Hi! It's Draco again. How are all of you? Did
you miss me? Do you want to know what happens
next? Well, I'll stop blabbering and let you
find out.
* * *
I was in History of Magic class, spacing out as usual. Pansy passed me a note. I crumpled it in anger, without even bothering to read it. Then I thought that I probably should, just in case. I looked at it. It was just some junk about how much she loved me. I felt really awkward when I read it. She still didn't know about Hermione and me, even though it had been a month since we met in the tower that night. I had to break it to her somehow. But how? I decided to think about that later. The bell was about to ring. Potions was next.
* * *
In Potions class, I kept looking over at Hermione. Even though she told me that Ron was her boyfriend, I still liked her. She looked up and I smiled at her. She gave me a small smile and returned to talking with Ron and Harry.
Snape came striding into the room, his black robes swishing behind him. He informed us that we would be making a mind reading potion. He started to write the ingredients up on the board.
When my potion was ready, I drank it. It was weird. I got this sense of when you're at the beach and the waves are washing over you. Only it was inside my head. I looked over at Pansy. She was gushing about how much she loved me, only her lips weren't moving.
Cool, I thought. I can read minds!
I looked over at Hermione and heard her think about what she was going to wear for her date with Ron on Friday. A wave of jealousy swept over me, even though it was very obvious that she belonged to him.
But for some reason I was still in love with her. I knew that she was smart and very, very beautiful but she already had a boyfriend. Shouldn't that be a major turn off? I was getting all confused.
Then the bell rang, getting me out of my confusion. I checked my schedule to see what was next. Good. We had lunch now.
* * *
Going down to the Great Hall, I saw Hermione struggling with her many books. She was trying to keep up with Harry and Ron but the weight of her books were pulling her back. Then her books decided to spill. Everything in her bag fell all over the floor. I scrambled to help her pick them up.
"Thanks, Draco," she said. "But I don't want you to do this again."
I gave her a puzzled look. "Why?"
"Ron," she said with a sigh. "He gets extremely jealous when anyone tries to come near me."
"But that's ridiculous!"
"I know it is. You know it is. But he doesn't know that it is. So please don't get involved with me again in any way, Draco. Please."
"If you say so, Hermione. But I just want to do one thing before I leave." I kissed her on the lips. I felt her body become very tense, then relaxed. I felt her put her arms around my shoulders.
"SEE," I heard Harry's voice yell. "See, Ron! I told you that Draco wanted to take Hermione from you!" I felt a heavy blow on the back of my head. I fell on top of Hermione.
"YOU!" Ron yelled at me. "GET OFF OF MY GIRL!"
I stood up, my face burning with embarrassment and anger. Harry was holding One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi in his hand. I looked at him dead in the eye.
"Harry," I said quietly. "I thought we were friends."
"WHAT?!" Ron yelled with a mixture of surprise and anger. "Harry, YOU were Draco's FRIEND?!"
Harry gave sort of a sheepish smile. "Well...yeah...sort of...but then I realized that I was being totally ridiculous so I decided to forget about Draco and just be friends with Ron."
I just stood there, numb. I couldn't believe it. Harry had decided to betray me when I had twice extended my friendship to him. Ron and I just stood there, shaking with fury, until he said those two words that changed everything.
"Jump him."
Ron and I threw ourselves on top of Harry and started punching him. We didn't cease, even when blood started to flow from his nose. And with each punch, I recalled what it was for.
This is for getting all the limelight, I thought. And this for betraying me, and this is for throwing me against a wall, and this is for that rumor going around that you snuck into the Slytherin common room in our second year, and this is for getting better grades than me, and this is for being a teacher's pet, and this is for getting into the Triwizard Tournament, and this is for...
I looked over my shoulder and saw Hermione standing there doing nothing, with sort of an awkward look on her face.
"C'mon," I said, taking off Harry's glasses and throwing them at her feet. "Give us a hand!"
She picked up Harry's glasses and a sly smile spread across her face. She threw his glasses against a wall, and the lenses shattered into a million pieces. I could hear Harry cry out in pain.
"Gladly," she said. She stepped gingerly over Harry's wildly flailing legs and joined us in beating him up.
I was surprised. This was a side of Hermione that I had never seen before. I had expected her to run off calling for some professor or another, yet here she was punching Harry, her fist smeared with the blood from his nose.
BEEP - BEEP! BEEP - BEEP! BEEP - BEEP! That was Harry's watch.
"Oh, my God!" said Hermione. "We forgot about lunch!" We suddenly stopped. I looked at my bloody hands and became panicked. What was I supposed to do? Hermione had obviously thought the same thing because she said that we should go to the bathroom, wash our hands, then go to the Great Hall and act like nothing had happened.
We all agreed and went to the bathroom to wash our hands leaving Harry lying, bruised and bloody, in the hallway.
* * *
When I got to the Great Hall after washing the blood off my hands I felt like everyone knew what I had done. I tried to act as normal as possible, but found it extremely hard to do so.
I jumped when I heard a scream, but it was just someone who happened to sample one of Fred and George Weasley's inventions. Thank God.
Then I happened to look over at the Gryffindor table and saw Ginny get up and walk out of the Great Hall. My heart started to beat very fast. What if she saw Harry? Would she tell the teachers? Knowing Ginny, she probably would.
In a little while, I heard a shriek echo from the hallway, then Ginny came running in with her face all pale looking like she had just seen the bloody ghost of Christmas past. She ran up to the high table and signaled for Dumbledore to follow her. He followed, with a very worried look on his face.
I clasped my hands very hard in my lap. I wanted someone to throw a knife at my heart. I didn't want to see what was next. I didn't want to suffer the consequences. I tried to eat my lunch, but for some reason my throat didn't seem to let the food go down.
Dumbledore came back into the Great Hall, holding the unconscious Harry in his arms. Ron, Hermione, and I exchanged nervous glances. I again clasped my hands tightly in my lap. I felt sick.
"Who did this?" Dumbledore roared. He was so angry, that it looked like he would start breathing fire if he opened his mouth again. I felt even sicker. The Great Hall grew silent. I swear, nobody even dared to breathe.
"Don't try to hide from me!" Dumbledore said. "Because I will find out. Right now I'm taking Harry to the hospital wing. The culprit has until the end of the week to confess. Any later, and they will be expelled." The Great Hall, if possible, grew even quieter. Just then the bell rang. I don't think it could have come at a more perfect time.
* * *
In my next class, Transfiguration, I couldn't pay attention to whatever McGonagall had to say. I was too nervous about getting in trouble with Dumbledore. I was sure that if I got expelled, I would never hear the last of it from my father.
Professor McGonagall came over to me and asked me what preparations you had to make in order to transfigure a badger. I told her I didn't know.
"Well," she said to the class. "It's obvious that Mr. Malfoy hasn't been paying attention. Does any one else know?" To my great humiliation, Goyle raised his hand and answered perfectly.
* * *
During Divination class, just as I was mastering the art of tarot cards, Dumbledore came in. My stomach dropped about fifty notches.
"Excuse me Professor Trelawney," he said. "May I please borrow Mr. Malfoy?" She said it was fine, but I wish she hadn't.
* * *
Dumbledore led me up to the hospital wing. I felt like I had to be sick, I was so nervous.
In the hospital wing, I saw Harry lying on a bed looking very mad at Ron and Hermione. They were sitting on chairs next to his bed and looked as nervous as I felt. I collapsed into a chair, too nervous to say anything. When Harry saw me, he threw his half - full bed pan in my direction. Luckily it missed me by about a mile. Well, it was probably about two feet...but that's besides the point.
Dumbledore pulled up a chair and sat down near Harry.
"Harry, could you please recount the events that happened before lunch, and don't try to lie, because Professor Snape has generously lent me a pint of veritaserum."
Harry said everything that happened, down to the very last detail. When he was done, Dumbledore spoke again.
"Well boys, this is the second time this year that you've had a major fight, so I'm afraid that I'll have to be a little harsher on you this time." I put my face in my hands, ready to hear that all the points were taken from Slytherin. But they weren't. Ron, Hermione and I each got one hundred points taken away from our houses which was a good thing for me, because no one else from Slytherin was in on this. We also got detention. We had to help Professor McGonagall clean up her classroom for two hours after dinner tomorrow.
* * *
The next day, after dinner, I gloomily made my way to the door of Professor McGonagall's classroom and waited for Ron and Hermione. They came trudging up the stairs looking as though it was the end of the world. Professor McGonagall opened the door to her classroom and herded us inside where we were given our tasks. I had to clean the blackboard and the windows, Ron had to clean out the desks and poor Hermione was stuck with sweeping the floor.
After forty - five minutes of cleaning, Professor McGonagall left the room and returned with that muggle equipment that plays songs. I got very excited when I saw it.
"I decided to bring this in since you're doing such a good job," Professor McGonagall said. "And you're almost done, anyway." She turned it on with a flick of her wand. It started to play.
"I thought love was only true in fairy tales, Meant for someone else but not for me, Love was out to get to me, That's the way it seems, Disappointment haunted all my dreeeeeeeeams,
And then I saw her faaaaaaaaaace, Now I'm a believer, Not a traaaaaaaaaaace, Of doubt in my miiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiind, I'm in love ooooooooooooaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh, I'm a believer, I couldn't leave her if I triiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiied,"
I started to smile. It was playing my song. I tapped my foot to the beat as I cleaned the blackboard. I started to sing along to the music. I got this swelling feeling in my chest and a bigger smile broke out over my face. I knew this feeling. It was the feeling of extreme happiness. I looked over at Hermione and saw her bopping to the music and acting as if the broom was her dance partner. I went over to her.
"Hermione," I held out my hand to her. "Will you dance with me?" A big, girlish smile spread over her face.
"Of course, Draco," she said. "I would love to."
We swung, tangoed and waltzed around the classroom as the song continued to play. Then Ron came up and asked Hermione if she wanted to dance with him. So she danced with him for a while and then flew back into my arms. We continued to dance with each other until the song was over.
Then, all too soon, Professor McGonagall said that we were finished and we had to go back to our houses.
* * *
I went back to my house with wings on my feet until I realized something. I still had to do my homework. Ugh.
So I got out my parchment, quills, assignment book, and started on it.
* * *
The next day, at breakfast, I looked over at the Gryffindor table and saw Hermione talking to Ginny. My heart fluttered in my chest as Hermione looked my way. I quickly put my head down because I was too nervous to make eye contact with her.
I reached into my bag for my schedule to see what classes I had today. I had Care of Magical Creatures, Charms, Lunch, Herbology, and Defense Against the Dark Arts.
* * *
During Care of Magical Creatures class, we were working with fire - breathing salamanders. Hagrid told us to pair up the because the salamanders were dangerous. I was with Hermione because there was nobody left.
After we chose our groups, we were given our assignment - to feed the salamanders. How Hagrid came up with this idea is beyond me.
After feeding the salamanders for a while, one of them shot out a burst of flame that hit Dean Thomas full in the face. Hagrid rushed Dean to the hospital wing, leaving us all alone with the salamanders. I was wondering what we would do if one of the salamanders burned someone again when Hermione tapped me on the shoulder.
"Yes, Hermione?" I said with a tone of annoyance in my voice. I hate when people tap me on the shoulder.
"There's something important I have to tell you, Draco. I broke up with Ron last night."
"May I ask why?" I asked her skeptically. "Because this doesn't seem like something you would do. You even told me yourself that you and Ron had a steady relationship going. He's your boyfriend, Hermione. Why would you break up with him?"
"That's true, Draco. But don't you remember what I also told you? And I quote: 'Ron, he gets extremely jealous when anyone tries to come near me.' It's true, Draco. He acts like this all the time. Sometimes I feel trapped, like I can't do anything without him."
"I can sympathize with you on that, Hermione. But why are you telling me this?"
"Because I like you."
Those last three words came to me as a blow, like when Harry hit me across the back of my head with One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi. This couldn't be happening. Just to make sure that I hadn't slipped into fantasy, I asked her to repeat what she had just said.
"Like I said before, I like you," she said. Now it was clear that I wasn't dreaming.
"O.K. Hermione," I said. "A little wake - up call here. I was the guy who started calling you 'Mudblood' in our second year, lied about you and Harry in The Daily Prophet and Witch Weekly in our fourth year, teased you mercilessly every year, and you're saying that you like me? I don't get that. And anyway, you told me yourself that you didn't like me."
"I know, but I was lying to myself. I really did like you. I had liked you ever since I first saw you on the Hogwarts Express. The way you held yourself, tall and straight, acting like you were someone important. That bad boy smirk that always said, 'yeah, whatever.' That drawl in your voice that said, 'don't mess with me.' And those eyes...those eyes that leave the viewer transfixed. Harry always described your eyes as hard and cold, but I think of them as dark, mysterious and full of secrets. But there's something else in your eyes, Draco. I saw it before you kissed me. They looked... sad... and full of longing...like a puppy that's just been beaten. That's partly why I let you kiss me. You looked so sad and lonely...." her voice trailed off as she looked into the distance and sighed.
"My money," I cut in rudely.
Hermione looked at me weird. "What?"
"I said, 'my money.' You want me for my money, don't you?"
"No..."
"Well Pansy does."
"But I'm not Pansy, and I'm shocked to think that you would compare me to her."
"Sorry, I just haven't been feeling myself lately."
Hagrid came back and told us that Dean was going to be fine, he just needed a few days in the hospital wing. He then dismissed us early, not wanting another accident to happen.
I left class on my way to Charms thinking, Hermione likes me! I don't believe it! This is too good to be true!
* * *
In Herbology a while later, I was so wrapped up in my thoughts, I hadn't realized that I had dropped my pot of the seed some venomous plant that I couldn't remember the name of and it started to blossom big, blue flowers that smelled like rotting meat.
"Malfoy! What do you think you're doing?" Professor Sprout said as she gagged on the stench.
"Sorry, Professor," I mumbled in embarrassment. "But I wasn't paying attention."
"Yes, I'm fully aware of that," she snapped. "I'm also aware of the fact that you spilled some very valuable Ikterious seeds that help cure insomnia! And now they have turned into flowers which is a waste of fifty galleons because you can only use them when they're seeds! Now I want you to pick up every seed that you dropped and twenty points are taken from Slytherin for spacing out when you should have been paying attention!"
I grumbled as I spent the rest of class on my hands and knees to uproot the flowers, wondering how kind, cheery Professor Sprout could be such a sadist.
* * *
In Defense Against the Dark Arts class, I kept staring at our teacher, Madam Delacour. It wasn't my fault that I was staring at her. She was part veela, so there was something in her genes that made all the guys stare at her. And that was a problem, considering the fact that we didn't learn anything that way, and had to copy notes from the girls in order to get a moderate grade on our homework.
Stop staring, I told myself. Think about Hermione. Think about how much prettier she is. You know how nice Hermione is. Madam Delacour is your teacher and you keep staring at her. That's sick! How can you like your teacher? Get a grip, Draco. Get a grip.
Slowly, my eyes moved away from her. I started to focus on the board and noticed that I was really behind on my notes. I loaded up my quill pen with ink and started to copy down the notes about what the best opening spells are in a wizards duel.
"Look, everybody!" Madam Delacour said, sounding pleased and astonished at the same time. "Look! Monsieur Malfoy 'as broken my charm. Zat is somzing very few men can do! Twenty points for Slyzarin."
"Now you won back the twenty points that you lost in Herbology!" someone yelled at me from across the room. "Now Slytherin is in the lead again!"
"Don't thank me," I muttered under my breath. "Thank Hermione."
* * *
During dinner, I kept looking over at the Gryffindor table and giving Hermione small smiles. She returned them each time I smiled at her, so I was almost positive she liked me, and wasn't playing with me earlier.
After a while, Pansy, who was sitting next to me, put her head on my shoulder.
"Pansy!" I cried, shocked. "What do you think you're doing?!" Unfortunately, I said that a little too loud, and got the attention of about half the people in the Great Hall.
"You let me put my head on your shoulder two months ago," she said, sounding hurt.
"Pansy, that was two months ago. Things have changed."
"But you still love me, don't you?"
"Uh," I said, at a loss for words. I couldn't tell her that I loved Hermione and not her. Not when everybody in the Great Hall, including the teachers, were listening to us.
"I knew you did," she said, pleased. Then she drew me into a kiss. The Slytherins whooped and hollered. I practically gagged as she tried to force her tongue down my throat. I was so embarrassed and angry I slapped her face.
"I DON'T LOVE YOU, PANSY!" I shouted, finding my voice at last.
"B - but, Draco..." she said, tears glistening in her eyes. "I th - thought you d - did love me."
"NO, PANSY, I DIDN'T."
"W - why?"
"BECAUSE YOU WANT ME FOR MY MONEY!"
"W - what's the m - matter with th - that?" she asked, bursting into tears.
"IT MEANS THAT YOU DON'T LOVE ME FOR WHO I AM!"
"S - so," she chocked out through sobs. "You d - don't l - love m - me?"
"NO, PANSY. I NEVER HAVE, I NEVER DID, I NEVER WILL. NEVER, EVER, EVER! OUR RELATIONSHIP IS FINISHED!" I yelled, my voice rising into a shriek. I blew Pansy a mock kiss and stormed out of the Great Hall.
* * *
I roamed the halls, going nowhere in particular and thinking about what just happened.
This is lunacy, I told myself. I just broke up with my Slytherin girlfriend because I love a Gryffindor. And not just any Gryffindor, but that Mudblood Hermione Granger! That annoying, goody two - shoes who's...smart...beautiful...and a lot more tolerable than Pansy. Gee...I hope one of the Professors can suggest a good psychotherapist.
"Draco..." I heard Hermione's voice calling. I turned around and saw her standing about twenty feet away from me. She ran towards me and grabbed my hand.
"Come, Draco." she held my hand and led me up stairs and down corridors until we stopped in front of an all - too - familiar looking statue.
"Dissendium," she said, putting her face close to the statue. The statue moved aside to reveal a room filled with white armchairs and couches. She pulled me inside and the statue moved back behind us.
* * *
Hermione started a fire in the fireplace then sat down on a couch. She patted the spot next to her. I came over and sat down, my heart beating so wildly I wondered if I was going to have a heart attack.
We just sat there for a while in an awkward silence, wondering what to say.
"So," said Hermione, trying to break the tension. "You broke up with Pansy."
"Yeah," I said, not really knowing what to say.
"Um..." she said. "Did you know that - "
"Do you know how crazy this is?" I almost shouted, cutting her off. "This is insane! I mean, look at us. A Slytherin and a Gryffindor alone together not shuddering at the sight of each other. And not just any Gryffindor or Slytherin," I added quickly, "but rich, pureblood Slytherin, Draco Malfoy with top - of - the - class, muggle - born Gryffindor, Hermione Granger. It's not that I don't love you. I do, but I'm beginning to have second thoughts."
"Like what?"
"Like, what Dumbledore would think. Or McGonagall. Or Snape." I shuddered at the thought of Snape going all - out ballistic on me.
"Well," Hermione mused. "Dumbledore would probably think it was great that Gryffindors and Slytherins were finally getting along. I don't know about McGonagall, but Snape would expel me as soon as he found out."
"Yeah...two people from two totally different backgrounds, who aren't even supposed to get along, like each other. Just like -"
"Romeo and Juliet," she finished for me.
"Yeah, exactly like them" I started to stroke her hair. I stood up. "Come, my fair Juliet. I must escort thee back to thine home."
"But dear Romeo, if thou will escort me back, we might bump into someone we do not want to see when we are together."
"That doth be true, fair Juliet. We must go our separate ways." I walked out of the tower and back to my common room without a backwards glance.
* * *
The next day, as I was going to a double period of Transfiguration, Hermione came over and slipped a note into my bag. I decided to read the note while McGonagall was explaining the homework or something like that. She wouldn't notice.
* * *
In Transfiguration, when McGonagall was giving a review about how to hold your wand correctly while transfiguring something, I opened the note and read it.
Dear Romeo, Meet me in the tower tonight after dinner. There's something very important that I have to ask you. love, Juliet P.S. Don't read this in Transfiguration class. McGonagall might confiscate it.
I finished reading the note, and as if on cue, there was McGonagall standing behind my shoulder looking like a hippogriff that hadn't been approached correctly.
"Give me the note, Malfoy," she said in a dangerous whisper.
The whole class was listening now, trying to see what had happened. I handed over the note, knowing that she was going to read it in front of everyone. She straightened the note with a flourish, cleared her throat and read the note loudly, so that even the daydreamer in the back of the class could listen.
"Well, Romeo," she said when she finished reading the note. "It seems like you have a very interesting love life." I could hear snickers from the class. "'Don't read this note in Transfiguration class. McGonagall might confiscate it.' My, my, my, she does seem to know me very well. She couldn't be a Gryffindor, could she?"
My blood ran cold. How did McGonagall know about Hermione and me? I didn't know what to do, until I realized that the tone in her voice was a sarcastic one. I laughed along with the rest of the class, but I was worried.
Why is McGonagall acting like this? I thought. Snape's the one who tortures his students, not her.
"Five points from Slytherin for reading notes in class," said McGonagall, disturbing my thoughts. "Your homework is to write an essay about why it's important to not read notes in class. Your essay should be about two paragraphs long. Class dismissed."
* * *
When dinner was over, I made my way up to the tower and waited for Hermione. After a while she came in looking flustered, making her cheeks beautiful rosy color.
"Sorry," she said, between pants. "Heldup - byron - camefast - asicould."
"That's alright," I said, thinking about how beautiful she was even though she was bent over almost double, leaning against a chair and panting. "By the way, it would've been helpful if you told me not to read the note before I went to Transfiguration class, and not when I had finished reading the note in Transfiguration class."
"How'dyouthink - Iwas'pos't - t'know?" she asked me with an irritable look, still gasping.
"So," I said, changing the subject. "What did you want to ask me?"
"Oh yeah," she said. She took a few more deep breaths, combed back her hair with her fingers, sat down on the couch beside me and looked me straight in the eyes.
"Draco," she said. "Will you...um...lesse...how can I say this without sounding like an idiot? I can't! O.K....um...do you think you can...um...I mean...do you want to...um..."
"Start a relationship?" I asked, saying the first thing that popped into my head.
She nodded, blushing madly and smiling so widely, I suddenly understood what they meant by the phrase 'smiling from ear to ear.'
I put my arm around her shoulders. "I would love to," I replied. I kissed her hand.
"But we would have to keep it a secret," she said, turning back into the know - it - all Hermione that I was more familiar with.
"O.K., now that was really obvious," I said in the drawl that I reserved for Harry and company.
"You sound just like the Draco I knew," she giggled.
"Well, what about you? You're also sounding like your old self." I made my voice a lot higher and in a clipped tone said, "But we would have to keep it a secret. Who knows how many house points we could loose? Will I get expelled for liking a Slytherin? What will I do if they expel me? Wait a minute, they can't expel me! I even read in Hogwarts, a History that it says in the Hogwarts book of Rules that you can't get expelled for liking someone in the wrong house! And anyway, I'm-"
"Well, what about you?" she asked, playfully punching my arm as I burst into a fit of laughter. She started strutting around the tower and in a drawl said, "Potter, the Dementors are coming so you'd better watch out. You don't want another incident like the one you had on the train, do you?" She imitated me imitating Harry having a swooning fit and fell on the couch laughing furiously.
I checked my watch. It was 7:45.
"I gotta go," I said quickly. "I'm late for Quidditch practice."
"Well, goodbye, then," Hermione quickly gave me a peck on the cheek.
"G - g - goodbye," I stuttered, my face getting hot. I went out of the tower and down to the grounds for Quidditch practice.
* * *
It was five days until Christmas. I kept wondering what I should get Hermione. I had spent every weekend looking through the shops in Hogsmeade to see if I could find something that Hermione might like. I even put my name on the list for people staying at Hogwarts over the break so I could have more time to look.
Then, with two days until Christmas, I found the perfect thing. There was a jewelry shop that had recently opened not so far from the Three Broomsticks. I found the best thing for Hermione there; a ring with a gold band encrusted with four jewels; a ruby, a topaz, a sapphire, and an emerald. The jewels reminded me of the colors of the four houses. I knew I had to get it for her, so I did.
The saleslady put it in a velvet box, wrapped it up nicely in wrapping paper and finished it off with a gold bow.
* * *
Christmas dinner was a nice affair with the professors and various students (including Harry, Hermione and the Weasleys), sitting around a single table. Ron and Harry seemed to be friends again.
I had a hard time eating my dinner because I was so excited. I wanted it to be Christmas morning now so I could give Hermione the ring.
Before I left to go to sleep, I whispered in Hermione's ear to meet me tomorrow in the tower around three in the afternoon.
* * *
Christmas afternoon, I was in the tower pacing back and forth, back and forth, wondering when Hermione was going to come. I knew that I was being a little unrealistic for being there at 2:30, but I was so nervous and anyway, there wasn't much else to do in the castle considering the fact that Crabbe and Goyle left and it would be sort of a stupid idea to try and start up a conversation with the Weasleys or Harry.
I sat down on the couch, but I couldn't sit still. I started to bounce in my seat. I thought that it was pretty fun, so I kept bouncing. I bounced higher and higher. I took off my shoes and jumped up and down on the couch, going "wee" every time I jumped up. Sometimes when I jumped up, I would flap my arms like a bird or twirl around and do belly flops. I felt like I was five years old again...until Hermione walked in. Then I felt like an idiot.
"Um, hi, Hermione," I said, not really knowing what to say and wondering what she was thinking about me. I bent down and busied myself with putting my shoes on so I could hide my embarrassed face from her heavenly one.
"Was I interrupting a private moment?" she asked in a voice that was wondering weather to laugh or not.
"No," I replied, standing up. "I was just getting bored of waiting for you and I started to bounce on the couch and I thought that was fun so..."
"I get the picture. I got you something."
"Really? For me? For Christmas?"
"No, for Crabbe and Goyle. Yes for you! Here. Merry Christmas!"
I took the small package and quickly tore off the wrapping paper. When I saw what it was, I laughed. It was Romeo and Juliet.
"Here," I said. "I got something for you, too." I took the beautifully wrapped box out of my pocket. I saw her eyes grow wide as I gave it to her. She just held it in her hands looking at it in awe, but not opening it.
"What are you waiting for?" I asked her excitedly. "Open it!" She very carefully untied the bow. Then, with trembling fingers she slowly and carefully took off the wrapping paper. She gasped as she opened the box and saw the ring's jewels glint in the firelight.
"Oh my God. I really don't know what to say," she stammered.
"It's not an engagement ring." I have no idea why I said that. Like I would want to marry her. After all, I was only sixteen.
"Thank you, Draco. Thank you so much! It's beautiful!" She put it on her finger and drew me into a kiss.
Look Ron, I thought as I kissed Hermione. Hermione and I had a relationship going ever since about the beginning of the month. She's my girlfriend now, and we love each other. What are you going to do about it, huh?
* * *
The next day, Hermione came up to me looking worried. She kept twirling the ring around on her finger and avoided my eyes.
"Draco, I have to tell you something really important," she sounded like she didn't want to tell me what she was going to. "It's been on my mind ever since we started dating."
"What?" I asked, fearing the worst.
"I can't tell you here. Meet me in the tower after lunch." Hermione walked off in a half - daze, leaving me wondering what happened.
* * *
After lunch I was waiting in the tower with Hermione. I asked her when we could begin. She told me that we were waiting for one more person. Ron came in. I looked at him and was positive that Hermione was going to tell me that she was going to dump me for him. Ron gave me a nasty look and sat down in an armchair as far away from me as possible. Hermione stood up and started pacing in front of us. "There's something important that's been on my mind for a long time," Hermione said nervously. "Ever since the beginning of the month." Ron and I gave each other a look. Hermione looked down and started to nervously twirl the ring around on her finger.
"I've, I've, I've," she took a swallow, a shaky breath and continued. "I've been two - timing you two." Anger pulsed through me. How could she. How DARE she.
"It's not because I want to be one of those girls who always struts around followed by her millions of boyfriends, but because I love you both."
"HA!" said Ron, making me jump. "Why should I believe you? Hermione, it's so obvious that you think that collecting boys is as easy as raking in fall leaves."
"No, Ron - " Hermione tried to defend herself.
"You know, I didn't give you the ring for this," I said, cutting her off.
"Wait, wait, wait," Ron said, getting up out of his chair. "Hermione, he GAVE you a RING?! Like, an ENGAGEMENT ring?!"
"No," I said. "Like a you're - my - girlfriend kinda ring, which she DOESN'T DESERVE!!!!!" I went over to her and held out my hand. "Give me the ring, Hermione."
"You know, Draco, we could've worked this out. It doesn't have to end like this."
"Two - timings never work out. Now give me the ring."
"But - "
"LOOK YOU MUDBLOOD, JUST GIVE ME BACK THE RING!" I yelled, getting annoyed. Hermione reluctantly took the ring in her finger and placed it in my hand. I quickly closed my hand around the ring and briskly walked out of the tower.
* * *
I was so upset, I started to wander around the castle in a daze. I kept wondering to myself how she could have done this.
Good going, Draco, I thought to myself. Heartbroken twice by the same girl. Really smart.
I wanted to throw the ring away, but I couldn't. It was a beautiful piece of jewelry and besides, it cost a lot of money, and I didn't think that all those galleons should just go down the drain.
I almost collided into a younger girl who I had never seen before, going in the opposite direction.
"Here," I said to her, my voice to getting choked with tears. "Take it." I held out the ring to her.
"I don't know," she said. Tears started to run down my face.
"TAKE IT!" I cried, thrusting the ring into her hand. "I DON'T WANT TO SEE IT ANYMORE!" Then I ran, sobbing, in the direction of Slytherin.
* * *
I was in History of Magic class, spacing out as usual. Pansy passed me a note. I crumpled it in anger, without even bothering to read it. Then I thought that I probably should, just in case. I looked at it. It was just some junk about how much she loved me. I felt really awkward when I read it. She still didn't know about Hermione and me, even though it had been a month since we met in the tower that night. I had to break it to her somehow. But how? I decided to think about that later. The bell was about to ring. Potions was next.
* * *
In Potions class, I kept looking over at Hermione. Even though she told me that Ron was her boyfriend, I still liked her. She looked up and I smiled at her. She gave me a small smile and returned to talking with Ron and Harry.
Snape came striding into the room, his black robes swishing behind him. He informed us that we would be making a mind reading potion. He started to write the ingredients up on the board.
When my potion was ready, I drank it. It was weird. I got this sense of when you're at the beach and the waves are washing over you. Only it was inside my head. I looked over at Pansy. She was gushing about how much she loved me, only her lips weren't moving.
Cool, I thought. I can read minds!
I looked over at Hermione and heard her think about what she was going to wear for her date with Ron on Friday. A wave of jealousy swept over me, even though it was very obvious that she belonged to him.
But for some reason I was still in love with her. I knew that she was smart and very, very beautiful but she already had a boyfriend. Shouldn't that be a major turn off? I was getting all confused.
Then the bell rang, getting me out of my confusion. I checked my schedule to see what was next. Good. We had lunch now.
* * *
Going down to the Great Hall, I saw Hermione struggling with her many books. She was trying to keep up with Harry and Ron but the weight of her books were pulling her back. Then her books decided to spill. Everything in her bag fell all over the floor. I scrambled to help her pick them up.
"Thanks, Draco," she said. "But I don't want you to do this again."
I gave her a puzzled look. "Why?"
"Ron," she said with a sigh. "He gets extremely jealous when anyone tries to come near me."
"But that's ridiculous!"
"I know it is. You know it is. But he doesn't know that it is. So please don't get involved with me again in any way, Draco. Please."
"If you say so, Hermione. But I just want to do one thing before I leave." I kissed her on the lips. I felt her body become very tense, then relaxed. I felt her put her arms around my shoulders.
"SEE," I heard Harry's voice yell. "See, Ron! I told you that Draco wanted to take Hermione from you!" I felt a heavy blow on the back of my head. I fell on top of Hermione.
"YOU!" Ron yelled at me. "GET OFF OF MY GIRL!"
I stood up, my face burning with embarrassment and anger. Harry was holding One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi in his hand. I looked at him dead in the eye.
"Harry," I said quietly. "I thought we were friends."
"WHAT?!" Ron yelled with a mixture of surprise and anger. "Harry, YOU were Draco's FRIEND?!"
Harry gave sort of a sheepish smile. "Well...yeah...sort of...but then I realized that I was being totally ridiculous so I decided to forget about Draco and just be friends with Ron."
I just stood there, numb. I couldn't believe it. Harry had decided to betray me when I had twice extended my friendship to him. Ron and I just stood there, shaking with fury, until he said those two words that changed everything.
"Jump him."
Ron and I threw ourselves on top of Harry and started punching him. We didn't cease, even when blood started to flow from his nose. And with each punch, I recalled what it was for.
This is for getting all the limelight, I thought. And this for betraying me, and this is for throwing me against a wall, and this is for that rumor going around that you snuck into the Slytherin common room in our second year, and this is for getting better grades than me, and this is for being a teacher's pet, and this is for getting into the Triwizard Tournament, and this is for...
I looked over my shoulder and saw Hermione standing there doing nothing, with sort of an awkward look on her face.
"C'mon," I said, taking off Harry's glasses and throwing them at her feet. "Give us a hand!"
She picked up Harry's glasses and a sly smile spread across her face. She threw his glasses against a wall, and the lenses shattered into a million pieces. I could hear Harry cry out in pain.
"Gladly," she said. She stepped gingerly over Harry's wildly flailing legs and joined us in beating him up.
I was surprised. This was a side of Hermione that I had never seen before. I had expected her to run off calling for some professor or another, yet here she was punching Harry, her fist smeared with the blood from his nose.
BEEP - BEEP! BEEP - BEEP! BEEP - BEEP! That was Harry's watch.
"Oh, my God!" said Hermione. "We forgot about lunch!" We suddenly stopped. I looked at my bloody hands and became panicked. What was I supposed to do? Hermione had obviously thought the same thing because she said that we should go to the bathroom, wash our hands, then go to the Great Hall and act like nothing had happened.
We all agreed and went to the bathroom to wash our hands leaving Harry lying, bruised and bloody, in the hallway.
* * *
When I got to the Great Hall after washing the blood off my hands I felt like everyone knew what I had done. I tried to act as normal as possible, but found it extremely hard to do so.
I jumped when I heard a scream, but it was just someone who happened to sample one of Fred and George Weasley's inventions. Thank God.
Then I happened to look over at the Gryffindor table and saw Ginny get up and walk out of the Great Hall. My heart started to beat very fast. What if she saw Harry? Would she tell the teachers? Knowing Ginny, she probably would.
In a little while, I heard a shriek echo from the hallway, then Ginny came running in with her face all pale looking like she had just seen the bloody ghost of Christmas past. She ran up to the high table and signaled for Dumbledore to follow her. He followed, with a very worried look on his face.
I clasped my hands very hard in my lap. I wanted someone to throw a knife at my heart. I didn't want to see what was next. I didn't want to suffer the consequences. I tried to eat my lunch, but for some reason my throat didn't seem to let the food go down.
Dumbledore came back into the Great Hall, holding the unconscious Harry in his arms. Ron, Hermione, and I exchanged nervous glances. I again clasped my hands tightly in my lap. I felt sick.
"Who did this?" Dumbledore roared. He was so angry, that it looked like he would start breathing fire if he opened his mouth again. I felt even sicker. The Great Hall grew silent. I swear, nobody even dared to breathe.
"Don't try to hide from me!" Dumbledore said. "Because I will find out. Right now I'm taking Harry to the hospital wing. The culprit has until the end of the week to confess. Any later, and they will be expelled." The Great Hall, if possible, grew even quieter. Just then the bell rang. I don't think it could have come at a more perfect time.
* * *
In my next class, Transfiguration, I couldn't pay attention to whatever McGonagall had to say. I was too nervous about getting in trouble with Dumbledore. I was sure that if I got expelled, I would never hear the last of it from my father.
Professor McGonagall came over to me and asked me what preparations you had to make in order to transfigure a badger. I told her I didn't know.
"Well," she said to the class. "It's obvious that Mr. Malfoy hasn't been paying attention. Does any one else know?" To my great humiliation, Goyle raised his hand and answered perfectly.
* * *
During Divination class, just as I was mastering the art of tarot cards, Dumbledore came in. My stomach dropped about fifty notches.
"Excuse me Professor Trelawney," he said. "May I please borrow Mr. Malfoy?" She said it was fine, but I wish she hadn't.
* * *
Dumbledore led me up to the hospital wing. I felt like I had to be sick, I was so nervous.
In the hospital wing, I saw Harry lying on a bed looking very mad at Ron and Hermione. They were sitting on chairs next to his bed and looked as nervous as I felt. I collapsed into a chair, too nervous to say anything. When Harry saw me, he threw his half - full bed pan in my direction. Luckily it missed me by about a mile. Well, it was probably about two feet...but that's besides the point.
Dumbledore pulled up a chair and sat down near Harry.
"Harry, could you please recount the events that happened before lunch, and don't try to lie, because Professor Snape has generously lent me a pint of veritaserum."
Harry said everything that happened, down to the very last detail. When he was done, Dumbledore spoke again.
"Well boys, this is the second time this year that you've had a major fight, so I'm afraid that I'll have to be a little harsher on you this time." I put my face in my hands, ready to hear that all the points were taken from Slytherin. But they weren't. Ron, Hermione and I each got one hundred points taken away from our houses which was a good thing for me, because no one else from Slytherin was in on this. We also got detention. We had to help Professor McGonagall clean up her classroom for two hours after dinner tomorrow.
* * *
The next day, after dinner, I gloomily made my way to the door of Professor McGonagall's classroom and waited for Ron and Hermione. They came trudging up the stairs looking as though it was the end of the world. Professor McGonagall opened the door to her classroom and herded us inside where we were given our tasks. I had to clean the blackboard and the windows, Ron had to clean out the desks and poor Hermione was stuck with sweeping the floor.
After forty - five minutes of cleaning, Professor McGonagall left the room and returned with that muggle equipment that plays songs. I got very excited when I saw it.
"I decided to bring this in since you're doing such a good job," Professor McGonagall said. "And you're almost done, anyway." She turned it on with a flick of her wand. It started to play.
"I thought love was only true in fairy tales, Meant for someone else but not for me, Love was out to get to me, That's the way it seems, Disappointment haunted all my dreeeeeeeeams,
And then I saw her faaaaaaaaaace, Now I'm a believer, Not a traaaaaaaaaaace, Of doubt in my miiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiind, I'm in love ooooooooooooaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh, I'm a believer, I couldn't leave her if I triiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiied,"
I started to smile. It was playing my song. I tapped my foot to the beat as I cleaned the blackboard. I started to sing along to the music. I got this swelling feeling in my chest and a bigger smile broke out over my face. I knew this feeling. It was the feeling of extreme happiness. I looked over at Hermione and saw her bopping to the music and acting as if the broom was her dance partner. I went over to her.
"Hermione," I held out my hand to her. "Will you dance with me?" A big, girlish smile spread over her face.
"Of course, Draco," she said. "I would love to."
We swung, tangoed and waltzed around the classroom as the song continued to play. Then Ron came up and asked Hermione if she wanted to dance with him. So she danced with him for a while and then flew back into my arms. We continued to dance with each other until the song was over.
Then, all too soon, Professor McGonagall said that we were finished and we had to go back to our houses.
* * *
I went back to my house with wings on my feet until I realized something. I still had to do my homework. Ugh.
So I got out my parchment, quills, assignment book, and started on it.
* * *
The next day, at breakfast, I looked over at the Gryffindor table and saw Hermione talking to Ginny. My heart fluttered in my chest as Hermione looked my way. I quickly put my head down because I was too nervous to make eye contact with her.
I reached into my bag for my schedule to see what classes I had today. I had Care of Magical Creatures, Charms, Lunch, Herbology, and Defense Against the Dark Arts.
* * *
During Care of Magical Creatures class, we were working with fire - breathing salamanders. Hagrid told us to pair up the because the salamanders were dangerous. I was with Hermione because there was nobody left.
After we chose our groups, we were given our assignment - to feed the salamanders. How Hagrid came up with this idea is beyond me.
After feeding the salamanders for a while, one of them shot out a burst of flame that hit Dean Thomas full in the face. Hagrid rushed Dean to the hospital wing, leaving us all alone with the salamanders. I was wondering what we would do if one of the salamanders burned someone again when Hermione tapped me on the shoulder.
"Yes, Hermione?" I said with a tone of annoyance in my voice. I hate when people tap me on the shoulder.
"There's something important I have to tell you, Draco. I broke up with Ron last night."
"May I ask why?" I asked her skeptically. "Because this doesn't seem like something you would do. You even told me yourself that you and Ron had a steady relationship going. He's your boyfriend, Hermione. Why would you break up with him?"
"That's true, Draco. But don't you remember what I also told you? And I quote: 'Ron, he gets extremely jealous when anyone tries to come near me.' It's true, Draco. He acts like this all the time. Sometimes I feel trapped, like I can't do anything without him."
"I can sympathize with you on that, Hermione. But why are you telling me this?"
"Because I like you."
Those last three words came to me as a blow, like when Harry hit me across the back of my head with One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi. This couldn't be happening. Just to make sure that I hadn't slipped into fantasy, I asked her to repeat what she had just said.
"Like I said before, I like you," she said. Now it was clear that I wasn't dreaming.
"O.K. Hermione," I said. "A little wake - up call here. I was the guy who started calling you 'Mudblood' in our second year, lied about you and Harry in The Daily Prophet and Witch Weekly in our fourth year, teased you mercilessly every year, and you're saying that you like me? I don't get that. And anyway, you told me yourself that you didn't like me."
"I know, but I was lying to myself. I really did like you. I had liked you ever since I first saw you on the Hogwarts Express. The way you held yourself, tall and straight, acting like you were someone important. That bad boy smirk that always said, 'yeah, whatever.' That drawl in your voice that said, 'don't mess with me.' And those eyes...those eyes that leave the viewer transfixed. Harry always described your eyes as hard and cold, but I think of them as dark, mysterious and full of secrets. But there's something else in your eyes, Draco. I saw it before you kissed me. They looked... sad... and full of longing...like a puppy that's just been beaten. That's partly why I let you kiss me. You looked so sad and lonely...." her voice trailed off as she looked into the distance and sighed.
"My money," I cut in rudely.
Hermione looked at me weird. "What?"
"I said, 'my money.' You want me for my money, don't you?"
"No..."
"Well Pansy does."
"But I'm not Pansy, and I'm shocked to think that you would compare me to her."
"Sorry, I just haven't been feeling myself lately."
Hagrid came back and told us that Dean was going to be fine, he just needed a few days in the hospital wing. He then dismissed us early, not wanting another accident to happen.
I left class on my way to Charms thinking, Hermione likes me! I don't believe it! This is too good to be true!
* * *
In Herbology a while later, I was so wrapped up in my thoughts, I hadn't realized that I had dropped my pot of the seed some venomous plant that I couldn't remember the name of and it started to blossom big, blue flowers that smelled like rotting meat.
"Malfoy! What do you think you're doing?" Professor Sprout said as she gagged on the stench.
"Sorry, Professor," I mumbled in embarrassment. "But I wasn't paying attention."
"Yes, I'm fully aware of that," she snapped. "I'm also aware of the fact that you spilled some very valuable Ikterious seeds that help cure insomnia! And now they have turned into flowers which is a waste of fifty galleons because you can only use them when they're seeds! Now I want you to pick up every seed that you dropped and twenty points are taken from Slytherin for spacing out when you should have been paying attention!"
I grumbled as I spent the rest of class on my hands and knees to uproot the flowers, wondering how kind, cheery Professor Sprout could be such a sadist.
* * *
In Defense Against the Dark Arts class, I kept staring at our teacher, Madam Delacour. It wasn't my fault that I was staring at her. She was part veela, so there was something in her genes that made all the guys stare at her. And that was a problem, considering the fact that we didn't learn anything that way, and had to copy notes from the girls in order to get a moderate grade on our homework.
Stop staring, I told myself. Think about Hermione. Think about how much prettier she is. You know how nice Hermione is. Madam Delacour is your teacher and you keep staring at her. That's sick! How can you like your teacher? Get a grip, Draco. Get a grip.
Slowly, my eyes moved away from her. I started to focus on the board and noticed that I was really behind on my notes. I loaded up my quill pen with ink and started to copy down the notes about what the best opening spells are in a wizards duel.
"Look, everybody!" Madam Delacour said, sounding pleased and astonished at the same time. "Look! Monsieur Malfoy 'as broken my charm. Zat is somzing very few men can do! Twenty points for Slyzarin."
"Now you won back the twenty points that you lost in Herbology!" someone yelled at me from across the room. "Now Slytherin is in the lead again!"
"Don't thank me," I muttered under my breath. "Thank Hermione."
* * *
During dinner, I kept looking over at the Gryffindor table and giving Hermione small smiles. She returned them each time I smiled at her, so I was almost positive she liked me, and wasn't playing with me earlier.
After a while, Pansy, who was sitting next to me, put her head on my shoulder.
"Pansy!" I cried, shocked. "What do you think you're doing?!" Unfortunately, I said that a little too loud, and got the attention of about half the people in the Great Hall.
"You let me put my head on your shoulder two months ago," she said, sounding hurt.
"Pansy, that was two months ago. Things have changed."
"But you still love me, don't you?"
"Uh," I said, at a loss for words. I couldn't tell her that I loved Hermione and not her. Not when everybody in the Great Hall, including the teachers, were listening to us.
"I knew you did," she said, pleased. Then she drew me into a kiss. The Slytherins whooped and hollered. I practically gagged as she tried to force her tongue down my throat. I was so embarrassed and angry I slapped her face.
"I DON'T LOVE YOU, PANSY!" I shouted, finding my voice at last.
"B - but, Draco..." she said, tears glistening in her eyes. "I th - thought you d - did love me."
"NO, PANSY, I DIDN'T."
"W - why?"
"BECAUSE YOU WANT ME FOR MY MONEY!"
"W - what's the m - matter with th - that?" she asked, bursting into tears.
"IT MEANS THAT YOU DON'T LOVE ME FOR WHO I AM!"
"S - so," she chocked out through sobs. "You d - don't l - love m - me?"
"NO, PANSY. I NEVER HAVE, I NEVER DID, I NEVER WILL. NEVER, EVER, EVER! OUR RELATIONSHIP IS FINISHED!" I yelled, my voice rising into a shriek. I blew Pansy a mock kiss and stormed out of the Great Hall.
* * *
I roamed the halls, going nowhere in particular and thinking about what just happened.
This is lunacy, I told myself. I just broke up with my Slytherin girlfriend because I love a Gryffindor. And not just any Gryffindor, but that Mudblood Hermione Granger! That annoying, goody two - shoes who's...smart...beautiful...and a lot more tolerable than Pansy. Gee...I hope one of the Professors can suggest a good psychotherapist.
"Draco..." I heard Hermione's voice calling. I turned around and saw her standing about twenty feet away from me. She ran towards me and grabbed my hand.
"Come, Draco." she held my hand and led me up stairs and down corridors until we stopped in front of an all - too - familiar looking statue.
"Dissendium," she said, putting her face close to the statue. The statue moved aside to reveal a room filled with white armchairs and couches. She pulled me inside and the statue moved back behind us.
* * *
Hermione started a fire in the fireplace then sat down on a couch. She patted the spot next to her. I came over and sat down, my heart beating so wildly I wondered if I was going to have a heart attack.
We just sat there for a while in an awkward silence, wondering what to say.
"So," said Hermione, trying to break the tension. "You broke up with Pansy."
"Yeah," I said, not really knowing what to say.
"Um..." she said. "Did you know that - "
"Do you know how crazy this is?" I almost shouted, cutting her off. "This is insane! I mean, look at us. A Slytherin and a Gryffindor alone together not shuddering at the sight of each other. And not just any Gryffindor or Slytherin," I added quickly, "but rich, pureblood Slytherin, Draco Malfoy with top - of - the - class, muggle - born Gryffindor, Hermione Granger. It's not that I don't love you. I do, but I'm beginning to have second thoughts."
"Like what?"
"Like, what Dumbledore would think. Or McGonagall. Or Snape." I shuddered at the thought of Snape going all - out ballistic on me.
"Well," Hermione mused. "Dumbledore would probably think it was great that Gryffindors and Slytherins were finally getting along. I don't know about McGonagall, but Snape would expel me as soon as he found out."
"Yeah...two people from two totally different backgrounds, who aren't even supposed to get along, like each other. Just like -"
"Romeo and Juliet," she finished for me.
"Yeah, exactly like them" I started to stroke her hair. I stood up. "Come, my fair Juliet. I must escort thee back to thine home."
"But dear Romeo, if thou will escort me back, we might bump into someone we do not want to see when we are together."
"That doth be true, fair Juliet. We must go our separate ways." I walked out of the tower and back to my common room without a backwards glance.
* * *
The next day, as I was going to a double period of Transfiguration, Hermione came over and slipped a note into my bag. I decided to read the note while McGonagall was explaining the homework or something like that. She wouldn't notice.
* * *
In Transfiguration, when McGonagall was giving a review about how to hold your wand correctly while transfiguring something, I opened the note and read it.
Dear Romeo, Meet me in the tower tonight after dinner. There's something very important that I have to ask you. love, Juliet P.S. Don't read this in Transfiguration class. McGonagall might confiscate it.
I finished reading the note, and as if on cue, there was McGonagall standing behind my shoulder looking like a hippogriff that hadn't been approached correctly.
"Give me the note, Malfoy," she said in a dangerous whisper.
The whole class was listening now, trying to see what had happened. I handed over the note, knowing that she was going to read it in front of everyone. She straightened the note with a flourish, cleared her throat and read the note loudly, so that even the daydreamer in the back of the class could listen.
"Well, Romeo," she said when she finished reading the note. "It seems like you have a very interesting love life." I could hear snickers from the class. "'Don't read this note in Transfiguration class. McGonagall might confiscate it.' My, my, my, she does seem to know me very well. She couldn't be a Gryffindor, could she?"
My blood ran cold. How did McGonagall know about Hermione and me? I didn't know what to do, until I realized that the tone in her voice was a sarcastic one. I laughed along with the rest of the class, but I was worried.
Why is McGonagall acting like this? I thought. Snape's the one who tortures his students, not her.
"Five points from Slytherin for reading notes in class," said McGonagall, disturbing my thoughts. "Your homework is to write an essay about why it's important to not read notes in class. Your essay should be about two paragraphs long. Class dismissed."
* * *
When dinner was over, I made my way up to the tower and waited for Hermione. After a while she came in looking flustered, making her cheeks beautiful rosy color.
"Sorry," she said, between pants. "Heldup - byron - camefast - asicould."
"That's alright," I said, thinking about how beautiful she was even though she was bent over almost double, leaning against a chair and panting. "By the way, it would've been helpful if you told me not to read the note before I went to Transfiguration class, and not when I had finished reading the note in Transfiguration class."
"How'dyouthink - Iwas'pos't - t'know?" she asked me with an irritable look, still gasping.
"So," I said, changing the subject. "What did you want to ask me?"
"Oh yeah," she said. She took a few more deep breaths, combed back her hair with her fingers, sat down on the couch beside me and looked me straight in the eyes.
"Draco," she said. "Will you...um...lesse...how can I say this without sounding like an idiot? I can't! O.K....um...do you think you can...um...I mean...do you want to...um..."
"Start a relationship?" I asked, saying the first thing that popped into my head.
She nodded, blushing madly and smiling so widely, I suddenly understood what they meant by the phrase 'smiling from ear to ear.'
I put my arm around her shoulders. "I would love to," I replied. I kissed her hand.
"But we would have to keep it a secret," she said, turning back into the know - it - all Hermione that I was more familiar with.
"O.K., now that was really obvious," I said in the drawl that I reserved for Harry and company.
"You sound just like the Draco I knew," she giggled.
"Well, what about you? You're also sounding like your old self." I made my voice a lot higher and in a clipped tone said, "But we would have to keep it a secret. Who knows how many house points we could loose? Will I get expelled for liking a Slytherin? What will I do if they expel me? Wait a minute, they can't expel me! I even read in Hogwarts, a History that it says in the Hogwarts book of Rules that you can't get expelled for liking someone in the wrong house! And anyway, I'm-"
"Well, what about you?" she asked, playfully punching my arm as I burst into a fit of laughter. She started strutting around the tower and in a drawl said, "Potter, the Dementors are coming so you'd better watch out. You don't want another incident like the one you had on the train, do you?" She imitated me imitating Harry having a swooning fit and fell on the couch laughing furiously.
I checked my watch. It was 7:45.
"I gotta go," I said quickly. "I'm late for Quidditch practice."
"Well, goodbye, then," Hermione quickly gave me a peck on the cheek.
"G - g - goodbye," I stuttered, my face getting hot. I went out of the tower and down to the grounds for Quidditch practice.
* * *
It was five days until Christmas. I kept wondering what I should get Hermione. I had spent every weekend looking through the shops in Hogsmeade to see if I could find something that Hermione might like. I even put my name on the list for people staying at Hogwarts over the break so I could have more time to look.
Then, with two days until Christmas, I found the perfect thing. There was a jewelry shop that had recently opened not so far from the Three Broomsticks. I found the best thing for Hermione there; a ring with a gold band encrusted with four jewels; a ruby, a topaz, a sapphire, and an emerald. The jewels reminded me of the colors of the four houses. I knew I had to get it for her, so I did.
The saleslady put it in a velvet box, wrapped it up nicely in wrapping paper and finished it off with a gold bow.
* * *
Christmas dinner was a nice affair with the professors and various students (including Harry, Hermione and the Weasleys), sitting around a single table. Ron and Harry seemed to be friends again.
I had a hard time eating my dinner because I was so excited. I wanted it to be Christmas morning now so I could give Hermione the ring.
Before I left to go to sleep, I whispered in Hermione's ear to meet me tomorrow in the tower around three in the afternoon.
* * *
Christmas afternoon, I was in the tower pacing back and forth, back and forth, wondering when Hermione was going to come. I knew that I was being a little unrealistic for being there at 2:30, but I was so nervous and anyway, there wasn't much else to do in the castle considering the fact that Crabbe and Goyle left and it would be sort of a stupid idea to try and start up a conversation with the Weasleys or Harry.
I sat down on the couch, but I couldn't sit still. I started to bounce in my seat. I thought that it was pretty fun, so I kept bouncing. I bounced higher and higher. I took off my shoes and jumped up and down on the couch, going "wee" every time I jumped up. Sometimes when I jumped up, I would flap my arms like a bird or twirl around and do belly flops. I felt like I was five years old again...until Hermione walked in. Then I felt like an idiot.
"Um, hi, Hermione," I said, not really knowing what to say and wondering what she was thinking about me. I bent down and busied myself with putting my shoes on so I could hide my embarrassed face from her heavenly one.
"Was I interrupting a private moment?" she asked in a voice that was wondering weather to laugh or not.
"No," I replied, standing up. "I was just getting bored of waiting for you and I started to bounce on the couch and I thought that was fun so..."
"I get the picture. I got you something."
"Really? For me? For Christmas?"
"No, for Crabbe and Goyle. Yes for you! Here. Merry Christmas!"
I took the small package and quickly tore off the wrapping paper. When I saw what it was, I laughed. It was Romeo and Juliet.
"Here," I said. "I got something for you, too." I took the beautifully wrapped box out of my pocket. I saw her eyes grow wide as I gave it to her. She just held it in her hands looking at it in awe, but not opening it.
"What are you waiting for?" I asked her excitedly. "Open it!" She very carefully untied the bow. Then, with trembling fingers she slowly and carefully took off the wrapping paper. She gasped as she opened the box and saw the ring's jewels glint in the firelight.
"Oh my God. I really don't know what to say," she stammered.
"It's not an engagement ring." I have no idea why I said that. Like I would want to marry her. After all, I was only sixteen.
"Thank you, Draco. Thank you so much! It's beautiful!" She put it on her finger and drew me into a kiss.
Look Ron, I thought as I kissed Hermione. Hermione and I had a relationship going ever since about the beginning of the month. She's my girlfriend now, and we love each other. What are you going to do about it, huh?
* * *
The next day, Hermione came up to me looking worried. She kept twirling the ring around on her finger and avoided my eyes.
"Draco, I have to tell you something really important," she sounded like she didn't want to tell me what she was going to. "It's been on my mind ever since we started dating."
"What?" I asked, fearing the worst.
"I can't tell you here. Meet me in the tower after lunch." Hermione walked off in a half - daze, leaving me wondering what happened.
* * *
After lunch I was waiting in the tower with Hermione. I asked her when we could begin. She told me that we were waiting for one more person. Ron came in. I looked at him and was positive that Hermione was going to tell me that she was going to dump me for him. Ron gave me a nasty look and sat down in an armchair as far away from me as possible. Hermione stood up and started pacing in front of us. "There's something important that's been on my mind for a long time," Hermione said nervously. "Ever since the beginning of the month." Ron and I gave each other a look. Hermione looked down and started to nervously twirl the ring around on her finger.
"I've, I've, I've," she took a swallow, a shaky breath and continued. "I've been two - timing you two." Anger pulsed through me. How could she. How DARE she.
"It's not because I want to be one of those girls who always struts around followed by her millions of boyfriends, but because I love you both."
"HA!" said Ron, making me jump. "Why should I believe you? Hermione, it's so obvious that you think that collecting boys is as easy as raking in fall leaves."
"No, Ron - " Hermione tried to defend herself.
"You know, I didn't give you the ring for this," I said, cutting her off.
"Wait, wait, wait," Ron said, getting up out of his chair. "Hermione, he GAVE you a RING?! Like, an ENGAGEMENT ring?!"
"No," I said. "Like a you're - my - girlfriend kinda ring, which she DOESN'T DESERVE!!!!!" I went over to her and held out my hand. "Give me the ring, Hermione."
"You know, Draco, we could've worked this out. It doesn't have to end like this."
"Two - timings never work out. Now give me the ring."
"But - "
"LOOK YOU MUDBLOOD, JUST GIVE ME BACK THE RING!" I yelled, getting annoyed. Hermione reluctantly took the ring in her finger and placed it in my hand. I quickly closed my hand around the ring and briskly walked out of the tower.
* * *
I was so upset, I started to wander around the castle in a daze. I kept wondering to myself how she could have done this.
Good going, Draco, I thought to myself. Heartbroken twice by the same girl. Really smart.
I wanted to throw the ring away, but I couldn't. It was a beautiful piece of jewelry and besides, it cost a lot of money, and I didn't think that all those galleons should just go down the drain.
I almost collided into a younger girl who I had never seen before, going in the opposite direction.
"Here," I said to her, my voice to getting choked with tears. "Take it." I held out the ring to her.
"I don't know," she said. Tears started to run down my face.
"TAKE IT!" I cried, thrusting the ring into her hand. "I DON'T WANT TO SEE IT ANYMORE!" Then I ran, sobbing, in the direction of Slytherin.