Oh, and I'd love to find one more beta-reader. If you volunteer to be my beta-reader you'll be the first to read new chapters :) Please, e-mail me on lydiabura@mtu-net.ru :)
Chapter 7 ~Rival~
Hermione was lying on her bed. She has been staring intense at small dot on the ceiling for almost an hour now. Everytime she forced her mind to think about solving one particular problem, including Draco and her sudden feelings toward him, she could only see his image, smiling at her. By the 20th time Hermione was remembering Draco, he was not only smiling at her. He was kissing her. She was burying fingers in Draco's silky hair, answering passionatly to his hot lips. Now Hermione was re-playing that scene in her mind. She didn't remember it exactly - but it left her with the feeling of warm sparkling sphere covering her, sinking into her. With gasp of surprise Hermione realized that she was clenching sheets. She closed her eyes tightly, concentration for one more time on her problem itself, not embodiment of it.
Failing this time too she pushed her pillow angrily.
What the hell was happening to her? She never noticed Malfoy - well, not at way-of-noticing-future-boyfriends. She didn't hated him that much as it may seem. She was too kind and reasonable for that. Of course she would slap him as many times as it'll be needed. Or hit. Or loathe.
Or kiss.
This time pillow crashed into wall and with scared "pooh" landed on the floor.
Hermione was on verge. She couldn't control her feelings. Couldn't analyze it. Couldn't dismiss it.
And there was one thing that could possibly calm Hermione a bit. Studying. A lot of studying. As it was only about 6pm, Hermione, still being Top Student (or rather "going to stay such student despite of all terrible events in her love-life") decided to prepare for tomorrow's Potions class. Parvarti told her that Top Loathed Teacher get them huge homework to be done. Not that it was out-of-his-demonic-character.
Hermione took a couple of books from her bag and threw them on the bed.
-This time I'll get you out of my head, Draco Malfoy!
Several hours later, very pleased with herself, Hermione dozed off over perfectly done homework, her mussy hair spread over three scrolls filled with cllagraphic writings, head resting on a book. This night, for the first time since all that "Draco affair" she slept very well and even wasn't scared when nightmarish Snape transformed into Draco and asked her formula of potion from page number 112, paragraph 2, second line from the beginning.
~*~*~*~
Hermione prepared herself to any kind of Draco's possible reaction to last night's kiss.
He could ignore it and behave if nothing had happened. It'd be really easy for Hermione to play along - pretend it was just a mistake.
Or he possible could change his attitude to more caring (not loving - ha, Hermione wasn't that stupid to think that Draco could has real feelings for her). That would cause more problems of course. Hermione would be trying to resist, then fail and end up slapping Draco in front of the class with words "how dare you!" Hermione smiled a bit on that thought - "I'm such a dreamer".
Or he could possible just break up with her. It would be perfect event in her destiny. Hermione's smile disappeared - "or maybe not".
But one detail ruined all possible plan's of Hermione's behavior - absence of Draco. He didn't showed up for his first lesson. Nor for the second.
Potions was next lesson. Some girls was whispering and pointing at Hermione, who was feeling a bit nervous now. Not that Hermionw was waiting for Draco or worrying where the hell is he. What a rubbish!
Hermione was coming by small abandoned room in the Dungeons. She wasn't going to be nearby, but she got lost there, thinking about someone ("I don't worry about Draco! I don't! If I just new where he is! But I'm not worried! Not a bit! He cool just got cold. Can it be something serious, maybe even letha.."). That's when she hear some low voices. Hermione stopped and looked around. It was dead-end of that wing. ("How could I get here?!")
Hermione hesitated for a moment, then turned to come back to the path of normal direction, leading to Potions class, when she recognized one voice. It was Draco's.
And the second voice obviously belonged to a girl. She was whispering something, so it was hard to tell, who it was.
But with whom could Draco secretly meet in Dungeon?
Hermione's hearts beating fastened at once, deafening little drums in her ears disoriented her, all blood in veins froze for a split second as one thought was pumping in Hermione's mind: "It's Vicky! It's Vicky!"
~*~*~*~*~
Not daring to move and not being able to bare abeyance, Hermione took one step close to that room. The door was ajar, so she picked in.
"Wow" - it was first Hermione's thought as she saw Vicky.
As that girl was almost facing door, Hermione could get and memorize every feature of Vicky, so it'd be imprinted in Hermione's mind forever.
Vicky had long light hair. She wasn't blonde in common sense. She has some gold curls, but mostly her hair were shining chestnut's color. Vicky was slim, even petite - she was lower than Draco. Vicky stood with a straight back, which made her look a bit taller. ("Something between elf and the Maid of Orleans" thought Hermione, as pangs of jealousy were ripping her poor heart, still beating with velocily of light).
If you meet Vicky in the hall you might not even notice her. But it were her eyes that made her look very if not special - at least wicked.
Hermione didn't get what it was at first- it was hard to tell, because the only source of light was Draco's wand. But at one moment, when he accidentally, in a rage, waved his hand with a wand in front of Vicky's face, Hermione saw with a surprise, that Vicky has eyes of mixed colors. In shadows of Dungeon you couldn't tell the diffrence - either blue, emerald or grey. But for one second Hermione saw their real color: one was blue-grey, another - green-grey. In dim light they looked pretty ordinary, but in a flash of light it was startling.
Obviously they had a fight (otherwise Hermione wouldn't' hear them). And Draco was really angry. He would be shouting if he could. Hermione couldn't remember if she ever saw him that mad. Draco was gesturing with free hand - then he took Vicky's shoulder and hissed angrily, controlling himsefl less than before, thus not caring that he can be heard outside that room - "I will *not* do it!"
Vicky winced a bit, pushed Draco's hand from her shoulder and looked calmly at him. Then she put something (tiny object as Hermione could see) into Draco's hand and squeezes it, making sure he was holding it tight. Hermione thought that time had stopped. This "couple" was standing there, unaware of intruder's presence, looking into each other's eyes. Draco's expression changed from irritated to normal, even peaceful. Vicky smiled at him ("this bitch can smile so... so... genuinely" - Hermione wasn't breathing, trying to understand what was going on).
Draco returned smile with quick nod. Then tenderly kissed Vicky.
Hermione couldn't believe her eyes. It was so terribly unfair! Of course she never expected Draco has any real feelings for her - but only because she thought he was incapable of human feelings. And now, at her eyes, he was turning in most sensitive creature, that was obviously in love with that blonde girl.
Hermione was astonished - all that time she was such a fool! All her secret dreams, hopes ("not that I had such ones")- were demolished at once, with one kiss of her Draco (Hermione still was thinking of him as her boyfriend) and that Vicky. And what about this cryptic thing?! Hermione didn't have time to think about it, because now Draco and Vicky weren't kissing anymore - they were going to leave that room. And they were going to see Hermione standing here.
She didn't know what to do - she didn't have time to think where she'll hide when Draco said louder a bit: "I'll go first and you wait here several minutes". He kissed Vicky tenderly and whispered something. Hermione didn't hear what he said, besides she was stunned, because there was nowhere to hide and her vision became blur with a wave of fear to be found, lurking and peeking Draco's date with Vicky. She didn't have much choice. Either to stand still and be noticed by Malfoy, or run quickly near that door, hoping that they wont' guess who it was. Hermione chose second. She gathered all her courage and within a second she was near next hall, then she was near a ladder, breathing heavily and not knowing where to turn. Vogue murmur of voices made her work round to the first corner, that turned out to be a small, narrow corridor... filled with Snape, who was now trying (really awkwardly, to tell you the truth) to set himself free, because he was tightly pressed to 5th year Gryffindor's student's body. Hermione's body.
A/n: too tired to write next part now. But it's gonna be funny. I don't wonna spoil you or give away that much, but I think I have to:
There's gonna be unexpected test in Potions class. And Hermione will be in front of all class making "true love indicator" potion (if it's done properly it should indicate the person you love by lightning little stars around it's head.) But Herm and Draco would be borth scared that Hermione's love stars won't be around Draco's head. He-he :))