I'm really sorry that took so long! Crissy had to *coughcough* "proof read" some of this stuff, cuz she isn't a romance fan. It was difficult to make it slow. I know you probably hear this a lot, but I'm still not happy with the outcome…This chapter starts out kinda slow, so bear with me. I've gotta have something to fill in the gap of about a month, and the Quidditch match isn't nearly exciting as the last one…and one more thing. My wonderful Reading teacher told us a while ago that sometimes characters will do some things that aren't entirely logical so it can cooperate with the plot. For those of you who think you've figured out this "mystery"…and for all you romance and D/Hm fans, this is the chapter for you. And this time, I wrote it all by myself….aren't you proud of me? *sigh* And this is one of the most unlikely ships in Hogwarts. But one of the cutest. *grin* I just hope no one gets to seriously really mad at me, cuz this one is a bit graphic. I didn't know I could to that…Oh, no, I'm going all soft on you! I promise, the next few chapters will have more action, suspense, and angst, and only ONE more really graphic make out scene, okay? You have permission to hurt me if I do anymore. It will be the one you have all been waiting for….*grinz evilly*…but which one?
Silent Tears
Part IX:
The Quidditch Final and Some Things That Come to Light (I think)
The dawning of spring brought with it the dawning of the Quidditch season. Gryffindor was only practising for the heck of it since they were no longer in the running for the cup. Ravenclaw was, and the last game of the year, which would, of course, determine the Champion, was Ravenclaw versus Slytherin.
Michelle accompanied Alex and the rest of the team to practises once a week on every Friday, bringing her own PhoenixFlyer400 with her. Just as Alex had said, Michelle was an exceptional Beater; her skills rivalled those of Fred and George. Cho came too, just to watch, much to the annoyance of Hermione. It didn't matter much that Cho saw their strategies, so Harry went to her practises too and gave her some tips.
The match was to be held in mid-April. Ravenclaw had already beaten Hufflepuff, so they were ensured to be in the finals. Malfoy was swaggering around, so sure that he would beat them as easily as he beat Gryffindor.
Still about a month before the match, breakfast turned into an exciting affair, for some of the Gryffindors, at least. The owls streamed in and, unexpectedly, a beautiful black owl swooped over the Gryffindor table, dropping a letter on Alex's plate. Picking it up and wiping the syrup from the parchment, her curiosity turned to delight as she saw the return address.
"It's from Crissy!" she said excitedly to Michelle.
"Well, open it!" Michelle persisted. Without another moment's hesitation, Alex ripped open the envelope and read from black paper with colour changing ink:
Yo, Prelling, wazzup?
I know, I know…I promised to write you as soon as you got to London, but I was busy drooling over the new student ^_~ He's cute! I'm sure you'd like him, he's a Chaser too (and a damn good one).
Anyways, meet any hot British guys? Don't you just love their accents? *sigh* God I wish I was there…
Is Hogwarts all it's cracked up to be? It looks great from all those pics that I've found, but I wanna know what you think.
Has Michelle arrived yet? I'm sure she has…Ever since she left, I'm the only decent Beater around here anymore…Oh, by the way, I finally saved up enough money to buy a PhoenixFlyer400! Right after I get done writing, I'm gonna go with Lynn to get it.
I really miss ya, Alex, and guess what? My step-mom said we might move to England by the end of the year; my dad was offered a job in the Ministry! (You'll be in for a BIG surprise when you see me!)
-Your single and looking (^_~) pal,
Crissy Rizzotto
"Yes!" shouted Alex and Michelle, who had read the letter over her shoulder. "Crissy's comin' Crissy's comin' Crissy's comin'!"
"Who's coming?" Ron asked.
"Our best friend Crissy!" Alex explained. "She's coming around the end of the year!"
"You and Harry better run, Ron," Michelle warned. "Cuz she goes for all the hot ones." Then she clapped her hand over her mouth. "Did I just say that?" she giggled.
"Oh, Ron, you don't have to go anywhere," Alex said, as Harry and Ron flushed. "She better not touch you, or I'll come and get her…"
"Ah, well, who could get enough of American women?" Ron asked innocently, slipping his arm around Alex's shoulders. Michelle and Alex snorted.
"Well, we better be off for History of Magic," Ginny said, somewhat stiffly, breaking up the conversation and getting to her feet.
"See you, babe," Ron said as Alex kissed him on the cheek.
"That's the first word of American slang I've heard come out of your mouth," she commented. Ron grinned.
"Hey, there's always a first time for everything," he said. Alex giggled, pocketing the letter.
In Professor Binns' classroom, Alex, Ginny, and Michelle all sat side by side in the back of the class (the better to pass notes, course. Who…me? Never…). A few minutes after Professor Binns had become absorbed in his own lecture, Alex heard the crinkle of paper to her right. Glancing over, she saw Michelle holding up a piece of paper that said, Write to Crissy! Alex rolled her eyes and nodded. She pulled out a piece of parchment and her special gold ink and wrote:
Hey, Rizzotto,
Of course I've met hot British guys! What did you think they would be, American? You probably won't believe this, but I've got a boyfriend! He's a year older than me and incredibly sweet. Michelle is here and we've been filling him in about our American lives. Oh, yeah, his name is Ron, and he's a redhead (red-hot! *rerr*). I just hope you don't steal him from me when you come…And guess who I've met? Get ready for this one…Harry Potter! He's even hotter in real life, but not as…what's the word? Honest? I don't know. I'll explain when you get here. Ron's his best friend, and his sister, Ginny, is our age and my best friend! How cool is that?
Hogwarts is awesome. Would I lie to you? Don't answer that… ^_~ Oh, yeah, and how about that cute new Chaser? What's his name? Well, don't get too cosy with him; there are loads of guys here you'll like!
Congratulations on getting a Phoenix. Bring it here! There's a Quidditch team and another Beater will be needed.
You said you love those British accents? Stay here long enough and you'll have one of your own for that Chaser to love! ^_~ What's the surprise??
Not much more going on here. Really miss you and can't wait to see you! Write back soon,
Bff,
Alex Prelling P.S. Ginny and Michelle say hi. Say hi to Lynn for me. Folding it up, she passed the letter to Michelle to read. After a few minutes, she grinned and handed it back to Alex. At that precise moment, the bell rang. Giggling to themselves, the three got up and headed for their next class.*******
Hermione sat silently in Potions class, spacing out the familiar drone of Professor Snape's cold voice. The room was warmer than usual, lulling Hermione into a much-needed yawn. Resting her chin on her arms, she tried desperately to get the images of her best friends out of her head, but to no avail. She kept seeing those bright green, emerald eyes, those sparkling blue eyes…and even, in the depths of her mind, there lurked shining silver ones. She yelled inwardly at herself, Hermione, you fool! How could you expect them to stick around forever?! Hermione, get over yourself and move on! You have a wonderful boyfriend, don't let your best friends change that—
"Well, well, well…Miss Granger." A cold, sharp voice brought her back to earth so fast it could have given her whiplash. Her head snapped up and she stared around, confused. All of the Slytherins were sniggering—all of them, that is, except for Draco, who was being elbowed repeatedly in the ribs by the laughing Crabbe and Goyle. The Gryffindors were all staring at her, stunned.
"Wha—what?" she managed to stutter as Ron and Harry stared at her, bewildered.
"You were asleep…in class, Hermione," Ron said quietly, gesturing towards Snape, who was, at the moment, glaring at her maliciously.
"Mr Weasley is quite right for once, Miss Granger," he sneered, making the Slytherins only laugh harder (Malfoy had been knocked to the ground this time as Crabbe and Goyle broke into gales of laughter). "Twenty points from Gryffindor…and detention."
Hermione looked as if she was going to burst into tears. Luckily, the bell rang at that moment. Snatching up her stuff, she fled the room.
*********
"Hermione—wait for us!" Harry shouted, him and Ron struggling through the tide of students pouring from the classrooms. She didn't answer. They caught a glimpse of her, running through the crowd, her head bowed with tears streaming down her face. Ron was startled; opening his mouth, starting toward her, he was just about to call out to her, but Harry elbowed him in the ribs, grabbed his arm, and shook his head.
"She needs to be by herself," he said softly. "She's been upset about something for a while now. Let her go."
For a while, Ron hesitated, straining slightly in Harry's grip and staring after Hermione, who had long since disappeared . Finally, he swallowed and nodded.
"I just wish there was something I could do…" he muttered reluctantly. Harry nodded in understanding.
"Don't we all," he agreed, "but some things just need to help themselves."
Ron sighed. "I guess it's just because I—never mind." His ears turned red; he seemed to think he had said too much. Harry decided it better to not pursue the subject. He shrugged and walked to class, Ron trailing silently along behind him.
********
At dinner that night, Hermione sat next to Harry and Ron in complete silence, not even bothering to fill her golden plate. Instead, she propped her chin on her hand and stared straight ahead into space. Ron and Harry kept shooting her worried glances along the table as they helped themselves to several chicken legs and biscuits each. But she merely sat, deep in thought, oblivious to everything going on around her. The only things she was aware of were the three haunting faces, all swirling around her head, each chasing each other back and forth—
But suddenly, one of them stopped spinning, enough to realise that what she was imagining was real. A pair of glimmering silver eyes stared into hers from across the Hall. Draco flashed her a small smile, which she returned weakly. Then he was gone.
Hermione blinked, confused, not sure what had been real and what hadn't been. Finally, she gave up and left the hall, not caring whether Harry and Ron were following her or not.
**********
Ron sighed, leaning back against the pillows of his large bed. He reached up, brushing his flame coloured hair out of his sapphire eyes.
Was Harry insane? he wondered, staring around blindly; the curtains of his four-poster had been closed so as to block out the cold glare of the silver moon. I mean, to think of Malfoy as a friend? He couldn't help but think of Draco as an enemy. And why had Hermione been acting so oddly lately?
Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he willed sleep to overcome him, but it was a good hour before any rest came.
**********
"My Lord." His father's voice clawed its way through his troubled sleep, making him shudder.
"What is it, Lucius?" Voldemort's cold voice shot back, sounding quite annoyed at being interrupted from whatever he had been doing.
"We have received the results from the charm that was preformed back in the winter, master," Lucius informed him. Draco could almost picture his father, standing nervously before the hideous man whom he served, struggling to keep the cool composure for which the Malfoy family was known for.
"So?" Voldemort hissed, his voice turning from annoyed to angry.
"We have reason to believe that the mind link belongs to Harry Potter, but we can't find the other…The spell worked on the other first, and Potter a day or two later…"
"What is the meaning of that?" the Dark Lord spat.
"Potter was little more than alive at the moment the spell was activated, My Lord…"
*******
Draco's eyes flared open and he sat bolt upright, breathing hard. His entire body was drenched in sweat, and his long fingers were clenched tensely on the sheets.
He knows? Draco thought feverishly, How? What did he do?…
Sudden, chilling comprehension swept over him.
"No way," he breathed. "No way."
*********
The next day, the bell that rang for break immensely relieved Hermione. Slipping into a dark, abandoned classroom, she closed the door part way and slid down against the wall with her head in her arms, finding at last some of the peace, quiet, and solitude for which she had been searching for many days. Even so, she was beginning to fall apart. How could she let a little thing like this ruin her for months?
Then the tears came. Tears from months of pain, frustration, and confusion. Tears for the two who would never love her. Tears for the two who did.
She was so absorbed in her self-pity that she never noticed the door open, and the tall, slender figure entering the dark room and coming to a halt right in front of her.
His gaze lingered unfalteringly on the girl who was curled into a ball and sobbing quietly to herself, keeping carefully out of the way of anyone she would possibly bother. The same one who, two years prior, had slapped him upside the head and called him foul, evil, out of defence for a friend. Which might've been true, he admitted to himself, back then….
"Hermione," came a whisper from above her head, so softly spoken that she wasn't sure whether she was imagining it or not, let alone who it was.
"Go away," she muttered to no one in particular.
"I have a question to ask you, if that's okay," he said quickly.
"Fine," she answered, her voice muffled.
"How would someone be able to find out about a mind link without asking?" Hermione started and looked up, wiping tears off her face.
"Well," she began in a shuddering voice, staring up and the cold, pale face that was half shrouded in shadow and struggling to her feet, "it's an immensely complex charm…and it's cast on one person at a time. If that person is linked to someone, then the other will show the same signs at the same time."
"What signs?" Draco asked.
"They—they can be anything from headaches, to nausea, to light-headedness, to shortness of breath—"
"Shortness of breath," he repeated, more to himself than to Hermione.
"Yes…" said Hermione, looking curiously at him, "but depending on how it was cast—"
"There's more than one way to cast the charm?" She nodded.
"It can be done with a wand, but that requires direct contact. The other is meditation; that can be done from miles away, but in either case it can take many months to take effect and get results…." She trailed off, catching sight of the look in Draco's eye.
"What is it?" she asked. "Did something happen?" Draco glanced at her.
"I don't know," he said finally. "It's odd. I keep having these dreams and…" He bit his lip. "Voldemort knows about our connection."
"He—he does?" Hermione faltered. "How could he know?"
Draco shook his head. "Ask Potter. That's what he's here for. When Voldemort comes to call, just go to the Boy Who Lived, and he'll save the day."
"That's not funny," Hermione said. Tears were filling her eyes again, and she did her best to hide them.
"I'm sorry," he said softly, seeing them despite her efforts, trying, and failing to feel sympathy. "I promise not to make fun of Mr High and Mighty."
"That's not the point," she snapped. She could feel her face burning and could tell that Draco was watching her intently.
"Does this have something to do with that Chang girl?" he asked. Hermione looked up quickly.
"What makes you think that?" she said sharply. Draco merely continued to stare at her. "Okay, so it does," she finally admitted. She turned around and leaned against the wall. "I think that I should apologise," she began, "for being so rude in the past…and thank you for sending Viktor."
This was definitely not what Draco had expected to hear.
"Err—you're welcome. And forget about the past," he said softly. "You were standing up for me when Weasley got all hacked off about that whole Draught of the Living Death incident."
"That is an everyday occurrence that I have to get Ron to shut up," she replied, still avoiding his eyes. "Well, it used to be, at least…"
"Used to be?" Draco echoed. "What's up with him?"
"It's not him. It's…me."
There was a pause.
"Harry too? What, are you trying to tell me that you're jealous?"
"Yes!" she burst out, slamming her fist against the wall. "Have you no idea what it's like when your two best friends are the opposite gender and you've fallen for both of them? Ron pushes me away, and there's something about Harry that I can't place—and they both have girlfriends! Viktor's not going to last forever….He suggested it himself that we go our separate ways! Four years is a big margin for me, and I just feel so alone sometimes…"
She moved toward Draco and flung her arms around his neck, catching him off guard. It was clear that she had been holding all this inside her ever since Christmas. He patted her awkwardly on the head, and that little pat soon became a hug.
"Hermione, remember back then, when we were all in the hospital wing…" he started hesitantly after a few moments, once her sobs had quieted.
"What about it?" she asked, sniffing.
"After I took my Sleeping Potion…" He hesitated again. Hermione tensed. She knew what was coming. But how could he have known?…
"…someone kissed me. I've been wanting to know who it was for some time now." He paused, a slight smile dawning on his face. "And I'm willing to bet that it wasn't Weasley or Madam Pomfrey."
"How do you always have this way of finding something obnoxious to say during a serious conversation?" she muttered, still wrapped in Draco's arms.
"Oh, you thought it was funny, then, did you?" he said, tightening his hold.
"No," she said simply.
"Well, to answer your original question, finding something obnoxious to say in the most obscene of situations just happens to be one of the many qualities that everyone knows and loves about the one and only Draco Malfoy."
"God, you're annoying," she sighed.
"There's another one."
"Why are you being so nice to me? After all, aren't I just a filthy little Mudblood?" Hermione said acidly. She felt Draco stiffen at her words.
"I'm sorry about that. You know I am," he said softly. Hermione pulled away from his embrace.
"You're terrible," she whispered, starting for the door, but he grabbed her shoulder. She came to a stop and said, without turning, "What is it now?"
"You still haven't answered my question yet."
"You haven't asked me anything that I haven't answered," she returned coldly, but regretting it as soon as she said it.
"Was it you?"
Hermione felt as if the ground was falling sharply away. Gritting her teeth, she decided to play the role of confused curiosity until he forced her to answer, until that tantalizingly slanted gaze overpowered her hopelessly.
"Was what me?" she asked carefully, turning around to face him defiantly, clenching her fists until her nails dug into her flesh, trying desperately not to throw herself at him.
"Did you kiss me?"
"Kiss you?" she repeated coolly, though she was beginning to feel her composure crack as she dropped her gaze. So much for confused curiosity. "Why would I kiss you?"
He stepped closer to her, placed his icy fingers under her chin, and tilted it upward so that their eyes met. She shuddered, her blood boiling in her veins.
"Was it you?" he said again, staring straight into her eyes, his voice barely above a whisper, which made her feel as if he could see straight into her soul. Her heart pounded, and she struggled to look away, but some mysterious power from those liquid silver eyes drew not only her eyes to them, but also the truth.
"Yes," she murmured finally, wrenching her gaze away, her composure finally shattering into a thousand pieces. She heard a sharp intake of breath above her as she hung her head.
"It was you," he repeated softly. Hermione glanced up in time to see him run his hand through his fair hair with a faraway look in his eyes. As if he felt her gaze on him, he looked up and met her eyes. Hermione stared back into the eyes that had always held her spellbound, even the years when she hated him more than anything. It was all very strange. From the person she loathed most in the world, he had turned out to be one of the kindest she had ever known.
"Thank you," he said quietly.
"Why are you thanking me?"
"That was the nicest gesture that anyone has ever given me. That's why I asked you to the Christmas Ball…because I thought you loved me."
"I—I do love you, Draco," Hermione said in a rush. Then she clapped her hand over her mouth. "I'm sorry." Her face turned red.
"Don't be," Draco said softly. Hermione closed her eyes and moved forward, lifting up her face, and suddenly felt lips cold as death and smooth as marble touch hers. Draco was taken entirely by surprise, not in a bad way, but nonetheless, surprise. She winced at the cold, but slowly, they warmed in the deepness of the kiss. Her heart soared in fierce ecstasy and her soul sang joyfully as Draco returned it. She didn't want this to end. She wanted to stay here, with Draco, forever, and ever, and ever… How could she have ever hated him?
He pulled her closer, savouring every second. Her lips were soft and warm. This kind of happiness was sure to be illegal. His long, slender fingers raked her skin savagely. He had never known a passion such as this, so fiery, so intense. This was too good to last….What had he been thinking when he called her a Mudblood?
The kiss became increasingly aggressive, yet it was not only Draco. In fact, he was quite impressed that she would come off so intimidating. Maybe it was all from that Bulgarian guy, Viktor Krum. Hermione wound her arms around his neck, pulling him to her as he tried to pull back for air. A tiny voice that could have been her conscience screamed at her, What are you doing? Isn't this being disloyal to Harry and Ron and Viktor? Stop! Stop! Stop! But Hermione ignored it, and a stronger voice that might've been the little devil inside her overrode the first. Ha! It's their own faults! They could've given you more attention, but no, so you found the one who would…She continued to seduce him, savagely, as if this were some kind of sweet revenge against the three of them. Draco was surprised at how vicious she was.
They never heard the bell ring. Their attention was primarily for each other. Finally, not knowing how long they had been in that dark, abandoned classroom, they broke apart, gasping for breath.
"That was…interesting," said Draco, staring at Hermione.
"In a good way or a bad way?" she said, slightly flustered.
"That's a tough one."
They walked slowly to the door.
"Do you realise how late we are for class?" he asked.
"Who cares?" she said softly. Then she shot him a sideways glance. "Would you mind not mentioning this to anyone? It might not go well with everyone else…"
"Of course. My reputation means as much to me as it does to you."
"That's good. Thank you."
They stopped right next to the door, both very reluctant to leave.
"Same time tomorrow?" Draco asked at last, though rather hesitantly, breaking the silence.
"We'll have to see," Hermione said uncertainly. "It might start to get suspicious if I keep disappearing every day at break…"
"We'll see, then," Draco replied, opening the door. Before he stepped out into the open, he said, before he could stop himself, "Did I ever tell you that I love you?"
"You didn't need to," she answered, and kissed him on the cheek. She stepped out of the door and into the hall, squinting in the brighter light of the corridor in comparison to the darkness of the room.
"See you tomorrow."
***********
"Miss Granger, where have you been? The lesson began over twenty minutes ago. Ten points from Gryffindor."
The whole class whipped around as the door to the Transfiguration classroom opened. Harry's and Ron's mouths sagged, because the Hermione who walked in didn't look like Hermione at all. Her hair was even bushier than usual, and her face was glowing like the setting sun, though not from embarrassment, and her robes hung loosely from her shoulders.
"I—I'm sorry, Professor. I…err, I fell asleep," she said, the pink patches on her cheeks glowing even brighter.
"That much," said Professor McGonagall, eyeing her suspiciously, "is evident. Please be seated."
Hermione crossed the room and sat down next to Ron and Harry.
"So, where were you?" Ron asked after the lesson, rising from his seat with the rest of the class. To his and Harry's surprise, a sly smile curled at her lips.
"What would you say if I told you I had been sleeping with Draco?" she asked innocently.
"You were WHAT?!" Harry and Ron shouted, but then were even more confused when they saw that Hermione had doubled up with laughter at the sight of their horrified faces.
"I'm only joking!" she gasped, hardly able to stand for laughing.
Though still momentarily shocked at the sudden and highly unexpected answer, they were relieved to see that Hermione was in a better mood than the past few months. Managing a small smile, Ron and Harry picked up their books, heading out of the classroom behind Hermione. Checking her watch, she looked up at her two tall friends.
"Are you two hungry? It's lunchtime!" Without waiting for an answer, she sped down the hall, elated with joy.
Ron and Harry blinked bemusedly and stared at each other.
"What's gotten into her?" Harry muttered.
*********
The month leading up to the Quidditch tournament final seemed to melt away. Almost immediately, it seemed, it was exactly a week before the match. Everyone was tense and excited, anticipating what would hopefully be the defeat of Slytherin. Ravenclaw hadn't won in over ten years, so they were especially eager.
But something happened on the day before the match that gave Harry something else to think about.
"Harry," came a soft voice from the room to his left. Curiously, Harry pushed the door open the rest of the way.
Draco Malfoy was sitting silently on the desk, his hands folded in his lap, his fine, silvery hair dishevelled.
"What is it, Malfoy?" Harry asked, stepping over the threshold and closing the door.
Draco gritted his teeth, twisting his hands violently. How was he going to tell him this? She had agreed that now would be the best time to unveil their secret relationship, but something was holding him back. It was either the look on Harry's face, or the longings of his own heart.
"I—" he began, but suddenly, something else came spilling out of his mouth. "I forgot to tell you something. It's kind of important."
"Go on," said Harry, raising an eyebrow. Draco bit his lip. Harry had never seen Malfoy look this uncomfortable before.
"Voldemort knows about our connection," Draco said, then winced. That was not what you were supposed to tell him you bloody idiot!
Harry opened his mouth, then sighed.
"That we can deal with," he said. "I though you were going to say something that had to do with you and Hermione…"
"What?" Draco said frantically.
"I'm only joking," Harry assured him, and to Draco's relief, he didn't see him flinch. "Hermione made this joke a few weeks ago when she was late for Transfiguration. She said that she had been sleeping with you. The scary part is, we actually believed her for a moment."
Draco paled, opening and closing his mouth several times before Harry spoke again.
"So how do you know that Voldemort knows this?" he asked, sobering.
"I had another dream a few weeks ago. He only knows about you, though, because of that Sleeping Potion thing…."
"How did he find out?"
"Some kind of spell. When you woke up, did you feel like you were suffocating?"
"Yeah."
"So did I. Right before I broke that window. I'm guessing that's why Dumbledore put that charm on them."
They were silent for a few moments. Then Harry said, "How long will it take him to find out about you?"
Draco shrugged. "Hermione said it can take a few months to get results—"
There was a muffled sound coming from under the desk on which Draco was sitting.
"What was that?" Harry asked, stepping closer to the desk curiously.
"What was what?" said Draco quickly as he kicked the desk with his swinging legs. Harry narrowed his eyebrows suspiciously. "Never mind. I thought I heard something. And anyway, why did you ask Hermione—?"
The bell rang. Draco cleared his throat.
"There's the bell," he said. "Time for class."
Harry stood his ground. "Aren't you coming?" he said, starting for the door after a moment.
"No, I…we can't be seen together, remember? Dumbledore said…"
"Right…see you later."
As the door closed, Hermione stood up from under the desk.
"Why didn't you tell him?" she insisted. "We agreed that today would be best!"
Draco sighed. "I know. I just…didn't want to throw all this away." He shook his head. "I'm sorry."
"No, it's alright." She circled around the desk and sat down next to him.
"How do you think he'll take it when he finds out?" Draco asked, slipping his arm around her shoulders. She leaned close and could hear his heartbeat and his voice, echoing through his chest.
"I don't know," she answered hesitantly. "Judging by how he acted to it hypothetically, I really can't say."
"I guess we'll just have to wait and see, then, right?" he said.
"Mhhm."
There was a pause.
"I hate to say this," Draco said at last, "but I don't think this is going to work out that well…."
"The majority of teenage relationships don't last," Hermione said matter-of-factly.
"I suppose you're right, but…"
"But what?"
Draco glanced at her.
"What if…someone sees us?"
"No one will see us. They're all somewhere else."
"But like what you just said, the majority doesn't last…"
Hermione lifted her head and looked into his eyes.
"Couldn't we at least try?" she asked quietly.
He smiled. "I guess we could…"
Hermione smiled back and pulled him down onto the desk.
*******
"Hey, Hermione, haven't seen you all day. Where you been?"
Hermione dumped her books down on the nearest chair.
"To lessons…" she answered vaguely, sitting down and tugging at a pillow. It was nearly ten o'clock, and Ron and Harry finally met Hermione for the first time since lunch. Though she did have a different schedule than they did, they still had expected to see her in between classes, or at dinner, at least.
Hermione curled up close in her armchair, relaxing by the warmth of the blazing fire of the Gryffindor common room. She closed her eyes, both emotionally and physically exhausted. Maybe she should drop a few more subjects….
"Hermione—what's that on your neck?" Harry asked suddenly, pointing at the spot just visible above her collar. Her eyes jerked open.
"Oh, this?" she said nervously, running her fingers over the flushed patch of skin. "That's a…"
"Hermione, is that what I think it is? Cuz if it is…" Ron began, staring at her.
"Of course it isn't!" she insisted indignantly, her face reddening in embarrassment. "It must be a bug bite or something…."
"I don't think I've ever seen a bug with jaws that big before," he said, "even here."
"Oh, look at the time," Hermione said lamely. "I better go up to bed….See you in the morning." And without another word, she dashed upstairs.
"Where do you get the feeling that she's not telling us everything?" Harry muttered.
Ron nodded. "That was the lamest excuse in the book. A bug bite…real cute. Well, I guess now that we know what she's been doing, just have to find out who she's been doing…."
"Oh, that gave me an interesting mental image," Harry griped. Ron grinned.
"Don't tell me you've never fantasized before," he said.
"Oh, go…stare at something shiny."
"Oooooo…what fun. Okay, bored now." He yawned. "I'm going up to bed. See you later."
"Night," Harry sighed.
********
"My Lord."
"What is it, Lucius?"
Lucius Malfoy was edging into the room, which was lit only by the glow of the crackling fire, toward the Dark Lord, who was standing next to a hissing and bubbling cauldron. Next to him stood his servant, Wormtail, who was nervously adding ingredients to the concoction.
"I regret to say, My Lord, that the boy is now protected against the spell," he said cautiously.
Voldemort smiled.
"Well, then, you know what the solution to that is, do you not?"
Mr Malfoy bowed his head so his face was hidden beneath his black hood and remained silent.
"Be gone with you!" Voldemort spat, and Lucius backed swiftly out of the room.
Voldemort turned back to Wormtail and peered into the cauldron, which was now frothing and boiling sluggishly.
"Just a few more weeks, Wormtail. Then we will have our revenge…."
Nagini hissed, adding to the spine-tingling atmosphere of the scene.
"We will be needing more skin from Nagini," he added. "Though this time, please be sure not to anger her…for she does not forgive easily…"
Wormtail shuddered and started cautiously toward the giant snake, his hands outstretched. The sleeves of his black robes pulled back, revealing two large, purple welts that were slowly turning green.
"…and she must conserve her strength…"
********
Harry went down to breakfast the next morning to loud, raucous cheering. The Ravenclaws were chattering loudly, prepping their team members as they always did before a match. Cho detached herself from the crowd to greet Harry.
"Hi there!" she beamed, kissing him on the cheek.
"Hello…" he began, staring over her head to search the crowd. Cho frowned.
"Is something wrong?" she asked.
"No, I—I need to talk to Hermione and Ron. And don't worry—" he added, catching the look on her face, "it has nothing to do with you."
Cho sighed. "Well, I guess you can look after yourself," she said. "You will be at the game, though, won't you?"
"Of course I will. Wouldn't miss it for the world."
Cho smiled at him and walked back over to the Ravenclaw table.
Harry found Ron and Hermione and sat down.
"What's up, Harry?" Ron asked, plucking sausages off the plate in the middle of the table.
Hermione looked up from staring ahead. Her eyes met Harry's, and he was startled to see that they held fear, confusion, and pain.
"I…had another dream last night."
"You did?" said Ron, startled. "What happened?"
Harry explained what he saw. Hermione still had that look in her eyes when he had finished.
"I'm pretty sure that's a Polyjuice Potion that You-Know-Who was making," she said at last. "I have lost the connection, and Draco told me about his dream…"
"When have you talked to Malfoy?" Ron interrupted.
"Oh…once or twice in the library," Hermione muttered, blushing. Harry and Ron left it to that. Finishing their breakfast, they headed out the doors to the Quidditch pitch with the rest of the school.
"Good luck, Cho!" Harry called to her. She grinned as he left the hall.
Ron, Harry, and Hermione found seats in the bleachers. After about ten minutes, the Slytherin team came out of the locker rooms, most of them clutching Nimbus Two Thousand and Ones. Malfoy, of course, was still the smallest, but he held the best broom of the lot, a RapidFire3000. It's fine black finish gleamed in the early morning sun.
Then came the Ravenclaw team. Cho was in her Ravenclaw robes, holding with a proud and defiant air her Comet Two Sixty. She had told Harry that she kept it for good luck; it had once belonged to her grandfather who had played for England, winning the World Cup three times in a row. He had been Seeker as well.
The crowd cheered as Madam Hooch brought out the crate with the balls. After releasing them into the air, she blew her whistle and took off.
"And it's Ravenclaw in possession, streaking toward the goals…come on, put it in! Argh, miss, and the Quaffle goes to Slytherin…."
The game wasn't all that eventful, compared with the others of Slytherin versus Gryffindor. It was plain that the Ravenclaw Chasers were much more skilled than the Slytherins, as were the Beaters and Keeper. The only flaw with the Ravenclaw Seeker, Cho, was that her broom was very slow compared to Malfoy's state-of-the-art RapidFire3000. She couldn't keep up with him, so she was forced to go around the stadium in order to block him. By that time, Malfoy had gotten out of the way.
Suddenly, there was a flash of gold, and right behind it, a blur of green. Malfoy had seen the Snitch, and was following it at top speed.
"And the crowd is on its feet! Where are those Bludgers when you need them?! The Slytherin Seeker is gaining, he's going to catch it—"
But Malfoy, who was intent upon catching the Snitch, didn't see the Ravenclaw Beater hit a Bludger towards him with excessive force. Hitting him square in the chest, Malfoy was flung from him broom. The ground seemed to be rushing up to greet him a bit faster than usual. There was a sickening crunch as he collided with the ground, his broom toppling after him.
Laughter erupted from the stands, and a certain Ravenclaw Seeker was doubled over on her broom, gasping for air between peals of laughter.
The Slytherin team all rushed down, crowding around Draco, and Harry could hear him swearing rudely…in a multitude of different languages. He couldn't help but be impressed at Draco's wide range of vocabulary.
Clutching his chest, Malfoy staggered into a standing position rather theatrically. Clambering onto his broom like some sort of hero, Malfoy shot back up into the air, nearly knocking the Ravenclaw Beater off his broom in the process. The cheers from the Slytherin section erupted as the game started up again, not really becoming any faster paced. Ravenclaw Chasers were flying in circles around the Slytherin team, scoring repeatedly, while the Slytherin's points were still at rock bottom. The score was two hundred ten to thirty, and Ravenclaw was in possession of the Quaffle.
"If I catch the Snitch right now…the score will be tied…." Malfoy said to himself as his molten silver eyes scanned the Quidditch pitch, calculating the possibilities in his mind. "We can't possibly win at this rate…."
Suddenly, a flash of gold confirmed his decision. Streaking down after it, Draco could see Cho pull up, miles behind him. Urging his broom to go faster, he reached out, his fingers closing around the golden ball.
There was the sound of a gong, and Malfoy swore inwardly. Ravenclaw had scored! He tried to jerk his hand back before he caught it, but his reaction time was too slow. In his pale hand he clutched the small, glittering ball.
"YES! I DON'T BELIEVE IT! SLYTHERIN CATCHES THE SNITCH, BUT RAVENCLAW WINS! I don't think many of us were expecting that!"
Landing on the ground with a sour scowl on his face, Draco was immediately surrounded by his fellow teammates. Most of them were grinning stupidly, and thumping their smallest player on the back.
Draco's scowl deepened as he threw down the Snitch in frustration. "We lost, you morons!" he burst out rather savagely, turning around and bowling his way through the crowd and away from the pitch.
Ravenclaw had won, though narrowly, at a score of two hundred ten to one hundred eighty. Everyone, save for the Slytherins, poured out onto the field. Harry reached Cho and lifted her up onto his shoulders as the crowd cheered wildly….She was handed the enormous silver Quidditch Cup….Through the crowd, Harry caught sight of a bitter Draco Malfoy walking toward the castle, his broomstick on his shoulder, his head bowed dejectedly. Finally, Ron and Hermione managed to push their way through the teeming crowd toward Harry and Cho.
"Great job, Cho!" Ron yelled. "You really know how to give them hell!"
She smiled and jumped down from Harry's shoulders to rejoin her team.
"Hey—wait for us!" Harry and Ron shouted, running after her.
Hermione made sure they were occupied with the Ravenclaws before turning around and walking off. She had to find him.
He was walking toward the oak front doors, his shoulders slumped, his broom now hanging limply from his nerveless fingers. She ran to catch up to him and reached out for his shoulder.
"Draco," she said softly.
He turned around, and his forlorn expression cleared considerably when he saw her.
"Hey," he answered.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
"Yeah, but that ground is a lot harder than it looks."
She gave him a small smile. He returned it weakly, his gaze going past her to stare at the thronging crowd on the Quidditch field. Harry was just visible, Ron standing next to him.
"When are we going to tell him?" Draco asked under his breath
"I suppose while he's in a good mood, we could try later this week…." Hermione said, following his gaze.
"That sucked," Draco muttered abruptly, turning his back on her and trudging up the steps. Hermione hurried after him.
"What sucked?"
"Besides me, that game."
"You do not suck at Quidditch," Hermione admonished. "You are almost better than Harry."
"There's that word again. Almost."
"Well, what do you want me to do about it? If it came down to how much you practise, then you would be the better player. For Harry, it comes so naturally that he doesn't need to practise that much. And maybe it's not you that sucks, it's the rest of your team."
Draco looked at her, then sighed.
"I never wanted to play Quidditch," he said softly. "It was my father's jealousy that caused me to join the team. Actually, he made me and assured that I would win if I played on the best racing broom, that skill doesn't matter."
Hermione followed him in silence, entirely unbelieving. How could someone's father be so terrible?
"Do you know what I have to do, Hermione?" he asked suddenly, interrupting her thoughts.
"What do you mean?" she said.
"I didn't think you would know," said Draco. There was some kind of icy bitterness in his voice that Hermione had rarely heard before. "But you will, when the time comes."
"What are you talking about?"
But Draco did not seem prolonged to elaborate; he left her behind with her very confused thoughts.
**********
Alright, that officially sucked. The Quidditch match was by Crissy, so if you've got any complaints about it, yell at her. That romance was terrible, I know. Anyway, my estimate for the rest of this story is about three chapters. And don't worry, all (or most) of your questions will be answered by the end. For now, when are Hermione and Draco going to tell Harry? How will Harry take it? When will Voldemort's plan be put into action? What's up with that Polyjuice Potion? How is Alex's and Ron's relationship going to end up? What is Draco talking about? And when's Crissy coming? I think most of these questions will be answered by next chapter, if not, the next. Well, I guess I owe you people an explanation. It is official: Lynn is my friend Sapphire Rose, also known as Lynn; I am Alex (though Ron is not the first one I'd go for, hence author name, but I did find an awfully cute pic of him not too long ago…), and Crissy is, well, Crissy. And you won't believe this, but when I was writing that really emotional thing that Hermione's going through, I was actually going through something similar without realising it. Yeah, I fell for my best guy friend, and let me tell you, that is one of the most embarrassing things in the world to happen to someone. Anyway, now from my tangled love life, I will ask you all one more tiny eensy teensy request. Will you all do the me a favour by rating this fic so far, or the chapter itself, on a scale from 1* (being the worst fic you've ever read) to 5***** (being the best fic you've ever read), you people know the drill. I know, this has probably gone down to –5, but oh well. I promise, next chapter will be better. Till then, my friends! J