If Only in My Dreams (Dramione)

Chapter 18: Escape

Using Draco's wand, Hermione broke through the barrier spells and plunged into the dark forest.

Lumos!

A light appeared at the end of her wand to guide her way. Now that she had gotten past the barrier, she tried to Disapparate but wasn't able to.

The Apparition wards must extend farther than the exiting and entering barrier. She would have to get far enough away so she could Disapparate.

She turned back around and noticed that behind her was the illusion of the continuing forest. She could no longer see the house or the beautiful grounds.

Turning around, she broke into a run. As she crashed through the leaves and branches, which shook with snow falling from them, her breath and heart grew heavier.

Every few minutes, she would stop running to try to Disapparate again, with no luck.

After ten minutes, she slowed her run down to a walk, lungs burning. She had a feeling that Draco may have put a wandering charm on the area close to the grounds, so someone could keep walking in circles without even realizing it.

As she walked on through the dark forest, her mind went back to the evening she had just spent with Draco. It had been perfect. She never would have imagined that Draco Malfoy was capable of giving her the most amazing Christmas of her life. But he had done just that.

Even with the cold winter wind whipping around her, heat rose in her cheeks when Hermione remembered the kiss they had shared. No one had ever kissed her like that. It had been gentle, passionate, and deep all at once. It had stirred a longing in her she hadn't even known was there.

She had felt a myriad of Draco's emotions in that kiss. Some she understood and some she didn't. All she knew was the way he had held her, like she was the most precious thing in his world, made her want to explore the delicate feelings for him that had crept into her heart these past few days.

But was that wise?

Ever the pragmatist, she recalled how Draco had behaved towards her only yesterday, cold and uncaring. Were those his true feelings? A break in his façade? That side of him was certainly more fitting with the Draco Malfoy she remembered from Hogwarts.

What if he were merely pretending to care for her so she would trust him? He was a Slytherin after all. Slytherins were known to be cunning and ruthless in getting what they wanted. Her heart lurched at the thought that she might merely be a pawn on Draco's chessboard. She realized now she wanted to be much more to him than that.

Hermione must have walked for almost an hour, battling with her thoughts and emotions, when she heard movement behind her.

A branch cracked close by and her heart skipped a beat. She stopped walking and turned to listen. Had Draco awoken and found her?

Suddenly, she was grabbed by two vicelike arms and her wand was wrenched out of her hand.

"Hello, beautiful." A low, menacing voice growled in her ear, filling her with dread. She knew that voice.

Fenrir Greyback.

Voldemort's werewolf henchman. The one who had been with the Snatchers the time she, Harry, and Ron had been caught in the woods and brought to Malfoy Manor.

"Well, well, look what we have here," his evil voice rasped in her ears. "We search these woods to find a missing Draco Malfoy and we wind up finding a Mudblood instead."

An eruption of evil laughter broke out around her, and Hermione knew Greyback wasn't alone. He took a deep breath and inhaled her scent, much like he had during the last encounter.