AN: This story started with a prompt for Spring Fest of the Strictly Dramione Facebook page. My prompt was:
Fourth Year: Draco stalking Hermione and Krum after the Yule Ball
The story was a real struggle to write, it absolutely refused to come out of my head. I'm really happy I'm as stubborn as I am and finished it.
I want to thank LightofEvolution for giving input on the story (and explaining comma splices to me) and Kimmitchell321 for being my beta.
Disclaimer: Everything except the storyline belongs to J.K. Rowling.
Impatiently, Draco waited just inside the doors to the Great Hall until the champions made their entrance. Why they had to be paraded like prize horses was beyond him. Their names came out of a cup, so what? They fought a dragon for an egg, big deal…
Pansy was holding tight onto his arm, chattering about Merlin knew what. Draco let out a sigh, nodding at the right intervals, humming when needed, and barely hearing a word of what she said. He didn't particularly care for the witch, but She was pureblooded and raised with the right ideas. His father had written that his attendance at this ball was required, so he guessed she would do as his date. Perhaps she would let him fondle her later.
An excited humming started as the doors closed in preparation for the Champions' entrance. Finally! Draco thought. He winced as Pansy squeezed his arm a bit too tight. The witch leaned into him, her perfume overwhelming his senses. It smelled too heavy for his taste.
The hum died down as the doors reopened. Ooos and Ahs could be heard all over; he only narrowly managed to avoid rolling his eyes. This was nothing compared to the parties his mother held during the summer. The Champions took their places on the dance floor, and music started playing.
Sweet Merlin, he felt embarrassed in their stead. Did they call that dancing? As was to be expected, Potter was absolute rubbish, managing nothing more than a sway. Diggory seemed to be managing only a tad bit better. Such an embarrassment for the school, to have those two idiots as their Champions. He himself would have been, by far, a superior choice.
He grazed his eyes over the part Veela who was the Beauxbatons Champion. Everywhere she went, boys were staring at her. All low-bred, obviously, no self-respecting wizard would let himself be ensnared by a part-Veela. Especially not if she wasn't using her magic. His father had taught him all about Veela magic.
The Durmstrang boy, Krum, however, seemed to know how to properly lead a lady. He was twirling around a beautiful, petite, brown-haired witch. She was dressed in an elegant, blue dress that complimented her body perfectly.
He gasped as Krum twirled her again, and the witch laughed up at the Quidditch player. Was that… Was that Granger? Pansy seemed to come to the same conclusion at the same time as he did.
"The Mudblood?" she cried out. "She cleaned up nicely!" With a swift glance in his direction, she added: "Doesn't make her any more than a filthy Mudblood though."
Draco agreed. His eyes, however, didn't stray from Hermione. His brain seemed stuck, like a broken record, it kept repeating That's Granger? over and over again. He felt like lashing out at Pansy for calling her a Mudblood, but that must have been a result of his addled brain. Shaking his head, he pulled himself out of his stupor.
"Let's show them how to properly dance, shall we?" he asked Pansy while extending his hand to her.
She happily obliged, giggling as she took hold of his hand. Guiding her on the dance floor with his other hand at the small of her back, he wondered how long the night would last. Pansy might be a well-bred, pureblood witch, but she had a tendency to be rather superficial. He preferred a witch with an active brain. One that could think for her own and had her own opinions.
Assuming a perfect posture, he guided Pansy into an equally perfect waltz. He was happy to notice she was well trained in dancing. Then again, that was to be expected given the family she came from. Really respected, high in the hierarchy, but, of course, nowhere near the Malfoy name.
His eyes caught the blue of Granger's dress, and he couldn't help but stare at her again. It should be illegal for a Mudblood to look that enticing! He couldn't help but compare the brunette to the witch in his arms. A pang of jealousy shot through him, but he denied it completely. Guiding them a bit closer, he hoped to catch some of the conversation between Krum and Granger. All for the sake of gathering information, of course, Karkaroff was a Death Eater after all, Krum might spill some secrets.
"You look vonderful, Hermy-own-ninny."
Hermione blushed. "Thank you, Viktor."
He twirled her around once more, making her giggle and stumble slightly. Krum caught her, and she fell against his chest. Draco frowned.
Gazing up at Viktor, Hermione bit her lip. "Shall we go get some butterbeers?"
The athlete offered his arm, and they walked off the dance floor. Draco waltzed around the floor one more time, watching them leave from the corner of the eye. That wasn't very informative, he thought to himself. He abruptly stopped dancing, staring at Krum's receding back. Pansy grabbed hold of his robes, pressing herself against him.
"We're done dancing already?" she pouted.
He turned to her, trying to look like he cared about her. "We wouldn't want your feet to get sore this early in the evening, now would we?" he answered, using his patented charm. "Besides," he looked around the floor. It was mostly occupied by Gryffindors and their partners. Apparently, they were the only ones brave enough to attempt a dance. The Slytherins were looking on with blatant contempt at their failed attempt. "This dance floor is getting a bit too crowded with the wrong people."
Pansy gave a fake laugh at his comment. "Too red, for sure." Subtleties definitely weren't her strong point. "A drink then," she commented.
Draco nodded, walking them over to the table where Blaise was entertaining his 3rd year Slytherin date. He introduced her as Myla Evers. The girl was pretty: blond hair that fell straight down to about mid-waist, striking blue eyes and fine, chiseled lips. Draco greeted her with a nod, before helping Pansy in her seat.
"I'll go get us something to drink."
Without waiting for her answer, he walked away. Immediately he spotted a blue dress in the vicinity of the punch bowl at the other side of the Great Hall. Yes, that punch bowl looked far more enticing than the one a couple of meters to his right.
"Ve have fires burning all the year, the castle gets too cold otherwise."
Draco slowly filled two champagne flutes with punch, listening to the conversation next to him.
"Our Quidditch fields are spelled vith varming spells, but they only reach a certain height, it really sucks ven the snitch flies out of the wards."
Hermione was nodding absentmindedly. Draco smirked. If she had thought to make some quality conversation with the over-praised seeker, he could have told her early on it was wishful thinking. Krum may be good on a broom and slightly above average with his spell-casting, but he was still dense in the head.
Sneaking a sideway glance, he was again dumbstruck by how beautiful she looked. It really was unthinkable that this was the same bushy-haired, annoying, ever-present in his mind, know-it-all, who managed to beat him at every class imaginable.
She had her hair up in an elegant do, with a couple of curls framing her face. He wondered how she had managed to get her unruly hair so tame. He snorted, probably by smearing in an absolute overdose of Sleekeazy. Hermione shifted her weight and gazed around the room. She had applied a bit of make-up. Nothing too gaudy, just some mascara and blush. Ruefully, Draco thought about the thick layer of whatever it was that covered Pansy's face.
Realizing Hermione had noticed him lingering, he sneered at her and walked away.
"Vo is he?" Draco heard Krum ask.
"Draco Malfoy, Slytherin, and a pain in the…"
He walked out of hearing range, feeling slightly upset, but unsure as to the reason why. When he arrived back at their table, Pansy let out a long-suffering sigh.
"Finally! I'm parched!"
Draco lifted an eyebrow but handed over the drink without comment. His eyes were already seeking out the blue-clad apparition that had caught his attention. He tried to fight it, but as boredom took hold, he soon figured it was a lost battle. Trying to remain inconspicuous, he watched them wander around the room, dance some more, and drink the horribly boring punch.
The conversation flowed around him. His friends let him be, well used to his brooding moods. Pansy tried to engage him a couple of times, at one point even trying to get him to dance again, but he shut her up with a look and a sneer. To his delight, she gave up after an hour.
It irked him that, from all the possible witches, it was Hermione Granger that caught his attention. The know-it-all, goody-two-shoes Muggle-Born. He didn't even like her! Despite all his studying, she still beat him in every class. Really every single one of them, it was remarkable, in a bad way! The only reason he had noticed she'd let Madam Pomfrey even out her front teeth, was because now he couldn't make fun of them anymore. Not to forget that she punched him. Unforgivable!
Suddenly, he stood up.
"I need some air."
"Ooh, lovely. They have enchanted gardens at the front steps, and –"
He left before Pansy could finish her sentence, leaving her behind without so much as a backward glance. I am not following them, he told himself. It was getting stuffy in there. Nevertheless, he made sure not to lose sight of Granger and Krum in the maze of the gardens.
Having walked the Malfoy Gardens all his life, he was still mildly impressed with what the teachers had achieved. Obviously, Professor Sprout had a blast. The sheer variety of plants was astounding. He walked through a barrier and felt warmed, even though there was still snow visible on the bushes. Professor Flitwick's work, he guessed, together with the floating lights. Turning a corner, he encountered a fountain with a beautiful, sensual woman as a focal point. He had expected McGonagall to have transfigured the fountains, but there was no way the old, stuck-up professor would know how to appreciate such a statue.
He lingered, pretending to admire the fountain, as he watched Krum and Granger take a seat on a secluded bench. From the corner of his eye, he noticed Krum scoot closer to her, grabbing her hands between his. He couldn't hear what he said, but Granger looked down at her lap and blushed. It irked him. He didn't know why, and wasn't tempted to find out, but it irked him.
Luck was with him, because at that moment, another couple, a Durmstrang boy and Beauxbatons girl, strolled past him. Quickly, he reached into the pocket of his vest and drew out a couple of galleons. He always had some on him in case he had to bribe someone. It appeared his habit paid off.
Going for his best French, which was near impeccable, if he may say so himself, he approached the two. It took a bit more convincing than he had anticipated, but he got them to take the bench next to the one Krum and Granger occupied.
With a smirk, he watched Krum get annoyed. Hermione seemed to become insecure and embarrassed. Draco wondered why? The way she looked, she should be strutting around with her head held high. Carefully, Draco inched closer to the two, wanting to know what was said.
After a couple of stern looks at his classmate, Krum finally spoke up in harsh Bulgarian. The other boy paled, started stuttering, and quickly grabbed his date's hand and scurried off. The athlete scanned the area. Draco jumped behind some bushes.
"What did you say to him?" He heard Hermione ask. "You seem to have scared him."
"Nothing important, do not vorry about it."
Peering between the leaves, he saw Hermione biting her lip. Krum took the opportunity to slip his arm around her, resting a hand on her small waist.
"Really, skupa, do not vorry about it. I simply told him ve vanted some privacy."
Draco had his own ideas about that. He knew intimidation when he saw it, and that boy was properly intimidated. He doubted any amount of money could get the couple to return to that bench.
Crouched in between the ornamental bushes, he kept his eyes trained on them. He quickly realized he didn't like the way Hermione looked at the broad-shouldered Bulgarian. The way Krum looked at her, he liked even less, as if she was a treat he could taste.
Krum reached out his hand, softly brushing a stray curl behind her ear. Draco clenched his teeth. Did Krum even know she was Muggle-Born? He would prevent him from making a mistake, yes, that's what he would do.
He looked up at the sky in search of inspiration. It was a clear night, the stars barely visible because of the floating lights. Thank Merlin for the warming charm, he thought. Inspiration hit him. With some whispered incantations, he tested the wards that held the warming charms. They were astoundingly simple, and Draco took full advantage of that.
He figured lowering them completely would do him no good, and would be way too obvious. But if he could create a hole? Perhaps a draft? Would that drive them back inside where he could watch them more easily? He shook his head and corrected himself: where he could listen to their conversations in an attempt to gather information about Durmstrang's allegiances. Yes, that sounded much better.
Swirling his wand and whispering spells, he created a small hole in the wards and directed the incoming flow of air to breeze past the couple. With satisfaction, he watched Hermione shiver in her dress, letting go of Krum's hand and wrapping her arms around herself.
"Are you cold, skupa?"
"Yes, I thought there was a warming charm around the gardens, but I definitely felt a draft or something."
Krum shrugged off his vest and put it around Hermione's shoulders. She looked up at him gratefully, smiling shyly. Merlin's balls, Draco swore, that was not what was supposed to happen! He scowled fiercely.
"Hey, Draco, what are you doing down there?"
Draco spun around in surprise. Noticing Crabbe was on the path, holding a muffin, Draco quickly grabbed him by the collar and pulled him down.
"What the hell, Draco!" The boy protested. "What was that for? What are you doing?"
"Sneaking around," Draco answered evasively. What was he really doing there? He couldn't quite explain it himself.
"Why?" Crabbe asked, puzzled expression on his face.
Draco didn't answer him. He didn't know what to say anyway. Crabbe decided to finish his muffin and peer through the foliage.
"Why are you spying on Granger?"
"I'm not spying on Granger! Why would I? She's a Mudblood!" Draco nearly choked on the word.
"Then who are we spying on?"
"Krum of course, you dimwit, who else is out there?"
"But why?" Crabbe asked, none the wiser about Draco's intentions.
Not really having an answer to that question either, Draco did what he did best: insult and command. "Shut up, you big oaf. Watch my back."
Satisfied that Crabbe was doing as he was told, Draco once more focused on the couple in front of him. He felt lucky they hadn't discovered him. Crabbe was never one of the brightest, and him pointing out his presence could have gone badly.
With a sigh, he fixated again on Granger. Krum once more had his arm around the petite girl, keeping her close to him. They were no longer speaking, just looking at each other with expectation. When Krum raised his hand to caress her cheek, Draco felt like he was going to burst out of his skin. Something inside him roared a defiant 'No!'
There was no way he was going to let them kiss! No way! He had a good reason for that, he just didn't know what it was yet! Looking for a way to break them up, he noticed there was still snow on the tree branches above the bench.
Grinning, he once more brandished his wand. With a flick, the branches shuddered and deposited their cold, white snow on the people below them.
Hermione shrieked in surprise, jumping from the bench and frantically wiping the snow out of her hair. Krum reacted a bit slower, simply shaking the snow off his body and picking up his coat. He held it out for Hermione.
"Come skupa, it's just snow. Here, let me put my coat back around you."
Hermione shook her head, obviously frustrated. "No, no thank you Viktor. Let's just head back inside, ok?"
Krum looked put out but agreed. 'Vatever you vant, skupa."
A grin spread across Draco's face. Once inside, they would never dare to kiss. Not with all those people around. Belatedly he realized that to get back to the castle, the couple was going to walk straight past him. Just in time, he managed to pull Crabbe back and cast a notice-me-not charm. He thanked Merlin, both the New Gods and the Old, and everybody else he could think of, that neither Granger nor Krum was actively looking for him, otherwise, the charm would never have held.
For certainty's sake, he stayed put for another five minutes. Crabbe started complaining about having a sore butt from sitting on the ground after less than a minute, so Draco let him go. However, he first made the oaf promise not to tell anyone about the snooping around. Draco was not going to let his incessant complaining destroy his good mood.
With a lightness in his step, he walked back towards the castle, only to stop dead in his tracks once he reached the Great Hall. The first thing he saw was Blaise dancing with Pansy. Well, dancing was too nice a word for it actually, it was more like grinding. It seems I've lost my opportunity to snog Pansy later this evening, Draco commented to himself.
Wondering what happened to Blaise's date, he scanned the room. He snorted when he spotted her flirting with Theo Nott. The guy seemed completely smitten, the look on his face comical. That left Theo's former date, a fourth year Ravenclaw. Draco's eyes almost popped out of their sockets as he saw her snogging one of the Patel sisters at a nearby table.
Looking at the chaos in the Great Hall, Draco wondered why none of the teachers were intervening. His godfather would never allow anything like this to happen, but he was patrolling outside. Draco looked up at the teacher's table for an explanation, only to see Dumbledore twinkling merrily at the students.
To the blond's utter surprise, McGonagall was draped against Dumbledore's side, obviously asleep. Dumbledore didn't seem to mind. Looking further down the table, he saw a very drunk Hagrid talking to an equally drunk Madame Maxime. Little Professor Flitwick had somehow crawled onto Professor Sprout's lap. He was snoring happily in her arms, while Sprout had her head tilted back in an awkward angle.
Looking around the room, Draco noticed that all the teachers were either asleep or not far from it. The Weasley twins had identical smug looks on their faces, so he fathomed they were the cause of the teachers' current state. He wondered if they had drugged them and how they did it. Draco had to admit, albeit reluctantly, those two gingers would have made a fine pair of Slytherins.
Walking further into the Hall, he spotted Krum walking towards the punch. That meant Granger was alone! He shook his head, why would that matter to him. Nonetheless, his eyes found her at the table with Potter and the Weasel. There was no way he was going to sit anywhere near those two dunderheads. Their idiocy might infect him.
While moving to an empty seat, he noticed the conversation between the Golden Trio was turning heated. Curious, he stopped and smirked, enjoying the show. Granger suddenly stomped her foot, her face twisted into something he could only explain as fury.
"Ron! You ruin everything!"
Draco involuntarily took a step back at her sudden exclamation. He still hadn't forgotten her right hook the year before, it made him a bit more cautious. There was something about how she said those four words that caused a twinge in his chest. Her voice had almost broken at the end. What had that moron said to cause the brave little witch to lose it like that?
Forgetting about sitting down, he decided to follow Hermione back out of the Great Hall. He spotted her running up the stairs and quickly ran after her. On the third floor, he caught up with her. She was leaning against the wall, sobbing and fumbling with her shoes, trying to get them off.
"Granger," he greeted her.
She whirled around, wiping furiously at her eyes. "Ferret," she retorted, "what are you doing here? Sulking because Blaise stole your girl?"
Oh, she noticed that, did she? Her implication that he couldn't keep a girls attention angered him. He shrugged, indifferent. "I don't care much about that, he can have her. What about you, Granger? Did the famous Quidditch player dump you? Was your meeting in the gardens not to his liking?"
Her eyes narrowed and he realized he had made a mistake.
"That was you?" she shrieked. "You caused that impossible breeze? And the snow falling on our heads? That wasn't accidental either, now was it? Did you enjoy yourself? Did you have fun, laughing at us?" She dissolved in hysterical sobs. "You ruined my first kiss!" Horrified, she covered her face with her hands. "Leave me alone," she whimpered, before walking away from him.
Draco stared at her retreating back. This didn't feel gratifying in any way. No. He felt horrible. His aim was not to make her cry or to make her feel terrible. He just didn't want her to kiss Krum. Confused, he finally asked himself the question he had been avoiding all evening. Why didn't he want her to kiss Krum? He shouldn't care less about what she did or did not do.
As she rounded a corner, he decided he couldn't leave it at that. Still pondering his question, he started following her again. He kept his distance, unsure about what to do. His mind and heart were pulling him in two different directions. He kept thinking about her filthy blood, but his heart kept reeling every time the thought it. He kept wanting to console her, but his mind told him he shouldn't care about her, she was nothing.
When realization hit him, he started running again, catching up with her.
"Granger!"
"What!" She turned around, no longer sobbing, but looking extremely angry, ready to hex him into oblivion.
He held up both his hands in surrender. "I'm sorry."
Hermione did a double take. "What?"
"Don't make me say it twice, Granger," he grumbled. "I'm sorry, ok?"
She stared at him, not responding. Angry about his sudden display of emotions, he turned to walk away. Her voice stopped him.
"Malfoy, wait."
He turned back to her. "What?" he asked gruffly.
"Why? Why did you do it?"
Why indeed, he asked himself. He knew the answer, but was rather unwilling to admit it. He went for the next best thing.
"I didn't want that dumbhead Krum to kiss you."
Hermione blinked at him. "Why not?"
He put his hands in his pockets, trying to look nonchalant. His stumbling, however, completely destroyed the pose. "I, well, you see, he,…" Taking a deep breath, he decided to try a different approach.
"Were you really looking forward to that first kiss so badly?"
Hermione shook her head, as if unable to follow his sudden change of topic.
"Well, yes," she answered with a small voice. It quickly turned defensive. "But what is that to you?"
"Does it have to be Krum?" he asked.
The confused look on her face would have been comical in a different situation, but right now he was feeling too anxious to appreciate it.
"Why would it not be Viktor? He noticed me and asked me out." She was starting to sound exasperated.
"But does it have to be him?" he insisted. "Could it be someone else?"
She didn't reply, blinking those long lashes rapidly, as if trying to wake up from a dream.
Draco took a deep breath and closed the distance between them until they were less than an arm's length apart.
"Could it be me?"
Hermione stared at him like he'd sprouted a second head or something. He didn't know what to make of her expression. Was she repulsed by the idea? Or simply taken completely off guard? Would she think he was joking? Was he joking?
He reached out and caressed her cheek. "Hermione?" he asked, her name rolling off his tongue as if he'd never called her anything different.
It seemed to snap her out of her shock. He drew some hope out of the fact that she didn't recoil from his touch. "You, … Are you being serious? Or is this one of your nasty little tricks? I will not be humiliated by you again, Malfoy."
His fingers caressed her exposed neck. Her skin felt so soft under his touch. He looked her in the eye. "I'm not trying to make fun of you," he answered. "But I," he swallowed, "I would be honored to give you your first kiss."
He could see thoughts racing through her head, trying to decide what to do. Distracted, waiting for her answer, he ran his thumb over her bottom lip. A sigh escaped her as her eyes fluttered closed. Draco stepped closer to her, wrapping an arm around her waist, while the other hand was still tracing patterns on her cheek.
"Please," he whispered, his lips ghosting over hers.
Hermione gave him a small, almost imperceptible nod. Cupping her cheek, he brushed his lips against hers. Careful at first, relishing the softness of her lips beneath his. Another sigh escaped her, he took advantage of it to take her lower lip between his teeth and gently tugging at it.
Her hands first grabbed his waist, then slid around his shoulders as she started answering his kiss. He thought she tasted divine, like strawberries and vanilla. Sliding his tongue inside her mouth, he decided this would not be the last kiss they shared. To hell with blood purity, she was strong, beautiful, smart, and bloody enticing. He wanted her, and he would do everything in his power to make her want him back. When they finally came up for air, he rested his forehead against hers.
"I know I've been a prick to you, Hermione, an absolute bastard. I'm sorry. I was jealous and didn't know any better."
"And you do now?"
She still hadn't moved away, her arms around his shoulders, her stance relaxed, her breath still heavy from their kiss.
"I-." He hesitated. "I don't know," he answered truthfully. "But I know you are beautiful, stunningly so. You are intelligent, witty, and not afraid to speak your mind. You are strong and kind. I know this kiss felt good. It felt right, exquisite. I know I want to see where it could lead us. I didn't want you to kiss Krum because I wanted to be the one to kiss you, and now that I have, I don't want to stop."
He saw her blushing, so he planted a kiss on either cheek.
"Tell me what you're thinking, Hermione."
"I, I don't know," she answered, sounding unsure.
She was biting her bottom lip, and Draco used his thumb to pull it away from her teeth.
"I promise I will cherish you," he said, trying to reassure her.
"But, how? How can you? I'm a-"
He interrupted her before she could utter the word. "I know I've said that to you before, but not anymore. I was copying my father, saying what he said, thinking it was the right thing to do. Now, I'm not so sure anymore. Please, Hermione, give us a chance."
She looked up at him, scanning his face as if looking for deception. He let her, understanding this was all very sudden. When he couldn't stand it any longer, he spoke up.
"At least I know some other topics to talk about than Quidditch."
Her laugh made him smile. It felt like he had actually accomplished something worthwhile. She placed a hand on his chest to steady herself, and he covered it with his own. After she came down from her outburst, she stared at their entwined hands for a long time.
"Yes," she finally said softly.
"Really?" he answered. Deep down, he didn't think she would say yes. She had no reason to.
She looked up to him, a small smile on her face. "Yes Draco, I'll give us a chance."