walls

This is my answer to the "Dawn Syndrome" challenge issued at Muggle of Mass Destruction. What if Connor didn't get 'placed' with a
muggle family.

musical note: Walls is by Tom Petty, not that this is really a songfic in the strictest sense. There's only one teeny quote from the song in here.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Cos you got a heart so big, it could crush this town, and I can't hold out forever, even walls fall down..."

*~*

He'd figure out exactly what he was doing here... later.

He'd figure out what had possessed him to go all 'champion' later. He'd deal with his father, his brother, the other two thirds of the dream
team, Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape... all of them... later. Right now he was going to get one bushy-haired Gryffindor prefect out of the
rising water she was in. She hadn't even noticed him yet.

"Granger!"

Her head darted up to look at him right as a wave of the swirling water lapped over her face. She surfaced sputtering and coughing. Why in
the hell was she out here alone anyhow? Where in the bloody hell were Potter and Weasley? Didn't those two pillocks know how to watch
after a girl? The rain was getting heavier.

"Give me your hand!"

His own was beginning to slide on the root he was gripping. She stared at him. Another wave of water went over her face.

"Dammit, Granger! Forget I'm a bloody Malfoy and let me help you before your mudblooded little self drowns, you stupid cow!"

Her tiny hand smacked into his with a wet clap. He yanked her up as hard as he could. She grabbed onto his waist and began choking up
water.

"I need you to hold on. Can you?"

She nodded. He grabbed the tree roots and began pulling them up. He was as wet as she was from this little adventure. He pulled himself up
out of the natural well she'd fallen into in the forbidden forest. He would ask later why she was out here. He grabbed her and hefted her out.
She was soaked through and covered in mud now.

Hermione flopped onto her back and started taking in great gulps of air.

He stared as the rain beat down on them both. The Gryffindor was lying on her back, trying to remember how to breathe. Her school robe
was open and lying in a wet mass all around her. Her white school issued shirt was plastered to the chest he'd never noticed she had. The
normally afro-like hair laid spread out in a muddy fan around her head like some obscene halo. He crawled over to her to peer into her face.
He suddenly felt a bit tired.

"Granger?"

She just blinked up at him.

"HERMIONE!"

Before he could move away from her... to a less misunderstood position of not lying on his side looming right over Granger's face like they
were having some romantic tryst in the rain, Hagrid burst through the underbrush with Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Snape on his heels.

"Get off 'er!" Hagrid bellowed.

He scrambled to his feet.

"No..." Hermione said. "He didn't.... he... I'd be dead if he hadn't shown up."

Both of Snape's eyebrows shot up.

She struggled to get to her feet. She was so shaky though. She gasped when she felt hands help her to stand. Hermione looked at Malfoy
and blinked. He took his hands off of her and backed away. Saved by the Head Boy.... the very Slytherin Head Boy. It could be worse.

It was worse. She was going to have to explain to McGonagall why she was out here. Dumbledore too, but Dumbledore wouldn't be so bad.
Having to tell McGonagall was always worse because of those looks on her face.

She would never know what possessed her, but Hermione leaned up and pressed a kiss to her rescuer's dirty cheek.

"Thank you, Mal... er, Connor."

His little brother was going to have a conniptions when he heard that he'd saved Granger from drowning. Especially if it ever got out that
she'd kissed him for his efforts. Connor wasn't so sure about that though. She was pretty smart. She likely could have figured a way out
herself.

And to think he'd followed her to give her detention for being in the forbidden forest.

"Good heavens, let's get you both to the infirmary." McGonagall said, looking slightly pinched and angry.

Connor cast a glance at the shivering Granger.

It hit him like the cruciatus curse.

Granger was.... not half bad looking? Sure, she was all drowned rat with a great swipe of mud on her cheek just now, but her clothes were
sticking to her. Her hair was heavy with rainwater and mud, and her eyes were huge just now. He'd never noticed she was a girl. She
stumbled and his hands shot out to steady her seemingly of their own accord.

He cringed inwardly. What in the bloody hell was he thinking? His eyes went wide with the shock of it.

"Thanks." She murmured.

He nodded curtly and removed his hands.

This was bad. Connor glanced at the professors walking near them. Dumbledore's eyes were sparkling from behind his glasses. Snape was
looking at Connor with one eyebrow raised. Connor sighed. He knew he was going to have to explain this... to a great many people, but how
was he ever to explain saving Granger when he didn't understand it himself?

All Connor knew is that when he'd seen her scream and fall in, some voice in his head had told him that he was supposed to help her. He
was DESTINED for it. He was moving before he even realized it. How could he go telling people that? Destiny? Only gits like Potter had that.
Malfoys made their own fate, fate did not make them. And voices in his head? They'd lock him up in St. Mungo's for sure.

His father would kill him with his bare hands.... right before he shit himself and died. Draco would never speak to him again. Wait.... that
might not be so bad. Connor sighed. He needed to think of something... and quick.

Just then Granger let out a series of sneezes. He didn't even think about it. He reached into his robes and pulled out his handkerchief. It was
damp, but it would get the job done. He handed it to her absently.

"Thanks." She muttered.

Connor looked at her wiping her nose, realizing what he'd just done.

Oh bloody hell. This one instance of uncharacteristic hero-ing was turning into a total goody-two shoes cluster-fuck for him. Malfoys weren't
nice guys.

How was he EVER going to explain ANY of this?

*~*~*