Keep Me Away--Kouri no Ryuu

KEEP ME AWAY
Written by Kouri no Ryuu
Beta-read by SSJ4 and Amethyst

Author's Notes: I give just about all credit to SSJ4 and Amethyst, who kindly beta-read this story. They've changed it from a complete piece of total trash to the very nice Draco/Hermione short story you read below. Thanks to both of you :).

Also, the song "Keep Me Away" is performed by pop group Nobody's Angel. I claim no rights. The rights to Harry Potter belong to J.K. Rowling, Scholastic Books, Warner Bros., etc. I claim no rights.

To Fans of The Prophecy of Fire Who Got This Story Through a FanFiction.Net AuthorAlert:
I'm taking a quick breather from "The Prophecy of Fire." DON'T WORRY--I'm definitely not through writing it. "The Prophecy of Fire" shall continue.

I'm waiting for the perfect time when I
Can sneak out of my window and baby, I am
Counting every second boy until I'm next to you

They just don't understand the things you do to me
They'll never realize how you've set my spirit free

Hermione's cinnamon-brown eyes darted around the dark room to check if anyone hadn't gone to sleep yet. She peeked at the dark forms on the beds around hers, every one lying perfectly still. Carefully she swung herself around to sit upright, her feet barely touching the ground, which felt ice-cold. Not surprising, considering that it had snown four times last week. Just to make sure she was unwatched, she whispered, "Is anyone else still awake?" No one answered. "Lavender, Parvati, Nerissa, Rina?" she asked, stating (or rather, whispering) all the girls' names. Still, no response came.

Satisfied that none of her female Hogwarts dormmates were awake, Hermione slipped off her canopy bed and wrapped her arms around herself in an effort to warm herself, because her nightgown was of very little use against the cold winter air. As quietly as possible, the teenaged witch-in-training slipped on a thick black robe, buttoned it up securely, and tiptoed to the curtained window. Trying to be as silent as possible, Hermione pushed the royal blue velvet curtains aside. In the darkness, the curtains appeared almost black. Still paranoid about someone noticing her, she waited for a few moments before unlocking the window itself. Carefully she pushed the glass upward, stopping every few seconds when it creaked. She cringed every time the window made a sound.

It's like trying to keep the rain from falling
I can't keep my heart from calling
There's nothing in this world that they can do
To keep me away from you

When she had finally pushed the window up as far as it would go, Hermione lifted first one then the other leg onto the windowsill and over the edge. Hermione wasn't so worried now; she had done this countless times. She slid all the way to the ground, thanking her lucky stars that the Gryffindor girls' dormitories were on ground-level. Quickly, she closed the window almost all the way. It wouldn't bode well for her if someone found that she was gone and the window was open. Besides, the window locked itself from the inside automatically (magically, perhaps?) when it was shut all the way.

She strode quickly from the dry ground and onto a stone path. Thankfully, no snow had fallen that night. Hermione stepped quickly around stone fountains, dark statues, and empty wooden benches. She didn't want to prolong this stroll any more than necessary. Her pace and heartbeat quickened as she reached a familiar bend in the path. Absently, she brushed her bangs out of her eyes, straining to see...

And even if it takes forever
I know we will be together
There's nothing in this world that they can do
To keep me away from you

...Him. He sat on one of the wooden benches and smirked--No, smiled, Hemione reminded herself--when he saw her. His silver-blond hair glinted in the pale moonlight. "I didn't think you'd come," he stated matter-of-factly, not bothering to be quiet. "You didn't make it last week."

Hermione flinched slightly. "I'm so sorry. Parvati and Nerissa stayed awake all night discussing how to wind themselves around Harry's heart." The memory made her smirk. "They even thought of creating a Harry Potter Fan Club"--she saw Draco stiffen when she mentioned Harry's name--"so that he would be grateful, and that gratefulness would gradually transform into love. I couldn't get out without someone noticing me."

When we're doing it together, our eyes wide open
Just the beating of our hearts, no words are spoken
No one in this world can thrill me like you do

You touch a place inside that no one else can see
They just don't realize how you've set my spirit free

However, he ignored Harry's name. "I figured you got sick or something." He shrugged nonchalantly. Hermione shivered as the frosty wind gently touched her. "Are you cold?" he asked and Hermione nodded.

"I forgot to bring my cloak," she stammered, slightly embarrassed. Forgetting her cloak was a very un-Hermionelike act. Draco rolled his eyes and wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close to him. Her forehead rested in the hollow of his neck.

It's like trying to keep the rain from falling
I can't keep my heart from calling
There's nothing in this world that they can do
To keep me away from you

"All better?" he murmured. His lips brushed her ear and she shivered again, but this time not from the cold.

"Yeah," Hermione whispered before he pressed his lips against hers in a heated, searching kiss that warmed her to her toes. Kissing Draco was intoxicating; it kept you wanting more and more. Hermione realized she was holding onto Draco's robe' collar tightly. So tightly that her knuckles looked white, from what she could see of them. His tongue flicked over her lips before he deepened the kiss. Hermione's hands curved around his neck.

And even if it takes forever
I know we will be together
There's nothing in this world that they can do
To keep me away from you

Draco pulled her even closer to him. Though it was already doubtful that there was even an inch of compressed space between their bodies. When the kiss naturally ended, Hermione was left panting for breath. A pink flush tinged her cheeks and the moonlight sparkled off her eyes.

They stood, staring at each other as infinite time stared through them. Neither was sure how much time passed before Draco broke the silence.

"You know, staring at you forevermore sounds really romantic, but it isn't my type of thing," Draco said with the trace of a smirk.

"What would you rather be doing instead?" Hermione asked, already knowing his answer.

"This," Draco murmured and pulled her mouth to his again.

Hold me in your arms and my troubles melt away
I wanna be with you, every hour of every day

No, they can never know the love you bring my life
Take me away from here and baby we can fly

Hermione felt like she was drowning; drowning in passion, drowning in love. Or perhaps just drowning. She heard a dim roaring in her ears, like a flood.

Her knees would've buckled if Draco hadn't held her up. When he finally let her go and tore his mouth from hers, her knees almost did.

Siempre sere tuya Mi corazon vibra por ti

"I love you," she whispered into the night air, and Draco smiled. A real smile, unlike the I'm-God's-gift-to-witches smirk he usually wore.

"I love you, too."

It's like trying to keep the rain from falling
I can't keep my heart from calling
There's nothing in this world that they can do
To keep me away from you

"Why can't we just push all this out in the open?" Hermione asked.

"You're a Gryffindor, I'm a Slytherin, yeah. Right," Draco said sarcastically. "Your friends would abandon you and my father would torture me for the rest of my life."

She winced. "It's just," she began, paused, and started again. "I'm tired of having to sneak out in the middle of the night. I'm tired of having to lie to Harry and Ron about why I'm always sleepy and why I don't insult you anymore."

And even if it takes forever
I know we will be together
There's nothing in this world that they can do
To keep me away from you

"I understand. Sort of," he added with an ironic smirk. "I don't have any real friends. Lucius pays Crabbe and Goyle to rat on me and, for reasons unknown, protect me. 'Spose he doesn't want to lose his only heir to the Malfoy fortune."

Hermione reached out and squeezed his arm slightly. "You have me. Isn't that enough?" Draco smiled, not speaking.

No! They can't keep me away from you!
No! They can't keep me away from you!
No! They can't keep me away from you!
There's nothing in this world that they can do

No! They can't keep me away from you!
No! They can't keep me away from you!
No! They can't keep me away from you!
There's nothing in this world that they can do!

Half an hour later, Hermione slipped back into her dorm room, locked the window, and tried to go to sleep. But she couldn't.