A Tale of A Forbidden Love

Harry Potter

Chapter Nine

*starjade*

Dragons, Fights and Dances

" Where do you go during the day?" Hermione asked, lying down in the middle of the clearing and staring out into the sky. The stars twinkled like jewels and she smiled faintly. In the city, you could hardly see the stars from all the pollution. Here, they were clear and beautiful.

The dragon let out a puff of smoke. " Nowhere. I fly, or I eat. Nothing much to do."

Hermione asked, carefully, " Does...Does Professor Dumbledore know you're here?"

The dragon's tone took on that dangerous tone. " No...and you'd better not say nothing."

Hermione mumbled, " Sorry, sorry! No need to get all huffy."

The dragon growled, " Your going to get caught."

Hermione's eyebrows rose, startled. " Huh?"

Drake repeated, " Your going to get caught! Your being such an idiot! How do you get out of your school?"

Hermione, still confused, said slowly, " I creep down the hallways and then I go through this secret passage that Harry, Ron and I found in our third year. I won't get caught!"

The dragon said angrily, " Yes you will, foolish girl. Can you tell me truthfully that you've never gotten caught so far?"

Hermione winced. Harry and Ron had caught her more times than once. And then, vividly, she remembered Malfoy, their little 'run-in'.

" I may have bumped into a few people," Hermione replied stiffly, " but none of them will say a word. Besides, none of them expect that I'm actually meeting you."

" God, why do you meet me?"

Hermione got up from the ground, and wiped her robes. " What?"

The dragon repeated, " Why do you meet me?"

Hermione dusted her sleeve off. " I'm sorry, can you repeat that?"

The dragon let out a ball of smoke and growled, " You heard me!"

Hermione looked up at the moon and sighed. " Wow, it's getting late. I'll see you tomorrow, alright? Bye!"

The dragon shouted after her, but Hermione was too far down the path towards the school to hear. She was shaking all over and tried to calm herself, but all she could do was shake.

Why didn't she answer him? She could've just said, I need a friend. That's it. That's all she needed to say. But then why....why did she feel as if there was more to that...something else that made her break the rules and keep coming back?

****

" The dance!!" Harry said happily. " Have you got a date for the dance yet, Ron?"

Ron glared at Harry. " You know, you are really rubbing it in."

Harry blinked, innocently. " And what about last year when Lavender asked you first and it took me two more weeks to find a date? You were all, Lavender and I...Lavender and I....oh Harry, have you found a date? That really is sad. I'm sure Lavender could find you a date."

Hermione giggled. " Well, you know Lavender is Ron's favourite colour."

Ron purpled. " No it isn't!"

Lavender at that time , decided to walk in the portrait setting Harry and Hermione into giggles and Ron, to blush deeply, his face matching the colour of his hair. Lavender stared at them strangely but walked off to join her friends.

Hermione giggled as Harry teased Ron. Harry and Hermione had been a bit edgy around each other, but they had gotten over it. Well, Hermione had. She wasn't sure of Harry, for every time Harry and Ginny were being all googly over each other, he would glance at her awkwardly.

" Oh, why can't I be like Fred? I could just say, Oy, Lavender, want to come with me to the dance?? But no, I get all choked up.." Ron moaned.

" Just say it!" Hermione said. " I dare you to."

Ron went pale. " No way!!"

" I double dare you!" Harry added.

" Triple dare!" Hermione grinned.

Ron glared at them. " You two are the worst friends ever."

Hermione smiled. " Right back at you!"

Ron groaned and then took a deep breath. " Oy, Lavender!" He cried out, his face red.

Lavender turned around, surprised and Ron continued, very fast, " You want to come with me to the dance?"

Lavender let out a little giggle. " Sure."

Ron smiled. " Great." He sat back down in his chair with a silly smile on his face. " Great."

Harry and Hermione exchanged looks. " Oh, the powers of Fred Weasley's dating techniques." Harry sighed.

Hermione smiled. " Wins a girl over in two seconds."

Harry grinned. " Who are you going to the ball with Hermione?"

Hermione startled, shrugged. " I don't think I'm going to go. If I do go, I'll probably go alone."

Ron got up. " You haven't found a date?"

Hermione winced. " Neville asked me again. And so did this fourth year. But I said no. I don't really feel like going to a ball this year."

Harry said, " Come on, Hermione, just come! We'll keep you company."

Hermione smiled, wryly. " Oh, third wheel Hermione Granger. Nah, I think I'll pass. I'll go, but alone and not with you guys! I'll just dance the night away whit my invisible partner." She got up and stretched. " I'm going to the library. See you."

Harry and Ron stared after her. Ron shook his head. " She's getting really weird this year."

******************

Hermione walked over to the library, clutching the books hard to her chest. She was going to go work on her Potions work. That damned Malfoy said he'd come and drop off whatever he had done, but he didn't want any contact with her whatsoever.

Ah well. Just another day in the life of Hermione Granger.

She tried not to think of the conversation that she just had with Ron and Harry. They had not as much to lose if a girl turned them down. Hermione did want to go with someone to the dance, someone who would hold her arm and escort her down those stairs, smile at her as they danced the night away and then give a goodnight kiss in the moonlight.

Yet her heart seemed to reject everyone. She needed and yearned someone, but everyone who was interested in her...it wasn't them. It wasn't that person she was looking for. That person in her heart.

Who was it?

Hermione let out her breath and entered the library, making her way to a table, settling down in a chair and taking out her books. She had finished most of the Potion's assignment and had done some of Malfoy's part too. As she set about checking it, a shadow fell over her.

" Mudblood."

" Malfoy," she answered back. The word, 'Mudblood' was all she heard from his mouth. It pained her to know that there was such discrimination against her kind...but it didn't matter as much when Malfoy said it. He was just an insignificant twit who lived to insult Harry and all his friends.

Malfoy moved to the chair across from her and sneered, " Nobody better see me here with you. What would happen to my reputation if I was seen with the very spawn of two filthy muggles-"

" Would you just shut up??" Hermione finally burst out. " Is that all you think about? Someone's background??"

" Only if their background is as filthy as yours is!" Malfoy shot back, raising his eyebrows at her.

Hermione hissed, " Just give me your paper and leave."

Malfoy snickered. " And why would I do something like that?"

" Like you said," Hermione spit out, and imitated in a very high voice, "What would happen to my reputation if I was seen with the very spawn-"

Malfoy's pale eyes narrowed. " Watch what your saying, mudblood. I would be more careful in talking to the son of Lucius Malfoy."

Hermione nodded. " Of course, like father, like son. I'm so sorry I forgot that."

Malfoy gritted his teeth. "Shut the hell up, whore. What would you know? Your the filthy blooded witch who doesn't seem to know who to choose, the Weasel or Potty. Even though we all know what a love you have for the already taken Boy Who Lived-"

Hermione slammed her fists against the table, anger filling her. "What the hell are you saying?? I do not love Harry any more than a friend would and I am not some whore as you say. Why would I listen to an inbred, Malferret like you? All you've got for a future is fulfilling your father's dream of being a death eater-"

Malfoy yelled, " Shut the fuck up, you bloody-"

Hermione flinched as he rose a hand as if to hit her. Time seemed to stop for a second as she waited for the blow that was sure to come.

When nothing came she peered at Malfoy carefully. His hand was still raised, frozen, his pale face twitching as he fought for control. Finally, he dropped his hand and took a deep breath, his silver eyes stormy and full of fury.

Hermione could not find a thing to say. The expression in his eyes was so familiar, yet different from any other time when Harry had beaten him or embarrassed him. The fury in his eyes was different, more...beast-like, if that was possible.

" What is going on here??" A voice cried as the Madame Pince hurried towards them, her face contorted in an expression of utter annoyance. " I do not need students yelling and screaming in my library. Take it outside, both of you!"

Malfoy muttered, " I was already leaving." He threw three rolls of parchment in front of Hermione and turned on his heel, storming out of the library, his robes billowing out behind him.

Hermione watched him as she grabbed her things, making her way out of the library as well. Something was different about Malfoy. He was rude and disgusting as usual, but something....something was different. She didn't know what.

**********

Hermione brushed her hair out of her eyes as she crept into the forest. It had started raining, the clouds high in the sky. The rain was beautiful, really calming. It pattered on the pathway and on the leaves, soaking her cloak and her hair and her clothes. Her feet slipped in the wet mud but she was determined to go talk to Drake.

Finally she reached the clearing. Drake was sitting in the middle of the clearing, his silver scales shining with rain water. Hermione took a moment to collect her breath. Drake was beautiful. The rain falling around him, the moonlight shining on his scales, the tail that wrapped around his body like a cat, the wings folded and his eyes, silver and appraising.

" Hey!" Hermione finally said as she went out in the clearing. She wiped her face with her sleeve. " Your out here? It's raining."

Drake gave her a look. " I think I already concluded that fact."

Hermione flushed. " Well...you could get sick or something."

Drake rolled his eyes. " Dragons don't get sick."

Hermione nodded. " I knew that. I didn't know if humans in dragon forms could get sick though-"

Drake gave her another look and settled down again. " You shouldn't have come."

Hermione sat down on the wet grass stubbornly. " I wanted to come. You can't stop me."

Drake snorted and Hermione laughed. " Okay, you might be able to stop me with other means. I just wanted to tell you what happened today. It was going quite fine until I had that dreadful fight with Malfoy."

Drake stiffened and shifted. " Hmm."

" It was really bad and we got kicked out of the library because of it. Malfoy is such a prat, honestly. He almost hit me too. He stopped though, probably because he saw the teacher coming. I wouldn't be surprised if that boy grew up to be a deatheather!"

Drake closed his eyes. " How do you know he wanted to hit you? What if he stopped himself, not because of the teacher, but because he himself didn't want to be like his father?"

Hermione looked at Drake, startled. " How do you know about Malfoy's father?"

Drake shifted. " Lucius Malfoy. I know him."

" You do? How?" Hermione asked, her eyes widening. " Are you a Slytherin, then?"

" I'm not a human, dammit!" Drake burst out.

Hermione looked him over. " Uh huh."

Drake let out a ball of smoke and Hermione continued, " Well you are right. Lucius Malfoy strikes me as a man who is a death eater. His whole family is on the dark side, I bet. Malfoy seems to adore his father. Lucius Malfoy is his role model. He probably did want to hit me, not because of some inner conflict. Malfoy is bad, through and through. Look what he did to Hagrid, to Harry, to Neville, to all of us!"

Drake stared at her. " You seem to hate this Malfoy you talk about."

Hermione sniffed. " I hate him! He is probably the only person besides You Know Who that I hate."

Drake stared at her and then closed his eyes once more. A strange expression was in them, but he wouldn't speak any more. Hermione sniffed again. And then again. Rain kept on falling, the droplets falling on her face, and she shivered. Her nose was stuffy and her whole head began to hurt.

She wasn't getting sick. Of course she wasn't.

She sat there for a few minutes more, watching Drake sleep. Or whatever he did. There was a bumpy ridge on his back as well. The scales were glossy and running with water, shiny and perfect. He listened to her. She trusted him with his life. He was her secret friend. Secret.

Hermione smiled, but her head was pounding now, her whole body hot. She felt her forehead, which was burning up. Her whole body felt heavy and she breathed in and out. She reached out to the dragon and ran a hand over the scales. The dragon's eyes popped open.

" Drake..." She whispered. " I have to go..."

Drake glared at her. " Go, then."

Hermione staggered to her feet. " Bye, then..."

Now everything was blurry. She couldn't see. She took a few steps, but her whole body felt as if it was on fire. Then it went dark.

a/n: Hey!! Thank you so much for the reviews! I love them all! Honestly! I just wanted to say, I won't be putting OotP in this story. Probably cause I haven't read it yet. It's just such a big book...lol. And that I won't be able to get my hands on it and I'm so lazy that I can't even go out and buy it. Ah well.

KEEP ON REVIEWIN, aight? Tell me suggestions, pleez and comments. I lub you all!

see ya latez,

*starjade*