Would you like to dance?
"Ron! Can you hold on for a second," Hermione yelled after the red-headed wizard while trying to catch up to him. She was glad she finally found him, she'd been looking for him ever since fourth period but hadn't been able to find him anywhere near their usual spots and had been ready to give up until she saw him talking to one of the Hufflepuff's seventh years.
She smiled when he stopped, turning his face around as he said something to the guy. He lifted his eyebrows up in surprise when he noticed her, smiling and only turning away for a second so he could wave his acquaintances goodbye. She felt a familiar fuzzy feeling bubbling up as she took larger strides towards him. Her wolf buzzing with excitement at seeing her friend, even though it hadn't been that long since she last saw him.
"Hey Hermione," He said happily once she was standing in front of him, hands in his pockets. "can I help you with something?"
She nodded, clenching on the strap of her bag, a wobbly smile stretching her lips. Her determination failing her as she felt her nerves pick up again. But –she thought with a certain steadfastness she had acquired over the past few days- she has had that feeling every single time she did this. And by now, she had grown quite accustomed to ignoring it when she tried to confess her feelings.
Not that she had been able to do that yet.
Until now! Yes, maybe her last fifteen attempts hadn't gone like she had hoped they would. With one almost ending in Seamus' head smashed in by a flower pot –doesn't matter how that had happened- It was almost ridiculous how many times they had been interrupted, it was like people appeared out of thin air just so they could snatch Ron away from her!
Which wasn't really their fault; they didn't know she was about to spill all of her hidden feelings to the other Gryffindor. But it happened so many times now that it was hard for Hermione to believe it was all just a 'coincidence'! You don't tell her that when a bunch of pixies –she has never met- circling around Ron screaming about lumberjack shoes, didn't sound suspicious!
Or at least, completely absurd! Who in their right mind would scream at someone they needed lumberjack shoes to cook gumbo in?!
Why the hell would Ron have lumberjack shoes?!
"Yeah, I-I've been looking for you for a while now. You know you're not as easily found as you would anticipate," She laughed nervously, turning her gaze to the floor as she could already feel a blush forming. 'Great, now I'm making a fool of myself, again.'
She silently berated herself. Telling herself to think positively and not let herself be put off. This time it would work!
Ron bit his lip, switching his gaze to the students that were moving past them from time to time. Hermione frowned at the way Ron's head was tilted as if asking a silent question.
"Is something the matter?"
"Nothing, just…are you sure you're fine?" He asked turning his gaze back to her's with concern written plainly in them. "Because I know you said you are but you've been acting really strange these past couple of days. You seem pretty stressed out, I mean look at yourself. Your whole back is rigid and you seem like you want to run away as quickly as possible." He shrugged, biting the inside of his cheek.
Hermione didn't know how to respond to that. Her brows lifting themselves up as Ron continued.
"I just want to make sure you're not biting off too much then you can chew here," He said, putting his hand up when he thought she was going to interject, "And I know you want to get the highest score on your N.E.S.T.s and that you're really trying to get everything in order and all but it shouldn't be at the expense of yourself, you know? I've been thinking about this a lot and these talks with Neville really helped me out to see this…and I'm worried about you." He put his hand on his heart, making a relieved face while Hermione listened; not really understanding what was happening but feeling touched all the same. She gave him a small smile wanting to thank him but was silenced when he grabbed her shoulders.
Déjà vu.
"Oh my god, I'm so happy I finally said it out loud. You have no idea how much that has been bothering me, keeping this from you -repressing myself from telling you how I feel, not knowing how you would react. But this has been such a relief," He laughed, giving her a shake and letting go of her shoulders. Making her repress a chuckle.
"Yeah, I can imagine…"She trailed off, her brows furrowing at the end. She cleared her throat, looking the redhead right in the eyes. straightening her back, resolve flowing back through her vanes as she clenched the strap a little tighter. "Hey listen, I've been wanting to tell you something, for a long -long time now…And…I have finally found the courage to tell you but it hasn't been running smoothly as I wanted to," She breathed out a laugh, her hands put to the side as she shook her head with a fond smile. "That's why the -ehm, stressed-out look, I guess." Ron frowned, getting momentarily distracted as someone bumped his shoulder before he shifted his gaze back to her's, a questioning look on his face.
She let out a shuddering breath, looking at the people around them and pressing her lips together. "Maybe we can get somewhere more private so we can-"
"Ronnieboy! There you are," A horned figure jumped on Ron from behind, almost resulting in the wizard falling forward by the force. "'Been looking all over for you! Listen; I got five bottles of lobe-Blasters, seven bottles of firewhiskey, two kegs of butterbeer and some special stuff I brewed myself. Now, the only thing that's left is for Lenny to do his part in finding the band while we still need to wait for Dumbledore to agree to the whole thing, and then we can finally relax!"
Ron turned his gaze and smiled brightly. "That's great! I'll go talk to him and make sure he agrees,"
"Awesome, I can't wait until the party, you've no idea how much I need it, dude. Oh, hey Hermione! How are you doing?" Elliot asked, his fiery hair turning just one shade deeper as he looked at her.
Ron's smile instantly disappeared, his face settling on a concerned expression as he looked at her. She shrugged, her shoulders falling limply with disappointment, giving Ron a soft smile as she ignored the impatience that was bubbling up. Telling herself she had all the time in the universe.
"Good, good. You?"
Elliot grinned, an excited glint in his eye as he made the effort to swing his arm around Ron's shoulder.
"Thanks to this genius, right here, I couldn't be better!" He laughed, giving the other boy a pat on the back. "You're coming too right? No way our favourite book worm would pass on a party like this. Just imagine…" He said, changing positions to lean over Hermione. She startled when he suddenly put his hand up slowly moving it to the side. "Booze, lights, music, peace and most importantly: boobs."
Hermione suppressed an eye-roll at Elliot's antics but had a hard time not laughing at Ron's affronted face.
"Don't try to play dumb my red amigo, we all know you and your dirty thoughts, don't think she hasn't found out about them yet." Ron started sputtering, not knowing how to answer that. Which was the moment Hermione caved in, letting out a flow of laughter.
"I even bet this little angel of yours isn't as innocent as you think she is." Elliot grinned, enjoying the way her laughter instantly stopped.
Hermione gazed over at Ron, who was looking right back at her, both blushing as they let the awkward silence drag on.
"Still don't got my answer lovely," Elliot piped up, giving Hermione a cat-like smile. "You going or not?"
Hermione exchanged a look with Ron, remembering their fight with Neville –or more likely the fight Neville attended- and both of them yelling about that stupid party. She wasn't exactly sure if she was allowed to. Only that was most likely thanks to the fit of the fight. Still, she wasn't sure.
"…I don't know?" She said hesitantly, screeching her eyes at Ron in question which made him nod excitedly. "I guess I am?"
"Perfect! With you there, there is no way McGonagall is going to stop the party!"
"Ah shut up, you hollow-horned mammal," Ron sighed, a grin forming on his face when Elliot jumped away from her.
"EY!"
Hermione crossed her arms as she watched the two, one eyebrow lifted when Ron started putting Elliot in a headlock while the little devil himself was busy making Ron fall backwards.
"Fuck you, Weasley!"
"No, Fuck you, Pearce!"
"Oh no, Fuck you, Weasley!"
"I said fuck you!"
"Well, I said it first!"
"Well, I said it second!"
Hermione sighed as the insults circled around them, enjoying the way they seemed to have fun no matter how much heads turned around them. She waited patiently till both of them were puffing from exhaustion.
"So…" Elliot gasped, "you coming with me to look at the balloons?"
Ron opened his mouth, ready to reply, but stopped himself as he looked at Hermione. She could see the inner dilemma that was forming in his head. He stepped closer to her, hanging his head to meet her eyes as he whispered; "What did you want to talk about?"
Elliot gave a confused grunt, waiting for Ron to follow him. But to Hermione's surprise, he decided not to. Which, again, made the butterflies bubble up.
She shook her head, waving it off like it wasn't important.
"Nah, it can wait. Go have fun with the balloons."
Ron nodded, smiling enthusiastically even though he seemed as light headed as Elliot. And gave her two thumbs up as he backed away from her. Hermione responding the same, laughing slightly before he turned around to clasp Elliot on the back. The two running through the rest of the corridor on a search for the party accessories while Hermione stood there giggling at the two fumbling to get to their destination until she realised…
She still hadn't confessed.
…
Fuck!
Harry's p.o.v
It's gone…empty. Nothing really matters anymore. Life has always been a cruel joke to him. The universe constantly putting him in his place, not caring about anything as it smashed through his hopes and dreams. He has faced so much injustice, corruption and pain. And for the umpteenth time, the world decided to beat him to the ground.
"And, was it any good?"
Harry looked up at his boyfriend. The werewolf's grey eyes staring right back at him with curiosity and agitation. Which wasn't anything new, as both of them had studied hard these last few days. Researching their potion and figuring out how it could strike its maximum power. But who cared. Life was meaningless anyway.
Draco rolled his eyes at him, picking up some of their combined notes to make a neat pile, he whispered to himself, "A few extra drops won't matter, Draco. I know what I'm doing, Draco. I can show restraint, Draco."
Harry let out an indignant squeak. His head shooting up from the table while his mouth was forming an incredulous pout.
"I can show restraint when I want to, you hear me!" Harry pointed at Draco, who in return lifted his eyebrow, "I just...wasn't feeling like it," He pouted, "And it's not my fault that I've been hungrier than normal, we've been working our asses off. And look at this!" Harry cried, pulling out his blood bag, looking at it with sorrowness. "There's only one sip left, where is the recognition!"
Draco looked at him with sympathy and…was he laughing at him?!
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Draco chuckled at seeing Harry's displease, whipping away a stray tear for comical effect. He was sure that if alchemy wasn't going to work, his boyfriend could always consider taking a career into show business. He had a wicked eye for detail when performing his acts.
"Yes, please laugh at my misery," Harry complained, although he couldn't stop the grin from forming on his face.
"Oh, shut up," Draco replied fondly, taking hold of Harry's empty goblet. He was sure that there was still some residue from his 'cup of the day' as he liked to call it. He decided he would lick it out later. "It's your own fault anyway, you could have easily lasted until Saturday, but you just couldn't help yourself."
Harry's ears perked up at that. His retort on the tip of his tongue, but decided against it. Knowing that whatever he said, it would be a lie. After all, if it wasn't for his problematic thoughts these past few days, he wouldn't have felt the need to swallow all of his blood supply anyway!
'And how problematic they were…' Harry thought as his eyes travelled down the expanse of Draco's throat. Bloody hell.
Not to forget his conversation with Hermione. 'Ask him' pfft as if he would ever be able to utter the words without acting like a fool. How was he supposed to bring it up anyways? He couldn't just casually lean into the other boy while saying, "Yeah, I was thinking which position you'd like most when we sleep with each other, you want to fuck me or can I fuck you?" No, because that would go great!
Harry sighed, which Draco took as a sign he had given in. A smug smile took place on the smaller one's lips, claiming his victory as he put the goblet back in Harry's grasp.
"Think positively, now you will be so much happier when you have your next blood bag."
"Yes, because I'll starve in the meantime."
Draco gave him a disapproving look, taking a pencil he bent forward towards Harry and lightly tapped it on his nose. Surprising Harry and making him switch his gaze from Draco's bare lower back -to which his eyes had narrowed on in record time- back to his face.
"Ow!"
"I said: think positively!" He hissed.
"Alright, alright," Harry chuckled, rubbing his nose in an effort to gain his boyfriend's sympathy –not that it had actually hurt. "What? No kiss to make it better?"
Draco lowered his gaze and Harry wanted to pet himself on the back when he noticed the tips of the werewolf's ears were starting to turn red. He really did have the most adorable boyfriend, no matter what everyone said –including Draco himself, but Harry didn't mind his foolishness (He just didn't look enough in the mirror to notice)- and while his request was more intended as a joke, he wished that they could. To kiss in public that was. But it was still too soon for that, he didn't want to bemuddle their still fresh and happy relationship with comments and insults towards them being together. He just needed to hold it out a little longer.
"So not only is my blood supply almost practically gone, with merely a tiny bit left that wouldn't even fill half of my goblet but now I won't even get a sweet kiss from my precious little wolf?"
Draco blushed further at the pet name, but his expression remained calm and collected.
"Then you shouldn't have drunk it all."
"I know," Harry whined, knowing that Draco wasn't going to fall any further at his teasing remarks than this. Which was disappointing. "But it was soooo good,"
Draco rolled his eyes again at Harry's dramatic tone, to which Harry needed to interject.
"No, but seriously Draco. You have no idea how fucking good it tastes like…"Harry trailed off. His eyes looking dreamily into space, making Draco huff.
"Yeah, I can imagine it being quite the adventure,"
Harry ignored the remark, his mouth suddenly having gone dry. The thought of its taste, that sweet metallic taste almost being enough to send him over the edge. God, why did he need to drink it all! It was as if he had turned into an addict, never having enough and always wanting more. Normally he could keep it somewhat in check, but when he also had the temptation of Draco Malfoy right in front of him...there was just no way!
His scent was enough to drive Harry nuts, so why did the werewolf find it necessary to bite his lip as well?!
Harry looked at the blood bag. It wouldn't matter anyway if he were to drink it all now. At least if he did, he wouldn't need to constantly click his fangs back where they belonged.
"Better to have one full day well fed, then two in hunger." He said joyously and emptied the bag of blood inside the goblet.
Draco's nose twitched in response, making Harry switch his gaze towards it. An annoyed expression momentarily passed his boyfriend's face before it was quickly covered up. It made Harry hesitate.
Did it bother Draco?
He looked at the now filled goblet, questioning himself before he threw away the blood bag. He then turned around to see if anyone else was having a dislike for his food. It wasn't like Harry was worried that Draco found his eating habits horrifying. He knew after months of reassurance that the other didn't mind that one bit. However, that didn't mean Draco found the blood in itself tasteful.
For all he knew, it could have something really disgusting to it. It wasn't like he himself would have noticed -finding the smell of it all kinds of delicious. He just hoped Draco's disinterest didn't come from his unusual food supply. Did it really smell that bad? Oh dear God! What if it smelled like raisins?! How could he let anyone be the victim of that horrible smell?!
"Do you like raisins?!"
"W-what?" Draco asked, clearly put off.
"Raisins, you know those wrinkled old pieces mutation of a dried grape. Do you like them," Harry said desperately. Taking Draco's hand in his as he looked at him urgently.
"I-I guess,"
Harry nodded, letting go of Draco's hand while the blonde looked at him with bewilderment. Not understanding where Harry's sudden question came from.
Harry felt relief wash over him. Still, he was curious as to what caused Draco's expression. However, he supposed he could ask him later, he'd probably just imagined it and wasn't ready to ruin their little piece and quiet.
"Where do you get that blood from anyway?" Draco spat, looking to the other side of the room with indifference. Switching his gaze towards the entrance.
Harry was momentarily struck by the bitterness in Draco's tone…So he hadn't imagined it after all.
"I told you, remember?" He said calmly, "I get it from Her-"
"There you are! 'Been looking all over for you, mate!" Ron suddenly sat himself beside Harry, giving him a mischievous grin as he threw his backpack on the ground.
"Ron! Good afternoon, how are you?" Harry greeted his friend, not liking at all the way Draco seemed to close himself off instantly.
"Good, good…" Ron looked to the side, "Busy with putting everything in order is all!"
"Yeah, how's it going with the preparations for the party anyway?"
"Great, still need to do a few things though. John mixed up the lights again, even though I clearly told him that we needed stationary lights, he keeps bringing the sparkly ones! Forgetting about the party lights altogether, but we'll figure it out." Ron smiled.
"And the drinks?" Harry wiggled his eyebrows.
"All taken care of," Ron winked, motioning to Elliot sitting two tables further. "Elliot knew a guy known for his high quality and low prices, we got enough for a whole army."
"Good," Harry said, putting his goblet to his lips as he gulped his last sip, savouring it in his mouth.
"Although I wanted to ask for a favour. You know Dumbledore always has a weak spot for you…" Ron said unsurely, not wanting to take advantage of Harry.
"Sure, I'll go with you and if you need my help with anything else, all you got to do is ask."
"Thanks, man," Ron said, giving him a pat on the back. They sat there grinning from ear to ear.
"I'm looking forward to attending it," Draco nodded, his tone stiff and polite.
Ron visibly sputtered, his face constricting from indignance to confusion before he seemed to be completely drained of his first wave of excitement. Looking at Harry with a tired look.
"...Of course, Harry invited you," He said, and when Harry only nodded enthusiastically -a wide smile plastered on his face- the wizard shifted his gaze from his best-friend to his newfound ex-enemy with disbelief. Draco smiling at the annoyance written all over the redhead's face, before said redhead, proceeded to look up at the ceiling while letting out a loud groan of annoyance.
"How nice of you to come," Ron eventually said through gritted teeth.
"I thought so too, and I need to say; I'm pretty curious to see what kind of festivity you put in place, considering your sense of class," Draco said in a calm, demeanour way, although it was easy to see the inner irritation that was blossoming behind his boyfriend's sweet smile.
"Yeah, I can imagine it is going to feel quite different from your usual bunch of big-heads attending," Ron spat, his fist clenching at his sides.
Harry could almost see the anger that was steaming off of his two companions.
"No, you're right. I never really liked to mingle myself with the common folk, you can understand; rich, grew up in a pretty secluded home, transferred into an equal stylish house...But enough about me, tell me, Weasley, found yourself a harlot yet?"
Harry spit out the remainder of his blood as he looked up at his boyfriend with wide eyes.
"No, I don't. How about you, Ferret? Still got a life outside sucking my best friend's dick?"
Harry slowly turned around to look at his friend with horror. Quickly switching his gaze all over to find out if anyone else heard. Harry sighed when he noticed that even though the Great Hall was pretty crowded for three in the afternoon, it seemed that no one was paying any attention to them.
"Certainly, but do you know how much he loves it? Seriously, you should see his face as he cums all over my mouth." Draco sneered, to which Ron made an overly disgusted sound.
"Alright, Time-out! Time-out!" Harry hissed while blushing furiously, successfully grabbing his friends' attention.
"I want this thought erased from my head, Harry," Ron said, holding a hand over his stomach as he gagged.
Draco only smirked in response, blowing Harry a kiss before opening one of their research volumes, stepping out of the conversation.
Harry looked at him incredulously, his mouth opening and closing as if he wanted to say something but wasn't able to form the words, wanting to explain himself to his friend. After a while of uncomfortable silence on his side, he ducked his head and stared Draco right in the eye. Opening and closing his own eyes as he tried to figure out what to say with his embarrassment still swaying heavily in the air.
"I do not make a face," He whispered out furiously. Annoyed by his boyfriend cockiness as he gave him a once over in response, one eyebrow raised in challenge.
"Oh, yes you do," Draco responded putting the book back up to cover his face again. Harry's blush shifted a shade deeper.
"No, I don't," He growled out, his voice filled with humiliation. Fucking hell, he knew he was lying when he kept contradicting his boyfriend. He knew that whenever he and Draco did something intimate he wasn't able to keep his actions in check, especially when he did that thing with his tongue…
"Harry please stop," Ron begged, a frightened look on his face as he saw Draco lowering the book once more, "I don't want to know."
Harry gave him a helpless look, begging Ron to believe him when he squeaked, "But I don't!"
"I don't want to know," Ron repeated himself, eyes wide and hands ready to plug his ears if needed to be as he shook his head at Harry. "I already know too much,"
"Ah yes because you've never done anything perverted, have you, Weasley?" Draco sighed. And even though Harry couldn't see, he knew that the Slytherin was rolling his eyes when he said it.
Ron gawked at him, his initial anger coming back full force as he raised himself over the table, yelling "That's none of your business!" to the blonde haired werewolf. Although the force didn't bring the desired effect as it had been dropped significantly at the high pitchiness of his best friend's own voice.
"Ron just ignore him," Harry tried to sound level-headed, even though he wasn't sure if he was able to with his own mortification still very evident in his voice, he would make sure to have a talk with his boyfriend later.
"He was the one who provoked me," Draco pointed out, his voice holding a fake sort innocence as he said the words, making Harry turn towards him.
"Draco please don't make it worse," Harry prayed, contemplating why the two couldn't just work around their differences instead of jumping at each other's throats on every given moment. He knew they were both trying for his sake, but still.
"Fine," Draco relented, muttering out his apologies to which Ron was forced to apologise as well. Both not looking at the other as they did so to which Harry sighed. He supposed he shouldn't expect any more than this.
When the tension finally started to diminish a bit, Draco began concentrating on his book again while Harry and Ron talked about the party some more. Half an hour passed just like that, the hall growing emptier by the minute as everyone started to relax in their common rooms. A house elf walking by gave them candy for helping clean up some of the rubbish that other students had left behind. There was still a couple of creatures in the room, in the corner of his eye Harry saw a couple of Gryffindor kappas attempting to play a prank on a group of Ravenclaw werecats. It didn't seem to go all that well, Harry thought with a smile.
"What's this?" Ron asked as he picked a piece of their potion research, "Two cups off centipede feet, two troll nails…" The redhead's mouth twisted while his brows drew together in bewilderment.
"Yeah," Harry said as he snatched the paper from Ron. "It's for our potion assignment, we picked the potion of knowledge."
Ron gave him a look of horror, knowing his friend's history with the subject he didn't think the vampire could be that stupid, picking a potion that would guarantee failure. He mouthed a, "What does he do to you?!", as he tried to figure out what came over Harry to pick that potion.
"It's not as bad as it seems. Actually, we've been making great progress in the last few days! We still need to figure out a few of the ingredients and are already researching into its creation," Harry nodded but saw it had no effect on his friend's 'are you serious?' look. He frowned, "No, but really! Draco makes sure to cross out any harmful side-effects and has such a wide grasp on the ingredients while I find the right tools and look for time reducing elements, we're a team!"
Ron still looked at him with disbelief but shrugged when he saw Harry's excited expression.
Harry smiled –teeth on full display- not noticing the way Draco had seemed to timidly look over the book at the things he had said.
"I'm glad Hermione didn't push me in doing such a potion." Ron mumbled to himself before a big grin started to morph itself on his face, "Hey! Have I told you Hermione's coming to the party too!"
"Oh?" Harry said surprised.
"Yeah, Elliot convinced her to go. I wasn't sure if she would want to after our fight, so I hadn't really thought about it. But I'm glad she's coming it wouldn't be the same without her." Ron said, his tone dripping with affection and love as it reached the end. He then gave Draco a sidelong glance, inching closer to Harry. "You know, I've been thinking. And…I want to confess to her."
Harry squinted his eyes, not sure if he heard that right. But when he saw the excited/nervous look on his best friend's face, he knew that what he was hearing was the truth. Harry slightly opened his mouth in shock, the side of his mouth threatening to curl upwards as he wanted to congratulate the redhead that he was finally going to do it!
But then something stopped him, a gnawing feeling in the back of his head telling him that this wasn't good, and his face blanched.
Hermione had a crush.
Fuck!
He nodded towards Ron, faking a smile while trying desperately to avoid his friend's confused gaze.
Oh God, how was he going to talk himself out of this? He promised Hermione he wouldn't tell anyone. She had begged him back in the library that no one was supposed to know. But now that he knew Ron was going to confess…shit! He couldn't break his promise with Hermione but at the same time, he didn't want his friend to be rejected.
"Harry you alright, mate?" Ron asked worriedly, "You-you don't think it's a good plan?"
Draco's head slowly lifted from his book as he gave both of them a curious glance.
Harry
"Whaaat?"Harry said, his voice high before he cleared his throat, "W-what gave you that idea?"
"So you do think it's a good plan," Ron stated, albeit a bit flustered.
"Well, I only see one problem with it…" Harry opened his mouth to protest, trying to think up a lie quickly, he looked around helplessly as Ron's desperate stare became too much but when he turned back and saw the kicked puppy expression his friend was sporting, he couldn't stop himself.
"Hermione has a crush,"
So, that's it. No harm done. Let's hope this was going to fly over quickly and-
"What?!" Ron shot from his seat.
Oh oh.
"She what?!"
Harry looked up at his friend, who was inching on him in seconds.
"Ron, Ron, you need to-" Harry started.
"On who?!"
"Ron you're attracting unwanted attention to yourself," Harry said, waving at a bunch of Hufflepuffs who were looking at them. He then proceeded to lower Ron down and as soon as the wizards sat he started hissing at him.
"How do you even know?"
Harry switched his gaze around them before he turned to Ron, he sighed cursing himself.
"I found out last night when I talked to her in the library,"
Ron frowned, "What were you two talking about?"
Harry bit the inside of his lip as his blush that had faded away only an hour ago came back full force. He pressed his lips together, swallowing uncomfortably as he rubbed the back of his head.
"Stuff…" He cleared his throat, noticing Ron scrunching up his face in puzzlement while he himself was busy not to look at Draco. Fuck, he didn't want to talk about that now, certainly not with Ron still there. "Look it doesn't matter. What matters is that she has a crush, and no," Harry stopped Ron, "I don't know who it is, she wouldn't even tell me which house he was in or what kind of creature he is."
Ron's face contoured from anger to hopelessness as his breathing started to slow down, his brows locking together as he desperately looked around himself.
"What if it's Elliot?" Ron eventually said, jealousy clear in his voice.
Harry halted a second, his mouth falling open in incredulity.
"Elliot?"
"Yeah, I mean they've been really buddy-buddy lately," Ron clenched his jaw, "What if that's the reason she's going to the party?"
Harry stared at his friend a few seconds not able to believe what he just heard.
"Ron, Elliot has a girlfriend. You know he would never cheat on her, despite his relaxed attitude. The guy gets bloody hearts for eyes when he talks about her! Besides, I don't really see our Hermione falling for a clubber like Elliot, not to mention her absolute disgust with his eating manners," Not to mention that the few times they are actually hanging out together was mostly because of Ron himself. The times he had seen Hermione roll her eyes at one of Elliot's suggestive comments where far too many, no way she was into him.
Ron huffed, scratching the side of his head as frustration began forming in his face. He touched his chin as if in thought but he didn't seem to get anywhere and dropped it after a second, sighing loudly.
"Fuck, you're right but who else?! She's never been one of those types that hangs around other people. What if it's another Viktor Krum case? That guy was a complete arse!" Ron complained, even though Harry knew that Viktor hadn't actually been that bad.
"I'm going to find that guy and when I do, he won't know what hit him," Ron said fiercely, clenching his fists. Harry was sure Ron was exaggerating about the whole thing even though he couldn't completely stump out the part of him that was so eager to find out who the mysterious person was as well…except his intention was maybe a little less murderous. He should probably calm down his fickle friend and let him see reason.
"Oh, please do," Draco piped up out of nowhere, making both Harry and Ron frown at him.
"You think this is funny?!" Ron growled, leaning over the table while glaring at the blonde. Harry knotted his eyebrows together as looked at his boyfriend, noticing the way he had leaned back in his chair as he gave Ron a sly smirk. Like he knew something they didn't. Ron –already in a bad mood- wasn't too keen to his boyfriend cockiness but by the way, the redhead didn't jump on him at first chance, he at least seemed to be acting with some sense…huh, he'd expected it to go much worse than that.
"Yes, quite a bit actually." Draco arrogantly crossed his arms in front of him. A mischievous gleam in his eye that Harry didn't get to see all that often. It was usually at times he was trying to prank him like that time Draco told him Snape was actually a famous ballerina in the supernatural world. Of course he had laughed it off and said "That was a good one," but when the sneaky little wolf kept arguing that he was telling the truth, that the potion master had even made it to the headline of the Daily prophet once, all the while looking at him with such an earnest expression…Draco had actually managed to convince him. It had made for a few ridiculous questions, Harry could still picture himself blushing and throwing up in disgust as he imagined his former potion master in a tutu.
Eventually though, when it was clear Draco couldn't hold back his laughter any longer Harry knew he had been tricked. The blonde himself had smirked just like he was doing now, saying, "That's what you get for not paying attention to your senses, now let's try again," Alright, maybe it had been stupid of him to fall for all that, when Draco had explicitly said to focus his vampire hearing to his heartbeat and catch the lie.
It was then that he noticed the little upbeats in his boyfriend's heartbeat, that same day Draco had taught him what those different beats could mean giving multiple scenarios; when someone was being dishonest, when someone was pretty excited, when someone was feeling a bit nervous, when someone was keeping something from you…
"…Besides he doesn't blabber about my crushes either!"
And just like that, he realised, that that son of a bitch knew.
"You got some nerve-"
"Who?" Harry asked, interrupting the rant Ron obviously wanted to start against the werewolf. He stared Draco right in the eyes, feeling blackness filling them while Draco watched. The werewolf's confidence slowly started to diminish, his eyes going unfocused and flickering the slightest of gold.
"Tell me," Harry commanded, a low rumble coming forward as he licked his lips. He didn't know what he was doing. He could feel his fangs starting to fall down, his rational thoughts getting pressed into the back of his mind.
Draco shivered, his mouth opening just slightly in a repressed moan while he sniffed the air.
"Weasley," Draco gasped, breaking his gaze.
All three of them fell quiet, while Draco tried to put himself back together.
"Wait, WHAT?!" Ron cried at Draco, moving to grasp him on the shoulders. His eyes wide and full of disbelief. "You're lying!"
Normally, the rough forcefulness Ron portrayed when grabbing Draco would get him thrown across the room.
His instincts would go wild and often tried getting Harry to do just that when the redhead was being particularly nasty against his boyfriend. It wouldn't matter that he would know that his friend was defending himself in the only way his short temper allowed and that Draco could have triggered it accidentally…or on purpose depending on the mood the werewolf was in.
He was handling it better now though, after all, he wanted to spend time with each of them equally and that mostly resulted in both of them -unintentionally- having to spend time with the other which resulted in shady looks and the occasional insult thrown in there, but he tried to keep that to a minimum. He had kind of figured out how to control himself and suppress a lot of those protective –violent- urges, getting used to their little rivalry as he had been before all of the love stuff had been uncovered. He still found his instincts to be a bit strange…But that was a whole other thing to look into.
"Hermione…is in love with Ron?" He mumbled to himself, scrunching up his face as he thought about it. Okay, maybe mastering his control wasn't the only aspect that kept him from hitting Ron into a pulp -because the goddamn bombshell had just been dropped on him.
He was still processing what Draco had admitted, all the while Ron was busy calling Draco "a lie telling liar who lied" because "no way could that lie not be a lie…you liar!". He was…shocked, to say the least.
Hermione liked Ron. As in like-liked Ron. As in love-like Ron, or like-love Ron…was there even such a thing?
Going off track! So Hermione liked Ron…
…Since when? It didn't make sense! They have been each other's best friends for years! He knew Hermione like the back of his hand, there was no way he could ever have overlooked something like this. For fuck's sake, he still remembered when the two loathed one another, arguing about practically everything and throwing almost as many insults at each other as Draco and Ron were doing right now.
Sure after that whole 'troll in the bathroom' thing they had gotten a long way better but there was still some irritation bubbling up here and there from both parties. He should know, he was in the middle of most of them. He thought it to be a miracle when their usual 2 o'clock disagreement finally started to filter away. Sure they still fought a lot after that, but with a certain peaceful air around it, almost like a fond recollection in order to keep up the tradition. And Ron had eventually fallen for her because of that –but there was simply no evidence supporting Hermione liked Ron in that way too!
No way anyone could be attracted to someone they scolded 24/7! Besides, her actions didn't exactly scream, "I'M IN LOVE!" She always reprimands him whenever he's not studying or curses at him when he's getting into trouble, just like a mother hen…although, now Harry thought about it…a lot of those times she had offered to help, lend him some notes or think of a good excuse.
But that didn't mean anything! All three of them would do that when they could. And there is also the point where she told the redhead to stop whining when Ron kept on telling himself he wasn't going to get in the Quidditch team, whacking him over the head. It had been obviously a friend telling another friend that they didn't have to worry and that they would do great. Surely if she had been in love with him then she would have handled it a bit more subtly and comforting? Like Lavender had been! He could still imagine her shrill voice screaming from the bleachers.
But then again -Harry realised as he felt his head becoming clearer and clearer- she had also been going to their Quidditch practice way more often after that. Actually, he couldn't recall one time she hadn't shown up with one of her books in tow. And now that he mentioned it, she never read them while she was there. Her head firmly concentrated on the game in a way Harry had never seen her do before…or maybe it wasn't the game entirely?
No, no, that was merely a coincidence! What about her constant avoidance on Ron last year? If you were in love with someone, there was no way you wouldn't want to tell them your troubles and what was bothering you. Or at least keep them as close to you as possible. He had that on numerous occasions with Draco, never did he have a single part of him that wanted to be away from the blonde even when he himself thought it would be better.
Only…what if she couldn't tell Ron, because it was about Ron…
'Holy shit,' Harry thought and his eyes widened. Rethinking every single moment of Hermione's interactions, the difference in how she acted around him in comparison to Ron. The way she blushed more, how she gazed in his eyes, how she always seemed to be more stressed out, how she sat a little closer, how she shared some of her food, how she got irritated whenever an unfamiliar girl started hanging around him, how she got saddened when she wasn't asked to the Yule ball by him, how she kept mentioning him whenever she and Harry talked.
And then the penny dropped.
Oh yeah, now it made sense…He was an idiot.
Draco brushed away the hands while Harry slowly helped a frozen Ron sit back down.
"Did you know any of this?!" Ron squealed, turning towards him with a mixture of emotions.
"No! Of course not!" Harry yelled in retort. His face relaxing with his mouth open when he processed that. "Fuck, I didn't know. How couldn't I know?! She was so obvious!" He mumbled and let his head fall in his hands.
"What do you mean obvious?! You're saying she actually likes me? ME?!" Ron pointed at himself hysterically. His frown now turned having disappeared together with his eyebrows as they travelled up, and up. Any other time Harry would think the sight would make him laugh his arse off, but now the only thing he could think about was how dense he had been.
"Yes, you. Although I don't understand what she sees in you. Seriously who could get attracted to that," Draco pointed towards Ron's body, clearly shaking up about spilling one of Hermione's secrets without having had much control over it. He was definitely going to make his lover regret making him do that…right after letting go of all that pent up arousal he now had thanks to it. Not a chance that the vampire wasn't going makeup with that later.
"Hey! For your information a lot of women want a piece of this," Ron pointed to himself.
"Oh, please spare me. I already had to go through all that once in my life and I don't intend it to happen a second time," Draco huffed, pitching his voice a tone higher, 'What do you think of that one, Draco, she's clearly only flirting with him to get Harry, right? What about her, she's just sex on a lollipop, he wouldn't want to date her right? Why is he talking to her? Draco, do you think they're going out, they aren't right? What if that's his type, no way he would be interested in me, right?' I tell you, it was torture-"
Ron leaned towards Draco, gulping down everything the blonde had to say about Hermione's crush for him.
"Then she was all like, 'yeah, I'm going to tell him!' and a second after that she would say, 'I don't think it's the right time,' and she would do this to me for months on end! Even when I would say she needed to get her head out of her arse, she still wouldn't do it! Then one day she finally seemed courageous enough, and next thing you knew she came crying to me saying you were dating that girl or seemed interested in that girl, while it was clear you were not. Really the amount of patience I had to go through, was insane-"
"Really?" Ron said after a while, his focus entirely on Draco and his stories. And when Harry finally came out of his stupor and noticed what was going on, he couldn't help the disorientation he felt. Looking over from his friend to his boyfriend, with a slack jaw.
Ron seemed lost in thought though after a while, whilst Draco was still blabbering on and on about his 'horrible' experiences. The redhead's eyebrows knitting together as he stared into the empty space in front of him. Letting all of it sink in.
Hermione's & Draco's p.o.v
"Draco, I swear to God, if you don't get out of this bathroom right now I'm going to break it open," He could hear Harry say and groaned as he put on the final touches. Looking himself over in the mirror he picked up his newest designer watch, giving it a thought before he decided against it and settled for his great-grandfather's instead. It was his lucky one after all.
"Are you finished yet?" Harry groaned and Draco could hear the vampire pacing in front of the door. Rolling his eyes, Draco put the watch on and opened the door.
"Finally!" Draco crossed his arms as he waited for his lover to turn around, awaiting his approval as he liked to call it. He knew he was annoying Harry by changing outfits for the third time that evening, but he wanted to achieve something here.
"Are you ready to go now…"Harry turned his body towards him, impatience clear on his face, surely wanting to make another comment on Draco's tardiness. Even though Draco was always the one to tell Harry to hurry up. But he let it slide, especially when his lover's frustration wiped off his face in seconds when he looked him up and down, eyes slightly glazing over and mouth forming into a stunned 'Oh'.
Bingo.
"Yes, I'm finished. Now, stop you're whining, we're going to make it just in time." Draco said, already moving towards the exit as Harry stood there rooted to the spot. Draco grinned wholeheartedly when he heard the vampire stumble after him, opening and closing his mouth like a goldfish when he didn't know what to say.
He didn't blame him. He'd been quite selective when picking his outfit and had thought the black blouse fit well with the dark jeans, they were both very form fitting and when he styled his hair a certain way…let's just say he'd noticed many heartbeats pitching up because of it.
Seemed like his lover wasn't any different.
"You, you look…handsome," Harry said awkwardly when he caught up to him, making Draco smirk at him in a way he knew would make the vampire huff and shake his head.
After they walked their way towards the Great Hall, Harry stopped them, holding his hand against Draco's chest. He looked at it with suspicion.
"Just…hang on a moment," Harry said and leaned in to give Draco a soft kiss, "You really do look handsome tonight,"
Draco hoped the dim lighting would make it unable for Harry notice the stupid blush that came over him. Dammit, why did his lover always catch him off guard? Now he really cursed Weasley for throwing his dumb party and letting Harry make him so flustered. Even when his whole body fluttered with affection for his lover's actions.
Great, he was already busy keeping a tight leash on his wolf tonight and could feel it slipping from his grasp within seconds as it began to wag its long-ass tail.
Still, the only thing Draco managed to get out was a timid 'thank you' and similar comment. His lips tingling and secretly he wanted to give his lover a kiss too, but that was before a loud bunch of Hufflepuff's came into the corridor. Two of them holding a large wrapped box with a bow on it. It made Draco look sideways towards the smaller sized gift Harry was holding.
It had warmed his heart when Harry had asked him to help search for a gift -even though he wasn't all too fond of Weasley, he knew it meant a lot to Harry. That's why it didn't stop his initial surprise when the vampire actually took his advice and picked the gift he had sought out. It gave him a sort of…domesticated feeling. And he hadn't expected how much he liked that thought.
"What are you grinning about?" Harry asked, slipping their hands together as he stepped a little closer to Draco. He had such a tender expression on his face, as if Draco was something precious to him and that he would do whatever he could to make sure he was happy and sated.
"Nothing, where did you say Hermione would be waiting for us?"
Harry huffed and shook his head at Draco, knowing damn well he was deflecting the question but not caring as much to point it out.
"Somewhere around the William Custrum statue, I think I can see it," Harry squinted his eyes as he tried to look past the massive crowd that had flocked itself in the corridor within record time, all waiting for the doors of the Great Hall to be pushed open and for the party to get started.
Draco breathed in the familiar scent of all those around him. Recognising some sweet Boggles and Nymphs he had seen in between classes. He also saw a couple of his housemates that had been relatively nice to him. Some of them -like the Dunnie, Barnabus, who was waving at him from a couple of feet away- had been even more friendly towards him when they found out he had become friends with Harry, which he hadn't expected. They apparently admired the vampire, only not as obvious as some other houses had been.
Thank bloody hell for that! He wasn't sure if he could handle those screeching groupies in his own house too. Squabbling together like a pack of headless chickens.
He moved his gaze until it spotted a waiting figure standing awfully out of place as she leaned against the wall. Her bushy brown hair tied up in a messy bun while her face had the faintest hint of make-up that was only noticeable thanks to the red lips and black eyeliner sitting atop of her eyelids. Draco tapped Harry on the shoulder telling him that he had found her before they pushed through the mass of the party-goers.
Hermione skimmed through the people around her. Her heart was beating like crazy as her wolf grew more restless from all the excited energy around them and she just hoped the doors would open soon. She scratched her forehead just before she saw Draco and Harry walking towards her.
"Hey, Hermione! An awful lot of people here don't you think? Ron really went out on this one," She heard Harry say, giving her a sweet smile.
"He sure did," She laughed, looking around them. "He's been quite enthusiastic in making sure everybody will have the time of their lives. I had no idea he invited so many."
"Yeah, I'm sure he's going to go down in History for this. He managed to get the whole final year here, through all the houses. I haven't even seen as much people at the Yule Ball!"
"Alright, listen up!" A loud voice penetrated the air, making everyone go quiet as they turned towards the entrance. "No throwing things, no breaking things and no fighting, we don't have insurance. Please, leave any gifts you have on the table stationed near the entrance. Now go have some fun!"
The whole crowd cheered as the heavy doors opened. People scrambling forward as music and lights filled the corridor in a blue glow. Slowly the cluster drained into the large room, leaving the hallway empty and forsaken as screams of "Weasley is our king!" followed the large assembly.
"Shall we go?" Draco said after a moment, giving the two friends a moment to recover.
Hermione nodded her head, offering her arms so they could hook into them. Harry lashing onto her with ease and experience as they raised their chins towards each other. She caught Draco rolling his eyes and winked at him in return, making his lip quirk up.
Once they entered the Great Hall, Draco was surprised to see all the hard work put into it. Long pieces of fabric in all kinds of colours draped from the ceiling and walls, together with a couple of golden balloons. Lights filled the room in different shades and directions, moving around to get that disco-y feel to it. He could already see people occupying the various pieces of furniture that were stacked around the room in tiny sit areas, a large, open area in the middle filled to the brim with students dancing and yelling. He could smell chips, chocolate, alcohol, fruit, etcetera placed near somewhere on the left. And when Draco looked at the back, he saw a lifted platform, a house elf standing behind a turntable with a large pair of headphones on his ears as he turned the music up.
They clearly outweighed themselves, Draco needed to give them that.
Hermione stood there, slack-jawed while her eyes moved through all corners of the room in awe. Noticing a chocolate fountain just a couple of feet away with plastic cups stacked alongside it; couples, steering towards the dance floor and large speakers standing all around the room. It was beautifully decorated, just like she imagined a proper prom would look like. But with all these extra details, the eagerness of everyone in there, the bangs of firework in the room…it was something else entirely.
"Holy shit…it looks amazing!" Harry breathed out, and the two werewolves could only nod in acknowledgement.
"I-I think, I'm going to look for Ron," Hermione eventually said, taking a step back before hurriedly making her way around the room.
Draco found himself staring at her after image. A little puzzled at her hasty departure but then again, she probably just wanted to congratulate her mate. Speaking of that –How could he have let that slip! He was a Malfoy for goodness sake, he was trained how to keep secrets and lying to somebody's face on a daily bases! But now…
He looked up at Harry, who's piercing eyes were completely focussed on the dancefloor. Moving along with the bodies swaying from side to side. Those green eyes that had him fully in control not even a day ago, gazing somewhere deep inside him. That set jaw that made it impossible for Draco to oppose him. Not to forget that aura of power that rolled off of him in waves. He wasn't sure how much Harry could make him do. Why Harry even seemed to hold any authority over his body.
It had shocked him when Harry suddenly used that voice outside of their usual play. It was all fun and games when they made out. Sometimes with Harry changing gears after a lot of goadings, other times showing up when Draco became a little too lusty and begged the raven hair to do something. It was a harmless game. A game, Draco had to admit, he liked an awful lot and it seemed Harry did too.
They hadn't spoken of it much other than, you like that?; Keep talking; Am I going too far?; You mind if..?
But to be frank, it had become sort of an unspoken agreement between them as a means to get off every now and then. They elaborated it any more than that.
Especially in such a public space! Fuck, he was sure most of his self-respect had flown out of the window when he let out that pathetic whine. He'd practically orgasmed right on the spot! In front of Weasley! Again! He'd never let himself be controlled like that, not even by his own wolf.
It had actually scared him a bit when he realised what had transpired. It had been obvious that Harry hadn't known what he'd done; the way he had suddenly blasted a sea of pheromones towards him. He didn't even acknowledge it. And that was the part Draco should be disturbed about. That the vampire could make him do something without even being aware of it himself.
And Draco didn't know why it didn't worry him as much as it probably should.
…But when he looked in those eyes, something told him that whatever happened; Harry would never harm Draco in any way. Physically or emotionally. And that was the most important to him. The vampire's strict rules around Draco's blood was enough proof of that.
Harry gave Draco a mischievous look, biting the corner of his mouth before extending his arm the same way Hermione had done.
"Would you like to dance?" The vampire yelled over the music, making Draco wake up from his thoughts.
He considered the arm and smiled before taking it.
"You sure you can keep up with me, Mr. quick feet?" He responded, turning so his back was to the dance floor, pulling Harry towards him.
"Ah, shut up!" Harry smiled and curled himself around Draco as soon as the surrounding crowd enveloped them. The stench of sweat and arousal heavy in the air, but Draco didn't let his thoughts drift off. Instead, he giggled as Harry made him swirl.
Draco let himself get lost in the movements. The music playing a slow upbeat while the lights flickered from blue to red. If he concentrated, he could hear several groups prompting friends to drink, drink, drink; the flow of the chocolate fountain being disturbed as people stuck their heads in it; whispers travelling all around the room from person to person.
Only he wasn't concentrating on that. No, the thing that was occupying his mind was standing right behind him. Arms caressing his body as a nose pressed against his hair. Hips moving around him, in an easy way. He let his own hand cup the back of his lover's head, slightly pulling as he breathed. And dear lord, did he need to breathe.
He could sense his eyes shifting to gold every now and then, somehow knew Harry's where as well. They should probably leave some space between them, in case anyone noticed them. But even if Draco cared at that moment, he would only see fellow dazed expressions that had their own partners to worry about.
He felt Harry pressing against his back, moving in to scent him and Draco let his head fall back, encouraging it.
He felt relaxed, wild. Like he could take over the world in a split second.
And when Harry started mouthing his throat, he couldn't stop the quiet moan from escaping. He knew he must have looked like an utter mess. He'd felt the way Harry's grip had gotten tighter, still relaxed but tighter. More possessive. Hips calmly grinding against his arse in subdued domination. Probably not knowing he was even doing it.
His eyes rolled back inside his head, body sweating.
It was such a perfect moment, unhurried and precious.
Of course, someone needed to ruin it.
"Guys," Hermione popped up out of nowhere, startling the pair. She moved towards them, speaking as she did so. "Sorry to bother you, but have you seen Ron, I can't find him anywhere,"
Draco looked around, snapping out his daze he took a step forward just as Harry took one backwards. He moved his watch in front of him and noticed the clock having turned a lot more then he'd thought. They had been dancing there for over one and a half hour. How bloody long had she been looking then?
He slipped his gaze towards Harry who was looking at him with a mixture of embarrassment and lust. Which didn't help the situation at all.
"We…have been a little preoccupied," Harry grunted, and Draco could hear his fangs being clicked back into place.
Hermione stared at the two, looking a bit disoriented. Switching her gaze from their joined hands towards their flustered faces. Eyes widening when she finally caught on.
"Oh! You guys…were having a moment -sorry, feel free to proceed with whatever you were doing," She smiled and slowly backed away before Draco caught her by the arm.
"No, I'm pretty exhausted. I suppose we could take a break. I need to drink something before I pass out," He said.
"I'll get you some," Harry said, quickly set out to find some refreshments for his boyfriend.
Draco stood there with Hermione, stranded on the dance floor. It didn't take long before they searched out the nearest sofa and dumped themselves on it.
Hermione sniffed the air but was still unable to detect Ron's whereabouts. Perhaps she'd just moved passed him when she walked back to the dance floor or something. She had thought he would be playing truth or dare with the Hufflepuffs or drinking his socks off with the Ravenclaws but hadn't found him in either spaces. He was most likely busy trying to be a good host and make sure everything was running smoothly.
She was a little stunned by that thought, she wasn't used to Ron taking so much responsibility. She wasn't used to seeing him like that. Sure, when they were studying together she sometimes saw a few glimpses or when he was discussing Quidditch with Harry. But it wasn't Ron's nature, he was known to be impulsive and doing before thinking. She was actually quite surprised that he'd managed to pull this off, knowing how much planning and forethought events like these cost.
She needed to admit, she was disappointed with herself for ever doubting him. The last few days she had seen nothing other than determination on his face whenever he was talking about the party. The preparations he took, getting his full devotion.
It wasn't like the party was some sort of big accomplishment. Something he wanted to build his future with. But it helped Hermione realise that Ron wasn't the immature boy anymore who complained and whined whenever someone gave him a task. It was proof that Ron could take care of himself. That he didn't need her continues fussing to figure out a life goal.
It gave her a sense of relief she never thought she was capable of. She hadn't known how much it had bothered her that her mate –her friend, wasn't able to get that feeling of accomplishment. That he never tried to excel in something, even if it was small. She was sure that if he wanted to, he could earn the title of best chess player in the world or something like that. His lack of confidence and defeated expression while trying out for the Quidditch team had broken her heart. It was one of the reasons she had never felt ashamed when helping him a bit to get that spot…even when it meant cheating.
And his confidence in the sport had only grown because of it! However, seeing something like this. Something he had done without any help from her or Harry. Something he had organised and arranged all by himself. Something he had put well-spent effort in. She couldn't help but feel pride bubbling up from within her.
Draco threw a sideways glance towards Hermione, feeling pretty disturbed as she started smiling like a lunatic. Should he check if she was alright?
"One firewiskey, a small bottle of water and one butterbeer for myself," Harry said, grinning when he handed the drinks to them, "Anything else?"
"Hm? Oh, thank you," Hermione said, looking at the water bottle with some contemplation, "You know what? I think I'm going to get a butterbeer as well. There aren't any classes tomorrow anyway and you only live once, right? Let's have some fun."
Harry lifted his eyebrows, moving his head to the side as he asked her if she was sure.
"Yeah, I think I'll bring something to eat as well. I remember seeing some pigs in a blanket. You guys want anything?"
Draco shared a look with Harry.
"No, thanks,"
"All the more there is for me," She winked at them and skid away. Following her nose as it led her to the snack table. Where she saw Neville and Luna standing while taking shots. Neville pulling a disgusted face right after swallowing the drink. It made her smile, thinking about the burning taste and how it was definitely not one she imagined the other Gryffindor would like that much. The way Luna patted him on the back, only making the scene all the more entertaining.
Turning to the side, her vision was completely overtaken by the amount of food laying on the table. Her mouth started watering as soon as she looked everything over.
She didn't know what to pick! There was a girl standing behind the table, handing out drinks while secretly picking up a few pumpkin pasties, nibbling on them as she waited for her next customer. Hermione took one off the plate, shocking the girl into action as she gave her a smile that clearly showed the girl's embarrassment at being caught. She gave a little wave to tell her it was fine, but it only ended up in the girl slowly shuffling to the other side of the table, away from her.
It reminded her of her cat when he thought Hermione wasn't looking. Sneaking over from one room to the other. She could picture how he would hunch down, swirling his' tail, getting ready to jump on her parents' brand new couch. He would leap ten feet in the air whenever she cleared her throat, scampering back to his' scratching post while giving her a menacing glare.
"What you're smiling for, princess?" A voice behind her said and she immediately recognised it to be Elliot's. She whirled around to face him, letting a few crumples fall to the ground as she tried to answer.
"I see you're enjoying yourself," He noted. Giving her a friendly smile, he pointed at something behind her, "I recommend the cinnamon rolls, you should try some they're quite tasty."
"Thanks," She swallowed the pasty, giving it a thought until he turned around, "Hey, have you seen Ron? I can't find him anywhere,"
"Ronnieboy?" He asked and she nodded in confirmation, "Well, he's standing right over there."
She immediately spun towards the figure Elliot was gesturing at. The redhead stood there talking to the DJ. Signalling at the elf to speed the music up. The new pace got a round of cheering as people started dancing faster and wilder. She saw him saluting the elf before moving towards the gift table. She quickly picked up a drink, hauling herself towards the wizard.
"Ron," She said cheerfully, noticing the look of discomfort that her friend carried when she walked up to him. Strange, she thought but didn't put any mind to it. "Hey, how is it going?"
"Good," He said. She waited a moment for him to continue but it quickly became apparent that he wasn't going further into the topic. The silence between them growing heavier by the second.
She cleared her throat, "So, I think I owe you an apology,"
Ron gave her an inquiring look, face softening a bit before he frowned.
"What about?"
She squinted her eyes as she saw his expression. Noticing the way he'd settled himself in a guarded stance, he seemed…vulnarable. In a way, she hadn't seen in a long time.
"The party of course," She smiled, "Seriously, you guys did amazing! Everybody is having such a great time. I can't imagine how much work you put into this. How did you even manage to get this stage inside?"
He immediately deflated, eyes staring at the giant platform and sighed as he looked down to the ground, "Found a charm,"
She bit her lip, "Ah, which one? I didn't know you've been practising without me," She playfully bumped him on the shoulder in an effort to make him smile. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to lift the redhead from his sour mood. Her wolf starting to pace around her mind, whining. Begging to know what was wrong with their mate.
"Diminuendo,"
"With such a large object, well-done," She complimented, ignoring his grunt.
"Thanks, I guess," He seemed almost desperate to avoid looking at her. Clapping his hands together he nodded towards Harry and Draco who were still sitting on the couch. She saw them chattering to one another, Harry leaning against the werewolf while softly caressing his hair. Draco laughing out loud at something the raven hair had said.
"And, how's it going with those two?"
"Last time I saw them, they appeared to enjoy themselves quite a bit," She told him, cursing herself for not having made pictures of that adorable slow dance, where Harry clung to Draco like a lifeline as the blond waltzed all around the room.
"Glad to hear that," He started, arms folded over his chest, "And has Draco received anything from his application yet?"
"Not that I'm aware of," She answered honestly before she noticed the slip of tongue. It put her off slightly that he hadn't used his normal annoyance when talking about the blonde, moreover the fact he used the boy's first name. She searched his eyes for anything hinting at his sudden change of heart, crossing her arms. "Didn't know you knew, though."
The world must have gotten mad.
"Yeah, told me yesterday. We were having an interesting talk, and he enlightened me in on a few more things I –apparently- wasn't informed about." He huffed, a scowl on his face.
She halted a moment, "You sure, you're alright? You seem a little irked,"
Ron's brow lifted, clearly having been unaware of the hostility he had been showing towards her. It made her think, Ron never was very good at keeping secrets from her. His open personality making it hard for him to come off as indifferent when being asked too many questions. Apparently, he still hadn't found the trick.
"Yeah, I'm…" He cleared his throat, thinking of something to say. Hermione waited patiently for him to go on until his jaw clenched shut, "Actually, no."
"Oh," She said, conscious that the wizard had taken a step closer, "what's wrong?"
"What's wrong…" Ron said, making Hermione take a step back, tilting her head to the side. "What's wrong? You're really asking me that?"
"Yes…" She answered sheepishly. She didn't know what was going on. Why he'd suddenly snapped.
He scratched the back of his head, letting out a harsh breath. When he looked her in the eyes, he had a certain hesitancy. His mouth moving but not forming any words, trying to suppress whatever he wanted to say. He seemed lost and unsure of himself, his face betraying it all as he scrunched it up.
"Are you in love with me?!" He said abruptly, shocking Hermione into silence before she even made out what he'd said. He gave her another hopeless look, bringing his hands up to slide over his face.
"Heh?"
"Are you in love with me?" He pointed towards himself, "Draco said you had a crush on me and I'm asking if what he said was the truth."
She froze for a moment, feeling like the walls were closing in on her. She could feel dread flowing through her body. She would have giggled at the serious face the redhead was sporting if she hadn't been as petrified like she was now. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. This was not how it was supposed to go.
"See, it was stupid to even think about it. Of course, you don't like me in that way," He laughed, but it didn't have any merit to it.
God, fuck! What was happening? Was this some kind of nightmare? A joke? She couldn't believe this. This was not happening. It was all her imagination.
She was freaking out, silently freaking out. Was this what a panic attack felt like? Since when did the room become so hazy?
"Hermione? You alright, you seem a little pale,"
She switched her gaze up, locking her eyes with his as she felt the pressure of his hand squeezing her shoulder. And in an effort to process what just had happened, together with the knowledge that she needed to answer honestly only made it so Hermione started cackling like a mad man. Smiling at Ron -who looked at her with unease- she pressed her finger against his chest and said, "One moment," and stormed off to find Draco.
"Hermione?!" Ron yelled after her trying to move past the bodies that had started surrounding them.
"Aw, come on just admit it, I'm a horrible dancer. Didn't you see the way my arms and legs flailed around like a toddler,"
"Come on, you weren't that bad,"
"Not that…? I was awful to watch," Harry's voice was full indignation, "Don't pretend like you didn't notice,"
Draco laughed, taking another sip of his drink. He felt pleasantly buzzed, ruffling up Harry's hair as his head rested on Draco's lap. The vampire letting out a pleased hum as he closed his eyes.
After a few seconds, Draco started staring at the other boy's lips. He traced them with his eyes, appreciating their soft colour.
"What ya doing?" Harry mumbled as Draco rubbed his thumb against them.
"Nothing," He said, revealing a hint of fang. He then pulled his hand back, continuing to stroke the raven-haired locks. Thoughts drifting...
Stupid blood, with its stupid taste and its stupid stupidness.
His blood was way better. Way purer. He was sure that if the vampire gave it a try, it would surely be superior to the other one. Why hadn't Harry asked to try his blood anyways? So what if he had fainted and almost got himself killed the first time. Didn't mean they couldn't try again! His father always said second time's the charm.
And whose blood was it even! Draco still didn't know, no matter how many times he asked or smelled, he couldn't figure it out. That Harry didn't know either, was even more infuriating! He didn't even know what kind of blood type it was! As a vampire, you should be able to tell the difference between them, right? What if they had some kind of illness or something! Or if their blood was poisonous, how would they know what the cure was?! Maybe he needed to call a private investigator, that would solve it.
"I need some water," Draco said, and picked up Hermione's abandoned bottle. Turning the cap, he swallowed down half of it. His mind clearing of the fog.
God, he was so pathetic. Here he was being sorry for himself, while he should actually be happy his lover had some food in his belly. That's what was important. It just bothered him that he couldn't help with that. It wasn't Harry's fault he refused to drink Draco's blood. He had good reasons for it. Reasons that involved Draco's life, which he liked, thank you very much. It was time he accepted Harry's conditions.
The private investigator, though was a pretty good idea.
"Finally, thought she'd never come back," Harry muttered, moving to sit up.
Draco threw a little wave as he saw Hermione coming towards them. Her footsteps quick and radiating outrage. Momentarily stunned by her expression, Draco shrank back into the couch until he could see her more clearly. Her accusing glare, speaking volumes.
...
Stupid Weasley.
"You told him?!" Hermione shrieked when she finally stood in front of them. Startling Harry whose face constricted like a deer in headlights.
Draco held his hands up in front of him, his heart aching at seeing her panicked eyes. "Alright, hear me out. It was an accident!"
"...Hermione," Ron slowly came up from behind her, wanting to step in and calm her down but she was already too focused on Draco. Boring holes in him as she demanded an explanation. His excuse didn't seem to do it for her though, in fact, it only seemed to anger her further.
"You didn't have the right to do that!" She motioned towards him, heart pounding while she spoke. She'd tried so hard to face her fear, to go up and tell Ron how she felt for a while now. She'd told Draco that, commenting that she was determined to do so. He'd acted very supportive of her, giving her a hug and saying everything was going to be alright. Only for Draco to reveal it before she could! True, it probably wasn't his fault and he really could have done it by accident.
That Ron had casually walked by when the werewolf was talking to himself -and just like that Ron found out...alright, that seemed a lot more far fetched. But that didn't matter anyway. Right now, she didn't care about how Ron came to know or how, it didn't stop the sense of betrayal she was feeling at that moment.
"I didn't tell any of you guys when I suspected something was starting to develop between you two either. I respected your privacy. I wanted you to be ready and make the choice for yourself!"
"Well, our situations are pretty different wouldn't you say." Draco cocked his brow, giving Hermione a stern look.
"Yes, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't respect my wishes, even if they were cowardly!" She let her arms fall to the side, exasperated. "You don't see me saying that your blood is the only thing Harry can stomach! Who am I to give you guys falls hope of my speculation!"
Harry sat upright in an instance, "What?!"
"I do respect your wishes! I have done all this time, haven't I? It was only an accident, truly!" Draco wanted to make her understand. His wolf anxiously turning circles inside his head.
"Accident or not, you didn't get to tell him he was my mate!" She yelled, making them all go quiet. Her breath coming out in large puffs. She was now thankful for the loud music, covering up most of their conversation and only attracting attention for the few passer-byes moving past them. She felt...defeated.
"…Mate?" A silent voice behind her said. She turned around to see a shocked Ron staring right back at her, face full of disbelief. It made her frown, surely...Draco had told him that part too, right?
"…Yeah, I never said anything about that." Draco muttered, but Hermione heard it well enough. Her eyes widened as she realized her mistake.
She snapped her head back to the blonde. Her voice weaker than before when she said, "But...you said..."
"Hold up, what is this about me drinking Draco's blood?!" Harry said, his face fuming as he stared at Hermione, catching Draco's attention.
"What?"
Harry turned towards him, hands thrown in front of him, "She said, I've been drinking your blood," He repeated, "As in...I..."
Draco stared at him for a moment, noticing his lover's distress, "What?!"
"Why the fuck, would you let me drink his blood?!"
She nervously looked between the three of them, "I can explain!"
Aaaaaaaaaaaah...
Made it on time, bitches.
So there are still two more chapters to go: 1 circling around our Drarry couple, 1 circling around our Romione couple and last being the epilogue. And I have to warn you...There is no way I'm going to post it within these upcoming (around 3) months. I'm deeply sorry, but I try to get them posted before the end of June, preferably all of them. If you want any updates on the writing progress, I try to post those on my profile (so you guys know I'm still alive). Thank you for your patience and I hope you enjoyed the chapter.
Thanks for following/favouriting/reading this fic!
Special thanks to:
Angelica7714: Tada...\(T∇T)/
: Ah, you're so sweet, I don't deserve it. Hehe, thank you for your review! (^ω^)
HeRonLove: The reveal has come...the talk will be later...I'm sorry for torturing you. \( ̄∇ ̄)/
