Falling Hard (Book 2)

Chapter 8

We were useless.

We could do absolutely nothing.

We were walking backwards, still throwing spells at the snake but nothing worked. Then, the snake went for us again, and we jumped backwards, but I fell backwards, into a wall and it crumbled. I fell into a baby room, and hit my head hard on the floor, as parts of the wall fell on top of me, winding me.

"NOELLE!" Harry screamed, and he ran to my side, but that's the last thing I remember before I blacked out, as the pounding in my head got worse.

--Hermione's POV--

Harry ran to Noelle as she was burried by the bits of wall. This was where I had to be brave because I was practically on my own.

I carried on throwing spells at the snake, moving closer to it every so often. I made sure that the snake was out of Harry and Noelle's way, so that he could dig her out of the broken pieces of wall.

"Hermione" Harry said, with a blacked out Noelle over his shoulder.

I couldn't help but feel for the poor girl, and Draco for that matter. He has no idea what's happening to her, apart from the things she tells him, when she gets the chance to write to him. And that wasn't very often, which made me feel for them both even more.

"Harry, you have to help me" I said, tears falling from my eyes.

I don't think that I have ever been this scared. It was against a snake, and nothing was working. Harry then joined me in attacking the snake, even though he was carrying Noelle. Then, I had an idea.

"Go towards the window" I whispered, and he backed away.

Then, the snake started getting closer to us. I pointed my wand up to the roof, and then it fell onto the snake, sending it through the floor. I dropped my wand as the snake fell.

Harry got closer and picked up my wand quickly. I creeped forward too, just so I could look, to see if the snake was still alive. I put my wand in my pocket, thinking that it was dead, but it launched itself at us, so I grabbed Harry's wand and threw a curse at it, but the curse rebounded into Harry's wand. Before the snake could get us, I disapperated all three of us.

--Harry's POV--

We landed in a forest, again, and Noelle was laid, still unconscious, next to me.

"You really outdid yourself this time Hermione" I said, and then I sat Noelle up against a tree.

As soon as I knew that Noelle was stable against the tree, I looked over at Hermione who was sat against a tree.

"Where are we anyway?" I asked her.

"I came here once with mum and dad. I don't know what made me think of this place. It looks exactly the same" she said, not telling me the name of the forest.

I just looked at her.

"I'll unpack everything" I said.

"I have to do something anyway" Hermione said and I nodded.

--Hermione's POV--

I took out a piece of parchment and a quill, and ink. I took out a book to lean on. Then, I wrote a letter:

Draco

This isn't Noelle, it's Hermione.

Something happened to Noelle, but don't worry, we got her out before something worse happened to her.

We were in a house and a woman, who Harry was meant to know, turned into a snake, similar to Nargini. Anyway, what happened was the snake launched itself at us, and we all jumped back.

But Noelle's escape didn't go as well as mine and Harry's did. She ended up falling, and going straight through a weak wall. She hit her head hard on the floor, and the wall crumbled and fell on her, as well as around her.

Please don't worry too much Draco, we're keeping her safe and stable. She's still unconscious as I write this, but I just wanted to let you know on her behalf.

She will be fine with us.

Hermione

I sent off the letter, with an owl, and then started to help Harry unpack and build the tent, as well as keeping an eye on Noelle, who hadn't moved since she had been sat against that tree.

--Draco's POV--

I opened the letter and read through it a number of times. The more I read it, the harder I cried.

Granger said she was safe, but I can never be certain. She had just been hurt and Hermione told me not to worry? Well, at least they managed to get her out from under the rubble.

But how come the snake looked like Nargini?

I hate not knowing things, because these things could risk the life of my beautiful girlfriend, like today. I just need to see that she's safe in the hands of Potter and Granger. I need to see it for myself.