CHAPTER 9
BEEP BEEP
Draco jerked awake, unbalancing Hermione. They both sat up groggily. 'Well, it's 10:15. Time to get ready to battle the oaf,' Draco moaned. He was not looking forward to it. 'If you don't mind, I'm going to cast a wit sharpening charm on myself for the first few minutes. I need to get rid of this headache.'
Draco did just that, and felt his headache dissipate immediately. He sighed in relief. He hurried to change into something a little easier to move in. He chose a pair of stretch jeans, loose enough to move in but tight enough to stay on, and a tight black T-shirt. He might as well blend in.
Hermione changed as well. Formfitting jeans with a camouflage baby-T. Then she returned to Draco's room. He hadn't finished dressing yet. He was in the process of changing shirts, having already changed pants. She caught him at an inopportune moment, just as the old shirt was coming off. She felt a blush rise in her cheeks, but was unable to remove her eyes.
Draco had a flat, washboard stomach with a rippling six pack. His chest was muscle and tan, despite how pale and bony he used to be. Hermione had to admit that her boyfriend was smoking hot.
'How was I, bookworm little Hermione, manage to catch that? He's like the perfect male specimen, or something,' she thought, marveling at her luck. By this time, Draco had slipped the other shirt on, though it was so tight it defined every distinct muscle in his chest, and turned to face her.
'You okay?' he asked, grinning at her, noting the blush coloring her cheeks. 'Just out of curiosity, how long have you been standing there?' he asked suspiciously.
'Just a moment or two,' she said, shaking herself mentally. She had just realized that she had been staring, and flushed even deeper because it. 'I didn't get a chance to glimpse anything if that's what you're wondering,' she said mischievously. Draco stared at her in mock offense.
'Hermione, I am surprised at your dirty little mind,' he said prissily. 'Just kidding, come here,' he said, gesturing for her to come. She did, and he gave her a small kiss and a hug. 'I love you.'
'I love you, too,' she murmured into his chest, breathing in his unique scent, and wishing never to move.
'Come on, we're going to be late if we don't hurry,' Draco said, getting slightly panicky. It was already 10:35 and the park was awhile away. 'I would apperate but I don't trust that Britt won't be in view,' he explained. They both pulled on their sneakers and nearly ran out the door.
'Draco, if we run all the way there, you'll be way too tired to fight well, you'll get pummeled, and you'll lose your reputation before you even have one,' Hermione gasped out. They slowed to a halt.
'Okay…I'll just apperate us a block down. That way I'm sure he won't see us and we won't have to walk nearly as far. Or run,' he panted. She grabbed hold of his hand tightly, and he centered his thoughts on the park they had seen on his way to school. Soon, they were gone, and then they were within sight of the park.
They walked the rest of the way cautiously, half expecting Britt to tackle them from any and every angle. Draco scanned the brush and trees, making sure that no one was hiding in them. When he was confident they were alone, he turned to Hermione.
'You should hide,' he said bluntly. Hermione gaped at him.
'I will do no such thing,' she refused indignantly, her hands on her hips. 'Why would I let you do the fighting alone? And why would you let me come if you wouldn't let me be within view? I need to be close enough to see if you're losing,' she said concernedly.
'Do you doubt me?' he asked. She shook her head contritely. 'Then don't worry so much. I'll be fine, love. And if I really need you, you'll be close enough. Just watch from that tree,' he said, pointing up at a huge, twisted old oak.
'Okay, but I won't like it,' Hermione said grumpily, but heading toward the tree nonetheless. She scrambled up it, sitting near the tip of one of the long curving branches, from which she had a good view of the area. He sat down to wait for Britt to show.
Draco checked his watch: 10:58. If Britt didn't show, Draco would be pissed. He had given up an entire night's sleep for this! As his watch struck 11:01, Britt stepped into the clearing. Draco stood up gracefully and surveyed the big thug.
He was about a half inch taller than he, a little more filled out in the chest. He probably weighed much more, like 160 lbs. Draco himself only weighed 120. He was lean and wiry, while this guy had obviously tried to impress someone by working out.
'About time. I was starting to think you were going to change your mind about our little fight,' Draco said smoothly, examining his fingernails in a bored sort of way. Britt scowled at him.
'Why would I back out, punk?' he asked, attempting to sound threatening. 'You're the one who should be scared. Chorus was just a lucky punch. A wimpy little band geek like you could never beat me,' he claimed brazenly. Draco raised an eyebrow at him. He came up with an idea.
Draco slowly, gently, carefully, wormed his way into Britt's mind using legilimency. He was a confused expression flit across his face, showing his discomfort and mystification about the sensation. He rummaged around in the memories and thoughts until he found something interesting.
'Oh, I'm the band geek, am I?' Draco asked composedly, looking him in the eye. 'I heard that you were a band geek once. Or, maybe you still are. Do you still have it?' he asked, feigning curiosity.
'Have what?' Britt asked, trying to conceal his nervousness. 'I don't know what you're talking about.'
'Don't you? I would've thought you'd remember playing the tuba for three years!' Draco said loudly. Britt looked around quickly and shushed him, looking oddly afraid.
'Shut up, will you,' he hissed. 'I gave that up, it was dumb. I switched to football,' he said. 'I'd rather be on the field than in the stands.'
'That's not what I heard,' Draco said tauntingly, wondering how much he could say without revealing his trick. 'I heard that you still have it, still play it sometimes. Don't tell me that's just for old time's sake.' He saw a definite flicker of anxiety flashing in Britt's eyes. He had hit a nerve.
'How did you find that out?' he demanded. When his query elicited no response, he changed to pleading. 'Never mind, just don't tell anyone. I have a reputation here and being a band geek does not fit in,' he whispered. Draco smirked slowly at him, the old smirk of superiority and arrogance he was so accustomed to.
'Maybe,' he said simple. 'Now are we going to fight or stand here talking all night?' he asked calmly, folding his arms across his chest and looking expectantly at him.
'Alright, you asked for it,' Britt said, hauling back for a punch. Before he could throw it, Draco jabbed him in the ribs just as he had in the chorus room. The effects were the same. Britt fell to his knees, wheezing and spluttering at Draco's feet.
'You're taking too much time with the recoil,' Draco said. 'You can get just as much power from a well placed poke than you can from a well thrown punch. But I can see your punches two seconds before they happen, giving me my window of opportunity,' Draco explained condescendingly. Britt glared at him, still out of breath.
'Get up, you git,' Draco said impatiently, hauling Britt to his feet. For a moment, Britt looked surprised that he had managed it, being smaller than he by a considerable amount. He recovered though and tried to throw a quick punch, taking Draco's advice about the element of surprise. It didn't work
Draco dodged the punch and sweep kicked Britt's feet out from under him, landing the boy flat on his back with a heavy thump. He leaned over his gasping form and smirked at him.
'Yeah, and I'm the wimp,' he said sarcastically. Britt roared at him, swinging his fist up unexpectedly. It caught Draco on the shoulder, sending him flying about two feet. He really could pack a punch. Instead of falling down as Britt had expected him to, Draco rolled over, back onto his feet and stood up massaging his shoulder.
'Much better,' he said approvingly. His air of authority was really starting to get on Britt's nerve. He heaved himself to his feet and set off at a dead run toward the smaller boy. Draco watched him calmly until he was only two feet away, then he reared back and punched him full on in the face.
Britt's own momentum added to the force. Britt was sent sprawling onto the ground, a purple bruise already showing around his mouth, and blood leaking from his nose. He moaned and coughed. Draco rubbed his knuckles, wincing. They would be bruised in the morning but he could fix that with a simple spell when they got home.
Britt sat up gingerly, and was obviously surprised that Draco was still standing, much less smirking at him with that damned condescending attitude. He reached up and felt his nose, tears springing to his eyes at the tenderness of it. It was possibly broken.
'Goddamn it, Malfoy,' he moaned. 'I think you broke my nose!'
'Yeah, well, you bruised my knuckles,' Draco said. 'We're even.' Britt stared at him like he was insane.
'I am so out of here,' he yelled. He jumped to his feet and hauled butt out of the park, speeding off in the direction he had come. As soon as he was out of ear shot, Draco burst out laughing, nearly doubling up. He heard Hermione jumping down from the tree and running to his side.
'Are you okay?' she asked worriedly. 'That was a nasty punch you got on the shoulder. And your knuckles will definitely be sore after that.' She examined his knuckles, then healed them with her wand. 'I'll check your shoulder when we get home. You must be tired, let me apperate us home.' Draco acquiesced, gripping her hand tightly.
As soon as they were in their living room, Hermione bustled him down on to the couch. 'Take off your shirt,' she ordered.
'Why?' he asked.
'I need to examine your shoulder to gauge the extent of the injury,' she said, as though it should have been obvious. It probably would have if she had used smaller words, no one could understand her when she used so many big words in a row.
'Hermione, you're a real sesquipedalian,' Draco said, pulling his shirt over his head nevertheless. He desperately tried to stop the blood from rushing to his cheeks, to little avail.
'What does that mean?' she asked, sitting down beside him. She began to gently prod and poke his shoulder, making him hiss in pain. It was already discoloring, turning purple and blue, and it was sore to the touch. That really must have been a brutal punch.
'You don't know?' he asked, pleased that he knew a word that she didn't. She rolled her eyes in annoyance, continuing to prod him. 'It means someone who likes big words. Or it also means one and a half feet long but I don't think that applies to you,' Draco explained, chuckling.
'Well, that first definition is correct,' Hermione said. 'I'll remember that word, it's impressive. Well, it does seem that your shoulder is just bruised. Badly bruised, but just bruised. It's too severe for just one time so I'll do a healing charm now and one later,' she said.
Hermione pulled out her wand and muttered a powerful healing charm on his arm. Draco sighed with relief as the pain began to dissolve, though an aching pain remained.
'Thanks,' he said.
'It's my job,' she said simply.
'No, it's not,' he said, confused.
'Yes, it is. It's every girlfriends' job to look out for her boyfriend,' she said, moving around to his other side and snuggling close. 'If you're hurt, it's my job to make the hurt go away,' she said sweetly. Draco smiled at her and kissed her on the forehead.
'I think it's time for us to go to bed,' he suggested. As if on cue, Hermione yawned widely, standing up and stretching.
'Right you are,' she said sleepily. 'Draco…?' she began, attempting to look cute and innocent. Draco sighed.
'Okay, you can sleep in my bed,' he said. 'But only if you get rid of this bruise. It's going to really hurt it I have to lay on it all night,' he whined. Hermione obediently cast another healing charm on his bruised shoulder, making it grow fainter until it disappeared completely. 'Thanks.'
'No problem. Now let's get some sleep, we have more school tomorrow,' Hermione said grimly. Draco moaned, the thought of another day of school filling him with dread.
'I'm not sure I can make it through another day,' he said, leading Hermione back to his room and collapsing on the bed, pulling her down with him.
'Just remember,' Hermione said, just before she fell asleep. 'Whatever we do, we do together. Wherever we go, we go together. We'll always be together.'
Hermione awoke curled comfortably in Draco's arms. She glanced at the clock and groaned. It was nearly seven o'clock. She carefully extricated herself from Draco's grip without waking him and hurried to change into more school-appropriate clothes.
She showered and dressed in a simple ensemble of dark jeans and a black and red baby-T. It might have seemed a little emo but it would hopefully keep any more guys from whistling at her. She doubted it would but it was worth a try. And she refused to let her looks getting appreciation put Draco into any more jealous rages.
She headed back into Draco's room to find him still sound asleep. Rolling her eyes, she shook him until he slapped her hands away, groaning loudly.
'Wake up, you lazy bum,' she said, shaking him harder. 'I need you to help me make that wit sharpening potion. We'll never make it through the day without it.' Draco finally sat up, rubbing his eyes.
'I don't wanna go to school!' he whined, sounding like he was seven, rather than seventeen. Hermione smiled indulgently at him.
'Well, this should cheer you up, give you something to look forward to: today we get to go see Young Actors with Ari and Vince, remember?' Draco's eyes snapped open and he smiled.
'Oh, yeah, that will make the day slightly less unbearable,' he said, trying to sound cheerful. 'Well, now that I'm awake, we might as well get started on that potion. Out, I need to get dress,' he said, shooing Hermione out. She left grudgingly.
Draco showered as well and dressed in jeans and a black T-shirt. 'We might as well match,' he thought. When he entered Hermione's room, she was bent over a simmering cauldron, measuring ingredients. She looked up and smiled as he came in.
'Good, you're here,' she said, pulling him over to look at an open potions book. 'I need you to get the right quantity of these ingredients while I put them in,' she instructed. He did as she asked, measuring out each component on the list and placing aside.
It only took a half hour for them to have a completed wit sharpening potion. They each drank the recommended amount of potion and immediately felt more alert than they had before.
Hermione came up with the bright idea of reading their books to get the gist of the subject before they made fools of themselves. They spent another hour skimming through all of their course books until they had a firm basis of understanding.
The pair walked only to the park, smiling when they reached it, and then apperated to a concealed niche at the school. Then they proceeded to their lockers, conveniently placed directly beside Ari and Vince's. They grabbed their books and went to their first class.
Hermione and Draco made it through Language Arts very well. They answered all the questions right, finished their assignments first, and really put the rest of the class to shame. Their minds were working double-time and they were using them to full capacity. Next was chorus.
Now it was Draco's turn to be nervous. He had missed his scheduled placement audition and had to take it today, but the potion couldn't help him sing better. He entered Mrs. Hall's office reluctantly. He made it through his interview with less humiliation than previously expected. His voice was in the mid-tenor range and it wasn't bad.
He exited the office, smiled at Hermione in relief, and went to sit with the rest of his section. The rest of chorus was spent working on breathing exercises, vocal warm-ups, and tips and warnings relating to singing. All things considered, it was a fairly enjoyable class. Draco decided that he rather enjoyed it.
'Well, now we have to go to biology,' Hermione said. She had liked the class yesterday, no matter how badly she had done in it. It sounded intriguing, to learn about animals and plants and such. Sort of like Care of Magical Creatures. 'It sounds interesting enough, doesn't it?'
'If you say so,' Draco replied skeptically. Care of Magical Creatures had never really been his favorite subject, and not just because of Hagrid. 'Then social studies. That one's okay.'
In biology, all they did was take notes and fill out a diagram or two. Social studies was a lot of note-taking and lectures. It was a lot like History of Magic, but more attention-holding. At least this guy actually had inflections to his speech, not a constant monotone, and he didn't stay rooted to one spot, actually moved!
At lunch, they sat at the same table they had the day before, and Ari and Vince joined them soon after they got their food. 'So?' Ari asked as soon as she sat down, looking keenly at them.
'So…?' Hermione imitated, denoting a tone of confusion at her meaning. Ari sighed and rolled her eyes at her.
'So! Can you two come to YAT today?' she asked loudly, sounding a bit exasperated.
'YAT?' Draco asked.
'Young Actors Theater,' Vince explained. 'Y-A-T. YAT. It's just easier to say that "Young Actors Theater." And we call ourselves yatties. If you join, you can be a yattie, too,' he said happily. Draco thought it sounded a bit girly, but Hermione thought the nicknames were adorable.
'Thankfully, we managed to convince Shane to let us have our lessons every other day so, yes, we can come see you at YAT today,' Hermione said happily. Ari squealed and Vince smiled and nodded at them.
'That's great! I'm sure Tina would let you in without making you pay tuition, or maybe at a discount. Or you could get a scholarship! A bunch of people get scholarships every year if their in financial trouble but have enough talent that we could use them."
"And once she hears you two sing, I'm sure she would give you a special scholarship. You two are great!' Vince said. Hermione blushed, looking down, but Draco smiled at him.
'Really?' he asked, sounding a bit amazed. 'I've never actually sung intentionally before today. I never knew I could sing at all. Shane set up our schedules and clearly he thought that, because we're good instrumentalists, we have to be good singers, too. Apparently, he was right,' he chuckled.
'Oh, he was,' Ari said. 'You rock! You're better than our Danny and Sandy,' she added sullenly. Hermione quirked an eyebrow at her. 'Mickey and Amy, who play Danny and Sandy in Grease at YAT, really aren't all that good. Honestly, I think you two are more talented than they are.'
'Wow, thanks, guys,' Hermione said sincerely. 'It means so much to us that you think so highly of us.'
'Yeah, maybe Tina will substitute us,' Draco said offhandedly. Then he smiled slyly. 'Just kidding…maybe.' Everyone laughed, then returned to their lunches, and other topics of conversation.
'Come on! You're going to make us late for the rehearsal!' Vince said, pulling Draco closer to the large pink building. Draco looked up at it, very wary of being seen entering a pink building such as this.
'Yeah. It's not like the other yatties are going to bite! We're really a very nice people,' Ari said jokingly, shuffling Hermione toward the door as well. The two allowed themselves to be pulled into the large pink building by their new friends, eyeing the people who passed by nervously.
They were led into a dark theater, actors running things up on the stage, and were left at the back. Ari and Vince ran down to the front of the theater, spoke to someone, then came running back, leading a woman. She had shoulder-length black hair, sharp features, thin and imposing.
'This is Tina,' Ari said happily, gesturing to the woman. Hermione shook her hand, as did Draco. 'Tina, this is Hermione Granger and this is Draco Malfoy,' Ari continued with the introductions. They raised their hands when their names were said, feeling awkward, like they were being sized up.
'We really think they would be good additions to the show,' Vince said optimistically. 'We were hoping you could maybe give them a private audition or something.' Tina looked them over appraisingly. Hermione squirmed under her intense, calculating gaze.
'Alright,' she said, her voice acute and a little grating. 'Show them to the music room, then return to your rehearsal. They're about to stage your song and it would be very unprofessional to be late, Miss Burton.' Ari nodded, took Hermione's hand, and led her back out of the theater.
Vince too Draco by the shoulder, and they were both led down a hallways, out a backdoor, up two flights of stairs, down another long hallway and into a room that contained a couch, a file cabinet, a desk, some shelves and a piano.
'This,' Ari said. 'is the music room. Tina will probably be up in a few minutes. You know, she's not really as mean as she looks,' she winked.
'We have to get back to our rehearsal,' Vince said. 'We'll see you later. Make sure to tell us if you got in.'
'Sure thing,' Draco said, smiling and waving. They were left alone. Hermione immediately sat down at the piano and began to play. 'What song is that, Hermione?' he asked curiously. 'Can you teach it to me?'
'It's called Pretty Minca,' she said, finishing up. 'Sure I'll teach you. It's not really all that hard, just fast. Here.' She began to teach him the top hand. They were interrupted a few minutes later by Tina entering the room.
'Well, I have heard great things about you from Ariel and Vince,' she said, shooing them out of the big comfy chair in front of the piano and into smaller metal folding chairs. 'I'm going to have you sing something from Grease, you should both know it, and then have you dance a little,' she said. Draco tensed. He hadn't known they would need to dance.
Hermione, feeling his nervousness, gripped his hand and whispered in his ear. 'Remember, whatever we do, we do together. Wherever we go, we go together. We'll always be together.' She felt him relax and kissed him lightly on the cheek.
'I'm sure you guys know 'We Go Together' because everyone who's ever seen Grease knows that song,' Tina said, sitting down at the piano and pulling out a Grease music book. 'You'll each sing a piece of it, then a piece together, alright?' They nodded. 'Hermione first.'
They both sang beautifully, Tina looked most impressed, but the dancing was a bit harder. Neither of them had had any dancing experience before, besides ballroom dancing in their fourth year. They did their best, though, and Tina said that Ari and Vince could help them. She agreed to let them in the show, though she wasn't sure if they would get parts.
Hermione and Draco went back downstairs in a very good mood, both surprised they had gotten in. It was even being talked about that they would get leads, even though the show had already been cast. They decided to sneak into the rehearsal and watch Ari's song being blocked.
They had already blocked the scene and were running through it. The couple sat in the back row, watching with fascination as Ari sang her heart out on 'Freddy, My Love', Hermione's favorite Grease song. 'She's good,' Hermione whispered, about halfway into the song. 'She's very good. I wonder why she didn't get Sandy.'
'Maybe Sandy's better,' Draco whispered back, though doubting it. 'Or maybe she was the only one who could act the part,' he said, chuckling. 'It means a lot that someone that good would say we were good, doesn't it?'
'Yeah,' Hermione said quietly. They turned back and watched the rest of the scene in appreciative silence. Afterward, they all sat in the audience, listened to a directors' speech or two, then filed out into the lobby, chatting and singing. Hermione thought they seemed a pleasant lot.
They met up with Ari and Vince outside on the porch. 'So? Did you get in?' Ari asked excitedly.
'Yes, we both got in the show,' Hermione said happily. The girls both squealed, hugged and jumped a bit. Vince and Draco watched on, eyebrows raised.
'Why do girls always get that excited?' Vince asked.
'We'll never know, mate, we'll never know,' Draco sighed.
'Congrats! Are you just going to be extras or chorus or what?' Vince asked, turning to smile at him.
'We don't know. Tina said she would call us. She's actually considering giving us leads, even though it was a late audition,' Draco said, his astonishment showing through in his voice.
'Told you you two were good,' Vince said, sounding impressed. He clapped him on the back and pulled him into a hug. Draco found this a little odd but hugged him back anyway.
'Oh, Vince, let him go!' Ari cried, slapping him playfully on the arm and grinning at him. 'He's not a YAT boy yet. I swear,' she added to Draco. 'The guys around here are the gayest straight guys you'll ever meet. We always joke that all the guys at YAT are at least a little bit gay. They're dancers! They have to be gay!' They all laughed.
'I can see that,' Hermione said, glancing around at the other guys on the porch. There were at least two guys that were clearly gay, whether they knew it or not. Hermione always had a knack at telling when a man was gay or not.
'Well, congratulations anyway,' Ari said. 'We'll see you at school tomorrow. Make sure to tell us what parts you get!' With that, Ari and Vince left to go to Subway down the street, leaving Hermione and Draco to walk/apperate home.
