Chapter Eight: Getting Closer
A/N: Hey guys!!! First, I'd like to give the most heartfelt thanks to A VERY Interested Reader, who reviewed this story three times. I have been walking on air ever since she told me how much she loves this story. This chapter was written as soon as possible because of her. I'm pasting the answers to her reviews here, in case she hasn't seen them, and so all of u can see them too. THANK YOU SOOO MUCH!!!
woooooow!!!!
You CAN NOT believe how incredibly happy i am to hear that you liked my story!!! wow, wow,wow, yay!!!!
i don't know, maybe i just uploaded the chapters at wrong times, so I guess not many people got 2 see it. Your compliments as are so flattering!! thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
Your very much on the right track with your guesses, I'll tell you. Sirius will definitely make an appearance soon, and your're right, I did leave HAgrid out! *slaps herself on the forehead* I'll put him in the story, too. Trust me, I can't wait to write the chapter with Sirius, cause its going to be sooooo, ummm, yummy. *hehe* plus there will be a lot more romance, with a lot of twists. I'm not going to say if Harry's the one for Eve, because the next chapters will give some doubts to that....
Anywayz, I've been conceiving this story for months now, and I have much more incredible magic coming along the way.
I'm glad u liked the poem, can u believe that it just came to me in the middle of the night? I woke up at 3 am, scribbled it on a notepad, and went back to sleep!
Anywayz, thank you, thank you again, and please,please tell ur friends or whoever u know at ff.net about it so they can read it too.
p.s. do u have any stories? id love to read them!
love,
midnight dimunds
The utter silence in the forest was only slightly less frightening as the cloaked figure. Hermione dared not move from her spot. Though it was silent, she could tell Eve's mind was buzzing. She stood in the middle of the clearing, motionless, looking up at the moon, her eyes glittering in its silvery light. Hermione knew she was contemplating a crucial decision. She wanted to scream out, "Don't listen to him, please!!! Remember what he has done! What he did to you, and hundreds of others!!"
At that instant that she thought this, Eve's head turned so swiftly and straight in her direction that Hermione was startled.
"Who's there?" she asked loudly, with a tone of slight apprehension. Hermione didn't answer. What would she do if she saw her? Maybe she could just pretend to be a phoenix. Before she knew it, she was looking straight at a pair of emerald eyes.
"Were you listening the whole time?" she had a tone of a mother scolding a child.
Then to Hermione's surprise, she stretched out her arm and stroked the feathers under her beak.
"It's a good thing he didn't see you. He would have killed you instantly. My, you're quite beautiful. What's your name, phoenix?"
Hermione sighed in relief that she didn't seem too mad. Eve hadn't realized who she really was. Eve asked, "Don't you have a name?"
Hermione squawked the first thing that came in her mind, " Selene." The moon-goddess. She had just seen the moon shift, after all.
"Hmmmm, does that mean the moon is trying to tell me something? Phoenixes are very intelligent. They know things of this earth that human do not. Why are you so adamantly against me meeting my father?"
Hermione shifted her eyes away and tried not to think so much (something she as quite unused to). She knew Eve could read minds, and all she answered with hers was, "I don't know."
"You don't know what he has planned? Do you know what the omen means?" Hermione shook her long neck.
"Well, Selene, my phoenix does, but he so arrogantly refuses to tell me. Will you do me a favor and go talk to him? He's a very handsome black phoenix," Eve said and started stroking her feathers again. At this suggestion Hermione gave a startled look and for the first time Eve was able to see her eyes clearly.
"Those brown eyes of yours, they look so familiar. Have I seen you before, somewhere?" Hermione fervently shook her neck again. But Eve was giving her one of her probing stares. She smiled knowingly.
"Who are you, really? Who is it that is eavesdropping on my very.private. conversations?" she asked slyly. Hermione thought this was getting too close for comfort. She shouldn't have been seen at all. Without looking at Eve again, she gave a frightened cry and flew off. She made sure not to fly in the direction of her dormitory window, as she knew Eve would be watching. She flew in a different direction. Unfortunately, that way was much darker, and she had no idea where she was going. Then she saw a circle of yellow light, and instinctively flew to it. But, before she realized it, she hit something solid, which gave out a painful, "Oof!" and then muttered, "What the devil.?"
After the collision, Hermione lay on the floor. "What's there?" the voice cried. The circle of light was coming from his wand, and the light illuminated a pale face and steely gray eyes.
"A bird? A phoenix!" Draco cried. At first he hoped he had bumped into Eve, but then he had realized that he had felt feathers, and that sharp object which jabbed his shoulder was a beak. Hermione tasted blood. 'Of all the people to bump into!' She thought. 'At least I injured the prat. I wonder what he's doing. Looking for Eve, no doubt'.
When he saw what had hit him, Draco walked toward Hermione, and gently touched her as he said, "Are you okay, little bird? Why were you flying in such a fright? What's out there?" Hermione had never seen Draco act so tenderly before.
"You phoenixes have healing powers, don't you?" Hermione just looked at him. "Would you mind healing this for me? You have quite a sharp beak, you do," Draco grinned. "C'mon," he coaxed, stroking her head slowly. This was something Hermione would never get to experience in regular circumstances. Hermione closed her eyes in pleasure. His touch was so soft. 'Stop it!" she cried, internally scolding herself. 'What's wrong with you, Hermione! This is ferret boy. If he knew it was you, he'd be flinging insults'. She moved away from his slender fingers.
"All right, I guess I'll have to see what happened for myself." Draco put his wand down, and its light flickered onto the grass. He took off his robe and his sweater and was beginning to unbotton his shirt, which had a crimson stain on his left shoulder. Then a thought flashed through Hermione's brain. If he was a Death-Eater, which her and the gang were suspecting for a long time, he would have a Dark Mark on his fore-arm! This would be the perfect chance to check. Draco was examining his cut, and despite the bloody shoulder, Hermione couldn't help but notice that he was so.gorgeous. His fair skin was nearly flawless, and he had a tall, lean build. Hermione coyly wondered to herself if he worked out or took a potion, as she couldn't help but stare at every muscle in his toned arms. Because of his fall, the long strands of his flaxen, white-blond hair had fallen across his face, outlining his chiseled profile and long neck. His eyes were the color of a misty, foggy, gray ocean right before dawn. She was battling inner urges to practically jump on him with infatuation. Hermione marveled why she never noticed this before. She hadn't because of what he had done to her, Harry, Ron and Hagrid over the years. Wait.What had he done again exactly? She couldn't quite remember because she was so preoccupied with staring at him in a cloudy trance with a silly grin plastered on her face. He looked so cute. Then another voice in her head appeared and reprimanded her harshly. 'Will you listen to yourself? He's an arrogant git, remember?! You're acting like a foolish little girl with a crush!' Then, she realized, horrified, that she felt very similar things when seeing Ron! Damn hormones.
Hermione regained her senses enough to examine his arm. There was no mark on it. Not yet, anyway. Draco finally spoke, after realizing that she had been gazing at him the whole time. "Are you sure you don't want to help me?" he said with a smile. Hermione froze. "Alright, then can you at least tell me if you saw a pretty girl with black hair and green eyes?" Eve, again. Damn her. Hermione wasn't about to help him find her. She angrily flapped her wings and flew away. Draco shrugged his shoulders as he finished cleaning himself with a handkerchief he had taken out of his pocket. It was quite an expensive silk one at that. Draco laughed to himself when he imagined his mother's reaction if she saw what he had done to her ancestral handkerchief. He would use a stain removing charm on it later. He figured that perhaps she was in the same direction the frightened bird had come from, because she probably was meeting with her father. He didn't fancy the possibility that he would come face-to-face with Voldemort, but he just had to know what was going on. Maybe it was the bird that was following Eve? He hoped it was the bird and not anything else. He hadn't had any Death-Eater training. Not yet. He had to find Eve before the werewolves or whatever was in the forest found him.
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Ron sneaked up the stairs as quickly as possible to Hermione's dormitory, trying not to make any noise, despite the groaning of the stairs, as if in complaint. Then Ron, being Ron, tripped over the Invisibilty Cloak and fell on the stairs with a loud crash. He yelled out a series of words which would have made Hermione give him one of one of her disapproving looks that she seemed to reserve only for him. She always looked so adorable when she was upset, how her cheeks would go red. He'd especially love staring at her when they would stay up late studying together. She'd tie up her wild hair in a bun, but tiny strands of it would still fall on the sides of her face in delicate little brown curls. What he wouldn't do to touch one of them, then to trace a finger down one of her soft cheeks. There I go again, he thought to himself. Hermione.all she probably thought was that he was a dumb, lazy, clumsy, insensitive prat who had a big appetite. He deeply regretted being such a pig sometimes in front of her. He couldn't help it if he couldn't catch up with the rate he had been growing. Yes, he concluded sadly, she probably has no feelings for me at all. She could be with bloody Victor Krum, who was a world-famous Quidditch Seeker. He was also three years older, acting as a spy on Voldemort's followers and was very nice and affectionate to her. How could he possibly compete with that? If she didn't like Victor, there was still Harry. He was famous, too, and was a damn good Seeker himself. But he's also brave and virtuous, which is something she admires so much. Hermione is a very smart girl. That's why there's no chance in hell she'd ever pick me.
He reached her door, but didn't take off the cloak. He didn't know exactly what was behind the door, and he put off thinking about it so he wouldn't become afraid. Harry wasn't with him, for the first time. He took a deep breath and knocked on the door. No answer. Hopefully, she was sleeping and didn't hear him. He opened the door with a spell, and entered the room. It was empty. Ron threw off the cloak. "Hermione! Can you hear me?" he yelled, although he thought it was stupid, because she wasn't there. He looked everywhere, in her closets, under her bed, in her private bathroom. Where was she? There were no signs of a struggle. No broken glass or anything. He looked outside the open window, but couldn't see anything. He decided to put on the cloak and wait.
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Draco walked on in the forest, his wand lighted in front of him. Finally, he heard a voice calling his name. It was Eve.
"I'm here, Eve, it's me!" Suddenly he saw some dim light and he saw her. She had apparently made a light source out of nowhere.
"Draco, what are you doing out here so late? You know the forest is dangerous." she said in a sneaky, low voice.
"Shouldn't I be telling you the same thing?"
"You know I received a letter from father. I was just.meeting him."
"What did he say? Are you joining him?"
Eve was silent for a moment. Then she asked, "Well, Draco, what do you think I should do? What have you come all this way to tell me?"
"Nothing. I came so you could tell me something. From my window, I saw you being followed. Then I noticed that the moon moved about a foot in a few seconds. That doesn't usually happen, Eve."
"Well, a phoenix was following me, as a matter of fact. Secondly, I moved the moon." Eve said with a smile.
"You?"
"Yes I did, Draco. Isn't that marvelous? I can control things beyond anyone's wildest dreams," she said as she came closer to Draco.. 'If only I could control a few things,' Draco thought. She put her hand onto his shoulder. Draco drew back in pain "What happened to your shoulder?" she gasped.
"Actually, I think it was that phoenix you saw. It practically flew right at me and jabbed its beak in my shoulder. Damn bird."
"Hmmmm. That's very unlike a phoenix, not to heal a wound when it can. Especially since it caused it," Eve said, "Which direction did it fly to?"
"I'm not sure. Perhaps Gryffindor tower."
"Would it have been anywhere near the dormitories of Head Girl and Boy?" Draco should have known this, because he was Head Boy himself. He hadn't really paid attention, but now that he remembered, it was true.
"Yeah, I think you're right."
"Who is the only Head Girl we know with big brown eyes? The only girl who is so advanced in Transfiguration, that she might even have turned herself into a.phoenix?"
Draco gaped in surprise. "The mudblood? Do you think she heard you talking with your father?"
"I'm sure of it."
"Do you know what that means? The first thing she'll do is run to Dumbledore!"
"Yes, and I promised him that I would never speak to my father. But when I received that letter, I couldn't help it. I just had to know." her voice turned into a whisper right before it trailed off.
"What do you think Dumbledore will do? He'll keep you under his watch day and night! He might even alter your memory." Draco said.
"I'll just have to convince Dumbledore that I have good intentions. Maybe it would help if I convince a few Gryffindors that I have good intentions." Eve said with a grin.
"And how are you going to do that?"
"If her friends think I'm good, then maybe she will. Well, I already have Ron in my pocket. And I doubt that it'll be too hard to get Harry to.trust me," she said slyly.
Draco did not look amused, "I don't think you should get too close to him," he said warningly.
"Draco, are you.jealous?" she asked, her eyes twinkling.
"Would it matter if I was?" he said as he took a few steps closer to Eve, and she looked into his silver eyes. Strange, she thought, she saw only clouds instead of thoughts. She tried to hide the slight suspicion and shake off the hypnotic effect of those pale eyes.
"Not really," she smiled. If the words hurt, he didn't show it.
"Well then let this matter. Potter likes you. I can tell. And he's going to do everything he can to convince you to against your father. If Voldemort has any inkling that you're close with him, he won't hesitate at killing. Both of you. He won't take any chances for you too increase your power."
"He wouldn't dare hurt me, Draco."
"Think about it. He's immortal. And I doubt if you want to test your immortality."
Eve furrowed her brow. "Just leave me alone, Draco. Everybody already thinks I'm evil."
"It doesn't matter what everybody thinks. What matters is what your father thinks. I'll leave you alone, Eve, to set out your priorities." Draco turned around and made his way back to the castle. The whole time he wondered if Eve had bought his lies, if that thought-blocking potion had worked. Hopefully he had. He knew that Voldemort would never hurt her, he couldn't.But he had to keep her from getting too close with Potter.
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With every passing minute, Ron was getting more anxious. Where was Hermione? He couldn't stay here, doing nothing. Soon Harry might even come over here. He couldn't let TWO friends be in danger. He looked out the window and tried to remember a charm which wouldn't kill him in a fall. Then he saw a shadow move across the sky, coming towards the window. He swiftly moved away from the window and put on the Invisibility cloak, trying not to breathe too loudly.
The moment before Hermione reached her room, she realized that she had let Draco see what direction she was flying in. What if he had noticed? What if he told somebody, who might come to make sure nobody knew of the conversation between Eve and her father? The prospect made her heart beat furiously in terror, as if it wanted to explode out of her chest. She tried not to make too much noise.
The shadow entered the room, and through the moonlight, Ron was finally able to see it clearly. It was a beautiful bird, a phoenix. It flapped its elegant wings and landed on the floor. Through a cloud of sparkling dust, Ron saw that it was changing. A moment later, he was astonished to see Hermione. He felt his anger rising. She was probably putting herself in horrible danger. Why hadn't she told anybody? Why hadn't she told him? In his rage he threw off his cloak and yelled, "Hermione, what did you think you were doing?" Already shaken by all that she had seen, (and felt), Hermione was already high strung. When she heard an angry voice come out of nowhere, she was so stunned that she screamed and tears spilled in her fright.
Ron's anger immediately disappeared. He walked in front of her, and said comfortingly, "Herm, no, its me, everything's fine. Calm down." He held her shoulders gently and sat her down on her bed. She was breathing heavily and sniffling. She knew would have to a lot of explaining, but a part of her was glad to see Ron, mainly because she could reassure her feelings for him after the dreamlike image of Draco.
"Where were you? How did you.did you." Ron's astonishment still hadn't left.
"I know I shouldn't have kept this from you guys, but-"
"What were you doing? You weren't spying on anyone, were you? Out at this time of night, in the forest, no less! What if you were seen?"
"That's exactly why I didn't tell you guys. You're beginning to sound exactly like me, Ron," she said, smiling through her tears, "I can't stand here, knowing I can do more. Everything's okay. I'm not helpless, I can take care of myself, you know, as much as you or Harry."
"I just care about you, Herm, I don't want you to get hurt, I'm your best friend," Ron said. He looked so cute, all worrying about her. That's why she always tried to frustrate him. But this time a wave of despondency came over her at what she said. She was silent for a while, but then brought her face, closer to his, and took his warm hands in hers. She was close enough to see every one of his freckles. She had them practically memorized by now. His face was comforting in its familiarity. Here was a boy (who had grown into a tall, engaging young man) she had know since childhood, one who genuinely cared for her. She had gone through a lot with him. But she hadn't gone through the one thing she was craving with all her heart. He was looking at her intently.
She whispered almost inaudibly, but she had all her concentration in it. "Just.as a.friend?"
Ron was taken aback. Despite the darkness, she could see his ears turning crimson. Heat was radiating through his hands. His voice almost broke, which was almost comical, in an adorable way. "What.what do you. mean?"
"You know what I mean, Ron. I just need a straight answer, so I can stop tormenting myself."
"Well, I mean, do you, do you." Ron was sputtering incoherently.
"Yes." Hermione's answer was so swift she surprised herself.
Ron couldn't speak at all now. What she had told him had hit him like a raging hippogriff. Was he dreaming? Was she confessing what he thought she was? He couldn't do anything but sit there, stupidly looking at her.
Ron's silence was almost crushing Hermione. Had she made an enormous mistake? "Ron, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have said anything. Apparently you don't'. Oh my God, nothing's going to be the same, is it?"
Ron looked at her curiously, but then grinned and said, "No."
Before she knew it, she was feeling Ron's lips against hers. His hands moved away from her grasp and touched her face. Hermione was thrown into a sea of emotions, all ebbing from her heart. Everything that had been locked up, all her secrets, her fears, were all flowing and being washed away by that kiss. All she knew, all that was important to her at that time were his lips. At first she was trembling, not being able to believe if it were all true, but then she moved her hands to the back of his head, and opened her mouth, kissing him deeper. She moved his other arm to her waist. Ron ran his fingers through her hair, wanting to get lost in her wild curls. 'My God, she's not slapping me,' he thought, 'she's kissing me back'. He broke away, tenderly kissing her neck. His warm lips were sending a million sensations down her body. She gasped and her breathing became erratic. She rubbed her nose gently against his neck, breathing in deeply his boyish scent of cologne and soap. She wanted to taste every part of him, to kiss every freckle. Her arms around his lanky, lean form were grasping him close to her, as if she was afraid to let go, because if she did, she would wake up, and this sublime dream would disappear.
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A/N:: I wish MY first kiss will be somewhat like that. I'm very jealous of Her right now, hehe. Please, please, keep on reviewing!! They're unimaginably valuable to me, and I answer back to everyone and email them. The more reviews, the faster I write. I Love all of u who r reading this story, even if u aren't reviewing it, but I can't read your own stories or change this one unless you tell me!
A/N: Hey guys!!! First, I'd like to give the most heartfelt thanks to A VERY Interested Reader, who reviewed this story three times. I have been walking on air ever since she told me how much she loves this story. This chapter was written as soon as possible because of her. I'm pasting the answers to her reviews here, in case she hasn't seen them, and so all of u can see them too. THANK YOU SOOO MUCH!!!
woooooow!!!!
You CAN NOT believe how incredibly happy i am to hear that you liked my story!!! wow, wow,wow, yay!!!!
i don't know, maybe i just uploaded the chapters at wrong times, so I guess not many people got 2 see it. Your compliments as are so flattering!! thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
Your very much on the right track with your guesses, I'll tell you. Sirius will definitely make an appearance soon, and your're right, I did leave HAgrid out! *slaps herself on the forehead* I'll put him in the story, too. Trust me, I can't wait to write the chapter with Sirius, cause its going to be sooooo, ummm, yummy. *hehe* plus there will be a lot more romance, with a lot of twists. I'm not going to say if Harry's the one for Eve, because the next chapters will give some doubts to that....
Anywayz, I've been conceiving this story for months now, and I have much more incredible magic coming along the way.
I'm glad u liked the poem, can u believe that it just came to me in the middle of the night? I woke up at 3 am, scribbled it on a notepad, and went back to sleep!
Anywayz, thank you, thank you again, and please,please tell ur friends or whoever u know at ff.net about it so they can read it too.
p.s. do u have any stories? id love to read them!
love,
midnight dimunds
The utter silence in the forest was only slightly less frightening as the cloaked figure. Hermione dared not move from her spot. Though it was silent, she could tell Eve's mind was buzzing. She stood in the middle of the clearing, motionless, looking up at the moon, her eyes glittering in its silvery light. Hermione knew she was contemplating a crucial decision. She wanted to scream out, "Don't listen to him, please!!! Remember what he has done! What he did to you, and hundreds of others!!"
At that instant that she thought this, Eve's head turned so swiftly and straight in her direction that Hermione was startled.
"Who's there?" she asked loudly, with a tone of slight apprehension. Hermione didn't answer. What would she do if she saw her? Maybe she could just pretend to be a phoenix. Before she knew it, she was looking straight at a pair of emerald eyes.
"Were you listening the whole time?" she had a tone of a mother scolding a child.
Then to Hermione's surprise, she stretched out her arm and stroked the feathers under her beak.
"It's a good thing he didn't see you. He would have killed you instantly. My, you're quite beautiful. What's your name, phoenix?"
Hermione sighed in relief that she didn't seem too mad. Eve hadn't realized who she really was. Eve asked, "Don't you have a name?"
Hermione squawked the first thing that came in her mind, " Selene." The moon-goddess. She had just seen the moon shift, after all.
"Hmmmm, does that mean the moon is trying to tell me something? Phoenixes are very intelligent. They know things of this earth that human do not. Why are you so adamantly against me meeting my father?"
Hermione shifted her eyes away and tried not to think so much (something she as quite unused to). She knew Eve could read minds, and all she answered with hers was, "I don't know."
"You don't know what he has planned? Do you know what the omen means?" Hermione shook her long neck.
"Well, Selene, my phoenix does, but he so arrogantly refuses to tell me. Will you do me a favor and go talk to him? He's a very handsome black phoenix," Eve said and started stroking her feathers again. At this suggestion Hermione gave a startled look and for the first time Eve was able to see her eyes clearly.
"Those brown eyes of yours, they look so familiar. Have I seen you before, somewhere?" Hermione fervently shook her neck again. But Eve was giving her one of her probing stares. She smiled knowingly.
"Who are you, really? Who is it that is eavesdropping on my very.private. conversations?" she asked slyly. Hermione thought this was getting too close for comfort. She shouldn't have been seen at all. Without looking at Eve again, she gave a frightened cry and flew off. She made sure not to fly in the direction of her dormitory window, as she knew Eve would be watching. She flew in a different direction. Unfortunately, that way was much darker, and she had no idea where she was going. Then she saw a circle of yellow light, and instinctively flew to it. But, before she realized it, she hit something solid, which gave out a painful, "Oof!" and then muttered, "What the devil.?"
After the collision, Hermione lay on the floor. "What's there?" the voice cried. The circle of light was coming from his wand, and the light illuminated a pale face and steely gray eyes.
"A bird? A phoenix!" Draco cried. At first he hoped he had bumped into Eve, but then he had realized that he had felt feathers, and that sharp object which jabbed his shoulder was a beak. Hermione tasted blood. 'Of all the people to bump into!' She thought. 'At least I injured the prat. I wonder what he's doing. Looking for Eve, no doubt'.
When he saw what had hit him, Draco walked toward Hermione, and gently touched her as he said, "Are you okay, little bird? Why were you flying in such a fright? What's out there?" Hermione had never seen Draco act so tenderly before.
"You phoenixes have healing powers, don't you?" Hermione just looked at him. "Would you mind healing this for me? You have quite a sharp beak, you do," Draco grinned. "C'mon," he coaxed, stroking her head slowly. This was something Hermione would never get to experience in regular circumstances. Hermione closed her eyes in pleasure. His touch was so soft. 'Stop it!" she cried, internally scolding herself. 'What's wrong with you, Hermione! This is ferret boy. If he knew it was you, he'd be flinging insults'. She moved away from his slender fingers.
"All right, I guess I'll have to see what happened for myself." Draco put his wand down, and its light flickered onto the grass. He took off his robe and his sweater and was beginning to unbotton his shirt, which had a crimson stain on his left shoulder. Then a thought flashed through Hermione's brain. If he was a Death-Eater, which her and the gang were suspecting for a long time, he would have a Dark Mark on his fore-arm! This would be the perfect chance to check. Draco was examining his cut, and despite the bloody shoulder, Hermione couldn't help but notice that he was so.gorgeous. His fair skin was nearly flawless, and he had a tall, lean build. Hermione coyly wondered to herself if he worked out or took a potion, as she couldn't help but stare at every muscle in his toned arms. Because of his fall, the long strands of his flaxen, white-blond hair had fallen across his face, outlining his chiseled profile and long neck. His eyes were the color of a misty, foggy, gray ocean right before dawn. She was battling inner urges to practically jump on him with infatuation. Hermione marveled why she never noticed this before. She hadn't because of what he had done to her, Harry, Ron and Hagrid over the years. Wait.What had he done again exactly? She couldn't quite remember because she was so preoccupied with staring at him in a cloudy trance with a silly grin plastered on her face. He looked so cute. Then another voice in her head appeared and reprimanded her harshly. 'Will you listen to yourself? He's an arrogant git, remember?! You're acting like a foolish little girl with a crush!' Then, she realized, horrified, that she felt very similar things when seeing Ron! Damn hormones.
Hermione regained her senses enough to examine his arm. There was no mark on it. Not yet, anyway. Draco finally spoke, after realizing that she had been gazing at him the whole time. "Are you sure you don't want to help me?" he said with a smile. Hermione froze. "Alright, then can you at least tell me if you saw a pretty girl with black hair and green eyes?" Eve, again. Damn her. Hermione wasn't about to help him find her. She angrily flapped her wings and flew away. Draco shrugged his shoulders as he finished cleaning himself with a handkerchief he had taken out of his pocket. It was quite an expensive silk one at that. Draco laughed to himself when he imagined his mother's reaction if she saw what he had done to her ancestral handkerchief. He would use a stain removing charm on it later. He figured that perhaps she was in the same direction the frightened bird had come from, because she probably was meeting with her father. He didn't fancy the possibility that he would come face-to-face with Voldemort, but he just had to know what was going on. Maybe it was the bird that was following Eve? He hoped it was the bird and not anything else. He hadn't had any Death-Eater training. Not yet. He had to find Eve before the werewolves or whatever was in the forest found him.
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Ron sneaked up the stairs as quickly as possible to Hermione's dormitory, trying not to make any noise, despite the groaning of the stairs, as if in complaint. Then Ron, being Ron, tripped over the Invisibilty Cloak and fell on the stairs with a loud crash. He yelled out a series of words which would have made Hermione give him one of one of her disapproving looks that she seemed to reserve only for him. She always looked so adorable when she was upset, how her cheeks would go red. He'd especially love staring at her when they would stay up late studying together. She'd tie up her wild hair in a bun, but tiny strands of it would still fall on the sides of her face in delicate little brown curls. What he wouldn't do to touch one of them, then to trace a finger down one of her soft cheeks. There I go again, he thought to himself. Hermione.all she probably thought was that he was a dumb, lazy, clumsy, insensitive prat who had a big appetite. He deeply regretted being such a pig sometimes in front of her. He couldn't help it if he couldn't catch up with the rate he had been growing. Yes, he concluded sadly, she probably has no feelings for me at all. She could be with bloody Victor Krum, who was a world-famous Quidditch Seeker. He was also three years older, acting as a spy on Voldemort's followers and was very nice and affectionate to her. How could he possibly compete with that? If she didn't like Victor, there was still Harry. He was famous, too, and was a damn good Seeker himself. But he's also brave and virtuous, which is something she admires so much. Hermione is a very smart girl. That's why there's no chance in hell she'd ever pick me.
He reached her door, but didn't take off the cloak. He didn't know exactly what was behind the door, and he put off thinking about it so he wouldn't become afraid. Harry wasn't with him, for the first time. He took a deep breath and knocked on the door. No answer. Hopefully, she was sleeping and didn't hear him. He opened the door with a spell, and entered the room. It was empty. Ron threw off the cloak. "Hermione! Can you hear me?" he yelled, although he thought it was stupid, because she wasn't there. He looked everywhere, in her closets, under her bed, in her private bathroom. Where was she? There were no signs of a struggle. No broken glass or anything. He looked outside the open window, but couldn't see anything. He decided to put on the cloak and wait.
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Draco walked on in the forest, his wand lighted in front of him. Finally, he heard a voice calling his name. It was Eve.
"I'm here, Eve, it's me!" Suddenly he saw some dim light and he saw her. She had apparently made a light source out of nowhere.
"Draco, what are you doing out here so late? You know the forest is dangerous." she said in a sneaky, low voice.
"Shouldn't I be telling you the same thing?"
"You know I received a letter from father. I was just.meeting him."
"What did he say? Are you joining him?"
Eve was silent for a moment. Then she asked, "Well, Draco, what do you think I should do? What have you come all this way to tell me?"
"Nothing. I came so you could tell me something. From my window, I saw you being followed. Then I noticed that the moon moved about a foot in a few seconds. That doesn't usually happen, Eve."
"Well, a phoenix was following me, as a matter of fact. Secondly, I moved the moon." Eve said with a smile.
"You?"
"Yes I did, Draco. Isn't that marvelous? I can control things beyond anyone's wildest dreams," she said as she came closer to Draco.. 'If only I could control a few things,' Draco thought. She put her hand onto his shoulder. Draco drew back in pain "What happened to your shoulder?" she gasped.
"Actually, I think it was that phoenix you saw. It practically flew right at me and jabbed its beak in my shoulder. Damn bird."
"Hmmmm. That's very unlike a phoenix, not to heal a wound when it can. Especially since it caused it," Eve said, "Which direction did it fly to?"
"I'm not sure. Perhaps Gryffindor tower."
"Would it have been anywhere near the dormitories of Head Girl and Boy?" Draco should have known this, because he was Head Boy himself. He hadn't really paid attention, but now that he remembered, it was true.
"Yeah, I think you're right."
"Who is the only Head Girl we know with big brown eyes? The only girl who is so advanced in Transfiguration, that she might even have turned herself into a.phoenix?"
Draco gaped in surprise. "The mudblood? Do you think she heard you talking with your father?"
"I'm sure of it."
"Do you know what that means? The first thing she'll do is run to Dumbledore!"
"Yes, and I promised him that I would never speak to my father. But when I received that letter, I couldn't help it. I just had to know." her voice turned into a whisper right before it trailed off.
"What do you think Dumbledore will do? He'll keep you under his watch day and night! He might even alter your memory." Draco said.
"I'll just have to convince Dumbledore that I have good intentions. Maybe it would help if I convince a few Gryffindors that I have good intentions." Eve said with a grin.
"And how are you going to do that?"
"If her friends think I'm good, then maybe she will. Well, I already have Ron in my pocket. And I doubt that it'll be too hard to get Harry to.trust me," she said slyly.
Draco did not look amused, "I don't think you should get too close to him," he said warningly.
"Draco, are you.jealous?" she asked, her eyes twinkling.
"Would it matter if I was?" he said as he took a few steps closer to Eve, and she looked into his silver eyes. Strange, she thought, she saw only clouds instead of thoughts. She tried to hide the slight suspicion and shake off the hypnotic effect of those pale eyes.
"Not really," she smiled. If the words hurt, he didn't show it.
"Well then let this matter. Potter likes you. I can tell. And he's going to do everything he can to convince you to against your father. If Voldemort has any inkling that you're close with him, he won't hesitate at killing. Both of you. He won't take any chances for you too increase your power."
"He wouldn't dare hurt me, Draco."
"Think about it. He's immortal. And I doubt if you want to test your immortality."
Eve furrowed her brow. "Just leave me alone, Draco. Everybody already thinks I'm evil."
"It doesn't matter what everybody thinks. What matters is what your father thinks. I'll leave you alone, Eve, to set out your priorities." Draco turned around and made his way back to the castle. The whole time he wondered if Eve had bought his lies, if that thought-blocking potion had worked. Hopefully he had. He knew that Voldemort would never hurt her, he couldn't.But he had to keep her from getting too close with Potter.
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With every passing minute, Ron was getting more anxious. Where was Hermione? He couldn't stay here, doing nothing. Soon Harry might even come over here. He couldn't let TWO friends be in danger. He looked out the window and tried to remember a charm which wouldn't kill him in a fall. Then he saw a shadow move across the sky, coming towards the window. He swiftly moved away from the window and put on the Invisibility cloak, trying not to breathe too loudly.
The moment before Hermione reached her room, she realized that she had let Draco see what direction she was flying in. What if he had noticed? What if he told somebody, who might come to make sure nobody knew of the conversation between Eve and her father? The prospect made her heart beat furiously in terror, as if it wanted to explode out of her chest. She tried not to make too much noise.
The shadow entered the room, and through the moonlight, Ron was finally able to see it clearly. It was a beautiful bird, a phoenix. It flapped its elegant wings and landed on the floor. Through a cloud of sparkling dust, Ron saw that it was changing. A moment later, he was astonished to see Hermione. He felt his anger rising. She was probably putting herself in horrible danger. Why hadn't she told anybody? Why hadn't she told him? In his rage he threw off his cloak and yelled, "Hermione, what did you think you were doing?" Already shaken by all that she had seen, (and felt), Hermione was already high strung. When she heard an angry voice come out of nowhere, she was so stunned that she screamed and tears spilled in her fright.
Ron's anger immediately disappeared. He walked in front of her, and said comfortingly, "Herm, no, its me, everything's fine. Calm down." He held her shoulders gently and sat her down on her bed. She was breathing heavily and sniffling. She knew would have to a lot of explaining, but a part of her was glad to see Ron, mainly because she could reassure her feelings for him after the dreamlike image of Draco.
"Where were you? How did you.did you." Ron's astonishment still hadn't left.
"I know I shouldn't have kept this from you guys, but-"
"What were you doing? You weren't spying on anyone, were you? Out at this time of night, in the forest, no less! What if you were seen?"
"That's exactly why I didn't tell you guys. You're beginning to sound exactly like me, Ron," she said, smiling through her tears, "I can't stand here, knowing I can do more. Everything's okay. I'm not helpless, I can take care of myself, you know, as much as you or Harry."
"I just care about you, Herm, I don't want you to get hurt, I'm your best friend," Ron said. He looked so cute, all worrying about her. That's why she always tried to frustrate him. But this time a wave of despondency came over her at what she said. She was silent for a while, but then brought her face, closer to his, and took his warm hands in hers. She was close enough to see every one of his freckles. She had them practically memorized by now. His face was comforting in its familiarity. Here was a boy (who had grown into a tall, engaging young man) she had know since childhood, one who genuinely cared for her. She had gone through a lot with him. But she hadn't gone through the one thing she was craving with all her heart. He was looking at her intently.
She whispered almost inaudibly, but she had all her concentration in it. "Just.as a.friend?"
Ron was taken aback. Despite the darkness, she could see his ears turning crimson. Heat was radiating through his hands. His voice almost broke, which was almost comical, in an adorable way. "What.what do you. mean?"
"You know what I mean, Ron. I just need a straight answer, so I can stop tormenting myself."
"Well, I mean, do you, do you." Ron was sputtering incoherently.
"Yes." Hermione's answer was so swift she surprised herself.
Ron couldn't speak at all now. What she had told him had hit him like a raging hippogriff. Was he dreaming? Was she confessing what he thought she was? He couldn't do anything but sit there, stupidly looking at her.
Ron's silence was almost crushing Hermione. Had she made an enormous mistake? "Ron, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have said anything. Apparently you don't'. Oh my God, nothing's going to be the same, is it?"
Ron looked at her curiously, but then grinned and said, "No."
Before she knew it, she was feeling Ron's lips against hers. His hands moved away from her grasp and touched her face. Hermione was thrown into a sea of emotions, all ebbing from her heart. Everything that had been locked up, all her secrets, her fears, were all flowing and being washed away by that kiss. All she knew, all that was important to her at that time were his lips. At first she was trembling, not being able to believe if it were all true, but then she moved her hands to the back of his head, and opened her mouth, kissing him deeper. She moved his other arm to her waist. Ron ran his fingers through her hair, wanting to get lost in her wild curls. 'My God, she's not slapping me,' he thought, 'she's kissing me back'. He broke away, tenderly kissing her neck. His warm lips were sending a million sensations down her body. She gasped and her breathing became erratic. She rubbed her nose gently against his neck, breathing in deeply his boyish scent of cologne and soap. She wanted to taste every part of him, to kiss every freckle. Her arms around his lanky, lean form were grasping him close to her, as if she was afraid to let go, because if she did, she would wake up, and this sublime dream would disappear.
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A/N:: I wish MY first kiss will be somewhat like that. I'm very jealous of Her right now, hehe. Please, please, keep on reviewing!! They're unimaginably valuable to me, and I answer back to everyone and email them. The more reviews, the faster I write. I Love all of u who r reading this story, even if u aren't reviewing it, but I can't read your own stories or change this one unless you tell me!