Chapter Two - Fluff and Fluffibility
The ball's in Draco's court. Just let it be, let him think, and something will either come of it, or not come of it. At least, that was what Ginny told Hermione.
Ginny herself had no clue what Hermione saw in Draco. But they lived together, so Hermione saw a lot more of Draco than Ginny did.
"Hermione, why Draco? Why not that simply stunning new Gryffindor - what's his name? Basil something? He seems nice enough."
Hermione sighed. "I dunno, Ginny. Really, I don't. Yeah, Draco's a prick most of the time, but when we're alone, he's not that bad. And when we're with Rara...I watch him, I watch him hug her, I watch him play cards or chess or checkers with her, I watch him talk to her, and I see a side of him that he keeps locked away from the world. And I can't help but think that he just...radiates warmth. And I say to myself, 'Hermione, you live with this astonishingly marvellous person. You have the privilege of seeing Draco at his best. Knowing him is shaping you into a better person. Wow, Hermione, you are so damn lucky.' And just when I think I love him, Rara leaves and he's back into his normal malicious self." She shrugged helplessly. "And I don't know how to get him to keep his wonderful side."
She let out an exasperated noise and fell backwards onto Ginny's bed, hands covering her eyes. "What do I do, what do I do, what do I do?"
"Like I said, Mione, it's his move. Give him time to think about it and about you."
A long moment of silence passed.
Hermione shook herself and, popping back up and into her bright, shining, happy self, she asked Ginny, "So how's it going with Harry The-Boy-Who-Didn't-Realize-Ginny-Was-Alive-Till-Final-Year Potter?"
Ginny giggled and looked as if she were about to let Hermione in on a big secret. "Well...you know that Ron didn't know whether to have a litter of kittens or not when we first started dating...he's torn between making us swear to keep the "mushy stuff" - as he terms it - behind closed doors, and not letting us out of his sight. The look on his face when Harry and I just hold hands in front of him is positively delightful! Really, Hermione, we miss you. I realize you've got a bunch more responsibilities, but you're missing out on some of the best gossip-worthy happenings! Of course," here Ginny paused and looked at Hermione with a sidelong glance, "you've got some gossip-worthy happenings happening in your own little world, with a certain blond hunk of numminess..."
Shocked, gasping, and giggling, Hermione picked up a pillow and swung it lightly at Ginny. "Are you listening to yourself, Ginny? You just called Draco Malfoy a hunk of - of numminess! Granted he is, but it's the principle of the thing! And I swear, if I hear rumors about us, Ginny, you will rue the day you came to Hogwarts!"
The scene in Ginny's room quickly dissolved into a mass of flying pillows accompanied with giggles, punctuated occasionally by shrill screams of outrage.
* * * * *
Draco paced irritably in his room. He had sent a nasty owl to his father a little over a week ago. There had been no response from either parental unit, and he still didn't know what he should do regarding Hermione. Neither boded well. Rule number five of both Slytherin and the Malfoy household: Never be uncertain. It shows weakness.
Draco couldn't afford to be weak. His father had so kindly taught him that particular tidbit. His life had been as happy as it could have been, he supposed. He'd had everything he wanted, but there were always...lessons, when he didn't do something right. Which wasn't that often; Draco had learned early on to be perfect in the eyes of Lucious Malfoy.
The fact that he had talked back to his father in a letter and had no response for a week made him nervous. Generally, Lucious was predictable. He wasn't being predictable now, and when he deviated from his usual path trouble followed.
Merlin's beard! What had Draco been thinking, to write that stupid letter? He hadn't been, and that was dangerous. Whatever Lucious was up to now, Draco deserved it out of the sheer magnitude of his idiocy.
Draco's wandering thoughts turned towards Hermione. During the past week as he had begun to sweat more and more about Lucious, he and Hermione had grown more distant, regardless of whether Rara was around or not. That was probably his fault, too. He should have done something, but the stupid letter wouldn't go away long enough for him to think.
So think now. He wanted to have something with Hermione, he really did, but if Lucious caught wind of it, there'd be hell to pay. Was Hermione worth it? Gods, yes.
Now the only problem was figuring out how to go about it.
* * * * *
Bumblebee had owled her in the morning, telling her to come to his office once she had time. He had also cautioned her against noising it about, so what he wanted to tell her must be important. Or, in other words, not-so-good news.
Rara sighed; she didn't have a class for another hour and a half, so she might as well go now.
Rara sped down the pathways to Dumbledore's office, arriving there short of breath. She gained admittance from behind the tapestry, and Dumbledore was waiting for her, a grave look on his face.
"Malfoy has disappeared, Rara."
The look on her face was one of stunned disbelief. "But...but that didn't - it didn't happen like that!"
Dumbledore sighed a great sigh of foreboding. "We can only begin to guess what made him take flight. Perhaps he heard of your presence here, though how he found out who you are, I don't know. Perhaps it's not even what we guess: maybe he's just gone on a little holiday to Nice. He's done that before, you know."
"But you still think I should tell Mione and Draco, don't you? You think this is it?"
A long pause, then "I'm afraid this could be it, Rara."
In a small, small voice, Rara said, "Do you think...How do you think they'll take it?"
Dumbledore gathered her into an immense, comforting hug. "I think they'll love you all the more, dearest Rara. Would you like me to be present when you tell them?"
Rara sniffled, and was tempted for a nanosecond to say yes. Then she gathered her strength and said "No, Bumblebee. If you could be...near, but not there. Just in case."
He squeezed her lightly and let her go.
Stepping back and looking up at Dumbledore she asked, "When should I tell them?"
His eyes twinkled. "Give them a few days, Rara dear."
* * * * *
It was midnight before Hermione managed to get back to the dorm. She'd had a long day of first classes, then schoolwork in the library, then tutoring some of the younger students. She longed to just crawl into her warm, soft bed and sleep for twelve hours. Unfortunately, tomorrow wasn't Saturday or Sunday, so the most she could hope for was seven or eight hours.
She slipped into bed with a groan. Tomorrow wouldn't be a good day; it was too close to mid-term exams, and she had promised to help some of the fifth years study. Knowing the fifth years, however, it would take them at least a half hour before they actually opened their books. Hermione didn't want to deal with the stress of trying to get them to settle down. Hermione told herself that she'd cross that bridge when she got there, closed her eyes, and fell asleep.
Her dreams were the stuff of fantasy: She dreamt she was in bed, asleep, and Draco came to take her away somewhere, but he wouldn't tell her where. Suddenly, they were floating, then flying through the roof, over the countryside. But instead of it being covered in snow, the golden light of the sun filtered down through the clouds to shine on emerald-green grass and crops.
Dream-Draco flew with her to a field covered in magnificent wildflowers, and there they alighted. Somehow, the meadow morphed into an exotic greenhouse and without moving, Draco and Hermione perused the flowers that were being grown. Draco stopped where the hibiscus grew, and plucked several. Hermione was upset that Draco had plucked them, because now they'd wither and die, but Draco leaned close and whispered, "They're magic - they'll keep blooming and they will never die, unless you wish them to."
Again they whisked away through the greenhouse, this time stopping at the orchids. Several lavender flowers caught Hermione's eye, and, noticing this, Draco plucked these as well. And again he whispered, "As long as you wish, these shall not wither." With those words he kissed her gently, almost chastely.
Then, a vivid sensation of falling. Hermione snapped her eyes open, suddenly awake. She glanced at the window, and breathed a sigh of relief. Early morning sunshine streamed from the glass panes. At least she hadn't overslept. She looked over at the clock on her nightstand to see exactly how long she could stay beneath the warm down comforter, but it was blocked by something.
She squinted, trying to get her eyes to focus. A glass bowl. Experimentally, she dipped a finger into the bowl, and encountered water. What in the name of Merlin's first spell was a glass bowl filled with water doing in her room? Hermione struggled to sit up and look closer. Oh, she thought. Lavender orchid blossoms were floating on the surface of the water.
And on the far side of the bowl were several white hibiscus flowers tied into a bouquet. Hermione fumbled to pick them up and look closer, and upon inspection, found they were tied with a silver ribbon, and hanging from it was a silvered card. Inscribed on the card, in hunter green ink, were the words, "As long as you wish, these shall not wither."
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AN: Yay! Second chapter up in under two weeks, but not as substantial as I'd hoped. Should I post a "beware of fluff" sign? I wanted to get the plot rolling in this chapter, but I didn't. Oh well. Next chapter, I promise!
Saphira: I have issues with naming my work, so I like to use Italian :) And about Rara...*thinks super fast* Nobody knows much about her, except for Dumbledore, and so she has an air of mystery about her. Thus, quick introduction? *sweats, hoping she'll be believed* Actually, I just didn't know what to do. What I originally had, I thought would give away too much. So yeah.
Individualists/Xaralui: Bah! I *did* give away too much! Um. I, uh, shouldn'ta said that. Shhhh, be vewwy vewwy qwiet! Don't tell nobody!
SilverDragon: Thanks, hopefully you continue to think it's great :)
Pikachufan4288: Did I post it soon enough for ya? *grins*
The ball's in Draco's court. Just let it be, let him think, and something will either come of it, or not come of it. At least, that was what Ginny told Hermione.
Ginny herself had no clue what Hermione saw in Draco. But they lived together, so Hermione saw a lot more of Draco than Ginny did.
"Hermione, why Draco? Why not that simply stunning new Gryffindor - what's his name? Basil something? He seems nice enough."
Hermione sighed. "I dunno, Ginny. Really, I don't. Yeah, Draco's a prick most of the time, but when we're alone, he's not that bad. And when we're with Rara...I watch him, I watch him hug her, I watch him play cards or chess or checkers with her, I watch him talk to her, and I see a side of him that he keeps locked away from the world. And I can't help but think that he just...radiates warmth. And I say to myself, 'Hermione, you live with this astonishingly marvellous person. You have the privilege of seeing Draco at his best. Knowing him is shaping you into a better person. Wow, Hermione, you are so damn lucky.' And just when I think I love him, Rara leaves and he's back into his normal malicious self." She shrugged helplessly. "And I don't know how to get him to keep his wonderful side."
She let out an exasperated noise and fell backwards onto Ginny's bed, hands covering her eyes. "What do I do, what do I do, what do I do?"
"Like I said, Mione, it's his move. Give him time to think about it and about you."
A long moment of silence passed.
Hermione shook herself and, popping back up and into her bright, shining, happy self, she asked Ginny, "So how's it going with Harry The-Boy-Who-Didn't-Realize-Ginny-Was-Alive-Till-Final-Year Potter?"
Ginny giggled and looked as if she were about to let Hermione in on a big secret. "Well...you know that Ron didn't know whether to have a litter of kittens or not when we first started dating...he's torn between making us swear to keep the "mushy stuff" - as he terms it - behind closed doors, and not letting us out of his sight. The look on his face when Harry and I just hold hands in front of him is positively delightful! Really, Hermione, we miss you. I realize you've got a bunch more responsibilities, but you're missing out on some of the best gossip-worthy happenings! Of course," here Ginny paused and looked at Hermione with a sidelong glance, "you've got some gossip-worthy happenings happening in your own little world, with a certain blond hunk of numminess..."
Shocked, gasping, and giggling, Hermione picked up a pillow and swung it lightly at Ginny. "Are you listening to yourself, Ginny? You just called Draco Malfoy a hunk of - of numminess! Granted he is, but it's the principle of the thing! And I swear, if I hear rumors about us, Ginny, you will rue the day you came to Hogwarts!"
The scene in Ginny's room quickly dissolved into a mass of flying pillows accompanied with giggles, punctuated occasionally by shrill screams of outrage.
* * * * *
Draco paced irritably in his room. He had sent a nasty owl to his father a little over a week ago. There had been no response from either parental unit, and he still didn't know what he should do regarding Hermione. Neither boded well. Rule number five of both Slytherin and the Malfoy household: Never be uncertain. It shows weakness.
Draco couldn't afford to be weak. His father had so kindly taught him that particular tidbit. His life had been as happy as it could have been, he supposed. He'd had everything he wanted, but there were always...lessons, when he didn't do something right. Which wasn't that often; Draco had learned early on to be perfect in the eyes of Lucious Malfoy.
The fact that he had talked back to his father in a letter and had no response for a week made him nervous. Generally, Lucious was predictable. He wasn't being predictable now, and when he deviated from his usual path trouble followed.
Merlin's beard! What had Draco been thinking, to write that stupid letter? He hadn't been, and that was dangerous. Whatever Lucious was up to now, Draco deserved it out of the sheer magnitude of his idiocy.
Draco's wandering thoughts turned towards Hermione. During the past week as he had begun to sweat more and more about Lucious, he and Hermione had grown more distant, regardless of whether Rara was around or not. That was probably his fault, too. He should have done something, but the stupid letter wouldn't go away long enough for him to think.
So think now. He wanted to have something with Hermione, he really did, but if Lucious caught wind of it, there'd be hell to pay. Was Hermione worth it? Gods, yes.
Now the only problem was figuring out how to go about it.
* * * * *
Bumblebee had owled her in the morning, telling her to come to his office once she had time. He had also cautioned her against noising it about, so what he wanted to tell her must be important. Or, in other words, not-so-good news.
Rara sighed; she didn't have a class for another hour and a half, so she might as well go now.
Rara sped down the pathways to Dumbledore's office, arriving there short of breath. She gained admittance from behind the tapestry, and Dumbledore was waiting for her, a grave look on his face.
"Malfoy has disappeared, Rara."
The look on her face was one of stunned disbelief. "But...but that didn't - it didn't happen like that!"
Dumbledore sighed a great sigh of foreboding. "We can only begin to guess what made him take flight. Perhaps he heard of your presence here, though how he found out who you are, I don't know. Perhaps it's not even what we guess: maybe he's just gone on a little holiday to Nice. He's done that before, you know."
"But you still think I should tell Mione and Draco, don't you? You think this is it?"
A long pause, then "I'm afraid this could be it, Rara."
In a small, small voice, Rara said, "Do you think...How do you think they'll take it?"
Dumbledore gathered her into an immense, comforting hug. "I think they'll love you all the more, dearest Rara. Would you like me to be present when you tell them?"
Rara sniffled, and was tempted for a nanosecond to say yes. Then she gathered her strength and said "No, Bumblebee. If you could be...near, but not there. Just in case."
He squeezed her lightly and let her go.
Stepping back and looking up at Dumbledore she asked, "When should I tell them?"
His eyes twinkled. "Give them a few days, Rara dear."
* * * * *
It was midnight before Hermione managed to get back to the dorm. She'd had a long day of first classes, then schoolwork in the library, then tutoring some of the younger students. She longed to just crawl into her warm, soft bed and sleep for twelve hours. Unfortunately, tomorrow wasn't Saturday or Sunday, so the most she could hope for was seven or eight hours.
She slipped into bed with a groan. Tomorrow wouldn't be a good day; it was too close to mid-term exams, and she had promised to help some of the fifth years study. Knowing the fifth years, however, it would take them at least a half hour before they actually opened their books. Hermione didn't want to deal with the stress of trying to get them to settle down. Hermione told herself that she'd cross that bridge when she got there, closed her eyes, and fell asleep.
Her dreams were the stuff of fantasy: She dreamt she was in bed, asleep, and Draco came to take her away somewhere, but he wouldn't tell her where. Suddenly, they were floating, then flying through the roof, over the countryside. But instead of it being covered in snow, the golden light of the sun filtered down through the clouds to shine on emerald-green grass and crops.
Dream-Draco flew with her to a field covered in magnificent wildflowers, and there they alighted. Somehow, the meadow morphed into an exotic greenhouse and without moving, Draco and Hermione perused the flowers that were being grown. Draco stopped where the hibiscus grew, and plucked several. Hermione was upset that Draco had plucked them, because now they'd wither and die, but Draco leaned close and whispered, "They're magic - they'll keep blooming and they will never die, unless you wish them to."
Again they whisked away through the greenhouse, this time stopping at the orchids. Several lavender flowers caught Hermione's eye, and, noticing this, Draco plucked these as well. And again he whispered, "As long as you wish, these shall not wither." With those words he kissed her gently, almost chastely.
Then, a vivid sensation of falling. Hermione snapped her eyes open, suddenly awake. She glanced at the window, and breathed a sigh of relief. Early morning sunshine streamed from the glass panes. At least she hadn't overslept. She looked over at the clock on her nightstand to see exactly how long she could stay beneath the warm down comforter, but it was blocked by something.
She squinted, trying to get her eyes to focus. A glass bowl. Experimentally, she dipped a finger into the bowl, and encountered water. What in the name of Merlin's first spell was a glass bowl filled with water doing in her room? Hermione struggled to sit up and look closer. Oh, she thought. Lavender orchid blossoms were floating on the surface of the water.
And on the far side of the bowl were several white hibiscus flowers tied into a bouquet. Hermione fumbled to pick them up and look closer, and upon inspection, found they were tied with a silver ribbon, and hanging from it was a silvered card. Inscribed on the card, in hunter green ink, were the words, "As long as you wish, these shall not wither."
----------------------------------------------------------------
AN: Yay! Second chapter up in under two weeks, but not as substantial as I'd hoped. Should I post a "beware of fluff" sign? I wanted to get the plot rolling in this chapter, but I didn't. Oh well. Next chapter, I promise!
Saphira: I have issues with naming my work, so I like to use Italian :) And about Rara...*thinks super fast* Nobody knows much about her, except for Dumbledore, and so she has an air of mystery about her. Thus, quick introduction? *sweats, hoping she'll be believed* Actually, I just didn't know what to do. What I originally had, I thought would give away too much. So yeah.
Individualists/Xaralui: Bah! I *did* give away too much! Um. I, uh, shouldn'ta said that. Shhhh, be vewwy vewwy qwiet! Don't tell nobody!
SilverDragon: Thanks, hopefully you continue to think it's great :)
Pikachufan4288: Did I post it soon enough for ya? *grins*