Author's Note: So, yes, this is my first fanfiction. I can't stop anyone from flaming, but if you have anything positive you would like to say, just say it! Also, let me get this out front. This is LEMONY goodness- as in explicit content in later chapters- and will contain multiple pairings. Not your cup of tea- don't read. I am also taking ship requests, so if you have any that you want me to write, just comment them and I'll get to it (though I can't promise when)
It was late October, and Hermione was frustrated. She knew she had been a squirrely, bushy-haired teen as a third year. In 5th year, she noticed Ron acting more awkward around her. And then there was the ongoing catastrophe with the Brown girl. Hermione scowled at her reflection at the thought of Lavender. She was lucky that Ginny was also rooming with them- thanks to some well-planned persuasion towards McGonagall- because the Patil twins could not stop Hermione from hexing the stupid girl. Ginny could, though, and Hermione really didn't want to suffer from a bat-bogey hex.
In the next room, Hermione heard a thump as a sleepy girl's feet hit the cold stone floor. She groaned, praying that Lavender wouldn't walk through that door. But Karma was a spiteful bitch. Sure enough, Lavender slumped in, wavy hair tangled, rubbing her eyes sleepily. Hermione huffed through her gritted teeth. She continued to carefully apple her smooth eyeliner, hoping once again that a boy worthy of notice would actually pay attention to her.
"Good morning, Hermione," Lavender said, yawning.
"Hello, Lavender," she replied crisply, finishing her last line and marching out of the bathroom before the annoying prat could say anything else to her. When Hermione reached her bed, she saw Ginny sitting up, a mischievous smirk dancing on her lips.
"Don't say a word," Hermione snapped at her friend, eyes narrowing. Ginny's smirk widened as she replied, "Wouldn't dream of it."
Hermione pressed her lips together, but her negative mood lightened some. She proceeded to finish getting ready in silence, listening to the chit-chat of her roommates but not really listening. She thought back to Lavender's overdone relationship with Ron. Over the summer, Ron had acted even weirder around her. She had noticed some of the Weasley boys looking at her; multiple times she caught Fred- or George- checking her out. Why can't someone great like Blaise notice me? She thought with a huff, and she saw Ginny looking at her questioningly.
In fact, all school year, Hermione had seen lustful looks from boys of all ages as her womanly curves could no longer be totally disguised by her robes anymore. Shed even caught a few looks from girls, like the whorish pansexual Pansy Parkinson, and surprisingly, Parvati Patil. And it made her frustrated. Cot a single person had approached her, and because of her roommates- the twins and Lavender, really- she couldn't relieve her pent-up desires without being discovered. As it was, she was constantly telling them to be quiet so she could sleep.
By now, Hermione had tired of Lavender's shrill giggle as she recounted her latest snog with Ron, so with a silent look towards Ginny, the two girls lift for breakfast.
The two friends didn't talk again until they were seated at the Gryffindor table with food on their plates. Hermione was on her second cup of orange juice, with a cup of steaming cappuccino beside that. Ginny took a sip of her bitter coffee before speaking up.
"You seem pretty frustrated, 'Mione." Hermione grunted into her juice and reluctantly set down the cold drink. "What's bothering you?"
"Hermione looked around the partially deserted Grand Hall before speaking. "That damn prat, Lavender." Ginny nodded, biting her plump lower lip slightly. Hermione's eyes darted down, and her thoughts stalled momentarily as she took in the alluring sight. "Um, she's just so irritating, rambling on about snogging Ron all the time." Ginny nodded in agreement. "That's all they seem to do, and I'm just sick of hearing it! I bet that they've never had a single intelligent conversation," She scoffed, and a smirk tugged at the corner of Ginny's deliciously pink lips. At that moment, Ron's loud voice rang through the quiet hall as he and Harry staggered tiredly to the table. Harry sat down across from Hermione as Ron plopped down to his right sourly, sitting away from his younger sister.
"Morning, Ron," Ginny replied antagonistically perky, and her older brother grumbled something unintelligible before piling his plate with sausage and eggs. Harry and Ron ate quickly and sloppily, Harry quickly stopping to look up questioningly at Hermione.
"Ur 'ot 'aucking," he said with a mouthful of eggs. Ginny translated.
"He said you're not talking. I understand because Ron's always like this." The red head looked up from her croissant to wrinkle her nose at the sloppy noises coming from her brother.
"Do you ever stop eating?" Hermione snapped a few minutes later. The Great hall had filled up much more by now, so the chatter had definitely picked up. Ron looked up.
"What?" he asked, never stopping his chewing. Hermione opened her mouth to snap out a snarky reply when a high-pitched squeal rang out over the room's clamor.
"Won-won!" came Lavender's cry as she launched herself at her boyfriend. Ron smiled weakly as her slender arms wrapped fiercely around his shoulders. "Did you sleep well, Won-won? Did you dream of me?" Hermione rolled her eyes and pushed herself to her feet, grabbing her bag and marching away without a word. She could still hear Lavender's cooing voice behind her, but she couldn't hear any words, thankfully. She walked past the doors and smacked into black robes. Hermione stumbled back and tripped on the hem of her robe, falling back to crash against the stone floor. She heard a mumbled curse and looked up.
"Who the hell!" Came the cold voice of Draco, but then he began sneering when he saw the girl on the ground. "Ah, Granger. Finally found your proper spot at my feet?" Crabbe and Goyle snickered, but before Hermione could snap back a retort, firm hands were gripping her bicep and pulling her to her feet.
"Bugger off, Malfoy," Ginny stated, squaring her shoulders at the taller boy as Hermione dusted off her robes, trying to hide her burning cheeks behind her curly hair.
Draco's sneer widened. "Well, look what we have here: a baby weasel."
Ginny didn't reply but merely picked up Hermione's bag from where it had fallen and passed it back to the brunette. Then the girl walked briskly past Draco, smacking her shoulder against the taller boy, towing Hermione behind her. Draco smirked that the fiery girl's retreating back before swaggering into the Great hall.
When Hermione got to her last class before lunch, she was incredibly irritable. Harry and Ron had been pestering her as to what was bothering her, and it only made her mood continually worse. McGonagall had given the three pointed looks during Transfiguration, and her bad mood had "disturbed the spirits" during Divination. Hermione desperately hoped that Arithmetic went better. Hermione saw a flash of green out of the corner of her eyes and braced herself for a scathing Slytherin remark.
Looking up, Hermione saw Astoria Greengrass sneering down at her. With a look mocking look and a particular hand gesture, the blonde flipped her long hair and waltzed off. Knowing that Malfoy had no doubt manipulated that morning's encounter to be more demeaning, her scowl and bad mood increased. And knowing that she had to put up with Lavender during lunch next made the usually-entertaining class drag on forever.
Sure enough, Hermione heard Lavender's squeals and giggles as soon as she stepped foot in the Great Hall. She heard Ron trying to disentangle the girl from him with excuses of Quidditch and homework due in the next class. But Hermione had had enough. She grabbed a plate of food, not even bothering to sit first or set her bags down. Harry looked up from his Potions homework due later that day.
"Hermione?" She didn't pause from her work as she briskly replied, "I have a headache; I'm eating in the library." Hearing Ron reply encouragingly to his cooing girlfriend, she wrinkled her nose and stormed out of the Great Hall. She left in a flurry of hair and robes, not noticing the pale haired boy walking into the Great Hall that stared after her questioningly.
Hermione made it up to the library without speaking to anyone; most underclassmen had scrambled out of her way, but everyone else had taken one look at her stormy expression and backed away. Once safely tucked away at her table in the back corner, Hermione flopped into a chair with a large huff, her food sitting dejectedly on the table. Irritable and itchy, she undid the clasps of her robe and let it fall away, leaving her in her maroon scoop neck tee and flared muggle jeans. She had foregone the school uniform that day, hoping people would see the tie and the robes and assume she was being the model student as always.
Throwing an arm over her eyes, she angrily muttered, "Damn slutty prat. Obnoxious bitch ruining lunch." Her following hiss through clenched teeth echoed through the silent, deserted back part of the library until a low chuckle reached her ears.
"Heh, who knew the Gryffindor prude had such a foul mouth. She ought to lose house points for that," said a menacingly close voice. Hermione jerked upright, blood rushing to her cheeks.
"Malfoy," she hissed, flaring at the sneering Slytherin leaning against a bookshelf.
"Granger," he replied, pushing himself upright and slinking towards her slowly. Hermione stood to be closer to the same height, though he obviously still towered over her a bit.
"What, not going to insult my blood heritage today?" she snapped bitterly, eyeing the advancing boy warily. Draco took another step forward, sending the brunette another step. The blonde boy eyed her discarded robe and revealing neckline, and the Gryffindor suddenly realized how alone they were; she hadn't even seen the librarian when she walking in just minutes ago.
"And why would you want me to do that, Granger?" he cooed seductively, slinking toward Hermione. She took another step back and suddenly felt the cool stone against her back, her thundering heartbeat echoing into the castle walls. One more step and Hermione was pressed flush against the wall, the coolness from the stones seeping into her bare arms. The tall Slytherin placed a pale hand beside her head, and Hermione's breath quickened at his closeness.
Hermione would admit- grudgingly- that he was devastatingly attractive in an icy sort of way. His pale skin and white-blonde hair marked him as an ice prince, with chiseled cheekbones and a sharp clavicle that just begged for warm kisses. However, when Draco was this close, for the first time, Hermione noticed that a very faint pink dusted his cheeks, and his lips looked decidedly soft. But most of all, his eyes captured her gaze and held her hostage. Yes, those icy depths were silver, but upon closer inspection, Hermione saw that they were ringed in a stormy grey, with little flecks of gold thrown into the pool of silver. Draco stared deep into her eyes, his gaze boring into her brain and freezing all rational thoughts. Moving even closer, Draco teased the brunette with the warmth of his body, ghosting his breath against her slightly flushed face. He allowed his hips to brush lightly against her, earning a breathless gasp from the Gryffindor as she felt the lean planes of his body. Hermione knew she was being stupid. She knew that she needed to stop reacting, stop showing him how much he affected her. But she was frustrated, full of pent-up desire with no outlet, and that feral, animalistic side of her was rearing free, dominating all logic and reason. Draco leaned his face towards the gasping girl, and Hermione surrendered, her eyes falling closed and reaching up to his.
A sudden, harsh, cold laugh broke Hermione out of her trance. She jerked her eyes open to see the Slytherin boy laughing triumphantly, backing away from her with his usual swagger.
"And the mudblood isn't so much of a prude is she? No, she's desperate, willing to be an obedient pureblood's whore," he sneered, his glee unrestrained and glaringly mocking. Hermione felt her face flush in shame and anger, her blood beginning to boil.
"Shut it, you worthless git," she snapped, stepping forward and pulling herself tall. She was the laughter in Malfoy's eyes and stepped closer, jabbing a finger into his chest. "You put a spell on me, and you know it." He laughed and stepped into her space, coming closer to the aroused girl. Very close. Too close. Hermione's hand was trapped between their bodies, his steady heartbeat revealing that this was all a game to him. Malfoy smiled cruelly down at her triumphantly, and enough was enough.
Bracing herself, she planted her feet, brought her other hand up to Draco's chest, and smiled up at him sweetly. Then, she curled her fingers, letting her nails scrape against the cloth of his robes. For a second, she saw a slight flicker of surprise. But that turned to full-fledged shock as Hermione shoved- hard. She pushed the arrogant boy away, sending him stumbling back to smack his shoulder against one of the heavy bookcases. He scowled at her angrily, clutching his throbbing shoulder.
"Keep your filthy hands off me, Mudblood," he hissed, anger reddening his cheeks. Now, it was Hermione's turn to smile. She caged her lustful side and released the vengeful hell-cat. Brandishing a calculating smile and her wand from her waistband, Hermione advanced confidently, a cold fire filling her eyes as she prepared to vent her pent-up frustration at the world upon this ignorant bastard of a boy that was determined to torment her. Draco's confident demeanor faltered at the girl's new look, and a slight spark of something akin to fear touched his eyes. Before the Gryffindor could cast any curse at him, an invisible shield suddenly expanded between the two and stopped Hermione in her tracks.
"'Mione, stop it," said the firm, commanding voice of Ginny Weasley who now had her wand pointed directly at her friend. "True, he's a bloody bastard that probably deserved whatever it is you were about to cast, but I can't let you get yourself into trouble. He's not worth it." The two girls stared each other down in a never-ending moment of silence, but finally, the brunette sighed and stowed her wand in the waistband of her jeans once again. Draco was scowling at the two Gryffindors, his arms crossed over his chest and foot tapping impatiently, trademark expression towards Gryffindors once again plastered on his cold face. With a simple flourish, Ginny removed the shield charm; Draco turned to leave.
"I'll be dealing with you soon, Granger. You mark my words," he threatened as he stalked out of the library, not even bothering to turn around to say it. Both friends waited until his back and proud footsteps had retreated, Hermione with clenched teeth and Ginny with a cool impatience. When the library was once again calm and silent, Ginny turned towards her older friend.
Hermione was looking down, her curly hair hiding her face. Ginny didn't have to see her friend's face to know that the smart girl was upset. Ginny stuffed her wand into her robe sleeve and wrapped the older girl in a hug.
"I'm sorry," Hermione whispered into the red head's shoulder, her voice muffled by the cloth and hair. Ginny shhhhhed her again, but her next words were drowned out by the castle's clock dong that signaled the end of lunch. Hermione broke out of the gentle embrace, smiled at the girl, and turned back to the table. Her plate of untouched food had disappeared. She gathered up her bag and parchment without a word; she brushed past Ginny with an inaudible murmur and began the lock trek down the many flights of stairs to the dungeons for Potions class.
Today was an unlucky day; Hermione had double potions today. And the rest of the week. As food as she was at Potions, she did not enjoy spending so much time in the Slytherin's most comfortable environment. Plus, Professor Snape was not exactly overly fond of Gryffindors for long periods of time- or at all, really.
The green-lit dungeon room was already filled with several students, and they were all muttering unhappily. There were larger cauldrons set up on tables throughout the room- most likely indicating a long-term project- but there weren't enough, meaning partner work. Hermione groaned inwardly and prepared herself to work with someone… Well, not Ron or Harry, so someone like Neville of Dean Thomas or Seamus. Neville was dreadful at Potions, and Seamus had a tendency to blow something up, and Dean was a bit of a prick. She even braced herself for the constant scathing remarks from Pansy Parkinson, should they be partnered. She did not expect, however, to be thrown on a Hippogriff (so to speak.)
"Miss Granger," the greasy-haired professor spoke coolly, drawing her name out of his dry cauldron, "it would seem that you will be partnered with another ex-prefect." She groaned inwardly again at having to partner with Ron and deal with Lavender's incessant whining until she saw his expression and heard a different vice muttering behind her.
"Well, isn't this just your luck, Granger," Draco Malfoy- her partner- whispered into her ear.
Author's Note: Again, please review and give any advice, comments, encouragement, or corrections. I'd love to get input from my readers!