YESSS! It WORKED! hugs computer . . . now presenting, the three day overdue:
The Moonlight Glares
Disclaimer: I don't own any of JK Rowling's wonderful world or characters.
Chapter 7
Ten O'clock found Hermione in the largest dining room of the house standing across from the fireplace. She had read the entire book and felt as if she'd been pinched and prodded to the ends of the earth. Mel, however, seemed to have been pleased, for she had pushed Hermione into the room with a large grin plastered on her face, and then snuck away.
She did not want to be here. Especially looking like this. Not that it would be bad normally, but in front of Draco Malfoy, well, that was bad. And Draco Malfoy was due to arrive at any minute through the very fireplace she was staring at. Before this happened, however, Anna came bouncing in with Elizabeth and Mr. Lane, and the three sat down.
"Hermione, come sit down," Elizabeth motioned to the chair next to her, but as Hermione moved to sit, the fireplace burst into green flame and Phe stepped out. Anna shot up and ran over to her friend, enveloping her in a large hug. The two immediately went off to go do something after Phe had said hello to Elizabeth and Mr. Lane and set her trunk down.
After the two girls had left, the fireplace blazed again, and Narcissia Malfoy stepped through. Elizabeth went forward to greet her, and Narcissia sent a searching glance in Hermione's direction before walking out of the room with Elizabeth and Mr. Lane muttering something about emergency numbers.
At this point, Hermione knew what was coming next, and she didn't like it. She felt herself involuntarily step backwards as the fireplace blazed green one last time. She kept backing up until she ran into the wall.
Almost too suddenly, or maybe it was too slowly, Hermione couldn't figure out which, Draco Malfoy emerged from the fireplace. Hermione felt herself freeze on the spot.
Draco stood up straight and set down his trunk before looking around. His eyes stopped in the girl standing up against the wall. She looked farmiliar.
"Hey, have you seen Mr. or Mrs. Lane?" Draco looked around the room once more, "Or my family for that matter?"
Hermione was still frozen in shock. Apparently he didn't recognize her. At all. Hermione gulped and shook her head slowly.
"Okay then." Draco said, moving over to the door with his trunk. He looked back at Hermione for a second. "I don't suppose you could open the door for me?" he asked.
Hermione walked over to the door mindlessly and opened it before Draco walked through with his trunk. Hermione shut the door behind her and breathed a sigh of relief. Then she noticed Phe's trunk still sitting there.
"Crap." She said, and went over to it, dragging it up over to the servants' stair in the corner. "Mel?" Hermione yelled up the staircase, "Mell!"
A moment later the girl appeared, running down the stairs. "Hey, what's the matter?" she looked at Hermione, "You look like you've seen a ghost."
"Heh," was all Hermione managed to say, "Can you just figure out where this needs to go? Phe Malfoy left it out in the open."
"Oh," said Mel, "You just saw Draco, didn't you?" Mel shut her eyes, "Anna told me about you two." He eyes opened, "He didn't recognize you, then?"
"No. . ." Hermione said, "Though he knows I live here. . ."
"Hmm," Mel answered, "Well, I kind of let it slip that another girl was staying over this weekend. Or rather, Anna did. He pry thought you'd been here visiting Anna, and were waiting to leave."
Hermione's eyes twinkled as a plan came into her mind. "Mel, do you know where Elizabeth is?"
Mel looked puzzled, "She's in the East-side parlor with Mrs. Malfoy and Mr. Lane. They should be just about finished talking, I heard Mrs. Malfoy needed to flow out of here by Eleven."
"Thanks," Hermione said, and then set the trunk down in front of Mel, "Do you think you can get this up to Phe's room?"
"Yeah. . ." said Mel, "But what are you planning?"
Hermione smiled, "you'll see," she said as she bounced out of the room in a fashion that reminded Mel quite a bit of both Anna and Elizabeth. Mel shook her head, levitated the trunk, and headed up the stairs.
Hermione listened intently through the wall at the conversation. She heard Mrs. Malfoy get up, say good bye to Elizabeth, and heard the whoosh of flow before Mr. Lane said something to Elizabeth, and a door shut after a moment. Hermione cautiously went over to the door and opened it. Elizabeth was sitting on the couch, flipping through a magazine.
"Elizabeth?" Hermione said.
Elizabeth looked up and her face split into a smile, "Hermione! I thought by now you'd be upstairs talking to Draco!"
"Er. . ." said Hermione, "Actually, that's why I'm here."
"Oh?" said Elizabeth, looking concerned, "He did get here alright, I hope?"
"Yeah, yeah, he's fine," Hermione said, "Actually, I was just wondering if, well, because Anna has Phe over, if I could invite a couple of my friends to come visit? Obviously not the whole week, maybe just a few days, like this weekend. . ."
"Oh Hermione that's a marvelous idea! I'm surprised you didn't ask sooner, I'd love to meet your friends. Who did you want to invite? Your dormmates?"
". . .Not exactly. . ." Hermione grinned.
Hermione shut her door behind her, smiling. Now she actually had a reason to want to survive this week. Smiling, she walked over to her bed, grabbed her most recent book, and nearly skipped into the library, setting herself down in a large, comfortable chair, before opening the book.
She hadn't been reading more than ten minutes when she found Draco Malfoy leaning on the nearest bookcase, smirking.
"You're Anna's friend, aren't you. Funny, I'd've thought you'd be running around with my sister and her before you have to up and leave, because we're here."
Hermione rolled her eyes and focused on her book. Within seconds, however, she felt Draco behind her, his breath near on her neck as he looked at the book over her shoulder.
"Snow Falling on Cedars? I didn't know girls my sister's age actually read literature."
Hermione slammed the book shut and got up quickly, causing Draco to stumble back very un-gracefully.
"Just because your brain can only comprehend fairy tales with pictures doesn't mean the rest of ours can, Malfoy. Shove off!" Hermione near yelled at him, before turning and making her way back upstairs to her own, private library.
Draco stood rooted to the spot for more than a minute. "Granger. . .?Was it honestly. . ." Draco looked out the grand windows for moment before shaking his head. "Why would it be? I was told she'd left to visit muggles for the week. . . besides, that girl was too pretty and too pureblood to be her. Honestly." Still shaking his head, and still muttering to himself, Draco Malfoy made his way back up to his own room.
Back in her room, Hermione was fuming. She couldn't even concentrate on her book; instead she was stalking back and forth. Why did he have to be here now? And why did she have to put up with these dratted pure-blood society robes and crap now? Because Draco's known this crap his whole life, he could make me look like a fool in an instant. Hermione slowed her walk for a second. At least, when the weekend comes, I'll have the upper hand. Robes or no. With that, the sixteen year old witch finally sat down to read.
Super that night was interesting. Draco was still in denial that the beautiful girl he'd seen was Hermion Granger. Hermione was still thinking, plotting about the weekend, though it was only Monday. And Anna and Phe. . . well, let's just say they were doing a bit of plotting of their own. Involving two certain persons.
Needless to say, when Hermione found herself first to the table, she was relieved. She didn't want to have to walk in late with the ferret here. Not a second behind her, Anna and Phe showed up, and then Elizabeth. While the girls were seating themselves, Elizabeth announced she was going to go meet Mr. Lane for dinner and was leaving Hermione in charge. Kissing Anna on the top of the head, and hugging Hermione, Elizabeth disapparated with a crack. There was a moment of silence before Anna jumped up.
"I'm going to see if dinner's almost ready," and she bounced off to the kitchen.
"Hey Anna, wait up!" Phe said, bouncing after her, and leaving Hermione sitting there alone. Of course, that was the moment Draco entered the room. His eyebrows rose as he saw Hermione sitting there alone, but he didn't talk to her. He sat down across from her and stared.
She is really pretty. Nah, it couldn't be Granger. Not in those robes—Draco's thoughts were cut off by Hermione snort.
"It's rude to stare, Malfoy."
Draco looked away quicker than he thought was humanly possible. He rubbed his neck from the turn as he thought. Seriously though, only someone who didn't grow up in pure-blood society would be that straight forward. Wait, what the heck am I doing thinking when I could just ask her? Oh yeah, if it is Granger, I'd never hear the end of it. May as well wait to ask Anna or Phe. . .
Hermione was looking at Draco as he thought. His brows were furrowed as he rubbed the back of his neck. He seemed to be really concerned about something. Unbeknownst to him, while he'd been thinking, his usual smirk-look he always wore had dropped from his face to reveal an actual human being.
Hermione felt herself staring at him for a moment, but her eyes widened when his eyes came up to meet hers, and she looked away.
"Find me fascinating, do you?" Draco drawled, his usual smirk back.
"Well," said Hermione, "If that's referring to the food on your robes, yes."
Draco's eyes widened, and he started grouping at his robes, and Hermione felt herself start to laugh. When Draco proceeded to find nothing on his robes, he looked back up at Hermione and his eyes narrowed.
"Oh, you are going to pay for that. . . "
"How? You saying my hair's out of place? Unfortunately, I don't care about my appearance as much as you do, Monsieur Food." Hermione ducked as a glass of water went whizzing over her head.
"Hey!" she yelled, before taking a dinner roll and chucking it at Draco. It hit him square in the face. Hermione couldn't help herself from laughing again, but this time a stick of butter whacked her in the face.
"Ew! You ferret!" At this point, the food fight had gone all out with what was on the table, right down to the salad. As Phe and Anna came back in with the main course, they looked at each other once before scurrying back out.
Twenty minutes later found Hermione and Draco both covered in various articles of food, the former sitting on the ground near the fireplace, and the later leaning against the mantle.
"Honestly, ferret, I thought you would throw like a girl. Guess I was wrong," Hermione said, slowly getting to her feet, and then walking over to the nearest stairway.
"Where are you going?" Draco asked.
Hermione turned around, smirking, "To change, you idiot. I don't want to go out to eat in butter and bread. And after this," she motioned to the room, "We don't have any other choice." With that, she left the room.
Draco was still standing there thinking for quite awhile after she left. Then something rang through his mind. A single word. Ferret. Oh God, it was her. Only one of Harry Potter's friends would know about that incident. It was her. And he was starting to fall for her.
hehe. . . yay! the computer worked! Sorry to keep you all waiting so long! I actually had a lot of fun writign this chapter. What did you think of Draco being characterized a bit?
Alright, thanks to all the people who have me and/or my story on their alert and/or favorite lists! There are a lot of you, so thanks!
Again, thanks to all my reviewers: 1madcat, yenyen, lazer-angel, Rebellion Author, deadgirlythings, .x.X.x. xesha .x.X.x., mike tike tofu, TheRealDramaQueen817, zalamandra, m0v1aNg3l, curvychick, jalapeno1011, DragonOfWinter, The Future Mrs. Thomas Andrew Felton, Ceriadara, Cal8907, argent raven
And props to the12 people that got the question right: argent raven, DragonOfWinter, The Future Mrs. Thomas Andrew Felton, Ceriadara, Cal8907, zalamandra, m0v1aNg3l, curvychick, deadgirlythings, .x.X.x. xesha .x.X.x., mike tike tofu, lazer-angel.
And, Question for this chapter: (this one is tougher) namefive of the spells Harry teaches the D.A. in book 5 and what the spellsdo.
Anyways chappie 8 should be upsometime this weekend. It's a fun chapter.