1The XanderCordelia Factor

Hermione woke up to the sunlight pouring through her window, bathing her with it's soft warmth. She stretched languidly and yawned. Last night was magical, and not in the literal sense. She never thought one person could make her feel so special, make her feel so electrified with love. Smiling, she slipped out of bed and went to update her xanga and e-mail Rachel. She sent a long detailed letter about how she got her guy, how happy she was and how much more bearable life was. Then she let the little bad things in, just so it seemed that she wasn't lording it over her best friend. Satisfied, she clicked SEND. Tossing her hair, she imagined a cup of Indian tea into her hands. Poof, it's there.

God I love this Head Girl gig. Room with a view, room that I couldn't afford even if I saved up my money from here to age sixty, authority to wander the halls at night, Draco... With a sigh, she got dressed, slipping on some jeans and a white tank. Her Etnies lay in the corner, the checkered laces untied. She slipped them on, and grabbed her messenger bag, opening the door at the same time. Hogsmeade, Three Broomsticks, DRACO, here I come. She was confident, happy and ready for life. The claddagh sparkled on her hand, with it's heart turned towards her body.

He had combed his hair over and over, yet it still looked ugly. The skater thing wasn't working, and he looked more emo than skater. Oh well. At least it matched his black muscle tee, the red button up shirt that lay over the muscle tee, and his faded black jeans and stud belt. All he needed was his pinstripe Converses...say, where were they? He spotted them under the sofa. Whispering the summoning spell (Accio!), he swept his hair to one side, and it covered his right eye. Tying them quickly, he slipped on a black camo jacket from Hot Topic and grabbed his chain wallet, slipped it into his pocket, and bolted for the door.

Ah, weekends. The magic is never in summer, but in weekends...oh god it's wonderful. He locked his door, whispering the words to magically lock it. A grin spread over his face, making him even more beautiful and radiant than ever.

The two met in the corner of the Three Broomsticks, and set off, using the back door so they wouldn't be seen by the black-white eyes of their friends, who were just plain bigoted. It was a beautiful day, few clouds in the sky and blue skies as far as they eye could see. As the couple walked, their hands slowly found each other. A slight breeze blew, ruffling their hair a little, but making the heat of the unusually warm spring more bearable. They talked about global affairs, such as the war in Iraq, which the magical world had suspected as Voldemort's doing, so the rest of the world wouldn't notice him come back until it was too late. They slowly got into conspiracy theories, which turned into James Bond, something they both knew by heart. Hermione and Draco were pleased by the fact that they shared the same views, and were intelligent enough to back those opinions up with arguments. The fact that both of them had almost MENSA club-like minds was a wonderful discovery, and it tightened their bond. Not that it needed tightening.

"You know, I've always wanted a cat, but I can't have one, because I'm allergic." the pale haired boy commented, laughing. Hermione smiled, amused. Then she shivered, goose-bumps rising.

"You cold?" she nodded, and Draco took off his jacket, putting it around her shoulders. "Here, you need it more than I seem to at the moment." she looked at him gratefully, made sure no-one was looking, and kissed him on the lips, long and slow.

"Thanks." she said, after it was finished. The boy nodded, a crooked half-smile on his face. They started walking again, unaware of two eyes that watched them from the shadow of a nearby doorway.

The next day, they attended classes, pretending not to like each other, but secretly in the halls as Draco bumped into her, he'd clasp her hand briefly, squeeze them, and keep walking. To the outside observer, it just looked like he bumped her and kept walking. During Potions, they were paired, so Snape could spite the Gryffindor girl. The two played footsie under the table, seated at the back of class, so no-one could see them. They passed notes during Transfiguration, turning paper into animals of a small variety, like a fly or ant. Finally the day ended, and Draco went off to Quidditch practice, while Hermione retired to work on essays assigned.

"Ugh, sometimes I want to Transfigure Snape into a fly. Damn him." she hissed, scribbling rapidly. She took a five minute break after two hours of essays, and her owl, D'mitri flew in, a letter tied to his leg.Taking the letter, Hermione opened and read it. Her eyes grew large, and she afraid.

Hermione.

You don't know me, but I know you. And I know that you are going out with Draco Malfoy. If you wish this to be kept secret, you will read and obey my demands as listed below. If I am not satisfied with them, the whole school will know by the end of this week.

It wasn't signed. Hermione collapsed, hand over her mouth. She could stand being talked about by schoolmates, but EVERYONE? Including her friends?

Oh god, Harry! Ron! Ginny! What would they do to me? What would they say? Oh god oh god oh god oh god what am I going to do? She read the list of demands. It involved payments. Large sums of Galleons, left beneath the Whomping Willow. Every week, till the end of the year. Hermione felt weak, like fainting. Her private world, her happiness was falling about around her. A frantic knocking at her door alerted her of her boyfriends presence. She opened the door and fell into his arms crying. He stroked her hair, shushing her and whispering sweet nothings. Finally he held her before him, looking into her eyes, grey piercing hazel-brown.

"Hermione, what happened?" he asked, worry plain on his face. She held up the letter, and as he read it, she sank onto the sofa, sobbing softly. Shock and anger flashed across his face.

"What the bloody...Hermione, it'll be alright, I've got enough quid to last us till the end of the year, I'll pay this freak. Then I'll get Crabbe and Goyle on whoever's doing this." He had crumpled the note into a ball and proceeded to throw it on the fire. He sat down next to her, and pulled her close to his body, letting her head rest on his chest as he stroked her hair. Inside, he worried.

In a darkened hallway, a figure turned, walking quickly to avoid detection. Thinking about the mayhem that was about to be caused, the shadow person grinned. This year just kept on getting better and better.

Hello loves, how are you all? The end of school for me, and it's very emotional. People are splitting up to different schools, ties are being broken, yearbooks are being signed. I know I'm going to cry, but I'm using the next few days to work on this story. It'll be a little depressing next chapter, but isn't that just how some forbidden loves work? Oh well. I'm going to see if I can get my guy friend to help me write this, because it needs some humor, and I'm feeling too sad to joke, cuz some of my best friends are leaving me. '(