Author's Note: I don't know about you guys, but I LOVE Beauty and the Beast. So in honor of that, and because I thought the song and D/Hr fit incredibly well, here is my new little oneshot. I love it love it love it, not to tot my own horn. But seriously. Without further ado, go on! :)
Oh wait. You might want to listen to "Something There" or "Tale as Old as Time" while listening to this. I did while writing it, and you can definitely see how... well, you'll see. Okay, now go on!
SOMETHING THERE
There's something sweet,
and almost kind,
but he was mean
and he was coarse
and unrefined-
but now he's dear, and so unsure,
I wonder why I didn't see it there before.
-Beauty and the Beast
"Well who'd have thought?" mused Ginny Weasley, lounging thoughtfully back on her four-poster bed. The girl's common room was empty at this time of day – four in the afternoon on a Saturday, to be precise – besides herself and the three girls seated cross-legged on the beds next to her. The redhead squared her view towards the bushy-haired girl who was closest to her. "What is it like?"
Hermione Granger looked hopeless as she threw her hands up in the air. "New, and a bit alarming! Who'd have ever thought that this could be?" She paused for a moment, a dreamy quality settling over her face. "True, that he's no Prince Charming," she added with a slight smile, "but there's something in him that I simply didn't see."
"Well bless my soul," Luna Lovegood chimed in. The other three girls turned to look at her strange. "Well," she added slightly defensively, "who'd have known?"
"Who indeed," Hermione muttered somewhat ruefully.
"And who'd have guessed they'd come together on their own?" giggled Padma Patil, a Ravenclaw friend of Luna's who was only recently acquainted with the rest of the girls, though they all got on remarkably well.
"I mean," Ginny added as Hermione went slightly pink- she was certainly not used to all this attention, and most especially about matters concerning boys, "it's Malfoy and Hermione. You guys were supposed mortal enemies! It's normal for anything to think, 'It's so peculiar', Hermione."
The seventh year groaned. "What am I going to do, Ginny? I don't really know he likes me! I'm just... pining, really. I'm being all pathetic over Draco Malfoy!" She sighed gustily and slumped on her elbows.
"How did you two... er, meet?" Padma inquired, somewhat awkwardly, and Ginny and Luna nodded in agreement, all of them very curious as to the 'hows' of the story.
"The library, really," Hermione replied with a definite blush. "When Snape assigned us to do that project together in October -d'you remember, Ginny? It started then, we'd talk more and more during our study meetings, and then eventually I stopped even thinking about the project. I only wanted to go to see him." She let out a small, chiming laugh as she remembered. "Though I did rather hate him in the beginning."
"But now?" Luna asked in her quiet way, and another small sigh was prompted from Hermione.
"Now he's dear, and so unsure." She was frowning; Draco certainly was unsure. He was in s very rough position: his father, involved irrevocably with Voldemort, was the person he had looked up to unquestioningly as a child. Draco loved his father, she knew, just as she knew that he did not agree with everything Lucius did or believed in. It was just one of the facts she had picked up from their time together. It had been this way for years, he had said, but his charade of hating Muggleborns and 'blood traitors' and the Weasleys had to be kept up in order for Lucius – and thus, Voldemort – not to suspect any change of heart in the youngest Malfoy. "I wonder why I didn't see it there before," she mumbled, almost to herself.
"It's a tale as old as time," Padma said with a romantic swoon. "True as it can be..." She started as she became aware of the others gazing questioningly at her. "You know the story!" she snapped, embarrassed. "Two people who are barely even friends, then somebody bends unexpectedly." Her face grew dreamy, as well, as she spoke. "Just a little change, small to say the least. Both a little scared, neither one prepared..."
"What are you talking about?" Hermione laughed.
This time it was Luna who interrupted. "Ever just the same, ever a surprise," she murmured, blue eyes flickering towards Hermione. "Ever as before, ever just as sure as the sun will rise."
"Tale as old as time," Padma repeated, with a mollified smile at the rest of the girls.
Ginny raised her eyebrows, giggling. "Tune as old as song...."
Hermione groaned. "You guys are as insane as Morgana! And you're not helping at all." Her only response was a pillow to the side of her face.
Blaise Zabini glanced at the boy seated opposite him. The Slytherin common room was deserted, seeing as two of the most well-respected – read as feared -seventh years currently occupied it, their glares not-so-subtle hints to the rest of the house to kindly GTFO.
"It is bittersweet and strange," he mused thoughtfully, rousing the blond boy out of his slight reverie, "finding you change, learning you were wrong..."
Draco stared at his friend. "What the fuck are you on about?"
"Trying to be romantic," Zabini replied with a sardonic eyebrow raised. When his friend continued to look confused, he went on. "You and Granger. Together."
Malfoy instantly became alarmed. "I have no idea what you're talking about!" he denied, crossing his arms. A telling blush, however, was quickly but forcefully stealing over his usually-pale cheeks. Seeing this, Zabini grinned broadly.
"Certain as the sun," he sing-songed theatrically, jumping from his armchair, "rising in the East! Tale as old as time, song as old as rhyme!"
The black boy erupted into fresh laughter as Draco sunk lower in his chair.
"Remind me why I'm friends with you again?" Malfoy groaned from behind his hands.
"Beats me why I still tolerate you," Blaise snorted, settling back into his chair. "I'm only trying to help you win the Beauty, after all." Draco raised a questioning brow.
"And if she's Beauty, then what am I?" he asked curiously.
Zabini grinned. "A Beast." He was promptly smacked in the face with a book.
Seated at their usual table, Draco was unable to concentrate on his studies that evening. Hermione was faithfully bent over her length of parchment, scribbling frantically about the correct procedure to make the Blood-Replenishing Potion. She had a sturdy two-and-a-half feet. His measly seven inches were pathetic in comparison, especially considering that they'd been studying for an hour and he was actually better at Potions than she was.
As if she could tell he was thinking about her, Hermione raised her head. When he caught sight of his ghastly short essay, she raised amused eyes to his. "Seven inches, Malfoy? I would've thought that as a brilliant Pureblood, you'd know better."
Her tone was somewhat mocking, and if he did not know her better, he would have unquestioningly thought that she was making fun of him, and hexed her as best he could. As it were, he did know her better, and so was aware that she only harbored friendly amusement as his situation, such as Blaise had earlier that day. Her finding humor in the fact that his essay was much too short, he knew with an internal smug smirk, was merely evidence that they were on relaxed, friendly terms. It was nice. Certainly, theirs was a relationship very different from the fiercely rivaled and hateful one of the past six years.
The familiarity between them was nice, he amended as she rolled her eyes and leaned back over her parchment again, but he wanted more. He couldn't really explain it, not even to himself, but somehow not hating her, not making fun of her, weren't enough. Soon even laughter and smiles wouldn't be either. He wanted something more – and it pained his pride to admit this – something more intimate.
A quick movement from in front of him alerted him, but when he looked, Hermione's nose was resolutely buried in the textbook, for all appearances merely checking a fact. But he rather though differently...
She glanced this way, I thought I saw... And when we touch, she doesn't shudder at-
Fuck. He really had to stop torturing himself.
Oh, we can't be. I'll just ignore.... but then, she's never looked at me that way before.
Tomorrow, he promised silently, I'll tell her tomorrow. He really needed to, otherwise he rather thought he'd lose his mind.
_______________
"Pathetic," the girl snorted, turning to the boy next to her with a teasing roll of her brown eyes. "Tale as old as time, indeed."
He was smiling, too, as he clasped her hand and they exited the library now inhabited by only two other people. "Song as old as rhyme," he reminded her, glancing back once more to the blond and brunette. Blaise made his way with Ginny towards the Great Hall with one last friendly snort. "Beauty and the Beast.... ha."
THE END
A/N: What'd you guys think?! I would LOVE your feedback on this - I got so much for Listen and Taken that I'm truly humbled and honored. I really would love to know your opinion on this, though, as I literally just sat down at typed this while listening to these two songs. Because, if you couldn't tell, it's actually a mixture of "Something There" and "Tale As Old As Time"- I'm assuming that's what the last one is called, anyways.
IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: IN NO WAY do I own or am attempting any copyright infringment upon the almighty Disney. Please don't sue!
