Lost Along the Way (Dramione)

Chapter 11

DRACO'S P.O.V.

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I thought I heard a sound...quiet...far away, in the distance.

"Draco?"

...

"Draco!" Pansy said, raising her voice.

I shook my head. "Hmm? Oh! Yeah. Um, sure. Right."

She rolled her eyes, irritated, and started talking to someone else. I let it go for now.

I slipped back away from the world. I had been trying to figure out the meaning of what I had seen in the mirror the day before. It just didn't make any sense...at all.

I had considered that someone might have hexed the object, and that was the reason why it was now in the Room of Requirements.

But it didn't seem very likely.

I glanced up at the Gryffindor table and spotted Granger almost instantly.

I suddenly remembered the potions class at the beginning of the year, when she had turned to look at me, and I'd had the strangest feeling pulling at the back of my mind, like a long lost memory.

Did that have something to do with the image I had seen?

From the Gryffindor table, which I was still looking at, the muggle-born looked up from her breakfast and seemed to scan the Slytherin table. Her eyes stopped on me, then went wide when she noticed that I was already looking.

She quickly looked away, put down her fork, and pulled her bag over her shoulder, as she stood and left the hall.

It was in that moment that I became absolutely certain that something was wrong.

•••

HERMIONE'S P.O.V.

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I ducked behind a curtain, horrified.

I hoped that no one would discover me, at least for a while. I knew that my hair had fallen out of place, my dress had become wrinkled, and I was out of breath.

We were at Slughorn's Christmas party. I had invited Cormac, trying to irritate Ron...even though I had no idea why I was even bothering with it, if I was truly over him.

Just then Harry stooped under the curtains and joined me.

"Hermione? What are you doing?" he questioned.

"I've just escaped-" I paused, realizing how foolish and terrified I sounded, "I mean...left Cormac standing under the mistletoe," I mumbled the last part, not really wanting to say it out loud.

"Cormac?" Harry said in disbelief. "THAT'S who you invited?"

"I thought it would annoy Ron the most," I whispered, crossing my arms.

Then I saw him coming our way.

"Cover for me," I whispered harshly, and slipped around Harry, back into the room.

I speedily walked toward Ginny, who appeared to have been abandoned by her date. When I got over to her, we started talking about Ron and Lavender being back together.

I saw a look of confusion spread over Ginny's face, then realized she was looking at someone over my shoulder. I noticed the music had stopped playing, and the chatter started to die down.

I turned, and, not five feet away, was Filch. And with him was Draco Malfoy.

I nearly dropped my cup of punch, but Ginny noticed and grabbed my arm, giving me a strange look.