This fanfic is dedicated to Fox McCoy and Awks
Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I do not own anything related to Harry Potter
Chapter Ten
Classes had begun again, and Hermione was getting nervous for her Potions class. It would be the first time since New Years that Hermione and Malfoy would see each other, and she wasn't sure what would happen. Would he ignore her? Would he return to calling her 'mudblood' and continue making her life hell? Or, would he run up to her and scoop her up in his arms and tell her how much he has missed her the past few days they haven't been together? She felt a twinge of guilt when she realized that she didn't want the last thing to happen just as much as the other two. She wasn't ready for anyone to know about the two of them, and hoped that Malfoy wasn't either.
Hermione ran into class just as the bell rang, and was greeted by a venomous Snape. "Sit down, Miss Granger before I take any house points away for disrupting my class."
"Yes, sir." Was all she managed to say through her panting. She was disheveled and looked tired and preoccupied. This was not how she wanted Malfoy to see her. However, when she wheeled around to glance quickly in his direction, he gave a simple wink and half smile, before averting his eyes back to the front of the classroom. She walked over to her usual desk, to the left of both Harry and Ron, sat down, and quickly took out some parchment and quill and began hastily taking notes.
"What was that all about?" asked Ron as she sat down next to him. Immediately thinking he was referring to the subtle greeting that passed between Malfoy and Hermione, she became defensive.
"I have no idea what you're talking about!" she said in a quick whisper.
"You don't? You don't remember walking in late to class about five seconds ago?" He smirked back at her.
"Oh, that." She signed in relief. "I slept in late, that's all." In truth, she was just preoccupied with her thoughts of Malfoy, and wandered in the wrong direction.
"What else would it be?" he smiled back at her. "You're losing it, 'Mione." She couldn't help but agree with Ron. If she was falling for Malfoy, then she really was losing it.
Class was over quickly, and all throughout the lesson Hermione made she never looked in Malfoy's direction, not wanting to cause suspicion. When the class was filing out of the room, she felt a small piece of parchment being pressed into her hand. When she looked up to see who it was from, she only saw Malfoy walking away, Goyle and Crabbe at his heel. She smiled to herself, and discretely opened the note to see what Malfoy had to say.
Communicating through letters is going to be easiest, but don't sign your full name. Tonight at 12 in the room of requirement. As you said, we won't be interrupted in there. Thinking of you.
It was signed in a sprawling 'D'. She quickly folded up the parchment and shoved it in to her pocket before either Ron or Harry saw it. "Oi! 'Mione! We have Care of Magical Creatures next, hurry up or you'll be late for that class too!" Harry called behind to her. She glanced to her watch and it read nine thirty. Fourteen and a half hours left, she thought to herself, then she jogged to catch up with the two boys.
* * * *
The rest of the day passed slowly, and Hermione couldn't help be glance at her watch every free moment she had. "Waiting for something?" Harry asked her finally during lunch after she had looked at her watch for the fourth time. "You've been looking at that thing all day."
"Oh, I, no, I'm not. It's just, doesn't the day seem to be going by so slow?"
"I guess so, but you should be happy about that. It means your classes seem longer, and we all know you would love that!" joked Harry, but Hermione only glared at him briefly, and then once again checked her watch.
Finally classes for the day were over, and Hermione took to doing her homework to keep her busy until 12. However, after finishing that night's work, she continued with the rest of the weeks, and was finished with everything by 10:30. She took the opportunity to begin to read her new book, the French classic, La Belle et la Bête. She was awful at French (the only class that she didn't ace while in her muggle school) and she was hoping that by reading a French novel she was familiar with, she would improve her skills. However, the Gryffindor common room was full of commotion as usual, and she wasn't able to concentrate. So, she decided to head down to the room of requirement early, and wait for Malfoy until 12 and read in quiet.
She found the room easily due to her many DA meetings just last year, and concentrated the same room she had been visiting during break. When she opened the door, she walked into the familiar common room and settled into the large green chair. She sat for an hour on the chair unsuccessfully reading her book, trying to understand the French language. Throwing down the book in frustration, she let out a small scream.
"Anything I can help you with?" Hermione immediately looked up and turned a brilliant shade of red when noticing Malfoy standing over her.
"How long have you been standing there?" she asked him, even before saying hello.
"Long enough to question why you are reading a book in French." He answered smiling, and Hermione automatically melted.
"Well, I am not exactly reading it. It's more like staring at words lost for what they mean." She said bitterly. "I am just hopeless when it comes to French."
"Why would you ever read a book in a language you don't know?" he asked now laughing at her. He sat down on the couch and motioned for her to come to him.
"Well, I can pretty much understand it when someone speaks to me, but reading it is a whole other story. I just thought that I should practice for this summer. I am going to visit my Aunt in Paris." She got up, walked over to the couch, sat down, and relaxed into him, as he wrapped his arms around her small waist.
Taking the book from her hands, he examined the midnight blue cover, searching for a title. "What's it called?" he asked when he never found one.
"La Belle et la Bête," she answered.
"Beauty and the Beast!" he started to laugh all over again. "Isn't that a childhood fairy tale?"
"Don't make fun of me! It was my favorite when I was a kid!"
"Who would have thought, the brightest girl in our class takes to reading children's books in her free time!" he said, laughing even harder now.
Hermione was now glaring daggers at him, but couldn't help but see his point, and begin to laugh too. "I guess I am a bit childish," she said embarrassed.
Calming down to just a smile now, Malfoy said, "Not at all, it's endearing that you read kid's books. I mean, I never got stories read to me when I was little, I guess I missed out." He said to her, with a slightly sour look on his face.
"Well, I would offer to read it to you, but, I can't exactly read French, and that purposes a little problem." She said smiling, trying to lighten the mood.
"I could read it to you instead?"
"Really?" Her faced lit up at his offer. "I'd like that." She said smiling. "But can you speak French?"
"Fluently, along with Italian and German." He answered.
"Oh, well aren't you all high and mighty." She said sarcastically.
"Just finding that out now, Hermione?" he answered with a smirk, and she smiled at him for using her name. She slid down, and rested her head on his lap. He took one of her hands into his and stroked the top of her hand with his thumb. He opened the book, and began to read. "La Belle et la Bête." He started. Then he flipped to the first page of the novel, and cleared his throat. "Il était une fois, dans un petit village français, là a vécu une fille appelée Belle..."
* * * *
Hermione stirred in her sleep, and Malfoy woke up due to her moving. He watched her sleep in the dark for a few moments, looking so peaceful and innocent. He wanted to hit himself for being so cruel and hurting her to often the past few years, but vowed to himself never to hurt her again. Finally, he reached over to the table and rotated the clock to read the time. 4:42. It would only cause a panic if the two of them weren't in their room by morning, so Malfoy made an attempt to gently wake Hermione. After a moment or two of trying to wake her up lightly, Malfoy began to shake her with more force and she finally woke up. "What happened?" Malfoy smiled at the barely awake girl in his arms and answered, "Nothing. We just fell asleep, that's all. I just thought that we should head back to our rooms so we don't draw any attention in the morning when we aren't there." Hermione, hardly comprehending a word he was saying, simply just nodded in response. "You're probably right." They walked in silence to the Gryffindor Tower holding hands. When they finally reached the portrait of the Fat Lady he turned to her, but didn't exactly know what to say. She spoke first. "This isn't going to be easy, is it?" Malfoy began to laugh and answered, "Did you expect it to be?" He turned her around and from behind he wrapped his arms around her thin waist, resting his head on her shoulder. She smiled, "Guess not." Her smiled faded when she began to talk again. "Draco?" "Yeah?" "Do you think you are going to regret all of this when its over?" Malfoy turned her around to they were now facing each other. "Not even for a second." He said without hesitation. He leaned down and kissed her lightly and quickly, but still passionately. "See you at breakfast, love."
"See you then." She said back and then stepped through the portrait, walked to her bedroom, and collapsed onto her bad, smiling the entire time.
Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I do not own anything related to Harry Potter
Chapter Ten
Classes had begun again, and Hermione was getting nervous for her Potions class. It would be the first time since New Years that Hermione and Malfoy would see each other, and she wasn't sure what would happen. Would he ignore her? Would he return to calling her 'mudblood' and continue making her life hell? Or, would he run up to her and scoop her up in his arms and tell her how much he has missed her the past few days they haven't been together? She felt a twinge of guilt when she realized that she didn't want the last thing to happen just as much as the other two. She wasn't ready for anyone to know about the two of them, and hoped that Malfoy wasn't either.
Hermione ran into class just as the bell rang, and was greeted by a venomous Snape. "Sit down, Miss Granger before I take any house points away for disrupting my class."
"Yes, sir." Was all she managed to say through her panting. She was disheveled and looked tired and preoccupied. This was not how she wanted Malfoy to see her. However, when she wheeled around to glance quickly in his direction, he gave a simple wink and half smile, before averting his eyes back to the front of the classroom. She walked over to her usual desk, to the left of both Harry and Ron, sat down, and quickly took out some parchment and quill and began hastily taking notes.
"What was that all about?" asked Ron as she sat down next to him. Immediately thinking he was referring to the subtle greeting that passed between Malfoy and Hermione, she became defensive.
"I have no idea what you're talking about!" she said in a quick whisper.
"You don't? You don't remember walking in late to class about five seconds ago?" He smirked back at her.
"Oh, that." She signed in relief. "I slept in late, that's all." In truth, she was just preoccupied with her thoughts of Malfoy, and wandered in the wrong direction.
"What else would it be?" he smiled back at her. "You're losing it, 'Mione." She couldn't help but agree with Ron. If she was falling for Malfoy, then she really was losing it.
Class was over quickly, and all throughout the lesson Hermione made she never looked in Malfoy's direction, not wanting to cause suspicion. When the class was filing out of the room, she felt a small piece of parchment being pressed into her hand. When she looked up to see who it was from, she only saw Malfoy walking away, Goyle and Crabbe at his heel. She smiled to herself, and discretely opened the note to see what Malfoy had to say.
Communicating through letters is going to be easiest, but don't sign your full name. Tonight at 12 in the room of requirement. As you said, we won't be interrupted in there. Thinking of you.
It was signed in a sprawling 'D'. She quickly folded up the parchment and shoved it in to her pocket before either Ron or Harry saw it. "Oi! 'Mione! We have Care of Magical Creatures next, hurry up or you'll be late for that class too!" Harry called behind to her. She glanced to her watch and it read nine thirty. Fourteen and a half hours left, she thought to herself, then she jogged to catch up with the two boys.
* * * *
The rest of the day passed slowly, and Hermione couldn't help be glance at her watch every free moment she had. "Waiting for something?" Harry asked her finally during lunch after she had looked at her watch for the fourth time. "You've been looking at that thing all day."
"Oh, I, no, I'm not. It's just, doesn't the day seem to be going by so slow?"
"I guess so, but you should be happy about that. It means your classes seem longer, and we all know you would love that!" joked Harry, but Hermione only glared at him briefly, and then once again checked her watch.
Finally classes for the day were over, and Hermione took to doing her homework to keep her busy until 12. However, after finishing that night's work, she continued with the rest of the weeks, and was finished with everything by 10:30. She took the opportunity to begin to read her new book, the French classic, La Belle et la Bête. She was awful at French (the only class that she didn't ace while in her muggle school) and she was hoping that by reading a French novel she was familiar with, she would improve her skills. However, the Gryffindor common room was full of commotion as usual, and she wasn't able to concentrate. So, she decided to head down to the room of requirement early, and wait for Malfoy until 12 and read in quiet.
She found the room easily due to her many DA meetings just last year, and concentrated the same room she had been visiting during break. When she opened the door, she walked into the familiar common room and settled into the large green chair. She sat for an hour on the chair unsuccessfully reading her book, trying to understand the French language. Throwing down the book in frustration, she let out a small scream.
"Anything I can help you with?" Hermione immediately looked up and turned a brilliant shade of red when noticing Malfoy standing over her.
"How long have you been standing there?" she asked him, even before saying hello.
"Long enough to question why you are reading a book in French." He answered smiling, and Hermione automatically melted.
"Well, I am not exactly reading it. It's more like staring at words lost for what they mean." She said bitterly. "I am just hopeless when it comes to French."
"Why would you ever read a book in a language you don't know?" he asked now laughing at her. He sat down on the couch and motioned for her to come to him.
"Well, I can pretty much understand it when someone speaks to me, but reading it is a whole other story. I just thought that I should practice for this summer. I am going to visit my Aunt in Paris." She got up, walked over to the couch, sat down, and relaxed into him, as he wrapped his arms around her small waist.
Taking the book from her hands, he examined the midnight blue cover, searching for a title. "What's it called?" he asked when he never found one.
"La Belle et la Bête," she answered.
"Beauty and the Beast!" he started to laugh all over again. "Isn't that a childhood fairy tale?"
"Don't make fun of me! It was my favorite when I was a kid!"
"Who would have thought, the brightest girl in our class takes to reading children's books in her free time!" he said, laughing even harder now.
Hermione was now glaring daggers at him, but couldn't help but see his point, and begin to laugh too. "I guess I am a bit childish," she said embarrassed.
Calming down to just a smile now, Malfoy said, "Not at all, it's endearing that you read kid's books. I mean, I never got stories read to me when I was little, I guess I missed out." He said to her, with a slightly sour look on his face.
"Well, I would offer to read it to you, but, I can't exactly read French, and that purposes a little problem." She said smiling, trying to lighten the mood.
"I could read it to you instead?"
"Really?" Her faced lit up at his offer. "I'd like that." She said smiling. "But can you speak French?"
"Fluently, along with Italian and German." He answered.
"Oh, well aren't you all high and mighty." She said sarcastically.
"Just finding that out now, Hermione?" he answered with a smirk, and she smiled at him for using her name. She slid down, and rested her head on his lap. He took one of her hands into his and stroked the top of her hand with his thumb. He opened the book, and began to read. "La Belle et la Bête." He started. Then he flipped to the first page of the novel, and cleared his throat. "Il était une fois, dans un petit village français, là a vécu une fille appelée Belle..."
* * * *
Hermione stirred in her sleep, and Malfoy woke up due to her moving. He watched her sleep in the dark for a few moments, looking so peaceful and innocent. He wanted to hit himself for being so cruel and hurting her to often the past few years, but vowed to himself never to hurt her again. Finally, he reached over to the table and rotated the clock to read the time. 4:42. It would only cause a panic if the two of them weren't in their room by morning, so Malfoy made an attempt to gently wake Hermione. After a moment or two of trying to wake her up lightly, Malfoy began to shake her with more force and she finally woke up. "What happened?" Malfoy smiled at the barely awake girl in his arms and answered, "Nothing. We just fell asleep, that's all. I just thought that we should head back to our rooms so we don't draw any attention in the morning when we aren't there." Hermione, hardly comprehending a word he was saying, simply just nodded in response. "You're probably right." They walked in silence to the Gryffindor Tower holding hands. When they finally reached the portrait of the Fat Lady he turned to her, but didn't exactly know what to say. She spoke first. "This isn't going to be easy, is it?" Malfoy began to laugh and answered, "Did you expect it to be?" He turned her around and from behind he wrapped his arms around her thin waist, resting his head on her shoulder. She smiled, "Guess not." Her smiled faded when she began to talk again. "Draco?" "Yeah?" "Do you think you are going to regret all of this when its over?" Malfoy turned her around to they were now facing each other. "Not even for a second." He said without hesitation. He leaned down and kissed her lightly and quickly, but still passionately. "See you at breakfast, love."
"See you then." She said back and then stepped through the portrait, walked to her bedroom, and collapsed onto her bad, smiling the entire time.
