Ohmigosh! I have been writing so hard lately! And I've finished all my exams! Roll on the summer! I don't have to go to school anymore! I'm never to wear that horrible icky uniform again! College here I come! Woohoo!
*Ahem* Okay, I'm calm-er. Anyway, thanks for reviewing people, and as usual, thanks are at the end. I hope to put a lot more songs in this version, to help set an atmosphere. In this chapter, Draco sings a song for Hermione, the turning point in their so far love/hate relationship. Aww, aren't they cute?
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Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. It is not my creation. It did not come from my mind, it is not mine. But: I own the books, (the new one is out soon!) I own the cards from the chocolate frogs, I own a pack of sherbet lemons, and a chocolate frog. Yummy. The song is from the movie 'Labyrinth' and is a great movie. It isn't owned by me either, the song belongs to David Bowie. I love the film 'Labyrinth'!
"..." = talking
'Italics' = thoughts
Italics = dream sequence
Italics = song/singing
And now, introducing, for your eyes only, the Slytherin Prince! Woohoo!!
~ * ~
"Draco!" A shrill voice squealed across platform nine and three-quarters, and a short girl with messy blonde hair and a face like a pug hit the young Malfoy. He angrily pushed her away.
"Pansy, go away."
"Draco! How was your summer? Did you miss me? You didn't reply to any of my owls! I invited you to stay! Should I get a new owl?" Pansy's barrage of questions went unanswered as Hermione walked through the barrier.
"Oh Merlin!" gasped a Ravenclaw behind Draco. "Who is she?" "Is she new?" "Look at her!" "She's so beautiful!" Whispers followed Hermione as she confidently made her way down the platform.
"Who is she?" asked Pansy in disgust, wrinkling her nose in what she thought was a cute way. "Look at her hair. It's obviously fake. And that tan? Did she spend all her money at the salon for that?" Pansy laughed maliciously, and then noticed Draco following Hermione with his eyes.
"Draco?"
"That's nice Pansy," he murmured. "Just let me know how that trip to the salon goes." He disappeared, following Hermione, captivated by her beauty and grace.
"'That's nice' he says! Huh! What an idiot!" huffed Pansy, glaring jealously as Draco followed Hermione like a man bewitched.
'Who is she?' wondered Pansy, amazed at Draco's reaction to the new girl.
~ * ~
'That's it 'Mione. You're doing great. Just keep your head up and smile,' Hermione reminded herself as she strolled down the platform to the compartment that, every year, the Wonder Trio took over. She had already got rid of her trunk and Crookshanks, and now she was looking for some familiar red heads.
'Uh-oh, 'Mione, someone's following you.' Hermione's head rung out an alarm, but she ignored it. 'It's probably a Weasley. Just ignore them.'
Draco slipped behind a conveniently placed pile of luggage as Hermione paused and looked around. He knew he shouldn't be following this, after all, his father was forcing him to date Pansy Parkinson, but there was something about this new girl that drove him mad.
"What is it?" he murmured. "What is making me do this?"
"HARRY!" The shout made him look up. The blue haired girl was sprinting towards a group of people - Potter? And the Weasels? 'No way!' he thought angrily. 'How come she loves Potter? I-I want her!'
~ * ~
Harry looked up as a familiar voice called his name. "Hermione!" he yelled excitedly, and then stopped. Hermione was nowhere to be seen, but a girl was running towards them.
"Harry! How was your summer? Where's Ron? And Ginny? Oh." Hermione paused as Harry stared at her. "Um, I have a surprise for you. Do you like it?"
"Hermione...it is you!" Harry picked Hermione up and swung her around. "Hermione! What happened? You look great!"
"Harry!" she squealed. "Put me down!" She giggled madly as a pile of Weasleys landed on her. "'Mione what did you do?" "I like it!" "So is this why you couldn't come?!" Hermione laughed and pushed the group off her. She turned to the three who had asked questions. The whole Weasley clan had come to see them off.
"Ron, I didn't do anything, this is the real me, I'll explain later. Fred, thank you. Ginny, yes." She frowned and counted them off on her fingers. "Did I answer everyone?"
The group burst out laughing, and started chattering excitedly.
~ * ~
"Hermione? That's Hermione!" gasped Draco. He looked around quickly. Thankfully, no one had heard his mistake.
'Way to go, Draco old boy,' he thought sarcastically. 'Just shout a bit louder, the people in Albania didn't hear. One more mistake like that, and your secret will be out.' Draco scolded himself harshly, all the while thinking 'you liked her anyway, didn't you?'
"Yes!" he whispered viciously. Sighing in defeat, he slid to the floor. 'Yes. I liked her. I like her. No, I love her.'
'We already knew,' said the voices in his head. Draco scowled. "Bloody wizard metaphors bloody coming true," he growled, remembering the spell cast on him by the object of his affections last year.
~Flashback~
"Why, Mudblood, didn't know you had it in you," he had said smoothly as Hermione cast hex after hex on the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher for the year. The man was worse than all the others, and had on several occasions been accused of 'trying it on' with the female students. Hermione scowled and cast another. "Now try," she muttered angrily. Hearing Draco's comments, she turned on him.
'Great, Malfoy. Way to go. Why can't you just tell her? Why insult her all the time? You're just driving her away!' he screamed mentally.
"What's the matter, Ferret-head? Cat got your tongue? Can't face the voices in your head?" Hermione smirked, and held out her wand. "Let's see how you like this." She cast a final spell, before walking away.
~End Flashback~
Draco still didn't know what had hit him, but ever since he had constantly been battling with voices in his head, his conscience, his libido, every single thing he thought came under debate.
'What are you waiting for?' A voice spoke up evilly. 'She's smart, she's sexy, she's been driving you insane since your first day. You've saved her life from Voldemort so many times, and she doesn't know it. Every time a Death Eater is sent, you cause an accident. Voldemort wants her to get to Harry, and you're keeping them both safe. Go for it!' The voice, named 'Maleficius' by Draco, spoke with a leer in his voice. Another voice spoke up. This one, Draco had named 'Angelus'.
'I have to say, Draco, that the other one is right. Go for her, come clean. Take Veritaserum. Show her you mean it, show her you care. Sing her a song. Girls like that.'
"Yes." Draco got up with a determined look on his face. "Bugger Father, bugger Potter, bugger the Weasleys and bugger Pansy." He walked off to set up his plan.
~ * ~
"Care for a game of Exploding Snap?" Ginny pulled a set of games from her bag. She sat next to Harry, and Hermione and Ron sat opposite. Hermione still hadn't told them what had happened, but Ginny had forcefully explained to the boys that Hermione would say when she was ready.
"Go on then," smiled Harry. Hermione and Ron nodded in agreement.
"Sorry, but that's not possible," interrupted a cold voice from the doorway. Hermione looked, and instantly saw him in a new light. He stood at almost six foot, his body athletic, but not too muscular, just the way she liked it. Her eyes travelled up, and she plastered an annoyed expression on her face as she came to meet his icy blue eyes. Hermione stared in defiance.
"Well, Malfoy? We were about to have a game before you so rudely interrupted." Hermione lifted her hand slightly, ready to create fire the moment he insulted her.
"Granger, I wouldn't interrupt your game unless I had to. Prefects meeting."
"You're a prefect?" snorted Ron. "Who did you bribe?"
"Ron!" shouted Ginny, Hermione and Harry. "Shut up!" They glared him into silence.
"They understand, Weasley. I came for Herm-Granger. Not to insult you, although it is tempting." Draco stared coldly at Ron, until Hermione waved her hand across his gaze. Draco's head snapped up, and he brushed a strand of his loose blonde hair back.
"Let's go, Malfoy." Hermione walked out and raised her eyebrow impatiently.
"Alright." Draco shut the door and led the way to a small, private compartment at the end of the train. He stepped aside to let Hermione in, and then walked in too, closing the door after him.
"So, where's the prefects?" asked Hermione coldly. She was seated, waiting for an explanation, a furious look on her face.
"Hermione, please listen."
Hermione was stunned. Draco Malfoy had been nice? Polite? And had called her Hermione?
~ * ~
"Hermione, I have to tell you the truth. And since you would never believe me, here." He held out a bottle of Veritaserum. "Check it's the real thing." Stunned, Hermione took it and inspected it.
"Yeah, it seems to be," she said quietly, still in shock. She handed it back, and Draco tilted his head back and drunk the bottles contents.
"What are you doing? Malfoy, what the hell are you doing?" she screamed, jumping up, and then clapping her hand to her mouth. Hermione Granger didn't use words like that.
"I want to tell you the truth, Hermione. The truth about the past six years at Hogwarts. The truth about why I was always so nasty to you. I want you to believe me. This is the only way!" he cried desperately.
"But, Malfoy, why? Why is this so important? Draco, answer me!"
"Because I love you!"
~ * ~
"You what?" Lavender giggled as she took Hermione's seat. "Ginny I never knew you had it in you! But can you save your poor brother please?" She watched the show as Ginny removed Ron's magical gag.
"He wouldn't shut up about Hermione going to a meeting with Malfoy," explained Harry as Ron threw everything he could find at Ginny. "Ron was definitely not happy, were you Ronnie-kins?" he teased, getting hit by a cushion.
"Can we stop this now?" asked Ron, his blue eyes turning to Lavender's brown ones. "Hi Lavender. Nice to see you. How was your summer?"
"It was great, but I wish you had come too," she said, and then blushed. Harry and Ginny looked at Ron, who was currently competing with Lavender for the Brightest Blush Award.
"I think you have some explaining to do, Ronald Weasley."
~ * ~
Hermione's head was spinning. 'Did he just say that? He's telling the truth! He's under Veritaserum! Why do you feel that this changes everything? Why? Does it?'
"It does," she whispered. Draco stared at her, an anxious look on his usually emotionless face.
"What does what?"
"Nothing. Malfoy -Draco, I guess, um, what is the truth? What you wanted to say?"
Draco blushed. "Well, I wanted you to know why I've been so nasty. Firstly, I don't even like the word Mudblood. Second, I, I," he stuttered. "I've always liked you. I don't think you're a know-it-all. At least not in a nasty way, like Snape uses it. And thirdly-"
"Thirdly?"
"Thirdly-I've saved you from Voldemort more times than you can count."
Hermione was stunned for the fourth or fifth time that day. "Why would Voldemort come after me?"
"Oh come on Hermione, I don't have to explain, do I? You're pretty, smart, and a friend of Harry Potter. What a combination. Voldemort was practically dancing when he heard about you, even when he was disembodied. He wants to use you as bait for Harry. He wants to kill you both. You're a threat to him, and he wants you dead."
"And why should I believe a Death Eater? This might all me a trap!" snapped Hermione suddenly. Draco looked at her coldly.
"I'm under Veritaserum! And I'm not a Death Eater! I hate them all! You are quite the ungrateful little madam, aren't you? I've cried for you, I almost died for you, I killed for you! I love you, and all I want is for you to love me too!"
"You-you killed? You monster!" screamed Hermione. She knew she was acting irrationally, but she had to be sure he meant it.
"I'm not a monster! I'm in love!"
How you turned my world, you precious thing
Hermione stared in Draco in shock as he began to sing to her.
You starve and near exhaust me
She stood up as he circled her.
Everything I've done, I've done for you
Draco lifted his wand and threw it aside.
I move the stars for no one
You've run so long
You've run so far
Your eyes can be so cruel
Just as I can be so cruel
He stared into her eyes as he sang this.
Though I do believe in you
Yes I do
Hermione trembled as he came closer.
Live without the sunlight
Love without your heartbeat
I, I can't live within you
I can't live within you
Draco sighed and gently touched her cheek.
I, I can't live within you
His voice faded away as he ran out of the room.
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WOOHOO! Finally! He's said it!
I thought it would be easier for Draco to have always had a crush on Hermione. Leaves so many more possibilities. Plus makes it easier to develop their relationship. Let me know what you think!
Slytherin Angel - Yeah, the KFS has caused many a sore rib from laughing too much. Glad you like it though :0)
sweetkitten - Thank you! People like you are great for a confidence boost!
Lady Raven - I hope to keep posting quick, and I'm glad you like the story.
Well, bye! *Goes off to start victory dance over the end of exams*
