Title: So sleepless, too restless
Author: quixotic-star
Summary: Not very sleepy (no thanks to his dorm mates of course!), Draco sneaks out of the common room one night. To his surprise, he isn't the only one out of his common room.. :one-shot fic:
Disclaimer: Yep. Not mine. And not wishing that the story or any of the characters were mine because God knows what I'd do to them if they were mine.
Author's Note: This is my first fanfic so yeah, be gentle with me alright? Sorry if Hermione or Draco's very OOC or anything. Like I said, I'm doing this the very first time
Draco Malfoy was restless. It was probably in the middle of the night where everyone in the damn castle was probably sleeping away. He tossed and turned, trying to get some shuteye but in vain. And the snores of his fellow dorm mate, Goyle didn't help either
'God, it's like sleeping with a buzz saw' Draco thought as he hid his head under his pillow trying desperately to drown out Goyle's snores. He peeked out from under the pillow and glanced around at his sleeping dorm mates.
'How can they fall asleep while I can't?' Draco wondered silently and bitterly. It had been like this every night ever since he had started his sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. No wait - it had begun even before he had started his new school year. It was a mystery to him. Every single night he was kept awake. He felt as if he was missing something in his life...or wanting something and couldn't have it. 'Thank God, tomorrow's a Saturday,'
Draco gave a snort. Draco Malfoy missing something in his life when really, he was from one of the richest wizarding families around. He could get anything he wanted basically so there was no reason for him to go complaining that something was missing in his life. Whatever he wanted, he got it immediately. Well just recently he hadn't been able to all the things he had wanted that quickly. Reason being that his father, Lucius Malfoy, was still stuck in Azkaban Prison. No thanks to Potter of course.
'Potter!' A short skinny boy with glasses and a scar in the shape of a lightning bolt on his forehead, was pictured in Draco's mind. 'That Dumbledore's boy!' It was all Potter's fault that his father was in Azkaban prison in the first place. Draco was enraged to know that Potter had landed his father in prison. He even vowed to make him pay for what he had done. But then Draco realized that the last summer was much enjoyable without his father. Lucius wasn't around to keep an eye on him or to punish him whenever Draco did something that he, Lucius, thought was wrong. Sure there was Draco's mother but he wasn't as bad as her husband.
So maybe what Potter had done - landing his father in prison - wasn't all that bad. Though of course, Draco wished that it was someone else other than the famous Gryffindor who had landed his father in prison. It really was humiliating having to know that your arch nemesis got your own father in prison.
Draco sat up on his bed. He couldn't sleep. He just couldn't. He gritted his teeth as he listened to the snores of Goyle.
'Why can't he be like the rest of them? All silent in their sleep?' Draco wondered silently as he glared at his snoring roommate. 'I should shut that idiot up! Oh what am I thinking? I can!' and with that, Draco grabbed the enchanted alarm clock off the bedside table and hurled it in Goyle's direction. 'The harder, the better'
The clock hit Goyle's head and bounced off it, shattering on the floor with a shrill ring as if it could feel pain itself. It probably took Goyle a minute to realize that his head was throbbing and that it was very painful. He woke up, noticed Draco sitting up on his bed staring at him and asked in a sleepy voice, "Hey Draco, guess what? I dreamt that an alarm clock hit me in the head-"
"Oy, Goyle! Was that you who dropped the alarm clock?" It was Blaise Zabini who had probably woken up to the sound of the clock shattering or its high-pitched ring.
"No it wasn't. It was-"
"What's going on? I'm trying to sleep here!" Another Slytherin shouted groggily.
"It's Goyle! He's gone and broken the alarm clock again!"
"I've never broken one before-"
"Oh yes you did!"
By then all the boys in the dormitory were awake yelling at each other to shut up and go to sleep. Blaise Zabini and Goyle were having a heated argument over the broken alarm clock.
Not one of them had seen Draco slip out of the dormitory quietly. They wouldn't have cared anyway.
***
Draco walked quietly along the dark silent halls, which were dimly lit. He had to be extra-careful and alert sneaking around like this. He knew that Filch and his annoying cat Mrs. Norris was about ready to catch any students out of their beds.
"Don't want to get caught now," Draco mumbled. Not that he was going to get into big trouble with Snape. Snape favored him of course. Like Potter being Dumbledore's pet, Draco was Snape's pet. Suddenly his stomach grumbled. He looked down and frowned.
"You're going to give me away, you stupid gut," He hissed though he perfectly knew that it was stupid and mad to talk to your own stomach but who was watching - or even listening? He realized that he was hungry of course and regretted not eating anything during dinner. But of course -
Draco knew where to get some food even during this time of the night. And sure enough, minutes later he was walking along the halls, his pockets filled with packs of chocolate frogs. How they ever had chocolate frogs in the kitchen was a mystery to Draco. Someone had told him about this portrait which revealed the kitchen the other day. Dobby, the house-elf that once worked for the Malfoys and now worked at Hogwarts for Dumbledore, was helpful enough to give him something to eat though the other elves just shrank back from him. Perhaps Dobby had told them about Draco. Dobby himself looked a tad frightened when he saw Draco entering the kitchen though Draco wasn't in any mood to torture some house-elf tonight
Draco wandered along the dark corridors aimlessly, munching hungrily on the chocolate frogs. It was so quiet, so still, so peaceful. Draco liked it. He liked the castle all dark and quiet. He could think more easily without being disturbed. It was much better than being in the boys' dormitory having to endure Goyle's snores. And eating helped as well. Draco liked the taste of the sweet chocolate on his tongue. And the chocolate frogs were starting to melt when Dobby had given it to him so they were all the more delicious. Better than the ones kept freezing cold and crack your teeth whenever you try to bite into them.
Of course, Draco was thinking so much that he didn't notice that he had walked straight into Peeves the poltergeist, which was wandering around the halls like Draco but for a very different reason.
Peeves saw the Slytherin and gave a low cackle. "What's this eh?" He asked. "A student in the hallway after dark? Naughty, naughty, naughty!"
"Hello Peeves," said Draco in his usual lazy drawl. He wasn't afraid of Peeves. He was just some stupid poltergeist that pulled pranks on the students around here. More like those Weasley twins except dead and maybe richer than them (if he ever had money or something)
"What's a student doing around here, I wonder?" asked Peeves as if floated above Draco Malfoy. "Not afraid of getting into trouble?"
Draco smirked at the poltergeist grinning and pulling faces at him. "It's not like I get into trouble Peeves," He told Peeves. "I hardly get into trouble with Professor Snape at all,"
"Your nasty greasy-haired professor might favor you but not ol' Filch nor Professor Dumbledore!" The peeves cackled and then floated higher and shouted at the top of his voice, "Student out after dark! Come look! Student out after dark!"
Draco realized that the poltergeist was right. Snape may favor him but not the other professors. Especially not Dumbledore. He swore under his breath and made a run for it before Filch saw him. He ran down the hallways hoping Filch wasn't after him or anything. That was stupid. Of course Filch was after him, after what Peeves did. Draco hid around a corner and peeked out. No sign of Filch or Mrs. Norris or any professor.
"Damn you Peeves," Draco muttered. "Damn you to hell and back!"
He decided to continue 'haunting' the dark hallways. He wasn't in trouble. Yet. He hadn't seen Filch anywhere. So why waste a lovely night like this going back to the Slytherin common room? It wasn't as if he would be sleeping immediately once his head touched the pillow. It's not as if -
Draco stopped short in his tracks as he spotted a pink card on the floor. He gingerly picked the card up and examined it. The card was cut out in the shape of a heart and it smelt of -
Draco sniffed it. It smelt of roses, lilies and for some strange reason, chocolate. The front of the card was plain and not decorated or anything. But when Draco opened the card, sparks shot out of the card and formed glowing pink words that were small enough for anyone to read. The message went:
Love, Your Secret Valentine
Draco closed the card making a few gagging noises. "Pity the foolish girl whoever she is," He said softly and he slipped the card into his pocket. "Sorry Potter but you won't be getting this back!" He slowly made his way up to the Astronomy Tower. He froze when he heard a noise. A sort of a sniffle. Filch? No, can't be him. Peeves? Oh he'd do more than just a sniffle. He looked around himself. He was alone. There was no one there with him. Draco heard another sniffle again.
"Anybody here?" Draco called out. The sniffling immediately stopped as if someone had heard him. The smirk reappeared on his face. He wasn't alone. There was someone in the Astronomy Tower with him after all. How fun it would be if it were Potter.
Draco stifled a laugh. He imagined his enemy getting caught by him and having to serve detention. It might not have been funny to anybody else but who cared? It amused him! Saint Potter, getting into detention...
"Potter?" Draco called out softly, his eyes flashing. "I know you're in here. Come out, come out wherever you are,"
Silence. But Draco swore he heard someone whispering. He raised a brow. The boy obviously heard him. He was probably not going to budge out of his hiding place until Draco left. Draco gave a shrug. Might as well leave if he wasn't going to show himself.
'He'll come out himself' Draco thought with a sly smile. He pretended to look disappointed and leave the room but on the way out he pressed himself against the wall and waited for Harry to reveal himself thinking that he, Draco, was gone.
He couldn't believe what he saw next. Near the window, the air sort of moved, like water. It moved until it revealed a dark-haired head. Long bushy brown hair.
'Granger?' Draco thought in disbelief.
Indeed it was one of Harry Potter's best friends, Hermione Granger. Otherwise known to Draco as the know-it-all mudblood. But the thought of her breaking the school rules and coming up here after dark never struck Draco. After all, he knew Granger to be one of those goody-two Gryffindor who daren't break the school rules. But here she was, after dark, in the astronomy tower, partially invisible and alone. Potter and Weasley weren't in sight.
"Granger?" Draco came out of his hiding place, back into the astronomy tower. His voice was laced with amusement. "I never thought it'd be you all this while,"
The girl jumped in fright and gave a small squeak when she saw him and dropped a cloak that revealed herself fully. She had her wand out as well, pointing directly at Draco.
Draco picked up the cloak and looked at it. Shiny and almost silver in color. It almost felt like liquid, like water. He tossed it back to Hermione who almost didn't catch it.
"This is an invisibility cloak," said Draco quietly, with a hint of envy, still staring at the cloak, which Hermione was holding neatly. He had heard of such things called Invisibility cloaks. Rare things they were. He never knew that there was such a cloak right here at Hogwarts. And in the hands of a mudblood as well. For some strange reason Draco felt a tinge of guilt when he called Hermione that.
"It's not mine," Said Hermione matter-of-factly. "It belongs to Harry,"
'Figures' Draco thought bitterly. 'Potter always has the best stuff doesn't he?'
Hermione eyed him suspiciously. "What're you doing here Malfoy?" She asked him coldly.
Draco smirked at Hermione. "That's the same thing I'd like to ask you Granger," He drawled.
Hermione's cheeks turned pink but she still didn't say anything. She stared back into Draco's grey orbs. "I asked you first," She said stubbornly.
Draco raised a brow and pretended to sigh dramatically. "If you must know, Granger, I felt bored and restless. I wanted to have a bit of fun so - I'm out here wandering around when suddenly I come face to face with you Granger, of all people!"
Hermione looked away outside the window suddenly becoming interested in the stars.
"And really it is a surprise seeing you here. I would've expected Potter or even that money-deprived Weasley. But not you Granger,"
Hermione's head snapped back at him. "What does it matter to you if I'm out here after dark Malfoy?" She snapped at him. "It's none of your business isn't it?"
Draco leaned in towards Hermione, his eyes flashing, that smirk of his widening. "Oh I do think it is," He whispered. "After all, I happen to be a prefect!"
Hermione glanced at him. "A prefect in pyjamas you mean," She corrected him stifling a laugh.
Draco looked down. He was wearing his pyjamas. His light green ones made of silk. He scowled darkly at Hermione who was now giggling softly. He looked at what she was wearing. She wasn't wearing her nightgown. She was wearing her Hogwarts school uniform, her prefect badge gleaming under the pale moonlight.
He then smiled evilly at Hermione. "But won't it be a shock when everyone finds out tomorrow morning that a Gryffindor prefect was caught the night before in the Astronomy tower?" He said coolly leaning against the cold hard walls.
Hermione stopped giggling as she heard that. She said nothing and looked away.
Draco was surprised. He had expected the girl to snap at him or something. Instead she just looked away from him "No comeback Granger?" He asked. "I am really surprised,"
Still no reply for Hermione whose back was turned to Draco. Suddenly something clicked in Draco's mind and he leaned in towards Hermione, reaching to chuck her under the chin and make her face him. Hermione protested but Draco ignored her protests and just stared at her face. There was something different about her face tonight -
Suddenly Draco knew. "You've been crying," He said as he let her go. "You've been crying haven't you Granger?"
Hermione backed away from him, rubbing her chin. He sure had gripped her chin hard. "I- I've not been crying Malfoy. My eyes aren't bloodshot are they?" She told him shakily. "What makes you think-"
"Tearstains," Draco replied smoothly cutting her off. "I may not see your bloodshot eyes but I sure can see tearstains on your face,"
Hermione gasped a little and then suddenly her face clouded as if she was angry with Draco for finding out that she had been crying. She let out a little huff. "Fine. Yes. So I've been crying. What's it to you if I've been crying Malfoy?" She asked the boy before her.
Draco hid his astonishment well and just plainly scoffed, "What've you been crying over? That you got nine out of ten on your homework?" He sniggered at his own joke. Unfortunately Hermione didn't see it as funny and just glared at him and turned to look out the window.
Draco stopped laughing. She really was serious! Then he remembered the card he had found on the floor and asked Hermione, "Granger, are you crying because of Potter?"
"What?" Hermione had never expected this question. She stared back at the Slytherin.
"You like him don't you?" Draco asked. Hermione shook her head hard. "Merlin, no! I like him as a friend yes but not like - like -" She blushed and said nothing more.
Draco raised a brow and then pulled out the card from his pocket and handed it to her. "So whose is this then?"
Hermione looked at it hard and then gave a long sigh. "It's definitely not mine. It's from this girl in Ravenclaw. Harry found it under his pillow and - well - he showed it to me and Ron,"
Draco shook his head. "Is it that girl? The Ravenclaw seeker?" He asked Hermione out of curiosity.
"Cho Chang? Oh she and Harry are over. No, not her Malfoy. Another girl," Hermione replied. Then she stopped and stared at Draco and said irritatedly, "Why am I still talking to you?"
Ignoring Hermione's last question, Draco shook his head and muttered, "Thank God, the Ravenclaw Seeker had some sense to break up with him,"
Hermione frowned but said nothing else. She didn't really want to get into some petty argument with her enemy at the moment.
"So - so - were you crying because Harry got a card and you didn't get one?" Draco asked, surprising himself. He wasn't one to ask alot of questions. Not like those silly Hugglepuffs. But somehow tonight with Hermione Granger... it was sort of different.
Hermione seemed surprised herself as she replied softly, "Sort of like that,"
Before he could stop himself, Draco went ahead and asked, "Care to tell me?"
Hermione stared at him. "You're acting odd asking me all these questions," She said.
"Yeah well," Draco said his voice, a usual lazy drawl again. "I don't want to go back to the dorm any longer. I can't be able to sleep there if I do. Might as well talk to you. Unless Filch finds us out. You really should keep your voice down, Granger,"
"Me?" Hermione hissed. "What about -" She sighed again. "Oh never mind!"
"So you were about to tell me?" Draco asked casually.
"It's not like you're someone I could go to and pour my heart out but - oh all right! It's something Parvati and Lavender - you know, those two girls - it's something they said,"
"Patil and Brown? Trelawney's pets?" Draco drawled.
"Yeah them!"
"Well what did they say Granger?"
"Well you know Valentine's Day is tomorrow right?" Hermione asked.
Draco's eyes widened a little. He knew Valentine's Day was around the corner but he didn't know that it was tomorrow. Blimey, time did fly fast!
"Yeah, yeah I know," Draco lied.
"Well yeah, basically Lavender and Parvati were talking excitedly about tomorrow and then the cards they had got and then I was in the room with them doing homework -"
"Typical," muttered Draco.
Ignoring him, Hermione went on, " - And they saw me and asked me if I had gotten any cards and well I didn't have any so - so then they started giggling and whispering and kept glancing at me and I'm sure they knew they were probably whispering about how much of a bookworm I was and how it wasn't a surprise that I didn't get anything," Hermione was saying this all very fast as if she wanted to get this out all along. At the same time tears were starting to well up in her eyes.
Draco snorted at the last part. He looked carefully at Hermione. True she was a bookworm and it wasn't as if she was one of the most beautiful girls at Hogwarts. But she definitely didn't look like she was some nerd. In fact, Draco didn't know whether to be surprised or disgusted at himself for thinking this, but he saw Hermione as the girl who had danced with Victor Krum at the Yule Ball during their 4th year.
Hermione misunderstood the true meaning of Draco's snort and glared at him a little. "I really shouldn't have told you all this," She said hotly.
"Granger, you're crying because of something they said?" Draco asked, amused. "I thought you weren't one to let remarks get to you,"
Hermione blushed. She couldn't exactly believe her ears. Was Draco Malfoy, the mudblood-hater actually complimenting her? That was too much of a surprise.
"I don't let remarks get to me. That's because they're untrue Malfoy," Hermione told him. "But what those girls were whispering about - it was true. I am a bookworm! And it's not like alot of guys around here are attracted to me or anything,"
"Sure you're a bookworm Granger," said Draco. "But there is someone who's attracted to you,"
"Oh yeah? Who? Filch?" asked Hermione and then she shuddered at the thought of Filch actually liking her. She gazed at Draco again. "So tell me Malfoy, who is it?"
And then Draco simply answered, "Me,"
Hermione stared at him. First the compliment. Now this. He said so smoothly, so lazily so well - easily. And then realization hit her.
"You're just being more cruel than usual Malfoy," She said coldly. "If this is your idea of a stupid joke - well, you're just plain bloody heartless and -" Draco sighed. She didn't believe him did she? And she was supposed to be the smart one! Moving swiftly, Draco cut her off, leaning in towards her again only this time his lips touched hers.
Hermione was shocked. One moment she was talking and then the next moment, Draco was kissing her. But really, she had to admit, it was sort of nice being kissed by him. Hermione relaxed now and even kissed him back a little. 'Oh yum, he tastes of chocolate' Hermione was shocked at herself for thinking that when really she should be pulling away from him immediately. 'What would Harry and - oh damn it! I think I may be falling in love with my nemesis!'
Draco was even more shocked at himself for kissing Hermione. But then suddenly he felt that familiar warmth inside him. That nice feeling he'd get whenever he got what he had desired -
'Bloody hell! So that's what I'm missing in my life! It was Granger all along and I never knew it! What would everyone else in Slytherin think? Damn them all!'
Draco and Hermione must've kissed for a while or so. They pulled away from each other almost breathless. They couldn't believe what they had just done. They couldn't believe they actually liked it.
"W-well it's getting late. Must go back to the common room right about now. Later Malfoy," said Hermione shakily and hurriedly as she walked past him and out of the Astronomy tower.
"Yeah. Same goes for me and - hey, Granger?" Draco called out to the Gryffindor who was about to throw the invisibility cloak over herself.
"Yes Malfoy?"
"Don't tell anyone about this alright?"
"I won't if you won't. And who would believe us anyway? A Slytherin kissing a Gryffindor?"
"Oh and one more thing Granger,"
"What Malfoy?"
"Happy Valentine's Day,"
Hermione actually gave him a small smile. "You too," She said and then threw the cloak over herself completely making herself invisible. She was shaking a little and her heart was beating fast as she made her way back to the Gryffindor Common Room. 'I just kissed Malfoy!'
Meanwhile Draco was left to himself, thinking, 'Bloody hell! I just kissed Granger! She was a good kisser though....' There was a lazy smile upon his face as he slowly made his way back to his own common room. 'It's going to get interesting from now on'
***
The next morning, Hermione woke up late and remembered what had happened in the Astronomy Tower the night before. There was a silly smile on her face. She had, after all, kissed Malfoy. She found two cards on her bedside table and a small rectangular box under her pillow. The two cards were from Ron and Harry. They were probably being really nice to her and after all, she was their best friend. Best friends gave each other presents and cards on Valentine's Day as well right?
Hermione picked up the box. It wasn't wrapped or anything. Just plain white. Hermione frowned as she opened it and then gasped. A light green choker necklace with this diamond stone in the middle was in it. Along with a card with the words:
Author: quixotic-star
Summary: Not very sleepy (no thanks to his dorm mates of course!), Draco sneaks out of the common room one night. To his surprise, he isn't the only one out of his common room.. :one-shot fic:
Disclaimer: Yep. Not mine. And not wishing that the story or any of the characters were mine because God knows what I'd do to them if they were mine.
Author's Note: This is my first fanfic so yeah, be gentle with me alright? Sorry if Hermione or Draco's very OOC or anything. Like I said, I'm doing this the very first time
Draco Malfoy was restless. It was probably in the middle of the night where everyone in the damn castle was probably sleeping away. He tossed and turned, trying to get some shuteye but in vain. And the snores of his fellow dorm mate, Goyle didn't help either
'God, it's like sleeping with a buzz saw' Draco thought as he hid his head under his pillow trying desperately to drown out Goyle's snores. He peeked out from under the pillow and glanced around at his sleeping dorm mates.
'How can they fall asleep while I can't?' Draco wondered silently and bitterly. It had been like this every night ever since he had started his sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. No wait - it had begun even before he had started his new school year. It was a mystery to him. Every single night he was kept awake. He felt as if he was missing something in his life...or wanting something and couldn't have it. 'Thank God, tomorrow's a Saturday,'
Draco gave a snort. Draco Malfoy missing something in his life when really, he was from one of the richest wizarding families around. He could get anything he wanted basically so there was no reason for him to go complaining that something was missing in his life. Whatever he wanted, he got it immediately. Well just recently he hadn't been able to all the things he had wanted that quickly. Reason being that his father, Lucius Malfoy, was still stuck in Azkaban Prison. No thanks to Potter of course.
'Potter!' A short skinny boy with glasses and a scar in the shape of a lightning bolt on his forehead, was pictured in Draco's mind. 'That Dumbledore's boy!' It was all Potter's fault that his father was in Azkaban prison in the first place. Draco was enraged to know that Potter had landed his father in prison. He even vowed to make him pay for what he had done. But then Draco realized that the last summer was much enjoyable without his father. Lucius wasn't around to keep an eye on him or to punish him whenever Draco did something that he, Lucius, thought was wrong. Sure there was Draco's mother but he wasn't as bad as her husband.
So maybe what Potter had done - landing his father in prison - wasn't all that bad. Though of course, Draco wished that it was someone else other than the famous Gryffindor who had landed his father in prison. It really was humiliating having to know that your arch nemesis got your own father in prison.
Draco sat up on his bed. He couldn't sleep. He just couldn't. He gritted his teeth as he listened to the snores of Goyle.
'Why can't he be like the rest of them? All silent in their sleep?' Draco wondered silently as he glared at his snoring roommate. 'I should shut that idiot up! Oh what am I thinking? I can!' and with that, Draco grabbed the enchanted alarm clock off the bedside table and hurled it in Goyle's direction. 'The harder, the better'
The clock hit Goyle's head and bounced off it, shattering on the floor with a shrill ring as if it could feel pain itself. It probably took Goyle a minute to realize that his head was throbbing and that it was very painful. He woke up, noticed Draco sitting up on his bed staring at him and asked in a sleepy voice, "Hey Draco, guess what? I dreamt that an alarm clock hit me in the head-"
"Oy, Goyle! Was that you who dropped the alarm clock?" It was Blaise Zabini who had probably woken up to the sound of the clock shattering or its high-pitched ring.
"No it wasn't. It was-"
"What's going on? I'm trying to sleep here!" Another Slytherin shouted groggily.
"It's Goyle! He's gone and broken the alarm clock again!"
"I've never broken one before-"
"Oh yes you did!"
By then all the boys in the dormitory were awake yelling at each other to shut up and go to sleep. Blaise Zabini and Goyle were having a heated argument over the broken alarm clock.
Not one of them had seen Draco slip out of the dormitory quietly. They wouldn't have cared anyway.
***
Draco walked quietly along the dark silent halls, which were dimly lit. He had to be extra-careful and alert sneaking around like this. He knew that Filch and his annoying cat Mrs. Norris was about ready to catch any students out of their beds.
"Don't want to get caught now," Draco mumbled. Not that he was going to get into big trouble with Snape. Snape favored him of course. Like Potter being Dumbledore's pet, Draco was Snape's pet. Suddenly his stomach grumbled. He looked down and frowned.
"You're going to give me away, you stupid gut," He hissed though he perfectly knew that it was stupid and mad to talk to your own stomach but who was watching - or even listening? He realized that he was hungry of course and regretted not eating anything during dinner. But of course -
Draco knew where to get some food even during this time of the night. And sure enough, minutes later he was walking along the halls, his pockets filled with packs of chocolate frogs. How they ever had chocolate frogs in the kitchen was a mystery to Draco. Someone had told him about this portrait which revealed the kitchen the other day. Dobby, the house-elf that once worked for the Malfoys and now worked at Hogwarts for Dumbledore, was helpful enough to give him something to eat though the other elves just shrank back from him. Perhaps Dobby had told them about Draco. Dobby himself looked a tad frightened when he saw Draco entering the kitchen though Draco wasn't in any mood to torture some house-elf tonight
Draco wandered along the dark corridors aimlessly, munching hungrily on the chocolate frogs. It was so quiet, so still, so peaceful. Draco liked it. He liked the castle all dark and quiet. He could think more easily without being disturbed. It was much better than being in the boys' dormitory having to endure Goyle's snores. And eating helped as well. Draco liked the taste of the sweet chocolate on his tongue. And the chocolate frogs were starting to melt when Dobby had given it to him so they were all the more delicious. Better than the ones kept freezing cold and crack your teeth whenever you try to bite into them.
Of course, Draco was thinking so much that he didn't notice that he had walked straight into Peeves the poltergeist, which was wandering around the halls like Draco but for a very different reason.
Peeves saw the Slytherin and gave a low cackle. "What's this eh?" He asked. "A student in the hallway after dark? Naughty, naughty, naughty!"
"Hello Peeves," said Draco in his usual lazy drawl. He wasn't afraid of Peeves. He was just some stupid poltergeist that pulled pranks on the students around here. More like those Weasley twins except dead and maybe richer than them (if he ever had money or something)
"What's a student doing around here, I wonder?" asked Peeves as if floated above Draco Malfoy. "Not afraid of getting into trouble?"
Draco smirked at the poltergeist grinning and pulling faces at him. "It's not like I get into trouble Peeves," He told Peeves. "I hardly get into trouble with Professor Snape at all,"
"Your nasty greasy-haired professor might favor you but not ol' Filch nor Professor Dumbledore!" The peeves cackled and then floated higher and shouted at the top of his voice, "Student out after dark! Come look! Student out after dark!"
Draco realized that the poltergeist was right. Snape may favor him but not the other professors. Especially not Dumbledore. He swore under his breath and made a run for it before Filch saw him. He ran down the hallways hoping Filch wasn't after him or anything. That was stupid. Of course Filch was after him, after what Peeves did. Draco hid around a corner and peeked out. No sign of Filch or Mrs. Norris or any professor.
"Damn you Peeves," Draco muttered. "Damn you to hell and back!"
He decided to continue 'haunting' the dark hallways. He wasn't in trouble. Yet. He hadn't seen Filch anywhere. So why waste a lovely night like this going back to the Slytherin common room? It wasn't as if he would be sleeping immediately once his head touched the pillow. It's not as if -
Draco stopped short in his tracks as he spotted a pink card on the floor. He gingerly picked the card up and examined it. The card was cut out in the shape of a heart and it smelt of -
Draco sniffed it. It smelt of roses, lilies and for some strange reason, chocolate. The front of the card was plain and not decorated or anything. But when Draco opened the card, sparks shot out of the card and formed glowing pink words that were small enough for anyone to read. The message went:
Crocuses may be yellow,
And morning glories may be
blue,
This may be unknown to you, Harry Potter,
But someone here at
Hogwarts is in love with you!
Love, Your Secret Valentine
Draco closed the card making a few gagging noises. "Pity the foolish girl whoever she is," He said softly and he slipped the card into his pocket. "Sorry Potter but you won't be getting this back!" He slowly made his way up to the Astronomy Tower. He froze when he heard a noise. A sort of a sniffle. Filch? No, can't be him. Peeves? Oh he'd do more than just a sniffle. He looked around himself. He was alone. There was no one there with him. Draco heard another sniffle again.
"Anybody here?" Draco called out. The sniffling immediately stopped as if someone had heard him. The smirk reappeared on his face. He wasn't alone. There was someone in the Astronomy Tower with him after all. How fun it would be if it were Potter.
Draco stifled a laugh. He imagined his enemy getting caught by him and having to serve detention. It might not have been funny to anybody else but who cared? It amused him! Saint Potter, getting into detention...
"Potter?" Draco called out softly, his eyes flashing. "I know you're in here. Come out, come out wherever you are,"
Silence. But Draco swore he heard someone whispering. He raised a brow. The boy obviously heard him. He was probably not going to budge out of his hiding place until Draco left. Draco gave a shrug. Might as well leave if he wasn't going to show himself.
'He'll come out himself' Draco thought with a sly smile. He pretended to look disappointed and leave the room but on the way out he pressed himself against the wall and waited for Harry to reveal himself thinking that he, Draco, was gone.
He couldn't believe what he saw next. Near the window, the air sort of moved, like water. It moved until it revealed a dark-haired head. Long bushy brown hair.
'Granger?' Draco thought in disbelief.
Indeed it was one of Harry Potter's best friends, Hermione Granger. Otherwise known to Draco as the know-it-all mudblood. But the thought of her breaking the school rules and coming up here after dark never struck Draco. After all, he knew Granger to be one of those goody-two Gryffindor who daren't break the school rules. But here she was, after dark, in the astronomy tower, partially invisible and alone. Potter and Weasley weren't in sight.
"Granger?" Draco came out of his hiding place, back into the astronomy tower. His voice was laced with amusement. "I never thought it'd be you all this while,"
The girl jumped in fright and gave a small squeak when she saw him and dropped a cloak that revealed herself fully. She had her wand out as well, pointing directly at Draco.
Draco picked up the cloak and looked at it. Shiny and almost silver in color. It almost felt like liquid, like water. He tossed it back to Hermione who almost didn't catch it.
"This is an invisibility cloak," said Draco quietly, with a hint of envy, still staring at the cloak, which Hermione was holding neatly. He had heard of such things called Invisibility cloaks. Rare things they were. He never knew that there was such a cloak right here at Hogwarts. And in the hands of a mudblood as well. For some strange reason Draco felt a tinge of guilt when he called Hermione that.
"It's not mine," Said Hermione matter-of-factly. "It belongs to Harry,"
'Figures' Draco thought bitterly. 'Potter always has the best stuff doesn't he?'
Hermione eyed him suspiciously. "What're you doing here Malfoy?" She asked him coldly.
Draco smirked at Hermione. "That's the same thing I'd like to ask you Granger," He drawled.
Hermione's cheeks turned pink but she still didn't say anything. She stared back into Draco's grey orbs. "I asked you first," She said stubbornly.
Draco raised a brow and pretended to sigh dramatically. "If you must know, Granger, I felt bored and restless. I wanted to have a bit of fun so - I'm out here wandering around when suddenly I come face to face with you Granger, of all people!"
Hermione looked away outside the window suddenly becoming interested in the stars.
"And really it is a surprise seeing you here. I would've expected Potter or even that money-deprived Weasley. But not you Granger,"
Hermione's head snapped back at him. "What does it matter to you if I'm out here after dark Malfoy?" She snapped at him. "It's none of your business isn't it?"
Draco leaned in towards Hermione, his eyes flashing, that smirk of his widening. "Oh I do think it is," He whispered. "After all, I happen to be a prefect!"
Hermione glanced at him. "A prefect in pyjamas you mean," She corrected him stifling a laugh.
Draco looked down. He was wearing his pyjamas. His light green ones made of silk. He scowled darkly at Hermione who was now giggling softly. He looked at what she was wearing. She wasn't wearing her nightgown. She was wearing her Hogwarts school uniform, her prefect badge gleaming under the pale moonlight.
He then smiled evilly at Hermione. "But won't it be a shock when everyone finds out tomorrow morning that a Gryffindor prefect was caught the night before in the Astronomy tower?" He said coolly leaning against the cold hard walls.
Hermione stopped giggling as she heard that. She said nothing and looked away.
Draco was surprised. He had expected the girl to snap at him or something. Instead she just looked away from him "No comeback Granger?" He asked. "I am really surprised,"
Still no reply for Hermione whose back was turned to Draco. Suddenly something clicked in Draco's mind and he leaned in towards Hermione, reaching to chuck her under the chin and make her face him. Hermione protested but Draco ignored her protests and just stared at her face. There was something different about her face tonight -
Suddenly Draco knew. "You've been crying," He said as he let her go. "You've been crying haven't you Granger?"
Hermione backed away from him, rubbing her chin. He sure had gripped her chin hard. "I- I've not been crying Malfoy. My eyes aren't bloodshot are they?" She told him shakily. "What makes you think-"
"Tearstains," Draco replied smoothly cutting her off. "I may not see your bloodshot eyes but I sure can see tearstains on your face,"
Hermione gasped a little and then suddenly her face clouded as if she was angry with Draco for finding out that she had been crying. She let out a little huff. "Fine. Yes. So I've been crying. What's it to you if I've been crying Malfoy?" She asked the boy before her.
Draco hid his astonishment well and just plainly scoffed, "What've you been crying over? That you got nine out of ten on your homework?" He sniggered at his own joke. Unfortunately Hermione didn't see it as funny and just glared at him and turned to look out the window.
Draco stopped laughing. She really was serious! Then he remembered the card he had found on the floor and asked Hermione, "Granger, are you crying because of Potter?"
"What?" Hermione had never expected this question. She stared back at the Slytherin.
"You like him don't you?" Draco asked. Hermione shook her head hard. "Merlin, no! I like him as a friend yes but not like - like -" She blushed and said nothing more.
Draco raised a brow and then pulled out the card from his pocket and handed it to her. "So whose is this then?"
Hermione looked at it hard and then gave a long sigh. "It's definitely not mine. It's from this girl in Ravenclaw. Harry found it under his pillow and - well - he showed it to me and Ron,"
Draco shook his head. "Is it that girl? The Ravenclaw seeker?" He asked Hermione out of curiosity.
"Cho Chang? Oh she and Harry are over. No, not her Malfoy. Another girl," Hermione replied. Then she stopped and stared at Draco and said irritatedly, "Why am I still talking to you?"
Ignoring Hermione's last question, Draco shook his head and muttered, "Thank God, the Ravenclaw Seeker had some sense to break up with him,"
Hermione frowned but said nothing else. She didn't really want to get into some petty argument with her enemy at the moment.
"So - so - were you crying because Harry got a card and you didn't get one?" Draco asked, surprising himself. He wasn't one to ask alot of questions. Not like those silly Hugglepuffs. But somehow tonight with Hermione Granger... it was sort of different.
Hermione seemed surprised herself as she replied softly, "Sort of like that,"
Before he could stop himself, Draco went ahead and asked, "Care to tell me?"
Hermione stared at him. "You're acting odd asking me all these questions," She said.
"Yeah well," Draco said his voice, a usual lazy drawl again. "I don't want to go back to the dorm any longer. I can't be able to sleep there if I do. Might as well talk to you. Unless Filch finds us out. You really should keep your voice down, Granger,"
"Me?" Hermione hissed. "What about -" She sighed again. "Oh never mind!"
"So you were about to tell me?" Draco asked casually.
"It's not like you're someone I could go to and pour my heart out but - oh all right! It's something Parvati and Lavender - you know, those two girls - it's something they said,"
"Patil and Brown? Trelawney's pets?" Draco drawled.
"Yeah them!"
"Well what did they say Granger?"
"Well you know Valentine's Day is tomorrow right?" Hermione asked.
Draco's eyes widened a little. He knew Valentine's Day was around the corner but he didn't know that it was tomorrow. Blimey, time did fly fast!
"Yeah, yeah I know," Draco lied.
"Well yeah, basically Lavender and Parvati were talking excitedly about tomorrow and then the cards they had got and then I was in the room with them doing homework -"
"Typical," muttered Draco.
Ignoring him, Hermione went on, " - And they saw me and asked me if I had gotten any cards and well I didn't have any so - so then they started giggling and whispering and kept glancing at me and I'm sure they knew they were probably whispering about how much of a bookworm I was and how it wasn't a surprise that I didn't get anything," Hermione was saying this all very fast as if she wanted to get this out all along. At the same time tears were starting to well up in her eyes.
Draco snorted at the last part. He looked carefully at Hermione. True she was a bookworm and it wasn't as if she was one of the most beautiful girls at Hogwarts. But she definitely didn't look like she was some nerd. In fact, Draco didn't know whether to be surprised or disgusted at himself for thinking this, but he saw Hermione as the girl who had danced with Victor Krum at the Yule Ball during their 4th year.
Hermione misunderstood the true meaning of Draco's snort and glared at him a little. "I really shouldn't have told you all this," She said hotly.
"Granger, you're crying because of something they said?" Draco asked, amused. "I thought you weren't one to let remarks get to you,"
Hermione blushed. She couldn't exactly believe her ears. Was Draco Malfoy, the mudblood-hater actually complimenting her? That was too much of a surprise.
"I don't let remarks get to me. That's because they're untrue Malfoy," Hermione told him. "But what those girls were whispering about - it was true. I am a bookworm! And it's not like alot of guys around here are attracted to me or anything,"
"Sure you're a bookworm Granger," said Draco. "But there is someone who's attracted to you,"
"Oh yeah? Who? Filch?" asked Hermione and then she shuddered at the thought of Filch actually liking her. She gazed at Draco again. "So tell me Malfoy, who is it?"
And then Draco simply answered, "Me,"
Hermione stared at him. First the compliment. Now this. He said so smoothly, so lazily so well - easily. And then realization hit her.
"You're just being more cruel than usual Malfoy," She said coldly. "If this is your idea of a stupid joke - well, you're just plain bloody heartless and -" Draco sighed. She didn't believe him did she? And she was supposed to be the smart one! Moving swiftly, Draco cut her off, leaning in towards her again only this time his lips touched hers.
Hermione was shocked. One moment she was talking and then the next moment, Draco was kissing her. But really, she had to admit, it was sort of nice being kissed by him. Hermione relaxed now and even kissed him back a little. 'Oh yum, he tastes of chocolate' Hermione was shocked at herself for thinking that when really she should be pulling away from him immediately. 'What would Harry and - oh damn it! I think I may be falling in love with my nemesis!'
Draco was even more shocked at himself for kissing Hermione. But then suddenly he felt that familiar warmth inside him. That nice feeling he'd get whenever he got what he had desired -
'Bloody hell! So that's what I'm missing in my life! It was Granger all along and I never knew it! What would everyone else in Slytherin think? Damn them all!'
Draco and Hermione must've kissed for a while or so. They pulled away from each other almost breathless. They couldn't believe what they had just done. They couldn't believe they actually liked it.
"W-well it's getting late. Must go back to the common room right about now. Later Malfoy," said Hermione shakily and hurriedly as she walked past him and out of the Astronomy tower.
"Yeah. Same goes for me and - hey, Granger?" Draco called out to the Gryffindor who was about to throw the invisibility cloak over herself.
"Yes Malfoy?"
"Don't tell anyone about this alright?"
"I won't if you won't. And who would believe us anyway? A Slytherin kissing a Gryffindor?"
"Oh and one more thing Granger,"
"What Malfoy?"
"Happy Valentine's Day,"
Hermione actually gave him a small smile. "You too," She said and then threw the cloak over herself completely making herself invisible. She was shaking a little and her heart was beating fast as she made her way back to the Gryffindor Common Room. 'I just kissed Malfoy!'
Meanwhile Draco was left to himself, thinking, 'Bloody hell! I just kissed Granger! She was a good kisser though....' There was a lazy smile upon his face as he slowly made his way back to his own common room. 'It's going to get interesting from now on'
***
The next morning, Hermione woke up late and remembered what had happened in the Astronomy Tower the night before. There was a silly smile on her face. She had, after all, kissed Malfoy. She found two cards on her bedside table and a small rectangular box under her pillow. The two cards were from Ron and Harry. They were probably being really nice to her and after all, she was their best friend. Best friends gave each other presents and cards on Valentine's Day as well right?
Hermione picked up the box. It wasn't wrapped or anything. Just plain white. Hermione frowned as she opened it and then gasped. A light green choker necklace with this diamond stone in the middle was in it. Along with a card with the words:
Seeing you tonight again?
Love, M