Intoxicating Dreams and Bittersweet Reality
Intoxicating Dreams and Bittersweet Reality
Disclaimer: These characters are ones that have come from the head of the most imaginative J.K. Rowling~ they do not belong to me in any way, shape or form.
Hermione felt miserable. Absolutely, completely miserable. She was wallowing in agony and regret, all because of stupid Draco Malfoy. Hermione sighed, resting her head in her arms, just wanting to shut her eyes and forget everything that had happened in the past few days.

Ever since that day at Hogsmeade her life had flipped upside down. At first she'd been furious with Harry and Ron for what they'd done, but then she caught herself, horribly frightened. This was Draco Malfoy, why did she care what happened to him? But she couldn't ignore the strange way her heart wrenched when she thought of Malfoy, eyes rimmed with pain and humiliation as he sat in the puddle, Harry and Ron laughing maliciously.

Then she became terribly confused wondering if she shouldn't feel sorry for Malfoy because maybe she was being disloyal to Harry and Ron. Then she would get angry, telling herself fiercely that they didn't own her and she could feel however she wanted to, about whoever she wanted to.

The whole thing was a mess, a tangled web of feelings, and the more Hermione thought about it, the more her head spun. Besides the fact that ever since Hogsmeade, Malfoy had been acting a total mess as well. He spent the whole week, lurking around, scowling miserably, refusing to talk to anyone. And Hermione had begun to grow frightened at the number of cigarettes he smoked. Everytime she saw him, he had one dangling from his lips, and despite her nagging conscience she became more and more worried.

Right now, Hermione was trying to catch up on lost sleep in history of magic. It was just too much effort to lift her drooping lids, and she found that as long as she kept her pen moving across the paper, she could drift into a sort of restful trance.

It had been like this all week, each night she would force her eyes shut, but her mind continued to whirl and she'd thrash about for hours tormenting herself with the endless stream of questions. Then of course the next day she would be exhausted and fight a continuous battle to stay awake.

Hermione was getting sick of the endless cycle and she glanced up listlessly to see if anything interesting was going on. Somebody was flicking paperclips at Professor Binns but he hardly seemed to notice. Partly because he was so absorbed in what he was saying and partly because the paper clips sailed right through him, and landed with a clink on the desk behind him.

Hermione heaved a grateful sigh as Professor Binn's shut his book and beckoned the class to go. She filed out with the throng of students, half relieved and half filled with dread as she realized her next class was transfiguration, which she had with Slytherin.

She took her usual seat next to Ron, not hearing his excited recap of last night's quidditch game. She just nodded occasionally her eyes scanning the room, looking for *him*. She became worried when Professor McGonagall rapped for attention and he still hadn't arrived.

Then five minutes into the class, when Hermione had almost cracked her neck from straining to keep her eye on the door, he sauntered in, right in the middle of Professor McGonagall's speech on cactus transformation. He slid into his desk, smirking for absolutely no reason Hermione could find, and turned and began talking loudly with Pansy Parkinson.

Professor McGonagall glared at him, tight lipped, waiting for him to stop speaking. But Malfoy, paid her no heed and continued conversing loudly with Pansy. Pansy, however, had noticed, and was staring at Malfoy pointedly, inclining her head towards Proffesrro McGonagall. "Draco!" She hissed. "Mr. Malfoy!" Professor McGonagall snapped, her eyes like fire, " I suggest you stop talking at once, unless you'd like to earn yourself a detention." He folded his arms across his chest and snickered blatantly. "Is there something you find amusing, Mr. Malfoy?"

His lips twisted in an ironic smile, "Only the fact that I don't give a damn, whether you give me a hundred detentions, or only one, Miss McGonaggall, so you can just drop dead."

The entire class gasped in shock, no one, absolutely no one spoke to teachers that way, especially Professor McGonagall. Her mouth fell open in disbelief, moving soundlessly, her cheeks tinged slightly with crimson stains. Malfoy folded his arms defiantly across his chest, and tipped way back in his chair, so that he was balancing on two legs.

"Mr Malfoy!" She spluttered furiously, "You will take your insolent tone and your, and your horrible smirk, and leave this class at once, I refuse to put up with it!"

He narrowed his eyes at her, "And where exactly do you want me to go?"

"I don't care!" she shrieked, "As long as you leave, leave my sight!" She pointed a trembling finger to the door, her voice shaking uncontrollably, "I will not let something like this slide! You will be sorry that you act so ...so horrible all the time! You're an awful person Mr. Malfoy, and it just makes me feel sorry for the world, that in the future, people like *you*, will still be around!"

Hermione felt a pang of guilt as Draco's eyes dimmed suddenly, with traces of regret. But it was only for a half a second maybe, and the regret quickly twisted into anger. "Fine!" He spat, bringing the chair down with a resounding crash. "I'll leave! I don't want to waste my time with your stupid class anyway!" He flew out of his chair and sprang to the door. He threw it open vehemently, then turned and shut it with a thundering bang.

The entire class jumped. Hermione squirmed in her seat, she felt the entire class was looking at her, as if they knew it was her fault that Draco was such a disaster. Professor McGonagall looked awful, the lines on her face had darkened, and her hand continued to shake, Hermione had never seen her look so unglued.

Hermione stared sheepishly into her lap, feeling twice as horrible as before, as if the whole thing was her fault. Her heart felt as if someone had twisted it into a knot, she couldn't help feeling for Draco but why was she? It wasn't right! Hermione felt like screaming, why was Draco- then suddenly she clapped a hand over her mouth in despair. Ron glanced at her strangely. Draco, she'd just thought of Malfoy as... she felt her stomach turn over. The world was falling to pieces before her eyes. She laid her head down on her desk, and squeezed her eyes shut in misery, willing this horrible day to come to an end.

The minutes dragged by, she couldn't even look at Professor McGonagall without burning with shame, so she passed the class by staring at a spot of gum on the ceiling, a turmoil of emotions writhing about in her stomach. Then finally, *finally* the class ended.

She shuffled out wearily, planning on going up to her room and collapsing on her fourposter, and drawing the hangings close around, so that she could just sit in the darkness and be miserable. Ron and Harry called out something about going to practice quidditch, and Hermione nodded soundlessly; grateful that she could be alone.

She plodded down the hallway, completely drowning in wretchedness, not paying attention to anything around her, her mind filled with a faint and distant buzzing. But as she turned a corner, her steps faltered, and she bit her lip frightened.

There he was, sitting on a window ledge, dragging on a cigarette, his knees drawn up to his chest. He stared out into the frost-tinted grass, glowering bitterly.

Hermione began to quietly edge away, then paused, realizing with dread that if she didn't confront him now, her problems would never be solved.

Her heart pounding fiercely, her jaw ground in resolution, she approached him warily, trying vainly to ignore the fact that her throat was beginning to close up. She paused in front of the window; he didn't look up. She cleared her throat faintly, still nothing, just an enormous plume of curly white smoke. Hermione tried desperately not to cough, but she did anyway in a sort of small gasp. His steely gaze flickered up at her, and Hermione thought that maybe for a second she saw a hint of surprise, but no, he was just regarding her icily, his grim features set firmly in a frown.

Hermione sucked her breath in sharply, gathering up her lingering, tattered scraps of courage, "Malfoy, I need to ask you- I mean, what I really need to do is apologize because I know that I've-"

"Haven't we all ready been through this Granger? I told you I didn't want you in my sight. Do you need to be told again?" He rose threateningly towards her, but Hermione refused to back down. She swallowed fiercely, and did not recoil as his face drew menacingly close to hers.

"Malfoy, please." She looked at him pleadingly, her voice very soft. His eyes quickly fell from her face, and he bit ardently on the cigarette

"What'd you want?"

"I just wondered, if there was anything you wanted me to- I mean, anything that you need to, well you know to...Is there anything you need?" She finished hopefully.

He continued to stare out the window and replied brusquely, "No."

"You're sure?"

He looked at her, with an edge of agitation in his voice, "Yess."

"Well..."

"I'm fine, ok Granger? You satisfied yet? Can I leave now?" He threw her an acrid glare, then hopped from the windowsill.

Hermione was growing frustrated, "Then what's the matter?" She cried desparately.

"Nothing," He replied curtly. "Now leave me alone."

"No! Please, what is it with you and the world? You just-"

"Fuck the world!" He broke her off savagely. "I don't need it. You know what you gotta learn Granger?" He turned abruptly, pointing an accusing finger at her, "It's that the world isn't just a day in the park, it's a hellhole and that's the way it is. You've gotta get used to it, not try so hard to change everything cause it won't work!" He finished, glowering at her.

Hermione wasn't sure why, but for some reason or another, it seemed something snapped inside of her, and she could feel the anger bubbling in her veins, the heat beginning to rise to her face. She strode towards him, her tone fierce and laced with anger. "Well you know what Malfoy? I'm sick of people like you, who only see the world for the horrible things in it. If you don't like something, change it, don't just sit there and complain about it! All you do is lay around and complain, and- and…smoke cigarettes!" She finished hotly, plucking it from his fingers, then dashing it across the room, where it lay, smoldering slightly. "I mean, what do you want Malfoy? Huh? What do you want from the world, what do *you* want?"

"What do I want…" He chuckled bitterly, but as Hermione's eyes darted up at him, she was startled beyond belief, to see those silvery pools of color, inflicted with an emotion she hadn't thought them capable of: sorrow. His eyes were hollows of grief; little shards of despair speckled his gaze so deeply, that Hermione leaned closer in fascination. They reeked unbearably of desolation, the emptiness seeping out of them, staining the presence they were in, like red whine on a linen table cloth.

Draco quickly realized his mistake and bent his head to the floor, so that wisps of straw colored hair slipped into his eyes, shading them from view. But it was too late, the whine had all ready been spilt, and the stain was painfully obvious, emblazoned upon the clean, white cloth.

Hermione was horrified, and hurriedly took a step back, feeling some sort of powerful emotions stirring beneath her breast. There had been something else in those eyes that had frightened Hermione: longing. Some sort of deep, gnawing hunger. The kind that eats at your heart, chipping it away bit by bit, and she'd seen it in his eyes, how it had eaten away at his soul, devouring it hungrily, as every inch of him cried out for it to stop.

Why it frightened her, she didn't know, but she felt her insides turn to slush at the memory of those eyes. Hermione's head began to whirl, * Maybe*, she thought despairingly, *maybe it wasn't real at all.*

He looked up at her again, his eyes, this time burning with the familiar hatred she knew all too well. This she could deal with. "You'll never know what I want you filthy, mudblood scum!" He spoke at first triumphantly, but then, once again Hermione knew something was wrong when the cloaked anger fell from his composure, and his eyes filled with horror and regret.

This was the last straw. She was sick of Draco and his stupid, conflicting emotions. She was going to let him have it, once and for all. With a shriek of rage, she rose her hand into the air, ready to send it stinging across Draco's cheek, leaving a trail of white, hot pain. But as she raised her hand, she cried out at the same time, "I hate you Draco and I hope you rot in he"- But almost before the words had escaped her lips, before her fingers could brush his cheek; something startling happened. With a speed she hardly knew he possessed, his hand shot out and caught her wrist. He looked up at her earnestly, as her heart thundered in her ears.

"What did you call me?" He breathed, his eyes boring deeply into hers, traced with a glimmer of hope.

"I"- her throat stuck, her heart beginning to climb up her throat. His face was close to hers, eyebrows knitted into a frown, his hair trembling on his forehead as his chest heaved up and down with enormous, broken breaths. She shut her eyes, willing her racing heart to slow down. Even with her eyes closed, she felt hot bursts of air dust her cheeks. Hermione opened her eyes, frightened by the way something inside her was beginning to yearn for those silvery eyes, and fair hair. Frightened by the powerful emotions that were beginning to course through her veins. "I said, I said…Draco," She croaked.

Hermione felt her heart stop beating for a fraction of a second, as the world froze on its axis and time screeched to a halt. And there were only Draco's eyes, smooth pools of liquid silver that suddenly, slowly began to light up.

And then, in one fluid movement, he captured her mouth with his, and the world erupted back to life, in a dizzying burst of overwhelming emotion. This sensation, was like none Hermione had ever experienced in her life. The most deliciously, intoxicating taste was seeping into her mouth, as his lips folded hungrily around hers. He caught her face in his hands, and he stooped to press himself against her throbbing chest, aching for her touch.

His embrace was so passionate, so eager Hermione felt herself inflicted with the same sense of longing, and she leaned in towards him ravenously, her entire body calling out for his touch. He clutched her face voraciously in his hands, his fingers dancing along her cheekbones, causing them to ignite with a delectable, tingling sensation. Her cheeks flushed deeply, and her heartbeat pounded in her ears. Her knees began to grow weak, and she let herself sag slightly, he quickly slid his arms beneath her shoulder blades and caught her, then pressed her to him, sinking his lips deeper into hers, deeper into the volumes of her mouth.

His passion was so fierce, so intense that Hermione could feel the hunger draining from his fingertips, as they fluttered over her back. Her hands slid up his neck, his skin like fire and she felt him tremble with desire, as she buried her hands in his long, sandy locks. His hands ran lightly over her shoulder blades, sending shivers of delight down her spine, Hermione arched her neck slightly, feeling his mouth move with hers as she tilted her head up, her hair tumbling down her back.

But as she tilted her head to the side, soaking up the indescribably delicious taste of Draco's lips, he quickly tore his mouth away, darting his glance sideways, down the hall. Hermione pressed her lips to his neck, relishing the fact that she could feel the blood pumping wildly through his veins. She jerked her head away though suddenly, as she recognized the monotonous tread of approaching footsteps. He glanced down at her, his eyebrows gnarled in concern. Hermione could only stare up at him in awe, her hands twisted in the folds of his robes, her hot shallow, bursts of breath slightly stirring the golden wisps that hung across his forehead, into his eyes. She knew she had to move, they couldn't be found like this, but she didn't want to, and she stood stubbornly, not letting go.

Luckily, Draco quickly regained control of his actions, and pried her fingers from the front of his robes. His lips pursed, and his gaze stitched with concern, he hurriedly backed away, but not before he could breath a messge into her ear. "Meet me tonight, midnight. Just on the outskirts of the forbidden forest." The bursts of hot air against her cheek were just as intoxicating as the sound of his voice, slipping delightfully through her ear, but as she turned to whisper a reply, he had all ready gone, darting away into the shadows of the castle.

Hermione stood, spellbound. Her lips slightly parted, all ready feeling dry and parched since his were not against hers. Short tendrils of shaken, erratic breaths passed through her lips as her heart pounded fitfully in her breast. Her cheeks were stained crimson, her entire body feeling flushed and burning with a sense of feverish delight. Traces of the enormous flood of pleasure she had just felt, trickled through her veins, and she felt drunk with elation.

She hardly noticed as someone came up to her and began to chatter excitedly about something. She noticed herself nodding mechanically every now and then, and felt her legs begin to move stiffly, as she walked beside the person. The rest of the day fluttered by, Hermione stumbling through it in a daze, excitedly counting down the hours until 12:00.

~*

Well, I hoped you liked it!! Just remember to review, and I'll write more as soon as I can. Oh yes, and thanks to everyone who reviewed last time!!! I really appreciated it! Thanks guys, cya later~