Chapter Five: Of Angst Derived Strength and Gauntlets
AN: Ok, so I'd like to thank all my of my returning reviewersTay'slilgal, jesska-14,xx-Draco's-Dark-Queen-xx, Arael Moonchild andFardeep. Also, all of you who put me on your list of favorites are TOO COOL FOR WORDS! I'm sorry that this took so long hopefully the next chapter will be sooner forthcoming, but I can't currently make any promises.
DRACO'S POV
Have I mentioned the fact that I love the ineptness of Gryffindors? I mean here are Potter and Weasley, who walk in on their best friend strangling their enemy. If they were sane they would laugh and perhaps kick said enemy a few times, and then all three of them would skip merrily off.
Of course, 'sane Gryffindor' is a contradiction of terms. So Weasley (who's too in love with Hermione to actually trust her) and Potter (who suffers from an acute hero complex which prevents him from passing up opportunities to present himself as a wronged party) immediately assume that Hermione is getting laid rather than making a decent attempt at homicide. Thus instead of the 'Lets Beat Up Draco Party,' which by all rights ought to be occurring, Weasley's screaming his head off at Hermione, Hermione is screeching right back at Weasley and Potter is standing looking hurt, probably mostly because nobody really cares that he's being anti-social and moody again.
And they say that Slytherine politics are bad.
And so now, while I ought to be running while I still can, I find myself unable to look away from them. It's a morbid fascination that holds me transfixed here; all of this drama is better than those wizard radio soaps Mother secretly listens to.
Yep, drama, that's the only reason why I'm still here.
I'll leave any minute now. Any minute.
Maybe I'll just listen a little longer. Because I feel like it and I have nothing better to do. Right.
"Ronald Weasley it is none of your business who I date! And you know what's worse? You don't even seem to have moderately good intentions. You just heard, and mind you this is all hearsay, that I was dating Draco—"
"Aha! You called him by his first name! Admit it, you're shagging Malfoy!"
"—that I was dating Draco, and you assumed that it was true. You didn't bother asking me my side of the story. No, you just stomped over here and started shouting at me. And it wasn't because you were concerned that I would get hurt, or because you felt slighted because I'd kept a secret from you. No, you haven't brought up any good objections." At this point she starts toward Ron, poking him hard on the chest at every major point. I do not envy that man. Hermione can be damn vicious and those pokes hurt. "You just sound jealous. Well, guess what? I waited for you. I waited and waited, and you checked out other girls. Well I've had enough. If Draco makes me happy then you should be happy for me!"
Ron stands looking dumbfounded. And I finally have a chance to do what I've wanted to do since all this began. I point and laugh from my corner.
While Hermione and Weasley are too wrapped up in their own worlds to hear Potter notices and chucks a rather obnoxiously large volume entitled "Arithmancy: a Study" at me. Fortunately there's a reason he's a seeker and not a chaser; the book slams into a bookshelf about four feet to the right of me. Unfortunately this error is not all in all a good thing, as apparently excessive levels of angst can be transferred into superhuman strength. He actually threw the book hard enough to tip the shelf. It wobbles…wobbling…and it's going in the opposite direction! Thank Merlin!
The crash, and successive crashes as one by one all of the bookshelves begin falling in a domino effect, draws Hermione's attention. She shrieks in absolute horror. As the color leaves her face I can't help but wonder if she'll faint.
That worry is superseded by a pissed off and rapidly approaching Madame Pince.
It might just be time to leave.
HERMIONE'S POV
This is horrible, Madame Pince will find us, and then we'll all get yelled at, and then Dumbledore will look all disappointed and…dear God, we'll be expelled! I'm going to be expelled, I'm going to be expelled, I'm….
…being dragged out of the library by my arm. Oww!
Wait, who is dragging me? It can't be Ron or Harry. Is Draco saving my ass? That doesn't sound like him. Why must everyone confuse me? Can't people just be like they're supposed to be and fit into their nice little boxes with their easy to remember labels and…wait. Shouldn't I be glad that Draco's not doing the expected as it sort of, just a bit, helps me?
Damn it all, why must I always be so confused? If God wrote a job description for being human I swear it'd read something like, "Wanted: human beings. Will be dragged around by fate for My amusement. Full time, pay is what you make it. Continuous befuddlement necessary."
Stupid God. Stupid fate. Stupid lake...stupid lake?
Does this mean that I'm safely out of the library! And far, far away from Madame Pince?
Wahoo! I'm not going to be expelled! Draco saved me. That is so weird. Draco saved me from being expelled. Harry and Ron never saved me from being expelled. Come to think of it, they just seemed to come up with ways to get me expelled.
"You saved me." I say as I face Draco who is still catching his breathe after the mad dash out of the library. I seem incapable of coming up with anything more than monosyllables.
In this state of drunken euphoria I launch I cannot be held accountable for my actions. This has clearly all just been too much for me. I mean public humiliation, feminine mafia, my attempts at killing Draco, fighting with Ron and Harry and then destroying the library and almost being expelled and then Draco saving me…it's just too much and I'm not thinking clearly.
So I launch myself at the completely unprepared Draco standing across from me. My intention is to hug Draco and thank him for saving me from a fate worse than death but things don't quite go like that. Rather, launching myself at Draco turns out to be unwise as he topples over and I'm pulled down with him. Right on top of him in fact.
Just a little bit awkward.
"I always knew you wanted me, but I never thought that you'd actually jump me Hermione. I'm impressed." I am not amused by his sardonic comment. I am also not impressed by his cute semi-evil smirk. Nope, I'm angry. Gerrr. Angry.
"Oh for Merlin's sake Draco. Let's stay in the realm of the plausible." I sneer at him. That should show him.
"Oh, right. I forgot that we were talking about little oh-so-innocent Ms. Hermione Granger who would never have the guts to make a move on a guy. Silly of me to think that you might actually take a risk like that." WHAT?
How dare he! The little…I can't even articulate it. He is the bane of the Earth! How dare he say that about me!
And he's so wrong. I could make a move on a guy if I wanted.
Stupid Draco. I'll show him.
So I pick up the gauntlet that he's thrown: I lean down and kiss him.
Ok, so I don't have any clever review tactics this time. But I am really interested in finding out what you guys think. This chapter was less fluffadelic than most of the others and I would like to know if it worked. Also, I'm more likely to deprive myself of sleep and write the next chapter if I get lots of reviews. SO REVIEW!
