The Big Match

Hermione rolled over in her bed in her sleep, an uneasiness flowing through her from her present dream.

dream

Hermione was sitting at something- a party it seemed. She was at a tall table sipping a drink.

Turning to her left she saw a tall man with dark hair and green eyes talking to a blond man of the same stature. It appeared to be Harry and Draco, only years older. Both men shook hands and Draco clasped Harry on the shoulder before turning and leaving.

Draco walked over to Hermione and gently took hold of her arm smiling and so she smiled back.

"Such happy times weddings are," Draco said with more of a nostalgic sigh than declarative statement. "Look how happy they are."

Hermione turned to see Harry dancing with a tall red haired woman that Hermione identified as Ginny. While she was looking, she felt an arm snake around her shoulders and pull her closely.

"Reminds me of another time a year or so ago."

"Oh?" Hermione asked trying to sound playful and not like she had no idea what he was referring to.

Draco smiled and laid his other hand on her abdomen and began to rub it gently. "And to think that now we are going to have a little one running around soon."

Hermione glanced down and noticed the ring on her finger and the bulge under her dress.

Hermione shot straight up in her bed breathing heavy. This was not going to happen, she was NOT going to like Draco. Sure they had hooked up, but that was it just a hook up. She had no feelings for him did she? No! she couldn't; she wouldn't!

Laying back down in her bed, Hermione abolished any thoughts of Draco from her mind, however, Draco did not find a similar task quite as easy.

The blond lay in his bed staring at the nearby wall telling himself not to think about Hermione. They would be separated soon and although he did not have a horrible time, life would be entirely more convenient without the know-it-all.

By next week, they would both be back to their old tricks again. And that was what he wanted; right? Of course!

As Draco's eyes closed, he made a subconscious resolution to begin to push Hermione away. He didn't have time for this anymore, the Quidditch Finals were coming up next week. Practice every day.

So the week pressed with Hermione and Draco barely speaking except when necessary. Caitlyn had started crawling, walking, and speaking more; she had not as of yet become too much of a handful. The elves now had to watch the child during classes and during Quidditch practice since Hermione and Draco were still attached.

Soon it was the day of the big match, Slytherin v. Gryffindor.

Everyone was uptight. Hermione and Draco opted out of breakfast in the great hall, because either way one of them would be seen as fraternizing with the enemy. This still didn't stop the taunts they both had to endure that day.

Breakfast was rather uncomfortable, with Draco shrugging off every attempt at conversation Hermione made. He had spoken a grand total of five words and spent the rest of the meal deep in thought. Hermione figured he was focusing all his attention on that evening's game.

As Draco and Hermione were walking back up to their dorm, Crabb and Goyle walked up to Draco.

"You gonna catch that snitch before that arse Wonder Boy?" Crabb asked laughing at Hermione's reaction to his taunt of her friend. It was nothing though compared with what happened next.

"Of course he's gonna win for us! He has had this hot piece of ass to shag while Potter was probably worrying about the game!"

Hermione's jaw dropped as Draco began to laugh. "Hey, what can I say?"

Hermione turned fast to look at Draco as she heard behind her Crabb and Goyle laughing.

"Never was a Mudblood that was much more than a whore."

Draco just let them go on and on Hermione continued to look at him for a moment, and then slapped him across the face and ran up to the dorm.

Draco, not really having a choice in the matter headed up to the dorm after Hermione to find the girl standing in the room her back to him. From the sound of her voice it sounded like she was fighting tears.

"Leave me alone Draco."

"I'd love to babe," he said snidely knowing full well that Hermione hated the derogatory pronoun, "But incase you haven't noticed, we are still stuck together thanks to those two knuckle heads you call friends."

Hermione turned and slapped him again.

After finding his face stinging for the second time in five minutes, Draco rounded on Hermione grabbing her tightly by the shoulders and pinning her against the wall. As he spoke his voice was dangerously low.

"You would do to stop that Mudblood! Don't forget that when all this is done, you will still be a measly little Mudblood, and I will still be Draco Malfoy son of Lucius Malfoy, one of the most powerful and influential wizards today. I don't think my father would like to hear of me being slapped, do you?"

As Hermione whimpered with her head turned sideways so that Draco's harsh words fell upon her cheek, Draco realized just how tightly he was holding her and felt a pang of remorse shoot through him. He hadn't meant to hurt the girl, only scare her a bit. However, one doesn't spend eighteen years living in the house of Malfoy and not know how to hide one's emotions.

Draco shoved the girl to the side so that he wasn't hurting her any more, but so that she also fell to the floor. After throwing her he turned, but not soon enough so he couldn't see her hands moving up to grasp the area Draco had just been holding.

"Get up!" he yelled, "Your pathetic sniveling is making me nauseous."

And Hermione's eyes narrowed and she did get up.

"What the duce is wrong with you Draco Malfoy?"

"Nothing is wrong with me! I am perfectly fine!"

"You're acting different."

"No, I am acting like Draco Malfoy; this is how Draco Malfoy acts, how he always has acted, and will always act, and nothing or nobody is going to change that fact ever!"

"Bull shit!"

Draco snapped his head so he was focusing on Hermione. "What?"

"I said 'Bull Shit'" she told him making sure to draw out both words as if he were slow, "Bull shit as in you have been acting at least decent for the majority of the time we have been stuck together, and now you are being a prick." She looked at him oddly after speaking.

"Oh, I get it. You thought that you had changed me!" Draco laughed mockingly. "The brave little Gryffindor Princess gets locked up in the castle with the cold unfeeling Slytherin king."

"Draco please....."

"And while he continues to push her away, her patience and virtue and ability to think on her feet along with her unquestioning love of everything and everyone finally makes the unfeeling bastard realize that he does have a heart."

"Draco I....."

"And the princess teaches him how to feel again, and he end up falling in love with her. And in the end, their love stands many test and passes each of them because true love conquers all!" Here he broke into hysterical laughter. "And they all....." he laughed, "lived happily....." more laughter, "ever after!" here he howled like a hyena he was laughing so hard.

"Draco!"

He stopped his hysterics long enough to raise an eyebrow.

"Is that what you really thought? Well I have news for you. There's something called the real world Hermione, where guys like me can't be with girls like you!"

"I just..... I just....." Her words were interrupted by her heavy gasps as she choked down her tears determined not to cry.

"You what?"

"I just thought we'd be friends..... Or at least civil..... it's just that..... that....."

But before she finished, she ran into the bathroom and slammed the door. It was only then that Draco let his face fall and the sorrow he felt shone through on his face. 'It's for the best Hermione,' he thought, 'My father wouldn't think twice about killing us both.'

He knew it after the dream he had had last night. He had ended up married to Hermione with beautiful children. Thinking back on it now brought tears to his eyes. He had woken up startled, but knew that deep down he pined for the connection more than he could ever let anyone know. He wanted Hermione, not just to shag, but to..... love? That was why he had to push her away. Feelings have no place in a war.

"So Severus, did you bring that wallet of yours today?"

"Good morning Minerva; it's a pleasure as always."

"Yes almost as much of a pleasure as it is going to be emptying the contents of that wallet after Gryffindor whips Slytherin this afternoon."

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure of that Minerva if I were you; you just might....."

"Now, now, are we betting on sports again? You know Severus, that psycho- whatsit that we met with say you really must learn to control you obsessive habits."

"Uh, yes, if I may a word professor?"

"Why indeed, please excuse us Minerva."

"Good day boys."

The two men walked down the hall in silence until the younger one spoke.

"Albus, you never told me what you wanted that potion for last night."

"Oh, I just had some business to attend to."

"Sir, the Conscious Unconscious potion is very serious. Not only does it make it's victim realize what they want more than anything else in the world, but it also has caused many witches and wizards to go mad simply because they cannot achieve the desire that they else wise were unaware of. I must caution you again against using this potion."

"Oh bugger off you old bat! And I already used it thank you."

Hogwarts' Potion's Master stopped in his very tracks, "Are you calling me old sir?"

"Not old, just stuffy and well..... aged. You know Sev old boy, you ought to learn how to live a bit, your age is showing old man."

"Old man!?" Severus Snape turned and stalked down the hall away from the crazy old headmaster.

When it was time to get ready for the game, Draco shrunk Hermione without so much as a word of interaction between them. Draco constantly reminded himself that it was better that they didn't speak, but secretly considered keeping Hermione small always so he could always keep her in his breast pocket. Of course he could make her larger when no one was around, but otherwise it might just looked like she vanished off the face of the earth. Well, he could come up with elaborate impractical schemes if his mind so choose.

The game was exciting; it was going on its fifth hour, after raining for three, and the game remained mostly neck and neck. It was all up to Draco. A flash of gold. The Snitch!

Seeing the stitch dive below him, Draco dove himself and from the looks of it, Potter was doing the same. A strait dive would be too easy, Draco was sure of that. Somewhere it would turn.

And it did, at the same moment Hermione's box began to slide out of Draco's robes. The connection had been broken and if she fell from here, she would surely die! Draco looked from the box to the snitch, the box to the snitch, and back from the box to the snitch again. He was either going to lose the house cup or Hermione. Diving still blinded by the rain that pelted at his eyes Draco stretched out his hand.

A few minutes later, Draco sat on the grass in the Quidditch Pitch looking at the small brown box in his hands.

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