A/N: As usual I would love to thank everyone who is reading, and especially those who have made the effort to review, kaylerose, Lazy EP., latinachikita, lightnig-bolt-luva, BittersweetAnne, omnipotent otaku, TouchofPixieDust and smartcat.
Also, Lazy EP. You want beta reader again your hired.
All comments are welcome and appreciated.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
There was something exquisite about the girl. Something which made him want her more. As she ran her fingers through his silver hair and kissed him with conviction; he wondered how he had never before felt what he was feeling now. Complete and utter, hunger.
She pulled away slowly, almost shyly with a little smile on her face which, she somehow found herself incapable of hiding; "well okay I'll be on my way then," she nodded, not hesitating a moment longer before turning to the door.
"Wait," he called after her, trying to think of something, anything, to follow that up with and have her stay just a little longer; she looked up at him questioningly, "prefects meeting, scheduled for lunchtime" he shot out, erasing all previous frivolity. The girl nodded and he could have sworn a flash of disappointment crossed her face. She smiled, yet, he was unable to detect quite how genuine it was.
"See you there," she replied, before completing the last few steps to the door and leaving him.
He listened to her footsteps as they moved further and further away before he turned and allowed his fist to connect with the wall, "Prefects meeting… bloody prefects meeting," he growled to himself, "real smooth Draco". He sighed, unable to understand even himself, let alone the course of events that had led to where he now was.
It was beyond him why his usual charm seemed to melt away whenever in her presence and leave behind a confused school boy who was incapable of normal interaction with the opposite sex. Grabbing his school bag and pushing all further thoughts of the girl, and more importantly her lips to the back of his mind, the Slytherin prince decidedly ambled towards the door and tracing her footsteps, and thousands before her, he walked out of the common room and towards his next lesson.
Hermione on the other hand had other such plans. Lesson skipping had never been an option for the Gryffindor girl; for she believed a certain amount of commitment was required in all that she did. However, ignoring the studious side of her, she walked… ran even… back to her own common room, searching desperately for the unmissable Weasley red and the girl who owned it. Having known her long enough, Hermione was almost certain the girl would be sitting in a corner of the common room, catching up on work before her first lesson, much like her brother, Ginny had become somewhat lax in her determination to work; and leaving things to the last minute had become her new trade mark. She was beginning to wonder if it was in fact a hereditary trait which Arthur and Molly had somehow past onto all of their children. Curious, since the parents were anything but.
The boys, as she predicted were still in the Great Hall, no doubt eating their body weight in toast. The room was otherwise unoccupied, and thankfully Ginny sat alone. Over the years she had not changed a great deal; juxtaposing her brother she remained a more petite height and her once long red hair had been cut to shoulder length. Her face remained youthful, but pretty all the same. And as she looked upon the parchment before her, the blank look which graced her otherwise delicate features could only be described as cute.
As Hermione almost fell through the portrait and into the room, Ginny looked up at her friend smilingly, "If Ron sent you up to drag me to lesson you can tell him from me that I am…"
Before the girl could finish her sentence Hermione grabbed her by the arm and pulled her into the head girl bedroom, "forget lessons I need to talk to someone before I perhaps go insane".
Ginny giggled, "It may be a little late for that".
"Yes yes, a result I am sure of being acquainted with your brother for so many years" Hermione smiled at the girl.
"So tell me," Ginny said, whilst leaning back against the head of the bed, propping herself up against a pillow, "what could possibly be so important that you skipped lesson for it?"
"You heard about Crookshanks?" Hermione asked; the sadness in her voice clearly detectable.
Ginny nodded slowly, "Word gets around" she shrugged, "I didn't want to say anything, because I didn't want to upset you more," with that the girl leaned over and threw her arms around Hermione, "It must be so awful for you 'Mione," she whispered, calling her by the name she only ever used when the girl was upset.
Hermione nodded, "They will pay," she muttered, the conviction in her voice further bringing out the bitterness.
Neither spoke for a moment, almost allowing the anger to settle. Then, before she could change her mind she added, "Draco was there with me, I stayed the night with him," Ginny's head shot up automatically, eyes questioning, suggestive. Hermione shook her head, her checks marring a crimson color as the blush worked its way up her complexion, "Nothing happened. I just didn't much like the idea of spending the night alone". Ginny nodded understandingly, until Hermione blurted out, "I kissed him this morning". Now that caught her attention.
Ginny spluttered for a few seconds, unsure what to say in response. Hermione blushed, as Ginny grinned out a question, "how was it?"
"It was, nice" she shrugged.
"Don't give me that!" Ginny squeaked, "now tell it how it was".
Hermione smiled, "Fine. He's good. He's very good."
"So now what happens?" Ginny asked casually.
Hermione looked up at her as though it were obvious, "nothing happens" she shrugged, "not every kiss has to become something more". She tried so hard to sound nonchalant, so much so that even her friend failed to hear the slight disappointment in her voice as she said aloud what she already knew. She was after all just a girl. A mudblood girl at that. And sometimes a bridge like theirs was too vast to ever fully cross.
One night was just that, a few hours, and nothing could be changed in such small a space. They had grown closer as of late, but there was too much past involved to be anything more than weary friends. All logic told her so. And logic did not fail. Yet if this was true, then why was it that in those few seconds as they stood there, tasting each other, touching, feeling, did her heart feel like it wanted to explode.
Excitement. That was all. It had to be.
She looked up at Ginny pleadingly, "what I have told you is a secret; it would be pointless for anyone to find out". Her friend nodded.
"If anyone knows about secrets it's me," Ginny laughed, though Hermione did not fail to see the look which crossed her eyes, a look of the lost.
"Tell him," Hermione said simply, knowing straight away what was causing her friends hurt, "you should know by now that life is about taking chances," she smiled "sometimes everything you want seems so out of reach, and so we give up on it; but what did giving up ever achieve?"
Ginny shook her head, "but sometimes it's so obvious that one can only accept it. Just because you love someone it doesn't mean that they will love you back!"
"I know this much," Hermione sighed, "I know that you don't smile with anyone else the way you smile with him. I know that every time someone says his name you grin like a fool. Don't think I haven't noticed".
"You may have done, but he remains oblivious" Ginny muttered, "or worse, perhaps he knows and just simply doesn't want me".
"Well then more fool him. It would be his loss".
Ginny nodded, "his loss, but my pain".
"Both fools aren't we?" Hermione smiled sadly, reaching over to return the earlier hug.
Ginny turned to her, "Both fools?" she repeated, "I thought you said the thing with Draco was nothing and you don't like him as anything more?"
"I don't," Hermione retorted automatically; though not fully convincingly.
At much the same time, elsewhere, Draco sat through yet another endless hour of Defense against the Dark arts; he did not fail to notice the Gryffindor girl's absence from lesson. By a certain coincidence, much of their timetable overlapped, as did their interest and brilliance in certain subjects; which no doubt flared their competitive nature. Both loving a challenge, and both determined to be the best; no exceptions.
The latest teacher eyed up the class in despair, she was a short woman, with a pretty face and a harsh manner. There was something unforgiving in here eyes, and her somewhat extensive knowledge on all things dark made the students, wary at the least.
She went by the name of Professor Amalda and as rumors went, she had worked her way up with romantic endeavors involving all those superior to her. Though, as Draco knew all too well, rumors were best left ignored. "Mr. Malfoy," she called, stirring him from his thoughts and forcing him back into the lesson, "I have been told that you much excel in this field, perhaps you'd like to help me demonstrate?"
"Perhaps not," he growled; that signature Malfoy smirk which he had reserved for occasions such as these once more graced his otherwise perfect features.
The woman carried on as though unaffected, and instead turned to face Harry, her eyes lighting up, "Mr. Potter, stand up," this time she was not defied.
Such disrespect would be otherwise intolerable, but from a Malfoy it was almost expected, and so teachers en mass chose to ignore his all too resilient persona, which money, prestige and a harsh upbringing had caused on him.
Ignoring the goings on at the front of the classroom, Malfoy's mind wondered elsewhere; into realms where it should not enter. Into realms where he could find the girl. In his imagination; the only place it would ever be safe to meet her.
There was something about her; something he could not quite detect, and something he sure as hell couldn't ignore; not through lack of trying either. She did things to him that he didn't feel quite safe with; things to his mind.
She was exciting. Different. Forbidden.
That was the extent of it. He sighed to himself, distractedly running a hand through his hair. His father would be disgusted; it was after all one emotion he was good at showing when it came to Draco. But either way it would never work. He had been foolish for being tempted by her in the first place. Tonight he would set things right. He would tell her that it had been a mistake. Apologize perhaps. And under no circumstances would he be tempted to do to her a single one of the things he had since been thinking of.
That's what he kept telling himself as he walked into the Prefects meeting later that afternoon; chosen to be held in an empty classroom on the far side of the castle. Largely out of use, as could be comprehended from the collecting dust.
Granger, unsurprisingly was already in there; propped on the end of one of the desks and flicking through a large tomb of a book; in the otherwise undisturbed classroom. "Granger," muttered, notifying her of his presence. Without looking up she marked the pages of her book and climbed down from the desk.
"Draco," she smiled, "I was hoping you'd be down before the others".
The blond boy nodded, "well actually there was something I wanted to talk to you about".
The girl nodded, "same" she looked down at her feet, "about this morning; i shouldn't have done that".
Draco nodded taking a step closer to her, "It's fine you were…"
"upset," she finished, looking up at him; despite it all, unable to deny to herself just how handsome he was.
"Exactly," he concluded, "nothing but a mere fluke". He put his hand on her shoulder, reassuringly, that's all his hand was there for.
She tried to remain nonchalant at his touch, "I'm glad that's…"
"…sorted." He finished for her.
Right before he reclaimed her lips.
A/N: You will all find out who Ginny likes shortly. I didn't just forget to give a name out of shear incompetence. Though perhaps you can all guess who it is.
I tried to make this chapter a bit longer than usual.
Hopefully the next chapter will be up shortly!
Thanks for reading. All opinions welcome.