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Nature's Cruelty: Sequel to Earth Shattering	By : Luckycharms Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Hermione Views: 4870 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. That right goes to the AMAZING JK Rowling. No profit is made off this story.

Chapter List
- 1-Prologue
- 2-Flight
- 3-News
- 4-Secrets
- 5-Fireworks
- 6-Broken
- 7-Zoo
- 8-Tremble
- 9-Danger
- 10-Loss
- 11-Cruelty
- 12-Hope
- 13-Epilogue
- 7
- 8
- 9
Chapter 8- Tremble
Wednesday, July 5th, 2006 02:03pm
Hermione leaned over the railing to get a better view of the Elephants grazing in the distance. She was trying everything she could to not give into the temptation to talk about her feelings with Jason, but she kept feeling his eyes watching her, like she would break any moment.
She couldn’t explain what happened with the Lion, not because Jason was a muggle, but because she herself didn’t know what happened. The experience was all new to her and she had never encountered any magic like it before. Sure she had felt like her loved ones, who perished during the Battle of Hogwarts, were somehow watching over her, but that experience with the large cat was so different, unique, and very strange. There had to be an explanation and the one person she knew might have the answer, was back in England, still grieving over the loss of their twin.
Stepping back slightly while still holding onto the railing, Hermione sighed as she tried to concentrate on the on the animals before her with little use. She just couldn’t get the Lion out of her head. More so however, she couldn’t get the ideas of how her future was going to look, if Draco couldn’t accept their child.
“I really think you should let me grab Draco for you.” Jason cut in on her thoughts as he leaned on the railing with his elbows and looked out to the vast open enclosure.
“I don’t want him.”
“Why not?” he asked turning his head to her “Maybe he could help out figure out what happened with the Lion.”
“That isn’t why I don’t want him.” she stated a little somber.
“Hermione, I don’t mean to pry but you don’t seem to be having any fun here and you don’t want your husband. If you would rather just go, then we can go, and you can figure all your issues out with him. I don’t want to drag you around the whole rest of the zoo if you are not feeling up to it.”
“No…No, I don’t want to leave. I am enjoying myself it’s just…oh I don’t know, things between Draco and I…it’s complicated and no matter how much I want to fix it, I can’t. I can’t do anything because everything rests on his decision.”
Jason raised a brow in curiosity and Hermione felt she said too much. She turned back to look at the Elephants and licked her lips before folding in her bottom one. Jason took a second as he continued to look at her before continuing the conversation.
“Is it because he doesn’t want children?” he finally spoke, in a kind manner.
Hermione’s head snapped to him in shock and her eyes grew wide in confusion.
“How did-how did you know that?” she asked as she searched his face for any sign of a tell.
Jason pinched his lips together and nodded his head slightly before turning back to the enclosure.
“I took a guess, but it wasn’t hard to figure out.” He turned his head back to her “When I asked you about having children, you looked extremely sad and on the verge of tears while Draco, well his whole body tensed up. I could see the look in his eyes that he was scared.”
Hermione’s jaw quivered slightly as she tried to hold back the tears trying to reform in her eyes. She should have been more surprised at anyone knowing her personal business, but realized that she and Draco were both pretty bad at hiding their reactions when asked.
“You’re pregnant…aren’t you?” he asked softheartedly when she didn’t say anything. “That is the decision you are waiting on him to make?”
Hermione took in a small breath and nodded her head before letting it out slowly; still unsure of what to say.
“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked “I know you don’t know me very well but…I think having an outside opinion sometimes helps. People can be blind at times when it comes to their own relationships. I have seen it happen too many times when called out to tend to the wounds of domestic disputes turned violent. ”
“I-I uh…I think…it would be nice to have someone to vent to.” She finally stated “Just…please don’t tell Draco I told you about our problems.”
“Your secret is safe with me.” He smiled “So…Well first, congratulations!”
Hermione let off a faint smile as she looked down to the ground.
“Thanks.”
“How far along are you?” he asked looking from her belly to her face.
“Six weeks. I found out right before I walked down the aisle when Ginny, uh Ron’s sister, was having trouble zipping me into my dress. She performed a spell to see if I was and ever since I had been trying to find the right moment to tell Draco…but something always came up.”
“I am guessing when you finally told him, he didn’t take it very well.”
She shook her head no and let out a deep sigh.
“I just, I thought he would be happy, you know? But it ended in a fight and I don’t know what to do. I refuse to give up the child just because he can’t man up and want it.”
“Hermione?” Jason moved his head to look at her face better. “Did you ever question why he doesn’t want kids?”
Hermione opened her mouth to say yes, but realized she didn’t. She was so caught up in trying to make him feel like crap for not wanting the child that she never stopped to ask him why he wasn’t ready.
“I figured as much.” He continued “You of all people know him better than I do, but from what my brother has told me, after he read the ‘tell-all’ book about that Malfoy’s, I can see where he is coming from.”
“What? How could you possibly see where he is coming from?” She questions in a harsh tone.
“Hey, don’t bite my head off.” He claimed holding his hands up “Just hear me out, alright?”
Hermione slouched her shoulders once more and waved a hand for him to continue.
“The poor bloke has not had an easy life. Did you know his father used to beat him when you would score higher than him in class? Or that he was forced to join the Death Eaters against his will? It wasn’t just to appease his father. That, Volde guy, threatened his family. He now has no friends or family left. The way I see it, he doesn’t want his new family to have the same life he did. And before you say it, it is not as easy as it sounds to change ones way of thinking. He has come a long way, Hermione, from the boy he used to be. He’s just scared. I don’t think that he doesn’t want the child you bear, I think his fear of failure put his walls back up, so that he doesn’t get hurt, or disappointed again.”
“Why hasn’t he said any of this to me? And why wait until after we are married to tell me?”
“Cut the man some slack, he just got a few friends and someone who finally loves him for him and not his money; the last thing that was probably on his mind was kids. But come on, be fair, did you ever even ask him before getting married, if he ever wanted kids? Or his thoughts on having them?”
“I…No.” her face fell as she began to register everything he was saying.
“I think you are being a little too hard on him. Give him some time and be supportive. He’ll come around eventually. You just have to go at his pace.”
Hermione lowered her head back down and took a deep breath in.
“You’re right. I have been so focused on trying to find a way to get him to want this baby, but I never really thought about all that. I mean, I know he would never leave me, so I should know that he would come around to the idea one day…I just-”
Hermione stopped as her hands began to rumble on the bar. Jason seemed to feel it too and looked down as well.
“What the-”
But he never got to finish that sentence. The whole ground below them began to shake violently, causing the duo to grab a hold of the railing for support as people screamed in terror. Families began running for the exit as the quake grew dangerously stronger.
Jason stood up while using the bar and reached out a hand to Hermione. She grabbed a hold of it and he pulled her up and away from the railing. They ran as fast as they could and as much as the shaking earth would let them, before they came to a stop about thirty feet from where they started. Jason quickly pushed Hermione under a round metal table in front of the Sabertooth Grill and then crawled in after her.
Hermione thought the earthquake they felt before was large, but she had never thought she would feel one as bad as what they were experiencing now. It seemed to go on forever as it caused light poles to come crashing to the ground and signed to fall off of building. To say she was terrified was an understatement.
She wrapped her arms around the center leg holding the table up as the earth continued to convulse in agitation. But just as quickly as the earthquake started, it stopped.
Breathing heavily into to pole of the table, Hermione kept her eyes squeezed shut while still holding on for dear life. She didn’t even notice that Jason was wrapped around her, also holding on to the table, until he let go and looked around.
“Hermione?...Hermione, it stopped, it’s okay, you can let go of the table now.”
Hermione slowly began opening her eyes and looked around as Jason began making his way out from their hiding spot. He turned around once he was fully out and reached out a hand to help her. She hesitantly reached out for him and allowed him to help her up.
Once she was all the way out, a loud siren began to blare throughout area with an announcement to evacuate the zoo.
“Do you think that was an aftershock?” Jason asked yelling over the siren.
But Hermione could barely hear him. She looked up with her hands covering her ears and noticed that they were right underneath one of the poles holding the speaker for the siren.
“We have to get out of here!” Jason tried to yell over the sound again.
“WHAT?” she asked looking back to him.
He cupped his hands next to his mouth and shouted.
“WE HAVE TO LEAVE!” he repeated.
“BUT DRACO AND STEVE! WE CAN’T LEAVE THEM HERE!’
“THEY WILL BE FINE. I AM SURE THEY ARE ALREADY AT THE EXIT SINCE THEY ARE RIGHT NEXT TO IT!”
Hermione nodded her head, but she couldn’t help feel that something was wrong. Although, she didn’t have time to dwell on the ominous thought before Jason grabbed her hand and began dragging her towards the exit. As they ran to the main gates, Hermione took notice of the surface cracks running throughout the pathway while they maneuvered around fallen light posts and trees. She worried about the two Slytherin’s and prayed to Merlin that they made it out safely.
Reaching the outside of the exit, Hermione and Jason began looking around for the wizards, but could not find them anywhere. The sirens finally stopped so they started shouting for them, but it was still to no avail over the mass chaos surrounding the place. Hermione began to panic and started to push passed people in hopes of catching a glimpse of the blonde Slytherin Prince. But he was nowhere to be found.
“We have to go back!” she stated as she turned sharply and grab a hold of Jason’s arms.
“I agree!” He claimed and looked around for a way back in. “We can’t go back that way; they are not going to allow us! We have to find another way around!”
Hermione nodded her head and looked around at the entrance. Her thoughts rested on going left and through the Zoofari Party Area before they were interrupted by the sight of swaying trees. But before she could think anymore of the strange behavior, the earth, once again, began to shift.
02:55pm
Draco began to awaken from his dazed state and came face to face with a terrified young teen.
“Oh thank Salazar you’re awake!” Steven announced in relief.
“What happened?” Draco asked groggily while raising a hand to touch his forehead.
“An earthquake. I don’t think it was an aftershock since it was stronger than the one from yesterday and that aftershock for all we know, could have happened when we were all sleeping. I think this one might have been a main shock and the one from yesterday a foreshock. But that doesn’t happen in this area so it might have just been a main shock? But then that would mean that the tectonic plates are shifting harder than normal; like it is mimicking the San Andrea’s fault line, which is impossible. Unless we felt the after effects of that fault line here…OR multiple fault lines are activating at the same time!”
“What the bloody hell are you rambling about?” Draco interrupted in annoyance as he looked down at the blood on his fingers.
“Earthquakes come in three parts.”
“What?” Draco questioned with a perplexed expression as he tried to stand up with a loud groan.
Steven rolled his eyes and stood to help Draco up.
“Earthquakes come in three parts; foreshock, main shock, and aftershock. The foreshock is extremely rare for this area and usually can occur from a matter of minutes, to days, or even longer, before the main shock. The main shock is the largest earthquake in a sequence, sometimes preceded by one or more foreshocks, and almost always followed by many aftershocks.”
“I have no idea what the fuck you are talking about. What the hell happened to my head?”
“Oh, well during the earthquake one of the wooden beams from the ceiling snapped and knocked you out. I think it was old wood.”
Draco looked up at the empty space where half a beam laid before looking back down to his blood covered fingers.
“I think you’ll be okay, it looks like it is only a minor gash. And you are talking just fine. You might have a concussion though, so just don’t fall asleep or hit your head again until you can get looked at.”
Draco turned his head to the young boy and raised a brow in confusion.
“Brother is a paramedic, remember? He has taught me a lot of muggle first aid.”
Draco tightened his lips and looked around before one thought rushed to the forefront of his mind.
“Fuck!”
“What?” Steven asked thrown back.
“Hermione!”
“I am sure she is okay. My brother is with her.”
“She is pregnant Steve! She is most certainly not okay!”
Steven jaw dropped open at the news, but Draco just huffed in frustration as he turned away from the boy and looked for the way out. But before he could even take a step in the right direction, the earth began to shake again; and this time, it seemed relentlessly unforgiving.
03:04pm
Hermione tightened her grasp on Jason as the ground shook with a powerful and violent force. There was nowhere to hide as the crowd began to scatter for somewhere safer to go. But the earth was merciless in is need to dominate and brought a good amount of people to their knees, including her and Jason.
But the location they were at was one that put them in grave danger. Hermione heard a loud groaning noise followed by the sound of something splitting in two. She looked up and saw the giant Lion statue, which sat in the middle of the entrance, start to tilt. A large crack formed at the base of the paw and quickly began to run up and along the length of the metal statue. She knew what was about to happen, so thinking quickly, she grabbed Jason’s hand and pulled him away from the monument as fast as she could.
As they fell to the still shaking ground, the Lion statue began to break apart. Shattering in two, half the large golden feline came crashing to the concrete bricks with brutal strength. However the ruthless earth was not finished.
The ground began to split underneath the pair and Hermione quickly looked down in a shock and panic. She followed the large crack as it zigged zagged up the walkway and through the middle of the main gates. Before she knew it, Jason had wrapped his arms under her and lifted her up by her armpits, dragging her out of the way and breaking her from the small trance she was caught up in.
They stood there watching as a large fissure formed where the crack once was. The earth, now open, was screaming at them while it started to swallow the broken statue and innocent lives whole.
03:05pm
Glass shattered everywhere as beams fell from the ceiling. Draco held on to Steven on the floor in front of a few habitats, while holding the teens head to his chest; trying his best to make sure the boy was going to be okay.
Thoughts of that night though, bombarded his mind as he watched himself hold on to Hermione. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t shake the vision away and even worse, she kept falling. The fear in her eyes, the terror in his, he couldn’t escape it.
Everything around them came crashing to the floor, snapping him back to reality, but Draco didn’t let go of the scared Slytherin in his arms. He had never felt something so powerful in his life. He didn’t even know it was possible for the earth to move like it did and it scared him, more then he could ever possibly admit.
As he held on to Steven tighter, a beam fell from the rafters and swung into a glass barrier above them, causing it to explode and rain shards upon them. Draco ducked his head down more and covered both of them while the earth, in its relentless chaotic rage, continued to agitate the walls around them.
The roof began to groan as it trembled under the pressure of the earthquake, and Draco knew it was only a matter of time before it gave in. But as he tried to look around for a way out, the ground gave up and instantly stopped moving.
Breathing heavily into the boy’s hair, Draco slightly looked around at the damage to the building. Glass was scattered all over the floor as ceiling lights sparked and dangled from the ceiling. It looked so much like his tower but he was determined not to go back to the day. He had a young boy to protect and he would be damned if he let anything happen to him while he was in his care.
Steven was crying into Draco’s chest as he continued to look around for an exit. He knew they couldn’t stay in the building any longer and he was desperate for a way out. Reptiles and amphibians, which were not crushed by the mayhem, began making their way out of their enclosures. Frogs hopped along, without a care in the world, as they too tried to find a way out.
Looking back down at Steven, still crying into him, Draco lowered his head and softly whispered to the boy.
“Steve, it’s okay mate, I got you. We are okay…but we need to get out of here. Can you walk?”
Steven sniffled a little before nodding his head. Draco slowly released his tight hold on him and moved to help him stand. Once Steven was standing and wiping the tears from his now red face, Draco stood up and rested his hands on Steven’s shoulders. He turned the young boy to him and lowered his upper body.
“Are you okay?” he asked gently. “Physically I mean.”
Steven nodded his head, but looked like he was on the verge of tears again.
“I want my brother.” He began softly sobbing.
Draco righted himself back up as he looked around the entrance.
“Okay, we will go get him. Come on let’s-”
Draco stopped suddenly when he turned back to the teen to go the way they came, and stared down at the one thing he had hoped he would never encounter in person.
“What? What is it?” Steven questioned.
But Draco stayed perfectly still, trying his best not to show any sort of fear. Not just for Steven’s sake though, but for the sake of the black and yellowed Cobra, arched up, right behind him.
03:08pm
Hermione stared in shock at the large fissure separating her from getting into the Zoofari Party Area.
“We have to go!” Jason yelled out as he tried to pull Hermione in the opposite direction she was looking.
But Hermione wouldn’t move. She had no idea now how she was supposed to get to her husband now. The fissure stretched about a mile long and was about fifteen feet wide; five feet wider than the average person can jump. But Hermione was adamant about getting Draco and she would stop at nothing to find him.
“What are you doing? Stop! You can’t jump that!” Jason shouted in a plea as people ran passed them trying to get as far away from the zoo as possible.
Hermione shook Jason hold from her and began to set herself up to run and jump; though Jason was not having it. He grabbed her arm again and turned her to face him.
“HAVE YOU GONE COMPLETELY MENTAL?” he screamed as if he was disciplining a child. “YOU ARE PREGNANT! ARE YOU TRYING TO GET YOURSELF KILLED?”
“I need to get to Draco!” she yelled back in frustration while trying to once again break his hold on her.
“By committing suicide? You can’t get to him if you are dead!” Hermione’s eyes began to water as she looked around Jason’s worried face. “My brother is in there too.” He claimed lowering his voice. “There has to be a better way in than jumping over that crevice.”
Hermione lowered her eyes for a moment, before looking back up and around the area.
“Um,” she began, trying to hold back her tears “The um, the bus road…it uh, it wraps around the edge of the park, that way.” She pointed behind him.
Jason turned his head to see where she was pointing before looking back to her and nodded his head.
“Right, okay, brilliant! Let’s go!”
The duo quickly made their way over to the trail the bus’s took, but immediately stopped when they saw how much damage was blocking their path. They continued a little further around the Zoo until they found a way in through the Elephant Odyssey location. Problem was, they only way in was through the habitat itself.
Climbing over the many barriers still standing, the duo began their trek through the savanna like enclosure, careful not to disturb any of the animals located inside.
“How are we supposed to get out of here?” Jason asked while looking up at the tall walls separating them from exiting.”
“I could levitate us out.” Hermione began and she stopped walking and looked up at the walls. “But I am sure we can find a way out somewhere. There are areas with railing we could possibly climb.”
“Yeah, no offence or anything but I would rather you not use magic on me. Plus, can’t you get in trouble for using magic in front of me?”
“Well technically yes, but this is a life or death situation. I am sure MACUSA would understand. Probably just wipe your memory anyway, if I don’t do it first.” She stated nonchalantly as she continued walking.
“I don’t even want to know- wait you can wipe memories?”
Hermione nodded her head but kept her pace through the habitat.
“Before you say it.” she held up a hand “It is not all it’s cracked up to be. And it can mess with a person’s mind; not in a good way. I obliviated my parents before the war and it was horrible.” She stepped over a fallen tree before she continued “They didn’t know I was their daughter for a long time after the war ended.”
“That must have been hard.” Jason replied sadly.
“It was…but not as hard as it would have been if they had been captured and killed because they were muggles with a hero for a daughter. I stand by my decision to take their memories, but it was the hardest thing I had to ever do.”
“How did they end up remembering you?”
Hermione turned her head to look at Jason who was walking alongside her with his hands in his pockets.
“I found a way to finally reverse the spell. It wasn’t easy and they still have small moments to this day of forgetting me.”
“Damn, Hermione. I’m sorry.”
She shrugged her shoulders and looked out to the open area. She stopped in her tracks when they came upon a herd of African Elephants huddled together in front of the badly damaged Care Center.
“They are beautiful up close.” She sighed as she watched them surround the baby Elephants in protection.
“Yeah, they ar- hey where are you going?” Jason asked while Hermione hoped over a log to get a closer look.
“I just want a better view.” She whispered as she looked back to Jason.
She expected to see him shaking his head in disappointment and laugh at her thoughts of getting closer to the enormous animals; what she wasn’t expecting was the shocked and terrified look he was actually giving.
Hermione tilted her head in confusion as she watched his face go as white as Nearly Headless Nick.
“Hermione,” he whispered “Hermione come back here, now!”
“Why? They won’t hurt me if I show I am not threatening.”
“They won’t hurt you…but…but that will.” He stated as he slowly raised a hand and pointed behind her.
She turned her head slowly and abruptly froze in place. Her eyes went wide as she stared straight into the eyes of one very pissed off looking Mountain Lion.
- 7
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- 9
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Nature's Cruelty: Sequel to Earth Shattering