Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
A/N: Thnx soo much to everyone who reviewed chapter 5! it makes me happy to know people like this story. Sorry if anything is confusing in this chapter, i was in a rush to post it up and didn't really double-checked it .. Anywho, lavender really is a muggle-born?? that could be really good for later on =D
Chapter Six: Dreams and Distractions
"Sweet, sweet mysteries, of things that we could be
Of things what we could do
Till then, I'll dream of you"
Hermione rushed out of the library, away from Draco as much as possible. She couldn't understand how he can be so self-conceited one minute and then turn nice the next. But she also couldn't ignore the fact that she's always somehow magnetized to his eyes even though she doesn't want to. She was glad she had the sense to escape his presence before anything happened.She went to the Great Hall to eat dinner since she was absolutely starving and saw that there weren't that many people: a couple of Ravenclaws were huddled together enjoying their own private conversation and inside jokes, a few Hufflepuffs were eating separately, and surprisingly, a few Slytherins concentrating only on eating their food with a sour look on their face. She stayed at the Great Hall for a few hours studying while eating but since she noticed that people were beginning to leave, one by one, she decided that she should also probably head up to her room to get some rest as well.
Hermione went up the stairs, as fast as she can before they start moving, and walked towards the Heads' dorm. After telling the knight in the portrait, that led to the common dorm, the password ("Fizzing Whizbees"), she went inside hoping that she didn't have to face Draco. But what she did see was something of interest to her.
Omigod, that's the book he was reading! Hermione thought as she recognized the object left on a desk. She noticed several bookmarks, and tried to resist opening to the marked page. Of course, being an extreme bookworm doesn't help the situation very much. She looked around the common room to see if Draco was there but when she saw that he wasn't, she let her curiousity take over and began flipping the pages. She went to the first bookmark, and read part of its contents.
"Dreams are hallucinations that can also serve as fantastical journeys that help us relieve stress or reduce certain habits. They are a mixture of our biological instincts, cultural assumptions, and personal experiences. While dreaming, the brain uses these three factors to create stories to replay recent events or voice the concerns the waking mind is not ready to face. These stories often have difficult plots and visual or verbal situations that can help unlock their meanings. They help us to understand ourselves and our futures depending on how it is interpreted. If analyzed correctly, we can discover deep secrets or reveal concealed feelings."
Hermione was all of a sudden intrigued to what she had just read. She remembered a dream she had before involving the masked man she met at the Ball, but thought nothing of it. Now questions began forming in her head, such as What meanings can the dream represent?, what deep secrets or concealed feelings are there?, and most importantly, why would Draco, the king of the heartless, be interested in this? Her hunger for knowledge started to grow, and she was about to flip to the second bookmark when she heard a thump and someone swearing.
Draco must be in his room, Hermione thought as she closed the book and headed up the stairs. She still had the book in her hands and decided to give it Draco, telling him that he had left it on the desk. She knocked lightly on the door and was slightly amused when she heard more swearing. When the door finally opened, Hermione let out a little gasp. The boy who stood before her was absolutely gorgeous. His white-blonde hair was in a messy style, which complimented his face structure, and he was wearing a tight, white t-shirt exposing his muscular chest that was probably gained from hours of workout, and dark green boxers. This was all very pleasing to the eye. Hermione could feel blood rushing to her face and looked away quickly. Draco had left the library shortly after Hermione, disappointed that she didn't stay long enough for them to have a civil conversation. He decided to skip dinner and headed straight to his common room. He read a bit more of the book when he got there, but was so tired and went to his dorm to sleep.
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Draco was walking along the lake outside of Hogwarts, admiring the calm atmosphere and the fresh night air. He saw someone up ahead, but it was only a blurry figure so he decided to go up to them. When he got closer, his heart skipped a beat when he realized that the blurry figure was the mystery girl. He tapped her shoulder to get her attention, and when she turned around, he found himself having butterflies in his stomach.
"I-I'm sorry for running off..." she started to say but he placed his fingers over her lips. He didn't want her to apologize to him; he only wanted to savour this moment they have together.
"Sshhh... Don't worry about it" he then said. She nodded and looked into his eyes, making his body even weaker.
He smiled. "You look beautiful tonight." Even though he couldn't fully see her face, he still knew that she must be the most gorgeous girl he has ever met.
"Thank you. You don't look so bad yourself."
This small comment caused him to grin even more, but suddenly something came to his mind. He vaguely remembered a passage in the Dream book he was reading – something about dishonesty and feelings. He pushed these thoughts aside, and asked her a question that he has been wondering for days now.
"Can I ask you a question?"
She laughed. "I think we've been through this before. But go on."
He smiled, remembering their first conversation. "I've been trying to figure out who you are lately but I still don't know. Do you mind if I take your eye mask off?"
She didn't answer, but just continued to smile at him. He blushed from embarrassment but decided to go on with what he has to do. He didn't want to spend more time wondering who she was and wanted to know the answer once and for all, right this instant. His hands slowly reached up to her eye mask, trembling with excitement, and were slowly taking it off...
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Draco woke up and noticed he was on the floor. He must've fallen off his bed during the last part of his dream.
"Bloody hell!" he cursed as he grudgingly got up. He was so frustrated since for the second time, he still hadn't been able to recognize who the girl was. He was starting to get comfy in his bed when he heard a soft knock on his door. He cursed again to whoever had the nerve to disturb him. When he opened the door, he noticed that Hermione was standing before him, her face suddenly turning pink when she saw that he was wearing a tight t-shirt that reveals his extremely muscular chest, and dark green boxers.
"What do you want??" he asked impatiently.
"Err... I found this on the desk and thought I should give it to you," she said handing him the book.
He gave his trademark smirk as he took the book. "Like what's in front of you, Granger? I wouldn't be surprised there. I mean, I know every girl in this school is infatuated with me, even know-it-all, mudblood bookworms."
Her nervousness turned into anger once he said that word. "I wouldn't give you the satisfaction. Never in my life would I dream of being infatuated over you"
Draco flinched when she said that and wanted to apologize but she was already stomping her way to her room. He didn't mean to call her a mudblood, but it just came out of his mouth before he could stop it.
I'll just apologize to her tomorrow, he thought as he silently closed his door.
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Hermione was standing on the edge of the lake outside of Hogwarts, admiring its soft ripples and the reflection of the glistening moon. She breathed in deeply, taking in the different scents of her surroundings, and sighed contently. However, she was distracted when she felt a soft tap on her shoulder. She turned around, and there he was, looking back at her.
"I-I'm sorry about running off..." she started to say but the masked man placed his fingers on her lips.
"Sshhh... Don't worry about it"
Hermione nodded and stared into his warm, grey eyes. She knew she must have seen those eyes before but she just can't remember.
"You look beautiful tonight" he said, breaking their silence.
She blushed and said, "Thank you. You don't look so bad yourself." This caused her to think of why she would say that. She doesn't even know what his face really looks like since he wore an eye mask, and only noticed how his costume seemed to fit his muscular body. She suddenly remembered a passage in Draco's book that said something about deep secrets and concealed feelings, and decided to ask him the question that has been on her mind lately.
"Can I ask you a question?"
He smiled. "You already did, but continue on."
She grinned, remembering their first conversation. "I've always wanted to know who you are. Do you mind taking off that eye mask so I can see your face?"
He didn't answer, but just continued to smile at her. She thought it was stupid of her to ask, and wanted to turn away of embarrassment when she noticed that his hands were slowly reaching up to his eye mask. She was trembling with excitement since she was finally going to see his identity. He reached up to his eye mask and was slowly taking it off when a noise in the distant stopped him.
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Hermione woke up to the sound of a small owl tapping on her window. She opened it and took the package it had been carrying. She knew it must be from her parents since she used one of the school's owls to send a letter to them, asking how their vacation was going. She wished the owl didn't disturb her when she was having a good dream but patted it instead before it flew away. She opened the package, and smiled at the small presents her parents had included to give to her. She noticed a letter, and took it out to read it.
Dear Hermione,
We're glad to know you're safe at Hogwarts, studying plenty for your classes even though it's Christmas break. We enjoyed our trip to Rome, but it would've been more enjoyable if you were there. We went on a couple of tours throughout the city, and visited many museums and tourist attractions. We have lots of photos to show you! Also, we included some souvenirs from our trip to give you. Hope you like them! Well, we're going to end this letter by saying that we love you and best of luck on your studies!
Love, Mum and Dad
Hermione smiled at what her parents wrote, and eagerly opened all the presents, forgetting all about her dream at that moment.