway of Potter's compartment, wand outstretched. The source of her anger started choking and gasping for air as the rest of the people stood still, too shocked to respond to the new intruder. But Hermione was oblivious to the stares around her because her eyes were focused on just one person, her wand held steady pointing at her. She had to be punished for insulting Draco and her family.
Suddenly, a hand wrapped around her forearm, gripping it firmly. Hermione snapped her head up at the touch, her eyes flashing. No one had ever dared to disturb her in fear of angering her further.
"Stop it. Now."
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Harry's firm gaze met the girl's flashing eyes. He challenged her silently, tightening his grip on her forearm. Her eyes, partially obscured by her brown hair, stared back steadily, meeting his challenge head on. Harry was surprised by the girl's response. She was stubborn and unlikely to back down anytime soon. Breaking the eye contact with her for a moment, he saw Cho still gasping for air, desperately clawing at her neck.
His eyes went back to meet the girl's intense gaze. He was at a loss. His intention was to break her concentration so that she would lift the spell off Cho, but her focus was incredibly strong. He had to do something because he doubted Cho could last very long. His eyes narrowed as the girl gave a small smirk.
Her hand suddenly turned in his grasp and gripped onto his forearm, locking both their arms. She pulled hard and twisted their entwined arms, caused him to fall forwards and his arm twisted painfully. He reacted fast, stepping one step forward to stop his fall then twisting his body on the spot to turn the motion onto the girl instead. The girl attempted to do the same thing to free her arm from the twisting motion, turning on the spot. However, Harry was faster. Just as she went under their entwined arms, Harry caught her in mid -turn and brought their arms down to her shoulders, pulling backwards. She fell against him, her back hitting his chest hard enough to force the air out of his lungs. With her right arm locked at her shoulders, she elbowed him with her left arm in the stomach once, successfully leaving him breathless for a second time. She raised her elbow, ready to slam it into the side of his head. Harry grabbed her arm and pushing it downwards to their front.
With both arms holding hers down from the back, he pinned her onto him, locking her movements. Her head, which was on his chest, turned sharply to the side to glare up at him as he looked down at her. Her flashing eyes met his again. The stubbornness he saw earlier was even more obvious now that they were so close. He found himself unable to tear away from the challenging glare; he only knew that he could not back down …
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Draco looked at the scene before him. After a fast exchange of moves, Hermione was pressed up against Potter, as though in an embrace. They stood like that for a while, challenging each other silently through their eyes as they held each other's gaze unblinkingly.
Chang was still hyperventilating in the corner, with the Weasley girl desperately trying to lift the spell. Draco knew it was hopeless, it took some power to lift a spell cast by Hermione, power that the Weasley girl did not have yet.
He had to end it fast, before Chang died of suffocation and the situation got worse. It was bad enough, Potter and Hermione were not supposed to meet under such circumstances, nor were they supposed to jump at each other's throats the moment they met. They had gotten off the wrong foot, and it would be very difficult to fix the Potter's impression of her in the future for the mission to succeed. The mission had to succeed for it was on both their lives. He promised Maia to take care of her. There was no way he was going to allow his sister fail and lose her life over the mission. He would do anything to prevent it, to protect her.
"I'm afraid that as much as I appreciate it, I must say that I do not need a girl, moreover a stranger to stand up for me." He drawled dryly as though he had not just witnessed his sister nearly killing a fellow schoolmate and getting into a tussle with his long-time enemy.
His interruption appeared to have the desired effect. Hermione broke the eye contact with Potter to look at him. He looked back, silently implying for her to stop. Her gaze shifted over to Chang, her eyes hardening. Chang suddenly took a deep intake of air and started choking as the spell was lifted.
Draco looked back to see the two of them still in the same position and frowned. He did not like to see any male in such close contact with his sister, even if it was under the current circumstances.
"That means, Potter, you can let go of her now." Draco stated flatly.
Potter looked down at his position with Hermione. Then, as though finally the awkward position they were in, he quickly released his grip on her arms and freed Hermione as though he was burnt by her.
Hermione regained her composure quickly, her eyes masking up again. She turned her head slightly to look at Potter for a while, her face expressionless. Her eyes then swept across the compartment before resting on Draco. Their eyes met in a short instant before she broke the contact and strode out of the compartment without a word, leaving everyone else speechless in her wake.
"That bitch!" Chang screeched suddenly, piercing the silence Hermione left hanging in the compartment. "She nearly killed me!"
"Precisely the reason why I recommend, Chang, that you do not cross her path. I think she's made it pretty clear that she can do that again. Easily." Draco cut in smoothly. He might as well take the opportunity to clear Chang from her path now. No time better than the present. His lips curled into a small smirk. "And don't call her a bitch. Not everyone is like you."
He scanned the cabin once more, before resting his cold eyes on Weasley. He flashed his trademark smirk before striding away himself, just as Hermione did moments ago.
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Harry watched Malfoy strut off, leaving Cho and Ginny speechless and staring after him. He was not too bothered by his appearance in the train compartment. It had become an annual thing, for Malfoy to show up at his cabin itching for a fight.
"Did he just call me a bitch?!?" Cho screeched shrilly, hurting his ears.
What was bothering him though, was the mysterious girl that had appeared earlier. Harry had never seen her around before; he could not remember a student like her in Hogwarts.
"Just our luck to meet them on the train this year." She ranted to no one particular.
He would remember a girl like her if he ever met her. She was… different, from all the other girls in school. None of them would ever burst out of nowhere to attempt to kill a fellow schoolmate, then challenge and fight him like the way she did.
"Harry?" He barely registered Ginny calling his name.
He frowned. That girl was wild. She was trouble, judging by the looks of it, the type of trouble that he should avoid. He did not approve of her actions, not after she tried to kill his friend a few moments ago. He did not like her attitude and character, or at least what he had seen of her character. It was too hard, too stubborn and rebellious for his liking. He preferred strong but gentle girls, something that she was not. However, he had to admit, that she had caught his attention. She was mysterious, that girl… with that enigmatic air around her…
"Harry!" Cho's voice broke through his thoughts, bringing him back to the present. Ginny and Cho were standing in front of him, looking at him expectantly.
"Harry, you're coming back with us to the cabin right?" Ginny voiced out tentatively, looking up at him. "Neville, Luna and Ron are still there waiting for us..." She trailed off, unsure of how to continue.
At the sound of Ron's name, Harry sobered. He became cold and guarded again. "I'm not going anywhere, Ginny. I meant what I said earlier." He looked at her coldly. "Just leave me alone."
"Harry, please don't do this. It won't wor-"Ginny pleaded, taking a step forward towards him.
"What won't work exactly?" Harry injected rudely. "Asking you nicely to leave? What would work then? You want me to yell and shout at you to get out, or resort to using force?"
He had to cut straight to the point. He could not take any more, not after Ron, after the appearance of the mysterious girl. Pushing his friends away was harder than he had expected... it sucked the life out of him to lie and put up a tough front to his friends, to convince himself that what he was doing was justified and for the better. They were his family and it hurt him to push them away, it hurt him even more to say those hurtful words, to watch them get hurt by his words.
He watched the hopeful glint in Ginny's eyes disappear as she diverted her eyes downwards, sideward, anywhere else except his face. He watched the both of his friends become speechless and awkward around him. He was watching the distance between his friends and himself pull longer even as they stood right in front of him, unmoving.
"Oh..." Ginny said to her feet, "We'll just... just leave then." She turned to walk out the cabin, pulling on Cho's sleeve.
Cho did not want to give up yet though; she was going to give it a last shot. "Harry-"
"I don't want to hear it, Cho."
Cho looked as though she had been slapped in the face. She glared at him, giving him a dirty look, before stalking out of the cabin with Ginny in tow.
Harry watched his two friends leave his sight. Sinking back to his seat, he held his head in his hands.
"Just leave..."
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