Title: Trapped Behind You

Author: relativelypositive

Rating: T for now

Category: AU/Romance/Drama/Humor

Summary: Hermione was missing for an entire month, but she never left the library. It was up to Malfoy to save her, but he didn't know it.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Harry Potter related and I make no money from the use of the characters created by JK Rowling.

Chapter 10

Draco couldn't sleep.

In two months he would be done with Hogwarts.

He would have to make his move.

A full year of planning would come to fruition.

Or not.

"Blaise?"

"Fuck off."

"Oh, good. You're awake."

"It's three o'clock in the fucking morning. Go the fuck to sleep."

"I have a meeting with McGonagall."

"I don't give a shit. Let me sleep."

"I'm going to throw myself on her mercy. It'll be terribly humiliating, but Potter's just not there yet. I can't trust that he'll do what…well, what Granger could."

"I hate you. A lot."

"Why did it have to be Granger that disappeared? Really, what would the world be missing if it had been Potter instead?"

"Sleep, damn you!"

"Blaise, what if they say no? What if they take me prisoner? What if they kill me as an example and leave pieces of me strewn across my mother's rose garden?"

"You're confusing the Order of the Phoenix with the Death Eaters again."

"Oh, yeah. I'm just a little mixed up because of lack of sleep. If you'd shut your yap I could have been asleep already."

"Granger probably disintegrated herself to get away from you, stalker."

"No. She liked me. I may delusionally believe I'm the most awesome person ever, but I can tell when other people genuinely like me or not. She did. She believed I was going to be her friend, and that I was going to fight on the side of the light."

"Draco, she didn't believe it, she knew it. You seem to sometimes forget that you really were going to be her friend, and you really are going to fight for the light, unless, of course, you're cruelly rejected."

"Whenever I thought of the future, there she was, Blaise! She was always a reminder that power isn't evil, that purity doesn't mean quality. She was this person that I've always wondered about, but it was never appropriate for me to get to know her."

"Stop using past tense."

"What do you mean?"

"You've started talking about her like she'd dead."

Draco was stunned. "Have I? It's…unintentional. I guess I've given up hope. I didn't think I ever would…but it's almost been a month. What other possible outcome is there? She's gone."

"She's not. You don't believe that."

"Convince me. Please. I would love a spark of hope."

"I know you don't believe that. You've haven't been mourning, you've been pining. You want Granger to be safe, yes, but you want Granger with you. You're too much of a stubborn idiot to admit it, but you've been in love with her for a long time."

XXXXXXXX

LAST FEBRUARY

"Harry…Harry and I kissed this morning."

For a split second Draco didn't know how to respond.

"Was he any good?"

"I didn't know he was your type, Malfoy," she shot back, obviously hurt.

"Isn't he with Weasley…the girl. Jenny?"

"You're such a prick. You've known Ginny Weasley for years. And no, Harry and Ginny are on a break."

"So you and Potter decided to give it a go?"

Granger looked constipated, which meant Draco had to get the whole story.

"I kind of always thought you'd end up together," Draco lied. "Much better suited than Weasley…Potter at least has a brain."

"We're not…um…we haven't…we don't…." Granger huffed and turned to sit back down.

Draco followed her to the other side of the desk and sat on top. He realized he didn't like being head and shoulders above her, and decided to rearrange his world a bit.

He stood, pulled her up, turned around, picked Granger up, set her on the desk, and sat in the chair.

"Much better," he sighed.

When he looked back at Granger, she was staring at him like he'd grown a stray eyeball.

"I find it easier to have a heart-to-heart when I'm not towering over you, Granger."

"Heart-to-heart?"

"A deep, heartfelt conversation between trusting friends."

"With you?"

"With me."

"Why would I do that?" she asked in disbelief and with a great amount of skepticism.

"You started it by confessing to the offending lip lock."

Granger wasn't meeting his eye. He didn't like that. It took the intimacy away from the conversation just when he was getting used to it.

He slid closer to her, then nudged himself between her feet and scooted in.

"Malfoy?" Granger asked in panic. "What the hell?"

"You're not looking at me."

"I didn't think I had to…now I don't have a choice!"

"Quite right. Now tell me, how did you end up kissing Potter? And was it disgusting?"

She sat tight-lipped for a moment, and Draco tried to make it clear that he wasn't giving up the conversation.

"We were at breakfast. Everyone was there. And all anyone talked about was the ball, and what presents they received, and how in love they are, and how it's just the best day ever…and I may have snapped. I was glaring and being snarky at people that didn't deserve it. It's not that I begrudge anyone happiness! I just am not in that type of relationship right now...or ever," she said under her breath.

Draco snorted. "That's because you're waiting for me."

Granger looked startled. "Is that what you think?"

"Everyone does. Don't you listen to the rumors?"

"You started those rumors! You know they're crap!"

"No, they're not. You and I have been having rendezvous…rendezvouses…what's the plural for rendezvous? Is it rendezvous? That sounds right. Anyway, rendezvous all over the castle…mostly in the library. It's a public place, Granger. People notice those things."

"But…"

"Anyway, back on track! You were feeling bitter and alone, and Potter's face seemed like it needed to be smashed into yours? Had he eaten the last muffin and you were trying to get it back? Were you giving him a lecture on oral hygiene and decided to check if he'd brushed his teeth this morning?"

"Stop!" Granger smiled.

"Were you literally trying to put words into his mouth?"

Granger laughed out loud, and Draco's entire body felt lighter.

Draco leaned in to Granger as she was laughing and immediately felt himself reacting to his position between her legs. In a bit of a panic that she would notice, Draco stood and forced her attention up to his face by placing his hand on her cheek and gently lifting.

"Tell me, Granger, how did it happen? It can't be that embarrassing. I didn't hear about until now!"

Granger sobered and looked confused by his change of position.

"I think he was just trying to prove a point…" A frown of concentration marred her pretty face. "He was bickering with the boys and I was finishing up, disgusted with all the pageantry, fakery, and mushiness."

Her eyes unfocused and she looked a little confused.

"One of the boys started picking on Harry, just in that way that boys have. You know, teasingly but about a really serious situation? It was about wasting his life being alone, and some such rot about making Ginny be alone when next year they would be forced to be apart. It was about the upcoming war…."

Granger stopped talking and shut her eyes for a moment.

"Everyone knows there is a chance that Harry may not have more Valentine's Days in his future. Don't waste them, you know? After some semi-serious ribbing, Harry started getting fed up with being the butt of this particularly tasteless pestering."

Her eyes popped open and Draco was startled at the fierceness in her eyes.

"Seems more like Slytherin behavior," he commented.

"Valentine's Day does bring out the worst in people."

"When did you become funny?"

Draco smiled a real smile directly into her face from six inches away, and suddenly wanted to be much closer.

"Want to know what's really funny? When your best friend thinks he's helping you, but really humiliates you in front of all your friends and classmates!"

"Really, that bad?

"That bad. I could see Ginny a little ways down the table, leaning our way so she could hear everything. Harry was doing another stupid boy thing: he was boasting that he was going to kiss the prettiest witch in all of Hogwarts this Valentine's Day. I smiled at Ginny and she smiled back. She started getting up from her seat and I was giving her encouragement. Clearly she thought she was getting a reunion just in time for the ball!"

"But that didn't happen."

"No, it did not. Harry turned to me and said some flowery junk about not believing a wizard hadn't snapped me up, and how they were all idiots. He was making a very public point. He leaned in to me and… I didn't not kiss him back."

"You didn't…not…kiss him back?"

"Exactly. It was nice. I guess. But not, you know, overly passionate, or anything."

"Not true love's kiss?"

"Definitely not."

He stepped even closer, and her eyes widened in surprise.

"It wasn't…hot?" Draco leaned in just a little more….

"Well, maybe it was a little bit hot," she stated weakly, uncertain of how to react to his actions.

He pulled back.

"A little bit hot?"

"Well, it's not like it was a peck. It was a full-on make-out session for a couple minutes."

"Minutes?" Draco squeaked.

"I must say I lost track of time."

"Because this 'kiss' was so mind-numbingly awesome?" Draco accused.

"What's the matter? Why do you look like you're going to throw up?"

"You did like it!"

"I never said I didn't like it. I said it was embarrassing. And it was in bad judgment and ill-timed."

"So you and Potter are…what?"

"Still just friends. Which is more than I can say for the rest of Gryffindor. They think I've been trying to snare Harry while he's temporarily available."

"But he kissed you!"

"No one seems to care about semantics, Malfoy. It'll blow over by tomorrow…then it'll be fodder for future jokes. 'Remember that time Harry and Hermione sucked face in the great hall? Good times.' I just have to wait until the animosity dissolves…until the fervor of the Valentine's Day true love crap dies down."

"Yeah. It wouldn't be worth, I don't know, maybe showing up to the ball with the most sought-after bachelor and maybe spending the night periodically kissing him in front of everyone?"

"I already told you, Harry and I are still friends. Only."

"That hurts, Granger. I'm trying…I want you to come with me. With or without kissing."

Granger pushed him back a little.

"Is this what this is all about? Have you been laying the groundwork for this all year, Malfoy? I was taking you seriously! I thought you were…"

"Wait! Granger, it's just a whim. I haven't been scheming to get in your pants…"

"Get in my pants? When did we even discuss a date, let alone going publically to a school dance, or having sex?"

"You're blowing this out of proportion. I'm not suggesting we date!"

"So you just want to humiliate me by using me all night then letting people think you dumped me the next day?"

"Granger! I'm not trying anything!"

Draco ran a hand through his hair as he watched her slip down from the desk and move to retrieve her backpack.

He couldn't let her leave like this.

"Granger?"

"What!"

She turned to face him just in time to see the Draco's wand move.

"Obliviate."

Draco waited a moment.

"Malfoy?"

"Granger."

"What are you doing here?"

"The library is closing soon. I think I'm going to skip the ball this year. Are you going?"

"Um…no. I am decidedly not."

"Want to hang out with me for a while?"

Draco watched Granger's face carefully. Was she considering it? Was she confused? Was it too soon? Would she realize she was missing twenty minutes of time and put two and two together?

"Why?"

"I want to talk about next steps. You know, the future."

"Sure. But where?"

"Assuming you won't come to Slytherin…"

She shook her head.

"…and you're not inviting me to Gryffindor…."

She shook her head. He shrugged.

"I have an idea. Are you up for a field trip, Malfoy?"

"What's a field trip?"

She smiled at him, and he felt like all the damage to his soul had been repaired.

"Do you have clothes that you wouldn't mind getting ruined?"

"Of course not. What am I, a Hufflepuff?"

"Don't be a snot. Wear your oldest clothes and meet me in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. I'm going to teach you the most important lesson of your life."

A/N:

Thank you to my reviewers, einna16, duj, maraudersanarchy, Sampdoria, parkynson, Chester99, kateodinson, Beth, and Buffalochip.

I am keeping notes on where I may need to revise to make things more clear. I won't be revising until it is complete, though. I knew with the wonky timeline and jumping in and out of the portrait with two Dracos it would be a challenge.