"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!' I said, suddenly shoving her away from me. I guess I had pushed a little too hard, because she fell on her back. She got up shakily, dusting snow flakes from her eye lashes, hair, and skin.
"I'm so sorry," I took her in my arms again and buried my face in her shoulder, taking in the scent of her soft, creamy skin. I could feel her sharp, strained breathing against my chest. Snow fell furiously from up above, making us shiver and shake.
"Please don't, Draco," she elbowed me away. I stared at her.
***
"Please don't, Draco," I whined and pushed him away again. He looked at me with startled eyes. His lips were slightly parted, divulging beautiful, straight, white teeth. His hair was thrown in strands across his face carelessly.
"Why not?" he asked, his hands turning from frosted white to red on account of the bone-numbing cold.
"You frighten me," I whispered, not daring to look up at his face, not knowing what kind of expression I would find there, "You're so terribly cold and confusing and I don't know what to think anymore."
"As if you're not confusing," he said, sarcasm and
hate disappearing from his voice completely.
"Why?" I asked quietly, lying in the snow. The melting
snow slushed around in my hair.
"Because you're beautiful, and me, of all people, can actually recognize that. I want you so much, but there's no way could have you. You're a mudblood and I hate your friends and you're an awful know-it-all but I still want you," he said. It seemed as if he were holding his breath. In truth, I was actually holding mine.
"I don't know how I came to know that I wanted you.
. . it was one day in potions, I suppose. The way the light hit your hair
caught my eye, I guess," he began speaking again, this time carelessly,
"And that one day when I grabbed your wrist, and
I had you up against that wall, and you were trembling horribly, hair falling
over your eyes and all. . .
"And then the night in the hall. You completely over powered me. . . I couldn't hold myself back any longer, but when I woke, I didn't know what had happened, and I guess I got scared. I didn't want to like you, because I'm a Slytherin and you're a silly mudblood Gryffindor. I still don't want to like you. . . "
"You were so awful to me this morning. . ." I said, looking up at the sky.
"Sorry, I guess," he said, lying beside me.
"Y'know, I really have to get going. I don't want to be caught breaking the rules," I whispered, getting up, and dusting the snow from my hair.
"Yeah, well, see you tomorrow in potions, I guess," Draco replied, getting up also. He reached his hand out to push a strand of hair out of my eyes.
***
I sat in potions, waiting for her to walk in through the door, an inexplicable golden light wrapping around her entire body. Crabbe and Goyle noticed that something had changed in me this morning. They kept on asking me stupid questions. Like, if I was in love with Pansy, or did I have too much sugar or maybe--
"Oh, Ron! I can't believe you didn't finish your paper for charms. D'you think Professor Flitwick will be terribly upset if my paper is too long? It's a couple more feet of parchment then he wanted. . . I hope he doesn't have a hard time reading it. My handwriting was so tiny! I wanted to fit as much in as possible without having too many rolls of parchment," Hermione rambled breathlessly as she walked into the room, with her body guards, Potter and Weasley. The two boys rolled their eyes and grinned.
"Oh, I do hate potions," she sighed, tossed back her hair, and sat at a table next to Weasley and Potter.
"I don't terribly fancy it myself, mind you," replied Weasley, taking out his quill, parchment, and cauldron.
***
I looked over at Draco as Ron and Harry sat beside me. I made some blank remark about me disliking potions to distract me from the pretty boy sitting on the other side of the room, staring right back at me with strangely sad eyes.
"I don't terribly fancy it myself, mind you," Ron replied.
"And we have that old bat, Snape, teaching it, too," Harry nodded, adjusting his glasses.
"And Malfoy, the brainless git, always sucking up to him," Ron chortled, taking his wand out of his worn, dark, leather satchel. I laughed nervously along with Harry, guilt flowing freely through my body.
"I have to admit, even though potions is extremely important to our training as becoming full fledged wizards, I wish we didn't have Snape teaching it," I said, once again tossing back my thick, golden brown hair brilliantly.
"Hermione!! Such blasphemous statements I have never heard protrude from you!!" gasped Ron, putting on a shocked face.
"Yes! How dare you speak wrongly of this wonderful class? It's taught us so much. . ." Harry caught on, pretending to wipe a tear from his eye.
"Oh, you two," it took a great effort for me to laugh. Harry and Ron exchanged victorious grins.
"Before we begin with today's lesson, I would like to ask you to please get together with your partner," Snape said nastily, entering the dungeon with his jet black robes billowing menacingly behind him.
I stood up wearily and gathered up my supplies. My feet moved almost automatically to a seat beside Draco's. As I sat down quietly, he looked into his bag for something that probably wasn't even there. I suspected that he was trying to avoid eye contact with me.
"Today you shall begin to brew the final ingredients to add to your potions. Any mistake made, and I will take an appreciably amount of points from that person's particular house," Snape looked at Neville darkly. Neville cowered under Snape's malicious, glittering, black eyes. I could hear him whimper.
"Shall we begin, Hermione?" Draco said with a hint of enthusiasm in his voice. It seemed as if he had just noticed I was there. I couldn't help but smile shyly and nod.
"It says here only one half cup, Draco!" I giggled as the measuring cup overflowed with the slimy newt's eyes. He had accidentally tipped his bag over too much. Then, something magical happened. . . he actually laughed. Like, a real, nice, genuine laugh. . . it was the first time I had ever heard him laugh. I goggled at him. He had quite a beautiful smile. . .
***
I found myself laughing right along with her. For some reason, she looked surprised. This only made me laugh harder. Her giggles were soft and constant.
"I really do hope we get top marks on this thing, Draco," she said, looking into our cauldron, biting her lower lip apprehensively. She spun a strand of hair around her index finger. She looked so damn cute when she was being smart.
"Y'know, Draco. . . if anyone found out about this. . ." she trailed off, suddenly forgetting about getting full marks.
"I know," I replied, nodding. She looked up at me with large, hazel eyes, her mouth slightly open, a strand of hair askew.
"Isn't it strange, though?" she asked, breaking the tense silence between us.
"What's strange?" I asked, looking up from the cauldron. It was smoking and gave off a terrible stench.
"Us, I mean," she said, quickly dropping her eyes.
"Yeah. . . I guess," I shrugged. I tried to turn my attention back to the cauldron, but I couldn't. What she had said had hit me pretty hard. Us? Strange? I rested my head in my hands and tried to think about this. It was true, though. I had said it earlier. How could a Slytherin like a Gryddindor? If any one found out about this, especially father, my reputation would be tarnished for ever. Damn father for being such a son of a bitch. No offense, Gran.
***
" 'It says here only one half cup, Draco'," Ron said, putting on a girly sort of voice as we walked out of potions.
"What?" I looked at him nervously, twiddling with my wand.
"Yeah, and then I think you actually giggled," he continued. His ears were turning red with anger.
"I really have no idea what you're talking about, Ron!" I said hotly.
"You're practically all over Malfoy!" Ron yelled back.
"I am not! And if I was, why would that bother you?" I replied, my anger flaring.
"Because it does!"
"Well, it shouldn't! Not saying like I ever said that or anything. Argh! You're so immature!" I could feel my face reddening.
"Fine!"
"FINE!" I walked off, leaving Harry and Ron behind to stare at me.
"What was that all about?" I could hear Harry saying.
"I think Hermione has got something going on with Malfoy," Ron replied.
"She wouldn't do that sort of stuff. Her and Malfoy
tear each other up, Ron. Don't worry about it. Besides, I thought she liked
you," Harry said, shoving his hands into his pocket.
"I thought so, too," Ron said glumly, trudging along
the corridor.
I sat at the Gryffindor table, with Harry sitting in between Ron and I. Harry kept on giving me confused looks.
"Hermione. . ." he would begin to say. I would ask him what he wanted, but he would just look at Ron quietly.
"Hermione. . ." he said for the fifth millionth time.
"What, Harry, what? What is it? What in the hell is it?" I screamed, finally snapping. His eyes got wide. I could feel the rest of the Gryffindor table staring at me, their mouths hanging open.
"What??" I yelled again, throwing a piercing gaze at Fred and George who were snickering.
"Nothing," George said, quickly getting back to cutting his vegetables.
"Nothing at all," Fred said, hastily turning to whisper something to Lee Jordan.
I got up and shoved my chair in. I needed to go to the library. I walked out of the Great Hall and down the corridor, looking at the different paintings.
"Come here and fight, you coward!!" a knight yelled at me in one painting. I scowled and stuck my tongue out at him. He pulled out his jousting sword and jumped on his horse, following me at a gallop all the way to the library.
"Coward!!!" he yelled again as I walked into the quiet, dusty, old library. The sight of all the worn copies of books bound in velvet and leather made me feel a little calmer. The tension that had been built up all the way through lunch slowly lifted, making me feel a great deal lighter. I picked out a tattered volume and leafed through the pages peacefully. I sat at a couch and began reading and reading and reading. . .
***
I couldn't touch a thing at lunch. I kept staring I just kept on mutilating my beef pie with my fork silently. Pansy kept on throwing me dark looks and silent sulks. I had the strongest urge to pour the split pea soup all over her head.
I glanced over at the Gryffindor's table. The Weasley twins were snickering, and young Weasley seemed to be brooding over something. Harry poked Hermione. I watched her sit up and obviously yell something -(I couldn't hear her, she was too far away). Potter and Weasley both gave her strange looks and she walked out of the Great Hall. I decided I wouldn't follow her today. I would try to act normal as if nothing had happened.
***
I was pathetic. I was sitting in the library, glancing up from my book every now and then to look at the entrance. I excepted Draco to walk in at any moment, the winter sunlight dancing playfully around his face, making his hair glint and his eyes sparkle. I waited. . . . waited. . . waited. He didn't come. I suddenly realized that if I didn't leave in two minutes, I'd be late for charms. I hastily sat up, straightened out my hair and cloak, shoved the book into the shelf, and walked out of the library, leaving my weak fantasies behind.
***
I sat in the common room in front of the blazing fire, slowly eating the Christmas Fudge my mother had sent me. Crabbe and Goyle were laughing stupidly about something. I tried to ignore their annoying snickers. I thought about sending Hermione an owl, but quickly brushed off the plan, thinking about all the things that could go wrong. I wondered what she was doing right now. . . probably talking to Weasley or Potter. I shrugged and began to head up to the dormitories.
***
Harry had left the Common Room unusually early. He had left Ron and I alone, sitting at opposite ends of the table in front of the fire. Ron was pretending to do his homework, but every time I glanced up at him, he was staring right back at me. I shrugged him off and tried to get back to my goblin rebellion essay. People began going up the stairs and off to their dormitories. Ron and I were the last two left.
I looked up at the giant grandfather clock and read it was a little before midnight.
"Hermione?" Ron's voice came to my ears. I forced myself to look at him in the eye. Something was glinting in them. . . something I hadn't ever seemed to notice before.
"Ron?" I answered back, softly.
"D'you wanna sit down on the couch or something?" he asked, getting up and shutting his book. I got up also, hastily putting my quills and parchment away. The walk to the couch seemed an awfully long one. Everything slowed down as the two of us sat down side by side. Unusually close. I could feel his breath. I began to shiver uncontrollably.
"I'm sorry for the way I acted today. I was a jerk," he said. It seemed as if he had said this all in one breath.
"I forgive you, I guess," I said, nodding and shivering some more.
"Are you all right, Hermi?" he asked me. Hermi? No one's ever called me that before. Could he like me? Maybe? It would be so awful if he did. . .
"It's getting terribly late, Ron. I think I've got to go. G'night," I got up and started walking away and up the stairs to the girl's dormitories.
"Wait, Hermi," I could hear him say. He was almost whispering it. Like, it was too painful for him to say out loud. I turned around and his eyes met mine.
"I really--" he began.
"G'night!!" I said hastily, running up the stairs, my hair flying behind me.
*~*~*
Okay... did u guys like this part?? some people told me to stop switching
POV's cuz it annoyed them, but TOUGH.. i like it that way!! heehee.. plus
it would be weird if i suddenly changed my writing style.. i kinda like
the mixed POV's.. but u see how i made them cleared by adding the little
***? yeah! well, go ahead and review.. there's more coming soon if you
want it!! thanks for all the nice reviews!! luv ya all!! hugs and kisses!!
;)