THE PHOENIX

Chapter Twelve

At breakfast the next morning in the Great Hall, Draco sat patiently waiting for the owl post to come in. The night before he located his falcon and tied a note to it’s leg for delivery this morning. He had asked the falcon to deliver the message directly to Hermione Granger. He wanted to see if his suspicions were correct.

“What did you do Draco? You look like you’re up to something," Blaise asked.

“Just waiting for the post,” he replied simply.

Just then, the screech of owls could be heard high in the rafters as owls and birds swooped down into the hall. He looked for his falcon and wasn’t really surprised to see it come down through the upper rafters and head for the visitor table.

Hermione sat next to Mitch as she ate her pancakes when a large brown and black falcon landed in front of her and nipped her hand. She gave it a piece of toast and untied the note. “Shit,” she said softly as she re-read the note.

Harry leaned over the table in front of her. “What?” he asked.

“He knows.”

“What does it say?” Mitch asked putting his arm on the back of her chair.

“It says, ‘Meet me by the lake at the tree’, and he wants to meet in an hour. Do you think he’s pissed Harry?”

Mitch looked across to the Slytherin table. “No, not really. He just looks really smug.”

“If he knows, maybe you won’t need to reveal who Phoenix really is,” Harry said.

“It’s probably going to be found out anyway. I can’t be Phoenix this whole week.”

Draco saw the brief look of panic on Hermione’s face and felt a bit of remorse. He wanted to find out why she was hiding from herself. He was making his way outside when he was stopped by an eager red-headed man in the hall.

Draco raised his brow at him in question. “Excuse me. I wonder if you would be willing to make a few galleons.”

“I don’t really need any money....” Draco started.

Glen interrupted him, “Sorry.....I work for Wizard’s Motorcycle Magazine and you would be perfect to shoot with the Phoenix in a new layout I’ll be shooting this afternoon.”

“Phoenix?” Draco asked interested.

Glen saw the shift in interest and smiled inwardly. “Yes. I’m to be taking photos of her with her bike and want a different look from the muggle magazine she posed for previously.”

“Does she know about you asking me?”

“No.”

“Fine. I’ll do it.....but don’t let her know until the shoot,” Draco said. “Anything I need to be wearing?”

“I would like you to be wearing black, maybe leather pants or faded blue jeans,” Glen said already laying out the poses in his head. With what he was told these pictures would be hot. “Do you have any tattoos?”

“No I don’t.”

“Well, we’ll charm one on you for the shoot,” Glen said.

Draco agreed on the tattoo and the time of the shoot, then went out to meet ‘Phoenix’ by the lake. When he approached the large tree it was to see Hermione as Phoenix leaning against the tree, her foot crossed over the other. Her head was back against the tree, her eyes closed.


She heard the tread on the grass at her side and turned to the sound, waiting for him to speak first. “Hermione.....or should I say ‘Phoenix’?” he smirked.

Her eyes glared back at him, vexed that he found out her secret this soon. “Whatever Malfoy.”

“So why didn’t you tell me about this?” he asked as he stepped closer.

“Why should I have....I don’t owe you any explanations Malfoy.”

He came closer and put his hands on either side of her head. “You know, you’re right...but I wish you could have felt comfortable in sharing this part of your life with me.”

“Why?” she asked as she looked at him intently.

“Because I care about you Hermione, and no, it’s not just the sex...although that is amazing,” he said smirking.

She grabbed the front of his jacket to pull him closer. “I care about you too Draco...and I’m sorry about not telling you. I wanted to keep ‘Phoenix’ separate from me.”

“Why would you want to do that, both of them are you.......Hermione the book wiz and Phoenix the motorcycle racer.” He stepped back just realizing something. “Shit....I’ll be racing against Phoenix.”

She laughed and pulled him to her. “No just me,” she said as she leaned in to kiss his mouth.

His hands went in her jacket to the skin of her back to pull her closer. His lips caressed hers as they savored each other’s taste. He pulled away reluctantly. “I like you in leather, especially in small amounts,” he smirked as he kissed the corner of her mouth.

She grinned, “You ain’t seen nothing yet. I’ve actually got a photo shoot later this afternoon, and I’ve seen what I’ll be wearing.”

“Hmmm.....I’d like to see that,” he smirked, looking forward to seeing her later.

“Uh.....Draco.” He waited as she started to say something. “Don’t tell anyone about this yet. Everyone will find out tomorrow....then another photo shoot will be done as the real me.”

“Okay, but it’s really going to be hard not to touch you,” he said as they walked back to the school.

“We’ll make up for it, I promise,” she said and looked to her watch. “Shit...I gotta go. I’m in a race in like half an hour.” She kissed his cheek then ran off towards the tents.


Draco was sitting on the top of a picnic table with Blaise waiting for the race to begin. “So, who’s racing who here?” he asked Blaise.

“There’s about five or six professional bikers racing for the new model of bike that came out this year. It’s a beaut. Saw it in the tent,” Blaise said.

Just then they saw a polished up black bike with the phoenix on the side being wheeled to the site. There were about four wizards checking the bike to make sure it was ready for Hermione.

Draco gazed hungrily as Hermione/Phoenix came into view. She had her protective gear hanging from her waist with a black tank top covering her upper body. She reached up to braid her long black hair and slipped a bandana over her head to keep the hair back. She slipped the top part of the racing gear over her body and zipped it up to her neck.


Hermione loved the feel of excitement that went though her body at the beginning of a race. She flung her leg over her bike and adjusted her gloves. She kinked her head left, then right to loosen it up a bit, then slipped on her helmet.

Mitch came to her side to make sure she was ready. “Just take it easy at the beginning and don’t push it. There’s five laps....we’ll be waiting to check things over and cap up the fuel after the second lap.”

She nodded her head in acknowledgment, then started her bike. She let go of the brake and rolled off slowly, her feet hanging at the sides. She sped up as her feet took position. Each of the riders were able to take a run up on the straight-away, then back, to warm up. She geared down as her speed picked up, slowing down at the end to come back up. She revved up the motor as she leaned back, her front tire raising up. She wheelied a good portion of the way back as the crowd applauded. She slowly leaned forward as her front tire touched down again. She was not the only one to show off a bit, as the other riders did their own little stunt. Near the end she made the back end of her bike rise up as she leaned forward, riding on the front tire. She spun around as she slowed and the bike went down.

“Shit,” Draco said as he watched Hermione handle her bike.

Blaise watched also as they lined up at the start line, amazed to see Hermione....the Hogwart’s brain on a bike. “Hey Draco, let’s get our brooms so we can see the race better.”

“Good idea. You can’t see the whole track from here,” Draco said as he jumped up heading for the quidditch lockers for a broom.

They were not surprised to see quite a few students on their brooms as well as they hovered in the air. There was also someone from the Ministry commentating the race, their voice amplified throughout the grounds.


Hermione kept at a steady pace in third place the first lap, getting a feel for the track and the other riders. She had raced against most of them before so knew their strengths and weaknesses. She had no problems with her bike as it always felt like an extension of herself when she rode.

She passed the beginning of the track taking a quick glance to her pit crew and revved up, gearing up as she picked up speed, heading for the second position.

Draco sat upright on his broom as he watched the race, keeping his eye out for Hermione. He looked to his left to see Harry hovering beside him. “Why isn’t she moving ahead?” he asked Harry.

“She knows what she’s doing. She’s just pacing herself,” Harry said as he leaned over to watch as Hermione went around the last bend. “Shit,” Harry said suddenly, then flew down by the pit crew.

Draco looked down and saw thick grey smoke coming from the back of her bike.


She slowed down as she came to her crew, where they immediately checked her bike over. She lifted her visor to take a slug of water while her crew worked. To her right she heard the other four riders revving up and watched as they passed her.

At the crew’s nod, she started her bike again and headed out on the track....in last place. She leaned into her bike as she sped up, gearing up at the right speeds. At the first corner she leaned right as her bike leaned low, passing a rider on the inside. She was now in fourth place.

Draco and Blaise watched from above as Hermione moved up in the ranking. “Last lap,” Draco said aloud as Hermione sped past her pit crew in second place.

The corners she slowed down a bit, but not as much as the first couple of laps. She was coming up to the first place rider fast. On a straight-away, the riders rode wheel to wheel. The two riders looked to each other in the briefest of glance, then put their all into the last leg of the race.

It seemed like they passed the finish line at the same time and the crowd waited until they slowed down, then come back as the judges looked over the moving picture in slow motion. The judge leaned over to the announcer. “The winner is......Phoenix!”

Hermione got off her bike as her crew stood by, passed her helmet off then was surrounded by people everywhere. She brushed by them to go to the rider that came second and held out her hand. “Good race Mikala.”

Mikala smiled, “Was a bit worried for ya back there. Congratulations ‘Mione,” she said as she hugged Hermione, cameras clicking away in the background.

“Thanks Mik,” Hermione laughed then went back to her bike after promising that Mikala could take a spin on the new bike.

Speaking of which, the said bike was being wheeled to the finish line for Hermione to accept. She peeled off the protective gear, standing in faded jeans and the tank top as she wiped her sweat damped face and neck. Her fingers slid over the shiny silver metal before she straddled the bike. “Wow, this feels good,” she said smiling up at the crowd.

Draco had flown down when she neared the finish line, staying in the background, a huge smile on his face when she was announced as the winner. He wanted to go to her, but she was surrounded by Harry, Sirius, Lupin, and the other bikers. She was then lifted by Mitch onto his shoulders making their way to the tent. He would get a chance later to talk to her.

thanks to Lessa who beta'd