Team: Ballycastle Bats
Position: Beater 1
A/N: This is for the Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition Round 5.
Beater 1 Prompt: You will be borrowing inspiration from your teammates' past works. Choose any story written by Beater #2 and use the title- just the title- as inspiration for your story. I used APhoenixRising's "Of Zodiac Signs and Secret Desires"
Additional Prompts: 1. (setting) Forbidden Forest, 11. (dialogue) "I should have told you sooner."
Disclaimer: J.K. owns us all.
Word Count: 1511 w/o AN and Title
Beta: My wonderful teammates The Ballycastle Bats!
Flashbacks are in Italics from various POV's.
I should probably thank Merlin that at least I'm not traipsing around in the wind and rain. Of course the thanks are short lived as I trip over the third overgrown tree root, although I will admit the Forbidden Forest is not as ominous at nineteen as it is at eleven years old. I think back to the actions that lead me into the Forest tonight. After some combined repair efforts, and a couple of uncomfortable months awaiting trial in Azkaban, I was allowed to return to Hogwarts to complete schooling; being allowed to return really meaning told to go back to school or finish 'sentencing' in Azkaban.
The school year hasn't been all that horrible. The wind picks up, making me pull my robes closer around my neck. Where was I? Oh yes, of course it was no surprise that Granger was made Head Girl, she had always had the top grades. Some Ravenclaw, Anthony Goldstein I believe, had been made Head Boy. A position I could have easily obtained ,had the Dark Lord not been breathing down my neck for the last two school terms. Obviously, it was awkward at first when Granger and I discovered we had every class together. Our first conversation alone was painful but long overdue. You kind of realize your life was a lie when one of people you are told are beneath you, shows everyone time and time again that they are the best. Granted, my father never cared about that. I wasn't the top and he let me know in his own way how much of a disappointment I was to him and the Malfoy name.
The first graduation since the Final Battle is in a little over a month. This little adventure into the Forbidden Forest is related directly to that. This completely pointless hike ends the last project I have, which just so happens is for Divination Class. I understand that the Board of Governors decided to incorporate more Muggle Studies in all lessons. But when it's a subject that many Muggles scoff at, how am I supposed to take that seriously?
We picked our zodiac sign to study from a hat, a bloody hat. Did she not realize we have magic? Taurus. Lucky me. When wizards can show how the stars align and it has a positive or negative effect on the magic located in the ley lines of the Earth, and then further explain how that effect further effects a witch or wizard born in a similar alignment. It makes sense. Well, it makes sense if you have a solid grasp of magic. But the Muggles? No, they can't prove that. So they 'create' the vaguest explanation in the history of the universe. What is my project? Map out the current stars and their alignment for my chosen zodiac sign and write out a projection of the year to come based on my observations while I'm 'receiving inspiration' from the Forbidden Forest after I have mapped out the stars of course. So my plan had been to walk into the Forest, immediately walk out, write out some malarky that Trelawney will eat up, and Bob's your uncle.
I couldn't have been more than a few metres inside the woodline of the Forest, before I see someone standing to the side of a very prominent moonbeam. They appear to be staring at a bottle situated at the center of the soft glow of the full moon illuminating the Forest. The only potion I can recall that needs to absorb moonbeam on the night of a full moon is Veritaserum. My head snaps back up to the cloaked figure, who would be brewing Veritaserum? The shadow moves to the other side of the vial, the hood slipping down when their movement abruptly stopped. A riotous mass of curls are freed, the same mahogany and amber tendrils that have been unwillingly filling my dreams as of late.
"Fancy seeing you here Granger?" I asked her.
"Well, I'm Head Girl, it's compulsory from the Headmistress that I attend." Hermione replied.
Draco quietly sighed to himself. "Well best make the most of it eh, care to have this dance?"
The next three minutes where she willingly put her hands around my neck, and allowed me to place my hands in the appropriate places on her waist. Sometimes I wish the pureblood manners weren't so ingrained, how I long to have my hands roam over her body, propriety be damned.
One foot in front of the other, narrowly missing another gnarly tree root, I can hear her whispers the closer I get to her and the light gleaming through the trees.
"I'm sure I added the Jobberknoll feathers at the correct time, adding the clock wise stir between each feather, or was it supposed to be a anti-clockwise turn?", Hermione mumbled to herself, her brows creasing, and curls falling over her eyes. She huffs and the air flips them back on top of her head. How Draco longed to run his hands through the curly tresses.
"I still don't understand why I let myself be convinced that this would work, the fact that Trelawney decided that I needed an Independent Study project is completely ridiculous." another mutter from around the singular light in the Forest.
The entire one sided conversation continues while Hermione continuously walks slow circles around the light that she hopes her potion is absorbing. Draco curses the abnormally large trees of the Forest as he momentarily loses sight of her and the sound of her voice as he moves around one to get closer to where she has been pacing for the last ten minutes or so.
"I'm never going to have the nerve to use this, not to mention I would be breaking about dozen school rules, and a few Ministry laws as well. It's not as if I could get some kind of heartfelt confession from him."
She was caught on every word the Ancient Runes professor was saying, she had no idea that she had dropped her quill about 5 minutes before. Draco had noticed, picked it up, and slowly ran it down the length of her arm, seconds before it reached her hand, her eyes darted over and connected to his. A rosy blush dusted her face and neck as she accepted the quill in her outstretched fingers. This was the fourth or fifth time is as many weeks that Draco had initiated some kind of flirty skin on skin contact with her. Whether it was brushing his hand against hers while walking to class, or asking for a quill in the library only after resting his hands on her shoulders and taking what feels like hours to remove them. It was scary the first time she realized she felt lonely and empty after the contact. Like he was taking part of her with him.
"Yes, I know he's fit, the entire school knows that. But it's not like I can help what I feel. If it weren't for Trelawney I would have probably never came up with this completely barmy plan. Great job, let's brew an incredibly hard potion, and try to give it to someone, to get them to admit to secrets you are not even sure if they have. Why do I have the feeling that I am going to be locked in Azkaban for this. Oh MERLIN, what if he does fancy me, will he actually admit it. Maybe I have been reading to much into these little encounters between us?" Hermione never stopped to even take a breath during her diatribe.
"I should have told him sooner." Hermione sighed out loud to herself.
"Is that so Granger? You should have told me sooner? We have wasted so much time being afraid this year." I told her. Her mouth was still slightly hanging open. She certainly wasn't adhering to 'constant vigilance' since the war was over. She obviously wasn't expecting anyone.
"Yes, I should have told you sooner, I fancy you, Draco." Hermione said while staring at the ground, refusing to make eye contact.
"If anyone is admitting anything, it should be me. Hermione. I should have told YOU sooner. You have the kindest and bravest heart of anyone I have ever met. I want to hold you in my arms, and get lost in your hair. I can scarce pay attention in lessons when all I can smell is your vanilla and jasmine perfume. One I realize, that you must brew yourself. I guess what I am trying to say is that I fancy you, a lot actually. I've just kept it a secret so long, I figured I would never have the chance to tell anyone let alone my secret desire." I said without stopping, once I had starting talking I found myself unable to stop until I had said my piece. Slowly she raises her gaze, and looks right into my soul. I know that this is one prediction that I could not have made if I tried.