1Cold As You
(A/N: Taylor Swift and Liz Rose wrote the song in this story. Taylor Swift originally sang it and I have no claims to it, other than I think it's a beautiful song that I would like to use for the lyrics in my story.)
She sat by the fire the entire evening, waiting for him to return to the room, but he never did. There was no sign of him the entire night. And even in the morning when she woke to find the glowing embers of the once great fire, he was not there.
She walked the whole day with her head down, not wanting to see the other students pass her by for fear of seeing his face among them. Clutching her books to her chest as she walked, wishing she were somewhere far away, was all she did. Day in and day out, she would wish for him to love her more, come to her more, and be with her and only her. But these wishes were never heard by anyone other than the moon and stars.
Nights came and went and the seldom occasion arose when he would come to her and make her feel loved. But it was always in the morning when she woke to find him gone that made her feel so hollow. So used.
You have a way of coming easily to me
And when you take, you take the very best of me
There was no way she could hold things in any longer. She needed to find him and tell him how she felt. He made her feel so wonderful, but that only happened when he was with her, and he was only with her once in a blue moon.
"Why do you constantly do this to me?" she asked him the next time he came to her. "Why do you come and go as you please, without any concern for my feelings?"
He just looked at her as if her words meant nothing to him.
"You wont even say anything to me, will you? You will stay quiet and not care for anyone but yourself."
"I come to you when I need you, that is it. Take it or leave it."
The words hurt and she felt the bitter sting of jealousy because she knew she wasn't the only one on his constantly rotating schedule.
So I start a fight cause I need to feel something
And you do what you want, cause I'm not what you wanted
He came to her slowly and gently brushed his hand against her cheek, making her sad eyes look up at his handsome face. "What would you have me do? Obey your every command and come when I'm called?"
She looked away once more and shrugged from his grasp. He could no longer bare the touch of his skin because it was ice. "You have your free will Draco, but I'd just like to know where I come into your life."
"Into my life? What is that supposed to mean? You know I love you, that's why I came here tonight." He threw the words carelessly around as if they were no more than words.
"Who do you love? Do you love the person your with or the feeling I give you when we're together?" Her words caught in her throat as she tried to push them out. Tears streamed from her eyes and she was weary not to let him see.
Oh what a shame, what a rainy ending given to a perfect day
Just walk away, ain't no use defending words that you will never say
He slammed the door as he left her there to cry, not bothering to speak to her back anymore. She cried and cried. There was nothing that could be done to stop the aching feeling in her chest. It burned and yet it was utterly cold.
That night she was lost and alone, like she was most nights when she was without Draco. But tonight she felt the iciness of his words and their resounding tone in her head.
And now that I'm sitting here, thinking it through
I've never been anywhere Cold As You
Her thoughts went back to the night when he had first asked her into his life…
***
"Granger, this is pointless, there is no way I'm going to wear this thing in public!"
Giggling her way through as she pinned the hideous clothing on his perfect body. "Oh come on Draco. This'll be the best part of the entire evening if you do this."
"But I have a reputation to uphold and being seen in public in this get-up is not going to improve it any."
The frock was definitely something an ancient warlock would wear with its ruffles and lace around the collars and the unnaturally heavy material that made up most of the bodice. To make matters worse, the color was very devastating, with a not quite puke-green color matched up with a ghastly orange color. In truth it did look quite a disaster. But Hermione had had an epiphany earlier that day and started immediately for a majestic Hogwarts Fashion Show. All the other outfits had turned into utter masterpieces, whereas the garment she was now pinning on Malfoy was just plain nasty.
When she had pinned the last piece of lace to Malfoy's collar she stood back to admire the work. After making a thorough sweep of the outfit with her eyes she burst out hit the floor, laughing hysterically.
"Oh do shut up Granger," Malfoy snapped at her as he tore piece after piece of the layered clothing and threw them to the floor.
"It was so amusing, seeing you there. It was like seeing an old woman trying to bring back some hideous fashion back into style."
"Well hahaha, aren't you just a clown. As Head Boy, I am deciding unanimously that I shall not be wearing that rag."
Still laughing she began picking up the fabric off the floor. "I know, it was just entertaining seeing you wear it for the short time you did."
He turned on her, smirking, "You did that on purpose didn't you?"
"I did indeed, and you fell for it completely."
He attacked her at the sides and the cloth she was holding dropped to the floor as she tried to protect herself from being tickled. He threw her down onto the couch and refused to let up until she apologized for making him dress up just for her amusement. Yet she was persistent and refused to do so. He tickled her sides, her thighs, under her arms, her neck and even the bottoms of her feet. And all the while she just kept laughing more and more, finally crying from laughing so much, but never once apologized.
He stopped tickling her and drew back to look at her figure lying on the couch. She was really quite beautiful, and to her, he was really quite handsome. He lowered himself to her level and silently kissed her delicate lips.
The shock of him kissing him didn't hit her until he had already withdrawn. There he was, his devilishly handsome blond hair and perfect body, most definitely attracted to her equally ravishing essence.
He once again lowered himself to her level, but this time he spoke soft and gentle. "Let me be with you Hermione?"
Without needing to say another thing or think things through she nodded her head and saw his smile emerge. He bent over and brushed his lips against hers and made her groan in pleasure.
***
After being with him that night, things sort of became natural. They were together and they stayed together. But then they stopped talking. Their conversations were based on few subjects and after that, they just started talking all together.
You put up walls and paint them all a shade of gray
And I stood there loving I and wished them all away
They got to the point where they saw less and less of each other and it was making a hole grow deep where his affection had been. Draco hung out with his friends and Hermione hung out with her own. They rarely saw each other in the dormitory any more because both tried to avoid the situation. And yet she still yearned for him.
She could tell he didn't care for her as much as she cared for him. There was a deeper connection from her end, and it was the short end that she had received.
And you come away with a great little story
About a mess of a dreamer, with the nerve to adore you
So the days got longer without him and her feelings stayed the same. Every time he was near her, she felt his magnetic presence; pulsing wanton beams towards her, making her want him all the more. It was enough to drive her insane. But still he stayed away from her, hanging out with other Slytherin girls and making a scene of the entire thing.
Oh what a shame, what a rainy ending given to a perfect day
Just walk away, ain't no use defending words that you will never say
She wanted to yell at him across the Great Hall the next morning for the scene she saw. Pansy was clinging to him like a worthless little nothing, flirting and giggling at him and his friends.
And now that I'm sitting here, thinking it through
I've never been anywhere Cold As You
Yet Hermione stood her ground and waited until she knew he was unprepared for the lashing out. It was the same thing that would have happened if they were enemies, yet there was more of a personal feel to it, because they had been through so much.
"You're a conceited and selfish cad Malfoy and you know it," she yelled at him from the other side of their common room later that night. "You are an annoying and perverse little trouser snake and I shall hate you for the rest of my life."
You never did give a damn thing honey, but I cried, cried for you
And I know you wouldn't have told nobody if I died, died for you
He looked at her, outraged at her behavior. His thoughts and emotions were all wrapped up into one when he said the next words. But unfortunately he never got the chance to say them.
"I loved you Draco. I'm not proud of that fact, but you made me love you, and now I hate you for it. Something you did to me has been torturing me these past few months and it's drowning me every time I see you or hear you. Its mind-boggling that something like this could happen to me, and over you no less. But it happened and now I will despise you for eternity."
"Granger, don't even begin to sell me that sob story love thing. There is nothing in there that I haven't heard before. I had imagined it for so long that you'd pull that one on me, but I never thought you'd do it with such an obsession. Come off it Granger, you and I were never going to be, it was just a fling."
Oh what a shame, what a rainy ending given to a perfect day
Every smile you fake is so condescending
The words cut her deep and the tears and rage she had bottled up were finally let loose. Tears streamed and anger raged, but she stood still, wishing him…no, willing him to leave. He did, and he did it with haste nonetheless. When he was gone she fell to the floor thinking about all the nights she had wasted thinking about him. And the many more nights she had spent with him. It was all just something that resounded uselessness in her mind. And not a minute more needed to be spent on that cold, heartless bastard.
Counting all the scars you made
And now that I'm sitting here thinking it through
I've never been anywhere Cold As You.