Disclaimer: No, I don't own Harry Potter or any of its characters.
~*~
~So what's your purpose for me?
With your intentions in the air
So what if I wanted to ask you if I could meet you there
Go inside, I'm coming through
Into our world that you surround
Show me now
I'm here with you
For you
I could not be more gone ~
~*~
It was the last bloody straw and it was official. Hermione Granger had just broken up with Draco Malfoy. He didn't seem to be phased by it at all. All he gave her was one of those 'You'll come crawling back like the others' stare and he heaved a sigh that sounded bored to her ears. She couldn't take it anymore. Part of what his philosophy was that 'Malfoys never break promises.'
Bullshit. Out of all the countless lies that came tumbling out of his mouth, it just placed an ocean in between them that was becoming deeper to cross. She deserved better. Draco Malfoy didn't deserve her at all. So, that's what she used to convince herself. She didn't need him at all. It was only a week before Valentines Day. Bloody hell.
The next day, word was spread around the school. Whispers were spread among the four house tables when Hermione stepped in the Great Hall for breakfast that Tuesday morning. She heard Pansy cackle in the distance as she made her way towards her usual spot in between Ron and Harry. With every step she took, last night replayed instantly in her head.
" I'm not upset with you Draco, I'm upset with myself," she concluded, nervously wringing her hands together. Draco shifted his story gaze at the apprehensive Gryfinndor. She fought the urge to bite her lower lip, but she was already giving too much of her emotions away.
" Pray tell Granger, why are you upset with yourself?" Draco asked in a bored tone, inspecting the cuticles of his manicured nails.
" I'm tired of pretending that you're going to change. It's just not you and I don't expect you to be happy go lucky on me. I just wanted to see the fact that there was something we shared that you'd take seriously and care for," She said sadly as the tears began to well up behind her eyes. She didn't want to give him the satisfaction of seeing her being weak.
" Happy go lucky? Granger, you've got to be fucking with me! I've…"
" Another thing, you don't listen to me! I like the way you are Draco! You're twisting my words around and making it seem that I'm seeing you as a pansy!" she exclaimed throwing her arms in the air in frustration.
" I'm not a pansy!" he exclaimed as his eyes narrowed in anger. She rolled her eyes at the childish, stubborn side of Draco. He carried so many personalities on his back and he didn't even have any control over them as they popped out of nowhere, especially the ones that pained her the most.
" I'm sorry Draco, but I've wasted too many tears over you. You promised me that you'd find a way to get past your differences and be civil and you can't. You don't even consider my feelings at all. I'm so sick of you casting me aside and reeling me back in whenever you feel like it! I'm a person too!" she said not even noticing the tears that had already streamed down her cheeks.
Draco stared at her in awe and at the moment, he couldn't even find his tongue. He watched her hold back the remaining tears that wanted to escape past her saddened amber eyes.
" It's not like I haven't tried," he responded after a moment of silence that seemed to last forever. Hermione sighed in defeat.
" You gave up and I know you did, but you just gave up and shut down," she said with a bit of an edge to her wavering voice. Draco was about to respond back when she cut him off.
" This isn't working. This thing between us is just falling apart and I'm willing to just let go and not get myself trapped in the debris," she said casting her gaze to the floor of the Astronomy Tower.
Draco gaped at her words. " You want to break up?! After everything we've been though! The ridicule, the resentment and all of the following because you're not strong enough to take me on! Look who's giving up now!" he scoffed as his gray eyes flashed dangerously.
" I've tried Draco, you're just too stubborn, arrogant, and alliterate to read what I'm feeling or trying to say. You gave up before I have and I'm the only one who tried to make an effort to make this work," she continued while walking up to him and cradled his handsome face into her hands, " Draco, you are a beautiful man and I love you, but I think we need some time apart."
With those words, Draco's icy gaze met with hers.
" Your loss."
Hermione sat down on the bench with a sigh. A plate of strawberry waffles appeared before her and she reached for two pieces of toast. She knew that Ron and Harry were staring at her with concern and including the whole Gryfinndor house.
" Hey Mione, you okay?" Ginny asked nudging her gently. Hermione gave her a small smile.
" Not really, but I'm hanging in there," she said giving the young red headed girl a look of reassurance. Ginny nodded and took the hint to not pry anymore further into Hermione's business.
" Oh my God," Lavender said in a surprised tone.
Hermione looked up from her breakfast to see what Lavender was commenting on. That's when she saw him. Draco Malfoy just strolled in the Great Hall not even noticing the astonished stares and frequent whispering being past on from the four tables. He sat down not bothering to acknowledge his housemates at all. Reaching for a fork, Draco began to eat his breakfast without saying a word. Pansy's high nasally voice broke the silence that hung thickly in the air.
" Draco, is it true that you're not with that Granger girl anymore?" she asked leaning in closely to him and batted her eyelashes.
Draco glanced up to meet the pug faced girl's eyes, " Granger who?"
Hermione rolled her eyes in irritation as the hall broke into gasps and mummers. Pansy laughed haughtily and glared at the other Slytherin girls to urge them to do the same.
" Way to be mature about it," Hermione mumbled taking a sip of orange juice.
" He didn't deserve you," Harry said putting down his fork to stare at Hermione. She gave him a dry smile and returned to her breakfast. Strawberry waffles were her favorite, but she suddenly felt too upset to continue eating.
" Malfoy's an asshole and it's about time you realized it," Ron said buttering his toast heavily with a grin.
" I always knew he was, but I just fell in love with him," she said dejectedly.
Ron winced at her choice of words and continued to eat his third helping of waffles.
" I'm sorry things didn't work out between you two, Hermione. You guys looked so cute together," Lavender commented reaching over and gave Hermione's hand an assuring squeeze. She smiled at Lavender and looked down at her uneaten breakfast.
" He's being a jerk off," Ginny spat, " and he's looking at you Hermione."
She shrugged, " That's just what he wants me to do Ginny. He wants me to cave in and go crawling back him on my hands and knees and beg him to take me back. There are plenty of guys out there for me and Draco's just one of the many. I'll be okay and I won't give him the fucking satisfaction."
" We better be off to class now," Seamus interrupted signaling them to head off.
" I'll be fine," Hermione assured answering Ginny's worried look.
" Now we have an excuse to kick his ass again," Ron muttered brushing past them. Harry grinned giving her a light pat on the back.
Hermione got up and glanced up briefly just enough to catch Draco's glare. He raised a brow haughtily and narrowed his eyes away. She frowned and headed towards the door to her first class.
" Nope, he won't have the satisfaction this time."
~*~
The day went agonizingly slow for Hermione. During the beginning of Potions, she noticed that Draco had regained some of his lost groupies when he arrogantly strolled in with that familiar smirk on his face. She couldn't bring herself to look at him during class even though he was her lab partner. They worked in silence with out even looking at each other. Although she could feel in penetrating gaze on the side of her face all during class, she made no sudden movements to look back.
Pansy was seen during the day clinging on to Draco hopelessly. In the girl's lavatory, Hermione heard a few girls from Ravenclaw making plans to ask the Slytherin out on the upcoming Hogsmeade trip on Valentine's Day. There was no way to escape his name and face and it haunted her all day.
" Do you think I made a mistake?" Hermione asked sullenly to Ginny, who was sitting on the opposite chair next to her in the Gryfinndor common room.
" Hermione, I'm sorry to say this, but I saw it coming from a mile away. You weren't yourself when you were around him," Ginny said sadly, " Was he ashamed of you that much?"
" It wasn't like that at all, Ginny. At first, he was trying to cast aside his differences and accept me for who I was. Somewhere along the way he just gave up and didn't realize it with just little things. Like holding hands and me just touching him intimately. He didn't object to sex, but it was like he always seemed to regret it when he awoke. I could see it in his eyes," Hermione said feeling the tears well up once again.
" Then good riddance to him! Hermione, what you need is a guy who accepts you for who you are and appreciates what you have to offer. Sex is suppose to be the least important thing in the relationship and when feelings are reciprocal, then it makes sex worth having," Ginny said reaching over to squeeze Hermione's hand. She smiled, sniffing softly.
" You're right and maybe I'm better off, but I still love him. I need to just…"
She was interrupted by a second year standing there timidly with an envelope.
" Yes?" she asked politely, shifting on the couch a bit trying to get comfortable.
" A boy wanted me to give this to you," the young girl said handing Hermione the envelope.
" A boy? Can you tell me his name?" Hermione asked curiously grabbing the envelope.
" I don't know his name, but he is quite handsome and has the same color hair as you do," the young girl said gleefully.
Hermione smiled in appreciation, " Thank you."
The young girl nodded and headed towards the girl's dormitory.
" Wow, I wonder who it's from…"
" I don't care! Open it!" Ginny squealed in excitement.
Hermione nodded vigorously and tore open the letter. The parchment that came out of the letter was smoothly folded in half. She opened it slowly to read the message.
" Well? What does it say?" Ginny asked pushing Hermione aside on the couch to read the letter.
" It says: Overcome by your moving temple. Overcome by this holiest of alters. I bear witness to this place, this prayer so long forgotten. So pure, so rare to witness such an earthly goddess."
" Whoa. Is it a poem?" Ginny asked furrowing her brows at the words on the parchment. Hermione smiled.
" No, they're lyrics to a Muggle song," Hermione said with a smile that seemed not wanting to leave her face.
" A Muggle song? How strange," Ginny said grabbing the parchment from Hermione.
" Well, I happen to like this Muggle song a lot. It's practically one of my favorites," Hermione said taking the parchment back from Ginny's hands.
" Do you think it's from Draco?" Ginny asked.
Hermione scoffed, " Please, like Draco would want to hear about my favorite Muggle song. Plus, he doesn't write like this. His handwriting is finer and neat. He doesn't know anything about that stuff except for…"
" Except for who?" Ginny asked excitedly.
" Blaise Zabini."
~*~
" If I would've known that you'd be stopping by to see me Granger, I could've cleaned up a bit," Blaise said gesturing to the unkempt boys dormitory. Hermione raised her eyebrows in amusement. With out wasting any time, she handed him the folded piece of parchment.
" Now what's this? Confessing any hidden attraction towards me?" Blaise teased unfolding the parchment.
" No, I wanted to know if you wrote this," she pondered waiting for his response. Blaise let out a long whistle as he read.
" Well, it seems that we're not the only ones who like this song," Blaise said handing her back the letter.
" You're the only one who knows I love this song," she prodded, shifting her feet uncomfortably.
" You're the only one who knows I like Muggle music," Blaise said eyeing her in amusement, " Well, it looks like you have a secret admirer."
Hermione gave out a forced laugh, " Right, Blaise, don't make me laugh."
Blaise frowned, " Hermione, you're one of the most prettiest girls I know. Don't even think about doubting yourself because that's how you intrigued Draco. Guys here are just too stupid to go after you because they feel threatened that you just broke up with the best looking guy in school. They feel like that couldn't possibly match up, but give it some time. You know, Draco is a mess without you."
Hermione rolled her eyes, " Just stop it! I don't want to hear this."
" What? Surprised to know that he actually gave a shit about you? You were all he ever talked about during the evenings. You changed his outlook on how life wasn't after his unhappiness. You know people like him don't change over night and you were patient with him. He was the idiot who didn't realize that you wouldn't wait forever," Blaise said enveloping Hermione in a hug. She felt the tears coming, but somehow they wouldn't come out.
" Has he said anything about me?" she wondered curiously.
" No," Blaise said resting his chin on her head, " but you know how he is."
She nodded, " I've got to go, I'll stop by this evening."
Blaise released her from his embrace and smiled, " Don't worry things will get better."
~*~
The week that seemed to last forever went by slowly and it was Monday morning came again. Blaise was right and slowly she began to feel better. The boys started to notice her availability and charms were turned on for the lovely Gryfinndor. More notes arrived from her 'secret admirer' that contained Muggle song lyrics and bits and pieces of poems that she enjoyed. She noticed that more things were added with each of the notes such as flowers or candies from Honeydukes. Aiden Campbell, a handsome Ravenclaw in her Arithmancy class owled a rose and escorted her to her classes. Gavin Vanderbilt, a Slytherin, asked her out to the upcoming Hogsmeade trip.
" Are you going to go with him?" Lavender asked dreamily.
" I hate to say this, but Gavin is actually a nice guy. He's kind of like Blaise expect he's a little better looking," Ginny said with a shrug.
" Ginny! Hello! They're both good looking!" scoffed Parvati toying with her hair. Hermione grinned.
" Hermione? What are you going to do?" Lavender asked raising her brows playfully.
" Well, I already told Gavin yes and…"
She was interrupted by the sounds of Lavender, Parvati and Ginny squealing in excitement.
" Could you please keep it down? I'm trying to think!" Ron yelled from the other corner of the common room.
" Don't hurt yourself!" Ginny said with grin. Ron looked back from the chair he was sitting on and glared at his little sister. The girls laughed and resumed talking.
" So, any more little messages from your secret admirer?" Ginny asked with a wicked glint in her eye. Hermione gave a small smile.
" Well, I did receive a box of chocolates today with another note," Hermione said gesturing to the chocolates by her side.
" What did the note say?" Lavender pondered reaching over to get a chocolate when Hermione smacked her hand away. She pouted crossing her arms.
" It said: Straw spun from gold. She craves a tortured soul." Hermione said taking a bite from the delicious chocolates.
" How uh…interesting," Parvati said with a clueless look crossing her features.
" Muggle song lyrics, but they're referring to the chocolates sweetie," Hermione said.
" Oh, any idea who's sending you these mysterious notes? Like a handsome blonde Slytherin?" Lavender piped up excitedly.
" Draco would rather jump off of the Astronomy Tower than know what Muggle songs I like," Hermione fumed, popping a caramel filled chocolate into the mouth. The three girls nodded reluctantly in agreement.
On Tuesday, a third year Gryfinndor delivered another mysterious note along with a single white rose. That same morning, Gavin broke the date with her on Saturday.
" I don't understand! He just said something came up and he just asked me yesterday!" Hermione whined on the way to Charms.
" Men's network," Ron and Harry said at the same time.
" What?" Hermione asked with confusion written all over her face. Ron and Harry grinned at each other and escorted her into class.
" The Men's network works like this, Mione. Some guy who has his eye on you has sent a message through the network that you are off limits only to him. The thing is, it only works with guys who have good connections, like me," Ron said smugly. Hermione laughed on the way to her seat while Ron frowned. Harry didn't even bother to hide his amused grin.
That evening, Hermione was in the library doing her Arithmancy homework when she heard the heavy wooden door slam shut. She shrugged it off and got up from the table to return a book on the shelf nearby.
" Granger."
Hermione felt the need to freeze up at the person who spoke her name. Deciding to be mature and civil about the situation, she was unfazed and simply acknowledged the person next to her.
" Hello, Malfoy," she replied facing the smirking Slytherin boy.
" Back to last names now?" Draco teased, the smirk still painted on his handsome face. Hermione smiled in amusement.
" I don't know about you, but I much prefer calling you Draco," Hermione said turning her back to return to her table. As soon as she sat down, Draco occupied the seat from her opposite.
" Then you do that," he said with a small smile. She grinned and turned to putting her things up in her book bag.
" Leaving so soon?" he asked raising an amused eyebrow.
" Is there anything you want in particular?" she asked calmly and rested aside her rolls of parchment. Draco sighed, running his hand through his hair. Hermione tentatively reached over and brushed a few strands away from his face. He looked at her in surprise.
" What? Now I have to have a reason to talk to you now?" Draco asked, the arrogance now evident in his voice. Hermione frowned. He's still the same.
" I don't know Draco, you tell me. You've been bad mouthing me since we broke up and now you want to talk like everything's okay? I don't have a problem talking with you, but I don't want to fight. I'm going to be civil and I expect you to do the same," she said avoiding his piercing, stormy gaze.
" I haven't been bad mouthing you," he said sullenly, " If you're referring to last week, I was just in denial. I didn't want to believe that you were the one that walked away. I can see that it didn't stop you from accepting Vanderbilt invitation on a date."
Hermione stood up from the chair abruptly, " Now hold one a minute! You're one to talk! You have a lot girls after you and do you want me to continue?"
Draco's temper was walking at a fine line at the moment. He frowned, " Just how low do you think of me Granger? I will admit that I'm flattered by all the attention, but I didn't have any intentions of bedding them! You are the only person that I've ever slept with and I…" Draco held up his hand to stop himself from continuing. With one last frown at her, he left angrily with his robes billowing behind him. She grimaced at the sound of the slamming door and looked sadly at her feet. Gathering her stuff, she went back to her dormitory for the night.
~*~
On Wednesday morning, Hermione felt the closeness of Valentine's Day creeping near. She was still dateless. A first year Gryfinndor stopped her on her way in of the Great Hall with two roses and parchments. She smiled and walked to her table.
" Well, look at you! You're glowing!" Ginny squealed enthusiastically. Ron and Harry rolled their eyes and returned to her breakfast.
" What does it say? Come on, open it!" Lavender prodded. Hermione sighed and opened the first piece of parchment.
Sorry.
Hermione smiled slightly and averted her glance to the Slytherin table. She couldn't help but feel disappointed when she didn't see him at his usual seat next to Blaise and some of his other friends.
" What does it say?" Ginny asked nudging her from her trance.
" Nothing, I'll tell you later."
Ginny and Lavender made a sound of protest when Hermione began to open the other piece of parchment.
Why can't I breathe whenever I think about you? Why can't I speak whenever I talk about you? It's inevitable; it's a fact that we're going to get down to it. So tell me, why can't I breathe whenever I think about you?
Hermione smiled broadly, " I think I'm going to cry."
" Aw, that's so sweet! Another Muggle song?" Lavender asked snatching the letter away from Hermione.
" Yeah," she said with a small giggle, " this just really made my day!"
" Um, Hermione? Blaise is trying to talk to you," Parvati said with an eyebrow raised in curiosity. From across the Great Hall, Hermione looked over to see Blaise signaling her outside. She nodded and got up from her seat before Ron and Harry asked any questions. Blaise waited for Hermione to appear outside and when she did, he greeted her with a satisfied smirk.
" Good! You're here! Anyways, I wanted to tell you some information on your secret admirer and I have proof that it's a lesbian after you," Blaise said with a goofy grin. Hermione smacked Blaise playfully on the arm and he smirked at her reaction.
" I'm kidding! Well, this person has it bad for you. The word is that nobody is supposed to ask you out what so ever and I'm keeping a look out to find out who," Blaise explained cocking an eyebrow in amusement.
" Men's network, huh?" Hermione asked sporting a grin.
" Yep and Draco's pretty pissed about it so far," Blaise said giving an exasperatedly sigh. Hermione frowned and shook her head angrily.
" Draco? What the hell does this have to do with him at all?" Hermione snapped in frustration. Blaise merely held up his hands in defense.
" Hey, don't kill the messenger, sweetie. I'm just telling you what I hear in the underworld. Granger, don't act like such a dumb ass because it doesn't suit you well. Of course he's pissed off! He found out that some fucking loon is after his ex," Blaise said rolling his eyes at Hermione's stubbornness.
" He's not a loon! He's sweet and…"
" Look at you Granger! You're obsessing over a weirdo who could even be a she! Why bother yourself over this ludicrous person who can't even show their face when you can work things out with a person who obviously cares for you!" Blaise said as he shook his head in disappointment.
" Why are you doing this? I'm sorry, but I can't talk about this now. Draco used the word care a week too late and he already used all of his fucking chances," she said sadly as she turned to walk away. As soon as she turned, her body collided with another and it happened to be Draco Malfoy. He looked at her with confused downcast eyes. With tears threatening to spill out, she ran away from the two boys. She didn't mention the letter to Draco.
~*~
Saturday came too soon and too fast. Hermione couldn't even feel herself get out of bed that morning. As she stepped into the Gryfinndor common room, she was greeted by the excited chatter of girls squealing about what magical Valentines they got from a significant other. She smiled sadly at the couples below her and headed in the direction of her own private dormitory again.
" Hermione! You got a letter!" Ginny called from below and waved the envelope in the air. She sighed and made her way down the stairs. Grabbing the letter from Ginny, she didn't make any hesitation of opening it. Scanning over the contents of the letter, she smiled slightly and gave it back to Ginny.
" What does it say?" Ginny asked not bothering to read the letter.
" He wants to meet me tonight in the Astronomy Tower," she said dully. Ginny looked at her oddly.
" Well, I'd be excited if my secret admirer wanted to meet me tonight," Ginny scoffed walking towards the portrait door. Hermione followed closely behind.
" What am I doing? I'm a wreck and eventually I'm still not over Draco. I can't get over a relationship that lasted for a year in one week. I'm ready for this so I'm not going," Hermione said looking away from her friend.
Ginny stopped Hermione in the corridor with a frown, " Come on, Hermione, give it a chance. Hey, you never know that you guys may hit it off."
" I'll think about it," Hermione said and continued walking down the corridor with Ginny. When they reached the Great Hall, all the houses were up and about exchanging gifts to each other and magical cards. Ron and Harry each gave Hermione a chocolate cover rose and Seamus and Dean each gave her a Valentines Day card. Gavin, the boy she was supposed to have a date with today, shyly presented her with a charmed teddy bear that smiled with the words Be My Valentine on a heart it was holding. A few Ravenclaw boys gave her various colored roses as well.
" For your forgiveness."
Hermione turned around to see a grinning Blaise brushing a rose against her neck, startling her. She smiled in return and blushed.
" God Hermione, it must be great to be you!" Lavender said in a playful sarcastic tone, referring to the flowers and goodies she received from the boys. Hermione stuck out her tongue and returned to the chocolate candy she was unwrapping.
Right when she popped the treat in her mouth, she felt someone tap on her shoulder. Turning around to see whom it was, her eyes connected with a stormy gaze. She gasped in surprise at the Slytherin standing in front of her.
" Hey," he said giving her a small smile. A smile grazed her lips as well and she could feel a blush creeping in.
" Hey," she said with her smile growing wider. For some reason, she was happy to see him. Draco cleared his throat uncomfortably and looked down at the floor. She grinned at his uneasiness. She spotted a bouquet of roses behind his back, but she didn't want to assume that they were for her.
" Listen, Granger, I…"
" Draco? Are you ready to go?"
Hermione felt her heart sink when a pretty Ravenclaw with blonde hair wrapped her arms around his neck. He looked at Hermione apprehensively and cursed under his breath. She smiled at Draco encouragingly and held his gaze steadily. Her heart felt like it was being ripped apart and the familiar tightening in throat as she inhaled shakily. Draco nodded at the girl and handed her the roses. She smiled warmly at Draco and kissed him on the cheek.
" Yeah, let's go. Granger, I'll see you later," Draco said, pulling the girl to his side and disappeared into the mass of students. The sob that wanted to desperately escape came out as a strangled gasp. She pushed her way out of the crowd with her flowers and goodies only wanting to be in her dormitory and away from everything else. With every step she took, her room seemed farther away and she entered the portrait with tears already streaming down her face. Hermione fell face down on her bed of her private dorm as sobs racked her body. She was still in love with Draco and she was the idiot that let him go. Hermione silently cried herself to sleep before regret consumed her very being.
~*~
Hermione didn't go on the Hogsmeade trip and spent the rest of the Saturday reading romance novels and stuffing herself with the chocolate she received. Voices were heard down below indicating that the Gryfinndors were back from their trip. It was already late in the evening and she kept herself in her room all day, not even bothering to go to dinner. She was mostly full from all the chocolate she ate anyway. The note she received from her admirer sat at the edge of her bed and the contents she had read beckoned her to go. Maybe Ginny was right and she should just go and enjoy herself. The entire letter said: Meet me at the Astronomy Tower after dinner.
She still debated on going and considered her worse scenario options. Shaking them off, her thoughts came across Draco and the Ravenclaw girl. For that split second, she actually wished that she were the one smiling gratefully of the beautiful bouquet of roses he presented. Her face fell at those thoughts and came to a conclusion. She was going to go.
The first thing she did was go into her private bathroom and avoided the mirror. She didn't want those red puffy eyes to haunt the rest of her evening. With a nice quick hot shower, she instantly felt refreshed and relieved. In matter of minutes, she grabbed a nice, simple black dress that stopped mid thigh and crossed diagonally across the back. A pair of black high heels that strapped across her the top part of her foot diagonally, up her ankle and the bottom part of her calf. The shoes gave a nice touch of her legs looking long and slender. Makeup helped her once sunken face and brought out the color of her eyes to a soft and noticeable hue. Her hair was now dry and curled and placed in a clean, high up do with her layered bangs framing her face. She added a clear coat of gloss on her lips as the finale.
Hermione descended the steps down into the empty Gryfinndor common room. Everyone was out to dinner and she gave out a sigh. With one last glimpse at her reflection, she walked out of the portrait door with a smile on her pretty face determined to give her admirer something to admire about.
The corridor was eerily silent and the lighted torches gave a soft and seductive intrigue to her current destination. The Astronomy Tower seemed so far away, yet she was half way there when she ascended another stairway. Each step sent more butterflies to her stomach and she had the urge to just run and head back to the comfort of her room once again. Running away was pushed back into her thoughts and curiosity got the better of her. A smile grazed her lips when she knew that she was getting closer. That is until a hand wrapped around her mouth and waist into an empty storage closet. Hermione's muffled yells and struggles were useless against her strong assailant.
Realizing that she forgot her wand, Hermione was possibly in the hands of a psycho. Her breathing hitched as the darkness consumed her and the person that had not still removed his hands off of her. A soft light came into her vision and Hermione turned only to be disappointed and somewhat emotional at her captor, Draco Malfoy. The soft light of the closet highlighted his smirking face and handsome, angelic features. Putting on her best angry glare, she shook her head angrily and reached for the door.
" Let me out Malfoy!" she yelled, struggling against his hold. The tears wanted to come, but she didn't want to give him the satisfaction of making him feel superior.
" Goodness Granger! Just please hear me out!" he said trying to hold her steady. Her flailing arms just barely missed his face and struggling did not cease.
" Malfoy, you are an asshole and a sad, pathetic excuse for a bratty rich boy! Let go of me this instant!" she screeched. The grip he had on her ceased as she felt herself being pushed against the wooden door harshly. She winced at the sudden pain and averted her gaze up to she Draco's eyes staring back angrily. He met her eye level due to her shoes and it made her even more uncomfortable from her usual lower position.
" A sad, pathetic excuse for a rich boy!? Are we talking about the same asshole that fell in love with a filthy Mudblood? What's wrong Granger? Are you ashamed of me now?" he yelled angrily, his gaze became even more intense. Hermione shuddered at his harsh tone and looked away. She was tired of him looking down on her. He looked at her in shock when she shoved him away from her.
" Yes, I'm still talking about the same asshole! You had your chances Draco and I've had enough! I don't know why you're complaining now because you sure as hell didn't seem to give a fuck last week when we broke up!" she yelled hysterically.
" We? You were the one that dumped me! I was…" he trailed off when she interrupted with another outburst.
" What's wrong Draco? Did you finally notice that I had a backbone after all? You just can't handle the fact that I was the one that broke up with you in the first place!" she said a bit lower than her hysterical state.
" What I can't handle, Hermione, was the fact that that you left me when I needed you the most," he said tonelessly. Hermione's angry features softened a bit at Draco's confession.
" You left me Granger and I loved you more than anything! You were the first person who I ever trusted and I confided in you. I gave you my virginity and I have yours. You were my first love Granger and you just gave up on me. I can't get over on the way I was raised in a couple of weeks! I thought you understood," Draco said with a bit of an edge that was evident in his sullen voice.
" I do understand Draco! It's just that you push me away when I'm close to your proximity or even when I'm further. I just…"
Draco carefully hushed her by placing a finger to her lips. His eyes raked up her body and finally he smiled.
" Planning on going to the Great Hall like that? Long robes would be in handy for the guys if they saw you in that." He said with a playful smirk Hermione blushed at his teasing compliment.
" Actually, I was meeting someone else," she said tentatively biting her lower lip. Draco scoffed and nodded his head angrily.
" Right, I should've known. Well, sorry to have wasted your time," he said sullenly. Hermione immediately felt a wave of guilt wash over her. He did care about her and he went out of his way to try and make amends with her.
" I don't even know him anyways. I got a secret admirer and he wanted him to meet me after dinner," Hermione said with casual shrug. She turned her head sharply when Draco began sniggering in the small corner of the closet.
" And to think I was worried," he said with a smirk. Hermione grinned as she playfully hit him on the arm.
" You should be! He could be handsome," she said dreamily. Draco threw back his head and began to laugh.
" He could be a she," he added in between gasps for breath. Hermione outstretched her arm to hit him again when he caught her wrist. She let out a gasp of surprise when he roughly pulled her forward. Her eyes closed momentarily as her body made contact with his. Shyly, her eyes met his and he looked her with an evident passion.
" I've missed you," he murmured before gently pressed his lips against hers. Immediately, her arms wrapped around his neck to pull him closer. His familiar masculine scent invaded her nostrils and the fluttering in her stomach returned with more intensity. Her knees threatened to give out as he kissed her more passionately. His tongue lightly brushed over her lower lip and without question she accepted him.
Her hands roamed his clothed body and found their way inside his robe. A soft groan was emitted from Draco as he felt her delicate hand stroke his chest through the inside of his shirt. Hermione smiled against his lips and began to laugh a bit. Draco pulled back with his lips red and breathless.
" This is really romantic," she said sarcastically with a smile grazing upon her red lips. Draco grinned in response and let his hands do the talking as they stroked the bottom hem of her short dress. Caught within the frenzy, Draco's robes slid off of his broad shoulders and hit the floor. Although still clothed, his hands caressed and teased her breast through the soft and delicate material. Her head leaned back in delight and made contact with the closet door. Hermione secretly wished for a bed to carry out their ministrations properly, but the thrill of something new excited her. She just didn't expect a closet out of all means.
Her thoughts were soon interrupted when Draco's hands hitched up the bottom part of her dress and made contact with the smooth material of her red satin panties. Her finger idly traced the buckle of his belt and met his gaze drunkenly. A breath was caught in her throat as a sharp jolt of pleasure slowly inched up through her body. Draco surely knew how to put his hands to good use in different situations. A moan escaped her lips when the pad of his thumb came across her most sensitive part. A few more jolts hit close to home as her breathing became deeper and labored. He never took his eyes off of her as he marveled at how beautiful she looked vulnerable and intense with desire.
Her eyes met his challengingly right before a wild fire consumed her being and she let out a cry of passion. Draco silenced her with a hard kiss, pressing himself against her yielding body to let her feel how aroused he was. Satisfied, she softly stroked his cheek and teasingly traced it over his full bottom lip, down the contours of his chest and it lingered over the belt buckle. Within a flick of her wrist, she undid his belt and made way to release him from the confinement if his constricting pants. Draco hastily dropped his pants down and pressed her back further against the door. With another steamy kiss, his black boxers were joined with his pants and he reached his hands down to cup her bottom. Instinctively, her legs wrapped tightly around his waist and looked at him longingly. He gave her a smile and pressed his lips against hers.
Within those few seconds, Draco gasped harshly into her ear as her warmth consumed him. Almost immediately, he set up a rhythm that she perfectly matched. Each thrust became quicker and Draco held on to her tightly as if she were slipping away. The hard surface of the door and Draco's movements took a toll on Hermione's back, but at that moment she didn't care at all. It was all just him.
Their breathing was synced together in labored, harsh gasps. Hermione couldn't help the loud moan that escaped her lips while Draco, on the other hand, was groaning loudly in her ear. For what seemed for like a blissful eternity, her climax claimed her intensely as she threw her head back, hitting the door. With one last groan, Draco signaled his impending climax and shuddered voluntary.
Silence came over the small closet for a brief moment when they took this moment to get their breathing back to normal. Draco carefully set her down and she began to straighten herself up presentably. He smiled in amusement at her attempts of straightening out the skirt of her dress.
" So, um, what now?" she asked meekly and inwardly cursed at her stupid question. Draco shrugged nonchalantly. " Whatever you want is fine with me."
" So, if I said that we still need sometime apart, you'd understand?" she questioned fixing her hair to the way it was before. From the corner of her eye, she saw Draco instantly paled.
" Sure," he croaked looking down at the floor. She reached out her hand and tilted his face upward to see his face.
" Quit trying to be so strong, Draco. It's just me and I love you," she said giving him a reassuring smile. He nodded and pulled her towards him into an embrace.
" Let's carry this on somewhere else more comfortable, huh?" he said gesturing to the cramped room. Hermione nodded and took his hands into hers, leading him into a night to never forget.
~*~
" I've read about those Muggle drugs, Hermione. They can affect your brain badly and give you a bad sense of judgment. I think you're on Heroina," Ron said pursing his lips together at the breakfast table. Hermione rolled her eyes.
" It's Heroin, dumb ass and I'm not using drugs," she snapped picking at her pancakes and bacon.
" She's just in love," Lavender said batting her eyelashes playfully. Ron's lip curled up in disgust and scoffed. Hermione didn't fight the smile that crossed her features.
" Whatever, as long as you're happy," Harry said with a shake of his head.
" Thank you," Hermione said with a triumphant grin. Ron got a smack across his head by Ginny for mimicking Hermione. Scenes of last night replayed freshly in her head all day long. The countless hour of the night were spent together in Draco's room making love. A shudder rippled through her body involuntarily at the thought of Draco running his hands up and down her body, sensually caressing her.
" I, for one, am glad that we have no classes today!" Ron beamed sitting himself up straighter on the bench. Harry nodded his head in agreement.
" Diablo is looking at you," Ron said with an enthusiastic smile upon his face. Hermione reached over the table and punched Ron on the arm. He made a face at her and got up from the table with Harry tagging along behind him. Ginny nudged her with a smirk. Glancing up at the Slytherin table, Hermione searched the table until she met a pair of blue irises staring back at her. She couldn't the smile that had formed across her lips. He smirked and winked in return obviously reading her mind.
" So, I take it that you didn't meet your mystery man, huh," Ginny observed over her pancakes heavily drenched in syrup.
" Why would I want to meet a mystery man when I have that man?" Hermione said playfully with a shrug. Ginny smirked as she continued to pick her at her pancakes with her fork.
Of course, the day carried on as usual. Hermione, Harry, Ron, and Ginny were outside by the lake on a beautiful Sunday with some others who shared the same idea as them. Hermione laid her head back against the Rowan by the lake. Harry and Ron were skipping stones across the clear blue water and blasting them out of the water with their wands. For some reason, they found it extremely hilarious. She laughed as well.
" Um, Hermione?"
Hermione lifted up her head to a second year Gryfinndor holding a bouquet of roses. Hermione smiled and reached out her hands to accept them. It was Sunday and Valentine's Day was over. One conclusion came into her mind.
" Thank you. Do you know who are they from?" she asked smiling at the timid second year.
" They're from him," he said pointing to her blonde Romeo and his brown haired companion talking by another Rowan on the opposite side of the lake. This only made her smile wider. She nodded and the young boy walked away. Hermione looked at the beautiful roses that she cradled carefully in her arms. The roses gleamed to a golden color in the sun with a light reflection of a colored prism. She barely even noticed the note that was sticking out of the bouquet. Within the envelope was a simple card that practically made it obvious that it was from Draco since it was green.
To my little wanton,
This is to make up for the roses that I gave to Mandy. Yes, the ones yesterday were for you. As for her, she was merely a foolish diversion to get my mind off of you. As you can tell, it didn't work. I have to see you tonight. I'm pretty sure that you know about the effect that these particular roses give. If not, then you're in for a surprise. I love you.
D.M.
P.S.,
Papilio Effectus
Hermione creased her brow in confusion at the last two words on the card.
" Papilio Effectus?" she said with an eyebrow raised. The bouquet of roses began to shudder and she let out a startled gasp. The budded roses slowly began to bloom right before her eyes. With a flash of a second, the bouquet exploded as dozens of multicolored butterflies escaped once the roses were in bloom. The students that witnessed the extraordinary scene gasped and awed at the sight of the lake water being highlighted by colors of the rainbow.
From across the lake, Draco grinned in triumph at the sight of his gift. His mother's Roses of Iris always bloomed early in winter and he sent an owl to her right before they did. The best part of them in bloom was the effect they saw from the lake.
" Whoa! That was awesome!" Blaise said in amazement. Draco smirked and nodded in agreement.
" Plus, Draco, you still owe me sixty galleons."
Draco's smirk widened. " Pray tell, Zabini, now why do I owe you that ridiculous amount?"
" Fuck you, Malfoy and I did what you wanted me to do! You're back with her! Please! And to think you doubt my superior skills," Blaise said with a mocked scoff. Draco laughed.
" I suppose you were a worthy asset to my plan," Draco said in a bored tone. Now it was Blaise's turn to laugh.
" I was bloody fucking brilliant! I told you what you wanted to know about her and you did the rest! I did most of the work! You couldn't even bother to ask your own girlfriend what she liked! Wanker," Blaise scoffed in mocked anger. Draco raised a brow in amusement.
" As much I bloody hate to say this, I might as well say to get it over with," he said with a sigh.
" And what's that?" Blaise asked leaning against the trunk of the Rowan.
" Thanks," he said softly and watched his girlfriend with a smile from across the lake.
~*~
A/N: Yes, people, I'm still alive! School and writer's block is a bad combination for a writer. So, what did you guys think? For my absence, I leave you guys with the long little story here! Sorry about the little love scene, but I promise to make up for it in the next story which should be up soon too! It's called " The Nurse Who Loved Me" so let your imaginations run wild! Thank you so much for your great responses! I read them all with a big goofy smile! Well, to make this short, I'm fine and all is well in my world for once. Again, thanks for your patience and I'm signing out!
Thank you's to: (Drum Roll):
Jen: First of all, I want to thank you for that sweet e-mail you gave me! You just really made my day and I appreciate it. I'm glad you noticed because I do feel like I've grown as a writer. Again, thanks sweetie!
Kmoney2: Thank you and I hope you liked this one!
Sisterhood-of-the-snake: Yes, thank you for being my new beta! I was writing this story and I was having someone look it over before you replied so the next one is coming to you soon! Thanks!
FuMan Skeeto: Cool, glad you liked it! Thanks!
Angelgurl06: Thanks, sweetie!
Peppermint P@tty: Thanks a lot because your review really touched me! I was practically cheesy the whole night! Glad you appreciated it and I hope you liked this one too.
Kiera: Thanks a lot, sweetie and keep in touch!
Warior: Right away! I will continue! Thanks!
Sushinase: Yes, I know it's a bit graphic, but that's why it's rated R for a reason! I can't help it! Thanks!
Skyleia: I know! Wasn't it just absolutely cute! Hide and go find Draco! Sounds like my kind of game! Thanks, hon!
TomFeltonsDancer: Thanks on the advice and I'll try to keep in mind for future stories! I thought I'd lost you because I haven't heard from you in awhile. So, yay! You reviewed and I'm glad you liked it!
Hellbound: I'm so glad you liked this one, hon! If this one doesn't really satisfy your " Draco action" then the next one will! I was really looking forward to your review and I'm glad you took the time and did! I really appreciate it.
Thepaxilfairy: Thanks a lot sweetie! I knew I forgot something! I was just on a roll and I forgot a few things I wanted to add because I kept getting interrupted when I was writing! Draco works in mysterious ways, but in this case, he used an invisibility potion, hence the quickness to recover right away with the remedy on the nightstand.
Draco_Fan: Aww, thank you!
Lauria-teacup: Thanks for reviewing sweetie and I'm glad that my stories keep you updated! You're the best!
Redwicca: Thank you and yes, I will be continuing.
Mousas: Thank you and yes, they could've used the map but they got in trouble before they had the chance to.
x0xTrinityx0x: Thanks babe!
Isabel: Thank you!
Mina-chan2: Aww, thank you!
Naitheas: You're absolutely the best, hon! I got your review right before I went to school and I just freaked! I was so happy the entire day! Thank you so much!
Again, thank you to all those who reviewed and God bless you guys! Kudos!
Much love~
Nikki~
~*~
~So what's your purpose for me?
With your intentions in the air
So what if I wanted to ask you if I could meet you there
Go inside, I'm coming through
Into our world that you surround
Show me now
I'm here with you
For you
I could not be more gone ~
~*~
It was the last bloody straw and it was official. Hermione Granger had just broken up with Draco Malfoy. He didn't seem to be phased by it at all. All he gave her was one of those 'You'll come crawling back like the others' stare and he heaved a sigh that sounded bored to her ears. She couldn't take it anymore. Part of what his philosophy was that 'Malfoys never break promises.'
Bullshit. Out of all the countless lies that came tumbling out of his mouth, it just placed an ocean in between them that was becoming deeper to cross. She deserved better. Draco Malfoy didn't deserve her at all. So, that's what she used to convince herself. She didn't need him at all. It was only a week before Valentines Day. Bloody hell.
The next day, word was spread around the school. Whispers were spread among the four house tables when Hermione stepped in the Great Hall for breakfast that Tuesday morning. She heard Pansy cackle in the distance as she made her way towards her usual spot in between Ron and Harry. With every step she took, last night replayed instantly in her head.
" I'm not upset with you Draco, I'm upset with myself," she concluded, nervously wringing her hands together. Draco shifted his story gaze at the apprehensive Gryfinndor. She fought the urge to bite her lower lip, but she was already giving too much of her emotions away.
" Pray tell Granger, why are you upset with yourself?" Draco asked in a bored tone, inspecting the cuticles of his manicured nails.
" I'm tired of pretending that you're going to change. It's just not you and I don't expect you to be happy go lucky on me. I just wanted to see the fact that there was something we shared that you'd take seriously and care for," She said sadly as the tears began to well up behind her eyes. She didn't want to give him the satisfaction of seeing her being weak.
" Happy go lucky? Granger, you've got to be fucking with me! I've…"
" Another thing, you don't listen to me! I like the way you are Draco! You're twisting my words around and making it seem that I'm seeing you as a pansy!" she exclaimed throwing her arms in the air in frustration.
" I'm not a pansy!" he exclaimed as his eyes narrowed in anger. She rolled her eyes at the childish, stubborn side of Draco. He carried so many personalities on his back and he didn't even have any control over them as they popped out of nowhere, especially the ones that pained her the most.
" I'm sorry Draco, but I've wasted too many tears over you. You promised me that you'd find a way to get past your differences and be civil and you can't. You don't even consider my feelings at all. I'm so sick of you casting me aside and reeling me back in whenever you feel like it! I'm a person too!" she said not even noticing the tears that had already streamed down her cheeks.
Draco stared at her in awe and at the moment, he couldn't even find his tongue. He watched her hold back the remaining tears that wanted to escape past her saddened amber eyes.
" It's not like I haven't tried," he responded after a moment of silence that seemed to last forever. Hermione sighed in defeat.
" You gave up and I know you did, but you just gave up and shut down," she said with a bit of an edge to her wavering voice. Draco was about to respond back when she cut him off.
" This isn't working. This thing between us is just falling apart and I'm willing to just let go and not get myself trapped in the debris," she said casting her gaze to the floor of the Astronomy Tower.
Draco gaped at her words. " You want to break up?! After everything we've been though! The ridicule, the resentment and all of the following because you're not strong enough to take me on! Look who's giving up now!" he scoffed as his gray eyes flashed dangerously.
" I've tried Draco, you're just too stubborn, arrogant, and alliterate to read what I'm feeling or trying to say. You gave up before I have and I'm the only one who tried to make an effort to make this work," she continued while walking up to him and cradled his handsome face into her hands, " Draco, you are a beautiful man and I love you, but I think we need some time apart."
With those words, Draco's icy gaze met with hers.
" Your loss."
Hermione sat down on the bench with a sigh. A plate of strawberry waffles appeared before her and she reached for two pieces of toast. She knew that Ron and Harry were staring at her with concern and including the whole Gryfinndor house.
" Hey Mione, you okay?" Ginny asked nudging her gently. Hermione gave her a small smile.
" Not really, but I'm hanging in there," she said giving the young red headed girl a look of reassurance. Ginny nodded and took the hint to not pry anymore further into Hermione's business.
" Oh my God," Lavender said in a surprised tone.
Hermione looked up from her breakfast to see what Lavender was commenting on. That's when she saw him. Draco Malfoy just strolled in the Great Hall not even noticing the astonished stares and frequent whispering being past on from the four tables. He sat down not bothering to acknowledge his housemates at all. Reaching for a fork, Draco began to eat his breakfast without saying a word. Pansy's high nasally voice broke the silence that hung thickly in the air.
" Draco, is it true that you're not with that Granger girl anymore?" she asked leaning in closely to him and batted her eyelashes.
Draco glanced up to meet the pug faced girl's eyes, " Granger who?"
Hermione rolled her eyes in irritation as the hall broke into gasps and mummers. Pansy laughed haughtily and glared at the other Slytherin girls to urge them to do the same.
" Way to be mature about it," Hermione mumbled taking a sip of orange juice.
" He didn't deserve you," Harry said putting down his fork to stare at Hermione. She gave him a dry smile and returned to her breakfast. Strawberry waffles were her favorite, but she suddenly felt too upset to continue eating.
" Malfoy's an asshole and it's about time you realized it," Ron said buttering his toast heavily with a grin.
" I always knew he was, but I just fell in love with him," she said dejectedly.
Ron winced at her choice of words and continued to eat his third helping of waffles.
" I'm sorry things didn't work out between you two, Hermione. You guys looked so cute together," Lavender commented reaching over and gave Hermione's hand an assuring squeeze. She smiled at Lavender and looked down at her uneaten breakfast.
" He's being a jerk off," Ginny spat, " and he's looking at you Hermione."
She shrugged, " That's just what he wants me to do Ginny. He wants me to cave in and go crawling back him on my hands and knees and beg him to take me back. There are plenty of guys out there for me and Draco's just one of the many. I'll be okay and I won't give him the fucking satisfaction."
" We better be off to class now," Seamus interrupted signaling them to head off.
" I'll be fine," Hermione assured answering Ginny's worried look.
" Now we have an excuse to kick his ass again," Ron muttered brushing past them. Harry grinned giving her a light pat on the back.
Hermione got up and glanced up briefly just enough to catch Draco's glare. He raised a brow haughtily and narrowed his eyes away. She frowned and headed towards the door to her first class.
" Nope, he won't have the satisfaction this time."
~*~
The day went agonizingly slow for Hermione. During the beginning of Potions, she noticed that Draco had regained some of his lost groupies when he arrogantly strolled in with that familiar smirk on his face. She couldn't bring herself to look at him during class even though he was her lab partner. They worked in silence with out even looking at each other. Although she could feel in penetrating gaze on the side of her face all during class, she made no sudden movements to look back.
Pansy was seen during the day clinging on to Draco hopelessly. In the girl's lavatory, Hermione heard a few girls from Ravenclaw making plans to ask the Slytherin out on the upcoming Hogsmeade trip on Valentine's Day. There was no way to escape his name and face and it haunted her all day.
" Do you think I made a mistake?" Hermione asked sullenly to Ginny, who was sitting on the opposite chair next to her in the Gryfinndor common room.
" Hermione, I'm sorry to say this, but I saw it coming from a mile away. You weren't yourself when you were around him," Ginny said sadly, " Was he ashamed of you that much?"
" It wasn't like that at all, Ginny. At first, he was trying to cast aside his differences and accept me for who I was. Somewhere along the way he just gave up and didn't realize it with just little things. Like holding hands and me just touching him intimately. He didn't object to sex, but it was like he always seemed to regret it when he awoke. I could see it in his eyes," Hermione said feeling the tears well up once again.
" Then good riddance to him! Hermione, what you need is a guy who accepts you for who you are and appreciates what you have to offer. Sex is suppose to be the least important thing in the relationship and when feelings are reciprocal, then it makes sex worth having," Ginny said reaching over to squeeze Hermione's hand. She smiled, sniffing softly.
" You're right and maybe I'm better off, but I still love him. I need to just…"
She was interrupted by a second year standing there timidly with an envelope.
" Yes?" she asked politely, shifting on the couch a bit trying to get comfortable.
" A boy wanted me to give this to you," the young girl said handing Hermione the envelope.
" A boy? Can you tell me his name?" Hermione asked curiously grabbing the envelope.
" I don't know his name, but he is quite handsome and has the same color hair as you do," the young girl said gleefully.
Hermione smiled in appreciation, " Thank you."
The young girl nodded and headed towards the girl's dormitory.
" Wow, I wonder who it's from…"
" I don't care! Open it!" Ginny squealed in excitement.
Hermione nodded vigorously and tore open the letter. The parchment that came out of the letter was smoothly folded in half. She opened it slowly to read the message.
" Well? What does it say?" Ginny asked pushing Hermione aside on the couch to read the letter.
" It says: Overcome by your moving temple. Overcome by this holiest of alters. I bear witness to this place, this prayer so long forgotten. So pure, so rare to witness such an earthly goddess."
" Whoa. Is it a poem?" Ginny asked furrowing her brows at the words on the parchment. Hermione smiled.
" No, they're lyrics to a Muggle song," Hermione said with a smile that seemed not wanting to leave her face.
" A Muggle song? How strange," Ginny said grabbing the parchment from Hermione.
" Well, I happen to like this Muggle song a lot. It's practically one of my favorites," Hermione said taking the parchment back from Ginny's hands.
" Do you think it's from Draco?" Ginny asked.
Hermione scoffed, " Please, like Draco would want to hear about my favorite Muggle song. Plus, he doesn't write like this. His handwriting is finer and neat. He doesn't know anything about that stuff except for…"
" Except for who?" Ginny asked excitedly.
" Blaise Zabini."
~*~
" If I would've known that you'd be stopping by to see me Granger, I could've cleaned up a bit," Blaise said gesturing to the unkempt boys dormitory. Hermione raised her eyebrows in amusement. With out wasting any time, she handed him the folded piece of parchment.
" Now what's this? Confessing any hidden attraction towards me?" Blaise teased unfolding the parchment.
" No, I wanted to know if you wrote this," she pondered waiting for his response. Blaise let out a long whistle as he read.
" Well, it seems that we're not the only ones who like this song," Blaise said handing her back the letter.
" You're the only one who knows I love this song," she prodded, shifting her feet uncomfortably.
" You're the only one who knows I like Muggle music," Blaise said eyeing her in amusement, " Well, it looks like you have a secret admirer."
Hermione gave out a forced laugh, " Right, Blaise, don't make me laugh."
Blaise frowned, " Hermione, you're one of the most prettiest girls I know. Don't even think about doubting yourself because that's how you intrigued Draco. Guys here are just too stupid to go after you because they feel threatened that you just broke up with the best looking guy in school. They feel like that couldn't possibly match up, but give it some time. You know, Draco is a mess without you."
Hermione rolled her eyes, " Just stop it! I don't want to hear this."
" What? Surprised to know that he actually gave a shit about you? You were all he ever talked about during the evenings. You changed his outlook on how life wasn't after his unhappiness. You know people like him don't change over night and you were patient with him. He was the idiot who didn't realize that you wouldn't wait forever," Blaise said enveloping Hermione in a hug. She felt the tears coming, but somehow they wouldn't come out.
" Has he said anything about me?" she wondered curiously.
" No," Blaise said resting his chin on her head, " but you know how he is."
She nodded, " I've got to go, I'll stop by this evening."
Blaise released her from his embrace and smiled, " Don't worry things will get better."
~*~
The week that seemed to last forever went by slowly and it was Monday morning came again. Blaise was right and slowly she began to feel better. The boys started to notice her availability and charms were turned on for the lovely Gryfinndor. More notes arrived from her 'secret admirer' that contained Muggle song lyrics and bits and pieces of poems that she enjoyed. She noticed that more things were added with each of the notes such as flowers or candies from Honeydukes. Aiden Campbell, a handsome Ravenclaw in her Arithmancy class owled a rose and escorted her to her classes. Gavin Vanderbilt, a Slytherin, asked her out to the upcoming Hogsmeade trip.
" Are you going to go with him?" Lavender asked dreamily.
" I hate to say this, but Gavin is actually a nice guy. He's kind of like Blaise expect he's a little better looking," Ginny said with a shrug.
" Ginny! Hello! They're both good looking!" scoffed Parvati toying with her hair. Hermione grinned.
" Hermione? What are you going to do?" Lavender asked raising her brows playfully.
" Well, I already told Gavin yes and…"
She was interrupted by the sounds of Lavender, Parvati and Ginny squealing in excitement.
" Could you please keep it down? I'm trying to think!" Ron yelled from the other corner of the common room.
" Don't hurt yourself!" Ginny said with grin. Ron looked back from the chair he was sitting on and glared at his little sister. The girls laughed and resumed talking.
" So, any more little messages from your secret admirer?" Ginny asked with a wicked glint in her eye. Hermione gave a small smile.
" Well, I did receive a box of chocolates today with another note," Hermione said gesturing to the chocolates by her side.
" What did the note say?" Lavender pondered reaching over to get a chocolate when Hermione smacked her hand away. She pouted crossing her arms.
" It said: Straw spun from gold. She craves a tortured soul." Hermione said taking a bite from the delicious chocolates.
" How uh…interesting," Parvati said with a clueless look crossing her features.
" Muggle song lyrics, but they're referring to the chocolates sweetie," Hermione said.
" Oh, any idea who's sending you these mysterious notes? Like a handsome blonde Slytherin?" Lavender piped up excitedly.
" Draco would rather jump off of the Astronomy Tower than know what Muggle songs I like," Hermione fumed, popping a caramel filled chocolate into the mouth. The three girls nodded reluctantly in agreement.
On Tuesday, a third year Gryfinndor delivered another mysterious note along with a single white rose. That same morning, Gavin broke the date with her on Saturday.
" I don't understand! He just said something came up and he just asked me yesterday!" Hermione whined on the way to Charms.
" Men's network," Ron and Harry said at the same time.
" What?" Hermione asked with confusion written all over her face. Ron and Harry grinned at each other and escorted her into class.
" The Men's network works like this, Mione. Some guy who has his eye on you has sent a message through the network that you are off limits only to him. The thing is, it only works with guys who have good connections, like me," Ron said smugly. Hermione laughed on the way to her seat while Ron frowned. Harry didn't even bother to hide his amused grin.
That evening, Hermione was in the library doing her Arithmancy homework when she heard the heavy wooden door slam shut. She shrugged it off and got up from the table to return a book on the shelf nearby.
" Granger."
Hermione felt the need to freeze up at the person who spoke her name. Deciding to be mature and civil about the situation, she was unfazed and simply acknowledged the person next to her.
" Hello, Malfoy," she replied facing the smirking Slytherin boy.
" Back to last names now?" Draco teased, the smirk still painted on his handsome face. Hermione smiled in amusement.
" I don't know about you, but I much prefer calling you Draco," Hermione said turning her back to return to her table. As soon as she sat down, Draco occupied the seat from her opposite.
" Then you do that," he said with a small smile. She grinned and turned to putting her things up in her book bag.
" Leaving so soon?" he asked raising an amused eyebrow.
" Is there anything you want in particular?" she asked calmly and rested aside her rolls of parchment. Draco sighed, running his hand through his hair. Hermione tentatively reached over and brushed a few strands away from his face. He looked at her in surprise.
" What? Now I have to have a reason to talk to you now?" Draco asked, the arrogance now evident in his voice. Hermione frowned. He's still the same.
" I don't know Draco, you tell me. You've been bad mouthing me since we broke up and now you want to talk like everything's okay? I don't have a problem talking with you, but I don't want to fight. I'm going to be civil and I expect you to do the same," she said avoiding his piercing, stormy gaze.
" I haven't been bad mouthing you," he said sullenly, " If you're referring to last week, I was just in denial. I didn't want to believe that you were the one that walked away. I can see that it didn't stop you from accepting Vanderbilt invitation on a date."
Hermione stood up from the chair abruptly, " Now hold one a minute! You're one to talk! You have a lot girls after you and do you want me to continue?"
Draco's temper was walking at a fine line at the moment. He frowned, " Just how low do you think of me Granger? I will admit that I'm flattered by all the attention, but I didn't have any intentions of bedding them! You are the only person that I've ever slept with and I…" Draco held up his hand to stop himself from continuing. With one last frown at her, he left angrily with his robes billowing behind him. She grimaced at the sound of the slamming door and looked sadly at her feet. Gathering her stuff, she went back to her dormitory for the night.
~*~
On Wednesday morning, Hermione felt the closeness of Valentine's Day creeping near. She was still dateless. A first year Gryfinndor stopped her on her way in of the Great Hall with two roses and parchments. She smiled and walked to her table.
" Well, look at you! You're glowing!" Ginny squealed enthusiastically. Ron and Harry rolled their eyes and returned to her breakfast.
" What does it say? Come on, open it!" Lavender prodded. Hermione sighed and opened the first piece of parchment.
Sorry.
Hermione smiled slightly and averted her glance to the Slytherin table. She couldn't help but feel disappointed when she didn't see him at his usual seat next to Blaise and some of his other friends.
" What does it say?" Ginny asked nudging her from her trance.
" Nothing, I'll tell you later."
Ginny and Lavender made a sound of protest when Hermione began to open the other piece of parchment.
Why can't I breathe whenever I think about you? Why can't I speak whenever I talk about you? It's inevitable; it's a fact that we're going to get down to it. So tell me, why can't I breathe whenever I think about you?
Hermione smiled broadly, " I think I'm going to cry."
" Aw, that's so sweet! Another Muggle song?" Lavender asked snatching the letter away from Hermione.
" Yeah," she said with a small giggle, " this just really made my day!"
" Um, Hermione? Blaise is trying to talk to you," Parvati said with an eyebrow raised in curiosity. From across the Great Hall, Hermione looked over to see Blaise signaling her outside. She nodded and got up from her seat before Ron and Harry asked any questions. Blaise waited for Hermione to appear outside and when she did, he greeted her with a satisfied smirk.
" Good! You're here! Anyways, I wanted to tell you some information on your secret admirer and I have proof that it's a lesbian after you," Blaise said with a goofy grin. Hermione smacked Blaise playfully on the arm and he smirked at her reaction.
" I'm kidding! Well, this person has it bad for you. The word is that nobody is supposed to ask you out what so ever and I'm keeping a look out to find out who," Blaise explained cocking an eyebrow in amusement.
" Men's network, huh?" Hermione asked sporting a grin.
" Yep and Draco's pretty pissed about it so far," Blaise said giving an exasperatedly sigh. Hermione frowned and shook her head angrily.
" Draco? What the hell does this have to do with him at all?" Hermione snapped in frustration. Blaise merely held up his hands in defense.
" Hey, don't kill the messenger, sweetie. I'm just telling you what I hear in the underworld. Granger, don't act like such a dumb ass because it doesn't suit you well. Of course he's pissed off! He found out that some fucking loon is after his ex," Blaise said rolling his eyes at Hermione's stubbornness.
" He's not a loon! He's sweet and…"
" Look at you Granger! You're obsessing over a weirdo who could even be a she! Why bother yourself over this ludicrous person who can't even show their face when you can work things out with a person who obviously cares for you!" Blaise said as he shook his head in disappointment.
" Why are you doing this? I'm sorry, but I can't talk about this now. Draco used the word care a week too late and he already used all of his fucking chances," she said sadly as she turned to walk away. As soon as she turned, her body collided with another and it happened to be Draco Malfoy. He looked at her with confused downcast eyes. With tears threatening to spill out, she ran away from the two boys. She didn't mention the letter to Draco.
~*~
Saturday came too soon and too fast. Hermione couldn't even feel herself get out of bed that morning. As she stepped into the Gryfinndor common room, she was greeted by the excited chatter of girls squealing about what magical Valentines they got from a significant other. She smiled sadly at the couples below her and headed in the direction of her own private dormitory again.
" Hermione! You got a letter!" Ginny called from below and waved the envelope in the air. She sighed and made her way down the stairs. Grabbing the letter from Ginny, she didn't make any hesitation of opening it. Scanning over the contents of the letter, she smiled slightly and gave it back to Ginny.
" What does it say?" Ginny asked not bothering to read the letter.
" He wants to meet me tonight in the Astronomy Tower," she said dully. Ginny looked at her oddly.
" Well, I'd be excited if my secret admirer wanted to meet me tonight," Ginny scoffed walking towards the portrait door. Hermione followed closely behind.
" What am I doing? I'm a wreck and eventually I'm still not over Draco. I can't get over a relationship that lasted for a year in one week. I'm ready for this so I'm not going," Hermione said looking away from her friend.
Ginny stopped Hermione in the corridor with a frown, " Come on, Hermione, give it a chance. Hey, you never know that you guys may hit it off."
" I'll think about it," Hermione said and continued walking down the corridor with Ginny. When they reached the Great Hall, all the houses were up and about exchanging gifts to each other and magical cards. Ron and Harry each gave Hermione a chocolate cover rose and Seamus and Dean each gave her a Valentines Day card. Gavin, the boy she was supposed to have a date with today, shyly presented her with a charmed teddy bear that smiled with the words Be My Valentine on a heart it was holding. A few Ravenclaw boys gave her various colored roses as well.
" For your forgiveness."
Hermione turned around to see a grinning Blaise brushing a rose against her neck, startling her. She smiled in return and blushed.
" God Hermione, it must be great to be you!" Lavender said in a playful sarcastic tone, referring to the flowers and goodies she received from the boys. Hermione stuck out her tongue and returned to the chocolate candy she was unwrapping.
Right when she popped the treat in her mouth, she felt someone tap on her shoulder. Turning around to see whom it was, her eyes connected with a stormy gaze. She gasped in surprise at the Slytherin standing in front of her.
" Hey," he said giving her a small smile. A smile grazed her lips as well and she could feel a blush creeping in.
" Hey," she said with her smile growing wider. For some reason, she was happy to see him. Draco cleared his throat uncomfortably and looked down at the floor. She grinned at his uneasiness. She spotted a bouquet of roses behind his back, but she didn't want to assume that they were for her.
" Listen, Granger, I…"
" Draco? Are you ready to go?"
Hermione felt her heart sink when a pretty Ravenclaw with blonde hair wrapped her arms around his neck. He looked at Hermione apprehensively and cursed under his breath. She smiled at Draco encouragingly and held his gaze steadily. Her heart felt like it was being ripped apart and the familiar tightening in throat as she inhaled shakily. Draco nodded at the girl and handed her the roses. She smiled warmly at Draco and kissed him on the cheek.
" Yeah, let's go. Granger, I'll see you later," Draco said, pulling the girl to his side and disappeared into the mass of students. The sob that wanted to desperately escape came out as a strangled gasp. She pushed her way out of the crowd with her flowers and goodies only wanting to be in her dormitory and away from everything else. With every step she took, her room seemed farther away and she entered the portrait with tears already streaming down her face. Hermione fell face down on her bed of her private dorm as sobs racked her body. She was still in love with Draco and she was the idiot that let him go. Hermione silently cried herself to sleep before regret consumed her very being.
~*~
Hermione didn't go on the Hogsmeade trip and spent the rest of the Saturday reading romance novels and stuffing herself with the chocolate she received. Voices were heard down below indicating that the Gryfinndors were back from their trip. It was already late in the evening and she kept herself in her room all day, not even bothering to go to dinner. She was mostly full from all the chocolate she ate anyway. The note she received from her admirer sat at the edge of her bed and the contents she had read beckoned her to go. Maybe Ginny was right and she should just go and enjoy herself. The entire letter said: Meet me at the Astronomy Tower after dinner.
She still debated on going and considered her worse scenario options. Shaking them off, her thoughts came across Draco and the Ravenclaw girl. For that split second, she actually wished that she were the one smiling gratefully of the beautiful bouquet of roses he presented. Her face fell at those thoughts and came to a conclusion. She was going to go.
The first thing she did was go into her private bathroom and avoided the mirror. She didn't want those red puffy eyes to haunt the rest of her evening. With a nice quick hot shower, she instantly felt refreshed and relieved. In matter of minutes, she grabbed a nice, simple black dress that stopped mid thigh and crossed diagonally across the back. A pair of black high heels that strapped across her the top part of her foot diagonally, up her ankle and the bottom part of her calf. The shoes gave a nice touch of her legs looking long and slender. Makeup helped her once sunken face and brought out the color of her eyes to a soft and noticeable hue. Her hair was now dry and curled and placed in a clean, high up do with her layered bangs framing her face. She added a clear coat of gloss on her lips as the finale.
Hermione descended the steps down into the empty Gryfinndor common room. Everyone was out to dinner and she gave out a sigh. With one last glimpse at her reflection, she walked out of the portrait door with a smile on her pretty face determined to give her admirer something to admire about.
The corridor was eerily silent and the lighted torches gave a soft and seductive intrigue to her current destination. The Astronomy Tower seemed so far away, yet she was half way there when she ascended another stairway. Each step sent more butterflies to her stomach and she had the urge to just run and head back to the comfort of her room once again. Running away was pushed back into her thoughts and curiosity got the better of her. A smile grazed her lips when she knew that she was getting closer. That is until a hand wrapped around her mouth and waist into an empty storage closet. Hermione's muffled yells and struggles were useless against her strong assailant.
Realizing that she forgot her wand, Hermione was possibly in the hands of a psycho. Her breathing hitched as the darkness consumed her and the person that had not still removed his hands off of her. A soft light came into her vision and Hermione turned only to be disappointed and somewhat emotional at her captor, Draco Malfoy. The soft light of the closet highlighted his smirking face and handsome, angelic features. Putting on her best angry glare, she shook her head angrily and reached for the door.
" Let me out Malfoy!" she yelled, struggling against his hold. The tears wanted to come, but she didn't want to give him the satisfaction of making him feel superior.
" Goodness Granger! Just please hear me out!" he said trying to hold her steady. Her flailing arms just barely missed his face and struggling did not cease.
" Malfoy, you are an asshole and a sad, pathetic excuse for a bratty rich boy! Let go of me this instant!" she screeched. The grip he had on her ceased as she felt herself being pushed against the wooden door harshly. She winced at the sudden pain and averted her gaze up to she Draco's eyes staring back angrily. He met her eye level due to her shoes and it made her even more uncomfortable from her usual lower position.
" A sad, pathetic excuse for a rich boy!? Are we talking about the same asshole that fell in love with a filthy Mudblood? What's wrong Granger? Are you ashamed of me now?" he yelled angrily, his gaze became even more intense. Hermione shuddered at his harsh tone and looked away. She was tired of him looking down on her. He looked at her in shock when she shoved him away from her.
" Yes, I'm still talking about the same asshole! You had your chances Draco and I've had enough! I don't know why you're complaining now because you sure as hell didn't seem to give a fuck last week when we broke up!" she yelled hysterically.
" We? You were the one that dumped me! I was…" he trailed off when she interrupted with another outburst.
" What's wrong Draco? Did you finally notice that I had a backbone after all? You just can't handle the fact that I was the one that broke up with you in the first place!" she said a bit lower than her hysterical state.
" What I can't handle, Hermione, was the fact that that you left me when I needed you the most," he said tonelessly. Hermione's angry features softened a bit at Draco's confession.
" You left me Granger and I loved you more than anything! You were the first person who I ever trusted and I confided in you. I gave you my virginity and I have yours. You were my first love Granger and you just gave up on me. I can't get over on the way I was raised in a couple of weeks! I thought you understood," Draco said with a bit of an edge that was evident in his sullen voice.
" I do understand Draco! It's just that you push me away when I'm close to your proximity or even when I'm further. I just…"
Draco carefully hushed her by placing a finger to her lips. His eyes raked up her body and finally he smiled.
" Planning on going to the Great Hall like that? Long robes would be in handy for the guys if they saw you in that." He said with a playful smirk Hermione blushed at his teasing compliment.
" Actually, I was meeting someone else," she said tentatively biting her lower lip. Draco scoffed and nodded his head angrily.
" Right, I should've known. Well, sorry to have wasted your time," he said sullenly. Hermione immediately felt a wave of guilt wash over her. He did care about her and he went out of his way to try and make amends with her.
" I don't even know him anyways. I got a secret admirer and he wanted him to meet me after dinner," Hermione said with casual shrug. She turned her head sharply when Draco began sniggering in the small corner of the closet.
" And to think I was worried," he said with a smirk. Hermione grinned as she playfully hit him on the arm.
" You should be! He could be handsome," she said dreamily. Draco threw back his head and began to laugh.
" He could be a she," he added in between gasps for breath. Hermione outstretched her arm to hit him again when he caught her wrist. She let out a gasp of surprise when he roughly pulled her forward. Her eyes closed momentarily as her body made contact with his. Shyly, her eyes met his and he looked her with an evident passion.
" I've missed you," he murmured before gently pressed his lips against hers. Immediately, her arms wrapped around his neck to pull him closer. His familiar masculine scent invaded her nostrils and the fluttering in her stomach returned with more intensity. Her knees threatened to give out as he kissed her more passionately. His tongue lightly brushed over her lower lip and without question she accepted him.
Her hands roamed his clothed body and found their way inside his robe. A soft groan was emitted from Draco as he felt her delicate hand stroke his chest through the inside of his shirt. Hermione smiled against his lips and began to laugh a bit. Draco pulled back with his lips red and breathless.
" This is really romantic," she said sarcastically with a smile grazing upon her red lips. Draco grinned in response and let his hands do the talking as they stroked the bottom hem of her short dress. Caught within the frenzy, Draco's robes slid off of his broad shoulders and hit the floor. Although still clothed, his hands caressed and teased her breast through the soft and delicate material. Her head leaned back in delight and made contact with the closet door. Hermione secretly wished for a bed to carry out their ministrations properly, but the thrill of something new excited her. She just didn't expect a closet out of all means.
Her thoughts were soon interrupted when Draco's hands hitched up the bottom part of her dress and made contact with the smooth material of her red satin panties. Her finger idly traced the buckle of his belt and met his gaze drunkenly. A breath was caught in her throat as a sharp jolt of pleasure slowly inched up through her body. Draco surely knew how to put his hands to good use in different situations. A moan escaped her lips when the pad of his thumb came across her most sensitive part. A few more jolts hit close to home as her breathing became deeper and labored. He never took his eyes off of her as he marveled at how beautiful she looked vulnerable and intense with desire.
Her eyes met his challengingly right before a wild fire consumed her being and she let out a cry of passion. Draco silenced her with a hard kiss, pressing himself against her yielding body to let her feel how aroused he was. Satisfied, she softly stroked his cheek and teasingly traced it over his full bottom lip, down the contours of his chest and it lingered over the belt buckle. Within a flick of her wrist, she undid his belt and made way to release him from the confinement if his constricting pants. Draco hastily dropped his pants down and pressed her back further against the door. With another steamy kiss, his black boxers were joined with his pants and he reached his hands down to cup her bottom. Instinctively, her legs wrapped tightly around his waist and looked at him longingly. He gave her a smile and pressed his lips against hers.
Within those few seconds, Draco gasped harshly into her ear as her warmth consumed him. Almost immediately, he set up a rhythm that she perfectly matched. Each thrust became quicker and Draco held on to her tightly as if she were slipping away. The hard surface of the door and Draco's movements took a toll on Hermione's back, but at that moment she didn't care at all. It was all just him.
Their breathing was synced together in labored, harsh gasps. Hermione couldn't help the loud moan that escaped her lips while Draco, on the other hand, was groaning loudly in her ear. For what seemed for like a blissful eternity, her climax claimed her intensely as she threw her head back, hitting the door. With one last groan, Draco signaled his impending climax and shuddered voluntary.
Silence came over the small closet for a brief moment when they took this moment to get their breathing back to normal. Draco carefully set her down and she began to straighten herself up presentably. He smiled in amusement at her attempts of straightening out the skirt of her dress.
" So, um, what now?" she asked meekly and inwardly cursed at her stupid question. Draco shrugged nonchalantly. " Whatever you want is fine with me."
" So, if I said that we still need sometime apart, you'd understand?" she questioned fixing her hair to the way it was before. From the corner of her eye, she saw Draco instantly paled.
" Sure," he croaked looking down at the floor. She reached out her hand and tilted his face upward to see his face.
" Quit trying to be so strong, Draco. It's just me and I love you," she said giving him a reassuring smile. He nodded and pulled her towards him into an embrace.
" Let's carry this on somewhere else more comfortable, huh?" he said gesturing to the cramped room. Hermione nodded and took his hands into hers, leading him into a night to never forget.
~*~
" I've read about those Muggle drugs, Hermione. They can affect your brain badly and give you a bad sense of judgment. I think you're on Heroina," Ron said pursing his lips together at the breakfast table. Hermione rolled her eyes.
" It's Heroin, dumb ass and I'm not using drugs," she snapped picking at her pancakes and bacon.
" She's just in love," Lavender said batting her eyelashes playfully. Ron's lip curled up in disgust and scoffed. Hermione didn't fight the smile that crossed her features.
" Whatever, as long as you're happy," Harry said with a shake of his head.
" Thank you," Hermione said with a triumphant grin. Ron got a smack across his head by Ginny for mimicking Hermione. Scenes of last night replayed freshly in her head all day long. The countless hour of the night were spent together in Draco's room making love. A shudder rippled through her body involuntarily at the thought of Draco running his hands up and down her body, sensually caressing her.
" I, for one, am glad that we have no classes today!" Ron beamed sitting himself up straighter on the bench. Harry nodded his head in agreement.
" Diablo is looking at you," Ron said with an enthusiastic smile upon his face. Hermione reached over the table and punched Ron on the arm. He made a face at her and got up from the table with Harry tagging along behind him. Ginny nudged her with a smirk. Glancing up at the Slytherin table, Hermione searched the table until she met a pair of blue irises staring back at her. She couldn't the smile that had formed across her lips. He smirked and winked in return obviously reading her mind.
" So, I take it that you didn't meet your mystery man, huh," Ginny observed over her pancakes heavily drenched in syrup.
" Why would I want to meet a mystery man when I have that man?" Hermione said playfully with a shrug. Ginny smirked as she continued to pick her at her pancakes with her fork.
Of course, the day carried on as usual. Hermione, Harry, Ron, and Ginny were outside by the lake on a beautiful Sunday with some others who shared the same idea as them. Hermione laid her head back against the Rowan by the lake. Harry and Ron were skipping stones across the clear blue water and blasting them out of the water with their wands. For some reason, they found it extremely hilarious. She laughed as well.
" Um, Hermione?"
Hermione lifted up her head to a second year Gryfinndor holding a bouquet of roses. Hermione smiled and reached out her hands to accept them. It was Sunday and Valentine's Day was over. One conclusion came into her mind.
" Thank you. Do you know who are they from?" she asked smiling at the timid second year.
" They're from him," he said pointing to her blonde Romeo and his brown haired companion talking by another Rowan on the opposite side of the lake. This only made her smile wider. She nodded and the young boy walked away. Hermione looked at the beautiful roses that she cradled carefully in her arms. The roses gleamed to a golden color in the sun with a light reflection of a colored prism. She barely even noticed the note that was sticking out of the bouquet. Within the envelope was a simple card that practically made it obvious that it was from Draco since it was green.
To my little wanton,
This is to make up for the roses that I gave to Mandy. Yes, the ones yesterday were for you. As for her, she was merely a foolish diversion to get my mind off of you. As you can tell, it didn't work. I have to see you tonight. I'm pretty sure that you know about the effect that these particular roses give. If not, then you're in for a surprise. I love you.
D.M.
P.S.,
Papilio Effectus
Hermione creased her brow in confusion at the last two words on the card.
" Papilio Effectus?" she said with an eyebrow raised. The bouquet of roses began to shudder and she let out a startled gasp. The budded roses slowly began to bloom right before her eyes. With a flash of a second, the bouquet exploded as dozens of multicolored butterflies escaped once the roses were in bloom. The students that witnessed the extraordinary scene gasped and awed at the sight of the lake water being highlighted by colors of the rainbow.
From across the lake, Draco grinned in triumph at the sight of his gift. His mother's Roses of Iris always bloomed early in winter and he sent an owl to her right before they did. The best part of them in bloom was the effect they saw from the lake.
" Whoa! That was awesome!" Blaise said in amazement. Draco smirked and nodded in agreement.
" Plus, Draco, you still owe me sixty galleons."
Draco's smirk widened. " Pray tell, Zabini, now why do I owe you that ridiculous amount?"
" Fuck you, Malfoy and I did what you wanted me to do! You're back with her! Please! And to think you doubt my superior skills," Blaise said with a mocked scoff. Draco laughed.
" I suppose you were a worthy asset to my plan," Draco said in a bored tone. Now it was Blaise's turn to laugh.
" I was bloody fucking brilliant! I told you what you wanted to know about her and you did the rest! I did most of the work! You couldn't even bother to ask your own girlfriend what she liked! Wanker," Blaise scoffed in mocked anger. Draco raised a brow in amusement.
" As much I bloody hate to say this, I might as well say to get it over with," he said with a sigh.
" And what's that?" Blaise asked leaning against the trunk of the Rowan.
" Thanks," he said softly and watched his girlfriend with a smile from across the lake.
~*~
A/N: Yes, people, I'm still alive! School and writer's block is a bad combination for a writer. So, what did you guys think? For my absence, I leave you guys with the long little story here! Sorry about the little love scene, but I promise to make up for it in the next story which should be up soon too! It's called " The Nurse Who Loved Me" so let your imaginations run wild! Thank you so much for your great responses! I read them all with a big goofy smile! Well, to make this short, I'm fine and all is well in my world for once. Again, thanks for your patience and I'm signing out!
Thank you's to: (Drum Roll):
Jen: First of all, I want to thank you for that sweet e-mail you gave me! You just really made my day and I appreciate it. I'm glad you noticed because I do feel like I've grown as a writer. Again, thanks sweetie!
Kmoney2: Thank you and I hope you liked this one!
Sisterhood-of-the-snake: Yes, thank you for being my new beta! I was writing this story and I was having someone look it over before you replied so the next one is coming to you soon! Thanks!
FuMan Skeeto: Cool, glad you liked it! Thanks!
Angelgurl06: Thanks, sweetie!
Peppermint P@tty: Thanks a lot because your review really touched me! I was practically cheesy the whole night! Glad you appreciated it and I hope you liked this one too.
Kiera: Thanks a lot, sweetie and keep in touch!
Warior: Right away! I will continue! Thanks!
Sushinase: Yes, I know it's a bit graphic, but that's why it's rated R for a reason! I can't help it! Thanks!
Skyleia: I know! Wasn't it just absolutely cute! Hide and go find Draco! Sounds like my kind of game! Thanks, hon!
TomFeltonsDancer: Thanks on the advice and I'll try to keep in mind for future stories! I thought I'd lost you because I haven't heard from you in awhile. So, yay! You reviewed and I'm glad you liked it!
Hellbound: I'm so glad you liked this one, hon! If this one doesn't really satisfy your " Draco action" then the next one will! I was really looking forward to your review and I'm glad you took the time and did! I really appreciate it.
Thepaxilfairy: Thanks a lot sweetie! I knew I forgot something! I was just on a roll and I forgot a few things I wanted to add because I kept getting interrupted when I was writing! Draco works in mysterious ways, but in this case, he used an invisibility potion, hence the quickness to recover right away with the remedy on the nightstand.
Draco_Fan: Aww, thank you!
Lauria-teacup: Thanks for reviewing sweetie and I'm glad that my stories keep you updated! You're the best!
Redwicca: Thank you and yes, I will be continuing.
Mousas: Thank you and yes, they could've used the map but they got in trouble before they had the chance to.
x0xTrinityx0x: Thanks babe!
Isabel: Thank you!
Mina-chan2: Aww, thank you!
Naitheas: You're absolutely the best, hon! I got your review right before I went to school and I just freaked! I was so happy the entire day! Thank you so much!
Again, thank you to all those who reviewed and God bless you guys! Kudos!
Much love~
Nikki~