A/N: Hey… tried to make this longer but I fon't know how successful I was.
I didn't want this to go on for ETERNITY so I changed the date of the
dance; check it out in ch. 6 and 7. Thanks to reviewers, I am beginning
some D/Hr romance stuff here… So… how are you doing? Good to hear… I'm fine
as well… ok, I know you didn't click hear to talk with me so without
further ado, Chapter 12! Ta da!
Disclaimer: No tengo Harry Potter o sus amigos. Es el libro de JK Rowling.
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Several days had passed; days of sitting still and quiet in the scarlet Vette with bloodshot eyes and nights of lost sleep under several (not working!) comfort spells. It was nearing midnight on the eve of June 12th, and high tempers had dulled into six entirely blase attitudes. Draco shifted uncomfortably in his head, and shot up quite suddenly as the car clock beeped for midnight. The other five passengers turned their stiff necks sluggishly toward him, expecting an explanation of some sort.
"It's June 12th," Draco said, his throat raspy from having not spoken. "It's my eighteenth birthday." Everyone made a feeble attempt to smile in a "happy birthday" sort of way, Hermione included, but it was useless. They were all exhausted.
Harry's red, drooping eyes lit up in a pathetic manner. He was far too tired for bright ideas, but one had just squirmed its way into his muddled mind. "I don't want us to use more magic than necessary, but I know a way we can wake up in a Muggle way!" he exclaimed, his lack of sleep evident in his voice.
"Of course!" Hermione chimed in softly, stifling a yawn. "Coffee!" It's pure caffeine!"
"Exactly," Harry replied, a smug smile forming thinly on his cracked, dry lips. The Vette pulled into a lot with a neon sign flashing "Uncle Sam's" and they spilled out, their legs languid and weak under them.
Cho pushed open the door and jumped in surprise as a little bell on the door clanged, signalling their arrival. Harry snickered, "Be very afraid of the little bell, Cho." She scowled and continued in, the rest following her lead. The cafe, if you deemed it to be one, was filthy with dim lighting and elderly waitresses in pink and teal poleyester uniforms. There was a bar infested with what were the usual "flies" drinking themselves silly and a few tables littered with crumbs and used napkins.
Ginny wrinkled her nose at the inhumane sight as a grizzly waitress with matted grey hair held back in a hairnet approached them. "Y'all seat yerself, yoo 'ear?" She wiped her nose on a napkin and made a disgusting sound in her throat.
Ron picked up on the Southern accent. "Harry, it's been a few days. Where do you suppose we are?"
"Y'all 're at Unc Sammie's here..." the woman stated, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Seeing their blank stares, she added, "The Tenn'see branch... By the tone of yer all accents, I'm 'suming yer from Europe, aincha?"
"Oh--oh, yes," Ron replied. He beckoned to the others and they found the cleanest table that they could find (which wasn't all that clean!). They gave the menus a look-over, which took all of three seconds.
"Breakfast, lunch, or dinner," Hermione read aloud, and with that she had covered the entire menu. "Is this some sort of joke?"
Draco shrugged. "So... breakfast or dinner?" He smiled wryly.
They all seemed to agree on dinner, and so they ordered six from the greasy waitress and waited impatiently for their meals. At the round table, Hermione squirmed uncomfortably between Draco and Cho; Harry between Cho and Ron; and Ginny between Ron and Draco. "What's taking so long? I'm hungry!" Ginny whined, pouting like the youngest that she was.
"Hush, Gin," Ron muttered automatically; then froze, remembering his little sister still had it out for him. He stiffened, waiting for the verbal lashing, but Ginny just turned and attempted to make idle conversation with Draco. However, he was just nodding and pretending to pay attention.
Each dinner turned out to be freeze-dried chicken, a lump of white stuff that Hermione swore was not mashed potatoes, and lukewarm green sticks that vaguely resembled greenbeans. "Yech!" they all exclaimed, taking their first sips of the bitter coffee. A few sugars later, they were hooked, wired, and bouncing in their seats.* "Let's go, let's go!" Hermione squealed. Draco had o laugh; she looked quite out of character. He stood up quickly and almost fell over. He turned to see that he had bumped into a huge, hairy, disgusting... guy?
This wasn't any huge, hairy, disgusting guy, however. He had on a black leather jacket with the the sleevs ripped off, baggy black jeans, an enormous silver chain belt, fifty-something tattoos snaking up his arms and chest, a red oil-stained bandana, and grotesque yellowed teeth which he bared at Draco intimidatingly. "Whaddya think yer doin'?" he snarled, advancing on Draco who, although he was terribly afraid, acted quite calm.
"I'm sorry, sir," he said coolly. "I didn't see you. Now if you don't mind, my friends and I will be going now." He turned but a sweaty hand grabbed his arm and jerked him back. "Please, unhand me," Draco ordered, his voice threateningly low.
The man laughed heartily in a cruel manner, not releasing Draco's arm. "Excuse me, shrimpy boy! Didn't realize I had 'handed' you!" Although his unintelligence made Draco roll his grey eyes, the "flies" behind the man snorted with laughter.
"Do you know who my father is?" Draco replied. It was a moment before he realized that he had vowed to never say that again, after his father disowning him and all. It had slipped out automatically. Draco wasn't surprised when none of his friends from behind came to his defense. But one of them did.
"Let go of Draco; he's not bothering you," came a soft but rational and clear voice. His arm snagged, his limited range of movement allowed him to move his head and spot Hermione. She stepped up beside him. "He's sorry, we're all sorry, and we don't want to cause you any more trouble."
The guy snarled a bit. "Lookie, here, gentlemen," he chortled to the men behind him. "We got a purdy little lady defending this shrimp of a man. What's yer name, pretty little lady?" Hermione remained dead silent. "I said, what's your name?" It sounded grating and harsh this time as the amused grin faded from his voice. He lunged at her, but he barely grazed her shoulders.
"Freezus!" Draco howled, and Hermione winced as the man's pinky hit her shoulder. "Phew," he sighed. "You 'kay, Hermione?"
"Uh, yeah, sure," she said shakily, backing away from the frozen man. "Um, thanks, Draco."
"Thank you," he said shyly, then shook it off. "Let's... let's go now, okay?" The adrenaline from the coffee had worn off slightly from the soberness of the situation and they returned to the Vette.
"Dissipatus Freezus!" They all called in unison, laughing nervously as they disappeared down the road. In a "cafe" called "Uncle Sam's", a biker named Bud hit the ground hard.
"Where in the hell did they go?"
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The six stopped about thirty miles away in northeast Arkansas at the "Hampton Inn." It was almost two as they entered their hotel room, 515, on the fifth floor, grumbling about sleep and service and menus.
Sleeping arrangements were very similar to their previous hotel arrangement, only they ordered a cot for Harry instead of the bathtub. Ten minutes into the night, Hermione bolted up. "Mmm?" Cho groaned beside her.
"I can't sleep," Hermione admitted, laughing sheepishly at the irony of it."I can't. I'm sorry."
"Neither can I." Hermione heard the voice from the far side of the room. A click was heard and the lamp flicked on beside Draco. "I can't either," he repeated. "Want to go for a walk?"
"Er..." Hermione tried to think of a polite way to say "As if!"
"Come on..." he pleaded, rolling off of the couch and pulling sneakers on. He was dressed enough, in sweatpants and a white undershirt. "Like you have anything better to do?" he added quickly, feeling that he was losing his edge. Hermione rolled her eyes. How predictable!
"Um... fine," she blurted, having no explanation of previous engagements for two a.m. on June 12th, Draco's birthday. She pulled on a shirt and sweats, tied her hair back in a messy bun, and met him outside by the door.
It was magically dark out (not real magic!) with glowing stars sprinkled across the otherwise clear night sky. Few porch lights lit the view, and Hermione shivered; the sun had long ago retired for the day. She then remembered that Draco was beside her when she heard him breathing heavily. "It's beautiful," he said, awe-stricken, which caught Hermione completely off guard. It was so soft for him; he didn't even try to mend it with a sharp or sarcastic comment.
The two began strolling slowly down the outdoor corridor of the 5th floor in silence. "Hermione," Draco said softly, "my hands are cold."
"Oh..." she replied, not sure of what to say. She then saw his hand; it was reaching for hers and in that moment she thought a mllion things, inculding "omigodomigodomigodwhatamisupposedtodoomigod..." She felt his hand brush hers and clasp it; she did not hold his but did not pull away.
Wait, she thought slowly, no, it's like this has happened before... de ja vu... but where? She didn't know, but Draco was being such a gentleman, it was surprising.
"Hermione?" His voice broke her train of thought. She turned to him, and he was searching her eyes. Without warning, he swooped down and delicately planted a simple kiss on her cheek. Hermione just blinked; had that really just happened? No, no... could it have?
"Um..." was the only thing she could say. Hermione silently thanked the Lord for the night's darkness so that Draco could not see her intense blush. "Um, I..."
"I think we should go back now," he said gently, prodding her in the opposite direction. "Maybe now we can sleep better."
"Uh... huh..." she drawled slowly, every syllable rolling off her tongue in an awkward manner. She let herself be lead back into the room, where everyone was sleeping soundly.
"Goodnight, Hermione," he whispered through the darkness.
"Night, Malfoy," she replied, and snuggled back into the bed.
As she drifted back to sleep, Draco sat frowning on the sofa chair. After what he had done, after what had happened, she still called him Malfoy. "Stupid journal," he thought bitterly. "I guess messing with Hermione's head won't be all that easy." But, he added in the back of his reluctant mind, "It didn't feel like you were messing with her a few minutes ago." And he knew that was true. It was the strangest, and in an odd way that Draco didn't quite understand, the best birthday he had yet to have.
Draco didn't sleep at all.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^
*I realize coffee doesn't have that kinda effect usually; I am an avid drinker, lol…
And an ode to my faithful reviewers, to whom I owe this story!
Cho is Cool—Yeah, Cho's issue will be coming soon but I had to get out the whole D/Hr thing started before an angry mob trampled me… more or less… Thanks lots, I might bring JK back very discretely…
Flame and Ice—Ooooook… thanks…lol
Flame and Ice—Thanku……… I plan 2…
Lydia—lol, I am a josh hartnett fan as well… he is the hottest guy in the world! I had to have him, I wouldve written in a character 4 him, y'no…lol, well, glad ya like…
Lydia—Prob cuz Ginny was so pissed and embarassed… dunno… wanted to move the story along… thanks much!
Mrs. Amanda Malfoy—Yes, thanku
Slytherin Mud Blood—whoa! Hurrying, hurrying! K, well, here we go…
Slytherin Mud blood—yeah, I'll try… what's confusing? Hoopefully not anymore…
Mione G—thanks bunches chica!
Caroline—ha, u hit the submit twice… well, theres no euro sign on the computer
j.j. alan—my god, that is an awesome idea! That will b in an upcoming chapter and I'll dedicate it 2 u! thanks sooooo much!
Kurea—thanku, I am… hope this satisfies ur d/hr sweet tooth 4 now
Clio—it's ok, I have no intention of hurting u. thanks 4 the awesome review. They're not in school anymore so they can do spells outside it
Dragongirl—thanks very much! One big serving of romance from uncle sam's coming right up!
How cliché am I? anyway, see ya at the next chapter… love u all, and peace…
Me123
Disclaimer: No tengo Harry Potter o sus amigos. Es el libro de JK Rowling.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Several days had passed; days of sitting still and quiet in the scarlet Vette with bloodshot eyes and nights of lost sleep under several (not working!) comfort spells. It was nearing midnight on the eve of June 12th, and high tempers had dulled into six entirely blase attitudes. Draco shifted uncomfortably in his head, and shot up quite suddenly as the car clock beeped for midnight. The other five passengers turned their stiff necks sluggishly toward him, expecting an explanation of some sort.
"It's June 12th," Draco said, his throat raspy from having not spoken. "It's my eighteenth birthday." Everyone made a feeble attempt to smile in a "happy birthday" sort of way, Hermione included, but it was useless. They were all exhausted.
Harry's red, drooping eyes lit up in a pathetic manner. He was far too tired for bright ideas, but one had just squirmed its way into his muddled mind. "I don't want us to use more magic than necessary, but I know a way we can wake up in a Muggle way!" he exclaimed, his lack of sleep evident in his voice.
"Of course!" Hermione chimed in softly, stifling a yawn. "Coffee!" It's pure caffeine!"
"Exactly," Harry replied, a smug smile forming thinly on his cracked, dry lips. The Vette pulled into a lot with a neon sign flashing "Uncle Sam's" and they spilled out, their legs languid and weak under them.
Cho pushed open the door and jumped in surprise as a little bell on the door clanged, signalling their arrival. Harry snickered, "Be very afraid of the little bell, Cho." She scowled and continued in, the rest following her lead. The cafe, if you deemed it to be one, was filthy with dim lighting and elderly waitresses in pink and teal poleyester uniforms. There was a bar infested with what were the usual "flies" drinking themselves silly and a few tables littered with crumbs and used napkins.
Ginny wrinkled her nose at the inhumane sight as a grizzly waitress with matted grey hair held back in a hairnet approached them. "Y'all seat yerself, yoo 'ear?" She wiped her nose on a napkin and made a disgusting sound in her throat.
Ron picked up on the Southern accent. "Harry, it's been a few days. Where do you suppose we are?"
"Y'all 're at Unc Sammie's here..." the woman stated, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Seeing their blank stares, she added, "The Tenn'see branch... By the tone of yer all accents, I'm 'suming yer from Europe, aincha?"
"Oh--oh, yes," Ron replied. He beckoned to the others and they found the cleanest table that they could find (which wasn't all that clean!). They gave the menus a look-over, which took all of three seconds.
"Breakfast, lunch, or dinner," Hermione read aloud, and with that she had covered the entire menu. "Is this some sort of joke?"
Draco shrugged. "So... breakfast or dinner?" He smiled wryly.
They all seemed to agree on dinner, and so they ordered six from the greasy waitress and waited impatiently for their meals. At the round table, Hermione squirmed uncomfortably between Draco and Cho; Harry between Cho and Ron; and Ginny between Ron and Draco. "What's taking so long? I'm hungry!" Ginny whined, pouting like the youngest that she was.
"Hush, Gin," Ron muttered automatically; then froze, remembering his little sister still had it out for him. He stiffened, waiting for the verbal lashing, but Ginny just turned and attempted to make idle conversation with Draco. However, he was just nodding and pretending to pay attention.
Each dinner turned out to be freeze-dried chicken, a lump of white stuff that Hermione swore was not mashed potatoes, and lukewarm green sticks that vaguely resembled greenbeans. "Yech!" they all exclaimed, taking their first sips of the bitter coffee. A few sugars later, they were hooked, wired, and bouncing in their seats.* "Let's go, let's go!" Hermione squealed. Draco had o laugh; she looked quite out of character. He stood up quickly and almost fell over. He turned to see that he had bumped into a huge, hairy, disgusting... guy?
This wasn't any huge, hairy, disgusting guy, however. He had on a black leather jacket with the the sleevs ripped off, baggy black jeans, an enormous silver chain belt, fifty-something tattoos snaking up his arms and chest, a red oil-stained bandana, and grotesque yellowed teeth which he bared at Draco intimidatingly. "Whaddya think yer doin'?" he snarled, advancing on Draco who, although he was terribly afraid, acted quite calm.
"I'm sorry, sir," he said coolly. "I didn't see you. Now if you don't mind, my friends and I will be going now." He turned but a sweaty hand grabbed his arm and jerked him back. "Please, unhand me," Draco ordered, his voice threateningly low.
The man laughed heartily in a cruel manner, not releasing Draco's arm. "Excuse me, shrimpy boy! Didn't realize I had 'handed' you!" Although his unintelligence made Draco roll his grey eyes, the "flies" behind the man snorted with laughter.
"Do you know who my father is?" Draco replied. It was a moment before he realized that he had vowed to never say that again, after his father disowning him and all. It had slipped out automatically. Draco wasn't surprised when none of his friends from behind came to his defense. But one of them did.
"Let go of Draco; he's not bothering you," came a soft but rational and clear voice. His arm snagged, his limited range of movement allowed him to move his head and spot Hermione. She stepped up beside him. "He's sorry, we're all sorry, and we don't want to cause you any more trouble."
The guy snarled a bit. "Lookie, here, gentlemen," he chortled to the men behind him. "We got a purdy little lady defending this shrimp of a man. What's yer name, pretty little lady?" Hermione remained dead silent. "I said, what's your name?" It sounded grating and harsh this time as the amused grin faded from his voice. He lunged at her, but he barely grazed her shoulders.
"Freezus!" Draco howled, and Hermione winced as the man's pinky hit her shoulder. "Phew," he sighed. "You 'kay, Hermione?"
"Uh, yeah, sure," she said shakily, backing away from the frozen man. "Um, thanks, Draco."
"Thank you," he said shyly, then shook it off. "Let's... let's go now, okay?" The adrenaline from the coffee had worn off slightly from the soberness of the situation and they returned to the Vette.
"Dissipatus Freezus!" They all called in unison, laughing nervously as they disappeared down the road. In a "cafe" called "Uncle Sam's", a biker named Bud hit the ground hard.
"Where in the hell did they go?"
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
The six stopped about thirty miles away in northeast Arkansas at the "Hampton Inn." It was almost two as they entered their hotel room, 515, on the fifth floor, grumbling about sleep and service and menus.
Sleeping arrangements were very similar to their previous hotel arrangement, only they ordered a cot for Harry instead of the bathtub. Ten minutes into the night, Hermione bolted up. "Mmm?" Cho groaned beside her.
"I can't sleep," Hermione admitted, laughing sheepishly at the irony of it."I can't. I'm sorry."
"Neither can I." Hermione heard the voice from the far side of the room. A click was heard and the lamp flicked on beside Draco. "I can't either," he repeated. "Want to go for a walk?"
"Er..." Hermione tried to think of a polite way to say "As if!"
"Come on..." he pleaded, rolling off of the couch and pulling sneakers on. He was dressed enough, in sweatpants and a white undershirt. "Like you have anything better to do?" he added quickly, feeling that he was losing his edge. Hermione rolled her eyes. How predictable!
"Um... fine," she blurted, having no explanation of previous engagements for two a.m. on June 12th, Draco's birthday. She pulled on a shirt and sweats, tied her hair back in a messy bun, and met him outside by the door.
It was magically dark out (not real magic!) with glowing stars sprinkled across the otherwise clear night sky. Few porch lights lit the view, and Hermione shivered; the sun had long ago retired for the day. She then remembered that Draco was beside her when she heard him breathing heavily. "It's beautiful," he said, awe-stricken, which caught Hermione completely off guard. It was so soft for him; he didn't even try to mend it with a sharp or sarcastic comment.
The two began strolling slowly down the outdoor corridor of the 5th floor in silence. "Hermione," Draco said softly, "my hands are cold."
"Oh..." she replied, not sure of what to say. She then saw his hand; it was reaching for hers and in that moment she thought a mllion things, inculding "omigodomigodomigodwhatamisupposedtodoomigod..." She felt his hand brush hers and clasp it; she did not hold his but did not pull away.
Wait, she thought slowly, no, it's like this has happened before... de ja vu... but where? She didn't know, but Draco was being such a gentleman, it was surprising.
"Hermione?" His voice broke her train of thought. She turned to him, and he was searching her eyes. Without warning, he swooped down and delicately planted a simple kiss on her cheek. Hermione just blinked; had that really just happened? No, no... could it have?
"Um..." was the only thing she could say. Hermione silently thanked the Lord for the night's darkness so that Draco could not see her intense blush. "Um, I..."
"I think we should go back now," he said gently, prodding her in the opposite direction. "Maybe now we can sleep better."
"Uh... huh..." she drawled slowly, every syllable rolling off her tongue in an awkward manner. She let herself be lead back into the room, where everyone was sleeping soundly.
"Goodnight, Hermione," he whispered through the darkness.
"Night, Malfoy," she replied, and snuggled back into the bed.
As she drifted back to sleep, Draco sat frowning on the sofa chair. After what he had done, after what had happened, she still called him Malfoy. "Stupid journal," he thought bitterly. "I guess messing with Hermione's head won't be all that easy." But, he added in the back of his reluctant mind, "It didn't feel like you were messing with her a few minutes ago." And he knew that was true. It was the strangest, and in an odd way that Draco didn't quite understand, the best birthday he had yet to have.
Draco didn't sleep at all.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^
*I realize coffee doesn't have that kinda effect usually; I am an avid drinker, lol…
And an ode to my faithful reviewers, to whom I owe this story!
Cho is Cool—Yeah, Cho's issue will be coming soon but I had to get out the whole D/Hr thing started before an angry mob trampled me… more or less… Thanks lots, I might bring JK back very discretely…
Flame and Ice—Ooooook… thanks…lol
Flame and Ice—Thanku……… I plan 2…
Lydia—lol, I am a josh hartnett fan as well… he is the hottest guy in the world! I had to have him, I wouldve written in a character 4 him, y'no…lol, well, glad ya like…
Lydia—Prob cuz Ginny was so pissed and embarassed… dunno… wanted to move the story along… thanks much!
Mrs. Amanda Malfoy—Yes, thanku
Slytherin Mud Blood—whoa! Hurrying, hurrying! K, well, here we go…
Slytherin Mud blood—yeah, I'll try… what's confusing? Hoopefully not anymore…
Mione G—thanks bunches chica!
Caroline—ha, u hit the submit twice… well, theres no euro sign on the computer
j.j. alan—my god, that is an awesome idea! That will b in an upcoming chapter and I'll dedicate it 2 u! thanks sooooo much!
Kurea—thanku, I am… hope this satisfies ur d/hr sweet tooth 4 now
Clio—it's ok, I have no intention of hurting u. thanks 4 the awesome review. They're not in school anymore so they can do spells outside it
Dragongirl—thanks very much! One big serving of romance from uncle sam's coming right up!
How cliché am I? anyway, see ya at the next chapter… love u all, and peace…
Me123