Notes: I’m back from the Caribbean! And already writing again! Thanks for your overflowing support
with this story, and I hope to finish it as soon as possible for all of you.

Please Keep in Mind:
I think you’d drive better with that cell phone up your butt!
Keep your attention on the road and your hands on the wheel. It saves lives.
::Hang Up and Drive::

For Earth is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky

by Pata
 
 

Chapter 6
Rendezvous
 

A small gasp escaped Hermione’s perfect peach-colored lips at my words. She collapsed into
Harry’s arms, her eyes closing and her body going limp. The boy sank to his knees on the ground,
resting Hermione on his lap. Gently he placed one hand on her cheek, then brushed it over her
forehead to check for a reaction.

The justices all shifted and seven pairs of eyes turned to look in her direction.

He looked up at the seven judges and shook his head. "She’s out cold."

One of the judges looked from Hermione to me. His blue eyes burned through me. I wiped sweaty
palms on my jeans as I returned his questioning look, trying my best to look innocent.

"Well?" the justice asked. "She’s unconscious, Mr. Malfoy. What have you got to say?"

He wasn’t buying my act. I shook my head. "It’s awfully hot in here, Justice."

Harry quickly caught on to my idea. "Bally stifling!" he quipped. "Just about ready to burst into
flames, wot?" He smiled a nervous smile.

There was an uncomfortable pause. The justice who had accused me opened his mouth to speak
again, but the head judge beat him to it.

"Lucius," he said to my father, "would you use that spell of yours to lower the temperature, sil
vous plait?"

My father sneered at him, but obeyed. Instantly the air in the room was so low that goosepimples
broke out on both of my arms. I folded my hands into the sleeves of my wizard robe, putting on a
quasi-smile. "Much better."

Over in the seats, Harry was administering a cold compress to Hermione’s forehead and whispering
a spell to himself. I watched in silence, afraid to speak, afraid to stay quiet.

Slowly, the beautiful almond-shaped brown eyes fluttered open and a small moan leaked from her
slightly parted lips. She blinked several times as Harry helped her cautiously to her feet. "Feeling
better?" he asked, allowing her to stand on her own.

"Oh," she murmured, "a live memory interface…yes. Sorry to interrupt your trial. Do carry on…"

I stared at her, appalled. But she wasn’t finished. She sank back into the chair, wiping beads of
perspiration from her forehead. "Oh, oh. Does anyone have an aspirin? Or some kind of spell? My
head aches."

"Perhaps," Harry suggested, "we should adjourn?"

My father stood up, outraged at this idea. "Justice, I assure the girl can function just fine. No recess
is needed! We can continue and hopefully finish this deal today; surely that would be a convenience
to us all. I can personally vouch for - "

"Lucius," said the head justice warningly. He paused, then picked up his gavel. "We will adjourn for
one standard hour. Then we shall resume with a complete memory interface for Mr. Malfoy." He
pounded the gavel upon the lectern. "Court dismissed."

I melted into my chair, a relieved sigh escaping unnoticed from my mouth.

*

I filed calmly out of the courtroom doors, but once the crowd had cleared I took off like a bat out
of Hell. I raced around the side of the building, skipping over rocks, hoping over plants, tears
spilling from my eyes.

The tears clouded my vision and I didn’t see the step ahead of me. I stepped on the hem of my
robes and fell face down in the grass, trying vainly to get up. Eventually my rage and indignance
took over, and I pounded the earth in anger at this unfairness.

Finally the tears and the pain and the fear subsided. I huddled against the wall, nursing the bleeding
wound just above my right eye and the scrape on my wrist.

"Draco?" a voice ventured timidly. A voice I recognized and was overjoyed to hear.

A girl with thick, beautiful brown hair and glowing golden eyes seemed to appear before my eyes.
Her cheeks were traced with the silver rivulets of tears, still flowing rivers of sadness. Her voice
shook with emotion and grief. "Oh, Draco!"

I got to my feet, and she fell into my embrace, her tears leaving small wet patches on the shoulder
of my robes. I ran my hands over her back soothingly, whispering words of empty consolation in
her ear. We both knew it was hopeless.

"You’re going to be convicted," she said through her sobs. "You’re going to be given the Dementor’s
Kiss."

I kissed her forehead softly, leaving a red dot of blood from the corner of my mouth due to my fall.
"Don’t talk like that. Who knows? Maybe the judge will think some of the memories pointless or
moot…"

I couldn’t fake enthusiasm, and my speech only brought on a new bout of tears. When she spoke,
her voice was laced with sobs but more controlled. "Draco, you killed Ron. I know it was justified,
but he’s dead and we’re having a love affair and soon all of that will be public knowledge!"

I opened my mouth, but was silenced by hers pressing onto it. I gave up on words and fell into the
kiss, before pulling away to shake my head and murmur words of disbelief.

"No, no," I whispered maniacally, "you can’t. They’ll be able to pull that up on memory too."

She looked up at me with a devilish, defiant look in her eyes. The blood from my mouth lined her
lips like some kind of satanic lipstick.

"I don’t care," she hissed into my mouth, "damn rules. Damn laws." Her words were so temping
and sultry I could resist her taking my lips again. But again common sense kicked in and I pushed
her away.

"I do. I care. I’m the one who’s going to be making out with a Dementor."

She laughed, in spite of the situation. She wrapped an arm around my waist, her eyes filling with
sadness. "This may be the last time we can do this, you know."

I looked at her solemnly. "Yeah. I know."

She smiled at me sadly. "Don’t put on a brave face for me, Draco. I love you, and I can see right
through you."

I looked down at my feet in mock shame, chuckling gently at her jests. "Damn you, woman."

She grabbed my wrist and twisted unnaturally to glance at my watch. "Ouch, Herm, that hurts like
a bitch!" I snapped.

"Crybaby," she teased. Instantly her air was serious. "Five minutes, Draco."

I shook my wrist to return the bones to their normal pattern. "Five minutes until they probe through
my memory and take out all the things I kept to myself. Everything private. Fears, emotions…sins.
All of it will be theirs."

She pulled away from me, tears renewing the paths they’d traced from her eye to her jaw. "We
should go. I love you, Draco Malfoy. And don’t you ever forget it."

She kissed me lightly on the mouth and flew away down to the doors, robes hitched up around her
knees. I stared sadly after her, tears welling up in my own icy, soul-piercing eyes.

Slowly, sturdily, I made my way toward the giant oak doors, which, behind them, stood the one
woman who had redirected my destiny and the seven men who were about to get it back on course.
 
 
 

Back to Chapter 5
Chapter 7