Disclaimer: Its the usual humdrum that I own none of these characters. Boo hoo.
Title of Story: When Darkness Catches the Light
Summary: Can two sworn enemies ever find true love in each other? What happens when a seductive mission comes along to prod them in the right direction? Draco/Hermione
Rated: PG-13 for language, angst descriptions and some sexual connotations.
Chapter Eleven: Duties and Duels
I like to rip you out of your skin
I switch us around and put you back in and
I know, I know, I know, I know what you'd say
But it couldn't be any other way
--I Am, Killin Heidi
As Malfoy had been stargazing that night, transfixed by the elegant and surreal beauty of the dusk, he did not know that, all the way up in the Head Girl dormitory, his 'partner in crime' had joined the activity of observing the night sky herself.
Hermione was sitting bolt upright in the middle of her bed, not even allowing herself the comfort of leaning on the headboard. It was plain for anyone to see that she was uneasy.
Yet the reason for this unease was not as easily defined.
Hermione tightened the hair tie that bound all of her stylish brown locks in a secure ponytail, ignoring the amounting pain that her head was experiencing from the sheer tautness of the hair style. But Hermione liked her hair that way, and she revelled somewhat in the pain. It offered a distraction from the angry thoughts that were swimming in her mind.
Mainly regarding her faithless best friend and his blind infatuation with that stupid bimbo…
Or in other words, Harry Potter and Lavender Brown.
Hermione unconsciously squeezed the delicate sheets of her bed that were entwined in her slender fingers, her knuckles lightening to a pale ashen colour.
She recalled how Harry and Lavender had talked so sweetly to each other… how they had looked so happy with each other… how they had looked like the ideal couple…
How they had looked almost like a façade of perfection and happiness… how Hermione had wanted it all to be a façade of perfection and happiness…
But no… when Hermione had seen Harry's face, mangled the way it was in that calm, satisfied smile… and when she had seen Lavender's head fitting so precisely into the crook of Harry's neck…
She knew that her eyes had not been deceiving her. She knew she had seen true love.
And it had not been as magical and beautiful as she would have hoped it to be.
Hermione rubbed her eyes vigorously, the memory itself proving to be too painful to experience yet again.
But she had not told Ginny, and she did not even know why she had decided against the action.
Maybe it was the way Harry had looked so pleadingly at her… he was Hermione's best friend, after all, and she was required to keep his secrets for him…
No matter how critical the secrets happened to be.
Hermione shook her head and loosened her grip on the sheets of her bed. This alleviated some of the pain in her hands, and she massaged them together, sighing when the warmth spread through her body.
She glanced at her watch, not even bothering to note the time, just glad to escape the pending train of thoughts that was getting ready to enter her mind…
Hermione looked out the window at the gleaming stars, admiring their presence against the blackness of the night. She could not see the moon from her position on the bed, but she was fairly sure of its existence that night, as she had been keeping a close eye on her Astronomy charts for the past few days.
Hermione had avoided everyone for the rest of that day, sitting by herself through all the remaining classes and skipping dinner to clamber up to the Head dormitories and lock herself inside with the same spell that Malfoy had used that time on the common room exit door.
Pathetic Malfoy.
She still could not stop thinking about that stupid excuse for a human being, as she had so wittily deemed him.
A grim smile spread fleetingly over Hermione's face.
She then recalled how the proposed duel between he and Ron would happen tomorrow.
Hermione sighed and moved backwards on the bedspread so that she could lean on the intricately carved headboard. The security it granted her seemed to calm her senses vaguely.
She was not looking forward to the duel, oh no.
Hermione knew Ron would probably get hurt… and Malfoy too, because Ron was not nearly as dim as everyone thought he was, and so, he most likely knew a few of the potentially lethal curses that could injure even a blonde pig whose head was so incredibly inflated with air and ego that it could probably fly… Yes, a pig…
Hermione did not yet know whom she wanted to win the duel.
The obvious choice would be her boyfriend, Ron. A part of her wanted him to win but even so…
She had begun to feel… well, feelings, toward Malfoy.
Hermione trembled slightly as she remembered how her heart kept pounding so relentlessly whenever Malfoy directed his silver-blue orbs towards her… those beautiful, profound eyes… on her…
But, he had taken advantage of her! Forced her into kissing him!
It somewhat scared Hermione, the way the world had suddenly began to spin around her when his lips had smothered her own… how her problems seemed to suddenly leave her… how flawless the moment had seemed to be… before her brain had taken over its domineering reign once again…
Hermione shook her head hard and yawned, savouring the warm air filling her lungs, and, even though she willed herself to stay awake, the tranquil realms of sleep soon claimed their brown-haired princess in the end.
Draco bounded out of the Head common room early that morning, the wisps of hair on his head glistening with moisture and his face mildly flushed from the heat of the shower.
He was not in a good mood, even though the events of last night would have normally exhilarated him.
Normally.
But Draco had not felt like himself ever since the Lord's mission had been issued… heck, he didn't even feel like a person anymore…
He felt more like a feeble puppet, waiting to be directed and manipulated by a puppeteer. And this particular puppeteer just happened to be a maniacal murderer too…
Just my luck.
Draco dreaded the duel that was going to take place that night. For some reason, he dreaded it.
He did not particularly want to fight the red haired weasel.
Too easy, he reasoned, even though this most certainly was not the true reason to account for his reluctance to the whole affair.
But it would give him a chance to meet with Granger… and boy, did he miss seeing her…
He checked that the letter that Dumbledore had sent to him that very morning was in his pocket, before proceeding on to reach the Great Hall. Draco growled as he turned around a corner, the delightful scents of food already wafting over to be absorbed by his body…
He glanced at his watch, trying to register the time of 7:40am in his mind, but the next thing he knew, he was sprawled on the floor, having bumped into another person.
"Are you blind or something?" Draco muttered haughtily, not even bothering to grant his precious attention at the insolent person who he had bumped into.
He heard a snort come from above him, which seemed to irk him even further.
"Actually Malfoy, it was your mistake and I won't budge until you apologise," a girl's voice responded.
Draco smiled bleakly as he realised who the voice belonged to. He swiftly looked up to find that his suspicions were indeed validated. His lips remained curled in a cruel smile.
"Virginia," he announced in mock pomposity, straightening himself up to face the red haired girl.
She was pretty, even Draco had to admit that. But she didn't even compare… indeed, no one could compare to…
"Malfoy," Weasley returned curtly, her body wincing slightly at being addressed by her full name.
Draco winked at her, provoking an expression of shock on the girl's face, which he evidently savoured.
"Looking for your lover boy, are you?" Draco said loudly, leaning casually on one of the walls of the corridor in which they were standing.
Weasley rolled her eyes dramatically, an action that amused Draco greatly.
"Well as a matter of fact, yes I am looking for Harry," she stressed, her eyebrows momentarily creasing into a frown. "Not that you would even care, Malfoy."
Draco placed a hand on his chest over his heart and shot a look of fake sadness at Weasley.
"Ouch, Weasley, that hurt," he murmured cynically. "Really cut me to the bone, you did."
"Oh grow up!" Weasley said exasperatedly, lifting her hands up above her head in her impatience. "Get out of my way!"
Draco let out a cold chuckle.
"In case you haven't noticed, you are in my way Weasley, so unless you want to actually spare the waning Weasley clan numbers, I suggest you move right now."
Draco raised his wand at the girl, but she didn't pay any heed to it. She instead kept the direction of her gaze locked onto Draco's face. He began to feel uncomfortable under the inspection.
"Just what did you mean by that, Malfoy?" she whispered, not even bothering to mask her growing trepidation.
Draco smirked evilly.
"You mean you don't know yet, Weasley?" he whispered dangerously, so quietly that the girl unconsciously leaned forward to hear properly.
"What the hell are you on about Malfoy? 'Waning Weasley clan numbers'?" Weasley responded, her eyebrows fused in confusion.
Draco chuckled frigidly, the sound so cold that Weasley grimaced audibly, which only heightened the hilarity of the situation for Draco.
"Little warning, Weasley: Look out for your dear brother. Let me just say you're lucky, I'm only telling you this 'cause I think you're hot. But you're still a muggle-lover, so I guess that cancels everything you got going for you, out. Sorry babe."
Draco yawned ostentatiously, amused as he noted how surprised Weasley was at the revelation that he found her mildly attractive, but his thoughts were interrupted by the voice of an approaching person.
The melodious voice that made his stomach squirm awkwardly as the possessor was registered in his mind.
Hermione entered the Great Hall that morning, careful to avoid the attention of everyone noisily eating her breakfast. She need not have worried, though, because no one seemed to notice her entrance, a fact that she was more than grateful for.
Hermione clutched the letter from Dumbledore in her hand, detailing that he wanted to meet the two Heads after lunch to discuss their first 'Headship Duties'.
Needless to say, Hermione was not looking forward to it. She was not looking forward to seeing Malfoy again.
She paced toward the Gryffindor table, noting that both Harry and Lavender were both absent from it, and sat, somewhat reluctantly it was true, next to Ron.
"Hey Hermione," he said. "Where were you last night? I didn't even get to talk to you after lunch!"
Hermione forced an airy laugh and accepted the piece of toast that Ginny was offering her from across the table. Ginny's face was bowed, but when Hermione arrived, she strained a smile on it, even though Hermione was quick to spot the lines of worry etched on her face.
And what made her feel even worse was that she knew exactly why those lines were there… even more than Ginny herself seemed to know…
"Oh you know, I was just busy with stuff," Hermione said casually, biting into the bread smothered with what seemed like a plethora of marmalade.
Ron seemed not to note her reticence.
"Hermione, tell me," he urged, placing his hand on Hermione's own.
Hermione pulled away instantaneously, as though he had burnt her, merely with his gentle touch. She had felt that same faint prickling spasm through her hand, but it had disappeared as soon as she had withdrawn from Ron's touch.
"Ron, leave me be," she said, trying to force a tone of evenness in her voice.
But either Ron was oblivious to her anger or he really wanted to know what was up with her.
"Fucking hell, why won't you tell me what's going on with you Hermione? We're supposed to be going out but we never even freaking see each other anymore. And you know how much I have to go through tonight, but you still don't even give a -"
Hermione stood up abruptly from the table so that she only slightly towered over Ron's tall frame, but the faint disparity in height gave her some confidence nevertheless.
"Ron, you're not my owner, therefore you don't need to know where I am 24/7, okay? So just butt out!"
Ginny also stood up from the table, her face contorted with fury, impatience and worry. Hermione sensed Ron flinch slightly, but she herself maintained a composed state, even though she eyed the red haired girl opposite her with some apprehension nonetheless.
"Do you two always have to fight all the bloody time?"
Hermione and Ron both looked at each other and then looked back at Ginny in confusion. This seemed to incense Ginny even further, if it were at all possible.
"Argh, never mind," she responded, pushing her seat back into the table as she moved to walk away from them. "I'm gonna go find Harry."
And she swiftly paced out of the Hall, and it was only until Ron again placed his hand over Hermione's that the prickling she experienced again seemed to jolt her to her senses and she quickly ran after Ginny, desperately praying that the red haired girl would not discover the sight that would surely break her heart.
"Ginny! Ginny! Hang on, wait for me!"
Draco watched with mild perplexity as the Weasley girl in front of him rolled her eyes again in the same dramatic fashion but she stood her ground nevertheless.
"Ginny hang on a-"
Granger ran past the corner to meet up with the sight of Draco and Weasley.
Draco felt his stomach do somersaults, the feeling scaring him as it seemed so foreign and new. Granger's hair framed her face messily, each curl undefined against masses of frizz that granted her beauty nevertheless. Draco felt a strong urge to reach out and tame the curls, but he resisted the impulse.
Granger was panting slightly and her cheeks were somewhat red and flustered, that made Draco experience a strong sense of desire pass through his body. Granger's face contorted into a cruel frown when she saw Draco that made his heart dip slightly.
"What are you doing here?" she scorned, fury blazing blatantly in her eyes that made him cower slightly.
"Don't worry about him, 'Mione," Weasley said, her confused eyes never leaving Draco's own as she pondered about what Draco had said earlier.
Draco forced his lips to twist into a smirk.
"Ahhh, Granger, we meet again," he announced pretentiously, bowing slightly in mock politeness at the brown haired beauty.
Granger laughed coldly.
"I thought a person like you would know by now that its not safe to have your back turned towards your enemies Malfoy," she said dangerously, eyeing the blonde boy with revulsion. "What makes you think I won't hex you?"
Draco pouted and he noted with amusement that Granger's eyes widened slightly in surprise.
"Enemies, Granger? Surely our past differences have been laid aside, what with the recent circumstances and events?"
The Weasley girl looked over at Granger, her eyebrows raised questioningly. Draco felt a sudden pang of irritation at her mere presence.
"What's he on about, 'Mione?" she ventured, surveying Granger with confusion.
Granger grimaced slightly, though Draco did not know why, but she then shot a cold look over at him that for some reason made him want to kneel down and beg her for forgiveness.
"Oh, he just means 'cause we're both Heads now," Granger replied, somewhat curtly, the tone of her voice astounding Draco.
But he shook his head amusedly.
"Don't forget about tonight, Granger. And I sincerely hope your timid lion won't be forced to step down from his royal position after the proceedings. He was a good king, though both reckless and foolish. But the reckless and the foolish do serve their purposes nevertheless, right Granger?"
And with that enigmatic speech, Draco brushed past the two pretty girls, his robes characteristically billowing after him.
"Come in, Miss Granger."
Hermione walked through the door to enter Dumbledore's office, her stomach feeling somewhat queasy as she had eaten her lunch very quickly indeed, after remembering her appointment with the Headmaster was already in procession.
She took her seat sheepishly, careful to sit as far away from Malfoy as possible and she returned the smile on Dumbledore's face with ready ease.
Dumbledore was sitting behind his desk, spectacles donned upon the bridge of his nose that gave him an almost uncharacteristic severeness. His hands were clasping a scroll of off-white parchment, which he began opening somewhat affectedly, as if beckoning conversation to transpire between the two Heads.
But they remained, as per prediction, as eerily silent as ever.
Hermione chanced a glance at Malfoy, making full use of her peripheral vision.
Malfoy's hair had dried by now (Well of course it would have by 'now', Hermione thought stupidly) and the strands hung lusciously to frame his face in a delectable undercut. Hermione shook her head slightly, careful not to gain the attention of Dumbledore.
"Well, I must first ask you, how is the Head common room? I hope it is to your liking, though I must beg you to keep the windows open at night to let the rats escape to engage in their feasting rituals."
He chuckled and glanced over the piece of parchment, and both Hermione and Malfoy exchanged looks of disbelief. But when they both locked gazes, they suddenly turned away from each other in shock.
"Professor, the common room is excellent," Hermione coughed, and she sensed Malfoy nod rather vigorously beside her.
"Indeed," Dumbledore murmured, surveying the two of them again with mild interest before smiling and glancing back down at the parchment in his hand.
Hermione shifted uncomfortably in her seat as she saw from the corner of her eye that Malfoy was looking at her. Though the way in which he was looking at her seemed to frighten her slightly…
It was almost in a… scandalous…manner…
"Well, back to the purpose of this meeting," Dumbledore said quietly. "I have decided that there will be a formal ball later this year, requiring all students to wear formal dress robe attire. Yes, I have decided to allow people below the fourth year to attend also, after consultation with the teaching staff, and we all believe that this is an excellent opportunity to showcase house unity and your own creativity. Of course, you both shall have maximum input, though all ideas must be safe and approved by yours truly. I myself see no boundaries, unless of course the major attraction includes a giant-sized hippogriff, in which case I hope you will excuse me if I veto the idea."
Hermione forced a laugh, but her mood could not help but lighten at Dumbledore's proposal.
A ball? At Hogwarts? Hermione smiled. It would be just like fourth year all over again! And what a way to celebrate her last year at school!
She grinned as she imagined Ginny dragging her to all the shops in Hogsmeade looking for extravagant robes and the like, especially for the occasion. She couldn't wait to plan it!
But wait a second, Hermione thought, her heart dipping slightly in disappointment. I have to plan this with Malfoy! Together with… 'Malfoy'…
"When is it?" Malfoy muttered, his tone of voice and facial expression completely inscrutable.
Hermione quickly glanced over at Dumbledore, who was frowning slightly.
"We have not as of yet ascertained an exact date, Mr Malfoy, though I believe that a ball would be a magnificent way to culminate the year, wouldn't you agree?"
Malfoy nodded his head impassively, but Hermione simply could not contain her excitement.
"So we get to organise everything? What about entertainment and food and stuff?"
Malfoy shot Hermione a look of disgust but she promptly ignored him, instead choosing to look at Dumbledore, her face shining fresh with youth and happiness. Dumbledore chuckled at her enthusiasm.
"Yes, Miss Granger, I firmly believe the two of you are more than capable of handling matters yourselves. I expect most of the arrangements to be at least outlined within the next month, which allows plenty of time to organise all the necessary activities. Yet there is one minor condition, and when I say minor, I hope that you both will indeed find the condition minor, because it is indeed minor, unless you both bring to surface any quar-"
But here he paused, glanced quickly at his watch, and said, "I'm sorry, but I must leave you now, as I have another engagement, but we shall have another meeting soon so I can tell you what the minor condition is. But in the mean time, discuss any possible themes that the ball can uphold."
Hermione grinned even wider. At least she had something to look forward to, because her life was pretty bleak at the moment.
But I guess there always 'is' a light at the end of the tunnel, if you only just wait for it, she thought happily.
Draco walked out of Dumbledore's office, rubbing the nape of his neck forcefully.
For some reason, it had begun to throb painfully during the meeting with Dumbledore and he could find no reason to account for it. It had never happened before, so it was probably unimportant, but it still nevertheless hurt like there was no tomorrow.
He quickened his pace as he made his way toward the Head common room before Granger could, even though he was sure she had gone to probably seize her lover boy up for the duel that was to take place in about two hours.
He scowled at the mere thought and unconsciously quickened his pace even further, noting that the common room was probably five minutes away from where he was.
Draco passed a hand over his hair, separating the strands so that there was no partition in the middle of his head anymore and his senses calmed slightly.
He remembered how Granger had looked so naively beautiful up in Dumbledore's office… how the frizz in her hair had made him want to tame it with his own fingers so bad…
Draco winced at his own weakness and turned a corner, his robes fluttering gracefully behind him.
And when she had found out about the ball, she looked like there was a party brewing up within her very own body!
And man would I love to go to that party, Draco thought, wincing once again as the thought crept into his mind
He growled, remembering that he was not meant to harbour feelings for the Mudblood, but to merely seduce her and gain her trust. And what was so hard about doing that? It was not as if he had never done it before, indeed, that was what he was most used to doing – seducing girls, bedding them and then dumping them the morning after. Piece of cake, it was.
But Granger was so damn resistant! Why wasn't she falling like the rest of them?
Draco walked bitterly into the common room, shutting the door loudly behind him, and ran the water for the bath. It had been a long time since he had a bath, and he knew that he had more than deserved it after what had happened all of today.
"Permanere purus!" Draco murmured, pointing his wand lazily at the water, which began to sparkle magically with soap.
He clambered in somewhat ineptly and submerged his toned body into the warm water, letting the moisture seep into his thirsty skin.
Draco scowled as he thought of their first Headship duty for the year. A damn ball! Draco sighed, remembering all the many extravagant balls and parties he had attended over the years, because of his reputable Father and his long line of clientele and indeed, butt-kissers, who Draco had been forced to be amiable toward.
Draco frowned and sifted his hands through to water, that smelt distinctly of jasmine.
Now where have I smelt that before...
"Ahh," Draco murmured huskily, a cruel smirk playing on his lips. "The infamous Astronomy Tower."
Those damn jasmine flowers… so beautiful and pure, yet so incredibly resistant and intoxicatingly sweet at the same time…
Draco winced as the water began to decrease in temperature and, before his skin could wrinkle up unattractively, he climbed out of the bath and dried himself idly with his favourite black towel.
He applied gel to his hair, deciding this time to spike it smartly before approving himself in the mirror. Draco crept out of the common room, checking his pocket for his wand, which he knew would be very much needed that night.
"Ron, are you sure you want to do this?"
Hermione buttoned up Ron's robes for him, not in the slightest embarrassed at witnessing his toned body and mildly freckled skin. It wasn't as if she hadn't seen it all before, and Ron didn't seem to mind either.
It seemed as though he was rather enjoying the attention from Hermione, but a large part of him was hopelessly scared of the prospects of a duel with Draco Malfoy, aka the-ferret-in-the-inner-circle-of-none-other-than-you-know-who.
"Hand me my wand," he said somewhat timidly, his eyes slightly glassy with fear.
Hermione shook her head, as Ron had once again ignored her pending question, and threw the slender twig at her boyfriend, who did not even attempt to catch it. She exasperatedly leaned forward to pick up the wand and she thrust it into his hand, closing each of his fingers around the thin cylinder in a fairly firm grasp.
"You don't have to do this, you know," Hermione again urged, straightening Ron's hopeless collar out for him in rather neat way.
Ron did not even react the slightest.
"RON!" Hermione bellowed, so unconsciously loud that Ron finally stirred and eyed her hesitantly.
"What? What? What?" he murmured, his expression resuming its dazed state once more.
Hermione growled her impatience and flung her hands above her head in submission.
"Got any good spells up your sleeve, Weasley?" she muttered harshly, crossing her arms over her chest, waiting for him to respond, even though she was pretty sure she already knew the answer.
This statement, however, seemed to slice through Ron like a serrated knife.
"Hey, hey, if you actually hung out with me more, you would have noticed that I looked up a few good spells especially for tonight, thank you very much," Ron murmured defensively.
Hermione suppressed the growing rage that was welling up inside her.
"Whatever Ron," she chose to say. "Let's just go."
Just as the two of them had reached the Astronomy Tower platform, Ron looped his arm around Hermione's own, rather instinctively, and Hermione could sense the growing fear that was plaguing his mind.
She could not even dare to imagine the terror that Ron was feeling at that very moment. Hermione knew that she would be pretty terrified if she had to face Malfoy, knowing full well that the blonde rebel was most probably up to his ears with knowledge about the dark arts and the like. Ron did not stand a chance, unless there was some prophecy at play. Or a miracle.
And each seemed as unlikely as the other.
They entered the platform, and Hermione appreciatively could not see Malfoy anywhere and her heart lightened slightly. Even though she wasn't sure whom she wanted to win the duel, she was certain she did not want either of them to get hurt.
Hermione knew that she could not dissuade Ron from his resolve. That was one thing about Ron you could count on – he never broke his promises. And Hermione respected that, so she did not try to deter him too much.
Hermione broke away from Ron's grasp and moved toward the concrete railing that she knew only too well, noting that the stars in the sky were shining dimly, as if they knew of the tragic events that were about unfold beneath them…
Hermione shivered in her cloak, not knowing whether Malfoy would come or not, but the thought immediately disappeared from her mind as she suspected that Malfoy would never miss any chance to show off his skill and talent.
For Hermione knew he was indeed skilled and talented. What other reason could Dumbledore have for choosing him as Head Boy for the year?
She sensed Ron come up behind her, but he did not touch her and Hermione was grateful for that fact.
"Hermione," Ron whispered, making Hermione turn around to face him.
He was so much taller than her, but he seemed like an equal to her. She loved him for being so amicable.
"Yeah?"
"I just want you to know that nothing's gonna happen to me tonight. Just trust me. Trust me," he repeated, taking Hermione's hand in his own and stroking it.
Hermione's eyes closed artlessly and her breathing deepened. She had a sudden urge to kiss Ron… to feel his warmth again, to escape her worries once more…
"Oh for Merlin's sake – get a bloody room."
Hermione's eyes opened instantly at the snide remark and both she and Ron saw that Malfoy had finally made his arrival.
Hermione gasped as a sudden wave of jasmine scent made its way toward her… her favourite flower…
Malfoy was looking particularly haughty, his hair spiked up and his skin mildly flushed to grant him an angelic beauty.
Except angels don't smirk, Hermione thought irritably, as she surveyed the characteristic sneer on the gorgeous boy in front of her.
"And the pretty boy finally decides to show up," Ron said loudly. "What freaking perfume are you wearing Malfoy?"
Hermione tensed somewhat behind Ron.
"It's jasmine flowers I think," she said matter-of-factly, surveying Malfoy with surprise.
Ron sneered.
"More like 'Orchard of Shit', eh Hermione?" he snarled, rummaging inelegantly in his pocket for his wand.
Hermione fought the urge to slap Ron, ashamed at his blemishing of something so beautiful and pure, but Malfoy seemed arrogant enough to let the remark bounce off him, leaving him utterly unscathed.
"At least I have some dignity and I don't show up with a Mudblood around my arm," Malfoy roared. "Honestly Weasley, you're a disgrace to purebloods everywhere."
Hermione felt a violent volcano erupt within her but she needn't have shown her fury.
"YOU TAKE THAT BACK YOU BASTARD!" Ron bellowed, raising his wand at Malfoy menacingly. "Metalion Kranion!"
Hermione gasped audibly as the jet of blue light hit Malfoy in the head and his skin darkened to a navy blue-black colour and his whole body staggered around one side of the platform, his hands holding up the dark navy blue-black lump. It was only then that Hermione realised that Malfoy's head had turned into a large block of metal.
Ron laughed animatedly beside Hermione, pulling her waist in toward him but Hermione resisted his advances, her eyes glinting wide in undisguised horror.
But she needn't have worried, as Malfoy's head soon turned back to its normal state.
"First rule of duelling, Weasel," he whispered dangerously. "Do not instigate an attack when your enemy is unaware. Acidus fontana!"
Ron stopped laughing immediately and he looked over at Hermione in horror. Hermione raised her eyebrow at him, not knowing when the spell would take full effect but a moment later she screamed and scrambled away from the red haired boy.
His mouth was wide open and a fluorescent green coloured liquid began pouring out of his mouth uncontrollably. It seemed to be acidic and painful, as Ron was screeching at an unimaginably high volume, as the liquid rooting from his insides began draining from his mouth and running down to burn his skin and robes…
"Malfoy, take the fucking curse off him now!" Hermione managed to yell, her eyes glistening with moisture and terror.
Malfoy stopped his maniacal laughter immediately and reluctantly murmured, "Sistere!", whereupon Ron's skin and robes emerged back from no where and he seemed relatively unharmed, apart from the horrified expression manifested on his face.
"You're lucky I have a soft spot for your girl, Weasel, or I would have left you to die," Malfoy said lazily, winking at Hermione.
Ron's ears went blood red and his face was contorted into one of pure malice.
"Why you… SERRA DILUVIUM!"
Hermione could not keep count from the sidelines, but about five knives emerged from Ron's slender wand, all of them directed at Malfoy, whose eyes were widened in both shock and immense fear.
The blades all struck Malfoy simultaneously before they cluttered to the ground and disappeared into smoke. Malfoy slid down the wall near the entrance of the Astronomy Tower, his limbs bleeding profusely and his breathing deep and harsh.
Hermione gazed at Ron, her eyes filling with tears of disbelief and before she could stop herself, she bellowed, "Brevis stupere!" and watched with mild relief as Ron fell to the floor in a mild sleeping state.
She rushed over to Malfoy, despite the snide comment he had spoken before, and knelt before him, though she did not dare touch him yet. What if he recoiled away at being touched by a Mudblood?
Hermione felt tears in her eyes again.
She could not help being a Mudblood… she could not help having brown bushy hair… she could not help being a hopeless nerd… she could not help being ugly when compared to her mother…
And she could no longer keep the grief within her. She unclasped her hair and let it fall freely behind and in front of her… she let the tears fall… let the sobs become audible…
Never even realising that before her, the blonde haired boy, who was steadily losing blood, was also steadily regaining consciousness…
Somewhere near him, Draco heard weeping. And it jolted him back to his senses…
It reminded him of something… someone…
His mother.
His mother, the dear woman who had so often wept when his Father had gone away on business… who had so often wished for a life other than the one she had been granted…
Draco felt dizzy in his head, felt like the world was spinning around him. He felt thick moisture accumulating under his robes, his nose inhaling that distinct smell of iron that had soon become his father's trademark scent…
Draco felt his mind move back and forth from consciousness back to unconsciousness until he thought he had died… the blackness had once again arrived and had become so overpowering… Draco knew he had died…
But when he heard the crying coming from somewhere near him… he knew he had to come back, for some reason… not for his own selfish reasons, but for someone else's…
Draco slowly opened his eyes, his focus bleary and his mind spinning again but he saw that same chocolate brown hair that sent a wave of warmth through his body… alleviating the pain so much so that his focus became sharper… the feeling came back to his body…
But this wasn't his mother… it was…
"Granger?" Draco whispered, his voice so low it was almost silent.
The girl's hair was splayed in front of her face, but upon hearing Draco's words, she swiftly pulled the brown mass of tresses precariously behind her ears and smiled at him
A smile that made butterflies flutter in his stomach.
"D-Draco?" she answered, her voice melodious and caring.
Draco tried to sit up more comfortably against the wall, but the pain rippled back through his body and he gasped his shock. Granger leaned forward instantly and placed her hand on Draco's shoulder and he felt wild electricity pass through his body that jerked his senses.
She… she was touching him…
"Don't move, it'll only hurt more," she said quietly, patting his back, near the nape of his neck, lightly. When she saw him wince under the pressure, she immediately tried to pull down the robes near that area to examine any possible wound, but he scowled at her so fiercely that she hastily removed her hand.
"Are you feeling okay?" Granger whispered awkwardly, turning her head away from the boy.
Draco felt himself sneer in response before he could stop himself.
"What the fuck do you think?" he answered harshly, his eyes once again becoming groggy.
Granger grimaced and the strands of her hair began falling back into her face before she could smooth them back into place.
"I'm sorry," she managed to whisper, her eyes staring into Draco's own with deep sincerity and ruefulness.
Draco felt a sudden urge to touch Granger's hair… knew the desire just had to be sated this time around…
He extended his hand slowly, flexing his fingers slightly before plunging them into Granger's mane of brown hair, twisting the strands around his blood-streaked fingers barbarically.
The girl gasped in surprise but she did not move away from him. Draco moved his finger toward Granger's flushed cheek, the action making Granger close her eyes immediately and lean in slightly toward the boy.
Draco traced the contour of her cheek with sheer amazement, savouring the feeling of her delicate, velvet skin on his own finger…
"Why do you do this to me, Granger," he whispered huskily, more to himself than to the girl in front of him.
It was more of a statement than a question, really, yet Granger did not open her eyes, merely sighing with evident satisfaction. Draco felt electricity pass through his body and his stomach squirmed vigorously… a feeling he had never before experienced in such intensity…
He forcefully pushed Granger away from him, eyeing her with horrified eyes and she was quick to return the expression.
They both looked at each other, each getting lost in the other's deep, profound orbs…
But soon Draco plunged back into the darkness, and he knew that this time, it was inescapable…
A/N: Hey hey! Okay so I've deceived you – I said the chapters would get much shorter but in truth this is the longest chapter I've ever written! Argh I'm horrible aren't I! I just hope that wasn't too tedious or painful for you all! Thank you for the wonderful reviews you really make my day J Hehehehe. Okay so I just wanted to say that there is still much much more to come so don't be disappointed and I can no longer assure you of the length of this chapter, I had lots of fun writing it and the duel was initially much longer than what you have just read now but I cut it down immensely so that the chapter would in turn be shorter. I love writing this story so its not like I'm gonna stop, hopefully some of you have picked up on the hints I've left here and there so yeah, until next time – ciao! Oh and no they are not gonna fall in love in the next chapter, even though they're gonna come around eventually sigh . Oh and just wanted to say something to:
Piper-Lorenna: Thanks for the review and good job for spotting that little sentence about Draco wanting to kill Voldemort! No, I assure you that was not a typo - Draco really felt that way. And I have a good reason for writing it like that (partly because Draco was so angry but you know thats only half the story!), but you will find out in good time as to the reason why I wrote it. In the mean time, keep reading and thanks for reviewing (sorry everything is so mysterious and hazy at the moment!)