Desrosiers: I must say, I'm really enjoying writing this story. Good fun. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I love writing it! And thank you to my faithful reviewers that have stuck with me throughout the story! You guys own!
Now, on with the chappie.
"Who's the girl?" Harry asked again after several seconds.
Draco hadn't thought of that. What was he going to say? 'Oh I need help with getting Hermione to go to the dance with me?' Yeah right.
"Oh..just some girl." Draco looked down at the floor, and then back up at Harry.
"Well, how am I supposed to help you," Harry shivered at the thought, "if you won't tell me who the girl is?"
Draco's piercing stared flickered a bit, and was now a sympathetic gaze.
"I..I can't tell you."
Harry snorted. "Then I can't help you." He gave Draco one last confused look, and turned the corner.
"Pott--"
"I can't help you, Draco." Harry whispered from around the corner.
Draco slumped to the floor in the dark corner and let his head bang against the hard brick wall. Great. Just great. His only hope, the only person who could probably help him, had just walked away.
He spent a good few hours just sitting in the corner thinking, before he got up and went to his dorm. He didn't want to resort to such actions, but he now realized, for once in his life, that he would have to get out of this mess himself.
He did nothing but pace backwards and forwards in the same spot for half an hour after arriving back at his dorm.
"Draco, if you drag your feet on that spot any longer, you're going to fall right through it." Blaise Zabini said flatly, not taking his eyes off of The Daily Prophet.
"Shut up, wanker." Draco hissed, still pacing and staring down at the floor.
Blaise gave a loud grunt, got up off his bed and left the dorm, leaving Draco alone.
He would have to make a move sooner or later. But there was just one problem. He hated her, and she hated him. Ugh.
Draco's eyes landed on his cloak. He would have to do it. He would have to work his "boyish charm" [insert giggles here] to get Hermione to the dance.
Draco grabbed his cloak and sped out his dorm, down to the common room, and out into the dungeons. His footsteps echoed and bounced off the walls as he ran faster down the dark hallway.
Finally reaching the light end of the castle, Draco slowed down to a jog, and looked around the entrance hall for a sign of Hermione. Nothing.
Draco sighed. His face lit up as he looked at the skin coat sitting on the stairway. Hagrid.
He left the entrance hall and headed out onto the grounds. He could barely see the Quidditch Pitch in the distance, as the fog was so thick. He could barely even see the tree 4 feet in front of him.
He could see the woods, but not Hagrid's cabin. 'It has to be somewhere around here' Draco thought, cupping his eyes in his hands and trying to see through the fog.
Stupidest thing he'd ever done. Draco started running towards the woods to get a closer look, and in the process, smacked right into a tree.
He let out a yell and fell backwards onto the cold, snow ridden ground. He tried to clear his vision by rubbing his eyes, but it wasn't helping at all. He sighed, closed his eyes, and let his head hit the ground with a thump.
This sucked.
He could hear snickers in the distance, or maybe it just sounded distant because he really hadn't regained his senses yet. Draco opened his eyes slowly, and what came next, he could have never prepared for.
Hermione, Ron and Harry were standing over him, not bothering to hide their laughter.
Draco groaned and closed his eyes again, pretending he hadn't saw that. Just what he needed.
After a while, Draco heard their laughing fade, and opened one eye. He checked the area and could just see the retreating backs of Potter and his 'gang.'
He stood up and brushed the snow off his robes.
"Ah, I left my cloak at Hagrid's! You guys go ahead, save a spot for me at dinner!" Draco heard Hermione in the distance.
Draco spun around and saw Hermione running his way.
Now's your chance, Draco. Do something impressive.
Hermione shot past him, shivering and muttering to herself.
"Granger!!" Draco yelled after Hermione, running up to her. "Here." He said coldy, as he took his cloak off his own warm body, and shoved it at Hermione.
Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Is this some sort of joke? Is this what you do for fun? Put charms on cloaks and give them to innocent bystanders?" Her voice was shaking as she was so cold.
"No! No..no no. You..you just look cold, and it would save you the trip back to the oaf's house." Draco's voice shaked. Not because he was cold, but because of the sheer fact that he was associating with the very thing his family lived to despise.
"Are..are you feeling ok?" Hermione looked extremely skeptical, and who could blame her. "No thanks." Hermione pushed away Draco's hand and ran off to Hagrid's hut, shaking her head in disbelief.
"P..please, take it?" Draco yelled after her.
Hermione stopped dead. "Did you just say please?"
"N..no." Draco looked at the floor. "'Course not."
Hermione walked back up to him, shivering. She snatched the cloak from his hands, wrapped it around her, and walked back to the castle with not so much as a thank you.
Draco huffed. "Last time I'm doing that." He made his way back to the castle slowly, imagining the look on the Slytherins' faces if he walked in with Hermione.
Oh yea. He was going to regret this in the morning.
Now, on with the chappie.
A Smirk is Worth a Thousand Words - Chapter 4: Cold Breath and Cold Hearts
"Who's the girl?" Harry asked again after several seconds.
Draco hadn't thought of that. What was he going to say? 'Oh I need help with getting Hermione to go to the dance with me?' Yeah right.
"Oh..just some girl." Draco looked down at the floor, and then back up at Harry.
"Well, how am I supposed to help you," Harry shivered at the thought, "if you won't tell me who the girl is?"
Draco's piercing stared flickered a bit, and was now a sympathetic gaze.
"I..I can't tell you."
Harry snorted. "Then I can't help you." He gave Draco one last confused look, and turned the corner.
"Pott--"
"I can't help you, Draco." Harry whispered from around the corner.
Draco slumped to the floor in the dark corner and let his head bang against the hard brick wall. Great. Just great. His only hope, the only person who could probably help him, had just walked away.
He spent a good few hours just sitting in the corner thinking, before he got up and went to his dorm. He didn't want to resort to such actions, but he now realized, for once in his life, that he would have to get out of this mess himself.
He did nothing but pace backwards and forwards in the same spot for half an hour after arriving back at his dorm.
"Draco, if you drag your feet on that spot any longer, you're going to fall right through it." Blaise Zabini said flatly, not taking his eyes off of The Daily Prophet.
"Shut up, wanker." Draco hissed, still pacing and staring down at the floor.
Blaise gave a loud grunt, got up off his bed and left the dorm, leaving Draco alone.
He would have to make a move sooner or later. But there was just one problem. He hated her, and she hated him. Ugh.
Draco's eyes landed on his cloak. He would have to do it. He would have to work his "boyish charm" [insert giggles here] to get Hermione to the dance.
Draco grabbed his cloak and sped out his dorm, down to the common room, and out into the dungeons. His footsteps echoed and bounced off the walls as he ran faster down the dark hallway.
Finally reaching the light end of the castle, Draco slowed down to a jog, and looked around the entrance hall for a sign of Hermione. Nothing.
Draco sighed. His face lit up as he looked at the skin coat sitting on the stairway. Hagrid.
He left the entrance hall and headed out onto the grounds. He could barely see the Quidditch Pitch in the distance, as the fog was so thick. He could barely even see the tree 4 feet in front of him.
He could see the woods, but not Hagrid's cabin. 'It has to be somewhere around here' Draco thought, cupping his eyes in his hands and trying to see through the fog.
Stupidest thing he'd ever done. Draco started running towards the woods to get a closer look, and in the process, smacked right into a tree.
He let out a yell and fell backwards onto the cold, snow ridden ground. He tried to clear his vision by rubbing his eyes, but it wasn't helping at all. He sighed, closed his eyes, and let his head hit the ground with a thump.
This sucked.
He could hear snickers in the distance, or maybe it just sounded distant because he really hadn't regained his senses yet. Draco opened his eyes slowly, and what came next, he could have never prepared for.
Hermione, Ron and Harry were standing over him, not bothering to hide their laughter.
Draco groaned and closed his eyes again, pretending he hadn't saw that. Just what he needed.
After a while, Draco heard their laughing fade, and opened one eye. He checked the area and could just see the retreating backs of Potter and his 'gang.'
He stood up and brushed the snow off his robes.
"Ah, I left my cloak at Hagrid's! You guys go ahead, save a spot for me at dinner!" Draco heard Hermione in the distance.
Draco spun around and saw Hermione running his way.
Now's your chance, Draco. Do something impressive.
Hermione shot past him, shivering and muttering to herself.
"Granger!!" Draco yelled after Hermione, running up to her. "Here." He said coldy, as he took his cloak off his own warm body, and shoved it at Hermione.
Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Is this some sort of joke? Is this what you do for fun? Put charms on cloaks and give them to innocent bystanders?" Her voice was shaking as she was so cold.
"No! No..no no. You..you just look cold, and it would save you the trip back to the oaf's house." Draco's voice shaked. Not because he was cold, but because of the sheer fact that he was associating with the very thing his family lived to despise.
"Are..are you feeling ok?" Hermione looked extremely skeptical, and who could blame her. "No thanks." Hermione pushed away Draco's hand and ran off to Hagrid's hut, shaking her head in disbelief.
"P..please, take it?" Draco yelled after her.
Hermione stopped dead. "Did you just say please?"
"N..no." Draco looked at the floor. "'Course not."
Hermione walked back up to him, shivering. She snatched the cloak from his hands, wrapped it around her, and walked back to the castle with not so much as a thank you.
Draco huffed. "Last time I'm doing that." He made his way back to the castle slowly, imagining the look on the Slytherins' faces if he walked in with Hermione.
Oh yea. He was going to regret this in the morning.