Chapter Twenty Nine - Part One
A week had passed since Hermione had received that letter at breakfast.
Draco had been keeping an eye out for possible spies everywhere he went and he felt a bit disturbed by the fact that sometimes he would actually catch a glimpse of a shadow tailing him when he went to meet up with Hermione in her room.
He didn't tell her about this because he didn't want her to get panicked about the situation seeing as nothing horrible had happened to either of them yet, but he would still make sure that everything was locked and secure when he got to her room - just in case.
He had a feeling that whoever it was, they were just biding their time until they set their plan into action.
Draco never showed his anxiety about this in front of Hermione because he knew that he had to be strong for her otherwise they would never get through this smoothly, and with the Yule Ball coming up so soon, he just wanted everything to be normal between them - he didn't want the added burden of knowing that at any moment someone could be spying on them.
So he kept quiet about it and they went about their usual business, until one night when he was in her room and they were talking…
"So are you going to the Hogsmeade trip this weekend?" Draco asked lazily.
"Of course I am, I still haven't gotten my dress robes for the Yule Ball yet." Hermione replied, laying her head on his chest and feeling comforted by the steady beating of his heart.
"I don't know if I should go - I don't really need to get anything and I've got no friends to go with either." Draco mused, stroking Hermione's soft, curly hair absently.
"Well you've got me." She responded with a small smile.
"Hmm yes I do, but I don't think Potter or Weasley would be too happy with me joining your cosy little group." He drawled.
"Okay fine then, don't go. I wont miss you." Hermione joked, mock-pouting.
"Hey, don't say that! I was considering going because I'm worried that if I'm not there to look out for you…something may happen." Draco finished off softly.
Immediately he wished that he hadn't said that.
It was like a bucket of ice cold water had been poured over them, bringing them back to the harsh reality that yes, there was someone out there spying on them and waiting for the perfect opportunity to hurt them.
There was a pregnant pause, during which Hermione moved away from Draco, sitting instead on the side of the bed, silently lost in thought. He broke the awkward silence first.
"Hermione, I didn't mean for it to sound that way…everything's still going to be fine. I'm just being melodramatic. Don't worry about it." Draco tried to say bracingly, and he moved to put his arms around her.
She shrugged his arms off, sitting rigidly.
"You're right, Draco. It's only a matter of time before something happens to us. Maybe it's better if we don't see each other." Hermione murmured.
"What? No, that's not what I wanted at all! Hermione, I want to see you because I'm afraid that if I'm not with you - something terrible might happen to you. I want to be the one protecting you because I'm sorry but I don't really trust those two oafs that you hang around with. By deciding to not see each other anymore, aren't we just giving in to the pressure from whoever's trying to scare us?" Draco burst out heatedly.
"Yeah, but Draco I really don't think we should give them any more opportunities to see us together. I feel so uneasy these days when we're with each other because I know that theycould be watching us…" She replied sadly.
"Hermione -"
"No, I'm serious. There's only a few days left until the Yule Ball anyway, so lets just not see each other until then. Just meet up with me here before it starts." Hermione said solemnly.
Draco gave her a long look, almost as though he was challenging her to change her mind about this but she wouldn't give in. He averted his eyes and fell back onto the bed, feeling weary.
"Fine. If it makes you feel safer not having me around, then I'll see you at the Yule Ball." He said shortly.
Hermione turned around with watery eyes and he immediately felt guilty for snapping at her like that.
"Of course I don't feel safer with you gone! But I just don't want anything to happen to us and I think that something is more likely to happen if we're together all the time, so please just understand that I'm doing this for our own sakes." she said quietly.
They sat in silence for awhile, both contemplating their situation.
"Okay, lets not see each other until the Yule Ball then." Draco agreed finally.
"I'll miss you." Hermione whispered in response.
"Me too. But its for the best, right?" He replied with a crooked smile.
She moved back to her original spot and laid her head back onto his chest, taking comfort in his steadily beating heart for the last time for awhile. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly, watching the wind blowing outside the window - his eyes widening as he saw an outline of someone flying away swiftly on a broomstick and disappearing around the corner…
---
So for the next couple of days they kept to their pact, they spent their nights away from each other and to Draco's relief - he stopped seeing shadows tailing him. Time passed slowly for them both and the Hogsmeade weekend finally rolled around.
Draco decided to go, even though he would be alone because he wanted to keep an eye on Hermione but also because he had barely seen her since the last night they had been together and he missed seeing her. They only had two classes together - Potions and Care of Magical Creatures and she avoided him like the plague during those lessons, refusing even to meet his gaze.
He watched her as she entered the foyer with Potter, Weasley and the little Weasley, ready for the trip to Hogsmeade. Her eyes flicked in his direction but again she didn't meet his gaze even though he was sure she knew he was looking at her.
Draco sighed.
Who would've known that being given the silent treatment by Hermione Granger would be so hard?
---
Snow fluttered all around the students when they arrived at Hogsmeade, and they all split up into their separate groups and went on their ways. From the corner of her eye, Hermione observed Draco, who was walking a few metres away from her, Harry, Ron and Ginny. She hadn't looked at him properly for days, afraid that whoever was watching them would catch her glancing at him once in awhile and also she didn't want to give the rest of the school too much of a hint as to who her unofficial boyfriend was yet.
But she was pretty much at the end of her tether by now, and so she sneaked a fleeting look in his direction. He looked kind of tired, but that did nothing to detract from his good looks since he still strutted when he walked, radiating arrogance and superiority - however, little snowflakes had settled in his already silvery-blond hair and they made him seem less intimidating than he usually did. He was wearing a dark grey scarf that complimented his eyes nicely and was wrapped up in an expensive-looking thick black cloak, held together with a shiny Slytherin clasp.
He turned and his stormy grey eyes met her chocolate brown ones for a moment.
Hermione felt herself take a sharp intake of air - she felt as though she had been hit in the stomach by the sudden rush of longing that came over her…she really missed him. She had tried to concentrate on other things to help herself get through the next few days of not seeing him and combined with effectively avoiding him and his eyes every time they were in sight of each other, she had succeeded in blocking him out of her life temporarily.
But god, when he looked at her like that…she just couldn't help but want to be with him again, just like before.
She had half a mind to run up to him and kiss him senseless, but she knew she could never do that, not when everyone was around and not when the Yule Ball was in two days - only two more days until she could finally be with him freely without worrying what other people thought of them. Hermione dragged her eyes away from his reluctantly, and turned to Ginny, who was walking next to her and looking at her with a curious expression.
"It must be hard for you both." Ginny commented gently.
Hermione nodded, "Yes it is, Gin. I think its hurting us both to act like this around each other, but what choice do we have?"
"Don't worry, Hermione. The Yule Ball's only in two days and then you guys wont have to worry about being together in public right?"
"Yeah…only two more days…" Hermione murmured, wondering if she would be able to handle another two days of non-contact with Draco.
---
They arrived back at Hogwarts after their shopping trip at Hogsmeade all red-faced from the cold wind that they had braved outside and their clothes were speckled with snowflakes.
"C'mon Hermione, show us what you bought at Gladrags." Ron teased. She had refused to show anyone (except Ginny because she had been there when she had found them) her dress robes for the Yule Ball. She wanted it to be a surprise, but Ron and Harry, as usual, were too impatient to wait until then to find out.
"Yeah why are you being so secretive about it, Mione? We're your best friends." Harry added, pouting slightly.
"Oh go away, you two! Just wait until the Yule Ball and you'll see." Hermione said irritably.
"Fine we'll ask Ginny then." Ron announced, turning to his little sister.
"I'm not going to tell you anything - Hermione wants it to be a surprise. Look that word up in a dictionary, Ron and you may figure out why she doesn't want to show you what she bought yet." Ginny stated, crossing her arms and giving her brother a smirk.
"Thanks Ginny." Hermione grinned at her and Ginny grinned back.
"Alright, we'd better put our stuff back in our dorms before dinner starts. Let's go back to the Head dorms, Mione." Harry suggested.
So the four of them split up, Ron and Ginny heading off towards Gryffindor Tower while Harry and Hermione made their way up to the Head dormitories. On the way, Harry brought up the topic of her mystery guy again.
"So Hermione…when exactly are we going to find out who you're seeing?" he asked slyly.
"Be patient, Harry. You'll find out soon enough." she replied with a small smile.
"Wait that's right - you're going to the Yule Ball with him aren't you?" said Harry.
"Yeah, did I tell you that?" Hermione asked slowly, suddenly getting a strange feeling…
"Oh erm yeah you told me." Harry spluttered in response.
Hermione gave him a suspicious look and he averted his eyes, just like Draco had done the other night…
They had stopped walking and were standing in front of the entrance to the Head Common Room. Harry gave the scholarly lady in the portrait the password (flitter blossom) and they entered the Common Room.
"I don't remember telling you that I was going with him to the Yule Ball, Harry." Hermione said in a low voice.
"Don't you?" Harry countered, moving towards his room.
"No, I don't. How did you find out, if it wasn't from me?" Hermione questioned firmly, looking Harry in the eye.
"I can't tell you." He replied finally, going into his room and shutting the door.
Hermione felt slightly shaken by Harry's reaction to her question and slightly apprehensive…could it be that he…no, she couldn't think that way. Just because he didn't want to tell her how he knew about her going to the Yule Ball with Draco didn't mean that he had been the one spying on her, right?
She was still lost in her thoughts when she entered her own room and barely noticed that her window was wide open and her curtains were flapping in the breeze. She set down her shopping bag from Gladrags and was on her way to the bathroom when she stopped dead.
On her pillow was a note.
Just like the note that Draco had written her a week ago…
She went over to her bed and with her hand trembling, she picked it up.
Hermione,
Your pathetic attempt to stop me from spying on you isn't going to stop me from making your life hell.
Just because you're not with him doesn't mean that you're safe.
This is your last warning.
The author had left it unsigned.
Her heart racing, Hermione set the piece of paper back down on the pillow. Then she realised that it had writing on the back…
P.S. Check your bag, there's a little surprise waiting for you.
Hermione flew to where her bag was sitting next to her wardrobe and emptied its contents.
Her dress robes fell out, and Hermione let out a stifled cry.
They had been slashed and ripped all over.
Fortunately they could still be mended with a simple spell and Hermione shakily pulled out her wand and whispered reparo, watching her beautiful dress robes fix themselves up seamlessly, but the fact still remained…someone was out to get her and Draco…
She looked around, shivering and realised that the window was open. She stood up and closed it but when she went back to pick up her mended dress robes she noticed another note had fallen out of the bag as well:
This is a taste of what's to come if you stay with him, so watch out.
---
A/N: Ohhh spooky! Haha, this is fast becoming some sort of Romance/Angst/Mystery story isn't it? Anyways, I've decided to split this chapter into Part One and Part Two because I promised that the Yule Ball would be in this chapter, but that would mean that this chapter would be about fifteen pages long so I decided to put it up separately, so yeah please stay tuned for Part Two - the YULE BALL which is coming up soon!
By the way, could you all tell me if you think I should post Part Two as part of this chapter when its finished or as a separate chapter?
Anyways, hope you guys all enjoyed that! Thank you for all your reviews again, they've been so inspiring.