A/N: Don't sue me; I don't own Harry Potter. SORRY ABOUT THE LATENESS OF THIS UPDATE, I WOULD HAVE DONE IT SOONER, BUT THE COMPUTER BROKE. To make up I've made this chapter a little longer. ENJOY!
He was the night; all it embodied, and all it's power and majesty, cloaked in the shadows that her light gave off, consumed by a jealousy that he never knew he could feel.
His brightness forgotten as he hid in the darkness. He followed her, her cloak rippling out behind her as she walked, her footsteps a mere whisper on the ground, she travelled along corridors and up stairs, where is she going?
His eyes didn't need the light that her wand exuded; they were accustomed to the dark from the countless nights when he was unable to sleep and so adjusted quickly.
She climbed the stairs that led up to the Astronomy Tower, Peace and quiet, that's all I want, and if I have to break a few minor rules to get it, I'll do just that!
He watched with fascination from the open door as she sat backwards on a cushioned chair, looking out of the glass window that served as three of the walls. She rested her head on the back of the chair and dropped her bag to the floor. She sat like that for a few minutes, just watching out of the window, her big eyes glassy and seeing things that weren't there, or perhaps, things that he could not see. I had her pegged as a bookworm and a know-it-all, but not as a dreamer… interesting.
Hermione reached inside the bag and withdrew her book, she rested it against the chair back and started to read it, but something… something kept catching her eye, something in the shadow and darkness near the door, her eyes narrowed and her gaze pierced the darkness, then she realised that she was aware of strange feelings that weren't her own, something out there has some complicated issues to sort out, she thought with a grin, and then cursed herself for not picking up on them before, she sent another venomous look over in the corner. Maybe I'll wind him up a little first, I'll have my revenge on the devious little rat, how dare he sneak up on me like that?
Was it just him, or did she know he was there? Her eyes seemed to follow his every movement, and she seemed to be sending some really poisonous looks his way. He looked down to avoid her gaze, but when he dared to look up she had vanished. He looked around the room, searching for her and stepped hesitantly out of the shadows. He was turning around, trying to find out where she had gone when something pushed him over from behind,
"Did you not know that I passed first in my Apparation class, and also that it's not very smart to sneak up on a witch, you really don't know what she might do, and skulking around in dark corners is really stupid too."
From his rather ridiculous place on the floor he scowled and turned around, looking up at her amused face.
"Malfoy's don't skulk, and they don't happen to be stupid either."
"Doesn't matter, by the way, the score for this year is Malfoy 0, Granger 3, really Draco, are you losing your touch?"
"What did you just call me?"
"Malfoy, now what are you doing here?"
"You called me Draco."
"I did not."
"Did too."
"Did not."
"Did too."
"Did not."
"Did not."
"Did too." She glared at him, and he smiled angelically at her.
"That was stupid and incredibly childish."
"I was right in the first place, you did call me Draco, but you shouldn't be wandering around here at night anyway, you don't know what could happen to you."
"Like what? Snape could kidnap me and subject me to the as yet unknown horrors of Potions, or I could catch Professor McGonagall and Dumbledorre in a midnight rendezvous and then be transfigured into a book by my horror. Sure Malfoy, a lot of really dangerous things could happen to me."
"Any way, why did you come her to read books? You can do that in the Common Room. I mean I'd understand it if you were here to meet some-one."
"So that's why…"
"Why what?"
"Nothing." That's why I could sense jealousy was radiating off of you in great big angry green dollops, what's wrong with you, you hate me… don't you? You always hated me… haven't you? Why are you jealous of me meeting some one? Why am I so pleased that you're jealous? Have you lost your mind? Or worse… have I?
But a tiny voice inside said no… but just maybe your heart. She pushed that thought to the back of her head and refused to even think about what it could mean. First she had to stop him from going near her bag, and the books inside it.
She leapt over to the bag in three long strides and quickly crammed the books in it, then held it tightly closed so that there was no chance what so ever of him seeing what was in there, but he saw the hurried movement and grinned he wanted to know what exactly was in that bag that she so obviously didn't want him to see, he walked up behind her and snatched it off of her.
After five minutes of brutal fighting where he got bit once, scratched twice and punched three times he eventually got the bag, she didn't even try to get it off him, she knew there was no point.
He looked inside in disbelief, expecting schoolbooks or something immensely boring from the library, or even something taken without permission from the restricted section, he found… novels?
She was trying to hide the fact she read muggle novels? No, there has to be more than that.
He turned one of the books over and read the back cover, trying to find out why she didn't want him to see it, raised an eyebrow, laughed and smirked. She read trashy, muggle romance novels! No wonder she didn't want me to see it, PERFECT! Not only that, but there were other magical books in her bag, some that she really wouldn't want other people to see.
Her cheeks went red, and his smile widened.
This is AWFUL and so embarrassing, it cannot get any worse, and how did I ever become so addicted to them anyway? Why did I ever let the librarian talk me into reading them?
"So what are you going to do about it?" She said gesturing to the bag.
"Well, I could magnify my voice and read these to everyone at breakfast," her face paled and he grinned grew even wider, "… or you can do something for me."
"I refuse to do your homework for you, you're smart enough to do it for yourself."
"Wow, Granger, did you just call me smart, I'm flattered, I really am."
"Deflate your ego so that you can actually fit your head through the door, or even better, let me do it for you, I promise I'll be gentle," he smirked, "Then you could tell me what you want me to do for you."
"I need a favour."
She snorted. "From me?"
"Yeah, I know, it's degrading," she threw her bag at him.
"Ouch, that hurt." He rubbed his head.
"Baby, you know you are such a wimp."
"I am not a wimp."
"Are too,"
"Am not."
"Are too."
"Am not."
"Are not."
"Am too… that was childish and stupid." She grinned at him and he scowled.
"Learnt it from the best, now, what do you want me to do?"
"Interesting question, it could involve you doing so many things."
She threw an 'I-am-really-disgusted-with-you' look at him.
"Just tell me."
"I want you to go to the Halloween Ball with me."
He had expected her to tell him he was mad, or for her to throw something at him, but she didn't, she looked at him in disbelief.
"Sorry, I just thought I heard you say that you wanted me to go to the ball with you."
"I do. I'm getting a really bad reputation of only going out with stupid girls." He elaborated with a stroke of what he considered genius, and what she thought was stupidity, "And a lot of the really smart girls are really hot chicks, so I'm missing out on a lot 'cause of this reputation thing, so, since you're the smartest girl in our year I thought I could go with you, and that'd get the point through that I date brainy girls as well."
He looked at her and realised that he'd made a big mistake, her eyes burned with a strange black fire and anger radiated off her in waves, he didn't need to know her feelings to find out how she felt, she was so obviously pissed off.
"Let me get this completely straight, you want me to go to the Ball with you so you a better chance of sleeping with a wider variety of pretty girls." Okay, he had to admit he sounded like a scumbag, "You haven't even thought about the fact I might want to go with someone of my own choice, someone I might enjoy going with. Congratulations Malfoy, you've just exceeded yourself in my eyes, you've gone from a heartless piece of scum to a completely heartless arsehole whose life revolves around his trousers, bravo!"
"I can take the fact that you think I'm a piece of scum, I was expecting that, but I don't let my trousers don't rule my life, and anyway, it's an honour that I asked you, I know many girls that would literally die for that honour."
"Well, I am definitely not one of them, I don't want to go with you, I want to go with someone of my choice and have a hope of having a good time."
"Like scarhead or weasel? Anyway you don't have a choice, not unless you want me to make good my promise of magnifying my voice."
"Maybe I do want to go with Harry or Ron, at least they'd appreciate me, and I'd have a good time with them, something I severely doubt I'd have with you."
Okay, now he was mad, she had no right to insult him like that, She'd have a better time with them would she, whatever, God, why did she have to be so difficult, she should be flattered that he'd even thought of her going with him.
"The only reason you'd want to go with either of those two idiots is that you're too scared that they're going to run off and leave you on your own. You know Granger, I would never have thought that you of all people would worry about something as pathetic as that."
…I really don't think I should've have said that…
She marched up to him, her anger, if possible, tripled; she then punched him with all her might in the face. For a moment he was too shocked to do anything.
"How dare you use that against me, I would never do something as low and rotten as that, I would never have reminded you of everything that you suffered through, even in an argument and if you were any kind of human being you wouldn't have reminded me of things I don't need to be reminded of. But you're not a human being, are you Malfoy? You are just a cold, heartless excuse for some one who cares about nothing and who nobody cares about. Alright Malfoy, fine, you've got your way, after all, like you said, I have no choice in the matter, I will go to the Ball with you, but that's it, I won't dance with you, sit with you, or go anywhere near you once we've arrived."
With that she gathered up all her things and swept out of the room, within a few seconds she had disappeared into the darkness and shadows, heading back to her room fuming with anger while he sat down furious with her, now, what would really annoy her the most? Let me see…
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