A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. :) The rating has now changed, I hope that this doesn't deter anyone. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: Same as previous chapters.
Chapter 8
November – The Head Girl's Tower
Hermione awoke sluggishly and practically rolled out of her bed. She would have loved to sleep in, for once in her life, but she had to wake Draco for his Patronus lesson. She left her bedroom, still in her sleepwear, and headed towards his. She reached his closed bedroom door and knocked once.
"Come in," he responded huskily.
She slowly opened the door and poked her head inside. She wasn't surprised to see that Draco was still in his bed but he had the bedcovers pulled up to his neck. "Are you going to get up for our lesson?"
He nodded, "I will, but come lie with me for a little while first." He shot her his irresistible grin and she took tentative steps towards his four-poster bed. He reached for her and wrapped an arm around her small waist. "Its warm under here," he smirked. She raised the bedcovers and he swiftly pulled her down so that she lay beside him. She gasped as he rested his hands on the small of her back and hugged her body to his. She realized that he was shirtless and that he was aroused and pressing up against her. "You're so soft," he said with his lips against her neck.
"Draco," she moaned as her hands moved over his smooth chest.
"I want you so much," he groaned, "let me have you."
He gently kissed her cheek and ran one hand through her hair. He looked at her and his grey eyes, which had the capacity to be so cold, looked warm, inviting, and sincere. "Yes, take me," she whimpered.
He leaned forward and kissed her passionately as he rolled their bodies so that she was lying underneath him.
Hermione's eyes rocketed open and she sat up in her bed. She pushed her long, brown hair out of her face. Her whole body was flushed and sweaty. 'What an absurd dream!' It had also been a very inappropriate dream. The weirdest part was that the dream had seemed so real. It was as if she could feel his heated skin under her fingertips, his soft lips touching hers, and his male anatomy hard against her stomach. She flushed again in embarrassment. The dream version of herself had enjoyed it too much.
She felt awful even dreaming and, if she was being completely honest with herself, thinking about such things - a lot - when she was with Ron. They had been friends since they were eleven. She had had a crush on him for years. Even when the world's most famous Quidditch player had been lavishing her with attention she had been wishing that it was Ron. They were both Gryffindors, Order of the Phoenix members, and Harry Potter's best friends. They were meant to be together.
Yet she found herself fantasizing about Draco Malfoy, of all people.
'I know that he doesn't even think about me in that way! Draco's just been content to have a friend to talk to,' she reasoned with herself.
She thought that she had been confused after returning the other night from their conversation by the lake. Now she was more puzzled then she could ever imagine. It would all be much easier if Draco had stayed as a despicable, irritating, typical Slytherin. But he had wanted to change and better himself and now he was one of the most respectable young men that she knew. And she did not believe for one second that he was acting. She would swear on her life that his change was genuine.
Draco Malfoy was now on an equal playing field with Ronald Wesley and that posed a serious problem for her and her conscience. She was afraid of what she would do if she spent any more time alone with him. Her whole body tingled when he was near. The only way that Hermione saw that she could prevent something from happening that she would later regret and be ashamed of herself for, was to avoid Draco at all costs. As irrational as it sounded, it would be her plan of action from now on.
With that decision made, she walked into the bathroom to get ready for the day ahead.
The Great Hall
"Are you nervous?" Blaise asked Draco conversationally. Today was the opening match of the Quidditch season, Slytherin vs. Gryffindor, and Blaise had noticed that his friend, seeker, and team captain was being very quiet and was only picking at his breakfast.
He shook his head. "No. You?" He asked unenthusiastically.
"Yeah," Blaise answered truthfully.
Draco knew that he should say something supportive to his dark-haired mate but he just didn't have the energy. He was tired, frustrated, and upset. Hermione had been avoiding him for the past few days and he had no idea why. She had been spending all of her free periods in the library and her evenings in Gryffindor Tower. She had stopped visiting him in his bedroom and kept making excuses that she was tired and needed to go to bed early when he attempted to visit her. She only talked about the assigned material in Ancient Runes and in every other class they had together, she didn't even acknowledge his presence. Recently, he had been focused on Quidditch but he had noticed the absence of their late night broomstick rides and his Patronus lessons.
Things were not going according to plan and he was getting quite angry. Up until the night by the lake everything had been perfect. He had told her his darkest secrets and deepest fears and then she had started brushing him off like he was an insignificant pest! It had not sat well with him from the beginning but he had ruled against confronting her. However, now his patience was wearing thin and he was unable to concentrate on anything but her, which would not bode well for this morning's Quidditch match.
He looked across to the Gryffindor table and saw her laughing with Longbottom. He was irrationally jealous instantly. 'It's only Longbottom!' The sane portion of his mind screamed.
"You okay, Draco?" Blaise asked, concerned. His blonde friend looked furious, like he was going to murder someone.
"Fine," he spoke through gritted teeth.
Blaise raised his head and gave an approaching Pansy a look of warning. He knew that now was not the time to talk to Draco.
"Drakie," she started as she sat down beside him. "I wanna wish you good luck this morning," she said suggestively.
Draco turned his neck and glared at her. "Pansy, I want to make this very clear. I don't want you."
"What?" She asked in pure shock.
"I. Don't. Want. You." He stressed and enunciated every word perfectly. Luckily, his voice was low so he wasn't causing a scene in the Great Hall.
"I…I don't…I don't understand," she stuttered.
"That doesn't surprise me," he replied cruelly.
Blaise winced at Draco's unkind comment. 'He must really be in a foul mood, he was never that rude to Pansy, at least not to her face,' he thought.
Pansy leaned in closer to his ear and her pug like facial features looked less appealing then ever. "If you're just saying this because you're trying to shag some fifth year tart then fine. I know that you'll be back," she said confidently.
He rolled his eyes. Pansy chose this moment of all of their moments together to gain some self-confidence. "I'm finished with you, Parkinson."
She squealed annoyingly and then huffed before turning on her heel and storming out of the Great Hall.
"What's all that about?" Nott asked nosily as he sat down at the Slytherin table after passing an irate Pansy.
"I guess that she and Draco just broke up," Blaise answered cautiously.
Draco wasn't even paying attention as his friends were discussing his business. He was fixatedly staring at Hermione. She was wearing her Gryffindor uniform and robes and because it was beginning to get cold outside, she was also sporting her scarlet and gold scarf. 'She looks so fucking cute!' He slammed his fork down onto the table and both Blaise and Nott looked at him, startled.
"I'm going to head over to the pitch," he told them as he stood slowly.
"Okay," Blaise answered. They were still baffled by Draco's outburst.
"What's going on with him?" Nott asked Blaise urgently once Draco had exited the Great Hall.
Blaise shrugged, "I have no idea."
"Well, it better not affect the bloody match!"
The Quidditch Pitch
Hermione sat in the Gryffindor spectator box between Neville and Seamus and waited anxiously for the match to begin. She had seen Draco angrily leave the Great Hall this morning. He was not taking her avoidance well, and she knew that, and to top things off, she could see Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy sitting in the guest box. She hoped that he wouldn't be distracted.
She was taken aback when the sobbing, first year, Slytherin boy from the first night of the school year walked up to her. Jeffrey, she remembered his name being, obviously wasn't intimidated by entering the Gryffindor box in his Slytherin robes. He was a very brave first year.
"Draco wants you to meet him outside the locker room," he whispered into her ear.
"Thank you," she smiled.
The young boy smiled back brightly before scurrying out of the box.
Hermione got up out of her seat and Neville looked up at her. "Where are you going?"
"Head Girl stuff," she answered quickly, "save my seat!"
She raced down the high staircase until she reached the ground floor, which was beneath the actual pitch. She walked along the corridor searching for the door to the Slytherin locker room when she was grabbed by an arm and to a viewer, looked to be pulled into the wall. "What the…?" She looked up at Draco in confusion. "What's…?" She was at a loss for words.
"Disillusionment Charm," he grinned.
'Wow, powerful Disillusionment Charm,' she thought to herself.
"So, you sent a messenger to tell me to meet you here," she addressed the situation at hand after getting over his impressive magical feat.
"I'm glad that you came," he said softly as he played with the ends of her scarf. He was unable to stay mad in her presence, but he needed answers. "Why have you been avoiding me the past three days?"
She sighed loudly. "I have not," she denied. He looked so gorgeous in his Quidditch robes, tall, lean, and unbelievably masculine.
"Yes, you have." He ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "Hermione, just tell me, I need to know! I won't be able to concentrate; I'll be bludgered to death."
She chuckled quietly as she saw the smile on his face. "I'm sorry," she apologized sincerely after she had finished laughing. "But I needed…need," she corrected herself, "I need to. Its very selfish, very Slytherin of me," she teased playfully. "But I need to," she repeated.
"Why?" He asked sadly. "What did I do wrong?" 'I sound like a whiny, teenage girl!' If it was anyone besides Hermione he would be embarrassed for himself but he would beg for her if he had to. He would cast his pride aside for her.
"Nothing," she assured him. "It's the opposite actually. You've done everything right."
"Then I don't understand."
An adorable crease formed between his eyebrows and she smoothed it away with a finger. "I've been avoiding you because I don't want to cheat on Ron," she admitted in a small voice. "I want you and I think that what I was supposed to figure out is that you want me too." She blushed involuntarily.
He smiled triumphantly. He would forever remember this as the happiest moment of his life. Every other happy memory was now immaterial. He felt on top of the world. In that moment the answer to one of his father's most frequent questions hit him. "How can someone disgrace their family by marrying a muggle?"
'Well father,' he thought, 'it doesn't matter when you're in love.' Love, that was a big word and he inwardly sighed. He realized that infatuation, possessiveness, and obsession could be playing a factor; he was still a Malfoy after all. Yet, he had never felt this strongly about anything before. He would have to explore these feelings for an extended period of time later.
"You have no idea how much I want you," he responded gruffly. He held her face gently in his hands. He heard numerous footsteps approaching them and realized that both of the house teams were going onto the pitch for the warm-up. "Fuck," he swore in annoyance. She giggled softly at his cursing and he smiled. "I have to go. The match will be starting soon."
She nodded understandingly. She looked down at her Gryffindor uniform and then stared at his Slytherin robes before she uttered what some would consider traitorous words. "Good luck."
He grinned, "Thank you." He stared into her brown eyes; he wanted to kiss her so badly. "I'll come to your room tonight, okay?" He asked in a whisper.
"Please," she replied.
"Okay," he smiled again. He took her hand in his and brought it to his lips. "Until tonight," he smirked before stepping out into the corridor.
Hermione had to admit that she had swooned a little. The gesture had been very old-fashioned and gentlemanly, and Ron was so not the romantic type. She wasn't used to such things. 'Uggh…Ron.' How was she supposed to break-up with him? He wouldn't be expecting it at all. She instantly felt terrible about herself.
Hogwarts Grounds
Draco had played one of the best Quidditch matches of his life. Slytherin had trounced Gryffindor two hundred and twenty to forty. They were going to win the Quidditch Cup this year for sure. Blaise and Nott had played a wonderful match as rookies and he was pleased at how Derrick and Goyle had constantly hounded the Gryffindor chasers. And the Gryffindor beaters had been horrendous! Ginny Weasley had played a respectable game as seeker but in the end he had first spotted the snitch hovering just beneath Bletchley's feet, chased it down, and captured it. He had held it in his hand with a grin while his teammates celebrated around him. To the rival teams it looked like he had been smugly taunting the Gryffindor box when really he had been looking at Hermione. He knew where the inspiration for one of the best flights of his life had come from.
"Brilliant match, Draco!" A group of fourth year Slytherins called as he walked the grounds with his parents. He nodded in acknowledgment and the group continued on towards the castle. They were probably headed to the party in the Slytherin common room. He had promised to make an appearance later in the day, after he finished talking to his parents.
"Yes Draco, you played quite well," his father complimented in his pompous voice.
"Thank you father," he responded.
His mother smiled sweetly at him but did not add to the conversation. She wasn't exactly Britain's biggest Quidditch fan.
"I spoke to Professor Babbling; she's very impressed with your performance in Ancient Runes. You seemed to have taken an actual interest in the subject this year," Lucius stated almost suspiciously.
"Yes sir, I've been very focused on all of my studies this year."
"Have you been taking care of yourself?" Narcissa asked concerned.
"Yes mother," he answered with a small smile.
They walked the grounds of Hogwarts while his parents asked him more questions about his classes, new living quarters, and his duties as Head Boy. They specifically asked about some of his Slytherin friends such as Blaise, Nott, and Goyle. He was relieved that his father had not brought up Pansy. He was expecting that dreaded conversation when he returned home for Christmas holidays. His father had also not expressed his true feelings about Hermione, a muggle-born witch, being Head Girl, but Draco knew that it was because there were so many students around, enjoying the bright, sunny day.
"Ah, Horace," Lucius announced as he spotted Professor Slughorn approaching them.
"Good day Lucius, Narcissa," he greeted the Malfoy couple politely. "Draco," he smiled brightly, "way to make a Head of House proud." He shook Draco's hand enthusiastically.
"Thanks, Professor," he responded awkwardly. Professor Slughorn had been slightly wary of him so far this year.
He missed the words that were exchanged before his father and the Potions Master walked off together to talk in private, leaving him alone with his mother. She pulled him over to a nearby tree and they both sat, but not before Narcissa summoned a blanket for them to sit on instead of the ground. She turned to him with a bright smile on her face; he hadn't seen her smile in so long. It brightened her whole face and brought out her beauty.
"Okay, who is she?" She asked urgently.
"Who is who?" Draco asked confused.
"The girl that makes you smile," she explained. A mother always knows.
"There isn't a girl," he lied as he avoided his mother's gaze and began to pull at blades of grass.
"Draco," she began as she maternally rubbed his back, "don't lie to your mother."
His mother had never asked him about Pansy, or any other girl for that matter, yet she had seen him and known instantly that something was different. He didn't think that he looked that different but obviously it was something discernible to his mother. Or she had used magic on him. 'No,' he thought to himself, 'it's that whole woman's intuition business.'
"I don't want to talk about it," he mumbled. He knew that he was acting like a child but he wanted to keep whatever it was that he and Hermione had to himself, at least for now. Publicly, she was still happily involved with Ronald Weasley, just last week Witch Weekly had published an article about the famous war couple. The Weasel had gushed about how happy he was with "Mione", it had made him sick and insanely jealous.
The secrecy was one thing. He also didn't know how his mother would react if he told her the truth. His father's reaction was completely predictable, he would want to disinherit him and then curse him into oblivion. His mother was a different story. But there were so many differences between him and Hermione that he couldn't imagine her being anything but flabbergasted. He was a Slytherin and she a Gryffindor. He wore the Dark Mark, albeit reluctantly, but she was an important member of the Order of the Phoenix. He was a pureblood of magical privilege and she was…a Mudblood. They were supposed to be enemies, but in their world they were anything but.
Narcissa could see that her son was concentrating very hard on something. 'He must have strong feelings for this girl.' She patted his knee to get his attention. "Draco?"
"Yeah Mum?" He answered.
"Does she make you happy?" He nodded slowly and a beautiful smile, the Black family smile, spread across his face. He looked so much like Lucius when she had first met him at Hogwarts…except for his smile. She was pleased to see that he had inherited at least one physical feature from her. "Good," she replied pleased. "Then I will hear all about her later."
Draco tiptoed up the stairs to the Head Girl's Tower excitedly. It was fairly late in the night so he hoped that Hermione was not asleep. He had anticipated being able to visit her earlier but they had kept him in the Slytherin common room longer then he had expected.
After he had said goodbye to his parents, receiving a firm handshake from his father, a knowing smile from his mother, and words of "We'll see you at Christmas", he had grabbed a late, slight dinner before heading to the dungeons. The party had been in full swing. There was music playing, a rare occurrence in Slytherin, and the boys had broken out their stashes of Firewhiskey, Butterbeer, and sweets. He had been patted on the back numerous times and pushed into the center of the large crowd of rejoicing Slytherins. He would have thought that they had already won the Quidditch Cup by the way they were getting on. But it had been refreshing. The Slytherin common room hadn't felt that welcoming in a very long time. As much as he had enjoyed the camaraderie and being with his housemates, he wanted to see Hermione! But they had forced him to feast with them in the dungeons. When they finally allowed him to leave, he had raced to the portrait that concealed the Heads' common room. Even though the journey had only taken him mere minutes he wished he could have Apparated to get there even faster. He had rushed into his bedroom and changed into his sleep trousers.
It had been a long but wonderful day for him and he hoped that it was about to get even better. He knocked once on her door and she answered it immediately. He smiled, "Good evening."
"Hi," she smiled back as she pulled her door open, allowing him to enter her bedroom.
He walked in and laid the late night snack that he had brought for her on her bedside table. "A Butterbeer and a cauldron cake courtesy of Slytherin House."
"Thank you," she smiled. He was so sweet to her. He had brought her two of her favourite treats. She sat at the top of her bed and opened the bottle of Butterbeer. "Sit down," she suggested.
"I have another present for you," he grinned.
"What?" She asked questioningly.
He reached into the pocket of his trousers and slowly pulled his hand back out. He was hiding something in his clenched fist. "I really hope that Krum didn't do this," he stated nervously. He opened his hand and the tiny, golden snitch from today's match fluttered weakly.
"For me?" She asked flattered. He nodded and placed the snitch in her small palm. "Thank you Draco." She blushed awkwardly. "I don't have anything for you."
"Its okay," he laughed as he took a seat on her bed. "I like giving you things."
Hermione watched the snitch in her hand before she laid the small, golden sphere in the top drawer of her bedside table. She looked over at Crookshanks who was perched on the ottoman, as usual. "I wouldn't want Crookshanks to get at it," she chuckled.
He watched her while she ate her cauldron cake and sipped her Butterbeer. Her long, brown hair was pulled up into a messy bun at the top of her head and she was wearing a purple tank top and tight, little, black shorts. She looked mouth-watering. He began to trace patterns on her shin with his index finger. "Hermione," he spoke huskily, "I want to kiss you."
She looked up at him through her eyelashes. A part of her just wanted to jump his bones. He was wearing just those bloody silk, black trousers again. His perfect torso was on display again! She placed the remainder of her Butterbeer on her table before turning back to him. She kept her eyes on his face but that didn't really help matters because he was gorgeous. "I don't want to cheat on Ron, he doesn't deserve that."
"What does that mean for us?" He asked frowning. He wanted to be with her now. He lay down on the bed on his stomach, and his body was so long that his legs were hanging off the end of her mattress. He flipped over so that he was lying on his back and his head was resting on her crossed legs. He tilted his head back and she came into his eye line. He smirked broadly, "This is comfortable."
She laughed lightly and ran her fingers through his blonde hair. It was just as soft as a lot of the Hogwarts girls assumed it would be. "I can't break up with him through a letter," she confessed quietly. She would not feel right doing that.
"So what do you want to do?" He brought his own hands up to play with her hair since her fingers were driving him crazy. He pulled her hair out of its bun and threaded his fingers through the long, dark tresses.
"I'll have to talk to him in person," she answered. "I'll see him over Christmas break." 'What a terrible time to possibly break somebody's heart,' she thought. She would have to wait until the very end of the holidays, just before she returned to Hogwarts. Draco's loud groan of frustration interrupted her thoughts. "What?"
"You're telling me that I have to wait until after Christmas holidays to show you how much I want you?" He asked in disbelief. She nodded weakly. "You have no idea how tempting you are to me," he stated lowly.
"I'm sorry," she apologized sincerely. She felt terrible for being a tease. "But I feel the same way," she countered. She wanted to run her hands over every single inch of his flawless body. She flushed at her naughty thought; she hadn't had thoughts like that about Ron.
"What are you blushing about?" He asked grinning as he ran a finger across her red tinged cheek.
"Nothing," she shook her head. She leaned back against her headboard and Draco shifted his position again. This time he was lying beside her on his side with his head on her stomach. "Draco," she scolded playfully.
He looked up at her and smiled cheekily. "My body needs to be close to yours." As she was running her fingers through his hair again, he heard her yawn. "Are you tired?"
"Yeah, it's been a long day," she replied. After the Quidditch match, she had had a tutoring session with Neville in Potions before she tackled her own homework. But thoughts of Draco had distracted her, so she didn't get as much done as she would have liked.
"Are you ready for bed?" He asked quietly. Truth be told, he was quite fine with spending the rest of the night lying on her stomach. She was warm and soft.
"Yes, I have a lot of work to do tomorrow so I should get some sleep. Do you want to have a Patronus lesson tomorrow?"
"I have a lot of homework to do tomorrow too," he replied honestly. "So can we reschedule again?"
"Sure," she answered unbothered.
Draco lifted his head and crawled up her body until his face was hovering above hers. He was supporting the full weight of his body on his arms. "Can I stay?" He asked hopefully.
"What?" Hermione found herself breathing heavily.
He smiled smugly at her reaction. "Can I stay and share your bed?" A skeptical look spread across her face and he could practically see the cogs turning in her head. "As friends," he added. She arched an eyebrow and he chuckled. "Haven't you and Potter shared a bed before?"
"No!" She responded, slightly offended. He stuck out his bottom lip and gave her a very over the top pout which caused her to laugh hysterically. "Don't do that, you look too cute!"
Once she stopped laughing, he jumped off of her bed and onto the floor. Hermione noticed that he had a smooth quality to all of his movements, almost as if he was levitating himself. "I'm not used to this you know," he stated as he stood above her.
"Not used to what?" She asked puzzled.
"Not getting what I want." He spoke to her honestly and uninhibitedly, something that he didn't do for anyone else.
She swallowed loudly. He looked powerful. He stood tall with a straight back and shoulders. His chest bare and his jaw set. She hadn't realized that the dark tone of his voice had turned her on. "Draco, I…" she began but he cut her off.
"Hermione, I'm not trying to put pressure on you," he explained. He took her hand and brought it to his lips for the second time that day. Then he turned it over and kissed her palm. "Goodnight, sweet dreams."
She gave him a small, flustered smile. "Goodnight Draco."
He released her hand and left her bedroom. He felt selfless, noble, and respectful just because of the fact that he hadn't pounced on her like an animal as soon as he had laid eyes on her. He would have to practice restraint until she broke up with the Weasel. But right now, he was the happiest that he had ever been.
A/N: Thanks for reading. Review please! :)
