Chapter Six: A Mid-Autumn Night's Dream


The usual drabble of thanks then eh? Really appreciate it when you guys review =) Gives me like…confidence (cough to write more cough)!

(Btw, do the chapter titles remind you of anything? Lol I love Shakespeare! Especially MSND and R&J)


Why do you look so familiar
I could swear that I have seen your face before

I think I like that you seem sincere
I think I like to get to know you a little bit more

I think there's something more, life's worth living for
Who knows what could happen.
Do what you do, just keep on laughing
One thing's true, there's always a brand new day
Who knows what could happen.

Crystal clear bubbles slipped across her sleek thighs catching the candle light and exhibiting a brilliant rainbow display of colours as she propped her feet upon the edge of the cream coloured marble bathtub.

It was undoubtedly strange. Many thoughts crossed her mind that night as she sunk deeper into the orange scented waters. Most of them included Malfoy. Something was different, very different. He seemed almost friendly. Okay maybe friendly was to strong a word. Approachable. That was it. He'd been approachable; and it scared her a bit. In all her years at Hogwarts, she'd never encountered an approachable Malfoy. It seemed almost…wrong. What happened? Where was that despicable pureblood bastard she despised with such passion? She had become so accustomed to the spiteful Malfoy, that this one…was unimaginable.

Hermione yelped aloud as she pinched herself on the wrist.

Okay, so it really did happen

Was it so implausible for Draco Malfoy to be nice? No, no, approachable.The inevitable answer? Yes. Yes it was. Having an approachable Malfoy, was like seeing Voldemort dressed up as Father Christmas handing out presents in a muggle orphanage. Or, Professor Snape voluntarily putting on a tutu and dancing in Swan Lake. In essence, not 100% impossible, but the likelihood of it happening?

Not very great.

Truth be told, it'd been a long time since she'd laughed so much…or had so much fun. And honestly, she enjoyed it. A lot. But the fact that it'd been with her arch-nemesis Draco Malfoy, well, kind of made it hard to believe.

Taking a deep breath, she dove beneath the water, drenching her head of almost-curls. If anyone were to have been watching, they'd have automatically assumed she'd been trying to drown herself.

Minutes later, she emerged, breaking the nearly settled waters, gasping for air.

With care, she picked up her requested bar of orange scented soap and began to rub it into her hair. The citrusy aroma pleasantly tickled her senses. Orange smelled good. Freakishly good.

An unexpected rapping at the door dragged her back to reality.

"Princess? Are you done? You've been in there for a rather long time." Came Hestia's voice.

Hermione frowned. "Alright, alright, I'm getting out."

Sighing with defeat, she heaved her dripping body from the citrus waters, and resigned herself to face the obvious facts.

Draco Malfoy has become ….approachable.

.::::.

I just wanna hold you close but so far
All I have are dreams of you
So I wait for the day and the courage to say
How much I love you
Yes I do
I'll be dreaming of you tonight
'Till tomorrow I'll be holding you tight
And there's nowhere in the world I'd rather be
Than here in my room dreaming about you and me

Rock Hard.

That was the only phrase plausible to describe the bed. These people were supposed to be rich! So WHY didn't they have decent mattresses? Three bloody husbands and the woman got ALL their money, but nooo she just had to buy beds made of CONCRETE!

Judging by the lack of light shining through the French doors in Draco's room, he estimated that it was about 3 AM. The family had come back at around Midnight after leaving the Granger's Castle. To Draco's relief, the tour of the gardens had just about ended by the time he caught up with them. The Slytherin boy tossed and turned, shifting and rotating in every way possible to find a more comfortable position. He'd been lying awake for over 3 hours now and nothing he did helped.

Nineteen Golden Fleeced Lambies…Twenty Golden Fleeced Lambies…Thirty…

Tap Tap Tap

No…Twenty One Golden Fleeced Lambies…I am going to be so stiff tomorrow…er…later…Need…beauty sleep…

Tap Tap Tap

Twenty Two… Golden Fleeced Lambies…Twenty Three Golden Fleeced Lambies…Twenty…Four? Golden fleeced…

Tap Tap Tap

Damn incessant rapping…Twenty Five Golden Fleeced Lambies… Can't be devilishly handsome without…sleep…Twenty Six Golden Fleeced Lambies…

Tap Tap Tap

WHAT IS THAT INFERNAL RACKET!?

Tap Tap Tap

Owls? …..Here?

Tap Tap Tap Tap Tap

The tousle haired boy reluctantly crawled up from his stone mattress. Squinting his silvery eyes, he groped around blindly looking for a shirt to cover his bare half having slept only in his boxers. His not-so-comfrotable-I-thought-these-people-were-rich-why-can't-they-afford-anything-decent boxers.

Tap Tap Tap

"What in the hell is that bloody noise?!" he fumed silently, still trying to find some clothing. Clumsily, he fumbled around for the curtains to his balcony door hoping to shine some light on his predicament.

As he did, the rapping ceased, but instead, something else stood before him on the other side of the glass door. Something that caused the 6ft tall boy to jump 5ft into the air and land hard on his ever so adorable pride.

Brushing aside the strands of blonde hair from his face, he looked up at the glowing figure before him. A natural assumption of the glowing body would have been an alien, but seeing as that was a muggle invention…

An Angel…

Draco's silver-gray eyes widened considerably, and his breathing became quick and shallow. It was an angel…

Her long, wavy auburn tendrils cascaded down her shoulders. Honey-chocolate orbs sparkled beneath the moon light that illuminated her figure and her luscious lips were curving into her sun kissed cheeks. The fine white gown she wore clung revealingly onto her petite, curvy frame. If she were an angel, then he must have died and gone to heaven which probably should've surprised him more than anything else considering his…relations. She was absolutely breathtaking. She was absolutely stunningly beautiful, she was absolutely….

Granger.

The angelic figure raised an eyebrow at him and spoke, "Are you planning on letting me in anytime soon?"

For once in his lifetime, Draco Valerian Malfoy was speechless.

A frown crossed her lips and she stood before him with her arms now akimbo. "Well?"

Scrambling up from the forest-green rug, he heaved himself up and unlocked the glass door, standing just inches away from her.

"I-um-you-er-a…" he could barely string two words together; much less think of two actual words.

He found this situation ridiculous, Malfoy's were never speechless. They were the ones to make others speechless!

The enchanting smile crept its back onto her face as she subtly closed the remaining distance between them. With one hand, she gently ran her fingers through his soft, silky hair. Draco closed his eyes and inhaled her heavenly scent.

Oranges…since when did angels smell like oranges….

With her other hand, she tenderly placed it firmly upon his chest. Her touch was like electricity. Draco shivered at the electrifying feeling. Her fingers were ice cold. His eyes finally captured hers. Silver eyes darkened as they embraced the warmth of brown ones. Taking his left hand, he pulled her slender body up against his. Savoring the feeling of his chest against her body, he cupped her chin with his right hand. There was just one thing left to do. He drew her delicate face near, and leaned in to meet his heavenly destiny.

But it never came.

"Draco" her voice whispered to him.

The boy blinked as he down upon at her.

"Adonis" she spoke louder this time. "Wake up!" she screamed, shaking his body violently.

Draco's eyes burst open to find sunlight flooding his room and his two brothers towering above him.

His back was aching and his sheets were in a tangle around him.

"How on earth did you end up on the floor?" Phaeton sniggered.

.::::.

Compared to this, life at Hogwarts had been a breeze, Never in her life had she stopped to ponder about the life of a princess. It was nothing like she'd ever seen on television. Absolutely nothing. She'd been awaken at the break of dawn that day by her boisterous handmaiden, and for some absurd reason, it'd taken them an hour to get her ready for breakfast. Why in the world would anyone want or have to dress up for breakfast? She'd run into Hadrian that morning; he'd attempted to engage her in conversation, but she hadn't had time to stop and chat. Immediately after her morning nosh, she'd been whisked away for a hideously mundane 2 hour Latin lesson with a tutor which preceded an hour and a half of Spanish and another tedious hour of Princess etiquette. It had been absolutely disastrous. She'd been no where as graceful as she seemed. The whole morning had been dreadful, but educational and being the studious student she was, had always been eager to learn new skills.

To her immense relief, Hermione had been given an hour of leisure time after lunch which was followed by a 2 hour riding lesson and an hour of arithmetics. The afternoon schedule in her opinion was quite pleasant, Hermione had always adored her Arithmacy class in Hogwarts, this wouldn't be too different would it? Thinking back to Hogwarts made her tear up a bit; would she ever get back? More importantly…would she ever see Harry and Ron again? Or her family….her real family.

Hermione released a deep sigh as she pushed around the salad in her silver plate. She'd been promptly scolded for both actions.

What is wrong with these people…

Her stomach rumbled audibly. She hadn't had much time to eat breakfast. Hungrily, she sunk her teeth into a section of a mandarin from her plate and savored the way the delicious, sweet, tangy juices exploded within her mouth. Hurriedly, the princess finished off the remainder of her lunch and excused herself from the table, unaware of the present time and hurried out to the gardens to meet Draco.

.::::.

He'd found her already waiting, patiently by the edge of the lake by the time he'd arrived. Her tiny feet were submerged beneath the cool lake waters and chilling wind blew lightly around her, gently whipping around her auburn tendrils. She looked peaceful…like an angel.

But I won't tell

'Cause I don't want anyone to know

I won't tell

'Cause I don't want you to know

Draco shook his head violently and his platinum hair hung windswept across his face. It was wrong…disgusting…despicable. She was a Mudblood. It didn't matter how beautiful or intelligent she may have been. She was tainted. Dirty blood coursed through her veins, she was part of the enemy, she was inferior. She was against and beneath him, and would be for eternity. They didn't belong. There wasn't a place in the world for them, they would never be accepted. If you couldn't combine Nitro and Glycerin, then you could never put together a Pureblood and a Mudblood.

Never.

Silently, he strode up behind her and nudged the small of her back with the toe of his boot.

"Granger" he muttered.

Startled, Hermione jumped up from the ground and teetered towards the cold lake. Reflexively, she grabbed onto the nearest object; which just happened to be the pale skinned boy before her.

His boy stiffened as she made contact. Steely -gray eyes darkened as if a storm had begun to brew within them. Clenching his jaw, he firmly pushed her aside and stepped back.

"Malfoy" she breathed, acknowledging his presence.

He nodded curtly and held his hands tightly behind his back. His spine straightened involuntarily in the same way his father had taught him to when around his friends were in attendance.

Hermione frowned. Something was wrong…different. What had happened? The air around him seemed dark and ominous- almost frightening; he no longer held the approachable atmosphere. His features seemed sharper and harder than before, and his eyes no longer held the warmth they held briefly last night. He'd changed back into Draco Malfoy.

Her russet-brown eyes filled with anxiety as she neared him.

"What was it you wanted to talk about?" she whispered tentatively looking up at him.

His callous expression remained ever present as he replied, "Think Granger, you're supposed to be smart. What possible reason could there be for my wanting to speak with you."

Hermione tugged uncomfortable at her crimson coloured dress and adverted her eyes to the ground.

"Oh" she said.

Draco turned his back to her and walked towards the edge of the lake.

"Well?" he prompted, refusing to face her.

Biting her lip nervously, she confessed, "No, I haven't had time to sort things out yet…" she paused a moment to think, "But if we can't figure a way out of here, I'm certain Dumbledore will…and Harry" she added.

The pale blond let out a derisive, "Ha". "Of course, wonder boy and his side kick weasel will come and save the day as usual" he jeered, raising his finely chiseled chin to the azure skies.

Hermione's fists clenched as the old resentment began to trickle through her veins once again.

"They haven't failed before now have they," she snapped angrily.

Finally, Draco turned back and faced her with a look of sheer loathing upon his flawless visage. His exterior reflected little of what he felt inside; contentment. He needed to feel her hatred again. To assure himself she was nothing but an undeserving, filthy, vile, disgusting Mudblood. A disgraceful, loathsome, good-for-nothing vermin adorned with flashy….beautiful ribbons.

His lips curved upwards the tiniest fraction of a centimeter into a cold, tight lipped semblance of a smile.

"Well, before… Wonder boy never had a girlfriend now did he?" By the insignificant, barely visible change in her hardened expression, Draco could tell he had succeeded in breaking into her. "What was her name again?" he ventured on, testing her limits to the end, "Ah, yes, Cho Chang."

His resemblance of a smile widened, with two words he knew he had accomplished his wicked deed.

Burning, fiery auburn eyes sparked with flecks of orangey-red were glued to Draco's mirthless, emotionless, glacial orbs. All she wanted to do at that moment was to melt him, burn him, and see him fall into a worthless heap of nothingness.

But she settled for wetness.

With one swift motion, she lunged forwards and shoved the Slytherin prince with all her might and sent him toppling into the crystal clear lake.

His figure broke the surface of the waters with a clean splosh. Ripples streaked across the lake and cool droplets rained across the surrounding air in a spouting fashion with two arches pushing against one another.

Hermione watched from above, smirking, feeling extremely satisfied with herself. She firmly crossed her arms against her chest as a pale blond head slowly surfaced.

"Bloody witch!" he sputtered, struggling to stay afloat, "What the hell's wrong with you?"

"I could ask you the same thing, but I'm afraid I don't have a lifetime o listen to your prattling" she retorted angrily.

Her eyes seemed to glow at the sight of the drowning prat set before her. It looked so perfect.

"Help me Granger! I can't swim!" he cried in distress.

Hermione laughed scathingly, "Ha, and I thought Malfoys could do anything."

Draco sputtered once more, spitting out a mouthful of water.

"Well, you obviously thought WRONG!" he choked out, "Help!"

Hermione simply rolled her eyes and seated herself upon the lush green grass, chuckling at the drowning figure.

Draco Malfoy, the not so amazing drowning ferret

She watched amusedly, as he plunged beneath the waters once again.

"Malfoy, do you really expect me to fall for the whole Help me I'm helplessly drowning act?" she said cynically, "I'm not exactly stupid you know…"

No reply came. A minute passed. No ferret, Two minutes passed, still no ferret…4 minutes passed, No one could possibly hold their breath for that long…

"MALFOY!" she called out, "MALFOY!" she repeated, this time with a hint of uneasiness.

A few handfuls of air bubbles broke the surface.

"Malfoy?! I know you're there!"

Nothing.

"Oh shit…" she swore.

How was I supposed to know he couldn't swim!?

I didn't want him to DIE….just…well kinda, but not really! Maybe just a little…

OH GOD I KILLED HIM!

Nice going

Panic filled her insides rapidly replacing the fading contentment. Hermione's eyes raked the lake area. No sign of the Slytherin boy.

Another thirty seconds passed.

"Oh god oh god…MALFOY!" she shrieked hysterically, then screaming like a wild banshee, she threw herself fully-dressed into the water and dove deep in search of the lifeless Draco Malfoy.

The lake was surprisingly deep. She whipped around frantically searching for any sign of the blond boy.

She'd have done anything to find him alive, well, almost anything. 5 minutes ago she'd have welcomed his absence…temporarily…

Oh shit….You've KILLED HIM

…He deserved it…

I KNOW! But why'd I have to be the murderer!

Lucky?

Hermione's breath grew thin as she swam deeper into the lake; passing tangles of deep green seaweed, and schools of miniature fish. The water was surprisingly murky near the bottom.

She gasped desperately for oxygen as she finally reached the surface. She still hadn't found Malfoy's body. Instead, a familiar hollow laughter reached her ears.

The tall, pale boy stood above her on the grass. His silvery hair was slicked back in its former fashion. The beads of water upon his exposed chest gleamed temptingly beneath the sunlight, causing his body to glow resiliently.

He may have looked like a god at the moment, but nothing could shield him from the rage Hermione was about to unleash.

The beast within.

"MALFOY YOU BASTARD! YOU CONNIVING, SICKENING BASTARD!" bellowed the sopping wet princess.

"Hmmmm…. That I am…hey! Turns out, Malfoy's can do anything!" he chortled, holding his stomach lightly.

Furiously, Hermione hoisted herself from the lake, picked up her water filled skirt, and charged at the unsuspecting Malfoy.

"ARGH!" he cried, and she rammed her body into his.

Hermione straddled his chest and began to slap his colourless face senseless.

Draco should've felt the pain of her fists striking his face, but instead, all he could feel were her slender, smooth legs across his bare skin. His male hormones began to rage feverishly.

Just before he lost control of himself, he bit his lip hard, and flung her off. She landed meters away.

Panting hard, he raised himself up off the ground, and steadied himself against a tree nearby. "Don't touch me Mudblood," he hissed and picked his damp shirt up from the ground.

Hermione began to curse endlessly at him as he turned to leave. But no response came from him. So finally, she picked up her ruby red slipper and hurled it into his head.

"Bitch" he swore under his breath.

Tossing the shoe carelessly over his shoulder and into the depths of the lake, he stalked off; leaving the sodden maiden behind.

.::::.

This is ridiculous; I can't even wear a pair of trousers while riding?!

"That's it princess. Simply dig your heels into the sides with a firm pressure to quicken the pace," instructed Matron Athena, the crimson-haired riding instructor.

In the brief 2 hour period, Hermione had taken a great liking to this middle aged woman; she was like a mother, a sister and a confidant, all in one. Her face was soft, and motherly; her voice was rich and captivating. She held a wise, charismatic aura to herself which made her seem inviting. Athena was attentive, and perceptive; always filled with wondrous advice and ideas. The princess held unwavering trust within this woman.

Hermione shifted uncomfortable upon her leather saddle. Her chestnut coloured steed trotted along the path gracefully which was more than you could say for its rider. The unsteady, erratic ride bounced her up and down, painfully as the lesson proceeded.

Riding was not one of the Gryffindor Prefect's strong points. So naturally being the perfectionist she was; she was determined to make it one.

"I still don't understand why I can't wear trousers…this is awfully uncomfortable and…itchy..." she complained, shifting her position.

Athena chuckled lightly at the younger girl's naivety.

"It's unladylike, princess' do not wear trousers" she replied. "Peasants wear trousers."

Hermione pouted, and steered the stallion to the left, looping around the lake.

"And corsets, those are completely unnecessary and demeaning! Doing something just so you can look a certain way…utterly…shallow." The princess declared indignantly.

The matron sighed, but a smile still remained upon her face, "I understand…and it is, but that's simply the way things are. Perhaps they shall be different in the future princess."

Hermione's brows furrowed in concentration, "Maybe I can start a protest! Like…Fight the Undignified Corruption of Females."

FUCOF…ugh…I DO come up with bad acronyms…

Athena burst out in jovial laughter, "Oh, princess, you have such eccentric dreams. Lucky for you, you're the princess of the King, otherwise you'd have had you're head whipped off eons ago."

Hermione's eyes widened," And that too! He can't just whip off people's heads for doing nothing! Human rights issue here!"

Wiping the tears from her eyes, Athena replied, "He's the king princess, he makes the laws, and he can just about anything he pleases."

"Such an utter violation of the Universal Declaration of Human rights! This is absolutely outrageous" she muttered.

The matron's weathered visage wrinkled in confusion, "There is no such thing princess."

This isn't even 1948 yet?! Renaissance or Dark Ages…?

Lucky me…stuck in the age of ignorance and debauchery…ha…I'll probably be married by next week to some 80 year old cousin…

"Once more around the lake and then you're free to prepare for dinner, princess" said Athena.

"Fine…and would you mind calling me Hermione…" she grumbled childishly as led her steed once more around the corner.


Hmm…Anything? Alota song references here then!

Start from first: Avril Lavigne – Who Knows

Selena – Dreaming of You

Aiur/Forsaken Illusions (storyid=1650066)- No where to Hide (Check out her stuff it's pretty amazing For some stupid reason i can't stick up her link but if u want it there's the end part it's at ficpress or u can request it in reviews n i can like email or something. blasted thing!)

REVIEW! Review and the next chapter may be up faster! =)