Hermione was worried. By the time her and Harry had made it out of the castle to head towards the pitch, so he could go fly, four Slytherins had been very pleasant to her. They greeted her without malice, no snide remarks, no scathing comments about her looks, and to top it off Crabbe and Goyle had held the doors open for both her and Harry.
Once they were far enough from the castle not to be heard Harry started walking backwards in front of her.
"Well Miss Granger," Harry grinned broadly. "seems I was right."
"Shut up." Hermione told him grinning right along with him. She couldn't help it. It actually felt good, and very odd at the same time. They had always gone out of their way to hiss harsh comments at her. Now they were going out of their way to be pleasant. It felt unnerving for the abrupt change in them. She was worried, no telling what they were truly after, and it was a little scary to say the least.
"Now, now. Be a good girl and play nicely." Harry teased.
Hermione glared at him. She felt responsible for feeding fuel to Harry's fire. He had picked things up to quickly. Harry had become an avid reader of certain books that her mother had sent her for him. She loved her parents dearly. They were so understanding, not to mention that Hermione knew her parents more than just dabbled into that lifestyle. They lived in it. Accidents do happen when you walk in on things unawares. It was just one of those facts of life. It was the summer after her third year when that had happened. Needless to say her mother had sat her down and given her a crash course on the lifestyle. It was hauntingly beautiful. She had always known her parents were deeply in love with each other. They gravitated around each other so perfectly. So when Harry started having other questions that was when she wrote her mother to explain the situation and now Harry had a treasure trove of books that he had been reading.
He was already using key words to elicit responses in her. They wouldn't go so far as to have sex with each other. She loved to tease Harry, and he teased her right back. She had a bond with Harry that even Ron wouldn't understand.
"No." She teased.
Harry stopped walking and his chest puffed out, and she watched as his face got that air of confidence again, and he narrowed his brows. He pulled his wand out and placed it on the side of her neck rubbed the wood along the muscle right where she was very sensitive.
"None of that now. You know better." He threatened with a scathing tone.
Hermione couldn't help it. That threat along with the hint of pleasure was driving her crazy. "Alright, you win. I'll be a good girl."
Harry smirked then threw his arm about her shoulders and kissed the side of her head. "You are so fun to play with."
"A little toy for your entertainment." She snickered.
They started walking to the pitch this way. She was feeling a lot better now. They had a way with each other for letting this side of their nature out to come play in a safe manner where they wouldn't hurt each other. The lines had been set up clearly and they both knew exactly where to stop.
She left Harry when he had playfully pushed her up to the stairs of the stands, and he entered into the pitch on the ground level. Hermione ascended the stairs and came out to where the seats were. After looking around she found a set of seats that didn't have anyone around them. She didn't feel up to chit chat, it was dreadfully dull to sit and talk about the weather and things that she felt utterly useless. When she had been younger, she would have sought out as much company as possible, now she gravitated to be left alone. She wanted topics that were meaningful and not just fluff.
Reaching into her bag, Hermione pulled out her copy of 'The Story of O', she started reading it yet again. She had read it quite a few times. It was one of her favorites. It had been written by a woman to her lover who had admired the works of Marquis de Sade. She smiled at the fact she had used this novel to start out her fantasies herself. O had been taken to the chateau of Roissy by her lover to be trained. Harry had guessed that the chaperone in her own fantasy had been O herself who had brought her to the castle.
Hermione read for about twenty minutes when she heard the giggling of girls not too far from her now.
"I bet he is to die for under those robes." Hannah said.
"Ginny would know all about that." Susan giggled. "I heard her tell Luna he has a tattoo."
Hermione wanted to snort out laughing on that one, but held herself in check. Harry had no tattoo, he had enough scars on his body. He felt a tattoo would be over doing things. She had found herself agreeing with him on that assessment. His scars were interesting enough, and she garnered a few of her own right along with him.
"Oh My God!" Hannah shouted.
Hermione put the down and looked out at the pitch. Her eyes sought out for Harry and saw him going into a dive, a very steep one at that. What was he doing?
"That was Pansy Parkinson that fell from that broom." Susan said.
Hermione stood and she saw Harry as he reached out and grabbed Pansy around her the waist and hoisted her up on his broom with him at the same time twisting at a tight angle leaving them a mere few feet off the ground. They were still flying but in a roll now as Harry hung onto her, and they finally tumbled onto the grass rolling over and over. Hermione grabbed her book and her bag and headed for the stairs and down them.
She felt a hand go around her waist and one clamp over her mouth as she was pulled back under the stairs. Her heart started pounding as the fear rose. Hermione's fighting instincts came out, and she started to struggle in the arms.
"Calm down Miss Granger. I'm not going to hurt you." Draco said into her ear.
Hermione was angry now that she knew who had her. She threw her head back to make contact with the taller teen. She ended up hitting his shoulder.
"Stop this. Just listen." Draco hissed. "Pansy likes Potter. She sat that whole thing up to fall off that broom."
Hermione struggled with the anger that was there. This was Draco of all people who had grabbed her like that.
"She knew you would rush over as soon as you saw what was happening. I am merely holding you back for a bit, she black mailed me into doing this. She's my best friend Miss Granger. You know how far you go when you have a friend who means everything to you."
Hermione's mind was running non stop. Draco Malfoy, helping his best friend to catch Harry his enemy. What had gotten into the Slytherins? This is crazy. He called me Miss Granger twice. There wasn't any malice in his voice either only concern.
Hermione went slack in his arms.
"I am sorry for grabbing you that way. I had to catch you off guard because I didn't want to hurt you. Believe me Miss Granger. If I could have found a different way of doing it, I would have." Draco insisted.
He moved his hand from her mouth.
"She really likes Harry that much?" Hermione asked.
Draco snorted out a laugh. "She got me into helping her. Yes, Miss Granger. She likes Potter, that much. I am willing to call a truce, and I'll even go as far as taking everything back that I ever said about you and Potter if it means her happiness."
Hermione noticed he still hadn't let her go, but he wasn't exactly holding her to firmly either now. She closed her eyes and thought about what he had said. She would have done the same thing if Harry had asked.
"Alright Malfoy." Hermione told him.
Hermione heard the sigh of relief he had let out.
"Thank you Miss Granger."
Hermione eased out of his arms now that he fully dropped them to his sides. She turned around and looked up at him. She could see they still held concern as he looked at her.
"What?" She asked.
"You are the understanding one. I am not sure how Weasley is going to be about this." Draco said seriously.
"Ron?" Hermione growled out. "He'll pull his notoriously selfish side up in a rage and storm away from Harry yet again. He's done it to many times to count. That is the way he is."
Hermione watched as Draco crossed his arms and leaned back on the wood under the stairs, his grey eyes still concerned.
"You don't like Weasley very much now." Draco stated.
Hermione moved over to where there was a cross section and sat down on the wood and dropped her bag down.
"Ron's an ass. He's selfish. He never really wanted me around Harry. Over the last few weeks he's become near impossible to be around." Hermione couldn't believe she was actually telling this to Draco Malfoy of all people.
"Will he try and hurt either of you for this, if things work out?" Draco asked.
Hermione became pensive. Ron's anger was volatile. She wouldn't put it past him to hex one of them. Hermione looked back up at Draco.
"Hexing or cursing might happen. Not sure if it will be at me or Harry though. It might be directed else where." Hermione told him.
Draco smiled at her a little. "Don't worry about us Slytherins. Pansy has more than myself watching her back while she is trying to catch Potter. It is you and Potter, whom we can't exactly keep watch over once you two are in the common rooms."
Hermione had an odd feeling run through her. Well, it had felt strange, to think that the Slytherins were worried about retaliation if things did work out between Pansy and Harry. They had even gone so far as to put things together and even further so it seemed. In Gryffindor, that had never really planned anything, they had jumped with both feet in and rode the ride until it stopped. It was thrilling not knowing the possible outcome. This was a side of Slytherin, she hadn't seen. It was a protective side.
