Those Grey Eyes
POV: Hermione's
Disclaimer: I own nothing
AN: THX so much for all the positive feedback. You all are amazing. :D
xoxoxoxox-- Chapter 2: The Next Day --xoxoxoxox
I woke up to a sunny day. The sun was shining as if the earth hadn't crashed and burned last night, as if everything I thought I knew was not questioned. I got dressed and closed the door to my room to not disturb the others. It was early, I could tell. I stumbled into a chair in the common room, and stared into the fire pathetically, desperately, as if it held all my answers. I began to think of last night, how I had danced with my beautiful, mysterious stranger, laughing, dancing, flirting. I could still recall the smell of his cologne, the way his eyes danced when he smiled, the exact shade of his eyes, unique in its own respect. I could still remember how he leaned in to kiss me, and my fairy tale was inches from complete.
But then my fairy tale ended tragically. It became midnight; the magic lost, the coach once again became a pumpkin. I ran a hand through my hair and simultaneously closed my eyes to try and clear my head. But, I couldn't. He filled my thoughts. It was worse with my eyes closed; I couldn't escape him. I knew I was supposed to forget about it. I wanted to forget about it. I did want to forget about it, right? I thought once again of last night, and I began to wonder, did I really want to forget? I closed my eyes and danced with him once again, and I realized I didn't.
I pulled my cloak sleeve back and saw it was late enough for the Great Hall to be open. I stood up and walked toward the portrait hole. I headed for breakfast, and hopefully Draco.
The Great Hall was in sight when someone pulled my arm into a classroom, and shoved me against the closed door, I don't know what came over me, but the first thing out of my mouth was, "Bloody Hell?!"
"Granger," I heard a cold voice drawl, and my breath got caught in my throat. Should I tell him? I didn't want last night to end.
"Malfoy," I breathed; it came out as if I was in fear, partly a question.
"You," he was pacing in front of me, and I watched him. "You?" he stopped and faced me. "You're the one that I danced with last night?! This belongs to you?" I looked at the object he grabbed off a desk. It was my mask. I had forgotten I had even dropped it.
"And if it is?" His tone began to worry me.
Malfoy shook his head to himself and rolled his eyes. "You couldn't be, not a mudblood." I felt slapped, but then my anger kicked in as well. I couldn't believe this. I had wanted to be with him? This jerk of a guy? I was disgusted.
"Well, I'm sorry I wasn't the perfect pureblood you wanted, but you weren't exactly my prince charming either," his eyes were cold, I matched them.
Malfoy picked up my mask and threw it at me. "Put it on," he said as an order, like I was one of his goons.
"No, you have no right to-," he grabbed it back and pulled me forward. He placed the mask on me and tied it without any regards toward me; he just completely wrapped his arms around me to put the mask on. When he was done, it didn't get any better. He shoved me back and I hit the wall with a thud. He looked at me for what seemed like a century, and I waited.
I began to feel rather odd just standing there with a mask on, and reached up to take it off when, "You are her," he concluded, half disbelievingly.
I dropped my hands, "Yes," I nodded slowly. Malfoy pulled me forward, mask on and all, and wrapped his arms around me. I tried to struggle, but his grip was as solid as iron. I finally gave up.
"I need to tell her something; her, as in the girl last night. So you, Granger, just shut the bloody hell up and don't say anything."
"I am her-," I began.
He cut me off. "Last night was different." I quieted, as his tone became as gentle as it was last night, I realized why I didn't recognize him, he never talked to me in that tone to my face before. "When you walked in, I honestly almost tripped over the girl I was dancing with, I was so stunned. So I came at first just to see who you were." He ran a hand through my hair, and took in a breath, "Then we danced, and I've never felt that way before. I didn't want to leave, and trust me, I usually do the leaving. So when you left you really got to me. I thought of you all night and everything I felt for you was true, but in the end, we can't be together."
I felt like a hole was just carved into my heart, there was no longer anger in me, but confusion. Draco gently pulled the string keeping my mask in place, and when it was untied, he pulled it off me gently. He didn't look me in the eye as he placed it on the desk. When he did look up at me, his eyes held the usual coldness, his soft side gone. But it didn't make sense if he felt for me too. "Why can't we b-?"
"Granger," he spat, cutting me off again. "Last night didn't happen," he said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"What?" I asked.
"Last night was a mistake. I never would have danced with you if I knew who you were; a," he paused and swallowed, "a mudblood," He stared at me for a second, and I felt his eyes shift to that calm, beautiful look of yesterday. But he snapped out of it, leaving me in shock. He stepped past me and gripped the door knob.
"What?" I asked, shocked. I twirled around to see the back of his head, his hand on the door knob. "You can't just say that after what you said about last night, you just spelled out that you care for me."
Draco shook his head, "It wasn't meant to be."
Draco opened the door and took a step. "What if it is meant to be?!" I shouted desperately. Draco only took a second step shaking his head no, and closed the door behind him.
I didn't move until I heard the door close, my pulse still racing, in anger, in love, I didn't know. I fell to my knees, weak. I swallowed back a tear. It just didn't make sense. He just left me here, abandoned, after almost spelling out that he loved me, or at least cared. He said he thought about me. And yet we could never be? My reasonable side tried to reason that he was my enemy. I hated him. And yet, an even greater part of me still wished that he'd come back.
******
Weeks, days, and even hours, went by. Every second took away my memories of Draco, every minute making my thoughts of that night fade in my memory ever so slowly, and there was nothing I could do about it. I hated it. Draco-my prince charming, was leaving me.
******
A few weeks after the ball, we had another go around. It was outside the Great Hall.
Draco ran into a girl outside the hall, making her fall over. "Watch it first year," Draco snickered when he looked up and saw me. Our eyes connected. He looked at me in a fearful, surprised sort of way. I looked down at the girl to make sure she was okay, and when I saw she was, I looked back up to Draco. He was now staring at me despicably. "Want something, Granger?"
I looked at him, deciphering his glance. Did he really mean that? It seemed off, like he didn't want to say it. "Back off, Malfoy." I turned to see whose voice it was, and saw that it was Ron.
"Weasley," Draco said with a sneer. His gaze shifted to me, "Still hanging around with mudbloods? Blood traitor." I tore my eyes from Draco. That kind of comment still hurt, no matter how many times said, and from Draco, I felt like breaking into a million pieces.
Ron moved in to tackle Malfoy, but Goyle cut in front of Draco in defense, Draco sneering all the while. I grabbed Ron's arm. "Stop it, Ron. It's what he wants us to do. Don't give in," I whispered. Ron didn't look away from Draco, I tried to calm him, but his fury was building.
I heard whispers around me. People were gathering all around us. I began to read there lips, I saw people whispering: That's them, Harry's friends. I saw: And they are the great wizards of the future? I heard the words, Cheat, slut, using them, fighting over her? Not even that pretty. I tried to ignore it; I looked to Ron again. The crowd settled on a chant, "Fight!" It buzzed in my ears, didn't these people have lives? Couldn't they just leave me alone? "Fight! Fight! Fight!" What if I bothered them in every aspect of there lives? "Fight! Fight! Fight!" I looked around, more people were gathering.
I felt movement and I looked to Ron. He had had pulled his arm out of my hold. "I'm going in first," he grumbled irritated, most likely from the lack of privacy. He pushed his way through the crowd and made his way into the Great Hall. The people whined with his leave and dispersed.
I looked back to Draco. Goyle had shifted to behind him. I tried to catch his gaze, but he avoided it. I looked down at the first year girl picking up her things, and stooped down to help her. "Thanks," she said.
"No problem." She smiled and walked into the hall.
I stood, and Draco pushed past me hitting my shoulder. "Mudblood," he muttered. I was so stunned by the comment that Goyle shoved me over too, and I wasn't balanced enough to stay on my feet. When I finally got inside, I sat next to Ron and Harry. I looked across the room to Draco. His arms were already around two girls, and he was smiling without a care in the world.
*******
That wasn't the last time I saw him in the hall, but I noticed that there'd always be that second that our eyes would connect with the same luring appeal that brought me to him on that night. Then one of us would blink, breaking our connection, and his eyes would take up that outer shell I hated. A shell I had since been accustomed to seeing. He'd avoid all eye contact with me, or give me that I-am-a-Malfoy look, and I became a speck of dirt on his shoes. It resulted in one thing; I wanted him more.
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox
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