Chapter 13
Hermione sat in her light blue jeans and a large, black turtle neck woolly jumper, with white trainers and her hair freshly dried and flowing down her back. She was pushing the cornflakes around the bowl, her face blank as she stared into the milk. She sat up, and threw her empty satchel over her shoulder. She turned around on the bench, and looked around.
Sure enough, as if on cue, Draco walked down the bench and stood before her.
"Good morning." He said, more cheerful than he would admit to. He sat down and poked her shoulder. "Erm Hermione?" she looked to him and smiled. But the smile was empty, as were her eyes, her face was red and puffy from crying and she looked pale. "Fuck, what happened?"
"Hmm?"
"Hermione, what happened? And don't pretend that you don't know, because you do."
"I…may have had a rough night."
"I don't think a bad dream would make you look like this. Now, tell me before I beat it out of you." He didn't see her smile at that, and that really worried him. Usually she found his empty threats entertaining…but she was just blank.
"Am I a good friend?" this alarmed him. He grabbed her shoulder and lifted her chin to face him. "I mean, have I done anything wrong? Have I been a good friend?"
"You have been the best friend there could ever be, the best, wonderful. You are a great, true friend. Why would you even question that?" he then growled. "Scratch that, who has questioned that? I swear when I find out who it is I will tear his head off!"
"Ron."
He looked behind him, and Ron smiled at him out of fear, and looked to have lost all his colour. Harry grabbed his arm and yanked him from the spot, which he was temporarily frozen to.
"Weasel. I suppose I should be nice to him, he is your friend after all." Draco got up to call him over, but Hermione placed a hand on his arm. Draco sat back down again and looked to her.
"No…" she said, barely audible. But he heard it. "…leave them be…"
"Hermione, what happened?" he had finally agreed to share her with them, and she turns them down?
"I, I just didn't sleep very well. That's all."
"Like my ass you did. Now, cut the crap and tell me who did it."
"It isn't always the case of 'who did it' Draco." She sighed.
"In this case it is. And if you don't tell me, Merlin help me I will go and ask those other friends of yours."
"Don't!" she grabbed his arm with both hands and her eyes welled with tears again. "Please don't. In fact, let's leave, now."
"…fuck this." Draco stood up and stormed over to where Harry and Ron were sat. "Oi, Weasel, Potter, what the fuck happened to my Hermione?" did I just call her mine? He had one large hand on each of their shoulders and leaned over their shoulders threateningly. "Answer me or I will cast a truth spell on you both! Now!"
"No!" Hermione clung to his arm. "Please Draco don't…don't…" she sobbed, her hair falling forward and veiling her eyes from everyone.
"…Hermione." He pulled her into a hug, and rubbed her back. Everyone in the hall saw this, and then saw him lift her into his arms. "The infirmary?"
"No, Hagrid's. I said we would help when I saw him a few minutes ago. He is expecting us."
"Look, if you're not up to it-"
"Stop worrying about me Draco" she forced a weak chuckle. "I am fine. Let's just go, ok?"
"Alright…but you better tell me who I have to kill to get some information from you." Ron gulped and whimpered after they left.
"Ron."
"Yeah 'arry?"
"You're screwed mate."
"Yeah, don't I know it."
They walked in silence all the way into the school grounds. It was still warm, so they didn't need a coat. Not that she thought Draco would ware one anyway. Dragon's have thick skin, and they like the cold sometimes. But he didn't know she knew that.
"Hermione…I don't like seeing you like this." He professed and stopped when they were halfway down the field to Hagrid's hut. "I can't make you feel better unless you tell me, and I can't do anything if you don't. I am helpless, powerless to get rid of what is upsetting you and I don't like it. I don't like feeling like this, weak and powerless to do anything. Give me a bully and I will kick their asses, give me a target, and I will break it and throw it far away from here. Give me something Hermione. Give me something for me to beat. Give me something for me to get rid of for you, to make you feel better Hermione. Tell me, please just tell me." She slid from his arms and rested her head in the centre of his chest. Her hands rested at either side of her forehead, and she rubbed her cheek against the warmth of his body.
"Don't worry about me Draco. You have done enough for me."
"I will never have done enough for you. Please, I need to know."
"Come on, let's go to Hagrid's."
"No Hermione." He grabbed her wrist and pulled her back against him. "Remember in DADA yesterday? When you said it hurt you to see me upset? Well, times that by about a million, and you don't even come close to how bad I feel seeing you like this, and not even knowing why."
"I, I don't want to bother you with it Draco." She smiled and interlocked her hand with his. "Can we please leave it…for now…"
"Promise me you will tell me."
"I promise."
"Alright." He sighed and allowed her to lead him to Hagrid's hut.
When they got there, Hagrid was waiting outside and grinning as always.
"'allo there 'ermione. And young Draco with ya to I see. Nice ta see ya 'gain lad."
"Under better conditions than last time, I promise." he looked to Hermione, and then back to Hagrid. "I feel I must apologies for the way I behaved in my first care of magical creatures' lesson with you." Hermione squeezed his arm, and he smiled. Good. He did something to make her feel better. He moved behind her and paced his arms around her waist.
"Don't ya worry 'bout tha. I found it entertainin miself. Ya got a real good left hook on ya there."
"Thank you, comes naturally." He looked to Hermione again. He found himself constantly checking on her.
"Well, where is young 'arry an Ron, 'ermione?"
"Why would she know?" Draco interrupted. "She isn't joint to them by the hips you know."
"I. And it looks like you would know 'bout that there wun ya lad." Hagrid chuckled as Draco automatically yanked his arms from around her waist. "Oh, come now lad. I don't mind of ya affectionate to young 'ermione. I think its sweet actually." He chuckled and turned around. Hermione was blushing slightly. "I mean, 'bout time she got a young man to look out for her. After all, being friends with the boy who lived is a dangerous game at that. Somehow though, she's good at playin' it. Mean, she's survived this far. It's nice to see that she 'as someone to look out for her and support her, like."
"I will always support her. But what do you mean she is in danger?"
"With 'you know who' still out there, no one is safe are they? Especially not anyone close to the object of his hatred like 'arry or Dumbledore. And 'ermione here is good friends with them both, aren't ya 'ermione."
"Yes. Dumbledore and Harry." She smiled.
"And that Ron needs all the help he can get. He sure is his brother's brother. Reminds me of Fred and George more and more every day, that lad."
"Fred and George are nothing like him." Draco looked down at her, and placed his hands on her shoulders. Did I just sense malice?
"Well, down ta business then. The Unicorns are int woods. Draco, be a lad an go ahead ta see if they're near would ye?" he took Hermione's hand, but Hagrid stopped him. "Ah, now 'ermione will be stayin' with me for a spell lad. I needs to have a chat with her. In my hut if ye would Ms Granger." He smiled and started to walk into his home. Draco still held onto Hermione, and she rubbed his arm.
"Let go Draco." She chuckled. "I will only be a minute."
"…grrrr." He growled and then stormed off into the woods.
"And be nice! Unicorns are docile and easily frightened!" she shouted after him, before he blended in with the woods. Then she ran into the Hut to find Hagrid smiling has face off in his easy chair.
"Quite a lad tha one." He chuckled. "Now, how can I help ya 'ermione?"
"Well…I was under the impression that you already had certain items selected out for me…"
"I 'av indeed. But I doubt that unless you get young Draco to help ya, ya wont be taking them all a' once. So, let's see what we can smuggle on ye, shall we?" he rubbed his hands together, and stood up. "There's a trunk behind ye, open it." She wrapped her arms around herself, missing the radiating heat of Draco, and turned to the trunk. It was a large, almost pirate looking wooden trunk with black metal framing. The padlock was off hinge, so she curled her fingers under the lid. With a heave, she managed to get the lid open, and looked down into the trunk. There were so many books, she didn't know what to do. She was having a fit! "This one here has their tendencies, as I believe ye wanted to know 'bout tha. And this one 'as their feedings 'abits. Oh! An' this is interpreting how they communicate, like what growls and snarls mean what. Like what a baby wants when it cries in a certain way like."
"What's this?" She carefully lifted up a vase sized, dark purple ornate ointment bottle, that looked like it could contain poison, with its spiked lid. She held the bottle to her with one hand, as it was heavy with liquid, and the other traced the lid. She would bet anything that the lid to his was made from a Dragon's fang.
"Ah, very potent stuff tha." He chuckled. "Sometimes I try to get the Thestrals and the Hippogriffs to eat vegetables, when they are here. Not the particular season for them a' tha moment."
"But they eat nothing but blood and meat." She raised a brow.
"That they do. Unless I sprinkle some of this over them. Then they can't resist gobbling it up."
"So like an irresistible potion?"
"Na quite." He pulled a large black box out from the trunk, and indicated for her to slip it inside. "Tha is pure Hungarian horntail Sex pheromones, from a beauty of a female dragon. When collected in tha mating season, from a virgin female, and left ta fester over a mating couple a dragons, it captures tha passion and becomes an aphrodisiac. So powerful, ya need a licence as a breeder to have even a small vial of tha stuff."
"But Hagrid, you're not a dragon breeder. And even so, I bet if news of this got out, you would have thieves who could get a lot of galleons for this. I know lots of girls who would go mad for this stuff."
"Oh I don't think so. See, it only smells spicy to us, but to an Hungarian horntail, they go wild. Only works on Hungarians, not other dragon, and no' humans." He chuckled. "And as for 'ow I got it…I met a man down at the pub in Hogsmede…I won our drinking game and in a stupor, he gave it me. Never seen 'im since though." Hermione started to lower it into the trunk. "Take it."
"What?"
"It's yours Hermione. I don't have a dragon, never mind a horntail. An' out where Charlie works, the place is riddled with them. An' they don't mate very often, unless given an incentive." He chuckled as she brought it back to her chest.
So this makes Hungarians go wild…
"Does this work on part breeds."
"As long as they are part horntail, it will effect them. Just don't go spillin' it on ye'self. I said it was potent, an' I mean it."
"Oh, I will be careful…" she suddenly thought of a cruel little experiment for Draco…oh I am evil sometimes…heh heh. "Oh Hagrid, I have a question for you."
"Oh?" he seemed delighted. She had to smile.
"I remember someone, not saying any names, say that they came from the glade? Where is that exactly? I can't find it on any map."
"Why ya silly lass, tha is because the Glad isn't on a map. Just like Hogwarts isn't."
"Where is it then?"
"It's only the ancient hot spot for all Dragons and deadly beasties. The one place in the world, where Wizards and muggles are incapable of inhabitin'. Surely ye know of the Glade."
"…do dragons live there?"
"Ye, I should think so. Every single breed of dragon in existence dwells in the Glade. Not even 'you know who' dares go there, on fear of being gobbled up!"
"…" Draco said he came from the Glade…
"Now, what other lovelies can we ge for ye." They rummaged through the trunk, and Hermione filled her bag with the books. She chose, sound interpretations for beginners and intermediates. And Body-language for beginners and intermediates. Together, they filled her bag just enough, for her to rest the tall black box in her bag, with Hagrid's scarf around it. She fastened the bag just in time for Hagrid to lock the trunk, and Draco walk in.
"I can't find them, and I am not calling out for fucking unicorns."
"Tha is because ye don't have a feminine touch. Take Hermione with ye, they should come out then."
"…wait…if you knew they wouldn't come out…why did you send me off in the first place!"
"Seemed like a good Idea a' tha time." Hermione stepped in when Draco looked like he was about to blow his top, clenching his fists and stepping forward.
"Draco, take me into the woods, please?" she put her bag down and nodded to Hagrid.
"Fine. Fucking crazy over sized fucking gnome…" he mumbled as they stepped out, Hermione hooked onto his arm and laughing at him.
"Oh Draco, you are…impossible…" Harry and Ron were stood there, Harry smiling the best he could and Ron looking to his feet.
"So 'Mione. Want to come and clean out the Hippogriff pens for when they fly back?" Ron said sheepishly.
"Hermione." She said. "My name is Hermione." Draco looked down at her. Wow, that was cold of her. He then saw that she looked pale and hurt again, and he had enough.
"You said you were going to tell me what was bothering you later. It is now later, so spill it before I ask them instead." She closed her eyes, let go of his arm and stepped off the front of the hut.
"Ronald, would you like to tell him?" she said aloof, and headed off to the woods. She stopped with a start when she heard a yelp behind her. She span around, and saw Ron hanging in the air, holding onto Draco's hands as he was being throttled.
"What the fuck did that mean, whelp!"
"Gurgle." He couldn't speak, and was turning blue.
"Draco!" she shouted. "I have had enough of people getting hurt for once. Please stop it! He doesn't deserve what you are doing to him!" she whimpered.
"Then tell me what happened so I can fix it."
"We had a disagreement, that is all. Please let him go…" she held herself and shivered. She heard a thud, and then a warmth engulfed her.
"Cold?" she slowly looked up. He was acting strange again, and just standing there, like he was trying not to be angry.
"Yes…I don't know why…"
"You look cold. We should leave."
"No…no I want to help the Unicorns."
"You want to help everyone." He said a lot softer, and held her gently. She rested her head on his chest, and he held her back and her head. "Now do you want to tell me what this disagreement was about? It has to be something important if it got you so upset, you would even let me catch a hint it was the whelp."
"…let's just go, ok?"
"It was you." Draco looked over his shoulder at Harry. Ron hung his head, and Harry continued. "Ron thought one thing, Hermione another. About you."
"And what did you say to upset my Hermione!" he roared, and felt Hermione cling to him.
"Don't Draco, let it go. I want to, so can't you too?"
"But…I want to help you…" he held her again, and she hooked one arm around his waist, and moved next to him.
"Then let me cheer up and pet a unicorn." She laughed. "How childish did that sound?"
"It sounded just fine to me." He draped an arm around her shoulders, as he couldn't reach her waist from his height, and they walked into the woods.
Hagrid soon joined them, with tools. While Harry and Ron ended up eventually cleaning out not only the Hippogriff pens, but the blast ended screwts too. (sp?)
While Hermione and Draco, walked ahead of Hagrid, and walked in each others arms. They (meaning Hermione) fed and brushed the Unicorns, while Draco simply watched her from afar. They returned to the castle later on, and Hermione's fingers were itching to read her books. But she couldn't while Draco was with her, or he would catch onto what she knew. She didn't know why she didn't just tell him she knew about his heritage, but she felt he might not be happy about her snooping around and about, about him.
"So if you want, I will go get a nap and get my colour back, and meet you for dinner later."
"Alright, just make sure to get better." Draco walked her up to the Gryffindor portrait of the fat lady, and held her hands. He looked to the wall, and smiled under his mask. He remembered when he had held her against it. He was so close to telling her, it was painful.
"I will, I'll see you later Draco."
"Hermione?"
"Yes?" she smiled up at him, and he pulled her into an embrace.
"I am sorry. I have caused you pain."
"What? No you haven't." she hugged him back, to reassure him.
"I have, or you wouldn't have been so upset over whatever the whelp said."
"No, no it wasn't your fault Draco. He…he wasn't very nice about you. And it hurt my feelings. So I made a stand, and now with you is where I stand. But don't worry." She got on her tip toes. "I wouldn't want to be anywhere else." She planted a friendly kiss on his cheek, and turned to leave. He was stunned and watched her as she carted that bag behind her. He didn't even register that the bag had been empty before they left, and full when they returned from Hagrid's. He almost (as in he wouldn't let himself) skipped back to his room from shadow to shadow. He sat in his chair, and watched the clock. He would sit there, patiently, until it was time for dinner.
ooOoo
the sounds of an Hungarian Horntail are very distinguished in their meanings. For example, to rumble a growl in the throat, is to portray either playfulness or arousal. It can also mean a suppression of such feelings, or a sound accompanied by an approaching dragon in heat. Usually the males. Although it is in the beginning the females who invoke the rites of mating. The tell tail sounds of an aroused female, are soft, yet deep purring coos and expressive behaviour. (refer to body language book)
(from Body Language book) this entails lower body movements on all fours, prerogative stalking in pace, and the scent of arousal. This in turn enchants the attention of the desired male mating partner and will draw, if successful in courting, growls and deeper roars on a small scale as acceptance of the female. Both the male and the female will then come closer together, and the next stage of mating will ensue. This involves extremely close proximity, and the exchange of embraces. The typical embrace for an Hungarian Horntail, is the rubbing of faces and pawing of claws. Then the two Dragons will mate to produce from 7 to around 12 eggs at a time.
"Ok…that explains a lot." Hermione closed the two books she got from Hagrid to use as cross-references on Draco, and gulped.
When ever he has growled at me, when I crawled towards him in the sickbay, when I purred to him, and he growled back. The reason he kept his back to me…was because... "He was aroused. And I remember how he couldn't have me sat on him, wow…but that would mean…" Hermione jumped up on her bed and jumped up and down like she was three again. "He likes me!" she cheered and danced all around the bed. She then stopped still, as she saw the time. "O oh, I'm going to be late!"
Now Hermione knew she liked Draco for a while, she was kinda hoping he was going to tell her he liked her when he had her pinned to the wall. He didn't, but at least now she knew. "Well I assume, I may be wrong." She told herself, but still grinned and changed her clothes. You had to wear uniform at dinner, and only dinner at the weekends.
The moment she stepped outside, she saw Draco leaning against the stair railing.
"About time you got here." He said curtly, but he noticed her huge smile. "What happened to you? You look like you just got accepted into the order of Merlin." He chuckled.
"Nope, better than that." She chuckled too and skipped over to him. "Are you going to tell me?"
"Nope." It's up to you to tell me. I have to be sure you like me, so I will let you prove it… she smirked as she thought back to that special vial. Of with as Hagrid says…a little 'incentive'.
"Very well. Time to go." He pulled away from the rail, and walked with her down to the great wall. There, they were the last two to enter, and then she thought of the problem they had.
They all sat at their house tables. And Draco didn't have a table.
She smiled when she saw that wasn't about to stop him, as he roughly grabbed her elbow and dragged her over to the end of the Gryffindor table. They sat down, Draco on the very end, and looked to Dumbledore. He had his goblet raised, and looked like he was about to address the hall.
"I know you are all very hungry, as am I. but I feel that there is something of such joyous importance, that I should mention it now. Hogwarts has been selected this year to host the Great Hisui Doragon Ball. Hisui is Japanese for Jade Dragon, as this is a traditional dance that originated in the heart of Japan. All the women and decorations were the colour of the precious stone and beast, in their honour." He smiled. "But the tradition is that the name for Jade holds the translation of the last country to hold it. And this year, we shall host it so the next year, it shall be the Great Jade Dragon ball in the next school." There was a great chatter, until he raised his hands again. "Yes as all the females of the year have guessed, it is a ball, meaning there will be dancing and dresses. The only differences are that the girls must wear jade green, and the men must wear jade black. Luckily, we men don't have to wear dress robes to this event." He chuckled as all the boys sighed relief, including Draco. "I must stress however, that there are more traditions of the dance, which must be upheld. Such as, the traditional opening dance ceremony. The head boy and girl, either together or with other partners, will dance to open the ball to everyone else with the graceful dance of the Jade Dragon. Then, everyone else with their partners shall join the dance." More chatter. "As was practiced with the Yule ball, you shall be taught how to dance the dance of the Jade Dragon in Transfigurations and possibly other lessons." He raised his goblet higher. "Good luck in getting dance partners, and please, dig in!" platters of food littered the long tables, and everyone obeyed the two word command eagerly. The topic of conversation, was obviously the ball.
"I need to get a new dress!"
"I need to get new shoes!"
"I need to get a new hair clip!"
"I need extra dance lessons!"
"I need a date!" Cho added with her friends, as they all discussed the ball on the Ravenclaw table, and the girls were just the same on every table. Even the guys were willing to join in as they wanted dates, and they were freed from the threat of dress robes.
"A load of rubbish." Draco grumbled under his breath. "Don't even have any real dragons there."
"I wouldn't say that."
"What?" he looked up with a start.
"Did I say something?" Hermione smiled and drank her water.
"…I suppose you didn't…" Draco just sat there, his arms folded and looking as defiant as ever. He never did eat in the great hall…
Hermione however, ate her food until she couldn't eat anymore (or risk looking like a round roll of cheddar cheese).
"So, what do you think to the ball Hermione?" she looked round to see Cho had squeezed next to her.
"What are you doing on the Gryffindor table Cho?"
"I came to talk to you of course." She giggled, blushing from being sat between Hermione and Draco.
This, he didn't like. But he steeled himself and looked the other way. "I mean, the rest of us have decided that well, you are the head girl and probably don't have a date yet."
"We only just leaned the of the ball just now?"
"So? I've got a date. So has Lavender and most of the other girls on our table. The boys we have in mind just don't know it yet." She chuckled, as did Hermione.
"And who do you have in mind Cho? Harry?"
"Gosh no." she blushed. Then she made motions with her head over her shoulder at Draco, and smiled. Hermione slapped her forehead, and sighed. "Will you help me if I help you with a date? I mean, you are the head girl. You will be opening the ball." She seemed excited enough for both of them, as Hermione thought the thought of dancing with everyone watching her, more than daunting.
"Heh heh…yeah…" she gulped. "I forgot about that."
"So you will be dancing with Draco Malfoy then?" she stressed Malfoy to ensure her target of affection didn't misunderstand her intentions for Hermione. "I mean, you are both the head's of year. So…"
"So not even if he begged me."
"I am actually close to that Granger." She looked over her shoulder, and saw Draco Malfoy stood there, pouting and with his arms crossed. "We need to have a little…chat…"
"…I don't think-"
"Fuck off Malfoy." Hermione sweat dropped when Draco jumped up and started to snarl at him again.
"Look dark and moody, I need to talk to Hermione. I swear I will even say please and be polite. Crab and Goyle won't even be there, just me and Hermione."
"Perhaps you didn't understand me Momma's boy. Fuck. Off."
"It's alright Draco." They both looked to her. "I mean the tower, not the Head boy." Draco growled threateningly and Hermione had to side step between them both. As she saw Draco Malfoy holding his wand tightly. She turned her back to Draco, and looked to Malfoy. She then nodded. "I will talk to you, as we are the head's of year. We should converse regularly on official matters…but I know we don't…" she gulped. "Could you tell me why you wish to talk to me…alone…"
"It's about the Hisui Doragon Ball. That is all I will say while you have him 'breathing fire' over your shoulder." Malfoy folded his arms, and smirked over at Draco. This was not a good idea.
"I should just-"
"Trust that I know what I am doing." She finished for him and turned to look at him. "Listen, I will be back when I can. This wont take long, right?" she looked over her shoulder at Malfoy.
"I will try to be brief." He pouted to himself. He didn't look forward to this…
"Alright. Off we go." Very reluctantly, Draco let Malfoy take Hermione's wrist, and drag her away.
They entered an empty Muggle studies class room, where Draco (M now) leaned against the desk. He had a look of deep thought on his brow, and he folded his arms.
"First of all Granger, I give you an official apology."
"Thank you." She smiled, but remained cautious. Only a few days ago, this boy had tripped her up and called her the foulest words known. So she was still suspicious.
"Secondly…we need to talk." He sighed, and pulled away from the table.
"What about?" she said nervously, as he walked towards her. He had after all locked the door after they entered, and still held the key.
"About…" he walked right up to her, and took her hands. "Us."
AN: Yes I know, a very mean mean MEAN cliff hanger.
But I am evil, and I had to do it! Lol.
Enjoy and review or I won't update it! .
From
Draguna