The Day- Chapter Five

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters however the story is my own.

Over the summer, I missed Draco dreadfully. I waited for each owl like it was my last breath. But owls he sent. And I loved each and every one.
And then, finally, the day came when it was time to go back to Hogwarts.
Bags packed a month in advance, I couldn't wait to go. But only to see Draco and maybe Harry.
Standing on the platform that day, I winked when I caught a glimpse of Draco, but all I received was a scowl. Was he playing again? I didn't know, and it was with a heavy heart that I boarded the train.

After spending at least an hour fumbling merciliously with my hands, I get up and tell Ron and Harry I'll be back.
"Hermione! What took you so damn long?" Draco hisses, pulling the back of my shirt just as I wound around the corner to the restroom. He clamped his hand on my mouth until I was calmed enough not to scream.
"Sorry..." I mumbled as we found our way to a dark corner. "Why did you glare at me?"
"I HAD too, Pansy was with me."
"Pansy?" I ask, confused.
"As soon as I sent my last owl out, I got the news. My parents have arranged for Pansy and I to marry when I graduate, if not a little before then, due to...new circumstances..." He says, tensely.
"What? Marriage?"
"Yes. They can't know...even more so now...about us." He says, looking guilty.
"Oh. Oh my...Well..." But before I can continue, the train starts to rattle. Darkness shrouds everywhere, hisses rise and silence encumbers us until it is broken by a single scream. "DEATH EATERS!" Draco’s face pales, and he winces as if in pain. I touch his arm, worried, both for him and for the situation, but he flinches and shies away from my touch. I roll up his sleeve and see a throbbing tattoo.

“Draco?” I whisper.

“Later.” He hisses, looking like death warmed over, and walks away.

I run back to the cab with Ron and Harry in it. I pull my wand out during the process.

“Bloody hell, Hermione!” Ron shouts as I come in, taking down a death eater instantly with a single spell. “What took you so long?”

“I’m sorry!” I snap, and take a step back. There are so many death eaters here…So so many. Too many for just three people.

I look at Harry and he’s holding his own and more. His teeth are gritted together, and his scar is ablaze. I can see the pain in his eyes, but the anger there equally matches it. He makes a good chosen one, this “boy who lived.”

I look at Ron, and even he is holding his own. Those in front of me he’s taking care of before those in front of him. He’s protecting me before himself. But at least his killing the death eaters and not shying away.

I step back up, joining the line again. “I’m here, I promised. I will always be here from now on. I swore.” I say, then bare my teeth, fighting back with all I have. More students join, and those driving the train do too.

Eventually, the death eaters are driven away. The train has been delayed and we are all camping out for the night in some field. Dumbledore was rushed to the camp and many Hogwarts professors. Tomorrow the train will be back on track, and the ministry has been told, but no one wants to speak of the one who can’t be named. And everyone secretly resents Harry, knowing he is the reason our train was attacked.

Ron, Harry and I shared a tent. I was supposed to be over on the women’s side of camp but I had bribed my tent mate and I had borrowed Harry’s invisibility cape.

“Make the unbreakable vow.” Ron says, still mad at mad at me for not being there right away.

“I already promised!” I say, knowing I would do everything I could to always be there.

“Ron, give it a rest. Hermione came as quick as she could.” Harry says, sticking up for me.

“Fine. Let’s all make the vow. If we’re in it together, I need to know I’m going to have friends for life with me through this. And we’re not leaving you Harry.” Ron says, almost growling.

Even Harry can’t argue with that.

“Fine.” I say, and Ron pulls out his wand. Tonight, a vow will be made, one I can never go back on.