Disclaimer- Any character you recognize does not belong to me. They belong to the wonderful J.K.Rowling, who's making a mint on them.
The storyline is from a Hindi movie called Hum Tum (Hum Me, Tum You)
Summary-AU- A sexy Casanova and a witty, smart Siren engaged in a droll battle of wits trying to one-up the other. Not your typical 'Boy Meets Girl' but the never ending battle of the sexes in a new, wacky style! Not based on When Harry Met Sally. Well………kinda based on that but not really. Yes I'm getting confused myself.
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Last read - Draco………Draco Malfoy
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"Aoooooouch" And the air-hostess who had been coming towards them fell with a loud thud, spilling all the water she was carrying in a glass, on Draco's immaculate person.
All around, the people winced and Hermione looked up, startled. It was the same hostess who'd been drooling over Draco earlier. Well…dropping water on him is not exactly the way to charm a prospective lover, and the air-hostess had realized it too, as far as her dumbfounded look on her face let on.
"What the hell." Draco shouted "Do you know how much that cost? It's an Armani original. Why don't you look where you're going?"
The hostess was blubbering. "Oh God……oh God……oh God" she chanted it like a mantra.
"I can't believe that the staff is so inadequate. I had asked for a glass of water, not a bath."
"Wait" a firm but soothing voice interrupted. Draco looked up from his ruined apparel. Hermione was frowning. In that moment Draco decided that she was one woman you wouldn't like to cross.
"I think it was a genuine mistake. She slipped on that handkerchief", here Hermione pointed at an emerald green handkerchief with an unmistakable 'D' inscribed in silver, with a snake coiled around it.
Hermione handed it to Draco "Is this yours, Mr. Malfoy." She gave him a glare that challenged him to deny the accusation.
Draco cast a glance at the offending object and then gazed heaven-ward. Somebody up there was really annoyed with him. The stars were aligned against him. His destiny was stuck in a time warp. His fate…………
"Is it?" Hermione's insistent voice brought him back down to reality.
"Er………yes." He accepted reluctantly. "It's mine."
When it became apparent he wasn't going to say anything else, Hermione glared at him again and then motioned towards the air-hostess with her eyes.
Draco looked at her with distaste. It was totally her fault. What did she want to go around tripping on his handkerchiefs for? She'd just wrecked the conversation that he'd managed to strike with so much difficulty with Ms. Ice Queen over there.
"Its fine" he said, imperiously waving his hand. "You can go now."
Hermione looked at the soaking man in front of her. He couldn't be serious. He couldn't think that after the way he shouted at the air-hostess, he could just shoo her away. . "I think you should apologize."
Draco looked at Hermione, horror-struck. Was she mad on top of everything else? She didn't think that he could ever apologize to anyone much less a dim-witted air-hostess. 'After all it was her fault that he looked as if he'd stepped out of a swimming pool', he thought, temporarily disowning his favorite handkerchief.
"I don't think that's necessary" He said coldly, glowering at Hermione.
"I do." said Hermione simply. "It's just people like you who say whatever they feel like, and then refuse to take the consequences. You just go around, thinking that you own the world. It's just people like you who expect other people to act as your servants 24/7. Well let me tell you Mr. Malfoy…………"
But just exactly what she was going to tell 'Mr. Malfoy' was lost in a loud "Sorry" hurled with considerable speed by Draco. He couldn't believe that there were people like this in the world, who had no other business than interfering in others' life. That Granger woman was almost shrieking, 'Human Rights' Activist' writ large across her face.
He was not going to bear the indecency of it all. He got up condescendingly and moved towards the nearest bathroom. At least he could try to dry his ridiculously expensive Armani original.
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When he came back, the people on the flight, including the 'Granger Woman' had settled down considerably. He looked at her. She was lost to the world, her head hidden by "The Herald"
Draco sighed
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"Draco means 'dragon'."
Hermione looked at the man next to her, and wondered at his audacity to still talk to her after all that had happened. He'd gone away with a death-glare that had made her sure that he thought her an interfering-busybody and wouldn't talk to her. So what had happened now?
She forbore to reply.
Draco had indeed decided to not talk to her, but another hour of sitting alone with nothing but 'He, him and himself' he had changed his mind. He'd rather talk to that 'Granger Woman' than remain quiet another second.
When it became apparent that she would not reply, he said "Look, I'm sorry for what happened earlier. But I did apologize to her."
Hermione discreetly glanced at him. He was right and she knew that. For all his arrogance, he had apologized. That would have been hard for him but he'd done it.
"Yeah." She said finally "I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have gone up in smoke like that."
Draco looked at her in amazement. She's apologized! Maybe she could prove to be something human after all.
"It's all right." He said.
She went back to reading
'Urggggh! She never did get a hint, did she?' Draco resolutely took the paper out of her hands, and silenced her as she protested.
"Look" he said "You can read this anytime. You have your whole life left to read it. But we won't be meeting again. If you continue reading this, you'll go home and spend your life wondering about how drastically your life would have changed if you'd talked to that nice man on the plane."
Hermione laughed. He was quite charming ('probably charms all his 'catches' with this kind of line' she thought sardonically) and after casting a longing glance at 'The Herald' on Draco's seat, she turned to meet his eye.
"Ok." She said "Let's talk."
"So tell me" she continued, teasingly "Do people really fall like that when you announce your name?"
Draco laughed too "Oh yes" he said "It's a standard reaction. Mainly from the female population of this universe'
Hermione looked at him in amusement; he really did have a high opinion of himself. Draco Malfoy………hmm…… unusual name, she'd only heard it once before………
"Wait!" she said, her eyes widening "Are you the son of Lucius Malfoy of the Malfoy Publications?"
Realization hit and Draco groaned at himself. He'd had the trump card all along and not even seen it.
"Yes" He said.
"Wow!" Hermione was almost hysterical. "I love his books! Especially 'The Road to Yesterday'. It was just amazing! You're so lucky!"
Draco tried to look modest and very lucky "Yea. 'The Road to Yesterday' was my favorite too." His voice grew softer and he looked down "It was based on my parents' divorce.
"I'm sorry" said Hermione quietly. And she was. She could see that Draco really missed having his family together.
"So……" said Draco finally, "what're you going to Paris for?"
Hermione's eyes lit up. This was one subject of which she never tired.
"I'm going to the 'College of Arts' in Paris to do a three year course in fashion designing."
"No way!" Draco looked at her "That's cool. I'm going to the same college. I plan to become a cartoonist."
Hermione smiled warmly "That's great!"
She turned to look out of the window and then shuddered, turning back towards Draco.
Draco watched this exchange with curiosity. "What happened?"
"Nothing" said Hermione hesitatingly. "I'm just a little afraid of heights."
"Oh…" Draco smiled to himself in satisfaction; at least Ms. Perfect had one clinch in her armor. "Well, on my last plane ride too I was sitting next to a girl who was afraid of heights. She…er…happened to look down once too often and…well…she couldn't handle it, threw up all over me.
It wasn't a pretty sight." He concluded
Hermione looked at the unbelievable personage sitting in front of her in barely concealed incredulity. Didn't he know that this was not the kind of story she wanted to hear, while looking out the window?
"Really?" She said politely. After all she didn't actually know this guy.
"That's what I said." And Draco looked at her, frowning. She almost seemed to be itching to pick up the paper. But that couldn't be right; after all she was in his company and what else could be more interesting (or handsome)? Maybe she was just shy.
Hermione sighed inaudibly. She wished he would just shut up and let her read, but by the way he'd turned towards her, it didn't seem as if that was gonna happen anytime soon.
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A/N This was another plane exchange, just to show you guys that neither of them is perfect. They're quite irritating but still adorable in their own ways. Don't worry, this is not the start of a love relationship, they've many years to go before that happens!
Noticed that Hermione stands up for human rights? (Since there's no SPEW) and liked reading a lot, especially stuff that other people wouldn't be caught dead reading. Even though there's no Hogwarts, I'm trying to make Hermione as Hermione-ish as possible
Love
Lightening
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