Chapter 7: First Kiss
Hermione sat in shocked silence for about ten minutes after Ginny stormed out of her room. She hadn't thought that her words would affect her friend in such a way, or that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley could have raised their children with such bitterness for the Malfoys. With her shock finally wearing down, resolve came coursing through her brain. She needed to apologize to Gin for any offense she had made. That goal in mind, Hermione began searching the dorms for her and when she couldn't be found, she headed down to the Great Hall.
It took another ten minutes for Hermione to navigate her way down the stairs (they kept switching as soon as she got on a new set) but she quickly spotted the red flame of hair she was looking for when she entered the Great Hall. Making a beeline for Ginny, Hermione successfully avoided all male attention for the first time that day. It probably had something to do with how early it was, but either way she made it to her target with no interference.
"I need to tell you I'm sorry for what I said," Hermione began before Ginny had time to realize it was Hermione who had stormed up to her and take off. "I didn't think and I realize that it is personal for you. I know you have my best interests at heart and I'm sorry I brushed off your advice." Hermione was trying to apologize quietly and without saying exactly what happened so that Dean Thomas, who was sitting beside Ginny, and everyone in the Great Hall for that matter, wouldn't hear exactly what their fight was about.
Ginny took a second to compose herself and followed Hermione's lead. "I think we were both a little hot headed, Hermione. It's fine, really I don't mind," she smiled reassuringly. "But don't forget that I did warn you, and if anything happens I can't say I didn't expect it."
"Great!" Hermione beamed. That was a bit easier than she had imagined. Probably has something to do with sneaking up on her, or that she wouldn't want to cause a scene. Whatever the reason, Hermione was glad things were alright and took a seat across from Ginny. "So what's good?" she asked, looking at the food.
He could not believe his terrible luck that day. How Draco had ended up in Detention with Professor McGonagall, he could no longer remember. All he knew was that he was sure to miss his all important meeting with Granger that evening and she would probably never forgive him.
Since the evening's detention only consisted of writing lines for four hours, Draco had plenty of leeway to let his imagination run wild. He thought of the rigorous upcoming Quidditch practices, of the amount of homework that was being neglected this evening, but mostly his thoughts were of Hermione in less than conventional situations.
Some of the situations included him cornering her in abandoned classrooms; others with them in the Potions storage closet. His favorite little imagining was when his dream self would pull her unexpectedly into a broom closet, instantly covering her mouth with his own to stop her from screaming.
With all of these thoughts running around, he hardly noticed when McGonagall firmly reminded him he was there to write lines, not daydream. Turning back to his piece of parchment, Draco grinned at the idea of acting out a few of his fantasies.
"Oomf," was as close to the unattractive sound that Hermione had made when she crashed into the very male body of the person coming up to the Observatory Tower as she was trying to leave.
Her startled cry and the clear visual imprinting her eyes had relayed to her brain – of a tall, broad-shouldered and very arrogant-looking handsome male, with the most extraordinary grey eyes and platinum blonde hair – was all there had been time to see before her senses reminded her that she was now pressed very tightly against this man's body.
Following this train of thought, and with her face buried against his shoulder, she could feel the heat of his body and smell his slightly musky male scent mixed with cool but sharp cologne. She also noticed the heavy thud of his heart beating out a call to her own. Lean, strong fingers gripped her arms, bare flesh to bare flesh sending a sudden surge of warmth through her body.
Hermione could not believe that this unexpected contact with Draco Malfoy would have such an impact on her, but from the look he was giving her, he was experiencing something quite similar. As she began to pull away from him in embarrassment, Draco pulled her closer and brought his lips crashing over hers. The electricity that coursed through her veins as their tongues danced was overwhelming to say the least. Hermione's head was swimming from the lack of oxygen, but there was no way she would be the one to break a kiss this amazing.
Finally pulling away to breath, Draco smirked and said, "I take back that comment about you being a prude. You definitely know what you're doing," he said, looking her up and down in appreciation. She was only wearing a pair of muggle jeans and a plain t-shirt, but he thought she looked better this way than overdressed as she was the previous night.
She knew what he was trying to do, but she was also acutely aware that her shocked expression was only edging him on. Regaining her composure, closing her mouth, and taking a few steps back, Hermione geared up for her attack. "Look who finally decided to show up," she said, face full of scorn and completely ignoring his comment. "When I said same time, I meant the time at which we met, not the time that we departed. You're a full thirty minutes late! You should be glad that I was still waiting."
"Then why are you still here?" was his only answer. His face was full of confidence, and she knew that the only answer she could give him was the exact answer he wanted to hear. His cocky smirk slid up his face as she hesitated to answer.
"I wanted to tell you my answer," she tried. He didn't look too convinced, so she added, "Since it would have been more difficult to arrange another meeting, I just had to hope you would show up eventually."
"Ahh, so it was a matter of convenience that kept you here, nothing else?" Draco was taunting her and she knew it, but his beautiful grey eyes were so hard to look away from. She tried to pry her eyes away and look down, but was forced to stop by the sight of his lips. Those perfectly shaped completely kissable lips of his. Remembering the passionate kiss they shared only moments ago, Hermione felt her cheeks blush a bright red.
"Y-yes," was about all that she could stammer out. Try as she might, her eyes were not leaving his lips, and knowing this, her blush became more pronounced as some slightly scandalous thoughts raced through her mind.
Draco laughed very lightly, pulling her out of her predicament. She caught his eyes again as he took a step closer to her and said, "It seems I've got you tongue-tied. Well, it is getting late, so how about we wrap this meeting up, Granger?" He sighed and looked down, not noticing the slight jolt of excitement that passed over her face when he said her name. "You were going to think about your feelings towards me and consider that I wasn't lying when I said I like you and that this is not some elaborate trap to hurt or humiliate you." He looked into her eyes again and raised one eyebrow as he asked, "Well, what's your conclusion?"
Startled by his abrupt statement and remembering everything she had considered since leaving this same spot last night, Hermione hesitated again and answered truthfully. "I think I can trust you." The smile on his face was unquestionable, so she quickly clarified. "I think we should try being friends before anything else though, to get to know each other."
"Sounds reasonable enough," he answered through his grin. He took another slow step towards her and closed the gap between their bodies, putting his left arm around her waist and rubbing her left cheek with the back of his right hand. "I'll do anything you ask of me," he added in a low voice.
Stunned again by the intoxicating scent coming from his body and the intimacy he was showing her, Hermione took a second to drink him in. Finally, she stammered "There's a Hogsmeade visit this weekend. We should meet up there and hang out." She tried with all her might to keep looking into his eyes and keep her gaze away from the lips she so desperately was seeking.
Draco must have noticed her struggling because he pulled away from her with a small smile. "Hogsmeade it is, he said lightly. "I trust you'll send me a note with a time and place?" So he was going to make her do all the planning this time. Nothing she couldn't handle, she had plenty of practice thinking for her two best mates as well.
"By tomorrow at dinner at the latest," she said, creating a time table in her head. "Try to show up this time," she added with a smile, hinting at his absence that evening. Before he could add any comment, she was at the top of the stairs. Hermione turned and said a quick, "Good night, Draco," before heading off to her dorm. The look on his face was priceless and it was all that she could do to keep from laughing in the echoing staircase.
Chapter 8: A Date and a Scandal
The next few days passed by rather quickly for Hermione. After finally convincing Harry to teach real Defense Against the Dark Arts classes for students who were interested the week before, she had to finish wheedling out potential candidates and inform them of the locale and time to meet to discuss the lessons.
With that little bit of planning and her professors already assigning too much homework in preparation for their O.W.L.s, Hermione had little time to spare for thoughts about Draco. She had sent him a note during lunch the day after their second rendezvous, discreetly charming the little piece of paper to slip into his hand when she noticed him finally slink in for the meal. All it said was for him to meet her by the Shrieking Shack at 4 o'clock Saturday, hoping that would give her enough time between meetings. After getting a quick nod from him showing his approval, she went back to chatting with Ginny about her friend's new boyfriend, Michael Corner.
When she finally awoke on Saturday morning, Hermione could not have been in a better mood. So many good things were being set in motion, all thanks to her doing, and she was happy to see them all off to such a great start. She dressed quickly in a maroon turtleneck, dark jeans, and black converse before getting to all the glamour charms for her hair. Satisfied with her appearance, she grabbed a black wool pea coat and met up with Gin in the common room before heading out to town. The only minor setback to her wonderful morning was seeing Dolores Umbridge eyeing every student going into Hogsmeade, but thankfully that torture only lasted a few seconds. Hermione and Ginny quickly rushed past her towards the town for some minor shopping before a quick lunch and meeting up with Harry and Ron.
When Draco finally managed to find his way into Hogsmeade that afternoon, he spent the first hour or so buying an assortment of candies from Honeyduke's Sweetshop, some new pheasant feather quills that were at Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop, and poking around at some interesting looking items in Dervish and Banges. He knew that he couldn't go straight to the shack, and part of being a pureblooded wizard meant that his patronage at such places could influence sales. Not that it really made a difference in a village as small as Hogsmeade, but his classmates would also expect to see him around the village. After checking the time, he realized he only had fifteen minutes before his meeting with Hermione. Tucking his few purchases into a messenger bag, Draco turned to walk back down High Street towards the shack.
When he arrived, Draco stopped to take in the sight before him. Sure he had seen the Shrieking Shack before, but never with Hermione standing at a perfect profile to him with a backdrop of dying trees. He thought Hermione looked absolutely ravishing with her hair down and flowing slightly in the breeze. In those few moments, Draco gained a new appreciation for the fall and what it could do to change such simple sights into works of art.
She must have noticed his presence then, because she turned slowly and smiled. "There you are," was all she said before slowly walking up to him. He went to meet her half way, the angel of his dreams looking so perfect with such a sincere smile on her face.
"I'm surprised you managed to get away from Potter and Weasley so easily," Draco commented, if only to fill the empty space building around them.
"Well, after I told them about Ginny's boyfriend, they both seemed so shocked they could hardly speak," she laughed. Her laugh sounded so good to Draco, so honest and sincere and free. "I told them they should probably get back to the castle to tackle some of that homework instead of waiting until tomorrow night like they usually do, so they stumbled back easily enough."
Draco noticed a glint of something in Hermione's eyes as she spoke, not necessarily evil, but he began to think she was something of a tactician, easily moving people to do the things she wanted them to. She may have told those dimwits they should get to their homework, but she was really sending them away so she could be alone with him.
"When you talk like that, Granger, you make me think you should have been a Slytherin." Draco laughed quietly and waggled his eyebrows at the somewhat surprised looking Hermione. "Don't, get me wrong, it's freaking hot to see the perfect bookworm of Gryffindor scheming."
"It's not scheming, Malfoy," Hermione spat out his last name in hurt and crossed her arms. "It just so happened to be a convenient opening if I was to meet you here on time." She looked extremely vexed about something as she turned away from him and sat on a large rock nearby. After she calmed down a bit, she continued to say "I do not use my friends like pawns, and I do not sabotage them for my gain."
"Whoa, I didn't say you were sabotaging anyone!" Draco said in a calm voice, throwing his hands up, palms out, in a gesture of peace. "I just thought that it was a pretty smart way to get them back to school. If you didn't plan it," he began to grin, "then you're even better than I thought."
Before she could think of a reply, Draco moved to sit on her left. He added in a low voice, "Look, I'm just glad to be able to see you outside of the school grounds. I think it's nice." He stared her in the eyes and gave her his most sincere look. He needed her to believe him if they were going to start a relationship together.
She finally sighed, seeming to relax completely. "It just feels like I'm hiding something from my friends by being here," she said, looking to the ground by her feet. "I mean, I told Ginny that I was coming to see you, but she's so hesitant about you, always telling me to be careful and to keep my guard up around you. She honestly thinks you're up to no good."
"And what do you think?" Draco asked, looking at her troubled face and feeling sorry that he caused that crease in her brow.
She looked him straight in the eyes and said, "I trust you. There's no malice in what you say to me, I feel that you're only honest to me." Draco felt his chest unclench with those words, only then realizing that it had constricted at all.
He smiled then, a genuine smile that he only seemed capable of around this witch. She smiled hesitantly in return. "I'm glad that you feel that way," Draco said. He raised his right hand to brush her cheek and watched her eyes flutter shut. "Would it be too soon if I kissed you now?" he asked quietly. She shook her head and waited, eyes still closed and a silent "no" on her lips. Draco knew he would never get enough of those lips and leaned in.
When his lips finally met hers, Draco felt the same electricity run through his veins that he felt during their first kiss. Even though he only intended for this to be a quick, chaste kiss, he felt something in him urge him to go further. Unable to ignore his body's reaction, Draco began kissing Hermione with more intent. Loving the way she responded and adjusted to his tempo, he felt a growing need to taste her mouth. He slyly suckled her bottom lip, forcing her mouth to open. Without wasting a second, Draco swept his tongue into Hermione's mouth and began exploring every crevice. She eagerly responded and threw her hands behind his head, running her fingers through his hair but also holding him in place. He greedily wrapped his arms around her waist and back, pulling her so close she was almost in his lap.
The sudden sound of laughter made them both freeze. They turned to look at the path back to Hogsmeade but couldn't see anyone. Draco quickly grabbed Hermione's hand and dragged her into the trees. She began to say something, but he quickly hushed her, trying to hear who was coming.
Shortly after, a couple stumbled down the path. Draco thought he recognized them as older Hufflepuffs and, apparently, they thought the spot Hermione had picked was a pretty secluded spot as they quickly settled down on the same rock Draco and Hermione had been sitting on a minute ago.
Not wanting to see any more, Draco turned to Hermione. "Let's go back through the trees," he whispered, pointing in the direction of the town. She nodded in agreement and followed behind. He was still holding her hand as he led them through the forest, and it felt good to him. Her hand fit in his well, and even though it was such a small thing, it made him smile to himself, perfectly content with the proceedings of their first date, even if it was cut short.
When he could see the town again, Draco stopped and looked at Hermione. "We should leave separately," he said. She nodded, but she looked troubled. "What's wrong?" he asked quickly, afraid he may have been holding her hand too tight or that she may be too cold.
"Nothing's wrong, I was just wondering…" she began, but seemed unable to find the right words to say. Draco stayed patient, not wanting to push her into saying anything she wasn't comfortable with. She sighed again and said, "I was wondering if you wanted this to be exclusive."
"What do you mean?" Draco asked. It was his turn to look confused. "You said you wanted to be friends until we knew more about each other."
"Yes, I know," Hermione sounded almost impatient with him. "But that kiss back there, Draco, and the other night? Were those just normal to you? Because to me, those were.. they were just.."
"Amazing?" Draco finished for her with a smirk.
"Yes, they were mind blowing!" Hermione said raising her hands into the air to emphasize her point.
Draco leaned in and kissed Hermione on the tip of her nose. He laughed when he saw her frustration that he hadn't given her another 'mind blowing' kiss. Putting two fingers under her chin to keep her looking at him, Draco said, "Look, Hermione, if you want something serious, just let me know. That's what I've wanted from the start, but I backed off because you said you wanted us to get to know each other. If you're realizing now how silly that request was, then it's ok."
"So, you'll be my boyfriend?" she asked, sounding slightly childish and looking very timid.
It was too much for Draco, he couldn't stop the laugh that escaped his lips. "Yes, Hermione, I'll be your boyfriend, so long as you're my girlfriend in return." He let go of her chin to wrap his arms around her waist. She automatically raised her hands to the back of his neck, playing with his short golden hairs there.
"Of course, Draco," she smiled. He absolutely loved the way his name sounded coming from her mouth. She began to reach up to kiss him again, but he stopped her short by swooping down first. This kiss was the chaste one Draco had attempted earlier, kept in check only by their proximity to the village.
Regretfully pulling away, Draco looked down at Hermione and sighed. "Well, darling, we should get going soon," he said. "It's much too cold out here and I don't want you getting sick." He smiled at her again, holding her hands in his.
She nodded in agreement, but she still looked disappointed. "Well, who should go first?" was all she said.
"I think you should, it's only proper that a gentleman follows his lady," Draco said and gave her his signature smirk again.
She smiled a little at his comment, and asked, "Will you meet me later, Draco?"
"I would like that. Maybe this time we can go somewhere with a little more privacy? I would hate to be interrupted a second time today," he said jokingly. "How about we meet outside the library and I'll show you one of my favorite niches at school?"
"Ooh, do I get to see one of your hiding places when you feel like skiving off from class?" Hermione joked back.
"No, no, I wouldn't take you to one of those spots. There's hardly enough room for myself in there, let alone two people. On the other hand, we could be quite intimate in a spot like that…" Draco trailed off.
"Draco, I cannot believe you!" Hermione said, hitting him in the arm but with a smile on her face. "What happened to that gentleman you were describing just a second ago?"
"Well, that routine gets dull quick," he laughed and earned himself another light hit. "I'm sorry, it was just a joke! I swear! Look, just meet me at 7, ok?"
Hermione finally stopped hitting Draco's arm and sighed, knowing she really couldn't protest at the moment. "Alright, I suppose I'll just have to wait to see what dark hole you drag me to until then. But I'm not waiting outside the library for an indefinite amount of time. I'll just get there early and sit where I can see the entrance."
"Sounds like a good plan to me. Until later, Hermione," Draco gave her a quick hug and kiss on the cheek before pushing her lightly towards the street. Knowing that she couldn't protest or dawdle any longer once she was in public, he only had to wait a short amount of time before emerging himself and heading back to the castle that was his home.