Highly Attracted
~hotsleekeyz~
Chapter 5
It Doesn't Have to Hurt
************************************************************************
Draco looked intently at Hermione as her face was full of sweat. Hermione was shivering cold in front of Draco that Draco had to hold her hands tight.
They shared Draco's warmth. . .
"Hermione, you were having a dream. Are you alright?" asked Draco with too much concern in his eyes.
"Where am I?"
"We're in the library. I went looking for you as I walked past Virginia Weasley by the corridors. I asked for you though she was conspicuous, she told me that she honestly didn't know where you were. Look, it's late. I reckon you better go back to your dormitory. You need to get some rest. We still got classes tomorrow"
Hermione shook her head to fully wake herself up. "Did I stay here too long? Was I talking in my sleep?"
"You were just saying 'no' the whole time. Why? What was your dream about?" inquired Draco as he sat beside Draco on the couch inside the library.
Hermione recalled briefly in her mind what she dreamt about. She thought that she couldn't tell Draco about it. It would be too embarrassing. "Well, I don't know really. It was just---just sad"
"Come on! I also get dreams once in a while. A lot of them are not nice"
"Okay, but promise me you won't laugh. The dream really got to me in odd sort of way. One of those kind that I wouldn't want to happen ever"
Draco smirked. "Come on, tell me now. You're talking too much"
"Fine. It all started with ME inside the dream. It was like I was a part of my own dream but I wasn't there. I was IN the dream but I wasn't a part of it. Do you get that?"
"Yeah, yeah. Go on"
"So, there were two lovers. They were inside this small house that seemed to have been their hiding place. The people were after them at that time to take hold of their lives as they were believed to be sinners. As I understand it, they're supposed to be siblings and it was too late for them to draw away from the other as the woman was already pregnant with their child"
Hermione was cut by Draco's question. "Was someone like a, like a Dark Lord in that dream?"
Draco's breath was short and hastened. When Hermione spoke again, Draco almost threw the book that was on top of Hermione's lap away. "Yes. Yes, there was. I believe the name was Lord Harold"
"Hermione, what else was there in your dream?" Draco drew himself closer to Hermione, looking more intent. He had to confirm with himself that some Dark force was controlling Hermione's dream.
"Why are you suddenly so interested in something like that? It never crossed my mind that someone like you would be caught up with such love stories", teased Hermione though the emotions in Draco's face didn't change one bit.
"Just carry on the story, alright?"
"Okay, so there. That Lord Harold came in and aimed his wand at the two lovers. The man took the woman in his arms too tight that he felt the woman die in his grasp. The woman killed herself that the moment the man saw her, her eyes were bleeding and she was without breath any longer. In the man's fury, he took his own dagger and killed himself rather than to give the pleasure to that Lord Harold of having his life taken away. I must've cried for real inside my dream. I remember running to the man and on the floor, I saw a necklace similar to the one my stalker returned in my possession last night. It was sad really. Never thought that even in my imagination, such love stories exist. I say my dream was somehow inspired by the muggle work, Romeo and Juliet, by the famous writer and playwright William Shakespeare. I must've read that book four times already"
Draco didn't speak. He was without words. The version that he heard from Voldemort was too similar to Hermione's dream.
Hermione grew curious. She thought Draco wouldn't be too affected by just THAT. "Draco? Are you alright?"
"Um, yeah. Hermione, could I have you promise me one thing?"
"That would depend on what you'd ask me to promise about"
"Just promise me that you will not talk to that old hag again"
"The hag that barged into my room last night? Why would I want to talk to her?"
"It's because you want to know about your past. Your curiosity kills you"
"Draco?"
"Hermione, please. Just do this one for me. And one more thing, you have to take the necklace out of your possession. You've got to give it to me"
Hermione felt that Draco was overly serious, which gave her more reason to get curious of what have been happening to her. "Why do you have to take it? It's the only memory that I have of my mom. My dad disposed every single possession of my mum's. Why, for what acceptable reason should I have to give it away like that?"
Draco sighed. He wanted to tell Hermione everything but he couldn't. At some point, he acknowledged the fact that they were kin though he didn't want to consider it. "You have to break the curse. The necklace you received, it links you to your dream---your past in curse of your sin"
"Okay, Mr. Draco Malfoy, it's your turn to talk. What's it you're holding back? Tell me every thing you know. I want to know"
"Hermione, you wouldn't understand and I reckon this is not the best time to talk about it"
"Then when?"
"Soon. But not now"
Hermione lowered her head. Her depression sunk her lower into her sadness. "Please Draco. I want to know. I want to know why this is all happening because I don't know what to believe anymore"
"Does the lovers have names in your dream?"
"Yes"
"Who are they?"
"I don't know Malfoy! If you're really anxious to know, those lovers looked almost exactly like us and they are Drache and Maria! Now, does that satisfy your ego? Maybe now you could give me some explanation about it!"
Hermione immediately cried before Draco. Draco was shocked and was caught unattended. He felt too much compassion for the woman he had followed around for almost six years.
Draco took Hermione in his arms. He whispered, "I'm sorry Hermione. I couldn't tell you every thing but now, all you've got to know is that I love you. Would that be enough?" There were too many emotions in Draco's voice that it almost broke. He as well wanted to cry. He didn't want to hurt Hermione like that.
Hermione didn't push Draco away. Instead, she asked, "Draco, who are you?"
Draco pulled away. He stared straight into Hermione's auburn eyes with his gray ones. "I'm your lover Hermione. I'm sorry I just told you now"
"And that's the reason why you patched it up with me this year"
"Yes"
"Since when?"
"Since we were in second year. . . Hermione, I'm really sorry. I'm so, so sorry"
Draco took his distance and shifted his vision away from Hermione. He was embarrassed and too guilty of stalking and loving Hermione in a wrong way.
"Draco, tell me now. What do you know?"
"I know only enough. I love you and that is all you need to know right now. If you please, just agree that I take the necklace with me. You will put yourself in danger if you have it in your possession"
A hand took Draco's. It was Hermione's. "Draco, tell me, is the dream true? Was it ever true?"
Draco lowered his head. He was fighting back his tears. He didn't reply.
"Draco, was my dream ever true?"
"Yes! Your dream was our past. Your necklace, my ring, it was all from our past! I didn't know until a while ago. It's just now that I was enlightened about it. I thought that what I believed all these while was true"
"How are we connected before? Who were we? What does the necklace and the ring got to do with us?"
"We were the lovers, Hermione. I was Drache and you were Maria. The ring was the ring I once gave you in engagement. And the necklace---"
"What? Tell me!"
"The necklace that once belonged to your mother, was the same necklace that your mother owned in our past"
"How did you get it? Where?"
Hermione's voice was slowly becoming firm. She connected every detail and came up with a lot of different conclusions in her head.
"I got it from your mother's corpse"
Hermione's voice became louder. Her eyes became sharper---full of hatred. "How come you saw my mother's corpse?"
"I---"
Hermione took Draco's collar and pulled it towards her. "You what?"
"Hermione, I--- I was the one who killed her"
*SLAP!*
"Draco, WHY? Why in Merlin's name could have it been you who killed her? Tell me!"
"Please, Hermione. I can't deal with this right now. I've buried the crime I committed long before together with your mother. I don't want to relive it again"
"But you have to! I can't just let you away with this! You killed my mother! You actually killed my mother and took her away from me. Do you reckon I would take it easily? Do you think that I would ever forgive you for this? It was MY mother who you took away. If you really loved me, you wouldn't have considered doing it! And now, you must be dying to have your hands on me so that you could take me dead as well, aren't you? Aren't you! Such a disgrace to have had accepted your friendship and consolation if all you did that for was to cover up a lie. To cover up the death of an innocent mother who had to be forever away from her daughter only because her daughter's lover killed her! Do you think that telling me that you can't deal with this right now gives you the excuse of explaining me everything? Well, no Malfoy. If that's what you were thinking, you're wrong"
Draco stood up from his seat and faced Hermione once again. "You wouldn't understand my reasons for I never understood it myself! The only reason why I took her life away was because my father told me so! I didn't know why, but since I had to please my father, I had to go by his plans! He just told me that he wanted the mother of the person he most hated killed. I didn't know that the real reason behind such was our true identity!"
Hermione's eyes grew wide. . . It couldn't be. . .
Draco continued. "My father was lured into your mother's beauty that he succumbed to it even if he knew well she was of Muggle ancestry. Soon enough, my father knew your mother was impregnated. My father hated her for it, believing that he caused himself disgrace. He wanted to get rid of your mother and ordered me to do it. And I did it---only because I wanted to please my father. . . and I didn't know that I just killed my own mother. . . Now, was that what you wanted me to tell you? Now you've got it. But I tell you this, Hermione, my---"
"No. I don't want to hear it", said Hermione as she gestured her hand for Draco to stop.
"Hermione, my feelings for you I wouldn't be able to deny. No matter what they tell me, no matter how they try to persuade me to follow them, I will never give up on this love. This love was long before written. This is reality. I loved you before, and I love you now"
"No! Stop it!"
Hermione stood and ran away from Draco though Draco was faster. He had caught up with her only in a few strides.
Draco grabbed Hermione's arm. "Don't turn your back on this. Why do you want to escape?"
"I just can't hear this. . . not from you. . ."
"But this is the truth Hermione! You've got to face it, as much as I've tried facing it myself"
"You don't understand! Draco, the truth hurts. Being with you any longer makes it more painful, much more unbearable. . ."
"Why? Tell me!"
"It's because I love you just the same but we both know we just couldn't be. Not now, nor ever. . . only before. And Malfoy, whatever happened in that past you speak of, it's not going to happen again. I couldn't bear it to love the one who killed my mother!" Hermione struggled free from Draco's strong grasp but to no avail.
Draco pulled Hermione roughly to him and enwrapped her in his warmth. In an instant, his lips were locked with hers. . .
Draco pressed his reddish lips against Hermione's glossed ones. Hermione was too shocked she wasn't able to react at once. She didn't move away, nor did she kiss back. She was there, frozen in Draco's arms.
At last, Hermione gained her resolve. She pushed Draco away but Draco held on tighter. Draco pressed his lips even harder to Hermione's.
Hermione was too weak to resist. She closed her eyes and returned Draco's divine kisses. The moment Draco felt Hermione return his kiss, he waited a few more seconds before he took distance. "Hermione, don't deny me of this"
"Not when it's forbidden"
"When is love forbidden?"
"When you are not supposed to be together as your blood binds you both in another way. Malfoy, let me go. Let me forget this. You told me to break the curse. In not loving you, I would be able to break the curse"
"Not in distance Hermione. . . You would never forget this as long as you have it there in your heart"
Hermione removed the necklace that rested on her bosom and handed it to Draco. Draco looked at the necklace hanging from Hermione's hand. He took Hermione's hand and kissed it. "I will not allow this to get in between us. We will fight for this love"
"I don't want to. Malfoy just let me go. Don't make it harder for me. If you really love me, you will accept my decision to stay away from you and forever forget that this day had come to our lives"
"Hermione, if you have to break the curse and I have to break the curse, I see that the only way to do that is together"
Hermione took her hand away. "Stop it. For the last time, I love you too Malfoy, but it doesn't have to hurt like this. Not like this. . ." She turned around and walked away.
"Hermione?"
Without looking back, she asked, "Why?"
"Nothing. Good night"
Silence won over Hermione. Her tears were flowing endlessly on her skin. "Good night, my brother"
With those words, Draco broke down on the floor, with his back pressed upon a bookshelf. He banged his fists on the floor and cried. "You taught me how to love. . . and all those years, I believed that loving is a beautiful feeling. . .but now---you're right Hermione. Loving isn't supposed to hurt like this. . . not when I loved you too much already after all these years. . ."
Draco drowned himself in agony of losing once more the person he most loved. . .
~Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns characters, setting, etc. Except: the plot is mine.~
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
*argh!*
Oh God! I made a chapter that only consisted a single scene. This must be bad.
Anyways, review!
Tulaloo! Smile!
Chapter 5
It Doesn't Have to Hurt
************************************************************************
Draco looked intently at Hermione as her face was full of sweat. Hermione was shivering cold in front of Draco that Draco had to hold her hands tight.
They shared Draco's warmth. . .
"Hermione, you were having a dream. Are you alright?" asked Draco with too much concern in his eyes.
"Where am I?"
"We're in the library. I went looking for you as I walked past Virginia Weasley by the corridors. I asked for you though she was conspicuous, she told me that she honestly didn't know where you were. Look, it's late. I reckon you better go back to your dormitory. You need to get some rest. We still got classes tomorrow"
Hermione shook her head to fully wake herself up. "Did I stay here too long? Was I talking in my sleep?"
"You were just saying 'no' the whole time. Why? What was your dream about?" inquired Draco as he sat beside Draco on the couch inside the library.
Hermione recalled briefly in her mind what she dreamt about. She thought that she couldn't tell Draco about it. It would be too embarrassing. "Well, I don't know really. It was just---just sad"
"Come on! I also get dreams once in a while. A lot of them are not nice"
"Okay, but promise me you won't laugh. The dream really got to me in odd sort of way. One of those kind that I wouldn't want to happen ever"
Draco smirked. "Come on, tell me now. You're talking too much"
"Fine. It all started with ME inside the dream. It was like I was a part of my own dream but I wasn't there. I was IN the dream but I wasn't a part of it. Do you get that?"
"Yeah, yeah. Go on"
"So, there were two lovers. They were inside this small house that seemed to have been their hiding place. The people were after them at that time to take hold of their lives as they were believed to be sinners. As I understand it, they're supposed to be siblings and it was too late for them to draw away from the other as the woman was already pregnant with their child"
Hermione was cut by Draco's question. "Was someone like a, like a Dark Lord in that dream?"
Draco's breath was short and hastened. When Hermione spoke again, Draco almost threw the book that was on top of Hermione's lap away. "Yes. Yes, there was. I believe the name was Lord Harold"
"Hermione, what else was there in your dream?" Draco drew himself closer to Hermione, looking more intent. He had to confirm with himself that some Dark force was controlling Hermione's dream.
"Why are you suddenly so interested in something like that? It never crossed my mind that someone like you would be caught up with such love stories", teased Hermione though the emotions in Draco's face didn't change one bit.
"Just carry on the story, alright?"
"Okay, so there. That Lord Harold came in and aimed his wand at the two lovers. The man took the woman in his arms too tight that he felt the woman die in his grasp. The woman killed herself that the moment the man saw her, her eyes were bleeding and she was without breath any longer. In the man's fury, he took his own dagger and killed himself rather than to give the pleasure to that Lord Harold of having his life taken away. I must've cried for real inside my dream. I remember running to the man and on the floor, I saw a necklace similar to the one my stalker returned in my possession last night. It was sad really. Never thought that even in my imagination, such love stories exist. I say my dream was somehow inspired by the muggle work, Romeo and Juliet, by the famous writer and playwright William Shakespeare. I must've read that book four times already"
Draco didn't speak. He was without words. The version that he heard from Voldemort was too similar to Hermione's dream.
Hermione grew curious. She thought Draco wouldn't be too affected by just THAT. "Draco? Are you alright?"
"Um, yeah. Hermione, could I have you promise me one thing?"
"That would depend on what you'd ask me to promise about"
"Just promise me that you will not talk to that old hag again"
"The hag that barged into my room last night? Why would I want to talk to her?"
"It's because you want to know about your past. Your curiosity kills you"
"Draco?"
"Hermione, please. Just do this one for me. And one more thing, you have to take the necklace out of your possession. You've got to give it to me"
Hermione felt that Draco was overly serious, which gave her more reason to get curious of what have been happening to her. "Why do you have to take it? It's the only memory that I have of my mom. My dad disposed every single possession of my mum's. Why, for what acceptable reason should I have to give it away like that?"
Draco sighed. He wanted to tell Hermione everything but he couldn't. At some point, he acknowledged the fact that they were kin though he didn't want to consider it. "You have to break the curse. The necklace you received, it links you to your dream---your past in curse of your sin"
"Okay, Mr. Draco Malfoy, it's your turn to talk. What's it you're holding back? Tell me every thing you know. I want to know"
"Hermione, you wouldn't understand and I reckon this is not the best time to talk about it"
"Then when?"
"Soon. But not now"
Hermione lowered her head. Her depression sunk her lower into her sadness. "Please Draco. I want to know. I want to know why this is all happening because I don't know what to believe anymore"
"Does the lovers have names in your dream?"
"Yes"
"Who are they?"
"I don't know Malfoy! If you're really anxious to know, those lovers looked almost exactly like us and they are Drache and Maria! Now, does that satisfy your ego? Maybe now you could give me some explanation about it!"
Hermione immediately cried before Draco. Draco was shocked and was caught unattended. He felt too much compassion for the woman he had followed around for almost six years.
Draco took Hermione in his arms. He whispered, "I'm sorry Hermione. I couldn't tell you every thing but now, all you've got to know is that I love you. Would that be enough?" There were too many emotions in Draco's voice that it almost broke. He as well wanted to cry. He didn't want to hurt Hermione like that.
Hermione didn't push Draco away. Instead, she asked, "Draco, who are you?"
Draco pulled away. He stared straight into Hermione's auburn eyes with his gray ones. "I'm your lover Hermione. I'm sorry I just told you now"
"And that's the reason why you patched it up with me this year"
"Yes"
"Since when?"
"Since we were in second year. . . Hermione, I'm really sorry. I'm so, so sorry"
Draco took his distance and shifted his vision away from Hermione. He was embarrassed and too guilty of stalking and loving Hermione in a wrong way.
"Draco, tell me now. What do you know?"
"I know only enough. I love you and that is all you need to know right now. If you please, just agree that I take the necklace with me. You will put yourself in danger if you have it in your possession"
A hand took Draco's. It was Hermione's. "Draco, tell me, is the dream true? Was it ever true?"
Draco lowered his head. He was fighting back his tears. He didn't reply.
"Draco, was my dream ever true?"
"Yes! Your dream was our past. Your necklace, my ring, it was all from our past! I didn't know until a while ago. It's just now that I was enlightened about it. I thought that what I believed all these while was true"
"How are we connected before? Who were we? What does the necklace and the ring got to do with us?"
"We were the lovers, Hermione. I was Drache and you were Maria. The ring was the ring I once gave you in engagement. And the necklace---"
"What? Tell me!"
"The necklace that once belonged to your mother, was the same necklace that your mother owned in our past"
"How did you get it? Where?"
Hermione's voice was slowly becoming firm. She connected every detail and came up with a lot of different conclusions in her head.
"I got it from your mother's corpse"
Hermione's voice became louder. Her eyes became sharper---full of hatred. "How come you saw my mother's corpse?"
"I---"
Hermione took Draco's collar and pulled it towards her. "You what?"
"Hermione, I--- I was the one who killed her"
*SLAP!*
"Draco, WHY? Why in Merlin's name could have it been you who killed her? Tell me!"
"Please, Hermione. I can't deal with this right now. I've buried the crime I committed long before together with your mother. I don't want to relive it again"
"But you have to! I can't just let you away with this! You killed my mother! You actually killed my mother and took her away from me. Do you reckon I would take it easily? Do you think that I would ever forgive you for this? It was MY mother who you took away. If you really loved me, you wouldn't have considered doing it! And now, you must be dying to have your hands on me so that you could take me dead as well, aren't you? Aren't you! Such a disgrace to have had accepted your friendship and consolation if all you did that for was to cover up a lie. To cover up the death of an innocent mother who had to be forever away from her daughter only because her daughter's lover killed her! Do you think that telling me that you can't deal with this right now gives you the excuse of explaining me everything? Well, no Malfoy. If that's what you were thinking, you're wrong"
Draco stood up from his seat and faced Hermione once again. "You wouldn't understand my reasons for I never understood it myself! The only reason why I took her life away was because my father told me so! I didn't know why, but since I had to please my father, I had to go by his plans! He just told me that he wanted the mother of the person he most hated killed. I didn't know that the real reason behind such was our true identity!"
Hermione's eyes grew wide. . . It couldn't be. . .
Draco continued. "My father was lured into your mother's beauty that he succumbed to it even if he knew well she was of Muggle ancestry. Soon enough, my father knew your mother was impregnated. My father hated her for it, believing that he caused himself disgrace. He wanted to get rid of your mother and ordered me to do it. And I did it---only because I wanted to please my father. . . and I didn't know that I just killed my own mother. . . Now, was that what you wanted me to tell you? Now you've got it. But I tell you this, Hermione, my---"
"No. I don't want to hear it", said Hermione as she gestured her hand for Draco to stop.
"Hermione, my feelings for you I wouldn't be able to deny. No matter what they tell me, no matter how they try to persuade me to follow them, I will never give up on this love. This love was long before written. This is reality. I loved you before, and I love you now"
"No! Stop it!"
Hermione stood and ran away from Draco though Draco was faster. He had caught up with her only in a few strides.
Draco grabbed Hermione's arm. "Don't turn your back on this. Why do you want to escape?"
"I just can't hear this. . . not from you. . ."
"But this is the truth Hermione! You've got to face it, as much as I've tried facing it myself"
"You don't understand! Draco, the truth hurts. Being with you any longer makes it more painful, much more unbearable. . ."
"Why? Tell me!"
"It's because I love you just the same but we both know we just couldn't be. Not now, nor ever. . . only before. And Malfoy, whatever happened in that past you speak of, it's not going to happen again. I couldn't bear it to love the one who killed my mother!" Hermione struggled free from Draco's strong grasp but to no avail.
Draco pulled Hermione roughly to him and enwrapped her in his warmth. In an instant, his lips were locked with hers. . .
Draco pressed his reddish lips against Hermione's glossed ones. Hermione was too shocked she wasn't able to react at once. She didn't move away, nor did she kiss back. She was there, frozen in Draco's arms.
At last, Hermione gained her resolve. She pushed Draco away but Draco held on tighter. Draco pressed his lips even harder to Hermione's.
Hermione was too weak to resist. She closed her eyes and returned Draco's divine kisses. The moment Draco felt Hermione return his kiss, he waited a few more seconds before he took distance. "Hermione, don't deny me of this"
"Not when it's forbidden"
"When is love forbidden?"
"When you are not supposed to be together as your blood binds you both in another way. Malfoy, let me go. Let me forget this. You told me to break the curse. In not loving you, I would be able to break the curse"
"Not in distance Hermione. . . You would never forget this as long as you have it there in your heart"
Hermione removed the necklace that rested on her bosom and handed it to Draco. Draco looked at the necklace hanging from Hermione's hand. He took Hermione's hand and kissed it. "I will not allow this to get in between us. We will fight for this love"
"I don't want to. Malfoy just let me go. Don't make it harder for me. If you really love me, you will accept my decision to stay away from you and forever forget that this day had come to our lives"
"Hermione, if you have to break the curse and I have to break the curse, I see that the only way to do that is together"
Hermione took her hand away. "Stop it. For the last time, I love you too Malfoy, but it doesn't have to hurt like this. Not like this. . ." She turned around and walked away.
"Hermione?"
Without looking back, she asked, "Why?"
"Nothing. Good night"
Silence won over Hermione. Her tears were flowing endlessly on her skin. "Good night, my brother"
With those words, Draco broke down on the floor, with his back pressed upon a bookshelf. He banged his fists on the floor and cried. "You taught me how to love. . . and all those years, I believed that loving is a beautiful feeling. . .but now---you're right Hermione. Loving isn't supposed to hurt like this. . . not when I loved you too much already after all these years. . ."
Draco drowned himself in agony of losing once more the person he most loved. . .
~Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns characters, setting, etc. Except: the plot is mine.~
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
*argh!*
Oh God! I made a chapter that only consisted a single scene. This must be bad.
Anyways, review!
Tulaloo! Smile!
