Title: The Rescue Mission, Malfoy Style
Summary: What if a certain Slytherin was part of the rescue mission in the Prisoner of Azkaban?
Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns it all.
Author's note: I got this idea a long time ago, wrote it out a few years ago. This takes place chapter 22 on the dvd, just before Buckbeak is about to be beheaded…
Chapter 1
Harry, Hermione and Ron exited the castle and hurriedly crossed the courtyard, Hermione openly glaring at The Executioner as he sharpened his axe. Crossing the bridge, the tense silence that had descended on the trio was broken.
"I can't believe they're going to kill Buckbeak! It's just too horrible," Hermione said.
"It just got worse," Ron told them as he reached the end of the bridge first. The trio stop as they took in the sight of Draco Malfoy and some of his Slytherin cronies, crouching by a large slab of rock, spying on Hagrid and speaking in low voices. Hermione took over down the slope towards them. One of his fellow housemates nudged him, and he turned and stood.
"Ah, come to see the show?" he smirked, spreading his arms wide.
"You foul, loathsome, evil, little cockroach," Hermione spat, advancing on him as he backed up against the rock, pointing her wand directly at his throat.
"Hermione, no!" Ron said. "He's not worth it."
She slowly lowered her wand, and Draco mentally breathed a sigh of relief. He chuckled, glancing at his friends and when his gaze returned to the bushy brunette in front of him her balled fist blocked his view as it non-too-gently collided with his jaw. He gasped in pain as his cronies asked if he was alright. Of course I'm not bloody alright! he thought angrily as he swore under his breath. His eyes narrowed at the gleeful smirks on Scarhead and Weasel-Bee. How dare she hit me! he thought, searching through his memory for a painful hex to bestow on the mudblood. Hermione, however, had different plans.
"You two," she gestured to his fellow Slytherin classmates, "leave, now, and if you repeat this incident to anyone…" they took off before they could hear the end of her threat. Cowards, he thought bitterly. She glanced back at Harry and Ron.
"The both of you should head down to Hagrid's, he's probably in great distress." Seeing them beginning to protest, she added, "I'm a big girl, I can handle myself." Nodding mutely, they set off down the long flight of stone steps. Leaving Hermione with Draco. She immediately replaced her wand at his neck.
"So tell me, why should I let you go?" she asked, her gaze unwavering. Just keep up the sobbing act, he told himself, she'll definitely- "Oh, stop with the dramatics!" she exclaimed. Draco froze in his actions, already plotting his next best route of escape.
"You know, I feel sorry for you." His look of utter astonishment almost made her burst out laughing. "Yes, you," she continued, beginning to pace. Draco saw this as his chance to flee, but her wand was already firmly planted at his neck once more.
"You're really just a pathetic, lost little boy at heart." He clenched his fists in anger. I'll show her who's- "But I'm going to help you with that."
"Huh?" he mumbled.
"You're going to do a little growing up tonight, Malfoy," she continued as if she had never been interrupted.
"Oh yeah? How?" She smiled.
"I'll show you." Against his better judgement, Draco felt a small surge of respect for the witch.
"Come on now," she ordered, pulling him towards the steps leading to Hagrid's hut and the Dark Forest, "we haven't got all evening." He roughly pulled his sleeve from her grasp.
"I can walk fine, thanks," he sneered, "and where are you taking me? And what if I don't cooperate?" Hermione turned on the step below him.
"Oh, I think you'll cooperate just fine," she uttered in a deadly soft voice, and Draco felt a thrill of fear run through him. She continued down the path and he followed, his curiosity getting the better of him.
"And you'd better not complain about whatever is going to happen or I'll hit you so hit hard you'll get whiplash." She flashed him a pretty smile as they reached Hagrid's, and he felt an unfamiliar tug in the pit of his stomach. He shrugged it off.
"It'll all become clearer as the hours pass what it is we're going to do," Hermione added, and he had an inkling she was reassuring herself of that fact also. She opened the door to the hut and Draco followed her in. Immediately, Hagrid rose from his chair.
"What's he doing here?" he growled, taking a menacing step forward.
More I hear you say? You know what to do: play your part:P