Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Except the plot. So don't sue.
A/N: This is only my second fic. I decided to start small, with one-shots. So please read and review, for I have just discovered the joy of reviews. And if you liked the way this was written, you can check out my first fanfic, a one-shot as well. Especially for those who like reading tragic stories. And don't forget to leave a review! This was kinda meant to be up on Christmas, but I was busy. So four days later, here it it!
Cheers,
Kyaneos.
"Granger," Malfoy's drawl cut into her ongoing conversation with Ginny Weasley. Hermione sighed and turned around.
"What, Malfoy?"
"Christmas patrol." His reply was blunt and to the point. As usual. Realization dawned upon Hermione. She could have slapped herself. How could I forget? She threw a hasty look at Ginny and got up. Grabbing her books and minimizing them to fit into her pocket, she walked out of the Great Hall with Malfoy.
The walk out of the Great Hall was silent; neither Hermione nor her partner bothered to say a word. Surprisingly, the two Heads had been on fairly neutral terms since the beginning of the year. Hermione supposed he had changed somehow, no matter how much the illogical side of her constantly argued. He's Malfoy. He can't change. Deep into her own thoughts, she failed to realize that Malfoy was asking her a question.
"Granger. GRANGER." His irritated tone interrupted her thinking. Startled, Hermione jumped.
"What, Malfoy?"
He shot her a sharp glare.
"I was ASKING if you'd want to start outside, but you didn't hear me." He sounded sulky, petulant, even, as though he were a child denied of Chocolate Frogs. Hermione sighed inwardly. Sure, he had changed, but he was still the same old Malfoy.
"Granger!"
The same old arrogant, spoiled Malfoy. She thought.
"Fine, Malfoy. We'll start from the outside and move inwards. It's a perfectly methodical plan, saving both time and energy for wondering where else we haven't been, and-"
"Granger. Shut up."
Scowling slightly, Hermione stopped talking and remained silent for the rest of the journey. Arriving outside after a short period of time, she was immediately greeted by a strong blast of cold air. Shivering, she pulled her cloak tighter around her and glanced at Malfoy, who was seemingly unaffected. It was snowing. Quite heavily, she noted. A strong urge to lay down in the snow and make a snow angel presented itself in her thoughts. No. No. You're on Head Duty. Do your duty. Hermione mentally berated herself and once again glanced at Malfoy. He had on an indifferent expression, as if nothing mattered.
They were halfway done with the patrolling of the outside grounds of Hogwarts and Hermione had gotten a rosy pink flush on her cheeks. Climbing up the hill, Hermione noticed that it had stopped snowing, and a heavy blanket of snow covered the grounds. Struck by mischief, a small unnoticeable grin slid onto her face. I have an idea…
Kneeling down, Hermione swiftly gathered snow in her two hands, compacting the snow together and expertly shaping it into a round ball. By that time, Malfoy had noticed the absence of her footsteps behind him and had turned around.
"Granger, what are you doing?" he asked, a finely-shaped eyebrow arched.
He's going to bloody MURDER me for this. Hermione thought. Drawing back her arm, she aimed at Malfoy and let it fly.
A satisfying sploosh was heard when the snowball hit Malfoy, directly on the face. The result was a pissed-off Malfoy with a face full of snow. Hermione burst into peals of laughter, holding her stomach, aching from laughing so hard. Looking up, she saw Malfoy, face filled with annoyance and, believe it or not, confusion. Plus snow. She briefly wondered why he appeared confused, but brushed it aside as she bent down to yet again make another snowball. Malfoy, having managed to get off all the snow on his face, had now taken another look at Hermione in the middle of her snowball-making mischief.
"What are you doing?" he asked her, sounding genuinely confused.
Hermione looked up.
"You mean you don't know?" she managed to say, before she threw another one at him, this one which he ducked.
"No, Granger, I am perfectly aware of why you are compacting frozen water into a round ball and then throwing it at me, but I prefer to stand here waiting for you to hit me." Came the sarcastic reply.
Hermione grinned.
"It's called a snowball, Malfoy. A snowball."
"I refuse to see the point in wasting time and energy in such a frivolous activity. What is the point of this game?" his question came out sounding more like a statement, as though he was telling her there was not a single point of throwing snow around like a couple of silly Muggle children.
Hermione paused for a moment, her next snowball already targeting Malfoy. What was the point of snowball fights? She wondered.
"For fun, Malfoy. Surely you know what fun is," Hermione replied, chucking her snowball at him. He didn't manage to dodge this one, her reply having caught him off guard. His befuddled expression exasperated her. Standing up, Hermione dusted all the snow off, before walking to where he stood. She pulled him down to sit next to her in the snow, earning herself a not-so-polite remark. She gathered snow in her hands, pulling the cold white matter towards her, beckoning him to do the same. Draco threw her a contemptuous look, but complied, slowly pulling snow into his hands.
"Then you compact it. Like so." She instructed, her own hands automatically patting her round ball of snow. She glanced over at her partner, who was looking frustrated at his own ball, which was falling apart. Sighing, Hermione reached over and placed his hands correctly around the snow. And as she did so, she touched his hands and a jolt of electricity rushed through her. Breathless, she looked at him to see if he had felt the same thing. What she saw, however, was a fascinated look of concentration on his face as he worked to make a snowball.
"Now, Malfoy, we throw it at one another. It's the whole point of the game." She told him, standing up with her snowball in hand. He got up and raised an eyebrow. She backed a few steps away from him, pretending to take careful aim before she threw her snowball.
He stepped away and smirked. Uh oh. She barely had time to think before a perfectly aimed snowball found its way to her face. Sputtering, she glared at him, yet a teasing smile turned the corners of her mouth up.
"I think I like this…game, Granger." He remarked.
Then a full-blown snow fight got underway.
To anyone watching from afar, it was probably just another typical snowball fight between two students. But to any Hogwarts students, the sight was something one did not see often. The two Head Students, normally ignoring each other, or bickering endlessly, were engaged in an actual snowball fight. It was unbelievable. And to Hermione and Draco, there was only the two of them in the world as they carried out snow attacks on each other.
By the time they had exhausted all their energy, both teens were lying in the snow, breathless and exhilarated at the same time. Hermione rolled onto her side and looked at Draco. His eyes were closed and his breathing was heavy. Smiling inwardly, she moved back onto her back and spread her arms and legs, pushing away the snow to form a snow angel. Draco opened his eyes and regarded her with curiosity.
"What are you doing?" Hermione swore, that was probably the first sentence he muttered when he could speak.
"Snow angel." She told him, before she raised her hands up, satisfied with her work.
"Now pull me up carefully so I don't destroy it."
Draco stared at her. Was she serious? No matter, he got up and dusted himself off, grasping her hands tightly and pulling her up. Once again, the same electric shock ran through them. Startled, he let go and she started gyrating wildly, her balance lost. Draco reached forward and pulled her sharply towards him, causing her to crash into his chest. With his hands around her waist and her hands on his chest, both of them almost stopped breathing.
Hermione wondered how it could feel so… right when she was in his arms. She laid her head on his muscular chest, slowly inhaling and exhaling, breathing in his scent. They stayed that way for a long time. Perhaps fate figured both needed the comfort, both had the longing to be held.
And when the Head Students went back to the castle, neither was ever the same.
They let go of each other after a while.
"Granger," Draco spoke.
"Hmm?"
"It wasn't so bad, you teaching me to throw balls of frozen water." He admitted, deep in thought.
"It's called a snowball, Draco." she smiled.
"A snowball."
-OWARI-