Title: Dance Fever and Some Bad Dreams

Disclaimer: Harry potter characters are not mine.

~~~~~~~~~~Chapter 10: Game Time and a Little Love


That had been my weakest moment in my life. I had put myself on the line and she had actually responded in a way that I would never have expected of her. She hadn't pulled away. She had let me touch her cheek, which had felt like silk. Nothing like Pansy's pimple infested face. Gross.


And again unlike Pansy, she smelled sweet. When I breathed in her sweet smell I had actually wanted to taste her lips to see if she had tasted as sweet as she smelled.

But no. I didn't get to kiss her before I heard him. In the back of my mind I had heard him laughing hysterically. His voice was shrill and painful, like nails to a chalkboard. That's when I stepped away from her. I took more steps away rubbing my throbbing head.


Voldemort kept on laughing even when I had ran out of the library, down the stone steps to the Slytherin Common room, and into the boys showers. His shrill laughter was at a loud peek when I stepped into the shower fully clothed and started turning the knob toward the cold.


I only stopped when the water reached an icy temperature onto my head. I had stood there with my hands on the shower wall letting the cold-water spill down my back.


I had discovered over the summer that this was the only way to be rid of him. When I was fully awake. Icy water sure did the trick. That had been the reason I had gone to the lake that night. Hermione must have thought I was crazy swimming in water at that temperature and that late at night.


I had not been sleeping more than five minutes at a time every night……


When my back started to go numb from the shower I clambered out of the shower and started to my room. I changed into black pants and a black t-shirt before throwing on my cloak. My hair was still wet and probably looked a mess. However I didn't care enough to comb it back like I did every mourning for the past six years.


I walked over to my trunk and pulled out my broomstick the new Striker 3000. It was the latest model. It carried a smooth ride, faster than the Firebolt, sensitive touch grip, and much more.

The handle was bright shiny silver with smoothed groves for the grip. It was perfect in every way. I looked at my watch. Quarter past nine.

It was time to practice……

~*~*~*~*~*~Next morning~*~*~*~*~*~Herm's POV~*~*~*~

"Game Time!" Padma shouted in my ear. I rolled away grumbling curse words, "Wow Hermsie! You have a little bit of color in her language today don't you?" Parvati giggled while primping her hair in the bathroom.


Padma started poking my back with her long nailed finger, "Come one, Hermsie! I'm not going to stop poking you until you get up."

Her pokes became considerably harder until they turned into jabs, "Ow!" I yelped and jumped out of bed. I lifted up the hem of my shirt to see that she had given me a bruise.


Padma smiled innocently, "You could have avoided this by simply getting out of bed." I scowled and threw my little talking teddy bear, Mr. Pooky,

"Avoid this!" Padma squealed and was brought down by Mr. Pooky who's talking button must have gone off. Because the next thing we all heard was,

"Give me a hug!" coming from Mr. Pooky. Parvati laughed but was silenced when Mr. Pooky came flying into her face. The talking button was pushed down on Parvati's head,

"You're my special someone!"

I broke into laughter and sprinted to the bathroom with my skirt, shirt, and shoes bundled in one hand. I turned around just in time to catch the flying Mr. Pooky who voice box went off again.


"I love you!" I grinned and slammed the door in Padma's face. There was a loud thump on the door. No doubt it was Padma who had slammed into it. Right after that there was laughing from Parvati.

I grinned, "I love you too Mr. Pooky." Padma would defiantly think twice about waking me up like that!

~*~*~

I had never seen Padma and Parvati wolf down their food so fast. All the people that were sitting around them were staring at the mounds of eggs, beacon, and sausage disappearing before their eyes and being swallowed whole by the sisters.


Ron was even looking disgusted at the sisters, "I think I have just lost my appetite."

I turned to Ron in astonishment, "Oh Ron, you have to eat something! Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Why, a day without breakfast is like-"

Ron interrupted, "Spare me the lecture! I'll eat something if it makes you happy!" He picked up a piece of toast and shoved it into his mouth and then drowned it all with a gulp of orange juice.


"Wow……and gross at the same time." I marveled. Harry jogged over to us and grabbed a piece of toast, stuffed it in his mouth, and took my orange juice, and emptied into his mouth. Just as Ron did, "Whoa! Is this some freaky boy thing?"

Harry stared over at Padma who had just did the same as both Ron and Harry, "Nope." Harry laughed, "Hey, Ron, we better get to the field!"


"But I thought it was Ravenclaw vs. Slytherin." I broke in.

"Well yea. But we need to take notes of the players if we're going to win the cup." Commented Ron, "I'll meet you there, Harry."

Harry nodded and began to round up the other Gryffindor players. Ron took a last gulp of juice before excusing himself and running off down the Great Hall.


Once Padma's and Parvati's plates were finished they pulled on me up when my fork was midway to my mouth. I dropped the fork and allowed myself to be kidnaped from my breakfast.

"Where are we going?" I asked

"We're going to get ready, of coarse!" the rolled their eyes.

"But the game isn't till about an hour." I commented

"Right and we're going to need that much time to get ready, Hermsie!"

I groaned at this statement. When we arrived at the dorm I fell into bed, while Padma and Parvati scampered off to the bathroom to fetch their makeup baskets.


I drifted off to sleep to the sounds of gossiping, giggling girls only to awake to the sound of gossiping giggling girls. I sat up in my bed feeling rather refreshed and in a better mood until Padma had to open her big mouth,


"Hermsie, has anybody ever told you that you look really ugly when you wake up?" she asked innocently. I blinked at her. Was this a dream or is she really that daft?


"All the time, Padma." I said, while rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.


"Just making sure. Hey you want me to do your makeup?" I looked in horror at the make up bag.


"Oh don't worry I only use a little bit of makeup. Not extensive amounts like Parvati."


Parvati scowled but then shrugged and pursued on putting more eye makeup on. I strode into the bathroom and brushed out my hair and called out to Padma and Parvati, "We better get a move on down to the fields now!"


Both of them shrieked and I burst out of the bathroom, "What?! What is it?!"

They were tossing on each other's cloaks like mad women, "We're going to be late for Draco!" screamed Parvati grabbing my hand and pulling me out the door with Padma trailing behind.

I looked at my watch, "But it's only five past eleven. The game starts at eleven thirty." I reminded them.

"Exactly! We need to be on the stand before anybody else so Draco will see us."


My heart skipped a beat at the sound of his name and the sudden memory of his face so close to mine made my breath come short.

"What's wrong?"



I looked up to her with a smile, "Nothing's wrong. Everything is perfect!" I took off with them down to the field……


Once we got down to the field Padma and Parvati dragged me to seats in the middle of the stands next to Ron and Harry, who were feverishly writing down on little notepads.

All the Quidditch players were zooming on their broomsticks around the field. Malcolm passed by and blew a kiss. Padma and Parvati giggled, nudging me.

I smiled weakly at Malcolm who took off almost vertically up, hovered for a moment before yelling at one of his player's on the ground to throw a little golf ball. The player threw it high and Malcolm dived.

He was like a bullet gaining on the ball which had began to fall back to earth when out of know where Draco passed Malcolm like lightening and caught the ball when it was about two feet from the ground.

Lightening was certainly faster than a bullet.

I gasped, putting my hand up to my mouth. Padma and Parvati stood up and cheered for Draco, who rose back to a fuming Malcolm and tossed him the golf ball.


"Not bad." Ron shrugged.

~*~*~*~*~Draco's POV~*~*~*~*~

The stands filled up and the game was about to begin. I circled the field a couple times before hovering in my Seeker place. Malcolm swooped down to the two Beaters and spoke words that were out of my range of hearing.


However, when the Beaters stared up at me, I got a funny feeling in the pit of my stomach. Malcolm reared up to his position across from me and smirked


The Snitch was released and disappeared in an instant. The whistle blew from below and the game started. I snuck a glance down to see that our team had gotten the ball. But my attention was disrupted by a humming sound.


Bludger. I dived down and narrowly missed the speeding ball aimed at my head. There was a gasp from the crowd. I rose up again to overlook the game. But then I heard the humming noise coming from two sides. I sped downwards avoiding one and barely escaping the other.


I turned my broomstick around and glared at the Beaters on the other team. But then I saw the golden glint of the snitch at the other side of the field. I pushed my broom forward and shot off to the snitch. I heard Malcolm yelling at someone. I couldn't hear what he was saying because of the wind blowing harshly in my ears so I sped onward.


I outstretched my hand and was about to wrap my fingers around the ball when out of nowhere I felt something collide into my ribs and a terrible cracking sound came from my chest. The crowd screamed and gasped as I pulled up on my broomstick with one hand and used the other to cradle my ribs.


Wow, that really hurt. I winced and looked back down to where the Snitch had been. It had disappeared. Damn! I glared at Malcolm who was laughing heartily. Bloody bastard.


A few minutes of scouting the game and ball went by. Then game was 120 to 100, Ravenclaw in the lead. I had had no sight of the snitch and was finding it really hard to breath. The pain in my side didn't hurt as much as it had when I had first been struck but it was still pretty bad.


I searched the field and to my delight the snitch was hovering right over the Slytherin goal. I dashed after it. I would not lose it this time no matter what. I darted one Bludger and kept racing after the snitch, which had started moving across the field.


I dared not look away from the golden snitch. However out of my corner sight I saw on of the Beaters coming after me with his bat raised in the air.

What the hell?! I sped up after the snitch with the Beater hot on my tail and Malcolm catching up on my right. I laid my body flat on my broom, despite my ribs arguing against it, to become more aerodynamic.

I heard a humming coming at me from my left and quickly dusked just in time. The Bludger nicked Malcolm's toe and he let out a wail of pain. I brought my focus back to the snitch reached out my hand.


However just as I was about to wrap my finger tightly around the snitch, everything around me fell silent. Not even the wind made a noise. Then his voice in the back of my head hissed, " Game over, Malfoy."

No. Not you. I closed my eyes, reached out, and grabbed the snitch. The silence died away all at once and there was a roar from the crowd. I swear I could hear the Patil twins screaming at the top of their lungs creating more noise than the whole stadium combined. I let out a sigh of relief.


It was then did I really notice it really hurt to breath. I lowered my broom and once I was near the ground I stumbled onto the ground to meet tons of people coming up to me and giving me hard pats on the back.


This caused much more pain than I found necessary. I pushed through the crowd and headed to the Hospital Wing with Crabb and Goyle and a couple dozen girls crying over me.


But the only girl I was thinking of was……


"Hermione!" Someone had shouted her name. That someone just happened to be Riley who was limping towards the stands, "We still on for dinner?"


I could have sworn that she looked my way for a millisecond before answering, "Well Padma and Parvati kind of begged me to spend the night with them……but you can bring some of your guy friends and we can all meat up in The Three Broomsticks."

"So it would be just you, Padma, Parvati, me, and a couple of my guy friends?" He asked

"Oh no! Ginny would come and Ron would probably want to look after his sister and than Harry would probably want to stick with Ron a but then Harry can't be without the company of Cho. So she would have to come and then there is her posse of girls that always trail after her and……"

Malcolm raised his hand, "Yea, ok. Let's just reschedule this until a later date. Ok?" Hermione bent down and hugged Malcolm around the neck, "Thank you. You're not upset?" She asked into his ear.

"At you? Never."

I gritted my teeth, turned, and walked as briskly I could with broken ribs. How could Granger do this?


What was I so mad about? A stupid hug? She had, after all, gotten out of having dinner alone with the git. Then why was I acting this way?

~*~*~*~*~*~Herm's POV~*~*~*~

"He so likes you, Hermsie!" Parvati pranced around me as we headed to lunch,

"Who?" I asked sheepishly. Padma knocked on my head,

"Malcolm, duh! Whom else would we be talking about?" she giggled, "You think we're talking about Draco or something?" the sisters burst into laughter.

Whoa! Get out of my head! Could Draco possibly have feeling for me? After almost six years of hatred between us it was all kind of sudden if he did have feelings for me.


Well……now that I think about it, in fifth year he didn't beat up on me half as much, sixth year I hardy noticed he even went to this school anymore. In all the classes I had with him he stayed to himself.


Strange……


My mind was tingling with curiosity. I had to know more!


"Hey, you guys, go on without out me. I'm going……to check a book out of the library!"


Padma spun around with a sly grin, "Sneaking off to your secret love again, Hermsie?"

I stopped walking and froze staring in horror at Padma, "What?! I don't have a secret-"

"It's not a secret, Padma! Everyone knows!" Parvati laughed and pranced circles around me. What was this?! Had someone seen Draco and me in the library?!

"I do not have a secret love!" I shouted in panic. Parvati stopped prancing and said,

"We were talking about your books, Hermsie. Everyone in the school knows you loves them as if they were as hot as that Muggle actor……oh what's his name…….Oh yes! Orlando Bloom!"

I stood there for a moment processing the words I had just heard and slowly my lips rose into a sheepish smile, "I knew that. I just…….I……I got to go. See you!" I took off to the Hospital Wing.

Though when I came to the corridor leading to the Hospital Wing I realized that getting in was going to be a lot more difficult then I would have imagined. For the corridor was halfway full with barbaric girls trying to get a peek at Draco.

How in the world would I get past all of them? It was like a fighting ring. Girls were trying to push girls who where pulling on another girls hair, who was scratching another girl off. Wow. No offence to Malfoy, but those girls are suffering from complete over obsession.

A sudden thought of intelligence prang into mind. I reached in my robes and pulled out my wand and pointed it down the hall and whispered, "Imagio." And with two swishes and a flick the spell leapt into action. A stream of mist flew down the hall and formed a perfect figure of Malfoy. I put on my best impression of Parvati and screeched, "Oh my God! There he is!" and pointed over to my image of Malfoy.

All the girls looked confused for a moment, looking at the closed Hospital doors and then to the Malfoy down at the end of the hall. But the silence and confusion didn't last long at all. One girl started shrieking in delight and started toward the Malfoy and then the rest followed.

I swear the ground started to rumble once all the girls fled down the hall like a herd elephants. I jumped to the side as they pounded down the hall. And then I sprinted to the door, knowing they wouldn't get a happy surprise when they found that their hands would go right through the image of Malfoy.

I wrapped on the door with my knuckles the shrieks of delight died away. Stopped banging on the door and slowly turned my head down the hall to the where the girls had finally discovered that the Malfoy at their end of the hall was just an illusion. It was like they were trying to piece everything together when one girl jumped out and shouted,

"Get her!"

Uh-oh. The swarm of girls charged down the hall in cold-blooded fury. I returned back to my banging on the door and began shouting, "Let me in! Please! Ms. Pomfrey! Anyone! It's Hermione Granger!" The girls were halfway down the hall and closing.


It was hopeless. Ms. Pomfrey probably thought I was one of Draco's over obsessed fans. But I didn't give up. Pure fear of the outraged girls kept me pounding my fists on the door and my voice hollering.


"Ms. Pomfrey, please! It's Hermione Granger! Please! Ms. Pom-" but before I could finish yelling 'Pomfrey' the door flew open and the very women I had been screaming for, grabbed me by my robes, pulled me in, and slammed the door closed.


Ms. Pomfrey looked angry herself. She straightened her robes and grabbed a black leather doctors bag, "So sorry, Miss Granger. I would have come sooner but I was in the back getting some material for a young second year who managed to get his tongue stuck onto a pole outside. Immature behavior, I say! What kind of person would lick a frosted pole?! Ridiculous!" She grabbed her scarf off a hook next to the door and wrapped it around her neck saying briskly,

"Well I'll be back in a short while. You just sit tight and don't let any of those lovesick girls get in this wing. Help yourself to what you need, dear. Cough medicine, throat syrup, cough drops……"

Malfoy……


"……things of that sort. Be back in a blink of an eye." She took out her wand and open the door and started shielding herself and the doorway from the shrieking girls.


Once she pulled the door closed and the clicking sound of the door being locked was heard, I shook my head and made a 'tutting' sound of disapproval. Those girls were completely in love with him.


Now where was he? I looked down the rows of beds until my eyes fell a white curtain shielding the bed behind it. I started down to the curtained bad, slowly. The room was silent except for the sound of my shoes scuffing the floor. The hall smelled of fowl medicines looming from past injured and ill students.


I eased back the white curtain and there was Draco lying with no shirt on. The middle of his chest was wrapped in medical tape where he had gotten hit with the Bludger. His eyes were closed and his chest was rising and falling only the slightest bit. It was when I looked back at his eyes did I remember what sleeping to Draco meant. I rushed to his side and was about to shake him by the shoulders, when I noticed he wasn't sweating and shivering, as he had been the past times I awoke him from his nightmare. In this case he looked quite relaxed and peaceful.


I chose not to disturb him but stepped a bit closer to him and decided that I would keep an eye on him just incase he broke out in shivering fits of terror.


As I stood over him I couldn't help but admire how handsome he looked with his hair tousled the way it was after a game. It looked softer than it did when it was slicked back with water. His arms looked strong and dependable. I could feel my fingers itching to reach out and touch his bare skin. With much thought, I gave in and allowed my fingers flow gently up his arm. From the moment I touched his skin a pure thrilling rush went up my spine and I could have sworn that Draco's twitched a bit under my fingertips. Regrouping myself, I ran my fingers up the rest of his arm to his neck.


I dared not go any further……but I did anyway.


I lead my finger up to his hair, which had proved to be very soft. I carefully brushed some stray hair away from his closed eyes. After I brushed that last of his hair away I saw that he had dark circles under his eyes from his lack of sleep. It must be horrible for him to deprive himself of a human necessity such as sleep.

The memory of those lips being so close to mine made my skin tingle with what turned out to be eagerness. I had wanted Draco to kiss me……

And the funny thing was, I still wanted him to kiss me.


"What are you doing, Granger?" I jumped back in utter horror. Did he just speak? I stared back at him and his eyes were still closed and his mouth still motionless. But it was when his lips broke apart to say, " I asked you a question. What were you doing?" his eyes were flickering open now and he turned his head a bit to look at me with smiling eyes,


"I……I thought you were asleep." Draco turned his head back to looking up at the ceiling and frowned,

"You know very well that I can't sleep without that wrinkly bastard coming into my dreams and making a big fuss." He stared up at the ceiling for a few moments and then made an effort to sit up in his bed, "I was just resting my eyes." I could see that he was having some trouble sitting up, what with his Bludger wound.

I rushed to his aid and pulled a pillow up behind him to rest on. After he made himself comfortable he looked up at me with his silver blue eyes and grinned, "So about those fingers of yours all up my arms and hair……"

I crossed my arm defensively and bit back with, "About that. If you were just resting your eyes, why didn't you stop me?" I could see him contemplating this in his mind and than he shrugged and mumbled,


"Maybe it was just soothing." The fact that he was still staring at me the whole time he said this made a tickling feeling go off in my stomach and my blushing start.

Curse my blushing! But Draco seemed amused from what his smiling eyes told me,


"Is that because me?" he asked.

"What?" I asked back, confused as what he was referring to.

He nodded to me, "You're blushing. Is that because of me?" if anything he made me blush an even deeper red. Never taking his eyes off me, he let out a little chuckle, "I guess that answers that."


I needed to change to subject. And quick. Every time I looked up at him I began to feel myself starting to blush. If he would only put his shirt on then I would be able to actually look at him without my face turning as red as a tomato,


"I saw what happened to you on the field today." I blurted out. Draco's smile didn't disappear. It only grew as he pointed to his ribs and said,

"A lot of people saw what happened to me down on the field, pet." I rolled my eyes and rephrased my comment,

"I mean, I saw what happened to you right before you caught the snitch." Draco's smiled finally started to fade and he looked away from me at his hands that were resting in his lap.


I stepped closer feeling guilty for taking away his warm smile, "What exactly happened?" I asked in a softer tone. He still didn't look up but muttered, "Nothing happened."


"Draco, I know something happened. You got that look on your face that I saw on the train and outside of Snape's classroom. I know something happened." He still didn't look up and I realized my tone had become harsh and agitated.


Taking a deep breath I put my hand over Draco's and asked in my most gentle voice, "Why won't you tell me?" Draco held up his head and stared from my hand holding his to my face. He searched my eyes and pulled me closer to him with my hand still in his.


He kept pulling me closer until I was almost nose to nose with him and then he whispered in my ear with his cheek touching mine sending surges of exploding heat through my heart, "Not now and not yet," I couldn't breath and was beginning to feel lightheaded and dizzy. Draco brought his face in front of mine once again and whispered once more, "But soon."


He brought one of his hands up and stroked my cheek. It was my natural instinct to close my eyes and take his warm hands and how gentle they were when it came to touching my cheek. I felt his thumb brush against my lips tempting me.

I was finally going to get that kiss……


I didn't have to open my eyes to know that his lips were closer than ever to mine. I could feel his breath mingling with mine. I snaked up my hand from his shoulders, up his neck and around it. And yet our lips still had not touched. My heart was beating at an all time record when I could almost sense that Draco's lips were millimeters away from touching mine. Then…….


"Miss Granger!" I jumped back from Draco and went from lightheaded emotions to frustrated beyond belief all under two seconds. Mrs. Pomfrey was standing there with her hands on her hips glaring from me to Draco. Then something occurred to her. Draco and Hermione. Hermione and Draco. I knew it was what she was thinking. Anyone could have seen it in her face, which looked more confused than Neville did when asked a potions question. And that is saying something.


We all would have been standing (or sitting in Draco's case) there all day if Draco hadn't spoken up, "Hermione, I'll see you later." He said with a grin playing on his lips that I had not kissed yet.

I turned around, then a thought struck me, and I spun around again to ask, "Draco, will I be seeing you at Hogsmead?" His eyes lit up and he nodded, "Course you will, love."


I smiled brightly to Draco, and then turned to Mrs. Pomfrey who still looked flabbergasted, patted her on the shoulder, and then sped down the Hospital Wing to the door. I remembered the barbaric girls and cautiously opened the door. And seeing that they had finally dispersed I slipped out the door and closed it behind me. I leaned my back on the closed door, closed my eyes, and smiled. Even though I hadn't kissed Draco yet I still knew he wanted to kiss me back. That was just about enough to make me sing.


I was about to set off to lunch when I thought popped into my head.

Had he just called me 'love'?


~*~*~*~*~*~*__________________~*~*~*~*~*_______________________~*~*~*~*~*~*~** ~*~*

There you are! Your Quidditch chappy and another almost but the first use of the word 'love'. *Sigh* if only Draco loved me…… Anyway please do not flame. I beg of you!!! When you give me compliments it makes me smile and go YAY! But when I get mean things I go and cry. Next chapter will feature the Hogsmead trip for dinner and there will be a big show down in the Three Broom Sticks between can you guess who? And for which girl? Duh, you can. It will be fun!
So Review please!!!!! I luv you all!!!

~ProwlingKitKat, I do agree. Malcolm makes me sick as well. And Draco won so be happy for our wounded puppy!! Keep reading and reviewing!~

~ svetlaella, hope you enjoyed this chappy. You're a great reviewer and it was my honor to dedicate that last chapter to you! Keep Reviewing!~

~sweet-soph, I'm glad the deadly kiss got to you. But I hope I gave you much more to feast your eyes on.~

~Catgirl-13, thanx for the complement about the descriptions. It really means a lot to me to know that you like those things!~

~ Meg, I think the answer to your question about Draco backing away was in this chappy. I cant really remember. But if it wasn't just ask me again and I'll answer it straight out to ya.~

~ Some12 , hope your comp. Is ok now. Thanx for all your support. You have no idea how much I luv ya for it!~

~ spooflover13, we are the Draco wishers. Both want him. Both can't have him. Lol. not to give anything away, but you'll get your fight between Draco and Malcolm soon enough. Grin~

~ broadway betty, I'm glad my story made you happy!~

~ Sirius Black11, thanx for your advise. I'll work on it!



Muse's Note: MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!



*end Muse's Note*