*****
Chapter One: The Day It All Began*****
Disclaimer etc in first part
Heliona Writes: Draco, Hermione and Ron
Kyizi Writes: Ginny, Harry
and Parvati
Yahoo! Group: a_smirk_and_a_smile
*****
Harry:
Harry cleared his throat and shifted his gaze back to the chessboard, quickly moving his knight to King's four, despite the fact that Hermione's queen was in the perfect position to now take it and move into checkmate. Not that Hermione was likely to see that. He hoped Ron didn't notice they'd cleared away the game Ron had been thrashing him at and damn Ron and his little comments anyway.
He risked a glance at Hermione and saw that she was blushing as she flustered over which piece to move, before looking up at Ron. His ginger-haired friend seemed to find the whole thing amusing. Ron was one of the main reasons Harry hadn't jumped Hermione yet and here he was teasing them and laughing at them.
As Ron and Parvati sat beside them (Harry kicked Ron under the table to stop him from telling Hermione about the checkmate), Harry thought back to the conversation they had had at the dinner table. It seemed that Ron was rather keen on Parvati, and he noticed that they were holding hands, neither one making a move to let go. Perhaps Ron wasn't at all interested in Hermione. But did that mean that Ron would be okay that he was?
"Harry?"
He jumped out of his thoughts and looked back at Hermione. "Sorry, got a little lost in my thoughts."
She smiled, and his stomach did a little flip. "It's your move."
"Oh." It seemed that Hermione had missed the opportunity for checkmate, and as Ron tutted, she seemed to realise this, cussing under her breath. "Hermione!" he said in mock surprise.
"Oh, shut up," she said with a smile. "It's not as if you and Ron don't use worse on a daily basis."
"But we, my dear Hermione, are not you."
"How long did it take you to work that one out?" Parvati said, with a smirk.
They laughed and Harry kicked Hermione under the table, causing her to yelp, jump and knock the chessboard and its pieces flying off the table. The four of them started laughing hysterically as the chess pieces complained rather loudly at being disrupted.
"Can you be quiet? Some of us are trying to study."
"Sorry, Ginny," Hermione replied, but Ginny only closed her book and stalked
out of the Common Room.
Harry frowned and Ron shrugged. Ginny had entered the Common Room about half an hour before Ron and Parvati had returned, looking flushed and in none to happy a mood, as Dean and Seamus had discovered when trying to ask her if she wanted to play Exploding Snap with them. She had all but bit their heads off before stalking up to her dorm to get her homework. Harry assumed she had only returned to the Common Room because Stephanie, Cara, Teresa, and Lena were there.
"What's up with her?" Ron asked, looking at Hermione.
"I have no idea."
"Hey, Ron, your sister been playing with dragons lately?"
Ron laughed, as Harry and Hermione frowned. "All her life, Seamus!" He turned to his friends. "It's just an expression. Means she's in a bad mood, all fired up. Dragons. Get it?"
Harry shook her head and Hermione rolled her eyes. Ginny playing with dragons? Now there was a bizarre image.
"Want to play doubles?" Ron asked, indicating the rather disgruntled chess pieces.
Harry shrugged and Hermione smiled. "Only if I'm on your team, Ron."
"I think I'm insulted." Harry raised his eyebrows, trying to hide his smile. He knew that he was nowhere near Ron's league when it came to chess, and to be honest, he liked playing against Hermione. It meant he got to look at her. He could spend ages staring into her eyes and not have to think of a reason for doing it.
"That's okay, Harry," Parvati said, dropping Ron's hand and moving to sit beside him. "I think we can handle them."
"Fine," Ron said with a smirk, moving to sit by Hermione, helping her set up the chessboard. "Prepare to lose, Miss Patil."
Harry raised his eyebrows. "You're not going to let us lose, right? You've seen him play? You know what he's like?"
Parvati smirked and leaned to whisper in his ear. Harry noticed Ron's eyes narrowing and that Hermione seemed upset at the act. "You should see my sister play, she uses a different name." Harry frowned and Parvati smiled. "She's the national chess champion, but I don't like competitions, that's the only reason I'm not. Trust me, we'll win."
Harry smirked and turned to the game, aware that Ron was glaring at him and that Hermione looked more suspicious than anything else now. They spent the next two hours playing, and Harry had begun to doubt Parvati's statements until she turned table and wiped Ron and Hermione's pieces clean off the board, leaving them in checkmate, with only a pawn, a knight, and the king left on the board.
"I can't believe you beat me!"
Harry laughed as Parvati raised her eyebrows. "Why?" she asked, sitting back and folding her arms across her chest. "Because I'm a girl?"
Ron frowned. "No, because you've never played me before and I've beat everyone here!"
She smiled and Harry exchanged an amused look with Hermione as their friends started arguing. He had beat Ron at chess. Okay, so Hermione had been playing as well, and only Parvati and Ron had really done anything, but it still counted!Hermioned
Harry jumped and looked at Hermione wide-eyed. She was staring at Ron and Parvati, but could he see a smirk? Yes, there was a smirk. That meant the foot he just felt running up his thigh definitely belonged to her. Then again, if it hadn't, seeing as Parvati was sitting next to him, the only other person it could have been was Ron and that was just disturbing and wrong.
Hermione's smirk widened a little. That meant that she knew he was looking at her. Well, two could play at that game. He moved his foot forward and Ron jumped.
"Oi, Harry, watch where you're putting your big feet, mate."
"Oh, eh, yeah, I was just…stretching my legs." He could feel the heat rising in his cheeks and it was only made worse by the fact that Hermione's shoulders were shaking in silent laughter.
Why didn't the floor ever open up and swallow you when you needed it to?
*****
Hermione:
Hermione glanced up through her lashes at Harry. He looked so cute when he blushed. She dragged her thoughts away from him, since they made her blush too, and Ron was clearly already suspicious about them.
She stopped herself from growling at the whole situation. All she wanted to do was grab Harry's tie and drag him upstairs to her room. Hmm, maybe I could think of some excuse to get him up there, Hermione mused, twirling a strand of hair around her finger.
She looked askance at Ron, who seemed to be eying up Parvati. Parvati also seemed to be reciprocating the look. Finally, Hermione gave in. She stood up and took a deep breath.
"Harry, since we're not playing any more, why don't I show you that Arithmancy problem I was telling you about?" she said, not making full eye contact with him.
A puzzled look flitted across Harry's face, followed by realisation. "Oh right. I'd completely forgotten about that." He stood up, and explained to Ron and Parvati, who were looking at them questioningly, "You know that homework that got set for Defense? Well, Hermione's done an Arithmancy problem which might be able to help me with my project."
Ron frowned. "Why can't she bring it down?"
"It's bound to my room. If I move it without untying all the binding spells, which would take hours, it'll be destroyed," Hermione explained, her hands becoming animated as she got into the swing of her explanation. "You see, it involves the spatial relationship between…"
"Okay, okay, I get it," Ron said, holding his hands up. "Just go."
Hermione smiled and winked at Harry when Ron wasn't looking. Sometimes it was too easy being clever. All she had to do was launch into a complex explanation, which was actually a load of rubbish, and Ron would zone out immediately. She could have told him that she was descended from a cucumber and he wouldn't have blinked an eye.
Hermione walked in front of Harry up to her room, thankful that her stairs weren't Charmed against boys like the stairs to the girls' dorms were. She swayed her hips, knowing that he was getting a very pleasant view of her behind. By the time they had reached the top, and Hermione leant against the door, Harry was flushed, and she really didn't think that it had merely been the stairs.
Hermione smirked and winked at him again as she opened the door. She let Harry in first, and locked the door behind her. She couldn't help but think that she was being very forward, but something about Harry, with his sparkling green eyes, and his bright smile, and his hot body made her act completely differently. At the moment, she didn't care how wanton she was being.
When she turned around, she saw that Harry was now leaning back against her desk, and looking incredibly edible. Hermione walked towards him, taking off her cardigan as she did. Harry's eyes widened, and he swallowed nervously.
"Hermione, do you really think this is a good idea?"
Hermione put a finger on his lips. "Ssh. And yes, I do, because I swear, if I don't kiss you within the next ten seconds, I'm going to spontaneously combust, and then you'll be left to explain how you blew me up."
Harry chuckled, and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her against him. "Well, if that's the way it's going to be…," he mumbled, before drawing her into a breath-taking kiss.
"Mmmm," Hermione said as she pulled away. "As lovely as this is, can we move somewhere more comfortable? There's a gale coming from that window."
Harry grinned. "Of course, where would you suggest?"
Hermione looked at him, and then looked towards the bed. "How about the bed?"
Harry choked. "The bed?"
"Look, all I'm saying is that it's more comfortable, that's all," Hermione said quickly, getting flustered.
Harry smiled reassuringly, and took her hand to lead her to the bed. "Now, about this Arithmancy problem?"
"If you're serious about that, I would go and see Ginny, she's better at actually building spells than I am," Hermione said. "Now, stop talking about homework and kiss me."
"Yes, boss."
*****
Ginny:
Arithmancy was as far from Ginny's mind as it was from Hermione's. She stared in wide-eyed shock at the same hard body she had already been distracted by for the millionth time that day. There was something keeping her eyes from looking at his face, and that something was the rest of his completely gorgeous body.
She had had no idea what was wrong with her, but all she knew was that if she had stayed in the Common Room, she was likely to behead Dean and Seamus. She had been in one hell of a mood since her last encounter with Draco and had hoped that a walk (or rather a storm) around the castle might clear her head enough to actually forget about Draco and relax her enough to get some sleep. He had frustrated her, in more ways than one, and he was right, it was dangerous, and she needed to forget about him. But given that she had just bumped into him again (literally), she didn't see that happening.
"Are you stalking me, Weasley?"
She meant to reply, she really did, but he looked…he was…and she couldn't answer. He looked rather ruffled. In a very sexy way. He looked as if he had just spent hours working out.
Ooh, there's a nice image, Ginny thought, unable to stop herself from licking her lips. His hair was definitely more mussed than it had been before and he was no longer wearing his robes (which were hanging over his arm), instead sporting a pair of nice black trousers and a rather tight black t-shirt. He looked like sex on legs.
"See something you like, Weasley?"
His drawling voice brought her attention back to the present and she glared at him. She instantly softened her expression when her eyes met his. He was teasing her, but not in the malicious way she was used to, instead, he had a playful glint in his eyes. He seemed very relaxed, as if his defences were down slightly. She wished she knew what it was that could make him feel like that, but she was more content to just enjoy it at that moment.
"Maybe," she replied, raising her eyebrows.
He obviously hadn't expected her to reply in the same manner he had started the conversation; he even seemed a little surprised. Well, as surprised as a Malfoy could ever look, which Ginny admitted wasn't much.
"What brings you out so late, Malfoy?" she asked, hoping that he would talk to her and not run off. Well, stalk off. She wasn't sure she had ever seen Malfoy running. Ooh, Draco running. Hmmm, nice butt.
He frowned a little. "What are you thinking about, Ginny?"
He seemed to be teasing her again and she refused to spoil it by pointing out his slip. He had called her Ginny once that day. Twice now. Not that I'm going to keep count, or anything…
"Why do you want to know?"
He quirked his left eyebrow a little (How does he do that? And how does he manage to make it look so sexy?). "Just wondering why you look like you're undressing me with your eyes." He smirked. "If you really want to see me naked, Weasley, you only have to ask."
You will not blush, you WILL NOT blush! "Well, if I'd known that, Malfoy…" she trailed off and smirked. He seemed amused that she was copying his demeanour and she leaned against the wall, facing him. She knew she should turn around and head back to the Common Room. She knew she should just leave him and never make eye contact again, let alone talk with him. But she couldn't make herself leave, and she didn't want to. She wanted to see where this was heading, and what's more, she was sure she liked the direction they were veering in.
*****
Draco:
Draco smirked and raised his eyebrow again. Apparently this Weasley had balls. At least, metaphorically. Blatantly scanning her body with his eyes, Draco was completely confident that all her body parts were distinctly feminine. When his eyes clashed with her brown ones, Draco felt his stomach churn, and he suddenly realised where he was and who exactly he was flirting with. Evidently, playing the piano had relaxed him so much that his senses had taken leave of him.
He swore under his breath, and cast his mind about for a reasonable way to salvage the situation. Finally, he came upon something, and a truly evil smirk spread across his face. Draco sauntered across to stand directly in front of Ginny, who was beginning to look uneasy. "I'll bear that in mind, Weasley," he whispered in her ear, his mouth literally centimetres away from her. He could sense her shiver, and moved his face to look into her eyes.
Draco watched as Ginny unconsciously licked her lips and glanced down at his lips. He winked then, and turned away suddenly, striding down the corridor. He could have sworn that he heard her growl in frustration, and smirked to himself. He knew that if anyone had been watching, they would have thought that he had been threatening her, instead of what had actually happened. He couldn't believe that he'd actually been drawn into flirting with her! So much for avoiding her. It seemed as though the youngest Weasley was determined to mess up his life.
I need a cold shower, and a good night's sleep, Draco told himself. Everything will be normal in the morning. He massaged his long fingers, sore from hours of playing, attempting to distract his mind from images of Ginny stretched out languorously on his bed. As he climbed into bed, the only good thing that Draco could visualise coming out of the situation was pleasant dreams.
*****
End of Day One
Look out for day two, coming soon!
