Disclaimer: Nothing is mine, go on and adopt this so long as you keep it secret.. Keep it safe. JK kekeke
Oneshot, Dramione AU Harry Potter
Song: Thanks for the Memories [Fall Out Boy]
Scene: 3rd Year's Winter Ball
Hermione enters the Great Hall with Harry and Ron on either arm. It was going to be a fabulous night at the Winter Ball, the three had been looking forward to it all month.
Harry in he pre-used black and white wizards tux while Ron has on his frilly hand-me-down dress Robes. Hermione is donning a gorgeous gown she saved up for from the muggle world, hoping she won't stand out too much since it's not in a usual witchly style yet still manages to take the breaths away from witches and wizards alike as she elegantly places each silver heeled foot down one step at a time, not breaking a sweat. The tulle flows around from her hips like pure white feathers, reaching the floor at her back yet proudly displaying her shoes. The top of her bodice hangs off her shoulders with barely-there sleeves and silver lined white feathers covering up to her bosom, but not quite all of it. The whole of the dress is graced with beautiful silver, casting off a shimmer as if made with magic. Her hair is completely off her neck this time with large silver pins in her hair that resembles snow flakes, and small curls beautifully framing her face.
Ron breaks off to look for friends and refreshments and perhaps a dance partner, if he's lucky. There was no further connection to the trio besides friendship so Hermione smiles to his back as he departs. Harry does something much the same after seeing some of his favorite teachers he wishes to have a word with, leaving Hermione in the middle of the dance floor to take in the scenery. The ceiling is enchanted with iridescent snow falling from a star-studded night sky, blissfully complementing her gown. White and black trees line the walls asymmetrically covered with magical snow that never melts but feels slightly cold for effect. White draped long tables with silver rimmed glass flutes filled with sparkling substance and little powdered sugar treats are on separate silver trays are passed around magically floating on air. The stage where the performers ought to be was currently closed with black velvet curtains, awaiting for all of the guests to arrive.
Hermione excitedly looks around, greeting all of the guests that have arrived, mostly her friends and acquaintances from her classes. Cedric Diggory passes by, eyeing her up and down a smile in the crook of his mouth before Cho slaps his shoulder to get his attention then grabs his arm to pull him away from her, making Hermione giggle behind a white gloved hand.
A tall wizard in splendid black garb she had never seen before steps out from the velvet curtain and clears his throat with a confident smirk, making everyone in the room look towards the stage. "Beauteous Lady Witches and Vexing Wizard Gents, do not be afraid, be furious! Do not be strangers, be notorious! For tonight the performance we have for you today comes straight from the courtesy of Mr. Malfoy himself.." Lucius, looking snobbish as usual, lifts his chin to receive the applause and excited whispers around the floor.
Hermione frowned a little, not expecting this arrangement she originally overheard from the headmaster in his conversation with Professor McGonagall. Namely the string quartet they were planning on hosting the event, courtesy of the headmaster himself. Instead, the rush of excited whispers kept her on her toes. 'What is he up to?' She thought to herself before the enchanting announcer continued..
"May I present my Wrock [Wizard Rock] Band: The Vexers!" A burst of cheers nearly deafened Hermione as the curtains slowly withdrew to reveal the announcer in front as the lead singer while the other members had their back turned. The guitarist on the left striked up a tempo in beat with the drummer and bass. Enchanted violins floated above them beginning their first song.. One that sounded strangely familiar. A popular song she had thought came from the muggle world?! The guitarist then turned around and picked her out first in the crowd as she was too shocked to even find a dance partner. Heck, no one did, they only crowded beneath the stage, leaving her wide open and easy to spot, giving way to show off just how splendid she did under the falling snow and dimmed lighting. Only after quickly checking her out did she madly blush before he opened his mouth to sing.
XoXoXo
Draco patiently waited for their dimwitted lead singer to finish his agonizingly slow introduction. "Ah, it's time boys!" He announced as he spelled his guitar to stay at his hip without the need for a strap, "Let's make the witches panties drop!" The thick black curtains opened to their backs facing the crowds. He planned everything to be just the right surprise to the school. No one would call him a coward after tonight. Not after what he had in store for them, especially that annoyingly studious Granger Mudblood who always had the perfect comeback to his taunts. 'I'll show her..' He deviously thought to himself. He remembered his promise to her he had made in second year.
Him and his mates started to play in sync to the curtains rising before he turned first to start the song with electric guitar, while looking for his first target. He was momentarily caught off guard when he spotted her, nearly missing the beat, as she was looking straight at him, blushing wildly, and looking.. oh Merlin, he didn't have the time to come up with words other than perfectly ravishing.
Without further hesitation he draws in a breath and in a ruttish low voices sings:
"I'm gonna make you bend and break [lead joins in: it sent you to me without wait],
[Together:] Say a prayer, but let the good times roll
In case God doesn't show [Draco sings with a wink at her: let the good times roll, let the good times roll]"
[Draco:] "And I want these words to make things right
[Lead:] but it's the wrongs that make the words [Together:] come to life
[Draco:] Who does he think he is?
[Lead:] If that's the worst you got, better put your fingers back to the key"
XoXoXo
Hermione would have never guessed in her wildest dreams that Malfoy could sing like that. It sent a magical current to her toes and back, with no help from the enchanted speakers where she could hear Draco's guitar rifts loud and clear..
[Together/Chorus:] One night and one more time
Thanks for the memories even though they weren't so great
He tastes like you, only sweeter
One night, yeah, one more time
Thanks for the memories, thanks for the memories
See, he tastes like you, only sweeter, oh…
She felt strange he wasn't looking at anyone but her. It was very obvious the way she stood in her own clearing in the middle while everyone else jumped to the beat, pushing forward in a way similar to a muggle moshpit. How was she to know his band's music had leaked through to the muggle world where is was quite a hit. She always loved the guitarists husky voice and learned the song by heart in her summer stays at home when she wasn't around her two goofy friends. It would have been too embarrassing to share her obsession with this band, not knowing they were of magical origin. Merlin's beard, what would they think if they knew she was consistently wooing over the voice of none other than Draco Malfoy! She hated to admit hearing him perform live was.. so much sexier! To see lips to match the lyrics that had moved on to the next part of the song now was overwhelming her with sensations she never felt before..
[Draco:] Been looking forward to the future
[Lead:] But my eyesight is going bad
In this crystal ball
[Draco:] It is always cloudy except for
[Lead:] When I look into the past
One.. Night.. Stand.. One night stand, oh!
By the next chorus she couldn't help her heart keeping with the beat and allowed herself to change from a face of shock to pleasantly surprised.
XoXoXo
Draco could see the effect he was having on her was a success. She was beginning to smile, for fuck's sake! The energy he felt from the room was nothing compared to how he felt when The Hermione Granger was actually smiling at him for the first time, giving him a magical charge of energy into their next chorus:
[Together/Chorus:] One night and one more time!
Thanks for the memories even though they weren't so great
He tastes like you, only sweeter
One night, yeah, one more time
Thanks for the memories, thanks for the memories
See, he tastes like you, only sweeter.. Oh..
The music broke into a quiet but beautiful piece where Draco did some picking at his guitar..
[Draco:] They say..
[Lead:] I only think, in the form of crunching numbers
in hotel rooms, collecting page six lovers
get me out of my mind
get you out of those clothes
I'm a liner away
from getting you into the mood.. Whoa..
[Together/Chorus with just Drums:] One night and one more time
Thanks for the memories even though they weren't so great
He tastes like you, only sweeter
One night, yeah, one more time
Thanks for the memories, thanks for the memories
See, he tastes like you, only sweeter, oh…
[Repeat Together/Chorus with Gusto:]
[Draco:] One more night, one more time..
[Together:]
Thanks for the memories even though they weren't so great
He tastes like you, only sweeter
[Draco:] One more night, one more time [while the rest in background:] One night, yeah, one more time
Thanks for the memories, thanks for the memories
See, he tastes like you, only sweeter, oh…!
Draco ends the last beat on his guitar, allowing the crowd on the dance floor to go wild. Third year girls screamed for Draco and the lead singer with their arms raised while the boys forgot to even care that their dates were doing so. They were too caught up that someone in their own school was part of the mysterious Wrock group, as they pumped their fists in the air yelling, "yeah, mate! That's my friend up there! Go Slytherin!"
Hermione had half a mind to join in on the chaos but quickly remembered her friends were at the refreshment tables near the end of the Great Hall, where the whole of the Winter Ball was being held. It wouldn't please them to see her secret admiration for this band, especially now that she knows it consists of their number one sworn school enemy.
She all but fled to where they were currently standing, treats and goblets in hand, mouths hanging open after witnessing such a major blow to their egos. Ron would no doubt be furious, just as the announcer/lead singer predicted, but she knew there would be a far worse reaction from Harry, who unfortunately began choking on a piece of treacle tart before she got there. His face was beat red from coughing.
"Oh, no, Harry!" Hermione rushed over to pat his back, her own face was red for entirely different reasons.
"Should we, uh, go to the hospital wing?" Ron thought up quickly, grimacing as his ego felt bruised just a tad (a complete understatement, I would have you know) when Malfoy's band started up another favorite song of hers.
"Excellent suggestion, Ron!" She blurted before the two grabbed Harry on each side and hurried him out of the room before anyone knew what to make of the 'Golden Trio.'
XoXoXo [Still Hermione's POV]
For once in her life, Hermione Jean Granger felt torn. She never, not once in her student life at Hogwarts, would have ever questioned her loyalty to her closest friends, yet here she was. She knew the right thing to do would be to keep her friends company in the hospital wing, who stayed there merely at feeling one-upped by their slithering enemy, Malfoy, and yet.. she sort of.. wanted to go back. Just for another song or two and then she would never think of him, or his awesome music, again! She didn't, however, want to hurt her friends feelings, let alone betray them. It was the worst paradox she had yet to come across! How could she hate him now? How could she hate the sexy way the words came from his lips.. thinking about the sound alone gave her shivers.
{Some time later, after Malfoy's band had packed up and the traditional dance music could be heard}
Hermione felt herself torn throughout the night, and now she felt perplexed. How could she have gotten her feelings so muddled like this? She was proud of herself for resisting the urge to turn her back on her friends and dive into the dance party Malfoy's band conjured up with a few songs she could hear all the way down the halls. All the same, she felt ridiculously disappointed for missing it.
Sensing her disappointment and still beautiful appeal, Ron and Harry decided to clean up then head to the boys dorm to play exploding snap. They still felt sour from being bested from something, even if they hadn't a sliver in musical talent. They would use this as an excuse to let Hermione enjoy the rest of the Winter Ball without them there to ruin the mood for her. She was too smart and saw right through this, though, and so she gave them giant hugs, gratefully accepting their departures. She, of course, didn't want them to leave her all alone, but she couldn't very well force them to go after what had just happened. She felt a little ticked off Malfoy could so easily get under their skins and ruin what could have been a very beautiful and fun night.
Still a little angry, Hermione walked quickly through the halls to get back to the party and explain, in ways of white lies, why her friends couldn't come back with her to the ball. It's much easier to tell them her friends ate too many treats and had to visit the hospital wing from stomach aches since those boys usually did that anyway, just on non-too-great-occassions. "You know how they are. Those boys will be boys!" She laughed with Neville, who decided to withhold just how many treats he had already consumed himself.
XoXoXo
After they had wrapped up their songs, the Bassist and Drummer flicked their wands and shrunk and put away their instruments to clear the stage for the next performance: Goody ol' boring String Quartets and all their rubbish his father made him learn as a boy. At least they had somewhat diverted his attention when they had added some strings to their first song, if only to please his dear old dad. Well, and one other person he had a surprisingly profound effect on, to his amusement.
"Where did that Granger run off to, anyway?" He muttered to himself. She seemed to be really getting into his band's performance when she suddenly remembered herself and ran off towards the end of the Great Hall, after quickly looking back to Draco looking.. What word should he use? Regretful? If that's how she felt then the odds were stacked against her in this round. "The ball is in my court, now, mudblood.."
XoXoXo
The light began to dim again as the dance music began to play. Hermione gracefully accepted a dance from Neville, who awkwardly held treats behind her back, hoping she wouldn't notice (which she did but didn't say anything, to be polite). To be honest she danced with anyone to be polite, as was her ways, however no one sated her tastes. To her irony, she actually wanted to dance with the Slytherin brat.. just as a way to accept.. his talents. Not that she accepted his personality. No, no, nooo.. She just didn't want to stoop low enough to make a clever remark about his playing. Not that she could come up with one, his skills were too good to force a blemish on, which she wouldn't go that far to admit, either. She decided to only accept one dance with Malfoy, and only if he offered one. She was far too 'Gryfindor Proud' to do that, too.
As time went on and the music only letup in time to change the tempo, Hermione felt something new. Utterly exhausted! Who knew being so beautiful would earn her a dance with every male wizard in the entire Third Year. Her feet were hurting even after all the numbing charms she had cast on the her soles. These dances were brutal on girls, she recalled, but she hadn't remembered so much male attention before. At first she was delighted, then she was grateful and flattered, but now she felt overtired and in desperate need of sleep. She had early studies to attend to! Everyone else would be asleep since there would be no classes the next day, so of course they were hell bent on dancing the night away but not for Hermione Granger. She had a reputation to keep.. even if others called her 'An Insufferable Know-It-All.'
XoXoXo
After leaving the stage, Draco tended to the mass of girls in his year who begged to dance with him, mainly sticking to the pure bloods of his house, as his father was ever-watching. He grew bored in very little time and left to gather refreshments and the sort. He preferred quality over quantity any day, as the Malfoy's were bred by habit. So he only ate a few treats and quickly cast a cleaning charm on his teeth to avoid unwarranted damage to his dark smiles and open smirks his father had taught him through example.
Dancing couple after couple twirled by him in all shapes and colors one would find dizzying if paying attention to them. Luckily, he was only focused on one moving figure in particular. Her wanton smiles and careless laughter caressed his ears all too eagerly as his focus refused to stray from her. It was an entrancing sight to behold, even one with her blood. You would never guess her heritage at first sight, the way she moved and talked. Her smarts far outwitted even the most cunning of purebloods and her skills were hard to beat. She was a quick study so she easily found the steps to any tempo a dance could challenge her with. 'Damn, why am I thinking these things,' he self chastised. He shouldn't have such thoughts for they tempted to think of her as one of them. Then an idea came into his mind, budding from the dark unsanctioned recesses of his thoughts.
XoXoXo
As she grew more weary, step after step, partner after partner, she was just about to call it a night when a darkly adorned figure stepped in her path, holding up a pale hand. She nearly pushed it away if she weren't paying more attention to her manners. She curtsied and looked up as she was about to graciously take this last dance before she retired when suddenly all the breath left her in an instant, everything she thought about dancing with him flying out the winder. Before she had a moment to retract her offered hand, he firmly grasped it and pulled her almost forcefully onto the dance floor, then reached around her lower back and joined them in step with the other dancers just as the last song of the night began to play. It was the traditional and most intimate dance to end all dances in all of Wizarding fashion.. The Magician's Euphony.
"What are you doing, Malf.." She hissed through a fake smile, not wanting to cause a scene, but before she could finish he pulled her closer.
Bringing his lips to her ear and drawling in that now all familiar voice she remembered from him singing over the years, he said, "Don't bother asking me now, Granger. The song has already started." The sound reverberated throughout her body and sank low in her belly, making her feel both frightened and excited in one moment while he twirled her around his position before quick stepping to another stance. The tempo quickened then he stepped and gave her a slight dip, revealing a bit more to her neckline. She came back up quick and flushed at his handling her, falling hopeless to her impressions at his skills in dancing. Another way he one-upped her friends. Luckily, they weren't there to witness this or they would blow steam from their ears, and without the aid of another one of the Weasely Twins' inventions.
His firm grip on her hand was starting to leave red marks and oh Merlin, her feet should be killing her by now but the thrill of the dance prevented her mind from wandering anywhere near her aches. Instead, it was leaning more, to her disadvantage, towards pleasure. In all her time dancing she hadn't come across anyone nearly as diligent and precise as Malfoy was displaying now. Had he even danced with anyone else? If he had she might have noticed as he was an entire head taller than her and his broad shoulders in his black Wrock Band-styled robes were certainly hard to miss. How could she not notice just how much he has grown over the years. 'Since when have you become so handsome?' She wondered to herself.
He looked at her incredulously, before he made his classic smirk, "You think I'm what, Granger?"
'Shite..! Did I say it too loud?' "N-Nothing..! I was thinking about earlier. I didn't know you were in a band, let alone this one. I thought those were originally muggle songs." She said, lifting her chin to see if he caught a hint of insult in her insinuations. He did have a touch of red to his cheeks, perhaps she hit a nerve. At least that's what she hoped that was.
"Don't be stupid. Whatever you may have heard were leaked to the unintended public. They have no idea what they listening to, the lot. Muggles really are all simpletons, by comparison." Then a thought dawned on him. "Hey, if you listened to my music, even if it were in a freakish place, that means you must have liked what you heard, eh? Are you a fan, Granger? Do you fancy me, mudblood? You're so pathetic." He laughed.
XoXoXo
He hit one too many nerves by now and she had had enough. Pushing him into Pansy Parkinson and one of her numerous dance partners, Hermione turned around and stormed off of the dance floor, beautiful dress and all her night's sparkly glory. Draco had won yet again tonight, it was by far the best school dances he ever attended, and yet he didn't feel so hot about it now. For some reason he felt.. was that a tinge of regret? 'No, no, it couldn't be. There's no way I could feel anything, especially not for her.'
He couldn't tell his father about the dance, he knew he wouldn't approve, even if it were to challenge Granger in a duel of insults. {Lucius already left long before the formal dancing had begun. He only showed to bask in the pride for his son. Once that was over he left to go back to the comforts of his luxurious manor and to boast to his colleagues in the coming days. Arthur Weasely would make a fine example of what one couldn't do for his son. Or sons, the foolish man had too many of them for a blood-traitor. Disgusting, the lot of them.} He could, however, receive praise from his father for his more remarkable efforts, however small the praise may be. That he could feel good from though he somehow wouldn't have found it pleasing to share his portion of insults used to make the mudblood cry like it used to. It was odd in a way.
Finding no more use in hanging around these monkeys, Draco headed to the Great Hall's entrance and left to see what his classmates were up to. Maybe he could pull a prank or two on any unsuspecting snoggers. That would surely lift his mood.
On his way, he passed near one of the ends of the hall he performed the dip with her and stopped short, noticing a glimmering clothed box with a matching wrist-let. He nearly ignored it when he recognized something familiar about it and instead of leaving it be, he bent over and picked it up. 'What is this little treasure?' He mused before pocketing it and walking off towards the dungeons, where his dorm's after party awaits.
XoXoXo
Hermione was proud of herself this time. All these dealing with spiteful cockroaches like Malfoy has made her all the stronger. His insults rarely even made her upset anymore yet tonight he had gone too far. She was proud for not crying, in the least, however she wasn't so thrilled at getting angry and literally making Malfoy "shove-off." What would McGonagall say if she saw her acting that way? No amount of verbal abuse should be enough for her to push a person into other persons. It wasn't in her nature to make a victim out of innocent bystanders, even if it was someone as unashamedly like Pansy. She felt quite guilty about that.
She had started to walk to her dorm when she realized she forgot her silver clutch. She would have just left it if it hadn't belonged to her mother. Also, she kept a stash of song lyrics in a secret compartment to sing to herself when she missed home. Who would have thought the songs that held sentiments of home had actually belonged to Malfoy and his band. This world was becoming far too small to her liking. She had to get the clutch back before anyone else did. If anyone found out she had a crush on the guitarists voice she could possibly teased for centuries!
She quickly turned on her heel and made haste, back tracking to the Great Hall, keeping her eyes searching along the floor. Hermione was feeling a bit worn out and clumsy therefore never saw what was coming towards her in that very instant.
XoXoXo
Just as he was leaving the Great Hall, Draco felt something small and warm collide with his chest with surprising force, sending him falling backwards to the floor. A small, oomf! Resounded along the empty corridor.
This small thing was hard to make out as it was now covering him with bits of white poof here and there, some of it covering his face. It must have been one of the girls from the dance since none of the boys there would be caught dead in so much of this frilly fluff that smelled of honey and strawberries. Her arms were on either side of his chest, and her body, from what he could feel, was sprawled perfectly snug against his own. It felt rather nice and earned a budge in his trousers. He grimaced at the idea it could be some ugly twat so he made work to unravel the mess that was laid all about him and the mysteriously limp form against his body. His short work uncovered first a beautiful mess of chestnut brown hair, the culprit for the nice fragrance, which also partially covered his unconscious assailants face.
Roughly grabbing one of her bare shoulders, he not so gently shook it saying, "Hey, you prat, wake up!" She didn't budge so he shook again, "Get off me, you're heavy for such a small thing." Her only reply was a groan and some shifting before going limp again. He sighed and lifted the hair that was covering the rest of her face, to see just who it was he would have to "rennervate," so he could properly reprimand her but in doing so paused immediately. "Of course.. Granger."
He reached of the wand in his robes to find it must have slipped out and knocked away in the fall. His head throbbed a little as he looked around for it. He planned to blast this girl to the next planet if she didn't get off of him before someone walked in on them like this. So much for a good day this was turning out to be.
His agitation from being knocked to the ground was vastly fading the more this predicament begun to sink in. He tried not to think on it but it was impossible giving the fact that she was on his person at this very moment, completely unaware of what she was doing to his mental health. He already noticed how well she fit in to him when they danced but he was more focused on refining their movements together than dwelling on something as pitiful as that. Now, however, it was unavoidable to think about. She felt good to him, in an awkward sleeping hug sort of way, and he didn't like it one bit.
In the good ol' fashioned way, he used his muscles pushed her into a lazy sitting position, her head resting in the crook of his neck. His unease grew the longer they stayed that way so he hurriedly turned her over, falling onto her back in an elegant thump. He slowly got up himself, first looking at their surroundings to make sure no one was near and then to search for his wand. He couldn't very well leave the witch there asleep on the ground or it would raise questions. Hermione didn't seem to have seen who she had collided into but he didn't want to leave anything to risk in case he would be accused of any wrongdoings. Wrong place at the wrong time wouldn't play to his favor this time around, not that it ever did anyway.
"Alas.." He picked up his wand when something else dropped out from his dress robes. The little clutch matched perfectly to Granger's gown. 'So it was hers, afterall.' Placing the clutch back in his pocket, he cast a simple spell to lift her so he could bring her to the hospital wing. The Great Hall had already mostly cleared out already, to his great luck, and the only ones left were there to clean up after the mess. He didn't want to stick around only to get in trouble so he took this chance to tote her to the hospital wing real fast so he could get back to his dorm and be in the clear.
To add to his fortunes, they got to the wing without so much as a ghost passing by to question his whereabouts with an unconscious witch after hours, which would be horribly suspicious. Once they passed the doors to the wing he took her to the first bed within reach and carefully lowered her down onto it, careful not to wake her. Normally he wouldn't care but he needed to keep a clean profile at the school for the things the Dark Lord may or may not have planned for his use behind enemy lines. So carefully, it is. He swore the stress will kill him before anything else! At least he had his Wrock band to vent his frustrations.
He just about turned to go back but remembered her clutch. He pulled the small thing out of his pocket and contemplated laying on the bedside table but paused in doing so. She didn't have her clutch on her when she passed out. As clever as she is would she eventually figure out it was him? He decided against returning it to her out of paranoia and tucked it away back into his robes. Perhaps it was better to just let it "pop-up" when no one was looking. With his mind set on what he would do he finally left to return to his dorms and warm four poster bed so he could reflect on how this roller coaster day was and sort out all this mess of emotions.
XoXoXo
Hermione woke with a start, instantly regretting sitting up so fast. She clutched her head with one hand and pulled out the pins to allow her hair to fall down in soft curls around her shoulders. It was getting awfully long now, nearing the lowest part of her back. She sat back, scooting enough to let herself rest against the metal headboard, though it was pretty difficult still wearing her large gown. It unnerved her to not know why she was still wearing it, let alone awoke to discover herself among rows of beds in the hospital wing. A few other beds were occupied by students who had sneaked in alcohol to their "secret" after parties they clearly did not allow in the school dorms. Thinking of the dorms she realized her friends might have noticed her missing by now, where on earth were they?
All this thinking was making her feel hungry but she couldn't very well go to breakfast looking like she was taking a rather long detour on a 'walk of shame' so she got up and hurried towards her dorm. Once she passed the portrait she carefully tip toed around the couch to not wake whoever it was sleeping there. It was still slightly dark outside so at least Hermione didn't mess up her plans for the day so far. Early mornings were the best for her since everyone wouldn't wake for a while giving her hours of peace and quite. Perfect for a serious student such as herself.
She gathered her uniform and hopped into an already magically prepared bath. The house elves knew she was an early riser and made great efforts to help her get ready in the morning so she could maximize her study time. Dumbledore adored her persistence so he made sure she had everything she needed, including breakfast and early access to the library without any trouble from the teachers or school ghosts. Hermione felt in debt to the headmaster but he simply waved it off saying she did most of the work, he just merely gave her the tools necessary to do so, which she had every right to.
Once in the bath, she felt her stiff muscles relax incredibly. She took this opportunity to reflect on the night before and everything that lead up to her winding up in the hospital wing. She was grateful no one noticed her short stay in the wing, even Madam Pomfrey didn't see her, she left so early. That took care of all the explaining she now wouldn't have to do and yet that did nothing to answer any of her own questions: 'How did I pass out? I didn't feel funny and certainly didn't drink anything funny. I was a little tired but that's how I usually feel after a hard day's work in the library and it never makes me pass out like that. Maybe the physical exertion did the trick since studying doesn't require you to wear heels and dance until you drop.' She laughed to herself.
Lathering up some soap she began to gently scrub and small towel over her arms and her legs, humming one of her favorite tunes from home. She immediately stopped herself when she realized just what she was humming to.. Thanks For The Memories. Her favorite [what she thought was] muggle song. Shite, how was this even possible? If Malfoy, or anyone for that matter, ever found that out.. oh, she couldn't even think about the consequences. The song brought her flashes of vivid images of seeing that velvet curtain rise, and the back of a blond head on a pair of broad shoulders. Oh how didn't she recognize him? She didn't know anyone with stark blonde hair like that, even if it was actually messy for once. It looked rather dashing on him.. why didn't he wear his hair that way more often?
'Oh, STOP it, me! Don't you dare go there. What would Harry think? Ron?' She chastised herself. Oh they would utterly judge her. Ron was infamous for holding a grudge and when he held one then she had no choice but to follow suit. It was the only way to deal with the bloke! And what about the dream she had? She might be able to consciously control her thoughts on the matter but her dreams were a whole other story. That night she had imagined herself laying on top of him. The way he brushed her hair off her face was surreal, she felt little pinpricks of electricity when he touched her and no matter how she refused to believe it she couldn't stop herself from feeling fluttery in her chest. It must have been all those butterflies in her stomach. He felt so warm and inviting, it truly couldn't have been real, she didn't ever want the dream to end. There was no use running from it any longer. Hermione Granger was inconceivably attracted to the one and only.. Draco Malfoy.
XoXoXo
Ron woke up before Harry, but regrettably so. He felt sick to his stomach and ran to the loo to relieve his gut of the excess alcohol he ingested. It wasn't his fault they never allowed ANY of the years to have it, therefore a large portion of the school was highly unused to consuming quantities larger than a half pint. He, of course, had five. Harry only had three but didn't feel the need to play drinking games like his friend.
"Groannnn..." Harry finally began to stir behind the curtains of his bed. "Ron..? Where are you.."
"Over here, mate." He replied, his nausea revealed in his speech.
"Ughhh, that was some night, huh? Do you think Hermione had any fun?"
"I wouldn't know, I never saw her in the dorm last night. Do you think..?"
"No, it's HERMIONE, Ron. She's too responsible to not return to her bed before 10. She likes to wake up early to study for both existent and non-existent exams that are months away. In fact, she must be in the library as we speak. Let's go ask anyone we might see on the way there, later, okay? Just to be sure."
"Harry, she's a big girl, leave her alone. I'm sure she's alright."
The two finally got around to dressing and grumpily made their way to the common room. All the wrappers and empty bottles of butterbeer had already been cleaned up in the night. Katie Bell had only just woken up on the couch with hair sticking this way and that, looking a little lost and confused, her eyes only focused on the pair when they approached her.
"Hey Katie," Harry said, "Doing alright?"
"I've felt better." She said, closing her eyes tight to a passing headache, her voice was a little harsh for screaming at a certain Slytherin during a Wrocking night at the Ball.
"Right there with you," Ron second as another wave of nausea came over him.
"I was wondering if you ever saw Hermione coming in last night? I mean, I know she's smart enough to stay out of trouble and get to her bed on time, every night. It's just that we," He motioned between him and Ron, "didn't see her for a while since we left the party early and just wanted to check."
"No.." Katie struggled to think back to last night. That Ravenclaw bloke couldn't keep his claws off her.. She shook her head harder, "No, sorry. I only saw her going out before the party, but nothing again after that."
Harry looked stunned for a moment before furthering the conversation, "Okay, thanks Katie. Would you tell her we're looking for her if she comes back before we do?"
"Yeah, okay.." She said before slumping back onto the couch, falling into another dreamless sleep.
"Umm, before we go, maybe we should ask someone else to relay our message?" Ron suggested, which Harry gladly accepted.
XoXoXo
His dreams were chaotic.. Or at least they had been until she entered them. In the beginning he dreamed of the Dark Lord torturing him for failing his assigned task, yelling "Crucio!" over and over again, with no end in sight. Suddenly there was a bright light and large floating feathers pure as snow falling all about him. The pain ebbed until it finally faded away, taking all the darkness with it, and in that light a figure appeared draped in white silk and a long matching silk scar wrapped once around her neck and trailing down behind her. Her face was blurry but as she came close he could smell a slight hint of honey and strawberries.
He jolted awake in the common room. 'I must have fallen asleep during the after party, how lame.' No one seemed to bother waking him so he could sleep in his bed rather than embarrassingly pass out where he sat. His head ached from too much Merlin's Moonshine the night before a couple of 6th years had brewed up, per his request. It was a name that had leaked to the muggle world only they cut out the Merlin bit. Sigh, muggles must be truly incompetent to come up with their own ideas for a change.
The was still some left in the goblet he was still holding. Looking around to check he was alone he quickly downed the rest of it and threw the goblet into the fireplace. It was one of the few silver rimmed glasses they had swiped from the ball. Throwing the glass made something slip from his lap and landed with a light thunk on the floor, making him look down. It was a clutch? Why was he holding this? Oh.. Granger. The thought reminded him of how her slender curves felt on top of him and how her skin glowed under the moonlight as he gently lowered her onto a cot in the hospital wing.
Shaking his head to rid the thoughts, he picked up the beaded object with two fingers this time, mindful of any spells she might have cast on it to ward off intruders. To his surprise the clasp popped open without excessive force and allowed him to peek inside. Nothing like getting to know a woman by the contents of her purse. Or clutch, in this case. What he found inside was nothing he wouldn't expect, which he found boring. Lipstick, some makeup, a quill and some ink in a miniature bottle along with a bit of folded up parchment.
"Typical Bookworm," he spat, but something caught his attention he didn't notice at first glance. A corner of some clipped paper was randomly sticking out of the lining. Odd. He grabbed his wand and cast a decharming spell to reveal there was actually a hidden pocket. Opening the little pocket he saw some muggle newspaper article that seemed pretty old with little hand drawn hearts drawn around the edges. Maybe she forgot her clutch conclealed it? He was about to chuck the clutch onto the common room rug when a few words caught his eye. It was a title. A song title..
A short while later he was in a piping cold shower, attempting to clear the fog over his mind. It wasn't so clouded over by the drink, no it was something that stirred an energy in his being he hadn't the time to fathom before. Now he had all too much time to struggle against the new feelings that were seeping into his male nature. He mustn't get excited for such a low life. He had other things he had to worry over that put his very life on the line since before he was conceived but what was the harm in having a little fun along the way? Something that would help the days go by faster. Something that had to do with a cheeky little mudblood.
Exiting the shower he quickly towel dried his hair and left it to finish drying on it's own, not caring how groomed he looked. He was tiring of keeping up appearances day after day so he let it go for now. He was content to have the entire dorm room to himself this time. Anyone sleeping wouldn't bother him since it was still pretty early so he took this time to rummage through his large wardrobe of exquisite suits and robes. He hate wearing a uniform so he shod off that idea and concluded in picking something basic yet still refined so he threw it on and made his way to the library to look for his future plaything, skipping breakfast altogether. He was hungry for an entirely different morsel.
XoXoXo
After her bath, Hermione slipped on her uniform. She typically didn't wear her uniform but today she felt it would help her focus better on her studies. Her friends had already made plans to go to Hogsmeade but she passed on it this time. She would have pressed for them to stay and study for the exams but she knew after the night they had they needed some fresh air. It was the opposite for her, though. Books were just as effective, if not more so, than fresh air for they gave her a perfectly great distraction from the git who was now plaguing her mind. Ugh, teenage hormones! She didn't need this, not now before next month's exams! Speaking of the ferret she just had to surpass him this time in Potions class. He always found a way to best her at this subject and it never ceased to leave a fowl taste in her mouth. She had to beat him this time, if not at dancing, then at smarts.
Digging into her breakfast she looked around her table and along the corners of the Great Hall from where she sat. Considering everything was already cleaned up she figured it must have been found already and would possibly be sitting in Dumbledore's office. For such a trivial object as her clutch she would have normally just not gone through the trouble to bother the headmaster on a relaxing day as this but it did hold sentimental value and she couldn't risk it getting stowed away in the room of requirement for someone else to keep. Especially when it had that secret compartment inside. Her name wasn't on the item however on the one particular muggle news clipping she had drawn hearts all around the border and if you turned it around to the back you would see her name as clear as daylight. That plus a larger heart encasing it and one other name. The humiliation of just thinking about anyone finding that made her lose her appetite so she decided to head to the headmasters office first on her list of important things to do.
XoXoXo
Draco was sort of shocked. He only made jokes about Hermione being a fan of The Vexers in a nonchalance sort of way but her didn't know he had hit the nail on the head. Merlin, she was so red. Now he knows why she reacted so dramatically. It was natural to freak out when one is so very nearly exposed to their peers. 'Oh, what should I do with this information? Should I tease her like I do about everything? Nah, too boring. Blackmail her into doing the most ridiculous things in front of the school? She might actually prefer exposing her secret compared to that. She was too Griffindor-Proud to accept any hazing challenges. What. Should. I. Do?' He loved the idea of being able to actually control the witch but by her own will, not some imperius curse, besides that was illegal and he needed to stay on good terms.. for now. Without further thought, the idea formed in his mind like a streak of lightening.
It was still early but he was well aware that the school would empty itself of 3rd years thanks to their stupid Hogsmeade trip. He was now grateful for it since it would allow him to have a one-on-one chat with the bushy haired witch without interruption from the two loudmouth friends of hers. He knew her whereabouts better than she thought anyone could. The exams were coming up in under a month so naturally she would be spending that time studying and not wasting away baby sitting those Potter and Weasely brats. Piece of pumpkin pie.
As he expected he found her nose deep in an advanced book called, "Potions and Their Masters, Volume IV" the same one he had already read three times over during summer break. It was his niche, what could he say? He sauntered up to her table, angled right next to her and sat down. Right on her bookbag.
"Ugh, would you please go bugger of-" She went to say until she removed the book from her face. The scrawled words were pretty small and packed on each page so it was unfortunately necessary to literally bury yourself in it just to be able to read it. Upon seeing Malfoy so close to her person she went to scoot back but he caught the arms of the chair, stopping it in time. He was too strong and easily overpowered her. "What do you want, Malfoy." She asked infuriated. She wouldn't give in no matter what he was about to say to her.. That is until he pulled something out of his pocket, causing her to first show alarm and then she dead panned, while trying to rein in her blush, remembering not to let him see how he affected her. Her hesitation gave her time enough to take in his brutish appearance. He let his hair stay tousled just like it looked when she first saw him on the stage. He was dressed quite well, in contrast to her school robes this time. He a wore finely tailored wizard styled suit, keeping it all black with a deep green tie, fitting for the Slytherin house. His close proximity made her head spin, she could smell a clean musk of cologne that must have been expensive and possibly foreign. Only the best for haughty background he possessed. Typical.
"Give that back, you little ferret, that's mine."
"Hah, little? I hardly think so," He smirked. "I just thought I would have a little fun on my day off. Care to join?"
"W-What do you mean, you don't expect me to actually join you in anything? I have far more important things to do and being around you is fortunately not one of them. Now if you please-"
"Nope, not getting away so easily, my little muffin." He spat, "You see, what I have here is not just your clutch. Actually, that you can have back." He tossed it at her, making her scramble to catch it before it could spend anymore time on the floor. "What I have here," He pulled out the newspaper clipping from his sleeve and waved it in front of himself, making sure to keep it out of reach, "is of far more use to me, little mouse.."
Her face paled in shock. 'No.. No way..'
"You see I thought of many things I could do to get you to persuade me to keep this little nugget to myself but then I figured what would I ever want from you? No, I decided it would be much more entertaining to watch your little diaper gang break up when they hear that their beloved Miss Granger has a thing.. for ME." He grinned evilly.
"You wouldn't, you can't!" After a second she grew confident just like he knew she would, "They won't believe you. They are true friends to me and would understand that I had no idea who you really were. You have nothing on me, Malfoy. In fact, the joke's on you since I thought you were a muggle all along!"
"And so you would think, but you're not as clever as you wish you were. Tell me, Hermione, do they know all about our little rendezvous after the ball or should I tell them?" His eyebrow quirked. 'Now I've got you.'
It was unnerving to be called by her first name by him of all people yet she found she hated herself for also feeling a flare of jitters. What he said after that made her confused. "What rendezvous? The last time I saw you it was after the Magician's Euphony, then now."
"Oh, really? I remember it all so well. You were getting quite chummy towards me. Especially how you practically threw yourself at me." He snickered.
Her eyes popped, "What in the devil are you talking about? I did no such thing!" From what she could recall. His asseveration was starting to concern her.
"You know perfectly well, Granger. I was about to leave after receiving your 'terrific' display of gratitude for my saving you from those mongrels, that fancy themselves dancers. Then, just my luck, I came across that little gem." He pointed towards her silver bejeweled clutch in her hand. "I was going to just toss it but then I thought better of it so I tucked it away from prying eyes. As I was leaving, you suddenly leaped out of the tapestry, pouncing on me. You knocked my head real hard in the process, not to mention ruining my expensive dress robes in the process-You owe me for that, which is my excuse for not having the sense to drag you towards one of the professors for sexual harassment. My bad for not going through with it, I would have loved to see your face when they expelled your arse." He sneered.
"Wha-Ju-! Gah, don't be ridiculous, you bastard! I wouldn't be caught dead thinking of you in that way, let alone do anything of the sort.. to anyone! I'm not that kind of girl.."
"You can defend yourself all you like, little mouse, but I can't help but recall the way you groaned when I swept the hair off your face to discover who my little offender was. I do say, I was shocked to see it was you. What's worse, you managed to also discard my wand, and left me defenseless against your advancements." She was speechless at what he was accusing so he plowed through, "You draped yourself on my person in the most unladylike like fashion and made work for me to get you off. You even had the audacity to fall asleep! I had to whisk you away to the infirmary before you got us both in trouble and for that you owe me an apology."
She was fuming now, not only disbelieving everything that spewed out of his perfect lips. Oh she resented those lips. She resented him and everything that has happened because of him. Why is this even happening to her? And now he wants her to apologize?! 'Oh, that retched ferret!' But before she could utter a word in defiance, he cut her off.
"No, don't even bother trying to say sorry now. I have a much better idea to get back at you for all the trouble you have cause me.."
"Trouble..?! Caused you-"
"Silence, mudblood! I have given you my proposition, yet.." Her ears were turning scarlet now, though her face could be excused as blushing from anger, he assumed there were more to it than meets the eye, which somehow made him feel triumphant in taming his new pet.
"..What do you want from me, Malfoy. Be warned, I won't do anything that will break the school rules or force me to miss any classes.."
"That's the spirit." he smiled ruefully, looking down to her lips and back to her hazel eyes. He stepped closer, leaning in towards her chair she was still sitting in, making her lean further back if it was even possible. "You will be mine. My own personal slave to do what I want. Fulfill my every whim. When I feel I have been compensated enough I will release you to go do whatever you waste your life on."
She gasped, "Never in a million years!"
"Alright then," He backed away, "I'll just go take this on a little trip into Hogsmeade and share the gruesome news! Hermione Granger is a philandering stalker who dreams of bedding the ever ravishing Drac-" He didn't get to finish when she lurched forwards and clamped a hand down over his mouth. What little distance between them flourished unwanted desires in his mind he shoved away to it's inner recesses.
"Fine..!" She hissed, "I'll do it." She said it so quietly he almost missed it.
"What was that, stalker? I didn't hear you."
"I said fine. I'll be your little.. whatever. Just don't tell anyone.. well, anything!"
A grim smile spread upon his face, "Alright, little mouse. We have a deal."
A/N:
Thanks for reading, guys! I have a feeling I am much better at one shots than I am at long stories. This is my longest chapter I have ever written on here, I can't wait to reread it in fanfiction format on my phone and see if it really does look that long or if it's just me. On Word, it's like 15 pages and took under a week to write. Kudos to everyone who can do serious writing and update up to even 30 chapters. I love all the works I read on here.
Anyway, let me know if you like this oneshot because I just might make it a two-sies! Hehe. Feel free to adopt any of my work on here. I love setting up the plot and then feel sad if I spend too much time away from updating. If you do please let me know so I can see where you take the characters, it's always fascinating what other writers come up with!
XOXOXO~Anna
P.S.~ Please review, good or flames. I just want to see what you think! I know sometimes I don't stick to the storyline or totally mess things up, I'm always half awake and too tired to notice [or care, cough cough] I have kids and a lot of stuff I have to do outside this site, so I sadly can't be perfect like our hot Slytherin tries to be ;)