This is a Draco/Hermione One-shot. I hope you'll like it, I'm sorry if they are a little OOC.
Enjoy your reading! And review, please =]
Elie
Her man of actions
He walked past her, offering her some scornful remarks, but not once straightly looking at her.
His behaviour was hurting, but what could she do?
Hermione lowered her head, tightly squeezing her eyes while praying it'd be enough to stop the tears. She wouldn't, couldn't cry here, in the middle of a crowded corridor, with her two best friends so close. They'd worry, asking questions to which she had no suitable answer and, if she did give them an answer, they wouldn't understand.
They were friends, it was a certainty, however even the strongest friendship would have a hard time dealing with such a situation.
Would you still support your friend if they were infatuated with your worst enemy? Are you sure you'd immediately understand? Aren't you doubting? Not even a little? It'd be normal to doubt, Hermione would too, if it wasn't her the said-friend provoking that dilemma.
If only he could reassure her. What a fool she had been to think he'd change to support their relationship! Relationship?
Hermione shook her head. She had to stop kidding herself. She was in no relationship. Draco Malfoy would never agree to be associated with her, a Gryffindor, a muggle-born.
She gradually slowed down her pace, letting Harry and Ron disappear among the other students.
Whatever was going on between them, it could never been considered a real relationship. It had been condemned, since the beginning, not to last. It wouldn't surprise her to learn he had never planned to be serious. She was serious! Because – unfortunately – her heart was involved, his surely wasn't...
She suddenly walked back to the Gryffindor common room. She'd miss class today. She could allow herself to do so. Once in her life, she'd do depending on what she needed, not on what her sense deemed right.
Besides, she was in no mood to listen, whoever would be talking, their words wouldn't find their way to her brain. She only felt like sleeping. If she was lucky, she'd wake up on the next day, with a clear mind and a cured heart...
Could she be so naïve? Yes, she could, and would, till her waking up.
She needed to switch her mind off, to relax and, above all, to stop thinking about him.
Hermione reached her room without being bothered by anyone, who would dare not to be in class at such an hour?
She collapsed on her covers. A quick glance to her bedside table discouraged her from taking any sleeping medicine, her arm wasn't long enough, and to get up was not an option. She didn't need one anyway for she fell asleep almost instantaneously.
To wake up half an hour later, soaked in sweat, shaking, and tears flowing uncontrollably all over her face.
She had dreamt of him.
How could she have not foreseen it? She should have known she'd dream of him, of his leaving her, of... She had dreamt of a soon-to-happen reality.
She tightly squeezed her head between her hands. Perhaps some sleeping pills would be useful finally.
"You look pitiful."
She didn't jump. She didn't know what was the strangest, his being there, or her not being surprised by his presence.
"Granger-"
"I heard you," she sighed.
"And?"
"Go away Malfoy."
"Sure, you look perfectly fine alone."
Hermione nodded. "Absolutely."
The mattress sank beside her. She didn't bother to look at him.
"What's going on?"
"You really need to ask?"
"It's because of me?"
She resisted the urge to slap him – she'd have to meet his eyes, she wasn't ready to face them, however she swore – if she had the courage – she'd already be strangling him.
How she hated that tone of his! Flat, uncaring...
"Don't tell me you thought it'd go smoothly."
She didn't hold back a snigger. "I'd have never dared."
"That means?"
"You know what I mean Malfoy! Since the beginning I've known it'd be hard."
"What are you talking about?"
That time Hermione did jump. Not only coming from behind her rather than from her right, Draco's voice also surprisingly sounded worried. But, hadn't he been with her for several minutes already? Hadn't he been talking to her with his usually cold voice?
She slowly turned to her right. Where she thought Draco was seated lay, in fact, a sleeping Crookshanks. So the voice...
"Granger, who the hell were you talking to?" … had only been the product of her tired mind. Great.
She had imagined a conversation with Draco, and the real one had surprised her right in the middle of such a freaking embarrassing moment. She should really have taken those damned sleeping pills.
"Granger?"
She muffled a whine with her hands while falling backwards on her covers.
"Go away. I want to be alone."
"Sure, you look quite all right by yourself."
She frowned. Hadn't she made the imaginary Draco say the same thing?
"What's wrong with you? You should be in class. You're always in class, even when you're sick."
Hermione shrugged. "Guess I was feeling too unwell today. Now, if you'd, please, leave me alone. I-"
"No way." He sat on her bed.
"Sorry?"
"I'm not as irresponsible as to abandon you."
She jumped on her feet. She'd have never imagined him saying that.
"Who are you?" she exclaimed.
It was his turn to frown. "What the hell! Who do you want me to be?"
"Anyone but the Draco Malfoy I know. He'd never be so... he'd never care that much."
Draco simply sighed. "So it's only that."
"Sorry?"
"You're skipping class because you think I don't care. Couldn't you simply come and tell me?"
"No, I couldn't."
"Why?"
"I just couldn't! Imagine! A girl, a Gryffindor girl, coming to Draco Malfoy and asking him 'Could you please be nicer to me?' it's just... it's just... Merlin! I can't even imagine it!"
"Granger?"
"Malfoy!"
He sighed again. She raised an eyebrow at him.
Suddenly, she wasn't feeling tired any more. She was feeling angry, annoyed and defiant. She couldn't forgive him for making her thus. She'd never skipped class, and was now doing it because of him!
Merlin! What had happened to her?
He finally got up too. Tall, handsome, clever, pleasant – when he wanted – his whole being was a reminder of why she had fallen for him, that and the feeling of safety she felt each time she was in his arms. Draco Malfoy was really...
"A bastard." She bared her teeth.
"Can you repeat?"
Hermione obliged him. "You're a bastard Draco Malfoy. A damned bastard who plays with my nerves! I'm tired! Tired, you hear? It's been two months since we've started... since we've started... What have we started? What do we have? It's only a joke for you! But it means more to me, it shouldn't, but it does, it... I'm fed up with this situation. I'm fed up with waiting for you to look at me in the corridors. I don't ask for a word, by the way if you could stop insulting me that'd be nice, but that's not the point, I only ask for a look! Is it really too much? In fact... in fact I... I don't blame you. I should have known all that... I should have... I..."
She collapsed on her bed, on the verge of crying. Why weren't the tears flowing already, it was a mystery.
"I just," she hid her face in her hands. "Go away Draco, please, just go away."
"Sure."
Her shoulders tensed. Hadn't she been the one asking him to leave? Shouldn't she be happy – or at least relieved to have him complying?
Shouldn't she- She squealed when she felt herself being pulled into a strong embrace.
Most of all, she should have known better than to trust Draco Malfoy's words.
"I said 'Go away', not 'Come closer'."
She'd like to be firmer, she'd like to send him away, but truth was, she loved being with him.
His embrace tightened around her. "I will."
She nodded. "You need to go away from me Malfoy," she whispered. "I mean it. It'll be better for us, really..."
"Sure."
She glared at him, a smile stuck on her lips. "Can't you say something else?"
"Sure."
Hermione loved the mischievous sparkle present in his eyes. Sighing, she rested her head on his shoulder.
"You're not going to make it easy for me, are you?"
"Do you think it is for me?"
She shook her head. "It's hard on us. We should stop."
"Yes, we should."
She tensed. He kissed her forehead.
"We should stop before what's going on between us becomes more... more serious, before we can't... before we..." the words died on her tongue.
He kissed her cheek. She leant more against him.
"We should stop before we-"
"Stop kidding yourself Granger," she raised her head to meet his eyes. "You're not that stupid, are you?"
He delicately brought his hand to her cheek.
"You know it already Granger," his face came closer to hers. "We," his mouth lightly brushed hers, "can't stop."
His lips tenderly fell on hers.
"It's too late Granger. We're done for."
As their kiss became more passionate, Hermione made a promise to herself, she'd always trust Draco's actions more than his words, because the man she'd fallen for never expressed his feelings through words, he always favoured actions.
She should have remembered it. However, from now on, she swore she would.
The End