Still wondering about Alaska? I had some interesting guesses. (Tango with
Polar Bears) Well wonder no longer! Here it is. This is the last state they
visit before they go to Europe! Yay!
Hermione glanced out the window and her gaze met ice. This was going to be interesting.
As the planes landed she and the rest of their minute gang slid, hobbled and tripped after the duo of professors towards a small frozen over pond. Laying beside the pond in a neat organized row were several pairs of ice skates.
Hermione groaned audibly. "Okay class, we are going to learn the muggle art of ice skating." Snape smiled evilly.
Hermione remembered attending Hannah Skillet's eighth birthday party and being the only person who could skate. Her classmates had hated her because they envied her ability. Ever since then they had mocked and ridiculed her. She did not want the event repeated.
Draco watched the expressions cross her face with worry. "Hermione? Are you all right?" He himself was very good at ice-skating and was more than willing to teach her how if that was her concern.
"I'm fine." She said flatly. McGonagall told them to put on the skates and the students obeyed reluctantly.
Draco glided on to the ice and waited for Hermione. The spell put on them dictated they had to skate together. Hermione slid to him and took his hand. They took off together, their bodies moving as one.
Harry watched them for a moment before Pansy pulled his unwilling body onto the ice. The two made a genuine attempt to skate but wound up on the ice, Harry on top of Pansy.
"Having fun Harry?" Ron asked skating in a circle around them.
"Shut up Ron!" Harry yelled as he tried to remove his weight from Pansy and failed, falling on her a second time.
"Harry, I'm beginning to think you want me here." Pansy said. Harry's eyes widened. He scrambled off her hurriedly.
Draco lifted Hermione's slight weight gracefully into the air and caught sight of Ron. Ron was coming toward them. He sat Hermione down gently at the red head's approach.
"Hermione can I speak with you" He glanced at Draco. "Privately."
"She can only go seven feet Weasley." Draco reminded.
Ron glared at Draco. "That's enough." Ron replied coldly.
Draco bowed mockingly and glided away and turned to watch.
"What is it Ron?" She asked quietly. He grasped her upper arm firmly and gave her a shake. "Do you have any idea what you're doing?" He hissed.
"Skating?" She asked quizzically
"You're becoming friends with Malfoy!"
"This is a crime? People can change, Ron. Apparently you're one of them." She tried to free herself from his grasp. His grip was painful. Her squirming only caused him to squeeze harder.
"What did he do, black mail you, bribe you?"
"Have you lost you're mind?" She demanded.
From his position Draco could see the argument but could not here the words. His eyes were on Ron's hold on her arm. He could see a bruise forming above the other male's thumb on Hermione's pale skin.
Anger swelled inside Draco. He longed to feel Ron's neck snap beneath his hands. Could he not see the pain he was causing Hermione? His Hermione. That did it. The rage was too strong to leash.
Draco slid towards Ron and without thinking punched him squarely in the jaw. Ron flew backwards a good twelve feet. He didn't even give Ron a second glance but immediately turned to Hermione and her injury. He gently circled the purple bruise with his fingers.
"Malfoy!" Draco turned back to an infuriated Ron, placing his body between Hermione and Ron. Draco crouched and bore his silver eyes into Ron, a low growl rumbled in his throat menacingly.
Hermione placed a hand on Draco's shoulder. "Draco." She said. "I'm okay, please don't kill Ron." She pleaded.
He straightened and turned his back on Weasley. He placed his hand on Hermione's elbow to raise her upper arm enough to inspect as he directed them to the bank as far away from Ron as possible.
He examined the dead tissue. "He had no business touching you like that." He whispered softly. He gazed into her soft brown eyes.
She shrugged. "Ron tends to get carried away." She was defending him. After he was so awful to her she was defending him! Draco smiled. "You'd be friends with the devil himself." He said laughingly.
"I am." She replied with a smile.
He placed a hand over his heart in mock horror. "Are you insulting me?" He asked.
"Very good." She replied as if talking to a five year old. He stuck his tongue out at her.
She lifted a snowball and shot it at him but he dodged and it hit Harry who wasn't far off helping Ron up. Harry retaliated but struck Ginny instead. Her mouth fell open in disbelief. She threw one that hit Pansy and before long it was every man for himself.
Draco and Hermione took shelter behind a tall snow bank. "Look what you've done." He laughed. "Are you happy now?"
She smiled. "Not quite." A snowball slammed into his face. Oh now the little minx was in for it. He accumulated a gigantic amount of snow and chased after her into the line of fire.
She made to the opposite bank and removed her skates replacing them with shoes with Draco in hot pursuit wielding a snowball the size of her head. She ran into a nearby forest.
Draco cursed while he changed his footwear. You can't very well chase someone in skates. He kept his eyes on Hermione and took off again.
Hermione slashed her way through the trees hearing Draco's footfalls behind her. The fact she was leaving footprints in the snow didn't help matters. Suddenly the pounding of Draco's feet stopped. Bewildered, she too stopped.
She turned to examine her surroundings. A giant snowball came flying a little to her left and slammed into a tree. This was a sign.
Hermione turned to run again but Draco who leapt from the trees catching her in mid escape cut her flight short. However her momentum plowed them over and they rolled in the cold powder.
When they finally quit tumbling Hermione was on top of Draco. Both were laughing hysterically. Then, all of the sudden, Hermione leaned down and kissed Draco lightly.
"What was that for?" He asked, completely surprised.
"I don't know." She confessed honestly. "No one has ever fought for me." She whispered sadly as she laid her head on his chest. She could hear his heart beat steadily in her ear.
He lifted her face to gaze into her eyes. "I care about you. Not about school, grades, my family, none of it matters. My only regret is how I treated you for so long."
She replaced her head to its previous position above his heart. They lay there quietly for many minutes. "I forgive you." She whispered.
"Thank you." He replied softly.
"Mr. Malfoy!" They heard Snape's voice far into the distance. "Come on, they'll have the Ministry of Magic out if they don't find us." Draco said raising himself to a sitting position as Hermione stood. He rose beside her and started towards the other people.
Oh my Lord this chapter is so mushy! Oh well. Tell me what you think my loyal readers. If enough of you request a change in the plot I will have no choice to oblige you. Until next time.tata.
Hermione glanced out the window and her gaze met ice. This was going to be interesting.
As the planes landed she and the rest of their minute gang slid, hobbled and tripped after the duo of professors towards a small frozen over pond. Laying beside the pond in a neat organized row were several pairs of ice skates.
Hermione groaned audibly. "Okay class, we are going to learn the muggle art of ice skating." Snape smiled evilly.
Hermione remembered attending Hannah Skillet's eighth birthday party and being the only person who could skate. Her classmates had hated her because they envied her ability. Ever since then they had mocked and ridiculed her. She did not want the event repeated.
Draco watched the expressions cross her face with worry. "Hermione? Are you all right?" He himself was very good at ice-skating and was more than willing to teach her how if that was her concern.
"I'm fine." She said flatly. McGonagall told them to put on the skates and the students obeyed reluctantly.
Draco glided on to the ice and waited for Hermione. The spell put on them dictated they had to skate together. Hermione slid to him and took his hand. They took off together, their bodies moving as one.
Harry watched them for a moment before Pansy pulled his unwilling body onto the ice. The two made a genuine attempt to skate but wound up on the ice, Harry on top of Pansy.
"Having fun Harry?" Ron asked skating in a circle around them.
"Shut up Ron!" Harry yelled as he tried to remove his weight from Pansy and failed, falling on her a second time.
"Harry, I'm beginning to think you want me here." Pansy said. Harry's eyes widened. He scrambled off her hurriedly.
Draco lifted Hermione's slight weight gracefully into the air and caught sight of Ron. Ron was coming toward them. He sat Hermione down gently at the red head's approach.
"Hermione can I speak with you" He glanced at Draco. "Privately."
"She can only go seven feet Weasley." Draco reminded.
Ron glared at Draco. "That's enough." Ron replied coldly.
Draco bowed mockingly and glided away and turned to watch.
"What is it Ron?" She asked quietly. He grasped her upper arm firmly and gave her a shake. "Do you have any idea what you're doing?" He hissed.
"Skating?" She asked quizzically
"You're becoming friends with Malfoy!"
"This is a crime? People can change, Ron. Apparently you're one of them." She tried to free herself from his grasp. His grip was painful. Her squirming only caused him to squeeze harder.
"What did he do, black mail you, bribe you?"
"Have you lost you're mind?" She demanded.
From his position Draco could see the argument but could not here the words. His eyes were on Ron's hold on her arm. He could see a bruise forming above the other male's thumb on Hermione's pale skin.
Anger swelled inside Draco. He longed to feel Ron's neck snap beneath his hands. Could he not see the pain he was causing Hermione? His Hermione. That did it. The rage was too strong to leash.
Draco slid towards Ron and without thinking punched him squarely in the jaw. Ron flew backwards a good twelve feet. He didn't even give Ron a second glance but immediately turned to Hermione and her injury. He gently circled the purple bruise with his fingers.
"Malfoy!" Draco turned back to an infuriated Ron, placing his body between Hermione and Ron. Draco crouched and bore his silver eyes into Ron, a low growl rumbled in his throat menacingly.
Hermione placed a hand on Draco's shoulder. "Draco." She said. "I'm okay, please don't kill Ron." She pleaded.
He straightened and turned his back on Weasley. He placed his hand on Hermione's elbow to raise her upper arm enough to inspect as he directed them to the bank as far away from Ron as possible.
He examined the dead tissue. "He had no business touching you like that." He whispered softly. He gazed into her soft brown eyes.
She shrugged. "Ron tends to get carried away." She was defending him. After he was so awful to her she was defending him! Draco smiled. "You'd be friends with the devil himself." He said laughingly.
"I am." She replied with a smile.
He placed a hand over his heart in mock horror. "Are you insulting me?" He asked.
"Very good." She replied as if talking to a five year old. He stuck his tongue out at her.
She lifted a snowball and shot it at him but he dodged and it hit Harry who wasn't far off helping Ron up. Harry retaliated but struck Ginny instead. Her mouth fell open in disbelief. She threw one that hit Pansy and before long it was every man for himself.
Draco and Hermione took shelter behind a tall snow bank. "Look what you've done." He laughed. "Are you happy now?"
She smiled. "Not quite." A snowball slammed into his face. Oh now the little minx was in for it. He accumulated a gigantic amount of snow and chased after her into the line of fire.
She made to the opposite bank and removed her skates replacing them with shoes with Draco in hot pursuit wielding a snowball the size of her head. She ran into a nearby forest.
Draco cursed while he changed his footwear. You can't very well chase someone in skates. He kept his eyes on Hermione and took off again.
Hermione slashed her way through the trees hearing Draco's footfalls behind her. The fact she was leaving footprints in the snow didn't help matters. Suddenly the pounding of Draco's feet stopped. Bewildered, she too stopped.
She turned to examine her surroundings. A giant snowball came flying a little to her left and slammed into a tree. This was a sign.
Hermione turned to run again but Draco who leapt from the trees catching her in mid escape cut her flight short. However her momentum plowed them over and they rolled in the cold powder.
When they finally quit tumbling Hermione was on top of Draco. Both were laughing hysterically. Then, all of the sudden, Hermione leaned down and kissed Draco lightly.
"What was that for?" He asked, completely surprised.
"I don't know." She confessed honestly. "No one has ever fought for me." She whispered sadly as she laid her head on his chest. She could hear his heart beat steadily in her ear.
He lifted her face to gaze into her eyes. "I care about you. Not about school, grades, my family, none of it matters. My only regret is how I treated you for so long."
She replaced her head to its previous position above his heart. They lay there quietly for many minutes. "I forgive you." She whispered.
"Thank you." He replied softly.
"Mr. Malfoy!" They heard Snape's voice far into the distance. "Come on, they'll have the Ministry of Magic out if they don't find us." Draco said raising himself to a sitting position as Hermione stood. He rose beside her and started towards the other people.
Oh my Lord this chapter is so mushy! Oh well. Tell me what you think my loyal readers. If enough of you request a change in the plot I will have no choice to oblige you. Until next time.tata.