Chapter 12: Things I'll Never Say
Okay so I went and looked up a buncha stuff about candy….because of the whole honey thing. Anyways, they actually did eat honey…so yay lol it'd been there since cave men days (history lesson here!) and if anyone cares which I doubt you do…sliced bread was invented in 1928 lol. Okay so, Good point Select Another brings up it's not so much how far they went back in time it's that they went back to a different like period in my case it's the Medieval Ages so about 1500-1700's (CE) and let's just say the candy was wrapped up which it was just never bothered to mention I suppose.
Thanks crazy much for all the reviews once more! Hope I answered all the questions otherwise…think of it as a parallel universe where things just happen... I'm kidding… just tell me and I'll find an explanation of some sort that corresponds alright then? On to the story!
I am lost in the see-thru
I think you lost yourself too
Throughout all of this confusion
I hope I somehow get to you
I practiced all the things I'd say
To tell you how I feel
And when I finally get my chance
It all seems so surreal
Cause from the first time I saw you
I only thought about you
I didn't know you
I wanted to hold on to
The things you'd never say to me
Sinking into the crowd, Draco noticed as she intentionally attempted to blend into the mess of dancers.
"Would you like to go outside?" He asked quietly, extending his hand.
Hermione nodded gratefully and accepted his offer as he swiftly led her out without notice from the other suitors.
Draco lightly, yet firmly held her hand as he escorted her out along a familiar cobblestone path towards the lakeside.
Faint music traveled out along the night air harmoniously blending into the sounds created by Mother Nature; the winds, the waters, the unseen wildlife lurking about.
"Are you…okay" Asked Draco trying to remain apathetic despite the fact that he'd been somewhat shaken up by what he'd perceived to be the dark-haired prince sexually harassing the princess.
Silently, Hermione ventured forward nearer to the lake, and nodded.
"Malfoy?"
Draco froze. No…he couldn't let her find out who he was….he couldn't…he'd never live it down.
"Sorry?" he queried, plastering on what he thought to be a mildly puzzled expression onto his face.
For some strange reason, her heart fell the slightest bit. She cringed at her fallacy.
"Never mind" she murmured, eying him curiously. "Are you really Prince…Paris…of Troy?"
"Of course I am." He replied attempting to sound affronted whilst avoiding her penetrating gaze.
Hermione somehow doubted him, but decided not to probe him any further. At least not at the moment. She looked up into his face, trying to find some recognizable trace of his identity. Perhaps he really was Prince Paris. After all, she hadn't stared at Malfoy long enough to memorize every detail of his face. Her eyes drifted on to his own. His silvery…gray…orbs…they were so…unique…so…different…so…
Beautiful
His eyes, she would never forget his eyes.
Never.
The Slytherin Prince thrived in the moment. His mind became rapidly shut out as his other senses overtook him. The moment seemed so utterly perfect. Everything felt so right. Except. That it wasn't. Nothing. Nothing about this was right.
Absolutely nothing.
Despite her beauty, her brains, her incomparable smile, her honey-chocolate orbs, her amiable companionship, her…her everything. Despite everything, she was still a Mudblood beneath it all, but worst of all. She was,
Hermione Granger.
He slowly, turned away from her and faced the lake.
Hermione stared after him. The scene seemed so familiar, yet so different. Strange and foreign. Her eyes drifted to the gentle lapping of the lake waters inflicted by the light breaths of the winds. She listened intently to the sounds of the night as if willing for the darkness to divulge it's secrets to her and only her. Kneeling down on her knees, she laid her hand flat out, and sunk her palm into the water.
"A bit cold isn't it?" Draco commented stepping next to her.
Slowly withdrawing her hand, she looked up and him and replied, "I'm not…" she trailed off not quite knowing what she was saying.
He grinned oddly at her and began to take off his boots.
"What are you doing??" she asked suspiciously edging away from him as he began to strip off the remainder of his clothing.
"Actually, it was a question I asked you. And you never answered…" he paused as his grin widened. He noticed a blush creep onto her cheeks as he stripped down to his boxers. Hermione quickly turned away.
"It's okay you know. I'm not naked." He chortled.
"But…you are...Almost!" she mumbled incoherently.
"Nothing you haven't seen before. I'm sure of it. Come on, look at me!" he said mischievously eyeing her.
Hermione shook her head in refusal. "No bloody way!"
"Fine then." He replied, and dove gracefully into the waters, making a bare splash.
The princess gasped and spun around.
"Made you look!" he laughed, surfacing near her and propping his elbows onto the grass.
Hermione blushed and stuck her tongue out. "How unladylike" he chided playfully.
She cocked her head lazily and raised an eyebrow. Her heart seemed to swell a bit as he smiled at her. The waters glistened upon his body and hair. He seemed to sparkle; shine.
Shining.
"My knight in shining armor," she whispered softy.
It'd been her 5th birthday and her grandmother had still been alive. The elderly woman was quickly nearing her death bed but still seemed so vibrant and lively. For her birthday, she'd given Hermione her first ever book of fairy tales. It contained tales of Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Rapunzel, and other famous classics. After reading it from cover to cover, she found that she thrived in the tales of magic, witches, princesses, prince charmings and such. It'd been her dream to experience the magic. Albeit, she absolutely loved her life at Hogwarts, it surprised her how different it'd been from the fairytales she'd read. Almost nothing was alike; and yet, she still searched….for her prince charming. But now…she found that she didn't want him at all. Instead, she'd found…her knight in shining armor. The knight that not only swept her off her feet, but was her savior; her guardian angel. The only problem was….she didn't know who he was!
Wavering, she reached her hand over and caressed his cheek. The water was chilly but she could feel his skin burning like fire beneath her fingers. Ever so gently, she fingered his mask, and tried to untie it. She felt him tense the slightest bit. Suddenly, he pushed back from the edge and swam backwards until he felt he'd put enough distance between their bodies.
"Come join me!" he called out.
She sighed softy in disappointment, and shook her head. "No! It's cold!"
Draco swam back to shore feeling the heat within him die down.
"At least stick your feet in, it's nice in here." He pouted boyishly, sticking his lower lip out farther than usual.
Hermione giggled at his attempt to give her the puppy-dog eyes.
"Alright alright, only if you promise to wipe that ridiculous look off your face though!" she slowly sat down and slipped her heels off before sinking her feet full into the waters.
"Mmm…you're right. It does feel nice."
"I know" he cried, paddling around her.
Then suddenly, a piercing shriek shattered Draco's eardrums.
"Paris! Look! It's ducks! Ducklings! Duckies!!" she squealed excitedly.
Mild surprise overcame him. This was the girliest he'd ever seen her act. Rolling his eyes, he swam after the ducklings, herding them towards Hermione.
"No! Don't scare them!" she squeaked. The ducklings wadded over to her in a flurry, quacking wildly. Draco chuckled at her. He'd long forgotten how much he enjoyed her company. She seemed so…so…innocent. Carefree. Something he'd rarely seen.
The fluffy little birds floated just out of her reach, now much quieter as they seemed to be in a calmer state.
"They're so adorable" she gushed, attempting to pet the nearest duckling.
"Be careful, you don't want to fall in now." He warned.
Hermione ignored his words of warning, still eager to touch the feathery creatures.
"Gran-Art-PRINCESS!" he cried out again, "BE CAREFUL!"
"Will you be quiet?! You're scaring them off! I'm perfectly f-AHHHHH!"
She toppled expectedly down into the lake just as Draco had predicted. The ducklings scattered at her entrance and quickly, the Slytherin boy dove under the waters to rescue her; again.
The princess struggled beneath the chilly waters as the liquid filled dress weighed her down, dragging her deeper within the lake. She flailed her arms in an attempt to grab hold of something; but there was nothing. Panicking, she began to untie the back of her dress. The lacings tangled within her fingers; she was losing air fast.
Nerve-racking minutes passed by. One…two…three. Finally, he spotted her. Wrapping one arm around her waist, Draco pulled her out behind him, kicking hard against the deep waters. His head eventually broke through the surface and he swam swiftly over to the sides, grasping tightly onto the edge.
Gasping and panting breathlessly, Hermione grabbed a hold of Draco's shoulders and wrapped herself tightly around him for support. Her head spun from the lack of air and her vision seemed to blur before her.
In spite of the situation, Draco could feel his body temperature rising rapidly the second she'd made contact with his skin.
"Are you okay?" he asked trying to ignore her body pressed against his.
"Y-yes" she coughed lightly, "Thank you."
All was silent for moments which seemed to freeze just for them. The only sound that could be heard was the light breathing coming from each of them. Hermione gently lowered her head upon his shoulder, breathing softly.
Draco shivered internally as her warm breath grazed his bare skin.
Her lips gently brushed against his body s she lifted her head to level her eyes with his own. She gazed intently at him. Absorbing his every feature. He seemed to bear now flaws upon his face. He seemed almost…perfect.
Things were getting too close for his liking…
"I told you so." Draco blurted suddenly.
Hermione stared blankly at him. "What?"
"I told you the water wasn't that cold." He said unhooking her arms from around him.
"Oh…" she said slowly drifting away as he hoisted himself from the lake. Standing up, he brushed his plastered platinum hair back with his fingers.
Merlin I'm such an idiot…
Hermione looked up at him in disappointment as he hovered above her, holding out his hand.
"Need a hand?"
She nodded and his hand encased her tightly as he pulled her out from the waters and on to her feet.
Standing a fair few meters away from him, she began to wring out her dress. What seemed to be buckets of water began to pour out relentlessly.
Draco peered over the lake in deep thought.
Damned Mudblood! What in Merlin's name is happening to me?!
His head spun around wilding in confusion. He felt as though he'd lost control of his little game; not something he exactly enjoyed. This was different too different. And it wasn't right…things were…out of balance. He needed to retain the status quo between the Mudbloods and the purebloods. Between Granger and Malfoy.
From the corner of his eyes, he stole a glance at the princess who was now adjusting her hair ornaments. His heart sighed ever so softly. Mudblood. He could've laughed at his own stupidity. How the word seemed so unfitting of her now. Especially since she no longer called him rude names. But that was only because he hadn't….and the fact that she didn't know his true identity. He felt like a fraud. Like the dark lord. The thought of a half blood leading an army of purebloods was rather ironic. Oddly enough, none of the deatheaters ever bothered to comment on it.
From the depths of the crystal clear lake, a bluish-silver glint caught his eyes and drew his mind back to the present situation.
Curious, he leaned over trying to get a better look at what it could be.
"Hey! Gra- Princess! Come here!" he beckoned, waving his hand.
Hermione raised an eyebrow but crossed over to him nonetheless.
"Look," he said pointing towards the glittering object. "What do you think it is?"
The princess frowned and knelt down for a closer look. Feeling somewhat self-conscious about nothing in particular, she ran a hand across her head. She felt an odd void. Like something was missing…something…something she couldn't put her finger on….
Her eyes widened in horror, "My tiara!" she yelped.
Immediately, she made to retrieve the delicate piece of jewelry, but Draco firmly held her back.
"I'll get it. Don't want you drowning again do we princess?" he joshed.
Hermione sniffed with a false air of haughtiness and with a quick shove sent the golden haired boy fumbling not so gracefully into the lake waters once again.
"Feisty little thing aren't you?" he grinned as his head broke through the surface of the tinted green waters.
Rolling her eyes, she swung threateningly at his bobbing head and nearly fell in again.
"You really need to be more careful," he scolded her playfully as he helped her back up. He'd predicted her actions before hand and caught her just in time.
"Well if it wasn't for you I wouldn't have fallen in anyways" she replied trying to hide her sheepishness. Fidgeting a bit, she found that he was still tightly holding on to her arms. Her eyes drifted from his arms and slowly up to his pallid skin where droplets of water lingered, dripping down one by one leaving a gleaming trail down his jaw line. His enchanting ethereal orbs. They vaguely reminded her of Hadrian's except that this time when she was being drawn in, it was of her own volition. She wanted so badly to reach over and see….see what was beneath his mask, but his arms held her back from getting any closer.
"Tiara!" he said suddenly breaking the ever stacking silence, without waiting for a response, he released her and sunk beneath the waters to retrieve the head piece.
Hermione fell forwards onto the solid ground on all fours, staring after the prince as she often found herself doing. Was she really so unbearable that he didn't want to be near her for more than a second? It seemed to her that each time they became too close for comfort; he'd suddenly back away with one excuse or another. It hurt her the slightest bit within. She seemed to have taken a liking to his company and perhaps a little something more since he'd saved her from Hadrian.
With her eyes still glued to the lake, Hermione raised to her feet, peering into the translucent waters. Her thoughts were mildly shaken by a break in the waters.
"Got it!" Draco grinned, holding up the tiara as he swam back to shore.
She watched as he heaved his sopping wet body out from the lake and onto the lush green grass. He panted lightly and wiped the residual water off his face with the palm of his hand.
"Risked my life for this little trinket you know" said Draco cheekily waving the tiara in one hand.
Hermione rolled her eyes yet again; something she found herself often doing around him and stepped towards him.
"Well you offered didn't you?" she reminded.
Draco raised his arms in defeat, "You're right I guess I did, didn't I?" Hermione shot him a bare smug look. "Now would you like your crown back, princess or was my life threatening endeavor all for nothing?"
"Of course I want it back" she exclaimed, flicking him on the shoulder.
The Slytherin clutched the place where she'd hit him as if it were spewing blood and feigned hurt only to receive another flick.
"Violent today aren't we?" he asked faking a look of shock.
"What do you mean today? I'm always violent. But I'm willing to take mercy on you if you give me my tiara back" she said pointedly.
"As you wish, Princess, as you wish" he answered, complying to her wish and bowing down on one knee.
Hermione half smiled. This reminded her yet again of something…"you may rise!"
Swiftly, the platinum blond leaped to his feet and carefully slipped the tiara into her hair, he stepped back a moment to observe it, then stepped forward again, readjusting the position. "Perfect" he smiled stepping back once more to admire her.
"Dance with me," she whispered taking his hand into her own.
Draco hesitated as he placed his hand upon her waist, wondering if he could really trust himself to be with her. The Mudblood…no…no…not Mudblood…the Princess. His body stiffened momentarily as her fingers caressed his neck. Leaning his head down the slightest bit, a gentle scent of not oranges, but jasmine engulfed his senses, sending his mind spiraling. They stood swaying to the faint music for never-ending moments, absorbing the peacefulness and perfection of the moment. Ever so slowly, she raised her head upwards and her eyes locked with his own. A soothing warmth filled her insides, warming her body. A shot of excitement with a touch of anticipation surged through her veins.
"Paris, how old are you?" Hermione asked suddenly, cocking her head the slightest bit.
"Almost seventeen," he replied, "why?"
Contentedly, the princess smiled and leaned into him, resting her head on his chest. "Just checking."
They danced in each others arms for awhile until Draco remembered he only sported a pair of boxers. A light tinge of red coloured his cheeks but she seemed not to notice.
He looked down at her. Her bushy little head resting against his bare chest, here soft breath gently tickling him. This was really one of those dictionary definition of perfection moments.
Then, a thought occurred to him.
He wasn't Draco Malfoy.
At least not to her he wasn't. That was the only reason. The only reason for everything- for the whole night. That was the reason things were the way they were. The only reason she talked to him, the only reason she even glanced at him. Because to her, she was not Draco Malfoy.
Sighing softly, he rested his chin atop her head, deeply inhaling her scent.
"You know the music's stopped right?"
Draco jerked his head up, "What?"
"The music- it ended like 5 minutes ago" Hermione repeated.
"Oh" was all he was capable of saying for he had just noticed how unnervingly close her face was to his.
"Will you take off your mask?" she whispered running a thumb across his cheek.
Draco stepped back from her.
"Time!"
"What?" Hermione stared at him.
"Time. What time is it?" he blurted.
"I don't know almost midnight I suppose" she replied waving her hand carelessly.
"I-I have to go." He said gathering his scattered clothing.
"Who are you, Cinderella?" she asked kiddingly.
"I-I have to get home" he said turning away.
"Will you be at the next ball?" she cried, desperately not wanting him to leave.
He turned briefly and replied, "Maybe--" he paused for a second, "Good night Princess, sweet dreams."
Hermione watched steadily as he hastily made off into the darkness.
Although feeling a bit dejected, she smiled to herself as she slowly made her way back into the ball.
My knight in shining armor lacks a steed…
A/N
PURELY DHR! lol (in a sense!)
And so? Review!
I know it wasn't exactly as DHR-ed as you'd like…but I promise they'll have their real moment! Story's still progress so just hang tight and follow along!
Good Charlotte – Change Ah! Can't for wait to get COLAD!
