Chapter 9- Compromising Positions

I repeated the question when Draco didn't respond. "Draco, what'd you want to talk to me about?" I still couldn't hear anything. "Draco? Hello?" I began to turn around slowly. When I finally turned around, I was mid-blink, and couldn't see anything. At least that was until I felt something warm and slightly wet touch my mouth and my eyes flew open, then snapped shut again. A chill spread down my spine and through the rest of my body, until finally the only warm part of my were my lips. Then warmth spread out of my chest, infiltrating the depths of my soul. Thousands of thoughts, startled out of hiding whirled through my head; yet somehow, I couldn't focus on anything.

As my mind processed, my sense of touch told me that Draco's mouth had been removed from mine. My eyes fluttered open, it was just then that I realized I was still holding something. I looked down and felt my cheeks heat, it was one of my bras. I quickly tossed it aside, and watched out of the corner of my eye as it slid under Pansy's bed.

My eyes then inadvertently strayed up into Draco's. It was just then that I noticed how tall he'd grown. Up until now he'd just been a small little brother to me. What was he now?

I still didn't know what to say. "Draco- I." I shook my head at my unusual loss of words. Had there been any signs, how many had I ignored? I inwardly scolded myself; I was only making things more uncomfortable. I looked close at his eyes, how cold they looked. What I wouldn't do to know what lay hidden behind them; he wasn't letting anything slip, even in this moment of extreme emotion.

When I was pretty sure that he wasn't going to say anything, I turned around to retrieve my bra. I pressed it down as small as I could so that I could almost close my fist around it. I suddenly realized how stupid and immature I must look. Wasn't this the same boy that I had just tossed this same bra to just a while earlier? As if to prove my comfort (which by now was nonexistent) I un-bunched it, only holding onto one edge.

I turned around, expecting to find Draco still standing there, but he wasn't anywhere to be seen. "Draco. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you feel bad." I spoke out into the emptiness. Finally I gave up, assuming that he'd left, and inwardly cursed myself. He'd only walked out on me without warning about three or four times before now. He only did it when something really bothered him (usually me, sometimes his home life, now I assumed that it was me.) I sweeped all of my things from the table where they'd been resting, and carelessly threw them onto my bed.

I flew down the stairs, bumping into a third year, pausing only to quickly mutter brief, unfelt apologies. He glared at me and muttered "Bitch." So I pushed him over again, without any apologies.

When I got down into the common room I looked around; nope, no Draco. I sighed and rolled my eyes before running out into the hallway. I was in such a hurry that I ran into someone again. They dropped some papers and books that they'd been holding, but I didn't care. At least until I heard them call out "Hey!"

"Ron?" I whirled around, seeing the tall boy kneeling over a large mess, trying to pick up all of his things before they got soaked in the ink that he'd luckily dropped about a foot and a half away. "Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to do that." I bent down to help him pick up his stuff. "By the way, have you seen Draco?"

"Why would I see that?" He asked, making a face.

"Ron, come on, why can't you two just get along?"

"You mean get along? With that?"

"RON!"

"Yeah, I saw him. He went down the hall, then turned left." Ron sighed.

"Thanks a lot." I unintentionally shoved his books roughly back into his arms.

Trying to balance himself, Ron leaned forward. Which helped him; for about a second! Then it just threw his balance forward, knocking him into me. I toppled backwards, and he landed on top of me. "Ouch." I moaned, "man Ron! That hurt." But as if it wasn't bad enough that we were in such an embarrassing position, nope, Harry had to come along and happen to see.

First Harry didn't even notice; he just saw a mess, and people sprawled on the ground. So being Harry, of course he ran over to help us. Then he stopped mid-run; we could hear laughing, as Harry doubled over. "Oh my." He kept talking but it was indistinguishable through his laughter. "Rose." more laughter, "Ron!" Then he collapsed down, into a quivering heap of laughter.

I looked up and realized how close Ron's face was to mine. Something that I'm sure that he didn't notice, because he was scowling at Harry. "Ron," I began, and he looked down at me, but I suddenly couldn't speak. His eyes were so. green.

He raised his eyebrows "Yes?"

I cleared my throat a few times, then I closed my eyes, and suddenly I could talk again. "Ron, you can get off of me now."

"Right." He rolled over. Then he suddenly gave a loud yelp, and rolled back onto me.

"What, may I ask, was that about?"

"Ink."

Then I realized I was next to the ink. "Ron, there is another side here."

"Oh, right." He blushed, which made me laugh.

"When's the yellow brick road quest?"

"What?"

"Ask Harry, but please do after you're off of me!"

"Okay."

When Ron and I had finally untangled our limbs, I had Harry help with Ron's books, but not after giving him a nice little push, which nicely knocked him over without hurting him.

All that I could say (well technically think) was that I was glad it had been Harry, not Draco. Which reminded me of my original task, find Draco. "Ron, he went left right?"

"Yeah, left, whatever."

I ran down the hall, and just as I turned the corner I could hear Ron saying, "Hey, Harry, what's a yellow brick road?" And I couldn't help but laugh.

**So what'd you think? To the one or two people who're actually reading this. **