CHAPTER 7- The Duel
{ Thanks for all of those wonderful reviews! They mean a lot :) ~ Lilac and Rose}
At breakfast the next day, Hermione searched the room for a dark head at the Slytherin table, but he was nowhere to be found. Hermione's stomach clenched in fear. What if she had killed him? Or too sick to come to breakfast?
The moment these thoughts began to turn into hysteria, the doors opened into the Great hall and her stomach eased. There he was. Striding straight-backed and head high with his usual presence of power and haughtiness. He caught her eye before he sat down facing her. Deep in those dark eyes, was something Hermione had never seen before. She didn't know how to describe it.
"Hermione. Hermione?" Ella practically shouted
"Yes?"
Hermione looked toward Ella who had a smug smile on her face.
"Did I see you making eyes at Tom?"
"What?! NO! No way! I was NOT gazing at Tom!" Hermione replied a bit too quickly.
"Oh, really?" That smug smile still playing around her lips.
"Yes, really! Why would I be staring at Tom?!"
"Maybe…because you fancy him?" Ella raised her eyebrows suggestively. Hermione spluttered.
"I…why would I…you…I…your mad!" she finished.
"Oooh, look! I see Tom looking at you!"
Hermione whipped her head around only to find Tom calmly reading the Daily Prophet while drinking a cup of coffee. Hermione faced Ella and found the girl giving her a Cheshire cat grin.
"You do!" she exclaimed
Hermione sighed. "Fine. I admit I find him slightly attractive."
"Slightly attractive? Hermione you've been at this for a week! I know you! Your much too smart to make a little crush distract you from lessons. If this was some little attraction, you would have stopped long ago," Ella said skeptically
"Think what you will. If you will excuse me, I need to get to Defense Against the Dark Arts," Hermione said uncomfortably. With that, she flounced toward the Entrance Hall, not noticing the smug grin Ella shot at her back. In her haste to leave, Hermione also missed the subject of their earlier conversation gazing at her retreating form as she left the Great Hall.
Hermione settled down in her seat just as the rest of the class began to file in. Professor Merrythought walked in and placed herself at the front of the room.
"Today, we will be trying something different for a change," she announced "We will be practicing dueling. Now, I will pair you up according to your magical aptitude. There will be no arguing. Potter…Prewett. Fawcett…Parkingson," she said pointing to each student in turn. And on she went until she reached Hermione's name.
"Evans…Riddle" Just her luck. Hermione's heart beat faster and her stomach clenched, but not with fear. She was embarrassed about her conversation at breakfast. Hermione almost laughed. Here she was about to face the most powerful dark wizard of all time and she was worried about some silly crush.
"Please, stand up" Professor Merrythought said raising her wand. All the students stood up and the desk and chairs vanished.
"You may now get into your pairs" The class erupted into chatter as they divided and spread around the room.
Hermione reluctantly walked to the corner where Tom was standing.
"Evans," he nodded in greeting.
"Ah…hello, Riddle," Hermione began awkwardly. Thankfully, Hermione was saved from trying to make further conversation by Professor Merrythought.
"Now, class. You're to face your partner and bow. When I say the word, you may begin. The winner is the first to disarm or immobilize your partner."
Hermione steeled herself. Her competitiveness began to bubble up inside her. She would win this duel. She wouldn't let Tom beat her. She can handle this. It's just another duel. Hermione tightened her hand around her wand and fell into her dueling stance. Opposite her, Tom was doing the same.
"One…two…three…duel!"
Hermione was the first to attack. "Immobilus!" she thought. Tom was momentarily taken aback but he conjured a shield just before the spell hit. He sent back a blue curse, but Hermione blocked it.
"Tarantellegra!" He blocked that too and shot a leg-locker curse back. Hermione was becoming frustrated at her lack of progress and redoubled her efforts.
"Avis!" A flock of canaries shot out of her wand. With a casual wave of his wand, Tom transfigured the birds into harmless feathers and smirked.
"Reducto!" Hermione yelled. Tom stumbled, but quickly recovered and raised his wand. He sent a spell Hermione didn't know towards her. Hermione was too quick for him. "Protego!"
"Stupefy!" Hermione's curse was so strong it broke through his shield and he was blasted into the stone wall behind and lay crumbled against it, his usually perfect hair disheveled. Hermione's heart stopped, she hadn't meant to cause him any real pain. She rushed toward him and kneeled at his side. Hermione had been so focused on the duel that she hadn't noticed that the whole class had to stopped to watch. Professor Merrythought bustled over and clucked over Hermione and Tom.
"Over shot it a bit, Miss Evans?" she clucked, "Well, then you better take him to the hospital wing"
Hermione nodded and waved her wand to levitate Tom's limp form in front of her. She rushed out of the room. What had she been thinking? That spell was much too strong. And now, it was her fault he was lying unconscious.
As she entered the hospital wing, Madame Pomfrey's predecessor bustled over and tisked.
"That bed over there, will be fine," Madame Bedford pointed at a bed by the far wall.
Hermione gently laid him down on the sterile white sheets and watched as the nurse checked him over.
"Will he be alright?" Hermione asked anxiously. Seeing Tom lying motionless on the bed was unnerving, she was so used to him being alert and observant.
"Yes, dearie, but he will have to stay the night," she smiled down at her.
"May I stay here?"
"Yes, you may. I daresay he would rather see his girlfriend's pretty face when he wakes than this old one but you better be scarce by curfew," Madam Bedford said sternly. Hermione blushed fiercely at the nurse's assumption but didn't argue. Hermione nodded her agreement and settled down into the straight back chair next to the bed.
"When he wakes, you best make him take this. It'll help with the pain." The old nurse set a small bottle of a periwinkle potion on the side table and walked back to her office.
Hermione gazed at Tom's sleeping form, even paler than usual against the crisp white sheets. He looked oddly calm and relaxed. He was usually so tense and put together. His usually perfectly parted hair was mussed and untidy and hanging in his face. Hermione liked it better this way. She brushed his soft hair out of his face with her hand. She felt so tired. For the past week, her dreams had been wrought with nightmares. She hadn't had a full nights sleep in days. Maybe, she would just laid her head down for a bit. Hermione hesitantly leaned down and rested her head on the bed in front of her. Within seconds, she was fast asleep.
TOM'S PERSPECTIVE
Tom's whole body ached, especially his head. Reluctantly, he opened his eyes to find himself in the bright Hospital Wing. For a moment, he was slightly confused but then he remembered what had brought him here in the first place. That Evans was something else. She was the only person that had ever beaten him at a duel and he respected her for it. To be honest, he hadn't known what to expect when he faced her. He knew she was a powerful witch but was taken aback she fought with the ease of a fully trained auror. That first spell had taken him aback. It took everything Tom had to hold out as long as he had. Evans was not to be fooled with.
Ever since Hogsmeade, he couldn't get her out of his head. He had actually begun using Occlumency in the hopes she would go away. But no. She was still there. Then, this morning when he made eye contact with her there was a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach. He didn't know how to describe it.
It was at that moment he realized the steadily rising and falling form to the right of him. Evans. There was the same feeling as at breakfast, but this time he could identify its effects. It felt like a warm fire was inside him warming his body.
Her bushy head was resting next to him on the bed so her unruly curls fell close to his hand. Hesitantly, he reached out a hand to brush them back from her face. The moment he touched her, a searing pain started somewhere in his abdomen. Tom sucked in a breath. Then, as soon as it had come, it was gone. Strange.
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