For every week that had passed, Hermione always got something from Draco. She got it in small packages, but she couldn't have been more thrilled.
There were little chocolates in ornate boxes, a golden quill with her initials shimmering whenever light hit the sides, a rose inside her bag after classes…he did all this in secret, and she saw it made him happy too. It was as if he had been never more comfortable with this different side of him.
Hermione of course, reciprocated, in her own simple ways. Most of them little notes that made him smile. Once, when she had seen him looking glum in astronomy class, she had placed a note magically, and invisibly in his bag with a moving comical drawing of him drooling saliva on their professor. Discovering this after a few minutes, Draco had laughed out loud, causing the teacher to almost give him detention, if it were not for Blaise who had given some quick excuse about Pansy accidentally holding Draco's thigh.
Pansy had been mortified and she sent dagger looks at Blaise, whereas Blaise had simply shrugged.
Hermione felt a smile creep up her face, until she saw Harry's face beside her frown a little, as if wondering why she was smiling over some Slytherin related matter.
They snuck out sometimes, after classes, until dinner time, with both of them giving ample excuses to every date they had. Even though they spent only thirty minutes of being together on weekdays and an hour or so on weekends, both were still glad that they had those few valued moments.
It was hard keeping it secret, but to both of them, it was worth it.
Draco had a practice in the Quidditch pitch one day with his team, just as Harry and Ron arrived with her and the rest of the team.
" What the-! " Ron began, livid.
" Malfoy, I believe I booked for the field today, " Harry said in a very controlled voice.
Draco raised an eyebrow, careful not to look at Hermione. He easily slipped into his alter ego. " Does that matter now, scar face? I booked this pitch for this afternoon, I did it yesterday- we have a new chaser to train too. You know him right? " He motioned for a sullen looking, lanky boy with dull eyes and a sneering mouth.
" A sixth year- " Ginny said whispering.
" Right, " Draco spat out. " Find somewhere else to practice your measly tactics on. "
Harry clenched his jaw.
Draco had to act like this. He couldn't risk losing face to his team. This was his reputation, after all. And he didn't dare look at Hermione.
Hermione understood and kept quiet, after all, Quidditch wasn't her field of expertise. And she knew Draco had to be that way, an asshole, just to keep up with the façade.
" We'll get you on the field, " a Gryffindor chaser spoke out loudly.
" You just try, " Draco sneered back. " I'd love to see what other things scar face can conjure. "
" Let's not waste our time guys- " Harry began turning his back.
Draco smiled. Another victory.
" Hot air doesn't do any good to our game at all, " Harry finished.
The Gryffindor team laughed out loud and Hermione smiled as well. Draco glared at his team mates who were smiling or suppressing their smiles.
" What are you laughing at! " he snapped.
Harry mercilessly drove his team to the brink of tears and arguments after that incident. They practiced at an abandoned vegetable patch of Hagrid's, flat enough and large enough for them to fly around in, despite the freezing weather.
" I told you to fly around Ron! " Harry said angrily.
" What's wrong with you?" Ginny retorted.
" I'm captain, follow what I say! "
" Harry! " another chaser began.
" Do it! "
Ron glared at Harry. " Mate- I don't know what's happened to you, but you'd better calm down, before I- "
" Before you'll what! "
" Before I kick you in the arse! " Ron bellowed. He motioned for Harry to come down from the air.
Harry followed him down, as the rest of the players hovered above them, too high to hear the conversation.
" What's going on? " Ron asked, breathing in.
" Nothing, " Harry said, annoyed.
" I don't like you treating us like this- "
" Hey, if you wanna win- I wanna win- "
" It's not that- it's not like you- I mean I know how serious you are about Quidditch, but today- you're out of touch- "
" Just because I want our team to play better it doesn't mean I'm out of touch. "
" You're hiding something- are you having those dreams again about you-know-"
" No! " Harry said. " Don't bother! "
Ron frowned. " I quit today! " he snapped loudly.
The rest followed the suit. One by one, they left the vegetable patch.
Finally, only Hermione who was watching from a distance remained. She slowly walked up to Harry, fearing he might get angry at her as well.
" Harry, " she began.
" What! " he said.His green eyes flared at hers.
She looked taken aback. " Why- what happened? You've been so annoyed these past few days- "
" Does it matter? " he said dryly.
" Since your team just left you, I believe it does! " she finally said. Her cheeks were burning now, and so where her ears. She fought for self-control, fearing she might snap and whack Harry's face.
Harry finally let out a long, deep sigh. " I'm such an idiot-! "
" That's an understatement! " Hermione said.
He shrugged. " I'll apologize later- "
" But- " Hermione began.
He looked at her coldly.
Something in his green eyes told her to stop in her tracks. He was angry. She saw it in his eyes. She suddenly wanted to cry, without even knowing the reason to his ire.He gave one last glare at her.
His beautiful green eyes had never looked more angry, more threatening.
He walked away, his dark hair ruffling in the wind.
Hermione stood under a dead tree, her cheeks burning, her eyes brimming with tears. He hated her. She was hurting all of a sudden. And she didn't know why he hated her.
If only she did.
TBC?
I'd like to enumerate all your names, but i'm kinda lazy as of the moment, someone just added me to their fave author's list and i'm so happy! i hope i 'write' up to your expectations now that i'm one of your faves! once again, thank you to everyone who reviewed, you've been my lifesource (lol, i'm sucking you guys dry in my dreams creepy)
so tell me what you think of this chapter? and guess what's going to happen next! teehee!