A/n: Hey guys! Thanks to all who reviewed! You all know I love you! Hehehe...Anyways just a few things before I start:
1. I forgot to put something on the previous chap, so I'm adding it on here.
2. Ronnikins08: I haven't heard of the Jason guy's Unwell song...but this one's from the Matchbox 20's lyrics. Thanks though :)
3. ScarletSparrow: Hehe your entry somehow cracked me up.
Chapter 20: Blessing? Or Burden?
Draco stuck out his hand just in time to catch Hermione from falling to the ground. Unfortunatley, her weight caught onto him causing them both to fall on the ground.
Nobody moved-
"Before you leave...I know we've just, well- sort've met...and I just...I just wanted to tell you..." Hermione knew Draco was thinking of the words carefully, "I love...." Hermione's heart was racing. Was he going to say ....what she thinks he's going to say? She looked at him with a curious expression, waiting for him to continue... But it can't be...it wasn't the right time..
"...spending time with you, Hermione."
Hermione's heart sank but she was relieved. She just wasn't ready...no...not yet...
--
And that was the end....
...or was it?
They haven't seen each other for a few weeks now, due to busy schedules. The hard working Hermione was working hard during the weekdays and ends, and Draco was busy with his work at the Ministry and his half time job during the weekends. Plus, it was mad raining almost every day during those weeks, which worned the workers even more.
Just because of these events, it didn't stop the two of them to owl each other. They had to send in odd hours, just so the owls could avoid the rain and fly off someplace else.
But there was one weekend...that one day...that turned Hermione's heart upside down.
They were meeting again.
"Hi." She said softly.
"Hey," he said, "Shall we?"
They spent that afternoon walking around Diagon Alley, talking about their tortured days and endless work hours. They walked in and out of Leaky Cauldron and spent a few minutes in the Tavern of Song ('Are you crazy? I'm not going up there again!').
In the middle of a walk, rain clashed against the grounds. People around them put their arms over their heads and headed for shelter, some of them were lucky and had umbrellas.
"Not again..." Hermione muttered, as she put her own arms over herself. Draco had put on his hood but Hermione had yelled, "Impervius!"
His hood became waterproof and she started walking as though not seeing the rain. She grabbed Draco's hand, and they ran to their left side for shelter. Draco's expression was incogneto when he felt her touch. They entered a small room; it was vacant except for a few tables and chairs. Hermione thought it must've been an abandoned store.
"It looks like we'll be here for a while..." Draco said as he pulled his hood off. Hermione shrugged as she slipped her wand back in her pocket.
"If we tried to run, the spell would wear off before we get home..." she sighed. Draco walked around, exploring the place as Hermione dragged a chair to the window and sat down with her legs up on the chair and hugging them.
After a few moments of nothing, Hermione kept hearing Draco muttering something from behind. After many mutters, Hermione finally turned, amazed-
There were floating boxes and chairs, and after a few seconds they would land right in front of the concentrating Draco, whos hands were sticking out, pointing his wand to each box and chair, until they settled. Hermione kept staring at what he was trying to do- it was simply...charming.
After they were arranged from, chair, box, box, chair, Draco muttered, "Accio jar!" and an empty jam jar came glided from a different distance and descended upon one of the wooden boxes. Draco muttered and pointed at the jar until bright bluebell flames blossomed inside the jar.
"Excellent." He said under his breath.
Hermione gave out a small gasp- She always prefered portable and waterproof Bluebell flames...they were her speciality.
The jar almost tilted as Draco lost connection when he looked at the already-gawking Hermione. A smirk appeared on his face, "I knew you liked them..." Draco put his wand back in his pocket and gestured her to sit on the chair he was holding.
Hermione walked over, smiling. The chair was crooked, but she didn't care. Draco walked over to the opposite side. She could see the glowing bluebells on Malfoy's pale face, causing her to grin a little.
Draco looked at her with an expression of sorrow. Hermione's grin dropped, "What's wrong?"
"I...well....do you like it?"
Hermione smiled, "Of course. Who'd thought of this? It's brilliant!"
Draco smiled for a while and after a few seconds it washed away again, as he looked down at the gleaming jar. "Draco... Is there something you wish to tell me?"
Draco snapped his head up, as though he just realised she was there. He shook his head slowly...then started nodding. "I have something to tell you..."
"Well, what is it?"
"It's about..." Draco sighed as he fixed his eyes on the jar, "it's about me..."
Hermione gestured to go on. Draco didn't speak...she just smiled. "I realise it too Draco."
Draco looked alarmed, "You do?"
Hermione grinned, "Yeah. Of course...I think everyone has."
"W-what do you realise?"
She rolled her eyes, "Don't be stupid! Well obviously you're changed, that's what you're trying to tell me...aren't you?"
"N-...well..." Draco nodded slowly, his mouth slightly open.
"Then there you go, no need to be so disappointed. I forgive you, and so do Harry and Ginny." She paused, "-And Ron too, I guess. Look, it's like you said...just face the truth."
"Yeah...You're right." Draco forced out a smile.
"Listen, I really like you." This made Draco squirm and feel even more abashed. "And I appreciate everything you did...I can truly accept you now as Draco Malfoy."
"Hermione..." Draco began. He looked up at her, only to see her leaning close to him... she put her index finger on his lips and took it away once rested her own soft lips towards his... Draco couldn't resist it, but he had to...he had to tell her...
He moved back quickly with an impassioned look on his face...
"I can't do this, Hermione."
Hermione flushed and leaned back on her chair. "I'm sorry."
"No. Don't be. I'm the one who should be. I blame myself for all this..." Draco stared at the ceiling, not daring to look at Hermione, "I blame myself for us."
Hermione's face softened, "What- do you mean?"
Draco didn't speak. "Please." She said softly, "You can tell me."
Draco finally looked at her, "I've been messing things up."
"What? I..I don't understand."
"No. No you don't." Draco paused quickly, "Do you...do you remember Blaise Zabini, Hermione, do you?"
Hermione nodded, "Do you remember- when he came and you were in trouble?"
Hermione nodded again, smiling, "You saved m-"
Draco made a funny sound, "Well, I... I've been living a lie..."
Hermione didn't talk. What was he trying to tell her? It's not making sense...
"Zabini and I are good friends, Hermione." He looked at her again and then quickly looked away.
"I...what are you saying?"
Draco took a while to answer. Hermione could tell he was struggling...but why?
"It was all a set up." He said simply. Hermione looked at him strangely. "Look. I messed things up but, just...forget abo-"
"What was a set up?"
"Everything." Draco said quietly, "Everything, I ruined it."
Hermione still wasn't getting what he's saying. She eyed him curiously... He sighed exasperatedly, "That day at Knockturn Alley, it was a set up. I've told him you were around and we plotted."
Hermione's face grew how, "Y-you...you plotted?" What was she hearing? Was she hearing right? She didn't understand...
Draco nodded slowly, "Zabini, and I...we're con artists-" Hermione was aghasted...
He still didn't look at her. "W-w-w...what-" Draco looked at her as though trying to tell her to save her breath. She covered her mouth with her hands, a blank expression on her face.
Nobody was talking. It was around two minutes until Draco began...he just had to get it over with...he couldn't take it anymore...
"We betted-" Draco paused and looked hard on the ceiling, "that I could get in your pants in less than a month." Hermione's face was now in the verge of tears, "I'm sorry. But listen I-"
Hermione couldn't move. Tears were forming in her eyes... "Y-you've...d-done this with o-others?" Malfoy didn't speak and kept looking at the ceiling, "Answer me, Malfoy!" Hermione said a little more forcefully.
"Yes." Draco breathed, "But listen-"
"H-how c-could you...I- I can't believe I'm h-hearing this...how could I be...so...so...s-stupid..." she cried, endless tears running down her innocent face, "H-how...w-why? You must think I'm s-such a fool now, don't you Malfoy? Don't you?Just...just go! On to your little meetings with that
a-asshole! I bet...I bet he knows everything what's happening...telling him all my little secrets, now, right, Malfoy? Well, say something!" she was standing up, angry, full of disbelief.
"No. Hermione, if you just give me a min-"
"I've given you all the minutes I could give! But in return I got nothing...nothing but...but this!" She looked at him with disgust. "So Malfoy. How many...what number am I? Two thousand?"
Draco didn't speak, "I expect an answer to my question Draco!"
"Twenty."
Hermione turned around, placing her fingers on her temple. "You fooled that many...un-unbelievable!" she took a deep breath, not daring to wipe any tears from her face.
"Let me explain-"
But Hermione ignored him. "I can't believe I accepted you- and...it's the biggest mistake..I..Hermione, dance with me, Hermine, I love spending time with you, Hermione, Hermione! Shit! And your mother's necklace? Did you use me to feel sorry for her too, Malfoy?" she was furious. More tears were streaming down her face..."You...lied...everything...everything was a lie..."
"No! Hermione, you thought it all wrong!" Draco was now also standing up, looking straight at her face, "I realised I was wrong about you all along...after the party, Hermione... I realised it... I felt it."
"Felt what?" Hermione yelled, "Let's go get the mickey out of that Granger, let's see how smart she really is...after all, she's just a mudblood, am I right?" she nodded, flooding her own face, "Well, I guess you win this time. I guess I really am stu-"
"Don't even start, Hermione. I meant to tell you everything earlier... just understand..." Hermione was covering her ears, looking out at the window hoping the rain would stop so she could leave this hellhole. "Listen to me, Hermione. LISTEN!" Draco had grabbed her hand and she pulled back, she stared at him...horrified...
"Don't touch me you worthless pig!"
"Listen." He said now a little softly, a warm look on his eyes...but Hermione wasn't falling for that again.
"What do you want!" she backed away.
"Look. After the party...I...told myself...not to keep going. You're not foolish, not at all. After I got to know you a little better, I realised that... I didn't want to hurt you. I decided to let you in on a broom ride...just to calm myself a little... Zabini doesn't know a thing- I told him I bail." Hermione sniffed and still had her back against him.
Hermione was silent except for ceasless sniffs and hiccups. If only it wasn't raining outside... "I quit for you!" he said uttered loudly.
Hermione's fingers were plunged tightly in her ears, and whirled around with her swollen red eyes, "I-I thought you've changed...but I was...I was very..very...wrong..."
Draco sighed hopelessly, "Don't you see, Hermione- don't you see? I blame myself for every mistake I made. It's not your fault...I blame myself for everything I did to hurt you- "
"Bullshit!" she shrilled. Draco sat down on the floor with his elbows resting on his knees, he bowed his head down...thinking...
Silence...
"Listen...I realised there's nothing more important- there's nothing more important...than being with you-" he looked up, to see nothing but the shining window. The rain had stopped...Hermione was gone.
-
A/n: Hehe....this was a really hard chapter for me to write!! Review please and thank youu =)