Skipping to the Big Day

Skipping to the big day: Valentine's Day, this is what happened in the morning. The rest of the days were spent in silence, as both tried to deny the feelings they felt for each other. However, they both have a little surprise for each other, and may time allow it to show itself.

Hermione dug from her trunk a pink MP3 player. She had charmed it so that it would work even in Hogwarts, and skimmed through her songs, until one of them caught her eye. The song was, "Your Not Alone" by Hitomi and Sora. She absolutely adored the song, not because it was popular, but because the lyrics were so…beautifully heartbreaking. Oblivious that a certain blonde Slytherin was listening to her from the common room, she sang loudly to the music that was being sent to her ears.

"I've walked so long
I can't remember - where was my home?
Their distance faces fade away
I'm always on my own.
I can show a smile
It's not hard to do.
I can have the strength to go on
But sometimes I wanna let go of everything.
When thoughtfulness is not their game
I teach by giving love.
High mountain seems higher endlessly
when they're pebbles at your feet.
And if you should still fall into despair,
there is one thing left to believe
I lie in your heart always.
Nothing is braver than honesty
My life is your faith in me.
I'll be there when you need
you don't have to hide from me.
What you are feeling now
I fill your soul.
We will seek together destiny
troubles have an end.
we'll carry on hand in hand
you're not alone.
People searching desperately outside themselves
caught up in thinking of whatever helped.
And I'd forgotten too that love exists inside me as in those I wanted from
I feel you now.
I'll be there when you need
we will live together.
Nothing is in our way
with trust in our soul.
We will seek together destiny
troubles have an end.
We will carry on hand in hand
We won't forget we have each other.
Never!
Love is in the hearts of all men
you're not alone."

By the time she was done singing, the passion she put into the song made her eyes close in frustration and heartbreak. Tears had already begun sliding down her cheeks as she remembered the lyrics. It was just what described the friendship between her and Harry and Ron. They never understood a thing that went on in her life. They even accused her of fraternizing with an enemy, twice. She knew it was wrong to think so, but Hell, Malfoy had been a better friend to her the past month than Harry and Ron had ever been in the six years!

Suddenly, she heard a shuffling behind her, she wiped away her eyes, opened the portrait to her room. She realized that Malfoy had been there, standing and eavesdropping to her singing. Her cheeks quickly colored, and wondered if she had done the right thing in buying him a Valentine's present, as a friend, nothing more. Their gazes held, and Hermione finally looked away, walking to the Great Hall with Draco trailing behind her.

With uncomfortable silence, both Hermione and Draco picked at their food, using al their concentration to not looking at each other. Harry and Ron noticed this from Hermione, and asked her, "What's wrong, Mione? Is there a test that you couldn't study for today?"

Hermione stared at Harry, and then switched her gaze to the redheaded Ron. Neither could tell? Can neither of them tell how upset and disappointed in them she was? I can't believe it, Malfoy is a better friend to me than they are. Not to mention I feel so… naked around Malfoy, it's as if he can see through my every façade. And that he knows that deep inside, I'm not a bookworm, I'm a bookworm evolving to something else within the pressure and expectations that I have to live up to, just to strive for the goal that I want. It hurts so much that they actually think that my sorrow comes from some academic challenge. Tears threatening to fall, she pushed away her plate and mumbled something about going to the library, running half blindly to her common room.

Malfoy, seeing the scene that Pothead and Wonder Weasel had caused a scene, making Hermione run, against his better judgment, he ran after Hermione. "Granger!" He yelled after her, and groaned inwardly when she didn't respond. A strong rush of déjà vu rushed to him as she started to reach the stairway, where he had once shouted her true name. But this time, he let her reach their common room. He followed her in, not letting the portrait door swing close when he grabbed Hermione by the wrist, forcing her to look into his eyes. "They don't understand you, so why do you keep trying! What are you, dense!" He screamed to her face, trying to let her awaken and face reality. "You deserve so much MORE than them!" He felt a pang of guilt as he saw tears roll down from Hermione's face.

"I know," she whispered. She caught Draco by surprise when she wrapped her arms around his neck, crying into his shirt. She talked into his robes, and said, "The problem is that I don't understand why you can understand me so much more than they. Harry and Ron and I have a special bond, we, in fact, fought through so much rough times together. But somehow, they don't understand me at all, yet I can read them like a book."

Finally, Draco pulled Hermione's face and body away from himself and reached into his pocket. He reached for his wand as well, and said to a wrapped package, "Engorgio." The shrunken package grew to a size of a fist, and he handed it to Hermione. "I'm not sure if you'll like the present or not, but I saw this and bought it, because it reminded me of you," he said cautiously, "I'm only giving this to you as a friend," he quickly added when he saw Hermione's questioning glance.

To his surprise, Hermione reached into her pocket as well, and held out a shrunken present. She quickly restored its size and handed it to Draco, "I bought this to you as well, since it reminded me of you. It's a friendly present, although it's Valentine's Day." Both teenagers opened their respective presents, not realizing that certain pair of a brunette boy and a fiery headed boy was watching through the opened portrait hole at the exchange.

Draco stared at the ring. It was a manly ring, not a feminine one. It was carved out of silver, with a dragon's head. He smirked at the remembrance of their fight on New Years which had been the beginning their friendship. Looking up, he saw Hermione's eyes shining with happiness as she held the box containing a silver necklace, decorated with hanging green crystals with earrings to match. He stared back down at his present from Hermione, admiring the handiwork. Malfoy suppressed a chuckle when he saw what Hermione had engraved on the inside of the ring. "I guess you prove to be an okay Dragon," It said in small print.

Hermione fingered the necklace and earrings. They matched her tastes perfectly. Harry and Ron would have never been able to pick out the perfect present for her. Always, they had given her books and quills. Once, they even gave her a box of chocolate frogs, since they didn't know she despised chocolates. For Merlin's sake, her parents were dentists! She was never fond of the bitter taste, and wasn't too upset that her parents didn't allow her to eat such sweets. She smiled a bittersweet smile, remembering how she had forced a smile and choked down a chocolate frog when Ron had handed it to her two Christmases ago. She looked up, smiling at Draco's almost angelic face as he inspected the ring. She leaned forward, hoping to kiss him on the cheek.

At the last possible moment, Draco turned his head, his lips meeting with Hermione's. Both their eyes widened, and their bodies stiffened, before they realized the awkward position they were in. Their lips still connected, Draco put down the ring, and pulled Hermione closer to him, moving them out of their awkward state. Their eyes fluttered close as their warm lips massaged against each other's. Testing, he ran his tongue across Hermione's bottom lip, and allowed it to slip into her so-called virginal mouth. When they pulled away five minutes, both were breathless.

"That was supposed to be for your cheek," Hermione said, a blush coloring her cheeks.

"Well, I'm glad I moved when I did. I wouldn't want you devouring my cheek the way you did my tongue!" Malfoy teased. He chuckled when red tainted Hermione's pale cheek even more. But he heard a rustle soon after, followed by a gasp. Turning to face the opened portrait hole, he saw…

"HARRY! RON! I CAN EXPLAIN!" Hermione shouted.

"No, we have seen enough. Hermione Jane Granger, do you really think we were born yesterday? You don't have to explain anything. We understand. You want Malfoy? Have him. Don't come crawling back to us when he dumps you." Harry responded coldly, daggers slicing the distance from he and Hermione. With that, he and Ron spun around and dramatically walked away, leaving a crying Hermione in the embrace of Draco Malfoy.

"POTTER! WEASLY! YOU ARE HARDLY ONES TO TALK! POTHEAD, YOU'RE WITH PANSY, FOR MERLIN'S SAKE! AND WEASLY, IT ISN'T AS SECRETIVE AS YOU THINK! I KNOW FOR A FACT THAT YOU ARE IN LOVE WITH BLAISE, AND IS A HOMOSEXUAL WIZARD!" Malfoy shouted after the two. Harry turned around; glaring while Ron's face matched the colour of his hair.

"Don't you dare talk about what you don't know, for I am not just WITH Pansy, I am in LOVE with her. As for Ron, I'm sure he isn't gay. At least the two of us have hearts and souls."

"I have a heart as well, and a soul stronger than yours. And if Weasel isn't in love with Blaise, then why is his face even redder than that angry mop of hair he has?" Draco challenged, and carried Hermione's crying state to the couch, closing the portrait on the way. "Hush…Hermione. Don't cry; you don't deserve them. They are nothing without you, and with you crying in my arms, I feel weak. I can't stand up straight, and it isn't because you're heavy. I feel something when I'm around you. I feel like my heart is there, and my soul isn't exactly gone. It's painful to realize, that I still have a heart and soul." Once again, his fingers brushed away Hermione's tears, as he embraced her, "There's something special about you, and I'm not about to let you go because a toilet and an elongated weasel had insulted us."

If she weren't crying as hard, Hermione would have chuckled at his crack about toilets and an elongated weasel. It was true that Harry used the loo more often than anyone else, and Ron was tall for his age. She managed a tiny smile and said, "The dance is today. Let's practice the routine, get the Great Hall ready, and then get ready."

Wiping away stray tears, Draco stood up, and obliged to her wishes. Smiling, he thought, Girls… they take so long to get ready…

Within seconds, they were in the empty Great Hall, left alone for them to decorate and practice in. Their bodies moved with ease to the music and kept elegant posture. Once again, the last dip came to an awkward moment. Their lips could only be so far apart, and their eyes can only gaze into each other's for so long. Both fought not to lean forward and capture the other's lips within their own. Suddenly, they crashed down to reality, and realized who they really were.

"Sorry," Hermione whispered.

"I know you love me too."

"I know."

"So why won't you give me a chance?"

"There's a difference between love and acceptance."

"So let us be heart broken this last time together."

"What do you mean?"

"I know that I would never have another heart break, because you are the only one for me."

Draco's words clung to the air, like a mist that cannot be lifted. Their eyes were locked in an angry battle, hoping for the other to betray them. Hermione only wished to find a bit of humour in the words he said, and Malfoy looked for any bit of surrender within those chocolate brown eyes.

Both were disappointed, and all that Hermione could think of to end the echoing silence was to start preparing for that night. Streamers, glittery powder, and elegant designs were made. A potion was painted onto the walls, letting the most prized memories be seen to the person. A giant red snake and green lion was raised, in honour of the two rival Houses. The two stared at their artwork, admiring at how everything seemed to fit beautifully. They had done it themselves, without the help of the Prefects, as Dumbledore had advised. And this…was just like a dreamland.

Turning around, they locked the doors to prepare themselves for the dance. Hermione conjured a soft forest green material, which almost looked metallic. With her skilful hands, she drew the perfect picture, for the perfect dress, for the perfect date: Draco Malfoy. She felt the perfect dress didn't need to be bought from some fancy-schmancy Italian store, but beautiful and elegant looking because the design came from the heart. She slipped it on, and started to apply on makeup.

In the room across from hers, Malfoy was having a dilemma. He couldn't find the right dress robes. Dress robes? He had plenty. The problem was that he didn't have the right one. All of them looked nice, but they were too… fancy. There was no simple dress robe for him. Everything had to be expensive. Hermione wasn't that kind of girl. She went for someone who was more than an outer shell. Sighing, he decided to change a bit of his robes.

Finally, choosing a maroon tuxedo, he carefully snipped off the ruffles and replaced the golden buttons with plastic. He smirked. The tux was perfect. A muggle suit for a muggle date, he thought. Life was just the best. He tore off his robes and changed into the dress robes. Checking himself out in the mirror, he walked out to the common room.

He stared at her. That was all he could do. The material hid her body well, but showed her off at the same time. The green made her brown hair seem earthier than ever, pun not intended. For once, her hair was not unruly, and was spilling to her waist. The dress had a slanted waistline, complimenting her long and thin structure. That uneven frill seemed to be teasing him, telling him he can see a bit of thigh on one leg, but he'll never see the other thigh. The small glints of silver that the material gave every now and then sparkled and made a sort of radiation come from her. At last, her make up was to be applied. It wasn't too glopped and slimy, like Pansy. She really knew how to apply just the right amount of make up. The eye shadow faded from silver to green. Her pale complexion was adorned with a faint pink blush, and those lips were made to pout with the lip-gloss. But he realized then, that he didn't love her because she was beautiful. She was beautiful because he loved her.

She stared. That was all she could do. The red set off his eyes and hair, letting it be visible from miles away. And the smile that he had, as if it were just for her, was to die for. For once, he wasn't dressed in something so expensive, and he seemed humane. This was something totally unlike the other Draco Malfoy she knew. This Malfoy looked like he cared about her. In fact, she knew he cared.

In her daze of staring at Draco, they suddenly heard a knock on their door. In came Headmaster Dumbledore, that dirty schemer. Without hesitating, he said, "I would like the band to be able to play in a concert held for St. Patrick's Day. We are having visitors from Ireland, and I would like to let them hear some of our talented students play in a band."

"Yes, Headmaster," Hermione said, dutifully while in her mind, she was replaying their vindictive plan to get back at this lunatic.

"Yes, sir," Malfoy replied, smirking at the images of exclaiming to the student body about the insane Headmaster who runs this bloody school.

With a wise nod, Dumbledore turned around, shutting the portrait door behind him. Draco looked over at the auburn girl beside him, and held out his arm. "Shall we?"

Hermione stole his trademark smirk, returning it with her own, and took his arm. Mocking him, she stated, "Well, shall we, Mr. Malfoy?" And together, they walked down to the Great Hall.

On the walls, Hermione stood dazed, trying to memorize all of what had happened to her. Her best memories, was with Draco. It was when he hugged her, when they sang together. Heck, when they were just fooling around together was being played in the illusions before her. Without realizing it, she snuggled closer to Malfoy. Hermione inhaled his sweet scent. It was a manly sweet scent, not like lilies or roses. She loved how he smelled, she loved it when he smiled, she loved it when he put his arm around her, and she loved the way he looked in maroon. She loved the way he was now. The Draco that had tormented her was gone, only a memory. This Draco was a precious treasure.

Draco stared at the walls. All was about Hermione. This year, he'd realized how asinine he'd been, trying to be who he wasn't, all because he was so keen on listening to his father, letting Lucius take control of him. But now that he was in Azkaban, there was nothing to stop him from loving her. He smirked, remembering when they had first met in the train. He'd already liked her then, but his heart came tumbling down when he realized she was a Mudblood. The look on Weasel's face was priceless when he'd called her that to her face the first time. Looking to his side, he saw Hermione stare at the walls. "So what do you see?"

Hermione looked up to Malfoy. With a smirk of her own, she decided to play him a bit. "I see the time when Ron and I kissed. Also, when he and I were holding hands."

"Is there anything about me?" Draco asked, jealousy already tinting his thoughts.

"Well… let's have a look-see." Hermione pretended to look around, trying to find a trace of him, "Oh, no. I'm sorry, Malfoy, you don't seem to take part in my best times in Hogwarts."

Jealousy made his blood boil. Roughly, he grabbed Hermione, crashing his lips on hers. But once their lips made contact, he slowed down, gently kissing her. When she gasped, he dove his tongue inside, tasting her lips, her tongue, and every part of mouth.

Hermione gasped when he so skilfully kissed her. Forget that cover. I'm his to keep. She thought as she kissed him back, biting his bottom lip a bit. With her hands, she dug into his scalp, tugging lightly at his hair. She was so surprised when he finally pulled away from her.

"What do you see now?" Malfoy asked her. Panting and his mouth bruised. His cheeks were red and his hair tussled from Hermione's tugging.

"Your jealous face," Hermione said, giggling nervously. She brushed some strands of blonde hair away from Draco's face. His face was crimson red. She could only imagine how red her own face was.

"Wait, you're playing me aren't you? Weasel complained the other day how you'd never even kissed him on the cheek before! And besides, he's homosexual, wanting Blaise…" Malfoy drawled.

"Ron… and ZABINI?" Hermione shrieked in horror and amusement. Never would she have thought that Ron would fall in love with a guy, and a Slytherin at that! Those two friends of hers, they were hypocrites. Harry loved Pansy, and Ron loved Blaise, and somehow she wasn't allowed to love Draco.

Kissing Hermione softly on the cheek, he murmured, "Yes, Mione. It seems that Slytherdor or Grifflyn, however you want to call it, are all the rage at the moment."

They were interrupted when Dumbledore stood on a platform. Looking around, the couple realized that other couples had already poured into the Great Hall, admiring their work. "Now, may the Head Girl and Head Boy please come up to start the first dance?"

Hermione and Draco smiled wickedly as they walked arm in arm to the platform. Hermione gasped when she saw that Blaise and Ron seemed to be dates. "Come on, let's dance, Mr. Malfoy."

"Ready when you're ready, Ms. Granger-Future-Malfoy."

"Draco! How could you say something like that?" Hermione hissed softly as the music started.

"You know it'll happen sooner or later. And then there will be little kids running around the Malfoy Manor…"

"Oh you… it's almost time for the plan."

And they danced… and danced. Finally, the final dip came. Someone levitated them up, so that they were floating and everyone could see the finale of the dance. Whistles, shrieks, screams, and applause rose from the audience: their fellow students.

When the ruckus had finally died down, Hermione and Draco prepared for their vindictive speech. But the time never came. Another uproar came up, as everyone was urging them to kiss. Looking at each other, they sighed defeated. And for the second time, Draco lowered his head to Hermione, his lips devouring hers. As for their plan, well…? It was long forgotten because the kiss was just that much better than their well-planned revenge.