"Excuse me?" She stared blankly at Ginny, who was finding it rather difficult not to burst out into hysterical laughter. Ginny tried to calm herself and her face became serious, though inside she was bursting. Hermione took a little longer to compose herself.
"You heard me, Hermione."
"I heard you, yes. But I'm still trying to figure out how you could possibly assume that-that-." She took a deep breath and struggled not to let the temper out that was growling inside. It clawed at her, begging to be released. She plopped into the cushion chair next to the raging fire, rubbing her temples.
"I just call them as I see them." Ginny bit her lip, trying to seem pensive rather than amused. Hermione would skin her alive if she knew what was Ginny was trying to accomplish. Inside, Ginny prayed that all this hard work would pay off. She knew she was leaving entirely too much up to fate, but sometimes you had to do just that.
Throw caution to the wind and hope you get blown in the right direction.
"So you think that I…and him…and me…" She struggled to breathe, not quite convinced that enough oxygen was pumping through her system. The more she dwelled on the thought, the angrier she became. Soon, it became all too much.
"The nerve of you!" She jumped out of the chair, sending Ginny a couple steps back. Wincing, Ginny braced herself for the tantrum. "To actually think that I would be in a relationship with the same boy who has made my life miserable for the past seven years! I thought you would be more sensible than that. I mean, really! To think that I could ever be involved with that nasty, slimy, pathetic excuse for a man-"
She was just beginning the tirade when Parvati waltzed down the stairs, toying with her hair. She rolled her eyes at Hermione's obvious rage and sat down in the chair. Examining her nails, she tried to look bored and asked, "So, what's got Hermione's panties in a twist this time?"
"I simply-" But she was cut off.
"She suggested that Malfoy and I were in a secret relationship." Hermione threw her hands on her hips and looked at Parvati expectantly. Instead of reassurance that such a thing could never be true, she got a shrug.
"Everyone thinks that." The anger inside Hermione deflated, followed by pure shock. It blew through her system like a storm. And if there was one thing Hermione did not like, it was being surprised. She turned deathly pale and collapsed into the chair once again. Ginny rushed to her side, kneeling to stroke her hair. Hermione simply placed her head in her hands and sighed.
Ginny continued to stroke her lovingly. Hermione finally looked up and whispered, "There' nothing going on between me and Malfoy." Parvati let out an unconvinced laugh.
"Prove it."
A competitive gleam shone in Hermione's eyes. "What do I have to do?"
This was turning out better than Ginny had ever hoped.
Back in her dorm room, Hermione paced and huffed, feeling slightly anxious. Her mind reeled, unable to stop functioning, unable to stop analyzing. It was what she did best. She took everything, ran it over and over, picked it apart piece by piece, until it was nothing like the original but made perfect sense. Nothing, to her, couldn't be figured out, couldn't be solved.
But this was going to be a hard one.
She had never done anything to suggest anything was between her and Malfoy, had she? There was a hatred that burned in her gut every time she simply looked at him. She had yelled, insulted, and, on occasion, dueled with him. But nothing had exchanged between them that could resemble mutual liking.
Oh god. At least she hoped not.
There was simply something about him that made her uneasy. Whether it was the smirk that seemed to reside permanently on his face, the way he no longer greased his hair back, or the loads of money he had at his disposal, she had yet to figure out. More than likely, it was a combination of all three. Throw those together with uncanny charm and fantastic arms and you had a lethal combination.
She shook her head at the ridiculous thought.
She had noticed his body. She was a woman after all. Every girl at Hogwarts had noticed him, including a few boys. And he strung every one of them along, like a cat playing with many mice at once. It was cruel and insensitive, and he took great pleasure out of it all.
Didn't he?
How many times had she seen him with a smirk on his face, an arm around some girl, and absolutely nothing in his eyes? They were forever void of any emotion. She had yet to figure if that was a guard or lack of any feeling whatsoever. The more she dwelled on it, the more intrigued she became.
She had soon wasted two hours trying to figure it all out when he waltzed into their shared common room. He simply swept a gaze over her, rolled his eyes, and walked silently up to his room. Her eyes followed him up and she sighed, wishing she could get him out of her mind.
Stupid Ginny.
He stayed in her mind all through the night. She tossed and turned, pondering her feelings, his actions, her challenge. It all added up to one thing. Trouble. Normally, she stayed away from it. But there was something about this situation that intrigued her, appealed to her. She was a person who needed answers. Not only needed them, but thrived on the whole process of getting them. Research, problem solving, there wasn't anything she wouldn't do to prove her point or find the solution.
Still unsure of what to do, she got little sleep and rolled out of her bed when her alarm clock sounded. She had shadows under her eyes and her hair resembled a hay stack, but it had never bothered her much what she looked like before. She was a practical person, and nothing was practical about fixing yourself up to be something you're not.
But god, she was exhausted.
She stumbled down the stairs, grabbed a cup of coffee, and drained it in a quick gulp. Draco laughed heartily at her state, and she glared at him while pouring her next cup. "Not a morning person, eh?" His eyes shone with laughter. It surprised her.
"Usually I am, but I didn't get much sleep last night." He smirked, raising an eyebrow and she was finally awake enough to get the insinuation. She nearly threw the cup at him, but decided against it. Gripping the handle tightly, she shot him another glare and he simply shook his head and walked down to breakfast.
There was one thing Hermione was sure about not. She was in no way attracted to him. He was totally and completely wrong for her. He was insensitive, crude, and annoying. His only redeeming quality was his looks, and that didn't rank high on her scale. With a smile, she drained the rest of her coffee and made her way downstairs.
Oh god, she was going to prove Ginny so wrong.
Later, she wasn't so sure.
She was pacing in the Gryffindor common room, wiping her forehead and trying to breathe. "I can't do that!" she exclaimed. Parvati once again examined her nails and sighed.
"I've been thinking about it, and it's the only way I can know for sure. Besides," she turned her gaze on Hermione, "you were the one who suggested the challenge. I simply came up with the terms."
"But the terms are unreasonable!"
"Not if you really don't like him, as you say. It should be over quickly. Light and painless. Unless of course you're willing to admit what I've known all along." She looked knowingly and Hermione sighed dramatically. Shooting a glare over to the redhead, Hermione shook her head slightly in agreement. Parvati smiled.
"Perfect."
Oh god, she couldn't do this.
This was too much for her to handle. Her mind was about to explode with possibilities, with worry, with anxiety. Too many thoughts were whirling around in her head for her to catch one and concentrate on it. A headache was beginning to throb in the back of her head and she couldn't focus in on anything.
She really couldn't do this.
But she had too. No argument, no other alternative had managed to persuade Parvati to head in another direction. She refused to relent, refused to satisfy Hermione's worry. So Hermione prepared to humiliate herself in front of everyone, prepared to be hexed into the next year. She took deep calming breaths and tried to center herself. Slowly, she made her way to the Great Hall.
Once inside, Parvati caught her eyes and smirked. Ginny smiled sympathetically. Hermione took a breath and marched to the Slytherin table. Draco looked up in surprise as she hovered above him. "Can I talk to you for a minute." He looked shocked but nodded. She walked away and he followed. Stopping in front of the doors, she turned to face him. He stared at her questioningly.
"What are you doing?"
"Proving a point." And with those words, she grabbed a fistful of his robe and slid her mouth over his.
Gasps could be heard all around the hall. Many people grew outraged, mainly the Slytherins. Others shook their head and went back to their dinner, not really surprised. But Hermione took notice to none of these things. She could only concentrate on the feelings that were erupting inside of her. Never before had she felt the way she did now. Her whole body seemed to be on fire. All she could focus on was his mouth over hers, tantalizing and teasing her in such a way she could have never imagined.
His tongue parted her lips and she moaned slightly, surrendering completely to his advances. He smiled into the kiss and roughly pulled her around the waist, plastering her into him. Their bodies seemed to melt together. Hermione was glad for his supporting arm, for her knees were jelly. Every bone in her body seemed to have melted with the pressure of Draco's mouth on hers.
And god, what a fine mouth it was. Hot, soft, greedy. She moaned once again at all the sensations he was brining upon her. They broke for air and he rested his forehead on hers. Their breathing slowed slightly and she laughed, exasperated. "God."
"What?" He asked while trying to regain his mind.
"I was wrong."
"Good." This time, he was the one to drag her to his lips. They slanted over hers and she threw her arms around his neck. He smiled into the kiss once again, wrapping his hands tightly around her waist and pulling her, if possible, even closer.
Parvati turned to Ginny and gave her a high-five. "God, we are so good."