A Love Like Day and Night
It was just after midnight as Hermione descended the stone staircase that led to the dungeons. She wore Harry's invisibility cloak over her Gryffindor robes. She used one hand to pat down her poofy hair as she walk further down into the depths of Hogwarts. When she got to the door of the Slytherin common room, she was reluctant to say the password.
"Pure-blood," Hermione whispered, wincing as she did so. She tiptoed into the dark commons. She walked toward the couches where she saw a flicker of light and the familiar white blond hair she had grown to love. She slipped off the invisibility cloak.
"Finally, Granger." Draco looked up as he grabbed her and pulled her to the couch with him. A candle rested on the table beside them.
"I thought you were going to start calling me Hermione?" Her tone was teasing.
"I said I would think about it," he pulled her closer, staring at her lips. He was still able to make her heart skip a beat after almost a year of sneaking around. He kissed her deeply and passionately. A kiss that scared her with its intensity. A kiss she wanted to feel every day of her life.
The first to come off were the robes, then the uniform underneath, and then what was underneath that. Soon they were tangled in each other's arms, naked. Draco threw the invisibility cloak over them in an attempt to hide them.
"Are we really going to do this here?" Hermione looked around the dark room where anyone could walk around the corner and see them there.
"Everyone is asleep." Draco kissed her neck, down to her collar bone. She shivered under his warm lips. Moaning his name, she closed her eyes and let herself get lost in him.
Hermione woke up still wrapped in Draco's warm arms. She smiled as she looked at his peaceful, sleeping face. Then panic hit her. The candle had almost completely gone out.
What time is it? Hermione thought as she found her wand. "Lumos," she whispered and pointed it at the clock hanging on the wall. It read 5:46. This was bad. It was almost time for students to start waking up.
She jumped out of Draco's arms, waking him in the process. Drowsily, he looked all around him, trying to figure out what was going on. She pointed to the clock and continued to get dressed as fast as she could. He did the same. Once she was done, Hermione rushed to the door of the commons. She opened it and stayed on the other side, waiting for Draco. He stepped outside and went to kiss her goodbye. She stepped away from his kiss.
"What's wrong, Love?" Draco's blue eyes lit up with concern.
"Draco...I can't do this anymore." She whispered. She felt tears welling up in her eyes. She tried to blink them back.
"What do you mean?" Draco's face turned hard. It was obvious he didn't want to hear this.
"We either need to go public, or not be together at all. This sneaking around is going to kill me. If you want me around, you need to stand up to your father. If you can't do that, I can't be with you."
"You know I can't."
"Then I guess this is done." Hermione said as she pulled the invisibility cloak over her and walked up the stairs leading out of the dungeons. She knew their relationship had no real future, but that didn't stop the tears that silently rolled down her cheeks as she got to the door, or rather portrait, to the Gryffindor common rooms. She pulled off Harry's invisibility cloak, frightening the Fat Lady.
"Oh my dear! You scared me! What are you doing out so early? Oh my dear girl, are you crying?" The Fat Lady asked, concerned as she looked down at Hermione.
"Fairy Lights." Hermione said the password as she wiped her eyes and waited for the door to open.
"What is the matter?" The Fat Lady tried again.
"Fairy Lights!" Hermione repeated desperately, purposefully not looking at the portrait. She really wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone. The Fat Lady looked concerned but opened the door. Hermione rushed in. She glanced at the clock before running up to the girls' dormitory. It read 6:10. She had just made it.
"Where were you last night?" Rose, a friend of Hermione, asked at breakfast. "I had a nightmare and didn't see you when I woke up." This grabbed Harry and Ron's attention.
"Yeah, where did you go with my invisibility cloak?" Harry asked, his eyebrows knitted together in concern.
"Will you all calm down? I just went to the library to do some reading. I needed to catch up on Potions homework."
"Classic Hermione," Ron said before quickly changing the subject to the upcoming trip to Hogsmeade.
Hermione looked across the Great Hall toward Slytherin's table. She instantly found him. Her heart skipped a beat for a moment, but then pain hit her at full force. Hermione hadn't expected him to look the way he did. His eyes were bloodshot and his hair, usually slicked back, was a chaotic disaster. She had never seen him like this. Hermione wanted to run up to him and hold him in her arms, but she quickly remembered it was his fault she couldn't do that.
"Hermione...are you okay?" Ron asked. "You haven't even touched any of your food."
"I'm not very hungry. In fact, I have more studying to do. See you guys later." Then she was off.
"Hey how are you feeling?" Rose asked as Hermione sat down next to her in Potions class.
"I just...why am I never good enough?" Hermione pondered, more to herself than Rose. "I want a guy that will fight to be with me."
"Well, you just haven't met the right guy and that's okay. I'm sure you're more compatible with a smarty pants like you," Rose said jokingly. "He is out there."
"I know."
It was then that Draco walked in with Pansy Parkinson and Blaise Zambini. Draco casually looked around the room and stopped when his eyes fell on Hermione. She flushed under his gaze. Hermione thought she saw a flash of pain in his eyes, but he quickly turned his head away. Pansy walked closer to Draco and put her arm around his. She asked, in a particularly annoying voice, where they should sit.
Hermione felt as if she had just been punched in the stomach. There was no air left in her lungs. Was he already with Pansy? She glared at him now. Pansy took notice of this.
"What are you staring at, Mudblood?" Pansy narrowed her eyes as she spat out the venomous words. "Do you have a problem?" Hermione quickly looked down, hoping Professor Snape would walk through the door.
"No." Hermione said calmly. She could feel Rose's wide eyes staring at her. Everyone in the class had gone silence. Pansy walked over to where Hermione was sitting and glared down at her. Hermione, having one of the worst days, stood up and looked Pansy in the eyes. "Actually yes, my problem is you."
Rose gasped and everyone shifted in their seats.
"What?" Pansy asked, surprised by Hermione's bluntness.
"I'm sick and tired of people like you pretending like they run this school. You constantly bully students and I am done being bullied by you." Hermione grasped her wand underneath her robes, ready for retaliation. Pansy took out her wand and pointed it at Hermione.
"You will regret you ever said that. Do you know what I'm sick of? Mudbloods like you thinking they are equal to me." Pansy scrunched up her face as she looked at Hermione like she was filth. A fire burned deep inside Hermione.
"I know I am not equal to you," Hermione stated. Pansy smirked and turned to walk toward her seat. "I am much better." Pansy spun around quickly, raising her wand.
"Stupefy." A red light hurled itself out of Pansy's wand. As Hermione raised her wand to block the spell, it flew out of her hand. The spell threw Hermione back against her desk. Her world started to fade to black. Just before she passed out, she saw a Ravenclaw boy a few seats away putting his wand back into his robes.
Hermione stood in front of a full length mirror in a beautiful, white gown. A veil sat on her perfectly curled hair. Tears fell from her eyes as she never thought she could be so beautiful. Harry and Ron entered the room behind her. They both smiled and told her how wonderful she looked. She was relieved to see them as they gave her strength.
Then she was walking down the aisle. And she saw him. He stood tall at the end of the aisle wearing a brilliant black tux. He was all smiles and tears. He looked at her like she was the only one in the room. He ran his fingers through his white, blond hair before wiping his eyes. Hermione clutched her green and gold bouquet.
"Draco Malfoy, Do you take Hermione Granger to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, in good times and woe, for richer or poorer, keeping yourself solely unto her for as long as you both live?" The minister asked.
"I do." Draco stated confidently. The minister then looked at Hermione and repeated the vows.
"I do." She smiled.
"I now pronounce you husband and wife." Just before they kissed, a green flash blinded Hermione. Before she could understand what was happening, Draco fell to the floor, dead. Hermione looked toward the crowd and saw Pansy standing in the middle of the aisle with her wand held high. A crazy smile spread across her face.
"Hermione?" Harry's voice pulled her from the nightmare. She opened her eyes and saw Harry looking down at her, concerned. "You were crying."
"I had a bad dream." Hermione stated. She tried to sit up but felt extremely dizzy. "What happened?"
"Pansy knocked you out in your Potion's class. You don't remember? You are in the infirmary because you didn't wake up right away. I was worried so I stayed here." Harry quickly hugged Hermione. She was glad she had Harry as a friend.
Harry and Hermione's attention moved to a figure standing in the doorway. Both of them were shocked to see Draco standing there. It was only then Hermione noticed the rest of the infirmary was empty.
"Malfoy." Harry acknowledged him coldly. Hermione could see Harry had a hand on his wand.
"Potter. I'm not here to start trouble. Can I speak with Granger...alone?" Draco asked as he took his wand out and placed it on small table next to the entrance of the infirmary. "It's important."
"Absolutely no…" Harry started.
"Yes." Hermione interrupted. "I'll be fine, Harry."
"I'll be waiting in the hall if you need me." Harry hesitated before walking out.
"I'm sorry." Draco stated as soon as Harry was out of the room. "I don't know why Pansy did that."
"Really? I know why...its because she's a pure-blooded bitch." It surprised Hermione how much she hated Pansy.
"I should have stopped it."
"You should have," Hermione agreed. "But that would involve you not being a coward. And we all know that is a Slytherin's best attribute. You can't help what you are." Draco looked taken aback by Hermione's fiery words. "We snuck around for months, Draco. You still couldn't stand up for me in fear of damaging your reputation. And here I thought you loved me...silly me."
"Coming here was a mistake." Draco walked toward the door to leave.
"The only mistake I see is standing in front of me."
The next day, Hermione sat through a Pansy-less Potions class, eagerly awaiting the end of class. She couldn't help sneaking peeks at the Ravenclaw she saw yesterday. She knew it had to have been him who disarmed her, but she wanted to know why. All she knew about him was that his name was Leo and he was on the Ravenclaw Quidditch team as a chaser.
Once class was over, Hermione packed her books away in her bag and followed Leo out of the room. She followed him as he walked down the corridor and out to a courtyard. He sat down on a bench and pulled out a book. Hermione noticed it was a particularly nice winter day. The air had a chill to it, but the sky was a perfect blue. Leo looked up as Hermione approached him at the bench. He looked surprised.
"Why did you disarm me?" Hermione cut to the chase. Leo seemed shocked by her bold accusations.
"I'm not quite sure what you are talking about," Leo stated innocently. He returned his gaze to his book. Hermione grabbed the book and closed it.
"I was going to block her spell, but you used expelliarmus. Well...didn't you?" Hermione insisted. She was not happy about being knocked unconscious, especially by Pansy.
"Why do you think I disarmed you?" Leo asked, readjusting his dark blue rimmed glasses. Hermione noticed they framed his hazel eyes nicely.
"Right before I passed out, I saw you putting your wand back in your robes. It was pointed at me. I'm not stupid."
"I know you aren't. You are one of the smartest in this school. I didn't think you saw me."
"Well, why did you do it?" Hermione said with determination. "If I had had my wand, I would have defeated her." Her eyes narrowed at him.
"Yes, you would have," Leo agreed. "You also would be spending a week in detention with her and would have been banned from the Hogsmeade trip. Is that what you wanted?" Leo looked up at her. "When Professor Snape entered the class, he saw Pansy attacking a defenseless student. Your wand was nowhere near you."
Hermione was speechless. She thought he had been on Pansy's side and wanted to confront him, but he really did it to help her out.
"You don't even know me. Why did you help me?"
"I hate it when pure bloods belittle muggle-borns. I am also muggle-born." Leo stated matter-of-factly. "Plus, I admire you...I was actually wondering if you wanted to go to Hogsmeade with me?" He looked nervous and Hermione flushed. She had never been asked out like this before. She thought back to her conversation with Rose. This guy was intelligent and cute...just the type of guy she needed.
"I'll go with you." Hermione agreed.
Hermione took a deep breath before she entered The Three Broomsticks. Stepping inside, she was blasted with warm air and the smell of butterbeer. She unwrapped her red and gold scarf from around her neck, knocked snow off her boots and looked around. She found Leo right away. He was sitting in the corner with two mugs in front of him. He looked uneasy. He constantly ran his fingers through his light brown hair. Nervously, Hermione thought about the fact that Harry and Ron were just a few shops away buying candy. She could always join them if the date didn't go well.
Leo looked up as Hermione approached him. A huge smile spread across his face. She smiled and felt at ease. He stood and pulled out a seat for her.
"I'm so glad you could make it." Leo said, moving one of the mugs in front of him closer to her. "You like butterbeer, right?"
"I do," Hermione held the mug to her lips and took a sip. Hot butterbeer was her favorite. The familiar taste of butterscotch warmed her stomach, though she was surprised by the slightly bitter aftertaste. He took a sip of his also.
"If you don't mind, I thought we could walk around and talk after we finished these. It snowed yesterday and it's absolutely beautiful outside." He took another sip while looking out of a snow covered window.
"You are right about that. I'd love to." Hermione agreed before launching them into a debate about where the best seat in the Hogwarts library was.
Hermione and Leo left The Three Broomsticks as soon as they were finished with their drinks. Hermione felt light and happy. She danced around in the snow, occasionally throwing a snowball or two at Leo. He reciprocated. Leo led them away from the busy shops and toward the wooded area until they were alone.
Hermione looked around as her world got blurry. The trees around her felt like they were closing in, suffocating her. She sat on a snow covered rock and put her head between her legs.
"What is going on?" She looked toward Leo, but he was staring off in the opposite direction, adjusting his glasses nervously. Hermione suddenly realized why the Butterbeer tasted so bitter. "What did you give me?"
Hermione tried to stand, realizing town wasn't that far away. Instead she fell forward into the snow. Hermione felt Leo's hands lift her and lean her against the rock so she was sitting up. The dizziness dulled her vision. Suddenly his face was right in front of hers.
"I'm sorry." He whispered, his eyes were sincere. She wanted to know why he was doing this but that question was answered as quickly as it was thought.
"Aww, look at the Mudblood now. Helpless." Pansy Parkinson walked into her line of sight. Blaise was standing just behind her. "You know it was hard convincing this Ravenclaw to spike your drink. But a few small threats can go a long way." Pansy laughed as she drew her wand. "Petrificus Totalus." Hermione tried to move but the binding spell forced her still. She felt less groggy as the potion started to wear off. Apparently it wasn't very strong. Pansy looked toward Leo. "Leave." And just like that, he was gone.
"Two against one? How classy." Hermione spoke, shivering from the melted snow beneath her.
"You have to learn your lesson somehow. It was very hard to sneak out of Hogwarts. I'm going to make this worthwhile." Pansy pointed her wand at Hermione. "Blaise...what spell should we use on her first?"
"I think we should use…" Blaise stopped. There was a rustling near the trees. He raised his wand toward the sound. Pansy followed suit. "Show yourself."
"It's me." A familiar voice answered. Pansy's face lit up.
"Draco!" She smiled as she gestured for him to join her. "How wonderful. We are about to teach this dirty blooded bitch a lesson."
Draco walked forward and looked down at Hermione. She saw nothing in his eyes, not even a flash of emotion. She tried to break free of the bind, but the spell was strong. She laid there helpless. She hoped Harry and Ron were looking for her. Draco stood next to Pansy, sliding his arm around her and pulling her close to him. Blaise narrowed his eyes at Draco. It was so obvious that he was in love with Pansy.
"What a perfectly disgusting couple." Hermione mumbled.
"What the hell did you say?" Pansy kicked Hermione before lowering her wand to Hermione.
"Wait." Draco said calmly. "Let me go first."
"Of course." Pansy stepped aside, sneering at Hermione.
"Wand?" Draco asked Pansy.
"You never forget your wand." Blaise spoke from behind them. He looked bored now that Draco was here.
"Even the best of us have our days, Blaise." Draco said, almost tired. "Wand?" Pansy handed it over with no hesitation.
"Make her scream." Pansy demanded. Draco lowered the wand and Hermione closed her eyes, ready for pain.
"Stupefy." Draco yelled. Hermione opened her eyes to see Blaise on the floor, knocked out. Pansy looked scared. Draco pointed the wand at her. He also had another wand in his hands. His. He pointed his at Hermione. "Relashio." She was unbound. She got up, took her wand out and pointed it at Pansy.
"Petrificus Totalus." Hermione bound Pansy.
"What the hell, Draco?" Pansy looked confused.
"Are you okay?" He inspected Hermione before pulling her into an embrace. She hugged him tightly.
"Oh, you have got to be kidding me? You two? Your father will be very interested in hearing about this."
"I have already informed him, but thank you for your concern, Pansy."
Suddenly, there was rustling from behind them. Draco and Hermione stayed in each other's arms.
"Get away from her, Malfoy!" Harry came into sight with Ron and Leo following him. His wand pointed at Draco. He looked around. "What the hell is going on?"
"Stop!" Hermione shielded Draco with her body. "He saved me. I have some things to tell you guys." Hermione and Draco held each other's hands tightly, not wanting to let go for a second. Ron's jaw nearly dropped to the floor. "But first...we need to find a professor."
Hermione and Draco held each other close that night. They sat by the Great Lake with the moonlight washing over them. A cool breeze from the frozen lake made Hermione shiver, causing Draco to hold her even closer, if that was possible. Hermione was glad to have Draco to herself.
The last few hours had been dedicated to explaining everything to Harry and Ron. She told them how their romance had started the night of the Yule Ball the previous year, and how their relationship had been on and off since then. She didn't know what it was that drew her to him, but she couldn't help it. He was the worst and best person for her at the same time.
"So you talked to your dad about us?" Hermione looked up at him and smiled. She finally had what she wanted.
"Well...I explained everything in a long letter I sent him. I'm sure we will have a long talk when I'm home for winter break." Draco looked at Hermione. "I'm so sorry I didn't do this earlier. I was a coward. I was afraid of losing friends I never really had. You are worth so much more." Draco rested his head on the nape of Hermione's neck.
"Draco?"
"Yes, Hermione?"
"You better come back after break."
"I will. Unless I'm dead." Draco joked, kissing her neck gently.
"Draco?" Hermione asked in a fragile voice.
"Yeah?" He whispered on her bare skin.
"Love me?"
"Always."