Runaway

by Jiwwy
 
 

Chapter 10
Everyone Found - Whether They Like It or Not
 

As Hermione closed the door to her room, a sudden realization hit her.

Lupin was here to give Draco back his memory.

Things would be… normal again.

She clutched the towel to her chest tighter. Wait, this shouldn’t be such a big deal, should it?

There was no way she could like Draco, right?

You don’t like him, dear Hermione, a voice in her head said.

You love him.

***

“Ron!” Ginny yelled, watching the man as he walked down the street. He had long black hair and

billowing black wizarding robes. “Ron get in here!” He’d be gone soon.

The doorknob jiggled, and someone pounded on the door. Ginny sighed and unlocked the door.

Ron came in and she went back to the window, pointing out the man to him.

“Ha ha! It’s Sirius! Sirius!” Ron looked near doing a Piggish dance.

“Sirius?” Ginny watched him bounce around.

“Yeah! Harry’s godfather!” Ginny cocked an eyebrow but Ron was already long gone.

***

Sirius was still deep in thought when a sudden bang shocked him out of his own mind. “Ha ha!”

sounded a familiar laugh. Sirius looked around and couldn’t believe his eyes- Ron Weasley. “Ron!
You were… where were you! I’ve been looking for you! Where are your brothers and sister…
Harry and Hermione are so worried!”

“We escaped, the muggle lady took us in!” Ron bounced up to him like a Great Dane that hadn’t

quite noticed it wasn’t a puppy anymore. “We thought we’d be stranded! That girl in there, Sirius,
she’s gorgeous!”

It was just now that Ron’s excitement seemed to fade, along with the red coloring from his face.

Well, not all of it. Sirius sniggered. “I- I can see you think that, Ron.” Ron looked very confused,
then put on a face of supreme embarrassment as he remembered the kisses. “It… Fred and George…
they…” Sirius just shook his head. It wasn’t like he and Remus hadn’t done the exact same thing to
James right before he went to ask Lily out… He smirked and let Ron lead him in the house. The
twins were in the kitchen alone with a little girl who couldn’t have been more than eight, and a pack
of Exploding Snap cards, talking to the girl in hushed voices.

“Mommy there’s a man in the house he’s in the kitchen he’s a murderer he’ll kill meeeee!” The little

girl ran out, squealing like a baby banshee. A few seconds later a slim woman with dyed blonde hair
entered. She cocked an eyebrow at Sirius, obviously checking him out. He definitely didn’t mind.
“Do you boys know him?” She asked to the twins (quickly packing away the Exploding Snap deck)
and Ron.

“Yeah, yeah! He’s my friend’s… godfather.” Ron said quickly, not feeling up to turning Sirius into

a more stable savior.

“Oh.” Nancy said, nodding quietly. “Will you be taking them home, mister…?”

“Black. Sirius Black,” Sirius answered in the same overemphasized English accent Fred had used

upon meeting Nancy. She smiled. “And yes, I think we should leave soon. There are a lot of things
to sort out back home.”

“It’s strange though.”

“Yes?”

“How did you know they weren’t with their parents so quickly? Surely you couldn’t have gotten a

plane to America that quickly?”

Sirius just blinked. “I have connections.” He said weakly. “Er, get your things, boys… wasn’t…

um, the… girl…”

“Ginny’s in the other room,” Ron finished for him quickly.

“Right. We’ll be off.” The boys left. “Sorry for the trouble,” he gave Nancy a responsible-guardian

smile.

“Not at all,” she answered happily. “Those kids are very nice. Would you mind… do you know

what happened?”

Sirius coughed loudly. “Er, I… really… don’t.” He bit his lip. Nancy understood.

***

In the other room, Brooke slipped a sheet of notebook paper in Ron’s bag with her e-mail address

on it without his noticing.

***

Back in England, Lupin had borrowed Hermione’s cauldron and a lot of her potion stores. He’d

been brewing for a few hours when he realized he needed dragon claw filings, and had to Apparate
to Diagon Alley. He’d be back before Hermione’s parents got home at five o’clock, and the potion
could be finished by ten that night.

Hermione had tried to help Lupin for a while when he first started, but there really wasn’t much to

do, so she went to watch television with Draco again.

“Hermione?” He asked as soon as Lupin popped out to Diagon.

“Yeah?” she reached into the popcorn bowl they’d set in between them. Empty. Of course. Neither

wanted to cook any more, so they left it and Draco chewed on an unpopped kernel to ease his
cravings.

“Do you think… I should get my memory back?”

“It would be for the best,” she answered, like a teacher, or someone else that tells you things no one

likes are for the best.

“You don’t want me to.”

She sighed. “Of course I don’t. But you need it back, you’re sick. Get more popcorn.”

“You. And I don’t think I want it back either.”

“Well, we’ve already got Lupin here, and I asked you first.”

“Lupin doesn’t have to do it, now get me popcorn!”

“That’s why it’s best if we just let him make the potion, and get the popcorn yourself!”

Without warning he leaned over the popcorn bowl and grabbed her hand. “I want things to stay the

way they are, Hermione.”

“I do too, Draco.”

He put his forehead to her temple and whispered in her ear. “It won’t last, Hermione. Something’s

going to happen.”

She turned her head and stared at him, confused, and then he suddenly kissed her. His mouth tasted

like copper, it was scary, it was blood. He must have been biting his tongue for a while. He was sure
about this change. He was scared, she could tell. In the past few days she’d seen a lot of parts of
Draco she never thought she ever would, but being scared was an entirely new thing altogether.
She’d never imagined he had the capability to be scared.

She pushed the empty popcorn bowl off the couch and scooted closer to him, never letting their lips

part. She touched her hand to his cheek, he was feverishly hot. “Draco?” she murmured “What’s…
wrong?” but he just kissed her again, wrapping his arms around her waist and hugging her like she
was his only anchor to keep him from falling away from life itself.

“I terrify myself, Hermione.” He said after he quickly broke it off.

At that second Lucius Malfoy thundered into Hermione’s living room.
 
 
 


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