Ok, I know a lot of you wanted me to update quick. I hope this is quick enough! Oh, and I would of course like to thank my beta reader: Happy Little Bumble Bee.-Happy Hyper Bunny Lover
Thanks:
allie-the-fanatic: Hmm..."not bad." Hopefully by the end of the story I can turn that into a "great." And, yes, I know Blaise is out of character, but I don't care. We had no info on Blaise until the sixth book, and I thought of him quite differently. This is my Blaise, not JKR's.
The Black Pearl is Freedom: Glad to hear I curved the line of skepticism. This is a super soon update, but I hope it's soon enough. I actually had it done and beta read 3 days ago, but I was at a weekend long sleepover.
PrincessBitterHeart: That's my favorite part to write! You'll see more of it too...
Mousewolf: throws story HERE! More! (glad you liked it so well!)
Hazelocean: Ooooh...the magic word...Here's your update!
mysteriouscharm: um...are you sure? Anyway, the wait's up!
why-dose-love-hurt: I'm writing more right now! And I'm incredibly flattered that you're adding me to your favorite author's list!
Chapter 2: A Hogsmeade Idea
Draco thought that the past two week's worth of conversations had gone quite well. It wasn't nearly as hard as he thought it would be to treat her civilly, though he did have to hold back a few—okay maybe more than a few—insults. But still, not finding her that bad to talk to was quite the accomplishment.
I let too much slip though. I know it wasn't that much, but it was still too much.
However, as much as he wanted to get to know her (or at least pretend to), the Ball was still looming over him; it wasn't but another two weeks away. Blaise had not forgotten this either. Just yesterday he had made sure to remind Draco of this the first moment they were alone.
"Have you asked her yet?"
"What?" the blonde asked, trying to play dumb.
"Don't act stupid, Draco. Have you asked or not?" he asked flatly.
"Well…no, not yet."
"Getting worried, are you?"
"Of course not! I'm just taking my time!"
"Well, it's your love life. I don't care if you take your time or not."
"Look, I know what I'm doing, okay. It just takes time."
"Whatever, Draco. Just remember, the Ball is only two weeks away." And with a swish of his cloak, he left Draco there, as flustered as ever.
And now Draco was finding it very hard to finish his lunch.
For one thing, Pansy had her hand in a quite unwanted area, and he certainly did not want to hear the things she was whispering in his ear as she nuzzled into his neck.
Really, though, she was not the slut everyone took her as. She did not sleep with every guy in school, and she really wasn't bad looking. Draco just didn't like her. He had until last year, but for some reason his feelings had fizzled, and Parkinson still hadn't got the message.
And then there was the second thing that was pulling on his insides: he still had to ask her.
Why was it such a hard thing to do? He had tried several times, but couldn't get the words to come out. He had wondered many times what had gotten into himself; he never had trouble asking a girl anything!
However, no matter how queasy it made s stomach, Blaise was right: he had to do it soon if he was planning on having any chance at this bet.
I'll have to do it today.
At this point our oh-so-sexy Slytherin looked down at his roast beef, deciding it was no use, as there was no way he was going to be able to eat.
"Oi! Goyle! Want my roast beef!"
The henchmen looked at his master stupidly. Then, seeming to get it, he grinned before he took the plate.
Draco looked toward the Gryffindor table. There she was, getting up to leave. Their eyes met, and they had a silent conversation.
I'm going to the library.
I know.
You coming?
Yup.
See ya there.
Give me five minutes.
To get rid of Pansy?
You bet.
They seemed to do that a lot lately. It wasn't really reading each other's mind, they just knew.
Draco waited the promised five minutes before peeling Pansy off.
"Well, sorry gang, but I've got business to attend to."
"Oh, must you Drakie? We could have soooo much more fun attending to business of or own," she said in her most seductive voice.
"Sorry, Pansy, but this really is important, and not going would cost me quite a bit."
"Oh, fine," she pouted, "I'll see you later."
"Like hell you will," he muttered as he exited the hall.
As he walked through the halls of Hogwarts, his nervousness began to get the better of him.
What if she says no?
She won't.
She could.
She won't.
Then why am I nervous?
Because she could say no.
He finally had to laterally stop himself. It was not good to argue with oneself. He decided to rehearse what he was going to say.
"Hey, Granger, what do ya say we go to the Ball together? Come one now, it'll be a ball!—No, not good, cheesy."
"Ahem…Granger, look, I'm Dead sexy, so you should got to the Ball with me. Why, you ask? Because I say so!—No, too arrogant."
"Granger, go with me, I'll pay you.—No, she's not one to be bought. Besides, father disowned me."
Our trouble boy then noticed a suit of armor, which he eyed warily. Maybe he could get a bit more…into character.
He swiftly took the suit of armor in his arms and dipped it. In his most seductive voice he said, "You know you want me. Let me take you—to the Ball." All of a sudden it fell from his grasp and….
CRASH!
"SHIT!"
His swift reflexes made him run as far and fast as he could from the scene. He didn't stop until he found himself in front of his destination: the library.
Well, it's now or never, and never will cost me a happy six months.
The usually calm and collected Slytherin Prince walked reluctantly into the library. He found the bookworm he sought out at her usual table. Trying to look casual, he sauntered over to her and sat down.
"Hey"
"What took you so long?"
"Whatever do you mean, Miss Granger?"
"I mean that was more like ten minutes then five."
"When did we agree on five?" The Gryffie gave him a look that said "as if you don't know" and he added, "but I suppose I can understand that you look forward to seeing me. After all, I'm positively dead sexy," she raised her eyebrows.
"Pansy was harder to remove than usual," he lied. She didn't need to know about the suit of armor.
The Head Girl looked up in response and smirked, suppressing a giggle. Draco didn't tell most people about how he really felt about Pansy, but he had told Granger.
"Watcha workin on?" he asked casually.
"Transfiguration."
"Different angle?"
"Yup."
They sat in silence a moment. This was something they did often. It was not tense, not awkward, but oddly comfortable. But, all silences must be broken, and it was Granger who broke this one.
"Have you and Blaise found a place to stay yet?"
"Yeah, actually. We found a flat in Hogsmeade. It's a lot smaller than either of us are used to, but it's better than nothing. They sent a walk-through memory, and McGonagall let us borrow her pensive."
Hey, Hogsmeade…that gives me an idea…
"I hope you'll be happy there."
"Probably more cramped than happy."
"Oh dear! The world should stop! Draco Malfoy, Spoiled Brat Extraordinaire, will have to…."she gasped, "downsize!"
"Hey! I resent that!"
"Well, you resemble it too."
"That's not the point. A great Mudblood like yourself should not insult me." He instantly knew this was bad. Very bad.
Granger's face was downcast.
Shit.
"Hey…Granger…I—I didn't mean it like that." Draco looked at her anxiously, hoping she wasn't mad.
"Wait…you didn't?"
"No, I mean—you are a mudblood—but, ya know, after talking to you for these past two weeks, well…you're not that bad."
"I'm—not?"
"No."
"Well, for a lying, backstabbing, spoiled prat of a 'Slytherin Prince,' you're not that bad either."
"Don't tell anyone that. It'd ruin my reputation."
"You mean your reputation for being a slimy, cold, heartless, evil twit?"
"Yup, that's the one."
"Would it be all that bad to shake it?"
"Of course. I spent years building that up. I don't want all that hard work to go to waste, after all."
"Of course not."
Again there was a silence. Neither tense nor awkward, just…silent. This time it was Draco that broke it.
"So…honestly, pale or tan?" the other teen groaned in exasperation.
"Not this again…"
"Oh, come on. I need an answer!"
"Ask Pansy."
"I don't want to ask her. I asked you."
"Why me?"
"…I don't know…because I said so…now are you going to answer me or not?"
"Malfoy, I've given you the same answer every day for the past two weeks. What do you think I'm gonna say today?"
"I dunno…something along the lines of 'Draco—I've just realized that you are the single sexiest in the universe. Snog me, shag me, but first let me tell you: you would look sexiest .' This is the part where you add 'pale' or 'tan.'"
"Nice try, Malfoy. But—oh dear—look at the time. I must be going." She told him sarcastically.
He helped her put away the books she wasn't checking out, and they left the library once more. He didn't ask her what he should have, but instead asked a different question.
"Hey, you're going to Hogsmeade this weekend, right?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Oh…just wondering."
"Um…ok. See ya later, Malfoy."
"Yeah, see ya."
Draco stayed there a minute, formulating his idea into a sort of plan.
This will be perfect.
Whadya think? R&R!