A/N : Nearly 5000 words, hopefully the length makes up for the amount of time it took to get this chapter out.
Not feeling so great right now.
This story is almost done. I have about four or five chapters planned until it's finished. I do have an idea for a sequel though... Just taking an interest check: If I wrote a sequel to this story, would you read it?
Replies at the end of the chapter.
Disclaimer : Disclaimed.
When she woke up the next morning she felt refreshed and relaxed. The sun was streaming happily through her chamber windows and it looked like it would be a lovely day. She stayed motionless in her bed for a few moments, an easy smile on her face, before taking a moment to stretch and then slide out of her bed. With a yawn she stretched again and then took a moment to glance at her clock. Ten. That gave her more than enough time to get ready.
In all honesty, she had almost entirely forgotten her row with her friends, her mind completely preoccupied with the day to come. She was quite curious what this surprise would be, and, as she changed out of her night clothes into some comfortable day clothes, she dedicated her thoughts to figuring it out. Her efforts were fruitless, however, and she quickly gave up, instead directing all of her attention to the task at hand: altering her appearance.
With a critical sigh, she examined her reflection in the large mirror in her room, searching her reflection for a source of inspiration. She was fairly pleased with what she saw. She hadn't 'blossomed' magically over the summer like many of her year were quick to think; no, she had developed at a steady pace throughout the years, her curves hidden underneath her baggy robes. She, unlike a certain Pansy Parkinson and other nameless female students, was not inclined to magically alter he clothing to be more form fitting and revealing. No. She was not at the school to flash, flirt with, or show off her body to the immature male population. She was here to learn. To be the best. And being the best did not require miniskirts, flashy makeup, or six inch heels.
Even though she didn't change all that much over the summer physically (besides growing an inch or two, to her pleasure), she did change slightly in the mental aspect of recognizing her femininity. After seeing the boy she liked thoroughly snogging a distant 'friend' of hers, she realized that just because boys weren't the main focus of her education didn't mean that it would do any harm to tidy herself up a bit and turn a few heads.
It was surprisingly easy to reach the desire affect. A bit of research on curly hair care, a quick trim, a thorough brushing, and a bit of hair care product later, her usually bushy mane of hair was tamed. It was still massive and thick, a mane any lion would envy, but it was no longer matted and frizzy, the chocolate curls now defined and smooth and glossy. A little bit of makeup also worked wonders. She didn't cake of several layers like that- that tart Lavender Brown did. No, she didn't quite find her face melting in the hot sun desirable. So her makeup was always light, just a tiny bit to emphasize her best features: a bit of eyeliner, some lip balm or gloss, sometimes even blush if she felt up to it. She also recognized that her robes and school uniform was more conservative than a nun's, and, with a graceful flick of her wand, made the baggy and ill-fitted clothing more comfortable and more flattering to her form.
Little changes. Tiny, almost insignificant changes, that made a world of difference when it came to the attention given to her by her classmates. She hadn't changed, all it had taken was a minuscule amount of elbow grease to perfect an all ready pristine ruby.
So, when people, especially boys and people who called themselves her friends, said that she had really 'blossomed' over the summer, she couldn't help but sigh in dissatisfaction. Were people really that unobservant? So much that her own 'friends' hadn't realized the changes that had occurred with her over the years until it was painfully obvious? In a strange way, it stung.
And so when she gazed in her reflection in the mirror, she was somewhat hesitant to change it. She liked her hair, her eyes, her figure. She favored her height, her clothes, and her skin tone. All previous doubts about herself were non-exsistant. She liked who she was right now and she didn't want to change it, not even for a secret meeting with her pen-pal, a person she didn't even (really) know.
Well... she thought logically, there's an idea in itself. Deviation... he's obviously expecting me to change my appearance, right? So wouldn't it be the safest to go as myself? I mean, he specifically asked me to change my looks, so he won't be expecting my looks to actually be my appearance. Therefore, going as myself would probably through him off a bit when it comes to trying to figure out who I am. It makes perfect sense! He'll see me, think that it's my appearance that's being mimicked by me, so won't think that I'm actually me. Brilliant!
With a wide grin she set her wand down on her dresser and grabbed a nearby book, settling onto her bed to read for a while until it was time for her to go.
.:-------------:.
Her eyes immediately searched the courtyard as she stepped out of the castle that was her home for almost nine months of the year.
She had departed from her quarters only twenty or twenty-five minutes ago, making the long trek from the Heads' tower to the ground floor in record time. She had sighed in relief when she discovered the Head Boy wasn't lounging about in the common room; he'd have surely given her trouble and made her late. However... she had begun to notice that the Head Boy was acting rather odd... rather... civil. Not that she was complaining, it was just out of character for the usually cold, rude, and demeaning Head Boy to treat her almost politely, almost as if he considered her... an equal. It was odd, but she didn't spend more than a moment thinking of it. She was preoccupied thinking about the day to come. It was a good thing that the corridors were relatively empty, for she would have surely run into more than a few people with all the day-dreaming she was doing.
Perhaps while... hanging out... No, that didn't sound right, not to her. They weren't just 'hanging out'. Hanging out was for casual buddies. He barely knew her yet had seriously comforted her in her time of- oh goodness, how she hated to admit such a wimpy, feminine, fairy tale thing -need, and then had asked her out on a... date? It wasn't a date, was it? Well, it sort of is. She reasoned with herself. I mean I'll be alone, and he'll be alone, and we'll be alone... together. And we'll be doing something he planned out to cheer me up, a surprise, and we'll be doing whatever he planned out alone together. Right. Right... So that doesn't make it a date, does it?
She had no more time to dedicate to her whirling thoughts, instead focusing on finding her... not-date. The day was favorable, the blue sky unmarred by a single wispy cloud, the sun bright and warm. The air was generally still, with only an occasional weak breath of breeze to blow the curls from her eager face.
It was not difficult to spot her target; the courtyard was entirely empty besides him and her. Even so, she was slightly hesitant to approach. What if it wasn't Deviation? What if Deviation was running a smidge late and it was just some other student who was relaxing outside? What if it wasn't him and she said hey and made a total fool of herself? She wished forlornly that they had agreed on some... secret word or something to identify each other with.
A moment later she couldn't help but feel slightly ridiculous at her thoughts. Why on earth was she so nervous?!
Pushing away her out of character timid thoughts, she confidently made her way towards the familiar white-blond head. She couldn't help but notice the irony in the situation; the person she was most anxious to meet at the moment just so happened to have transfigured his features to appear like one of her worst rivals.
"Clever of you to make yourself look like Draco Malfoy."
He whirled around, obviously startled by her sudden presence. The shock on his face quickly snapped to the cold, emotionless mask she often associated with Malfoy, but as he took in her own appearance his features softened into a smirk.
"I could say the same to you." His voice was soft and deep, much unlike the rather high pitched, irritating, somewhat nasally voice she had come to recognize Malfoy by.
She blushed slightly before grinning and shrugging modestly. "Transfiguration?"
"Eh... Sort of." He rose from his seated position on the fountain's edge and grabbed something from the ledge. "A more advanced form of the polyjuice potion."
"Impolym?"
He grinned cheekily in response and began to walk away, throwing a casual 'you coming?' over his shoulder at her.
"But that's banned at Hogwarts!" She protested, racing after him. His legs were long and she had to work a bit to keep up. "How did you manage to get a hold of it?"
It was his turn to shrug. "I had to visit the Hospital Wing for a quick fix-me-up. Pomphrey left for a while to get some food from the kitchens and while she was gone I nicked it from her store-cupboards."
She rolled her eyes disapprovingly but didn't comment on his thieving ways. "Why would Madame Pomphrey have have a potion like that, why not Snape?"
He looked at her strangely. "I don't know, I don't really ask old people about their storage habits."
She couldn't help but let out a small laugh before lapsing into a comfortable silence. She took the pause in conversation to examine him from the corner of her eye. If anything was true, Draco Malfoy certainly had grown up over the years. She snickered to herself; if anyone had 'blossomed' over the summer, it was the youngest Malfoy. He wasn't the small, scrawny, shrimpy little boy she had grown up loathing. No, he had definitely grown into his own. He wasn't as buff and largely muscled as Seamus or a certain Blaise Zabini, but the firm muscles of his arms and the broadness of his shoulders were nothing to laugh at. If she had to categorize him, she would say that he most resembled a runner; his build was tall and lean and firm. Probably from all those years of Quidditch.
She must've been staring for a long time or had been staring in a less than discreet manner, for his soft voice jarred her from her scrutiny.
"What're you staring at?" He didn't sound cold or angry, merely curious.
"Of all the people in Hogwarts you could've transformed into, you chose Malfoy?"
Something flashed in his eyes, but before she could identify it, it disappeared and he chuckled. "What can I say? I felt like being sexy for the day."
She laughed right along with him. Giving her surroundings a brief once over, she discovered she still had no clue as to what the surprise for the day was going to be. "So what're we doing today?"
"Where do people go when they have this?" He stopped and looked at her incredulously, holding out what he had grabbed from the fountain's ledge when he had first stood up.
It was a broom.
As in a broomstick.
As in the flying type.
Not the safe, muggle, sweeping broom.
Oh, no.
It was a broom.
She felt faint. "You're joking, right?" She managed to squeak out, wide-eyed.
He raised a fair brow at her. "Nope." He continued walking.
That's why she couldn't recognize her surroundings! They were heading towards the Quidditch pitch! The one place that she undisputedly avoided above all else like the plague.
"B-b-but!" She spluttered, jogging after him. "We can't go flying!"
"And why not?" He replied, sounding somewhat amused.
"Because!" She declared indignantly.
He chuckled, a low rumble that sent curious tingles up her spine. "Because?"
They were now standing feet away from one of the many entrances to the Quidditch pitch and he was looking at her expectantly. Through the entrance she could see that the Quidditch Pitch, like the rest of the school, seemed to be deserted.
She pursed her lips, crossed her arms in front of her chest, and avoided his gaze. "Idunnohow." She murmured under her breath.
He stared at her. "Pardon?"
She sighed and looked up at him sheepishly. "Flying. I don't know how to."
"Seriously?"
"... Yeah."
He looked like he was trying hard not to laugh.
"I thought, y'know," he snickered, "that all first years had flying classes?"
She huffed. "Those classes were optional after first year! I don't know... I just never learned how. The broom never listened to me. I can't fly." She had looked away by this time, feeling rather down. Here she was thinking that this was going to be a grand day, yet she had accidentally ruined it with her lack of skill. Exhaling unhappily, she looked up and opened her mouth to apologize for ruining their day when she noted his expression with surprise. Emotion looked odd on the face of Draco Malfoy, especially after being in numerous classes every year with him and getting used to the stony mask that wore. But the expression wasn't just odd, it was also uplifting in an abstract way. The body of Draco Malfoy was looking at her with fierce determination spread across his face.
"Well then today I'm teaching you to fly."
She flushed and tried to explain better, obviously he wasn't understanding what she was saying. "No, no, you don't understand. I'm more likely to kill myself while in the presence of a broomstick than to float two inches off the ground. Me plus flying equals a health hazard to avoid at all costs. I'm unteachable! My best friends are Quidditch fanatics and even they can't teach me."
He scoffed. "They must be really shitty teachers then. There's no such thing as 'unteachable'. If you've got the will, you can do it. Now quit your bitchin' and let's go." He accompanied his last statement with a grin, and, even though she had a bad feeling about this in the pit of her stomach, she complied with his demands.
The large stadium was empty, the pitch nearly echoing with dead silence. The six large metal hoops glinted in the sunlight and the flags on top of the stands fluttered faintly in the sporadic breeze. Deviation had thrown his broom over his shoulder and was walking towards center field. She followed him hesitantly. The grass was lush and green under her feet and reminded her of golfer's grass or maybe even American football turf from the muggle world. Now she could imagine why people enjoyed playing Quidditch so much. She could only just imagine the thrill of being in the middle of this huge field, having thousands of people cheer you on. It must be exhilarating.
They were now in the center of the large stadium and while she was busy examining her surrounds, he had mounted his broom. With a slightly impatient clear of his throat he captured her attention. She merely stared at him with wide eyes.
He sighed and beckoned her forwards. "Come here." He spoke gently to her and reached out a pale hand towards her.
Hesitantly she walked over to him, taking his hand in hers. It was surprisingle warm to the touch. She had associated Malfoy with coldness and had almost thought that perhaps even his skin would be cold as well. It was a silly thought, but it seemed justified in her mind. She tried to hide her surprise, thinking about it logically. Of course his hand would be warm, Draco Malfoy was human after all. Even if he did act like a cruel little demon. The thought surprised and disgusted her. I chastise him for acting all high and mighty, yet here I am being just as judgmental.
"Good job, only took you about to hours." He commented with a light, sarcastic tone, snapping her out of her thoughts.
She grinned at him sheepishly. "Sorry, bit nervous is all." She apologized, glancing warily at the broomstick.
"Don't worry about it," he said, pulling her closer, "I won't let you fall. Now come a bit closer. A little more. Little more. Look, you can't get on the bloody broom from three feet away. There we go! Now, swing your leg over... No, you don't want to be facing backwards. Other way. Yeah. There you go!"
After a good seven minutes of fumbling, her face was a dark cherry red. She was properly mounted on the broom with him sitting right behind her.
"Now here. Take your hand-" he took one of her hands in his, "-and hold the handle like so." He placed her hand on the smooth wood and kept his hand covering hers. "Now take your other hand-" He gently grabbed her free hand with his other hand, "-and put it like so." Now she was holding the broom on her own with his hands placed securely over hers.
She was painfully aware of how close they were. She had never been this close to a boy, not even in fourth year with her date to the Yule Ball, and she was blushing furiously. And it didn't make her feel any more comfortable that the body of the man that was sitting behind her with his large, long-fingered hands was that of Draco sodding Malfoy. If her two friends saw her now they'd probably have a heart attack.
"Relax." He ordered calmly in her ear, sending tremors through her body. She tried to comply.
"Good. Now I'll kick us off gently. Lean forwards to go faster, lean backwards to slow down or stop. Angle the broom to go in that direction. If you want to go higher, pull up slightly on the handle. If you want to go lower, angle to handle down a tiny bit. You'll have to use your weight as well, but not very much. Once we get in the air, you'll understand what I mean."
She trembled and listened intently.
"You ready?"
She couldn't find the courage to speak, instead nodding her head up and down hesitantly.
"Okay. On the count of three. One..."
Maybe there was still time for her to back out. Surely she could jump off and he wouldn't do anything to stop her? But his hands were holding her to the broom rather firmly...
"Two..."
She was too young to die!
"Three."
The words had barely left his lips before she cringed and slammed her eyes shut, her entire body tensing up. I'mgonnadieI'mgonnadieI'mgonnadieI'mgonnadie! That single thought ran through her head for what seemed like hours. She heard a soft chuckle in her ear.
"You're not going to die, I've got you."
Oh. She said that out loud? How embarrassing...
"Open your eyes."
How did he know they were closed...?
She shook her head furiously, quaking where she sat. Her entire body was tense and she was holding the broom's handle in a death-like vice.
He heaved a sigh. When he next spoke she nearly jumped out of her skin. He was so close that his warm breath tickled her ear.
"It's okay. Just open your eyes. I have you; I won't let you fall. Open your eyes."
She swallowed dryly, a croaky 'okay' quaking from her lips. With a small whimper she slowly opened her eyes.
And promptly yelped and nearly fell off the broom. They must've been a hundred feet in the air!!! If his strong arms hadn't been wrapped securely around her, she would have undoubtedly plummeted to her death. She felt his chest vibrate with laughter.
"Don't look down, look up."
A strangled squeak tore from her throat as she jerkily raised her eyes from the ground to the sky. And this time she gasped quietly. It was so beautiful! The were facing the Black Lake and she could see it in the distance. The bright sunlight glinted on the smooth water and she could see birds flit across the surface of the water gracefully. The Forbidden Forest surrounding the lake was dark, but it looked peaceful and quiet. The whole scene looked like a painting and she couldn't believe that she had never seen the Hogwarts Grounds look so beautiful.
"Wow..." The scenery distracted her, she wasn't even paying attention to the fact that she was still hundreds of feet in the air. "It's so beautiful."
"Yeah." He agreed, and she could almost hear the smirk in his voice. "It's a lot nicer at night though."
She nodded wordlessly, still completely taken by the scenery. Unconsciously she began to lean forward, making the broomstick move forward as well. It took a moment for her to notice it, but when she did she yelped and jerked the handle to her chest. They rocketed upwards, completely vertical, and a scream began to bubble from her throat. He laughed raucously, completely disregarding her scream, though his hands and arms did tighten slightly around her. Still screaming, she tried leaning backwards to stop the broom. Instead of stopping, to her horror, the broomstick did a complete three-sixty flip backwards, and if his arms hadn't been wrapped around he she didn't doubt she would've went flying. Somehow the broom had straightened itself and was racing across the pitch horizontally, the force of the wind against her body slamming her back into him. His joy-filled laughter sent tremors through her body and reminded her of a young child who just received his first Christmas gift. It was a sound that, made her happy for some reason, even if it wasn't actually her pen pal's laugh and was just the laugh of the body he was borrowing.
"Turn!" He managed to choke out between laughs, and she jerked the handle of the expensive racing broom, narrowly missing a goal post.
"Stop laughing at me and help me!" She shrieked desperately, yanking the broom again and nearly sending them flying into the stands.
"Stop yanking at the handle," he chuckled calmly into her ear, "Calm down and stop screaming like a banshee. Move the broom as you would move your body. Smooth, gentle, meaningful." The way he said the words to her sent her mind reeling to the gutter (probably due to her choice of male companions) and a fierce blush overcame her face. With gentle pressure he pulled the hand expertly, slowing them down to a reasonable speed and sending them leisurely across the pitch. "See? Not so scary. Just remember. Smooth and gentle."
She swallowed dryly and nodded against his chest. Recalling the feel of his hands when he had controlled the broom, she did her best to imitate his actions. To her surprise the broom followed her directions. With a surprised laugh, she began to experiment with it. A slight nudge here and she sent them along the stands. A tiny tilt there and she was weaving almost expertly through the goal posts. A huge grin spread across her face as she sent them flying higher, circling the field, reveling in the feel of freedom that surrounded her. She was still terrified of falling, but with him holding her firmly to the broom she almost felt... safe. She didn't dwell on their closeness, their intimacy, but a small fraction of her brain accepted and enjoyed it.
"See? You're a pro." He commented and she could hear the smug pride in his voice. The happy grin still on her face, she turned her head to thank him for bringing her out when she froze. She was much smaller than he was and her head just barely came above his chin. His eyes were a molten silver and so filled with emotion and intensity that they caught and held her own chocolate brown ones. His fair blond hair, almost white in color, was no longer gelled back as it had been in his childhood, and was blowing perfectly in the wind. He was so pale that he seemed to glow in the bright sunlight and his light pink lips were moist and inviting.
They stared at each other for what seemed like hours but was really only a few seconds before he broke the trance. "Watch out!" He shouted, snapping his gaze from hers ad watching where they were going, focusing on steering the broom. But it was too late. The broomstick nose-dived into the grass, sending them both flying off. They hadn't been flying fast enough to cause any major injuries, but had accumulated enough speed to thoroughly knock the wind out of them.
"Oof!" She gasped as all the air was forced out of her lungs as she pretty much body slammed the ground. Eyes screwed shut tightly she drew in several shaky breaths, trying to fill her lungs with enough oxygen to function. The ground was soft and warm. With a relieved sigh she laid her face down on it, happy to be back on solid ground.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
She could hear something thumping. Someone must've seen us crash, she realized, and must be running out to help us and see if we're hurt.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
She wasn't hurt. A bit sore, yes, but not hurt. In fact, the ground was quite comfortable and she really didn't want to move. She hoped the people running to help them wouldn't disturb her anytime soon.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Wait a second. The thumps weren't getting louder.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
And since when did the ground move up and down?
Thump. Thump. Thump.
And since when did the grass feel like silk?
Thump. Thump. Thump.
And what on earth was wrapped around her waist?
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Oh. Bloody hell.
With a sharp gasp she wrenched open her eyes and flushed crimson red. She was currently laying on top of Draco Malfoy's body, her head flush against his chest with his arms encircling her waist. The thumps she had been hearing hadn't been footfalls, it had been his heart. Slowly, dreading his reaction, she raised her head. Malfoy was staring at her intensely, confusion and something unidentifiable swimming in his eyes.
"I'm sorry!" She stuttered, making a move to get off of him only to find that his arms had tightened around her, preventing her from escaping. She looked down at him, the confusion in her eyes mirroring his. His lips were parted and he was wheezing slightly, probably from breaking her fall. He was Draco Malfoy... or at least Draco Malfoy's body... and yet she found herself undeniably drawn to him. She had never seen Malfoy look so calm and at ease and peaceful and she found that she liked him like this, liked the emotion that crossed his features versus his normally stoic mask. He was irresistible.
But he's Malfoy! She argued with herself, mentally berating herself.
No he isn't, it's just his body. Another part of her mind reminded her lightly.
Still! We shouldn't be doing this! We shouldn't want this! Get off this instant.
But he's so comfortable. No one's ever held us like this before. No one ever made us feel like this before.
It doesn't matter! We shouldn't-
"I'm sorry." She murmured again, this time for a completely different reason. For the first time in a long time she stopped thinking and let instinct rule. With a small sigh of contentment, she lowered her body back onto his and pressed her lips gently to his.
A/N : Please excuse all mistakes, I'm exhausted right now.
Thank you to my wonderful reviewers, xLinzx, Kaitward, starfire54, x-hermalfoy, Slytherin Possessor, Ashley, CasyRydr., Lya Darkfury, EdwardIzMyMan, Yume Ninja, Kayla, LelyHP, Kat0350, SHSUL18, SilverJellicle, darling draco., pureangel86, ravensnake, bozu, sarabara, michellepittmanblack, iilovefallingstars, aaliona, Pienky, and .
kat0350 : They do, and I assure you they will. :) They will before the end of this story, but I can't tell you exactly when. ;)
Ashley : I'm sorry you don't like them, I just thought she'd use them because she's muggleborn and most likely has experience with the internet and such. It's also fun to confuse Malfoy, so that was an added bonus to putting them in.
Please review? You'll get brownie points and get to decide on a few of my upcoming Dramione stories.