Love's Game
~hotsleekeyz~
Chapter 4
Half-time
**************************************************************
How Hermione had managed to get back at Hogwarts, she didn't know. All that she was aware of was that she was crying the whole night, listening to her own hastened heartbeat in the dead of the night. . .when she thought everyone was already sleeping. . . not minding the fact that she left Draco back at Hogsmeade puking his guts out.
Hermione was wrong in assuming that it was only her sobs that filled the night. Harry's raging mind was battling one part with the other whether he was to get inside Hermione's room or not. In truth, there would have been no one else that could have cared for Hermione more than Harry. . . even Ron who merely wanted Hermione for a lover and not a friend more than anything else.
Harry stood in front of Hermione's door, which was separate from all the others, owing to her position as Head Girl. From behind that piece of wood, Hermione was molded onto her bed, with pillows all around her and the one she was resting her head on was drenched with her precious tears flowing for Draco. . .
To knock or not to knock---
Harry faced the dilemma harder than he could have chosen whether he liked Quidditch more than having Professor Snape out of his sight forever. He knew well that it was a personal problem for Hermione to face. But whenever he'd try to look away from the golden knob to Hermione's room, his head would automatically fix itself towards the knob again.
It has been a long time since they talked for real. They would have the usual morning talks and late night chats but aside from their conversation about Draco's sexuality, they haven't talked seriously over matter concerning them both. What pushed Harry at that moment was the obvious truth---that he cared... that he cared too much that even if he knew that Hermione would want to spend some time alone to herself, he still put his cold hand over the knob and turned it anti-clockwise.
Hermione was on her bed, not looking at who entered through her door. . . more like she didn't hear the creak that filled the room.
Harry traced his way towards the bed, slowly, unsuringly, thinking the possibility that Hermione might not want him to be around at that moment. . . but when he was three steps away from the side of the bed, with Hermione's back on him, the sorrowful lady turned around and wailed even more like a child and immediately assumed to sit.
The famous Scarhead felt a bit uneasy.
He sat at the edge of the bed and to his surprise, Hermione went to her knees and went nearer him and grabbed him in a tight embrace. Harry's mouth opened to speak but he seemed to lack a proper word.
Hermione cried her soul out, molding her fragile body into Harry's strong one. She felt secure whenever Harry was around. In truth, it was always in Harry that she found her refuge despite Harry's short attention span that causes him to break into a topic on Quidditch when they are usually talking about her problems. But Hermione understood that, though at that moment, she thought of nothing else, expecting nothing from Harry but to keep her in that embrace.
In one swift movement, Harry had turned Hermione to her back so that it was resting on his chest. He put his arms around Hermione from behind as he kept Hermione's arms crossed above her own chest. Harry merely closed his eyes tight, feeling Hermione's injured breathing and painful beating of her heart.
"Harry, I. . . I. . .", started Hermione only to feel Harry's embrace grow a bit tighter.
"Hush Mione. . . go to sleep. You rest, alright? Close your eyes. . ."
It surprised Harry of what came out of his unsureness. The words came out freely and surely. He was thankful he didn't have to think about it at all.
At those words, Hermione's sobs grew louder and every time it did during the course of the night, Harry would tighten his embrace---not suffocating, but caring.
After about half an hour, Hermione had curled into a ball in Harry's arms, positioning herself sidewards so that her head rested on Harry's firm chest. Sleepily, Hermione mumbled, "G'night 'arry. . ."
Hermione sobs hushed down and soon enough her weight bored onto Harry.
Harry rested his back on the head of the bed and found himself brushing some strands of hair away from Hermione's angelic face. He kissed her on the forehead and whispered, "Goodnight Hermione. . . Sleep well. . ."
**************************************************************
The next morning, Hermione found herself neatly tucked under her comforter. Harry had left her early that day.
She felt her stomach grumble, probably hungry, she thought to herself. It was rare that she'd find herself that hungry and put in mind that she must've grown tired of crying the whole night that she lost all the food she ate in effort to cry her heart out.
Hermione went down to the Great Hall for breakfast alone, after checking on Ron and Ginny's room, which were already empty at that time of the day. On her way to her destination, she saw something glinting on the floor. She picked it up at once and saw a silver ring of a serpent with emerald eyes glimmering in the faint light in the hallway. From inside the ring, the words spelled out "Draconis".
She didn't put the ring in her pocket. In fact, she had it between her thumb and index finger, unconsciously playing with it. When she reached the entrance of the Great Hall, she saw that most of the students were already gone and her Gryffindor friends were out as well.
Hermione went over to her side of the table with empty spaces before her, and beside her right and left. All that was visible from her place was Draco forcing himself with some soup.
If it was any convenient, Hermione wanted to stare at Draco for some while and simply appreciate his beauty, only that Draco was throwing him dirty, hateful glares.
Hermione chuckled to herself. //Too much for a gay with a bully image. . .//
But it seemed Fate was playing with her that only about six of them were inside the hall and the teachers were already out. She was left to staring at Draco until she gulped down that last of her pumpkin juice.
When Hermione turned to look at her watch, she noticed the ring that she got from the floor. . . Draco's ring. She had unconsciously put it on her finger. She sighed heavily and pulled herself up to stand.
Draco had his eyes fixed on Hermione's every move from the corner of his eyes. He felt uneasy when in no time he noticed that Hermione was walking his way of the hall. And too late for him to move away, Hermione was already behind him.
"I believe you've lost something that's yours. . ." Hermione said in a casual manner, the best she could.
"I don't recall losing anything", came Draco's smug reply. He didn't turn to face Hermione at all and continued eating the potatoes.
"Well you dropped something by the hallway. I think it's better you have it now. . . here, take it." Hermione extended her hand towards the side of Draco's face.
Draco didn't want to play Hermione's game. He thought it was Hermione's excuse to be around him, that he turned to look straight into Hermione's eyes without looking at the thing atop Hermione's palm.
"Look, I have no time to play around with you. You already know what my stand is on being around you. If you think you could get another bloody kiss from me by sweet-talking me with nothing, you're having false hopes. . . and dear, I'm the one denying you of it so bugger off!"
Hermione gasped in horror. //How could he be so cruel? I don't want another kiss from him. . .I just---I just want to return his ring. . .//
Tears started to form in Hermione's eyes. . . as much as she could, she tried to fight them back, only that one tear escaped he confines of her auburn orbs and she quickly brushed it away with the back of her hand that held Draco's ring.
"Look. . . I---I don't. . . Draco, please. . .Your ring. . ."
Hermione burst into tears after her effort to tell Draco that it was his ring that he had dropped. Her sobs won over her and the remaining students looked at their direction with questioning looks.
Draco sat shocked. How was he to take his ring back when he had just offended the person who found it and honestly wanted to give it back to him?
He looked at his finger where his ring should have been. Sure enough, it wasn't there.
Draco had already his hand move towards Hermione's shoulder to comfort her the least when a strong arm brushed him off.
It was Harry, furiously red to every inch of his face. "Back off Malfoy, you slimy little git!" He roughly opened Hermione's hand where the ring was and took the ring, then threw it at Draco's face, hitting the bewildered Slytherin right at his temple.
Harry grabbed Hermione's arm and pulled her away from Draco. "Get away from her sight Malfoy, if you know what's best for you. You're pride must be getting in the way every time you have a girl begging at your feet. Well bastard, you're not having Hermione this time. . . You don't deserve her and whatever it takes, you can NEVER get near her ever again!"
How much anger Harry had inside him, Draco could not estimate. . . but behind Harry's harsh front was something else that only Draco saw. . .
**************************************************************
Throughout the day, Ron and Ginny had Hermione company. Harry had told them to keep Hermione in their sight at all costs because he had VERY important business to attend to. . .
**************************************************************
"Look Malfoy, if it isn't clear to you, Hermione loves you and how that happened I don't know. If you still have some heart in you, at least try to be civil with her. She's not difficult to love, you know. I regret that evil had already won most of your body that you can't see anything to like in someone like Hermione." Harry talked calmly, though deep inside he was battling against punching Draco square in the face.
"Look Harry, you've told me that about a dozen times already today. Somehow, it had been getting through me but you must understand the circumstances. . . I AM GAY, Harry. I can't love Hermione. Of course, she's a wonderful person, set aside our differences, but understand that I could not force myself into a relationship that I know I would not be happy with. Hermione must deserve someone far better than me. . ."
Draco was shaking his head over and over. It had been taking them some while to get to a final solution.
"Yes, there must be a lot more men deserving of her but right now, she had fixed her eyes on you and she is hoping that in one way or another, you'd feel a tinge of what she is feeling right now."
"You deserve her."
Harry's eyes widened at once. "WHAT?!"
"You deserve her Potter."
"I don't know what bull you're talking about Malfoy, I---"
"Shut it. If there's anyone deserving such honest and faithful girl, it's you Harry. You've been together for almost seven years. You know each other well."
"That is besides the point, Draco it's you tha---"
"Could you listen to yourself?! You're denying yourself of having the woman you love. . . Now who is worse between us?" Draco's brow raised an inch higher.
"I am most certainly not denying myself of anything."
"Potter, I know. You love Hermione. You've felt that way long before. You couldn't deny it now. I saw the fury in you early this morning. You want to protect her at all costs. You want what's best for her. . . and for all this is worth, you want her to be happy even if it pains you. . ."
Harry sat silent. In a moment, he was standing up, and motioned to leave when Draco's hand stopped him.
Draco said in a gentlemanly voice, "Only you, Potter, could make Hermione happy. . . think about it."
"I've seen her happy even at the sight of you. I can't steal her of that. . . and it makes me happy too to see her be content in her shallow happiness. . .even if it pains me, yes. For being my friend all these years, I owe her that. She's yours."
Harry turned again to the door and left Draco in awe at such honesty he thought he wouldn't receive from his enemy.
~Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns characters, setting, etc. Except: the plot is mine.~
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
I beg pardon for everyone who waited for this chapter.
I swear the next chapters will be in a lighter mood. This isn't supposed to be sad really!
Review please! Thanks! *mwah*
Chapter 4
Half-time
**************************************************************
How Hermione had managed to get back at Hogwarts, she didn't know. All that she was aware of was that she was crying the whole night, listening to her own hastened heartbeat in the dead of the night. . .when she thought everyone was already sleeping. . . not minding the fact that she left Draco back at Hogsmeade puking his guts out.
Hermione was wrong in assuming that it was only her sobs that filled the night. Harry's raging mind was battling one part with the other whether he was to get inside Hermione's room or not. In truth, there would have been no one else that could have cared for Hermione more than Harry. . . even Ron who merely wanted Hermione for a lover and not a friend more than anything else.
Harry stood in front of Hermione's door, which was separate from all the others, owing to her position as Head Girl. From behind that piece of wood, Hermione was molded onto her bed, with pillows all around her and the one she was resting her head on was drenched with her precious tears flowing for Draco. . .
To knock or not to knock---
Harry faced the dilemma harder than he could have chosen whether he liked Quidditch more than having Professor Snape out of his sight forever. He knew well that it was a personal problem for Hermione to face. But whenever he'd try to look away from the golden knob to Hermione's room, his head would automatically fix itself towards the knob again.
It has been a long time since they talked for real. They would have the usual morning talks and late night chats but aside from their conversation about Draco's sexuality, they haven't talked seriously over matter concerning them both. What pushed Harry at that moment was the obvious truth---that he cared... that he cared too much that even if he knew that Hermione would want to spend some time alone to herself, he still put his cold hand over the knob and turned it anti-clockwise.
Hermione was on her bed, not looking at who entered through her door. . . more like she didn't hear the creak that filled the room.
Harry traced his way towards the bed, slowly, unsuringly, thinking the possibility that Hermione might not want him to be around at that moment. . . but when he was three steps away from the side of the bed, with Hermione's back on him, the sorrowful lady turned around and wailed even more like a child and immediately assumed to sit.
The famous Scarhead felt a bit uneasy.
He sat at the edge of the bed and to his surprise, Hermione went to her knees and went nearer him and grabbed him in a tight embrace. Harry's mouth opened to speak but he seemed to lack a proper word.
Hermione cried her soul out, molding her fragile body into Harry's strong one. She felt secure whenever Harry was around. In truth, it was always in Harry that she found her refuge despite Harry's short attention span that causes him to break into a topic on Quidditch when they are usually talking about her problems. But Hermione understood that, though at that moment, she thought of nothing else, expecting nothing from Harry but to keep her in that embrace.
In one swift movement, Harry had turned Hermione to her back so that it was resting on his chest. He put his arms around Hermione from behind as he kept Hermione's arms crossed above her own chest. Harry merely closed his eyes tight, feeling Hermione's injured breathing and painful beating of her heart.
"Harry, I. . . I. . .", started Hermione only to feel Harry's embrace grow a bit tighter.
"Hush Mione. . . go to sleep. You rest, alright? Close your eyes. . ."
It surprised Harry of what came out of his unsureness. The words came out freely and surely. He was thankful he didn't have to think about it at all.
At those words, Hermione's sobs grew louder and every time it did during the course of the night, Harry would tighten his embrace---not suffocating, but caring.
After about half an hour, Hermione had curled into a ball in Harry's arms, positioning herself sidewards so that her head rested on Harry's firm chest. Sleepily, Hermione mumbled, "G'night 'arry. . ."
Hermione sobs hushed down and soon enough her weight bored onto Harry.
Harry rested his back on the head of the bed and found himself brushing some strands of hair away from Hermione's angelic face. He kissed her on the forehead and whispered, "Goodnight Hermione. . . Sleep well. . ."
**************************************************************
The next morning, Hermione found herself neatly tucked under her comforter. Harry had left her early that day.
She felt her stomach grumble, probably hungry, she thought to herself. It was rare that she'd find herself that hungry and put in mind that she must've grown tired of crying the whole night that she lost all the food she ate in effort to cry her heart out.
Hermione went down to the Great Hall for breakfast alone, after checking on Ron and Ginny's room, which were already empty at that time of the day. On her way to her destination, she saw something glinting on the floor. She picked it up at once and saw a silver ring of a serpent with emerald eyes glimmering in the faint light in the hallway. From inside the ring, the words spelled out "Draconis".
She didn't put the ring in her pocket. In fact, she had it between her thumb and index finger, unconsciously playing with it. When she reached the entrance of the Great Hall, she saw that most of the students were already gone and her Gryffindor friends were out as well.
Hermione went over to her side of the table with empty spaces before her, and beside her right and left. All that was visible from her place was Draco forcing himself with some soup.
If it was any convenient, Hermione wanted to stare at Draco for some while and simply appreciate his beauty, only that Draco was throwing him dirty, hateful glares.
Hermione chuckled to herself. //Too much for a gay with a bully image. . .//
But it seemed Fate was playing with her that only about six of them were inside the hall and the teachers were already out. She was left to staring at Draco until she gulped down that last of her pumpkin juice.
When Hermione turned to look at her watch, she noticed the ring that she got from the floor. . . Draco's ring. She had unconsciously put it on her finger. She sighed heavily and pulled herself up to stand.
Draco had his eyes fixed on Hermione's every move from the corner of his eyes. He felt uneasy when in no time he noticed that Hermione was walking his way of the hall. And too late for him to move away, Hermione was already behind him.
"I believe you've lost something that's yours. . ." Hermione said in a casual manner, the best she could.
"I don't recall losing anything", came Draco's smug reply. He didn't turn to face Hermione at all and continued eating the potatoes.
"Well you dropped something by the hallway. I think it's better you have it now. . . here, take it." Hermione extended her hand towards the side of Draco's face.
Draco didn't want to play Hermione's game. He thought it was Hermione's excuse to be around him, that he turned to look straight into Hermione's eyes without looking at the thing atop Hermione's palm.
"Look, I have no time to play around with you. You already know what my stand is on being around you. If you think you could get another bloody kiss from me by sweet-talking me with nothing, you're having false hopes. . . and dear, I'm the one denying you of it so bugger off!"
Hermione gasped in horror. //How could he be so cruel? I don't want another kiss from him. . .I just---I just want to return his ring. . .//
Tears started to form in Hermione's eyes. . . as much as she could, she tried to fight them back, only that one tear escaped he confines of her auburn orbs and she quickly brushed it away with the back of her hand that held Draco's ring.
"Look. . . I---I don't. . . Draco, please. . .Your ring. . ."
Hermione burst into tears after her effort to tell Draco that it was his ring that he had dropped. Her sobs won over her and the remaining students looked at their direction with questioning looks.
Draco sat shocked. How was he to take his ring back when he had just offended the person who found it and honestly wanted to give it back to him?
He looked at his finger where his ring should have been. Sure enough, it wasn't there.
Draco had already his hand move towards Hermione's shoulder to comfort her the least when a strong arm brushed him off.
It was Harry, furiously red to every inch of his face. "Back off Malfoy, you slimy little git!" He roughly opened Hermione's hand where the ring was and took the ring, then threw it at Draco's face, hitting the bewildered Slytherin right at his temple.
Harry grabbed Hermione's arm and pulled her away from Draco. "Get away from her sight Malfoy, if you know what's best for you. You're pride must be getting in the way every time you have a girl begging at your feet. Well bastard, you're not having Hermione this time. . . You don't deserve her and whatever it takes, you can NEVER get near her ever again!"
How much anger Harry had inside him, Draco could not estimate. . . but behind Harry's harsh front was something else that only Draco saw. . .
**************************************************************
Throughout the day, Ron and Ginny had Hermione company. Harry had told them to keep Hermione in their sight at all costs because he had VERY important business to attend to. . .
**************************************************************
"Look Malfoy, if it isn't clear to you, Hermione loves you and how that happened I don't know. If you still have some heart in you, at least try to be civil with her. She's not difficult to love, you know. I regret that evil had already won most of your body that you can't see anything to like in someone like Hermione." Harry talked calmly, though deep inside he was battling against punching Draco square in the face.
"Look Harry, you've told me that about a dozen times already today. Somehow, it had been getting through me but you must understand the circumstances. . . I AM GAY, Harry. I can't love Hermione. Of course, she's a wonderful person, set aside our differences, but understand that I could not force myself into a relationship that I know I would not be happy with. Hermione must deserve someone far better than me. . ."
Draco was shaking his head over and over. It had been taking them some while to get to a final solution.
"Yes, there must be a lot more men deserving of her but right now, she had fixed her eyes on you and she is hoping that in one way or another, you'd feel a tinge of what she is feeling right now."
"You deserve her."
Harry's eyes widened at once. "WHAT?!"
"You deserve her Potter."
"I don't know what bull you're talking about Malfoy, I---"
"Shut it. If there's anyone deserving such honest and faithful girl, it's you Harry. You've been together for almost seven years. You know each other well."
"That is besides the point, Draco it's you tha---"
"Could you listen to yourself?! You're denying yourself of having the woman you love. . . Now who is worse between us?" Draco's brow raised an inch higher.
"I am most certainly not denying myself of anything."
"Potter, I know. You love Hermione. You've felt that way long before. You couldn't deny it now. I saw the fury in you early this morning. You want to protect her at all costs. You want what's best for her. . . and for all this is worth, you want her to be happy even if it pains you. . ."
Harry sat silent. In a moment, he was standing up, and motioned to leave when Draco's hand stopped him.
Draco said in a gentlemanly voice, "Only you, Potter, could make Hermione happy. . . think about it."
"I've seen her happy even at the sight of you. I can't steal her of that. . . and it makes me happy too to see her be content in her shallow happiness. . .even if it pains me, yes. For being my friend all these years, I owe her that. She's yours."
Harry turned again to the door and left Draco in awe at such honesty he thought he wouldn't receive from his enemy.
~Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns characters, setting, etc. Except: the plot is mine.~
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
I beg pardon for everyone who waited for this chapter.
I swear the next chapters will be in a lighter mood. This isn't supposed to be sad really!
Review please! Thanks! *mwah*