A/N: So…this story is really coming along wonderful, isn't it? I think so. I never got so many reviews for one chapter before. It's exciting. I hope my writings can get as good as those writers who get 200+ on their stories. That would be great, but I am no where near experience in a writer. A year ago, I started my own story with my own characters and all that, but it crashed and burned. It was mostly dialog and not even detail at all. Its in my drawer...somewhere. Lol. Well, enough of my chatting (I say that a lot) lets get to the 8th chapter of Masquerade Ball: A New Beginning…that's the title right? I had two titles in mind…I can't remember what one I used……((sweatdrop))
'Why are you different from all the other girls? Why do I harbor these feelings for you that I've never felt before?'
Winter break finally ended and the classes started. Since the Pensieve, Hermione and Draco hadn't so much as glanced at each other. When they were along in the same hallway, she'd always disappear into a hidden passage after a short game of cat and mouse.
Draco sighed and sat down in Transfiguration class. He looked around and noticed most of the students had mingled with students from other houses. The 'Golden Trio' sat together of course. Nothing would be able to tear them apart, try as they might. They might fight every once in a while, okay, more like once every two weeks, but no matter what, they were all still best friends.
McGonagall walked in and looked around at her students with a look of approval on her face. "I'm glad that you are all mingled together, but if I catch you talking while I am teaching, I will move you." She told them sternly.
'She can be nice, then in a blink of an eye, she's the meanest teacher at this school,' thought Draco with a chuckle.
"Do I amuse you Mr. Malfoy?" asked McGonagall, turning to glare at the 17-year-old Slytherin.
"Sorry Professor," muttered Draco and she nodded, then turned back to the class and begun the lesson. He was paying attention, or so it looked like he was. It was only a review from what they learned up into now. He did have the second highest grade in the class, the first being Hermione, of course, so he could easily pretend he was paying attention. He was glad he had McGonagall and not Binns as his first class. He wouldn't be able to pay attention at all in that class so early in the morning.
As the days wore on and as the piles of homework became mountains over night, less and less chanced of students leaving their common rooms, including Draco and Hermione. That depressed Draco more and more each day. There were less chances of him trying to win her over. Even if every one of his past attempts failed, he was still willing to try. He didn't really understand why he was doing what he was doing. He didn't even understand why she had that effect on him, but it didn't matter. He couldn't help it.
Draco closed his eyes and put his head in his hands. "Too much information," he muttered to himself, ignoring the glances the other Slytherin's in his dorm gave him. He gave up on his homework and put it in his trunk. The trunk was spelled to protect his belongings from the other Slytherins. The second they touched it with magic or with skin, they suddenly got real sick.
Draco walked out of the common room and decided to wander around a bit. The halls were much quieter without students filling in and out of classrooms. He looked up at the ceiling as he walked and sighed deeply. He heard some gasp and the sound of shoes hitting the ground in a run. He looked toward the sound and saw Hermione. His feet moved to run as he slowly caught up with her.
"Why won't you give up!" yelled Hermione as she ran. "Can't you tell that I'm not interested!"
"Because I am a stubborn bastard and that's a lie!" yelled Draco.
"What!"
"If you weren't interested, you wouldn't run!"
"I'm running in fear of being tackled!"
Draco sighed. She had a point. It wasn't that long ago when he had tackled her to the ground. He knew where she was going, having gone there plenty times himself: the Room of Requirement. She had a good lead on him, she was able to make the room appear. She closed the door, making sure no one could get in without her say so. "I'm not leaving!" Draco yelled, knowing she heard him.
"Fine!" yelled Hermione. "Neither am I!" She slumped into a bean bag chair with a sad sigh. He just didn't get it. They can't be together. Society wouldn't allow it. There would only be more sadness. She didn't want that. Maybe if they were born into a different time period, maybe they could have made it. But now, even with Voldemort gone, they wouldn't make it. Tears started to fall and she ended up crying herself to sleep.
Draco slid down the wall and waited. She wouldn't stay there over night. She'd make Harry and Ron worry and he knew she wouldn't do that. All he had to do was stay awake through the boredom that is bound to come.
He sat there, and sat there, and sat there, for hours it seemed. His eyes didn't want to stay open any longer. As he thought, boredom was winning. Soon enough, his eyes closed and he was asleep. An hour later, Hermione slowly opened the door as quietly as was possible. She looked around and saw the sleeping Draco. She slipped off her shoes and tiptoed over to him. She kneeled down next to him. He looked so peaceful and innocent when he was sleeping. She reached out her hand to brush against his face, but stopped an inch away. She pulled her hand away and rested it against her bosom.
"I'm so sorry," muttered Hermione quietly. She got up, retrieved her shoes, and quietly walked away. She would have woken him up if he weren't after her. She slipped back on her shoes when she turned the corner and headed back to the Gryffindor Common Room.
"Where have you been!" asked Ron and Harry the moment she set foot in the common room. "We thought something bad happened!" said Harry.
Hermione smiled, shaking her head. "I'm fine. Really, you two worry too much. I was just taking a walk is all." Hermione smiled a fake smile.
Harry noticed this, but he didn't say anything. If something were wrong, she would talk to them. He was sure of that. The reason he thought that was wrong was the deaths of her parents, so he pretended not to notice.
'I'm lying to my friends because of you. Why don't you see?' thought Hermione as she got ready for bed in her dormitory. 'It's not that I care what people think of me, no, that doesn't bother me. But we would have to hide it because no one will accept us. And what of your father, Lucius? He'd find out, what then? Would you really fight your father if it came down to it? We'd be in pain, always.' Hermione thought before drifting off to sleep.
Hermione! Would you just stop running!" yelled Draco a few weeks later. This was now a kind of ritual every time they saw each other, butto be truthful, Draco was getting tired of it.
"Leave me alone! Why won't you give up already! We're been at this for weeks! Why can't you just leave me alone!" yelled Hermione. He was starting to piss her off with their games of cat and mouse.
"Not until you stop running away!" yelled Draco. "You say you're not interesting, but that's a lie!"
"How do you know how I feel!"
"I don't, but if you didn't feel anything, then you wouldn't run!" yelled Draco. "You run because you're afraid! Well, guess what? I'm afraid too! But, you do not see me running away! I'm afraid I'll turn out like my father! I'm afraid of living a life without you! I'm afraid of losing you!" They slowed down the pace. Hermione stopped first; Draco stopped once he got to her.
"How can you not realize the most important thing?" asked Hermione, tears forming in her eyes. "We met to hate each other. That's all we've ever known towards each other and then something happens and you think you're in love. That night at the lake…it was just something that happened…"
"How can you just stand there and tell me you don't share these feelings?" asked Draco quietly, fighting back tears that so badly wanted to fall. He wouldn't allow that to happen. "You stand there, telling me we met to hate each other, but I won't accept that; I can't accept that. You tell me that what happened at the lake meant absolutely nothing, you say that, but your eyes are telling me something else." He cupped her cheeks with his hands, his thumbs whipping away tears. He hands moved down to her shoulders and his forehead gently rested against hers. The tears he had been fighting back won the battle and fell to the ground.
Hermione watched him as he cried. It hurt her to see him so sad. "The only emotion you've ever shown me since I was eleven was hate. Then after two nights with being with me, you suddenly have feelings that you've never felt and suddenly you show me sadness, caring, happiness. It's all too much for me to handle."
"Why are you so different from the other girls?" muttered Draco. "Why? Why do I love you so much…so much that I'd protect you with my life? So please, stop running and stay with me." He paused for a second. "I'm so pathetic. I'm not even worthy of your time. I'm not worth it! If you decline and reject my feelings, I'll truly know that I'm worthless."
"Even with all the hardships that we'll face, you're still willing to be with me," whispered Hermione. She stroked his hair. "Oh, Draco…you are not worthless; you're a kindred spirit. And me? I'm your guardian angel. I will always be by your side. When you need to talk, I'm here. When you need to be comforted, I'm here." Draco nodded and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close. She didn't protest because it felt so right.
"H-Hermione?" someone gasped from behind her. Her eyes widen and she turned around to face one of her best friends. Draco turned around so his back was to them. No one else needed to know that he had been crying.
"H-Harry I-"
"What are you doing?" whispered harry. "Is this what you've been doing when you'd go out of your walks?"
"Don't get mad at her," growled Draco. "She can't help how she feels." He didn't turn around, just folded his arms over his chest.
"And you! What the hell are you planning?" snapped Harry. He knew Draco Malfoy well enough to know that he'd never have feelings for Hermione.
Draco turned around angrily. "Planning? I'm not 'planning' anything!" He looked at Hermione, then back at Harry, everything coming in clear. "It seems, there's a lot you don't know, Potter." He kissed Hermione on the cheek and walked away. Harry looked like he was going to pass out or be sick.
"What did he mean?" asked Harry once he regained his composure. He looked at Hermione with calm, green eyes.
Hermione was speechless. Surprised and dumbfounded by the kiss. She blinked a couple times and shook her head before answering Harry's question. "The day I was informed of my parent's deaths', he came out and we talked. He's not a bad guy." She looked down. "I don't know what came over me, but I found myself leaning against him. He comforted me."
"Something me and Ron couldn't do."
"It's no one's fault," muttered Hermione. She decided not to tell Harry that Draco's mother. "Then, at the Masquerade Ball, he was my date. Something happened those two nights. I found myself thinking about him more and more, but I realized it was stupid. Me and him can't possibly be together." Her hands were folded in front of her. "So every time I saw him, I ran. Today, he told me something that I had been denying. The reason that I ran wasn't because of the fear of being tackled-long story-nor was it because of who we are. I ran because I was afraid. I was afraid of falling in love with him." She looked up at Harry. "I was afraid of losing my best friends."
Harry folded his hands on top of his head and walked around. "I had a feeling that something big would happen this year, because we seem to attract life threatening situations, but this is not what I had in mind."
"This isn't life threatening-"
Harry looked over at her. "Are you insane? Of course this is life threatening! Lucius Malfoy is a muggle-born hater! He killed your parents! Now you and his son are sharing feelings for each other! If you must, you two lay low. Don't go around showing your feelings to anyone."
Hermione's eyes widen. "You're not-"
"Of course I'm not mad!" said Harry, cutting her off again. "I'm more worried now. Just be thankful that it was me and not Ron, or anyone else for that matter, who found you."
Smiling, Hermione hugged him tightly. "I'm so happy! Thank you! I'm so glad you don't hate me! I thought for sure you would!"
"Don't you think we've been through enough together? It's gonna take me a lot to hate you. Now if you tell me your having his child, well…" said Harry, teasing her. He knew she had more decency to do that now, at her age, but he thought it fun just to tease her. He was like her brother. It was his right to tease her.
"Harry! You don't have to worry about that! That won't happen."
"Any time soon," smiled Harry. Hermione's face turned bright red and she punched him in the arm. He cursed slightly and rubbed the forming bruise. "I'm kidding Hermione. Come on; let's go back to the classroom. No word of this will be spoken to anyone." Hermione nodded and they walked off to the Gryffindor Common Room.
'I'm so happy. I'm happy that you aren't mad. You have no idea how happy that makes me. Thank you Harry. Thank you so much,' thought Hermione as they walked.
A/N: Whew! It's been some time since chapter seven was posted, but I have a standstill somewhere in the middle of the chapter that wouldn't go away for a few days. But I got over it and this is the final project. Shorter than chapter 6 and 7, but it is over 5 pages on Word, so that makes me happy. Well, Chapter Nine should be here soon. I already know what its going to be about.
Well. I went to Borders this weekend (January 28, 2006) and read manga all day. I'm a nerd I know, I was with one of my friends. But I read Her Majesty's Dog and Crossroad, good mangas! You should check them out! Really great. Her Majesty's Dog is a horror/romance and Crossroad is Romance/Drama/Comedy.
Well, that is all I have to say. I hope you enjoyed this chapter
So, Until Next Time
This is Kiwi-san
Over and Out
