On Storm Tossed Seas

Chapter 12: The Orb

Hermione gasped as Draco jerked back. She watched him clasp his head, squeezing his eyes tightly shut, and then fall, unconscious, to the ground. For a long moment, she stared. Then she flew into action.

"Draco!" she screamed, rushing to his side. His face, pale and cold, looked like death. She grabbed his shoulder and gave him a gentle shake, calling his name. He moaned and slowly opened his eyes.

"Wh--what happened?" he spoke in a groggy voice.

"I--I don't know. You passed out." She looked at him carefully, and helped him to sit up. "We should get you to Madam Pomfrey."

He gave a weak nod and moved to stand up, almost stumbling again. "I-I think I'm gonna need some help," he said in a near whisper.

Hermione gave a nod and helped him to his feet, pulling his arm around her shoulder as she did so. She pulled her own bag off the ground, tossing the Cloak in it first. Slowly the two made their way to the infirmary.

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Hermione crept into her room, collapsing on her bed, at five in the morning. Madam Pomfrey

Hermione sank onto the bench at the Gryffindor table the next morning, eyes puffy and bloodshot from tears and lack of sleep. She stared at her empty plate for a few long moments, her mind still in the library, mulling over all that Draco had told her.

"Herm? You okay?" Ron asked as he stuffed a forkful of waffles into his mouth. He gave a worried look at Harry when Hermione didn't answer.

Harry reached a hand over and placed it on Hermione's arm; she jumped.

"Oh! Sorry, did you say something?" She looked back and forth between the two boys.

"Ron asked if you were okay. You're not looking too well this morning," he said, worry evident in his voice.

"I'm fine. Just a little tired, that's all."

Harry gave her an unconvinced nod. "Did you find what you were looking for last night?"

Hermione felt the blood rush to her face and lowered her head a bit. "No. I didn't. I-I suppose I'll have to go back again."

"Harry and I'd be happy to go help you, Herm. Wouldn't we, Harry?"

Ron gulped down some pumpkin juice.

"Yeah, we would."

Hermione gave a sharp shake of her head. "No. I'll manage." She abruptly stood. "I'm gonna go to the library." She shouldered her bag and turned to leave.

"Herm, we have Transfiguration--" Ron began.

"I know. I'll be there." She quickly stepped from the table and flew from the Great Hall and to the Infirmary. Once she reached the door, she paused. She couldn't figure out why she'd come here. Draco may have confided in her last night, but she was afraid of how he might react to her this morning. Taking deep breath, she pushed the doors open and walked in.

"Ms. Granger. I assume you are here to check on Mr. Malfoy?" Madam Pomfrey questioned when she saw the nervous student.

Hermione gave a nod.

"Well, you will be pleased to know he's fine. He left just a few moments ago." She gave Hermione a smile and walked back to her office, mumbling about finding a potion.

Hermione stood uncertainly for a moment. She felt her heart sink and tried to ignore it. She didn't really care that Draco wasn't there; she tried to convince herself. She gave a heavy sigh and pushed the door back open, slowly walking towards Transfiguration.

"Coming to check on me, Gr--Hermione?" Draco, leaning nonchalantly against wall, watched her with a guarded expression.

Hermione halted in her tracks and looked at him. "Why would I do that?"

He pushed himself off the wall and stepped closer to her. "I don't know, why would you?" he asked, his voice laced with tension.

Her eyes flickered over his shoulder and then looked back at him, connecting with his eyes. "Would it be a bad thing for me to be concerned about you? To want to check on you?" she asked, holding her breath slightly as she waited for his answer.

He stepped closer to her and found himself pushing a hand into her hair, softly he answered her, "No, it's not a bad thing."

She released her breath and swallowed as tingles raced down to her toes as he gently leaned in closer to her. His eyes bore into hers, silently asking; silently her eyes gave him the answer he was seeking, her hand reaching up and cupping his cheek. He moved closer to her, his lips a hairbreadth from hers. Her heart beat furiously in her chest as she waited with anticipation for the feel of his lips on hers again.

"Hermione?" A female voice interrupted the moment. As quickly as Draco had approached her, he stepped back. Hermione's head snapped and looked into Ginny's shocked eyes.

"Ginny! It's--what are you doing here?"

Ginny looked between the two and spoke in a slightly quavering voice. "I was heading to my potions class. Is--is everything okay here?" She glanced at Draco again before looking back at Hermione, questions dancing in her eyes. The three stood in an uncomfortable silence.

Hermione looked over at Draco to see that his face and eyes were masked with his typical indifference. A sneer crossed his features and he opened his mouth to answer Ginny. Quickly, Hermione jumped in.

"Yes. Everything's fine. I was just on my way to Transfiguration and you better not be late to Potions, Ginny. Snape will take points." Before Ginny had time to answer, Hermione adjusted her bag, spun on her heel and moved down the hall towards Transfiguration. Draco watched her go, smirked at Ginny and left for his class, leaving a very confused Ginny standing in the hallway.

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Hermione sunk into the couch before the fire at the end of the day. She gave a heavy sigh. Images of Draco kept flashing in her mind. She had felt him watching her during Care of Magical Creatures and Potions. It took all her strength to not turn to look at him. Having Harry and Ron next to her during class had been a help, though the two of them had relentlessly tried to find out what was wrong with her.

She masterfully sidestepped their questions each time, but the effort had left her exhausted. Fortunately Harry had Quidditch practice until 5:30 and Ron had disappeared with the excuse that he had 'something to do', that mysterious look on his face again; she could be alone with her thoughts. But her thoughts kept betraying her. She didn't want to think about Draco, it was too confusing. With a frustrated sigh, she stood and headed up to her dorm.

She breathed a sigh of relief when she entered and found the room empty. She walked over to her bedside table and pulled out the hydrophanous orb, sat cross-legged on her bed and held the cool orb in her hands, staring at it. The subtle shifting black was mesmerizing, and she focused on it, helping her to put Draco from her mind. As she continued to gaze at the orb, she felt herself begin to drift. The room became hazy; she saw herself from a distance sitting on the bed, the orb held in her hands. A misty haze descended upon the seated Hermione.

The walls of the room were replaced by steep hills; the beds morphed into palm trees and dense foliage. No longer did she see herself sitting on the bed. She turned her head, her mouth gaping as she looked about her. It looked like she was on the Island of Malnese. She was standing at the top of the white sandy beach where Captain Solstine had found his wife. Cautiously she took a step forward, the beach wavered in her vision, and disappeared.

Her eyes popped open and she found herself lying on her back on the bed, the orb floating above her. As she looked at it, it fell heavily next to her head. She turned her head, eyes wide and stared at the orb. Swallowing hard, she quickly pushed herself up and away from it. She continued to eye the ball warily before grabbing it quickly and dropping it into her bedside table.

"Herm? You okay?"

She turned her head to see a concerned Lavender looking at her, brow furrowed.

"Um--yeah, I'm fine. I was just--just taking a nap. Why?" She pushed herself up as she spoke, but quickly fell back as her head spun wildly.

"You don't look okay. Let's get you to the infirmary."

She pushed herself up again, fighting to keep from collapsing again as her head tilted the room. "No, Lav, I'm fine. Really. Just trying to wake up all the way."

Lavender shrugged. "Okay, if you say so. I was just heading down for dinner, you want to join me?"

"Dinner's not for another hour, Lav." Hermione said, putting a hand to her head in an effort to make the room right itself.

"Herm, it's 5:50! Are you sure you're okay?" Lavender examined Hermione's face with searching eyes.

She forced herself to ignore the spinning and stood, pulling strength from inside, her hand gripping the bedside table. "I'm fine. But how can it be 5:50. I only came up here a few minutes ago, at 4:30. It can't be 5:50."

"You obviously lost track of time while you slept," Lavender said, shaking her head. "Anyway, let's head down to dinner. I'm hungry," she said, turning and heading towards the door.

Hermione felt confused, but followed after Lavender, still trying to make the room stop spinning. She reached the top of the stairs and began to walk down them. It was too much for her head; she stumbled and fell down the stone steps, landing with a thud at the bottom.

"Hermione!" Lavender shrieked, racing to the bottom of the stairs. She reached Hermione's side and gripped her shoulder, giving her a shake. "Herm? Come on, wake up!"

"Lavender? What happened?"

She stood as Harry, followed closely by Ron, quickly descended the stairs.

"I'm not sure. She looked a little pale upstairs, but you know Hermione, she wouldn't admit it. We were going to head out for dinner, and she fell down the stairs."

Harry kneeled by Hermione and scooped his unconscious friend into his arms. "Guess dinner will have to wait, Ron. Let's get her to Madam Pomfrey."

The two boys, trailed by Lavender, hurried through the corridors to the infirmary. They halted when an unwelcome drawl issued from behind them.

"Well, well, it looks like the mighty Potter and has managed to once again bring harm to his friend. It never ceases to amaze."

Harry turned, cradling the limp girl in his arms. "What do you want, Malfoy?"

Draco raised an eyebrow. "I don't believe I said I wanted anything."

He tilted his head towards Hermione. "Just curious as to what failed plot caused Granger to become unconscious."

Harry glanced at Ron and Lavender. "Do I sense concern in your voice, Malfoy? Or are you simply afraid that you'll fail Sailing without Hermione to guarantee you your passing grade?"

Draco advanced on Harry. "Don't assume you know me or anything about me, Potter." He glanced down at Hermione. "You should probably get her to the infirmary, then. After all, if you were without her, you might not survive this next year," he scoffed, turning on his heel and storming off to the Great Hall.

Ron watched Draco disappear and turned to look at Harry. "What the bloody hell was that all about?"

Harry gave a shrug and resumed his walk to the infirmary. "I have no clue."

The three students finished their trek in silence.

"Oh dear, not again. What has happened this time?" Madam Pomfrey asked, as the two entered.

"She fell down the stairs, Madam Pomfrey," Lavender said.

"Dear me, Ms. Granger and stairs." She shook her head. "Well, put her over there." She gestured to a nearby cot.

Harry quickly followed instructions and was joined by Ron and Lavender at the cot. The three stood awkwardly as Madam Pomfrey began her ministrations. Hermione fall caused a broken rib and a bump on her head, both of which Madam Pomfrey healed quickly. When she attempted to awaken Hermione, a fleeting look of worry crossed her features. She turned to the students and dismissed them, telling them that Hermione would need some time and that she would contact them when Hermione was able to have visitors. She brushed off the anticipated questions and ushered the three from the infirmary before contacting Dumbledore.

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"Albus, I just don't know what to make of it. She appears to be perfectly fine, but nothing I do will wake her."

"And you are positive she's not in a coma, Poppy?"

"Yes, completely positive. Her heartbeat is regular, her brainwaves functioning perfectly, all vital systems are doing their job, she just won't wake up." Poppy nervously wrung her hands as she looked over at the unconscious Hermione. Never in all her years as the Headnurse at Hogwarts had she been unable to solve a medical problem.

Albus gave a heavy sigh and reached a tender hand over to place it on Hermione's forehead. "Dear child." He watched her for a few moments and then turned to look back at Poppy. "Call me immediately when she awakens. I will be in my office." He reached a hand over and gave Poppy's hands a gentle squeeze. "Don't fret so much. She will be fine. You've never failed yet, Poppy. I have no worries that you will this time around."

Poppy gave him a grateful smile and watched him as he left the infirmary before she practically ran back to her office to hunt once more through all her medical books.

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The sound of crashing waves woke Hermione up. With a slight groan, she pushed herself into a sitting position and looked about herself in confusion. She stood and furrowed her brow. She couldn't recall how she'd gotten here, where ever here was. Turning in a slow circle, she took in her surroundings. She stood on the edge of a white sand beach, behind her, standing a silent guard, were majestic palms and dense foliage. In front of her the deep aquamarine waters sparkled in the bright sun.

Putting her hand up to shade her eyes, she scanned the horizon for any sign of a ship or land. Nothing but the sparkling waters met her search. After a few moments, she turned and faced the jungle behind her. After some consideration, she chose to walk along the beach and see if she came upon some people. She began her trek, her mind puzzling over how she came to be here. Abruptly she stopped in her tracks and looked down at herself. Her wizarding robes were gone.

She smoothed her hand over a white cotton sundress, noticing that her feet were bare. Shaking her head, she slowly returned to her trek, more puzzled than before. Briefly she glanced at the position of the sun behind her; it appeared to be early morning. She walked westward until her legs ached and the sun had reached the apex of its slow climb. Swallowing, she noticed that her throat was dry. At the same moment, she saw a trail of footprints in the sand ahead of her. Someone else was here. Forgetting her thirst for a moment she ran quickly towards the footprints her face falling as she realized that the footprints were hers. In approximately two hours, she'd circled the island. She was alone.

Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and tried to fight the rising panic. Panicking would do no good. Her mind searched for the somewhat limited knowledge she had on wilderness survival. Her parents had forced her to take a summer survival course after her second year at Hogwarts. Being that the outdoors was not her venue, she really had not applied herself to the course. After all, she'd reasoned with her parents, she was a witch. She had her wand.

Her eyes flew open. Her wand, of course! Without thought she attempted to pull her wand from her pocket when she realized that she had no pockets on the sundress and, therefore, no wand. Exhaling slowly, she again assessed her situation. She recalled that the first thing to do in a situation like this was to find water. Clean water. If she only had water she could survive for a number of days. After water, she'd look for food.

The chill in the air let Hermione know that the day was drawing to a close. Her hunt for water had let her to a small pool, but food appeared to be more difficult to find. It occurred to her, suddenly, that she'd not seen or heard a single sound beyond the wind in the trees and the crash of waves. Not a single bird or animal had shown its presence in any way. Involuntarily, she shuddered. Convincing herself that the chill simply was reaction to the colder night air, she found some large leaves and pulled them from the tree. After creating a bed of sorts within a small grove of bamboo, she laid down and pulled a few more on top of her, her back pressed tightly against a medium sized rock. Her eyes closed and she drifted off.

The next day she continued to hunt for food, continually returning to her water source to be refreshed. As of yet, she'd found nothing to eat on the island. The empty gnawing in the pit of her stomach had become a dull ache. Suddenly she heard a noise. A voice. She almost yelled out, when she slapped her hand over her mouth, all the stories she'd read and movies she watched growing up about pirates and islands coming back to her in a flash.

Silently she slunk through the foliage towards the sounds of voices, freezing when she came to a break in the jungle. Involuntarily she inhaled. She had reached the edge of an interior beach. Sparkling white sands led the way to the deep blue pool below. Standing at top were Captain Solstine and First Mate Lamay.

"Sir, I fear this island. Something about it does not feel right. There is a foul wind, sir." Lamay, wand in hand, looked about, his eyes filled with trepidation.

"Nonsense, Lamay. It is a perfectly good island. But we are here to find my wife. Let's continue." He stepped forward at these words and froze, dropping to his knees. Hermione inhaled sharply when she realized what was before him. In horror she watched him grab the bleached bones and clasp them to his chest. Seeing it in person terrified her whereas the picture in the book had simply been gross.

Suddenly she wanted to turn and run. Maybe she could get to the beach and somehow get on board the Vintmoor. Her body refused to obey her brain, however. She couldn't even tear her eyes from the sight before her. In a trancelike state she watched Solstine drop his wife to the ground and stand; watched him pull out his wand; watched Lamay flee as incomprehensible words began to flow from Solstine's mouth.

A dark haze followed red sparks from the tip of his wand, wrapping itself around Solstine and his wife. His wife. Hermione's eyes widened as the bones arose and the mist swirled about them. An earsplitting bang knocked Hermione over, but her eyes never left the horror before her. Internal organs began to form within the skeleton; muscles and fat overlaid by veins; skin appeared in patches and quickly covered the exterior of Solstine's wife. Her eyes, though, they looked about the jungle and focused on Hermione. Her eyes bore into Hermione's, a silent plea formed in them.

Then she heard another voice. She couldn't tell where it came from, or whose it was, but she heard it. The words were unintelligible. She furrowed her brow a bit as she tried to focus; the whispered words became clear.

"Hermione, come on, wake up. You can't expect to get out of our homework just because you're not feeling well."

She took a deep breath as she recognized the voice and turned her head, her eyes opening and trying to focus on a fuzzy form. Her head spun crazily, the room tilting at a wild angle. She gripped the bed to keep herself from being tossed from it. Swallowing, she opened her mouth to speak, a raspy voice issued from her.

"Draco, is that you?"

A warm hand enveloped hers and a face loomed above her. "Yes, Hermione, it is. It is good to see you awake." At his touch, the room stopped moving.

"Awake? Wh-what time is it?" Her eyes still tried to focus. She felt like there was something she needed to remember, but the images of the beach, the captain, his wife, it all faded away like a fog rising. As she waited for Draco to answer her, she completely forgot the plea in the eyes of Solstine's wife.

"It is two-thirty in the morning; Monday morning. You've been here since Thursday evening." He brushed her hair back from her face.

She blinked a few times, his face finally coming into focus. "I've been here since when?"

"Since Thursday."

"Why?"

"I don't know. I knew you had been brought here; I ran into Potter and Weasley and some girl who were bringing you here. That's all I know."

She furrowed her brow a bit. "And, how come you are here?"

He cleared his throat a bit, and his voice lowered a little more, his hand tightening his grip on hers. "I-I've been here every night, for an hour. I sneak in, after Pomfrey goes to sleep."

She tried to push herself up into a sitting position, but the room tilted again and she collapsed quickly.

"Hermione, don't! I-I should probably go wake Pomfrey?"

She gripped his hand tighter and looked at him. "No. Please, not yet."

He gave a nod and the two sat in silence.

In a quiet voice, Hermione finally spoke. "Draco, what is," she swallowed hard, "what is going on? With us? I mean--" her voice trailed off.

Draco sat looking at her for a few long moments in thought. He wasn't sure why he was there, or what he wanted from her. He just knew, somehow, that he needed her. He could see himself falling in love with her, though it made no sense to him. She intrigued him. He found himself moving from his chair to the edge of the bed, his fingers lacing through hers. He opened his mouth, deciding to tell her what he was thinking.

"Hermione, the last month has been--confusing--for me. I've hated you for so long, and I--"

"Get away from her, Malfoy!" Harry appeared, with a seething Ron, next to Hermione's bed, the Cloak held in Harry's hand.

Draco jerked his head to the side, his eyes automatically narrowing as he saw Harry and Ron. His hand gripped Hermione's tighter.

"What the--"

Before he could continue, Hermione interrupted in a quiet voice. "Harry, Ron, I want him here." She gave Draco's hand a squeeze, causing him to look back at her, surprise on his face. She continued to keep her gaze on Harry and Ron.

Confusion crossed Harry's face, Ron's face turning to a deep shade of red. Their mouths gaped, neither knowing what to say.

In her quiet voice, she continued. "I appreciate the concern you two have for me. You two are, and always will be, my best friends, but I would ask that you leave for now. I want Draco to be here." She looked both of them in the eyes after she finished speaking.

Harry took a step towards her. "Herm? Are you sure?" he glanced at Draco, who was still staring at Hermione. "He's not bothering you?"

A small smile graced her lips. "Harry, I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself. Now, would you and Ron please leave for now? I will see you two tomorrow and we will talk, okay?"

Harry's gaze shifted from her to Draco and back a few times before he gave a hesitant nod. "If that's what you want, Herm, okay." He turned to Ron, who looked about ready to spit some hexes at Draco, grabbed him, and walked out of the infirmary.

Hermione watched until the two of them left and then turned to look up into Draco's eyes. Hesitantly she reached her other hand up to gently touch his face. She opened her mouth to speak, but found she had no idea what to say, so she closed her mouth quickly.

Draco gave a small smile and reached his free hand up to cup over hers. "Did you mean it?"

"Did I mean what?"

"Did you mean it when you said you wanted me to be here?" His voice cracked the slightest bit as he spoke.

She gave a nod.

"Why?"

"Honestly? I don't really know. I just know that I don't want you to leave yet." She swallowed a bit as he continued to gaze into her eyes.

"I think I understand, Hermione," he whispered.

"Mr. Malfoy? What are you doing out of your dorm at this hour of night?" Madam Pomfrey's voice echoed through the quiet room. She quickly moved over to the cot and looked down at Hermione. "I see you are finally awake, Miss. You have had me quite worried. Now, Mr. Malfoy, why don't you head off to your room. You may come and visit Ms. Granger during regular visiting hours." She immediately pushed Draco from the bed and began to check Hermione over before either student could say a word.

Draco watched Hermione in silence for a few moments and then, with great reluctance, left the infirmary, Hermione's eyes following him as he left.