Would You Still Love Me?

T w e n t y - O n e

"How'd you sleep beaver?" Draco shouted, their normal space returned.

Hermione twitched but didn't falter, if anything she moved faster. "Just fine, thank you. Now please leave me alone so I may concentrate" she said shortly.

"You don't even know where we're going" Draco snapped. "How long til we get there" Hermione asked, ignoring his comment.

Draco rolled his eyes dramatically, quite aware she couldn't see him. "by tomorrow we should be camping outside her lair"

Hermione flinched again. "Please don't say lair. It sounds so ominous" She shivered. "Oh I'm sorry captain, would Gigantic Terrifying Castle be more up your alley?" Draco sneered.

Hermione ignored him again and walked faster. Draco was still shouting out insults and digs behind her, clearly upset about last night's endeavours.

She shut her eyes. Trying to clear her mind from his taunts, her hand itching to grab her wand. She tried to keep her mind on the mission. Focused on nothing else. Including where she was going.

Her foot connected with a loose root and she fell, landing painfully on her side. She cried out as she hit the ground, still moaning when Draco made it over to her. But he didn't pay her any attention. His eye was focused on the book that had fallen out of her bag.

The one with the multi-colored front.

She started moving her hand to get it but Draco was quicker. "What is this?" He asked, flipping through the pages. "It's a present.......from Harry" Hermione panted.

"It's all blank, this just seems mean. He gets you a huge book but it doesn't have any words. Damn, why didn't I think of that?" He mocked. She struggled but eventually got to her feet. Once she was steady, she attempted to rip the book out of his arms. He held it tight.

"So there is something special about this book" Draco sneered, his voice taunting her. Hermione growled, not hiding her anger well. "It was a present" she said, gritting her teeth.

"Tell me what it does and I'll let it go"

"Fine" Hermione agreed. Draco let go of the book and Hermione, not realizing how tight she was gripping it, stumbled back slightly. She opened the book, still glaring at Draco. He ignored her and rested his head on her shoulder, looking at the blank pages.

"What do you want to read about?" Hermione asked him. He paused to think for a moment than answered "pick a creature" Hermione nodded in acknowledgement. Although she was pissed at Draco she was glad she had stumbled upon this. She had forgotten it entirely. Not to mention it's magic would go undetected by Voldemort's daughter.

"Ok um....I want information on-" she hesitated, thinking of some less known creature. "-kelpie's" she finished, remembering her own experience with getting a kelpie out of a muggles pool.

The book slammed shut than opened to a random page again. Hermione cleared her throat and read out loud "A Kelpie is a shapeshifting water demon native to Great Britian and Ireland Able to take any form, they usually take the form of a horse with a bulrush mane. After luring unwary travellers onto their backs, they drag them underwater and eat them, allowing the entrails to float to the surface of the water." She stopped at the end of the paragraph and looked to Draco.

His mouth was open and he was staring at the now closed book. "Yep so that's what it does!" She officiated. Hermione stuffed the book back into her bag and once again walked far ahead of him. He caught up in two simple strides. "But how does it do that?"

"Magic"

"You can't get rid of me that easily, Granger"

"I wish I could!" Hermione shouted, turning on her heels, making him stop in his tracks. "You know this is hard for me. Stop trying to make it harder"