A/N: This story has special meaning because it contains an experience I had to go through. Nothing too bad will be written, like nothing too bad happened. But some people may not feel completely comfortable with what happened.
I was walking across the grounds of Hogwarts, taking a few last looks around. We had less than a month left before we graduated, and most none of us would come back. A few may become professors, but I had a feeling I wouldn't be back, except under some sort of special circumstance.
Skirting around the Great Lake, I found Ron waiting for me at the edge of the Forbidden Forrest. The place wasn't really too bad anymore. Now that Voldemort was taken care of, the animals were pretty much calm, and didn't feel any sort of need to hurt anybody. Thank goodness for that.
"Hey, Hermione!" Ron smiled. "You got my note?"
"Of course I did. You stuck it on my desk while I was working and then took off." I laughed, rolling my eyes.
"I'm glad you came. I want to show you something I found a while back." He explained.
"Have you shown Harry?" I questioned as he led me through the start of the trees.
"I was going to. But I thought you might like it more, so I'd show you first." He shrugged.
Not really wanting to question much for once, I just followed Ron through the trees. We came upon a part of the woods I had never seen before. A rock cliff rose to the left of us, and Ron led us towards it, to an indention below an overhang. The rock was pure white, and the greenery around it seemed to make it almost reflect in its shockingly bright tones.
"This has been here all along?" I asked, surprised. I walked up to it and ran a hand down the side. It was amazing that this could be here and nobody had found it before. A large rock jutted out from the side, so I sat on it and looked over at Ron.
"It seems so." He nodded.
"It's very beautiful up against all these trees. Perhaps there used to be a waterfall or something, judging by the rock sticking out like that above, you know?" I pointed. He just walked over and stood in front of me.
"Hermione.. Stand up." He sounded more like he was asking than suggesting, but I did so anyways, a bit confused.
"What is it?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I was just thinking.. remember how we used to be closer?"
I frowned. Why did he have to mention that? We had tried dating and it hadn't worked out. So we weren't as close as we used to be. Ron and I really only talked during class projects or in the common room. We hadn't gone on an adventure with Harry - all together - in ages.
"Of course." I nodded.
"Well, after we graduate, what will happen? I'll go be an Auror, you'll train to be a Healer, and then we may not see each other much, or at all." He frowned. Reaching out, he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me in for a hug.
"Don't worry too much. After all, Ginny and I are very close now that we're in the same year and all. I don't doubt that I'll see a lot of you Weasleys." I teased lightly.
"I know. But I just thought that we should say goodbye, just in case it's a while, you know?" He looked almost nervous.
"I suppose.." I nodded slowly, rather confused at this point.
He was quiet for a minute, before he wrapped his arms tighter around my middle. Suddenly, he leaned his head closer to mine, and I jerked back.
"What-?"
He cut me off by sending one of his hands down to just above the top of my shorts. He leaned in again, and I turned my face away. His lips ended up on my cheek.
"Hermione.." He grumbled.
"What are you doing?" I snapped, trying to step away from him. He just held on tighter.
"Just close your eyes." He acted like he was instructing me. I was getting rather annoyed now.
I looked away, hoping perhaps if I looked into those beautiful woods they could somehow save me. Just as I turned back, he swooped in, and his lips hit mine. I'd never felt so uncomfortable. To be quite frank, it was gross. I just sort of stood there while he seemed to be attempting to get me to react. He didn't seem pleased, so he became more and more aggressive. His right hand slipped lower down, around my backside, and the other hand forced its way under my shirt, on my right hip.
I took a step back, hoping to perhaps unbalance him, as we were on a bit of a hill. He instead, pushed his hand farther under my shirt and stepped closer, using the hand on my bum to pull my hips closer to his. I still hadn't moved my lips against his, no matter how much he seemed to be urging me to.
After a moment or two longer, I just couldn't take it. Giving up on wiggling my way out of his grip, I pulled a knee up and it slammed into a part of him that was incredibly painful for him. He let go instantaneously, and I stepped back several steps.
"What the bloody hell was that, Hermione?!" He spat, glaring at me.
"Excuse me? I mean, you basically had me trapped, attacking my mouth against my will. What did you expect me to do?!" I cried, astounded.
Then a thought hit me. Did that count as my first kiss? If so, he'd stolen it. What a waste, too! He was bloody awful, at best. Marching over to him as my eyes started watering, I slapped him and turned on my heel and stomped away, back towards the castle.
I had been waiting. Saving that first kiss for someone who I meant something to. Someone I cared about. I didn't want it to be wasted on a jerk who had just practically molested me. Who did that?! I hate to say it, but I'm a ridiculously hopeless romantic. I read too many Muggle Romances for my own good, I'd say. Not every book I read is a textbook, after all. Was it so wrong to wish for a more romantic first encounter with a boy? Hopefully it wasn't supposed to feel so gross and awkward. Maybe - … hopefully… - Ron was just an awful kisser. It probably didn't help that I was basically acting like a pissed off, unresponsive brick wall.
I reached the lake, and it didn't feel like it was soon enough. I could imagine Ron, angry and determined, running after me. As if my mind had conjured him, I heard angry footsteps following me out of the woods.
"Hermione! Get back here! You can't just walk away like that!"
"Oh yeah? Well I think I just did." I snapped, not turning around.
"Granger!" Ron practically shouted, grabbing my upper arms and spinning me around to face him.
Eyes wide, I stared at him in fear as he backed me into a tree near the edge of the lake.
"Ron, let me go! You're hurting me again!" I cried, even more afraid. If I wasn't trapped before, I sure was now.
He said nothing, but just glared at me, fury blazing in his eyes.
"Weasel! The lady said to let go." A harsh, cold voice hissed from nearby. I knew that voice. Why on earth was he helping me? We were almost-friends outside the classrooms, when I wasn't with any Gryffindors. But he didn't ever stand up for me. It just didn't work that way. If anything, we had made a silent deal to never speak to each other in any way other than people were used to. They would just treat us differently if we did.
"Shove off, Malfoy." Ron growled, turning to look at Draco.
"I said, Let. Go." Draco gave Ron an icy stare, raising his wand to point at Ron.
"I'm not afraid of you." Ron said defiantly.
Draco took a few steps towards us, until his wand was up against Ron's throat. "How about now?"
Ron didn't say anything, but he looked a bit less confident. He loosened his hold just a bit. Draco glanced at me, and when our eyes met, I gave him the most encouraging look I could mange. If he kept it up, I could get away again.
"When did you start treating your friend like this, Weasel? Some Gryffindor." Draco sneered.
Ron whipped around to face Draco, releasing me entirely. I bolted away from the tree, and towards Draco. Draco's arm flew out and pulled me behind him.
"Hermione, what are you doing?" Ron gasped, taken aback.
"At least I know Draco's changed in a good way. You, of all people, Ron, have turned into something that scares others. You hurt me, in more ways than one. And if I trust anyone right now, it's definitely not you. At least Draco protects me when it comes down to it."
"Draco?" He asked, raising his eyebrows. "Don't be ridiculous, Hermione. Cmon. Let's go back to the common room. Forget this happened."
"No." I whispered.
Ron stared at me, and seemed to debate trying to get to me, before Draco pushed his wand into Ron's throat a bit harder. Huffing, Ron turned and walked back to the castle.
We watched him for a bit, before Draco lowered his wand, and turned to face me. My eyes were still wet from scared tears, and I couldn't look at him. His hand reached up to touch my cheek, turning my face side to side, as though checking for bruises. "How badly did he hurt you?" He asked.
"It was mostly that he… violated me." I couldn't come up with a better explanation.
"He didn't-?!"
"No. Nothing that bad. Just.. he touched me where I didn't want him to, and tried to make me kiss him back."
"That arse kissed you?" Draco looked furious.
"Well, I'm not sure it counted… I really hope it didn't. I just stood there."
"Counted?" He looked slightly confused.
"I've…" I began, embarrassed, and looked away. "I've never kissed anybody. Until Ron attacked me. I was sort of… being cliche and saving my first kiss."
"Don't worry. Did you kiss him back?" He asked. I shook my head. "Then it doesn't count."
"Good. Because it was completely gross anyways." I shuddered.
He pulled me to him and chuckled. I could feel the laugh more than I could hear it, what with my head being against his shoulder. He rested his chin on my head, and rubbed my back lightly. After a few moments, he pulled back and turned me to face him, his hands on my shoulders.
"…Cmon. Let's go watch one of those movie things you showed me." He suggested, smiling.
"Do I get to pick?" I asked quietly, feeling slightly ridiculous.
"Of course." He laughed, and led me back into the castle.
We reached the room of requirement and walked back and forth three times, thinking of a place to watch a movie. The doors appeared, and as we entered we found something that looked rather like a flat. There was a kitchen-esque area, a bed on one side, then a living-room type area with a couch, a chair, a table, and a television.
"Huh." Draco said, walking in after me. "I guess the room heard my stomach growl." He laughed, walking into the kitchen and digging through the pantry. "Aha." He grinned. "Popcorn. Gotta love Muggles for some things, I suppose."
I rolled my eyes but smiled. He had explained that he acted the way he did before the war because his father told him spies would be watching him. He had to act the way he did, or he could have been tortured the next time he went home. He had proven his alliance to the "Light Side" time and again, and I had eventually forgiven him.
"Alright, alright." I smiled lightly, "Let's watch… this one!" I lifted the box of my favorite movie of that time. 'The Proposal', with Sandra Bullock and Ryan Rynolds. It was a hilarious comedy about an immigrant who didn't want to get sent back home because her Visa application was denied, so she forced her assistant editor from the publishing firm she worked at to marry her so she could stay. All with the intention of getting a divorce after the allotted time, since they couldn't stand each other.
"Um, okay." He shrugged, and settled himself down in the middle of the couch. This didn't leave me much room on either side, so I just chose a side and tucked my feet underneath me.
As was typical for when Draco and I watched movies, he would take about half an hour to get into it, then he would start making snide comments. With most people, if they talked during the movie, I would get annoyed. But he always waited until a quiet part, and it was always hilarious, whatever he came up with. Once his popcorn was gone, he set the bag on the table, and leaned back, a little closer to me if I wasn't mistaken. Feeling cramped, I adjusted my legs, but one of my knees ended up on top of his right knee. Instead of moving or feeling awkward, he moved his hand so it rested on top of my leg. From that point, I could hardly focus on the movie. His fingers kept moving back and forth over the top of my knee. I couldn't help but think how odd it was that we could be this comfortable with each other, after everything we'd been through.
The next time he leaned in to whisper something, our heads touched. By this point, it had to be about eleven at night, so I, having seen the movie many times, was starting to get tired. Instead of moving away, like I usually would have, I just let my head rest against his. When he finished talking, he made no move to separate either.
Okay. I admit it. I fancied Draco a bit. Okay, maybe a lot. He was just tall enough to grin down at me when I was being stubborn or sarcastic. And boy was that grin amazing. After years of the smirk - which, yes, was indeed rather attractive, too - that smile did something funny to my stomach. His blonde hair tended to fall in his eyes, which were a wonderful shade of blue-grey that could change depending on his mood. And his mood could change instantaneously. He was funny, kind when he wanted to be, curious, and intelligent. I couldn't stop thinking about things I wanted to tell him when someone mentioned something to me. I could help wonder what he would say or do about something.
So, yeah, I was a bit tired. And a bit too happy with where this was going. My mind drifted back to what happened with Ron for a moment, but I let it go. There was no point in thinking about that. Draco had protected me once, and I knew he wouldn't hesitate to do it again. So I guess I realized that I trusted him. My left hand had been playing with my hair, apparently, because he moved the hand off my knee - that's what woke me from my thoughts - and pulled it away.
"Anxious?" He whispered, a smile evident in his voice.
"I just wasn't thinking about it." I shrugged.
I realized that he hadn't let go of my hand. Instead, he brought it back to where it was resting before.
I'm not sure when I stopped paying attention to the movie, really. Or when I fell asleep for that matter. All I know is that I woke up leaning against something warm and oddly comfortable. I knew I couldn't be in my dorm. All I had in my bed was two pillows and a blanket. Nothing this substantial. I opened my eyes to find that I was practically laying on Draco. His arm was around my middle protectively, and he was completely asleep as well. The movie must have been over ages ago, because the television had turned itself off.
I wasn't quite sure what had just developed, but I wasn't going to question it. Whatever it was would be fine by me. I closed my eyes and relaxed against him again, feeling him pull me in a bit more