The Best Of Me
Disclaimer: I do not own anything in affiliation with Harry Potter or JKR. Nor do I own the song The Best Of Me by The Starting Line.
**
lyrics
**
I want to give a special shout out to **Winter Fae** for being the best Beta-reader a girl could have. :)
**A special note to all my readers** Please, if you read this chapter, review. It would mean so much to me. I really want to know if people are reading my story and what they think. It absolutely makes my day every time I get a review. So PLEASE if you read this chapter, and even if you hate it, drop me a note. Okay? Thanks bunches! I love all of you! :)
Ok I know this took forever and I feel like a total poop for it but I had midterms and was majorly busy. So, please forgive me? Also, this chapter might not be the greatest but I'm trying to get something going, so please stick with it. Oh and REVIEW!!
Chapter 9: Changes
When it officially started, Hermione was nervous. She had never been in a really serious relationship before. She didn't know she would always be thinking about him, or that she would always want to kiss him. She didn't know that when she saw him in the hallways she would always want to melt into him. No. She didn't know any of those things.
When it officially started, Draco was nervous. He had been in many relationships, and he had in his life had more than one girl at a time. Being a Slytherin, he knew how to pull it off. But this time he found it different. He did not want to string Pansy along or two time Hermione. And yet somehow, Hermione's kindness was rubbing off on him, for he did not want to break Pansy's heart.
To them, it seemed that everything was changing, becoming different. Yet to everyone else it seemed that they were. It was just like Henry David Thoreau, a muggle writer, had once said. "Things do not change; we change." Life and love, the lines were slowly merging, slowly disappearing.
--
--
He felt the guilt again. Deep inside of him, probably in the heart he used to think he didn't have. From the look on her face it rose, almost jumped out his throat, and then settled again. Back to how it always was, nagging on him, begging him to do something about it.
"Pansy, really, I'm so sorry. I have to go, you get that don't you? We'll talk about this later, whatever it is, I promise."
"Yeah sure, sure," she mumbled under her breath.
"Come on Pans, look at me. Tell me it's okay for me to go. Please"
"Draco," she said in a hoarse voice, "just go, it's okay."
And then, quietly, she whispered. "I understand."
"Great," he said with a sigh, relieved, "I promise I'll come talk to you later. Bye"
With that he was gone. And for a while so was the guilt. Replaced, instead, by exhilaration, excitement, he couldn't help it really; he was going to see Hermione.
--
--
She felt it jump again, her heart that is. When she saw him it flew, it soared, it was just a really great thing. And in her head she couldn't believe it, she was becoming one of those hopeless romantics she had warned herself about. The only bad thing was that this usually happened in front of all of her friends and enemies. The only good thing was that this time no one else was there; right now it was just them.
"You're here," he whispered in her ear as he held her to him.
"What was I not supposed to be?"
"I don't know, I can't remember, you have me so confused."
"You don't know huh? Well then maybe I'll just go…"
"'Mione…" he said as he brought her to him. Running his fingers through her hair (while hers were in his) he brought his lips to hers. "I missed you"
"Me too. I always miss you," she mumbled against him. Pulling herself away as she led them to a chair. "I can hardly believe Ron and Harry are still falling for this, it's my third 'Heads Meeting' in the last 5 days. We're going to need different excuses soon."
"That would be up to you my dear. I am not the creative one. And I'm sure it will last a while longer, it's actually a very good excuse if I do say so myself."
"And look at that, you do say so. I worry sometimes that your ego may explode. I don't know what I would do with myself if that happened."
"No need to worry, I'll just borrow a little humility from you and then I'll be all set," he said with a smug look on his face.
"Oh shut up. Sheesh, this is becoming a dull conversation."
"You shut up," he said back. And then, in a different tone, one reserved for her, "So you missed me?"
A small smile went to her lips, sure he was stupid and annoying and overly obsessed with himself, but he did something to her. "Yeah, I missed you. And you know, I think I'm becoming desperate, for a second today in History of Magic I thought I missed the smell of those nasty things you're always sucking down."
"Smoking is not gross in this world Hermione, when will you get that through your head?"
"Never, some things just stick with you. Everyday since I was born it's been forced into my brain 'smoking is bad, smoking is gross, smoking will kill'. Suddenly, when you reach 11 or 12 you just start agreeing with everyone else, it is gross. And, even though it's not going to kill you, it's still gross!"
"Ok, thanks Professor Granger for the lovely lecture. Anyway, it's not that I absolutely love it, it's just an image thing, you know?"
"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. Seriously, I can't believe you just said that. We're not in 5th grade anymore!"
"5th grade? You mean 5th year? That doesn't make any sense."
"No, gosh, I hate how you don't know all this stuff. 5th grade, the year before middle school starts," she paused and gave him a look, knowing he was about to ask what that was, "which is something you won't understand at all, again."
"So that didn't help me at all. I still don't know what 5th grade is and now I want to know what middle school is. It's all your fault you know."
"Stop! Your annoying."
"But you love it."
"That's not the point"
"See, you do love it, you didn't even try to deny it."
"OKAY, 5th grade and or the beginning or middle school is the schooling that you're in when you're anywhere from 10 to maybe 12. That's it, that's all it is."
"Huh, well, that was a bit of a let down."
"Well I'm sorry. That's life I guess."
"'Mione," he turned to look her right in the eyes.
"Yeah."
"Thanks for telling me. Sometimes I just forget, that we didn't grow up the same, that we're different people."
"Uh, I guess you're welcome. I know it's not very interesting, I mean, I can tell you other muggle-related things that are much more interesting."
"Okay then, one day you will. But right now, I have another idea and it's also much more interesting." And that was when he leaned in to kiss her. And the chills started in his back, and then they spread all around him. She always did that to him. Like some stupid romantic movie, he was some stupid lovesick puppy. And he loved it.
She knew it was coming, if not for the very obvious line then for the look in his eyes. And she was giddy inside. She'd just spent the last half hour having an actual conversation with Draco Malfoy. And she'd enjoyed it. And the thing, the thing between them, it just kept growing. She loved it.
A little while later found them in an even more compromising position. He was sitting in a chair, and she was sitting in his lap. And although they were talking every once in a while the rest of the time was spent in a much more strenuous activity.
And slowly a change happened. They both knew time was running out, they would have to leave soon, and the real world started seeping back in.
He felt the guilt again. Like a little seed inside of him it just kept growing. She was in his arms. The girl he wanted to be with, the girl he needed, even if he didn't know it yet. And still, for some reason, a different head floated in front of him. One of a girl with tear filled eyes and streaked cheeks, sitting in a common room all alone. Her face the day it happened a year and a half ago.
And she, Hermione, felt the sadness. It was the only thing that made her look back at the Gryffindor portrait every time she left to see Draco. The sadness that came from her friends hurt eyes. Her patience was wearing thin, she wanted to be with him, she did, but did she want to hurt everyone else?
And that's when they both pulled back. Looking each other in the eye they had to wonder if it was all worth it. For she had relationships she could not break, and he had secrets he had to keep hidden.
Yet there was another thing they felt. It was new, dangerous; it would cause problems and tension. It would break both of them; kill them, if they used it wrong. It was in them, seeping through even though they didn't know it. Can love move mountains, can it change lives, people?
"I have to go."
--
Thank You's
PinkTribeChick- I love your reviews and you. It made me so happy that you like my story so much. I'm not sure this chapter was up to standard but I hope you liked it anyway. J
ReeMarie Yukimo Lebeau- Thanks again for all the reviews and encouragement. I hope I helped in the email.
Stefy- I loved the running in the halls thing too, I could just picture it in my mind. Please keep reviewing!
Ethni- Thanks SO much for the review. You made me blush, I;m so glad you like the story.
Punk Rock Princess- THANK YOU so much for all the reviews! It meant so much to me, I hope you keep reading the story. Again thanks!