Unexpected Union

Chapter 27

The two young lovers lounged in bed for the first part of the morning, well past breakfast, just enjoying the feeling of being in each other's arms. Eventually they managed to get out of bed and showered, where Draco had to dirty her up again before they were done. Her naked soapy body far too tempting not to indulge in.

As it was only two days until Christmas, they decided to do a little shopping down at Hogsmeade. There was to be a Christmas Eve party at Hogwarts for the few staff and students that remained at the castle over the holidays. Hermione and Draco spent a couple of hours wandering the village streets, popping in and out of shops picking up small gifts for their friends and loved ones. They of course also had to venture into Honeyduke's to get a variety of sweets.

Hermione had gone into a small shop that sold Quidditch supplies, looking for gifts for Ginny, Harry and Draco. While she was distracted for a few minutes, and he had been given strict instructions to stay out because she didn't want to ruin his surprise, Draco slipped off into his favorite local bookstore. He bought a selection of new books to surprise Hermione with, along with three new high-quality quills and some new parchment.

They reunited an hour later on the street and headed to Madam Puddifoot's Tea and Cakes for afternoon tea. It was so cozy and warm in there, the couple stayed there chatting and enjoying each other's company until the winter sun was nearly set. When they set back out onto the darkening street a voice called to them, "Hermione!"

They turned to see Ginny and Harry approaching. "We were going to Three Broomsticks for a drink. Care to join us?" Harry offered.

"We'd love to," Draco said as he looked over at Hermione. Having a drink with Potter and she-weasel would not normally be high on his list of things to do, but because they were important to Hermione, he decided he needed to make an effort.

Hermione mouthed 'thank you' to him as they followed the other couple up the street to the tavern. She took his hand in hers and interwove their fingers as they walked. Walking through the streets of Hogsmeade Hermione couldn't think of anything more perfect that being with the people she most cared for. The night was perfect, with the crisp winter air, a thin layer of snow on the ground, and the light of the moon sparkling over it all. She looked up at Draco, and it felt like a dream the way the moon shone off his silver blond hair and sparkled in his silver-grey eyes.

After they settled in at the tavern and were served their butterbeers and fire whiskey, Hermione excused herself to the powder room. She quickly did her business, washed her hands and checked her face before heading back out into the busy tavern. Before she could make it back to her table, she heard someone calling her name. She turned in the direction of the noise and saw only a dark corner, but she heard the voice again. Curiosity got the better of her, and she felt compelled to investigate. She walked toward the sound of the voice, and when she approached the shadows, and hand darted out and grabbed her dragging her into the darkness.

Hermione suddenly found herself out on the cold street behind the tavern, face to face with an upset looking Lavender Brown. The girl had obviously been crying, and had mascara smeared down her cheeks "Lavender, what's wrong?" Hermione asked. She might not be the girl's biggest fan, but something was obviously wrong.

"It's R...Ro..Ron," Lavender started and then began bawling, "I...I need your help. Please, you must help me."

Hermione wasn't sure what was more shocking, that Lavendar had sought her out for assistance, or that she'd called Ron by his actual name, and not the ridiculous nickname she always used. "Lavender, calm down. What's happened to Ron? What's going on?" She asked.

"He...he's up on the Astronomy tower. He won't come down. He said he'll only talk to you. I'm afraid he's going to do something drastic. He talked about jumping," Lavender cried.

Terror gripped Hermione. They might be fighting at the moment, but Ron was one of her closest friends. If he needed her, she would never hesitate to go to him. "Ok. It's going to be okay Lavender. I'll go get the others. We'll help," Hermione said as she turned to head back inside.

"No!" Lavender grabbed her by the collar and yanked her away from the door, "No, you mustn't. You have to go alone. If he sees anyone else, then he'll jump. I know it. It has to be just you. Please, Hermione, go now. I'm afraid it might be too late. You need to hurry. I'll tell the others where you've headed, and we'll follow soon. Hopefully by then you'll have talked him down."

"Okay. Fine. I'm going," Hermione said before she apparated to the closest point to the Hogwarts gates that she knew she could without splinching herself. From there she ran on foot as fast as her feet would carry her up to the castle and through the halls on her way to the Astronomy tower. She only hoped that she would not be too late.

Draco turned around in his seat, scanning the crowd, "Hermione has been gone quite a while. She should have been back by now," he said as his concerned eyes met with Harry's.

"I'll go check the girl's room," Ginny offered. She quickly stood and made her way across the tavern to where the restrooms were located.

She was back a minute later, looking quite unsettled. "She's not back there. I saw no sign of her."

The boys were up and out of their seats and running through the crowd in the direction they last saw her go. Draco burst out a door he found and saw that it led to the alley behind the tavern. Perhaps she went out to get some fresh air? Potter and then Ginny were hot on his heels. "Hermione?" Draco called out, "Hermione, are you out here?"

They heard a noise down the alley and ran to investigate. Movement in the darkness caught Draco's attention and he ran after whatever it was. "Hermione?" He once again called out. It couldn't be her though. Hermione would have answered.

Whoever he was following had disappeared into the shadows. Maybe it was nothing, but Draco had a strange feeling. Something was off. He had no idea how he knew, but he could feel that Hermione was in danger. He also had a feeling that whoever he had been following knew something. "Whoever is there, show yourself," he called out down the dark alley.