A/N: I told you that I would start updating lesser often then usual due to everything that is going on. I didn't expect to be gone this long though, can't promise I never will again though sadly. I must say, I loved all your reviews, they were great, both the constructive ones, the opinionated ones and etc. ^_^
Anyhow, now we get into the part of the fic where the tension comes, not just between Draco and Hermione but with the outsiders such as Lucius and a few others. This is where the main plot of the story starts, took a while…a real long while, lol, wow, I seriously do take time with my work.
Warning: OotP spoilers from now till the end of the fic!
Disclaimer: ::orchestra music begins to play and an ugly snake faced red eyes man sits on a fine leather chair by the fire with a glass of wine in his hands and his legs crossed talking like a normal human being:: Hello, I am Lord Voldemort and you are currently reading one of many versions of the tales of me trying to kill a young boy by the name of Harry Potter. Due keep in mind that the original creator is not this writer ::points to Slytherinz Divaz:: and do keep in mind that I am an actor. I am not truly evil, in fact I spend lots of time making arts and crafts for my fellow MWTKA members (Magic Wizards That Kill Anonymous) also-
Slytherinz Divaz: Voldemort…you're losing focus! *sweatdrops* why do all these disclaimers turn out wrong?
Credits: *BLAH* J.K Rowling *BLAH*.
Thanks too: hpgal186, Leah, Earthako, Arwen1011, Ottawan Angel, goddesskali, CeLeStIaL BeInG, Crazper, HPLunatic, Mila2, hP fAn Fo LyFe, ~*~Lisha~*~, Mercy, DanceChic0869, waiting for my nails to dry, horsekrazy08, Lady Jaessa, Genevieve Jones, Junsui Chikyuu, crazy azn angel, koishii-glory, pril, S.S, sweet-77-thang, Nami1, Jo, Cupidas-arrow, Sila-chan, wildmage101, PinayAko, ICY*COOL, FrozenFlames, rip_curlgirl_13, love2045, SickGirl42, Raye-Rei, Vu, rina, burgundyred, LiLbLuangeL1223, alexandra, bataille.de.dragon, Pannygirl, tom'sgirl4ever, noisyamie, Lavender Brown, Savvy706, Kelli Granger, freyliskat, *emmy*, beebopodiggity, laughter, annonymous, po99gp, Damsel-Of-Distress, random person, Colleen, DayDreamer4495, mesmer, Katie, Tristanlover59…TBD.
Chapter 14: Silent Night
Hermione put on her pajamas and brushed her hair for lack of anything better to do. She couldn't fall asleep; the pounding of her heart wouldn't let her. She was feeling a great deal of tension, the only thing bothering her more so was, why was she feeling so tense?
'I refuse to give Malfoy credit for that…though, oh no stop being silly Hermione! You're all worked up over what happened to Harry and Lavender!' she began with a defeated sigh, 'Then again, who am I fooling? Malfoy does deserve some credit for me being like this.'
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Harry and Lavender followed Dumbledore to his office.
Once inside Dumbledore sat at his desk and invited Harry and Lavender to take seats in front of him.
Harry noticed the grave and tired look on Dumbledore's face as he then said, "Why didn't you tell me your scar was troubling you Harry?"
Harry looked down at his hands, "I didn't want to worry anyone."
Dumbledore glanced at Lavender who moved nervously in her chair, he then looked back at Harry, "I understand Harry, but you should know better then anyone that if your scar is hurting you must let someone know."
Harry nodded.
Dumbeldore then glanced over at Lavender, "Now, Ms. Brown, apparently you too were having some sort of problem where you not?"
Lavender gulped, "I don't really know sir."
Dumbledore frowned, "What do you mean?"
"All I did was try and help Harry. When I touched him I felt this sharp pain in my head I think I saw images to, then it just left." Lavender said in a low tone.
"I can see why due to the suddenness of the event you would not think it a problem," he began as he then looked over to Harry, "Harry, have you been feeling Voldemort? Sensing him at all?"
This is what Harry didn't want. Harry had to bring up Voldemort again; he didn't want to think about that bastard again. Yet he knew he had to say something, the truth mainly.
Harry nodded, "Yes sir. I hear him laugh all the time. He's planning something and I fear he's nearly done with his plans."
Dumbledore put the tips of his fingers together and put on a concentrated look, "The time seems right for it, good thing we aren't ill prepared. I would suggest you not worry for the time being Harry, go to bed and rest, tomorrow will be a long day," he said as he then looked over at Lavender, "as for you Ms. Brown…if you encounter anything strange or unusual or if you see or feel anything odd, please, let me know at once."
Lavender nodded.
She and Harry then got up and left.
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Professor Snape and Professor McGonagall came into Dumbeldore's office five minutes after Lavender and Harry left.
"Thank you for coming Professors," Dumbledore said from his chair, "Take a seat."
McGonagall looked distressed and she wasted no time speaking her mind, "So out with it Albus, please. What is happening now?"
Snape glanced at Dumbledore for a reply.
"Harry has been sensing Voldemort again. Apparently Voldemort will rise again soon," he said with a sigh.
"And what of Ms. Brown? What was the matter with her?" McGonagall asked.
"With Ms. Brown a lot is unclear, though I am beginning to think that her fondness for Seers and Aurors didn't spring up from out of nowhere," Dumbledore said as he looked at the two professors through his half-moon spectacles.
"What are you saying?" asked Snape.
"Ms. Brown claims that she put a hand on Harry to help him and when she did she felt a blinding sharp pain in her head and saw some blurred images. When Harry's scar ceased to hurt, Lavender's pain also vanished from what I could see," he replied.
"You don't think Ms. Brown could be-"
"It is possible Minerva," Dumbledore began, "I cannot rule out the possibility. Though if she had been a bit more specific about her pain and images, perhaps I might be more certain. Though whether she said anything tonight or not, if she is what I think, we'll know soon enough and who knows…perhaps it could prove useful if she is willing to help us."
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Hermione sat at her seat window; she had fallen asleep as her head leaned back against the wall. As she slept she heard cold demonic laughter and a voice…
'Heeeerrrrrrrmmmmmmiiiiiiiiiiiioooonnnnneeeeeeeeeeee, come out and play Heeerrrrmmmiiiioonneeee,'
Hermione shot up.
"What the bloody-" she began as she caught her breath. She looked around, Draco was still not back, and she looked out the window and saw that he wasn't outside anymore either.
'Bloody nightmares, I should take a Sleep Potion,' she thought to herself as she took one out of her night table draw.
"Bottoms up," she said as she drank the potion.
She immediately got into bed before she passed out on the floor, 'Hope I'm not forgetting any…thing,' she thought as she fell asleep under the covers.
A short while later Draco walked into the room.
He looked at the sleeping figure of Hermione and rolled his eyes, 'All that walking to get her out of my head and for what? To see her here and have her in my bed!'
Draco was too tired to argue, cause what was the bloody point of arguing? Getting a bloody migraine. He hoped in the shower, brushed his teeth put on his black sweat pants and went into bed.
Hermione was dreaming…
She was running through the forbidden forest, deeper and deeper until she tripped over a branch in a clearing with smoky blue fog all around. She looked up and saw a figure approach her, shrouded in black robes and a hood, with a black mask.
She saw the figure kneel down before her and offer a hand, she took it and he brought her up to her feet. She looked into his eyes, silver eyes.
"Malfoy?" she whispered.
The figure placed a finger over her lips and brought her up against a tree.
She grew slightly frightened but she did not move as the figure brushed his hands along her arms and softly through her hair.
'Why can't I move? Why am I not afraid?' she thought helplessly, 'Is it cause its Malfoy?'
Her curious eyes searched the figure's desperately looking for a reason to pull away, but she couldn't. His touch felt so real, was she really dreaming? The heat growing inside her, was it all just apart of her dream?
"W-who are you?" she managed to say.
The figure stopped caressing her arms and looked at her intently, suddenly the figure's silver eyes changed to a black-brown and Hermione grew afraid.
"Time to play Hermione," he said in a dark growl.
"No! Not again, NO!"
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Draco's eyes fluttered slightly as he felt a figure squirm beside him, not even beside him, right against him.
'Against me?' he thought suddenly.
Hermione's eyes shot open and she held back her scream of 'no' as she had just recently learned to do. Her heart began to pound again as she felt a hand holding her own followed by an arm over her waist.
'Oh my…w-what?' she thought as she slowly turned her head.
No sooner did she turn her head that Draco opened his tired eyes. They both glanced at each other in both shock and a feeling of discomfort.
"Something tells me you forgot to do something before going to bed Granger," Malfoy said perfectly hiding the thoughts swimming in his head.
Hermione gently pulled her hand away from his as he lifted his arm up over her, "So it would seem," she said hesitantly as she felt the same heat inside her that she had felt in her dream.
'I felt Malfoy touch me as I slept, that's why, everything felt so real in that dream,' she thought.
She looked back at Draco who was looking at her with a blank yet intent stare, "Don't think what I did was intentional," he said casually.
Hermione rolled her eyes, "I'm not that stupid. Though now I see why I have that wall up in the first place," Hermione said as she went for the wand.
Draco sighed, "Well its nice to know I got you excited without even trying, I'm better then I thought," he said with a satisfied smirk.
Hermione looked puzzled at first but then sunk under the covers when she saw how hard her nipples had become, "Don't flatter yourself."
Draco shrugged still smirking, "No other hand touched you tonight and that's all there is to it."
Hermione put up the wall, "You sound as if you enjoy the fact."
Draco froze, whether Hermione realized it or not, she had managed to ALMOST stump Draco Malfoy, but obviously no such thing has yet to happen.
"Only the deed," he replied in his typical manner that everyone only knew all to well.
Hermione rolled her eyes and desperately tried to fall back to sleep, refusing to succumb to the fact that she actually might've liked the feel of Draco's touch.
Before Hermione could rest, she HAD to ask Draco…
"Malfoy, I know I said I didn't want to know why you beat up Zabini cause of me…but I doubt I could make sense of why you did unless I hear it from you. I won't tell anyone, I know how much your reputation means to you. So could you just tell me…please?"
Draco raised a brow of disbelief up at her, Hermione kept her back to him.
'Should I tell her? Hell, how can I tell her if I don't even really know why I did it, obviously I wasn't bloody thinking, but why say anyway?' he thought.
"Why not just forget it ever happened. Perhaps it was a mistake on my part, if anything I beat on him cause it was years of pent up aggression for all the times he pissed me off," Draco said unsure of his own answer.
"Yet it took news of him raping me to have you beat him?" she said matter-of-factly.
Draco frowned, 'Women,' he thought.
"To put it simply Granger, I don't even rape girls and I particularly try to avoid virgins. So when I hear that a dickless piece of shit like Zabini comes along and rapes a virgin like yourself, it got me mad, so…I beat him. End of story."
Hermione nodded, "Alright then…and thank you also for making the ball rather enjoyable."
Draco looked at her confused, "You really think I did that?"
Hermione shrugged, "It was how you danced."
They were silent after that for the rest of the night.
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The next morning Hermione was at the table with Ron, Harry and Lavender during breakfast right before the tournament was to start.
"How you feeling Lavie?" Hermione asked concerned.
Lavender shrugged, "Alright I guess. Nothing damaged or broken."
"What I want to know is, what the hell caused you to have pain like that. I mean sure…Harry has strong pain but I doubt it's strong enough to pass on to another person," Ron said trying to be both serious and sarcastic.
Harry sat silently staring into nothing.
Hermione glanced at him and noticed her friend's space out, "Hey Harry."
Harry jumped back to reality and glanced up at Hermione, "You ok?"
Harry nodded, "Yea, just thinking about the tournament."
"Yea, well my bets are on Harry. After all he won the TriWizard Tournament against a bunch of seventh years back in 4th year, I have no doubt he won't win this for Gryffindor. Even though I'll have to get knocked out in the process as long as Gryffindor takes the victory, I'll be happy," Ron said eating some eggs.
"Well that's good to know," Hermione said sarcastically.
"You forget that Cedric could've won that tournament if it weren't for me," Harry replied rather coldly.
"Well no point in dwelling on the past, we have this tournament to think about," Hermione said trying to prevent any future arguments.
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Dumbledore then walked into the Great Hall and stood at the entrance waiting for everyone to quiet down.
"All seventh and sixth years shall be eligible to participate in this tournament, the first event shall determine who goes on to compete in the following events. Now your parents are outside at the Quidditch pitch waiting for you. You may meet with them briefly before taking your seats whether as a participant or spectator, remember no one is obligated to participate in this tournament. Now go, your parents are waiting for you," he said as he headed out of the Great Hall, followed by all the students who wanted to eagerly see their parents.
"Hope mum didn't bring another sweater like she always does," Ron said as he got up from the table.
"At least you have a mum to make you one," Harry replied as he got up.
Hermione sighed, "Oh enough you two, come let's go outside," she said as she then looked and spotted Malfoy walking towards the door, looking less than thrilled as he passed through the doorway.
'Wonder what's the matter with him?' Hermione thought curiously.
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Draco walked towards the pitch scanning the crowds, 'Wonder if he was able to come?' he thought briefly.
As he headed towards the pitch entrance he felt a hand on his shoulder and he was pulled back.
He looked around to find the tall cold figure of his father, who was gazing at him with oozing superiority as he always did with those steel gray eyes. Lucius placed the silver skull handle of his walking stick on Draco's shoulder as he tightened his grip on it with his black-leathered gloves. His long silvery blonde hair was tied back with a black tie and his black cape fell over his front.
"Draco, happy to see me?" he asked in his dark monotone voice.
Draco took a hand and swept the tip of his father's walking stick off his shoulder and gazed back at him, "Of course."
Lucius smirked, "I presume you shall be participating in the tournament?"
Draco nodded, "Yes."
Lucius nodded, "I suggest you win. It will look good in the eyes of our Lord. Considering your Quidditch career has gone to the mudbloods and half-breeds," he said with contempt lacing his voice.
Draco raised a brow at him, "I'll win."
"Let's hope so. I will not accept failure again and neither will our Lord."
Draco nodded absently, "Well, anything for him."
Lucius frowned, "Do you mock me?"
Draco was silent.
Lucius glared, and then smacked Draco sending his head flying to the side as well as the rest of him. Draco almost fell to the floor but landed on his knees instead. Draco glared up at Lucius.
"I don't mock you," Draco said as he got up seeming as if he was in no pain.
"I'll hold you to that boy. For if you haven't already guessed, our Lord's time approaches, he is nearly strong enough to face the old fool Dumbledore and be rid of him once and for all. Be sure that your time to receive the Dark Mark draws near and soon you'll be in service to him and make us all proud for once," Lucius said almost threateningly.
Draco merely nodded.
"Now go, and don't embarrass me," Lucius said as he turned from Draco and went inside the pitch to his seat with the other parents.
Draco glared at his father's fleeting figure, "Don't worry father…I won't, but I'm winning this tournament for me and me alone."
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The Slytherin parents sat together in the east side of the pitch. Lucius took a seat next to Zabini's father.
"Ah, Lucius," said Zabini's father.
Lucius gazed at him, "Zabini."
"Have you seen my son lately?" he asked Lucius in a rather implying tone.
Lucius raised a curious brow, "No, why?"
"Twould seem that someone had a go at him, broke his wand and his nose which only now as been removed of its bandages," he said harshly.
"Oh really? How did that come to pass?" Lucius asked as he watched the students assemble on the field.
"I was hoping you'd tell me Lucius. Rumor has it, it was your son that did that to him. Have anything to say about that?"
That got Lucius's attention, "What? Draco? Don't be ridiculous, why on earth would Draco do a thing like that?"
"I was hoping you tell me? Before I report him to our Lord and tell him that he's nothing but trouble!"
Lucius glared at the man, "You will do no such thing Zabini, I'll handle my son, if he in fact did do what you say I'll take care of it. If I hear that you went to our Lord on the matter to blacken my son's name then I'll do worse to you then my son did to yours."
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Down below on the field the sixth and seventh years willing to participate assembled on the field and Dumbledore approached them and began to speak.
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A/N: OoOoOoOoO Lucius knows what Draco did. What do you think will happen when he finds out why? What happened with Lavender when she touched Harry? I dropped hints on that earlier in the chapter. Also next chapter Tonks comes back into the mix, I kind of left her out of the fic but she's coming back. So what can you make of Hermione and Draco's relationship? MUCH MORE Draco and Hermione interaction coming your way SOON! So in the mean time keep leaving your awesome reviews and I'll be posting ASAP! Bye!