DISCLAIMER: I own nothing but the obvious new characters and the plot.
Some minor interaction between Draco and Hermione could cause them to consider otherworldly possibilities...? A little emotional roller coaster ride for the readers as quite a few perspectives are thrown into this chapter. Looking forward to some reviews with your opinions! :)
General POV
The swaying of the train as it traveled on its path, gently rocked Draco into a light slumber. The door slid open and Hermione popped her head in. Seeing him asleep, she tried quietly to walk in but failed miserably as she tripped over his foot, landing ungracefully on one knee. He awoke confused. Glancing down at the person in front of him, he smiled.
"A little clumsy today are we, Granger?" He smirked.
"So we're back to last names now, are we?" she grinned back.
"Old habits die hard, don't you know?"
"So I've heard."
They laughed as Hermione straightened up and dusted off her robes.
"Oh, hey, thanks for the watch, by the way." He grabbed his wrist to show her. "It's very nice. I feel really awful, though because I didn't have a chance to get you anything." He frowned.
"No, please don't feel bad. Honestly, it was my pleasure. So don't worry about it. Besides-" She sat down across from him. "-we never agreed to get each other presents, or anything, did we? Like I said in the note, I saw it and it reminded me of you. I mean the Serpent has Slytherin written all over it, for Merlin's sake and, coincidently, your favorite color IS green. It just seemed… perfect." She smiled.
He beamed. After all, he wasn't used to getting presents from people because they simply 'wanted to'. He was a Malfoy; things were given to him because people feared him and his family. The change of pace was welcomed, however, and he was truly grateful to have made amends with someone as special as the girl sitting across from him. She really is special. Just then, the compartment door slid open once again to reveal a very pouty Pansy behind it. Draco groaned. Ugh, now what?
"Drakey!" She crooned. "I've missed you so much, my darling! Did you get my Christmas present? I still haven't received yours ybade iced, wicked boy. I see you ditched that transfer whore. Well done! She was so disgustingly trashy-" She looked at Hermione with slightannoyance, as if the girl were eavesdropping on a very private conversation between herself and 'her Draco'. "-What are YOU doing in here, Granger? Havent you got other halfbreeds to muddy up with your presence? Oh my goodness, the nerve- Don't you know that Purebloods like us don't mix with YOUR kind? "
Hermione sighed. "Pansy, I'm Head girl, where ELSE am I supposed to be?" She asked nonchalantly, trying not to show that she was getting severely upset. The fact that this spoiled, ignorant brat was referring to one of her close friends as a whore, struck a nerve deep within Hermione. How dare she talk about Aly like that?
"How the hell should I know where you're supposed to be? Do I look like I would stoop so low as to care where a dirty mudblood like you belongs?" Pansy stated matter-of-factly. "Such insolence! Honestly, haven't you've learned your place by now?"
Draco seethed. "PANSY, THAT'S ENOUGH! Just STOP talking! Stop your nonsense about Aly AND Hermione! Just STOP!" He let out a long and frustrated sigh and then looked at Pansy with an angry expression Hermione never saw on him before. "SHE-" Draco pointed to Hermione. "-is the Head girl! Has that fact not sunk into to that beady lil' brain of yours? You DO realize she can give you a week's worth of detention just for talking to her like that, yeah?"
Pansy looked aghast. "But, Drakey… surely, you wouldn't allow-"
Draco interrupted. "Oh, yes… I most definitely would! Maybe it'll teach you to learn when to keep your at bay."
Hermione smiled. "That sounds like a good idea, actually, Draco. Miss Parkinson, a week's worth of detention for disrespecting the Head girl AND 50 points from Slytherin for speaking so poorly of a fellow house mate! Maybe that'll cool off that sewer drain you call a mouth. I suggest thinking long and hard about what you say before running that dim-witted flap of yours again in the future!"
Pansy whimpered, surprised and angry.
"And on another note…" Hermione continued. "… 'DRAKEY' is dating Alatriel, in case you haven't noticed! Aren't you just a little embarrassed by your unendurable, clingy behavior? It's pretty pathetic, honestly. Not to mention the irony of it all; you dare to call her a whore yet you prance about like the common tart, hanging all over another girl's boyfriend. Look in the mirror prior to hurling around insults at someone." She looked at the pug-faced girl before her. Pathetic... "You know what? I think I actually pity you, Pansy. You're childish, uneducated, rude, and not to mention ignorant. You, Miss Parkinson, are completely clueless! Grow up!"
Pansy stared wide-eyed at Hermione, unsure what, if anything, she could say in response. For once, she was utterly speechless. "HMMMPH!" She flipped her hair and stormed out of the compartment.
He glanced over at the curly brunette, dumbfounded. "Hermione… That was incredible!" He chortled. "But… 50 points?... I would've taken 100."
She chuckled. "Honestly… it took all of my energy not to deduct anymore than that; she really pissed me off! But I knew that would've been way too drastic. I can't go around bending the rules just because someone infuriates me."
"Understandable. But, that DID look like fun. How about letting me deal with the next student that steps out of line… especially if it's a Gryffindor?" He joked.
Hermione laughed. "Sure. Ow." She leaned over to check her leg.
"What's wrong?" Draco asked, concerned.
"Nothing major, I just must've bruised my knee when I made my entrance." She chuckled nervously.
"Let me take a look at it." He scooted forward on the seat and leaned close to her leg. One hand softly molding into the back of her knee, lifting it upwards while the other hand slowly slid the end of her skirt up slightly so that he could get a better look in the light.
The contact made Hermione shiver a little and suddenly her one grounded leg could no longer hold her weight. She placed a hand on his shoulder to keep her balance. Oh, my... Years of playing Quidditch really did a job well done. His shoulders are so firm...mi bet he could lift me up with ease if he wanted...
Shut it!
Sorry, sorry.
"It doesn't look too bad, Granger. We could conjure up some ice to put on it and you're good to go." He said confidently, slowly bringing her skirt and knee back down. Her skin is so soft...
Honestly, Draco...
What? It IS! It's not my fault, it's just an observation!
Just get a grip, will you?
Alright, already!
Hermione smiled down at him. "Thanks."
"No worries." He smiled back.
Just as Hermione removed her hand from his shoulder, a sudden turbulent patch on the tracks caused the train to lurch forward; both students collided into each other. They tumbled onto the seat with Hermione half-straddling half-kneeling on Draco's lap. When the train leveled out, the two pairs of eyes met. Gray bore into brown with such intensity that Hermione let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. There's so much power behind those wonderful eyes. She thought.
He didn't know how long they had stood the way that they did but he was drawn to those honey colored eyes. He couldn't move. This is wrong Draco! You may have been with plenty of girls but never at one time! You didn't cheat on any of them! Think of Aly, Draco! He dropped his gaze.
Clearing his throat and gaining back his composure, he placed his hands on her shoulders and gentlystraightened her up. "You alright, there, Hermione?" He then straightened up and brushed off his own robes.
She looked away shyly, embarrassed almost. "Yes. Yes, I'm okay. How about you?"
"Good. Good. Never better. Your knee alright?" He asked, rather quickly.
"It's fine, I landed on the other one this time." She Joked.
He returned her smile with a warm one of his own.
The two spent the remainder of the ride in an awkward silence.
The Hogwarts Express reached its destination and the students de-boarded. Many of them were glad to be off of the train. Each of the students grabbed their belongings and filed into their respective house lines; Prefects leading the way. Hermione and Draco strolled up to their Head's common room. He stalked through his bedroom portrait and dropped carelessly onto the bed. With his face in the pillow he let out a muffled grunt. After a few seconds of silence he turned over and looked up at the ceiling.
What am I going to do?
What do you mean?
I mean what in bloody hell am I going to DO?
Yeah, that cleared it up nicely for me, thank you.
Ugh! You know what I'm talking about!
Obviously not…
HERMIONE! What am I going to do about her?
I wasn't aware that something needed to be done. After all, you DID say you were with Aly. You also said that Hermione was just going to be your FRIEND. If memory serves me, 'That's that'. Remember?
Don't be stupid! Of course I remember! She just slipped into my thoughts again. You saw what happened! I mean, there seemed to be some kind of moment there…
Seemed like it to me.
So what do I do?
We've already been down this road before. Change the bloody record!
ALRIGHT! I'll kick her out of my head.
That worked so well last time.
"UGH, SHUT UP!" He shouted. It was plain and simple. All he had to do was get Hermione out of his head.
"How hard could that be?" He asked himself.
There was a knock on the door in the common room below. Draco climbed off of his bed and went to see who it was. He opened it to find Aly smiling happily on the other side.
"Hey, baby!" She threw her arms around his neck.
"Hey, Aly. I missed you."
"Aww. I missed you too, sexy." She leaned in and kissed him.
He held onto her waist with both of his hands; kissing her back, passionately. Just then Hermione descended the stairs and glanced in their direction. Her expression was unreadable. They should really be doing that in the privacy of their own quarters. She thought. Oh, come on, Hermione. Get a grip. It's obvious that they missed each other. Let them have their moment. Besides, you have no right to feel jealous.
I'm not jealous! I'm just stating the facts! Stuff like THAT should be done in private, in one's own room, not in the common room!
Oh, really? I'm sorry, were you not the one snogging Ron like that in this very common room only a couple of weeks before? Because if it wasn't you, I'm afraid we have two problems on our hands. One, you have a Doppleganger. And two, she's running around smooching your boyfriend.
Don't get snippy! Fine. That WAS me. But that was different!
How so?
Because…
Yeah?
UGH! ALRIGHT ALREADY! I AM a little jealous, okay! I know I shouldn't be because I have Ron. And Draco's with Aly… Oh, Merlin… Draco's with ALY!
Oh, didn't you know?
SHUT UP! Oh, no, oh no, oh no no no no! I can't have feelings for my close friend's boyfriend!
Caught that, did you?
What am I going to do?
Absolutely nothing, that's what! Poor Ron! You really aught to be a little ashamed of yourself, Hermione.
I know… I'm so horrible!
There, there, now. Relax. You're not horrible. You haven't done anything to be so hard on yourself about. Just cut it out. Now. Before it becomes something of an issue, for real!
Yes, precisely. I'll just STOP having feelings for Draco. Simple enough.
That a girl!
Draco looked over to where Hermione stood. Something in him stirred and he felt, for a moment, like he was doing something wrong. He felt guilty. Nervously, he ended their kiss and cleared his throat to indicate to Aly that someone was there. She glanced in the direction he motioned to.
"HERMIONE!" Aly screamed excitedly. She ran over to the curly brunette. "I missed you so much, girl!" They hugged.
There was an ache in Hermione's heart and she hugged her friend tighter. "I missed you too, Aly! How was your holiday?"
"It was great!" She released her from the embrace. "I wrote a letter to my parents and they wrote back! Can you believe it?"
Draco made his way over to the girls. "They did? That's wonderful!" He smiled.
"Yeah, that's fantastic!" Hermione chimed in, happily.
Aly grinned from ear to ear. She threw her arms around both her friend and her boyfriend. "I'm so happy to have you guys in my life! Really! I'm so lucky!"
Both smiled genuinely at her. Something shiny on Draco's wrist caught Aly's eyes.
"Oh wow! Cool watch, babe! Is that a Christmas gift?"
Draco nodded, uneasily.
"Nice! Who from?" she asked.
Hermione grew nervous. Draco tilted his head towards her. "Hermione gave it to me." He stated, as passively as he could.
Aly looked at her friend and grinned. "'Great minds think alike, right, Mimi?" She said, jabbing her with an elbow.
Both Draco and Hermione let out a breath that they had no idea they were holding in. Thankfully, no one noticed. Hermione nodded.
"Alright! Let's get down to the Great Hall for dinner! I am STAR-VING!" Aly exclaimed as she released her two favorite people and headed for the door. The two soon followed closely behind.
Ron had chosen to leave his unpacking for later. As always, procrastination was his specialty. With the sudden growl that his stomach produced, he decided to find Hermione and get down to dinner, needing desperately to ease the hunger pains within him.
With the corridors being so crowded, he found it difficult to get by without accidently bumping into people. All of a sudden and with no warning there was a BAM followed instantly by a THUD.
He apologized as he looked down at the person he crashed into. Having landed on her bum, Luna dropped the pile of Quibbler magazines that she was holding. They flew everywhere along with a few Spectrespecs, one of which had fallen off of her face.
"Oh, bloody hell, sorry Luna! I didn't see you there." He helped her up and began picking up some of the booklets.
"It's quite alright, Ronald. I'm afraid I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. So, really, I should be the one apologizing." She said laid-back, also trying to retrieve the Quibblers off of the floor.
He smiled at her. "Don't be silly, I should've dodged out of the way. Anyway, I have to go, Luna, but you're sure you're alright?"
"Yes. I'm quite fine, thank you." She reached for the last magazine just as Ron's fingers gripped it.
Their hands touched and Luna blushed, remembering her very vivid daydream on the train. She attempted not to make eye contact. Ron noticed this and it confused him. She's never been the type to shy away from someone like that. And why is she blushing? That's strange even for her… Although… She looks so pretty when she blushes… I don't think I've ever really noticed that about her before. Bloody, hell… Luna's actually kind of nice to look at. He cleared his throat. "Well, See ya later, Luna." He handed her the magazine.
"Are you looking for Hermione?" she asked placing it on the top of her pile before he walked away.
"Yeah, actually."
"She's down in the Great Hall with Aly and Draco. I ran into them a little while ago as they were heading there."
"Thanks. Saves me a trip, eh?" He asked rhetorically.
She smiled. "Would you mind if I walked down with you?"
"Not at all. Come on, then."
The two walked side by side.
"So, how was your holiday, Luna?
"Fine, thank you. Father and I went to Sweden to research more on the Crumple-Horned Snorkack. We didn't find any, though. They're very intelligent creatures, you know? That's why they've been able to elude humans for so long."
Ron smiled. "That sounds cool. What else did you do?"
Luna looked up at him, perplexed. "Ronald, you don't have to make small talk with me if you don't want to. I know you're really not interested in any of my findings. It's okay. I'm used to it." She concluded with her usual dottiness.
Ron frowned. "No, honestly, I really want to know about how you spent your holiday."
She smiled, clutching the stack of magazines close to her chest. "Really?"
"Sure. I bet it was tons more exciting than what we did at home."
"Well, I don't know about that. But we did befriend a couple of vampires on our journey."
"You did?" He exclaimed. "Wow! What were they like?"
She grew pensive for a moment before answering. "Hmm. Well, they were sort of bitey at first. We came across them while they were hunting deer. But they soon became quite comfortable around us. One of them even gave me a fang as a present." She stopped walking. "See?" She held up a necklace with a sizeable tooth attached to it. "Harold, the male vampire, said he got it during the war. Tore it off one of the vampires from Voldemort's side himself."
"Wicked!" He held the fang in his hand, accidently grazing the exposed skin below Luna's collar bone with his knuckles. He felt a jolt creep up his spine.
Luna blushed violently, smiling shyly at Ron. They held each other's gaze for what seemed like hours until someone bumped into Luna, catching her off guard.
"Oy, Finnigan, Watch where ya going, mate. This isn't the Quidditch pitch, yeah?" Ron called out, his voice sounding annoyed.
"Sorry, mate! I'm trying to get down to the Hall before all the good food's taken!" Seamus called back.
"Oh, right! Come on, Luna, we don't wanna be the last ones there, either!" He said, gently grabbing her arm and pulling her along.
Luna smiled. He really does love to eat. I bet Hermione will spend plenty of time in the kitchen making him food when they're married. The thought made her frown the minute she realized the inevitability of Ron marrying Hermione. Well, that's the way the cookie crumbles, I suppose. At least I'll always have those daydreams. A small smile formed on her pink face.
Down in the Great Hall, the typical clinks of goblets and scrapes from forks and knives on plates can be heard under the constant drone of several conversations going on at once. Everyone seemed happy to be back with their friends at Hogwarts.
Ginny and Harry had walked into the Hall together. In fact, they have been practically inseparable since they started dating. It was evident that they loved each other dearly. They sat in their usual spot at the Gryffindor table where Hermione, Aly and Draco were already serving themselves dinner. Ginny's stomach flipped at the sight of Aly. She sat across from her with Harry sitting beside her. Everyone greeted each other; some through mouthfuls.
"Ron! Finish chewing your food first!" Ginny scolded.
There were a few laughs and Aly excused herself from the table to go to the bathroom. Ginny snuck a glance at her as she left. Here's my chance. If I'm going to find out what these feelings are all about, it has to be now! She stood up slowly and walked out of the Hall to the girl's lavatory. Inside, she checked to see if there was anyone else in there besides her target. Nope. No one else here. I'll simply lock the door and wait for Aly to come out. There was a flush and the door to the last stall opened. Aly came into view and walked over to the sink.
"Hey, there, Minx." Aly smiled as she washed her hands in the sink, spotting her in the mirror.
"Hey." Ginny said, walking closer to the brunette.
Aly turned around and was stopped by a pair of piercing brown eyes mere inches from her own.
"Whoa. Hey, what's up, Lil Red?" Aly asked unsure.
Ginny couldn't control herself. She wrapped her arms around Aly's neck and pulled the brunette into a fierce kiss. Aly wasn't expecting this. And she definitely wasn't expecting it to be such a powerful one. She didn't know exactly how to handle the situation and didn't want to embarrass the red-head, so she just let Ginny continue. Ginny, on the other hand, didn't feel what she was expecting to feel. She had assumed that kissing Aly would spark a fire in her, the way her body burned when she felt Harry's lips. The kiss, though exciting and very nice, was just that; a kiss. It was not as special as she had imagined it would be. She slipped her tongue into Aly's mouth, supposing the addition would fuel something, anything within her. She was surprised (and relieved) to feel the other girl's tongue join in dance within. But nothing flared. At this point, even though Aly enjoyed this little battle for dominance, she brought back her will power to stop the situation from getting any further.
Gently cupping Ginny's face with her hands, she pushed it from her own and looked into the red-head's eyes. "What's going on, Minx?" she asked quietly; smiling apologetically, as to not frighten the younger girl away.
Ginny saddened at the realization of what she just did. She backed into the wall behind her and slid down the length of it till she was sitting with her knees to her chest. Silently, she began to cry. Aly grew worried. She didn't know what to do. She was confused by the girl's odd behavior but she saw how it affected her as well. Walking over to the red-head, she crouched down to her level and placed a friendly arm around her shoulders.
"What's wrong, Ginny? Talk to me. Tell me what's going on in that beautiful head of yours, huh?"
Ginny looked up at her. Her tear-streaked face smiling sadly at the compliment. "I'm so sorry, Aly. I just had to see…The truth is, I've been having some incredibly confusing feelings about you for a very long time. Normally, I'm totally fine and don't think about you often. But, whenever you're around, my stomach flips and… and… my body gets really hot… I… I start to get feelings… like I want to kiss you… touch you… and… oh, it's so embarrassing that I'm telling you all of this…" She frowned, tears still sliding down her cheeks.
"Aw, Gin. Don't feel embarrassed, hun. You were just curious, I'm sure. I mean, you still love Harry don't you?"
Ginny nodded, guiltily.
"Well, there you go, doll! You LOVE Harry, not me! I was just something new and exciting. I'm just a little different than what you're used to. I bet the kiss wasn't even all that great, right?" she joked.
Ginny laughed. "Well, you're an excellent kisser, actually… but no… no, I didn't feel anything close to what Harry makes me feel." She replied, in truth.
Aly smiled. "See, Lil Red? It was something you just needed to get out of your system, to clear things up in your head. Okay? You did it. You got your answer and you know now what you had known all along."
The red-head looked at her questioningly.
"That you and Harry belong together!" Aly replied, in earnest.
Ginny smiled, understanding exactly what the brunette meant. "Oh, Merlin, you're right! Oh, but…. I kissed you… that's still going to be awkward, isn't it? I'm mean, I'm dating Harry Potter but here I am snogging the transfer student! What would people think about me, if they found out?"
"I won't tell if you won't. Besides, you said it yourself, I didn't make you feel anything like Harry makes you feel, right? We'll just pretend it never happened. How's that?"
She nodded happily and hugged the brunette in front of her. "Thank you, Aly. You really are a great friend! And I'm so sorry I put you in that predicament. I'm so happy we can still be friends and that I didn't ruin anything between us!"
Aly smiled into Ginny's shoulder. "No, Red. You didn't ruin anything. Don't worry about it." She pulled away gently. "Now, let's get back to all that delicious food, AMIRIGHT?"
Ginny chuckled as she wiped away any remnants of tears from her face and nodded in agreement. The two stood up and Ginny led the way out of the bathroom. Aly smiled behind her. Maybe Ginny has the right idea. She thought. Maybe I should take initiative in seeing what these feelings for Siren lead to... I can just do it! Put it all out there, like Ginny did!
She followed the younger girl out. But, what if it's not as simple as what just happened. What if I don't like the answer I get out of it?
The bathroom door shut behind them.
AN: So... Tell me what you think! You're likes and dislikes! Please review. Thanks :)