So this is a one-shot I just came up with in a fit of insomnia. Please leave me comments/reviews.
I do not own any of Queen Rowling's characters or settings. I just like to play with them now and then.
Additionally, I do not own any of Taylor Swift's lyrics to Blank Space. I'm just fairly inspired by them as of late.
Hermione walked into the empty classroom. It was dark and a little bit musty, as it was one of the sixth floor classrooms that didn't get much use except during exams at the end of term. She walked over to the tall windows, and threw the curtains wide, allowing the afternoon sunlight to flood the room. Then with a quick spell she shifted all the desks to the margins of the room and slipped off her shoes, feeling the smooth wood beneath her bare feet.
Hermione had been dancing for as long as she could remember. Her mother had taken dancing lessons as a little girl, and so just after Hermione's third birthday she had been enrolled in baby ballet classes. Hermione had been a rather shy toddler, loving books and learning to read by age four. But dancing helped her escape her shyness, and she quickly learned to express herself through movement. And that's what she felt the need for today.
When Hermione had received her Hogwarts letter - and a visit from professor McGonagall since she was muggleborn - she, of course, was very excited. But one of her first questions was about how to continue her dance studies while at Hogwarts. She expressed to McGonnagal how she had always dreamed of becoming a professional dancer, and was afraid of sacrificing either her magical talents or those dreams if she wasn't able to keep training.
McGonagall assured her that they would find a way for her to continue her training, and stay fit during terms. So Hermione was allowed to sneak away to this empty classroom for two hours every night and as long as she wanted on weekends, so long as it didn't interfere with her studies and homework assignments, which of course it never did.
Hermione went to the small magical victrolla in the corner of the room. She had figured out, early on, how to get her favorite muggle tunes to play on the magical contraption, since her iPod wasn't able to work within Hogwarts grounds.
On this particular sunny Saturday she had extra emotions to dance off. Her long distance relationship with Viktor Krum had become strained in the last several months. He had finished his schooling the year before, and his professional quidditch career was taking up nearly all his free time. Not to mention the recent rumours in the daily prophet of dalliances with other witches while the Bulgarian team traveled around Europe. Hermione was beginning to consider ending things for good, but of course that needed to be danced out as well.
She fiddled with the dial on the victrolla and soon the opening strains of one of her favorite new muggle songs poured forth.
Nice to meet you
Where you been?
I could show you incredible things
Magic, madness, heaven, sin
Saw you there and I thought oh my god
Look at that face, you look like my next mistake
Love's a game, wanna play
New money, suit and tie
I can read you like a magazine
Ain't it funny rumors fly
And I know you heard about me
So hey, let's be friends
I'm dying to see how this one ends
Grab your passport and my hand
I could make the bad guys good for the weekend.
She began to move, losing herself in the music. She stepped forward, twisted around and fell to the ground. Stretched an arm forward and collapsed again. She rolled and inverted, jumped and spun around. Thinking all the while just how well the lyrics fit her mood and thoughts.
Cause we're young and we're reckless
We'll take this way too far
It'll leave you breathless
Or with a nasty scar
Got a long list of ex-lovers
They'll tell you I'm insane
But I got a blank space baby
And I'll write your name.
Maybe she should just move on, she thought as she executed a switch-leap and quickly pirouetted out of it. After all, while she hadn't fully believed the rumours of his infidelity, those pictures published in the daily prophet didn't look too great for them either. Viktor's arm and the waist of a "friend," who just happened to be a supermodel for one of the most expensive high fashion lines in the wizarding world. Hermione felt as though she was wasting her time - something she was not fond of doing. And admittedly, those rumors had hurt when they first surfaced several days ago.
Viktor had written Hermione a letter dispelling the rumours, and begging her not to believe what she saw and read in the paper. But she had mostly ignored his pleas. She felt betrayed none the less. He was her first love, and she had even lost her virginity to him the previous summer when he had taken her on holiday in Greece.
Cherry lips
Crystal skies
I could show you incredible things
Stolen kisses, pretty lies
You're the king baby I'm your queen
Find out what you want
Be that girl for a month
But the worst is yet to come
Oh no
Screaming, crying, perfect storms
I could make all the tables turn
Rose garden filled with thorns
Keep you second guessing like oh my god
Who is she? I get drunk on jealousy
But you'll come back each time you leave
Cause darling I'm a nightmare dressed like a daydream.
Hermione fell again, and slid, skimming the floor. She tucked her knee beneath her and pushed off of it, landing deftly on one foot and lifting the other to passé.
So it's gonna be forever
Or it's gonna go down in flames
You can tell me when it's over
If the high was worth the pain
Got a long list of ex-lovers
They'll tell you I'm insane
Cause you know I love the players
And you love the game.
As the music ended Hermione suddenly got the creeping feeling of being watched, and spun around to the door. Standing there, leaning against the door frame, was the blonde arse, Malfoy. One eyebrow tipped with curiosity, and arms crossed.
They stood there staring at each other for what seemed like minutes, Hermione still attempting to catch her breath.
"Granger."
"Malfoy."
More silence.
As Hermione finally began to regain control of her breathing, Malfoy spoke again.
"So this is where you escape to all the time."
"Yeah. Your point, Ferret?"
"Easy Granger. Nothing. I'm just impressed is all."
"What?" Hermione was trying to figure out just how long he had been standing there. She'd been so caught up in her mind and movements.
"I said," Malfoy repeated, exasperated, "that was very impressive. You're quite talented."
Hermione was fairly certain the sky had just turned purple. "Er...I...thank you, Malfoy."
"I mean, besides that muggle rubbish you were dancing to. That was shite."
Hermione rolled her eyes at that. Merlin forbid he ever say something entirely nice. "Gee thanks."
Again, a tense silence fell between them.
Malfoy shifted to his other foot in the doorway. "I'm sorry about all that shite in the Prophet. That bloody sucks."
Hermione felt her first tears over the whole incident begin to prick at her eyes. It was fine when she could pretend that no one else knew.
"Thanks, Malfoy."
"Are you two..."
He didn't say anything more, but Hermione knew exactly what he meant. "I don't know."
Malfoy just nodded, his eyes dropping to the floor.
One tear finally spilled over, rolling slowly down her flushed cheek.
"I think we're done." Malfoy looked back up. "Viktor and I...that is."
Malfoy nodded again, and after a moment, "Sorry, Granger."
Hermione wrapped her arms around herself, "It's alright. It's just..."
"Yeah, I know."
More silence. Though, this time it wasn't so uncomfortable.
"Well, I gotta..." Malfoy trailed off, but he jerked his head in the direction of basically anything else.
"Oh, yeah. And i gotta..." Hermione tilted her head in the direction of the victrolla, which was still running.
Malfoy almost smiled in response. "Well...see you, Granger." And Malfoy turned and left.
After she no longer heard his footsteps in the corridor, Hermione sat down on the floor where she stood, and began to cry in earnest.
~Fin~