Chapter 6: The Birthday
"Mmm Granger"
Suddenly Draco's eyes shot open at the mistake he made. He looked straight into the eyes of a surprised but angered Pansy. And then looked around the room to see Granger and Potter also in shock.
Pansy then furrowed her eyebrows, eyes like daggers. "What did you fucking say?!"
"N-nothing..I didn't say anything."
Pansy then scooted away from him "I heard what you said. You said her fucking name." She then pointed in the direction of Granger who now stood up and started walking over.
Before he could react Granger yanked him by the arm. Forcing him to get up and follow her out of the common room.
"Get your fucking hands off me!" He protested, which she ignored.
She stopped once they were safely out of earshot and shoved him against the wall.
"What was that?"
"What?" he asked, trying to sound innocent with a smirk on his face
"Don't play stupid Malfoy, everyone heard it."
His smirk fell into a frown "I don't know, I was kissing Parkinson and suddenly it slipped out."
"I'm going to ask you again Malfoy, do you like me?"
"Its complicated"
"Why because I'm muggleborn? Because your friends with laugh and your mommy and daddy-"
Just then he kissed her, hard enough that she almost lost her balance but he caught her.
Before she could finish her sentence he closed the gap between them and kissed her. This time though she didn't resist. His lips were softer than she thought and, although he had an icy aura, he was very warm. She found herself enjoying this kiss, more than she ever enjoyed kissing Ron.
Suddenly a feeling of guilt rushed over her and she broke the kiss. She stared at Draco's now softened gray eyes and felt a warmth spread over her.
"Granger... you kissed me back..." Draco muttered, more of a statement than a question.
"Yeah ummm...it was...unexpected.." She felt her cheeks starting to flush. "But also...nice.."
"Slytherins and nice are never in the same sentence."
"You're the 3rd kiss from a boy I've ever had."
He looked surprised "Wait 3? I knew you were all pure and shit."
"Well yeah, Jonathan when I was 6, Ron, and then you."
"I'm sure Jonathan doesn't count."
"Well I like to think it counts. Now back to what just happened..."
Draco smirked for a moment but then became serious again. "Here's the thing Granger, I have this pull to you. I don't know why. Maybe because, despite losing everything, you're still kind of an arse toward me." He ran his fingers through his hair, looking anxious about what he just disclosed. "So i will ask you the same question, what do you think of me?"
Hermione chewed her lip, still taking in the kiss plus everything he just said. " I don't know what to say, but I'm on this break with Ron and I'm still trying to figure out if I feel anything more than friends toward him and honestly this kiss and everything is just more of a distraction."
"That wasn't a no, but do I at least kiss better than Weasel?"
Her cheeks flushed a brighter shade of red and she diverted her eyes to the floor.
"Ha! I knew it!"
"Fuck off Draco!" They both looked surprised when she said his first name
"Oh is the Gryffindor Princess swearing now, man that kiss must've really change you." He teased.
She let out a big sigh. "We can be civil to each other, maybe even friends. But I need to figure things out and kissing random wizards is not the way I do things... Are we clear?" She raised her eyebrows at him, waiting for an answer.
"Yes Granger, this kiss never happened." He did a mock salute but with a serious, almost sad look to his eyes. "And I'll tell Parkinson that I said your name as a joke, to get a rise out of both of you. She will just call me an arse and move on to the next school gossip."
"So it's settled, this never happened."
The next few weeks went by without much interaction with Draco. She was busy studying for end of term exams while also spending time with her friends. Her birthday was coming up this weekend and her and Harry planned a trip to Hogsmeade to celebrate.
"Hey Mione, I have to tell you something about this Saturday." Harry looked a little nervous.
"We're not going, are we?" She looked a little disappointed
Harry refused to look her in the eyes. " No its not that..."
"Godric Harry! Spit it out!" Hermione hated when he wasn't straightforward
"Well Ron really wanted to join us, he misses you, and I sort of told him about the whole Malfoy saying your name thing and-"
"Harry i told you that was his way of a sick joke!" Hermione diverted her eyes while retelling that terrible lie.
"Yeah well he's very persistent and I figured Ginny and Luna could join us as a buffer if things get weird."
She looked at Harry and let out a sigh in frustration. "Well I guess I have to face him eventually."
Harry's mood suddenly brightened a little "That's the spirit! It will be fun, I promise!"
The day of her birthday she awoke to a tapping on her window. Confused, she wiped the sleep from her eyes to see an Eagle Owl at her window with a small box in his beak. She didn't recognize the owl but was curious what was in the parcel so she opened the window for him.
"Hello there little guy, who sent you here." She cooed to him as she took the parcel from his beak. She gave him a little head scratch and off he flew.
It was a small light blue box with a silver ribbon adorned with white snowflakes tying it closed. There was no name to let her know who sent it. Slowly she untied the ribbon and opened the box. Inside was a beautiful silver bracelet with one charm, an otter.
Hermione let out a sigh as she guessed who it might be from. She hadn't heard from Ron in a while and she knew the Weasleys were borrowing owls since Errol passed away. Even though she was still mad at him, it was beautiful and the most thoughtful thing he has ever done for her.
She put the bracelet on and let it shine in the sunlight that was coming through the large window. She then changed into a pair of jeans and a lightweight maroon jumper, noticing how unseasonably warm it was for Mid November. She brushed her hair and teeth in the bathroom she shared with Lavender, trying to tame her bushy curls in the mirror.
Walking out of the bathroom she bumped right into an already dressed and done up Lavender.
"Happy 18th Birthday roomie!" Lavender squealed as she hugged Hermione.
"Umm thank you "
"Hey do you mind if I tag along with you guys today? I wanted to run some errands and didn't want to go alone "
Hermione smiled at her "Of course you can come, the more the merrier." And hopefully more distraction, she thought.
Two hours later Hermione, Ginny, Luna, and Lavender were shopping at one of the boutiques in Hogsmeade. Harry went off to meet Ron and the let the girls shop. They were meeting up around noon at The Three Broomsticks.
"Oh my Godric Hermione! Look how cute this lingerie is! And you totally have the body for this!" Lavender squealed as she held up a sheer black lacy bra and matching thong. "You should get this as a birthday gift for yourself!"
Hermione rolled her eyes. " I haven't even had sex yet nor do I have anyone to wear that for. "
"What about Won Won?"
Hermione detested that nickname that Lavender gave him in 6th year. "We are on a break, not that it matters."
"Well I'm buying this for you then. You can save it for when you are ready for that special someone." Lavender winked despite her protests. "Oh stop! It's settled!"
A little while later they were all on their way to The Three Broomsticks, Hermione toting her pink shopping bag containing the lingerie and a practical light brown blouse Ginny bought for her.
Hermione spotted a tuff of orange and immediately recognized Harry and Ron waving at the group. They all hugged each other, Hermione and Ron's embrace being a little awkward, and entered the pub.
They all settled into a large corner booth, Harry ordering a round of Butterbeer for the group.
"Its good to see you Mione." Ron said with a sheepish smile. "Happy Birthday. "
"Its good to see you too Ronald, thank you." She gave him a kind smile before the subject turned to Quidditch.
They all talked for a while about everything from Quidditch to classes to Ron's life outside of school. After the 6th round of Butterbeer Hermione was starting to feel tipsy. Thats when Ron leaned across the table and asked her if she could step outside with him.
Once they were outside she asked him "Whats up?"
"Here Mione, this is for you." He handed her a flat rectangular present in the shape of a book
"But you already got me this gift." She held up her arm to show him the bracelet.
He looked confused. "I didn't give that to you..."
"Oh... then who did?"
"Maybe my mum or someone." He shrugged. "Open your gift."
She unwrapped to find a book of Shakespeare's greatest plays and comedies.
"Harry said this Shakespeare bloke is a decent writer."
Hermione chuckled at that. "He was the greatest playwright of his time."
Ron then stepped closer to her, studying her eyes. "I also have one more gift for you."
He then bent his head down and kissed her. But this kiss was different than the one with Draco a month ago. His lips seemed tighter and everything just felt wrong. She didn't feel that same warmth she felt with from her secret kiss. When she felt the kiss start to deepen she pushed him away, wiping off the wetness with her hand.
"Was that alright?" He looked hurt by her reaction.
"No..I mean yes...but...I can't do this anymore." Hermione bit her lip the alcohol making her flush redder than usual "We should've stayed friends"
"But i love you"
"And i do too, but I know now I'm not in love with you."
Ron's face turned to anger as he muttered "Is there someone else."
"No!" She half lied. "But these past few months made me realize that our relationship was more substantial as friends."
Just then they heard the door to the pub open as Lavender stepped outside. "Everything okay?"
"Were fine!" Hermione snapped, but then looked back at the girl apologetically. "Listen, you guys have fun. I don't feel too good so I'm going to head back to school."
On that Hermione turned and walked away, feeling guilty for ending it this way but knowing it needed to happen at some point. She felt a chill in the air and wrapped her arms around herself to keep from shivering. Once she got to the apparation point and had the castle in her view, she finally let herself cry.
This chapter was a little rushed but i couldn't wait to get to the next chapter. Things will, hopefully, take a more mature turn from here.
Thanks so much for the follows and comments!