Rewind (Dramione)

Chapter 18

"You!" Draco turned towards Hermione, finger raised in accusation knowing the boys were out of earshot. "Could have warned me!"

"I did," She started, but his dramatics intruped. 

"We almost died! I could have been killed!" His fear qwicky changed to anger as he took in her face, which was doing everything in her power to hide her expression. ... "A tree Granger, almost whacked to pieces by a tree!" He shrugged.

She held her lips tightly. Why she didn't openly laugh at him she didn't know.

"Let's forget about this," He said shortly after, suddenly feeling embarrassed.

"Let's" She paused. "Your cheek," His hand instinctively went to reach it but flenched upon contact. In the moonlight Hermione could now take in his appearance. His once clean, ironed suit was now dirty and torn, and with the fresh gash on his cheek he looked even the more ragged. She hasn't seen him this way since the war. Hermione pulled her wand out of her sleeve and amid it at his head, which he ducked away from immediately. "Malfoy!" She spoke surprised. To her, For a moment it looked like he was scared of her. "I was going to heal you... like you did me."

"Oh" was his only response as he thought it over. "No!" He backed away from her extended wand. "Don't point that at me again."

Her head tilted up at him in disblif. Was he really going to be the stubborn one? He made her life miserable. Every single day at school had been made harder by his presence but still, here she was offering her magic out of genorosty and common certusy to him and he had the odasty, to speak to her in such a way? She turned on her heels after shooting him daggers with her eyes, heading for the castle.

Draco watched her for a moment before following. Each step she took seemed angrier then the last. For once what he said was not personally meant for Granger. Draco never let anyone cast charms, or use their magic on him in Any way. He trusted no one enough to let them do so.

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"Follow me,’" said Snape as he caught his misbehaving second year students.

Not daring even to look at each other, Harry and Ron followed Snape up the steps into the vast, echoing Entrance Hall, which was lit with flaming torches. A delicious smell of food was wafting from the Great Hall, but Snape led them away from the warmth and light, down a narrow stone staircase that led into the dungeons.

"In!" he said, opening a door halfway down the cold passageway and pointing.

They entered Snape’s office, shivering. The shadowy walls were lined with shelves of large glass jars, in which floated all manner of revolting things Harry didn’t really want to know the name of at the moment. The fireplace was dark and empty. Snape closed the door and turned to look at them.

"So," he said softly, "the train isn’t good enough for the famous Harry Potter and his faithful sidekick Weasley. Wanted to arrive with a bang, did we, boys?"

"No, sir, it was the barrier at King’s Cross, it.."

"Silence!" said Snape coldly. "What have you done with the car?"

Ron gulped. This wasn’t the first time Snape had given Harry the impression of being able to read minds. But a moment later, he understood, as Snape unrolled today’s issue of the Evening Prophet.

"You were seen," he hissed, showing them the headline: FLYING FORD ANGLIA MYSTIFIES MUGGLES. He began to read aloud. ‘“Two Muggles in London, convinced they saw an old car flying over the Post Office tower … at noon in Norfolk,"

"We know we were seen," Harry began. "The Ministry of magic was sent after all." Harry continued as if Severus knew already.

Unknown to all in the room, It was in this moment that a domino effect of change would begin. This conversation the first time around did not involve the the ministry of magic nor would it take the turn it did.

"Sent?" He asked, finding it rather suspicious.

Harry and Ron then explained the events of the evening that involved Miss Croft, and Mr Bass.

"I See." He turned from the boys, bringing his hand to his chin in a thinking gesture. Since when did the Ministry metal in their affairs to such a extreme? They couldn't even bother  besides the bare minimum to help protect Harry from the one who not be named.

Harry and Ron stared at each other, white faced. Harry didn’t feel hungry any more. He now felt extremely sick.
After a long while with his back turned, Harry called out in a Worried whisper. "Professor?"

"Stay put." He warned them both as he exited his office, leaving the boys alone.

Harry let out a tired breath. He knew Snape had gone to fetch Professor McGonagall, Head of Gryffindor house, they were in for even more  with her, not any better off. She might be fairer than Snape, but she was still extremely strict.

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Snape took to the halls, to his surprise he didn't need to walk all the way to Professor Mcgangall's office for she was already on her way when they met halfway. "Children!" She spoke, tiredness lacing her voice. Snape could tell she had already been asleep for some time.

Most tended to think there was little to no relationship between the two professors who silently made their way back to Snapes office but that would have been a mistaken assumption.  Snape saw not just a peer, but an equal in McGonagall. In fact, because of their house competition’s in Quidditch and the House Cup, Snape and McGonagall had a spirited, and sometimes tempered admiration for one another.
Snape could never express any feelings of amity towards Ms. McGonagall, but almost by association, Snape might have carried a soft spot for Minerva, simply for her being a capable woman, not unlike the love of Snape’s life, Lily Potter.
As for Ms. McGonagall, she was a close associate to Dumbledore, and was fully aware of the complete trust Albus had in his flawed head of the House of Slytherin, so she to held him in high regard, even through their healthy house rivalries

"Who goes there!" Professor  McGonagall yelled out ahead, only seeing shodows, but sensing something amidst.

As her and Snape came closer she realized who it was, or more of whom they were. The two ministry inspectors she had briefly incondored the year before.

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Respect and friendship was intended in this chapter, nothing more. I feel like I had to state that before some weird Fanfictions would start spawning. 😂