Title: Dare You To Move
Author: Mjade
Summary: My third Draco/Mione fic. Hermione Granger is feeling left out by the people she once called friends . . . but her dreams are all about to come true.
Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter but the idea of this story, the two Slytherins: Mason Deimos and Don Gears, and the Gryffindor: Lucinda Lucent, are mine.
Rating: PG-13/Romance
Author's Note: Thanks to Katie, tkdcutie, freakygunieapig, and crystal369 for reviewing chapter four!!! Thank you for making my day!
minty quill-read chapter 2 a/n to find the answer to your question.
One word frees us of all the weight
and pain of life:
that word is love. . .
~ Sophocles ~
Hermione drew the curtains aside, letting the first rays of light into the Head Boy's room. It was not frequent when she did this, but even a top student could still be a boy who wanted to sleep in.
"Justin, come on! Head boy needs to get up right about now!" Hermione said, trying to shake the sleepyhead awake. Justin just rolled to the other side of the bed trying to get as far away from Hermione as possible. Apparently, it wasn't that far. And also Justin attempts at blocking out Hermione's voice by burying his head in a pillow did not help in the slightest.
"Oh, honestly! Class starts at 7:30! You've got less than half an hour to get ready!" said Hermione, a little bit frustrated.
Feeling much like Justin's mother, she strode over to his dark mahogany closet, opened it and picked up a hanger and threw his Hogwarts robes on his bed. She got out his shoes, that he frequently wore, from under and placed it beside his uniform. "Justin, wake up! I'm going to take points off Hufflepuff if you don't get up right this minute."
That did the trick.
Justin groaned, but finally tried his best to sit up in bed. His vision was still blurry since his eyes haven't quite adjusted to daylight. In Hermione's view, Justin's half-awaked ness (a/n: if that even is a word) was actually a funny sight. His hair was in total disarray (even though it was not as long as Harry's hair), his pajamas were rumpled from all the rolling around in bed, and he kept squinting and cringing from the morning sunlight. "Why can't today be Saturday?"
"Sorry. But you're just off by one day. It's Friday this morning. Well, last time I checked," Hermione said. Justin noticed that a smile was creeping on to her lips.
"What?" He said.
"You look horrible," Hermione joked, still smiling. After hitting Hermione playfully with his pillow, Justin marched to the bathroom to get ready for class.
The bell rang and Professor Flitwick, much to Hermione's distress, assigned no homework for Charms and the students hurried out to get to their second period class. After bidding Justin goodbye, Hermione hurried to Double Potions, which they *still* had with the Slytherins. She placed her Avaritia essay on top of the pile on the Potions Master's desk and then sat down beside Harry.
Professor Snape brisk walked into the cold dungeon to begin class. Snape wrote something on the board and turned around and glowered at the students (mostly the Gryffindors) with his black eyes and said, "Well, what are you all waiting for? Take out a piece of parchment and your quills and copy that down. Don't waste my time!" He turned back to the board and barked, "And that's ten points off Gryffindor for chattering away in my class Miss Brown."
Hermione surveyed the room and noticed that Draco was nowhere in sight. Normally, being "Hermione", she would raise her hand and point it out---but it was as if that message in her brain was taking a detour---or was she actually cutting Draco some slack? Did what he said two days ago really make her feel a bit sorry for him? It was not pity and she couldn't say she sympathized with him. So what was it?
After half an hour of taking notes, Draco entered the dungeon. Snape stared at Draco in silent scolding. Draco just stared straight back with a blank expression.
"I assume you have an excuse, Mister Malfoy?" Snape asked him.
"An excuse? No, I don't, not today" Draco answered. Snape's eyes flashed dangerously.
"I see. Do I have to remove a few points off Slytherin, then?" Snape said. The whole class stared at him. Snape never-and I mean NEVER took even a single point off of Slytherin, especially from his so-called favorite student.
"Oh, you don't have to, Professor," Draco drawled. "It's quite all right, I hate to give you that trouble."
Snape looked furious. It looked as though it was any moment now that he would blow his top. The class was dead silent as they stared from Snape to Draco, astonished that anyone would want to get on the Potion Master's bad side. The tension was almost unbearable. And what happened next, Hermione had no intention to do it, no motivation to do it, and she was not sure she even wanted to do it, but she raised her hand.
"Miss Granger!" Professor Snape glared at her. "This is no time to ask me a bloody ques-"
"Sir, if I may," Hermione said, cutting her professor off. She stood up. "Draco was just finishing his part on our project for the high level of Arithmancy."
It was a downright lie.
Hermione had told Professor Vector that Draco hadn't done any of the work they were to do together, being top students in the class, and therefore Professor Vector withdrew him from the high program offered to Arithmancy students. Draco should have been angry with Hermione when she had notified the teacher but he had shrugged it off nonchalantly.
Everyone in Potions class stared at her. Some people just thought she did this out of the 'goodness of her heart' but most thought she was mad. Draco found he had to use a large amount of strength to keep his jaw from dropping. * Hermione Granger? Lying to a teacher to save me from detention? *
Snape didn't seem to buy it, as always. "Professor Vector assigned it to both of you in the beginning of the year but I believe Mister Malfoy was excluded from it last month."
"That is true, Professor. However, Draco insisted in doing it," Hermione said.
"Is this true, Mister Malfoy?"
Draco smirked and nodded.
All though Snape looked like he wasn't going to go for it, since it appeared that smoke was coming out from his ears, all he did was narrow his eyes at Hermione then turned back to Draco.
"Be that as it may. However, I'm taking five points off Slytherin for your insolence, Mister Malfoy. Now take a seat beside Mr. Deimos," Snape said to the seventh year Slytherin. "And sit down Miss Granger!" He glared at Hermione.
"Five points? It should have been more. Snape looked like he was going to explode," Ron whispered to Harry. But Harry was too busy trying to figure out why Hermione would 'defend' Malfoy.
"Draco!"
Draco Malfoy looked up from his dinner plate to see Blaise, Mason, and Don walk towards him. He did not mind the company of Mason or Don but he had a certain grudge against Blaise. He was a horrid person and such a playboy-using girls then brutally dumping them after ruining their lives. Although Draco never admitted it, he had a soft spot for girls. He respected them. He cared for his mother deeply. After all, she was the only one around to take care of him while Lucius was always away out on one of his damned Death Eater meetings or expeditions. Draco never could understand why he had admired that bastard before. Lucius had never really cared much for his family; all his effort went into bringing back the Dark Lord. Now that Voldemort was gone, he spent all his time recruiting new Death Eaters for his own 'confederation'. And it was after he was released from Azkaban he started to treat Narcissa and Draco badly. When he saw that Lucius physically abused his mother, it was then Draco swore he would never lay any harm upon a girl.
Another reason Draco disliked his fellow Slytherin was because during the previous summer, Blaise had been initiated and joined the Death Eaters. He started strutting around the school all high-almighty, taking whatever he pleased. As if enlisting as a Death Eater made you superior from everyone else. Though Lucius was pushing him, Draco had persuaded his father to carry out his own initiation at the end of the school year.
"Draco," said Blaise, snapping Draco out of his reverie and sitting across from him at the Slytherin table.
"What do you want Blaise?" Draco spat sharply.
"Nothing in particular," He smirked. "Just wondering what you were doing at the library on Monday?"
Draco nearly spit out his drink in horror. Did he know about the deal he made with Granger? No, he couldn't. There was no possible way. He had grabbed Granger's wrist and slipped away before he could have caught sight of any of them.
"I wasn't there. You were mistaken," Draco said.
"No, I'm pretty sure that was you, Malfoy. Mason told me he saw you running towards the library. We then decided to follow you," Blaise explained to him while Mason, beside him, nodded his head to confirm.
"We saw you talking to some girl," Mason said.
"And quite a nice piece of ass, I might add," Blaise said. "We couldn't see her face, but she had a great figure."
Draco never considered Hermione as beautiful, she looked all right---nothing special, but whatever Blaise considered attractive he had to keep her out of his reach.
"Stay the hell away from her, Blaise," Draco said dangerously slowly.
"Oh, come on. What house is she in?" Blaise prodded him. "Can't you share your girls with me?"
"Aren't you with some Ravenclaw fifth year, right now?" Don asked Blaise.
"So what? I was going to break up with her this week anyway. She isn't that satisfying. You can have her if you like, Don."
"No, thank you," Don said. Similar to Draco, he hated the way Blaise treated girls.
Draco's anger flared. "How many girls have you THROWN AWAY THIS YEAR, BLAISE?"
People started to stare down at Draco's side of the table. Blaise put his hands up, "Malfoy, calm down! I won't take her if you are that possessive over her!"
"SHUT THE HELL UP!" Draco shouted angrily at him, and left the Great Hall.
Hermione entered the Great Hall, just as Draco exited it, and sat down beside Ron for dinner. "Hi Ron," Hermione said.
No answer.
"I said 'hello'," Hermione said louder.
"Oh, sorry, 'Mione. I didn't notice you were here-already, that is. Where were you?" Ron asked her.
Hermione placed the dinner napkin on her lap. "Doing some research for Ancient Runes with Justin." Hermione, then, noticed that Harry wasn't beside Ron. Her eyes scanned the Gryffindor table but he was nowhere to be seen. "Er . . .Ron have you seen Harry?"
"He was here about five minutes ago. He ate really quickly, said he had something to do, and walked off. I would have followed him if I wasn't so hungry," Ron said, helping himself to another serving of roast chicken. Hermione looked around the Great Hall once again for Harry; it was still quite early into the evening. "Do you think he's all right?"
"Shuure hee izz," replied Ron, his mouth full.
"When I first came to Hogwarts, I did not know what to expect," Lucinda said. Harry and her had been walking along the frozen lake. "When I entered the Great Hall to be sorted, horrible thoughts struck me. What would happen if I was not chosen at all? What if I sat there with the sorting hat for the longest time, until Professor McGonagall lifted it off my head and said that it was a mistake that I transferred to Hogwarts and that I would have to go back to Italy?"
Harry just stared at the beautiful witch shocked with mouth slightly agape as he felt a sense de ja vu. "But aren't you a pureblooded witch?"
"Yes I am," Lucinda smiled. "I know it must sounds ridiculous but maybe horrible thoughts only happen when you are nervous. I am certain you had no trouble fitting in, you might have already known which house you were going to be sorted into."
"Oh no. It wasn't like that at all. I felt the same way you did," Harry said, "Probably in an even worst state. I came to Hogwarts not knowing a single thing. I met my worst enemy and found out a dark lord wanted to kill me all in one day. During the sorting ceremony, all I could see was the black inside of the hat and I waited and prayed that I wouldn't be in Slytherin. How glad I am to be in Gryffindor."
"You? I would have never thought you would have any problem, from what I have read about you. Your scar is legendary. You were only a baby when you came face to face with the Dark Lord. And then you vanquished him last year. Everybody in Gryffindor practically loves you, Ginny has told me that much. And you do not seem to have any problem with the girls. I heard that Hermione was your girlfriend in your fourth year," said Lucinda, smiling.
Harry blushed a distinct red despite the arctic air. "To tell the truth, I don't remember anything about that night I got the scar. I'm just glad the Dark Lord is gone now. I have no idea what would have happened to me if my friends weren't by my side when I defeated Voldemort."
Lucinda shivered slightly, but the name wasn't as fearsome as before. Harry moved closer to her.
"And don't believe everything you hear, Hermione was not and is not my girlfriend. Rita Skeeter was just some crazy Daily Prophet reporter who makes up most of her articles. Besides, 'Mione's been like a sister to me. I've known her since I came to Hogwarts," Harry explained.
"It must be great to have such wonderful friends," Lucinda commented.
Harry nodded. * It's great to have you by my side too *
"It is magnificent," said Lucinda a while later. "Harry Potter, come, look at it."
Harry turned and beyond the frozen lake he saw the breath-taking horizon. It was as if the fog dissolved completely to celebrate the coming of the sunset. The sky was lit up brightly albeit it was nearing the end of the late afternoon. The light pink clouds blended into a subtle orange. And beneath all that, in the shape of a half-moon, yellow melted into the crimson sun.
(a/n: Fluff alert! Fluff alert! Fluff alert!)
Despite their icy surroundings, the sunset was enough to warm them from their head to their feet. Harry smiled knowing it would still last for an hour.
"Is it not beautiful?" Lucinda said.
"Yes, it is beautiful," Harry said, he paused a short while before adding, "So is the person who thinks so."
Lucinda turned around looking a bit startled but then suddenly smiled. "I have heard many people say that to me, but coming from you. . .it was nice to hear it."
Harry blushed, but he was a brave Gryffindor after all and his courage motivated him to take her hand in his. The sun was slowly disappearing beneath the horizon and hand in hand they continued to walk along the lake.
A/N: Ugh. . .okay yes, I got to work on the endings of my chapters and try to un-cliché romantic scenes. However, this is a nice long chapter that I hope you enjoyed. By the way, I don't know what time sunsets occur during the winter. I don't know if you can even see the sunset during the winter. And according to four people I asked, they don't know either. So please review! It'll keep me happy if you do!
P.S. I forgot to mention before that even though in the third movie Tom Felton finally let his bangs down (as seen in an image I've downloaded), I made Draco in this story keep his hair gelled back. It just gives him more attitude. Don't you think? And Geez, I haven't seen the Harry Potter trailer yet! Shocking, I know.
~ Mjade