Chapter Thirteen: Not Pulling Away

Hermione sat at the lake's edge, feeling the wind on her face, as it blew back

her hair. The sky was clear, and there was a light, chilly breeze. The day was

perfect. No, it wasn't. The weather was perfect. The day had been horrible. Her

life had been turned upside down. She was all worked up and in quite a

temperament. It was amazing how just when she thought things had hit rock

bottom, something else had been thrown her way. She sighed. Why was this

happening? What had she ever done to deserve something like this? And it couldn't

be with someone else, could it, it had to be --

Her thoughts were interrupted when suddenly a shadow blocked the sun from

her. Having looked at the sky before, she had noticed that there hadn't been any

clouds, so that meant that –-

"Hey Granger," said a familiar voice.

She paid no attention to him, instead sat there, in silence, willing him to

leave.

"Look, I can understand if you never want to talk to me again," he said, " but

we need to do this assignment, and I don't want to—"

"What, Malfoy? Now you actually care about your grades? Hah." The

sarcasm was evident. She paused, and continued, words sour, right as he began to

open his mouth. "Well, fine then, meet me in the library after dinner. And I don't

want to be there all night, so don't be late." She got up hastily, and left, robes

billowing out behind her.

Draco sat, watching her as she left. It had been a while since he'd heard a

clever rejoinder from her, much like the ones he used to relish. The one's he's been

longing for since the school year started. The battles of wits through which he grew

to respect Hermione Granger.

"What's the matter, Hemione?" asked Harry. They were in the Great Hall at

dinner that night, and Hermione had been somewhat irritable, constantly snapping at

whoever tried to make conversation with her. Indeed, it seemed, all the sixth years

were acting that way, and with the assignment Professor Malfoy had given them, it

was no wonder.

She looked at him. Try as she might to be callous to those around her, Harry

was able to see the look of sadness in her eyes, the melancholy that was evident

only to those who were closest to her. She didn't answer him, so he continued,

"Remember what I said earlier, alright? If you need something, I'm here."

"I know Harry. It's just that, everything has gotten so complicated, and..."

she sighed. "I wish things could go back to the way they used to be..."

"We can't change that now, 'Mione; just try and do the best with the cards

you've been dealt. It could be worse," he said, motioning towards Lavender, who

was paired up with Crabbe, and Pavarti, who was paired up with Goyle, and then to

Ron, who was paired up with Millicent. "I mean, look, I got stuck with Pansy --"

"But Harry, I got Malfoy, the MUDBLOOD HATER," she said, annoyance

resounding in her voice. "You try having to deal with someone who has hated you

for what you are since you met, and suddenly starts to show INTEREST in you! Do

you think it's EASY FOR ME?!" she said, stridently. Heads started to turn in their

direction; by now she had all the Gryffindors staring at her, but she didn't care. "Do

you think, Harry, that I have not stopped to consider everything?" she continued,

now getting curious looks from the Ravenclaws. "Who he is, where he comes from,

his motives, his very nature?" she bellowed, and by this point, some of the

Hufflepuffs had started to glance at her. "Harry, you're wrong -- it couldn't possibly

get any worse." And with that, she left the great hall, people whispering in her

wake.

It was after dinner, at the library. Hermione was near the back, hoping Draco

would not see her when he came in. Alas, her efforts proved to no avail, and the

blond Slytherin spotted her promptly after making his entrance.

She sat there, still, not wanting to say anything, hoping he would just go

away, and yet, oddly enough, at the same time, wishing he would stay and sweep

her off her feet. After a few moments, she felt him sit down next to her.

"Mind if I --"

"Well, Malfoy, you already have, so whether I mind or not obviously doesn't

seem to matter, now does it?" she said sharply.

Hermione looked at him, crossly, but all he did was smile.

Draco leaned close, and though she wanted to back away, she found herself

unable to. "I love it when you answer me like that," he whispered in her ear. His

voice was low, sexy, and she could not help but hang on every syllable.

Hermione gazed into his eyes, and Draco into hers, and before she realized

what had happened, she had closed them, and his lips met hers. This time,

however, she didn't pull away...

Author's Note

This chapter is for Anaita and everyone else who wanted me to make things between

Draco and Hermione pick up... hehe...Okay, I hope you liked it (things will pick up...

but what will Ron do? Hmmm... I wonder. Speaking of Ron, how are him

and Harry holding up? Something tells me they aren't finding their assignment quite

as enjoyable as Draco and Hermione... hehe... So how will they respond when they

find out about Hermione and Draco? That's enough for now... Please Read and

Review!!... Updates forthcoming... And as always, thanks for your time:)

Oh, and to Purple Spotted Hedwig: Thank you so much for the constructive criticism;

you "hit the nail on the head," so to speak. Hermione has been uncharacteristically

weak, and I'm wondering why no one had brought it up earlier (and I hope I was

able to somewhat fix it, hehe)...

E. Caddy Compson (persephoneia)