The Soul Connection

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Throughout the day, Hermione returned Harry's Invisibility cloak and then spent the rest of her time in bed. She didn't sleep however. Instead, she focused all of her attention and energy on trying to feel what Draco was feeling. In the morning she'd felt anguish after he'd been thinking about someone killing "them". Just after second period, she'd felt intense frustration for a time, and then fear and uncertainty. The majority of the time, she felt nothing but melancholia and a dull, all-consuming emptiness that was worse than anything she'd ever felt before. It was so bad that even as she grew hungry, her motivation to go get food wasn't even there. She was just... existing. Life had seemed to have lost all meaning and purpose.

If this is how he feels... how on Earth is he still functioning? Hermione thought to herself sadly. As night approached she decided that she had no other option than to go to the Room of Requirement and retrieve her wand. She slipped out of the Gryffindor tower thankfully unnoticed, and walked cautiously towards the Room of Requirement, hoping that she wouldn't be seen along the way. She assumed that Draco would be there, given that he seemed to always be there, and her assumption was proven correct.

"Here for your wand?" came his gruff question, as he stood casually beside some junk.

"Not just that. Because of what you did this morning, I want answers," said Hermione firmly as she got closer to where he stood. She glanced around, trying to figure out what he was doing. There appeared to be nothing significant around them though.

"If you're expecting an apology, you're wasting your time," Draco began defensively.

"You should apologise, but that's not why I'm here. Show me Harry's textbook, give me my wand back, and tell me what you're doing in here. Or I'm going straight to Dumbledore," said Hermione, having planned how she would confront him. Yet again, she felt a surge of anger and could immediately recognise it as Draco. She might have laughed at the fact that she was getting good at telling which emotions were his, if it weren't such a serious situation. They stared at each other for a few long moments, Draco's eyes calculating.

"Here's your wand," he said finally, pulling it from his pocket and chucking it to her. "My textbook..."

"Harry's textbook," Hermione corrected in annoyance.

"My textbook," Draco repeated firmly, "is in the Slytherin common room."

This time it was Draco's turn to feel a surge of anger, causing him to smirk. As he smirked, he felt the anger rise. He could differentiate it from his own, however. It was a different kind of anger, more frustrated and annoyed, rather than his own type of aggression.

"Well then, you'd better go and get it."

"I'm not your pet, mudblood. You can't make me go fetch," Draco snarled.

"Then we'll go together, I'm not leaving you alone until I see that damn curse!" Hermione said in determination. There was another lengthy pause, Draco giving her another calculating stare.

"We're not going anywhere together. Wait for me outside the Potions classroom," Draco ordered.

"Do you think I'm stupid? You'll just go into the common room and then stay in there and avoid me," Hermione said.

"I don't give a fuck if you see the spell mudblood, so no, I won't hide in the common room. I intend on coming right back here afterwards, without you," said Draco firmly.

"With me. Malfoy I'm being serious, whatever it is you're doing in here, whatever it is that's making you risk your education, isn't worth it," said Hermione carefully.