Round 3 Challenge 5: The Screening
Grab a soda and some popcorn, movie fans … It’s time for the week five screening!
Welcome all to the World Premiere of "They'll Never Make it in Time."
A couple of things to remember when deciding which drabbles to vote for (most and least favorite):
Guidelines:
As a voter, you have the option of leaving a brief statement about why you voted the way you did, for both most and least favorite. Your feedback will then be given to the drabble writer (if they want the feedback) ANONYMOUSLY.
Example: Most - #40: the ending was brilliant - OR - Least - #57: the ending fell flat
Please remember writers, that you may not vote for yourselves.
Here we go for week five!
Choose your favorite and least favorite drabbles. Favorites will receive +1 point per vote, and least favorites -1 point per vote.
Voting ends at 11:59pm, Friday, February 27th.
They'll Never Make it in Time!
Scene (inspirational movie): Scream
Action (must include): Set in the Ministry
Theme (additional information): Horror or Suspense
1
Title: Why You Shouldn’t Cut in Line
Author:marmaladefever
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: violence and arguable character death
Word Count: 499 (Egads, that was close.)
The line to register as an animagus was not a very long one. In fact, Hermione wasn’t even sure why there needed to be an official queue in the first place. In her opinion, drop-ins should be discouraged in favor of appointments. But no, she wasn’t allowed to make an appointment because, generally, the line was very, very short.
And yet she’d been standing in the same spot at the head of the queue for nearly two hours while she waited for whoever it was in the assessment room to be officially registered. There had probably been some kind of problem: a pink form instead of a yellow one or maybe a spell mishap had turned the potential animagus into a fungus.
She checked her watch. If this took any longer, she was just going to have to give it up for a bad job and come back in two weeks, which wouldn’t exactly fit in with her plan to stalk a known conspirator while in her animal form.
She leaned in. They were being awfully quiet in there, except for the occasional odd sound. She turned to look at the receptionist, who was doodling on a piece of parchment. “Do you think there’s a problem?”
The receptionist shrugged. How informative.
“Could you check?”
“Privacy policy,” the other woman responded, not even looking up.
Hermione huffed. Something felt off to her. There was one thing she could do, though it wasn’t exactly wise. She dodged into the nearest lavatory, took a breath, and morphed into a black widow spider, the red markings on her back resembling her favorite rune.
Skittering across the floor, she crawled beneath the door to the assessment room, determined to just take a peek.
Her spindly body froze.
In front of her was what she’d only ever heard legends about: the un-imagus. The man was convulsing silently, long arms stretching into tentacles and then into talons and back again. His head was wolfish, equine, amphibious, looping through uncontrollable cycles: one animal after another after another. Only his eyes were human, a familiar gray.
An hour ago, she’d thought she’d heard something breaking, and now she knew what it was. There was a second figure lying sprawled across the floor, neck snapped in two.
The un-imagus was grappling, trying to grip his wand in hoofed hands. He was struggling, she knew, trying to hold onto anything, including his humanity, rational thinking impossible.
She was about to retreat, perhaps return in her human form and stun him, but that was when his curved beak pointed in her direction, and he lunged at her, unable to resist.
A split second decision had her biting into his snout, the venom calming his body almost immediately.
He shuddered again, and she kept biting as he turned back to his original state. One pale hand swept her off his face, and she crashed into the floor.
His foot rose shakily.
She’d never thought Draco Malfoy would literally step all over her.
2
Title: Haunted
Author:hathorx
Rating: PG
Warnings: none
Word Count: 417.
The corridor leading from the Department of Mysteries is too narrow.
Too empty. Too quiet.
It’s late and he’s all alone, walking quickly towards the elevators and ignoring the deafening silence.
A clock in the distance strikes midnight and the lights begin to flicker, then complete darkness. The hairs on the back of his neck stand up and he feels a cold breeze sweep around him.
He hears a sound in the corner. He knows it’s her, but he’s unable to move and unable to look.
When he finally glances up, he sees her crawl out from the shadows in the far corner.
Gray skin covered in bruises and black tattered robes. Twisted legs, bloodied arms and mutilated hands. Wild hair matted with dirt and blood covers her disfigured face, but her dark, sunken eyes stare at him.
They are still as beautiful and haunting as ever.
“Draco.”
Her voice makes his skin crawl.
“Why didn’t you save me?”
He closes his eyes willing for her to leave, but knows she will always be there.
“You said you loved me.” He can barely recognise her voice, it’s so strangled and cold. “But you left me.”
Slowly, he opens his eyes again and she creeps forward, reaching out to him with her remaining fingers.
He turns away quickly, refusing to acknowledge that the bloodied mess before him is Hermione.
“I’m sorry,” he says, but knows it isn’t enough.
She’s suddenly standing next to him, forcing him to look at her. “Why didn’t you save me?”
“I wanted to,” he tries to explain, knowing it wouldn’t change anything. “I tried to save you, but I arrived too late. You were already gone.”
“Why did you let them do this to me?” Her large brown eyes are so desperate and sad, and it breaks his heart.
“They found you before I did,” he tells her, full of regrets. “I’m so sorry.”
“Why didn’t you save me?”
“Hermione, please,” he begs her, looking away, unable to take it any longer. “It wasn’t my fault.”
But the words sound hollow even to his ears.
“Draco, I loved you.”
When he finally looks again, the lights have returned and she is gone.
“I loved you too, Hermione,” he says out loud, wiping away the tears threatening to fall.
He knows she’ll be back. Maybe not the following night, but soon.
Whether he’s at the Ministry or at home, she always finds him, always comes for him, to remind him how he failed her.
3
Title: Snakes
Author:luvscharlie
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: None
Word Count: 498
"You didn't see it slithering over the floor in my office. I'm not going back in there."
Hermione tapped her foot in impatience. "You see when we started working here together, we had an agreement. The lower half of the Ministry, you know, where your office is, belongs to you. This"-she used her hands to draw a box around herself-"is my space."
Draco tipped back in her chair. "I'm not going back down there."
"You are a Slytherin, for Godric's sake. I thought you liked snakes."
"Oi, you with the double standards. Would you fancy spending your day with a lion lurking about your office?" Okay, he had a point. "Besides, you didn't spend a year with a gigantic snake in your house." Draco shuddered. "I woke up once with that thing wrapped around me, it's fangs inches from my head. If Father hadn't hit it with his cane-"
She sat down across from him. They didn't talk of days past. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't know."
He got up and stalked out.
*~*
She was glutton for punishment. Really, she was. But, she felt somewhat guilty (okay, a lot guilty) that her comments earlier had caused him to remember days they would all rather forget. So, here she was, trudging down to his office to help him de-snake it. She hated snakes… was terrified of them.
She knocked. Unlike him, she was polite and didn't go barging into other people's offices.
"Yeah, what?" he snapped.
"No need to be snippy. I came to help you." She stepped inside and a shower of slithering, hissing creepy crawlers dropped from the ceiling and covered her. She screamed and tried to run, tripping in her haste to depart. He caught her. "What was that?" He used his wand to vanish the snakes away, though she feared some of them had made good on their escape.
"Who would do such a thing?"
His grin was wicked as he pulled her inside, pressing her against the wall and kissing her. "The things I'll do to get you to invade my space."
"You lying bastard. There never was a snake in here!"
"I prefer the term 'sexy bastard', if you please. I don't know who put that hex on my door, but I owe them a thank you. Look at the way you're shivering. Do you know what a turn on that is?"
She slapped him hard. "You did that, and you bloody well know it."
He shrugged his shoulder and smirked. "Got the adrenaline pumping though, didn't it? Can you even imagine what sex would be like right now?"
She shut the door with a quiet click, and walked over to his desk. "You made snakes fall on me. Snakes! This had better blow my mind or those bits you're so attached to-" She left the threat dangling as he lifted her to sit on his desk, tangling his hand in her hair and pressing his lips to hers.
4
Title: The Final Test
Author:bookishwench
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: grusome imagery
Word Count: 499
This wasn’t how things were supposed to happen. When I was small, Mother and Father used to tell me bedtime stories about how wonderful things would be when the Dark Lord returned and the Wizarding world would take over, how we would be all but worshipped. He was supposed to take away everything bad and make the whole earth pure once more. I used to fall asleep with a smile on my face and dream lovely things.
But the reality is a nightmare. So much blood everywhere, on my parents’ hands, on mine, and I couldn’t see the difference in color when it belonged to a Mudblood or when it was my own. Everyone bleeds red.
Everyone bleeds.
Father brought me to the Ministry today. I don’t think even he knew why. Reading between the lines of the Prophet had taught me what to expect: terrified half-bloods and Muggleborns being brought in, the new statue lauding Pureblood superiority, Moody’s eye mounted on Umbridge’s door. But knowing didn’t prepare me for the reality of it all as I followed in Father’s wake down the corridors. Fear filled every breath of air like a poisonous cloud. Voldemort had created his own heaven, just as my parents told me he would, but it was a devil’s paradise.
Father brought us to a door at the end of a twisting corridor, and I knew trouble must be ahead because he was perspiring. Father sweats only when he cannot control his baser instincts, like fear. It unsettled me more than anything I had yet seen.
“Remember, Draco,” he said, and his tone shook the smallest bit, “you have nothing to fear from him if you have kept faith with your Pureblood ancestors and avoided anything that would shame them.”
I nodded. My godfather had taught me Occlumency well, and I was undoubtedly about to be subjected to yet another of the Dark Lord’s attempts to probe the thoughts in my mind, thoughts of her, her eyes laughing in sunlight, the strikingly beautiful lines of her face when I infuriated her, the deep brown of her incorrigible hair. He had thus far found nothing, and I would make sure he found nothing again.
My father opened the door to the Dark Lord’s throne room. It was just as I had pictured it would be, but there was one difference, and as that inhuman face lit with a horrific smile of satisfaction, I knew I was in hell.
I screamed. I screamed until my throat was raw, and my eyes would have forced themselves from their sockets if they could.
Her head, eyes staring sightlessly, was mounted above his throne.
“I see Miss Parkinson was right to suspect your infidelity after all, Draco,” the high voice said mockingly. “You have my congratulations. It is rare to lie successfully to Lord Voldemort for so long, but in the end, he always knows.”
Tomorrow I die, or so he has said, but in truth, I am dead already.
5
Title: The Evil of the Thriller
Author:somandalicious
Rating: Pg-13
Warning: Let's share a killer, diller, chiller, thriller tonight.
Word Count: 499
Foreboding moonlight pours from the enchanted ceiling of the Ministry’s Atrium, leaving a supernatural glow upon the fireplaces and the Fountain. It is silent except for sporadic thumps and knocks that play maddening tricks upon Draco Malfoy’s ears. He is not alone; someone or thing is just beyond the shadows of his periphery, and he is increasingly aware that he is defenseless. His wand lies in shards somewhere on the third level. He keeps close to the walls, stepping quietly and carefully while suppressing his breathing. Only a few more steps, he thinks in an attempt to quell his intense fear, and he reminds himself that he must get to Hermione, wherever she is, and he prays that she is still alive.
He is nearly to the far side when he freezes, and the hairs at his nape prickle with attention. Dread slices from his gut to his chest and his breath hitches. There is something behind him, and he is unable to restrain the shiver. There is an echoing cackle from his left, and a shuffling thump in front of him.
His begins to hyperventilate and flattens his body against the wall, his eyes straining against the darkness. Noises come from everywhere, and he chokes on his trepidation. He is too afraid, he has never known terror of this nature, and he just knows that this is the end, he will never live again, never see his mum or-
A silhouette emerges from the darkness, creeping towards him.
“Draco?” says a soft voice, and he nearly laughs as Hermione Granger steps into the moonlight.
He nearly sobs his relief, his body relaxes as he steps away from the wall, and reaches for her. However, as she nears, the unmistakable stench of rotting flesh assaults his nose. The shuffling is louder, ghostly moans and groans resound off the walls, and as Hermione is reaching for him, he sees her misty eyes, her ghoulish pallor. His fear returns in a cold deluge, and all he can do is shake his head and whisper no, no, NO as his heart is torn between heart break at losing his witch and horror of the certain death that awaits him.
Suddenly there are a thousand Inferi behind her, all reaching for him, all eagerly closing in for his demise. His weak legs give out and he slumps to the floor. Finally, with his eyes clenched shut, he screams.
“DRACO!”
His eyes shoot open again, and Hermione is there, above him, her cheeks pink and warm, and eyes bright and sparkling. She smiles at him sympathetically. “It was just a bad dream.”
He pulls her to him, crushing her in a hug as he revels in her living, breathing essence. As his heart rate returns to normal and reality creeps in, he makes her swear to never become an Inferius. She obliges, snuggling closer as she reassures him with comforting kisses and the promise that she’ll always be there to chase away his nightmares.
6
Title: Contagion
Author:greenschist
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Minor character death
Word Count: 499 (whew!)
Draco made minute adjustments to the wireless until the newscaster's voice could be heard.
"...Muggle authorities have responded in kind. Despite reports in the underground Muggle media of an army of 'white-eyed zombies,' it appears the spread of the contagion through the Muggle population has been contained, and the Muggles as a whole remain ignorant of the very real danger we face. Meanwhile, Ministry officials, operating from emergency headquarters, continue to work tirelessly, searching for a solution and for a way to bring aid and supplies to those poor workers still trapped with the infected in the heavily warded and quarantined Ministry building.
"Coming up, we will be asking hard questions. Why did the Department of Mysteries develop this terrible virus? What went wrong? How can we help the uninfected within the Ministry without risking further spread of the contagion? And what fate awaits us all if it cannot be destroyed? This and more after a word from our sponsors."
A cheerful jingle echoed through the lunchroom, and Draco turned off the wireless in disgust. He watched Hermione, worrying over the way she kept her head down, tracing the wood grain of the table with her nail.
"They can't just abandon us!" Myra French, from the Goblin Liaison Office, wailed. "We're starving!"
"We should go out again and search more desks for food." Reg Cattermole suggested.
"Because we were so successful last time?" Hermione face was hidden by the wild bramble of her hair. "A bag of crisps and a moldy sandwich! No, I'm not going back out there, but perhaps Percy will volunteer again. Oh, wait. He's dead." She stalked past the serving counters and into the kitchen manager's office, slamming the door shut.
French sobbed, but Cattermole merely said, "I'll go."
Draco nodded. "I'll go with you. Let me talk to Hermione. There's no point in searching the same desks twice."
He passed the ovens, telling himself the scent of burning flesh was just his imagination, just a memory of Weasley's cremation, and no more real than the faint pounding he sometimes thought he heard against Hermione's wards.
"Hermione, love," he said, opening the door. Hermione sat curled in the chair, her face against her knees. "Reg-"
"Do you know why Percy killed himself after being bitten instead of letting us banish him?"
"Don't." He knelt, and she clung to him. "I know what you saw was horrible, but-"
"They're so hungry…they've turned on each other." Her voice was like gravel. "But the contagion poisons their flesh, and the hunger can't be satisfied. They need fresh meat." She tightened her hold. "I'm hungry, too."
"We all are." He kissed the top of her head. "Reg and I are going out to look for food. Don't be afraid, Hermione. I'll feed you."
She dragged his head down and kissed him, but a sudden pain made him yelp. He stared at her milky-white eyes and bloodstained teeth and felt his blood freeze.
"Yes," she smiled. "You will."
7
Title: Tell Us How You Fell in Love
Author:midnight_birth
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Suspense.
Word Count: 499
She was shaking. She hadn’t expected to find herself in a closet at the Ministry hiding with someone she was certain she should be hiding from until just a couple of hours ago.
“We have to find Harry and Ron and help them. They can’t deal with him all alone,” she whispered into the darkness.
“Neither can we.”
They fell silent again. Hermione could sense from Draco’s short replies that he was trying to come off brave and unperturbed. She was thankful enough, her own nerves almost unhinged, but she hoped he realized this wasn’t the time for her to judge him. Fear was justified at times like these. Fear and terror.
She almost cried out when she heard footsteps outside, quickly approaching. She whimpered quietly, knowing Draco had heard them too, and clutched her wand inside her robes. What spells did she know to combat someone like him? If he found them they wouldn’t stand a chance. She couldn’t stop the sobs wracking her body.
Suddenly, she found herself swept into strong arms and pressed tightly into robes that smelled faintly of wood fire. The footsteps were getting nearer and Draco held her close, burying her face in his shoulder. Her arms went around him automatically.
The footsteps came to a halt outside the door and they both froze, clutching each other. She didn’t know whether Draco had taken her into his arms to shut her up, to give her strength, or to take some from her, but she didn’t care. If she was going to die, she was dying in his arms. Someone’s arms. Draco’s arms. Not alone.
She closed her eyes when the handle turned and the door was swung open.
“Being that close to death makes you realize some things,” Draco said, smiling down at a sea of awe-stricken little faces staring up at him. He brought Hermione, situated on his lap, closer.
“Except you weren’t really close to death,” a small girl with bushy brown hair and grey eyes pointed out, looking gleeful. A couple of other kids threw her irritated looks.
“We thought we were,” Hermione put in. “We couldn’t have known what was going on in the Ministry elsewhere. That he was finally apprehended and brought to justice.”
“What then?” a little girl with bright red hair and green eyes asked impatiently.
“That’s the end,” Draco said stiffly.
“Is that when daddy punched you in the face?” a red-haired, freckled boy piped up, making the rest of the kids laugh.
Molly’s voice came calling for dinner, and the kids scrambled to their feet and out of the room.
“Every time I tell this story, nobody lets me forget about that part,” Draco said sourly.
Hermione laughed and planted a soft kiss on his nose.
“I love when you tell the story. I can’t wait until we can leave and you can finish telling me what happened after we were out of that bloody Ministry.”
Draco growled softly and brought their lips together.
8
Title: End of The Line
Author:teenage_hustler
Rating: PG
Warnings: Bit creepy.
Word Count: 496
This was the end.
Hermione leaned against the Atrium wall, her chest heaving painfully as she struggled to catch her breath. She knew she should be scared. The horror of what was about to happen should be seeping through her skin, penetrating her; slowly flooding her insides and consuming her until she felt nothing but pure, unadulterated fear.
But after months of running, and hiding, and fighting; she was too exhausted to fear anything anymore.
“Granger.” His voice, terrifying in its quiet, effortless smoothness, interrupted her thoughts.
Hermione looked up. She hadn’t seen him in the flesh for a long time, but she would recognise Draco Malfoy anywhere. That pale, sallow face. That white blonde hair. Those slate grey eyes staring at her, shining with hatred. He looked identical to the images that had haunted the most terrifying of Hermione’s nightmares.
And the most wonderful of her dreams.
She had every reason to fear him. His parents had been found guilty of multiple crimes against the Ministry, and it had been Hermione’s duty to carry out the death penalty. Draco had consequently lashed out and nearly killed Hermione’s two best friends. Hermione had fled, and Draco had been chasing her ever since.
And then of course, before all of this had even begun, Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy had been lovers. Their relationship had received much criticism, which Hermione now realised was well-founded. She should have known that she was doomed as soon as she’d fallen in love with her worst enemy.
“You’ve got me,” she said to him now, raising her hands in surrender. “And the circumstances couldn’t be more perfect for you. We’re in the one part of the Ministry that isn’t guarded at night. Whatever you do now, you’ll be long gone before anyone notices. You’ll finally have your revenge.”
Draco said nothing as he continued to scrutinise her with those piercing eyes.
“I loved you,” Hermione suddenly whispered, not knowing why, in this most inappropriate of circumstances, she was admitting to this fatal flaw. “I loved you so much. I thought that nothing; literally, nothing; could come between us. I thought you’d understand.”
Draco grabbed her by the bony shoulders and thrust her against the wall. Hermione gasped, feeling bruises blossoming beneath his tense fingers.
“You thought I’d understand?” he spat. “I should kill you. You’ve caused me more pain than you can imagine.”
She forced herself to meet his gaze. “So kill me.”
Draco remained still. His face betrayed no emotion; no flicker of indecision.
“What are you waiting for?” Hermione yelled. “You want to kill me, so do it! Kill me!”
Draco shook her into silence. His grip tightened, cutting the circulation in her arms. “I can’t,” he hissed. “To kill you I’d have to hate you, and I can’t. I never will.”
And then he released her. He was halfway down the Atrium hallway before Hermione knew he was gone.
This was the end, she realised.
It was over.
9
Title: Waiting
Author:slytherinswench
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: horror
Word Count: 433
The moon swam in the night like a galleon on a black sea, a beacon of light in the dark. And yet the kiss of her beautiful face wrought a horror on the world, a horror of claws and teeth and an endless, burning hunger for flesh.
It fed on fear; the tantalizing scent of terror was a sweet ambrosia on cursed lips.
The light fell in a pale shroud across the hallowed halls of the Ministry. Silence echoed like thunder through its abandoned warrens.
“You sure you want to do this?” Auror Malfoy asked Under Minister Granger.
She pursed her lips and nodded.
“Feel your fear. Let it choke you, but only for a second. He’ll taste it and come to you.”
Hermione didn’t have to concentrate; she felt it like a snake coiling around her to swallow her whole.
They weren’t even sure they could take the werewolf down. He was big, the biggest they’d ever tracked. Stronger and more hungry than even Fenrir. Worse, the Ministry served as his hunting grounds.
“I’ll be right back,” Malfoy turned.
Hermione grabbed him. “No, you can’t. They never come back when they say that.”
“Granger, you have to be alone or he won’t come. I’ll be right back.” He slipped out of her grasp and was gone.
That choking fear had a hold of her again. It felt like all of her skin was on fire, like all of her bones were breaking. She wondered if it could smell her fear like a sweet desire…
Then she realized that the fear was delicious, but it wasn’t hers.
It was his.
Auror Malfoy would not be coming back because she was the beast he sought. The terror in the night. She would have to find him, hunt him.
Hermione wondered how many times this revelation had come to her, that she was this endless gnawing hunger wearing a flesh body? Perhaps in her darkest of hearts she knew where Ron was now. And perhaps she would realize it again the next time the change took her, then again every night thereafter until…
She lifted her nose to the air, searching for that scent of high quality meat. The girl was no more and the beast bounded down the corridors, her howls a loud, mournful song against the clacking of razor sharp claws tearing into the marble.
Draco had hoped that his hunch had been wrong, but the ever nearing snarls of the beast proved otherwise.
He hunkered down in the ventilation shaft and chambered a round; a silver bullet dipped in Wolfsbane, and waited.
10
Title: No Words
Author:elegantsundance
Rating: G
Warnings: None
Word Count: 237
She knew she was done, finished. She couldn't believe it had happened so fast. She figured an inside job, but there wasn't time to think who.
Their attackers had taken the first floor without much resistance. Who would expect an attack at two o'clock on a Thursday? She was working on a project in the library with Draco, a typical day of research at the Ministry. By the time news spread, they had taken the first three floors.
They were on the fourth.
And now their attackers were at their floor. They didn't know how many or how they worked. All they knew is that they had enough knowledge and power to get to them. They didn't know who was dead or who was alive. They didn't know if help was coming or not.
It was just the two of them, wards, both magical and physical, was the only thing holding their intruders at bay. And they were failing. The two stood facing the door, backs up against a stack of books. The wards were failing, each being torn down with impressive strength. Another few minutes and they would be at the bare wood of the door.
The two looked at each other, fear gripping their gaze. There are no words for the end; they turned back to the door. Several loud bangs and the door blasted off its hinges.
There are no words for the end.
11
Title: Mind Tricks
Author:floorcoaster
Rating: PG
Warnings: None
Word Count: 494
Working late wasn’t unusual for Hermione. As the Head Researcher in the Experimental Potions department, late nights were part of the job. Her staff was excellent, but when deadlines approached, Hermione wanted to be sure everything was just right. She’d spend hours going over every detail, from the initial setup of the experiment to the final results of the tests. Every i was dotted, every t crossed.
It was nearly three in the morning when she heard the first creak. She thought nothing of it, and continued with her task. It wasn’t until the second creak that the pattern registered.
Hermione looked up from the cauldron sitting beside the report, bubbling with the potion her department had been working on for nearly four months. As she listened, another creak sounded.
Suddenly, the reality that she was completely alone sent a shiver of fear down her spine. Hermione glanced through the large window in her office into the lab, dark except for a candle lit by the door.
The creaking grew louder, more frequent. Then the screams started-first of a man, then a small child. The blood in her veins froze, her breath lodged in her throat. She’d heard that cry before.
She reacted on instinct, didn’t even grab her wand. Hermione ran to the door of the lab and screamed. Her entire body numb, she sank to her knees, crawled to the bodies. Trembling hands brushed Draco’s hair off his face, wiped the tears from her son’s lifeless eyes. Blood filled her vision before everything went black.
ooo
Draco found her in the hallway outside her lab, huddled in a corner, rocking back and forth and mumbling “They’re gone, they’re gone.” None of his attempts to rouse her from the delirium.
Swallowing his panic, he left her and headed quickly to her office. A peal of thunder had jarred him from sleep, and he’d discovered Hermione’s place by his side empty. A glance at the clock told him she was still at work. Hoping to help her finish, he’d Floo’d to the Ministry.
“Hermione, Hermione,” he whispered, flipping through the open report. He noticed a slip of torn parchment sticking out near the end and pulled it out.
NOTE: DO NOT breathe the fumes. May cause hallucinations.
An antidote was described, and Draco rushed to prepare it. He returned to the hallway, potion in hand. Hermione hadn’t moved, her eyes focused on something only she could see.
“Drink this,” he said gently, holding a vial out to her.
She gave no indication she’d even heard him.
Draco glanced at the empty place on the ground. “Do it for him.”
Her lips parted slightly, and he tipped the fluid into her mouth. Slowly her eyes cleared, and she blinked a few times. “Where’s Andrew?”
“At home. Safe.”
Hermione flung her arms around him, squeezing tight. “I-I thought you were dead!”
Draco kissed her. “Let’s go home. I think that potion needs a little more work.”
12
Title: Alone
Author:kalina_blue
Rating: PG
Warnings: Post-DH, EWE
Word Count: 489
At half past nine in the evening, Hermione finally put down her quill and stretched to work out the kinks in her back As usual, her assignment for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement had been fascinating, and Hermione hadn't even realised how the time had flown by.
However, now that she wasn't concentrating on her work anymore, Hermione noticed the silence. At night the wizarding world was always quite-much quieter than the Muggle world would ever be. There were no air vents rumbling and no hum of electricity could be heard. Magic was deadly quiet when there weren't any people around, and all the other employees of the Ministry of Magic had gone home for the day already. Hermione was alone.
Hurriedly, she gathered her things and threw on her cloak. Gripping her wand tightly in her hand, she rushed towards the elevators. Rationally, Hermione knew that she was quite safe in the Ministry, even if she seemed to be the only one left. But rationality had nothing to do with her fear of isolation. Hermione hated being alone.
She supposed it was a remnant of having fought a war. They all had developed one phobia or another. Hermione knew Harry still had nightmares and Ron had failed his magical combat exam for the Aurors twice because whenever he heard the sound of blasting curses and stunners he lost his head and hexed everything in sight-foes and victims alike.
Knowing that didn't make her any less frightened though. Hermione's mouth became completely dry and her heart was beating in her throat as she desperately waited for the damn elevator to reach her floor. She gripped her wand even tighter, the knuckles turning white.
And then she heard footsteps.
Hermione's heart seemed to stop while she tried to remember all the defensive spells she had learned. She held her breath.
The steps were coming closer.
"Well, I guess I shouldn't be surprised you're still here. You seemed to be married to your job," Draco Malfoy drawled as he rounded the corner and saw Hermione. He stood next to her, waiting for the lift as well. "Can you believe the Minister personally told me I couldn't leave work until I finished my assignments for the day? Just because I extended my lunch break by a few hours… What's wrong with you? Kneazle got your tongue?"
Malfoy looked at Hermione, raising an eyebrow. But Hermione was too busy trying to locate her lungs to answer him. The elevator finally reached their floor and the grills slit open. Draco stepped inside, pulling Hermione with him.
While the elevator climbed upwards and Malfoy continued to drown on about the injustice of having to work longer, Hermione's pulse slowly returned to its normal pace and her fears subsided. She wasn't alone anymore.
Still, it took her some time to realise that Draco had kept one arm around her waist to steady her.
ooo
REMEMBER: Vote for the NUMBER of the drabble, NOT THE NAME. It just makes it easier on the mods!
Please leave both a MOST favorite and a LEAST favorite vote. We must have both in order for your votes to count.
Poll round 3 challenge 5
Welcome all to the World Premiere of "They'll Never Make it in Time."
A couple of things to remember when deciding which drabbles to vote for (most and least favorite):
Guidelines:
- Which drabble best incorporates the prompt?
- Is the drabble clever, different, fresh? Does it evoke an emotional response (good or bad)?
- Does the drabble contain grammar, canon or spelling errors?
- The movies merely serve as inspiration for the prompts. The requirements and theme are most important.
As a voter, you have the option of leaving a brief statement about why you voted the way you did, for both most and least favorite. Your feedback will then be given to the drabble writer (if they want the feedback) ANONYMOUSLY.
Example: Most - #40: the ending was brilliant - OR - Least - #57: the ending fell flat
Please remember writers, that you may not vote for yourselves.
Here we go for week five!
Choose your favorite and least favorite drabbles. Favorites will receive +1 point per vote, and least favorites -1 point per vote.
Voting ends at 11:59pm, Friday, February 27th.
They'll Never Make it in Time!
Scene (inspirational movie): Scream
Action (must include): Set in the Ministry
Theme (additional information): Horror or Suspense
1
Title: Why You Shouldn’t Cut in Line
Author:marmaladefever
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: violence and arguable character death
Word Count: 499 (Egads, that was close.)
The line to register as an animagus was not a very long one. In fact, Hermione wasn’t even sure why there needed to be an official queue in the first place. In her opinion, drop-ins should be discouraged in favor of appointments. But no, she wasn’t allowed to make an appointment because, generally, the line was very, very short.
And yet she’d been standing in the same spot at the head of the queue for nearly two hours while she waited for whoever it was in the assessment room to be officially registered. There had probably been some kind of problem: a pink form instead of a yellow one or maybe a spell mishap had turned the potential animagus into a fungus.
She checked her watch. If this took any longer, she was just going to have to give it up for a bad job and come back in two weeks, which wouldn’t exactly fit in with her plan to stalk a known conspirator while in her animal form.
She leaned in. They were being awfully quiet in there, except for the occasional odd sound. She turned to look at the receptionist, who was doodling on a piece of parchment. “Do you think there’s a problem?”
The receptionist shrugged. How informative.
“Could you check?”
“Privacy policy,” the other woman responded, not even looking up.
Hermione huffed. Something felt off to her. There was one thing she could do, though it wasn’t exactly wise. She dodged into the nearest lavatory, took a breath, and morphed into a black widow spider, the red markings on her back resembling her favorite rune.
Skittering across the floor, she crawled beneath the door to the assessment room, determined to just take a peek.
Her spindly body froze.
In front of her was what she’d only ever heard legends about: the un-imagus. The man was convulsing silently, long arms stretching into tentacles and then into talons and back again. His head was wolfish, equine, amphibious, looping through uncontrollable cycles: one animal after another after another. Only his eyes were human, a familiar gray.
An hour ago, she’d thought she’d heard something breaking, and now she knew what it was. There was a second figure lying sprawled across the floor, neck snapped in two.
The un-imagus was grappling, trying to grip his wand in hoofed hands. He was struggling, she knew, trying to hold onto anything, including his humanity, rational thinking impossible.
She was about to retreat, perhaps return in her human form and stun him, but that was when his curved beak pointed in her direction, and he lunged at her, unable to resist.
A split second decision had her biting into his snout, the venom calming his body almost immediately.
He shuddered again, and she kept biting as he turned back to his original state. One pale hand swept her off his face, and she crashed into the floor.
His foot rose shakily.
She’d never thought Draco Malfoy would literally step all over her.
2
Title: Haunted
Author:hathorx
Rating: PG
Warnings: none
Word Count: 417.
The corridor leading from the Department of Mysteries is too narrow.
Too empty. Too quiet.
It’s late and he’s all alone, walking quickly towards the elevators and ignoring the deafening silence.
A clock in the distance strikes midnight and the lights begin to flicker, then complete darkness. The hairs on the back of his neck stand up and he feels a cold breeze sweep around him.
He hears a sound in the corner. He knows it’s her, but he’s unable to move and unable to look.
When he finally glances up, he sees her crawl out from the shadows in the far corner.
Gray skin covered in bruises and black tattered robes. Twisted legs, bloodied arms and mutilated hands. Wild hair matted with dirt and blood covers her disfigured face, but her dark, sunken eyes stare at him.
They are still as beautiful and haunting as ever.
“Draco.”
Her voice makes his skin crawl.
“Why didn’t you save me?”
He closes his eyes willing for her to leave, but knows she will always be there.
“You said you loved me.” He can barely recognise her voice, it’s so strangled and cold. “But you left me.”
Slowly, he opens his eyes again and she creeps forward, reaching out to him with her remaining fingers.
He turns away quickly, refusing to acknowledge that the bloodied mess before him is Hermione.
“I’m sorry,” he says, but knows it isn’t enough.
She’s suddenly standing next to him, forcing him to look at her. “Why didn’t you save me?”
“I wanted to,” he tries to explain, knowing it wouldn’t change anything. “I tried to save you, but I arrived too late. You were already gone.”
“Why did you let them do this to me?” Her large brown eyes are so desperate and sad, and it breaks his heart.
“They found you before I did,” he tells her, full of regrets. “I’m so sorry.”
“Why didn’t you save me?”
“Hermione, please,” he begs her, looking away, unable to take it any longer. “It wasn’t my fault.”
But the words sound hollow even to his ears.
“Draco, I loved you.”
When he finally looks again, the lights have returned and she is gone.
“I loved you too, Hermione,” he says out loud, wiping away the tears threatening to fall.
He knows she’ll be back. Maybe not the following night, but soon.
Whether he’s at the Ministry or at home, she always finds him, always comes for him, to remind him how he failed her.
3
Title: Snakes
Author:luvscharlie
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: None
Word Count: 498
"You didn't see it slithering over the floor in my office. I'm not going back in there."
Hermione tapped her foot in impatience. "You see when we started working here together, we had an agreement. The lower half of the Ministry, you know, where your office is, belongs to you. This"-she used her hands to draw a box around herself-"is my space."
Draco tipped back in her chair. "I'm not going back down there."
"You are a Slytherin, for Godric's sake. I thought you liked snakes."
"Oi, you with the double standards. Would you fancy spending your day with a lion lurking about your office?" Okay, he had a point. "Besides, you didn't spend a year with a gigantic snake in your house." Draco shuddered. "I woke up once with that thing wrapped around me, it's fangs inches from my head. If Father hadn't hit it with his cane-"
She sat down across from him. They didn't talk of days past. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't know."
He got up and stalked out.
*~*
She was glutton for punishment. Really, she was. But, she felt somewhat guilty (okay, a lot guilty) that her comments earlier had caused him to remember days they would all rather forget. So, here she was, trudging down to his office to help him de-snake it. She hated snakes… was terrified of them.
She knocked. Unlike him, she was polite and didn't go barging into other people's offices.
"Yeah, what?" he snapped.
"No need to be snippy. I came to help you." She stepped inside and a shower of slithering, hissing creepy crawlers dropped from the ceiling and covered her. She screamed and tried to run, tripping in her haste to depart. He caught her. "What was that?" He used his wand to vanish the snakes away, though she feared some of them had made good on their escape.
"Who would do such a thing?"
His grin was wicked as he pulled her inside, pressing her against the wall and kissing her. "The things I'll do to get you to invade my space."
"You lying bastard. There never was a snake in here!"
"I prefer the term 'sexy bastard', if you please. I don't know who put that hex on my door, but I owe them a thank you. Look at the way you're shivering. Do you know what a turn on that is?"
She slapped him hard. "You did that, and you bloody well know it."
He shrugged his shoulder and smirked. "Got the adrenaline pumping though, didn't it? Can you even imagine what sex would be like right now?"
She shut the door with a quiet click, and walked over to his desk. "You made snakes fall on me. Snakes! This had better blow my mind or those bits you're so attached to-" She left the threat dangling as he lifted her to sit on his desk, tangling his hand in her hair and pressing his lips to hers.
4
Title: The Final Test
Author:bookishwench
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: grusome imagery
Word Count: 499
This wasn’t how things were supposed to happen. When I was small, Mother and Father used to tell me bedtime stories about how wonderful things would be when the Dark Lord returned and the Wizarding world would take over, how we would be all but worshipped. He was supposed to take away everything bad and make the whole earth pure once more. I used to fall asleep with a smile on my face and dream lovely things.
But the reality is a nightmare. So much blood everywhere, on my parents’ hands, on mine, and I couldn’t see the difference in color when it belonged to a Mudblood or when it was my own. Everyone bleeds red.
Everyone bleeds.
Father brought me to the Ministry today. I don’t think even he knew why. Reading between the lines of the Prophet had taught me what to expect: terrified half-bloods and Muggleborns being brought in, the new statue lauding Pureblood superiority, Moody’s eye mounted on Umbridge’s door. But knowing didn’t prepare me for the reality of it all as I followed in Father’s wake down the corridors. Fear filled every breath of air like a poisonous cloud. Voldemort had created his own heaven, just as my parents told me he would, but it was a devil’s paradise.
Father brought us to a door at the end of a twisting corridor, and I knew trouble must be ahead because he was perspiring. Father sweats only when he cannot control his baser instincts, like fear. It unsettled me more than anything I had yet seen.
“Remember, Draco,” he said, and his tone shook the smallest bit, “you have nothing to fear from him if you have kept faith with your Pureblood ancestors and avoided anything that would shame them.”
I nodded. My godfather had taught me Occlumency well, and I was undoubtedly about to be subjected to yet another of the Dark Lord’s attempts to probe the thoughts in my mind, thoughts of her, her eyes laughing in sunlight, the strikingly beautiful lines of her face when I infuriated her, the deep brown of her incorrigible hair. He had thus far found nothing, and I would make sure he found nothing again.
My father opened the door to the Dark Lord’s throne room. It was just as I had pictured it would be, but there was one difference, and as that inhuman face lit with a horrific smile of satisfaction, I knew I was in hell.
I screamed. I screamed until my throat was raw, and my eyes would have forced themselves from their sockets if they could.
Her head, eyes staring sightlessly, was mounted above his throne.
“I see Miss Parkinson was right to suspect your infidelity after all, Draco,” the high voice said mockingly. “You have my congratulations. It is rare to lie successfully to Lord Voldemort for so long, but in the end, he always knows.”
Tomorrow I die, or so he has said, but in truth, I am dead already.
5
Title: The Evil of the Thriller
Author:somandalicious
Rating: Pg-13
Warning: Let's share a killer, diller, chiller, thriller tonight.
Word Count: 499
Foreboding moonlight pours from the enchanted ceiling of the Ministry’s Atrium, leaving a supernatural glow upon the fireplaces and the Fountain. It is silent except for sporadic thumps and knocks that play maddening tricks upon Draco Malfoy’s ears. He is not alone; someone or thing is just beyond the shadows of his periphery, and he is increasingly aware that he is defenseless. His wand lies in shards somewhere on the third level. He keeps close to the walls, stepping quietly and carefully while suppressing his breathing. Only a few more steps, he thinks in an attempt to quell his intense fear, and he reminds himself that he must get to Hermione, wherever she is, and he prays that she is still alive.
He is nearly to the far side when he freezes, and the hairs at his nape prickle with attention. Dread slices from his gut to his chest and his breath hitches. There is something behind him, and he is unable to restrain the shiver. There is an echoing cackle from his left, and a shuffling thump in front of him.
His begins to hyperventilate and flattens his body against the wall, his eyes straining against the darkness. Noises come from everywhere, and he chokes on his trepidation. He is too afraid, he has never known terror of this nature, and he just knows that this is the end, he will never live again, never see his mum or-
A silhouette emerges from the darkness, creeping towards him.
“Draco?” says a soft voice, and he nearly laughs as Hermione Granger steps into the moonlight.
He nearly sobs his relief, his body relaxes as he steps away from the wall, and reaches for her. However, as she nears, the unmistakable stench of rotting flesh assaults his nose. The shuffling is louder, ghostly moans and groans resound off the walls, and as Hermione is reaching for him, he sees her misty eyes, her ghoulish pallor. His fear returns in a cold deluge, and all he can do is shake his head and whisper no, no, NO as his heart is torn between heart break at losing his witch and horror of the certain death that awaits him.
Suddenly there are a thousand Inferi behind her, all reaching for him, all eagerly closing in for his demise. His weak legs give out and he slumps to the floor. Finally, with his eyes clenched shut, he screams.
“DRACO!”
His eyes shoot open again, and Hermione is there, above him, her cheeks pink and warm, and eyes bright and sparkling. She smiles at him sympathetically. “It was just a bad dream.”
He pulls her to him, crushing her in a hug as he revels in her living, breathing essence. As his heart rate returns to normal and reality creeps in, he makes her swear to never become an Inferius. She obliges, snuggling closer as she reassures him with comforting kisses and the promise that she’ll always be there to chase away his nightmares.
6
Title: Contagion
Author:greenschist
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Minor character death
Word Count: 499 (whew!)
Draco made minute adjustments to the wireless until the newscaster's voice could be heard.
"...Muggle authorities have responded in kind. Despite reports in the underground Muggle media of an army of 'white-eyed zombies,' it appears the spread of the contagion through the Muggle population has been contained, and the Muggles as a whole remain ignorant of the very real danger we face. Meanwhile, Ministry officials, operating from emergency headquarters, continue to work tirelessly, searching for a solution and for a way to bring aid and supplies to those poor workers still trapped with the infected in the heavily warded and quarantined Ministry building.
"Coming up, we will be asking hard questions. Why did the Department of Mysteries develop this terrible virus? What went wrong? How can we help the uninfected within the Ministry without risking further spread of the contagion? And what fate awaits us all if it cannot be destroyed? This and more after a word from our sponsors."
A cheerful jingle echoed through the lunchroom, and Draco turned off the wireless in disgust. He watched Hermione, worrying over the way she kept her head down, tracing the wood grain of the table with her nail.
"They can't just abandon us!" Myra French, from the Goblin Liaison Office, wailed. "We're starving!"
"We should go out again and search more desks for food." Reg Cattermole suggested.
"Because we were so successful last time?" Hermione face was hidden by the wild bramble of her hair. "A bag of crisps and a moldy sandwich! No, I'm not going back out there, but perhaps Percy will volunteer again. Oh, wait. He's dead." She stalked past the serving counters and into the kitchen manager's office, slamming the door shut.
French sobbed, but Cattermole merely said, "I'll go."
Draco nodded. "I'll go with you. Let me talk to Hermione. There's no point in searching the same desks twice."
He passed the ovens, telling himself the scent of burning flesh was just his imagination, just a memory of Weasley's cremation, and no more real than the faint pounding he sometimes thought he heard against Hermione's wards.
"Hermione, love," he said, opening the door. Hermione sat curled in the chair, her face against her knees. "Reg-"
"Do you know why Percy killed himself after being bitten instead of letting us banish him?"
"Don't." He knelt, and she clung to him. "I know what you saw was horrible, but-"
"They're so hungry…they've turned on each other." Her voice was like gravel. "But the contagion poisons their flesh, and the hunger can't be satisfied. They need fresh meat." She tightened her hold. "I'm hungry, too."
"We all are." He kissed the top of her head. "Reg and I are going out to look for food. Don't be afraid, Hermione. I'll feed you."
She dragged his head down and kissed him, but a sudden pain made him yelp. He stared at her milky-white eyes and bloodstained teeth and felt his blood freeze.
"Yes," she smiled. "You will."
7
Title: Tell Us How You Fell in Love
Author:midnight_birth
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Suspense.
Word Count: 499
She was shaking. She hadn’t expected to find herself in a closet at the Ministry hiding with someone she was certain she should be hiding from until just a couple of hours ago.
“We have to find Harry and Ron and help them. They can’t deal with him all alone,” she whispered into the darkness.
“Neither can we.”
They fell silent again. Hermione could sense from Draco’s short replies that he was trying to come off brave and unperturbed. She was thankful enough, her own nerves almost unhinged, but she hoped he realized this wasn’t the time for her to judge him. Fear was justified at times like these. Fear and terror.
She almost cried out when she heard footsteps outside, quickly approaching. She whimpered quietly, knowing Draco had heard them too, and clutched her wand inside her robes. What spells did she know to combat someone like him? If he found them they wouldn’t stand a chance. She couldn’t stop the sobs wracking her body.
Suddenly, she found herself swept into strong arms and pressed tightly into robes that smelled faintly of wood fire. The footsteps were getting nearer and Draco held her close, burying her face in his shoulder. Her arms went around him automatically.
The footsteps came to a halt outside the door and they both froze, clutching each other. She didn’t know whether Draco had taken her into his arms to shut her up, to give her strength, or to take some from her, but she didn’t care. If she was going to die, she was dying in his arms. Someone’s arms. Draco’s arms. Not alone.
She closed her eyes when the handle turned and the door was swung open.
“Being that close to death makes you realize some things,” Draco said, smiling down at a sea of awe-stricken little faces staring up at him. He brought Hermione, situated on his lap, closer.
“Except you weren’t really close to death,” a small girl with bushy brown hair and grey eyes pointed out, looking gleeful. A couple of other kids threw her irritated looks.
“We thought we were,” Hermione put in. “We couldn’t have known what was going on in the Ministry elsewhere. That he was finally apprehended and brought to justice.”
“What then?” a little girl with bright red hair and green eyes asked impatiently.
“That’s the end,” Draco said stiffly.
“Is that when daddy punched you in the face?” a red-haired, freckled boy piped up, making the rest of the kids laugh.
Molly’s voice came calling for dinner, and the kids scrambled to their feet and out of the room.
“Every time I tell this story, nobody lets me forget about that part,” Draco said sourly.
Hermione laughed and planted a soft kiss on his nose.
“I love when you tell the story. I can’t wait until we can leave and you can finish telling me what happened after we were out of that bloody Ministry.”
Draco growled softly and brought their lips together.
8
Title: End of The Line
Author:teenage_hustler
Rating: PG
Warnings: Bit creepy.
Word Count: 496
This was the end.
Hermione leaned against the Atrium wall, her chest heaving painfully as she struggled to catch her breath. She knew she should be scared. The horror of what was about to happen should be seeping through her skin, penetrating her; slowly flooding her insides and consuming her until she felt nothing but pure, unadulterated fear.
But after months of running, and hiding, and fighting; she was too exhausted to fear anything anymore.
“Granger.” His voice, terrifying in its quiet, effortless smoothness, interrupted her thoughts.
Hermione looked up. She hadn’t seen him in the flesh for a long time, but she would recognise Draco Malfoy anywhere. That pale, sallow face. That white blonde hair. Those slate grey eyes staring at her, shining with hatred. He looked identical to the images that had haunted the most terrifying of Hermione’s nightmares.
And the most wonderful of her dreams.
She had every reason to fear him. His parents had been found guilty of multiple crimes against the Ministry, and it had been Hermione’s duty to carry out the death penalty. Draco had consequently lashed out and nearly killed Hermione’s two best friends. Hermione had fled, and Draco had been chasing her ever since.
And then of course, before all of this had even begun, Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy had been lovers. Their relationship had received much criticism, which Hermione now realised was well-founded. She should have known that she was doomed as soon as she’d fallen in love with her worst enemy.
“You’ve got me,” she said to him now, raising her hands in surrender. “And the circumstances couldn’t be more perfect for you. We’re in the one part of the Ministry that isn’t guarded at night. Whatever you do now, you’ll be long gone before anyone notices. You’ll finally have your revenge.”
Draco said nothing as he continued to scrutinise her with those piercing eyes.
“I loved you,” Hermione suddenly whispered, not knowing why, in this most inappropriate of circumstances, she was admitting to this fatal flaw. “I loved you so much. I thought that nothing; literally, nothing; could come between us. I thought you’d understand.”
Draco grabbed her by the bony shoulders and thrust her against the wall. Hermione gasped, feeling bruises blossoming beneath his tense fingers.
“You thought I’d understand?” he spat. “I should kill you. You’ve caused me more pain than you can imagine.”
She forced herself to meet his gaze. “So kill me.”
Draco remained still. His face betrayed no emotion; no flicker of indecision.
“What are you waiting for?” Hermione yelled. “You want to kill me, so do it! Kill me!”
Draco shook her into silence. His grip tightened, cutting the circulation in her arms. “I can’t,” he hissed. “To kill you I’d have to hate you, and I can’t. I never will.”
And then he released her. He was halfway down the Atrium hallway before Hermione knew he was gone.
This was the end, she realised.
It was over.
9
Title: Waiting
Author:slytherinswench
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: horror
Word Count: 433
The moon swam in the night like a galleon on a black sea, a beacon of light in the dark. And yet the kiss of her beautiful face wrought a horror on the world, a horror of claws and teeth and an endless, burning hunger for flesh.
It fed on fear; the tantalizing scent of terror was a sweet ambrosia on cursed lips.
The light fell in a pale shroud across the hallowed halls of the Ministry. Silence echoed like thunder through its abandoned warrens.
“You sure you want to do this?” Auror Malfoy asked Under Minister Granger.
She pursed her lips and nodded.
“Feel your fear. Let it choke you, but only for a second. He’ll taste it and come to you.”
Hermione didn’t have to concentrate; she felt it like a snake coiling around her to swallow her whole.
They weren’t even sure they could take the werewolf down. He was big, the biggest they’d ever tracked. Stronger and more hungry than even Fenrir. Worse, the Ministry served as his hunting grounds.
“I’ll be right back,” Malfoy turned.
Hermione grabbed him. “No, you can’t. They never come back when they say that.”
“Granger, you have to be alone or he won’t come. I’ll be right back.” He slipped out of her grasp and was gone.
That choking fear had a hold of her again. It felt like all of her skin was on fire, like all of her bones were breaking. She wondered if it could smell her fear like a sweet desire…
Then she realized that the fear was delicious, but it wasn’t hers.
It was his.
Auror Malfoy would not be coming back because she was the beast he sought. The terror in the night. She would have to find him, hunt him.
Hermione wondered how many times this revelation had come to her, that she was this endless gnawing hunger wearing a flesh body? Perhaps in her darkest of hearts she knew where Ron was now. And perhaps she would realize it again the next time the change took her, then again every night thereafter until…
She lifted her nose to the air, searching for that scent of high quality meat. The girl was no more and the beast bounded down the corridors, her howls a loud, mournful song against the clacking of razor sharp claws tearing into the marble.
Draco had hoped that his hunch had been wrong, but the ever nearing snarls of the beast proved otherwise.
He hunkered down in the ventilation shaft and chambered a round; a silver bullet dipped in Wolfsbane, and waited.
10
Title: No Words
Author:elegantsundance
Rating: G
Warnings: None
Word Count: 237
She knew she was done, finished. She couldn't believe it had happened so fast. She figured an inside job, but there wasn't time to think who.
Their attackers had taken the first floor without much resistance. Who would expect an attack at two o'clock on a Thursday? She was working on a project in the library with Draco, a typical day of research at the Ministry. By the time news spread, they had taken the first three floors.
They were on the fourth.
And now their attackers were at their floor. They didn't know how many or how they worked. All they knew is that they had enough knowledge and power to get to them. They didn't know who was dead or who was alive. They didn't know if help was coming or not.
It was just the two of them, wards, both magical and physical, was the only thing holding their intruders at bay. And they were failing. The two stood facing the door, backs up against a stack of books. The wards were failing, each being torn down with impressive strength. Another few minutes and they would be at the bare wood of the door.
The two looked at each other, fear gripping their gaze. There are no words for the end; they turned back to the door. Several loud bangs and the door blasted off its hinges.
There are no words for the end.
11
Title: Mind Tricks
Author:floorcoaster
Rating: PG
Warnings: None
Word Count: 494
Working late wasn’t unusual for Hermione. As the Head Researcher in the Experimental Potions department, late nights were part of the job. Her staff was excellent, but when deadlines approached, Hermione wanted to be sure everything was just right. She’d spend hours going over every detail, from the initial setup of the experiment to the final results of the tests. Every i was dotted, every t crossed.
It was nearly three in the morning when she heard the first creak. She thought nothing of it, and continued with her task. It wasn’t until the second creak that the pattern registered.
Hermione looked up from the cauldron sitting beside the report, bubbling with the potion her department had been working on for nearly four months. As she listened, another creak sounded.
Suddenly, the reality that she was completely alone sent a shiver of fear down her spine. Hermione glanced through the large window in her office into the lab, dark except for a candle lit by the door.
The creaking grew louder, more frequent. Then the screams started-first of a man, then a small child. The blood in her veins froze, her breath lodged in her throat. She’d heard that cry before.
She reacted on instinct, didn’t even grab her wand. Hermione ran to the door of the lab and screamed. Her entire body numb, she sank to her knees, crawled to the bodies. Trembling hands brushed Draco’s hair off his face, wiped the tears from her son’s lifeless eyes. Blood filled her vision before everything went black.
ooo
Draco found her in the hallway outside her lab, huddled in a corner, rocking back and forth and mumbling “They’re gone, they’re gone.” None of his attempts to rouse her from the delirium.
Swallowing his panic, he left her and headed quickly to her office. A peal of thunder had jarred him from sleep, and he’d discovered Hermione’s place by his side empty. A glance at the clock told him she was still at work. Hoping to help her finish, he’d Floo’d to the Ministry.
“Hermione, Hermione,” he whispered, flipping through the open report. He noticed a slip of torn parchment sticking out near the end and pulled it out.
NOTE: DO NOT breathe the fumes. May cause hallucinations.
An antidote was described, and Draco rushed to prepare it. He returned to the hallway, potion in hand. Hermione hadn’t moved, her eyes focused on something only she could see.
“Drink this,” he said gently, holding a vial out to her.
She gave no indication she’d even heard him.
Draco glanced at the empty place on the ground. “Do it for him.”
Her lips parted slightly, and he tipped the fluid into her mouth. Slowly her eyes cleared, and she blinked a few times. “Where’s Andrew?”
“At home. Safe.”
Hermione flung her arms around him, squeezing tight. “I-I thought you were dead!”
Draco kissed her. “Let’s go home. I think that potion needs a little more work.”
12
Title: Alone
Author:kalina_blue
Rating: PG
Warnings: Post-DH, EWE
Word Count: 489
At half past nine in the evening, Hermione finally put down her quill and stretched to work out the kinks in her back As usual, her assignment for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement had been fascinating, and Hermione hadn't even realised how the time had flown by.
However, now that she wasn't concentrating on her work anymore, Hermione noticed the silence. At night the wizarding world was always quite-much quieter than the Muggle world would ever be. There were no air vents rumbling and no hum of electricity could be heard. Magic was deadly quiet when there weren't any people around, and all the other employees of the Ministry of Magic had gone home for the day already. Hermione was alone.
Hurriedly, she gathered her things and threw on her cloak. Gripping her wand tightly in her hand, she rushed towards the elevators. Rationally, Hermione knew that she was quite safe in the Ministry, even if she seemed to be the only one left. But rationality had nothing to do with her fear of isolation. Hermione hated being alone.
She supposed it was a remnant of having fought a war. They all had developed one phobia or another. Hermione knew Harry still had nightmares and Ron had failed his magical combat exam for the Aurors twice because whenever he heard the sound of blasting curses and stunners he lost his head and hexed everything in sight-foes and victims alike.
Knowing that didn't make her any less frightened though. Hermione's mouth became completely dry and her heart was beating in her throat as she desperately waited for the damn elevator to reach her floor. She gripped her wand even tighter, the knuckles turning white.
And then she heard footsteps.
Hermione's heart seemed to stop while she tried to remember all the defensive spells she had learned. She held her breath.
The steps were coming closer.
"Well, I guess I shouldn't be surprised you're still here. You seemed to be married to your job," Draco Malfoy drawled as he rounded the corner and saw Hermione. He stood next to her, waiting for the lift as well. "Can you believe the Minister personally told me I couldn't leave work until I finished my assignments for the day? Just because I extended my lunch break by a few hours… What's wrong with you? Kneazle got your tongue?"
Malfoy looked at Hermione, raising an eyebrow. But Hermione was too busy trying to locate her lungs to answer him. The elevator finally reached their floor and the grills slit open. Draco stepped inside, pulling Hermione with him.
While the elevator climbed upwards and Malfoy continued to drown on about the injustice of having to work longer, Hermione's pulse slowly returned to its normal pace and her fears subsided. She wasn't alone anymore.
Still, it took her some time to realise that Draco had kept one arm around her waist to steady her.
ooo
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