Enemy, Friend, or Lover

..Lanna..

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"Good morning," Professor Dumbledore welcomed Draco and Hermione into his office.

"Morning,' Draco said.

"I would like to have you two come up with an idea for the ball that is coming up. We need a theme, music, decorations and so on."

"You want us to come up with the ideas?" Hermione asked. "But why us?"

"Because, Miss. Granger, we need new ideas, new brilliant minds. You two will have to tell Cody and Madison about this. At this very moment, there are in a room, doing an experiment for me. Professor Snape has brewed a new potion and needed two people to see the effects."

"But you don't know what they are?" Hermione asked, horrified. "They could get hurt!"

Dumbledore smiled at her. "Miss. Granger, they are safe as can be. This potion helps with their minds. It helps them concentrate and will help your body control to what you say faster. It also makes you stronger in the mind. It helps keep the information you have learned to stay in your head."

"But why?" Hermione asked.

"Because we are having trouble with the students who are just giving up. They don't even try anymore."

"Oh . . ."

"You and Mr. Malfoy will be trying this tomorrow while the other two prefects help with a completion that will be coming up soon."

"On what?" Draco asked.

"That is for them to decide, Mr. Malfoy."

"Yes, sir."

Dumbledore smiled. "That is all," he said goodbye and Draco and Hermione left.

"I dislike balls," Hermione mumbled.

"Do you?" Draco asked. "Oh, so then your gay? Never knew that, Hermione." Hermione glared at him, mentally scowling him for not acting his mature age. "Well then I'm out of the picture."

"Draco, you were never in the picture," Hermione informed him.

"I will be," he muttered under his breath but Hermione was close enough to hear that. She snorted then shook her head. Looking at him out of the corner of her eye, she saw there was a faint smile on his lips.

Then before she knew it, she was pressed up against the wall, Draco's body right up against hers, his face dangerously close to herown. Hermione sucked in a breath. She didn't want him this close. Well, maybe that was a lie, she told herself.

Draco's lips came on her own, hungrily. Hermione wanted to pull away but couldn't. She knew she wanted him but she just . . . didn't, all at the same time. Her heart made one giant leap, making her want this. But she knew that that wasn't what was making her.

Draco hands went down her sides, down her hips . . .

"Draco . . . " Hermione moaned.

His lips left her mouth and made a lazy voyage of kisses down her neck. He stopped in a few places to suck on her flesh. His hands made there way under her skirt and were now going up her thighs.

"Draco, I-" she was cut off with Draco's mouth. His tongue begged for entrance and she opened her mouth, letting her tongue explore her mouth.

Draco pulled his mouth away and went to her ear. "Now, I'm in the picture," he whispered.

That was what this was about? Hermione frowned then pushed him away from her. "Draco, you're sick!" she told him. "You did that on propose! You're really sick!" she told him, her temper rising.

"No, Hermione, I'm just healthy."

"You're a pig!" Hermione spat at him. She turned to leave but Draco grabbed her wrist. She tried to jerk it free but his grip was too tight, his look too intense.

"You're hurting me," she growled through clenched teeth.

"You hurt me," he told her. He loosened his grip on her wrist but didn't let go. Instead he leaned her back against the wall. "Hermione, I didn't do that to show you how I could be in the picture. I did it because I wanted to."

"Yeah, well what if I didn't want to?" she asked, her face had the look of total determination.

He then kissed her, hard but sweet. It was overwhelming. She couldn't think and her mind started to slip. Hermione had no doubt that he was enjoying this. She could feel him against her abdomen, could feel his heart beating forcefully and swift against her hand. She moaned, surrendering to him. She didn't want him to stop what he was doing. She wanted this to last forever.

He pulled away abruptly, his breathing fast as her own. "There, I just proved to you that you want it."

Hermione looked up at him then leaned her hips right into his own. By the feel of him like that he had to feel the same. "And you're aroused just as much as I am." Hermione told him.

The corner of Draco's mouth lifted. "I didn't say I wasn't, baby."

Hermione looked up at him, not knowing what to say.

"Hermione, you have to believe me when I say that I've changed."

"I never said I didn't."

"But you act like you do. Hermione, just give me a chance. You're terrified of me and I can't help but think that it's my fault."

"It is your fault. If you would have been nice to me then I wouldn't be so scared around you."

"Then we have to fix that now don't we?" Draco looked down at her, she didn't say anything more. "Why don't we give it a shot? You up to it, Hermione?"

Hermione hesitated but nodded. "Fine. One chance, Draco. That's all you get."

He smiled. "That's all I'm asking for. I'll see you around, Hermione." And then he walked away, leaving her there confused and wanting nothing but him.

….…..….….……

"Okay, so we need to figure out what kind of ball we should have." Hermione told Draco as they both sat down to try and figure out what to do for the ball.

"You mean like a theme?"

Hermione shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe."

"Since we always have the ball in the great hall, why don't we try and have it outside," Draco asked.

"Outside?" Hermione asked. She thought a moment looking at Draco.

"Yeah. We always have the ball inside so why don't we have It outside? How about at a full moon?"

Hermione thought for another moment then smiled. "No, werewolves. How about the night before, the moon'll look full enough."

She reached across the table and grabbed her note book. She started to jot down notes. Draco leaned back against the couch and thought about what people should wear. Hermione started to doodle on the page, not able to think. She wrote her name, drew a picture of a dog, of a girl in a long silk dress.

"Why don't we just let the couples decide on what to wear?" Hermione and Draco.

"Nah. No fun that way."

Hermione signed and put her book down on the table. Lying back on the couch, Hermione closed her eyes. She was just relaxing when Draco picked up her book to look at what she drew. She looked over to him and he stiffened. Then looked over to her then back at the book.

"Hermione . . . ?" he said lowly.

"What?" Hermione asked, confusion in her voice.

"What's your middle name?"

Hermione frowned at started at him. "Lanna," she told him after a second or two.

"Why did your parents name you that?" Draco asked, his voice panicked.

Hermione looked at him confused. "Draco, why does it matter? I have no clue why my parents named me that!"

Draco stood up and walked away from the couch. Hermione, too, stood up.

"What the hell's wrong with you, Draco?"

Draco spun around to face her. "The girl I am to marry is Hermione Lanna. Lanna was your parents' last name."

Hermione frowned at him. "How do you know that? You weren't even old enough to know my parents!"

Draco walked closer to her. "My parents had friends named Paul and Suzi. Two days before the got killed, their only daughter was betrothed to my parents' only child. Me."

Hermione shook her head. "No, you're wrong. I don't believe you." Hermione backed away from Draco. She was pale and looked terrified.

"God, Hermione." Draco snapped.

"God, what, Draco? Like it was my fault! Like I could choose who I would marry when I was a few weeks old!" she looked away, tears choking her.

"I can't marry you," Draco said, his voice held a trace of disgust.

Hermione turned back around. Now Draco could see the tears. "Am I not pure enough for you? I hate you, Draco. I hate you more than you can ever imagine." She spun around and ran to the stairs. She could hear Draco run after her. He grabbed her arms and flung her backwards into his hard chest.

"Hermione, calm down." She didn't. Hermione squirmed and tried to hit him with her free hand.

But soon enough, he had her pressed against a wall, her arms pinned up above her head so she couldn't hurt Draco or herself, his hard hips pining her lower half to the wall, also.

"Is that all you can do is break me down?" Hermione asked, a tear rolled down her cheek.

"Hermione, I don't want to. I do what I need to do."

"You need to do this to me?" Hermione looked up at him, her face wet with tears. She sniffed and looked away.

Draco let go of her arms but didn't move away. He lifted her chin with his forefinger. "Hermione, I don't want to hurt you." He looked her dead in the eye, showing her that he meant it.

"Well that's what you're doing now."

"I'm doing this because I need you, Hermione."

"Need me for what? You can have me now but not when were older and you'll have to marry me? You can't use me like that, Draco! I am not some toy that you can play with whenever you want to then drop me when you don't."

"I'm not using you!" Draco told her, his voice full of range.

"Then what do you call it?"

"Nothing. I'm not using you," Draco's voice went softer.

"Oh, so you're gonna be nice to me so I can give you a kid? I'd rather die than marry you."

"It's not your choice," Draco commented between clenched teeth.

"I'll make it mine."

"If I'm that bad then go away. I'm not holding you here." He wasn't Hermione noticed. He was still leaning into her but he wasn't holding on to her so she could go. Hermione looked up at him but didn't move.

"So you're gonna love me as much as your father does your mother. That doesn't help me at all, Draco. That means I'm only there to give you kids. Not to care for, not to love-"

"He actually loves her, Hermione." his voice was hard. He meant it. "I can try, Hermione. But you still wont give me the chance you promised me."

"I'm not giving you a change to love me, Draco. Because I know that you never will."

"And where is that chance? Where did that go, Hermione? Am I not good enough for you?"

Hermione thought fro a moment. "No, Draco, you aren't." she moved away from him, and went for the stairs.

She put a hand to her face, crying. It was like it hurt her so much just to tell him that. She went up the first step and Draco called her name. She stopped but didn't turn around.

"Just remember, I tried. I really did, Hermione. I wanted you and I did all I could do to keep you close to me, to show you that I've changed and will try," his voice went a little softer. "But you threw it back in my face." That was all he could say before she ran up the stairs, slamming the door behind her.

Shaking his head, Draco walked over to the couch. He sat down and put his head in his hands. He tried, but maybe not enough. He wanted another chance. 'Maybe Hermione was right. Maybe I don't deserve another chance.' he though to himself.

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