Silver and Gold (A Dramione Fanfic)

Chapter 23

   "Really, Draco, you don't need to..." I began as I walked beside him to- you guessed it- the library. He still insisted upon coming with me to the tutoring sessions. Even though I had already gone to a couple, and nothing of consequence had happened. Truly, I loved him, but this was getting annoying.

   "Yes, I do. Trust me." he replied, annoyingly calm.

   "Trust me," I retorted, "and tell me why it's so dangerous for me in the library of all places."

   "All in good time, mon cherie."

   I gave him a look. He raised a flaxen eyebrow at me. 

   The heavy wooden doors opened of their own accord as we arrived. Smiling, I led him to a secluded table. Sitting there was Astoria. Her Slytherin tie, which normally would've put me on my guard, allowed me to relax. It reminded me of Draco.

   "Hey, Hermione," she said with a smile. I smiled back, took a seat next to Draco, and began revision.

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   One satisfying hour later and we were done. I smiled at Astoria as we packed up, only then noticing her intricate necklace. It was bright silver and shaped like a snake, inlaid with bright green emeralds. I smiled wider, saying, "That's pretty, Astoria. Is it new?"

   For an instant her face flickered with an unfamiliar expression. Then her dark eyes cleared and she smiled at me, all traces of anger or whatever it was... gone. "Yeah, it's from my mum. I got it for Christmas."

   "Oh, that's-" I began brightly, but at that moment something occured to me.

   "Hermione?" Draco asked, looking concerned. "Are you alright?"

   "Yes, are you okay?" Astoria asked.

   "Brilliant." I said, then turned on my heel and left the library, Draco trailing in my wake. I hurried off toward the dormitory, ideas churning in my head. It was all fitting together, but there was one missing piece. One part that didn't fit. And I intended to make it fit. In a small, preoccupied voice, I muttered the password to Snape and raced into the dormitory. Draco was hot on my heels, even though he was weighed down by both our schoolbags.

   "What's going on?" He demanded as soon as the portrait shut behind us. He sounded irritated. Well, that made sense. I had just run off without an explanation. I really need to kick that habit, I thought.

   "I've just realized... it all makes sense. The attacks inside of Hogwarts, the feeling that she's not being entirely truthful, the fact that she seems to understand everything we're going over perfectly, the snake necklace, the way I think I recognize her, the way you..." I trailed off, my eyes going wide. "You know!"

   "I know what?" He asked, but he didn't quite look me in the face as he said it.

    "You know who she is, Draco! You knew that she could be the Silver Snake, and that's why you insisted on coming with me, but you wouldn't tell me!" I started to rant.

   "Hermione, I can't..." He began, but I stopped him.

   "What do you mean, you can't?" I demanded.

   "You would never believe me if I told you." He said, looking me calmly in the face with those bright, quicksilver eyes of his. I furrowed my eyebrows.

   "Try me." I said, as I threw myself down on a nearby couch. I eyed Draco, daring him to sit down next to me. My wand was out, my hair frizzing around my face. I was sure I looked mad- insane mad.

   "I know who she is, and she isn't Astoria Greengrass." He stated, wisely heeding my unspoken warning.

   "Then who is she?" I asked carefully, my eyebrows nearly at my hairline.

   "Cassiopeia Lestrange."