Disclaimer: I don't own anything now leave me alone.
A/N: Is the disclaimer seriously necessary for every single chapter? I'm getting really sick of writing them.and I've only written three. Oh well.
I'd like to thank ALL of my reviewers. Seeing as I got seven reviews ( I don't know if that's a lot to you guys, but I think that's an excellent number of reviews for one chapter) , I decided to get off my lazy ass and write another chapter. I didn't get a whole lot of responses for my question, and I don't know if it's whether I asked at the beginning or you guys just didn't want to answer, so you're stuck with random lengths of chapters. You really really really should review if you want to see more of this story. I write purely for the enjoyment of the readers. If the readers don't like, I don't write. All of that's just me saying you should review. Here are some individual notes:
FuzzyFanFicFreak: NO don't disembowel me!! Awwww you put me on your favorites.
The Young Writer Called Jamie: I've been reading ur fic. wonderful work so far. Am I still loved?
Baby Devil: haha. as you may have noticed, I also didn't have any title for chapter three. I seriously suck at stuff like that. Anything you can think of would be greatly appreciated.
Into the Arms of Darkness and Love
Chapter 3
A few days later, Draco stood in front of the door that currently served as a barrier between Draco and Hermione.in the buff. This little bit of information definitely made him murderous towards the rather large piece of wood.
"Hurry up!! I have things to do too, you know!!" Draco shouted at the inanimate door. "How long does it take to wash yourself? Of course, no matter how much you wash, you'll never be rid of that dirty blood of yours."
Okay, that wasn't exactly the smartest thing to say to someone that you wanted to seduce. But then again, when you're a Malfoy who especially enjoys watching any of the golden trio get riled up, you just can't help yourself.
Seeing as Hermione wasn't in any hurry to get out of the bathroom, Draco leaned his tall form against the wall, thinking about his mission, and the rewards he will be receiving when this task has been completed to the Dark Lord's satisfaction. So far, Draco has progressed in his plot more than had planned. First impressions were always important, and so far, in the eyes of Lord Voldemort, he was doing pretty well. Of course, first impressions do not always last. There may be some twists and turns, or, in other cases, getting to know a person. For example, when he first met some of the Gryffindors, Draco had thought that the sorting hat was having an off day, since Hermione seemed to more likely belong in Ravenclaw, Neville would be in Hufflepuff, and Harry seemed to be the only true and stereotypical Gryffindor in Draco's eye. Then, that would mean that Harry would seem even more like the "friendly" rival that he is. But, as you got to know them, they became more and more appropriate. They were all brave; they just came in different varieties.
Eventually, his thoughts drifted towards his recovery of an important piece of information. Passwords come in very handy for special.visits. All of a sudden, a burst of steam puffed out of the now open bathroom door, and out came Hermione in her bathrobe.
"Took you long enough," Draco sneered. As she walked by him, he couldn't help but notice just about the only section of skin revealed to him; her legs. They were smooth and pale, but not unhealthy-looking. Toned muscle beckoned him to trail his fingers along its length, and her hair that hung in curly tendrils begged to have someone's hands run though them.
Hermione seemed to have been avoiding him those last couple of days, much to Draco's satisfaction. That helped him plot his next few steps in his duty. Nothing can be done all at once, and there must always be a plan.
Feeling extremely satisfied with himself, he strutted into the bathroom, and took in a lungful of Hermione's scent. 'God. I'm getting obsessed.' He walked over to where her shampoo was perched and read the label - muggle stuff. Only muggles would be able to create something like that non- magically. The soap taps in the Head bathroom smelled great and all, but their scent was nothing compared to the things muggles made. Technology wasn't witches' and wizards' forte. They were more. old-fashioned, with the females having less credit than the males, no matter how much more extraordinary they were. Necessity is the mother of all inventions, and there really wasn't any incentive to invent anything, since the magical world was equipped with wands. Leave technology to the rest of the world; they seem to know what to do with it.
'What is this now? Me? Praising muggles? It must be the shampoo. that's pretty strong stuff.'
Draco took a look into the mirror, and pulled back the scarce pieces of blonde locks that had escaped from the wrath of his buckets and buckets of hair gel. He smirked, causing a duplicate image in the mirror, content with his appearance.
"That's *all* that you wanted to do after bothering me all that time? You're really pathetic, Malfoy," Hermione said. It's not like she rushed with her bathing or anything, but with him bothering her, she couldn't really concentrate on her bath, so she decided to leave.
"I'd rather attend to my businesses in private, thank you. Potty and Weasel may not mind when you barge in on them doing whatever, but -"
"Fine, fine. It's not like I even *want* to see whatever you do in there, anyways."
She retired to her room when Draco cast a derisive look at her. One look from him made her head spin with rage, and she also couldn't help but shiver at a slight tingle that traveled down her spine.
After Hermione had fully retreated to her room, Draco took a deep sigh. He really *was* going to have to tone down the provoking side of him. He's trying to get her to like him, right? He sauntered into their shared common room, and took a seat in front of the fireplace. Draco decided to use this time to plan his attack on Ron. What could he do to detach Ron from Harry? He could.
Hermione had noticed Draco gaping, open-mouthed, at her legs. He hadn't realized that Hermione noticed his very unflattering expression due to the fact that his eyes were about fifty degrees down from her face.
'Perfect. Now isn't this a great opportunity to try out the tactics taught to me by my female cohorts?' She left her room in a tank top and shorts, looking fresh and clean. Mind you, she smelled that way. Draco had noticed.
Hermione had deliberately sat on the opposite loveseat in front of the fire, dragging a thick book behind her. It was only a while later that she noticed Draco striding determinately towards the empty seat beside her, walking with an air of calmness, as if he didn't have a care in the world. She could feel his presence, his heat emanating from his self, making her squirm inwardly.
Hermione was not the only one affected by his close proximity. He, too, felt the alien warmness that invaded him, and didn't know what to make of it. His relationships were based on lust, and when the passion was gone, the girl was gone also. Of course, what's relationship to him are only a couple of days. Always looking for something new, he is, and this strange warmness was acutely different. This newfound sensation perked up his interest in this goddess-like beauty next to him, and he sat, entranced, staring at her. They way she looked, captivated by the book, was almost too much for him. Of course, he had to keep his cool. He couldn't let this.this *mudblood* get to him like that. He reached for her book to get her attention, when.
Hermione suddenly stood up. The heat had grown to such an extent that she was slightly perspiring. Nervousness overtook her, and she began feeling giddy and jittery, so she headed quickly towards her room but also trying to seem calm, leaving an astonished and blinking Draco in her wake. *She* didn't know that, of course.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
He was watching her. She could physically feel eyes boring into the back of her neck, scorching the flesh beneath the skin. It was transfiguration, and Harry had noticed something odd about his neighbor, but didn't ask any questions. 'She probably stayed up too late studying.' With that, Harry turned and smiled at a girl that was casting glances at him, and then finally blushing.
Draco chose that time to amble by her seat while Harry was distracted. Ron stole a peek at Hermione, but he was too oblivious to notice anything unusual. Draco made sure to brush her arm during his little promenade. Hermione jumped in surprise, but didn't dare look up at him. Nobody had ever paid attention to her that way, the way a male would behave when he has taken interest in a girl. This was happening all too fast to Hermione, so she concentrated on her work. She was so absorbed in her answers that it took a moment for her to realize that she was sitting alone in the classroom.
"Miss Granger, is there something wrong? Class ended a few minutes ago, you know," Professor McGonagall informed.
"Thank you, Professor. I just lost track of the time," Hermione said. After she cast a nervous smile towards her teacher, she left the classroom.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Lunch in the Great Hall proved to be a very boring feast. Hermione picked at her food, and thought, 'I should still be thankful that I'm away from.*him*.' In fact, she couldn't stand being in the company of Malfoy. Ron wasn't helping any as he shoveled food into his mouth, exposing food particles that made Hermione's stomach churn. She pushed her plate away from her, and exited the Great Hall.
A few tables away, Draco smiled discreetly, proud of the effect he had on her. It won't be long, now, before she would be squirming as she did last night, only beneath him.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Potions; this has got to be the most dreadful class of all. Professor Snape had introduced a new potion that they will be brewing: the love potion. Groans erupted throughout the class, with the exception of a few. It was vital that the potion was concocted correctly, since it could prove hazardous to whomever that took the potion. Due to the previous reason, Neville was ordered not to participate in this particular class.
Draco, being the slimy git that he is, stalked quickly over to Hermione's table, where Ron and Harry were also seated. Swiftly, and hopefully inconspicuously, he tipped over Ron's potion, causing a puff of pink smoke to materialize from the point of impact on the floor. Harry launched himself at Malfoy, proving that, apparently, Draco was not discreet enough. Hermione was trying to calm down a near-blubbering Ron, his red-rimmed eyes staring blankly at the puff of smoke.
"Mr. Potter, Mr. Malfoy! Stop disrupting this class with your childish rumbling!!" Professor Snape took a deep breath, and continued. "Miss. Granger and Mr. Weasley! I specifically told you that you may not have assistance for this project. Fifty points from Gryffindor and detention for you all."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Muttering incoherently, Hermione made her way through the dark forest, trailing only slightly behind Draco, since he was the one with the kerosene lamp. Their wands had been confiscated from them, since this work was intended for character-building and keeping them together long enough to be able to stand each other. Otherwise, they would be the death of each other.
They were sent by Professor Snape to collect special herbs that he has grown in the Forbidden Forest. Hermione had noticed that Draco seemed extremely jumpy, especially at any slight noise that would occur every now and then as a result of the creatures going about their things. Obviously, his encounter during his first year at Hogwarts hadn't been forgotten. What else could explain such unusual character from Malfoy?
Draco looked from left to right, wishing in his mind that nothing could jump out, which may result in a high-pitched scream from him.
They reached a small clearing with bunches of plants shooting from the ground, many of which fitting the description of the herbs they were directed to retrieve.
Hermione had a great urge to suddenly slap a hand onto his back, just to see what his reaction would be. She inched closer to his back, and then swiftly, she brought a hand to his shoulder blade forcefully. He abruptly turned around, grabbing her by the wrists while pushing her up against a tree. After realizing who his attacker was, he loosened his grip, but still held her in her place.
"Don't you *ever* do that again. Ever," Draco whispered fiercely, again adding emphasis to the word "ever".
A sly smile appeared on Hermione's face, and she lifted her chin defiantly. "Or what?"
Draco was taken aback, for he had not expected such boldness from Hermione. 'A true Gryffindor,' he thought. Because of his momentary shock, his hold on her loosened even more.
Taking advantage of the situation, Hermione slipped out of his arms, and said, "We have work to do."
Wordlessly, Draco obliged. Hermione didn't go any further than she knew to be safe, since she was afraid of what Malfoy may do. Judging from previous events, he can be pretty aggressive. Hermione rolled her eyes to herself, and whispered a word that sounded extremely like "men".
While Hermione may be afraid of the possible actions that Draco may take for retaliation, Draco was afraid of the forest. Period. He definitely had not forgotten his past encounter with this forest, and, to say the least, he wasn't extremely thrilled that they had been ordered to perform this particular task. In the middle of his thoughts, he heard Hermione deeply sigh. She was mumbling to herself about something, and he vaguely heard the word "romantic" being mentioned.
'So,' Draco thought, 'she wants romance, eh?'
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Students crowded around a poster on the wall that announced the Halloween dance taking place, where everybody attending was required to be in full costume. No exceptions. Hermione noticed Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Lavender huddled in a group, and couldn't help but feel jealous. Harry had Ginny, and Ron had Lavender. Who did Hermione have? Nobody. Absolutely nobody. Hermione had never felt so alone in her life.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Check, and mate. I win, naturally," Draco smirked at Blaise Zabini. Among his many talents, Draco was practically indomitable in wizard's chess.
"Right. Naturally. On a more serious note," Blaise began, "why are you here? You haven't challenged me in a game since. forever. What do you want? I know something's on your mind."
"I need your advice on something."
With a gesture of Blaise's hand, Draco continued. "I need to seduce that Granger girl."
Blaise raised a quizzical eyebrow, and asked, "In reasons that I really don't need to know, right?"
Draco was highly uncomfortable seeking romantic advice from Blaise, but he had been wondering why Hermione wasn't melting into a puddle of wanton woman in front of him.
"Girls like her, the smart ones, if I may add, need impressing." Answering to the confused look on Draco's face, he continued. "You need to romance them. Romantic gestures are what they look for. I know, you've lived your life with women throwing themselves at you, but you can't seduce every single girl by just. seducing them. You need them to know that you're a good, likeable person first."
Draco looked thoughtful, contemplating on whether Blaise was giving him authorized information. 'Well,' he thought, 'he *has* been in a lot of relationships. '
"There's something else I wanted to ask you for."
After a long discussion of the price of the information that Draco was requesting, Draco left the dungeons to his room.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A/N: Soooooo. what kind of information is Draco looking for? Any guesses?
I know that was a really long chapter, but I wanted all that to happen in a single chapter, otherwise it wouldn't have the effect I wanted it to have.
How was that? I'm shooting for ten reviews for this chapter. Don't ask me why. I'm holding the next chapter hostage until I get the reviews. otherwise, say BYE BYE to chapter 4!! BLAH HAH HAH HAH HAH hah hah. heh. *ahem* . I think I have presented my case well.
Seriously, the more reviews I get, the faster the chapters will show up. I would also go and review anyone who reviewed me, since I'm a nice person and I'm always looking forward to other things to read.
I would appreciate it very much, since I am hoping that I will become a writer someday, and feedback would be nice, especially constructive criticism or flattery.
Do the right thing, and review.
A/N: Is the disclaimer seriously necessary for every single chapter? I'm getting really sick of writing them.and I've only written three. Oh well.
I'd like to thank ALL of my reviewers. Seeing as I got seven reviews ( I don't know if that's a lot to you guys, but I think that's an excellent number of reviews for one chapter) , I decided to get off my lazy ass and write another chapter. I didn't get a whole lot of responses for my question, and I don't know if it's whether I asked at the beginning or you guys just didn't want to answer, so you're stuck with random lengths of chapters. You really really really should review if you want to see more of this story. I write purely for the enjoyment of the readers. If the readers don't like, I don't write. All of that's just me saying you should review. Here are some individual notes:
FuzzyFanFicFreak: NO don't disembowel me!! Awwww you put me on your favorites.
The Young Writer Called Jamie: I've been reading ur fic. wonderful work so far. Am I still loved?
Baby Devil: haha. as you may have noticed, I also didn't have any title for chapter three. I seriously suck at stuff like that. Anything you can think of would be greatly appreciated.
Into the Arms of Darkness and Love
Chapter 3
A few days later, Draco stood in front of the door that currently served as a barrier between Draco and Hermione.in the buff. This little bit of information definitely made him murderous towards the rather large piece of wood.
"Hurry up!! I have things to do too, you know!!" Draco shouted at the inanimate door. "How long does it take to wash yourself? Of course, no matter how much you wash, you'll never be rid of that dirty blood of yours."
Okay, that wasn't exactly the smartest thing to say to someone that you wanted to seduce. But then again, when you're a Malfoy who especially enjoys watching any of the golden trio get riled up, you just can't help yourself.
Seeing as Hermione wasn't in any hurry to get out of the bathroom, Draco leaned his tall form against the wall, thinking about his mission, and the rewards he will be receiving when this task has been completed to the Dark Lord's satisfaction. So far, Draco has progressed in his plot more than had planned. First impressions were always important, and so far, in the eyes of Lord Voldemort, he was doing pretty well. Of course, first impressions do not always last. There may be some twists and turns, or, in other cases, getting to know a person. For example, when he first met some of the Gryffindors, Draco had thought that the sorting hat was having an off day, since Hermione seemed to more likely belong in Ravenclaw, Neville would be in Hufflepuff, and Harry seemed to be the only true and stereotypical Gryffindor in Draco's eye. Then, that would mean that Harry would seem even more like the "friendly" rival that he is. But, as you got to know them, they became more and more appropriate. They were all brave; they just came in different varieties.
Eventually, his thoughts drifted towards his recovery of an important piece of information. Passwords come in very handy for special.visits. All of a sudden, a burst of steam puffed out of the now open bathroom door, and out came Hermione in her bathrobe.
"Took you long enough," Draco sneered. As she walked by him, he couldn't help but notice just about the only section of skin revealed to him; her legs. They were smooth and pale, but not unhealthy-looking. Toned muscle beckoned him to trail his fingers along its length, and her hair that hung in curly tendrils begged to have someone's hands run though them.
Hermione seemed to have been avoiding him those last couple of days, much to Draco's satisfaction. That helped him plot his next few steps in his duty. Nothing can be done all at once, and there must always be a plan.
Feeling extremely satisfied with himself, he strutted into the bathroom, and took in a lungful of Hermione's scent. 'God. I'm getting obsessed.' He walked over to where her shampoo was perched and read the label - muggle stuff. Only muggles would be able to create something like that non- magically. The soap taps in the Head bathroom smelled great and all, but their scent was nothing compared to the things muggles made. Technology wasn't witches' and wizards' forte. They were more. old-fashioned, with the females having less credit than the males, no matter how much more extraordinary they were. Necessity is the mother of all inventions, and there really wasn't any incentive to invent anything, since the magical world was equipped with wands. Leave technology to the rest of the world; they seem to know what to do with it.
'What is this now? Me? Praising muggles? It must be the shampoo. that's pretty strong stuff.'
Draco took a look into the mirror, and pulled back the scarce pieces of blonde locks that had escaped from the wrath of his buckets and buckets of hair gel. He smirked, causing a duplicate image in the mirror, content with his appearance.
"That's *all* that you wanted to do after bothering me all that time? You're really pathetic, Malfoy," Hermione said. It's not like she rushed with her bathing or anything, but with him bothering her, she couldn't really concentrate on her bath, so she decided to leave.
"I'd rather attend to my businesses in private, thank you. Potty and Weasel may not mind when you barge in on them doing whatever, but -"
"Fine, fine. It's not like I even *want* to see whatever you do in there, anyways."
She retired to her room when Draco cast a derisive look at her. One look from him made her head spin with rage, and she also couldn't help but shiver at a slight tingle that traveled down her spine.
After Hermione had fully retreated to her room, Draco took a deep sigh. He really *was* going to have to tone down the provoking side of him. He's trying to get her to like him, right? He sauntered into their shared common room, and took a seat in front of the fireplace. Draco decided to use this time to plan his attack on Ron. What could he do to detach Ron from Harry? He could.
Hermione had noticed Draco gaping, open-mouthed, at her legs. He hadn't realized that Hermione noticed his very unflattering expression due to the fact that his eyes were about fifty degrees down from her face.
'Perfect. Now isn't this a great opportunity to try out the tactics taught to me by my female cohorts?' She left her room in a tank top and shorts, looking fresh and clean. Mind you, she smelled that way. Draco had noticed.
Hermione had deliberately sat on the opposite loveseat in front of the fire, dragging a thick book behind her. It was only a while later that she noticed Draco striding determinately towards the empty seat beside her, walking with an air of calmness, as if he didn't have a care in the world. She could feel his presence, his heat emanating from his self, making her squirm inwardly.
Hermione was not the only one affected by his close proximity. He, too, felt the alien warmness that invaded him, and didn't know what to make of it. His relationships were based on lust, and when the passion was gone, the girl was gone also. Of course, what's relationship to him are only a couple of days. Always looking for something new, he is, and this strange warmness was acutely different. This newfound sensation perked up his interest in this goddess-like beauty next to him, and he sat, entranced, staring at her. They way she looked, captivated by the book, was almost too much for him. Of course, he had to keep his cool. He couldn't let this.this *mudblood* get to him like that. He reached for her book to get her attention, when.
Hermione suddenly stood up. The heat had grown to such an extent that she was slightly perspiring. Nervousness overtook her, and she began feeling giddy and jittery, so she headed quickly towards her room but also trying to seem calm, leaving an astonished and blinking Draco in her wake. *She* didn't know that, of course.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
He was watching her. She could physically feel eyes boring into the back of her neck, scorching the flesh beneath the skin. It was transfiguration, and Harry had noticed something odd about his neighbor, but didn't ask any questions. 'She probably stayed up too late studying.' With that, Harry turned and smiled at a girl that was casting glances at him, and then finally blushing.
Draco chose that time to amble by her seat while Harry was distracted. Ron stole a peek at Hermione, but he was too oblivious to notice anything unusual. Draco made sure to brush her arm during his little promenade. Hermione jumped in surprise, but didn't dare look up at him. Nobody had ever paid attention to her that way, the way a male would behave when he has taken interest in a girl. This was happening all too fast to Hermione, so she concentrated on her work. She was so absorbed in her answers that it took a moment for her to realize that she was sitting alone in the classroom.
"Miss Granger, is there something wrong? Class ended a few minutes ago, you know," Professor McGonagall informed.
"Thank you, Professor. I just lost track of the time," Hermione said. After she cast a nervous smile towards her teacher, she left the classroom.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Lunch in the Great Hall proved to be a very boring feast. Hermione picked at her food, and thought, 'I should still be thankful that I'm away from.*him*.' In fact, she couldn't stand being in the company of Malfoy. Ron wasn't helping any as he shoveled food into his mouth, exposing food particles that made Hermione's stomach churn. She pushed her plate away from her, and exited the Great Hall.
A few tables away, Draco smiled discreetly, proud of the effect he had on her. It won't be long, now, before she would be squirming as she did last night, only beneath him.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Potions; this has got to be the most dreadful class of all. Professor Snape had introduced a new potion that they will be brewing: the love potion. Groans erupted throughout the class, with the exception of a few. It was vital that the potion was concocted correctly, since it could prove hazardous to whomever that took the potion. Due to the previous reason, Neville was ordered not to participate in this particular class.
Draco, being the slimy git that he is, stalked quickly over to Hermione's table, where Ron and Harry were also seated. Swiftly, and hopefully inconspicuously, he tipped over Ron's potion, causing a puff of pink smoke to materialize from the point of impact on the floor. Harry launched himself at Malfoy, proving that, apparently, Draco was not discreet enough. Hermione was trying to calm down a near-blubbering Ron, his red-rimmed eyes staring blankly at the puff of smoke.
"Mr. Potter, Mr. Malfoy! Stop disrupting this class with your childish rumbling!!" Professor Snape took a deep breath, and continued. "Miss. Granger and Mr. Weasley! I specifically told you that you may not have assistance for this project. Fifty points from Gryffindor and detention for you all."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Muttering incoherently, Hermione made her way through the dark forest, trailing only slightly behind Draco, since he was the one with the kerosene lamp. Their wands had been confiscated from them, since this work was intended for character-building and keeping them together long enough to be able to stand each other. Otherwise, they would be the death of each other.
They were sent by Professor Snape to collect special herbs that he has grown in the Forbidden Forest. Hermione had noticed that Draco seemed extremely jumpy, especially at any slight noise that would occur every now and then as a result of the creatures going about their things. Obviously, his encounter during his first year at Hogwarts hadn't been forgotten. What else could explain such unusual character from Malfoy?
Draco looked from left to right, wishing in his mind that nothing could jump out, which may result in a high-pitched scream from him.
They reached a small clearing with bunches of plants shooting from the ground, many of which fitting the description of the herbs they were directed to retrieve.
Hermione had a great urge to suddenly slap a hand onto his back, just to see what his reaction would be. She inched closer to his back, and then swiftly, she brought a hand to his shoulder blade forcefully. He abruptly turned around, grabbing her by the wrists while pushing her up against a tree. After realizing who his attacker was, he loosened his grip, but still held her in her place.
"Don't you *ever* do that again. Ever," Draco whispered fiercely, again adding emphasis to the word "ever".
A sly smile appeared on Hermione's face, and she lifted her chin defiantly. "Or what?"
Draco was taken aback, for he had not expected such boldness from Hermione. 'A true Gryffindor,' he thought. Because of his momentary shock, his hold on her loosened even more.
Taking advantage of the situation, Hermione slipped out of his arms, and said, "We have work to do."
Wordlessly, Draco obliged. Hermione didn't go any further than she knew to be safe, since she was afraid of what Malfoy may do. Judging from previous events, he can be pretty aggressive. Hermione rolled her eyes to herself, and whispered a word that sounded extremely like "men".
While Hermione may be afraid of the possible actions that Draco may take for retaliation, Draco was afraid of the forest. Period. He definitely had not forgotten his past encounter with this forest, and, to say the least, he wasn't extremely thrilled that they had been ordered to perform this particular task. In the middle of his thoughts, he heard Hermione deeply sigh. She was mumbling to herself about something, and he vaguely heard the word "romantic" being mentioned.
'So,' Draco thought, 'she wants romance, eh?'
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Students crowded around a poster on the wall that announced the Halloween dance taking place, where everybody attending was required to be in full costume. No exceptions. Hermione noticed Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Lavender huddled in a group, and couldn't help but feel jealous. Harry had Ginny, and Ron had Lavender. Who did Hermione have? Nobody. Absolutely nobody. Hermione had never felt so alone in her life.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Check, and mate. I win, naturally," Draco smirked at Blaise Zabini. Among his many talents, Draco was practically indomitable in wizard's chess.
"Right. Naturally. On a more serious note," Blaise began, "why are you here? You haven't challenged me in a game since. forever. What do you want? I know something's on your mind."
"I need your advice on something."
With a gesture of Blaise's hand, Draco continued. "I need to seduce that Granger girl."
Blaise raised a quizzical eyebrow, and asked, "In reasons that I really don't need to know, right?"
Draco was highly uncomfortable seeking romantic advice from Blaise, but he had been wondering why Hermione wasn't melting into a puddle of wanton woman in front of him.
"Girls like her, the smart ones, if I may add, need impressing." Answering to the confused look on Draco's face, he continued. "You need to romance them. Romantic gestures are what they look for. I know, you've lived your life with women throwing themselves at you, but you can't seduce every single girl by just. seducing them. You need them to know that you're a good, likeable person first."
Draco looked thoughtful, contemplating on whether Blaise was giving him authorized information. 'Well,' he thought, 'he *has* been in a lot of relationships. '
"There's something else I wanted to ask you for."
After a long discussion of the price of the information that Draco was requesting, Draco left the dungeons to his room.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A/N: Soooooo. what kind of information is Draco looking for? Any guesses?
I know that was a really long chapter, but I wanted all that to happen in a single chapter, otherwise it wouldn't have the effect I wanted it to have.
How was that? I'm shooting for ten reviews for this chapter. Don't ask me why. I'm holding the next chapter hostage until I get the reviews. otherwise, say BYE BYE to chapter 4!! BLAH HAH HAH HAH HAH hah hah. heh. *ahem* . I think I have presented my case well.
Seriously, the more reviews I get, the faster the chapters will show up. I would also go and review anyone who reviewed me, since I'm a nice person and I'm always looking forward to other things to read.
I would appreciate it very much, since I am hoping that I will become a writer someday, and feedback would be nice, especially constructive criticism or flattery.
Do the right thing, and review.