- Eternal Flame: Chapter 7 -
Hermione sat on a bench under an old Oak tree by the Black Lake, watching the sky as the sun set over the horizon. Winter was fast approaching and the days were growing shorter, and the nights longer. Hermione wore a pair of grey skinny jeans that were tucked into a pair of black leather boots and a long black sweater with silver threading through it, making it glisten in the light of the setting sun.
She could feel goosebumps rise on her skin as a bitter cold wind swirled around her, picking up fallen leaves from the trees and causing her hair to fly around - but Hermione didn't care.
The setting sun caused the sky to fill with different shades of pinks, oranges and reds and she gazed in awe as she watched the colours gradually grow darker and fade into shades of violet and navy as the sun disappeared in the distance.
Sunset was Hermiones favorite time of day, followed by Twilight. She enjoyed watching the sky as it filled with her favourite colours. She hadn't watched the Sunset in ages and a melancholy feeling swept over her as she realized how much she had missed it. Hermione used to watch the Sunset in the Astronomy Tower with Harry and Ron, but now that they were gone, she found herself sitting under the old Oak tree watching it by herself.
She could have easily gone to the Astronomy Tower and watched it from there, but she didn't like the idea much. That tower held too many memories for her - of times when things were so simple, when she didn't have to worry about anything, of when she was with Ron.
Hermione let out an irritated sigh and shook her head to rid herself of the happy memories of Ron and wrapped her arms around body, as if to comfort herself.
She knew that she shouldn't still be thinking about Ron, and as angry as she was with him for everything he had done to her in the past few weeks - deep down her heart still held a special place for him. She knew that getting over Ron would be a slow and difficult process, but had not imagined it would be made more difficult with the feelings that were gradually growing for somebody else.
Hermione ran her fingers through her hair out of frustration and convinced herself to stop thinking about...him. Her brain was scrambled and in the past few days Hermione had felt so confused that she resembled someone who had been Confunded.
She silenced her thoughts, but as quickly as she pushed them away, they returned. As the moon rose and sparkling stars filled the darkening sky, they cast a pearly glow over the surface of the cool water - making it look silvery-grey. This reminded her of the eyes of the one person she had tried not to think about for the past two days, the one person whose very presence sent her heart racing and for her brain to go fuzzy.
Him.
It was Tuesday night, and ever since Sunday morning when Hermione woke up after the Halloween Ball she had been avoiding Draco. It was as if she had gone back in time to the week after they had found eachother in the Room of Requirement. She did everything she could to stay away from him - too scared to admit that if she saw him again, heard his silky smooth voice, or felt his touch, then she wouldn't be able to deny what she felt for him.
But what did she feel for him? This question had been annoying Hermione for the past few days. Dancing with Draco had been the most amazing thing she'd ever experienced. The way he had looked into her eyes did strange things to her heart beat and his touch sent shivers of desire down her spine.
His voice made her go weak at the knees and when he smiled, her heart melted and she couldn't help but think how lucky she was to know that he was smiling at her. Even after 3 days, her lips still buzzed and tingled from their kiss and she found herself blushing as she remembered the last time his lips had touched hers.
Was it bad that she was imagining kissing him so soon after her break-up with Ron? Was it bad that she was longing for his touch? Was it bad that she felt incomplete without being in the same room as him?
'No, ofcourse not...he's just your friend. You're just...fond of him - that's all. You're just friends. Nothing more, nothing less. Just friends' she tried to convince herself.
'Friends don't look, touch, talk, or kiss like that Hermione' a voice inside her head told her.
Hermione clenched her jaw and began grinding her teeth together. Why did that stupid voice always have to be right?
Yes she had feelings for Draco, and as much as she tried she couldn't convince herself that she didn't want to be more than just friends. He made her happy, made her feel safe. But most of all he made her feel special. The way he looked at her made her feel like the only girl in the world and when he kissed her, her soul came to life and sparked with such a tremendous passion that it set her heart on fire.
Another cold blast of wind swirled around Hermione, but as cold as it was it didn't even begin to match the sad, empty feeling that filled her as she was brought back down to reality with a thud.
Being with Draco would never work out. Not only had he been her sworn enemy since they were 11, he was a Malfoy. A member of one of the oldest Pureblooded families in the country, if not the world. Being with her would go against everything he had ever been raised to believe and the fact that she was a Muggle-born would send his father into such a rage that it could rival even Mrs. Weasley's terrifying temper.
As if that wasn't enough of a reason to cause Hermiones heart to ache, she was reminded of another sobering fact.
Being with Draco would mean that she would have to keep it a secret and lie to her friends. If they found out she was involved with Draco in any way, she would surely be abandoned. She had been through too much with her friends to lose them and the mere thought of it caused tears to well up in her eyes and blur her vision as she gazed across the lake. She couldn't risk losing her friends and Hermione tried to swallow the emotional lump that was building in her throat as she remembered her conversation with Ginny from earlier...
Hermione sat down at the Gryffindor table for dinner, spooning mashed potatoes onto her plate and busying herself so that she didn't feel compelled to look over at the Slytherin table. If she saw a head of blonde hair, she wouldn't be able to stop herself from admitting her feelings and running into his arms.
"So, where's that handsome stranger then?" asked Ginny as she sat down across from Hermione, blocking any view that Hermione may have of the Slytherin table. She breathed a sigh of relief at this and relaxed slightly, glad that there was no possible way of her to be reminded of Draco for the time being.
Then her forehead creased in a frown as she registered what Ginny was saying.
"Not here Gin" Hermione replied through gritted teeth as she glared at her friend. Ginny had been bringing Draco up since Sunday, and Hermione silently cursed her best friend for bringing him up again.
"Well I can see that" Ginny said with a role of her eyes as she scanned the hall for him. "Where is he? I don't see him anywhere at the Hufflpuff or Ravenclaw table" she whined and pouted slightly as she turned back to Hermione.
Ofcourse Ginny wouldn't even think of looking at the Slytherin table, Hermione wouldn't even dream of going out with a Slytherin would she? The thought of it was simply ludicrous.
"What house did you say he was in?" she asked inquisitively and Hermione clenched her jaw. Why couldn't she just drop it?
"I didn't" Hermione told her in a clipped voice.
"Oh, a bit moody today are we? Did you guys break up or something?" she asked as she furrowed her forehead in confusion and looked at her best friend.
"Two people have to together for that to happen Gin" Hermione said in a quiet voice.
Ginnys eyes widened and she looked surprised. "You mean you guys weren't going out? Wow, I just thought that from the way you guys - well...looked at eachother and acted...I just assumed..." she trailed off being at a loss for words. They looked so good together on Saturday night, like the perfect couple. The way he treated her and protected her from her Psycho brother said that he really cared...so why weren't they together?
"Never assume Gin. Because when you assume, you make an 'ass' out of 'u' and 'me'" Hermione told her, trying to sound bored and uninterested in the conversation when it was really tearing her up inside.
"Oh ha ha" said Ginny, her voice dripping with sarcasm as she took a bite out of her roast beef. "So what happened?" she asked, not bothering to stop with her little interrogation.
Hermione sighed. She didn't like lying to her friends, so she was just going to tell her the truth.
"We're just not meant to be together" she managed to say past the lump in her throat that had built up.
"Oh" replied Ginny in a stunned voice. Hermiones choked and quiet voice was enough to convince Ginny that it was time to drop the subject. After sitting in awkward silence for a minute, Hermione couldn't bear to be in the Hall any longer and made an excuse about having too much homework to Ginny and left the hall.
Hermione had been sitting out here since then, trying not to think about what to do. She was torn between following her heart of following her head.
Her heart told her that she should be with him, to forget Ron and just be with Draco. But her head told her that things would never work out and to stop being so ridiculous and wanting things she could never have. As Hermione listened to her head, the fact that it could never work out caused her to feel such a horrible pain that it brought a tear to her eye. She wiped the tear away with the back of her sleeve, refusing to cry.
She refused to feel this kind of pain again. She refused to get anymore attached to him than she already was. But to do that, it would mean distancing herself from him and putting up walls - something which she had subconsciously been doing for the past 3 days without realizing it.
It seemed that as always that Hermione was determined to follow the logic in her brain, rather than the love in her heart.
"Pansy, are you sure we should be doing this?" Lavender asked in a nervous voice. She had been pacing the empty Charms classroom for the past five minutes as she watched Pansy write her letter - the first part of their plan.
"Oh shut your trap Brown and relax. I already told you that we need her! We can't always be around to keep an eye on them, but she will!" Pansy cried in an exasperated voice. Lavender was really grating on her last nerve. "Besides she owes me a favour anyway. Remember how I told you that my father caught her snooping around the Ministry when the Death Eater trials were going on? If she'd have been caught then she would have been sacked. Trust me, she'll do this" Pansy told her as she put the finishing touches on her letter and handed it to Lavender to read.
Lavender took the letter with a trembling hand and bit her bottom lip as she read it through.
"Well?" Pansy asked impatiently as she waited for Lavender to say something.
Lavender pursed her lips and nodded.
"Good" Pansy said brusquely as she snatched the letter out of Lavenders hand and tied it to the leg of her silver Eagle Owl. Once she was done she bent down infront of it and looked it in the eyes.
"Take this to the Daily Prophet Headquarters in London. Understand?" she told it in a low, intimidating voice.
The owl ruffled it's feathers and nodded before spreading it's wings and flying out of the open classroom window.
Lavender watched Pansy sneer as the owl took flight, flying over the grounds and across the Black Lake. She had a horrible sinking feeling in her stomach, and as she watched the owl disappear into the night sky she hoped that this would not come back to haunt her.
Draco stood in the Head Boy and Girl Common Room by the fireplace, anxiously awaiting for Hermione to return. He hadn't seen her for the past three days since she left his room on Saturday night and he was beginning to worry.
Why was she avoiding him? Had he done something wrong? As he replayed the nights events in his head, he thought about everything that had happened that night. After thinking for a few minutes he shook his head out of defeat, unable to find anything that could warrant her recent behaviour.
In his mind, that night had been perfect. Minus the incident with Ron ofcourse. But the fact still remained that Saturday night at the Ball with Hermione had made him the happiest he had felt in a long time. When he was with her he forgot about everything else except her, except Hermione. He forgot all of the problems he was dealing with with his parents. He forgot about everything that was expected of him in the coming months and just lived in the moment and enjoyed it. He forgot about what his parents had arranged at the end of the summer...what they were planning...
He shook his head and began pacing the Common Room. He wasn't going to think about that now. He knew that he shouldn't be feeling these things for Hermione, giving everything that was happening but he couldn't help it. Being with her felt so right, and he wasn't going to give it up. Come what may, he was not going to let his feelings for Hermione go.
He stopped pacing and gazed around the Common Room, stumped as to what to do next. Draco had already tried finding her earlier that night. He checked everywhere from the Owlery to the Library to the Great Hall, but could not find the silky smooth curls nor the honey-brown eyes that he so deperately sought.
Draco flopped down on the couch in defeat and ran his fingers through his blonde hair, more irritated than ever. He looked around the room and his eyes came to rest on the window. The sun had completely set now and an eery fog had settled over the grounds. He couldn't think of where Hermione could possibly be, but hoped that wherever she was, she was not outside in the cold by herself.
As he was stood up, prepared to search the castle again a loud hooting sound registered in his ears and he turned back to the window in time to see a large silver Eagle Owl fly over the lake and disappear into the night sky.
'Who could possibly be sending letters at this time of night?' he wondered as he stared after the owl.
Moments later his ears registered a different sound, but this time it was one that made his heart skip a beat - a soft creaking sound as the Portrait hole opened and soft footsteps enter the Common Room.
Hermione stepped out of the shadows and as she came into Draco's view, the first thing he noticed was how heartbreakingly beautiful she looked.
Her curls fell over her shoulders and around her face, framing it perfectly and bouncing when she walked. Her cheeks were flushed and rosy from the cold, and Draco guessed that she must have been outside after all. He frowned at this, but then smiled when he admired at how amazing her red cheeks went with her slightly tanned skin. It also brought out the colour of her honey-brown eyes which sparkled in the soft light from the fireplace.
Draco stood by the couch and watched her walk in a distracted daze across the Common Room towards the stairs that led to their rooms. Apparently she hadn't noticed that he was there, for she jumped and spun around when he cleared his throat to announce his presence.
When she heard him clear his throat she gasped and her breath caught in her throat. 'Damn it! How could I not have known he was here?' she screamed at herself as she whirled around to find him. She saw him standing by the couch and the butterflies in her stomach took flight as she admired the way that the light from the fireplace cast a warm glow over his blonde hair, making it look like the sun.
She stared in awe at him, having seen him for the first time in 3 days and blushed when she realized she was gaping at him. Hermione seemed to be at a loss for words and looked down at her feet, fidgeting with her hands. She found it slightly awkward and if she looked at him any longer then she'd surely fall harder for him.
"Hi" said Draco in a small voice, and he cursed himself under his breath. As if this wasn't awkward enough, he had to go and say something as stupid as that? 'Oh well done Draco' he told himself sarcastically.
"Hi" she replied in an equally small voice, still not meeting his gaze.
"You-You've been avoiding me" he said, repeating his words from last week in their dance lesson. This situation couldn't be weirder, not even if Hagrid entered the room riding Buckbeak and wearing a pink dress.
"Yes" she squeaked and began to shift nervously from one foot to the other, never looking up.
Tears had begun to well up in her eyes at the sound of his voice and she knew that just being in the same room as him was making her heart melt.
The butterflies in her belly were still flying, but more from anxiousness than excitement.
'Don't look at him Hermione, don't look at him. He's just a friend, you don't like him as anything more than a friend, not at all. Don't look at him, don't look at him, don't look a-"
A hand was gently placed on her chin and strong fingers tilted her head up to look into a pair of stormy grey eyes.
"What's wrong Hermione?" he asked her in a soothing, sympathetic voice.
When he said her name, she couldn't hold the tears back anymore and they fell freely from her eyes. Her name coming from his lips sounded so perfect, so beautiful, and it just made the reality of their situation hurt even more. The reality that she couldn't ever have him.
When Hermione burst into tears infront of him, it felt as though a Dementor had swept over Draco - sucking all of the happiness and colour from his world.
'Something so beautiful should not be so sad' he told himself.
Determined to see her smile again, he pulled her into his arms and before she realized what was happening, he had scooped her into his arms and carried her 'bridal style' to the couch and sat down, positioning her body so that she was cradled in his arms.
Her body shook against Dracos chest as heart-wrenching sobs escaped her lips and Draco could only hold her body tighter against his.
He ran his fingers slowly down her back and stroked her hair as she cried into his chest, not minding if she ruined his brand new shirt which he chose to wear incase he saw her again.
Hermione was embarrassed that Draco was seeing her like this, but she couldn't help it.
She knew that he didn't deserve to be avoided or neglected. In her opinion he deserved the world and more! But treating him in the way she had been doing was the only way to ensure that her heart didn't end up broken with disappointment when things didn't work out between them.
She couldn't go through anymore heart ache than she'd already endured in the past two weeks.
After what seemed like hours, when in reality it was only about ten minutes, Hermione ran out of tears to cry and hiccuped - breaking the solemn silence that hung in the air.
Draco smiled and took an old fashioned fabic handkerchief out of his back pocket and handed it to her.
Hermiones vision was blurred with tears and she had to blink a few times to clear her eyes to see what he was offering her.
'Oh Merlin stop torturing me, he's perfect!' she cried as she stared at the linen handkerchief in his hand.
"Who ever said chivalry was dead?" he asked her in a light-hearted tone as his eyes sparkled with an emotion that Hermione couldn't place. Was it 'hope'?
Dracos hand held the handkerchief for her and he searched her eyes for any sign that she would take it, hoping that she would - not just because she had to wipe her eyes, but also because it would be a tad bit awkward if she were to shrug it off and say no.
But when the corners of her mouth tilted upwards into a small smile and she tentatively took it from his hand, he couldn't help but breath a sigh of relief and smile back at her.
Most men would probably find it unattractive if a girl they liked were to blow her nose loudly infront of them, but not Draco. If anything it only made him smile wider to know that she was so down to earth and not caring of what other people thought about her.
"Better?" he asked her as she finished and he wiped a few stray tears away with his thumb.
She sniffed and nodded.
"T-thanks" she said in a small voice.
"Anytime" he replied instantly, and he smiled when he saw that the tears were disappearing and her familiar sparkle was returning to her eyes. He was confused at what caused her to cry, but he didn't want to push the subject. If she wanted to tell him then she would.
Hermiones skin tingled under his touch and her brain went fuzzy, making it hard for her to think. She was close enough to him that she could feel his minty breath caress her cheek and she could smell his amazing cologne.
The silence had returned, neither knowing exactly what to say. So Hermione said the first thing that popped into her head and clamped her mouth shut immediately afterwards.
"Who carries a linen handkerchief in their pocket anymore?" she asked before she realized it. She cursed herself repeatedly for asking such a stupid question as she blushed a violent shade of scarlett.
'Please Merlin, just kill me now' she begged as she saw Dracos eyebrows rise in surprise. 'It's really his fault' she reasoned with herself. 'If he didn't make me feel so damn flustered I may actually be able to control what comes out of my mouth'.
He was surprised at her question and as he saw her blush he started chuckling.
"Apparently I do" he told her in-between chuckles and his hold around her body tightened reassuringly. He didn't want her to think that he felt awkward or anything after what she'd said.
She didn't feel so stupid when she felt his arms around her tighten and she relaxed slightly and smiled.
It was then that she realized that she really didn't know much about him and her curiosity peaked to new levels.
"Draco...?" she asked in a shakey voice.
"Yes?" he asked cautiously, unsure of what she was about to ask him.
"Where did you learn to dance?" she asked him inquisitively. Aswell as everything else that had been on her mind for the past few days, this had been in the back of her mind too.
He relaxed and smiled a breathtaking smile, slightly relieved. If Hermione hadn't been sitting down then her knees would have given way underneath her when he smiled and she had to fight with herself to keep her mental walls up.
'Friends can get to know eachother, right?' she rationalized.
"I started taking lessons when I was 7. It was expected of me, given all of the parties we held at the manor as I was growing up" he told her with a shrug of his shoulders, trying to push away the other thoughts about what was to be expected of him soon.
This took Hermione by surprise and the thought of a little 7 year old Draco learning how to waltz made her giggle.
"Well you're really good" she praised him in a slightly breathless voice. His hands were still running patterns along her arms and the fact that their chests were touching was doing strange things to Hermiones head, making her feel a bit dizzy.
"You're not so bad yourself" he teased with a sparkle in his eye to match.
Hermione blushed and looked away, she loved it when his eyes sparkled like that but it was causing the walls in her mind to crack somewhat.
"I'm not that good" she told him modestly. "I was just wondering because our dance was amazing the other night...I wish we were able to finish it" she admitted in a daze. Her eyes boggled out of their sockets when she realized what she'd said and she mentally slapped herself.
'Hermione control your bloody self!' she cried.
Although she remained oblivious to it, Draco noticed her blush deepen and he wanted nothing more than to kiss her cheeks that had turned such a beautiful shade of red.
He considered what to say next before an idea came to mind and he knew just what to do to make her feel better. He smirked and shifted her legs off of his so that he could stand.
'Oh Merlins Beard, he's standing up. I've ruined it. Oh no, damn you Hermione and your big mout-'
"Can I show you something?" he asked her as he offered her his hand.
She blinked at it stupidly for a second, feeling stunned. Apparently she had lost the ability of speech as well as the ability to move.
She looked up into his face and saw his famous Draco smirk and the familiar sparkle in his eyes. She looked back at his outstretched hand and without a sparing a second thought, placed her right hand in his.
Hermione knew that she'd regret this later, but she didn't care. She missed the warmth of his hand and longed to feel his touch once more.
Draco smiled and pulled her effortlessly to her feet. She stumbled slightly and he caught her in his arms, their faces only inches apart. As tempted as he was to kiss her then, he decided to tease her and make her wait for it.
"Come with me" he whispered in a husky voice, just loud enough for her to hear it.
Hermione didn't hesitate to follow him as he took her by the hand and led her through the Portrait hole.
"Ah if I do say so it is a fine night for moonlit walks my comrades!" exclaimed Sir Cadogan as his eyes fell upon Draco and Hermiones hands clasped together.
"Yes, I do remember when I was on a quest from the Duke of..." Hermione and Draco began their walk down the corridor, blocking out Sir Cadogans rambling. In that moment they were both so happy to be back in eachothers company that they only had ears and eyes for eachother.
Hermione let Draco lead her through the dark corridors of Hogwarts with only the the moonlight coming in through the windows to guide their way.
Although it was cold, Hermione couldn't remember a time when she'd ever felt warmer. Dracos touch did strange things to her body. Perhaps it was the fact that her heart was beating fast, or maybe it was the fact that her blush had not yet faded completely that made her feel so warm. But as Draco held her hand firmly in his, she knew that one thing was for sure - the goosebumps that had risen on her arms were not from the cold.
After what felt like seconds, Draco stopped and turned to Hermione with a smile.
"Close your eyes" he whispered in her ear, and a shiver of desire ran through Hermiones body at his sudden closeness.
"Close your eyes" he repeated and she looked into his beautiful silvery grey-blue eyes before succumbing to his request and closing her eyes.
Draco smiled and took her hand back in his and led her slowly down the last corridor on the way to their destination. She had been staring into his eyes the whole time they were walking and so she had not realized where he was taking her.
His heartbeat quickened at the thought of her reaction when he saw her surprise.
He made sure to walk slowly and carefully, whispering reassuring things to her as she followed him into the dark.
Even though Hermione was terrified of the dark, she couldn't feel more safe and it was then that she realized how much she trusted him.
Before she knew it, they had stopped and she felt Draco step behind her and cover her eyes with his hands.
She heard a soft rumbling sound and she opened her eyes under Dracos hands.
"Na-ah ah, keep them closed little Lioness" he whispered in her ear as he felt her eyelashes flutter open underneath his hands.
He couldn't help but smile a broad smile when he felt them close again and he used a non verbal spell to open the door that had appeared infront of them, and he gently guided her into the Room of Requirement. Where everything had begun over a week ago.
As soon as Hermione was in the room she felt an odd cooling sensation around her feet and heard soft music playing in the background although she could not place what it was.
She was tempted to open her eyes, but willed herself to keep them shut - waiting until Draco told her to open them.
Draco led Hermione into the centre of the room and only when she was perfectly positioned under the light of the moon did he step back infront of her and brush the hair out of her eyes as he whispered "Open your eyes love".
Hermione let her eyes flutter open and when her vision focused and adjusted to the dim lighting she gasped and an emotional lump formed in her throat at the sight that surrounded them.
They were standing in the centre of the Great Hall - or atleast the Room of Requirement that Draco had asked to look like the Great Hall.
The room looked just like Hermione remembered it from Saturday night - Willow Trees, Jack-o-lanterns, enchanted ceiling and all. The fog covered the floor and Hermiones heart melted when she realized what song was playing.
'Falling In Love With You' - The song they had danced to the other night. The night their lives had changed.
Hermione couldn't help but break into a watery smile as tears of happiness began to form in Hermiones eyes and continued to trickled down her cheeks when Draco smiled and offered her his hand once more.
"Shall we Granger?" he asked with a loving sparkle in his eyes. He would never admit it, but seeing her this happy caused tears to form in his own eyes.
The corners of her eyes creased as her smile grew bigger and she placed her hand in his, and had the strongest sense of deja-vu as she replied "We shall" in a playful flirty voice.
He pulled her close and twirled her into his arms and began leading her around the empty dancefloor.
If it was possible, this dance was even better than the last one.
It didn't matter to either of them that they weren't dressed for the occasion, they thought that their partner looked breathtaking in the soft light emitted throughout the hall from the moon and the candles.
It didn't matter to either of them that Hermione was crying, her tears of sadness had been replaced by tears of joy at the fact that she was being held in Dracos arms once more.
And it also didn't matter to either of them what lay ahead for them. Draco knew he would have to tell Hermione sooner or later what he was hiding, he knew he would have to confront his parents, he knew he would have to deal with things. But right now all he wanted to do was be with Hermione in this perfect moment. Hermione also realized things as Draco was leading her, twirling her and pulling her close. She knew that things with Draco would be difficult, but she wasn't going to try and deny her feelings any longer.
As the last verse of the song filled the Hall, Hermione placed her head on Dracos shoulder as he slowed the pace of the dance down and they swayed from side to side, bending his head to let his warm breath tickle her exposed neck.
She giggled and snuggled closer to him and he let his right hand fall from hers and held her by the waist.
Hermione knew that if Draco had asked for the Great Hall to be as it was the other night, then she had a feeling what was coming next. Sure enough, they felt a familiar cold tingly feeling above their heads and Hermione smiled as she looked up to see a miniature Dementor circling them from above.
Draco didn't bother looking up, he had specifically asked the Room to give him everything that had happened that night.
As Hermiones gaze drifted back to him, she smiled at him and a faint blush coloured her cheeks.
Liquid Gold met Winter Night once more and Dracos eyes landed on Hermiones lips.
Unlike the last time however, Hermiones lips were the first to reach Dracos and she let her hands lock behind his neck, pulling him closer to her.
Draco responded by deepening the kiss by moving one hand to small of her back while keeping the other securely on her waist to ensure that no space was left between them.
Their lips moved in sync and gradually, sweetness turned into passion and Hermione found that her knees grew so weak to point they were shaking as she pulled back to gasp for air.
Draco smiled down at her and began placing a trail of kisses from her jawline to just below her ear, letting his lips linger at the sensitive spot just behind it and sucking on it slightly. He heard her gasp and release a soft moan and his lips smirked against her skin.
What was perfect about this moment was not the fact that Hermione and Draco got to relive this moment again, but the fact that they were completely alone. Completely and entirely free to be with eachother for as long as they wanted.
Draco pulled back and Hermione reached up onto her tiptoes to give him one last soft kiss before the last line of the song filled the hall and echoed off of the walls around them.
"For I can't help, falling in love with you"
This time as Hermione and Draco heard the words they realized how true they were. Draco had been separated from Hermione for 3 days now, and although he did not know why, he didn't particularly care anymore. He knew that he had 100% fallen for her now, and there was no going back. Hermione also realized that as the song changed to another romantic classic that she couldn't be without Draco anymore. As Draco twirled her out and then back into his arms again to continue their dance, their eyes locked again.
Honey-brown met blue-grey.
Liquid Gold met Winter Night.
And as both of their eyes burned with the same passion, love and desire for the other: Fire met Ice.
In this moment Ron could not be further from Hermiones mind.
In this moment Hermione realized that she did not want to be apart from Draco anymore, because it was only in his arms that she was truly happy.
In this moment Hermiones mental walls came tumbling down and she couldn't help but think if this was the start of something incredibly special. Was this the sparks of true love? Was this the beginning of an eternal flame?
As the couple danced well in to the night, gazing into eachothers eyes they remained oblivious to the troubles brewing just outside the door. They remained oblivious to the fact that they were being plotted against as they moved together across the dance-floor in their world of bliss. They remained oblivious to the fact that a particular black beetle was lurking just outside of the door - waiting for them to reappear...