They were mere centimeters apart. Hermione could feel Draco's breath on her face, coming in heavy. Draco could hear Hermione's heart beating so quickly in her chest. Both of them could feel their palms growing sweaty and both could smell each other. Draco smelled amazing, Hermione thought to herself. Draco's thoughts were similar. He could feel his heart beat quicken like Hermione's.
Finally not being able to stand the temptation anymore, they both simultaneously closed the space between themselves and were instantly enveloped in a kiss so passionate and intensely satisfying that neither wanted to stop.
When the kiss finally broke Draco opened his door a little more, inviting Hermione in. When she hesitated he said to her, without using words, that he had nothing planned beyond talking and possible kissing. She smiled and walked in. Draco followed her, sleep still in his eyes, running a hand through his hair.
When her eyes adjusted to the dimness of the light compared to that of the Common Room, she was amazed at what she saw. The chairs, desk, trunk and every other available surface in the room, including the bed, were covered in pages and pages of music. Propped up against a wall was a guitar and a piano, but unlike any other Hermione had ever seen. "You... play?" she asked.
"Hmmm? Oh, yeah. I play and write..." he mumbled the last part so that she had to strain to hear what he was saying.
"What was that?" she asked turning back to face him.
"Yeah, I play and I write."
"You write? Is all this..." she said motioning to the papers scattered about the room. "You wrote all this?"
"Yeah... I've played the piano since I was about seven- my mom's idea- and then I started playing the guitar and other things when I was about ten. I started writing music a couple years later."
"Will you play something for me?"
"Oh... you don't want to hear any of it. Really, its no good."
Hermione wasn't sure whether it was her imagination or not but it seemed like Draco, The Draco Malfoy, was almost bashful. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize that you didn't like people knowing," she said quietly when it finally clicked.
"Oh, its not that. I mean you are one of the very few people that does know, I just didn't think you'd want to hear it. None of it is very good. I just write when I need to do something to let off some steam. But, erm... sure, if you really want to hear something. You have to promise me that you wont say anything while I play, though."
"Promise," she said in an almost whisper.
Draco walked over to the wall and picked up the guitar. It was golden in color and had a couple of extra knobs and buttons, but other than that it looked exactly like a muggle electric guitar. He walked back over to his bed, cleared it a bit and sat down, motioning for Hermione to do the same. She walked over to the bed and sat down cautiously and crossed her legs.
As Draco began playing the guitar a slow and somber melody came forth while his fingers moved slowly and precisely up and down the strings, pushing odd assortments of buttons and swaying ever so slightly with the music. The sound that the guitar produced was unlike Hermione had ever heard before, mixing all the emotions a person could ever feel into one solid sound that was as fluid as water. After about 30 seconds of his playing he began singing, in what wasn't a very good voice, but it was descent.
"She was sexy like the rain.
spinning and dancing with her hands above her head.
She said to me,
Come on baby... won't you follow me?
She spoke with purpose
And knew what she needed.
I wish I hadn't been so stupid,
So stupid to let it all go.
To let it all go.
She's the one,
The one I always needed.
She's the one,
The one I have to have.
She's the one,
The one I never knew I needed.
And she's the one,
That had to leave me before,
I realized what I had let go away.
Summer left as winter came,
And still no sign of her.
She and I had sat together,
playing along, singing a song.
And every time I hear that song now,
I just want to break down and cry...
Because all I see is her,
laughing at me,
saying Come on baby... won't you follow me?
She's the one,
The one I always needed.
She's the one,
The one I have to have.
She's the one,
The one I never knew I needed.
And she's the one,
That had to leave me before,
I realized what I had let go away.
Won't you follow me?
Won't you follow me?
Won't you,
Won't you...
Come back to me?
Come back to me...
Because,
You're the one,
the one I always needed.
You're the one,
The one I have to have.
You're the one,
The one I never knew I needed.
And you're the one,
That had to leave me before,
I realized what I had let go away...
Away..."
Draco ended with a few more seconds of playing, then played a somber chord, let the sound fade and finally looked back up at Hermione. He had been afraid of what he was going to see when he looked back up at her. She was the first person that had ever heard anything he had ever played, let alone written. Sure his mom had heard him when he was little, and his father had every once-in-a-while when he was passing through. But the composure, the song, the guitar- Hermione was the first.
But when he looked up he saw Hermione smiling with awe in her eyes he banished all his fears. She started to say something, but before she could he leaned in and kissed her. As he began to pull away she enticed him back and deepened the kiss to where Draco could feel his hands numbing, but didn't want to stop. When they finally broke apart both were breathing heavily and numb in the hands.
Draco put a hand on her face and began to lean in again. But before he reached her she pulled away slightly saying "I have to go."
He stared at her bewildered as she stood up and moved towards the door. "Wait," he said. "I mean- why, is it something I did?" He had also gotten up and walked over towards Hermione.
She observed him walking towards her and waited for him to reach her. When they were face to face once again she said, "No, its not anything you did. It's what I might do. What I can't do. I'm sorry." She kissed him once more, savoring the feeling and left the room quickly. She walked straight back to her room and collapsed into her bed.
A tear crept down her face as she thought about the past summer and everything that had gone wrong. But she knew she couldn't change anything, knew that even if she could, she wouldn't. And leaving Draco at that moment had been the best thing she could do, for both of them. So as she fell asleep that night, although it was uneasy, she had a clear conscience. The only uneasy feeling she had was not explaining her departure from Draco more thoroughly.
A/N: Sorry it took so long, things have been crazy. Hope this one was worth the wait though. As always read and respond!