Hermione was walking back from last lesson with Ginny.
"So what's next on the agenda for uniting the houses?" Ginny asked.
"Nothing as yet, we need to think of something so we don't lose the momentum."
"Easy peasy." Ginny said with a grin and Hermione turned to look at her.
"Go on then..."
"A dance. A proper one, everyone gets dressed up, decorations, a band. And you have to go with someone from a different house!" Ginny spread her arms wide and looked at Hermione for a reaction.
"Oooh! That's good!" Hermione said. "A Summer Ball!"
"Yes, that's a good idea to call it that." Ginny agreed. "You had better tell Anthony..."
"Tell me what?" Anthony's voice came from behind them.
"Ginny has come up with idea of throwing a Summer Ball." Hermione said. "You have to take a partner from a different house."
Anthony smiled and slapped Ginny, none too gently, on the back.
"That's a great idea." Anthony nodded enthusiastically, he then turned to Hermione. "Fancy meeting later to start sorting some details out?"
His question took Hermione by surprise and she hesitated. "Erm...it's probably a bit late to call a meeting for tonight."
"I didn't mean a formal meeting. I just meant the two of us for a chat." Anthony looked at Hermione hopefully and she suddenly realised there was another meaning to Anthony's request. She caught Ginny pulling a face and grinning out the corner of her eye and had to try really hard not to blush.
"Erm...yes, okay." Hermione answered trying to decide rapidly if she wanted to encourage Anthony or not. If she were honest, she would only be really interested in one person and it wasn't Anthony. But he was really nice and she didn't want to hurt his feeling so she had agreed, then she remembered her arrangements with Draco. "Oh, Anthony, I'm sorry I've just remembered I have a extra lesson with Professor Snape tonight," she purposely didn't mention Draco's name.
"Oh, that' okay. How about tomorrow then?"
Hermione nodded. "Yes, tomorrow will be fine."
Anthony walked off and Hermione turned to Ginny who was sniggering.
"Oooh! Hermione's got an admirer! Wow! He kept that well hidden, I had no idea he liked you. It must be all this house unity stuff," Ginny said, linking her arm with Hermione's. She realised Hermione was very quiet. "Don't be embarrassed, Anthony is really nice."
"Yes, he is," Hermione agreed.
"But?" Ginny asked picking up on Hermione's lack of enthusiasm.
"Nothing."
"No, there's something. What is it? Don't you like him at all? He's really quite good looking now and he's also really nice, I don't think I've ever seen him in a bad mood," Ginny rambled on, searching for Hermione's reason to hesitate.
"Yes, Ginny I know," Hermione nodded. "Stop going on about it."
Ginny looked at her friend for a minute then she stopped and put her hands on her hips. "Okay, something is wrong and you're going to tell me."
"Nothing's wrong. He's just surprised me, that's all."
Ginny rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "No, that's not it."
"Stop making a drama where there isn't one, come on." Hermione carried on walking and eventually Ginny followed her.
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
The extra lesson was nearly over. They had done really well, executing most the tests Professor Snape set them on the first or second attempt. Practise was making them good at connecting and being able to do the spells. Even Professor Snape appeared happy with them!
"Professor?"
"Yes, Mr Malfoy?"
"I wanted to ask if we were the first pupils who have been able to do this?"
"If you're asking me if you and Miss Granger are unique, then no, you're not," Professor Snape answered in his usual blunt way. "However, the ability to connect with another person as effectively as you and Miss Granger can is very rare. I have never come across it before."
"Is there a name for it? What makes it happen?" Hermione asked.
Professor Snape looked down his nose at her. "I suggest you visit the library at your earliest convenience and take a look at this book. It will give you all the information you need." He handed her a piece of paper and Hermione tried not to smile at the irony of him telling them to visit the library at their earliest possible convenience. How about tonight after curfew? She glanced at the name of the book :
Harmonic Magic - The Last Great Mystery of our Times. Author : Jemmy F. Optimar
"Harmonic Magic?" Draco said reading over her shoulder. "I knew it would have a name."
As soon as they were excused they hurried to the library and followed the same routine as last night, waiting until Madame Pince had left before emerging and re-lighting the lamps. Hermione found the book that Snape had told them to read quickly and she flicked through it reading out passages.
"Harmonic Magic is a little understood section of the magical world. It is a rare for it to exist at all, and even rarer for it to work properly and produce magic of any strength. It is also difficult to know if you have this ability other than testing a never ending line of wizards for compatibility," she paused and looked up at Draco who was listening intently. "Maybe you were right, we are special!" She bent her head and flicked a few pages. "Ooh, listen to this – Harmonic Partners are not always obvious, therefore increasing the difficulty of finding each other. With this condition being rare, it is difficult to have a definitive answer as to why some wizards are compatible and some are not. However..." Hermione's voice trailed off and she cleared her throat, "oh, this next bit isn't relevant." She went to turn the page but Draco put his hand out and stopped her.
"It sounded like it was getting interesting to me, give it here." He grabbed the book and Hermione leant back in her chair, biting her lip.
"Where were you? Oh, here it is – it is difficult to have definitive answer as to why some wizards are compatible and some are not. However, by far the most common sort of Harmonic Partners are those married or involved in a romantic relationship. In fact it has been suggested that Harmonic Magic will not work without the partners having some sort of affection for each other." Draco looked up at Hermione with a grin. "Is that why you wouldn't read it out?"
"No. I didn't see that bit," Hermione said defensively.
"Yes you did," Draco corrected her, "so, Hermione, are you harbouring some secret, unrequited desire for me?"
For once, Hermione stopped herself automatically jumping in with a defensive answer. Instead she leant forward herself. "And if I was, what would you do about it?"
Draco, who had obviously not been expecting this kind of answer, looked at her surprised. He moved closer to her and lowered his voice. "I might have to kiss you until you see stars."
Hermione could feel the book trembling in her hands as his wonderful voice washed over her. She couldn't even let her mind start to imagine what he was describing and she knew her face must be giving just a little of how she was feeling away. It was getting hard to disguise her overwhelming need for him. And she might not be an expert in this field but she was convinced that Draco was feeling something to. Unless he was just using his notorious flirting techniques on her. Oh god! What if that was what he was doing? And she was pinning all her hopes on it? She stood up abruptly. She was getting what she wished for and it was scaring her to death.
"I'll go and see if there are any more books about this." Before she could move an inch, Draco had also stood and he stepped in front of her, blocking her path.
"Oh, no you won't." His smouldering eyes were on her face, hypnotising her as always. "I think we should continue our chat about what would happen in you confessed a secret desire for me."
Hermione felt her heart beating at about a million beats a second. "Why does it have to be that way round?" her voice sounded croaky and she coughed to clear her throat. "Who's to say it isn't you harbouring a secret desire for me?"
"And if I was, what would you do about it?" Draco asked repeating her earlier question.
"Very clever, but stop playing games."
"Stop avoiding answering questions."
"Stop asking me questions."
"When are you going to be honest with me?"
Hermione flushed but defended herself anyway. "When are you going to be honest with me?"
Draco laughed. "I'm not sure you could handle me being honest with you"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"You still haven't answered my question. If I'm harbouring a secret desire for you, what are you going to do about it?"
"It's not a relevant question because, you're not."
Without warning, Draco grabbed her around the waist and lifted her onto the desk they had been sharing. He then pulled her shoulders and body against him and put his lips within millimetres of hers.
"And how are you so sure of that? Do you think I go around telling every girl she's utterly beautiful?" Draco was whispering and she could almost feel his lips touching hers. Hermione felt every bone in her body turn to jelly. "And I did promise to turn you on in the library..." He let his lips very gently touch the side of her mouth, so light she could hardly feel it but she was beginning to melt. "Is this working?"
She was now physically incapable of answering and just managed to say his name, "Draco."
"Hermione..." Draco's voice was no longer smooth and cool and she felt him tighten his arms around her. She closed her eyes, knowing he was about to kiss her and not quite believing this was happening. His lips finally made contact with hers and Hermione found herself clinging to him as a wave of pure pleasure washed over her and she saw stars.
They kissed! Hope you liked this, I always find it hard writing a kiss because I think it is impossible to do a Draco Malfoy kiss justice in words! Anyway let me know what you think and thanks for the reviews as always. x