Disclaimer: you know the drill. I don't own Harry Potter and all that
stuff, although I wouldn't mind owning Draco Malfoy.
~*~
Thank You's
~*~
SIAS: hehe I left a long cliffie.
Ellie Love: yes I know it was graphic.
Amanda: grr to you and your review manda, grrrrr.
artsgirl15: *gets all giddy with excitement* yay, she thinks I write well.
FredWeasleysgurl4ever: *grins* ok ok, here you go! No, I don't mind if you use the plot, its most likely been used before.
lost-wanderer: ya big meanie always pickin on me
heather: im writing see, im writing!
DemonWitch666: yeah, harry is a bit clueless, isn't he? Hmmm. . .i don't know if I should change that. I'll think about it though.
Cowgirlkk12: your wish has been granted, me lady.
Draconmione: I tried to not make it do that, but it sorta happened like that.
Kickedoutofthegoblet: aww thanks man
Midnight-Primrose Riddle: *sigh* I've always loved your reviews, but this one is by far the best.
Hotvollyballgrl: im spiffy.
kris10michelle: hehe, here ya go.
Amber: hehe thanks
Katie Crickett: hmm you get two thankies in one chapter, you must feel spiffy.
Sonia: im glad you think I write so prettily, lol.
Leika Senara: thank you!
DragonGirl: thank you for the review and thank you for wishing me fun at my dad's!
Midnight-Primrose Riddle: you get two thankies too! Wow.
~*~
A/N: that was a bunch of thank yous. Hmmm, can I have even more next time??? I'll love you all forever!! Read and review read and review read and review!
~*~
Chapter 11
~*~
Hermione stared at Draco in confusion. "Wh-what are you doing here?" she asked softly.
Draco's lips pulled into a tiny smile. "I remembered you were here before, so I figured this is where you would most likely be."
"Why would you even care where I was?" Hermione asked petulantly.
Draco glanced at her. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Do you always answer a question with another question?" came her response.
"Do you?" he retorted. He glanced at her; she really wanted to know why he was there, he noticed. Her arms were crossed over her chest and she was chewing on her bottom lip nervously. "Fine, I was worried about you. There, you happy?"
Hermione sat there looking baffled. She just couldn't seem to comprehend why he, of all people, was worried about her. "You were worried about me? You? Mr. Perfect, hater of all things Gryffindor, Slytherin legend?"
Draco rolled his eyes. "Come on! You're smarter than that. You say I'm perfect, but I'm not, I've got no real friends, every girl who likes me is really only after money or something along those lines, I do not hate all things Gryffindor, in fact, I like one particular aspect of Gryffindor a lot, and a legend? Far from it. If I'm such a legend, then why is it I'm so lonely? Tell me, Granger, why is it I'm so lonely? I've never trusted a single soul, never. . .not until. . .well, never mind that, but what my point is, is that you've got me all wrong, I'm not who I used to be. I know I used to be an arrogant little bastard, and I'm sorry about that, really, I am, but I've changed," he finished.
Hermione sat there for a second before responding. "How have you changed? Ok, so you've been nicer than usual to me, but that's only because we share the same secret, I'm sure that if I was like I used to be, you would have absolutely nothing to do with me, I would still be mudblood Granger or something like that. Do you know how confused I am when I'm around you? Do you? I came to Hogwarts this year feeling one thing, and now. . .I feel something completely different, and it baffles me! I feel so vulnerable around you, like you could do something to hurt me at any moment, and I wouldn't be able to do anything about it. When I'm around you, I put my heart on the line, and I don't know why I keep doing it. I mean, you're Draco Malfoy, for cripes sake! What point is there in putting your heart on the line when the person on the other end probably won't even try to catch it? There isn't any point to it. Yet, I keep doing it, look at me right now, I'm rambling incessantly, expressing my emotions to YOU. How do I know what you'll do with them? I don't know. How do I know what I'll even do with them?"
"You'll follow your heart, that's when you'll know what to do with them," he mumbled.
Hermione threw her arms in the air. "Follow my heart, he says. You know what the tough part about following your heart is? It's what people forget to mention. Sometimes your heart takes you places you shouldn't be. Places that are scary as they are exciting. And as dangerous as they are alluring. Sometimes your heart takes you to places that could never lead you to a happy ending. And that's not even the difficult part. The difficult part is, when you follow your heart, you leave normal. You go into the unknown. And once you do, you can never go back. . .ever."
It was Draco's turn to be peevish. "You know what's wrong with you, Miss I- can't-follow-my-heart? Your chicken. You've got no guts. You're afraid to stick out your chin and walk forward. You call yourself a smart person, a free spirit, and you're terrified somebody's going to stick you in a cage. Well you know what? You're already in that cage. You built it yourself and it's not bounded on the west by Hogsmeade, or in the south by London. It's wherever you go, because no matter where you run, you just end up running into yourself. I know what your father did to you, mine did the same thing, but face it, Hermione, it's in the past. It might hurt, but you gotta let it be in the past, because that's the only time you'll ever find true happiness. You can't go through life with your head down, the only things you can look at from that point of view are your feet, and I'm sure your feet are outstanding, but lets face, it, that isn't the only thing you want to see for the rest of your life. You want to look forward, not down. You want to look ahead, search for your future, fall in love, do all the things you've always wanted to do. You have to stop feeling sorry for yourself or you'll get nowhere in life. Face the facts, Hermione. There is absolutely no point in sitting around and feeling sorry for yourself. The great power you have is to let it go. . .you focus on what you have, not which has been mean, or unkindly removed."
Hermione glanced up at him. "What about you? You don't seem to be looking forward every time I see you. You look about as happy as me most of the time. Why is it that you can tell me to look forward when you don't even do it yourself?"
"I'm looking forward now."
Hermione tutted, leaning against the piano. "Oh really? And what do you see?"
Draco muttered something under his breath.
"What was that? I didn't quite hear you," she prodded, her foot tapping impatiently on the floor.
Draco lifted his face so his eyes met hers. "I see you."
The foot jiggling stopped the moment the words left his mouth. Hermione sat there staring at him with an expression of utter confusion on her face.
"What?"
"I see YOU, ok, Hermione? I see you. I can't get you out of my head, no matter how hard I try. It just doesn't work. I've tried everything, but the matter of the fact is, is that you are irrevocably stuck in my head. And you know what else? I don't want you to leave."
Hermione sat there in silence for a while, letting it all sink in. Was he serious? How could he be? Draco Malfoy wanted Hermione Granger. . .it just wasn't possible. Was it?
She spoke suddenly, breaking the awkward silence that had fallen between them. "Everything you've said here tonight. . .you've made me forget anything else existed. It just can't be real."
Draco's gray eyes pierced Hermione's brown ones, "It's the most real I've ever felt."
Hermione shook her head, it couldn't be real, there was no way. "What exactly are you saying? What do you mean by it's the most real you've ever felt? What do you mean?" she whispered.
"It means, Hermione, that I think I'm in love with you."
She blanched. "What??"
Draco rolled his eyes, "Dammit, Hermione, if you can't listen, then you have to feel."
He leaned forward, his hand on her cheekbone, rubbing the soft skin lightly. She looked up at him with tears in her eyes, from happiness or fear or sadness, he couldn't tell. He brought his other hand up to the other side of her face, caressing her cheek with the utmost gentleness.
Hermione closed her eyes, her breaths were becoming quicker, and she shook every time she inhaled. She sighed slightly before looking back up at him. His caresses were filled with warmth and kindness, and she found herself leaning into his hands. It had been so long since she had been touched, lovingly, at least, and she tried to savor as much as she could. No longer was this Draco Malfoy, her archenemy, her nemesis, her rival, but Draco Malfoy, the one person that could save her from the cruel and harsh world, the one person that she belonged to.
"Feel what?" she asked softly, almost incoherently.
He brought his thumb down to her mouth and brushed it over her lips. She trembled under his touch, her lips parting slightly.
"That," came his soft reply.
Hermione stared into his eyes. The eyes she had hated for so many years, the ones that seemed as if they were ice for the longest time. There was something in them that she had never seen before. . .passion.
She gulped slightly before she spoke, "My lips are numb. . ."
Draco gave her a crooked smile and leaned in closer to her. Their lips were no more than an inch away from each other. Hermione's heart quickened as he brought his hand to the nape of her neck, his fingers gently dancing through the waves in her hair. Slowly he pulled her closer to him. She closed her eyes in anticipation, and then, finally, his lips were on hers. She sighed as he parted her lips with his tongue, deepening the kiss.
It had started out slowly, and it got a bit more playful, until finally, there was a full fledged war going on between their lips, their tongues, there innermost desires poured out into the other's mouth, passions that had just been found collided as they shared the one thing that held any real value, the one thing that could tell two people how they really felt about each other. A kiss. . .so simple, yet filled with so much power and emotion.
They broke apart after a while, forced to come up for air. Both of their faces were flushed, cheeks tinged with red, both breathing hard, trying to catch their breath, foreheads pressed together, hands clasped tightly to the other's hands. Draco gave a small laugh. "Believe me, your lips are not numb."
Hermione gave him a small smile before going in for a second go around. It seemed as if they were on that stool for centuries, neither of them quite quenching their thirst for the one across from them.
As they stood up to leave, Hermione glanced at Draco, before looking down at the floor, unable to hide the huge grin on her face.
Draco lifted her chin. "What?"
Hermione smiled wider before answering him. "For the longest time I thought I would never love anyone. Then you showed up. . .and, well, I just realized that I've loved and hated the same person."
He laughed a little. "That goes for me, too, I guess. Kind of funny the way things turn out, isn't it?"
Hermione nodded, still unable to control the smile her face wore. She was happy, and it was because of him, Draco Malfoy, of all people, had made her happy. And she wouldn't have it any other way.
~*~
Lucius Malfoy stood by the fireplace in his manor, reading and rereading the letter he had just received.
'Dear Mr. Malfoy-
Draco has fallen for that mudblood Hermione Granger. He thinks he's in love with her, but I'm working on changing that. Then again, maybe you could change it more than I could ever possibly hope to. . .
-Pansy Parkinson'
Lucius balled the letter in his hands, his features darkening as he threw it into the fire. His son would have to be punished. . .and soon.
~*~
A/N: so? How is it? This is the first time I've ever tried to write something romantic like, so bear with me. Sorry if it was bad, I'm new at this. Ok, well, read, review, and have a fun time doing so!
~*~
Thank You's
~*~
SIAS: hehe I left a long cliffie.
Ellie Love: yes I know it was graphic.
Amanda: grr to you and your review manda, grrrrr.
artsgirl15: *gets all giddy with excitement* yay, she thinks I write well.
FredWeasleysgurl4ever: *grins* ok ok, here you go! No, I don't mind if you use the plot, its most likely been used before.
lost-wanderer: ya big meanie always pickin on me
heather: im writing see, im writing!
DemonWitch666: yeah, harry is a bit clueless, isn't he? Hmmm. . .i don't know if I should change that. I'll think about it though.
Cowgirlkk12: your wish has been granted, me lady.
Draconmione: I tried to not make it do that, but it sorta happened like that.
Kickedoutofthegoblet: aww thanks man
Midnight-Primrose Riddle: *sigh* I've always loved your reviews, but this one is by far the best.
Hotvollyballgrl: im spiffy.
kris10michelle: hehe, here ya go.
Amber: hehe thanks
Katie Crickett: hmm you get two thankies in one chapter, you must feel spiffy.
Sonia: im glad you think I write so prettily, lol.
Leika Senara: thank you!
DragonGirl: thank you for the review and thank you for wishing me fun at my dad's!
Midnight-Primrose Riddle: you get two thankies too! Wow.
~*~
A/N: that was a bunch of thank yous. Hmmm, can I have even more next time??? I'll love you all forever!! Read and review read and review read and review!
~*~
Chapter 11
~*~
Hermione stared at Draco in confusion. "Wh-what are you doing here?" she asked softly.
Draco's lips pulled into a tiny smile. "I remembered you were here before, so I figured this is where you would most likely be."
"Why would you even care where I was?" Hermione asked petulantly.
Draco glanced at her. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Do you always answer a question with another question?" came her response.
"Do you?" he retorted. He glanced at her; she really wanted to know why he was there, he noticed. Her arms were crossed over her chest and she was chewing on her bottom lip nervously. "Fine, I was worried about you. There, you happy?"
Hermione sat there looking baffled. She just couldn't seem to comprehend why he, of all people, was worried about her. "You were worried about me? You? Mr. Perfect, hater of all things Gryffindor, Slytherin legend?"
Draco rolled his eyes. "Come on! You're smarter than that. You say I'm perfect, but I'm not, I've got no real friends, every girl who likes me is really only after money or something along those lines, I do not hate all things Gryffindor, in fact, I like one particular aspect of Gryffindor a lot, and a legend? Far from it. If I'm such a legend, then why is it I'm so lonely? Tell me, Granger, why is it I'm so lonely? I've never trusted a single soul, never. . .not until. . .well, never mind that, but what my point is, is that you've got me all wrong, I'm not who I used to be. I know I used to be an arrogant little bastard, and I'm sorry about that, really, I am, but I've changed," he finished.
Hermione sat there for a second before responding. "How have you changed? Ok, so you've been nicer than usual to me, but that's only because we share the same secret, I'm sure that if I was like I used to be, you would have absolutely nothing to do with me, I would still be mudblood Granger or something like that. Do you know how confused I am when I'm around you? Do you? I came to Hogwarts this year feeling one thing, and now. . .I feel something completely different, and it baffles me! I feel so vulnerable around you, like you could do something to hurt me at any moment, and I wouldn't be able to do anything about it. When I'm around you, I put my heart on the line, and I don't know why I keep doing it. I mean, you're Draco Malfoy, for cripes sake! What point is there in putting your heart on the line when the person on the other end probably won't even try to catch it? There isn't any point to it. Yet, I keep doing it, look at me right now, I'm rambling incessantly, expressing my emotions to YOU. How do I know what you'll do with them? I don't know. How do I know what I'll even do with them?"
"You'll follow your heart, that's when you'll know what to do with them," he mumbled.
Hermione threw her arms in the air. "Follow my heart, he says. You know what the tough part about following your heart is? It's what people forget to mention. Sometimes your heart takes you places you shouldn't be. Places that are scary as they are exciting. And as dangerous as they are alluring. Sometimes your heart takes you to places that could never lead you to a happy ending. And that's not even the difficult part. The difficult part is, when you follow your heart, you leave normal. You go into the unknown. And once you do, you can never go back. . .ever."
It was Draco's turn to be peevish. "You know what's wrong with you, Miss I- can't-follow-my-heart? Your chicken. You've got no guts. You're afraid to stick out your chin and walk forward. You call yourself a smart person, a free spirit, and you're terrified somebody's going to stick you in a cage. Well you know what? You're already in that cage. You built it yourself and it's not bounded on the west by Hogsmeade, or in the south by London. It's wherever you go, because no matter where you run, you just end up running into yourself. I know what your father did to you, mine did the same thing, but face it, Hermione, it's in the past. It might hurt, but you gotta let it be in the past, because that's the only time you'll ever find true happiness. You can't go through life with your head down, the only things you can look at from that point of view are your feet, and I'm sure your feet are outstanding, but lets face, it, that isn't the only thing you want to see for the rest of your life. You want to look forward, not down. You want to look ahead, search for your future, fall in love, do all the things you've always wanted to do. You have to stop feeling sorry for yourself or you'll get nowhere in life. Face the facts, Hermione. There is absolutely no point in sitting around and feeling sorry for yourself. The great power you have is to let it go. . .you focus on what you have, not which has been mean, or unkindly removed."
Hermione glanced up at him. "What about you? You don't seem to be looking forward every time I see you. You look about as happy as me most of the time. Why is it that you can tell me to look forward when you don't even do it yourself?"
"I'm looking forward now."
Hermione tutted, leaning against the piano. "Oh really? And what do you see?"
Draco muttered something under his breath.
"What was that? I didn't quite hear you," she prodded, her foot tapping impatiently on the floor.
Draco lifted his face so his eyes met hers. "I see you."
The foot jiggling stopped the moment the words left his mouth. Hermione sat there staring at him with an expression of utter confusion on her face.
"What?"
"I see YOU, ok, Hermione? I see you. I can't get you out of my head, no matter how hard I try. It just doesn't work. I've tried everything, but the matter of the fact is, is that you are irrevocably stuck in my head. And you know what else? I don't want you to leave."
Hermione sat there in silence for a while, letting it all sink in. Was he serious? How could he be? Draco Malfoy wanted Hermione Granger. . .it just wasn't possible. Was it?
She spoke suddenly, breaking the awkward silence that had fallen between them. "Everything you've said here tonight. . .you've made me forget anything else existed. It just can't be real."
Draco's gray eyes pierced Hermione's brown ones, "It's the most real I've ever felt."
Hermione shook her head, it couldn't be real, there was no way. "What exactly are you saying? What do you mean by it's the most real you've ever felt? What do you mean?" she whispered.
"It means, Hermione, that I think I'm in love with you."
She blanched. "What??"
Draco rolled his eyes, "Dammit, Hermione, if you can't listen, then you have to feel."
He leaned forward, his hand on her cheekbone, rubbing the soft skin lightly. She looked up at him with tears in her eyes, from happiness or fear or sadness, he couldn't tell. He brought his other hand up to the other side of her face, caressing her cheek with the utmost gentleness.
Hermione closed her eyes, her breaths were becoming quicker, and she shook every time she inhaled. She sighed slightly before looking back up at him. His caresses were filled with warmth and kindness, and she found herself leaning into his hands. It had been so long since she had been touched, lovingly, at least, and she tried to savor as much as she could. No longer was this Draco Malfoy, her archenemy, her nemesis, her rival, but Draco Malfoy, the one person that could save her from the cruel and harsh world, the one person that she belonged to.
"Feel what?" she asked softly, almost incoherently.
He brought his thumb down to her mouth and brushed it over her lips. She trembled under his touch, her lips parting slightly.
"That," came his soft reply.
Hermione stared into his eyes. The eyes she had hated for so many years, the ones that seemed as if they were ice for the longest time. There was something in them that she had never seen before. . .passion.
She gulped slightly before she spoke, "My lips are numb. . ."
Draco gave her a crooked smile and leaned in closer to her. Their lips were no more than an inch away from each other. Hermione's heart quickened as he brought his hand to the nape of her neck, his fingers gently dancing through the waves in her hair. Slowly he pulled her closer to him. She closed her eyes in anticipation, and then, finally, his lips were on hers. She sighed as he parted her lips with his tongue, deepening the kiss.
It had started out slowly, and it got a bit more playful, until finally, there was a full fledged war going on between their lips, their tongues, there innermost desires poured out into the other's mouth, passions that had just been found collided as they shared the one thing that held any real value, the one thing that could tell two people how they really felt about each other. A kiss. . .so simple, yet filled with so much power and emotion.
They broke apart after a while, forced to come up for air. Both of their faces were flushed, cheeks tinged with red, both breathing hard, trying to catch their breath, foreheads pressed together, hands clasped tightly to the other's hands. Draco gave a small laugh. "Believe me, your lips are not numb."
Hermione gave him a small smile before going in for a second go around. It seemed as if they were on that stool for centuries, neither of them quite quenching their thirst for the one across from them.
As they stood up to leave, Hermione glanced at Draco, before looking down at the floor, unable to hide the huge grin on her face.
Draco lifted her chin. "What?"
Hermione smiled wider before answering him. "For the longest time I thought I would never love anyone. Then you showed up. . .and, well, I just realized that I've loved and hated the same person."
He laughed a little. "That goes for me, too, I guess. Kind of funny the way things turn out, isn't it?"
Hermione nodded, still unable to control the smile her face wore. She was happy, and it was because of him, Draco Malfoy, of all people, had made her happy. And she wouldn't have it any other way.
~*~
Lucius Malfoy stood by the fireplace in his manor, reading and rereading the letter he had just received.
'Dear Mr. Malfoy-
Draco has fallen for that mudblood Hermione Granger. He thinks he's in love with her, but I'm working on changing that. Then again, maybe you could change it more than I could ever possibly hope to. . .
-Pansy Parkinson'
Lucius balled the letter in his hands, his features darkening as he threw it into the fire. His son would have to be punished. . .and soon.
~*~
A/N: so? How is it? This is the first time I've ever tried to write something romantic like, so bear with me. Sorry if it was bad, I'm new at this. Ok, well, read, review, and have a fun time doing so!