Haha! I told you I'd get another chapter in tonight! Ok well for all those who didn't read the bolded author notes on the head of "The Masquerade", Chapter 9...well...its pretty much over. I'm contemplating some sequels, but no guarantees. I might do another chapter on it, just to wrap things up, but it's not that likely. Anyways, here's chapter six!
Chapter 6 The other sides of Draco Malfoy
"Um...Just be careful this time," Hermione said looking down.
"Alright," Draco agreed, resting his hand on watermelon. He gave her a reassuring look as he held the trowel up high. The firelight flickered across his features and he looked really stoic as he concentrated on the large melon below him.
With a clean plunge, Draco penetrated the thick outer layer. Watery pink juice gushed out, but only for a second. Forcing the trowel down, he cut a thin uneven line through the melon. He rotated it slowly and deftly, slicing as he went. After a few quick movements, the melon was sliced in half, revealing it's juicy light red core. Draco smiled a tiny smile at his accomplishments, but it didn't last long.
With another strike, in went the trowel into the thick green peel. He gripped the end of the melon with one hand, cutting off thick wedges as he went. Hermione decided to be helpful and as each circular slab was presented to her, she cut it into tiny bite sized pieces.
When Draco felt there was a sufficient amount of watermelon cut up he turned to Hermione. At the moment, said witch was diligently severing bits and pieces. Draco himself picked up a wedge and copied Hermione's movements verbatim. After going through 6 round wedges in silence (save the rain) a small pile of 'bleeding' fruit chunks lay waiting.
Hermione lay on her side, propped up by her elbow as Draco sat cross- legged opposite her. She raised her cinnamon-cream colored hand with a dripping piece of fruit in it.
"To us," she said quietly.
"To us," Draco repeated, taking a bite out of the fleshy fruit. Droplets of the juice streamed out of his mouth and ran down his chin and neck. Draco jumped at the intrusion of the liquid into his shirt. Hermione giggled at the sight, taking a bite into her own piece. Placing her fingertips to her lips, she slowly removed a large black seed, and flicked it into the fire.
"Eh, it's bound to happen anyways," said Draco of the dripping juice as he shoved a larger piece into his mouth. He chewed it thoughtfully, before spitting out a seed which missed the fire completely, landing noiselessly near Hermione's elbow.
"Watch it!" Hermione warned. Draco just grinned toothily. Hermione narrowed her eyes and grabbed another piece of fruit. The fruit seemed to melt in her mouth, save for the hard seeds that came to rest on her tongue. Using her tongue to force the seeds to the front of her mouth, she pursed her lips and blew them out.
A black seed landed just in front of the boy. He met her eyes and cocked an eyebrow.
"So this is how it is, is it?" Draco said silkily.
"I suppose so," Hermione fired back.
"Well then...This means WAR!" he cried, grabbing a juicy handful of watermelon and throwing it at her. Hermione seemed to freeze in shock for a moment. Her hands were in a panicked position in the air, her eyes were closed tightly, and her mouth was open. Ever so slowly, she wiped the red, gushy substance from her face and flicked it off her fingers. She looked over to Malfoy who was smirking evilly, and gave him a challenging stare.
Moving quickly she grabbed two handfuls and chucked them at Draco. His white shirt now spattered pink from the juices.
"That's it, Granger!" he yelled in mock fury.
They both dove towards the pile of watermelon and chucked it at each other blindly. Through the melon swinging the two exchanged threats and commands.
"Stop it!"
"Not until you stop!"
"But you started it!"
"I was only blowing the seeds out of my mouth! Excuse me for not removing them one by one Miss Prim and Proper!"
"What did you call me?" Hermione laughed, landing a chunk on his left cheek.
"You heard me!" Draco yelled back, his chunk landing on Hermione's skirt.
"Oh!! Eat watermelon Ferret-boy!" Hermione shrieked lunging towards Draco and smushing the substance over his lips. Draco sputtered for a minute before grabbing Hermione's wrist mid-throw.
"Ferret-boy?!" Draco said, snatching the fruit from her hands and cramming it over the girl's mouth.
"Oh you've asked for it now!"
"You're in no position to threaten me, Granger!"
Two hands searched the ground blindly, as their owners stared each other down through the pink slush. When nothing met their grasp, they both turned and looked. Their little stash of cut up watermelon had been depleted.
"You're lucky that we ran out of Watermelon, or you would have been cleaning out of your hair weeks from now," Draco smirked.
"Funny, I was about to say the same to you!" Hermione stressed the last word as she pounced on Draco and tried to tickle him. A small amount of laughter escaped his lips, but he wasn't going to give up that easily. Bucking his hips and twisting his torso in a synchronized movement, Draco flipped himself over, holding onto Hermione's wrists, so that now the petite brunette was pinned underneath him.
"Look who has the upper hand now, Granger," Draco panted, slowly straddling her waist.
"What're you going to do to me?" Hermione asked as Draco switched both wrists under one of his own. He raised the other to hold his chin as he looked away in mock thoughtfulness.
"Well first, I'm going to tickle you senseless, then I'm not quite sure what I'll do with you,"
"Who says I'm ticklish, Ferret-boy," Hermione asked, egging him on.
"Well let's just see if you are, first," Draco proposed.
He quickly lowered his hand to her abdomen and stretched and scurried his long, lanky finger across her shirt-covered abdomen. Hermione bit her lip to try to control herself, but was soon elicited bouts of laughter from her slender frame.
"Stop! Hahaha! Draco! Hahahaha! Please! Hahahah! I give up!" Hermione cried, writhing underneath the ruthless blonde.
"Say 'Draco Malfoy is the King!" Draco demanded as his fingers flew up and down her sides.
"Hahaha! Never! Hahahahah!" Hermione screamed.
"Say it! Or else I won't stop!"
"Fine! Hahaha! Draco Malf-Hahahah! –Oy is the, hahah! Is the best!" Hermione managed to scream out.
"Ok! I said it! Now stop!" Hermione demanded. Pretty soon his cool fingers left her heated skin and his grip on her wrists loosened. He collapsed down next to her, breathing quickly. Hermione rolled over on top of him, so that his head rested on his chest, and panted heavily.
"That...was so...uncool," Hermione gasped
"It was fun for me," Draco breathed.
"Oh shut up," said Hermione as she smacked him lightly on the outside of his thigh.
The two 16 year olds laid there for quite a while, just panting, trying to catch their breath again.
"So...since dinner is temporarily ruined, shall we continue our talks?" Hermione mumbled quietly, turning her head so that her face was slightly buried in his shirt and slightly facing Draco's face.
"Sure," Draco sighed."
"Alright...Umm...Have you ever stolen anything?" Hermione asked.
"You mean besides countless girls' hearts?" Draco countered. Hermione snorted.
"But no, no I haven't,"
"Daddy dearest has given you all you ever needed, hmm?" Hermione mused, closing her eyes. Draco didn't answer, and she could feel him draw in a breath – but not let it out.
"Draco?" She said, opening up one eye to look at him. His icy stare was captivated by the fire in front of them. He didn't move, and she could see the muscles in his jaw clenching and unclenching.
"If anything, it was my mother who babied me. My father held – no...my father holds no compassion towards me at all," Draco said, his pale features still impassive.
"Surely you can't be right. He must have done or said something nice to you at least once in your life," Hermione suggested.
"Not once...well, at least not as long as I've been able to remember. Ever since I was little, if I ever acted out of line, he would scold me and beat me,"
Hermione watched carefully as he reached out and added the seat of a chair into the smoldering pile. He turned to look at her, his eyes brimming with emotions. She could see the hurt most of all, though.
"You and Potter and Weasley probably want to know why I'm such a jerk. The truth is, it's been drilled into me. I used to be a sweet little boy, until Voldemort tried to kill Harry and it backfired. My father was furious that the Dark Lord's rise to power had been significantly delayed. The night it happened, he beat my mother. She confided this all to me one night when I found her bruised and battered, sitting in the attic. When I tried to make friends with a half-blood child who lived two mansions away, my father whipped me. He told me I couldn't fraternize with lower life forms. Ever since then, I've had to act like I was better than everyone else," Draco said, taking in a deep breath.
"During winter break, I left for home with a hopeful heart. I was doing exceptionally well in all my classes, and I proudly carried a note from Snape dictating so. When I arrived my father threw the note into the fire. He told me he knew that Harry Potter, a first year like me, had been made the seeker for Gryffindor. When I told him I had tried out for the team but didn't make it do to my lack of exceptional flying and dodging skills...He ripped the shirt off my back and went after me with a knife. He screamed about letting all the bad blood I had encountered at the school out of my body," Draco said sadly.
He pulled up his shirt, causing Hermione to sit up, and despite the poor lighting, she could see the outlines of a few scars on his sides. She hesitantly held out a finger, and traced a particularly long one down the ridges of two ribs. Draco hissed under the touch.
"I didn't hurt you did I?" Hermione asked worriedly.
"No. You didn't do anything. It's just the memories are what hurt,"
"Oh..." was all Hermione could say as she pulled down his undershirt and his white button up shirt over his exposed stomach. After she had corrected his shirt, she laid back down on his chest and waited quietly for him to finish the tale.
"The scars never completely healed, because I was too young then to know what spells to use. I showed my mother, who dropped her cup of tea when she saw me. She hurriedly started healing up my numerous wounds, but wasn't able to finish. My father stormed in and grabbed her wrist, holding her wand up to the chandelier. With his other hand he beat her upside the head. He had shoved me down as he made his way over to my mother. Quietly I backed out of the kitchen while my mother was beaten,"
"Oh God, Draco. Why didn't you tell anyone?"
"My father threatened me. But now that he is on the run from the ministry of magic for being a Death Eater, it's been a lot safer to talk about these things. Heh, you're the first person I've told. Not even Crabbe and Goyle know," Draco said.
Hermione's heart and mind raced. This boy, no, this man in front of her, whom she had thought she had hated deeply, had undergone through so much ever since he was born. Now, he felt safe enough to divulge these secrets to the one he had often teased and called nasty names. Hermione's heart swelled at the fact that he felt comfortable to talk about this with her.
"I'm sorry Draco. About everything. Having to deal with your father at home, and then having to compete with Harry, Ron, and I at school. I'm sorry...I'm so, so sorry," Hermione said wrapping her arms around him in a warm embrace.
To her half-surprise, Draco hugged back, holding her arms and patting her back softly. "It's alright. Everything's starting to go uphill now that father's gone," Draco said.
"I suppose you probably want to change the subject," Hermione laughed as she rubbed any traces of tears from her eyes.
"That sounds good. But I guess it's my turn to ask a question. Hmm...Are you still a virgin?" Hermione gazed at him in shock and embarrassment.
"OK, I haven't even had a first kiss. What makes you think I've...done it?" Hermione sputtered.
"Just a question," Draco said defensively.
"Hmph. What about you Mr. Big-Shot?"
"What, have you tired of the Ferret-boy nickname already? Haha. But yeah, I'm still a virgin too," he replied.
"Alright. Do you believe in love at first sight?"
"Maybe..."
Oh ho ho! What will happen next? lol does anyone find it odd that i end nearly every chapter like that? lol maybe its just me. Alright alright, keep reading if you want more fluff n shtuff. reviews and criticism are always helpful too! Okies, ciao for now! and until next time! love, English Foxlette