Kiss Within Darkness
Thunder and lightening sounded in the distance, echoing throughout the night. The wind meandered through the branches of the trees and tosseled Hermione's hair every which direction. As much as she pleaded with the gods, they would not cease and soon a downpour began that caused the girl's makeup to run.
Why had she even agreed to meet him here in the first place? It was dangerous enough being the Forbidden Forrest, but the menacing weather did not help in any way. Nevertheless, she continued to trudge through the forest, occasionally jumping at the tiniest of sounds.
At last she spotted the ray of hope she'd been searching for; the one that stood out brightly in this horrid, dark maze that engulfed her completely. As she ran towards him her face lit up and he took her safely in his arms. Hermione had never felt more at ease and she gushed as she felt the soft touch of his lips pecking her forehead.
She pulled away gently so she could see his face and found that he was glowing with just as much happiness as Hermione.
"Sorry, I didn't know it was going to be this bad," he said and then smirked. "You look like a raccoon Granger." With nimble fingers he wiped a trace of the black off my cheeks and chuckled at my appearance.
"Oh shut it, Malfoy," I retorted and hit him slightly in the arm. A few strands of his brilliant hair flowed across his eyes. As I reached my hand out to sweep them away Draco took my fingers and held them within his own. Ever so slowly I began to lift onto my tiptoes.
But before anything else could happen, a gust of wind so ice cold crept through my clothing and sunk deep into the pores of my skin.
Although unfamiliar to Draco, I recognized this feeling instantly. Whipping my wand out of my back pocket Draco and I glanced around us. And that's when we spotted them. The cloaked figures glided toward us as though they were angels of death ready to take our souls.
"H-Hermione?" he stammered.
"Run," I replied and grasped his hand to pull him along. Our attempt at escaping the dementors was futile, but we continued to run anyway. The Forbidden Forrest was a maze within itself: roots and vines entangling within themselves, creating more obstacles than our feet could bare.
I began to stumble more often as we continued along, and at one point I fell flat onto the ground. "Go!" I screamed at Draco, but he wouldn't leave my side and tried to get me back onto my feet as quickly as possible.
It was too late however, and the decaying creatures were now upon us. Slowly but surely, the dementors came forth, gliding through the torrential rain. The warmth within my body began to leave me, along with the pure bliss I had felt just moments ago. It was though everything in the world had gone to darkness, the flame of happiness burnt out and smoking with emptiness.
I turned my head slightly to see Draco frozen in fear, clearly unsure of what to do. And how would he know? Sure he was talented when it came to magic, but I'd only seen a small lot of people perform the patronus charm. It was beginning to seem more and more dubious that we'd escape.
Things became hazy and I could no longer focus on anything, even my own thoughts turned to mush. Screams echoed throughout my head, and for just mere moment I was taken back to when my little cousin Felicity had drowned to death, her red ribbon lingering on the surface of the lake. This flicker of memory dispersed however, when a gleaming ray of light protruded from the tip of Draco's wand.
Somehow he had managed to cast the spell despite not having much experience in such wand lore. A heavy sheet seemed to lift off my body as dementors fled the scene. With the creatures gone, everything felt far less gloomy, even though the treacherous storm continued on.
"Oh my god, are you okay?" he asked, worry seeping through his every word.
"Yes, I-I'm fine," I replied. Draco stumbled back over to me and knelt on the ground. When I attempted to sit up the whole world began to spin.
"Whoa there Granger, slow down," he said and laid the back of my head onto his lap. As I lay there, regaining myself, Draco smoothed my hair over and began to twiddle the curls between his fingertips. "You know, you're quite beautiful after almost having your soul sucked out," he said and chuckled. My eyelids flitted open and our gazes locked with one another.
"And you're quite handsome when you're not being such a git Malfoy," I retorted and smiled at him mockingly. He truly was far more attractive than I'd ever noticed before. The way his blonde hair lay across his forehead- messy, but alluring and seductive -and the manner in which his mouth moved when he smirked sent a flourish of butterflies through my stomach.
The two of us continued to stare at each other, taking in every moment. Slowly, Draco moved closer to me and before I knew it, our lips were connected. This kiss was far brighter than that of the dementors' and somewhere deep within myself glowed. Our lips moved as one, in perfect sync, working together like magic.
I'd never kissed anyone with so much passion and my heart thudded in my chest as I entwined my fingers through his hair. I wanted to drink in this moment, to sink my teeth into its very depths.
A loud crack of thunder sent me quickly back to reality. Gradually, I propped myself onto my left arm and glanced around the room; both Ginny and Lavender still sound asleep in their beds. Lightening flashed like a strobe light every few seconds and I eventually rested my head back on the feathery pillow. As I lay there for the next few hours, a smile slowly began to materialize upon my face and I knew that everything I'd just experienced, was anything but a dream.