The Power of a Wish Chapter Four

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Disclaimer: It gets really tiring writing these. *yawns* Anyway, I'm here to say I do not own Harry Potter. Happy?

The Power of a Wish

Chapter Four

*...* indicates emphasis on a word

'...' indicates thought

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From last time:

About an hour later the bell rang and Hermione stood up, her books already gathered. At once a poem she once read came into her mind and her attention was dragged over towards Draco.

He was slowly putting his books into his bag.

~Where are your friends

All the Slythering were leaving, not noticing Draco's trouble with rising from his desk.

~When you need them most

He slowly rose, using the desk for supprt.

~Where are your friends

All the Slytherins except Draco had now left the class.

~To catch you when you fall

Draco took a step forward and his leg buckled beneath him sending him towards the ground.

~ They're all gone meaning

His head hit the floor and he didn't move.

~They were never there at all

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Hermione gave a little gasp and ran towards Malfoy. Harry and Ron who had just been about to exit the room turned to their friend's cry. Professor McGonogall came down from her desk to see what all the commotion was.

"Goodness gracious," she exclaimed looking at Malfoy's still form. "Would you three please bring Mr. Malfoy to the hospital wing?"

The Gryffindors nodded and Harry threw Draco over his shoulder. In silence the trio left the Transfiguration classroom and headed down the west hall towards the Hospital Wing. About halfway there Draco gave a small groan and tried to get off Harry. The green eyed teen set Malfoy on his feet.

"What do you think you're doing Potter?" snapped Draco, his silver eyes flashing with anger. It was quite embarassing for your arch nemesis to be carrying you around over their shoulder.

"You need to go to the Hospital Wing Malfoy," said Hermione timidly.

"Really?" said Draco raising an eyebrow.

"Yes you do. You collapsed in Transfiguration.... Are you alright?"

"I'm perfectly fine Granger. Now if you'll excuse me.." Draco turned to head back down the hall, but had to grab the wall for support.

"You are *not* alright Malfoy," said Harry. "Now come on, we're bringing you to Madam Pomfrey."

"I don't need to go. And I definatly don't need any of *you* to be worrying about me."

"You know what Malfoy," said Ron meancingly, "We were told to bring you there and that's exactly what we're going to do." He stepped forward and attempted to grab Malfoy.

"Well sorry to dissapoint you Weasel, but I'm not letting you, a disgrace to the wizarding world, touch me. Or you Mudblood," he spat out, turning to Hermione.

"Well sorry to dissapoint you Malfoy," said Ron using the same tone as Malfoy, "but you will be coming with us." He grabbed Draco by his arm and started to pull the more slender boy up the stairs.

Draco bit back a howl of pain and wrenched his arm free. "Just leave me alone," he said through gritted teeth.

Hermione's loud gasp echoed in the silence on the stairwell and she pointed at Draco. Draco reached into his robes and pulled out a little corked bottle which he drank. At once the bruises and cuts that had been forming started to melt back into the unblemished skin.

"Come on Malfoy," said Ron impatiently.

"I'm not going," said Draco and he turned and started down the stairs. Ron jumped down the few stairs and grabbed Draco by his shoulders and slammed him up agains the wall.

"LISTEN HERE MALFOY! YOU'RE COMING!"

"AND WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE TRYING TO ORDER ME AROUND?" shouted back Draco.

"DAMMIT, I'M TRYING TO HELP YOU!"

"I COULD TELL DUMBLEDORE THAT YOU'RE TRYING TO MAKE ME DO SOMETHING I DON'T WANT TO!"

"AND I COULD TELL DUMBLEDORE ABOUT HOW YOUR FATHER BEATS YOU!" Ron's flushed face paled instantly. "Malfoy I-"

Malfoy glared at Ron and then at each of the Dream Team in turn. And then he turned and fled swiftly down the stairs, his black robes billowing out behind him.

Harry and Hermione both rounded on Ron. "Ron how could you say that?" asked Hermione, tears threating to cascade down her cheeks. "Narcissa asked us not to."

"I didn't mean to." Ron bowed his head in shame. "It just sort of popped out."

"It's alright Mate," said Harry. "We all make mistakes."

"Yeah," said Ron sullenly.

"We'd better go after him," said Hermione, " and apologize. We'd probably better explain too."

"Yeah," said Harry. The trio turned and started down the stairs.

"Hey, Mione," said Ron, "I have a question. What was that stuff in the bottle Malfoy drank?"

"I think it was a concealment potion. It hides away all marks on one's skin but is only temporary. He probably always carries it around him."

"I feel horrible for him," said Harry. "I mean, I hate the Dursleys' but they would never hurt me physically."

"Yes, but they're to scared to Harry," said Hermione. "They think you'll hex them into oblivion. But Malfoy's father uses the wand."

After about fifteen minutes of scouring the castle the trio still couldn't find Draco.

"Alright," said Hermione logically, "If you were down and wanted to be alone where would you go?"

"The library?" supplied Ron.

"No, we checked there already."

"The lake?" asked Ron again. "I always go out there when I want to think or be alone."

"You know," said Hermione thoughtfully and tapping her chin, "that's probably where he went. Thanks Ron!" She hugged the Weasley making his ears turn red. Harry smiled behind his hand. He knew that Ron had had a crush on Hermione since end of fourth year and was wondering if he would ever get around to telling her his feelings.

The trio trooped outside into the bright sunlight and started towards the lake. They could see a figure sitting on the bank with the sun shining off his blond hair skipping stones across the lake.

"You were right Ron!" Hermione hugged him again and started down the well worn trail towards the lake. Harry and Ron followed their bushy haired friend both wondering what they were going to say to Malfoy.

Hermione had almost reached Malfoy when the stillness of the lake was broken. The giant squid errupted through the crystal surface showering water everywhere. It turned its tentacles towards its prey and grasped Malfoy firmly and dragged him into the water.

Harry and Ron ran the rest of the way down to the lake, but by the time they'd gotten there the water had stilled and the lake once again was a smooth mirror. Hermione was kneeling at the edge looking for any sign of Malfoy or the giant squid.

She looked up at the approaching boys. "What do we do?" she wailed.

Ron could already picture the headlines of the Daily Prophet.

*Young Malfoy is pulled under Hogwarts Lake by giant squid.*

If this ever got out, Dumbledore could be fired for not having a safe school grounds. Ron gulped. Dumbledore was *not* allowed to get fired, the school would be much to different.

Hermione started to speak more rationally again. "Malfoy could normally maybe fight off the giant squid but with his injuries I'm not sure. I did read once in Hogwarts a History that a student was killed by the giant squid and the current headmaster was sacked. They do eat people you know."

"Should we go down after him?" asked Ron eyeing the water. "I don't want to become fish food."

"You'd become squid food Ron," corrected Hermione.

"Whatever," muttered Ron. "I'd get eaten..."

"Don't forget," said Harry, "about the merpeople. Remember how they don't like people going into the lake anymore?"

"Yes," said Hermione. "Wasn't it because Drumstrang's ship from the Triwizard Tournament last year created whirlpools all over the lake underneath the surface?"

"Yup," said Harry.

"That just means we're going to have to be extra careful," said Hermione. "Now both of you stand still and I'll perform the bubble head charm."

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Draco struggled vainly against the iron grip of the squid, but to no avail. He was losing air fast and he couldn't even reach is wand because his arms were pinned at his sides. The squid was going at a rapid pace towards some unknown destination.

'Probably wants to eat me in peace,' thought Draco miserably.

Just when Draco felt like he was going to pass out from lack of oxygen, a wave of air washed over him and he sucked it in greedily. It appeared the giant squid had brought him to an underwater cave but there was air available.

The squid set him down and looked at him, hunger in its eyes...

In another part of the lake three bubble headed people were swimming around looking for any sign of the giant squid and Malfoy and keeping a lookout for merpeople.

Harry was swimming towards a giant plant when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He whirled around expecting a creature, but only saw Hermione. Her hair was floating around her giving her a strange and majestic appearance at the same time, She raised one of her hands that seemed translucent, because of the water, and pointed towards a large cave.

The boy who lived nodded, as if saying let's go there and started swimming after Hermione with Ron joining them along the way.

The cave had a gaping large hole as its mouth and jagged rocks made going towards it difficult. Seaweed hung over the opening and swayed gently by an invisible current.

Harry drew his wand and swam forward, Ron and Hermione following him also with their wands out. They didn't know what they would find and weren't going in defenseless.

They entered and ducked behind a large rock that was covered in algae. Hermione removed the bubble head charms because for some odd reason they could breathe. They saw the ginat squid about twenty feet in front of them and a figure slowly picking itself off the ground.

Draco stepped backwards through the knee high water and readied his wand at the squid. It moved forward slowly, its tentacles reaching forth to grasp Draco once again. It was about two feet away from Draco when he made the first move.

In a clear voice Draco said, "Imperio."

Hermione gasped and covered her mouth. That was an unforgiveable curse, Malfoy could go to Azkaban for using that.

Draco watched in satisfaction as the squid's eyes glazed over. Still using the same clear voice he said, "You will never again drag a student or Hogwarts staff teacher down here again. Understand?"

The squid gave a nod and Draco released the animal from his control. The squid glided through the cave's mouth and disappeared into the murky blackness of the lake. A familliar smirk returned to Draco's face and he sloshed towards the entrance. Before he was there though, a voice spoke.

"Where do you think you are going Human?" A Merman emerged from the shadows in the cave and swam towards Draco.

"I didn't know Merpeople could speak English," said Draco, who was completly puzzled. They only spoke Mermish and and from what Draco understood, only Dumbledore could communicate with them.

"I am unique. Now again, where are you going?"

"I'm leaving this place. Bye." Draco once again started his way towards the entrance when the Merman spoke again.

"I do not think you will be going anywhere Boy. You have trespassed on sacred ground and now you must die."

Draco laughed. "Is this cave your sacred ground?"

"Yes," replied the Merman curtly.

"Well I'm very sorry if I was trespassing, but the truth is the giant squid brought me here. So I'll just be going now," a slight edge of nervousness to his voice.

"Oh no you won't." The Merman made a grumbling noise through his throat and at once about another twenty Merpeople came forward. "Get him."

Harry and Ron both gulped. This was reminding them a lot of when they'd met Aragog. He hadn't wanted them to leave either. "Should we do something?" asked Ron, watching as the Merpeople slowly advanced on Draco.

"We can't," said Hermione. "We might hit Malfoy."

The trio watched in growing horror as the Merpeole closed in on Malfoy, all brandishing spears and arrows. Malfoy held up his wand in front of him much like a warrior would hold a sword. He was preparing to do battle. The stakes, his life.

As the first Merman came forward with a yell, Malfoy yelled as well. "STUPEFY!" The Merman simply raised a large shield which intercepted the spell and slashed own at Malfoy with his spear.

Draco tried to doge but was slowed by the water and his injuries. He let out a cry as the blade bit deep into his shoulder. While the Merman's back was to him Draco yelled out the stunning curse again, this time effectively hitting his opponent.

The other Merpeople yelled out in rage at their comerade's fall. Then they all charged at once. Draco shouted out another stupefy striking out one more or the Merman. But one wasn't enough to stop the onslaught of the near twenty. Draco disappeared underneath the pile of Merpeople.

Hermione felt a scream rising in her throat but Harry clmaped a hand over her mouth before she could get it out. "Be quiet," he hissed, "unless you want to die too."

Malfoy rolled out from underneath the Merpeople and shot a spell at them from behind and then quikly shifted aside as the Merpeople turned to face this new direction.

A few minutes later Draco wasn't sure how much longer he could hold on. He was bleeding pretty badly. Gashes covered him from his toes up and his robes were torn in several places. His legs were tiring quickly from having to move through the water and some of his old cuts were opening, adding their own color to the rapidly turning red water.

But he couldn't lose. If he did, what would Narcissa do all alone at Malfoy Manor? He wasn't going to die by some Merpeople after all he'd been through. He could take them, he hoped...

An old lesson he'd learned from his father crept back into his mind. To defeat a group the best way is to get rid of the leader first. Well, Draco would just stun him. In this case, the leader would probaly be the one that spoke English. It seemed the most talented and the others followed its lead.

Draco's eyes roved through the Merpeople as he doged underneath their weapons. There! There he was. The blond pointed his wand at the presummed leader. "STUPEFY!" The Merman's face turned towards him and raised his shield, but it was to late. The spell caught him straight in the chest and he went down.

The rest were easy. Without their leader for guidance they charged randomly without formation or sense. Using a couple of other spells Draco finished the rest off as well. Once all the Merpeople lie unmving on the ground, Draco allowed himself to collapse weakly to his knees, the red water going up to his chin.

His injuries stung and he felt exhausted. Would he even be able to reach the castle in this state? Well there was only one way to find out. He slowly got up and made his way towards the mouth entrance. Using the last of his strength he preformed the bubble head charm on himself and left the cave.

"We should be going too," said Harry. "Mione can you put that bubble charm back on us?"

"Sure," she said, sounding far off.

"Mione, what's wrong?" Ron looked at her, concern showing in his face.

"Nothing I... I just wish we could convince Malfoy to join our side. He has so much power and would be a valuable asset."

"I agree," said Harry. "He doesn't look it, but he holds a lot of power within him and he seems to know spells that none of us have ever heard of."

"I wonder what that spell he used to make them freeze in icecubes was," mused Hermione, looking at the three Merpeople who had been unfortunate enough to get caught in Malfoy's freezing spell and were encompassed in large blocks of ice."

"No idea," said Ron. "Shouldn't we get out of here? I don't want them to wake up and attack us."

"Good idea Ron." Hermione quickly cast the bubble charm and the group swam out of the cave towards the surface of the lake.

Once they surfaced Hermione preformed a quick drying spell on everyone and the three started up towards the castle. In the distance they could see another figure headed for the castle as well from the direction of the lake.

"Thank God Malfoy got out safely," said Hermione, relief evident in her voice.

Harry and Ron nodded silently, both agreeing fully with Hermione.

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