Taming the Snake

Chapter 5

Draco paced the room of requirement, his mind racing. His hair was crazily protruding in all directions, he had large dark circles under his eyes, and he was grateful for a few moments in peace.

When word has gotten out about his father capturing Hermione, the students had all turned on him. Though the pupils were younger, their mean words and lethal threats terrified him. Not even the Slytherins would publicly support him. No, those nasty little bastards would whisper that "she had it coming" when they thought all backs were turned. Filthy rats.

It was truly madness. He no longer was a student here! McGonagall couldn't hold him captive like this! It was outrageous! No wonder his father despised her. He now did himself. He contemplated leaving, but knew the second he did, Snape, McGonagall, and the entire Ministry would be on his trail. If he led them anywhere near his father, he knew his father would slit his throat with the disgusting silver cane of his. The boy shivered just thinking of the maniacal gleam of the staff.

Poor Granger, what she must be going through right now. He knew his father, a lethal man. It wasn't enough for him just to shatter or break someone, but he had to make sure they were dead. That they walked away nothing more than an animated course. He knew because he went through it enough until the end of the war, when his father upgraded him to the position of "accomplice". He remembered Granger trying to comfort him when she found him covered with scars and bruises, trying to fix his life. Foolish chit. She couldn't fix anything. Hell, she couldn't even save herself from Lucius. How did she ever think she was able to save everyone? Down to the disgusting house elves!

Draco swore loudly and destroyed a nearby stack of old-looking books. He was about to turn and destroy something else when he noticed the neat script inside of the books. No, not books. Journals.

Looking closer, he knew he recognized the journals. They didn't just belong to anyone, they belonged to Granger. The very girl that had caused the chaos they were a part of right now.

He reminded himself those weren't his ideas, they were his dad's. They had been forced onto him over the years and he was done with at all! He would no longer be a pushover twit! He would do what's right!

Tearing out of the room after grabbing the books quickly, Malfoy headed straight for McGonagall's office. She may be so overjoyed, he thought, that she may even forgive me! I'm sure she'll be ecstatic!

Malfoy bumped into someone in the hall, his temper immediately flaring. Who dared to bump into him, a prestigious pureblood? Whoever it was surely deserved the wrath he was about to release on them.

"You better be careful where you're going, you filthy weasel!" He snapped, whirling around to face his newest victim. He immediately thought it was his father when he saw the shoulder-length blonde hair, but realized a few seconds later that it most certainly wasn't. While the person had the same hairstyle and moved with the same air like grace of his father, after a second glance, Draco realized that the person before him was not his unkind father, but quite rather the opposite.

"Oh, I'm awfully sorry, Draco. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going, but it appears as if you weren't either." Luna said softly as she smiled up at him.

"What do you mean, Loony?" He snapped angrily. How dare she spoke to him like that! It was obviously her who had run into him. He always watched where he was going.

"You have an awful lot of wrack-spurt-like creatures around you right now, and they keep growing as we continue to talk." She noted, her eyes quizzical as she attempted to figure out the new creatures she had discovered. "They're pink and red and have heart-shaped heads. I think Hermione told me about them once. I forget what they're called, though. Heartlings? Oh, I won't bother. Just know that they're there."

Draco blushed, how ridiculous! Obviously Granger had become as mad as Loony Lovegood. No wonder she had fallen so easily for the fake Lily act. Surely all the stress she put herself under had caused her to crack. Mental, she was.

"What the bloody hell are you doing here anyway, Lovegood?"  Draco snapped again, his usual ignorance and impatience surfacing on his tone.

"Well, everyone is welcomed at Hogwarts, or at least that's what Dumbledore used to say. I've been here since the school went on lock-down, though. The day Hermione got captured, Neville had invited me to lunch with him. I was still here when the alarm went off, shutting down the entry and exit gates, and I've been staying with Neville since." She said, still smiling up at him after he had insulted her, causing Draco to gaze angrily at her optimism. How revolting.

With a pause in the conversation, the pair took a second to look over one another. Draco noted how the once-girl had fully matured in only a year and was now an appealing young woman. Her curly long hair had been straightened and cut to shoulder-length, her crystal blue eyes were now enhanced with silver and blue makeup. Her old outlandish clothes were now replaced by still slightly odd but rather attractive attire, especially since it showed off her slim figure. Surely she was not the same creature he remembered.

Luna saw that Draco had also grown to become quite the young man. His shirt was open at the top, his platinum blonde hair was attractively out of order, and his grey stormy eyes filled with more than just hate and regret now. His sleeves were worn and currently see-through, showing that he was built quite well. Luna blushed quite extensively at her last thought, causing Draco to blush as well.

"Has anyone heard anything of Hermione? I do miss her." she stated half-heartedly.

"I just found her secret journals in the Room of Requirement. I'm taking them to the headmistress now. Would you like to join me? I hope they can help in this situation we're in." He rushed out, making Luna laugh. "What's so funny?"

"Oh, it's just that you always were snotty and confident when we were younger and now you're all nervous. It's cute." Gasping, Luna turned red realizing what she had said.

"Oh, just come along if you want. I don't care." He snapped, aggravatedly and continued walking towards the office he was originally intended for. Sure enough, Luna followed along.