"Granger! Must you always have your head stuck in a book?"
Hermione looked up from the page she was reading to find Draco Malfoy standing in front of her, shaking his head.
"You're like that one girl from that muggle cartoon, what was her name? Beatrice? Banana? Bentley?"
"Belle?" Hermione finally answered for him, raising her eyebrows.
"Yeah her," he said, lounging in the chair next to her. "I can think of a million other things you could be doing, starting with number one: me," he smirked.
"Draco, it's the middle of the day!" Hermione shrieked, glancing around nervously, hoping no one heard him, but there was no one present in that corner of the library, but them.
"Haven't you heard of a little thing called afternoon delight?" He winked.
"Yes I have, but I'm studying at the moment, and since you don't let me study at night anymore, I need to get it done now," Hermione argued. "Plus we have less than two months of school left, and our N.E.W.T.S. creeping up on us like a hungry hyena,"
"I know, I just love riling you up," Draco laughed, leaning over the arm rest to kiss her on the cheek. "So what are we studying today?"
"Vampires,"
"Please don't tell me you're going to start reading that muggle book every girl here seems to be fawning over," Draco rolled his eyes.
"Already did, and let me tell you that was one thing someone should not have brought back from the future. It's hardly realistic, I mean, vampires do not sparkle,"
"Thank goodness for that," Draco snorted as he pulled out his book. "They're already egomaniacs as it is, we don't need them flashing around their glitter for us. What page are you on?"
They spent the next hour studying together, with a couple of breaks in between initiated by Draco and ended by Hermione.
"Okay, I need to go now," Hermione said, releasing her lips from Draco's and closing her book. "I told Ginny I'd meet her,"
"Girl stuff I presume?" Draco asked as he traced her jawline with his nose.
"What else?" Hermione replied, smiling. She gave Draco a peck on the lips and then started walking away.
"Er, Granger, the exits that way," Draco gestured to his right, noticing Hermione was heading in the opposite direction.
"I'm just gonna get a book for Ginny really fast," Hermione told him. "Or you know, I'm sneaking off to see my other boyfriend and the whole Ginny thing is my alibi," she joked.
"That better not be the case," Draco scoffed, getting up from his chair and grabbing Hermione by the waist. He pushed her up against the bookshelf and kissed her fervidly. "Now go be a good girl and get your friend her book," he said when he broke away, "I'm gonna go play some Quidditch. Meet me at nine, don't be late." And after placing a quick final kiss on her temple he turned to leave.
"Yes sir," Hermione saluted as he walked away. She stayed put against the bookshelf as she calmed herself. She didn't need people to see her walking around the library with her cheeks flushed to the color of a raspberry. She shook her head and chuckled, as she thought back to how she started finding herself in these predicaments.
It was the beginning of the school year, and as if the term wouldn't be difficult enough with it being their final year and having just defeated the most powerful dark wizard ever, McGonnagal decided to implement some interhouse unity. This meant they would have activities where you had to interact with people who weren't in your house. That wasn't the part Hermione had a problem with however. The new Headmistress had had the bright idea that Hermione should be in charge of creating and presiding over said activities- along with Draco Malfoy.
Being the immature child that he was, Draco naturally threw a fit. Apparently witnessing firsthand the atrocities of prejudice, and surviving the war (and being acquitted of all crimes), did not completely change his perception of muggle-borns. Okay, Hermione had been wrong about that. Draco really had changed his views and didn't mind muggle-borns anymore, and refrained from insulting them the best he could. He did however still think that he was the coolest guy to walk the planet. No, what Draco had a problem with was working with Hermione, best friend of Harry Potter, Gryffindor Princess, the Brightest Witch of their Age, etc. Apparently it wasn't even about her being a muggle-born anymore, it was about her being her, the bossy, know-it-all, bookworm.
Hermione wasn't too pleased with the arrangement either, and though she was hurt that he simply didn't want to work with her because she was her, she couldn't deny that she shared the same sentiments. Who would want to work with someone who thought people should worship the ground they walked on, believed everyone should listen to them, and issued commands like a drill sergeant?
Anywho, McGonnagal sternly told them that she was not changing her mind, and they just had to look past their differences and work together. In other words, suck it up.
Their first couple of meetings were a disaster. They didn't stop arguing and taunting each other. The third meeting, Hermione stomped out after being there less than ten minutes. By their fourth meeting they realized they had to get something done because it was the only one left before the actual event. Although they didn't succeed in not bickering, they did it significantly less, and they managed to pull something decent together. The activity was a welcome back to Hogwarts extravanganza. Everybody loved it and had a good time, and surprisingly, everyone got along.
There was to be one activity a month, which meant Hermione and Draco had to meet quite often, much to their dismay. They got along slightly better while preparing for October's Halloween Festival, and remained as civil as they could while putting together November's Turkey Day. By December only three or four insults were hurled during their get-togethers.
That was the month everything changed.
"So, how many Christmas trees are we getting?" Draco asked Hermione.
"Twelve," she replied as she magically set up garlands all around the Great Hall. "Hagrid should be bringing them up any moment now,"
"Okay, and how is that 'Secret Santa' thing gonna work?"
"You know how it's going to work Malfoy. We've been over this twenty times already! After the feast the house elves are going to come and deliver the gifts to everyone,"
"And, er, how were the house elves supposed to get all those gifts?" Draco asked her nervously.
"You, and Blaise, and Theo were supposed to go around and collect the gifts from all the students and then give them to the house elves. You did collect all the gifts, didn't you Draco?" Hermione glared at him.
"Yeah, about that… it might've possibly slipped my mind,"
Draco wished he knew a spell to make him disappear, for at the moment Hermione's face was turning a shade of red that should be illegal. "DRACO LUCIUS MALFOY!"
"I didn't know you knew my middle name," Draco managed to smirk before being continuously hit on the arm by Hermione's fists. "Ow!"
"YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO HAVE THAT DONE BY THIS MORNING AND IT IS NOW FOUR O'CLOCK IN THE AFTERNOON!"
"Alright, alright, I'll get it done!" he said, shirking away, and rubbing his arm. "Sheesh woman!"
"It's Granger, not woman!" Hermione yelled at him, "I mean, Hermione," she corrected herself, blushing. She quickly went back to putting up the garlands. Draco gave a snicker, and left to get his job done before she killed him.
The party was a success, especially the Secret Santa exchange. "You're welcome," Draco whispered to Hermione haughtily when the house elves marched in and gave everyone their gift, to which she just rolled her eyes.
The two of them were the last to leave once everyone had gone back to their quarters and everything was cleaned up. "Another party down, six more to go," Hermione sighed.
"Fabulous," Draco exasperated. "Goodnight then Granger,"
"Night Malfoy," Hermione parted as they began to turn their separate ways. "What the-" One of the silver garlands she had put up in the Great Hall had wrapped itself around her and Malfoy, and was now pulling them together.
"What did you do to these garlands Granger?" Draco said angrily.
"I didn't do anything!" she yelped. Her arms were now bound to her sides, and to make matters worse she was pressed up against Malfoy's chest. That was when Peeves appeared.
"You two have no place to go until you obey the mistletoe!" He sung mischievously. Hermione and Draco both looked up at the ceiling above them. Sure enough, the offending plant was hanging above their heads.
"Let us go!" Hermione hollered.
"Let us go Peeves, or I'll get the Bloody Baron," Draco threatened.
"Can't get the Bloody Baron if you're trapped in a garland," Peeves trilled.
Hermione and Draco looked at each other and groaned. "Just get it over with," Hermione grumbled.
A second later Draco's lips were on hers and he was kissing her, sending a tingle down her spine. She felt her heart beat quicken as he deepened the kiss, and she unconsciously responded. Somewhere between the beginning and where they were now she had lost all train of thought. Before she knew it their tongues were in each others' mouths, playing their own game. Wait, Hermione thought, this is not how this was supposed to go. This kiss should be over by now- it should've been over the second after it began. Hermione started to pull away, and Draco followed suit.
The two of them just stared at each other as Peeves unwound the garland from their bodies, not sure of what had just happened. The moment they were free they hurried off in opposite directions towards their dorms without saying a word.
The day after the incident they both left for Christmas vacation. They didn't even look at each other as they boarded the train in Hogsmeade just one door away from the other. Both, however, spent the next three weeks thinking about nothing but that kiss.
The tension was high their first meeting after they got back from the holidays, but neither of them mentioned what had transpired. The meeting after that, though, Draco just couldn't take it anymore, and kissed her again. "I've decided that I really like kissing you," he had said, and Hermione made no objection.
After that they snogged at least once a meeting, and even sometimes in the hallways if they caught each other at the right moment. It wasn't as if they were embarking on a new relationship- every night they parted with some sort of insult, the most recent being "I loathe you"- they just enjoyed having someone to make-out with, no strings attached.
The strings slowly became attached however. By the beginning of February, Hermione came to realize she couldn't stand it when Pansy flirted with Draco and attempted to kiss him. Meanwhile, Draco noticed that every time he caught Ron gaping at Hermione he wanted to march right up to him and sock him in the face. Valentine's Day had wreaked havoc on both their hearts as each had to watch the other go on a date with someone else. Hermione was the first to admit that she felt something other than loathing when it came to Draco, and he divulged his changed feelings for her right after. They both came to the conclusion that it would be best if they agreed to just stick to each other, and leave all other potentials behind. Thus began their exclusive relationship.
Of course, no one knew but them. They wanted to avoid the hostile reactions their friends would be sure to give them. It helped that they had the excuse of being the Interhouse Activities Coordinators and had to see meet with each other multiple times a week. They had been designated a classroom to meet since the beginning of the year, so it really wasn't as if they were sneaking around. Besides, Draco still badgered her in the halls when he saw her, which took away any growing suspicion.
It was now May, and Hermione felt things were going quite well for the two of them. She didn't dare think past the end of the school year though. Who knew where life would take them after that?
Sighing Hermione made her way to section of books dedicated to things that pertained to sleep. Ginny had had a troublesome dream and wanted to know what it could possibly mean. Hermione scanned the titles of the books in front of her, looking for one that would fit Ginny's purpose. She caught sight of a deep blue one entitled From Dreams to Nigtmares: the Unspoken Hopes and Fears That Keep You Up At Night. Hermione lifted it off the shelf and examined it.
This looks good, she thought as she flipped it open. She flinched as her finger skimmed the edge of the page at the wrong angle, giving her a paper cut. She wasn't able to pay attention to her wound however, for at that moment she was startled by a blue light the erupted out of the book. It hit at her heart, disappearing into her skin, and sending a shock to ripple through her entire body. She dropped the book onto the floor, and put her hand over her chest. She examined the spot where the light had struck carefully. It didn't look harmed in anyway, and she didn't feel any different, which Hermione gathered to mean she was okay. She picked up the book, which had fallen closed and put it back on the shelf, not paying attention to where she placed it. Maybe not, she shuddered. She grabbed another book, Why in the World Did I Dream of That?, and threw it open onto the floor. When it didn't do anything strange she decided it was safe to check out and hurriedly left the library.
A/N: Ooo what's going to happen? Nothing hopefully, but this is Hogwarts, something always happens.