Hermione awoke the next morning to find herself in her own bed. Hadn't she
fallen asleep on the chair? How was she all of a sudden in the warmth of
her bed in her room. Slowly she got up and sat on her bed while she
recollected herself. She had lied to Draco... she was not an early bird...
but she didn't want Draco being first for the bathroom. She finally got up
and checked the clock. It was 6:30 AM, just enough time to get ready.
Hermione walked to the bathroom only to find that Malfoy had gotten there first.
::He must have gotten up earlier... hmm he wants to play games now does he?:: Hermione began to think. She would just have to wake up earlier. He was like a 16 year old girl when he fought over the bathroom. It was as if he needed all the time in the world to get ready when he didn't need that much time in the first place. Wasn't she supposed to be the one worrying about how much time she would have to do her hair? She was a girl?
Hermione wasn't much to care about her appearance however. She wore no makeup and usually just pulled her hair back with a small barrette. The only thing she really used was a muggle hair product that would tame her hair. It wasn't the same bushiness as it used to be. She felt that many people had noticed the change in her over the summer. It wasn't as if she transformed into a slut. She simply had gotten out of her awkward stage.
Finally Hermione heard the shower head stop and Draco walked out of the bathroom door. He was wearing his usual morning attire... a towel. Not expecting Hermione there, he slammed into her as she almost stumbled down. Draco caught her just in time before she fell to the floor. He had grabbed her by the back. Their heads inches apart. Her hands were on his wet bare chest... she realized this and her face turned red... she loosened out of his grasp as quickly as she could. When she did this she took a step back and felt Draco's hands leave her back... his expression was of disgust.
"You should be more careful Granger. What... where you trying to get a peek of sexy me in the keyhole??"
"Oh you wish Malfoy... and I was just wondering... how was I able to get up to my room when I distinctly remember me falling asleep in the chair?"
Draco's face began to prickle a little warm... he knew a blush was creeping up but he stopped it just in time. He quickly made up a story.
"Well, I couldn't leave you there... so... I used a hover charm to guide you upstairs."
"Oh, I see..."
"Yes, well, I must be off... I know everyone would appreciate it If I went out like this considering how good looking I am... but you'd be a nice shade of red all day... and that really doesn't suit you too well." He winked and walked into his room.
Hermione felt flabbergasted. How dare he say such a thing to her? She didn't ... blush? Did she? Oh she knew she did... she wouldn't admit to it however. With that, Hermione entered the bathroom for her morning shower.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
Draco put on his Hogwarts uniform and sprayed a spicy scented cologne (he knew the girls would go wild). He put hair gel into his palms and ran his fingers through his hair to give it a messy look unlike his usual slicked back look. He had gotten rather sick of the slick look... it reminded him too much of his father.
Draco did not dislike his father, but he did not want to be like him. The idea of his father acting as if he was the biggest and most important person in the world in front of those who were of lesser status and then cowering in front of the Dark Lord did not intrigue him too much. However he was close to him.
As Draco left his room he bumped into Hermione who was leaving the bathroom. She already had her Hogwarts uniform on and her hair was wet. A faint vanilla and coconut scent emanated from her body.
"That was fast..."
"Well I don't take five years in the shower like you do..."
"Yes, but you see Granger... I've been meaning to tell you this but... you really do need five years of showering... truly you do"
"Malfoy... didn't we have some sort of truce??"
"Yes but this is just harmful playing" Draco said as he put on his most charming smile.
"Whatever..." said Hermione as she began to walk to her room... Malfoy following her in.
"Malfoy... get out, If I am not allowed into your room... you are not allowed into mine"
"Well now I'm already in... you can't stop me"
"Ugh..."
Hermione walked over to her vanity, sat down, and deposited the hair serum into her hair... Draco watched. He picked up the bottle.
"Is this what you use to tame that bushy hair?"
"Yes... that is what I use... now will you please stop criticizing me"
"Well I wasn't criticizing... in fact I am complimenting... it turns out pretty good usually. Nice and curly...."
Hermione was a bit taken aback... a compliment? From Draco Malfoy???
"Umm... thanks"
"I know... 'oh no a Malfoy complimenting a mud--Muggleborn'"
Hermione pulled her hair back halfway into a barrette. Draco grabbed her hand before she could clasp it shut. He pulled her hand back and took the barrette out of her hands.
"No... leave it out. It'll look nice"
"What...?"
Draco set the barrette down and reached up to her face and began to fix her hair. A pulse ran through Hermione's body as Draco's hands made contact with her hair. His fingers gently brushed up against her cheek as he fixed her hair. He made a side part and began to twirl the strands of hair around his fingers.
The feel of Hermione's hair in Draco's hands also made Draco a bit nervous. He felt the softness of her hair and his fingers became lost in the thickness of it. He actually liked the feel of his hands in her hair and the softness of her cheeks that he "accidently" brushed with his hands. Finally he stopped and put his hands in his pockets and leaned up against the wall.
"See... go like that. Let your hair out more often. When it isn't bushy and looking like a rag of weeds... it has nice curls that form in the back"
Hermione could feel her face grow red... Draco chuckled. Hermione turned down to her perfume and sprayed a bit onto her neck and wrists.
Draco breathed in the scent of the perfume. It was flowery.
"I'm off... 15 minutes till class starts... see you there"
"Alright..." Hermione replied.
And with that Draco left. Hermione let out a long sigh and looked at her self in the mirror. Should she put her hair into a barrette or take Draco's advice and leave it down. He did go through all that trouble in touching her... her heart skipped a beat. What was happening... this was stupid?? Her heart wasn't supposed to skip beats.
Hermione went down into the common room to find that Draco had already left. She had expected to find her books lying everywhere but they were neatly stacked on her desk with her messenger bag leaning against it. She grabbed her things and left through the portrait hole for Transfiguration.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
The rest of the day seemed to go well. In Transfiguration, Hermione and Draco were called up to McGonagoll's desk for information on an urgent meeting after dinner tomorrow night. The strict professor had said It was not alarming or an emergency but rather... good news. On the professor's part that is. Hermione became anxious to know. Hermione's last class was Potions. She had been dreading it since yesterday. She really did truly wish that she was with Harry and Ron. All she had to think of was that dinner was next and she would be between her best friends and not here.
Hermione sat herself down in the seat that she had switched with Draco. She looked to the door and saw Blaise enter. He turned towards her and cracked a smile and sat down next to her.
"Umm... Malfoy sits there..."
"He won't mind... trust me"
Hermione cringed at the thought of sitting next to him.
"You know... you've made quite a transition from ugly to beautiful..." Blaise said as he chuckled.
"I don't know if I should take that as a compliment or an insult"
"Take it as a compliment..."
Blaise's hand reached up to Hermione's neck and he began to massage her neck and she gasped out loud. A small smirk played on his lips. Suddenly a hand grasped Blaise's arm from behind
"Blaise... I sit there" Draco said. He had a stern look on his face. Blaise looked up to Draco and then to Hermione and let go of her neck.
"I see... I didn't think you cared..."
"Well I like being in the middle"
Blaise gathered his things and moved a seat over. Draco sat himself down between them and looked over to Hermione.
"Are you ... okay?" Draco whispered quietly.
"Yes. I'm Fine" Hermione said sternly. It definitely looked as though she were trying to keep herself together.
"You don't look it" Draco began to get his things out so that it looked like he was doing something productive. "We will talk later about this... In the common room... meet me there after dinner"
"Okay..."
As the conversation ended, Snape walked in. Blaise immediately got up and walked towards the professor. He began to talk to Snape. Everyone in the room began to relax as the conversation went on between Blaise and the professor. After about five minutes, Blaise sat back down and winked at Hermione. Hermione scowled back at him.
"Alright students..." Snape flicked the chalk board with his wand and a set of directions appeared on the board.
"You will begin the true love potions today... one member from your group will drink the potion and he or she will test them for the day... this potion lasts for only a day. It will show you your true love. If you do not feel comfortable in finding out who this is at this age... you are not obligated to drink the potion. If you do not feel the need to tell your partner who your true love is, you do not need to do so but you must come to me so that I may be able to see the affects in your eyes. The pupils will enlarge for the entire day. You MUST come that very day, otherwise you will lose the affects of the potion and will receive the lowest grade. Begin."
Draco left his seat to gather ingredients from the front of the classroom. Blaise turned to Hermione as she diligently got everything ready.
"Guess what..."
"What...?" Hermione said between her clenched teeth.
"You get to tutor me in potions starting tomorrow!!"
Hermione slowly turned to Blaise...
"What? You have the 3rd highest grade in this class, how can you possibly need tutoring"
"Well I want to be the best, so why not get help from the best, hmm?" Hermione's jaw dropped... she realized what he was doing.
Draco returned to his seat and dropped the ingredients onto the table.
"Here they are... let's get started."
They began to cut and add to the cauldron. After 20 minutes of brewing, the potion was complete.
"Alright, who wants to try it?" Hermione said looking at the both of them.
"I think I'll pass... I already know who my true love is..." Blaise said as he looked at Hermione.
"I'll do it" Draco said.
"Alright..." Hermione ladled the potion into a glass vile. She handed it to Draco. Draco looked at it for a minute and then looked at Hermione. He gulped down the love potion. A warm velvety feel went down his throat. It made him feel as if the world was to be alright.
Draco opened his eyes and felt his heart beat faster. Everything turned into a blur and he could not see a thing. He turned to Blaise and could only see his outline. He then turned to Hermione... and she looked... she looked perfect. He could see her perfectly. Everything turned even more white and blurry. She looked like an angel. Her hair was shiny with large waves and curls and her cheeks were rosy red. Her eyes seemed to light up and her dark chocolate eyes looked at him with concern. Her lips were a juicy red and he felt the urge to kiss them... to caress them with his own lips. He wanted to envelope her into his arms and keep her there forever. He needed to feel her body next to his. He looked at her form and saw beautiful curves... slender legs. Her clothes fit her perfectly. His jaw dropped as he stared at her
Draco gasped in air and sat back down into his seat. He looked to the front of the classroom.
"Malfoy... are you alright?" Hermione said. She lifted her hand up to his shoulder and shook him.
A shock went down Draco's arm as she made contact with his shoulder. Draco leapt from his chair and ran up to the front of the classroom to Professor Snape's desk where he was working on Potion's essays.
"Professor... WHEN.... does this wear off. Please tell me soon?" He said as he gasped for air. Not because he was out of breath... but because he really couldn't breathe.
"Mr. Malfoy, I already said, It ends at the end of the day. The stroke of midnight."
"Is there any potion that you could brew up to make it go away???"
"No Mr. Malfoy, you must wait for the day to end. Do you not want others to know who your true love is? Well then let me look into your eyes."
Professor Snape looked into Draco's eyes. His pupils had taken over the icy blue eye color that he once had.
"Well Mr. Malfoy, your potion worked... very well done"
"Ofcourse it worked!! I can barely see where I'm going, I can only see HER!"
"Yes those are the affects of the potion, do not worry though, you will be able to navigate to your next classes."
Draco stalked back to his desk where he put away his things. Even Hermione's presence made his heart beat faster. He needed to get away fast. He couldn't even be near her. Something was bound to happen. He gathered his things and abruptly left the dungeon. Snape just watched him leave and Draco heard Harry and Ron protesting about it. Draco walked a bit away from the dungeon and slipped between two walls and slid down to the floor. He began to breathe rapidly. How could Hermione Granger... a mudblood... be his true love? How was this possible? What was to happen??
At that moment Draco remembered the meeting that he and Hermione were supposed to have in the common room about Blaise's behavior. The thought of Blaise made him grow angry... very angry.
He got up and began to walk back towards the dungeons... he would not call off the meeting because he knew that Hermione was really worried about the Blaise situation. Draco did not want her to wait. He would simply not look at her. It would make it worse if he looked at her even though it was pretty bad when he was just sitting next to her.
He reached the dungeon room as he saw many students leave. Harry and Ron passed by sneering. Even in the blurriness of his surroundings he could see the sneers on their faces. But there was no Hermione to be seen.
After everyone had finally left for their classes, Draco began to search for Hermione.
::As a matter of fact... I didn't see Blaise either::
Draco began to worry and searched for her frantically. He finally set sight on her backed up against the wall with Blaise inching forward with his wand twirling around his fingers.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
Hermione had no where to go... her back was against the wall and all she could look at was Blaise and the smirk that danced on his face. He inched closer. She really wished that her wand was in her hand, but her bag was all the way across from her.
Blaise was now 2 inches from her face. Hermione tensed up.
"Now now... I won't do anything today... this relationship has just started"
"What relationship Zabini... let me go" "But I just wanted to have a little bit of fun" He raised his wand as pushed a strand of her hair away from his face with his wand. He placed his hands on her hips and pushed her to him. She protested and pushed away from him. She had no authority over him. Her efforts were hopeless. His grip tightened and he began to hurt her.
"Your hurting me... let..me... go"
"Shut up... I just want a kiss"
Unexpectedly he grabbed her wrists and began to grip tighter. He loosened his grip on one wrist and slapped her across the face.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
Draco had seen it all. Anger and wrath began to coarse through his blood. He ran towards Blaise and ripped him off of her.
"You bloody bastard... how dare you touch her..." Draco began to kick Blaise. Blaise was now on the floor.
As Draco kicked, an insult shot out from his mouth... "You filthy... good for nothing... disgusting...."
"Malfoy stop... STOP IT" Hermione said as she grabbed Draco's arm and pulled him away. Draco yanked away from Hermione and pushed her aside. He fell on top of Blaise and began repeatedly punching him. Blaise finally got hold of one of Draco's fists and took the turn on the fight. Blaise was on top now and began to punch him as well.
It was a bloody mess Hermione could not take. She knelt down onto the floor and pushed Blaise off with all her might. Blaise rolled over to the other side. Hermione knelt down next to Draco whose lip was bleeding. She touched his bloody lip with her fingers. Her eyes widened.
All that Draco could see was Hermione... just her... he felt safe.
"You fucking bastard... Why would you care what happens to her. You hate her" Blaise said as he began to sit up. His face was contorted with anger and blood. He turned around, kicked Hermione's bag and began to walk away.
"Malfoy... what has gotten into you?? You could have been severely hurt."
"I could have been hurt? What about you he was going to take advantage of you"
"Since when do you care about what happens to me?"
"I..." But Draco could not finish. He looked into Hermione's eyes and saw curiosity. He suddenly got up and walked away.
Hermione looked bewildered. She could not do anything, so she gathered her things and made her way to dinner. She decided not to talk to Harry or Ron about this. They would begin to become overly protective... which would not help...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
Hermione slowly walked towards the Great Hall. She finally entered and walked up to the Gryffindor table. Ron was whispering to Seamus... he didn't notice that Hermione sat down next to him.
"So can I take her to Hogsmeade tomorrow?"
"Seamus she is not my girlfriend why are you asking me, yes you can"
"I'm asking because you are so bloody protective..."
"Well what would you do with her anyway, its not like your gonna snog with her or anything..... wait....... would you?"
"Well, I was thinking of just a small kiss on the lips or something...." As Ron's eyes widened at Seamus' suggestion, Seamus looked over to Hermione who had heard it all. He became startled and began to stutter. She did not want them to know that she had heard it all however, so she was pretending to be distracted. Seamus let out a deep sigh as he realized that she had not heard. Ron looked behind him and saw Hermione picking up a piece of chicken from the platter.
"Oh wow... Hermione, didn't see you there"
"Oh, I just came a second ago... how did your love potion's go out? Who are you in love with?"
"I didn't drink it... my partner did however"
"Harry did you drink it?" Hermione said to Harry who was seated across from her. He looked up from his paper.
"Yes.. I did."
"Well, who is it??"
"I'd... I'd rather not say at this moment. I'll tell you later"
"Alright. Come to my common room around 1 tonight."
"Good idea, I'll bring the invisibility cloak"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
Hermione finally finished her dinner and began to leave. Seamus followed suit.
"Hermione... Hermione!!!" Seamus yelled out
Hermione twirled around.
"Oh... Hello Seamus"
"Hi... umm... I was just wondering if you would like to be my date for Hogsmeade tomorrow? You are going right?"
Hermione was a bit startled at this offer of a date. She had never seen herself as a dating type. She was flattered. But then she remembered the secret conversation that he and Ron had been having... about kissing a girl. Hermione immediately blushed. She could not refuse him however.
"Sure Seamus, I'd love to go with you"
"Great! I'll meet you in front of the Fat Lady's portrait. Is that okay?"
"Yes that's fine. See you then"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
Draco had skipped dinner and was pacing on the hearth rug in the common room. Many thoughts ran through him mind. He tried to sort them out, but he couldn't. Hermione was the only one he could see... this meant that he was..... he was in love with her.
He looked at the clock, there were 4 more hours to go until midnight. He could not wait for this to be over.
As he was pacing, the portrait hole opened and Hermione walked in. Draco immediately stopped pacing and looked at her. He closed his eyes and sat down on the couch.
"What had gotten into you earlier with Blaise? You really could have been hurt" Hermione said as she stood in front of the couch with her hands on her hips.
"I don't know what came over me Granger... he was hurting you, it made me angry. No girl, no not even you, deserves that"
Hermione let out a sigh.
"Well don't do that again. Look at your lip. It's bleeding. You didn't even bandage it up. Go to Madame Pomfrey, I think it is still bleeding"
"I do not need to go see her" his eyes were still closed
"Fine I'll fix it up myself. And open your eyes for God's sake" Hermione grabbed Draco by the arms and led him up towards the bathroom.
They entered the bathroom and she began to rummage through the cupboards.
"There must be some first aid here... ahh here it is" Hermione pulled out the first aid kit.
"Well you have a nasty cut on your lips and tons of scratches. I'm sure you don't want them to scar..."
Hermione began to apply the antiseptic. Draco's eyes were finally open. He looked intently at her as the antiseptic stung on the scratches. Hermione noticed his pupils.
"Oh, right, how did the potion go? Who is your true love?" Hermione said as she got a band-aid.
"It went well, we got a perfect and I'd rather not talk about true love right now"
"What did you not find anyone?"
"Umm.. No, no one so far. But the potion is having an affect on me. I am starting to feel a bit nauseous."
Hermione applied the band-aid and they both walked down to the common room. Draco plopped down onto the couch and pulled out a book. Maybe this would keep his mind off of Hermione.
Hermione looked at him curiously... "Thank you, by the way, about Blaise"
"Your welcome"
"Are you going to Hogsmeade tomorrow?"
"What is with this small talk Granger?" It was easier for Draco to insult her when he didn't look at her.
"No small talk, I just was wondering. Seamus Finnigan asked me for a date. I am a bit nervous..." Hermione had no clue why she was telling him this.
At the sound of this, Draco closed his eyes... he did not like the sound of that.
"That scrawny little Irish kid, come on Granger, even you could do better than that?"
"I happen to think he is a very sweet boy"
"Yea sweet... he will probably pounce on you.... I heard he is a hornball" Draco waited for a retaliation... there was none.
"He... he wants to kiss me... and he might take me dancing. I don't really feel comfortable in doing any of those two."
Draco looked at her... he felt he could look at her now... the potion was wearing off...
"I can teach you... both. They both are pretty easy"
"What?? No! .... I don't think so" Hermione sat up from the chair and began to walk towards the stairs. Draco sat up and grabbed Hermione's arm.
"Granger is not that big of a deal" Yes the potion was wearing off... he could see around her now. But why was it wearing off now?
Draco pulled Hermione over into the middle of the sitting area onto the hearth rug that was placed in front of the fire.
"Kissing or dancing... you pick your first choice"
"I will pick NEITHER. Why would you even want to teach me?"
"It is not a big deal Granger... I swear all you mudbloods are the same... Okay, we shall begin with dancing... now don't tense up. Loosen your shoulders." Draco put his hands on Hermione's shoulders and massaged them a little.
"Now you will put your arm on my shoulder. I will put my hand on your waist. I will take your hand into mine. Do you want to waltz or just dance?"
"Uhh... I guess dance"
"Let's get started... we need music."
Draco flicked his wand into the air. Music began to play.
Draco looked at her. He slowly took her hand and put his hand gently on her tiny waist. She put her delicate hand onto his shoulder. They began to sway.
"When you dance... there shouldn't be too much distance between the partners... so... I am going to pull you in.. Is that okay?"
"Yes"
Draco gently pulled her closer to him. Their faces were now inches apart. As they had gotten closer... Draco's heart began to beat... he realized that the Potion's effects were still slightly there.... He could smell her every scent and it drove him crazy. They danced for a while as the music played.
Suddenly... unexpectedly... Hermione lay her head on his shoulder as they swayed back and forth. Draco could smell her hair. It smelled like coconut. He wanted to savor in the moment forever... he wanted to... he wanted to kiss her...
"Do you... do you want to learn how to kiss now?" Draco whispered into her ear.
Hermione slowly looked up into Draco's face and began to search his face with her eyes. She nodded a yes. She was too nervous and startled to say it outloud.
Draco let go of her waist and brought his hand up to her face. He gently touched her cheek lightly and began to caress it. Draco let go of her hand and put it on her waist. Draco leaned in closer and Hermione's eyes fluttered shut.
His lips met hers and he began to gently caress his lips with hers. They were soft and warm... Draco's hand moved down to her waist and he enveloped her into his arms. Hermione, not knowing what she was doing... pulled her arms around his neck and pulled him in closer. Draco slowly opened his mouth and she let his tongue enter her mouth. He slowly began to massage her tongue with his.
Draco led her slowly to the couch and let go of the kiss. He gently lay her down and looked at her... he questioned her with his eyes... and their lips met once more. Hermione ran her fingers through his hair and as did Draco with hers.
Hermione had never felt this way before. His lips were soft against hers and her whole body tingled with delight. She could smell his scent... It was an exotic smell.
Draco let go of the kiss and began to trail the kiss down to her neck. He began to kiss her neck. A shiver ran down Hermione's whole body as she let out a small gasp. This was the most sensitive part of her body she realized. It tickled and felt so good.
They kissed for the rest of the time... savoring in each others arms... not knowing what they were doing... until the stroke of midnight. The clock struck 12 and as Draco kissed her he realized what he was doing. The potion had worn off and he realized that he let his emotions take over him... he was kissing her right now... it felt so good.... but he immediately broke it off and jumped from the couch.... he began to pace and breathed heavily. He looked down at Hermione.
"I... I'm sorry" Hermione said... tears streaming down her face as she got up from the couch... she ran upstairs.
"SHIT..." Draco said as he slammed the book that lay on the table off onto the floor.
"What the fuck has gotten into you Malfoy.... why did you offer to kiss her??"
Much to Draco's denial however... he liked kissing her... he needed her now.
Hermione walked to the bathroom only to find that Malfoy had gotten there first.
::He must have gotten up earlier... hmm he wants to play games now does he?:: Hermione began to think. She would just have to wake up earlier. He was like a 16 year old girl when he fought over the bathroom. It was as if he needed all the time in the world to get ready when he didn't need that much time in the first place. Wasn't she supposed to be the one worrying about how much time she would have to do her hair? She was a girl?
Hermione wasn't much to care about her appearance however. She wore no makeup and usually just pulled her hair back with a small barrette. The only thing she really used was a muggle hair product that would tame her hair. It wasn't the same bushiness as it used to be. She felt that many people had noticed the change in her over the summer. It wasn't as if she transformed into a slut. She simply had gotten out of her awkward stage.
Finally Hermione heard the shower head stop and Draco walked out of the bathroom door. He was wearing his usual morning attire... a towel. Not expecting Hermione there, he slammed into her as she almost stumbled down. Draco caught her just in time before she fell to the floor. He had grabbed her by the back. Their heads inches apart. Her hands were on his wet bare chest... she realized this and her face turned red... she loosened out of his grasp as quickly as she could. When she did this she took a step back and felt Draco's hands leave her back... his expression was of disgust.
"You should be more careful Granger. What... where you trying to get a peek of sexy me in the keyhole??"
"Oh you wish Malfoy... and I was just wondering... how was I able to get up to my room when I distinctly remember me falling asleep in the chair?"
Draco's face began to prickle a little warm... he knew a blush was creeping up but he stopped it just in time. He quickly made up a story.
"Well, I couldn't leave you there... so... I used a hover charm to guide you upstairs."
"Oh, I see..."
"Yes, well, I must be off... I know everyone would appreciate it If I went out like this considering how good looking I am... but you'd be a nice shade of red all day... and that really doesn't suit you too well." He winked and walked into his room.
Hermione felt flabbergasted. How dare he say such a thing to her? She didn't ... blush? Did she? Oh she knew she did... she wouldn't admit to it however. With that, Hermione entered the bathroom for her morning shower.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
Draco put on his Hogwarts uniform and sprayed a spicy scented cologne (he knew the girls would go wild). He put hair gel into his palms and ran his fingers through his hair to give it a messy look unlike his usual slicked back look. He had gotten rather sick of the slick look... it reminded him too much of his father.
Draco did not dislike his father, but he did not want to be like him. The idea of his father acting as if he was the biggest and most important person in the world in front of those who were of lesser status and then cowering in front of the Dark Lord did not intrigue him too much. However he was close to him.
As Draco left his room he bumped into Hermione who was leaving the bathroom. She already had her Hogwarts uniform on and her hair was wet. A faint vanilla and coconut scent emanated from her body.
"That was fast..."
"Well I don't take five years in the shower like you do..."
"Yes, but you see Granger... I've been meaning to tell you this but... you really do need five years of showering... truly you do"
"Malfoy... didn't we have some sort of truce??"
"Yes but this is just harmful playing" Draco said as he put on his most charming smile.
"Whatever..." said Hermione as she began to walk to her room... Malfoy following her in.
"Malfoy... get out, If I am not allowed into your room... you are not allowed into mine"
"Well now I'm already in... you can't stop me"
"Ugh..."
Hermione walked over to her vanity, sat down, and deposited the hair serum into her hair... Draco watched. He picked up the bottle.
"Is this what you use to tame that bushy hair?"
"Yes... that is what I use... now will you please stop criticizing me"
"Well I wasn't criticizing... in fact I am complimenting... it turns out pretty good usually. Nice and curly...."
Hermione was a bit taken aback... a compliment? From Draco Malfoy???
"Umm... thanks"
"I know... 'oh no a Malfoy complimenting a mud--Muggleborn'"
Hermione pulled her hair back halfway into a barrette. Draco grabbed her hand before she could clasp it shut. He pulled her hand back and took the barrette out of her hands.
"No... leave it out. It'll look nice"
"What...?"
Draco set the barrette down and reached up to her face and began to fix her hair. A pulse ran through Hermione's body as Draco's hands made contact with her hair. His fingers gently brushed up against her cheek as he fixed her hair. He made a side part and began to twirl the strands of hair around his fingers.
The feel of Hermione's hair in Draco's hands also made Draco a bit nervous. He felt the softness of her hair and his fingers became lost in the thickness of it. He actually liked the feel of his hands in her hair and the softness of her cheeks that he "accidently" brushed with his hands. Finally he stopped and put his hands in his pockets and leaned up against the wall.
"See... go like that. Let your hair out more often. When it isn't bushy and looking like a rag of weeds... it has nice curls that form in the back"
Hermione could feel her face grow red... Draco chuckled. Hermione turned down to her perfume and sprayed a bit onto her neck and wrists.
Draco breathed in the scent of the perfume. It was flowery.
"I'm off... 15 minutes till class starts... see you there"
"Alright..." Hermione replied.
And with that Draco left. Hermione let out a long sigh and looked at her self in the mirror. Should she put her hair into a barrette or take Draco's advice and leave it down. He did go through all that trouble in touching her... her heart skipped a beat. What was happening... this was stupid?? Her heart wasn't supposed to skip beats.
Hermione went down into the common room to find that Draco had already left. She had expected to find her books lying everywhere but they were neatly stacked on her desk with her messenger bag leaning against it. She grabbed her things and left through the portrait hole for Transfiguration.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
The rest of the day seemed to go well. In Transfiguration, Hermione and Draco were called up to McGonagoll's desk for information on an urgent meeting after dinner tomorrow night. The strict professor had said It was not alarming or an emergency but rather... good news. On the professor's part that is. Hermione became anxious to know. Hermione's last class was Potions. She had been dreading it since yesterday. She really did truly wish that she was with Harry and Ron. All she had to think of was that dinner was next and she would be between her best friends and not here.
Hermione sat herself down in the seat that she had switched with Draco. She looked to the door and saw Blaise enter. He turned towards her and cracked a smile and sat down next to her.
"Umm... Malfoy sits there..."
"He won't mind... trust me"
Hermione cringed at the thought of sitting next to him.
"You know... you've made quite a transition from ugly to beautiful..." Blaise said as he chuckled.
"I don't know if I should take that as a compliment or an insult"
"Take it as a compliment..."
Blaise's hand reached up to Hermione's neck and he began to massage her neck and she gasped out loud. A small smirk played on his lips. Suddenly a hand grasped Blaise's arm from behind
"Blaise... I sit there" Draco said. He had a stern look on his face. Blaise looked up to Draco and then to Hermione and let go of her neck.
"I see... I didn't think you cared..."
"Well I like being in the middle"
Blaise gathered his things and moved a seat over. Draco sat himself down between them and looked over to Hermione.
"Are you ... okay?" Draco whispered quietly.
"Yes. I'm Fine" Hermione said sternly. It definitely looked as though she were trying to keep herself together.
"You don't look it" Draco began to get his things out so that it looked like he was doing something productive. "We will talk later about this... In the common room... meet me there after dinner"
"Okay..."
As the conversation ended, Snape walked in. Blaise immediately got up and walked towards the professor. He began to talk to Snape. Everyone in the room began to relax as the conversation went on between Blaise and the professor. After about five minutes, Blaise sat back down and winked at Hermione. Hermione scowled back at him.
"Alright students..." Snape flicked the chalk board with his wand and a set of directions appeared on the board.
"You will begin the true love potions today... one member from your group will drink the potion and he or she will test them for the day... this potion lasts for only a day. It will show you your true love. If you do not feel comfortable in finding out who this is at this age... you are not obligated to drink the potion. If you do not feel the need to tell your partner who your true love is, you do not need to do so but you must come to me so that I may be able to see the affects in your eyes. The pupils will enlarge for the entire day. You MUST come that very day, otherwise you will lose the affects of the potion and will receive the lowest grade. Begin."
Draco left his seat to gather ingredients from the front of the classroom. Blaise turned to Hermione as she diligently got everything ready.
"Guess what..."
"What...?" Hermione said between her clenched teeth.
"You get to tutor me in potions starting tomorrow!!"
Hermione slowly turned to Blaise...
"What? You have the 3rd highest grade in this class, how can you possibly need tutoring"
"Well I want to be the best, so why not get help from the best, hmm?" Hermione's jaw dropped... she realized what he was doing.
Draco returned to his seat and dropped the ingredients onto the table.
"Here they are... let's get started."
They began to cut and add to the cauldron. After 20 minutes of brewing, the potion was complete.
"Alright, who wants to try it?" Hermione said looking at the both of them.
"I think I'll pass... I already know who my true love is..." Blaise said as he looked at Hermione.
"I'll do it" Draco said.
"Alright..." Hermione ladled the potion into a glass vile. She handed it to Draco. Draco looked at it for a minute and then looked at Hermione. He gulped down the love potion. A warm velvety feel went down his throat. It made him feel as if the world was to be alright.
Draco opened his eyes and felt his heart beat faster. Everything turned into a blur and he could not see a thing. He turned to Blaise and could only see his outline. He then turned to Hermione... and she looked... she looked perfect. He could see her perfectly. Everything turned even more white and blurry. She looked like an angel. Her hair was shiny with large waves and curls and her cheeks were rosy red. Her eyes seemed to light up and her dark chocolate eyes looked at him with concern. Her lips were a juicy red and he felt the urge to kiss them... to caress them with his own lips. He wanted to envelope her into his arms and keep her there forever. He needed to feel her body next to his. He looked at her form and saw beautiful curves... slender legs. Her clothes fit her perfectly. His jaw dropped as he stared at her
Draco gasped in air and sat back down into his seat. He looked to the front of the classroom.
"Malfoy... are you alright?" Hermione said. She lifted her hand up to his shoulder and shook him.
A shock went down Draco's arm as she made contact with his shoulder. Draco leapt from his chair and ran up to the front of the classroom to Professor Snape's desk where he was working on Potion's essays.
"Professor... WHEN.... does this wear off. Please tell me soon?" He said as he gasped for air. Not because he was out of breath... but because he really couldn't breathe.
"Mr. Malfoy, I already said, It ends at the end of the day. The stroke of midnight."
"Is there any potion that you could brew up to make it go away???"
"No Mr. Malfoy, you must wait for the day to end. Do you not want others to know who your true love is? Well then let me look into your eyes."
Professor Snape looked into Draco's eyes. His pupils had taken over the icy blue eye color that he once had.
"Well Mr. Malfoy, your potion worked... very well done"
"Ofcourse it worked!! I can barely see where I'm going, I can only see HER!"
"Yes those are the affects of the potion, do not worry though, you will be able to navigate to your next classes."
Draco stalked back to his desk where he put away his things. Even Hermione's presence made his heart beat faster. He needed to get away fast. He couldn't even be near her. Something was bound to happen. He gathered his things and abruptly left the dungeon. Snape just watched him leave and Draco heard Harry and Ron protesting about it. Draco walked a bit away from the dungeon and slipped between two walls and slid down to the floor. He began to breathe rapidly. How could Hermione Granger... a mudblood... be his true love? How was this possible? What was to happen??
At that moment Draco remembered the meeting that he and Hermione were supposed to have in the common room about Blaise's behavior. The thought of Blaise made him grow angry... very angry.
He got up and began to walk back towards the dungeons... he would not call off the meeting because he knew that Hermione was really worried about the Blaise situation. Draco did not want her to wait. He would simply not look at her. It would make it worse if he looked at her even though it was pretty bad when he was just sitting next to her.
He reached the dungeon room as he saw many students leave. Harry and Ron passed by sneering. Even in the blurriness of his surroundings he could see the sneers on their faces. But there was no Hermione to be seen.
After everyone had finally left for their classes, Draco began to search for Hermione.
::As a matter of fact... I didn't see Blaise either::
Draco began to worry and searched for her frantically. He finally set sight on her backed up against the wall with Blaise inching forward with his wand twirling around his fingers.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
Hermione had no where to go... her back was against the wall and all she could look at was Blaise and the smirk that danced on his face. He inched closer. She really wished that her wand was in her hand, but her bag was all the way across from her.
Blaise was now 2 inches from her face. Hermione tensed up.
"Now now... I won't do anything today... this relationship has just started"
"What relationship Zabini... let me go" "But I just wanted to have a little bit of fun" He raised his wand as pushed a strand of her hair away from his face with his wand. He placed his hands on her hips and pushed her to him. She protested and pushed away from him. She had no authority over him. Her efforts were hopeless. His grip tightened and he began to hurt her.
"Your hurting me... let..me... go"
"Shut up... I just want a kiss"
Unexpectedly he grabbed her wrists and began to grip tighter. He loosened his grip on one wrist and slapped her across the face.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
Draco had seen it all. Anger and wrath began to coarse through his blood. He ran towards Blaise and ripped him off of her.
"You bloody bastard... how dare you touch her..." Draco began to kick Blaise. Blaise was now on the floor.
As Draco kicked, an insult shot out from his mouth... "You filthy... good for nothing... disgusting...."
"Malfoy stop... STOP IT" Hermione said as she grabbed Draco's arm and pulled him away. Draco yanked away from Hermione and pushed her aside. He fell on top of Blaise and began repeatedly punching him. Blaise finally got hold of one of Draco's fists and took the turn on the fight. Blaise was on top now and began to punch him as well.
It was a bloody mess Hermione could not take. She knelt down onto the floor and pushed Blaise off with all her might. Blaise rolled over to the other side. Hermione knelt down next to Draco whose lip was bleeding. She touched his bloody lip with her fingers. Her eyes widened.
All that Draco could see was Hermione... just her... he felt safe.
"You fucking bastard... Why would you care what happens to her. You hate her" Blaise said as he began to sit up. His face was contorted with anger and blood. He turned around, kicked Hermione's bag and began to walk away.
"Malfoy... what has gotten into you?? You could have been severely hurt."
"I could have been hurt? What about you he was going to take advantage of you"
"Since when do you care about what happens to me?"
"I..." But Draco could not finish. He looked into Hermione's eyes and saw curiosity. He suddenly got up and walked away.
Hermione looked bewildered. She could not do anything, so she gathered her things and made her way to dinner. She decided not to talk to Harry or Ron about this. They would begin to become overly protective... which would not help...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
Hermione slowly walked towards the Great Hall. She finally entered and walked up to the Gryffindor table. Ron was whispering to Seamus... he didn't notice that Hermione sat down next to him.
"So can I take her to Hogsmeade tomorrow?"
"Seamus she is not my girlfriend why are you asking me, yes you can"
"I'm asking because you are so bloody protective..."
"Well what would you do with her anyway, its not like your gonna snog with her or anything..... wait....... would you?"
"Well, I was thinking of just a small kiss on the lips or something...." As Ron's eyes widened at Seamus' suggestion, Seamus looked over to Hermione who had heard it all. He became startled and began to stutter. She did not want them to know that she had heard it all however, so she was pretending to be distracted. Seamus let out a deep sigh as he realized that she had not heard. Ron looked behind him and saw Hermione picking up a piece of chicken from the platter.
"Oh wow... Hermione, didn't see you there"
"Oh, I just came a second ago... how did your love potion's go out? Who are you in love with?"
"I didn't drink it... my partner did however"
"Harry did you drink it?" Hermione said to Harry who was seated across from her. He looked up from his paper.
"Yes.. I did."
"Well, who is it??"
"I'd... I'd rather not say at this moment. I'll tell you later"
"Alright. Come to my common room around 1 tonight."
"Good idea, I'll bring the invisibility cloak"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
Hermione finally finished her dinner and began to leave. Seamus followed suit.
"Hermione... Hermione!!!" Seamus yelled out
Hermione twirled around.
"Oh... Hello Seamus"
"Hi... umm... I was just wondering if you would like to be my date for Hogsmeade tomorrow? You are going right?"
Hermione was a bit startled at this offer of a date. She had never seen herself as a dating type. She was flattered. But then she remembered the secret conversation that he and Ron had been having... about kissing a girl. Hermione immediately blushed. She could not refuse him however.
"Sure Seamus, I'd love to go with you"
"Great! I'll meet you in front of the Fat Lady's portrait. Is that okay?"
"Yes that's fine. See you then"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
Draco had skipped dinner and was pacing on the hearth rug in the common room. Many thoughts ran through him mind. He tried to sort them out, but he couldn't. Hermione was the only one he could see... this meant that he was..... he was in love with her.
He looked at the clock, there were 4 more hours to go until midnight. He could not wait for this to be over.
As he was pacing, the portrait hole opened and Hermione walked in. Draco immediately stopped pacing and looked at her. He closed his eyes and sat down on the couch.
"What had gotten into you earlier with Blaise? You really could have been hurt" Hermione said as she stood in front of the couch with her hands on her hips.
"I don't know what came over me Granger... he was hurting you, it made me angry. No girl, no not even you, deserves that"
Hermione let out a sigh.
"Well don't do that again. Look at your lip. It's bleeding. You didn't even bandage it up. Go to Madame Pomfrey, I think it is still bleeding"
"I do not need to go see her" his eyes were still closed
"Fine I'll fix it up myself. And open your eyes for God's sake" Hermione grabbed Draco by the arms and led him up towards the bathroom.
They entered the bathroom and she began to rummage through the cupboards.
"There must be some first aid here... ahh here it is" Hermione pulled out the first aid kit.
"Well you have a nasty cut on your lips and tons of scratches. I'm sure you don't want them to scar..."
Hermione began to apply the antiseptic. Draco's eyes were finally open. He looked intently at her as the antiseptic stung on the scratches. Hermione noticed his pupils.
"Oh, right, how did the potion go? Who is your true love?" Hermione said as she got a band-aid.
"It went well, we got a perfect and I'd rather not talk about true love right now"
"What did you not find anyone?"
"Umm.. No, no one so far. But the potion is having an affect on me. I am starting to feel a bit nauseous."
Hermione applied the band-aid and they both walked down to the common room. Draco plopped down onto the couch and pulled out a book. Maybe this would keep his mind off of Hermione.
Hermione looked at him curiously... "Thank you, by the way, about Blaise"
"Your welcome"
"Are you going to Hogsmeade tomorrow?"
"What is with this small talk Granger?" It was easier for Draco to insult her when he didn't look at her.
"No small talk, I just was wondering. Seamus Finnigan asked me for a date. I am a bit nervous..." Hermione had no clue why she was telling him this.
At the sound of this, Draco closed his eyes... he did not like the sound of that.
"That scrawny little Irish kid, come on Granger, even you could do better than that?"
"I happen to think he is a very sweet boy"
"Yea sweet... he will probably pounce on you.... I heard he is a hornball" Draco waited for a retaliation... there was none.
"He... he wants to kiss me... and he might take me dancing. I don't really feel comfortable in doing any of those two."
Draco looked at her... he felt he could look at her now... the potion was wearing off...
"I can teach you... both. They both are pretty easy"
"What?? No! .... I don't think so" Hermione sat up from the chair and began to walk towards the stairs. Draco sat up and grabbed Hermione's arm.
"Granger is not that big of a deal" Yes the potion was wearing off... he could see around her now. But why was it wearing off now?
Draco pulled Hermione over into the middle of the sitting area onto the hearth rug that was placed in front of the fire.
"Kissing or dancing... you pick your first choice"
"I will pick NEITHER. Why would you even want to teach me?"
"It is not a big deal Granger... I swear all you mudbloods are the same... Okay, we shall begin with dancing... now don't tense up. Loosen your shoulders." Draco put his hands on Hermione's shoulders and massaged them a little.
"Now you will put your arm on my shoulder. I will put my hand on your waist. I will take your hand into mine. Do you want to waltz or just dance?"
"Uhh... I guess dance"
"Let's get started... we need music."
Draco flicked his wand into the air. Music began to play.
Draco looked at her. He slowly took her hand and put his hand gently on her tiny waist. She put her delicate hand onto his shoulder. They began to sway.
"When you dance... there shouldn't be too much distance between the partners... so... I am going to pull you in.. Is that okay?"
"Yes"
Draco gently pulled her closer to him. Their faces were now inches apart. As they had gotten closer... Draco's heart began to beat... he realized that the Potion's effects were still slightly there.... He could smell her every scent and it drove him crazy. They danced for a while as the music played.
Suddenly... unexpectedly... Hermione lay her head on his shoulder as they swayed back and forth. Draco could smell her hair. It smelled like coconut. He wanted to savor in the moment forever... he wanted to... he wanted to kiss her...
"Do you... do you want to learn how to kiss now?" Draco whispered into her ear.
Hermione slowly looked up into Draco's face and began to search his face with her eyes. She nodded a yes. She was too nervous and startled to say it outloud.
Draco let go of her waist and brought his hand up to her face. He gently touched her cheek lightly and began to caress it. Draco let go of her hand and put it on her waist. Draco leaned in closer and Hermione's eyes fluttered shut.
His lips met hers and he began to gently caress his lips with hers. They were soft and warm... Draco's hand moved down to her waist and he enveloped her into his arms. Hermione, not knowing what she was doing... pulled her arms around his neck and pulled him in closer. Draco slowly opened his mouth and she let his tongue enter her mouth. He slowly began to massage her tongue with his.
Draco led her slowly to the couch and let go of the kiss. He gently lay her down and looked at her... he questioned her with his eyes... and their lips met once more. Hermione ran her fingers through his hair and as did Draco with hers.
Hermione had never felt this way before. His lips were soft against hers and her whole body tingled with delight. She could smell his scent... It was an exotic smell.
Draco let go of the kiss and began to trail the kiss down to her neck. He began to kiss her neck. A shiver ran down Hermione's whole body as she let out a small gasp. This was the most sensitive part of her body she realized. It tickled and felt so good.
They kissed for the rest of the time... savoring in each others arms... not knowing what they were doing... until the stroke of midnight. The clock struck 12 and as Draco kissed her he realized what he was doing. The potion had worn off and he realized that he let his emotions take over him... he was kissing her right now... it felt so good.... but he immediately broke it off and jumped from the couch.... he began to pace and breathed heavily. He looked down at Hermione.
"I... I'm sorry" Hermione said... tears streaming down her face as she got up from the couch... she ran upstairs.
"SHIT..." Draco said as he slammed the book that lay on the table off onto the floor.
"What the fuck has gotten into you Malfoy.... why did you offer to kiss her??"
Much to Draco's denial however... he liked kissing her... he needed her now.