Chapter 12
"What..? How did you do that? Show me." He moved from his seat to stand beside her with his wand flourished.
She smiled at his enthusiasm, and said, "Well, when you first start practicing this spell, it's good to have your feet well planted. It doesn't require a lot of movement, because it's a barrier. Barriers don't move, so being in a solid stance helps, at least at first." She demonstrated to him a good distance at which one would stand with feet spread apart. "Eventually you'll be able to cast it while moving, but you should try it like this for now. It isn't something small; something to be trifled with. When I become an expert at it I'll be able to cast it over the entire school. I was ok at it last year on the run, but I could never cast one as strong as I just did, even standing still."
"You must have gotten a lot of practice, though, to be able to cast it like that now," he mused as he mimicked her foot placement and body language.
"You know I did," she said, giving a small sigh as she began to circle him and adjusting his stance; using her foot to kick his left foot farther back a tad, and a finger in the crook of his right elbow to lower his arm.
It was almost noon the next day. They'd left the library around two in the morning after sitting in a mostly uncomfortable silence and taking notes. And even though they had only said but a couple of words to each other, before they left the doors Draco asked if they could meet up at ten that morning. The witch almost said no, but she'd nodded her acquiescence anyhow, before they'd said their goodnights and parted ways.
"What of Potter and Weasley? They must have been good at this to have gotten into Auror training so young, even with their reputations proceeding them," Draco asked.
"Harry and I were on the same level with Protegos by the time it was all over," she said. "Ron, believe it or not, was even better at them. I just assumed it was the protective lion in him that made it possible for him to cast a Protego almost as good as the one I just cast, but eight months ago. I'm sure he's impressing his superiors with it as we speak."
Draco dropped his wand to turn and look at her, curiosity in the grey eyes she was slowly becoming more and more accustomed to by the hour as he asked, "Why… didn't you go with them? To Auror training, I mean? Weasley may have you in Protegos, but could he claim the same with anything else?"
"Oh! A compliment while simultaneously insulting my friend?" she asked, a smile on her lips. He raised a brow at her, the smallest of smiles on his own features. Then she shrugged and sighed, saying, "I… I don't want to be an Auror. I agree that I'd be good at it, but it isn't where my heart lies. You're already good at Charms, but would prefer it to a life of, say… Potions?"
It was his turn to shrug as he said, "No. I suppose you're right. I'd prefer to achieve a Potions, or even Alchemy Mastery. But if you don't want to be an Auror, then what do you want to be? With all of your impressive marks?"
"I…" She froze, and that dark dread, the one she hadn't felt yet that morning, snuck its way into her heart and stilled her dreams of the future. She hadn't had many. Granted, she was still on the path she'd been on before everything had gone south, but the image of her spending a year in her secluded cottage in the woods, to take a break from it all for a while, flew into her mind so quickly it was like it had never left.
"I'll be applying to attain a Charms Mastery soon. I hope to take over Flitwick's post when the time comes," she said.
"I think that would suit you perfectly," he said, his voice light and sincere as he looked down at her in approval.
"I'm glad you think so," she answered, tearing her eyes from his softened ones. She thought on this as she went back to positioning his body; moving his feet with her own and adjusting his arm. She made a fool's mistake when she grabbed him by the shoulders to move his torso, feeling his lithe muscles under his grey t-shirt as they rippled under her palms.
Hermione pulled her hands away quickly, rubbing them on her pants as if she could forget the feeling is she did so. She cleared her throat and said, "Alright. Take a few good tries at it, then let's go get some lunch. I'm famished."
He nodded, eyes still facing front with determination. He must not have noticed her touch like she had, and she had to blink back what she thought to be insanity as she silently admitted that the feel of his muscles was pleasing.
"Protego Maxima," Draco said loudly and clearly, his wand hand mimicking the movement of Hermione's earlier casting. A white light shot from his wand and formed clear walls about the two, but it was not nearly as large as Hermione's, though the witch had to admit that it was at least sound.
"It looks like it would hold against other spells," she said.
"Finite Incantatem," Draco said, dropping his barrier. He turned his head so as not to lose his stand, looking back at her where she stood behind him to his left, and said, "But not as strong as yours. I'm gonna try once more before lunch."
She nodded at him. "Alright. Try it again, then. But this time, relax your shoulders." Hermione licked her lips and avoided looking at said shoulders as she mentioned them, keeping her eyes forward as her face became warm and he gave the spell another go.
