Never Say Never
Chapter 14 - Lonely
Disclaimer: do I have to keep on doing these?
Draco's POV
I really couldn't take my eyes off Annika, she was just so..hypnotizing. We had been spending a lot of time together over the last few days and I daresay we've gotten to know each other pretty well.
She was the daughter of a supporter of Voldemort, quite well off in terms of finance and definitely a friend of my father. I had of course caught a glimpse or two of Hermione with that redhead but that no longer angered me anymore, my feelings for her were dulled.
One morning, I stumbled into the Slytherin Common Room, still half-asleep and was welcomed by the warm arms of Annika wrapping themselves around me.
"Ready to go to breakfast, Draco?" she purred in my ear seductively.
"Mmmm.." I replied, disgusted at my lack of vocabulary.
"Is that a yes or a no?" she chuckled, giving me a quick peck on my cheek.
"It's a yes, Annika." I answered, pulling her closer, enjoying our intimacy. Now, we had never really greeted each other in this fashion but today obviously Annika was feeling a bit.. cuddly. Not that I was complaining, but it was making me really think..maybe I should ask her if we should take our friendship further.
"Alright then, lets go to breakfast." She whispered, taking my hand and motioning for me to start moving. I smiled at her, knowing that before the end of tonight I would have an answer from her, and that we would probably be officially declared an item tonight.
I wondered where I would be able to ask her in private and to my delight I remembered the common room that I hadn't visited in a few days. Perfect, and with that beautiful crystal necklace, she was bound to be mine.
Hermione's POV It had been a few days since I had decided to be closer to Ron, just to get back at that stupid git from Slytherin. Now I was sorely resenting my decision. Not that it was Ron's fault or anything, he was still a great person, but it was the fact that Draco didn't even acknowledge my presence anymore [I mean come on, we had Potions, Care Of Magical Creatures and Arithmancy together!], and that try as I might, I really couldn't stop thinking about him..especially since now he spent all his time with that ravishing beauty.
Who she was, I would never know, as my only link to Slytherin was Malfoy himself and now that he was completely infatuated with her.. I sighed as they entered the Great Hall for breakfast together, as they had been doing for the past few days and I was also aware that many of the male population of the school craned their heads just to get a look at her.
Including Ron, much to my disgust, I mean even though he was hopelessly loyal to me, he really couldn't resist someone as stunning as her. He had always been a shallow type of guy, which was probably why he hadn't accepted Lavender yet. [sorry Lavender Fans!! I didn't mean it as an insult! =S]
"Mione.. can I ask you a question?" Ron asked tentatively.
"Yeah?"
"Umm.. I don't really know how to say this..but you know how we've been a bit more close to each other during the past few days.. I was wondering if something was going on between us." He continued softly. Uh oh. Now I had already realized that Ron did like me a lot, and I liked him too, just not in that way but I had been leading him on in a sense in trying to make Malfoy jealous.
"Well, Ron.. I would like to say that there was something special between us but.. I'm really sorry. I've been using you as support because I'm not really sure about my feelings towards another person, trust me it's very complicated." I mumbled, squeezing Ron's hand in a [hopefully] comforting way.
"Thought so." He muttered more to himself than to me and then he managed a weak smile at me before abruptly standing up and leaving the table. Lavender had been watching us from the corner of her eye and as soon as Ron had left, she quickly followed him, earning herself a few good-natured laughs from our table.
"Hermione, what happened there? I thought you guys had finally come to your senses and started to go out!" exclaimed Harry who happened to be seated next to me with Parvati. She nodded in agreement to what Harry had just said and I was stuck in a very awkward situation.
"I'm not too sure, I'm afraid that I've hurt him because.."
"Yes?" prompted Harry.
"I think that he misunderstood my actions for the past few days and I'm very sorry to say that I don't really have any feelings for him. He will always remain one of my closest friends to me."
"Damn. I thought that maybe we could double date sometime!" Parvati teased half-heartedly.
"Maybe with Lavender you could!" I winked at them both and we all left the Great Hall in better spirits.
Draco's POV
The day had flown by quickly and now it was already late afternoon and I was sitting in the dungeon with the Gryffindors in Potions, bored out of my mind. The only thing that seemed to keep me awake was Annika's comforting presence next to me. Once Snape's back was turned I leaned over and murmured in her ear;
"I want to show you something tonight, so after dinner, don't go off with Pansy and them, stay with me, alright?"
She looked at me with those beautiful eyes and locked my steely grey ones into her own golden ones. Suddenly I was sharply reminded of Hermione's warm chocolate ones flecked with that luminous gold.. I broke the gaze and let myself have a look over at the Gryffindor side of the room.
I saw Hermione's hand up in the air again, but to my surprise she wasn't sitting next to Weasley today, but next to that Potter's girlfriend. I smirked to myself as Snape obviously ignored her hand and continued on with the lesson but suddenly without warning I was experiencing a sudden flash of a memory not so long ago when Hermione had lain in the Hospital Wing looking ever so fragile and -
"Draco. Are you looking at that know-it-all over there?" asked Annika with a tinge of annoyance in her voice.
"Of course not. She's a Mudblood for god's sake! I was just looking over at Potter over there, the one that you were talking about a few days ago, Annika." I said swiftly.
"Yes, I've noticed that we only have one lesson with him, such a shame actually, he would be quite an interesting classmate if he were in Slytherin I would think." Replied Annika pointedly.
"I don't think I could stand it if he were in Slytherin." I muttered.
"And I don't think I could stand it if that insufferable Gryffindor were in our house."
"Hermione." I mumbled softly, subconsciously correcting her.
"What?"
"Nothing." I replied quietly, now wondering if my taste in women was getting worse, it seemed as though Annika had more secrets than she let on. I mean she barely even knew Hermione and already she had something against her. I sighed, waiting now with dreaded anticipation for tonight.
Hermione's POV
"Ron..what's wrong?" asked Lavender in a cooing voice. Unfortunately, she was sitting next to me as she was getting quite annoying but it was lucky that Ron and I had a human barrier between us.
"Nothing, Lavender. Just come off it. I'm fine." Replied Ron exasperatedly.
"No you're not. I can tell. I can feel the vibrations within your soul, you're troubled. Even Professor Trelawney said so! Remember in Divination how you nearly fainted from mental exhaustion?" Lavender continued to ramble on and I cringed every time she mentioned me.
Finally after awhile of staring into space, I heard the ringing of someone's clear laughter from across the hall and I saw the source of it. It was that beautiful girl sitting so close to Draco that she was practically in his lap, and much to my dismay he seemed to be enjoying it.
'Well, if that's what he wants then good for him. I guess I'll never figure him out.' I thought to myself sadly. Looking around at the people surrounding me, I realized that I actually felt very alone, even when all my friends were around me I felt so lonely.
Conversation carried on around me, and the piercing pain in my head grew more and more intense with the racket and that girl's laughter still ringing in my head. When it reached a climax I couldn't take it any longer, I stood up and smiled stiffly at my friends who were all looking at me with questioning looks on their faces.
"Where are you going, Hermione? What's wrong? It's not even halfway through dinner yet!" exclaimed Lavender.
"I just remembered that I catch up on some Muggle Studies work. Sorry guys! Enjoy the rest of dinner then!" I bluffed.
"Hmm..see you in the common room tonight then!" said Harry with an small but encouraging smile on his face.
"Bye Mione." Said Ron meekly.
I nodded and then I turned on my heel and left the Great Hall looking for a sanctuary in which I could have some time to think my thoughts through alone.
Ron's POV
I sat frozen as she said that she was going to go somewhere to finish off her work. Was it because of me? Was I making her uncomfortable? I wanted to tell her that I was sorry for walking out at breakfast, but one look at her face rendered me speechless, I just couldn't say it.
"Bye Mione." I said meekly.
Ugh, before I knew it she was already leaving the table and as I stared at her retreating back I felt as though something wasn't right. It was as though she was just bluffing..
"Harry! I just realized something!" I blurted out as Hermione left the hall and Harry turned to me, puzzled, "Hermione doesn't do Muggle Studies."
"Oh shit. Not again!"
Draco's POV
"Annika, it's time." I said softly as the last trace of our dinner faded from our plates, taking her hand and leading her out of the Great Hall. With experience I quickly reached that fateful corridor where I had held Hermione close to me just a few nights ago.
"Here we are." I whispered to Annika who stood still next to me, a glimmer of recognition seemed to flicker through her eyes and my curiousity got the better of me, "Have you been here before?"
"Oh, no. Of course not. I've only been here a few days." She said hastily managing a quick false smile in my direction. My suspicion of her was mounting but nevertheless, she was still an amazing person and my awe of her was still intact. I was still ready to ask her to go out with me. I took the necklace out of my pocket and slipped it into the palm of my hand.
"Alright then. Well close your eyes and let me lead you." I murmured, holding her arm and slowly pulling her along behind me to the one place in the wall, which I remembered.
I stepped forward through the wall and as I passed through the substance of the wall I was suddenly aware that Annika's arm had slipped from my grasp and that she hadn't come through with me.
As I stood in the familiar common room I was also sure that there was someone else in the room with me. But if it wasn't Annika who the hell was it?! I began to panic, and I circled the room peering behind the armchairs, and soon I was beginning to relax as I saw no one behind most of the big chairs but then -
"Hermione?!"
hey guys!
Ok, I've already posted the next chapter cause I meant for these 2 chapters to be together, but then it got way too long so I decided to split it =) everything happens next chapter btw, so read on!
Oh and thanks to my reviewers, esp. Ellie who reviewed for EVERY SINGLE CHAPTER so far!! Wow, thanks so much, it really encouraged me =)
Oh and if someone could please tell me how to do italics and bold, it would be highly appreciated!
Cheers!
psychohart
Chapter 14 - Lonely
Disclaimer: do I have to keep on doing these?
Draco's POV
I really couldn't take my eyes off Annika, she was just so..hypnotizing. We had been spending a lot of time together over the last few days and I daresay we've gotten to know each other pretty well.
She was the daughter of a supporter of Voldemort, quite well off in terms of finance and definitely a friend of my father. I had of course caught a glimpse or two of Hermione with that redhead but that no longer angered me anymore, my feelings for her were dulled.
One morning, I stumbled into the Slytherin Common Room, still half-asleep and was welcomed by the warm arms of Annika wrapping themselves around me.
"Ready to go to breakfast, Draco?" she purred in my ear seductively.
"Mmmm.." I replied, disgusted at my lack of vocabulary.
"Is that a yes or a no?" she chuckled, giving me a quick peck on my cheek.
"It's a yes, Annika." I answered, pulling her closer, enjoying our intimacy. Now, we had never really greeted each other in this fashion but today obviously Annika was feeling a bit.. cuddly. Not that I was complaining, but it was making me really think..maybe I should ask her if we should take our friendship further.
"Alright then, lets go to breakfast." She whispered, taking my hand and motioning for me to start moving. I smiled at her, knowing that before the end of tonight I would have an answer from her, and that we would probably be officially declared an item tonight.
I wondered where I would be able to ask her in private and to my delight I remembered the common room that I hadn't visited in a few days. Perfect, and with that beautiful crystal necklace, she was bound to be mine.
Hermione's POV It had been a few days since I had decided to be closer to Ron, just to get back at that stupid git from Slytherin. Now I was sorely resenting my decision. Not that it was Ron's fault or anything, he was still a great person, but it was the fact that Draco didn't even acknowledge my presence anymore [I mean come on, we had Potions, Care Of Magical Creatures and Arithmancy together!], and that try as I might, I really couldn't stop thinking about him..especially since now he spent all his time with that ravishing beauty.
Who she was, I would never know, as my only link to Slytherin was Malfoy himself and now that he was completely infatuated with her.. I sighed as they entered the Great Hall for breakfast together, as they had been doing for the past few days and I was also aware that many of the male population of the school craned their heads just to get a look at her.
Including Ron, much to my disgust, I mean even though he was hopelessly loyal to me, he really couldn't resist someone as stunning as her. He had always been a shallow type of guy, which was probably why he hadn't accepted Lavender yet. [sorry Lavender Fans!! I didn't mean it as an insult! =S]
"Mione.. can I ask you a question?" Ron asked tentatively.
"Yeah?"
"Umm.. I don't really know how to say this..but you know how we've been a bit more close to each other during the past few days.. I was wondering if something was going on between us." He continued softly. Uh oh. Now I had already realized that Ron did like me a lot, and I liked him too, just not in that way but I had been leading him on in a sense in trying to make Malfoy jealous.
"Well, Ron.. I would like to say that there was something special between us but.. I'm really sorry. I've been using you as support because I'm not really sure about my feelings towards another person, trust me it's very complicated." I mumbled, squeezing Ron's hand in a [hopefully] comforting way.
"Thought so." He muttered more to himself than to me and then he managed a weak smile at me before abruptly standing up and leaving the table. Lavender had been watching us from the corner of her eye and as soon as Ron had left, she quickly followed him, earning herself a few good-natured laughs from our table.
"Hermione, what happened there? I thought you guys had finally come to your senses and started to go out!" exclaimed Harry who happened to be seated next to me with Parvati. She nodded in agreement to what Harry had just said and I was stuck in a very awkward situation.
"I'm not too sure, I'm afraid that I've hurt him because.."
"Yes?" prompted Harry.
"I think that he misunderstood my actions for the past few days and I'm very sorry to say that I don't really have any feelings for him. He will always remain one of my closest friends to me."
"Damn. I thought that maybe we could double date sometime!" Parvati teased half-heartedly.
"Maybe with Lavender you could!" I winked at them both and we all left the Great Hall in better spirits.
Draco's POV
The day had flown by quickly and now it was already late afternoon and I was sitting in the dungeon with the Gryffindors in Potions, bored out of my mind. The only thing that seemed to keep me awake was Annika's comforting presence next to me. Once Snape's back was turned I leaned over and murmured in her ear;
"I want to show you something tonight, so after dinner, don't go off with Pansy and them, stay with me, alright?"
She looked at me with those beautiful eyes and locked my steely grey ones into her own golden ones. Suddenly I was sharply reminded of Hermione's warm chocolate ones flecked with that luminous gold.. I broke the gaze and let myself have a look over at the Gryffindor side of the room.
I saw Hermione's hand up in the air again, but to my surprise she wasn't sitting next to Weasley today, but next to that Potter's girlfriend. I smirked to myself as Snape obviously ignored her hand and continued on with the lesson but suddenly without warning I was experiencing a sudden flash of a memory not so long ago when Hermione had lain in the Hospital Wing looking ever so fragile and -
"Draco. Are you looking at that know-it-all over there?" asked Annika with a tinge of annoyance in her voice.
"Of course not. She's a Mudblood for god's sake! I was just looking over at Potter over there, the one that you were talking about a few days ago, Annika." I said swiftly.
"Yes, I've noticed that we only have one lesson with him, such a shame actually, he would be quite an interesting classmate if he were in Slytherin I would think." Replied Annika pointedly.
"I don't think I could stand it if he were in Slytherin." I muttered.
"And I don't think I could stand it if that insufferable Gryffindor were in our house."
"Hermione." I mumbled softly, subconsciously correcting her.
"What?"
"Nothing." I replied quietly, now wondering if my taste in women was getting worse, it seemed as though Annika had more secrets than she let on. I mean she barely even knew Hermione and already she had something against her. I sighed, waiting now with dreaded anticipation for tonight.
Hermione's POV
"Ron..what's wrong?" asked Lavender in a cooing voice. Unfortunately, she was sitting next to me as she was getting quite annoying but it was lucky that Ron and I had a human barrier between us.
"Nothing, Lavender. Just come off it. I'm fine." Replied Ron exasperatedly.
"No you're not. I can tell. I can feel the vibrations within your soul, you're troubled. Even Professor Trelawney said so! Remember in Divination how you nearly fainted from mental exhaustion?" Lavender continued to ramble on and I cringed every time she mentioned me.
Finally after awhile of staring into space, I heard the ringing of someone's clear laughter from across the hall and I saw the source of it. It was that beautiful girl sitting so close to Draco that she was practically in his lap, and much to my dismay he seemed to be enjoying it.
'Well, if that's what he wants then good for him. I guess I'll never figure him out.' I thought to myself sadly. Looking around at the people surrounding me, I realized that I actually felt very alone, even when all my friends were around me I felt so lonely.
Conversation carried on around me, and the piercing pain in my head grew more and more intense with the racket and that girl's laughter still ringing in my head. When it reached a climax I couldn't take it any longer, I stood up and smiled stiffly at my friends who were all looking at me with questioning looks on their faces.
"Where are you going, Hermione? What's wrong? It's not even halfway through dinner yet!" exclaimed Lavender.
"I just remembered that I catch up on some Muggle Studies work. Sorry guys! Enjoy the rest of dinner then!" I bluffed.
"Hmm..see you in the common room tonight then!" said Harry with an small but encouraging smile on his face.
"Bye Mione." Said Ron meekly.
I nodded and then I turned on my heel and left the Great Hall looking for a sanctuary in which I could have some time to think my thoughts through alone.
Ron's POV
I sat frozen as she said that she was going to go somewhere to finish off her work. Was it because of me? Was I making her uncomfortable? I wanted to tell her that I was sorry for walking out at breakfast, but one look at her face rendered me speechless, I just couldn't say it.
"Bye Mione." I said meekly.
Ugh, before I knew it she was already leaving the table and as I stared at her retreating back I felt as though something wasn't right. It was as though she was just bluffing..
"Harry! I just realized something!" I blurted out as Hermione left the hall and Harry turned to me, puzzled, "Hermione doesn't do Muggle Studies."
"Oh shit. Not again!"
Draco's POV
"Annika, it's time." I said softly as the last trace of our dinner faded from our plates, taking her hand and leading her out of the Great Hall. With experience I quickly reached that fateful corridor where I had held Hermione close to me just a few nights ago.
"Here we are." I whispered to Annika who stood still next to me, a glimmer of recognition seemed to flicker through her eyes and my curiousity got the better of me, "Have you been here before?"
"Oh, no. Of course not. I've only been here a few days." She said hastily managing a quick false smile in my direction. My suspicion of her was mounting but nevertheless, she was still an amazing person and my awe of her was still intact. I was still ready to ask her to go out with me. I took the necklace out of my pocket and slipped it into the palm of my hand.
"Alright then. Well close your eyes and let me lead you." I murmured, holding her arm and slowly pulling her along behind me to the one place in the wall, which I remembered.
I stepped forward through the wall and as I passed through the substance of the wall I was suddenly aware that Annika's arm had slipped from my grasp and that she hadn't come through with me.
As I stood in the familiar common room I was also sure that there was someone else in the room with me. But if it wasn't Annika who the hell was it?! I began to panic, and I circled the room peering behind the armchairs, and soon I was beginning to relax as I saw no one behind most of the big chairs but then -
"Hermione?!"
hey guys!
Ok, I've already posted the next chapter cause I meant for these 2 chapters to be together, but then it got way too long so I decided to split it =) everything happens next chapter btw, so read on!
Oh and thanks to my reviewers, esp. Ellie who reviewed for EVERY SINGLE CHAPTER so far!! Wow, thanks so much, it really encouraged me =)
Oh and if someone could please tell me how to do italics and bold, it would be highly appreciated!
Cheers!
psychohart