A/N: Here's Chapter 9. No one gets the brownie points. They're all mine…*evil grin*
****
Emerald Flame
Chapter 9
****
****Hermione's POV****
I walked into my room three hours later in a slight daze. It had been the best night of my life. Seriously, it had been. I collapsed onto my bed and kicked off my shoes before I rolled onto my stomach and buried my face in the golden sheets. I yawned and was about to get up and get ready for bed, but I was interrupted by a knock on the door.
"Come in!" I yelled. The door opened and Harry walked in. He looked tired and slightly windswept. He yawned and sat on the edge of my bed.
"What're you still doing up?" I asked him, walking to my trunk and digging through it to find to clothes I usually sleep in.
"I took Eliza flying around the lake after the ball," He said, smiling slightly, "What about you? Why are you still up?"
"I…" I tried to think up a lie. What was I going to say? I was snogging Draco all night? "I was just walking and thinking."
"Really?" His expression grew slightly cold, "Funny…I saw you and a certain blonde Slytherin walking around the lake while I took Eliza out…"
I paled and looked up from my trunk to stare him in the eye. He raised an eyebrow at me and waited for an answer.
"Please understand Harry," I started, "Please…Just understand…"
He smiled at me and laughed slightly.
"It's okay Hermione," He said, "I understand."
"Thank you!" I jumped at him and hugged him tightly. I didn't let him go until he started turning blue. He laughed and rubbed his throat.
"You won't tell Ron, will you?" I asked, "I mean…I don't think he'll understand…In fact I -know- he won't understand…"
"You're right, he won't…" Harry looked down and raised his eyebrows slightly, "But I didn't tell him, nor do I plan to."
"I don't suppose you want me to hug you again?"
"No, no, I'm fine…"
I laughed.
"But," He started, "I saw him walking away from the maze with an odd look on his face, like he wanted to kill everything on the planet or something…Believe me, I know the look…"
He rubbed his scar with a dark look on his face.
"What time is it?" I yawned, changing the subject quickly and looking at my clock.
"Wow…It's past one…" Harry said.
"You need to get out," I smiled, picking up a pillow and throwing it at him (which he caught and threw back at me), "I need to go to bed."
"Fine," He got up and headed towards the door, "Night Hermione."
"Night Harry."
He left and I got changed and went to bed. I was probably going to regret spending all that time outside in the cold with Draco in the morning….On second thought, maybe not….
****Draco's POV****
I woke early in the morning. Okay…So it was only ten in the morning. But that's early when you're used to waking up at noon and you went to bed at two. Actually I used to go to bed at two a lot in the past, but I hadn't done that for a while so I was out of it.
I forced myself up, got dressed in Muggle clothes (you weren't required to wear robes on the holidays), and headed down to the Great Hall. I thought about knocking on Hermione's door to ask her to walk down with me, but I thought better of it. I don't think the seven people who stayed (Harry, Hermione, Ginny, Weasel, Luna Lovegood, Eliza, and Terry Boot) were ready for a Slytherin/Gryffindor relationship. I was surprised when I walked into the Great Hall to say the least. There were two tables set, one round table where all the students and teachers were sitting, then another small rectangular one set in the corner. But it wasn't the tables that surprised me. It was the fact that Ginny, Luna, and Eliza were standing or sitting on the table in the corner, talking among themselves and looking like they were singing, but oddly not a sound came from their direction. I wondered how it was possible for them not to make a sound, but then something around them shimmered and I realized what it was. A Soundless Charm. It's like a mix between a Silencing Charm and the Bubblehead Charm; it contains sound into one area without letting anything out but still letting sound filter in. Harry, Weasel, and Terry were sitting around the circle table, watching the girls with a slight interest. I sat across from Harry and started to pile food onto my plate, yawning as I did so. I looked up when Hermione came in and smiled slightly at her. She blushed slightly and smiled back. She went to sit next to me, but when she reached the bench Eliza ran up and started to drag her over to the table all the other girls were at. She shrugged slightly and went back to the table with Eliza. When they got within five feet of the table a bubble seemed to flash around the table before you couldn't hear the girls talking anymore. I looked after them for a while before I turned back to the food on my plate.
I finished quickly and, with one last look towards the table of girls (they were doing a dance on the tabletop now), headed towards the Library. There wasn't really anything else to do. The others were probably going to stay in the Great Hall or whatever. Since the threat of Voldemort had grown, more and more parents were taking their kids out during the holidays. It was like they thought their children would be killed before they saw them again. I didn't blame them. I knew the Dark Lord. If he wanted to, he could attack Hogwarts and probably kill half the students before someone got him to retreat. Seriously, he has enough power to do it. Not to mention all the damage the Death Eaters, vampires, and dementors could do. Yes, Voldemort had gained allies over his two years of power. Honestly, he couldn't have chosen two greater allies. The dementors have the Kiss and vampires are beautiful, seductive creatures that use their looks to get what they want before they kill their victim. Or turn them into one of their own. Whichever they prefer. If they attack they'll probably chose to turn us into them so they can raise their ranks. Nice way to go, huh?
I headed towards the Potions section and grabbed a book on Invisibility Potions. I had a essay due on it by the first day back after Christmas vacation and I might as well get it done now so I don't have to worry about it later. It would be really, really bad if I forgot about it and turned it in late. I went to the back and sat down at a table far away from the front door. Amazing. Even when there were only seven people in the castle I tried to hide…
I sat and read until I saw someone's thigh out of the corner of my eye. I looked up and was greeted with Hermione's smiling face.
"Hey," She said, sitting down at the table next to me.
"Hi," I replied, closing my book and leaning back in my chair, "So did you have fun last night?"
She laughed softly.
"Oh, yes," She replied, "Very enjoyable indeed."
"Would you like to do it again sometime?"
"Depends…" She put a finger to her chin and looked up in mock thought, "When and where?"
"Do you want to take a walk around the lake tonight?"
She shook her head.
"Harry and Eliza have taken that spot…" She said, "Then again…Now that they know…"
"What?!"
I'm pretty sure wherever she was, Madam Pince glared at me.
"They saw us walking last night…" She got a sorry look on her face.
"Around the lake?"
"Yeah, that's the one…"
"What about the maze? Or the garden?"
"No, he didn't see us then…"
"Good."
"But Ginny saw us in the maze and Luna and Terry saw us in the garden…"
"You're kidding me."
"I wish I was…"
"They won't tell, will they?"
"They all swore they wouldn't tell…"
"Wonderful…"
"That is, they wouldn't tell Ron…"
"Could you please stop that?"
"They won't tell the other students, don't worry."
"Are you certain?"
"Pretty sure at least…"
"Why didn't the Sorting Hat just put you in Ravenclaw…"
"Because then Harry wouldn't have met me, he would've died at the age of eleven, then Voldemort would have regained power much earlier and thus the whole Wizarding World would have been doomed."
"You are -so- under-appreciated…"
"I know, aren't I?"
I rolled my eyes and she playfully shoved me in the arm.
"You're not supposed to do that to your boyfriend, you know…"
"You hurt the ones you love, Draco dear." She raised an eyebrow and smirked at me.
"You love me then?" I shouldn't push it. She had already announced our relationship as official boyfriend/girlfriend by not contradicting me when I called myself her boyfriend. I was content with that but I still wasn't completely over my bratty, spoiled child thing.
"Only if the feeling is mutual."
She was trapping me. If I didn't love her I was falling fast.
"That's exactly what I think."
"Alright then."
She looked down at her watch.
"I have to go," She leaned forward and kissed me quickly, "See you later."
"Bye," I said as she got up and walked away. I kept reading until at least an hour had passed before I checked out the book and headed back to the Common Room. I went straight to my room and was surprised to find a small stack of gifts on my bed. It was only three presents, but still…For me it was a lot. I put down my bag and looked at the tags on the presents. One was from Hermione, one was from Ginny, and the other was from Dumbledore. I didn't really understand why Ginny and Dumbledore had sent me presents, but I wasn't one to complain. Hermione's present was a small statue of a Vipertooth Dragon, Ginny's was a chess board, and Dumbledore's was…a box full of my mother's jewels and other close possessions. I put that box in the bottom of my trunk. I didn't want any reminders of my life before last summer. I put the chessboard on my desk in the corner and set the small statue on my nightstand. I sprawled on my bed and put my arm over my eyes. I felt myself slowly slipping into sleep and I didn't fight it. There wasn't anything else to do. Think about it: One big castle plus seven people minus one-and-a-half enemies equals boredom. It's that simple. Or not. I don't want to think about it right now…
****Hermione's POV****
I finally walked into my room at about nine o' clock at night. I had walked around the ground a while with Luna, Ginny, and Eliza talking about our boyfriends and whatever else popped into our heads. The first thing I noticed was a single present on my bed. I had opened the presents from Harry, Ginny, Luna, Mrs. Weasley, and Lupin early in the morning, but this present was new. It hadn't been there in the morning. I picked it up and looked at the tag. It was from Draco. I slowly opened the package and gasped when I saw what was in it. It was a silver charm of a dragon hanging from a silver chain with a small diamond clutched in its claws. I moved my hair away from the back of my neck and put the necklace on. I turned it over in my fingers for a while before I lay back on my bed and went to sleep. I made myself remember to give Draco the best kiss of his life in the morning…
A/N: Hi, sorry it took so log but high school is kind of tiring. Can't wait 'til Christmas Break…Press the button at the bottom of the page and tell me what you think. Chapter 10 to come soon!
****
Emerald Flame
Chapter 9
****
****Hermione's POV****
I walked into my room three hours later in a slight daze. It had been the best night of my life. Seriously, it had been. I collapsed onto my bed and kicked off my shoes before I rolled onto my stomach and buried my face in the golden sheets. I yawned and was about to get up and get ready for bed, but I was interrupted by a knock on the door.
"Come in!" I yelled. The door opened and Harry walked in. He looked tired and slightly windswept. He yawned and sat on the edge of my bed.
"What're you still doing up?" I asked him, walking to my trunk and digging through it to find to clothes I usually sleep in.
"I took Eliza flying around the lake after the ball," He said, smiling slightly, "What about you? Why are you still up?"
"I…" I tried to think up a lie. What was I going to say? I was snogging Draco all night? "I was just walking and thinking."
"Really?" His expression grew slightly cold, "Funny…I saw you and a certain blonde Slytherin walking around the lake while I took Eliza out…"
I paled and looked up from my trunk to stare him in the eye. He raised an eyebrow at me and waited for an answer.
"Please understand Harry," I started, "Please…Just understand…"
He smiled at me and laughed slightly.
"It's okay Hermione," He said, "I understand."
"Thank you!" I jumped at him and hugged him tightly. I didn't let him go until he started turning blue. He laughed and rubbed his throat.
"You won't tell Ron, will you?" I asked, "I mean…I don't think he'll understand…In fact I -know- he won't understand…"
"You're right, he won't…" Harry looked down and raised his eyebrows slightly, "But I didn't tell him, nor do I plan to."
"I don't suppose you want me to hug you again?"
"No, no, I'm fine…"
I laughed.
"But," He started, "I saw him walking away from the maze with an odd look on his face, like he wanted to kill everything on the planet or something…Believe me, I know the look…"
He rubbed his scar with a dark look on his face.
"What time is it?" I yawned, changing the subject quickly and looking at my clock.
"Wow…It's past one…" Harry said.
"You need to get out," I smiled, picking up a pillow and throwing it at him (which he caught and threw back at me), "I need to go to bed."
"Fine," He got up and headed towards the door, "Night Hermione."
"Night Harry."
He left and I got changed and went to bed. I was probably going to regret spending all that time outside in the cold with Draco in the morning….On second thought, maybe not….
****Draco's POV****
I woke early in the morning. Okay…So it was only ten in the morning. But that's early when you're used to waking up at noon and you went to bed at two. Actually I used to go to bed at two a lot in the past, but I hadn't done that for a while so I was out of it.
I forced myself up, got dressed in Muggle clothes (you weren't required to wear robes on the holidays), and headed down to the Great Hall. I thought about knocking on Hermione's door to ask her to walk down with me, but I thought better of it. I don't think the seven people who stayed (Harry, Hermione, Ginny, Weasel, Luna Lovegood, Eliza, and Terry Boot) were ready for a Slytherin/Gryffindor relationship. I was surprised when I walked into the Great Hall to say the least. There were two tables set, one round table where all the students and teachers were sitting, then another small rectangular one set in the corner. But it wasn't the tables that surprised me. It was the fact that Ginny, Luna, and Eliza were standing or sitting on the table in the corner, talking among themselves and looking like they were singing, but oddly not a sound came from their direction. I wondered how it was possible for them not to make a sound, but then something around them shimmered and I realized what it was. A Soundless Charm. It's like a mix between a Silencing Charm and the Bubblehead Charm; it contains sound into one area without letting anything out but still letting sound filter in. Harry, Weasel, and Terry were sitting around the circle table, watching the girls with a slight interest. I sat across from Harry and started to pile food onto my plate, yawning as I did so. I looked up when Hermione came in and smiled slightly at her. She blushed slightly and smiled back. She went to sit next to me, but when she reached the bench Eliza ran up and started to drag her over to the table all the other girls were at. She shrugged slightly and went back to the table with Eliza. When they got within five feet of the table a bubble seemed to flash around the table before you couldn't hear the girls talking anymore. I looked after them for a while before I turned back to the food on my plate.
I finished quickly and, with one last look towards the table of girls (they were doing a dance on the tabletop now), headed towards the Library. There wasn't really anything else to do. The others were probably going to stay in the Great Hall or whatever. Since the threat of Voldemort had grown, more and more parents were taking their kids out during the holidays. It was like they thought their children would be killed before they saw them again. I didn't blame them. I knew the Dark Lord. If he wanted to, he could attack Hogwarts and probably kill half the students before someone got him to retreat. Seriously, he has enough power to do it. Not to mention all the damage the Death Eaters, vampires, and dementors could do. Yes, Voldemort had gained allies over his two years of power. Honestly, he couldn't have chosen two greater allies. The dementors have the Kiss and vampires are beautiful, seductive creatures that use their looks to get what they want before they kill their victim. Or turn them into one of their own. Whichever they prefer. If they attack they'll probably chose to turn us into them so they can raise their ranks. Nice way to go, huh?
I headed towards the Potions section and grabbed a book on Invisibility Potions. I had a essay due on it by the first day back after Christmas vacation and I might as well get it done now so I don't have to worry about it later. It would be really, really bad if I forgot about it and turned it in late. I went to the back and sat down at a table far away from the front door. Amazing. Even when there were only seven people in the castle I tried to hide…
I sat and read until I saw someone's thigh out of the corner of my eye. I looked up and was greeted with Hermione's smiling face.
"Hey," She said, sitting down at the table next to me.
"Hi," I replied, closing my book and leaning back in my chair, "So did you have fun last night?"
She laughed softly.
"Oh, yes," She replied, "Very enjoyable indeed."
"Would you like to do it again sometime?"
"Depends…" She put a finger to her chin and looked up in mock thought, "When and where?"
"Do you want to take a walk around the lake tonight?"
She shook her head.
"Harry and Eliza have taken that spot…" She said, "Then again…Now that they know…"
"What?!"
I'm pretty sure wherever she was, Madam Pince glared at me.
"They saw us walking last night…" She got a sorry look on her face.
"Around the lake?"
"Yeah, that's the one…"
"What about the maze? Or the garden?"
"No, he didn't see us then…"
"Good."
"But Ginny saw us in the maze and Luna and Terry saw us in the garden…"
"You're kidding me."
"I wish I was…"
"They won't tell, will they?"
"They all swore they wouldn't tell…"
"Wonderful…"
"That is, they wouldn't tell Ron…"
"Could you please stop that?"
"They won't tell the other students, don't worry."
"Are you certain?"
"Pretty sure at least…"
"Why didn't the Sorting Hat just put you in Ravenclaw…"
"Because then Harry wouldn't have met me, he would've died at the age of eleven, then Voldemort would have regained power much earlier and thus the whole Wizarding World would have been doomed."
"You are -so- under-appreciated…"
"I know, aren't I?"
I rolled my eyes and she playfully shoved me in the arm.
"You're not supposed to do that to your boyfriend, you know…"
"You hurt the ones you love, Draco dear." She raised an eyebrow and smirked at me.
"You love me then?" I shouldn't push it. She had already announced our relationship as official boyfriend/girlfriend by not contradicting me when I called myself her boyfriend. I was content with that but I still wasn't completely over my bratty, spoiled child thing.
"Only if the feeling is mutual."
She was trapping me. If I didn't love her I was falling fast.
"That's exactly what I think."
"Alright then."
She looked down at her watch.
"I have to go," She leaned forward and kissed me quickly, "See you later."
"Bye," I said as she got up and walked away. I kept reading until at least an hour had passed before I checked out the book and headed back to the Common Room. I went straight to my room and was surprised to find a small stack of gifts on my bed. It was only three presents, but still…For me it was a lot. I put down my bag and looked at the tags on the presents. One was from Hermione, one was from Ginny, and the other was from Dumbledore. I didn't really understand why Ginny and Dumbledore had sent me presents, but I wasn't one to complain. Hermione's present was a small statue of a Vipertooth Dragon, Ginny's was a chess board, and Dumbledore's was…a box full of my mother's jewels and other close possessions. I put that box in the bottom of my trunk. I didn't want any reminders of my life before last summer. I put the chessboard on my desk in the corner and set the small statue on my nightstand. I sprawled on my bed and put my arm over my eyes. I felt myself slowly slipping into sleep and I didn't fight it. There wasn't anything else to do. Think about it: One big castle plus seven people minus one-and-a-half enemies equals boredom. It's that simple. Or not. I don't want to think about it right now…
****Hermione's POV****
I finally walked into my room at about nine o' clock at night. I had walked around the ground a while with Luna, Ginny, and Eliza talking about our boyfriends and whatever else popped into our heads. The first thing I noticed was a single present on my bed. I had opened the presents from Harry, Ginny, Luna, Mrs. Weasley, and Lupin early in the morning, but this present was new. It hadn't been there in the morning. I picked it up and looked at the tag. It was from Draco. I slowly opened the package and gasped when I saw what was in it. It was a silver charm of a dragon hanging from a silver chain with a small diamond clutched in its claws. I moved my hair away from the back of my neck and put the necklace on. I turned it over in my fingers for a while before I lay back on my bed and went to sleep. I made myself remember to give Draco the best kiss of his life in the morning…
A/N: Hi, sorry it took so log but high school is kind of tiring. Can't wait 'til Christmas Break…Press the button at the bottom of the page and tell me what you think. Chapter 10 to come soon!