Check Yes Juliet

Based on We the Kings' Check Yes Juliet

Check yes Juliet
Are you with me?

A delicate paper bird floated gracefully across the classroom, it's fragile wings flapping silently through the muggy air. Few pait it any mind. The substitute professor continued to drone on about potion theory, staring glassy eyed down at her cauldron as she demonstrated proper potion stirring technique. Most of the students were slumped, defeated in their seats.

The bird flitted through the maze of students before landing airily before a petite brunette whose honey eyes were drooping in complete boredom.

Not even Hermione Granger could fake interest in this tedious lesson and she blinked blearily in an attempt to clear her fogging vision. Harry Potter snored quietly beside her and a catatonic Ronald Weasley lay beside him, his freckled face plastered to the wooden desk.

Hermione's eyes shot open in surprise as the bird pecked her finger gently to attract her attention before settling down and becoming motionless. Curiously, Hermione looked around the dead dungeon for whoever had sent her such a pretty token. Quicksilver eyes swiftly met hers across the smoky room and she lowered her gaze, smiling.

With careful fingers, Hermione unfolded the paper bird.

Meet me tonight?

7 o'clock

I'll come for you.

Her smile widened and she turned to him briefly, giving him a slight nod before turning back front. Behind her, he smirked.

Rain is falling down on the sidewalk,
I won't go until you come outside.

Hermione loosened her tie and smoothed her skirt, casting a quick glance at her window. They sky was a darkening blue and she could faintly make out the sheen of a light drizzle through the glass.

He melted from the shadows, slinging his broom over his shoulder as he approached. The rain matted his golden hair and drenched his school shirt, cooling his heated skin as he made his way across her balcony. It was a warm night and the water was refreshing.

Check yes Juliet, kill the limbo.
I'll keep tossing rocks at your window,
There's no turning back for us tonight.

Raising a pale hand, he rapped gently at the glass door, shifting the ebony broomstick to his other shoulder. Behind the barrier, he could see her running a small hand through her unmanageably wavy hair. He knocked again, louder this time, smirking as his girl spun around. She grinned when she saw him and rushed over to the balcony door, blushing as he raised a brow at her hurried movements.

Lace up your shoes,
A O A O O
Here's how we do...

He smirked down at her, kissing her pouty lips slowly before wrapping a damp arm possessively around her shoulders. "Ready?" He drawling, drawing her out on to the balcony.

"Always," Hermione grinned. He mounted his broom and moved to pull her on in front of him. "Oh! One sec." She disentangled herself from his body and dashed back to her room in a flurry of brown curls. She toed off her slippers and slipped on a practical pair of sneakers.

"Let's go," He urged, calling out to her impatiently from the drizzle.

"Coming," Hermione bent down and tied her shoes swiftly. Grabbing her cloak off of the back of her chair, she rushed back outside to him. "Ready now, Draco."

Run baby run!
Don't ever look back!
They'll tear us apart if you give them the chance.
Don't sell your heart, don't say we're not meant to be,
Run baby run, forever will be
You and me.

She stormed angrily from the great hall, her dark robes streaming behind her. The doors slammed behind her retreating form as she strode forward furiously, her pace increasing until she was in a full out sprint. The corridor flew by her; she wasn't paying attention where she was going, and, quite frankly, didn't care. She just wanted to be as far away from them as possible.

Hermione could hear him pursuing her, his loud footfalls echoing on the stone. He would catch her inevitably. He towered over her, making his legs impossibly long compared to hers. Still, she forced herself to keep moving, to run faster. She didn't want to deal with him or with anyone right now.

"Hermione!" He was getting closer. "Dammit, Hermione!"

"Go away Draco!"

"Bloody hell, Hermione! Stop." Right behind her.

"No- Draco- Draco! No!" She thrashed against him as he grabbed her forearm, dragging her body to his.

"Dammit Draco, let me go!"

He had pulled her into an empty classroom and pinned her against the wall with his lean arms caging her in.

"No," the young Malfoy sneered, remaining firm as she pummeled his chest with her fists. "Not until you tell me what the bloody hell is going on."

"Let me go Draco, just let me go." Despite her best efforts, Hermione's voice cracked as she spoke and her protests against his touch gradually slackened until she was slumped completely against his chest. Draco wrapped his arms around her firmly, keeping her stable.

"What happened Hermione?" He coaxed smoothly.

"Had another row with Ron and Harry," She mumbled into his chest after a pause.

Draco scoffed. "Again?" He pulled away slightly to stare down at her. "What else is new? What was it about this time?" His concerned tone edged into boredom and Hermione bristled, jerking away from his embrace.

"You are so insensitive!"

"Oh, shove it, Granger." Draco scowled, leaning against a nearby desk. "You fight with those idiots almost everyday now; pardon me for my lack of bloody sympathy."

"That's so typical of you!" Hermione all but snarled, storming away from his perch. "They're my best mates!"

"And those best mates of yours are always causing problems. What did they say about me this time, hm? Did they drag on about how I'm no good for you? Or that I'm just using you? Which tune did they sing you this time?"

His tone had turned cold and harsh and Hermione couldn't help but cringe slightly. She hated when he got like this, when he slipped back into his pre-war attitude. Looking at him now, his sharp features so severe in the dim light, his hair slicked back with a few stray tendrils, his gray-blue eyes frigid and calculating... She couldn't help but cringe at the similarities he shared with Lucius.

Draco laughed humourlessly, drawing to his full height and stalking towards her like a predator. "It was that one, wasn't it?" He sneered, slinking closer. "That I'm just using you for my own devious devices."

Hermione lowered her eyes, refusing to meet his gaze and remaining silent. She had found herself a seat at a desk by the window and avoided his eyes by staring out of the glass.

"I'm sorry," Hermione murmured.

Draco sighed, mussing his pristine hair with a rough palm.

"Hermione?"

She looked up at him, tearing her gaze from the window. His hand was offered to her, the pale digits curled invitingly before her. She paused for a second before fitting her palm in his and rising from the desk. His expression was guarded and she smiled slowly, gauging his reaction. His familiar smirk quirked his lips and he pulled her towards the door.

Check yes Juliet,
I'll be waiting,
Wishing wanting yours for the taking.
Just sneak out and don't tell a soul goodbye.

Draco sighed, resting a shoulder against the wall. He and Hermione had planned on a stroll of the grounds and a quick fly before it grew too cold to appreciate the scenery when she dashed off, giving him some excuse about leaving something of hers in the Gryffindor common room. He had no clue why she'd leave anything in that Merlin-forsaken place; she was head girl and had her own private common room and bedroom. If he were head boy, it'd be a cold day in hell when he'd return to his house's common room. Regardless, she left something. Which is why he was leaning against the cold stone wall outside the picture of some enormous gossiping woman awaiting her return. The things he did for that woman.

It wasn't something he liked to think in depth about. This... thing he had with Hermione. It started innocently enough. Some studying together, partnering up for in class projects, a friendly truce- But somehow it escalated along the way. So much so that he, a Malfoy, was waiting for a woman to grace him with her presence. No, it wasn't something he liked to think about.

The portrait finally swung open and the young Malfoy couldn't help but groan in relief. His shoulder was growing numb from the hard stone. He pushed off from the wall, righting himself regally, and watched his girl step out of the portrait hole. Shouts echoed from the room beyond the tunnel and he noticed that she was clutching her favourite pair of sneakers in her hand.

He could instantly tell by the look on her face that she had had another row with the two idiots and it was all he could do to not reach for his wand and send a well deserved hex their way.

Check yes Juliet,
Here's the countdown:
3,2,1 now fall in my arms now.

Hermione instantly headed for him, angry tears of frustration and hurt misting her eyes. Draco's indignant exclamation was cut short, however, when she wrapped her arms securely around his waist and burrowed her face into his shoulder. She clung to him as her body, tiny in comparison to his, quaked with silent sobs. Draco pushed his anger on the back burner, focusing instead on comforting his distraught girlfriend.

They can change the locks,
don't let them change your mind.

"Hermione!"

Draco's head snapped up, his gaze instantly hardening as the-boy-who-lived and his rodent sidekick leaned out of the still open portrait hole.

"Hermione, come back here! This isn't finished yet!"

The girl in his arms made no move to obey, shrinking further into his embrace. Draco couldn't help the smug smirk that spread over his features.

"Hermione!"

"C'mon." The blond glanced down at his girlfriend. Her eyes were slightly red, but she was no longer crying. In fact, he noticed with slight approval and pride, she looked downright pissed. She pulled away from him a little bit, but only enough so that she could lead him away more comfortably. "Let's go see the lake."

As Hermione stalked away with him at her side, Draco smirked smugly over his shoulder, gray eyes locking with blue and green.

"Fine- Fine! Choose him over us! But don't bother coming back here until you've come to your senses!"

Lace up your shoes,
A O A O O
Here's how we do.

Draco nearly tripped over her as Hermione stopped suddenly in the middle of the hall, releasing his hand and dropping her shoes. She bent down and began to slip them on. As she worked, Draco tried to figure out the best thing to say to her. He was never good with the whole... comforting thing and he didn't care enough about most of his mates to know how she was feeling. Whenever he and Blaise got in a row, they just dueled their frustration out on each other. He doubted that Hermione would find that solution helpful, however.

He trailed a long finger along her spine, smirking when she shivered. He pulled gently at her chaotic curls as she finished up her shoes.

"You alright?" He asked finally, careful. The last thing he wanted was for her to take offense again and for them to fight over her two buffoons for the umpteenth time.

"Fine," She grinned up at him, tying the last bow and rising to her full height. He could tell she was lying by the quirk in her jaw, but he didn't push it. The boy wonder and weasel didn't deserve any more of their time.

Run baby run!
Don't ever look back!
They'll tear us apart if you give them the chance.

"Noooo! Draco, no! Don't you dare!" Hermione Granger screeched, sprinting away from the tall blond that was careening after her. "Draco- Draco, no!" He had an armful of crackling autumn leaves, and, from the mischievous gleam in his eye, seemed intent on dumping them all over his perfectionist girlfriend.

Hermione ducked under his arm in an attempt to escape him. Draco easily anticipated her move and dropped the leaves as she moved under him, completely drowning Hermione in crispy oranges and reds. Hermione screeched again, turning mid-duck and completely forgetting her closeness to him. Her head knocked on his arm, throwing him off balance, and he grabbed for the nearest thing in an effort to stabilize himself. In a split second the duo had gone from a drive-by leafing to a tumbling knot of dead foliage and limbs. Their shouts of surprise easily faded to raucous laughter as they disentangled themselves.

"You know," Hermione said as Draco plucked a yellow leaf from her hair, "It's going to take me forever to get all of those out of my hair now." She tried to sound scolding, but the affect was ruined by her stream of giggles.

Don't sell your heart, don't say we're not meant to be,
Run baby run, forever will be
You and me.

Draco merely raised a brow before grabbing another handful of leaves and dumping them on top of her head. Hermione protested loudly in exasperation, but they were drowned out by her boyfriend's loud chuckles.

"That's it!" Hermione shouted, launching herself at Draco. He wasn't expecting it and she easily knocked the wind out him as she perched smugly on his chest. Using her legs to pin his arms by his sides, she grinned evilly down at him. Draco narrowed his eyes at her cat-ate-the-canary expression. It wasn't until she leaned over and gathered a whole armful of leaves before he saw where this was going.

"Don't you dare, Granger." He warned darkly, glaring at the snicker woman above him. "I swear to Merlin Granger, if you muss my hair-"

He clamped his jaws closed as she dumped the pile unceremoniously over his face, blowing and sneezing the leaves away as they settled. Hermione fell into a fit of laughter and Draco took advantage of her weakness, wrenching his arms free and feeling his hair to assess the damage. This just sent Hermione further into hysterics. He tried to remain outraged, but her laughter was infectious.

"Find this funny, do you? Well, Granger, you're in for it no-"

"Hermione!"

"'Mione!"

The young woman's head shot up and Draco could have growled in frustration. It was impossible not to recognize those two voices. Just as he was getting her to forget her problems, those two had to go and ruin it. From his spot on the ground, Draco could see Potter and Weasley stalking their way towards them. He couldn't contain his scowl.

"Draco." Hermione was frozen above him, staring at the approaching boys with fire in her eyes. "You brought your broom, right?"

"Of course," He grumbled, fishing the shrunken broom from his pocket to show her. "We were going to go flying."

There was a pause and then Hermione slowly looked down at him. A smirk, one that looked suspiciously similar to his smirk, appeared on her face.

"Why don't we get going then?"

We're flying through the night,
We're flying through the night,
Way up high!

They had been flying for hours now and she was still having as much fun as she had in the first ten minutes. It was a bit chilly, but with Draco's arms around her and her back against his front, she felt deliciously cozy.

She laughed as Draco slowed the broomstick to a stop above the lake, pointing at a party of water nymphs that danced across the water.

The view from here is getting better with you
By my side.

It was so beautiful. The nymphs were small, maybe around three feet at the tallest, and they moved with mesmerizing grace. Their bodies shimmered and glittered brilliantly under the bright moonlight, and Hermione's breath caught in her throat at the scene. She smiled, small and grateful, looking up at Draco.

"I love you." She murmured softly, the stars sparkling above them. She gave him no time to respond; as soon as the words had left her lips, she fused them gently with his.

Run baby run,
Don't ever look back,
They'll tear us apart if you give them the chance.

"You know he doesn't love you, Hermione." Ron's words were harsh and he slammed his hands on the table for emphasis. Harry remained silent, but she could see that he agreed with Ron.

She knew that Ron was just hurt, perhaps a bit jealous, but she was tired of entertaining their childishness.

"Don't talk about things you don't understand, Ronald." She snapped, not bothering to keep her voice down. If they wanted to attack her during the middle of dinner in the Great Hall, then so be it. The Hall had quieted immediately upon hearing the topic of their heated discussion anyways. Even if she did keep a normal tone, the entire nosy school would still hear it.

"Don't talk to me like I'm stupid Her-"

"Then quit acting like it!"

"No more, Hermione." Harry's voice was serious and steady. "We're done with this. Ron and I have tried to talk sense into you, but Malfoy's clearly got you under his Death Eater tricks. If you're too arrogant to see them, so be it, but Ron and I won't be here on the side. We won't pick up the pieces once he breaks you."

Don't sell your heart, don't say we're not meant to be,

"It's him or us, Hermione."

Hermione stared stonily at her best friends of six years. If she weren't hearing it for herself, she wouldn't believe that it had come to this. They had survived the Great War, killed Death Eaters, battled Voldemort... And this was what was going to come between them?

She turned her head, meeting Draco's gaze. His face was expressionless but she knew that he, along with the rest of the Great Hall, was waiting for her decision.

Run baby run, forever will be...

"Alright then," She said coldly, setting her hands on the table. She rose from her seat. "It's you two that need to come to your senses. When you're willing to act sensibly, feel free to find me. Until then..."

Run baby run, don't ever look back,

"Hermione?"

"Hermione!"

Gryffindor's Golden Girl did not falter in her step as she walked away from the red and gold table and towards the green and silver one. Even as her friends continued to call for her, the girl's whiskey eyes remained locked on the face of the Slytherin Prince and his growing smirk.

They'll tear us apart if you give them the chance.
Don't sell your heart, don't say we're not meant to be,
Run baby run, forever will be...

Hushed, frantic whispers galed around them as Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger, hand in hand, walked down the center aisle.

"Traitor-"

"Death Eater-"

"Using her, you know!"

"Never last."

"Fake-"

"Slut!"

"Doomed from the start-"

"End-"

"Never-"

The negativity swirled around them, yet the pair walked resolutely to the doors, casting smug smirks and cheeky smiles to their classmates as they passed. The noise escalated as they retreated until it was an all out roar, blocked out only by the great doors swinging shut behind them.

You and me

The halls were empty as they made their way outside and away from their judgmental classmates. Draco slung an arm over her shoulders and she wrapped her arm around his waist. He grinned down at her and she responded with her own happy smile. They drew together for a short, sweet kiss before continuing on their way.

You and me.

Harry Potter is to J. K. Rowling

Check Yes Juliet is to We The Kings

A/N: I don't want to make a habit of these author notes, but I'd just like to say that I really don't like this piece of work. It is far from my best. The only reason I even put it up is because one, I wanted to have something up for christmas. two, I need something 'c' for my alphabet series. and three, I spent way too much time on this waste of pencil lead to not put it up. If you couldn't tell, I'm not amused.

Next in the series - Denial