This story will not be much of a slow burn. With only 5 parts, I decided to move through the events pretty quickly, only focusing on the important days. I hope that you all don't mind! I love a good slow Dramione build as much as anyone, but I'm also pretty impatient. I hope you enjoy Part 2! Reviews are appreciated it!
October 1st, 1998
Prefects Meeting
"This is ridiculous," I whisper as I watch our Head Boy and Head Girl tell us all about a stupid dance for Halloween.
"It could be fun." Next to me, Malfoy is smirking and watching me from the corner of his eye. "Dressing up. Someone spiking the punch. General fun and chaos. Kid stuff." He glances at me again. "Fun, Granger."
I roll my eyes, cross my arms, and huff, sinking lower in my chair. "Dances are only fun if someone wants to go with you. There's no fun going stag."
His eyes widen and he opens his mouth like he's going to say something when the Heads dismiss the meeting. I missed the last half of it, but the Head Girl will owl all of us the notes she had the seventh year prefects take anyway.
Everyone stands to leave, and I lean over to repack my bag. When I stand up again, he's still there, which doesn't surprise me. We often walk together. But when I look in his eyes, what I see there makes my stomach flutter.
"Headed to the library?" he asks, already knowing the answer. I nod, and he smiles. He has his hands in the pockets of his robes and he's rocking on his feet. "Want company?"
Desperately.
"Sure." I hike my bag a little higher and we head toward the library.
"So, you don't want to go to the dance alone?" His hands are still in his pockets and he's staring at his feet as we walk.
"Of course not. Who would?" I think of the Yule Ball, fourth year, and of how nice it was to be on Viktor's feel desired for a single night, even if Viktor was a bit boring.
He takes a deep breath before he asks, "Would you like to go with me?"
I stop so suddenly it takes him a few steps to realize I'm not with him. He looks back at me and I see how red his ears are, despite his voice being calm. My heart is hammering against my ribs. I manage a smile.
"Sure."
How did we get here?
His face cracks into a genuine smile-something I see rarely. "Brilliant." He nods toward the library and keeps walking, and I dart to keep up, a matching smile on my face.
October 31st, 1998
The Halloween Dance
After much debate, we decide on matching costumes that are terrifying to both of us. He borrows a Gryffindor tie, and I borrow a Slytherin one. I decide I don't mind the green and silver as much as I'd thought I would, so I put a little bit of silver eyeshadow on and tie my hair back with an emerald green scrunchy. At the last minute, I put on some lip gloss. It's Halloween, after all.
We meet in our common room and I try to bite back a smile behind. His red and gold tie is crooked, and stares down at it looking extremely uncomfortable. I giggle and he looks up at me with a scowl.
"It's not funny," he says, brushing his hair off his forehead.
"Oh, but it is," I say, stepping forward with a new sense of bravery to straighten his tie. He tenses, and a blush creeps up above his shirt collar, but I pretend not to notice. We opted against wearing robes, so that our rival house colors would show more clearly. Once his tie is straight, I pat his collar down and fight back the urge to leave my hands on his shoulders just a moment longer. "There," I say, stepping back. "Much better."
"Thanks." His eyes are large and his pupils are dilated and I feel myself blush. He clears his throat, and holds out his arm. "Ready to go?" he asks, and my stomach flips.
I smile at him, all bravery gone, and take his arm. It's warm under my fingers. "As ready as I'll ever be."
We walk into the Great Hall and I half expect the room to go quiet at the sight of us together, especially given our costumes. But, aside from a few mildly surprised glances, we're ignored. It's lovely.
"Do you want to get something to drink? Or we could dance?" Draco's mouth is next to my ear as he speaks, and I'm grateful for the low lighting as my face blooms scarlet.
I summon all the Gryffindor bravery I can muster before I answer. "I'd like to dance, I think." I dare to glance up at him and am shocked at the silly grin on his face. It must be contagious, because I can't help but smile back as he leads me out into the mix of bodies dancing wildly to an upbeat dance number.
We arrive on the dance floor just as the song ends. The music, blaring from giant charmed jack-o-lanterns, switches to a ballad, and my heart races.
All around us, couples pair off. Girls put their heads on boys' shoulders. Chests and bellies press together.
I look to Draco, to tell him we can wait for the next song, but his expression stops me from saying a word. He looks nervous as he holds his hand out to me. Without a second through I step into him. One of his hands rests on my hip, the other holds my hand, he begins to move us-swaying to the music, barely an inch between us.
We only dance for a few moments before my Gryffindor courage resurfaces. I press my luck by stepping closer to him. Part of me expects him to recoil, to get angry and walk away, but I'm surprised and relieved when he sighs and pulls me just a tiny bit closer. I tentatively lay my cheek against his chest and feel his heart ricocheting off his ribs. I smile, feeling a similar rhythm in my own chest. His hand on my hip slips just a little to my lower back and and he grips my other hand just a little tighter.
How did we get here?
When the song ends, I reluctantly pull away. I look up at him in the dim light and am pleased to see his cheeks are just as pink as mine feel. I feel bold and lace my fingers with his. He smiles at me and rubs the pad of his thumb over my knuckles and I shiver.
"Thirsty?" he asks, his voice is scratchier than usual. I nod and let him lead me through the other students toward the punch table. It's only when I see the people nearby that I falter. He feels me pause and follows my gaze. Beside the table stand Blaise Zabini with his date, Ginny. I knew she and Harry were apart, but I didn't think she'd be with someone else-especially not someone like Zabini-so soon. Then again, I'm here with Draco. I decide not to judge. Luna is there too, holding hands with Theodore Nott.
"We can go, if you want." His voice drifts down to me like snow-slow and sad-and I know he must think I'm ashamed of him.
I smile up at him, Gryffindor courage renewed, and squeeze his fingers. "We've only danced once," I say. "We can't leave yet." I take the lead, guiding him toward the treats table.
"Malfoy!" Zabini says, smiling from ear to ear. "Your costume is terrifying."
Draco smiles and adjusts his tie almost proudly. "It's Halloween, Blaise. I couldn't think of anything scarier than being a Gryffindor." Beside Blaise, Ginny rolls her eyes.
"And what about you, Granger?" He looks me up and down. "I see you've opted for the sexy-Halloween look. Silver and green really do suit you." Blaise winked at me and I rolled my eyes.
"Thank you, Zabini, but there's really nothing more terrifying than being a snake." I squeeze Draco's hand to take any unintentional sting from my words. "And what are you supposed to be?" I glance at his costume, feeling my cheeks stained crimson at how little he's wearing.
"I'm obviously Tarzan, king of the jungle." He then let out an ear splitting imitation of Tarzan and beat his chest. He wore nothing but a loin cloth, and his dark skin shone in the candlelight as if he'd been oiled up.
"And you, Ginny?" I ask, my heart racing. We hadn't talked at all this year. She looked surprised that I addressed her, but cleared her throat as she came forward in a long, khaki shirt and matching button down, hair in a bun, glasses perched on the edge of her nose.
"Oh. Well. I'm Jane. I suppose." She smiled at me then as if she were afraid I'd reject her and slowly things clicked into place. We hadn't spoken all year, but maybe it wasn't because she hated me now. Maybe it was because she thought I didn't want to speak with her. I'd shut myself off after Ron, and when she hadn't sought me out, I'd assumed the worst. A small piece of my heart that had broken off clicked back into its proper place.
"I think you look brilliant," I say, smiling brightly. And she smiles back.
"Oi! What about us? We look brilliant, too!" Theo Nott says as he pulls Luna from behind the sweets table. Her cheeks are flushed.
"Hello, Hermione," Luna says. "You look nice."
"As do you, Luna." I take a moment to look her over. "Erm. What exactly are you?" Draco lets go of my hand and grabs two cups of punch, offering me one with a shy smile.
"I'm a blibbering humdinger," she says, gesturing to the strange spiral antenna on her head and the long, skin-tight, fuzzy gown she wore.
"And I'm a grumble-horn snorlax," Theo says proudly. He puffs his chest out, showing off the navy spots all over his light pink, spandex bodysuit.
"A crumple-horned snorkack," Luna corrects, patting his chest.
"That's what I said, isn't it?" he asks, looking confused, and Luna presses a kiss to the corner of his mouth.
I feel my cheeks heat at that simple gesture, not sure why. It just seemed so intimate.
Draco lays his hand lightly on my lower back and the heat moves from my face to my belly. Ginny sees his hand and she lifts her eyebrows.
"Well, we'll see all of you later, I suppose," I say, suddenly needing to be away from their prying eyes.
"Ladies," Draco says, bowing slightly toward Ginny and Luna before we walk away, his hand guiding me as if we were dancing.
Once we're a little bit away, I slow and look up at him. The floating candles and jack-o-lanterns cast light and shadows across his face. Draco looks down at me as if I might spontaneously combust, and I suddenly realize he's nervous. I take the punch from his hand and sit it, along with mine, at a table, before leading him back onto the dance floor.
It's a bouncier number, but I still lean into him as he presses his fingers into my hip. His heart is still racing and I wonder if he can feel mine doing the same thing.
How did we get here?
"Your friends are nice," I say, leaning back enough to look up at him.
"So are yours," he says back, a smirk on his face. Suddenly I imagine leaning up and kissing the corner of that smirk, as Luna kissed Theo, and I feel my face heat. I lay my cheek against his chest again to hide it.
The song changes, but he doesn't let me go, and I feel myself sink against him until we're almost standing still as the music blares. After another song, I lean back, and I feel him sigh as he looks down at me.
"Can we go for a walk?" My voice is quiet, but he's staring at my mouth.
Please say yes.
"Sure," he says, and I smile.
As I lead him out of the Great Hall, hand in mine, I feel my hand tremble.
"Are you cold?" he asks, giving my hand a squeeze.
I shake my head and shrug. He lets go of my hand and drapes his warm arm over my shoulders. With a smile that I try to hide, I lean into him.
Once at the lake, we stop and look out over the water. It's cool out, but not cold. There's a patch of grass with a clear view of the stars, and we sit together. I press my shoulder into him and he pulls me a little closer, his fingers circling my shoulder warmly.
How do we stay here?
"Can I ask you a question?" his voice drifts through the night air like fog and I nod against his shoulder. He pauses for a long moment. "Are you attracted to me?" His voice catches and I jerk back to see his jaw tense.
"What?" My heart thunders behind my ribs. I inadvertently pull back and I see him tense.
"Never mind, Granger," he says, releasing my shoulder and moving to stand. I panic. He hadn't called me Granger in weeks. He was leaving. This was the thing I'd been waiting for, and I was ruining it.
I do the only thing I can to get him to stay. I lunge at him and knock him onto his back, and lay across his chest. He stares up at me with wide eyes, and in the moonlight, his gray eyes look silver.
"What are you doing?" His voice is low, his breaths uneven.
"Am I attracted to you?" I ask again, my voice low. He nods, and his nervousness gives me courage. Gryffindor courage.
Slowly I move so that I'm straddling his lap. He presses his eyes closed, his breaths coming short and fast. With hands that should shake, but don't, I pull on his tie until he has to either sit up or choke. He supports himself with his hands as I put my hands on his shoulders, where they wanted to rest when I helped him straighten the tie earlier, and I meet his eyes. His pupils are dilated and his lips are open the tiniest bit.
With a deep breath I lean forward and press my lips to his, only to pull back a moment later. It was chaste, but my lips are tingling. His lips quirk up at the corners and I feel mine do the same.
"What about you?" I ask, acutely aware of my position, straddling his lap. "Are you attracted to me?"
He sits up and I feel his stomach muscles contract as he brings his hands to either side of my face. He brushes hair that had come loose behind my ears and lets his hands fall to my neck, resting against the top of my shoulders.
"You're the most beautiful, most brilliant witch I've ever seen in my entire life," he says, his breath ghosting over my lips in a way that makes me shiver.
"So, yes?" I ask with a smile, leaning forward slightly.
"So, yes," he says.
I can't help myself as I close the gap and press my lips to his again. I gasp into his mouth as his hands span my waist, my ribs, pulling me even closer to him. His tongue darts in and I taste the punch from earlier and hear myself moan as his tongue dances with mine. His hands are on my face again, pulling my hair down from it's messy ponytail and getting lost in the tangles. I wrap my arms around his neck and let them grip his broad, Seeker's shoulders. My skirt has ridden up, and through his trousers beneath me I feel his arousal and I moan again, though I don't mean to this time.
How did we get here?
How do I stay?
I know I have to slow this down. I feel my body trying to arch into him. My body aches for this kind of contact, for this kind of connection, but it's too fast. Too much at once. It can't happen.
Not yet.
I slow our kiss and press my forehead to his. His breath is ragged as it passes over my wet, swollen lips. He leans up slightly to rub this tip of his nose over mine.
"Aren't you glad you came to the dance, Granger?" he asks, a genuine smile in his voice. I give into my earlier temptation and kiss the corner of his mouth, feeling his smile broaden and feeling my toes tingle.
"Very glad."
