A/N: I wish I owned the Potter universe. But I don't, JK does. Lucky here.
Exploding Éclairs
The Great Hall was filled with students. Everyone had just gotten back from Christmas vacation and were all buzzedly talking about their holidays. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were all sitting together, as they always did, near the middle of the Gryffindor table. Ron's arm was draped possessively around Hermione's side while he talked excitedly with Harry over a Chudley Cannons game he'd seen. Hermione, not at all interested in the boy's conversation was wandering her gaze around the room.
She noticed Seamus Finnagan holding hands with Lavender Brown and he kept giving her knowing looks. She also noticed Cho Chang had drifted passed Harry almost three times even though she had no reason too, nor had shown any interest in Harry since their fifth year. With a laugh she saw that square jawed Millicent Bulstrode kept eyeing Crabbe who looked dumbly at her, she assumed Millicent was taking as affection. Goyle was sitting next to Crabbe, trying to talk to what looked like a Slytherin second year, but failing. Hermione smirked, she highly doubted that, by the looks of the second year, either were having any type of intellectual conversation.
Her gaze passing over the insolent oafs, she looked at the insufferable Malfoy, who was staring right at her. At first, not noticing, she passed him over with her brown eyes and a slight frown, but upon realizing what her eyes had seen, looked back with surprise.
He caught her gaze and sneered, but did not look away. Hermione, particularly angry—Draco Malfoy not being her most favourite person—did look away, sticking her nose in the air. Still, however, slightly intrigued she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, finding him continuing to glare at her...with a smirk on his face. Curious, but unhappy, she slightly moved her head to have a better look at him, but only slightly, she was mostly facing away from him and had to look out of the corner of her eyes. They held each other's gaze, Draco smirking, Hermione frowning, until finally Draco tilted his head, just slightly, and turned to a seventh year and began talking to him. Never once did he look back at her. Finally, after gazing at the twitchy little ferret for a bit longer, contemplating, she turned back to Ron and Harry, joining their Quidditch conversation.
Days went by, and the three began their normal routines for the last half of the school term. Hermione had already lectured Ron and Harry about studying for exams, which were fast approaching, which she kept telling them. However, this day she had let up, being exhausted from a rough Double Potions lesson and ate dinner in silence while Harry and Ron talked with Dean Thomas about how unfair their Potions Master was.
During the past few dinners, Hermione had glanced up to see if Malfoy had once more been looking at her, but so far he'd been doing other things. So she had given up, deciding he'd probably had too much Butterbeer over break. So then, after finishing eating, when looking around the Great Hall she found the platinum blonde Slytherin staring at her once more, she was taken aback. This time, however, she kept her gaze. She stared right at him, as if accepting the challenge.
Draco, also accepting her challenge, smirked. The two glared, their stubborn gazes unblinking, unforgiving. Suddenly the connection was broken by a voice.
"Hermione.... were you just staring at Malfoy?" Harry asked a little suspiciously. Hermione wheeled around to look at the 'boy-who-lived'.
"No" she said indignantly. "I was glaring at him. He gave me a nasty look." Harry still slightly suspicious finally just nodded. Ron, however, looked at his girlfriend for a few moments with a look she couldn't quite decipher. Finally he too went back to the conversation with Harry and Dean.
Later as the three headed back to the Gryffindor common room, Ron stopped Hermione and pulled her to the side of the hall.
"Hermione, what's going on?" Ron asked her.
"What do you mean?" She gave him a look, she knew what he meant but wanted him to say it aloud.
"With Malfoy, what was that earlier?"
Hermione was taken aback. "Seriously, Ron, nothing. He gave me a nasty look, you know how Malfoy is; I just wanted to show him I'm not weak..."
"Malfoy, think you weak? He must have forgotten our third year then..." Hermione smiled up at the gangly redhead.
"How sweet of you Ronald." He smiled back at her.
"I try." He replied, and then leaning down kissed her gently on the lips. "Love you, 'Mione." Hermione smiled, but didn't respond. She hadn't said it yet, but Ron was patient, he knew she wasn't as open as that, but he was sure eventually—eventually—she'd say it as well.
The two headed back towards the common room, holding hands.
It was a Saturday morning. Almost everyone was still in bed at ten o'clock, but not Hermione. She was up absent-mindedly eating an apple while flipping through a textbook. She needed to be studying but she was caught up with everything that had happened the past few weeks. If Harry or Ron had been down with her, they would have thought something was wrong. It was obvious that she was distracted. Realizing she wouldn't or couldn't concentrate on her studies she began to, once more, look around the Hall. It was sparsely populated, only a few others up as early as she.
Only a few Hufflepuffs were down, but none that she recognised. The only Ravenclaw she saw was Luna Lovegood whom she smiled at; who yawned and waved back in return. Down near the end of the Gryffindor table there was a small third year boy, whom she believed was named Euan. At the Slytherin table Malfoy, Theodore Nott, and Pansy Parkinson were the only ones there, (plus some first year sitting alone at the other end).
Malfoy was still confusing her. She didn't understand what had spurred the glances at her for the past few days. She had cut her hair over the break, but not a lot, just enough to try and tame the wild brown mane of hers; but that just didn't seem the type of thing Malfoy would notice.
Unless he just found it amusing to leave her in this right old confused state. Which, really, seemed much more characteristic of him. She was deep in thought, so deep she didn't realize that this time, she was staring at him.
Draco Malfoy, getting bored with the conversation, began to survey the rest of the Great Hall. Hermione Granger, unaware of her attentions, was caught with her vision fixated on Draco Malfoy. Draco, intrigued, smirked at her and returned the attentions ten-fold.
It took Hermione a moment to realize she was staring, and it was being returned. Once she did, however, she blushed and looked back at her book, acting as if studying. Flipping a page to try and prove she was preoccupied, she glanced up to see if he was still looking and discovered he was. His grey, piercing eyes were fixated onto her. Draco gave her a bemused look when she glanced at him, but then turned his head and stood up, spoke to the two he had been sitting with, and left the Great Hall. Puzzled, Hermione shook her head and went back to reading.
For about twenty more minutes Hermione tried to focus on her studies. Finally, giving up for maybe the first time in her life, she decided she head up to the Gryffindor common room and see if Harry and Ron were up. Grabbing a few éclairs she rolled them up in some napkins, closed her book, and left the Great Hall.
As she walked into the Entrance Hall, Malfoy was leaning up against the rail, arms crossed smirking at her. Hermione, seeing him, made a noise out of aggravation and stuck her nose up, heading towards the stairs.
"Hey Granger!" Draco suddenly called out to her. Hermione ignored it and continued to head up the stairs. "Granger!" He yelled again.
Infuriated Hermione turned around about to say 'what' but found herself face to face with the pureblood snot. She stepped back in surprise, almost falling but Draco, on pure instinct grabbed her arm, balancing her. As soon as she was back on two feet she ripped her arm from his, glaring.
"What do you want Malfoy?" She spat. He smirked.
"This" He grabbed an éclair and stepped back taking a bite out of it. Hermione snorted and began to turn around, knowing he wasn't worth her time. Before she got far however, Draco said sleekly "not very lady-like to snort, Granger..." She turned around and glared at him. He was smirking at her, again.
Hermione's mouth twitched noticing a glob of frosting above Draco's upper lip. Walking closer to him she smirked right back at him. "Not very pureblood-ish to have frosting on your face." She remarked haughtily getting right in his face, nose-to-nose. Draco so startled by this tried to move back, but Hermione grabbed his forearm, and pulled him close. "Don't you agree Malfoy?" She said throatily. Draco stared at her lips as she said this and wet his own. Noticing where his eyes were she smirked and leaned in closer. Just when he thought she was going to kiss him she instead slowly, almost sensually licked off the small bit of frosting on him. Slowly, as she pulled away she licked her own lips and turned around heading up the grand staircase.
Draco Malfoy was left standing on the stairs, confused and slightly aroused.
It had been quite a few days since Hermione's little exploit, and she was slightly embarrassed at herself. At the moment, however, her mind was busy with something else. Not yet given up S.P.E.W. Hermione was on her way to the kitchens in hopes to convince the house-elves to start a rebellion of some sort.
She hadn't told any of the others where she was really going, they would have either made fun of her or tried to get her to stop, so instead she'd told them she was going to the library to study. Her plans had almost been foiled by Ron's request to accompany her. She told him that she really wanted to study—he frowned and changed his mind quite quickly. So humming along she headed towards the kitchens.
As she began to walk past a suit of armour someone suddenly appeared from next to it. The one person she was not comfortable with seeing.
"Malfoy." She grimaced, crossing her arms. "What do you want?" Draco copied her stance, sneering.
"Nothing..." he paused, then with a malevolent smile said, almost huskily, "mudblood".
Furious, Hermione stomped up to Draco, arm reeling back ready to punch him. As it flew towards his face Draco caught her fist and tugged her close to him. He could feel her enraged breath against him and he was enticed. Almost as if unthinking he grabbed her waist with his free hand and pulled her as close to him as possible pressing his lips to hers.
A bolt travelled through Hermione and she shuddered. Further roused Draco let go of her clenched fist and placed his own hand on the back of her hair and neck bringing her lips further against his. This time he felt the bolt and had to smother a moan.
Hermione could feel the heat and electricity and power behind their kiss, it, in turn, made her melt. She couldn't be angry at his comment, she couldn't be angry at him for being so mean to her since their first year, she couldn't be angry at him for being such a prat. He was just to alluring and elegant and sexy. With a hungry sigh she returned the affections, grabbing his shoulders. That action however, pulled Draco from the bubble they seemed to be in and he pulled away.
Hermione stared up at him, seeing something she'd never seen before in someone's eyes. Pure lust. It made her skin tingle. Draco stared for a moment then smirked and walked around her back towards the dungeons.
As Hermione left the haze she'd been in she looked around, not remembering what she had been heading to do.
Hermione was lecturing Ron on not finishing his Charms homework as Harry watched with amusement. Harry, quickly getting bored, however, turned to look across from him and found Draco Malfoy staring at his female friend. Not thinking Harry blurted out: "Hermione why is Malfoy staring at you?"
"Huh?" She said and looked over at the Slytherin table finding the blonde one staring at her with his piercing grey eyes. Caught in his stare again she shuddered and looked away, not able to hold his gaze.
Harry and Ron noticed this and looked at her.
"What was that all about?" Ron asked almost sounding jealous.
"Nothing...it was nothing Ron..." She said almost sadly.
Across the room Draco still looked at Hermione no longer with a piercing gaze but one of loneliness. With a sigh he turned back to his own 'friends'.