Out of the Ashes

Hermione had heard a lot of ridiculous statements come out of Draco Malfoy's mouth over the years, but the latest had to take the prize. He couldn't be serious...

“Trust me,” Draco murmured, stepping closer and rubbing her upper arms soothingly. “We don’t have that far to go. You’ll be fine.”

"I hate flying!” Hermione protested, stepping away from the broom that hovered a few feet away. “I don’t fly.” She glanced distastefully at the Nimbus, hoping he would drop the subject.

“Then how do you know you hate it?” He chuckled softly. Grabbing her arm, he tugged gently, then slid his hand down to grasp hers. The both froze momentarily as a shock wave seemed to shoot up both of their arms. “Please, ‘Mione?” He gazed at her pleadingly. 

Hermione stared back at him, wide-eyed, then glanced down at their joined hands, her stomach fluttering anxiously. “I-I’m scared.” She admitted finally. “I’m afraid of heights.” She added quickly, wondering why he was so insistent on them taking a stupid late afternoon joyride on his stupid broom. The whole thing seemed...stupid.

Draco frowned thoughtfully for a moment, then a slight shudder passed through him as she felt his hands shake in her grip. She frowned worriedly, wondering if he was about to have another of his panic attacks. She breathed a sigh of relief when the tremors quickly passed and he resumed trying to convince her to fly with him. “We won’t go that high, I promise. Please? Either we fly or try to find where Hagrid hides the boats. And I can’t swim.” He grinned sheepishly. “One way or another, we’re going to that island.”

“You can’t swim?” Hermione asked, smiling slowly. When he ducked his head, obviously embarrassed, she hurriedly said, “I can’t either. Not really.”

Raising his head, he frowned dubiously. “You’re just saying that to make me feel better.”

“No, really. I mean, I can sort of dog paddle a bit, but if I get out over my head, well...I try not to let that happen.” She chuckled ruefully and felt her cheeks growing pink.

“So...the boats are out, therefore we have to fly.” Draco grinned triumphantly. “C’mon, the longer you argue, the colder your present is getting.” It was only late September, but here in Scotland the temperature dropped quickly when the sun began to set. In another hour or so, it would be literally freezing.

Hermione glanced quickly at their joined hands. Either he didn’t realize how long they’d been holding hands, or maybe... She mentally shook her head. No use in getting her hopes up. They had become very close in the almost year and a half since the Battle of Hogwarts, having bonded while they were both at St Mungo's in the weeks immediately after the battle. They'd become almost inseparable as she recovered from a curse she'd received during the final battle and he was treated for burns he'd gotten in the Room of Requirement. 

Hermione had harbored a crush for the blond for a long time, and only found herself more attracted to him as she got to know him better. Unfortunately, she knew her true feelings for the blond wizard were unreciprocated. Sighing, she peered curiously at the man who seemed destined to stay her best friend, and only her best friend, forever. “It’s getting colder? And that matters?" He nodded vigorously. "What is it? A picnic?” She asked, trying not to sound too eager. 

“Not this time, but I’ll keep it in mind.” He was shaking his head and smiling at her. “Seriously, come on...it’s not good to leave it waiting.” Squeezing her hand, he shot her another pleading look and tugged her gently toward the broom. “I promise, you’ll be fine. I won’t let you fall off.” He was beginning to seem desperate and she found herself unable, or at least unwilling, to disappoint him. Whatever he had planned seemed awfully important to him...and she doubted he would let her die on her birthday. 

“O-okay,” She nodded dubiously, letting him lead her to the broom. He quickly swung his leg over the handle, then helped her do the same, showing her how to tuck her cloak around her legs so the wooden shaft wouldn’t rub against her bare skin. “I’m sorry, I should have told you to wear jeans.” His breath tickled her neck and she bit her lip to keep from moaning at his close proximity. Maybe flying with him had it’s positive points, after all. She only hoped that she wouldn’t end up horribly regretting the short denim skirt she’d chosen to wear. The afternoon really was growing colder very quickly.

“Next time.” She giggled nervously. “If there is one.” She added quickly. Close proximity aside, she was already beginning to regret her decision to get on the broom.

“Okay, well, just hold on and I’ll do all the work.” Draco’s breath tickled her ear and then he wrapped one arm around her waist to hold her safely in place as he reached forward with the other to grasp the handle of the broom slightly in front of where she’d placed her own hands. She let a moan slip and he gave her a reassuring squeeze before relaxing his arm again, obviously mistaking the sound for a sign of fear. “Shhh...I’ve got you, I promise.” With that, before she could get any more anxious, he kicked off the ground. The broom rose up, tilting back slightly, and she felt herself sliding backwards for one horrifying moment before she came to a stop, her back firmly pressed against his chest. She screwed her eyes shut and savored the feeling, wishing for the millionth time that just once he would hold her like this for reasons other than her safety; wishing that he had the same feelings for her that she had for him. “See? We’re not that high up.” When she didn’t respond, he leaned around a bit to look at her face and laughed. “Open your eyes!”

Hermione peeked, and realized they were hovering approximately ten meters above the ground. Suddenly, fear took over and she slammed her eyes shut. “N-no...I’m all set, thanks.” She muttered through clenched teeth. Her hands seized up in a white-knuckled grip on the broom’s handle as she went rigid in terror. Even worse, Draco suddenly sat up straighter and eased himself away from her a bit on the brooms shaft, leaving her feeling extremely vulnerable, as if she had no anchor on the broom at all. She whimpered, and he sighed in her ear.

“Hermione, you need to relax. It’s not that bad...we’re just high enough over the water that we don’t have to worry about the squid grabbing us, I swear.” He said soothingly as they began to move out over the water.

She had forgotten about the squid. “HOW did I let you talk me into this?” She snarled quietly, gritting her teeth. No matter how she felt about him, nothing was worth this.

“Well, I would love to say you did it in the spirit of friendship and all that, but I promised you a surprise for your birthday, and I’m pretty sure that’s what did it.” Draco sighed again as she felt the broom picking up speed. She yelped as she began to slid backwards on the broomstick again. “I wish you’d just trust me,” She heard him mumble sadly under his breath.

“I do trust you. I just really hate flying,” She managed to reply, touched by the comment he obviously hadn’t meant for her to hear. “And it’s really cold.” She added a few seconds later. Up here in the open air, the temperature was even colder, and she began to shiver. She kept trying to stop herself, afraid that she might fall off the broom, but after a few minutes she began to shake even harder.

“I’m sorry, ‘Mione.” Draco apologized, wrapping his arm tighter around her and pulling her closer to himself. “We’re almost there.” He leaned forward a bit and rested his chin on her shoulder, curling his body around her as he tried to keep her warm. Hermione managed to relax the tiniest bit at the feel of his solid muscles against her back. Fortunately, he wasn’t lying, and less than a minute later they were touching down on a rough, stony beach on one of the small islands that dotted the Black Lake. “C’mon, we’re here. Come over by the fire.” He urged her, jumping from the broom and wrapping one side of his cloak around her as he lead her over to a tiny, dwindling campfire.

Hermione gazed around curiously. “So, why did you bring me here?” She asked, turning to face him. His face fell and he reached out to run his thumb over her lower lip, bringing her attention to the fact that she had bitten it so hard she’d drawn blood. 

Grabbing both of her hands in his, Draco lead her over to a log lying near the fire. “I’m so sorry, Luv, I didn’t realize how scared you really are of flying. Er...heights...whatever. Sit down.” He urged her down onto the log and plopped down beside her, wrapping his cloak (and arms) more closely around her. “And I didn’t think it’d get this cold out here so fast, either. I’m a moron.” 

“Th-that didn’t answer my question, Draco.” Hermione took advantage of the freezing temperature and snuggled into his side, giggling and shivering at the same time. 

“Oh. Right. Well, I wanted to talk to you without a million interruptions, and I wanted to give you your birthday present.” He inhaled deeply, appearing as though he was trying to gather his nerve, which peaked her curiosity even further. “I wanted to tell you...” He trailed off and frowned worriedly at a covered wicker basket she hadn’t noticed before. It was sitting on the ground at the end of the log, near the fire. Maybe there really was a picnic after all? “Hold onto that thought, I have to make sure she’s okay.” Draco jumped up and grabbed the basket, lifting the lid to peer inside and letting out a sigh of relief as he sat back down beside her with it on his lap.

“She?” Hermione raised an eyebrow suspiciously. “What in the world is going on, Draco Malfoy?”

“I was planning to take the time to talk, first, but this isn’t quite working out like I planned.” Draco smiled sheepishly. “Here. She’s for you. I know how much you miss Crookshanks. I-I was hoping she might cheer you up.” He placed the surprisingly heavy basket on her lap and bit his lip anxiously as he watched her lift the lid.

Inside sat a rather large, fluffy, pug-faced orange kitten with a pink collar; its big green eyes blinking owlishly at her as she flipped the lid completely off the basket. At first, Hermione could only stare in disbelief, then she looked up at Draco, her heart beating wildly with excitement. When, she looked back at the kitten, she realized it wasn’t just any kitten; it was at least half kneazle. He must have gone to a lot of trouble to get it for her.

Looking back at Draco, she noticed he looked worried and realized she hadn’t said anything. She quickly twisted to face him and wrapped one arm tightly around him, still clinging to the basket with her other arm. “I love her! Thank you! This is just...amazing. How did you find a kneazle mix in Hogsmeade? And she’s the same color as Crooks!” Releasing him, she lifted the kitten out of the basket and clutched the furry bundle to her chest. “This must be just what he looked like as a baby. She’s so sweet!” Tears ran freely down her cheeks as she hugged Draco again, cradling the now purring kitten between them.

Letting out a huge sigh of relief, Draco wrapped his arms around both Hermione and the kitten and rested his chin on the top of Hermione’s head when she snuggled into his embrace, feeling very glad that she had come along on this trip after all. “Oh thank Merlin. I was afraid for a second you were mad at me. Neville showed me a picture of Crookshanks after he...you know.” He winced and made a sad face before continuing, and Hermione wiped a sudden tear from her cheek at the thought of her grumpy old cat. “I’ve been keeping an eye out for ads in the Prophet, and asking around town on Hogsmeade weekends. Someone finally contacted me a few days ago about a litter that were just about ready to leave their mum. I was hoping you’d come to Hogsmeade with me earlier to pick one out yourself, but since you were too busy...” He grinned teasingly and shrugged.

“You thought you’d drag me halfway across the lake to get her?” Hermione frowned confusedly, then giggled when the kitten reached up a paw and bopped him on the chin. “She’s not happy about it either, Mister.”

“I know, I know, I suck. I told you, I didn’t realize how much you hate flying, and I didn’t think it would get this cold this early. I did leave her a campfire to keep her warm and keep any other animals away.” He pointed out a bit defensively. “She’s only been here for half an hour.”

Hermione glanced over at the fire, then up at Draco and her eyes widened as the realization hit her. He’d lit a fire. For her. Well, for her kitten, but still...the kitten he’d gotten for her. Ever since the room of Requirement, Draco was literally terrified of fire. He even had trouble lighting candles. She shuddered to think what would happen when he left Hogwarts and was expected to use the Floo network on a regular basis. “Oh my god, Draco, I didn’t even think about it, I was so freaked from flying...you didn’t have to...why would you do that just for me?” Tears were flowing freely down her cheeks now, and she wanted to kiss him. More so than usual.

“It’s just a little fire. It almost didn’t even last until I got you here. It’s not that big a deal.” He shrugged, looking embarrassed. A quick glance down confirmed that his hands were shaking. “Can we not talk about it, please?” He ground out, looking out across the lake. 

“Sorry. I’m proud of you though, if that means anything.” She murmured, nuzzling her face into the kitten’s fur, at a loss as to what to say to let him know how much it meant to her.

“Thanks,” Draco mumbled, and they sat in a rather awkward silence for a few minutes as they both stroked the kitten, who was happily soaking up the attention. Their fingers kept brushing against each other, and after the third or fourth time this happened, Draco drew himself up taller, and took a deep breath. “Like I was saying before...part of the reason I wanted to bring you here was so I could talk to you without getting interrupted a million times. You know what it’s like at the castle...I never knew that the Head students had to put up with so many bloody stupid questions all hours of the day and night!” He flailed his arms dramatically and Hermione chuckled.

“It’s not that bad.” She scolded lightly, rolling her eyes slightly. She did have to admit (only to herself of course) that they did get approached a lot more than she'd expected when they were selected as Head Boy and Girl when the school finally reopened almost a month ago.

“A second year knocked on the door when I was in the prefects bathroom the other day!” Draco grumbled irritably. Hermione cackled gleefully at the mental image, and he scowled. “I was in the loo!!!” He blurted, clearly horrified.

“Okay, so it can be pretty bad.” Hermione agreed when she finally stopped laughing, then giggled when the kitten attacked one of her curls. 

Rolling his eyes, Draco scooted closer to her on the log and swung one leg over so he was facing her completely. Wagging his finger at the kitten, he said, “Look, Miss Kittenface, you’re not helping with the whole ‘no interruptions’ thing...” he trailed off as the kitten crawled onto his lap, curled up in a ball, and fell asleep. “That’s better.” He mumbled gruffly, obviously trying to hide his shock at the trust the small animal was showing him. “Anyway...Gods...I’m just going to say it before lightning hits or something.” He glanced anxiously up at the clear sky and Hermione giggled, reaching over to stroke the sleeping kitten’s belly. “Hermione, I, well, you know we’ve been spending a lot of time together the last year, since...you know.” He glanced over at the fire briefly and Hermione smiled proudly at him. “I-I’m really glad we’re friends now. I think you might be the first real friend I’ve ever had. But-”

Hermione’s heart sank and she cut him off with a sigh. “I should have known there would be a ‘but’. What is it? Are the other Slytherins giving you a hard time for hanging out with me?” She refused to look him in the eye, fighting back tears and trying to keep her lower lip from trembling. He hadn't given her the kitten to replace Crookshanks. She was supposed to replace Draco himself. He was saying goodbye...