Chapter 14- Draco vs. Ronan, round 1 DING!
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This chapter is so one of my favourites and I had a lot of fun writing it though technically I should have been learning my lines. The play is over now (ah the sweet sound of applause after the closing night!) and I can catch up on missed school work and long awaited chapters. Yay! Anyway this chapter is over 3000 words long to make up for not updating as soon as I said I would.
WARNING!!!!!: although mostly this story is rated pg-13 there are moments in this chapter which could be construed as R. They aren't too bad but if you are very easily offended about strong kissing maybe this chapter isn't for you!
'-'= thoughts
Disclaimer: How I wish Harry Potter was mine, I would get the fifth book out and get Draco and Hermione together…sadly I own nada.
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***
After a few moments Hermione gently disentangled herself from Ron and Harry and looked at them seriously.
"It's over now." She stated clearly and simply.
Then she turned and left the room. Both Harry and Ron breathed sighs of relief.
"There, she said it is over." Harry said and Ron nodded.
"Okay it is over we can put this whole Malfoy thing behind us and move on." Suddenly Ron's face split into a wide grin. "And it's Christmas tomorrow!"
Harry chuckled. That was the Ron he was used to!
"You know Harry." Ron said, serious once more, "I know something is going on and I just…well you know… the thing is…" he took a deep breath, "I'll be here for you when you're ready."
Harry smiled and nodded, pleased that for once Ron was just going to drop it. Ron was also glad that Harry had understood what he was trying to say and they left it at that.
***
Hermione glanced at herself one more time in Lavender's magical mirror then gave a soft chuckle. She had always thought Lavender stupid for buying the Modesty Mirror which only said nice things but as the mirror oh-ed and ah-ed over her complexion and figure she could definitely see the benefits! She quickly straightened her wispy green skirt and smoothed down her black suede shirt that she had decided to wear and double checked the warming charm she had placed upon both items of clothing was intact, after all she didn't want to be freezing in snowy Hogesmeade. Then she ran out of the dormitory and down to the great hall where she had said she would meet Ronan. He was already waiting in black trousers and a navy shirt which made him look older and more serious. Hermione smiled as she approached him and he grinned back somewhat shyly they then made their way down to the carriages and were soon speeding away towards the village. After a short and awkward silence Ronan said:
"So how is S.P.E.W. going?"
Hermione smiled remembering that Ronan was one of the few people who had bought one of her badges.
"Well I haven't really been able to put much time into it for a while because of school work and everything and, I'm ashamed to say, people's lack of enthusiasm but I haven't given up on it."
"Good." Ronan smiled, "you stand up for what is right."
Hermione narrowed her eyes at him and searched for signs of him making fun of her but to her surprise he was entirely serious.
"Have you got any house elves?" she asked him curiously. The Tompkins were a very old wizarding family and it stood to reason that they would have at least one.
Ronan reddened "Well yes, three. But after you started S.P.E.W I persuaded my parents to offer to free them."
"And did they accept?" Hermione asked eagerly
"Well one said she would like to wear real clothes but she didn't want to be freed or paid, one said he would like to get every second Saturday off to visit his mother but not be freed or paid and the oldest one got very offended at the suggestion and we had to give him extra work and punishments before he would forgive us."
Hermione sighed then smiled. "They are fascinating creatures aren't they?"
"Uh, yes." Ronan agreed and the rest of the ride was spent discussing elfish welfare which although wasn't exactly what the Hufflepuff had expected was better then the uncomfortable silence they had begun with.
***
Arriving in Hogesmeade they made their way to The Three Broomsticks for a warming butterbeer. They chatted happily about their friends and family, getting to know each other better and overcoming their shyness. Soon Hermione told him about the Alertapane but she only told him that it was for emergencies and told him none of the specifics. Four butterbeers later Ronan suddenly stood up and beckoned Hermione to follow him, curiously she did ducking past all the last-minute-Christmas-shoppers and trying to keep up with him. Soon Ronan noticed she was lagging behind and he reached back and took her hand sending a jolt of electricity down both their fingers. But still he did not slow down, they were almost out of Hogsmeade now and Hermione was beginning to worry. 'Where was her taking her? Was this some sort of plot? Was Voldemort going to come out of those bushes any minute?' panic welled up inside of her and she suddenly stopped so that Ronan was yanked back nearly off his feet.
"What's wrong?" he asked confusedly seeing her panic stricken face.
"Where are you taking me?" she asked harshly
"It's a surprise." He smiled cheekily and went to move off again but she held him back.
"Answer me!" she yelled.
"Hey what's wrong?" he asked more confused then ever.
"Nothing's wrong." She answered calmly. "But I want to know where you are taking me." Her eyes were filling up with tears and her vision was blurring.
Ronan studied her carefully and saw her eyes glistening. "Whoah, it's alright, I'm not going to do anything I just want to show you a place which is really special to me. I thought you'd like it too…" his voice faltered and he touched her arm gently "but if you don't want to go that's okay. We can go back to Hogwarts if you like."
Hermione took a deep calming breath. "No it's alright. I'm sorry I just panicked for a moment there. It is difficult to trust people when you are best friends with the boy who lived."
"I understand." Said Ronan softly trying to hide the pain he felt at being distrusted by her.
"Show me the place." Hermione whispered noticing how distressed he was. They began to walk once more but Ronan did not take her hand again.
***
"It's beautiful!" Hermione gasped as they stepped into a clearing of pines. "Where is that music coming from?"
Ronan beamed at her. "There is a legend that many years ago a pair of lovers eloped and decided to get married here. They didn't have enough money to have an orchestra playing at their wedding so they cast a spell on these pines so when the wind whistled through them they would play beautiful music."
"Oh" Hermione breathed "that is such a lovely story. And the music is so beautiful."
"Would you like to dance?" Ronan asked seriously holding out a hand. Hermione took it gracefully.
"Nothing would give me greater pleasure." She smiled.
They twirled and spun and soon snow began to fall around them.
"Colouake." Ronan whispered under his breath and the snow suddenly turned bright pinks, purples, blues, greens and every other colour in the rainbow. They glittered and when one fell on Hermione's nose she discovered it wasn't even cold.
"Oh!" she exclaimed again and laid her head against his chest watching the flakes sparkling and spinning around them. Soon, though, they noticed it was getting late and they broke apart.
"I've had a wonderful time Ronan, thankyou." Hermione murmured reaching out her hands and catching the delicate glittering snowflakes in her palms. Ronan smiled.
"I'm glad." he whispered gently taking one of her hands in his and giving it an affectionate squeeze. She turned to him then, her cheeks rosy from the cold and her eyes sparkling expectantly.
"Ronan…" she said softly as he tenderly pulled her towards him and wrapped his arms around her waist. They stared at each other for a long while until, hesitantly, Ronan began to lower his face towards hers. Suddenly Hermione's last kiss began playing rapidly before her eyes. 'Not now!' she thought desperately, 'I don't want to think of him now. This is different, Malfoy doesn't matter, he isn't important, this is different!' as if in defiance of her thoughts she leant in towards Ronan trying to clear her head of a certain blonde haired Slytherin when abruptly there was a flash of red light, Hermione glanced down at her pocket and saw the Alertapane flickering scarlet glow. Hermione said something extremely un-lady-like under her breath and pushed herself away from Ronan, albeit reluctantly.
"I'm so sorry about this Ronan but I have to go."
"What…?!" he asked confused and still a little bit dazed from their near kiss
Hermione gave him a small little smile and slipped her hand inside her pocket.
"See you back at Hogwarts" she said forlornly before squeezing the portkey tightly and disappearing with a slight pop.
***
Hermione raced up the stairs to the infirmary and flung the door open.
"Thank Merlin you are here!" Madam Pomfrey exclaimed pushing the sleeping draught into her hand. Hermione approached the bed and saw Draco there. It was the first encounter they had had since the night out by the lake but there was no time to think about that just then. She gently touched Jonathon's face and he calmed immediately staring up at her with something close to adoration.
"There, there, it's alright." Hermione whispered smoothing his hair with one hand and tipping the bottles contents into his mouth with the other.
Draco looked at Hermione. "Didn't ruin your little date did we?"
"Shut up Malfoy." She growled back still stroking Jonathon's hair absentmindedly.
"Get off him!" a voice shrieked. Hermione jumped up and off the bed as Mory came hurtling towards her. Draco moved in front of Hermione and caught the Hufflepuff calmly around the waist preventing her from getting to the startled Gryffindor. Madam Pomfrey hurried over and took Mory by the shoulders leading her over to one of the spare beds. "Miss Hague calm yourself, please. You are quite hysterical." She said worriedly. "Miss Granger, Mr Malfoy please leave, your presence is obviously disturbing her." Hermione whispered a quick hello and goodbye to Neville and then left with Draco close behind her.
***
They were silent for a few minutes then Draco said casually:
"You called me Malfoy again, I thought I told you to call me Draco."
"You can't order me to call you anything, I'll call you what you deserve."
"Oh so you mean when I kiss…"
Hermione hushed him as she heard footsteps coming up the hall she peeked around the corner and saw it was Ronan.
"Oh no." she moaned, "I can't face him now." And she hurried off in the opposite direction. Draco shook his head and wandered out into the corridor to face Ronan after all he was never one to pass up a bit of fun.
"Hello Ronan." He said coolly.
"Hello Malfoy" said Ronan between gritted teeth. He didn't know the Slytherin very well but he had heard the rumours that he had kissed Hermione and that was reason enough for Ronan to hate him.
"Looking for the mudblood Gryffindor, are you?"
Ronan's temper flared up instantly. "Don't you dare call her that." He snapped drawing himself up.
"Why not?" Draco teased, "after all she is only a mudblood and my mudblood at that."
"What do you mean your mudblood?" Ronan seethed
"Well I heard that she abandoned you in Hogsmeade to come running back to me. Yes that's right," he continued noting Ronan's nigh purple face, "I called her and ordered her to leave you and she did."
"That's not true!" Ronan yelled back, "she has an Alertapane which told her there was trouble that she needed to sort out. I don't know how you were involved but you were probably fighting with Ron and Harry or something and she came back to break you up."
"Do you think I really care what you believe? The truth of the matter is that Hermione is mine, she belongs to me."
"You're insane." Ronan knew Malfoy was just trying to stir him up but he didn't care, "she isn't a possession! She's a person, a very intelligent, happy, beautiful person and you are nothing to her."
"I am everything to her!" Draco bellowed taking Ronan by surprise. There was a long pause before the Hufflepuff whispered:
"I pity you."
Draco blinked confusedly. Pity? Then slowly a smirk spread across his pale face. "Pity me not, for I have everything." He whispered maliciously.
"You have nothing." Ronan stated turning away
The Slytherin's eyes blazed and he stalked forward gripping the other boy's arm so hard that he let out a hiss of pain. "I have everything." Draco said slowly and deliberately, "never doubt that Tompkins, I have her, mind, body and soul I have her." A cruel smile twisted his features, "and out of it all, it's her body that I like best!"
Ronan whirled around and punched him in the face. "You sick bastard!" he yelled throwing himself upon Draco lashing out wildly. "How dare you? How dare you say those things about her? I'll kill you!"
"What are you doing?" a shout from behind made them break apart. Hermione stood in the middle of the corridor with her hands on her hips and her eyes flashing dangerously. "Draco, what have you done?"
Malfoy deliberately wiped away a smear of blood from his bottom lip and looked at her accusingly. "What have I done?" he asked incredulously. "Your little boyfriend here just jumped me for no reason!"
"I find that too difficult to believe. You are never innocent, you have always done something to set my friends off and I've had enough. You leave my friends alone. You have a problem you come to me, understood?" Hermione growled this out and stood glaring at him, daring him to defy her. Draco lowered his eyes from hers signalling her triumph. Ronan reached past Draco and took Hermione's hand.
"Come on, I'll walk you back to your common room." she smiled and followed him however she was slightly uncomfortable at holding hands with him when Draco was so nearby 'why?' she questioned herself, 'I shouldn't care' but she did care and after a few minutes with the pretence of having to fix her hair she took her hand away.
***
Draco paced up and down the width of the corridor, seething. 'I'm going to get that stupid idiot!' the anger was coursing through his veins like molten lava and he needed to get it out of his system. He considered going to find Ron or Harry and fighting them but he knew they would probably be together and although he was no coward there was no fun in being beaten to a pulp. Then he thought about getting Pansy and…. but no, she didn't satisfy him anymore. There was only one thing that would gratify him now and it was at this minute being led away from him by the very person that had made him angry in the first place! He stopped pacing and began to march purposefully down the corridor after the pair.
***
Hermione had dropped a couple of paces behind Ronan and was examining the portraits because it wasn't often that she travelled this way, well that was what she was telling herself anyway. Suddenly a hand gripped hers but it came from behind so it wasn't Ronan.
"Oh no." she whispered before the persons other hand clamped down on her mouth. She was dragged backwards into a gap in the wall where suits of armour usually stood, though not in this case. She looked up into the grey eyes she was expecting and glowered at him. Draco pressed himself up against her in the tight space and didn't say anything. Hermione studied his eyes and saw that they were stormy, like rough seas; combining this with his furious face she decided it was definitely not a good sign. Draco stared back at her and his anger* intensified until, swiftly, he removed his hand from her mouth and replaced it with his lips. Later Hermione reflected at why she had been surprised. After all ever since his hand had caught hers she had been expecting (hoping even?) that it would come to pass. And come to pass it did Draco displayed none of the softness he had exhibited two nights ago and instead crushed his mouth to hers and forced his tongue in without so much as a by-your-leave. And she enjoyed it! Lord how she enjoyed it. There was something forbidden, passionate and scorching about this kiss which blew the other two away and in no time she was responding just as strongly venting her anger into him the way he was doing to her. But all good things must come to an end and Hermione was brought thudding down to reality by Draco's hand sliding up her thigh and his knee forcing its way between her legs. She yanked herself back and pushed away his hand furiously. As she tried to extricate herself from him he grabbed her around the waist with both hands.
"Non questo tempo oh impetuoso un." He whispered hoarsely into her ear. She stopped struggling for a moment, overcome by the soft caress of his body and voice.
"Ho avuto abbastanza di questi giochi" she said weakly sagging against him. Draco smirked his victory and pushed her up against the wall again, biting her bottom lip and letting his hands wander down from their position on her supple hips. Once again Hermione was shaken out of her reverie and she pushed him away from her, hard. Draco wasn't expecting her to fight again and stumbled back against the opposite wall.
"You little…" he snarled but he was cut off with a cutting slap across his cheek.
Hermione clenched her fists against her sides to prevent herself from lunging out at him again. Draco held his cheek in disbelief then the smirk reappeared.
"Just like old times." He murmured
A glimmer of a smile flickered across her features and then was gone, after another moment so was she. Flitting out of the gap and flying down the corridor after Ronan.
"Dammit!" Draco swore smashing his fist into the wall and creating a dent in the plaster. He was so angry he stormed away without bothering to fix the damage he had done, though the harm to the wall was nothing compared to the mischief he had done to a certain pretty Gryffindor girl's heart that day.
***
Ronan hadn't even noticed Hermione was gone. He had been happily reliving the day and how he had bested Malfoy at the end of it. It was only until he was nearly at the place where they would part that he looked back and saw she wasn't there. A moment later, however, she came running around the corner and caught up with him.
"Where did you go?" he asked noticing her flushed face and her hair in disarray.
"Oh, ah, my shoelace came undone." She lied quickly.
Ronan narrowed his eyes slightly but then nodded "Alright." He said "Well I guess you'd better hurry off and spend the rest of Christmas Eve with Harry and Ron."
Hermione nodded. "Yes, thankyou so much Ronan I had a really lovely day."
Ronan smiled and leant in to give her a goodbye kiss but panic rose in Hermione's eyes and she took an involuntary step back. Trying to cover his confusion Ronan took one of her hands and bestowed a soft kiss upon it.
"Thankyou." Hermione said again tears welling up inside her eyes and Ronan knew this thanks was more of an apology and a request for understanding. With a swift nod he granted her wishes and said nothing except:
"Promise me you'll let me take you out again some time."
Hermione gulped softly then nodded slowly with a weak smile.
"I would like that." She whispered, not wholly untruthfully.
Ronan dropped her hand and walked slowly away. 'What changed?' he thought miserably to himself, 'what happened?' he had no doubt in his mind that Malfoy was somehow involved. It was not Hermione's reluctance to kiss him after her earlier eagerness that convinced him that something was wrong, nor was it her inability to look him in the eye, no the thing that made him certain something was up was the fact that today Hermione had worn her buckled Mary Janes.
***
* or perhaps passion?!
"Non questo tempo oh impetuoso un." (not this time oh fiery one.)
"Ho avuto abbastanza di questi giochi" (I've had enough of these games)
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Phew, well that was a long chapter for me! Are you proud? You should be! I loved writing this chapter and the next one should be interesting too! And on to thankyous:
Snow White: I didn't actually think that chapter was any good but I needed to get something up. I think that everybody would freak if Harry's wand started acting up but I think we shall have to suspend belief for the time being. My problem with it was what if it was in his pocket? How would it spin around to face the right direction then?! Thankyou so much for your review it's fantastic to know that you are still reading!
Dracocrazy: Oh My God that is quite possibly the nicest thing ever! I don't think my story is even enough for a tiny blip in the JK polices radar but it was so excellent of you to say what you did! I guess explanation chapters are necessary but this one isn't so I hope you liked and the date was all you expected! Thankyou so much for reviewing and I will keep going!
TFG: well I'm sorry you did have to wait a little but here I am again and hopefully I will be updating a lot quicker for chapters to come!
Sailor Earth: I know it took me such I long time and I am on my knees begging you to forgive me! Anyway I finally updated this chapter too and it is a little more interesting then the last one. I hope you enjoy, thankyou for reviewing!
The Great Duckie: Why thankyou that is very nice of you to say. Nothing like a good boost of confidence to get you writing again! I have tried hard to keep my characters in character but sometimes it is very hard and it was lovely of you to say I am dong alright! There is still a long way to go before I finish this so expect another chapter soon. Thankyou again for reviewing so wonderfully!
Sakura_angel90: Yes fluff is good and there is enough to choke on in this chapter! I don't think you can like fluff too much! I will keep writing thankyou and thankyou for reviewing!
Arwen: I totally agree with you about the Ron, Harry thing. Oh no! this is supposed to be D/Hr fic I can't persuade my readers to like Ron better…though I must admit that Ron is my second favourite character. Thankyou so much for saying my writing is great and sempre ricordare you are fantastico!
Vixen: I know it was a long break and believe me when I say
I am immeasurably sorry! I hope you love this chapter too as in my opinion it
is better then the last one, I didn't realise there were two vixens and you did
beat the other one as the other one didn't review! Thankyou for reviewing the
next chapter should be up sooner then this one…hopefully!
Stephanie: I'm glad you thought the oath was interesting I had to stretch my
imagination a bit to create it! I hope this chapter had enough Hermione/Draco
action for your liking and the new spell I invented lives up to the other one.
Thankyou very much for reviewing and I'll do my best to get the new chapter up
sooner.
Elenora: Wow, wonderful? Speechless? Fantastic! No need to wait any longer, I hope you enjoy this chapter too. Thankyou very much for reviewing!
A big, big thankyou to everybody for bearing with me during my long absence but I am definitely back now. Oh and one last thing…I am on 11 favourite lists!!!!! Whooppee! I am so excited thankyou to that person!
Enjoy life everybody!
Jess/star123
