Title: Captured
Author: 2booklover4
Language: English
Verb Tense: Narrative Past
Form: One-shot
Genre: Romance/Humor
Rating: T
Warning/s: Some cussing and subtle innuendos.
Ship: Draco/Hermione
Summary: Hermione Granger was one day captured by two, cloaked figures. And the person behind this? Draco Malfoy.

Disclaimer: I solemnly swear that I do not own Harry Potter. I solemnly swear that I am not JK Rowling. I solemnly swear that I am just doing this for fun. Therefore, mischief managed :D

A/N: I'M BACK! I'm so happy I've written another one-shot. But like what I've said in my past fanfic, I'm still on hiatus. I'm going to post longer chapters next year, I think. I just need a break, I swear.

Anyway, I was supposed to post this ages ago but my stupid computer would not cooperate with me. Seriously, computer viruses are one of the enemies of writers, yeah?

Gah, I will stop now. Just read this and after that go review, okay? Enjoy!

Captured

Everyone shrieked in surprise as they brandished their wands out.

Hermione Granger, who was peacefully reading a very nice book before the sudden intrusion, bolted up from her comfortable seat before mimicking the others and pulled her wand from her pocket.

Ginny Weasley stood beside her, wand in hand, as they waited with bated breath.

Silence ensued around the Gryffindor common room. As Hermione looked around, she could see panic-stricken and horrified looks visible on the faces of her housemates. She sought for her best friends, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, but she could not find them.

The two cloaked figures advanced forward, their steps light and small. Hermione's breathing turned into small gasps as she anticipated for their attack. She was expecting… hoping that Professor Dumbledore would suddenly appear and save them. After all, two Death Eaters were about to attack his students.

Her wand hand was shaking so badly she had to tighten her grip just to stop it. "Voldemort is behind this," she stated through clenched teeth. At the corner of her eyes, she saw the others cringe in fear. She raised an eyebrow when one of the intruders faltered in his steps and flinched.

Glowering, she continued. "Tell your precious Lord to…"

"Hermione!" the redhead furiously whispered beside her, holding her arm to restrain her from provoking them.

The brunette glared at Ginny, her wand still pointed at the Death Eaters. Hermione couldn't understand why Ginny was acting like that. Normally, Ginny would have tackled one of the Death Eaters already.

And now, because she wasn't looking, she was caught off guard when her wand was suddenly blasted off from her right hand. She gasped in surprise and was about to make a mad dash for it but then, the same Death Eater who blasted off her wand was pressing his own under her chin.

Murmurs of panic rose as Hermione closed her eyes. 'This is it,' she thought. 'This is what I've feared ever since I became Harry Potter's best friend.'

She knew she was supposed to panic now, just like what the other occupants of the room were feeling. But for some strange reason, she was feeling anything but. She couldn't cry in terror. She felt numb and maybe she could blame it on her adrenaline. The only thing she could hear was the pumping of her blood in her veins, screaming for her to do something to save everyone in the room. Harry's heroic instinct was really rubbing off of her already.

She was cut off from her musings when the disguised men seized both of her arms.

"Hey!" she cried in indignation, trying to get away from their grips but they just wouldn't budge. They instead dragged her towards the door.

"Hermione!" Ginny screamed aloud.

"Let me go!" she shrieked. Her eyes connected with Ginny. "Do something, Ginny!"

Ginny hurled spells, even her infamous Bat-Boogey hex, but none seemed to reach their target. This greatly surprised Hermione since she knew that the redhead was quite exceptional when using her wand. She actually suspected that Ginny was not making any effort to save her from the bastards. The look on her face lack concentration, one thing she always wore whenever she was determined to save something or someone.

What surprised and angered her more was that no one in the Gryffindor common room was even trying to help Ginny. They were terrified, all right. But they were Gryffindors, for Merlin's sake! They were placed in this House because of their bravery. Their actions were truthfully contradictory to their supposedly possessed value.

Hermione glared at everyone and softly growled. 'Something is quite wrong here,' she pondered. 'Very, very wrong.'

And with that, the two Death Eaters successfully pulled her out of the Gryffindor common room.

Silence once again ensued in the Gryffindor common room. Everybody stared at the door, Hermione and her captors already out from their sight.

Ginny, who was still gasping from shouting spells towards the Death Eater, covered her mouth and started to cry. A lot mimicked her action, tears also streaming down from their faces.

And then suddenly, a first year Gryffindor started to giggle. It was soft at first, but then it continued and continued until it transformed into uncontrollable laughter. The people beside her couldn't contain their laughter, too, and started to guffaw loudly.

The redhead wiped away her tears and continued to laugh heartily. Apparently, the tears pouring down from her face were tears of joy. "Oh my god," she murmured in between gasps of laughter. "That was... that was the funniest thing that had ever happened in this school-year. Hermione is so gonna kill me."

Ginny looked at her fellow housemates. "Mission accomplished, Gryffindor!" she shouted. "Merlin, we deserved an award for acting so brilliantly! You should have seen your faces! Priceless! Thank god they dragged her out of the common room before I started to laugh."

Lavender and Parvati, who were just beside Ginny, held hands and squealed like hopeless romantics. "I wonder how this will turn out!" the Gossip Queen exclaimed. "I cannot wait."

"Ah, I feel like swooning," Parvati answered, placing a hand on her forehead and sighed dramatically. "This is so sweet, Lav!"

"I know right!" her best friend squealed once again.

"All right, girls. All right," Ginny said, shaking her hand in disbelief. Honestly, she did not know how she became friends with these two. "You're both twitterpated. Just calm down and hope that everything will end according to the albino's plan."

Everybody in the room solemnly nodded their head, hoping for the best.

"Ugh, release me!" Hermione screamed for the umpteenth time she was so sure her captors were starting to get deaf. But she couldn't care less. Her arms were smarting, her throat was hurting, and her feet were aching. She was still uncertain where the two would bring her but one thing was for sure - they would never let her go until they reached their destination.

She tried to squirm once again but the two just tightened their grips again. Hermione felt like crying now. She felt defenseless, especially since she couldn't feel her wand in her pocket. "Let me go. Let me go! LET ME GO!" she exclaimed, trying to pull her arm once again but still, they wouldn't allow her to be released from their seizing.

The one of her left clenched her arm so tightly. "Ouch," she softly cried. She could feel it numbing already. To her surprise, the Death Eater loosened his grip slightly.

"I'm sorry, Hermione," he softly said.

Hermione gasped. Her eyes widened as she stared at him. 'Wait! I know that voice!' she screamed in her mind as she continued to stare at him in disbelief. "What the - ? Ronald Bilius Weasley, is that you?"

He did not answer but Hermione was so sure she heard a soft whimper. The Death Eater on her right side, on the other hand, whacked the other on the head. "You idiot!" he furiously whispered. Hermione whipped her head to look at the other. She knew that voice, too.

"Harry…" she said threateningly, eyes narrowed into thin slits. She was not surprised anymore. In fact, she was becoming angry already.

"We are not Harry Potter and Ron Weasley," Death Eater Ron said lamely, still trying to cover up their disguise. But Hermione recognized them already.

She glared and squirmed more. "Look, I don't know what you two are planning, but I swear, if ever you release me from your… your seizing, I am going to do unimaginable things you thought that I cannot do."

On her left, Ron softly whimpered while on her right, Harry heaved a deep sigh.

"It's no use hiding anything from you, huh?" The-Boy-Who-Lived said humorously. But when neither of the two laughed, he rolled his eyes behind his mask. "Look, Hermione. We are doing this for a good cause."

"Yeah!" Ron exclaimed in agreement. "We don't mean to hurt you at all. We love you, Hermione. We want you to have the best."

"What are you talking about?" she shot back, frowning. "I cannot understand one single thing."

Harry sighed once again. "We're almost there, anyway. I think he is the rightful person to discuss this to you."

"He?" she said, almost panicky. "Who is this 'he'?"

Harry and Ron answered her with their silence.

"All right, fine. Be like that!" she exclaimed in exasperation. "But be warned that after this… this thing is done, I will not talk to you at all!"

Ron groaned. "This better be successful or I am going to ruin his pretty head."

"Agreed," Harry said, nodding in agreement.

Hermione was greeted by a warm welcome by the playful wind.

They were already outside the castle grounds. Her arms were still trapped inside her best friends' arms, restraining her from freeing and running away.

She had struggled for minutes but finally stopped in resignation. The two were really determined to bring her to their destination. Hermione gave them more threats here and there, and although those faltered their steps for a few minutes, they still continued.

They were nearing the Hogwarts Lake and Hermione's mood did not change. Her frustration was still visible on her face. She did not need another thing like this. For the last three days, her happiness dropped. She rarely talked to her friends. If ever they waited for a response from her, the only answer they could get were limited into three to five words.

"Are we there yet?" she grumbled, eyebrows furrowed together.

"Almost," Harry and Ron said in unison.

"And I hope that after this, you will be able to smile brilliantly once again," Harry added as an afterthought and Hermione, although still angry with the two, couldn't help but flash them a smile. They were doing this for a good cause, they said. And Hermione hoped that they were right. Merlin, even her mouth was complaining and ordering her to lift its corners to form a huge smile.

They were a few feet away from the Lake and Hermione could already see a lone figure standing near the edge of the lake, his back facing away from the three. His hands were hidden behind his pockets and his hair billowed against the wind.

And then, Hermione halted in her steps as he turned around at the sound of their footsteps. Blond hair, grey eyes, pensive look, and arrogant features… She. Had. To. Get. Away. From. Here.

"Let me go," she whispered furiously, the tone of her voice more urgent than before. "Let me go, or I swear I will blast both of you into oblivion."

They were nearing him now and each step they took made her more panicky.

"That was a very Hermione thing to say," Harry commented. "But I'm afraid we have to say 'no' to that order of yours."

"Harry's right," Ron piped in.

"You don't understand," she exclaimed, now struggling against their grips once again. "I need to get out of here."

"If I'm not wearing any masks right now, Hermione, you should have seen me roll my eyes," The-Boy-Who-Lived informed. "Seriously, three days of silence drove us insane, Hermione. You both need to talk and fix your petty quarrel."

"Petty quarrel?" she squeaked in anger. "Ha! For your information, that was not a petty quarrel! What that… that bastard did to me three days ago was absolutely unforgivable. Any form of apologizing will be futile."

"Who said I was about to apologize to you, Granger?" the said bastard asked. Hermione's cheeks flared, whether in embarrassment or anger, the three did not know. She then growled, eyes turned into thin slits. Draco Malfoy rolled his eyes, unaffected by her death glares. He then directed his mercurial eyes towards the disguised Gryffindors and gave them a small smile. "Thanks, mates. I greatly appreciated your effort in helping me."

Harry shrugged and took off his mask. "What are friends for?" he asked, grinning boyishly. He then patted his shoulder in assurance. "Now, we'll leave you both alone. And for heaven's sake, in behalf of all the Gryffindors, patch everything up between you two."

Draco and Hermione rolled their eyes simultaneously. After Harry and Ron bid their last goodbyes, they left the two alone.

Silence first ensued between them. Even the birds who usually chirped and the Giant Squid who usually made splashing noises fell silent.

Hermione happened to look down on the ground. She first noticed the checkered blanket spread out on the grass. On top of it was a picnic basket, an adorable teddy bear, and as the cherry on the top: red roses.

She looked at Malfoy in shock, which surprisingly was looking at her with his infamous smirk seen on his face. "What are you on about?" she asked in disbelief.

Draco shrugged and plopped himself down on the picnic blanket. "What do you think?" he said, staring at the brunette. "And do sit down."

Hermione absentmindedly sat down, Indian Style, as she watched Malfoy bite off from an apple. "I don't like what I'm thinking, Ferret," she honestly said, frowning. Her facial expression then turned into a disgusted one. "A picnic? Merlin… a date? Seriously? And you made me think I was being captured by two Death Eaters who happened to be my best friends just so we can have a picnic."

She was fuming and he knew that. But once again, Draco Malfoy just shrugged nonchalantly. "I guess you can say that." His lips then formed a frown. "And if you don't like the idea of us having a date, then don't. It's as simple as that."

Enraged, Hermione plucked one grape from its branch before hurtling it towards the blond. It hit him squarely on his forehead.

"Ow!" he exclaimed. "What did you do that for?"

"I'm out of here," she snarled, making a move to stand up. But then, Draco grabbed her wrists and forced her to stay.

"Merlin, Granger. Stop being touchy today," he said, glaring. "Look, we are both here to patch things up. What happened three days ago - ."

" - wasn't supposed to happen!" she shrieked hysterically. Her cheeks burned up once again. "Look, I was perfectly happy being your best friend, Draco Malfoy. But you ruined everything… everything, I tell you, with that sickening, bothersome - "

" – sweet, delectable - "

" – disgusting kiss!" she finished, cheeks inflamed ten-fold. "That wasn't supposed to happen, Malfoy!"

"Then stop thinking about it," he said, his face once again pensive. "We're here to patch things up, Granger. Look," – he sighed – "I just want my best friend back."

Hermione stayed silent after his awfully truthful comment. She was torn between acting as a still fuming woman but at the same time, she wanted to forgive him. Badly. She had to admit, for three consecutive days, she sorely missed him.

Damn this friendship that formed between them, she thought. This was something different, far different from her friendship with her other best friends, Harry and Ron. She had to devote at least three straight hours with Draco Malfoy everyday. With Harry and Ron, as much as she wanted to deny it, she felt that she would survive a day without seeing or interacting with the two of them. Call her ungrateful for the seven years of friendship Harry and Ron offered her, but it was the truth. She had this inkling feeling that they knew, and surprisingly, they weren't mad at all. In fact, they seemed happy (very, very happy) for her. And despite their odd reaction to this, she was thankful to them.

Draco Malfoy had just once been her bully classmate. But when sixth year came, he changed. At first, she refused to believe that a badass like him would turn out good in the end. But Draco proved his loyalty towards the light side by providing some information about the other side, which was actually really helpful. Because of his information, they had spared lives of important Order members; even millions of innocent lives.

Hermione did not exactly know how she established such a strong bond with Draco Malfoy. All she knew was that one day, she had this amazing debate with him and she realized that he was a actually a very witty opponent. After that were a couple of more debates, and then conversations, which turned into insignificant anecdotes in their lives… and then, that was it.

She realized that she earned herself a new best friend.

They had been publicly friends for a year and a half now. Hogwarts knew about their friendship. Some were absolutely disgusted with this. A Slytherin and a Gryffindor, especially Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger? The two were actually expecting this, but they did not really care.

Harry and Ron were quite suspicious about their friendship at first. They suspected that maybe Malfoy was a spy to the Dark Lord, using Hermione just so he could gather pieces of information from the Light Side that could be used against them. But as weeks passed, they finally surrendered to the fact that he was a changed man.

Her musings were cut off when she once again noticed the teddy bear on the picnic blanket. "To whom will you give that teddy bear?" she asked, her lips turning into a frown.

Draco rolled his eyes and stared at the said toy. "It's not yours," he said. Hermione caught the sarcasm in the tone of his voice.

"To whom? To Ginny?" she replied back, using her sarcastic voice, too.

He chuckled for a bit and answered, "Yeah, and then get punched by her boyfriend and her brother." Draco got another apple from the basket, bit from it, then continued, "Who do you think is that for, Granger?"

She was humbled by his comment. "I… I have always liked teddy bears." And she was telling the truth. Her bed in the Gryffindor common room was full of stuffed toys, which she would cuddle all night long as she slept.

"Exactly," was his simple answer without even confirming if it really was for her or not.

The stuffed toy looked fairly adorable and so, Hermione clutched it and placed it on her lap. Draco did not say anything and so, Hermione was now so sure it was for her. 'Funny,' she thought. 'Draco Malfoy was never really fond of giving gifts.'

Her eyes then wandered to the three red roses and that was when an invisible band within her snapped. "All right, that's it," she said, using the most frustrated tone she could muster. "State the real reason why we are here, Draco Malfoy. If all we'll do right now is to eat in silence, then, I'm out of here. I still need to study, for your information."

He sighed. "That's so typical of you, Hermione," he shot back, dropping the apple core on the ground. "Can't we just eat peaceful? The food is delicious, Granger. Eat."

"No," she stubbornly retorted back. "Not until you tell me the meaning of this picnic… this teddy bear… those goddamn roses!"

He looked angered by the tone of her voice. "Nothing. Eat."

"Draco!" she exclaimed.

"All right! Fine!" he shouted back, now on his feet. "You want me tell you why I'm doing all of this, Hermione?! Fine, I'll give you that!" He threw his arms up into the air imploringly, his eyes gazing heavenward. "I like you!" He directed his eyes towards the astonished brunette. "This picnic… that teddy bear… those goddamn roses… they are supposed to tell you how I feel. And Merlin, you're Hermione Granger; you're supposed to get everything just with a glance. I can't believe you're acting stupid right now."

Hermione gasped in shock, her eyes soon turning into thin slits.

She was fuming and he knew it. "Oh, don't start looking like that," he said in annoyance. "You were supposed to get it three days ago. But you thought I was being a jerk by kissing you and ignored me."

"Well, you were!" she screamed, standing on her feet, too. "And you're acting like one now!"

Draco scoffed and crossed his arm. "The kiss three days ago was not an accident, Granger. And I have this inkling feeling you know that fact, too. I've hurtled hints into your face for the past months, Hermione. Didn't you notice them at all?"

She pursed her lips, which formed into straight line. Didn't she notice his hints? Sweet Merlin, she did! All of them. But she just chose to ignore them because she was afraid to lose her best friend. Merlin, they had a wonderful friendship. She didn't want it to be ruined because of their petty feelings for each other… yes, their feelings because even she was feeling something new for the blond.

Hermione averted her eyes away from him and said in a low voice, "I'll forget everything about this, Draco. We can continue being the same way tomorrow. I promise I will be your good best friend once again." She made a move to leave but Draco caught her arm.

"No, you don't understand!" he said, now holding both of her shoulders. "Look, I did not prepare all this to bring my best friend back. I made all of this to gain something more."

Her shoulders tensed, her eyes widened, and a blush rose on both of her cheeks as she stared at him. "You did not just say that," she whispered.

He had this determined look on his face Hermione was drove to look away from his eyes. "I just did," he said. "And I meant it."

Her cheeks darkened and she stared at her feet. What a perfect way to spend her day today. Here she was, embarrassed to her bones as her supposedly best friend confessed his unadulterated feelings for her.

"We're too different, Draco," she sputtered out. "I'm not perfect."

"And you think I am?" he asked in surprise.

She nodded after a few minutes. "Yes you are," she shot back. "You're very rich, you're intelligent, and Merlin, you are handsome."

He scoffed. "I'd be stupid if I didn't say you're intelligent, Hermione," he said. "And who cares about my money? Who cares about your money? It's something materialistic. It can be replaced. And if we're talking about beauty here, Granger, then you are so blind if you do not know how beautiful you are."

Hermione blushed at his comment, seemingly at loss for words.

Silence once again accompanied them and truthfully, Hermione was frustrated to it already. But then soon, Draco Malfoy broke the silence.

"What do you feel about me?" he finally asked, his voice unwavering. But Hermione caught a slight tremor in the tone of his voice. She closed her eyes and sighed. Truly, she knew him more than anyone else… even more than himself, she suspected.

"I…" she started. Merlin, he was really forcing her to say her feelings she had desperately hid from him for years. She was not ready to tell him her feelings that were so strong it sometimes drove her crazy. Not now when they were still enjoying the blissful friendship they had shared for almost two years already. But, she knew it was now or never. Draco had told her perfectly… he did not want her best friend back, he wanted something more from her. She had a feeling that if she did not tell him now, he would never accept her back.

And so, taking in a deep breath, she raised her eyes and stared at him. "I love you," she said determinedly, albeit her pink cheeks. "I love you for a while already and I don't even know why."

Silence ensued and as more quiet minutes passed by, Hermione became more and more embarrassed. But then, Draco broke into a large smile, making her cheeks redder.

She pushed his chest weakly, also sporting a small grin on her face. "Oh, stop looking like that," she slightly whined. "I'm going to take it back."

He covered his lips to stop smiling. "I'm sorry, I can't help it," he said, slightly muffled by his hand. He removed his hand from his mouth and enveloped the brunette into a tight hug. "Look," he started, "I'm still confused whether my feelings for you are already true or not."

"I think mine is already true," she whispered. After all, she was telling the truth.

Draco chuckled softly. "Let's just say that I like you, Hermione. A lot. I can't stop thinking about you. If you are like one of my past bimbos out there, I should have slept with you already" – the brunette gasped – "but you're not like them." He hastily added that part. "You're not like them, Granger, and I like you for that. I respect you and your body, because you do. I feel unworthy to taint you until you tell me to do so." He chuckled once more. "Goodness, I'm mad about you. But I still don't want to say 'I love you' until I'm sure already. All I know is that I don't want to hurt you."

Hermione, overwhelmed by his words, closed her eyes and snuggled against his shoulder. "You've captured me just for this?" she asked, softly laughing. "And here I was, expecting that I will be asked out for the first time romantically."

"I'm different," he said, retorting back.

"Unfortunately, you are. And I love you for that." Hermione laughed and tightened her arms around his waist. "How do you think will they react?"

Draco gave her a one-armed shrug. "I know for sure that the Gryffindors will rejoice." He grinned. "Merlin, they love me already. They even agreed to be part of this conspiracy."

She gasped. "You mean to say that they were just acting awhile ago?" She made an angry noise and looked at him. "That was why they seemed like they were not making any effort in saving me. Oh, those Gryffindors…"

The blond chuckled at her unfinished sentence and pulled away from her hug. With a grin, he intertwined his hand with hers and gave her knuckles a kiss gingerly. "Let's find out how the others will react, shall we?"

She grinned back and nodded. "We better."

With a wave of Draco's wand, the picnic stuff disappeared. And then, the two walked back into the castle of Hogwarts, hand-in-hand, aware that Draco not only captured Hermione for his little scheme but also something else.

Her heart.

A/N: And, done! Whew, that was quite long but I loved writing this. Fluffy, yeah, but I don't care. It made me happy! I hope you loved it, too. Review, all right?

P.S. I've posted a new poll in my profile. Please vote and you'll be greatly appreciated by yours truly. :D

With love,
2booklover4