~*The Passion of a Dragon*~
By: xKatx
Author's Notes: Welcome to my story! I hope
you guys enjoy this as much as I enjoy writing it. Yes, it is a WIP, but I'm
moving along with the plot so it'll all be out soon! please read and review and
let me know if this is worth continuing. I love you guys tons!
Disclaimer: I don't own HP stuff—I'd be in the mountains right
now if I did—I own everything you don't recognize.
Characters You Will Meet In This Chapter:
Elvira the Elusive, the portrait guarding the Heads dormitory
Maya Grey, Hermione's friend in her Ancient Runes class
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The plates on the tables of the Houses were quickly cleaned by the students, before disappearing altogether. At that moment, Dumbledore stood again, announcing a few last minute rules, the Prefects of the year, and the Head Boy and Girl. Hermione smiled as people applauded for her, and then politely applauded with the school as Malfoy's name was announced. She saw the younger girls giggling and blushing in his direction, but he seemed incognizant to any of it. Hermione felt a little bit of respect for him, considering he was in fact gorgeous, but wasn't too narcissistic about it.
"Now, to bed with all of you; classes begin tomorrow!" Dumbledore announced, and the students all stood, making their way to the doors of the Great Hall.
Hermione walked with her friends, considering the Heads dormitory was on the same floor as the Gryffindor tower. They chattered about the prophecy a little more before Hermione bid them goodnight and made her way to the portrait of Elvira the Elusive.
Elvira was clad in a pale purple robe, a black sash across her shoulder. She had pale blonde hair and snapping blue eyes. It was no wonder she was elusive--she was quite beautiful, and Hermione imagined many a fine young man had tried, but not succeeded, to wed Elvira.
"Are you Hermione Granger, Head Girl?" Elvira asked in a squeaky, but very low voice.
"Yes," Hermione replied, looking at the portrait.
"Where is the
Head Boy?"
Hermione shrugged just as Draco walked up. Her eyes turned from warm brown to
icy violet in two seconds flat. She wasn't going to be caught off-guard with
him around-her trust level for him was lower than her trust level of letting
Neville test a potion on her.
"You waited… how unnaturally kind of you, Mudblood," he said, his voice still as baritone and enticing as it had been on the train.
She crossed her arms and looked him up and down, "It wasn't by choice," she said, "We both had to be here to say the password for the first time."
"Something you read in one of your meaningless books, I suppose," he commented.
"Are you Draco Malfoy, Head Boy?" Elvira asked, clearly not impressed by him.
"Yes," he replied.
"Password, then?"
"Infinigus," the two of them said in unison. In that instant, the soprano of her voice and the baritone of his seemed to echo through the hall. It gave her a shiver down her back, but he seemed not to notice.
Elvira's portrait swung forward, and Draco stepped back to let her in first. He may have hated her, and she him, but he was still a gentleman.
Upon entering through the portrait hole, one stepped down two stairs to where three couches sat in a 'U' shape with a table in the middle. In the corner was a long table, with several chairs around it. Across from the couches was the immense stone fireplace, a majestic clock sitting on its mantle. On the highest level, where Hermione and Malfoy stood now, were three doors and two windows. To their left was a large window, just before the door to Hermione's room. In the middle was the door leading to the bathroom. Next was the door to Malfoy's room, preceding another large window. The entire room was decorated in crimson and black.
"Impressive," Malfoy commented, looking at the room one more time.
Hermione raised an eyebrow, "Impressive? This is awesome."
"You're easily pleased," he commented.
She narrowed her eyes at him, as she moved past him and toward the door leading into her room.
(A/N: Here is a rough idea of what their dorms look like
_________________ __________________
l l l l
l l l l
l Hermione's l l Draco's l
l Room l l Room l
l l l l
l l_______l l
l________________l Bath l_________________l
l l Room l l
l l_______l l
l l
l l
l Common Room Area l
l l
l l
l_________________________________________l
Hope you guys get a visual! BACK TO THE STORY)
~
Hermione's room had six windows-to on each outside wall.
Unfortunately, two of them faced two of Malfoy's windows as well. She had a
large canopy bed in the center of the room, draped in crimson linens with gold
trimming. The curtains matched, and the wooden desk, chest of drawers, and
other woodworking was all in cherry finished wood.
Malfoy's room matched hers identically except that his room was colored in
black, emerald green, and silver. It felt homely to him-the Slytherin dungeons
were just as dark as this; perhaps darker. He pulled the curtains shut over the
windows, and the room was even darker. The fire was burning a bright orange,
but after mumbling a few words, the orange turned to pale blue.
This is more like it, he thought to himself as he went about changing for bed. As he unbuttoned his white dress shirt, his fingers brushed the black and silver streak across his chest. She'd given that to him--in his mind, he felt branded. He hadn't left a mark on her, and it didn't seem fair. She should have been branded as well.
Oh well, he thought to himself, I have the entire year to think of something to do.
With this heinous, yet somewhat comforting thought, he climbed into bed and drifted off to sleep.
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"What have we got?" Hermione asked as she showed up at the Gryffindor table the next morning, clad in her usual outfit, with her hair in a French braid and subtle make-up on. She didn't seem to notice when half of the male population of Hogwarts turned their heads to see her enter the Hall.
"First thing is…" Ron said, skimming the paper quickly, "Divination."
"Not for me," Hermione replied with a grin as she buttered a piece of toast and spread strawberry jam over it.
"One of the times when you were absolutely right," Harry commented, giving his best friend a smile.
"So, what do you have, 'Mione?" Ginny questioned, taking a sip of pumpkin juice.
Hermione looked at her paper, and found what she was looking for.
"Ancient Runes," she replied with a grin. However, her grin faltered.
"Isn't that one of the classes you have with Malfoy?" Seamus questioned.
Hermione nodded sadly, and Ron broke into a laugh.
"Watch your
luck-you'll end up getting a project together."
She shot him a look, "Go ahead, jinx
me. Now I will have to work with
him."
Ron held up his hands, warding off any further rebuke, "Hey, I was just pointing out the irony!"
Hermione rolled her eyes and Parvati looked at her, "I wouldn't be so heartbroken-he's turned into quite the hunk."
Ginny and Lavender nodded, "He has," Ginny conceded.
Harry gave her a look, but she gave him a smile, "Calm down, Harry," she assured him, patting his hand affectionately, "Not as cute as you."
Hermione, Ginny, Parvati, Lavender, Ron, and Seamus all rolled their eyes.
"How sappy," Seamus commented, only to be hit a second later with a napkin, "Oy! What's the deal!"
Harry just grinned.
Hermione finished her toast and pumpkin juice before looking at her watch, "Well, we'd better get going-you guys have to go to the Divination tower, and I have to get to the Ancient Runes classroom in the next five minutes."
Everyone else checked their watches and learned Hermione
was absolutely right.
"I'll see you guys in Herbology,"
Hermione informed all of her friends.
"I'll see you guys at lunch!"
Ginny called with a grin as she went off to her sixth-year Potions class.
Hermione put her bag over her shoulder as she walked through the halls to Ancient Runes. She noticed many boys turning around to look back at her, and it made her feel a little uncomfortable. She'd never been oogled before, and it wasn't a welcome experience.
She walked into the Ancient Runes classroom and sat in one of the seats further back. She used to sit right in the front of every class, but since last year she'd discovered being perfect was not the most important thing. The sad aspect of it all was that it took a war to show her that.
She was twirling her quill in her fingers as she sat, waiting for the professor to come in. She watched the door occasionally, her eyes flashing dangerously when Malfoy walked into the room. He sat in the back as well, but was over in the corner near his cronies. Hermione rolled her eyes, thankful that her friend Maya, from Ravenclaw, was in this class.
At that moment, Maya walked in.
"Hermione! Oh my gosh, you look great!" She said, coming to sit next to the Gryffindor.
Hermione smiled at her friend, "Thanks, Maya. You look awesome as well!"
"Thanks! It's about time my metabolism picked up," Maya said, excusing her thinned frame.
They couldn't talk any further considering the professor walked into the room.
"Welcome back, students!" She greeted them with a smile. They all nodded their aquiesce as she began.
"We're going to start out this year talking about Stonehenge. However, I will not be teaching you about it."
The students raised curious eyebrows, as she grinned at them.
"You shall be teaching each other."
Hermione's heart dropped into her stomach. She knew it, she knew it! She was going to be paired with a Slytherin, and if it turned out to be who she thought it was going to be, she was going to scream.
"I've already paired you up with someone from a different house-"
There went her chance to be paired with a Gryffindor.
"-So let's see. Zabini and Griffith-"
One Slytherin down, about twelve more to go.
"-Thomas and Winslow, Liverflew and Steele, Nigels and Berkbach, Braizen and Barlowe-"
Now there were only about eight more Slytherins left.
"-Holt and Kemper, Gray and Mickels-"
Hermione smiled at Maya; at least she was paired with Ricky Mickels, a charming Hufflepuff.
"-Vitrikson and Winston-"
Who was Vitrikson? Hermione had never heard that name before, and she'd heard pretty much all the seventh years' names over the course of her itme at Hogwarts. She looked forward and saw a tall man-about six-foot-turn around to look at the Slytherin he was paired with. He had wavy brown hair and green eyes. He had broad shoulders and his fair share of muscles on his frame. He didn't smile, but she figured if he did, it would be a nice smile.
"-Malfoy and Granger-"
Goddamnit, she thought to herself, her eyes sliding shut in pity for herself. Now she had to work with him!? It was bad enough that she had to share a dormitory with him, and now a project? I think Fate hates me, she thought to herself, looking at Maya, who gave her a sympathetic, yet encouraging smile.
"You can handle it, 'Mione," Maya told her, "I have every confidence in you."
Hermione nodded, but a smile was not on her face.
After the professor finished announcing the partners, Hermione shot a look at Maya that clearly stated she wished she was dead. Maya gave her a smile as they moved to sit with their partners.
Hermione dropped into a desk next to Malfoy, but said nothing. She crossed her legs and arms and glared at the desk, imagining it was his face.
"Now, I want you all to begin planning your projects-you can present it in any form you like. Remember, it's on Stonehenge."
And with that, the professor sat down at her desk, and the students began to talk with each other.
"Don't expect me to be friendly," he warned her.
She glared at him, "Don't expect me to like you."
"I never expect anything from you," He told her, his straight white teeth showing as he smirked at her.
How in the hell could he be so perfect? Every inch of his body was the mirror of perfection, and it annoyed her to no end. Nothing seemed wrong with him--with the exception that he was Malfoy, and every part of his personality was enough to make her crazy with anger.
"We can't do anything right now," she commented, "We have to be in the library."
"I have Quidditch practice every night this week except tonight," he informed her curtly, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye.
"Then we'll go to the library tonight," she concluded, twirling a strand of hair that hung by her face around her finger.
He couldn't deny that he was seriously debating saying something nice to her, but then he remembered the blackish-silver scar on his chest, and he bit back the urge. She was delectable, though--her ruby lips, her golden brown skin, her brown-sugar and honey colored hair, her body--for most girls, the school uniforms did their shape no justice, but they flattered Hermione's to no end.
He looked at her, and saw she was staring at the desk. He stole a quick glance down under the desk and took in the length of her golden-brown legs. Her black socks were pulled up to just under her knee, but her thighs were still visible.
Knock it off, Malfoy, he told himself, this is Mudblood Granger! Stop thinking this way--imagine what Father would say.
The bell rang and they gathered their stuff.
"Six-thirty, Granger," he told her swiftly as he, Blaise, Ivan, Mikail, and Devin met up and left the Ancient Runes classroom.
Hermione glared after him as she and Maya walked out of the classroom together.