Disclaimer: Why does it feel so necessary to write these things? No one
here owns the characters they're writing about, but yet: I own nothing but
the plot and I'm not making any money.
Thank you for your reviews; Sohalia and popppincorn. Usually I respond to every reviewer, but I feel that there is nothing to say here.
Chapter 3 – Unexpected Chemistry
Hermione lay awake in her bed. It was the first night back, and the memories had come over her like a huge wave when she had seen the castle again.
She had written a letter to her lady friend, Sarah Kingsley, but hadn't sent it. Since she couldn't sleep, she decided to take a walk down to the owlery (A/N: I've got a blackout, what are they calling the room with Hogwarts' owls? The word owlery popped up in my head, but I'm not sure... please tell me...) to send the letter. She put on a robe above her pajamas and went out. When she had sent the letter away with one of the school's owls, she stood at one of the windows, staring out in the dark night.
"Granger!" a deep male voice behind her said surprised.
She turned around to face Draco Malfoy.
"Professor Malfoy." She said coolly.
"Okay, I admit, I was being stupid. Sorry. Please call me Draco."
"Then I suppose you can call me Hermione." She said slowly while he was sending the package he was carrying away with an owl.
"So tell me," He continued, "what's it like being back at Hogwarts?"
"It's..." she started but couldn't manage to finish the sentence. "It's..."
He raised his eyebrows.
"Harder than I expected." She whispered.
"Why?" he said, looking seriously at her.
"Well... I...." She said, and it was getting harder and harder to keep the tears from flooding down her face. "Everything was so different the last time I was here..."
"I heard about it. You have my apologies."
"Thank you."
"What happened to the Weasel?"
She shrugged her shoulders and stared down into the floor. She couldn't look him in his eyes.
"Weren't you guys going out for a while during the last year?"
She nodded.
"We... we were engaged."
And she couldn't hold it anymore. Tears were streaming down her cheeks.
"I have to leave." She cried and started walking, but he stopped her.
"Wait." He asked. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to..."
"It's not your fault."
He put his arms around her, and she laid her head against his shoulder and just cried. It was so different from how Ron had reacted when she cried. He had just been standing there, not knowing what on earth to do, maybe patting her a little on her back. But Draco, he just wrapped his arms around her and let her cry against his shoulder.
"Come on, let's go back." He whispered.
With an arm around her waist he led her back to the teachers' common room, where he kissed her on the cheek before he left.
The lessons started the following day. The older students remembered Hermione from when she was a student herself, but the younger ones knew about her of other reasons. In the evening, she sat down in her bedroom to prepare the lessons for the next day, but suddenly there was a knock on the door.
"It's open, come in!"
The door was opened and Draco Malfoy appeared in the doorway. When she looked up and saw who he was, she got onto her feet.
"Sorry, am I interrupting something?"
"Oh, no. Absolutely not."
"I just wanted to check on you, see how you were doing."
That was so sweet of him! What had happened to the mean Slytherin boy she knew? He looked really good too. Well, he had done so before, but she hadn't seen it until now, when he behaved well. He had messy blond hair (well it was messy, but it looked like he wanted it to be that way, if you know what I mean) , well-created features and silvery, shiny eyes.
"I'm way much better, thanks." She said.
"That's great." He said.
It sounded like he really meant it. She still couldn't believe what a man he had turned into. Not only had he become polite and friendly, but she just couldn't get that he was so good looking! And she had really appreciated having his arms around her the previous night.
"I should apologize, by the way. For being such an idiot during the school time." He said, just as if he had read her mind.
"I want to apologize, too. For hitting you that time in third year..." she said smiling and he laughed.
"But seriously. I was so stupid," he said, "and that was... stupid."
"What happened, then?"
"I grew up."
While they had been talking, they had unwarily moved towards each other. Hermione's heart was beating. She wasn't supposed to feel like this!
There were only like three inches between them now, and she could feel him breathing. It was like electric sparkles between them. But why didn't he do anything? Why was he just standing there? Didn't he feel anything, or what? No, wait. She shouldn't want him to feel anything. It was Draco Malfoy, for god's sake! But he was so changed...
Then suddenly he bent down and his lips touched gently hers She stood on her tiptoe and kissed him back. This was a whole new experience. The world around them didn't exist any more.
Shit, what am I doing? She thought panicky. Kissing Malfoy?! What about Ron... we never broke up.... but he just left. Whatever.
Draco's lips moved gently down her neck. Hermione shivered with pleasure.
Author's note: Well, at least that chapter was a little longer, I suppose. Review, review, review! Please...
Thank you for your reviews; Sohalia and popppincorn. Usually I respond to every reviewer, but I feel that there is nothing to say here.
Chapter 3 – Unexpected Chemistry
Hermione lay awake in her bed. It was the first night back, and the memories had come over her like a huge wave when she had seen the castle again.
She had written a letter to her lady friend, Sarah Kingsley, but hadn't sent it. Since she couldn't sleep, she decided to take a walk down to the owlery (A/N: I've got a blackout, what are they calling the room with Hogwarts' owls? The word owlery popped up in my head, but I'm not sure... please tell me...) to send the letter. She put on a robe above her pajamas and went out. When she had sent the letter away with one of the school's owls, she stood at one of the windows, staring out in the dark night.
"Granger!" a deep male voice behind her said surprised.
She turned around to face Draco Malfoy.
"Professor Malfoy." She said coolly.
"Okay, I admit, I was being stupid. Sorry. Please call me Draco."
"Then I suppose you can call me Hermione." She said slowly while he was sending the package he was carrying away with an owl.
"So tell me," He continued, "what's it like being back at Hogwarts?"
"It's..." she started but couldn't manage to finish the sentence. "It's..."
He raised his eyebrows.
"Harder than I expected." She whispered.
"Why?" he said, looking seriously at her.
"Well... I...." She said, and it was getting harder and harder to keep the tears from flooding down her face. "Everything was so different the last time I was here..."
"I heard about it. You have my apologies."
"Thank you."
"What happened to the Weasel?"
She shrugged her shoulders and stared down into the floor. She couldn't look him in his eyes.
"Weren't you guys going out for a while during the last year?"
She nodded.
"We... we were engaged."
And she couldn't hold it anymore. Tears were streaming down her cheeks.
"I have to leave." She cried and started walking, but he stopped her.
"Wait." He asked. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to..."
"It's not your fault."
He put his arms around her, and she laid her head against his shoulder and just cried. It was so different from how Ron had reacted when she cried. He had just been standing there, not knowing what on earth to do, maybe patting her a little on her back. But Draco, he just wrapped his arms around her and let her cry against his shoulder.
"Come on, let's go back." He whispered.
With an arm around her waist he led her back to the teachers' common room, where he kissed her on the cheek before he left.
The lessons started the following day. The older students remembered Hermione from when she was a student herself, but the younger ones knew about her of other reasons. In the evening, she sat down in her bedroom to prepare the lessons for the next day, but suddenly there was a knock on the door.
"It's open, come in!"
The door was opened and Draco Malfoy appeared in the doorway. When she looked up and saw who he was, she got onto her feet.
"Sorry, am I interrupting something?"
"Oh, no. Absolutely not."
"I just wanted to check on you, see how you were doing."
That was so sweet of him! What had happened to the mean Slytherin boy she knew? He looked really good too. Well, he had done so before, but she hadn't seen it until now, when he behaved well. He had messy blond hair (well it was messy, but it looked like he wanted it to be that way, if you know what I mean) , well-created features and silvery, shiny eyes.
"I'm way much better, thanks." She said.
"That's great." He said.
It sounded like he really meant it. She still couldn't believe what a man he had turned into. Not only had he become polite and friendly, but she just couldn't get that he was so good looking! And she had really appreciated having his arms around her the previous night.
"I should apologize, by the way. For being such an idiot during the school time." He said, just as if he had read her mind.
"I want to apologize, too. For hitting you that time in third year..." she said smiling and he laughed.
"But seriously. I was so stupid," he said, "and that was... stupid."
"What happened, then?"
"I grew up."
While they had been talking, they had unwarily moved towards each other. Hermione's heart was beating. She wasn't supposed to feel like this!
There were only like three inches between them now, and she could feel him breathing. It was like electric sparkles between them. But why didn't he do anything? Why was he just standing there? Didn't he feel anything, or what? No, wait. She shouldn't want him to feel anything. It was Draco Malfoy, for god's sake! But he was so changed...
Then suddenly he bent down and his lips touched gently hers She stood on her tiptoe and kissed him back. This was a whole new experience. The world around them didn't exist any more.
Shit, what am I doing? She thought panicky. Kissing Malfoy?! What about Ron... we never broke up.... but he just left. Whatever.
Draco's lips moved gently down her neck. Hermione shivered with pleasure.
Author's note: Well, at least that chapter was a little longer, I suppose. Review, review, review! Please...