The astronomy tower was surprisingly warm. Harry supposed that Dumbledore had charmed it for the winter. Harry had always liked being in the tower, it not only looked out over the lake but also the castle. It showed all the different towers, and it showed the front gates. The only thing you couldn't see was Hagrid's cabin, and the green houses.
'I love this tower.' Harry said after a long silence. He was looking out of the window. Immediately his eyes were drawn to the castle's front doors. He knew that Ginny was watching him intently, waiting for him to finish. 'When I stand here and see the castle I remember everything I left behind. The Dursley's, Privet Drive and all the anger and depression I had before coming here.' He stopped and took a deep breath. 'I remember the first time I heard about this place, Hagrid told me about my parents and what I am. I remember thinking that I had to be dreaming. Then I was here, and I felt…' he turned around 'I felt whole.'
Ginny's gentle face showed understanding. 'Harry you've been through a lot.' She came to stand next to him and look out the window.
'Harry, is there something wrong?' Ginny asked quietly.
'It's nothing, honestly.' He moved uncomfortably, how did this turn to be all about me, what a Jerk I am. Harry thought. 'Ginny, what do you want to be when you get older?' How lame can you be?
Still looking at him skeptically, then she shrugging. 'I don't know, I haven't really thought about it. What about you, do you think about it?'
'Well I figured I'd be a good Auror.' Then there was silence. Ginny was fidgeting with her hair and Harry was gazing at the sky.
'I got stuck on a roof when I was younger. That was before I knew I was a wizard.' Harry blurted out the first thing that came to mind. Anything to fill the stifling silence.
'You're kidding!' Ginny breathed again, she sat cross-legged on the gray stone and she patted the area next to her. Harry said down and drew his knees up and let his arms rest on top of them.
'Nope, I was running away from Dudley and I went to jump in the dumpster and somehow I landed on the roof of a music building. Luckily too, because otherwise I would have landed in a particularly fowl smelling diaper holder.' He chuckled at the memory, and Ginny just burst out laughing.
'That's funny. I first realized my magic abilities when I wished for flowers. I'd gone to sleep and wished out-loud for the flowers to bloom in the morning.' She paused reminiscing the memory. 'Well I'd woken up to my mother screaming; there were pots of flowers all around my room. I had tulips mixed with Rose bushes that had sprung up and through my window. I had daffodils, and dragon lilies, but that's not the best part.'
'What is the best part?' Harry asked. He was picturing Ginny, with her flaming red hair, surrounded by a roomful of flowers. Her freckles noticeable on her pale skin, with roses on her left, and Dragon Lilies to her right, she fit right in.
'Well, because of all the flowers, Bees had swarmed the house, and Ron got stung right on the nose. Have you ever noticed the small scar on his nose? Yeah, he got that from the bee sting, he wouldn't stop scratching it.' Ginny fell into another fit of giggles. After watching her, Harry too, fell into laughter.
And there they sat, laughing together like life long friends, and sharing life stories. Harry was now happier than he had been in quite a long time.
Holding onto Draco while he inwardly grieved the loss of his mother, Hermione realized how interesting thing she'd ever experienced. Here he was, a tough Slytherin, and here she was, a Gryffindor, comforting him. They'd been standing like this for a couple of minutes, and during that time he had dug his nails into her back. She didn't think he realized it, but it was starting to get painful. She gently pulled back, and he released her. She looked into his eyes, and he was still in so much pain, but he hadn't been crying. He looked at the floor, and slid sadly to the floor to sit. She slowly sat in front of him, taking his hand in hers; she had to break the uncomfortable silence.
'Draco, it's okay to cry.' She whispered, afraid that if she spoke to loudly, she'd scare him off, and never talk to her again. She waited.
'I learned a long time ago that people will use your weakness against you.' It looked as if he was talking to the floor; he hadn't looked at her yet.
'Oh, but that's not true. There are plenty of decent people in the world; you just haven't met any yet. Draco, look at me.' He did. 'I would never hurt you. I know your dad hasn't made us Gryffindors sound like good people, but we are.' She stopped; she saw something spark in his eyes, and anger came across her face.
'You don't know anything about my father.' He yanked his hand out of hers. He started to get up. He didn't know why he was so angry, he hated his father, and it was apparent that Hermione did too. Shaking his head, he decided that Lucious was his father and no one could criticize him but Draco himself. His mother and him were the only one's capable of knowing the damage his father could cause, which only made it fair that he should be the only one to bad talk him.
'No, Please, Draco, I just want to help.' She started up as well.
'I don't need your help. How dare you!' He'd blanked everything that happened just a few moments ago, out of his mind. Once she had gotten up, he shoved her away from him. Hermione stumbled back a few steps, her face shock ridden.
'Draco, look at yourself. Your mother just died! You need someone, whether it's me or not, you need someone! Don't push me away.' Hermione shouted, forgetting that it was probably well past curfew. She stepped closer to him.
'Get away!' He shouted, shaking his head, and stumbling back. He realized he must have been shaken up bad, for him to stumble and have to steady himself.
'Draco, Please.' She whispered. He looks pitiful, she thought. She stepped closer yet again. Only this time he didn't back way, she took another step, then another. Now she was standing directly in front of him. She placed her hand on his cheek, and sorrow filled his eyes, she'd never seen him this exposed. He had a gentle side, and it was edged in danger. Her heart started to twist, and all the feelings of hatred that once filled it, was now replaced. It was replaced with something more passionate, she couldn't figure it out, but she started yearning for him in ways that she'd never experienced.
'You shouldn't touch me.' He also had been feeling different towards her, ever since she cried for him. His heart had felt a sudden jolt, and the coldness of it started to thaw. Since that moment, he started to notice things about her. First being the way she treated him, when he was at his lowest, she could have kicked him down and earned bragging rights. 'I saw Malfoy cry like a baby over his dead mother, what a pathetic loser.' Just thinking of it made his head hurt and made him feel ridiculous. These thoughts of desire had snuck up on him and strangled him until he couldn't breathe.
'Why not?' Her innocent eyes didn't pick up the primal look of lust in them. Which only made Draco and his new feelings for her, stronger. He'd changed; she could see the transformation in his eyes. Hermione had always thought that the eyes were the gateway into the soul, and right now, his eyes were telling her something powerful was going to happen.
'Damn it.' Draco harshly pushed Hermione into the wall behind her, and swooped down and crushed his lips onto Hermione's, and immediately felt the satisfaction of her tensing up and then relaxing. She'd let herself go. Sacrifice, it was the sweetest thing.
The kiss started hard, with him gripping her shoulders and pushing her into the wall. He nipped her bottom lip hard enough to make her whimper with the slight pain of it. It soon smoothed into a deeper and more passionate mating of lips and tongues. He had moved his hands to the base of her neck, and was know gently pursuing the kiss.
Hermione was still rocking from the shock of this kiss. Her first intention was to push him away, but then he was making her tingly all over and she just couldn't pull away. She wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him closer to her so that now they were both bracing themselves on the wall. He took his hands off her neck and placed them on the wall to steady himself. He nipped her mouth one last time, and it sent need flying through her veins. And almost as soon as it started, it ended.
He looked into her brown eyes, and saw what he wanted to see. Her eyes mirrored his own. Lust, need and hunger. All swimming together in their guts, it was an animal need, it had gone far beyond ordinary teenage hormones and testosterone.
'Hermione, I—'
'Don't. We can't act on this.' Hermione cut him off, she was afraid of what he'd offer her, but she was more afraid of her response.
'Yeah, Yeah you're right.' He backed off. Letting her have some space, and giving him time to think and get her incredible taste out of his senses. He needed time to think about what he was just about to say.
'Okay, I think I'm just going to go.' She inched away in the direction of Gryffindor tower. Draco followed her with his eyes.
'Hermione?'
'Yes, Draco?'
'Will you please come with me tonight?'
'Draco, I can't—'
'Hermione, Please, like you said, I won't hurt you.' He looked pained, as if her leaving was actually causing him physical pain.
'Yes, I'll come with you.' She said after a moment and she knew, he would hurt her, but she was going to deal with the pain when it came.
'Are you ready?' He asked, excited for the night to come.
'Yes.'
A/N: I know that this story seems a little rushed, but it's my first story, and it's a test try. To see how it goes. I want to thank you: fieryred20, dracofan1, Roddanagh, and bigred20 for sending reviews, they helped encourage me. So please, keep them coming, Feel free to criticize my story.
Thanks Again!
