Title: Forbidden Fruit

Author: Rhapsody

Summary: I'm tired of my life. I'm tired of always having to be perfect. But I don't want to be perfect, I don't want to play nice. I want to let the animal out. Draco/Hermione

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

My life is perfect. I have everything I need. I'm the top student in my class. I have a loving family. I have Ron. Why would I ever need anything else? It seems irrational that I would ever want anything else, but I do.

There's this need that is burning inside of me. It's like a chained animal in my brain. It tears at me trying to escape it's bonds. It wants to rip up what I am and take over my senses. And there's a part of me that wants it to take over.

I'm tired of my life. I'm tired of always having to be perfect. I'm tired of people always expecting me to give everything 120%. Maybe I don't want to try, maybe I want to just give up. Maybe that's what I am doing.

It's not just about school work, I've built up a reputation. When people see me they say, "Look, there goes Hermione Granger. She's so perfect, what a showoff. She always has to be right." I hear the people whispering, "There goes Mudblood Granger. She's such a goodie-goodie. Never breaks any rules, always plays innocent."

But I don't want to be perfect, I don't want to play nice. I want to let the animal out. I want something dirty. I want to be naughty. I want Draco Malfoy.

I have this reoccurring dream. I am at home, for the holidays, and I have just finished dinner. I walk up to my room on the top floor. I open the door, and there sitting on my bed was Draco. I just stand in the doorway in shock, but he rises and approaches me.

"Hermione." he whispers in a cool voice.

I stutter involuntarily, probably from shock, "Wh-what are you doing here?"

"You asked me to come."

"I did what?" My heart is racing and I want him to touch me.

"I thought you wanted me."

He stands up and walks towards me. I reach out to touch him but every time I try I wake up. I'm always in a cold sweat. Ever since I had the dream for the first time, I haven't been able to look him in the eyes.

When I was a little girl I always wanted a prince to whisk me off my feet and carry me away. Now I want something different. I want to do something forbidden. Draco is the forbidden fruit.

I want people to look at me and say, "Ooh, it's Hermione Granger. Guess what she did?" I want people to gossip about me. I want them to question my purity. I want to be a conversation topic.

I don't want what happened in 4th year. People actually believed me and Harry were a couple. But I honestly can't blame them. Everyone always thought that Harry and I would end up together. People think he's the perfect boy and I'm the perfect girl, so we'd make the perfect couple. God, I hate that word, "perfect".

I could never do anything with Harry. He's not exciting, he told me once all he wants is to settle down and have a family. I want to go to parties. I want to travel. I want to run away and do naughty things, all just to come back and have people wonder what I was doing.

I want to feel Draco's kisses. I want him to have me. I want him to whisper my name softly in my ear. I behind him in potions and I can picture seeing his face inches away from mine as we have a quick snog in a closet between classes.

The Draco in my dream was right, I want him. I need to let the animal out. I need to do something naughty. I need someone naughty. I need a bite of my forbidden fruit.