Here's many, many thanks to Tortuga23, Clover, Miyuki and Shmee for your
reviews. This is really short (sorry) but I've been busy listening to
Meteora, and reading up stuff on Mike Shinoda... So... More soon! :)
Chapter 30
"I knew you'd come," smirked Draco, bending down to plant a kiss on her neck.
Hermione trembled the way Draco expected her to. However, he did not expect her to take a step backwards. She took a shuddering breath to steady herself. If she wanted to be firm and take charge of their situation, it had to be now.
"Draco," she tried, her voice quivering.
Draco's smirk broadened. No. Hermione knew that she had to try again.
"Draco." 'There,' thought Hermione with a tinge of satisfaction. "You wanted to do work, then work it is. I won't settle for less. Or - or more, or I'll go back into the Gryffindor common room and do the work with Harry and Ron instead."
"You will?" Sneered Draco.
"I won't?" Returned Hermione.
Draco's sneer evaporated. "Fine," he said. "Let's go."
Then, he turned on his heel sharply, and headed for the Prefects' tower, Hermione following meekly behind, in his wake.
'Hermione,' she thought to herself. 'Hermione, there is no reason why you should be afraid. You just won, see? He listened to you! Don't be afraid. The dragon's fire isn't as hot as it seems. And he isn't as fierce as you think he is. So just be brave. Look brave.'
Trying not to giggle, Hermione squared he shoulders, stuck out her chest, raised her chin, and walked in a perfectly straight line. However, when a pair of first-year Ravenclaw girls walked by her, staring strangely, she had to assume her normal posture.
In the Prefects' common room, sixth and seventh year prefects were seated in couches, reading while sipping warm mugs of butterbeer or playing wizard's chess. Only a few a few Prefects looked up then went back to their books. One glance around the room told them that Cho was not there; her usual seat at the wooden table was empty.
Draco leaned towards her. "Better hurry to my room before anyone notices," he whispered.
Not answering, Hermione made for his room.
Inside the dim place, Hermione wondered where to sit. The bed? His chair? She wondered if she could draw the curtains. 'Oh well', she thought, getting up and pulling the curtains to one side.
Draco squinted at the sudden exposure. "You could've at least told me," he mumbled, blinking.
"What are we supposed to do?" Said Hermione, her tone cold.
Draco stared at her. "Don't tell me that I'm supposed to work with the ice queen today."
"You are," snapped Hermione. "Like it or not."
***
"Ginny, where are you going?"
Ginny turned around to look at Harry, who was still sitting on the couch. She shrugged.
"For a walk outside, I guess. I need the fresh air."
Harry wanted, more than anything else at that moment, to go with her, but he knew she needed her own space. "Okay. Don't be too long," he said, smiling at her.
Ginny nodded, and left the common room. She had so much homework left to do, but she just wanted to relax and get away from everything. "Out of sight, out of mind," she muttered to herself.
As she pushed the door to the outside open, she heard her name being called. Pausing, she turned and saw Seamus running towards her, his sandy brown hair getting into his eyes. Involuntarily, Ginny smiled.
"Hi, Seamus," said Ginny, as he caught up with her.
Outside the air was colder than usual. Ginny looked at the trees, and saw that they were starting to turn red and yellow.
"Hey," he said, in his husky voice.
Ginny found herself smiling again as she nimbly skipped down the stairs.
"What brings you here?" Said Ginny, tilting her head as she surveyed her surroundings, wondering where to walk.
"Just need some space of my own," Seamus said, as they walked towards the gardens. "You know, in a dormitory with four other guys - it's just crazy, sometimes. I mean, they're all cool people, don't get me wrong, but I need some space to breathe."
"Am I in your space?" Ginny found herself flirting with him.
"Oh, even if you were I wouldn't mind at all."
Ginny blushed. 'Harry,' whispered a dry voice in her head. 'So what?' She answered the voice. 'It's not like Harry's laid a claim on me.' 'Ah,' the voice laughed softly. 'Playing the Game?'
"Ginny?" Seamus, who was almost a head taller than her, was snapping his fingers in front of her face.
"Sorry," she laughed, a little nervously. "Spaced out."
"I can see that," he laughed.
With a jolt, Ginny realized that she was feeling for Seamus the way she had for Harry in her first year. "Oh. No."
"What?"
Ginny jumped. "Uh? Er, sorry. Nothing. Just - thinking."
Seamus brushed his hair away and smiled at her. "I could make you come down to earth, you know?"
"Really?" Ginny laughed, as they stopped by a just-pruned rose bush. "How?"
"I'll show you," Seamus murmured under his breath, as he closed his eyes and leaned towards her.
'He's going to kiss me!' Ginny realized, just as their lips met. Danger signs flashed in her head, but she merely shut them out.
When they pulled away, Seamus was smiling.
Ginny didn't know whether to laugh or to cry. What had she just done? Seamus could read her expression.
"I'm sorry," he said, kicking an imaginary stone out of his way as he continued to walk down the pebble pathway.
Ginny had to jog to keep up with him. "No, Seamus," she said, catching hold of his forearm.
Seamus didn't meet Ginny's unwavering gaze.
"Look at me! Seamus!"
"No, Ginny. Just go. Leave me alone. You belong to Harry. What was I thinking?" Then, shrugging Ginny's arm off, he stalked off, leaving Ginny in his wake, tears welling up in her eyes.
Chapter 30
"I knew you'd come," smirked Draco, bending down to plant a kiss on her neck.
Hermione trembled the way Draco expected her to. However, he did not expect her to take a step backwards. She took a shuddering breath to steady herself. If she wanted to be firm and take charge of their situation, it had to be now.
"Draco," she tried, her voice quivering.
Draco's smirk broadened. No. Hermione knew that she had to try again.
"Draco." 'There,' thought Hermione with a tinge of satisfaction. "You wanted to do work, then work it is. I won't settle for less. Or - or more, or I'll go back into the Gryffindor common room and do the work with Harry and Ron instead."
"You will?" Sneered Draco.
"I won't?" Returned Hermione.
Draco's sneer evaporated. "Fine," he said. "Let's go."
Then, he turned on his heel sharply, and headed for the Prefects' tower, Hermione following meekly behind, in his wake.
'Hermione,' she thought to herself. 'Hermione, there is no reason why you should be afraid. You just won, see? He listened to you! Don't be afraid. The dragon's fire isn't as hot as it seems. And he isn't as fierce as you think he is. So just be brave. Look brave.'
Trying not to giggle, Hermione squared he shoulders, stuck out her chest, raised her chin, and walked in a perfectly straight line. However, when a pair of first-year Ravenclaw girls walked by her, staring strangely, she had to assume her normal posture.
In the Prefects' common room, sixth and seventh year prefects were seated in couches, reading while sipping warm mugs of butterbeer or playing wizard's chess. Only a few a few Prefects looked up then went back to their books. One glance around the room told them that Cho was not there; her usual seat at the wooden table was empty.
Draco leaned towards her. "Better hurry to my room before anyone notices," he whispered.
Not answering, Hermione made for his room.
Inside the dim place, Hermione wondered where to sit. The bed? His chair? She wondered if she could draw the curtains. 'Oh well', she thought, getting up and pulling the curtains to one side.
Draco squinted at the sudden exposure. "You could've at least told me," he mumbled, blinking.
"What are we supposed to do?" Said Hermione, her tone cold.
Draco stared at her. "Don't tell me that I'm supposed to work with the ice queen today."
"You are," snapped Hermione. "Like it or not."
***
"Ginny, where are you going?"
Ginny turned around to look at Harry, who was still sitting on the couch. She shrugged.
"For a walk outside, I guess. I need the fresh air."
Harry wanted, more than anything else at that moment, to go with her, but he knew she needed her own space. "Okay. Don't be too long," he said, smiling at her.
Ginny nodded, and left the common room. She had so much homework left to do, but she just wanted to relax and get away from everything. "Out of sight, out of mind," she muttered to herself.
As she pushed the door to the outside open, she heard her name being called. Pausing, she turned and saw Seamus running towards her, his sandy brown hair getting into his eyes. Involuntarily, Ginny smiled.
"Hi, Seamus," said Ginny, as he caught up with her.
Outside the air was colder than usual. Ginny looked at the trees, and saw that they were starting to turn red and yellow.
"Hey," he said, in his husky voice.
Ginny found herself smiling again as she nimbly skipped down the stairs.
"What brings you here?" Said Ginny, tilting her head as she surveyed her surroundings, wondering where to walk.
"Just need some space of my own," Seamus said, as they walked towards the gardens. "You know, in a dormitory with four other guys - it's just crazy, sometimes. I mean, they're all cool people, don't get me wrong, but I need some space to breathe."
"Am I in your space?" Ginny found herself flirting with him.
"Oh, even if you were I wouldn't mind at all."
Ginny blushed. 'Harry,' whispered a dry voice in her head. 'So what?' She answered the voice. 'It's not like Harry's laid a claim on me.' 'Ah,' the voice laughed softly. 'Playing the Game?'
"Ginny?" Seamus, who was almost a head taller than her, was snapping his fingers in front of her face.
"Sorry," she laughed, a little nervously. "Spaced out."
"I can see that," he laughed.
With a jolt, Ginny realized that she was feeling for Seamus the way she had for Harry in her first year. "Oh. No."
"What?"
Ginny jumped. "Uh? Er, sorry. Nothing. Just - thinking."
Seamus brushed his hair away and smiled at her. "I could make you come down to earth, you know?"
"Really?" Ginny laughed, as they stopped by a just-pruned rose bush. "How?"
"I'll show you," Seamus murmured under his breath, as he closed his eyes and leaned towards her.
'He's going to kiss me!' Ginny realized, just as their lips met. Danger signs flashed in her head, but she merely shut them out.
When they pulled away, Seamus was smiling.
Ginny didn't know whether to laugh or to cry. What had she just done? Seamus could read her expression.
"I'm sorry," he said, kicking an imaginary stone out of his way as he continued to walk down the pebble pathway.
Ginny had to jog to keep up with him. "No, Seamus," she said, catching hold of his forearm.
Seamus didn't meet Ginny's unwavering gaze.
"Look at me! Seamus!"
"No, Ginny. Just go. Leave me alone. You belong to Harry. What was I thinking?" Then, shrugging Ginny's arm off, he stalked off, leaving Ginny in his wake, tears welling up in her eyes.