A/N: Sorry it's taken so long, the Muggles in my life hinder my creative process with to-do lists and books that must be read and chores and college preparations... Anyways, I'm obviously not the oh so wonderful and talented J.K. Rowling nor am I in any entitled to owning any of these characters, I'm just playing with them
Draco walked, no, strutted to the library, his confidence rising with each step as he found himself closer and closer to his beloved ...girl... no woman, yes woman, she was practically a woman...
Merlin he really hoped she was alone...
As he walked, he passed a group of giggling first years ogling him from a dark corner. They always gave him the creeps, like they were planning to tie him up and do unspeakable yet sexy things to him ...
He really hoped they wouldn't, first years were so desperate and weird. He was never like that, was he?
He passed a tapestry of some married couple and reflected on what he would like to come out of this, this, this talking and asking out of the woman of his dreams. Literally, his dreams, he dreamt of her almost every night, but he refused to let anyone know that.
The great and powerful (not to mention sexy) Draco Malfoy did not dream, and certainly not of her eyes ... and her beautiful hair and the way she worked on her potions from across the room, not caring that he was staring ...
How far away was the library, anyways? It's taking him forever to walk, and why are there so many people in the hallways? Why can't she just be around the corner, waiting for him? Why couldn't this be easy?
Oh, right, because she is who she is and that's the whole problem.
Should she ask or should she push this thought away? Should she leave the quiet be while the thought tortured her? What on earth was Mione thinking anyways, because she sure as Merlin's beard was not reading, those eyes were no reading. Maybe she would ask...
"Hey Mione?" Ginny ventured quietly.
"Yes, Gin?" Hermione responded, looking into Ginny's eyes and thinking how pretty they were and that Ginny deserved someone special...
"Are, um, are you gonna ask Draco to the dance?" Ginny was uncomfortable asking her this, it showed in her eyes.
"Why do you ... ask?" Hermione sounded uncertain, the slight pause giving her away.
"Well I was just thinking, would he ever ask you to go with him?"
Hermione looked at her, confused because this was such a change from her Arithmancy texts ...
"I mean, seriously, would he ask you ever?"
Hermione looked very disquieted by this question, she paled and looked down at her feet, shuffling them and slowly closing her book.
"Gin, I understand how impossible it all is, but I can have hope, it's not that big of a deal, but I'd rather like him in secret than be rejected and have him laugh at me. Maybe he might see me ... as something other than who he thinks I've been for all these years ... maybe..."
"I'm sorry I asked, I didn't mean to upset you, but it is a big deal. I'm glad you have hope, but it's just that I wasted all my time pining over the-boy-with-too-many-hyphens-in-his-name and I didn't wanna see you hurt. I'm just kinda sick of all this dance thing and asking someone and waiting for someone to ask you and I'm just so tired of the whole game and getting hurt every single time. I really just want to be loved."
The two girls then and only then knew how close they were, how alike they'd been thinking for so long, and they rushed into a long hug, having needed the comfort of another body for much too long.
Why had they not breached this subject before?
When Ginny let go of Hermione, she decided to scoot her chair closer to her so they could talk in quiet whispers and secret smiles.
"Alright," thought Draco as he stood in front of the library doors, "here we go, this is it. I can do this. Come on, dragon, you can do this."
He stared at the intricate wood-work, admiring it's beauty, thinking of how it reminded him of her eyes and, oh, yes, why he had to go in there.
The walls around the doors were very clean, very polished stone. He should know, Filch had made him polish the stone fo detention once.
The doors were large and heavy, but so easy to open, they led to a maze of tomes and texts, amazing information seldom found elsewhere...
"Mister Malfoy," drawled Professor Snape, "are you having trouble opening the doors?"
"No sir, I was just thinking whether or not I should go in."
"Whatever your endeavor, you will succeed." Professor Snape said with a Dumbledore-ish twinkle in his obsidian eyes.
"Wait, what?" Draco asked, confused, but Professor Snape had already walked away.
Draco lowered his gaze and took in a deep breath, placed his hands on the door-handles and prepared to open them when they opened by themselves.
Or, so they seemed to, someone was coming out under a large pile of books and apologized when they passed by, mumbling about a test.
"Oh come on, MAN UP, you can do this, just walk in there, the doors are already open..."
His feet began to move without his orders and he walked past Ms. Prince's desk, past row after row of books, past more groups of people studying and why were girls always in groups?, past desks and chairs, looking for her in particular and...
OH NOOOOOOOooooooooooo she had company.
His luck. His rotten good-for-nothing luck.
Ok, minor set-back, minor, he'd just talk to her as if she were alone. Yes, that was it.
He walked closer, cleared his throat and made his presence known.
The two girls stared at him, waiting for an insult or for him to tell them they were on his favorite chairs or something like that, but they were not prepared for what was coming next.
"Erm, I was wondering if you would, if you'd like to, that is, to accompany me to a lunch date this Hogsmeade weekend, it would mean the world to me if you so would."
"Yes, yes, yes, a thousand times yes."
Just then, Hermione's heart broke.
