The Price of a World
Chapter Thirteen
AN- Uhm... yer, sorry I'm being really slow with my story... This is only a short chappy coz the next one is long ... Well sort of. I've been busy with school so you'll have to bear with me on this one. I'm working on a newer and better fan fic so. I'm trying my hardest not to abandon this one.
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Behind the portrait was a short stone corridor. Fire flickered from metal brackets set in the walls. The golden flames dimly lighting the passageway. Draco ventured slowly down the hallway. He could hear Hermione bustling about in her small common room. He stopped in the shadows of the doorway and watched Hermione.
She placed her rucksack on the couch and pulled the textbooks and parchment from it. She returned the textbooks to the shelf where she kept all her books and stuffed the parchment into a draw in her desk. Pulling her wand from her robe pocket she lit the fire. Its flames instantly warming the small common room. With one hand, she skilfully pulled the clasp from her hair and the curly locks fell about her face and hung loosely half way down her back. Crossing the room from her desk to the fire, she knelt down beside the comforting flames. Their welcoming warmth swept over her and she let her eyelids slowly close. The intoxicatingly good smell of burning pine wafting up her nose. Slowly she opened her eyes; she had a feeling as if she was being watched. Her hand slid slowly into her pocket and her fingers wrapped around her wand. She opened her eyes and turned her head slowly to the doorway. A slight scream escaped from her lips. A figure was standing in the archway to the short corridor. The figure was bathed in shadows; the firelight flickering and falling upon some of the person's features giving them an intimidating look.
"Who – who's there?" Hermione said; her voice an octave higher then usual and her hand gripped tightly around her wand. The figure laughed slightly. They made a move to step into the room. Hermione jumped up to her feet and pulled her wand out – pointing it straight at the person. "Don't come any further." The figure put their hands up and stepped into the light.
"Hermione, it's just me." Draco said, laughing slightly. Hermione let go of a long held breath and lowered her trembling wand hand.
"Don't DO that Draco. You scared the shit out of me!" Hermione crossed the room to Draco's comforting embrace.
"I love you..." Hermione whispered.
"And I love you. More then you'll ever know." Draco said with a hint of spite in his voice. Hermione pulled away from Draco and looked up at him.
"Pardon?" She said slowly. Draco looked down at her through icy grey eyes. Hermione had never seen Draco's eyes so cold and menacing. "H- How..." Hermione paused, trying to choose the right words. "How long were you hiding around the corner in the hallway?" She asked, raising and eyebrow. Draco looked at her dumbstruck.
"How'd you know I was hi- " He stopped short. She had tricked him. It was one of the first things his father ever taught him. Never admit to something until the interrogator lays it out for you. Hermione smirked up at him.
"So, why'd you hide? Did you want to see what Harry and I were doing? Did you want to listen to what we were saying? Don't you trust me Draco?" Hermione said, her voice rising in volume and annoyance.
"Well I'm glad I did listen!" Draco retorted, yelling right back at Hermione. "More then you'll ever know? Jesus, I can't believe I just wasted 2 months being in love with some one who didn't even love me! Why didn't you just tell me you wanted to be with that prat, Potter!"
"So that's what I am? A waste of two months!?"
"Yes! A WASTE! Fucking hell!" Draco threw up his arms and stalked away to the other side of the room. Tears welled in Hermione's eyes but she pushed them back.
"I do love you Draco, I love so much! So terribly much..." Hermione stopped; her throat was choked up. She had given up trying to hold in the tears and they slid freely down her flushed cheeks and dripped to the floor. Draco spoke with his back still to Hermione; he was staring out the large bay window that looked over the lake.
"Just go to Potter if you really love him so much..." Draco sounded defeated.
"And if I don't want to?"
"What are you talking about? You love him and you want to be with him, just go. I can't believe I ever fooled myself into thinking a mudblood could love me or that I could love a mudblood." When Draco finished there was a long pause. He turned around to see why Hermione wasn't responding only to receive a heavy looking book being hurled at him. With Draco's seeker reflexes he was able to dodge the book just in time. His eyes darted from the book thudding to the floor to Hermione. Her face was flushed a deep shade of red and tears streamed down her face.
"I am NOT a mudblood! How dare you call me that Draco!" Draco just looked back at her, a look of challenge in his eyes. "So you're right. I love Harry."
"AHAH!" Draco threw his arms up in the air in triumph. "I knew you did! And you tried to deny it all this time!"
"Is this just a game to you Draco? A game that you have to win by being right? What do you want? Do you want me to actually leave you and go back to Harry? Anyway, I have not finished..." Hermione said through grit teeth. "Of course I love Harry. I love Harry as I love Ron and Ginny. They are my closest friends, Draco. Don't you understand?" Draco looked at Hermione, she wasn't lying. Fresh tears welled in Hermione's eyes, her cheeks were flushed from yelling at Draco and her eyes were red and swollen. Draco sighed.
"I'm – I'm sorry." Draco turned from Hermione and collapsed onto the couch by the window. Hermione sighed, thinking that maybe she'd been a little too harsh. She went over and sat at his feet, resting her head on his knee. Draco stroked her long curly hair with his hand.
"I love you Draco, I love you so much more then I could ever love Harry. And don't you ever forget that. There is no need to be jealous - "
"Jealous?" Draco choked. "Who said I was jealous?" Draco could feel a flush of colour rise from his shirt collar. Hermione giggled slightly.
"Draco, Harry has nothing on you. And he never will." Hermione cupped Draco's face in her hands and kissed his lips gently.
"Damn straight Potter has nothing on me. He could never be as good as me." Hermione rolled her eyes and kissed Draco again.
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Pansy stormed into the Slytherin common room, slamming the portrait door behind her. She stomped up the stairs into her dorm and slammed the door shut. She paced her room.
'He must have been spying on Potter and his girlfriend. Draco's mission must be to find out Potter's weaknesses..." Pansy thought fiercely as she paced her room. She stopped dead in her tracks as a wicked smirk crept onto her face.
"I'll tell Voldemort myself. I'll show Voldemort how loyal I am. He'll adore me for it." She said aloud. Immediately she ran to her desk and pulled out 2 pieces of parchment and a quill accompanied by a green-ink, inkbottle. As soon as she touched quill to parchment she was set to write a full pledged letter to Voldemort about the whole matter.
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After saying good night to Hermione, Harry jogged off down the hall and took the slight of stairs two at a time up to the 4th level. He turned and dawdled down the corridor towards to Portrait of the Fat Lady. He was half way there when a little house elf came running up to him.
"Mister Potter! Mister Potter!" It squeaked. It was waving a letter about in its little hand. Harry bent down and took the letter in which was addressed to him.
"Thank you." Harry said as the elf clicked its fingers and disappeared in a puff of smoke. Harry opened the letter and read it quickly.
"Mr. Potter.
Please report to my office as soon as you receive this letter.
Dumbledore."
Sighing, Harry folded the letter and placed it in his pocket. He turned on his heel and headed off towards Dumbledore's office.
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AN: Okay. Sorry I haven't updated in a while. As I already explained at the beginning of this chappy. I might post the next chapter within a few hours depending if I finish it and I like it enough to post for you all.