Wow guys, I realize it's been a while... But with one thing and another, meaning being away for a week, and then getting back to find out my computer infested itself with viruses and having to completely reinstall windows and norton, and then having ff.net on a read only basis, I haven't been able to post this. But please review, I hope you enjoy! =)
They walked silently along the wall, watching Hermione walk purposefully down the middle of the hallway, panting slightly with the effort of running clear to the dungeons.
Draco made a small hissing noise as Ginny stepped down hard on his foot by mistake, and Hermione jerked her head around. She didn't need people bothering her in her search for Snape. She was sure he had been around here somewhere when she last saw... She continued along when a flash of blond hair caught her eyes, and she looked around.
Her breathing became hitched as it caught in her throat. What was she doing looking for Snape? This blond sex God was clearly looking for her... she wanted nothing more than to shove him up against the wall... to attack him with everything she had...
She heard footsteps. Her gaze shifted away, as the desire seeped out of her. He was an irritant; distracting her from her mission. The one she really wanted was around the corner, she knew it. She picked up her pace, and almost ran down the corridor. A hint of raven coloured locks called out to her seductively, she moved forward. She reached a hand out to grasp that silky hair...
She blinked. It wasn't Snape. So whose hair did she have tightly within her fingers? She gazed into his bright blue eyes, filled with shock and confusion. Whoever it was, she didn't care; this one who was putting up such a fight to get away from her, she was never more sure of what she wanted. There was an open doorway just slightly past, they could go in there...
A hand reached out towards her arm, pulling it away. She moved to recoil; whoever had interfered surely needed to be punished. But the hand on her had seared; it was burning her arm, she went to move away. To glare at whoever this was for getting in her way. She couldn't, silver eyes sunk deep into her own, she felt her knees going weak.
She looked back, and something ticked. Blaise. Zabini, she thought. He looked shocked and amused; she wanted to wipe it off his face... to make him understand what she felt. But she couldn't move. The one holding onto her mumbled something, and the dark haired man hurried off.
She held tightly to the arm of the one leading her, into a different hallway and she saw Ginny. What was she still doing there? Did she have nothing better to do than get in the way of their plans? And she had many plans... The redhead appeared relieved, and started walking off. Good, she thought spitefully.
She wrapped her hand into Draco's, soon they would be back where no one could be a bother. Alone. He looked down at her, a wry smile on his features, his eyes glowing into her. He sighed; at least there had been no too-close encounters with Snape. Zabini was one thing, though he had to wonder what he was doing out this late. It was a peaceful walk. Too peaceful he decided. As if something was going to happen very soon.
They started to ascend the stairway out of the dungeons, where Hermione had felt to search for Snape. Passing by the Great Hall, Draco jerked his head up, eyes wide, dreading the worst. Only one person he knew walked so slow and deliberate. Right on cue.
Hermione looked over, curious to see what had caused him to loosen his grasp, and nearly let out a cheer of happiness. She quickly let go and hurried in the direction of the impending footsteps. His jaw dropped, momentarily too stunned to go after her.
She walked along the hallway, hardly able to contain herself, and he quickly went after her. He grabbed onto her arm, but she shrugged him off, not bothering to look back. A surge of indignation ran through him, against his better will. No woman, once he'd had his intent set upon her, had turned away from him. He wasn't about to experience a first, as he snaked an arm around her waist, spinning her around to see him.
He searched in her eyes for a moment, seeing them glazed over with longing and intoxication. He moved her out of the main hallway, so she wouldn't be seen by Snape unless she came out. She started to struggle as Snape came closer, and Draco sighed. He pulled her into him, and kissed her full on the lips, mentally berating himself. She instantly relaxed, and tried to force her way into his mouth as he pulled away, keeping a firm grasp of her hand behind his back.
"What are you doing out here, Mr. Malfoy?" Came the cold sneering voice of Severus Snape. Hermione shifted slightly to see him, and nearly ran out, until the grip on her hand increased in pressure. She gasped in pain, trying to get away from him. He took a slow step backwards however, keeping her in the corner.
"Just watching for students out past curfew, sir," he replied coldly, though Snape didn't notice the sarcasm in his words. The potions master gave him a suspicious glance, and left with a curt nod. Draco breathed a sigh of relief, and turned back to Hermione. She was giving him the harshest glare she could muster, it seemed, though it lifted as he stared at her.
He supposed this could be considered rather humourous, and had it been any other year, he would have certainly enjoyed watching the head girl jump the potions master. For some reason he felt bound to help her. He sneered at the thought. But why? It wasn't that outrageous, a small voice far back in his mind said. After ensuring that Hermione wouldn't run after the other man, he started back to the common room, leaving her to trail slightly behind. Really, she was just enjoying the view.
He sighed in frustration as the door opened again. Honestly, couldn't a man get some sleep? She had been coming into his room every ten minutes, and each time he would send her back to her room. And then he would put a different type of locking spell on the door. And each time she would find the way past it. Damn her intelligence, even when she was drunk, and under the influence of a lust potion. If anything, it seemed to be getting stronger. He practically had to pry her off of him each time she got in.
He got up and walked over to her, holding her wrists both in one hand, as he walked her back to the door. He gently pushed her through it, and closed it, just as it opened again. He bit his tongue to stop from saying something highly insulting to her; after all she wasn't doing this of her own accord.
She leered at him from under heavy eyelids, and he looked away, frantically for anything that might possibly help him in this situation. After failing in his quest, he cursed himself for keeping nothing of use in his room.
"What do you want?" He finally asked in desperation, although he figured he knew the answer to that very well. She blinked at him, eyes still glazed over to the core. She stepped forward, moving a hand up to become entangled in his hair.
"I think you know," she whispered, and pressed herself up close to him. He knew that in her state of mind, nothing would stop her from completely ravishing him except, well, him. He had never been one to give up without a fight. Of course, that was something that ran through his blood. He had always been stubborn. Childhood memories of floating water toys and anniversary balloons passed through his head. Of course, leave it to Lucius to puncture absolutely everything. He scoffed, then realized Hermione was still clinging to him.
He pulled away from her, ignoring her slight whimper at the loss of contact. He was about to try once again with a combination of several locks, moving her towards the door again.
"Draco..." she said softly, looking up at him sadly and he froze. She had never said that before; he tried to erase the word from his memory, in her soft, light tone. Why had she called him Draco? "Can't I stay?" She asked softly. He stared at her for a long while, until finally he sighed.
"You can stay, as long as you keep your hands to yourself," her eyebrows knitted together. "If you do anything to provoke me, I will not hesitate in making you spend the entire night alone, alright?" He asked. At least if she would stay away from him, it would be easier than putting her back out like a lost puppy every few minutes.
She seemed to figure any closeness to him was better than none, so she grinned. She jumped into his bed, finding herself tightly woven in the covers quickly, as if in fear he would change his mind. He got into the bed several minutes after, being sure to distance himself from her adequately, and pretending to ignore the fact that she seemed to have moved over six inches at least towards him.
She was floating, above the clouds. Wait, she was a cloud. She looked down, watching the trees play table tennis. Silently she cheered them on, until Harry entered with an axe. She had to stop him; what could she do? Ginny walked into the clearing, followed shortly by Seamus, Professor Flitwick and Bill Weasley.
Hermione's cloud floated down, randomly bumping into another cloud with the likeness of Draco. The Draco cloud asked her if she had heard whether the Wizard Stock Market, or the WSM, had dropped at all recently. She replied with a sober "no," and continued on her way, handing him an umbrella. "It could rain," she informed him.
Ginny had proposed to Professor Flitwick, who had turned into Hagrid and thrown random wild creatures. Harry turned his axe upon Shamus, and Draco's cloud had followed her in her descent towards everyone else. Bill declared his love for Bette Midler, and ran off in a flapper dress, as an acromantula flew past.
Each of the people, clouds and trees began throwing things at her cloud, it hurt incessantly. They continued, throwing harder things. The trees threw branches covered in muggle telephones. The Draco cloud dumped water on her head, using the umbrella to protect itself. Harry and Ginny danced away to sell pottery, and Flitwick Hagrid pulled out a trumpet, blaring it loudly. Shamus walked around with a frying pan full of chicken, offering it to the others. Her head throbbed, she wished it would all stop. She didn't want to be a cloud, she wanted them all to go away. The throbbing increased. She started to cry, tears falling on the trees, as they grew higher, banging on her... The pain... She felt as if she would fall from the sky...
A low moan escaped her throat, and her eyes shot open. Immediately her head burst open; was she supposed to feel like this? She couldn't remember anything at all... Harry and Ron somewhere. Her eyes came into focus, she saw, far too close, the sleeping face of Draco Malfoy. What was he doing in her bed? Why was she clinging to him as if her life depended on it?
She withdrew her hands as if she'd been burnt, he stirred, and his eyes opened, staring at her, emotionless mask firmly in place. He saw her puzzled expression and let out a slight laugh. Why did people laugh, she wondered. It was a horrible screeching sound...
"A slight hangover, maybe?" He asked mockingly, as her mind took in what he said. What exactly had she done last night... He got up, and she was almost horrified to see his bare torso; he wasn't naked, was he? She breathed again as she noticed that he was indeed wearing boxers. A slight amount of comfort, but comfort all the same. At least she hadn't slept with the man.
"Drink this," he said, conjuring something in a tall glass. "Trust me, it works," he said, handing it to her. Anxious to lessen the dull throbbing still insistently banging on her brain, she drank it all, trying hard to ignore the horrible taste. "Don't bother asking, you'd rather not know what's in it," he informed her, reading her mind.
Almost at once her vision cleared, and the pain minimized, but she felt her stomach clench, and she ran from the room, intent on the washroom as her destination. He let her go, wondering how exactly he could tell her how much of an fool she had made herself out to be.
"Just tell me," her voice said as she appeared back in the doorway. "What's the damage?"
An hour later, she sat with a horrified expression on her face. Eyes wide, and mouth slightly open, she continued to stare at him; pleading in her mind that it was some sort of a joke.
"Wait a minute, you shoved me into a corner?" She asked in indignation. "Perhaps that's why my hand hurts something awful."
"Why don't you look at it this way, Granger. Would you have preferred to jump out and shag Snape, while he thought you were doing it of your own free will?" He asked simply. Her highly visible shudder gave him the answer.
"And Blaise thinks I want him?" She asked after a moment's hesitation.
He shook his head, conjuring a tray of bagels, that nearly made Hermione's stomach roll. "I told him, he just thinks of you as a raging drunk instead," he said with a sardonic grin. She opened her mouth, and quickly shut it again, conjuring a glass of water and taking a long gulp of it.
"Well, thanks for everything I guess," she said quietly. He brushed it off.
"I would most likely be blamed for letting the Head Girl run wild through the castle as incredibly wasted as you were. I had no other choice," he said with a slight smirk and she laughed.
There was a knock on the portrait, Draco moved to open it, and came back a minute later with Ginny in tow. She took a furtive glance around and grabbed a bagel, sitting on an armchair by the fire.
"You're alright, then?" Ginny asked, breaking the silence a few moments later. Hermione nodded, feeling slightly ashamed of herself. She stretched out on the couch, not bothering to fight the irresistible tug at her eyelids as she drifted back off to sleep.
"You know Malfoy," Ginny began as she saw that Hermione was indeed fast asleep. "You aren't nearly as bad as you make yourself out to be," she said conversationally. His dark eyes flashed.
"You ever say that to anyone else, and I will most likely kill you with my bare hands," he said, with a hint of humour.
"The same goes for you if you ever tell Harry I told you this," she said, grinning. "But honestly, I see why she defended you," she said genuinely, and Draco was shocked.
"She did that? Why?" he raised an eyebrow in confusion and stared at the sleeping girl.
"Harry and Ron accused her of getting a bit too... close with you, and she went against them, said there was nothing wrong with you. They're still angry at her this morning," she said sadly. "I wish those two were a bit more open minded."
"I'm not much better," he said, shrugging, in contemplation as to why she would go against her friends of the last six years. Ginny gave him a blank look; she barely understood it herself.
"I'm going to breakfast, you coming?" Ginny asked, as she stood up, realizing how hungry she still was, even after her bagel. He shook his head, with a preoccupied look, staring at Hermione.
"I'll be down later," he said, eyes narrowed, not looking away.