The Enemy Chap 4
A/N: Cyberdragon---Ok, the sappy bit…let me explain that. Draco is trying to use sappiness as a tactic to get Hermione to trust him! Anyway, thanks to reviewers, esp. Compellingold, Lizzie, for always reviewing it. It's going to get more developed soon, just setting the stage right now. On to the fic.
So I'd told her why I'd been avoiding her…the usual teenager reasons, embarrassing, blah, blah, blah, stuff like that. What I didn't tell her was that I was already way past the teenage mentality. My supposed goal in life was murder as many mudbloods as you can. And here I was, courting the most important mudblood—Potter's best friend. I "gazed" into her eyes, trying to give off the romantic, I'm-hopelessly-in-love-with-you sort of look as I scrutinized her face. Without being biased in the least, I admitted to myself that she did look decent, I suppose. She wasn't hot or sexy or anything close to Blaise, but she was nice, in a way I'd never seen before. She wasn't edgy or brutal or dangerous like Pansy. She was safe…until I came in, that is. I fed her the bull that teenage girls strive for. I had practiced it down to every last breath, and I knew it came out perfectly. Reassured, I looked at her, waiting for a reaction.
"You expect me to buy that, Malfoy?" she said, removing her hand from mine.
"What?" I was flabbergasted, to say in the least. I had not seen this coming. She was supposed to bend to my will. The love bit was supposed to ensnare her; supposed to make her mine. What was she doing, ruining my hard-thought-out plan?
"Honestly, what a load of shit did you just say? You're different, Hermione, I've never felt this way before? What do you think I am, an idiot?"
I bit my lip in order to prevent answering this in a usual Draco Malfoy way. Yes, Hermione, I think you're an idiot. A stupid bitch who's going to die…even though I'd rather not have your blood on my hands. Mudblood. Pretty mudblood, but mudblood all the same.
"No!" I protested faintly. "I meant it…I don't know, I…will you be my girlfriend?" Inside I cringed. It was ridiculously sappy. She was not an eager, easy, Slytherin girl who would be trapped by these words. In fact, they were probably giving the opposite reaction.
She stared at me. "Um, you know…we're from different houses. I don't think it would work." With that, she grabbed her books and walked quickly out of the library. She was shaking slightly. Damn, damn, damn! If I had to get her to Voldemort's lair in three weeks, I was officially screwed.
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Whatever compelled me to mistrust the bastard, I was certainly glad I had. Who knew where he was going with this? At first, I had been drawn into his words like a mosquito ensnared in a net, until I found a loophole. His look of sincerity was well polished, I must admit, but it was his personality, his reputation, that hindered his success. Who did he think I was? I knew Draco Malfoy didn't feel any differently about me than any other girl. Well, except for extreme hatred. No, scratch that. He had been nice recently. A friend, I suppose. Yes, a friend, and we'd kissed once. Just once, and he'd launched into a speech about "you're everything to me". Something sappy and silly. He ought to know I wasn't that kind of girl. I didn't go for utterly romantic. I liked something with a twist, an edge. And why was he showing interest in me anyway? I was a Gryffindor, he was a Slytherin. I was…well, not a pure blood, and he was. And it all boiled down to he was Draco and I was Hermione. Certainly not a Romeo and Juliet by any means. Certainly not anything at all. Just friends, just friends, just friends. I was not falling for Malfoy, hell no, no, no! So why had I not minded his speech as much as I thought I would?
I had nobody to turn to. If I dared mentioned Dra—Malfoy's—name and the word 'friend' in the same sentence to Harry or Ron, Ron would murder him and Harry would hate me. There was no one else that I was really close to. Sure, my dorm mates, Lavender and Parvati, but although they were awfully nice, I wasn't really friends with them. And that was it. Some were under the allusion that my b.f.f. to put it in a thirteen-year-old girl's words, was Ginny Weasley, but that certainly wasn't accurate. She was nice, friendly, but not someone I could divulge secrets to…especially not one as big as this. So I was there, confused and alone. In the last four months, I had made a new friend that I could share problems with—Draco. But what to do if he was the problem?
I made up my mind. He was not going to play me the way he played the rest of the girls. He was never going to get anything else out of me. One kiss, Malfoy, I thought grimly. That's it.
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I was pissed. My schoolwork was building up like no other, my father was on my nerves, and I had to kill Granger. How many people can accomplish all of that in their seventh year? I wanted to bail so badly. I wanted to tell my father to screw himself. He was completely obsessed with Voldemort; he just needed to give it a rest. And now he'd brought me into it. I scowled. Why was it so difficult to kill Granger? And why had I even tried to be romantic? She had already trusted me, like a friend. I didn't need to spring romance into it…why had I?
I shrugged it off. I'd probably used romance as a surefire way of getting her, and it had backfired. Jesus, I thought angrily. Granger, how can you not want to be with me? How can you resist it? I sulked in my common room, alone with my thoughts and the burning fire. Fire has always consumed my interest, it's hot soft yellow flickering gently, almost calling to me. I stared at the fire in the fireplace.
It's flames were licking, teasing me, taunting me. I could almost feel the hot tickle upon me. I stepped closer, mesmerized by the burning flame as it danced in the fireplace. If I could just step into it, have it eat me away, be consumed by the fresh burning, I would be safe, I wouldn't have to worry about anything…
I lifted my foot up, ready to dip it into the hungry flames. I was going to feed them, they would be so happy…just as I dipped it in, my eyes reflecting the golden dance of the flames…
"Draco! What the bloody hell are you doing?"
A/N: I'm so sorry that it's soo short, but I'm kinda low on time. I'll probably put up another chapter either today or tomorrow though so don't worry too much. BUT if you don't review, I'll make the fire EAT him!!! Muahaha! *Looks pointedly at the little button* It's calling you the way fire calls Draco! So review, review, review!