Ok . . .chapter 9! See, I'm getting there.
Chapter 9: Slow it Down
Draco looked around his dark room as if waiting for someone to jump out of the shadows. When he found nothing, he shook himself.
"It was only a dream," he said to himself. But he shivered involuntarily as he remembered it.
*DREAM SEQUENCE*
Draco was in the Malfoy's dungeon again. But instead of his father's low laugh, he turned to the sound of a cold, high-pitched, evil one: Voldemort. Then he spoke.
"Poor, little Malfoy. You really think you can get away with what you are doing? Do you really think you can get away with being with that Mudblood girl?" Voldemort laughed again and Draco's blood ran cold. "You DO know what happens now, don't you?" Draco shook his head, afraid of the answer. Voldemort pointed at a corner of the dungeon. When Draco followed Voldemort's long, scaly, aged hand, Hermione was there, tied to a chair, gagged and blindfolded.
"Hermione!" Draco tried to scream out. But no sound came from his mouth as if he was silenced. Voldemort laughed again, walked over to Hermione and took her blindfold and the gag over her mouth off. She looked at Draco with sad, hurt eyes. He tried to run to her, but his legs wouldn't move.
"Help me, Draco," Hermione said softly.
"I can't," he tried to say, but then he remembered that he had been silenced. Voldemort stood in front of Hermione, blocking her from Draco's view.
"You're going to watch and see what happens when you disappoint me, Draco." Then Voldemort turned his wand on Hermione and did horrible things to her while Draco watched and tried to call out to her or run to her and protect her, but he couldn't. Finally, Voldemort raised his wand one last time to utter one last curse.
"Avada Kedavra!" And with the flash of green light, Draco woke up screaming her name.
*END*
Draco closed his eyes and put his head in his hands. He knew it was a dream, but he wondered if it all meant something. Draco shook himself and told himself that it was just a nightmare. Draco stood up and changed into his pajamas, be he couldn't go back to sleep. He didn't want to; he was afraid he'd have another nightmare, but he'd never tell anybody that, of course. So he went downstairs into the common room, conjured up a cup of coffee and stayed up reading a book
The next morning, Hermione woke up from a much nicer dream about her and Draco. Feeling very happy and refreshed, she jumped out of bed and spun around the room. She changed out of the clothes she was wearing yesterday and went out to the common room, taking the stairs two at a time. The first thing she saw when she entered the common room was Draco sleeping in a chair, a book open in his lap. Hermione shook him awake and was surprised to see that Draco's eyes were bloodshot and bags had formed under his troubled gray eyes.
"Draco? Are you ok?" she said, concerned about Draco's usually manicured appearance. Draco smiled and tucked a curl behind Hermione's ear.
"I couldn't sleep last night, so I came down here to read." She smiled back, but couldn't help noticing that he had not answered her question. But she let it go and let Draco go up to the bathroom they shared and go about getting ready for breakfast. She sat down in Draco's chair and picked up the book he was reading, "Quidditch Through the Ages," and began to read where he left off.
Draco came down after a few minutes and smiled at the sight of Hermione curled up with her nose stuck in a book. She looked up and smiled warmly at him. He looked better, more refreshed.
"Hey," she greeted. She stood up and went over to him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Want to go get some breakfast?" Draco wrapped his arms around her waist in return and kissed the tip of her nose.
"Breakfast sounds great." He picked Hermione up and carried her out the door. When they got to the top of the marble staircase, he set her down.
"I'll race you," he said with a twinkle in his eye. She gave him a warning look.
"Draco, you know we're not supposed to run in the castle." He smirked at her.
"You're just scared because you know I'll win." Hermione looked like she had been insulted.
"Excuse me? I think not."
"Then last one there owes the other a butterbeer!" And with that, Draco took off down the stairs.
"Hey!" Hermione yelled after him then took off too, right behind him, almost knocking down some second years. She caught up to Draco quickly and he looked surprised as she passed him. She stopped at the doors to the Great Hall and looked at him triumphantly.
"I think you owe me a butterbeer," she said, slightly out of breath.
"I know. But I would have bought it for you anyway, even if you didn't win," Draco said with a smirk. Hermione rolled her eyes and walked through the doors after Draco. They went their separate ways to sit at their house tables. Hermione sat between Harry and Dean and across from Ron. From her seat, she had a good view of the Slytherin table.
"Morning, Hermione," Ron greeted with his mouth full of hash browns. Hermione gave him disgusted look.
"Ron! How many times do I have to tell you? Swallow before you talk!" Ron finished chewing, swallowed his food and tried again.
"Morning, Hermione." Hermione rolled her eyes and helped herself to some waffles. She picked at her food and thought of Draco. She thought of how a year ago, his name never would have crossed her mind, even. But now . . .now she was falling faster and faster for the fair-haired Slytherin she had once called her enemy. Maybe too fast? She looked up quickly and honey brown met silver gray. He gave her a wink before turning back to his conversation about Quidditch tactics with one of the Slytherin chasers. Hermione blushed and went back to her food. Suddenly she wasn't hungry anymore. She stood up abruptly and excused herself saying she wasn't feeling well. She went outside for some fresh air and sat under her favorite oak tree by the lake to think.
'Do I seriously think I can pull this off?' she thought to herself. 'So many bad things could happen.' First and probably most importantly, there was Draco's father. He already thought that they were too friendly with each other to begin with, and they weren't even dating then! Next there was Harry and Ron. She didn't want to have to lie to them. And if they ever found out . . .well, she already knew what they would do. There were also Draco's friends. They probably would be worse than her own! Hermione sighed and leaned her head against the tree. She wondered if she should tell him. She did like him, but she knew that they were taking things much too fast. Just as she finally decided that she would tell him the next time she got him alone, he came up behind her and sat down.
"Hey, Hermione, something wrong?" The worry and uneasiness in his voice was evident and Hermione thought it was cute. For a moment, she wondered if she should tell him at all, but then thought against it. She took a deep breath and turned towards Draco.
"I think we should take things slowly," she blurted. Draco looked surprised, then relieved.
"Actually, Hermione, I wanted to tell you the same thing. I totally agree with you." Hermione gave a sigh of relief and hugged Draco.
"Oh, thank you for understanding, Draco. You know, you really are different from the guy I thought I knew." Draco shrugged.
"I just did what I was brought up to do. My father taught me that being a pureblood was like being royalty. Anyone that wasn't was supposed to be below us. And that was why I treated you the way I did." Hermione nodded, then looked as if she was in deep thought.
"I always thought you didn't like me because I was friends with Harry," she said with an amused grin on her face. Draco grinned as well.
"Hey, I never said that I didn't like you," he said with a mysterious air about his voice. Hermione's eyes grew wide.
"What do you mean?" Draco smirked.
"Let's just say I didn't hate you as much as you did me," he said with that same mysterious air. He gave her a very big wink.
"Draco Malfoy! Do you mean what I think you mean?" Draco laughed.
"Since third year . . .after you slapped me. I guess that was kind of a turn of for me. After that, it was kind of hard for me to keep insulting you." Hermione laughed.
"Maybe I should slap you more often," she said, raising her hand slightly. Draco grabbed it.
"Don't even think about it, Granger!" he warned, but a smile was playing on his lips. Hermione pulled her hand away and sat back against the tree, Draco imitating her.
"Draco?" she called quietly after a few moments had passed. "Why do you hate Harry so much?" Draco thought about her question for a moment before answering.
"Remember first year, on the train ride? Well, you weren't there, but I tried to befriend Potter and Weasley was already there. Naturally, I made fun of Weasley, his family and his financial status . . .or lack thereof. Potter didn't like it and told me he didn't was to be my friend. It's all pretty stupid now that I think about it." Hermione tried hard not to laugh, but failed.
"THAT'S how this whole think started? Because Harry wouldn't be your FRIEND?" Draco chuckled too.
"Yes, well, maybe it's best that you don't remind them how it started. They might use it was blackmail against me, or something." Draco stood up and held out his hand for Hermione. She took it and he helped her up off the ground. Once she was standing, though, he still had her hand in his. He looked down at his and Hermione's linked hands and smiled. 'Slow it down,' he thought. He finally let go of Hermione's hand and stuck his own into his pockets.
"So . . .do you want to go back to the castle?" Draco asked, somewhat awkwardly. Hermione nodded gratefully and they both walked towards the castle, side-by-side.
Chapter 9: Slow it Down
Draco looked around his dark room as if waiting for someone to jump out of the shadows. When he found nothing, he shook himself.
"It was only a dream," he said to himself. But he shivered involuntarily as he remembered it.
*DREAM SEQUENCE*
Draco was in the Malfoy's dungeon again. But instead of his father's low laugh, he turned to the sound of a cold, high-pitched, evil one: Voldemort. Then he spoke.
"Poor, little Malfoy. You really think you can get away with what you are doing? Do you really think you can get away with being with that Mudblood girl?" Voldemort laughed again and Draco's blood ran cold. "You DO know what happens now, don't you?" Draco shook his head, afraid of the answer. Voldemort pointed at a corner of the dungeon. When Draco followed Voldemort's long, scaly, aged hand, Hermione was there, tied to a chair, gagged and blindfolded.
"Hermione!" Draco tried to scream out. But no sound came from his mouth as if he was silenced. Voldemort laughed again, walked over to Hermione and took her blindfold and the gag over her mouth off. She looked at Draco with sad, hurt eyes. He tried to run to her, but his legs wouldn't move.
"Help me, Draco," Hermione said softly.
"I can't," he tried to say, but then he remembered that he had been silenced. Voldemort stood in front of Hermione, blocking her from Draco's view.
"You're going to watch and see what happens when you disappoint me, Draco." Then Voldemort turned his wand on Hermione and did horrible things to her while Draco watched and tried to call out to her or run to her and protect her, but he couldn't. Finally, Voldemort raised his wand one last time to utter one last curse.
"Avada Kedavra!" And with the flash of green light, Draco woke up screaming her name.
*END*
Draco closed his eyes and put his head in his hands. He knew it was a dream, but he wondered if it all meant something. Draco shook himself and told himself that it was just a nightmare. Draco stood up and changed into his pajamas, be he couldn't go back to sleep. He didn't want to; he was afraid he'd have another nightmare, but he'd never tell anybody that, of course. So he went downstairs into the common room, conjured up a cup of coffee and stayed up reading a book
The next morning, Hermione woke up from a much nicer dream about her and Draco. Feeling very happy and refreshed, she jumped out of bed and spun around the room. She changed out of the clothes she was wearing yesterday and went out to the common room, taking the stairs two at a time. The first thing she saw when she entered the common room was Draco sleeping in a chair, a book open in his lap. Hermione shook him awake and was surprised to see that Draco's eyes were bloodshot and bags had formed under his troubled gray eyes.
"Draco? Are you ok?" she said, concerned about Draco's usually manicured appearance. Draco smiled and tucked a curl behind Hermione's ear.
"I couldn't sleep last night, so I came down here to read." She smiled back, but couldn't help noticing that he had not answered her question. But she let it go and let Draco go up to the bathroom they shared and go about getting ready for breakfast. She sat down in Draco's chair and picked up the book he was reading, "Quidditch Through the Ages," and began to read where he left off.
Draco came down after a few minutes and smiled at the sight of Hermione curled up with her nose stuck in a book. She looked up and smiled warmly at him. He looked better, more refreshed.
"Hey," she greeted. She stood up and went over to him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Want to go get some breakfast?" Draco wrapped his arms around her waist in return and kissed the tip of her nose.
"Breakfast sounds great." He picked Hermione up and carried her out the door. When they got to the top of the marble staircase, he set her down.
"I'll race you," he said with a twinkle in his eye. She gave him a warning look.
"Draco, you know we're not supposed to run in the castle." He smirked at her.
"You're just scared because you know I'll win." Hermione looked like she had been insulted.
"Excuse me? I think not."
"Then last one there owes the other a butterbeer!" And with that, Draco took off down the stairs.
"Hey!" Hermione yelled after him then took off too, right behind him, almost knocking down some second years. She caught up to Draco quickly and he looked surprised as she passed him. She stopped at the doors to the Great Hall and looked at him triumphantly.
"I think you owe me a butterbeer," she said, slightly out of breath.
"I know. But I would have bought it for you anyway, even if you didn't win," Draco said with a smirk. Hermione rolled her eyes and walked through the doors after Draco. They went their separate ways to sit at their house tables. Hermione sat between Harry and Dean and across from Ron. From her seat, she had a good view of the Slytherin table.
"Morning, Hermione," Ron greeted with his mouth full of hash browns. Hermione gave him disgusted look.
"Ron! How many times do I have to tell you? Swallow before you talk!" Ron finished chewing, swallowed his food and tried again.
"Morning, Hermione." Hermione rolled her eyes and helped herself to some waffles. She picked at her food and thought of Draco. She thought of how a year ago, his name never would have crossed her mind, even. But now . . .now she was falling faster and faster for the fair-haired Slytherin she had once called her enemy. Maybe too fast? She looked up quickly and honey brown met silver gray. He gave her a wink before turning back to his conversation about Quidditch tactics with one of the Slytherin chasers. Hermione blushed and went back to her food. Suddenly she wasn't hungry anymore. She stood up abruptly and excused herself saying she wasn't feeling well. She went outside for some fresh air and sat under her favorite oak tree by the lake to think.
'Do I seriously think I can pull this off?' she thought to herself. 'So many bad things could happen.' First and probably most importantly, there was Draco's father. He already thought that they were too friendly with each other to begin with, and they weren't even dating then! Next there was Harry and Ron. She didn't want to have to lie to them. And if they ever found out . . .well, she already knew what they would do. There were also Draco's friends. They probably would be worse than her own! Hermione sighed and leaned her head against the tree. She wondered if she should tell him. She did like him, but she knew that they were taking things much too fast. Just as she finally decided that she would tell him the next time she got him alone, he came up behind her and sat down.
"Hey, Hermione, something wrong?" The worry and uneasiness in his voice was evident and Hermione thought it was cute. For a moment, she wondered if she should tell him at all, but then thought against it. She took a deep breath and turned towards Draco.
"I think we should take things slowly," she blurted. Draco looked surprised, then relieved.
"Actually, Hermione, I wanted to tell you the same thing. I totally agree with you." Hermione gave a sigh of relief and hugged Draco.
"Oh, thank you for understanding, Draco. You know, you really are different from the guy I thought I knew." Draco shrugged.
"I just did what I was brought up to do. My father taught me that being a pureblood was like being royalty. Anyone that wasn't was supposed to be below us. And that was why I treated you the way I did." Hermione nodded, then looked as if she was in deep thought.
"I always thought you didn't like me because I was friends with Harry," she said with an amused grin on her face. Draco grinned as well.
"Hey, I never said that I didn't like you," he said with a mysterious air about his voice. Hermione's eyes grew wide.
"What do you mean?" Draco smirked.
"Let's just say I didn't hate you as much as you did me," he said with that same mysterious air. He gave her a very big wink.
"Draco Malfoy! Do you mean what I think you mean?" Draco laughed.
"Since third year . . .after you slapped me. I guess that was kind of a turn of for me. After that, it was kind of hard for me to keep insulting you." Hermione laughed.
"Maybe I should slap you more often," she said, raising her hand slightly. Draco grabbed it.
"Don't even think about it, Granger!" he warned, but a smile was playing on his lips. Hermione pulled her hand away and sat back against the tree, Draco imitating her.
"Draco?" she called quietly after a few moments had passed. "Why do you hate Harry so much?" Draco thought about her question for a moment before answering.
"Remember first year, on the train ride? Well, you weren't there, but I tried to befriend Potter and Weasley was already there. Naturally, I made fun of Weasley, his family and his financial status . . .or lack thereof. Potter didn't like it and told me he didn't was to be my friend. It's all pretty stupid now that I think about it." Hermione tried hard not to laugh, but failed.
"THAT'S how this whole think started? Because Harry wouldn't be your FRIEND?" Draco chuckled too.
"Yes, well, maybe it's best that you don't remind them how it started. They might use it was blackmail against me, or something." Draco stood up and held out his hand for Hermione. She took it and he helped her up off the ground. Once she was standing, though, he still had her hand in his. He looked down at his and Hermione's linked hands and smiled. 'Slow it down,' he thought. He finally let go of Hermione's hand and stuck his own into his pockets.
"So . . .do you want to go back to the castle?" Draco asked, somewhat awkwardly. Hermione nodded gratefully and they both walked towards the castle, side-by-side.