Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.
Moments
Dedicated to Maxie, best dog in the world
For the moments we shared
He looked at her. She smiled at him, hair flying in the wind, eyes crinkling, lips upturned.
She was beautiful - in his eyes. She took his breath away with her bushy hair, know-it-all attitude and caramel eyes. She waved him over, her childish features glowing in the warm sunlight.
"What were you doing - just standing there?" she demanded, hands on her hips in a bossy manner.
"Just enjoying the view." he replied, smirking. He didn't know whether he meant the brilliant sunset or her.
"Oh."
Silence reigned.Brilliant rays of orange and red light merged inthe sky, giving it an almost erethal shine. But he saw nothing of it.
He was watching her.
He saw her shift slightly and then stop, like she was unsure about something. And then it happened: hesitantly, she slipped her small hand into his larger one, looking at his emotionless face for signs of disgust or dislike. Nothing – except for the gentle squeeze on the hand he gave her. She smiled to herself and simply enjoyed the moment; the feel of his large hand around hers, thecomfortshe felt with her small hand enclosed inhis, the sensation ofhis long fingergently stroking the palm of her hand...
He did the same drinking in her features and the small smile quirking at her lips. He stored the moment in his memory for the darker times ahead - times where he would only have memories of her...
It was the inevitable.
"What are you thinking?" she asked without even turning her head to look at him. She just knew – felt - he was thinking about something important.
He shrugged, holding her hand tighter in his. "What are you?" he shot back, not turning his eyes from her face. She turned to look him in the eyes. They were a smouldering grey today. "That I never want this moment to end." she whispered, sighing wistfully.
He simply moved to hold her tighter.
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"Come with me" she whispered to him, eyes shining excitedly as she clasped her hand in his, not hesitating this time.
She pulled him out her Head Girl room, into the corridors and out of the castle where pale moonlight illuminated everything. She pointed at the full moon. "Isn't it lovely?"
Without waiting for his answer, she continued to point at different constellations and stars.
"Ohh look! There's – "
"Vega" they said in unison. She looked at him, surprised. He let a small smile form. It might be the last one she sees anyway, he thought carelessly.
"Draco?" Her voice was soft and child-like.
"Yes, Hermione?"
"I – " she turned abruptly to face him, her face only inches from his. With shaking hands, she lifted her hand to stroke his face, closing her eyes as she reached his nose – and then his eyebrows. He let himself stay in the tender position, allowing himself to feel her sensual touches as she caressed him with the gentleness of the wind. The gentle touches soothed...yet excited him.
A contradiction.
And with the same gentleness, she stopped and laid her head on his chest. His arms automatically encircled her and held her tight and she did the same. His nose tickled as wisps of her wild hair flew with the breeze of the wind. He could smell hints of her shampoo - peaches and something else he couldn't quite put his finger on. He breathed deeply.
"I'll never let you go" she whispered fervently.
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"I saw you with her" Draco stopped walking and turned to face the boy with a scar the shape of a lightning bolt.
"I saw you with her" the scarred boy repeated, voice threateningly low.
"And what's it to you?" he sneered, matching his stare for stare.
"You can't do this anymore. You're destined for the Dark side. You're destined to be a Death Eater. You're just going to hurt her." The dark haired boy said lowly.
"Well what if I didn't want to join?" he growled, almost making him believe it himself.
"You'll still join them. You're a coward." He said simply, harshly.
And he was right.
Draco hissed angrily, his eyes steely. Blind hate overwhelmed his senses as he watched Harry Potter, the boy-who-lived, look at him with knowing eyes. They mocked him.
With a yell of outrage, Draco launched himself on the bespectacled boy, aiming blindly for anything – jaw, eyes, nose, stomach. The anger fuelled him as he fought without constraints. He just wanted to hurt him – hurt him like he was hurting. The boy beneath him fought readily back, kicking and punching desperately. Draco snarled, almost animalistically as Harry kneed his stomach. With renewed vigour, he punched again, and again and – a sharp tug sent him flying off Harry Potter and he landed with a thud on the stone ground.
"What in Merlin's name is going on!" a shrill voice interrupted his angered thoughts and slowly, he raised his throbbing head to meet toffee brown.
Hermione.
Her face was red and her stance rigid as she surveyed the scene – a boy with messy raven hair curled on his side and a boy with platinum blond hair sprawled on the floor a little bit back.
Draco bit back a harsh reply and instead, simply moved to stand up – albeit shakily.
"What did you do to him?" Hermione whispered facing Draco with clouded eyes.
Draco stared at her. "What did I do to him?" he questioned fiercely.
"Yes! What did you do, Malfoy?" Hermione bit out fiercely. Draco felt himself flinch at the bitterness in her words. He turned away from her and spat, "Why don't you make something up yourself since you've already implied that I was the one who initiated this."
And with surprising grace, he swaggered off into the fading light.
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He was sitting on the grass near the lake, away from the crowds and noisy chattering.
And then she came. He could hear her footsteps from afar, could hear her effort to tread quietly as she neared him. She sat beside him – not too close.
The comfortable silence they both treasured quickly settled in the air and no-one made an effort to talk. They just felt – the wind in their hair and on their faces, the cushiony grass beneath them, the mutual uncertainty of their future…
"You were right. I'm sorry I assumed so quickly" she whispered softly, as if not to disturb the atmosphere.
He merely tilted his head on one side, waiting for her to continue. She didn't – instead, she reached out to touch his hand.
He understood.
It was moments like these that he loved.
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Cheers filled the air as the Seventh Years of Hogwarts made their final trip around their beloved castle and former school. Shining, happy faces mingled with forlorn, teary-eyed faces. Hugs, hand-shakes, kisses and pats on the back were exchanged.
Draco Malfoy stood in the middle of it all, feeling suffocated. The overwhelming display of emotion and affection smothered him, leaving him feeling irritatingly sick and dizzy. He could feel a miagrane coming on from the disgusting dispaly of affection.
With what remnants of calm left in him, he strode away from the ridiculously cheerful faces.
He walked outside – to the lake where everything was quiet, save for the twittering birds. The sky was grey and it satisfied him that it at least was not revoltingly bright and cheerful like the rest of Hogwarts. He walked past the bushes, the trees, the -
"Draco!" a voice rang out from behind him, making him halt in surprise. Before he had much time to gather his thoughts, a soft ball of skin, hair and arms launched into him from behind. Small arms wrapped themselves around his waist, hugging him from behind and he felt a small face nestle itself into his back. He stiffened.
"Draco" She whispered brokenly, softly. It was pained but happy at the same time. A contradiction. A paradox.
Just like them.
He could feel her breath through the material of his black graduation robes. It was warm. But it made him shiver involuntarily.
"Draco," she whispered again, drawing in ragged breaths as if she was crying. Maybe she was.
He did nothing. Just stood there – feeling, cherishing. Loving.
"Draco, Draco, Draco, Draco, Draco…" she murmured again. He could hear her fighting for control of her breathing now as she forced deep calm breaths which came out as mere ragged and choked gasps. She repeated his name over and over again, like a mantra. Like it would be the last time she would ever say it again. And maybe it was. When she saw him next, he would be Malfoy; a Death Eater. A murderer.
And she - she would be an Auror, or something equally good. A protector.
He could feel a dampness seeping into his fine robes. Her tears, he realised. She's crying for me he thought, sickened.
"Why are you crying?" he asked harshly, jerking away from her suddenly and turning to face her. She gasped and stepped back from him dazedly.
"I – " she stumbled over her words clumsily.
"Why are you crying?" he asked again icily. The sky darkened and rumbled ominously.
She took a step back unsurely as she hastily wiped the remaining tears off her pale face.
"I – I was crying for – " she tried again, a bit more strongly this time.
"You were crying for me, weren't you? Felt sorry for poor ickle Draco, didn't you? Well I don't need your pity! I don't need your stupid tears!" he bellowed suddenly.
"What? Draco - " she cried desperately, trying to move closer to him to calm him.
But he wouldn't. He stepped away from her and wouldn't let her talk as he continued yelling in rage. He hated her. He hated her so much. He hated her bushy hair, her soft eyes, her bossy nature, her sympathy, her pity…
He hated her!
And yet, he needed her. Loved her.
"Don't pity me! I chose this – I chose to be who I am! Stop crying!" he roared in rage as he saw a lone tear slip off her face.
Fiercely, she swiped the tear off her face and faced him determinedly. "Shut up! Shut up!" she screamed, walking towards him until she was so close to him that she could touch him – hurt him. She jabbed a finger at his chest violently.
"Don't go assuming what you don't know! You were the one who taught me that! You HYPOCRITE!" she shouted, suddenly full of vigour as her eyes flashed angrily.
He glared at her and she glared back, matching stare for stare. He growled, not wanting to admit he may be wrong. His pride wouldn't let him.
But there was no need as she abruptly dropped her gaze and whispered hoarsely, "I was crying for us."
He gave a sharp intake of breath.
She looked at him with bright eyes. "This will be the last time we'll be able to see each other" she said, leaving out the understood being like this. This would be the last time they saw each other as Draco and Hermione. As Head Boy and Head Girl. As lovers.
He didn't know what to say.
And then the rain came, in sudden bouts of soft – and then hard – and then soft pitter-pattering.
The rain soaked him, sliding off his face, drenching his robes, washing off the stiff gel in his hair…
He watched her as she tilted her face towards the sky, closing her eyes and letting the rain trickle down her face, her lips, her nose…
In a swift movement, he pulled her towards him, running his hands over her wet skin and hair. She opened her eyes in surprise. And then smiled at him. It was a beautiful, haunting smile.
"Draco, I – " she croaked.
He silenced her with his lips against her cold ones. Their mouths smashed against each other to create an intoxicating heat in the rain. Their mouths moved fiercely in unison against each other and they held each other closely -stroking, touching, caressing, feeling for the last time. His body against hers.
Draco with Hermione.
And then when they became short of breath, they pulled away from each other. They stared, waiting for the inevitable.
She then reached out and touched his cheek tenderly. The rain beat down on them, washing away his hair gel, her light lip-gloss, his glare, her smile, his love, her love. They were just Malfoy and Granger now.
"From this moment on, I have no feelings – other than hate – for you, Draco Malfoy" she whispered hoarsely. Her eyes glistened and she took a hestitant step away from him. He let her go.
And then she turned her back to himand started walking, her shoes slopping noisily in the puddles of water. He didn't even need to see it to know that she was walking away from him. And then the noisy slopping stopped - she faltered. She turned back to face him and his surprised eyes met hers. That was enough.
She ran back to him and threw herself into his arms where they received her readily. Her hair tickled his nose and he breathed deeply. But he couldn't smell it.
He couldn't smell the peaches in her hair anymore. She wasn't Hermione. She was Granger. She had to be.
"I'll miss you, Hermione." he whispered finally, squeezing her tightly. His eyes held hers.
She understood.
They let each other go simultaneously. And then she walked away into the blaring warmth of the Great Hall where her best friends waited for her. She did't look back. It was where she belonged. And he – he stayed in the cool rain with the numbing feeling of rain on his skin. Alone.Where he belonged.
And he carefully stored the moments - the memories he'd always have of her with him.
Where they should've belonged.
Finis
I'm kind of new to this so let me know what you think by dropping a review. They're greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading!
Love raining sakura