The following evening, Harry, Ron, and Hermione trudged down to the
Entrance Hall to meet Filch. They found him and Malfoy already there. "
Let's see," Filch said, consulting the list that he had just pulled out of
his pocket," Potter, go to Professor McGonagall's room to move some desks.
Weasley, Trophy room. You know what to do there. Malfoy and Granger, the
fifth floor corridor. Go on. get!" Hermione cast one longing glance at
Harry and Ron before she and Malfoy began walking up the stairs. " I can't
believe that I am stuck with you," Malfoy said over his shoulder. He was
three steps ahead of her and acting in a very superior manner. She walked
silently behind him. After what seemed like an eternity, they reached the
fifth floor. There were two mops and two buckets waiting for them. " Oh,
great," Malfoy sighed. Hermione picked up her mop and bucket, then walked
to the end of the corridor. She giggled at the sight of Malfoy trying to
mop. " Just what is so funny?" he snapped at her. " You." " Just because
some of our fathers are rich and we have servants to do this doesn't mean
that you should laugh." That made Hermione quiet for a while. Hermione
sighed a relieved sigh as she finished her end of the corridor. She smiled
as she walked toward the door. " Ahhhhhh!" she squealed as she slipped on
the freshly mopped floor. To keep herself from falling, she grabbed the
nearest thing: Draco. " Careful," he said as he caught her. The reflexes he
had developed from Quidditch training kicked in before he realized what he
was doing. Hermione pushed her hair out of her face. " Thanks," she
muttered. She looked into his steely eyes and he gazed into her browns. He
lowered his face to hers. Before either of them knew what was happening,
his lips had planted themselves on hers and had no intention of leaving
anytime soon. The two sixth year students leaned into the kiss, which was
getting deeper by the second. When they finally parted, Hermione stood up
straight and looked into his face, a confused look in her eyes. Draco
licked his lips and smirked. " You're welcome."
When she reached the common room, she entered with a smile on her
face. Two minutes later, Ron and Harry trooped in with sour looks on their
faces. They sat down in chairs near her. " I had to polish the trophies." "
Yeah, well McGonagall had me moving furniture and my back is sore now. I
need a massage. Hermione?" She shook her head, still smiling. " Please?" he
begged, wincing as he moved over to sit by her. " Oh, ok. Lay on the
couch." She stood beside him and began rubbing his back. Harry sat up
again. " Hang on," he said. He pulled his shirt off and tossed it into the
chair next to him. He laid back down. " Alright," Harry's face cracked into
a grin that only Ron could see. Ron grinned back and nodded his head. A few
days ago, Harry had told Ron that he thought that he was beginning to like
Hermione. 'Only a little, I think' were his exact words. " Hey, Mione. Do
that thing where you walk on my back." Harry moved gingerly off the couch
onto the floor. Hermione removed her shoes and began walking on Harry.
"What did you have to do, Hermione?" Ron asked, smiling very wide at
Harry's face. Hermione's smile just wouldn't go away. " We mopped." " Was
he awful to you? It looks like he cursed you to have a smile on your face,
because I know that if I had to mop with Draco, I wouldn't be smiling." "
No," Hermione said mischeviously. " What did he do?" " The opposite of
hurting me, cursing me, or being awful." Ron had a disgusted look on his
face. " Did he kiss you?" " Come on, Ron," Harry rolled his eyes," Do you
think that she would be smiling if he had? She would probably be sick,
right?" She just kept smiling. Harry craned his neck around to look at her.
" He didn't kiss you, right?" Her smile widened as she turned the color of
Ron's hair. Ron looked livid. " Why did he do that?" Harry asked, his
eyebrows knitted. Hermione smiled even wider." I'm gonna kill him," he
said, standing up and walking to the portrait hole. "No, Ron, don't. It was
kind of.....nice," she sighed and pulled him back to his chair. " Why are
you still smiling?" " Because," Hermione blushed even deeper," That was my
first kiss." " Didn't you ever kiss Krum?" " Nope." " That whole time you
were in Bulgaria? Not even once?" Hermione shook her head. " Then he ruined
it. It should be with someone you actually like. Right, Harry?" " It should
be, but mine wasn't. It was," he cringed at the memory and swallowed,",
with Parvati. No offense, Ron, but I just don't like your crush like that."
" I didn't know she kissed you!" Ron looked angry. "Yeah, I didn't tell
you. I was sitting here by the fire alone, she came down the stairs, and
walked right by. She turned around and asked me if something was wrong. I
told her that the girl I liked didn't like me back and that had me really
depressed. She told me to kiss her and I told her I didn't know how. She
decided that she should give me an example. She's real straight forward,
huh?" " Thanks, Harry. I'll keep that in mind. Next time I see her she'll
be in for a big surprise. Hermione, you don't like Malfoy do you?" " I
don't think so," she bit her lip and thought a bit more before saying," He
does look quite good though. Goodnight." She stepped gently off Harry's
back and glided up the stairs. " She's mental. I've said that all these
years and finally it proved true," Ron said as Harry pulled his shirt over
his head.
Draco lay awake that night, thinking of what had happened. He had
kissed a Mudblood. If Lucious ever found out..... It wasn't intentional.
I'm sixteen. It must have been hormones or something, he thought to
himself. He decided that this must be the reason and rolled over. " She
isn't even that great of a kisser," he muttered to himself before drifting
off to sleep.
