The McGuddah
The announcement stirred ripples of noise throughout the great hall. As wise headmaster of Hogwarts, Dumbledore waited patiently for the initial burst of chatter to subside before continuing. At last he spoke over the remaining voices, saying in his calm manner, "Yes, it will be a most invigorating way to spend our free moments this semester. I'm sure the McGuddah will be found before finals are out and the train boarded for home yet again."
His eyes twinkled momentarily as he added, "But if it's not, more fun for next year."
He sat down again, narrowly avoiding dunking his long
white beard in his goblet. At the Gryffindor table, Hermione turned anxiously to Ron and Harry. The redhead was grinning broadly, and Harry sat with a curious expression on his face.
"This is terrible!" Hermione wailed, bringing their attention directly to the pinched expression on her face.
"What're you talking about?" Ron squawked through a
mouthful of shepard's pie. "I think it's absolutely brilliant! Just think, an escaped McGuddah running wild through the halls of Hogwarts."
"Yeah," Harry agreed. "You know, I never heard of one of those things before tonight."
He took a forkful of food and put it in his mouth. Hermione rolled her eyes. "Doesn't anyone read Hogwarts: A History? This is at least the third one I can think of that's run about making mischief."
"What sort of mischief?" Ron asked, though his mouth
was so full it was a wonder Hermione understood him.
"You mean aside from vicious pranks that are clues? Well, many students gave up their studying time to look for it," she said bossily, "which means that grades plummeted! And just think, if we're out looking for it, we won't have nearly so much time to study! Well, I for one am most definitely not going to waste my time searching for the crazy thing."
Harry exchanged a glance with Ron and said, "Well, I
still think it would be worth it. Just think of the possibilities! One wish, anything you want."
"Yeah," Ron said deliriously, "Galleons upon galleons
out of a bottomless sock.or maybe to play Quidditch internationally."
Hermione sighed and pushed her plate away. "I don't see how anyone will ever catch it anyway. No one even knows what it looks like! It changes form every time a wish is granted so nobody ever knows what it will be next. How is anyone supposed to track down a thing like that?"
A loud burst of laughter erupted from the Slytherin table, drawing glances from the trio. For a moment Hermione locked eyes with Draco Malfoy, the handsome, arrogant boy who'd made a living out of harassing them. She turned back to Harry and said, "I've changed my mind. I'm going to search for it after all. Just imagine the horrors that could be if that one wish fell into the wrong hands."
The three of them glanced back at the Slytherin table
again and Hermione said heavily, "It could be very dire indeed."
Weeks went by without so much as a hint of the McGuddah. Then, one night, the students in Gryffindor tower were awakened by a loud screeching coming from the corridor. Boys and girls both ran out into the hallway, cramming through the portrait hole in a less than orderly fashion. On the other side, the fat lady was sobbing inconsolably. The students gaped in apprehension at the graffiti written across her gown.
Follow the clues and you may find
The McGuddah creeping among your kind,
One wish you'll get if you're truly clever,
But if you're a dolt you'll be searching forever.
Hermione stared exasperatedly at the students bunched up, talking amongst themselves. As a prefect, she felt it her duty to corral everyone back into their beds. She was interrupted from her duty by a sour-faced Professor McGonagall.
"What are you students doing out of bed at this hour?
Return to your dormitories immediately," she said. "Go on!"
The students reluctantly reentered the tower and trudged off to bed. Hermione looked at Professor McGonagall and said plainly, "I knew this thing was bound to be trouble."
By the next morning, everyone in the school had heard
of the vandalism to the Gryffindor portrait. Many whispered conversations were carrying on over the meaning of this clue. Of course, they had already heard the first one from Professor Dumbledore. It had been scrawled on his office wall and intentionally let him know that the McGuddah was on the grounds. There was much repeating of it again this morning.
The great McGuddah has arrived
And for many years has thrived
By granting one wish to someone smart,
Who's brave and strong and stout of heart.
Know the McGuddah is a mysterious man,
So come and catch me if you can.
"What do you think, Hermione?" Ron said when she sat down across from him and Harry.
"I think it's all rubbish," she said irritably. "Honestly, there's nothing helpful in either one of those clues. Of course, the first one was merely a notification of the McGuddah's presence and intentions. The second one might be a clue, but it's so vague, who's to know?"
Ron looked rather disappointed at her lack of information. He still stared at the paper in his hand, which contained both messages. He folded it carefully and put it in his pocket for safekeeping. Hermione sighed melodramatically.
"I suppose I should go to the library and try to find
something on McGuddahs. Perhaps there could be a useful spell for ousting them," Hermione said. "Whatever would get this thing over with so that we could get back to our studies."
Ron snorted into his pumpkin juice. "Don't you ever
think about anything besides homework?"
She sniffed importantly at him and did not reply.
By the end of the week there had been two more acts of vandalism from the maniacal McGuddah. The first had occurred over the fireplace in the Slytherin common room and the Slytherins were jealously guarding the message's contents. Despite several complaints to the headmaster, he
simply stated that it was within their walls and he therefore did not find a solid reason to interfere. Draco Malfoy had been seen chuckling over this triumph at every opportunity. Harry, Ron and Hermione were getting rather sick of his gloating when the second clue turned up the 3rd floor girls' lavatory. Hermione went in among pushing and shoving students to copy it off the wall for Ron and Harry. They were waiting anxiously in the hall when she came out.
"Well?" Ron said expectantly. "What does it say?"
He and Harry glanced at each other and waited while she cleared her throat and read aloud.
"I am hiding in plain sight
Where dunces pass me day and night
Never knowing where I hide
What a piteous lack of school pride!"
Ron took the paper from her and read it several more
times. Finally he looked up at Harry with a confused expression, "Well, what does that mean?"
Hermione sighed loudly and rolled her eyes. "Isn't it obvious?"
She gave her hair a bossy toss and said, "It's--"
Harry and Ron both jumped on her before she could say
it out loud in the hallway. They dragged her off to a nearby closet and forced her to whisper.
"Jeez, Hermione," Ron said, "just tell the whole school, why don't you?"
"Yeah," Harry seconded. "I thought we were in agreement that we didn't want Malfoy to find it before we did."
Hermione sighed again, this time in defeat.
"You're right," she relented. "That would be awful. I may not want to look for the thing, but I guess I have no choice."
"There's that enthusiastic spirit you're known for," Ron said dryly. Hermione shot him a look, but doubted he could see it in the darkened broom closet.
"So where do you think it is?" Harry asked.
"The trophy case," Hermione said promptly.
"Of course, school pride!" Ron said.
The door opened and light flooded in. Filch swatted the interior of the closet with his broom, whacking Ron and Harry across the shins. He expelled them from the closet, and they were only too grateful to escape down the hallway away from him.
By the time they got to the trophy case there were
three other students staring at its contents. Draco was copying down something, but hastily shoved it in his pocket when he saw the trio.
"Potty, Weasel," he sneered. "What are you doing over here?"
"We might ask you the same thing," Hermione said coolly.
He gave her a long look, during which he appeared to be evaluating her. Then he strode away with an arrogant swish of his robes. When he'd gone away, Hermione made a beeline for the trophy he'd been staring at. It was a silver cup, but over the original inscription had been scratched a new clue.
"They're getting more inconspicuous, aren't they?" Harry noted. Ron took out his paper and copied this one onto it as well.
Find the ones who scrub me clean,
Make me glow and make me gleam,
One among them knows much more
Then he has ever shared before.
Ron wrinkled his brow, saying to his friends, "What? Someone gives the McGuddah a bath and doesn't know it?"
Hermione restrained herself from rolling her eyes yet again. "Not the McGuddah! I think it is referring to the trophy."
"Oh!" Ron said in great relief.
"The house elves," Harry said pointedly.
"And we know it's a `he,' " Ron added gleefully. "That will narrow our search by half."
The three of them made haste toward the kitchen, though they were careful to keep a normal pace around crowds of students, not wanting to draw attention to themselves. They burst into the kitchen to find Draco Malfoy holding Dobby upside down by his ankle.
"Oh, Harry Potter, sir!" Dobby croaked fearfully as Draco swung him around a bit.
"Let him go, Malfoy," Harry said evenly.
"Have I touched a nerve?" Draco said snidely. "Is this lowly house elf your new boyfriend, Potty?"
"Let him go," Hermione echoed, reaching for her wand.
Draco dropped the elf in disgust.
"What is this world coming to," he said hatefully as he passed them, "when a wizard can't even hang an elf upside down without it bringing the infamous Harry Potter down upon his head?"
He swept out of the room and Harry and Hermione ran over to see to Dobby.
"Are you hurt, Dobby?" Hermione asked kindly.
"No, Dobby doesn't think so," Dobby replied shakily as they helped him sit up. Ron returned from closing the door after Malfoy's retreating figure.
"Did you tell him anything Dobby?" Harry asked. Dobby looked around uncertainly, as though he feared others were listening.
"I didn't want to," Dobby said, sobbing into his grubby towel and wiping his nose with one of the hats Hermione had knitted.
"Was it about the McGuddah?" Harry asked.
Dobby shuddered with great relief. "So then Harry Potter knows, too! Dobby is so glad! The McGuddah enchanted the poem in my head."
He stood up, dancing anxiously from side to side as he sang out the enchanted poem. Ron took out the paper again and took down the transcript.
"Where I am cannot be found
There is no escape for sound
When you pass the maiden fair
With pallid lips and opal hair
The sea may shine within her eyes
But it clearly covers my disguise
There is only one way in or out
So keep your magic and wits about."
Dobby abruptly stopped dancing when his song was through and looked wearily at Harry. "How many more times will Dobby have to sing it?"
"None," Hermione said, taking out her wand. The words transferred themselves to a piece of paper on her instruction. She gave the house elf the paper and said, "Just show this to anyone else who comes looking for the McGuddah. And after he is found you won't ever have to worry about it again."
Dobby smiled. "Oh, thank you."
She gave him a friendly smile and the three of them
started off again. They made it all the way back to the Gryffindor common room before Ron asked, "Well? What do you make of it?"
He glanced back and forth between his two best friends, waiting for one of them to say something.
"Read it again, Ron," Harry said. Ron cleared his throat and read it quietly so as not to draw undue attention toward them.
"Only one way in or out," Hermione said thoughtfully. "You'll need magic to get in," Harry said. "That much is obvious."
"Mm," Hermione said thoughtfully.
"What's this bit about a woman with pale lips and white hair?" Ron asked. "Is it about an old lady or a corpse?"
He shivered inadvertently. "I hope this isn't a sign that the McGuddah is in the Forbidden Forest."
"No," Hermione said, thoughtfully twisting a strand of hair about her finger. "I think it's still inside the school. Somewhere, maybe in one of the dungeons. And I think..."
"Yes?" both her friends leaned forward eagerly.
"The `fair maiden' must be a marker. You know, like a painting or a statue or something. It shows the entrance to the McGuddah's hideout."
Harry and Ron grinned at her.
"Brilliant," Ron said.
"So which maiden?" Harry asked.
Hermione sighed. "I suppose we should spread out and start looking."
They postponed their search until after dinner, but Ron rushed them both through the meal and was hustling them out into the hallways still swallowing their pudding.
"We'll split up," Hermione said logically. "Harry, you take the first floor, I'll take the dungeon, and Ron, you can take the second."
A look of possible disappointment crossed Ron's face,
but he squelched it and the three of them divided up to look at the artwork in the castle in hopes of finding a woman with white hair and pale lips. Hermione took the stairs down to the dungeon. She started down the hallway, giving each piece of art a scrutinizing glance as she went by. The sound of footsteps caught her attention and Hermione looked up in time to see Draco Malfoy stalking down the hall. He came toward her, scowling.
"What're you doing down here? This dormitory is Slytherins only," he said plainly.
"I'm not going in the dormitory," she retorted. "The halls are a free place."
He made a noise that sounded like "hmph" and strode off down the corridor, leaving her alone again.
Hermione went back to searching the art. At last she saw something that showed promise. There along the wall stood a lovely white marble statue of a mermaid, her chiseled hair still appearing to blow as she gazed ever outward toward the ocean. Hermione ran quickly to fetch Ron and Harry, calling to them as she hurried to the staircase. Harry heard her and came right away. The two of them were just about to come looking for Ron when he appeared at the top of the stairs.
"Have you found something?" he asked. Hermione nodded and waved him on. He hurried up the steps and she led them to where the statue stood.
"Of course!" Ron said excitedly when he saw the statue of the mermaid, "Pale, eyes ever staring out to sea. Wicked!"
"Yes, but how is it helpful?" Harry asked. "There's no clue written on it, so how do we know if it's the right one?"
"Think about it," Hermione said. "If there's no clue."
"Then this must be the McGuddah's actual hiding place,"
Ron virtually squealed. His face fell momentarily when he asked, "But how do we get in?"
Harry said, "Maybe we should try to push the statue
aside, you know, see if there's a secret tunnel or something."
They agreed and on the count of three, Harry and Ron
both tried pushing it. The marble mermaid wouldn't move.
"Wait," Hermione said, "the clue said we'd need magic to get in."
"Oh," said Harry, looking slightly relieved. The three of them took out their wands and each tried to open it with no success.
"Maybe if we tried to together," Ron suggested. The others nodded and pointed their wands at the statue. "On three, one, two, three - Alohomora!"
But nothing happened. A rather disappointed Ron asked, "Well, now what? Should we go back to searching? Do you think this is the wrong statue?"
"No," Hermione said authoritatively. "I'm positive this is it. I think it must be locked up really well.
Look, let's not worry about it right now. I'll go to the library and see what I can find about unlocking spells and McGuddahs, all right? Right now, we all need to go study for our Charms exam tomorrow."
Ron groaned, but allowed Hermione to prod him and Harry up to their dormitory. After several exasperated attempts at getting Ron to focus on his schoolwork, Hermione gave up and took her quills up to her bed to study alone. An hour later, Harry decided he couldn't learn anymore and he and Ron took themselves to bed as well.
The next morning hadn't squashed Ron's enthusiasm one
little bit. He was still avidly talking about the McGuddah at breakfast despite repeated hushings from Harry and Hermione.
"Yes, well," Hermione said conspiratorially to them, "I don't think anyone else has found the you-know-what. I don't think they've even heard Dobby's song."
"All except one, you mean," Harry said. The three of them hazarded glances at the Slytherin table.
"Well, I still think he hasn't found...er, her. That means we've got plenty of time to find the you know what. I'll go to the library after classes and see what I can find. You're welcome to come. Especially you, Ron. I know you need to look up that book McGonagall suggested for your transfiguration essay."
Ron groaned at her and was momentarily distracted from the search for the McGuddah. Harry looked again at the Slytherin table and sighed, "I hope you're right about the time element, Hermione."
After their Charms exam, Hermione headed straight for
the library. She searched through the listings until she found some that sounded promising.
"Here," she said to Harry as Ron thumbed through the book on Transfiguration. "You find these two books and I'll look for these."
Harry took the paper and set off toward the reference section. Hermione took her small list and walked among the stacks until she found the area she was looking for. She was surprised to see Draco Malfoy hurriedly copying something out of a big white book with gold lettering on the front. He snapped it shut with a smug look that evaporated the moment he saw her.
"What are you doing back here?" he asked stiffly,
shoving the book back onto the shelf.
"I might ask you the same thing," she replied casually, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" he said, pushing past her. She let him go, but when he was out of sight she went straight for the book he'd been looking at. Sure enough, it was one of the books on her list, "Useful Spells for Expelling Scottish Hooligans."
Her heart sank as she hurried back to the table where
she'd left Ron. Neither he nor Harry were in sight as she flipped open the book and found the piece on McGuddahs. She copied down the incantation and cast about for Ron and Harry. It was a fine time for them to disappear! She couldn't wait for them, though. She had to get to that McGuddah before Malfoy did. Maybe she'd use her wish for Ron to find a sock full of galleons under his pillow. That is, if she found it first.
Hermione dashed down to the dungeon and was out of breath from running when she spotted Draco in the hallway. He looked mildly surprised to see her and hastily shoved a piece of paper back into his pocket. She walked up to him, determined to find out if he had found the McGuddah.
"What are you doing down here?" she asked hotly.
"I live down here," he responded. "What are you doing down here?"
"Nothing," she lied, eyeing him carefully.
"Just get out of here," he snarled at her.
"No," she spat back. He raised his wand, but she was
just as quick. Within seconds they were both hissing the words of the same incantation. There was a loud crack followed by total blackness and the dizzying feeling that she was falling. Hermione landed with a harsh thud and a moan.
"Ugh, get off!" a voice groaned painfully underneath her. Hermione scrambled to her feet in the utter blackness and switched her wand to the other hand.
"Lumos," she whispered. The tip of her wand glowed to life, revealing a panting Draco Malfoy lying on the ground, wheezing painfully.
"Breathe slowly," she said with a why-am-I-helping-him sigh. "You've just had the wind knocked out of you. You'll be fine if you go slow."
Draco lay on the dirty floor, still gasping for breath, though he did slow down and try to breathe normally. Hermione looked up overhead. They must have fallen quite a ways, for from here she couldn't really see the roof of the cave they were in. She looked around, while Draco pulled himself together and stood up. He leaned heavily against the wall and looked around, squinting his eyes into the darkened corners.
"Sorry I fell on you," she said, in a by-the-way tone. He just grunted at her.
His face had a streak of dirt from the fall and his
knees were dirty as well. Hermione was brushing at her school robes with a practiced hand, trying to get rid of the dust. The smell of earth was filling her nose as she began to look around more carefully.
The McGuddah must be somewhere in this cave, she realized with a sudden grip of fear. She glanced at Draco as he stood up straighter and lighted his wand. She had to find it before he did. He noticed the look of utter panic that crossed her face.
"Afraid I'll find it first?" he taunted her.
"N-no," she fibbed. In her heart though, she was very
afraid. She knew she was smart, so she just had to get to it before he did. Of course, so far, he'd been one ahead of her at every turn. She forced her lip not to tremble and she looked frantically around the cavern. There were little swiss-cheese holes at various intervals, but Hermione doubted they were big enough for either of them to get through. A trickle of water was pouring out of one of fissures, leaving a large puddle in one corner. If the McGuddah was in one of those tiny holes, they may truly never find it. Draco started off down to the back wall, hunching down as he searched. She went along the opposite way, hoping luck would be on her side.
"Don't know what you're searching for," he said disdainfully. "I'm going to find it first."
"Oh, no, you're not," she replied haughtily from the other side of the cave.
"What do you want a wish for, anyway?" he asked. "Something sappy, world peace perhaps?"
"Oh, shut up," she told him. "Anyway, I already know
what you'd wish for."
"Do you?" he asked darkly, turning around to face her. He sauntered over to her and said, "And just what is it that you think I'd wish for?"
"You?" she said coldly. "Probably something dreadful like the destruction of all muggles, or for Lord Voldemort to return to full power."
A shiver stole over her body as she vocalized these fears. Draco scoffed at her.
"Figures." The word was quiet, but evident. He turned away and began searching again.
Hermione, with her hands on her hips, said scathingly, "What is that supposed to mean?"
"It means you don't know anything about me," he replied acidly. "You've no idea what I would wish for."
"Well, why don't you enlighten me, then?" popped out of her mouth. He turned to examine her in the dimness.
He went back to his quest without answering her.
"Well, what do you expect me to think?" she snapped at him. "All you've ever done is insult us and be rude and uncouth and.and."
She had run out of steam, not able to clearly articulate her thoughts. She turned away from him with a frustrated murmur and went on hunting for the McGuddah on her side of the cave. They searched in silence for several minutes until, inevitably, they bumped into one another.
"Sorry," he said rather frigidly. She said nothing, but moved on to another area of the cavern. The cave was not particularly large, so it didn't take them long to cover the entire area and come back to the center to glare at one another.
"I take it you didn't find it," Hermione said, crossing her arms.
He made a disgruntled noise from the back of his throat which she took for a `no.' She looked up overhead again, then walked in a slow circle perusing the upper length of the grotto. A pitting feeling of dread began to settle in her stomach as she said to him, "Do you know how to get out of here?"
He looked up and Hermione caught the looked of
unguarded surprise that crossed his face, temporarily disturbing his otherwise handsome features.
He was instantly on the offensive, "Why? The great
Hermione Granger, know-it-all extraordinaire doesn't know how to get out of this little cave?"
"Shut up," she told him. She pointed upward. "And in case you haven't noticed, you dolt, it isn't exactly little."
They both craned their necks trying to see to the ceiling of the cave. It was too far up for them to see it in the surrounding darkness.
"Do you know the incantation to take us back out of here?" Hermione asked worriedly.
Draco shook his head. Hermione sighed. "I was afraid of that."
They stood in silence in the dank hole, pondering their mutual problem. Draco spoke after a few minutes, saying, "Too bad we don't know how we got down here in the first place."
Hermione agreed, though she kept quiet about it. "Too bad I didn't think to look up the reverse spell."
Draco concurred. "Think a good ol' finite incantatem would do us any good?"
She gave it a try, but nothing happened. She almost laughed, though whether it was from anxiety, she couldn't say.
"That answers that." He slid down against the mossy wall and sat on the dirt floor. He gestured to the space beside him. "I guess we're not going anywhere for awhile."
Hermione sank down and leaned up against the wall.
Coolness seeped in through her clothes, causing her to shiver.
"You cold?" he asked. He was almost civil about it.
"No," she answered truthfully. "It feels good."
"Yeah, well, it might not later," he said, "when we run out of oxygen."
"Don't be stupid," she said. "We'll die from carbon monoxide poisoning before that happens."
He almost laughed, but caught himself at the last moment. He cleared his throat. Hermione rubbed her arms with her hands and continued on with her thought process.
"We won't be down here forever," she said confidently. "Someone will come looking for us. Ron and Harry knew--"
"Oh, yes, I nearly forgot!" Draco exploded suddenly. "The great Harry Potter will save us! Well, whatever was I worried for?"
She took his sour words as a sign of stress and let it roll off of her. She tried again momentarily. "I only meant that we would be missed."
He snorted. "Maybe you will be."
Hermione frowned and was about to start down a track of humanitarianism when he nudged forward, grumbling, "I'm sick of holding this wand."
He muttered a spell she didn't immediately recognize. Hermione was astonished to see that he had conjured a candle which instantly sparked to life.
"That's very good," she said, putting her wand down. The compliment was past her lips before she thought about it.
"Yeah, I know," he said. He conjured a few more,
though whether it was to show off or simply for good measure, Hermione couldn't tell. She put her wand away, glad not to have to hold it continuously for the time being. They sat in silence for a several long minutes, during which Draco played idly with the flame of one of his candles.
"Well," Hermione said, "we'll surely be missed at bedtime, when we don't show up."
He snorted.
She pressed on. "Dumbledore will find us."
"Oh, will you shut up?" he asked irritably.
"Fine," she bit back. She rubbed her arms again. The cold was seeping through her now and Draco was right; it wasn't feeling so good now. He glanced over at her, but said nothing. He got tired of playing with the candle and looked over at her more steadily.
He began muttering again, pointing his wand straight at her. Afraid he was about to hex her, Hermione held up her own wand in defense.
"Would you calm down and let me concentrate?" he snapped at her. Momentarily a small soft pillow dropped into her lap.
"Damn," he said.
"No, that's very good," Hermione said, quite beside herself as she stared at the pale pink velvet cushion.
"I was aiming for behind your back," he commented.
"Well." she suddenly couldn't think of anything to say."Thank you."
After a minute or so he said, "You know, you could put it under you, keep you off the cold floor."
"Oh," she said, looking down at the pillow in her hands. Her astonishment still hadn't worn off. "Are you sure you don't want it?"
He laughed dryly and said, "I'm the one who conjured it, remember?"
"Oh," she repeated. She arranged the cushion behind her back and sat thoughtfully for a few minutes during which Draco conjured another pillow for himself, only his was a dark crimson color.
"What else can you conjure?" she asked.
He sighed heavily. "Nothing. Just pillows and candles. It's taken me months of practice. I don't really know why I started; just seemed like a good idea."
He closed his eyes in concentration and soon small, oftmisshapen pillows in varying shades of red and pink and aubergine were raining down amid the room, falling into one giant pile in the middle. Six more candles shot up around them in a semi-arc of light. He opened his eyes and looked around victoriously surveying his work.
The wheels were turning in Hermione's head as she watched him. It seemed like maybe he'd been stuck places before, places that weren't so comfortable or well-lit. Why else would these be the things he chose to conjure? She stayed silent on the subject. She looked over to find him staring at her. He looked away rather quickly.
"You never told me," she said in a softer tone than she generally used around him.
He looked up, an expression of pure shock and fear on
his face, as though she'd just seen straight through him. Hermione reveled in that look.
"What?" he asked hastily, sitting up straighter, his
body stiffening as he watched her.
"What you would wish for," she said, wondering what he thought she was talking about.
Draco exhaled, seeming greatly relieved and said, "Oh, that. Are you on about that again?"
He was guarded again, she could tell. She treaded carefully. "Well, what would you wish for?"
"None of your business, all right?" he said shortly. He slumped down a bit against the wall so that he was no longer facing her.
"Why won't you tell me?" she probed, thoroughly annoying him.
"You are a nosy little git, you know that?" he said callously. He decided to turn the tables on her. "Besides, you never told me what your wish would be either. So I guess that makes us even."
"Well, at least I know why I can't tell you my wish," she said.
"What on earth does that mean?" he said exasperatedly.
"I don't know what I would wish for," she said. "I suppose probably for Voldemort's capture. That's something worthwhile."
He snorted at her. "Of course, you'd pick the noble route. All the more reason for me to find it."
"Why?" she demanded. "You'd probably use it for something completely selfish."
"Yeah," he said, sitting up suddenly and looking her in the eyes. "Yeah, you're right about that. Oh, you're dead on, Hermione."
He turned away again and rocked his head back against
the wall. She didn't know what to make of his admission so she kept quiet.
"Maybe they'll miss us at dinner," Hermione said hopefully after a few minutes. "Maybe it won't take them long to find us at all."
"What a shame," he said, though whether he was being sarcastic, she couldn't tell. She was, however, very bored with the whole trapped in a dank cave scenario.
"I'm bored," she told him.
"Well, what d'you want me to do about it?" he asked. "Play a game or something?"
"Yes, that would be a lovely distraction," she replied. She got the distinct impression that he was rolling his eyes.
"What shall we play?"
"We could duel," she suggested.
"Oh, fine," he said. "And when I successfully hex you, the entire school will show up screaming at me. No, thanks."
"All right," she said a bit defensively. "Why don't we do something useful then and try to get out of here."
"What do you want to do? Levitate?" he scoffed. "Too bad I didn't bring my broom, then at least I could fly up and see if the ceiling is sealed off."
"There's an idea," Hermione said excitedly. "Why don't we try calling for help?"
He snorted at her, but when she got up to yell, he grudgingly got up, too. After a few minutes he grabbed her arm and said, "Stop it! We're just making ourselves hoarse and deaf. It's no use."
Dropping her hands to her sides, Hermione agreed with him. Wherever they were, it did not seem likely that anyone else would be finding them in the next few minutes. They sat down again, and despite the cushion, Hermione found herself shivering. Draco took off his cloak and offered it to her. Because she was cold, she didn't decline, but simply sat with it draped over her shoulders.
"Won't you get cold?" she asked. "Not that I'm concerned or anything."
"Do you ever think anything you don't say?" he retorted.
She pursed her lips, miffed. "You're no picnic, you know. Trapped in here with you."
"What?"
"You won't even make conversation to keep our minds off our predicament," she said. She got up and moved over to the pile of pillows and sank down among them. It was very soft and quite comfortable compared to the hard dirt floor.
"Just because I don't prattle on endlessly like some bloody idiot-" he began, following her.
"And you're positively uncouth anyway-"
"I'm uncouth! I'm the one who conjured the pillows!"
"And you won't even tell me what you'd wish for!"
He was staring at her in the candlelight. He turned away abruptly making some sort of grumbling sounds.
"Just tell me," she needled.
"You wouldn't understand," he said.
"How do you know?"
"Trust me, you wouldn't."
"You don't know anything about me," she threw back in his face. "You might as well tell me."
"Will you get off my back?" he snapped.
"Yes," she said, holding up her chin defiantly. He stared at her for a very long moment, then turned away from her again.
"You wouldn't understand," he repeated softly.
"Try me," she said even more softly.
Sensing that he was on the verge of telling her, she remained silent, hugging his cape tightly around her. It smelled good, she noted vaguely. Not quite minty, but fresh somehow. Like a rainstorm. She looked at him again.
"Have you ever wanted something you knew you couldn't have?" he asked quietly. He looked over at her and waited for an answer.
Hermione thought about his question actively for several moments. "Well, like what? You want a new broom and your father won't buy it for you?"
Draco seethed silently. "No. It's nothing like that. It's not something you can buy."
"So something intangible then?" she mused. "Well, generally speaking, I try not to go on wanting all sorts of things. Although there was this book once..."
"No, no," he said, sitting up straighter so that he could face her. "Not something you could eventually get if you wanted it. Something you could never have. Never."
She looked at him, her brow furrowed in thought. She
admitted defeat at last, "Well, no, I don't suppose then... But I don't see what there could possibly be."
"See?" he said miserably. "I told you that you wouldn't understand."
"Well, that's fine and well," she said in frustration. "Why don't you explain it to me then?"
"It's no use," he said simply. "Gads, I can't believe that McGuddah isn't down here."
"Yeah," Hermione agreed. "Unless it's in one of those holes."
"Hey, yeah," he said. "We should look more carefully in there."
They got up again and Draco seemed almost cheerful as he lighted his wand and began poking it into the deep recesses. Spiders and worms crawled out, but other than that, nothing was hiding in the holes.
"I've been thinking about it," Hermione announced when they came together in the middle of the cave again.
"What?" he asked suspiciously.
"Your wish," she said decisively. "I think it must have something to do with a person."
Draco's heart began to pound very loudly at her bold statement. He stayed very still as she regarded him.
"I'm right, aren't I?"
"How did you know?" he queried quietly.
"Well, I just put two and two together, something you can't buy," she said. "It must be some situation you're in with another person. Am I right?"
He nodded, a little frightened that she might be reading his mind. She smiled triumphantly.
"So." she continued on, smiling all the while. "Does this person know you'd like to change the situation?"
He shook his head steadily.
"Well," she said pointedly. "I think you should just tell this person how you feel. I'm sure things aren't as bad as they seem."
Was she crazy? He stared at her as though she had tentacles coming out of her ears.
"Boy, you really are an idealist," he breathed finally. "Well, I've got to tell you, there's more than one person involved. And one of them happens to be someone who could make my life very miserable."
Hermione was momentarily mystified. She had assumed he was talking about his father, or perhaps someone in his family. Maybe his whole family was involved. She didn't know what to say about this.
"Oh," she finally managed.
He was looking at her now, looking at her mouth as he
extinguished his wand and put it away. He took a step closer to her, and she took one backward. It seemed to break whatever spell he was under and he abruptly stepped back, his foot going directly down into the puddle.
"Ugh!" he made a frustrated sound, pulling his wet foot out of the puddle. The hem of his robes had soaked up the water as well and were dripping all over the cave floor. Hermione almost laughed, but decided against it at the last moment.
"Take your shoes off," she suggested, but he wasn't listening to her.
"I felt something," he said.
"What?"
"I felt something," he repeated. "Kicked it. It's in the puddle!"
He knelt down and reached a hand into the frigidly cold pool, sloshing water about as he felt around. At last he brought up his hand, triumphantly holding a small ceramic gnome. He wiped the mud off of it so they could both look at it. It was a little white-bearded man with a wide smile. He wore green and blue checkered overalls with the word `McGuddah' emblazoned across the front pocket.
"Well," Hermione said. "I guess you've found it."
Whether she was sad or not, he couldn't tell. But he was ecstatic.
She had a curious look on her face that slowly stole the smile of satisfaction from his.
"What?" he asked.
"Well, I finally get to know what your wish is," she said smugly. "I mean, I'm standing right here, so I'm going to hear it."
"Well, that's just as well," he said, his heart beating rapidly in his chest, "since it's about you."
It was her turn to be utterly shocked. She was afraid he planned to wish her death. Her mouth opened to protest and began shouting at him with her wand raised defensively.
Draco was incensed immediately as he tried to head off her paranoid fit. "Would you stop that? Look, if I was going to-"
"You stay away from me," she said, walking slowly backward away from him.
"I'm not going to-"
"I mean it," she said firmly, casting about for any means of escape. He was quickly losing his patience with her as he went up to her and grabbed her around the arm.
She was still yelling at him, a panicked look on her face.
"Will you stop it?" he hissed at her.
He pushed her up against the cave wall and kissed her hard on the mouth. Hermione was so surprised that she didn't do anything at all for a long moment, just stood there letting Draco Malfoy kiss her. Part of her wanted to push him away, but she didn't. Instead she let him. His mouth felt hot and sweet and at the moment she wanted nothing else but to wrap her arms around him and enjoy it.
She let his mouth make love to hers, as the roughness
gave way to a slower, softer kiss. His lips gently moved against hers as his hands went around her waist. He dropped the McGuddah without a second thought and it shattered into a hundred little pieces at their feet. Hermione was startled, but Draco didn't seem to care at all. He just went on kissing her, his hands warming her up wherever he touched her. He trailed kisses across her cheek and down below her ear, causing her to shiver deliciously in his arms.
"This is my wish," he whispered softly in her ear. "For one night with you, away from everyone and everything. One night that no one could ever find out about. No one could take away."
She frowned at him.
"Why can no one find out?" She was instantly on the offensive again. "Are you ashamed for people to know you like me?"
"No," he said softly, stroking her cheek with his thumb. "I wish I could tell the world I'm in love with you. But I can't."
"You're talking nonsense," she told him, slipping out of his embrace. "You're not in love with me."
She looked around, dreading the feeling that he was playing some horrible joke on her.
"I wish," he said.
"But- but you hate me!" she supplied.
"I wish I did," he said. "It would make things a lot easier for me. Maybe I started out hating you, the first couple of years. But after that. you got under my skin somehow, into my brain. I couldn't stop thinking about you. When I finally realized I was in love with you, it was driving me mad. I know you aren't for me."
"Why?" she fumed. "Because I'm a filthy muggle-born?"
"No," he said truthfully. "Because I know who you're going to end up with, and he's not blond. I can see it, even if he can't."
She was startled to hear him say this. He continued on without a word from her. "It's not just that either, my father would never allow us to be together. It's funny, you know. You opened my eyes to the fact that for all I've been born to, I'm completely lacking in freedom."
Hermione furrowed her brow at him. "That's not true. You can change the path you're on."
"No," he sighed heavily. "I can't. You know what my father is. My whole life I've been groomed to follow in his footsteps. And if I don't, well, there'll be no two ways about it. They will either have me or kill me."
She started to protest that surely his own father wouldn't, but considering his father was Lucius Malfoy, she changed her mind. "Couldn't you go to Dumbledore?"
"And say what?" Draco scoffed at her. "What could he do? He has no authority over me."
"Well, when you're of age then," she pressed him. "You'll have your inheritance then, won't you? You could start a new life."
He actually laughed out loud, though it was a mirthless sound. "I'll be recruited long before that happens, whether I want to be or not."
"Well, couldn't you run away? Hide?" she offered weakly.
"They'd find me," he said defeatedly. "They'd kill me."
"I still don't see how I fit into this," she said.
"If they knew how I felt about you, Hermione," he said darkly, "they wouldn't hesitate to torture you to insure my compliance."
She was horrified at the thought. He went on softly, "That's why no one can find out. You're already a big enough target. I don't think I could take it."
Wow, Hermione thought, struggling to take in everything he'd told her. He looked into her eyes and said, "That's why I want one night. Just one night that nobody will be able to take away."
He closed the gap between them and clasped her hand in his.
"Would it be enough?" she asked him softly.
"It has to be," he said, bending his head close to hers so that he could kiss her again.
Hermione's head was spinning. It wasn't just all the new information, it was the fact that Draco Malfoy was kissing her- and she was letting him do it! Moreover, she liked it. She liked it a lot. She let him sweep her up and toss her onto the bright, springy pile of cushions and kneel down slowly beside her. The cloak came off, the school robes were shed, and they sat together, holding fast to one another as everything they knew melted away.
Hermione hardly noticed when he laid her gently down; she was too intent on the things he was doing with his mouth and hands. His fingertips trailed across her skin, giving her shivers as his lips touched hers. His tongue slipped easily into her mouth and a quick gasp escaped Hermione's throat. She pulled him closer and he shifted against her. He grazed the side of her breast with his thumb and she arched closer, encouraging him. All she knew was that she loved the way he was kissing her, loved the way it felt, and the way it made her feel. Though he'd been dreaming about this possibility for more than a year, he was careful to proceed slowly, to draw as much as he could out of these precious moments.
She was touching him now, too, her hands deftly exploring and driving his want to the next level. He grabbed her wrists to force her to stop before she pushed him over the edge.
"What?" she whispered softly as he kissed her fingertips.
"Nothing," he said, exhaling slowly as if he'd been holding the breath for a very long time. "I just want to remember this...remember you."
Draco Malfoy had just the one virtue, but fortunately for Hermione, it was patience. He painstakingly opened each button on her blouse and pushed aside the material to reveal her creamy skin. In the soft candlelight, magic seemed to dance around them as they discarded their remaining clothes. He insinuated his knee between her thighs and kissed her then, deeply, drawing upon their mutual desire. He was putting pressure on a sensitive and wet spot and Hermione found her want catapulting into need as he pressed against her, touching her. She nudged him slightly so that he fell into the bow between her legs, his arousal brushing her as his tongue teased her mouth. The ache to have him in her was causing feverish shivers to creep over her skin. She quivered in his arms, satisfying him immensely.
Draco kissed her until they were breathless and she headily whispered in his ear, "Now."
He couldn't have asked for a sweeter command as he pushed into her, willing himself to keep control. She threaded her fingers through his platinum hair as he began to thrust slowly, maddeningly as they tested the newness of each other's bodies. It didn't take long for them to find their common rhythm and the pace intensified. Hermione clung to him, moaned his name, drove him over the edge as he gripped her hips. Her fingers dug into his skin as he plunged into her hot, slick core, burying himself fully, and shuddered. Their world exploded into a million tiny sparkles and broke away.
They sailed into bliss, panting and holding each other close. They lay there for a long time, just holding each other, recovering, trying to catch their breath. Hermione still felt a little dizzy. Draco felt completely elated, as though he'd never be able to walk again with his feet confined to the ground.
Her face was buried in his shoulder and a half-sob escaped from her mouth. Draco immediately looked into her face, whispering, "Did I hurt you?"
"No," she murmured to him, "no, it was exquisite."
He kissed her then, once more, softly and tenderly as
he held her protectively in his arms. She stroked his hair and nuzzled his neck affectionately. He fell asleep in her arms, his hand resting subtly on her hip.
It was a good deal later when they awoke. Half the
candles had burned out and the cave seemed considerably colder now that they were naked and no longer engaged in urgent physical activities. Draco sat up, pulled his shirt over his head and watched as Hermione came awake.
"What time is it?" she asked.
"Dunno," he answered her. He was getting dressed again and offered her her clothes. "You cold?"
"Yeah," she admitted. "And hungry. That was quite a workout."
She blushed and grinned at him and he grinned back. He was so handsome when he wasn't scowling. She dressed and stood up.
"What's this?" Draco asked, bending over to where the broken shards of the McGuddah littered the floor. She bent to see. He held up a big, green rock, transparent, like a giant dirty emerald. "If I got my wish, how come the McGuddah is still here?"
He turned a puzzled gaze on her and she stared back. A moment later, laughter was spilling out of her mouth.
"What?" he wanted to know. "What's so funny?"
"You're holding the McGuddah," she told him. "That statue was just a ruse, I'll bet. You know, like that muggle film...what's it...Romancing the Stone."
Draco was bewildered. "But then.my wish..."
"Honestly," she said in her best bossy tone, "doesn't anyone listen when the professors are speaking? Dumbledore said your wish can't affect free will."
He stared at her for a prolonged minute and then said, "But I got my wish."
"Maybe," she said with a teasing glint in her eye. "But it wasn't the McGuddah who granted it."
She grabbed him and kissed him petulantly. He pulled back, saying, "You are a minx, aren't you?"
She only shook her head at him as they both stood up and looked at the large stone in his hand.
"So," she said more softly. "What are you going to wish for?"
"No," he said, pressing the McGuddah stone into her hand. "I already got my wish. Now it's your turn."
"Well, I'm so hungry right now," she said, "that all I want is to get out of this cave and back to the school."
There was a loud crack like thunder followed by impenetrable darkness. Hermione felt nauseated, as though she was in an elevator plummeting to the basement. She felt the stone burning into a hot liquid, scalding her fingers as it melted through and from somewhere in the blackness, Draco screamed her name.
"Hermione, thank goodness!" Harry shouted as Hermione rolled along the carpet and banged her head on the statue of the sea goddess. "We were so worried about you!"
Ron was at her side in an instant, helping her to her feet.
"Ah," said Dumbledore when she opened her eyes. Students from both Gryffindor and Slytherin were milling about in the hallway. Draco got to his feet with a groan. "I trust you found the McGuddah."
His eyes were twinkling in merriment as Hermione and
Draco collected themselves, brushing at the wrinkles in their robes. They both nodded at him.
"And I trust that you made the same wish as everyone else who has found the McGuddah," he added, steepling his fingers beneath the point of his beard.
"What wish is that, professor?" Hermione said, a faint flush creeping into her cheeks as she dared a glance at Draco.
"Why, to be out of the McGuddah's hiding place, of course," Dumbledore said with great amusement.
Ron seemed sorely disappointed when Hermione confirmed Dumbledore's report. The students were dismissed back to their dormitories seeing as the hour was late. Hermione looked over her shoulder as Draco flowed the opposite direction. He stopped at the end of the hallway and turned, giving her a last fleeting look and a bittersweet smile that Hermione knew she would never forget.
She trudged up the staircase after her classmates, her heart full with the secret knowledge that if only for one night, Draco Malfoy loved her. She smiled to herself and hurried to keep up with her friends. She listened to them talk without hearing it. The memory of his arms, his words, were still too fresh to sink away from. So she went along, carrying her secret, with a tiny part of her heart very sadly realizing that as wonderful as it had been, it never would be again. They would go separate ways, and their lives would take them different places. But whatever happened in the future, this was the way she was determined to remember him privately, in her heart of hearts.
