If Only She Knew
Chapter 4
Hermione ambled around aimlessly, bored and tired. Sleep hadn't come easy the night before, and her body was definitely feeling the results of it.
It was the last day before everyone left to go home for Christmas holiday, though she wasn't going home. She decided that studies were much more important and seeing as her parents were busy, it wouldn't do to sit at home alone all holiday with out the benefit of the Hogwarts library at her disposal.
She sighed. Holidays were odd in her family. They were the few times a year that her family got together and all pretended to be something they're not. They sat around and chatted, and talked of their wonderful lives, and money complaints, and how perfect they were, and how their kids could be just awful sometimes, but always implied they were never as bad as other people's children. That part always made her laugh. Really, wouldn't it be better to just lock children up until they were grown and you could kick them out? She barely held in a snort.
One day, holidays were going to be different for her family, even if she had to move to America or something. No more drunken cousins and overindulging uncles. No weird old ladies pinching your cheeks like you were still four, even though that was ten years ago.
No, her house will be warm and cozy, smelling of pie and ham. There will be genuine smiles, not drunken stupors, and the glitters in the kids' eyes will be happiness, not just greediness.
"One day…"
"One day what?" Her body was immediately covered in chill bumps, and her hair would have been standing on ends if it wasn't so long and bushy. She spun around to catch the perpetrator. Draco Malfoy stood inches away from her, his warm breath moist on her lips.
She felt dizzy from the shock of his nearness, and the butterflies from the night before were back in full force.
"H-hello."
"I was looking for you. The girls in your dorm said you left early this morning, and I couldn't find you. Why do you get up so early on holidays?"
"Well I… I couldn't sleep very well, and Crooks likes to eat at six, so even during summer hols I'm up early. Crooks is my cat, Crookshanks."
"Sounds gruesome. Is that that scary half-kneazle that's always running around the place?" When she nodded slightly, his hand rose slowly to her hair, stroking softly.
"I can see you as a cat person." Unconsciously her eyes drooped, and she rubbed back against his hand, barely breathing. She missed the slight smile on his face at the shivers running down her body.
A noise down the hall sounded startling the pair, and a look of guilt flashed across her face.
"Let's go get some lunch?" She nodded, and his hand slipped around hers, as the two walked down the hall to the Great Hall.
XXX
She sat at the Slytherin table that day, between Draco and Blaise. Blaise almost seemed jealous at the fact that his best friend was no longer just his, but with all the attention being lathered on her, Hermione missed it.
Instead she sat soaking in the stares and the interaction of those going on around her. She watched with an almost clinical detachment the subtle dance she was witnessing; finally being a part of. The odd actions of others that before she would just ignore, she was watching in earnest, memorizing their steps, testing their movements, trying the dance herself.
And Blaise sat back, watching his gentle, innocent best friend being taken in by the people who before scorned her. He watched as she slowly tried to fit in, and understand what before she didn't, and didn't care to. She giggled and pretended interest in the numbing conversations going on around them, when he knew she didn't understand, and didn't care for the need to babble incessantly as they do.
And he certainly wasn't happy about the kisses and little marks of affection placed upon her. Indeed, it seemed to bother him.
XXX
She sat between the two men in her life, and surrounded by a group of people who before really didn't care whether she was here or on the other side of the world. And sometimes rather wished she was over a thousand miles away, if only to allow them a better grading curve. She was feeling a bit uncomfortable, but was trying hard not to show it. Instead she watched interested in the interaction between these long time friends.
Suddenly Blaise stood from beside her, and mumbling something about the library, left the Great hall. Instantly, a bunch of girls flocked to her side, and sitting down beside her, began giggling.
"So, Hermyne-"
"It's Her-my-oh-ne."
"Yea, sure Hermyne."
"What's going on here?" A short plump girl with a pug nose pointed between her and Draco with a sneer. Her voice was shrill, and didn't fit her looks at all.
"Like yea, are you dating?" The speaker was a slim blonde, with wide lips and slanted eyes. Behind her a tall dark girl, with large arms and a large body, was standing glaring menacingly at Hermione.
Hermione chanced a glance back at Draco, who was now paying attention, and her jaw almost dropped when he nodded slowly.
"Yea, we are." She was smiling, and felt a little dizzy. I have a boyfriend, a real boyfriend She couldn't help giggle along when the blonde threw her arms around her in a girlish hug.
"Oh my gosh, you have to tell us all about it." She was smiling as she told the story, mostly fabricated, to the wide eyed girls around her. She missed the glare coming from the pudgy pug standing slightly away from the group. Draco simply ignored it.
XXX
Christmas was two days away, and Draco and Hermione had stayed at school for the holiday. The days leading up to Christmas had seen the two spending every waking minute together. Hermione finally had become un-embarrassed enough to be able to kiss Draco in public and not blush. Instead she kissed him.
Indeed, they were locked away in the room of requirements, which no one knew about, and all the students used. It was much better for snogging than a broom closet. Hermione was sitting straddling his lap, snogging him senseless. His hands were roaming across her belly and back, while her arms were wrapped around his neck.
She shivered as his warm hands touched the skin around her belly button. Her breath caught, and she felt him smirk against her lips. That was still something she wasn't quite used to. Out of the blue, his hand slowly raised, and she felt his fingertips come into contact with the soft flesh of her breast.
She trembled, and opened her mouth as if to protest. He turned to look up at her, his grey eyes stormy. The smooth calluses on his fingers rubbed against her soft skin, and staring straight into his eyes, she slowly leaned into his grasp.
He spread his fingers around the supple mound, gently squeezing. A moan escaped which she couldn't hold in. The lust pouring out of his pores overwhelmed her, causing her to overheat and yearn for what she only read of in books. Keeping eye contact, his head dropped, then disappeared beneath her shirt. Her breath caught in anticipation.
He tenderly stroked her, brushing over the fine hairs on her skin. His breath was warm and moist, and blowing against her. She jerked back in astonishment when his tongue flicked against her bud. His wickedly suggestive grin erased the protest poised on her lips, and she sank into his grasp.
He engulfed her, warm and inviting, soft and caressing. Her skin tingled and she shivered. He caused such thoughts, she almost felt ashamed of how she reacted. But his hot mouth soon erased all ability to think.
His hands roamed against her, pressing through the thin material of her skirt. She jerked up, all calm, cool rationality back.
"I… I don't." His lips cut her off.
"Don't worry, I'll wait. You're all mine." The last part came out in such a deep growl, she involuntarily shivered. His hands roamed her body possessively, and she couldn't help but nod her agreement.
She again pulled back, trying to shake some sense into herself, then looked at him.
"I don't know what to get you for Christmas. I haven't gotten you anything, because well, I don't know…" She blushed, not used to admitting such blasphemy. He chuckled, causing her to grow a deeper red.
"Is this going to be the first and last time I hear that?" She punched him in the arm, hiding her face down behind her hair. "It's okay; I don't know what to get you either, maybe I won't." She looked up shocked and hurt, then slapped him harder on his chest when she saw the teasing grin on his face.
"Ha, just kidding. Well, I didn't really know what to get you, so I just guessed. I thought maybe I would give it to you tonight, because we probably won't see a lot of each other actually on Christmas."
"Yeah." She hid the slight scowl from him, or at least hoped she did. She watched curious as he retrieved his bag from beside them and rummaged through it. The source-less light reflected off his blonde hair as it fell forward into his eyes, something she very much understood.
"Here." He pulled a long narrow box, obviously jewelry then, from his bag, and handed it over to her with a shrug. It was a golden box with a long thin red bow.
"I thought the colors worked." His smirk was obvious, and she couldn't help but smile as she slid off the bow and opened the box. Nestled in a sponge, there lay a delicate silver chain, and on the end an ebony stone with a white center. How exactly that worked who knew, but this was a magical world after all.
"It's a snake eye black diamond." And indeed, around the white, there wound a threadlike green iris. She was shocked speechless, her mind on the money it cost… Not like he couldn't afford it though.
"Th…thank you."
"So, what's my present?" His thumb moved up to stroke her lip, and she shivered even as a blush crept across her face.
So he wanted a present, huh? She leapt forward, kissing him hard on his mouth, and moaned when his lips opened against hers. 'I may be new at this, but he's about to get a rollercoaster ride!'
XXX
It was the day after Christmas, and Hermione was sitting on her bed biting her lip in horror of the possible coming pain. She was thrown back sideways, and had her feet dangling over the side. Her shirt was raised and folded across her chest, exposing her stomach.
She held her hands around her bellybutton, mostly hiding the slight scar of where she had attempted piercing it herself only that past summer the muggle way, with a safety pin.
Of course, that didn't work out too well…
No all she ended up with was a scar and a lot of pus to deal with no matter how well she had sterilized it with flame and alcohol. Now she had a lot of scar tissue to contend with in order to actually pierce it.
There was a book lying open, showing a page title of "Easy Piercing for the Modern Witches." It contained numerous easy spells to help piercing oneself without resorting to the muggle way, which was good in her mind seeing how badly it hurt last time.
Propping up on her elbows, she looked at the little ring she had bought for herself for Christmas, to go with the piercing, of course. The closing ball on the ring was an imitation ruby, to match her favorite color and her house color, go figure.
Taking a deep breath, and damning herself, she raised her wand, and held the ring out in her left palm.
"Percutio, Claustrum Invado!" Her breath caught, and she stared at her belly, where it felt as though someone stuck her with a sharp needle, then watched the ring float up and enter into her bellybutton without a problem. The jewel slid into place.
"Yes, yes YES!" She jumped off her bed and started dancing in circles, happy to be done with it. And it didn't even really hurt, definitely not like before. She grinned, and hugged herself.
Once she had floated down off the high induced by her present to herself, she began wondering just what everyone else was up to. She hadn't really seen Blaise, seeing as he had gone home, and though Draco was there, she hadn't really seen him either.
'Well, I'll just have to remedy that!" She straightened her knee length skirt and white t-shirt, then pulled her robe loosely over her shoulders. Seeing as it was only just after dinner, she knew that while there would be people lazing around all over the grounds, some would be in their common room, and hopefully that was where Draco was.
She walked through the corridors, and seeing as her best friend was a Slytherin she knew where the dungeon was. She set her jaw and walked through the halls with determination, and soundly hoping no one would stop to question her.
As she reached the endless stretch of stone wall that marked the entrance of the dungeon, she noticed the Bloody Baron floating aimlessly, though tirelessly, only a few feet away.
"Here to see Mr. Zabini are we." His ghostly dark eyes bored into her, but not without a faint smile hidden behind the cold.
"Ah, no sir. Actually, I would like to see Draco." The Baron rose to his full height, holding his chest out and proud.
"Indeed." And with that, he floated away through the wall. Hermione scrunched up her nose in annoyance, then decided she would make someone pay attention.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
No one answered as she used her wand as a door knocker. She knocked twice more, then called out to Draco. Suddenly, as she was raising her hand to knock again, the wall swung away from her and she nearly fell over. The dark figure in the entrance sniggered loudly.
"Indeed." She could feel his gaze scouring over her body, and she shivered.
"Come on then." He ushered her inside, and she followed him haltingly into the dimly lit cavern. Numerous Slytherin students were lounging on dark green sofas situated around the room.
"Hey 'Grass, here for Draco." His head nodded in her direction, and she watched a tall thin girl with brown hair stand and take off up the stairs. Just as Hermione was looking around for a better view of the room, she heard a loud 'oomph' from the stairwell.
As she looked back, Draco and the girl were walking back down, and he was smiling that disarmingly charming smile.
"The Baron had just told me you were here. What are you doing tonight?"
"Just bored, thought I'd come visit." She said softly, so they were the only ones to hear. He took her hand and pulled her up the stairs with him.
"Well, me a few people are hanging out upstairs, why don't you visit." She nodded faintly and blushed pink. His hand was coarse against hers, and made her quiver. He pulled her into one of the doorways littering the hallway, and she stopped in awe.
Inside the room there were five large four posters, and at one end, even a couch, a chair, and a small fridge. Though the room was draped with rich green hangings, she still felt the stone coming through, and the chill crept into her bones.
"Come on then Malfoy, who's the chit?" The tallest guy in the room was probably about 6'2, and had dark brown hair, and thick eyebrows. His build was thick, and she could see scars on his arms where they weren't covered by his shirt.
"Boyd, this is Hermione." The others in the room watched as she reached her hand forward to shake his. It was so large, it completely engulfed hers, and made her feel as though he could wrap one hand around her neck and strangle her easily.
She dropped his hands and dropped back to Draco's side, picking her lip in a common nervous habit. She felt his arm wrap around her waist then, and pull her slightly away as the others went back to talking, their voices deep baritones.
"I have something to show you." Her voice was soft, but didn't contain her excitement. They were standing against a bed, leaning slightly to the left, with her facing the group. Slowly her hand pulled up her shirt, and she smiled eagerly as her slightly red belly button came into view.
Draco looked a little shocked as his eyes flickered up at her face, then back down. The red jewel glimmered slightly in the faint candle light. From behind, they heard someone call out.
"Ooh, getting a sneak peak, Draco?" On of the girls with semi-long black hair drawled. Hermione blushed as the group snickered their way, and Boyd came over to them.
"Pretty interesting looking ring you got their, Gryffindor. Did it hurt?" His thick finger proceeded to poke her none to gently in the belly button, with the excuse of looking at the ring. She glanced at Draco nervously, but he was turning towards the group of people, and making his way over laughing.
"Yea, actually. It did rather hurt." Boyd stood before her, looking down at her with a comprising look.
"If you want pain, then you better get used to taking it." In a flash, his hand flew forward and smacked her stomach. A pain flicked across her abdomen from where he hit her bellybutton.
"Well, Malfoy, your girl is awfully sensitive to pain. I barely touch her, and here she is hold her stomach." His condescending tone made her want to gag.
"Well, I suppose it wouldn't be so bad, it you hadn't barely touched me so hard." She ground out. Draco laughed coming up behind them. His arm flew up as he slapped Boyd on the back.
"Eh, he just doesn't know his own strength. Come on over and meet my friends." Her lips tightened into a line as she followed the two back over to meet the others. She nodded her way through the introductions, and stared silently at the threaded rug barely covering the stone floor. As they chatted around her, with their sneering laugh and cold emotions, she felt strangely distant.
Her head was feeling airy, and her heart was beating erratically. Just as she began to feel as though she was about to float away into a silently cloud, the high pitched laugh from the girl Mallory brought her back to the present. And the present included a large ring of smoke being blown into her face, in an almost off handed way. It was an acrid fume, and she felt like choking. Mutely she heard Boyd laughing at her.
Feeling as though she'd had enough, she stood and walked swiftly out of the room. Behind her Draco sighed as he stood to follow, and started laughing at what someone said. As she walked out the door into the hall, she sensed him catching up. He followed her out, and closed the door behind him.
"So what's up then Hermione, you not having fun?" He seemed at ease in a very disturbing way to her.
"Not really actually. Your friend Boyd hit my stomach really hard, and it felt as though everyone was blowing smoke in my face."
"Oh chill out. It was a little bit of fluxweed, and no one was blowing it at you. And Boyd was just playing around." His smirk enraged her.
"I don't care if he was playing! He hit me and it hurt. And I don't like people smoking around me, whether or not it's legal." She ground her teeth together, and picked at the end of her sleeve.
"You know what, I'm tired, so I'm just going to head back to my common room okay." She tucked a curl behind her ear, and watched Draco look at her with some annoyance.
"Fine." He bent over then, and captured her mouth beneath his. It became a battle for dominance then, and Hermione could feel herself losing to him as she melted against his body. Suddenly he pulled back with a smirk, and ushered her on, then turned and re-entered the room, closing the door behind him.
Hermione stood there, looking more confused than ever, as she turned and walked dejectedly back to her room. It certainly seemed as though she was in the right earlier, how was it that now, she was in the wrong?
XXX
A.N.
:: little me speaks up :: I'm soooo sorry it has taken so long, but I say that all the time, right? So, that was Christmas. Wouldn't it suck to get hit in the stomach?
Anyways, so I'm moving soon, and I promise to try and get the next chapter up much faster this time!!!
Luv, Bru