A/N: Yea, ok well what can I say? I'm sorry for this, uh, uncustomary delay of an update? I really am sorry! I guess I've been a bit wrapped up in my Lord of the Rings obsession. Well, without further adieu....CHAPTER 5!!!
Chapter 5: The Encounter
Draco turned the corner and walked farther along the corridor, seeming not to be bothered if any person heard him, after curfew or not. His footsteps slowed down and came to a halt as he found himself standing in front of the old charms classroom, which now stood empty, other than clusters of dust-covered furniture and stacks of forgotten books that were illuminated by the moonlight.
Draco took one step forward into the classroom and smiled.
A cloak-covered figure stepped out from the shadows. This person, however, was not wearing the amused smile. "Took you long enough, Malfoy," Ginny sneered as she threw off her hood.
Draco's expression changed to annoyance as he walked closer to where Ginny stood until he could feel the heat emanating off her in the cool, dank classroom. "Look, I'm not happy about making deals with Griffindors, so let's just get to business."
Ginny cleared her throat as she sat down on the ground, Draco following suit. "My zombie charm has worked perfectly. At first I thought it would be too obvious. It looks like everyone at this school has a little more Hufflepuff in them than they realize," she said with an evil grin. "Everything is going according to plan. I tipped Granger off about your interest in her today."
"Did she buy it?"
Ginny nodded.
"Hah! They are already eating out of the palms of our hands. Soon we will both have what we want: you will have Potter under your spell, and out of my way, the, I will be able to make my move to take over the school."
~~~
"Ok, so dish on this Malfoy thing we just saw out there," Ron said, flopping in front of Hermione's bed in the girls' room. Luckily everyone was still in the common room. Hermione just hung looking upside down at Ron from the side of your bed. "God! I feel like such a girl saying that!"
"Oh come on!" Hermione smiled, "Surely we're not that bad! Oooooh, and later I can paint your toenails and we can give each other makeovers!" she added sarcastically.
"Ok!" Ron said in defeat, "Enough! I just want to hear about Malfoy and whatever it was you were originally going to talk to me about."
"Everything?"
"Yea, everything."
"You'd still be my friend no matter what, right?"
"Just friggin' tell me Hermione!!!!"
"Ok! ok, keep your knickers on!" Hermione took a deep breath and began. She told him everything, from when Harry asked Ginny out to when Draco kissed her (Ron had a nervy spaz and had to be comforted after falling over) to Harry's strange behavior. "And that pretty much brings us up to date. Oh, except for when he pinched my bum in front of the portrait earlier."
"That's what he did?!?!"
"Oh, sodd off!"
"I still can't believe he kissed you!! And you! You kissed him back! What were you thinking?" Ron said grabbing the hair on his head with his fists.
"I wasn't, ok?" She sighed. "So what do you think about all of this? I mean surely even someone as dense as you would notice Harry acting like a Zombie for three weeks." Hermione looked at his mock-hurt face. "Oh, come off it, you knew I was kidding."
"What do I feel about you and Draco? Oh, well, he's only GRYFFINDOR ENEMY #1, HERMIONE!!!" Oh, well he was. She knew that was coming. "And about Harry, I have noticed it a bit, but I didn't really notice too much, I guess I've been a bit preoccupied...with...mumble mumble mumble."
"What was that?" Hermione asked.
"Extra school work! Ok? Are you happy now? I've been doing a lot of extra work for care of magical creatures with Hagrid and I'm really enjoying it." Hermione snorted. "Enough from you already! I'm going to bed."
He got up from his sitting position on the red rug that graced the cold stone floor and kissed Hermione on the forehead. He walked sleepily to the door. Ron turned around when he got to the door and looked back at Hermione. "Look, I just don't want that slimeball of a Slytherin to hurt my Hermione. Oh, and I remember once telling Harry he looked sick and should see the nurse. He just mumbled something about a globe. Weird, huh?" With that Ron blew out the candle illuminating the room and closed the door.
That gave Hermione something to think about. Globe, huh? She'd look something up in the library tomorrow. Maybe Draco would be in there. No! She mentally slapped herself, rolled over, and fell asleep.
~~~~~
The next day, Hermione felt a lot better that she had told someone everything on her mind, even if it was Ron. She pushed back the covers and shivered. It was too early for the fire to be lit in here, but not in the common room. She slipped on her white fluffy slippers and wrapped around her the red kimono robe that her parents brought her back from Japan last year that she loved. It didn't provide her enough warmth, so she stepped out to venture into the common room and sit by the fire.
The sun had not quite come up yet but hinted at its appearance by lighting the sky in deep reds and purples intertwined with clouds. The fire was lit already so she plopped down on the couch closest to it and brought her knees to her chin as she sat, looking pensive. A few minutes later, however, she drifted to sleep.
A sudden noise woke Hermione what had to be only a few minutes later as she heard a door squeak at the top of the stairs leading to Harry and Ron's dorm room. She whipped her head around to see Harry padding down the stairs in his pajamas and socks with a glazed look on his face and bags under his eyes. Finally gathering enough courage to talk to him she stood up.
"Harry, I...I want to talk to you." Only, Harry didn't stop as reached the bottom of the stairs, he kept on walking right past Hermione. She turned around as he reached the portrait hole. "Where are you going? Harry! Why won't you talk to me? What's going on with you?! You've been acting so weird lately!"
She followed him out of the portrait hole and into the corridor. "Don't you walk away from me! We have to talk! We used to be best friends, Harry!" she said still following him. His pace quickened and Hermione was losing him. She didn't know where she was going, she just kept turning corners as he did.
As she jogged around a corner, Hermione neglected to see a statue of a wizard and tripped on the corner, sending her flying to the ground on her hands and knees. "Damnit!" she said as she realized she just bit her tongue also.
"You need someone to kiss that better for you." (A/N: Mood music: 6 Underground by the Sneakerpimps) Hermione looked up and saw Draco offering her a hand, which she instinctively took and stood up right in front of him. They were almost nose to nose.
"What, my hands, my knees, or my tongue?" Hermione replied bitterly as Draco chuckled seductively.
"Are you all right, or are you just considering which bit to kiss first?" Hermione spat as he continued to stare at her.
"No…" He looked into Hermione's eyes and she started to feel a little bit nervous and shifter her weight. "No, that's an easy decision," he said so quietly she barely heard. Hermione didn't move except to blink once convulsively as Draco bent his head and kissed her, not just a peck either, he slid his tongue into her mouth and caressed the sore spot for a second before stepping back. she didn't even feel the pain anymore. She was more disturbed by the way her lips decided to tingle, and by the fact that she couldn't help licking and then rubbing her lips together. He tasted good. Wait, what did she just say?
He stepped back, keeping eye contact, then leaned over and whispered, "I love a woman in red," and caressed her stomach for less than a full second.
She stood there, stunned. Why was she here in the first place?
A/N: Thank you so much for reading! Seriously, you guys are the best. The other day I was sad and I was reading the reviews and they made me so happy I started writing again. Feedback is always appreciated! Mwah! (oh and ideas too, cause I'm in this thing w/ my eyes closed!)
Chapter 5: The Encounter
Draco turned the corner and walked farther along the corridor, seeming not to be bothered if any person heard him, after curfew or not. His footsteps slowed down and came to a halt as he found himself standing in front of the old charms classroom, which now stood empty, other than clusters of dust-covered furniture and stacks of forgotten books that were illuminated by the moonlight.
Draco took one step forward into the classroom and smiled.
A cloak-covered figure stepped out from the shadows. This person, however, was not wearing the amused smile. "Took you long enough, Malfoy," Ginny sneered as she threw off her hood.
Draco's expression changed to annoyance as he walked closer to where Ginny stood until he could feel the heat emanating off her in the cool, dank classroom. "Look, I'm not happy about making deals with Griffindors, so let's just get to business."
Ginny cleared her throat as she sat down on the ground, Draco following suit. "My zombie charm has worked perfectly. At first I thought it would be too obvious. It looks like everyone at this school has a little more Hufflepuff in them than they realize," she said with an evil grin. "Everything is going according to plan. I tipped Granger off about your interest in her today."
"Did she buy it?"
Ginny nodded.
"Hah! They are already eating out of the palms of our hands. Soon we will both have what we want: you will have Potter under your spell, and out of my way, the, I will be able to make my move to take over the school."
~~~
"Ok, so dish on this Malfoy thing we just saw out there," Ron said, flopping in front of Hermione's bed in the girls' room. Luckily everyone was still in the common room. Hermione just hung looking upside down at Ron from the side of your bed. "God! I feel like such a girl saying that!"
"Oh come on!" Hermione smiled, "Surely we're not that bad! Oooooh, and later I can paint your toenails and we can give each other makeovers!" she added sarcastically.
"Ok!" Ron said in defeat, "Enough! I just want to hear about Malfoy and whatever it was you were originally going to talk to me about."
"Everything?"
"Yea, everything."
"You'd still be my friend no matter what, right?"
"Just friggin' tell me Hermione!!!!"
"Ok! ok, keep your knickers on!" Hermione took a deep breath and began. She told him everything, from when Harry asked Ginny out to when Draco kissed her (Ron had a nervy spaz and had to be comforted after falling over) to Harry's strange behavior. "And that pretty much brings us up to date. Oh, except for when he pinched my bum in front of the portrait earlier."
"That's what he did?!?!"
"Oh, sodd off!"
"I still can't believe he kissed you!! And you! You kissed him back! What were you thinking?" Ron said grabbing the hair on his head with his fists.
"I wasn't, ok?" She sighed. "So what do you think about all of this? I mean surely even someone as dense as you would notice Harry acting like a Zombie for three weeks." Hermione looked at his mock-hurt face. "Oh, come off it, you knew I was kidding."
"What do I feel about you and Draco? Oh, well, he's only GRYFFINDOR ENEMY #1, HERMIONE!!!" Oh, well he was. She knew that was coming. "And about Harry, I have noticed it a bit, but I didn't really notice too much, I guess I've been a bit preoccupied...with...mumble mumble mumble."
"What was that?" Hermione asked.
"Extra school work! Ok? Are you happy now? I've been doing a lot of extra work for care of magical creatures with Hagrid and I'm really enjoying it." Hermione snorted. "Enough from you already! I'm going to bed."
He got up from his sitting position on the red rug that graced the cold stone floor and kissed Hermione on the forehead. He walked sleepily to the door. Ron turned around when he got to the door and looked back at Hermione. "Look, I just don't want that slimeball of a Slytherin to hurt my Hermione. Oh, and I remember once telling Harry he looked sick and should see the nurse. He just mumbled something about a globe. Weird, huh?" With that Ron blew out the candle illuminating the room and closed the door.
That gave Hermione something to think about. Globe, huh? She'd look something up in the library tomorrow. Maybe Draco would be in there. No! She mentally slapped herself, rolled over, and fell asleep.
~~~~~
The next day, Hermione felt a lot better that she had told someone everything on her mind, even if it was Ron. She pushed back the covers and shivered. It was too early for the fire to be lit in here, but not in the common room. She slipped on her white fluffy slippers and wrapped around her the red kimono robe that her parents brought her back from Japan last year that she loved. It didn't provide her enough warmth, so she stepped out to venture into the common room and sit by the fire.
The sun had not quite come up yet but hinted at its appearance by lighting the sky in deep reds and purples intertwined with clouds. The fire was lit already so she plopped down on the couch closest to it and brought her knees to her chin as she sat, looking pensive. A few minutes later, however, she drifted to sleep.
A sudden noise woke Hermione what had to be only a few minutes later as she heard a door squeak at the top of the stairs leading to Harry and Ron's dorm room. She whipped her head around to see Harry padding down the stairs in his pajamas and socks with a glazed look on his face and bags under his eyes. Finally gathering enough courage to talk to him she stood up.
"Harry, I...I want to talk to you." Only, Harry didn't stop as reached the bottom of the stairs, he kept on walking right past Hermione. She turned around as he reached the portrait hole. "Where are you going? Harry! Why won't you talk to me? What's going on with you?! You've been acting so weird lately!"
She followed him out of the portrait hole and into the corridor. "Don't you walk away from me! We have to talk! We used to be best friends, Harry!" she said still following him. His pace quickened and Hermione was losing him. She didn't know where she was going, she just kept turning corners as he did.
As she jogged around a corner, Hermione neglected to see a statue of a wizard and tripped on the corner, sending her flying to the ground on her hands and knees. "Damnit!" she said as she realized she just bit her tongue also.
"You need someone to kiss that better for you." (A/N: Mood music: 6 Underground by the Sneakerpimps) Hermione looked up and saw Draco offering her a hand, which she instinctively took and stood up right in front of him. They were almost nose to nose.
"What, my hands, my knees, or my tongue?" Hermione replied bitterly as Draco chuckled seductively.
"Are you all right, or are you just considering which bit to kiss first?" Hermione spat as he continued to stare at her.
"No…" He looked into Hermione's eyes and she started to feel a little bit nervous and shifter her weight. "No, that's an easy decision," he said so quietly she barely heard. Hermione didn't move except to blink once convulsively as Draco bent his head and kissed her, not just a peck either, he slid his tongue into her mouth and caressed the sore spot for a second before stepping back. she didn't even feel the pain anymore. She was more disturbed by the way her lips decided to tingle, and by the fact that she couldn't help licking and then rubbing her lips together. He tasted good. Wait, what did she just say?
He stepped back, keeping eye contact, then leaned over and whispered, "I love a woman in red," and caressed her stomach for less than a full second.
She stood there, stunned. Why was she here in the first place?
A/N: Thank you so much for reading! Seriously, you guys are the best. The other day I was sad and I was reading the reviews and they made me so happy I started writing again. Feedback is always appreciated! Mwah! (oh and ideas too, cause I'm in this thing w/ my eyes closed!)