Chapter Eleven
''No. I've said it already Draco, don't make me carry on saying it.'' Hermione gave him her most withering look and went back to staring out at the storm.
''Oh come on, it's the easiest way.''
''It's not! It's hackneyed and clichéd! If seducing Blaise means so much to you, you do it!''
''Now you're just being ridiculous.'' Draco raised his eyebrows at her. ''I know you're good at seducing people, just pretend that you like him.''
''That's your game.''
''Not that again!''
Hermione looked at him and couldn't help smiling. It was driving her mad being in the same room as him. She couldn't believe that she had actually agreed to do this, but she knew that if she hadn't, she would have been regretting it every time she went and sat up in her room.
Draco smiled back at her. ''Come on, we can think up something.''
''I know.'' Hermione slid off the window seat and went and sat on the floor next to Draco. ''But I'm not pretending that I fancy Blaise. He'll never believe that it was a lie – and he'll go on and on about it. And he'll think that he's better than you because of it.''
''Well that's not going to happen then.'' Draco scrunched up the bit of parchment that he had been scribbling on and threw it into the fire. ''Let's see…now, what do we actually want to do to Blaise?''
''Make him feel stupid.''
''Destroy something that's important to him.''
''Shatter his dreams.''
''Take away something precious to him.''
Hermione nudged Draco with her elbow. ''You get pretty into this, don't you?''
''I'm a Malfoy, it's second nature to me. How pointy are your elbows?'' He grabbed her arm and pushed her sleeve up to examine the joint. ''Funny, they feel much sharper.''
''Get off.'' But Hermione didn't make any move to pull her arm away and she was smiling at him. ''You're incorrigible.''
''And that's my special charm.'' Draco pulled her sleeve back down and gave her arm back, much to Hermione's bewildered disappointment.
''So what can we do?''
An hour later, they had their plan pretty much worked out, the rain was still thrashing the windows, and Hermione was lying on the floor, her head resting in Draco's lap. Suddenly she remembered that she was meant to be working out a plan to get revenge on both boys. Shrugging slightly, she decided that she couldn't be bothered. I'll work it out tomorrow, she told herself.
Draco brushed a strand of hair of Hermione's face and smiled as she yawned. ''My company's that boring?''
''Infinitely more so.''
''I find that hard to believe.'' He bent down and pressed his lips to hers. Hermione was far too relaxed to feign any kind of reference and just smiled sleepily as he pulled away. ''Merlin, you're gorgeous when you're like this.''
''I'm way too tired and I have no doubt that I look like I'm under the influence.'' Hermione pulled her body upright and turned her head to look at Draco, finding herself slightly closer than she had estimated. ''How do we do this?''
''Do what?'' Draco asked, his voice soft and low as he focused on her soft lips.
''End up so close to each other's mouths all the time.'' Hermione could feel their faces moving closer and closer together as though they were opposite ends of magnets. Just as she was about to elaborate, her lips were brushing gently. Draco pushed her back gently and planted dozens of tiny butterfly kisses against her soft skin, never resting long enough until Hermione sighed and pulled him down to her mouth, not wanting to let him go. Their mouths opened and closed languorously, sharing truths that couldn't be spoken aloud.
Finally, they broke apart, their bodies so entwined that it seemed impossible to separate them. Neither bothered to try, remaining close to each other instead.
''I guess opposites attract.'' Hermione whispered, staring into his blue eyes.
''We're not that different.'' Draco wrapped a curl of her hair around his finger. ''We both know what we want, we both go out and get it, neither of us is afraid of a challenge, and we know when to hold onto a good thing.''
''Just our belief systems differentiating us then.'' Hermione gestured towards the Dark Mark that was vivid on his pale skin. ''I can't believe I'm doing this with someone who has that.''
''Hermione…''
''I don't want to talk about it Draco.'' Hermione pressed her fingers to his lips. ''We aren't going to agree, and it's going to be infinitely more difficult to get Blaise if we aren't able to talk.'' And I need to stay close to him, she told herself. For revenge, obviously. Not for any other reason that I'm refusing to acknowledge.
''Why would you carry on doing this if you don't agree with me?''
''Because that's an opposite thing.''
''Does that mean it attracts you that I…''
''No…it just means that I can justify doing this.'' Hermione laughed slightly, not wanting to say that was the truth, that was how she was denying her feelings.
''Because it scares you to say that we're similar?'' Draco smiled at her.
''I know it sounds stupid but…'' Hermione didn't even bother to try and deny it, scared at how easily Draco could read her. How he was able to notice things that very few other people noticed.
''Don't worry. I get you. It's too weird otherwise. You're Gryffindor, I'm Slytherin.'' Draco didn't even have to think about what he was saying, didn't have any kind of double motive in what he was saying, just saying what he knew to be true. ''We need to keep it this way, or everything's going to fall apart.''
''Right.'' Hermione nodded her head decisively. ''We're enemies who can tolerate each other for the time being, because of some freakish attraction. And once that passes, and I'm sure it will because it's just hormones, then we can go back to normal and none of this will ever matter.''
Draco grinned at her. ''Exactly.'' It would be weakness to tell her how he felt, he decided. Although, of course, he had no deep feelings for her. Just hormones, like she had said.
Hermione reached forward. ''My hormones are playing up again.''
Draco licked her lower lip and then kissed her. ''Excellent.''
Hermione felt his body on top of hers, lean and strong and forgot everything she had said, indulging her fantasy that things were normal. She was a normal girl, making out with her normal boyfriend who wasn't meant to be one of her worst enemies, and everything was going to be fine.
Draco cupped her face, feeling the hollows of her cheeks beneath his fingers. They still fought each other for control, trying to make the other gasp more often, each using every weapon in their arsenals to devastating effect.
Even later, Hermione was curled into Draco's body, smiling sleepily again. ''You were honestly allowed anything you wanted?''
''Yeah. I guess I was a little spoilt.''
''A little? Jeez, that's more than a little bit spoilt – letting a kid having everything he wanted.''
''Well I turned out OK. I just have to have everything I want.''
''Or you throw a tantrum?''
''Got it in one. Throw all my toys out of the pram.''
Hermione giggled and looked out of the window. The sun had long gone down and they were still lying on the carpet. ''We really should get up.''
''You nocturnal creature.''
''Well, we could start putting the plan into action now.''
''You reckon?''
''Why not? He'll be thrown even more off balance in the morning.''
''Cool, let's go.'' Draco stood up and began finding his clothes. ''Mione, how on earth did your knickers get inside my trousers?''
''Don't ask me.'' She snatched them back with a saucy smile. ''Ready?''
And within minutes they were walking along to the Slytherin common room, walking into the dormitory, and working their magic.
Leaving the room, Draco looped his arm around Hermione's waist and pulled her close. ''So what do you think he'll do when he wakes up?''
''Panic?'' Hermione winked up at him, and then giggled as quietly as she could as Draco swept her up, swung her round and then resumed stalking along the corridors as quietly as he could while keeping her a willing prisoner in his arms.
AN: There…wasn't that a quick update lol? So now I just need to work out what the revenge is going to be! I have a few ideas, but I definitely want to hear any suggestions that you have, so go nuts. Anyhoo, I hope you enjoyed that chapter, and I really hope you'll leave me a review. Let's do the stats, shall we? At the time of me writing this, 'the rain keeps pouring' has 119 reviews, 8875 hits, is on the favourite list of 37 people, and 68 people have put it on story alert. That's really sweet guys, thank you! And reviewers for the past two chapters have been : Enchanted-Princess, Dracoshott28, Hanna28, Cali'sOwnCaliGrown, Fnicks-Gurlz, Breezie, mhaj78, Cali4me92, onelife01, HarryPGinnyW4eva, ILOVERWHPDM, Pirateluver, Hollybaby 390, Amester, Crystal Slara, The Accountant's Daughter, sherrithewriter, Bella Luna Night and Xblackdragonx. Sorry if I missed anyone out, I really didn't mean to lol! Much love to everyone x x x