Hello, Harry Potter section of FFN! This is my first visit to this part of the site, as HP isn't my primary fandom. I spend most of my fandom-time reading and writing fic for Avatar: The Last Airbender. ^_^ As I mentioned in the summary, this is not mine. I am posting it, with permission, on behalf of a friend. This came up in a discussion as a fairly dark and rather harsh interpretation of the Draco/Hermione ship. Those of us in the discussion felt that, given his upbringing, Draco would likely be very confused, and possibly even upset, by his development of romantic feelings for a "Mudblood" like Hermione. And thus, this one-shot was born. No offense is meant to any Draco/Hermione shippers.
Hermione couldn't resist finding out what the Slytherin girls whispered about Draco Malfoy.
Thus, her current situation: ensconced in a disused closet with Draco. He had looked oddly aroused yet ashen, as he waved her into the closet. Truthfully, she wasn't much better off herself. But Ronald was just so infuriatingly blockheaded about letting his feelings be known, and anyway, Viktor Krum had invited her to the Yule Ball.
Draco shakily said, "Lumos."
Hermione couldn't believe she'd been drawn into this. It had all started as an unexpected encounter earlier that night. Draco looked oddly feverish as he said, "Granger. I... I can't get my mind off you. I..."
He had choked off, but his embarrassment and his clumsy attempts to put his hands in his robe pockets told Hermione what he really felt. She took such pity on him that she threw her usual caution to the winds.
So here she was. Draco Malfoy wanted to kiss her, apparently, and she decided that since she was committed to the principle of refusing house-elf help, she would he hypocritical to try and refuse Draco's fumbling efforts, she acquiesced.
Draco, shaking mightily, leaned forward to kiss her. She pressed her mouth to his, letting his mouth open slightly to allow their lips to lock.
After just a few seconds, Draco broke the kiss. His glassy glaze suddenly hardened in the wandlight, and he turned green. He blurted, "Oh my God, did I kiss a--?"
Hermione's reverie at the softness of Draco's lips was broken by the sudden horrible sound of bile as Draco vomited on the floor of the closet. He stood up, shaking violently.
Hermione cast Evanesco at the streams of sick on the floor. She looked up at Draco, who was still an unhealthy shade of green. He pointed his wand at her, and said viciously, "If I ever hear of you telling anyone this, I'll hex you to oblivion." His face twisted as he purposely twisted the knife in Hermione's do-gooder heart. "Get away from me. Mudblood."
He vanished from the closet as tears fell from Hermione's eyes. How could she have been so foolish as to believe Draco Malfoy had turned over a new leaf, even for a few seconds? Thank God Ron Weasley was a steady and unprejudiced man. Now, if he could just get over that bloody emotional range of a teaspoon!