Acceptance.
Disclaimer: again don't own any of the characters or the setting…just the plot which seems to just do what it wants anyway.
Lyla: thanks for the reviews! I really wasn't expecting any. And now thanks to you guys I'm going to add another chapter ;)
After doing something that you deeply regret, you go through stages. These stages are anything but easy, and have the potential to make you crazy. Especially if what you did is atrociously shameful and humiliating, like kissing you worst enemy. This was the case for Hermione Granger, who after half and hour still hadn't stopped experiencing the first stage, shock.
Hermione turned on the tap and splashed her face with the icy water. She looked up into the mirror, and didn't like what she saw. This was a girl, who only a few minutes ago, made out with…Draco Malfoy. She shivered, and reach for one of the red hand towels, before burying her face in it. She took deep breathes before resurfacing and staring at herself in the mirror again. Her eyes were wide and slightly bloodshot, and her hair was tangled up into a huge brown knots. She looked like death.
"Mione!" she heard Harry call from outside the prefects bathrooms. She snapped out of her trance and quickly performed a newly learnt 'detangle' charm on her hair, returning it to the lush brunette locks she had grown to love over the summer. Thank god for Cosmowitch.
"Coming…" she called back, hurrying outside to meet him.
"Hey, you alright?" Harry asked, resting his hand on her back. That's a different 'friendly' touch, "you've been in there for ages!" he laughed. Hermione noticed how his fingers trawled up and down a small part of her back, where Draco's had been only half and hour ago. No, no they weren't. And it's Malfoy.
"I'm fine." She said shortly. Her face was still blank and white.
"Mione, you look sort of…startled. Did Myrtle sneak up on you or something?" he laughed again, "actually you're sort of pale as well…do you want me to take you to see Madam Pomfrey?"
"Um…I'll go my self." She stated quietly.
"Alright well I'm going to head off to the Great Hall we'll miss all of dinner if we're not careful!" he said cheerily, giving her a light kiss on the cheek before heading off down the corridor. She flinched. Since when did Harry give kisses on the cheek? Mind you, it wasn't half as good as when Dra…NO! She shook her head vigorously as if to rid her mind of those disgusting thoughts. Malfoy, Malfoy didn't do anything, and it definitely wasn't good. Scratch that, 'it' didn't even happen. Nothing happened. It just couldn't have. And so she progressed to the second stage, denial.
After firmly assuring herself that she must have been in some kind of spell and that she hadn't really kissed Malfoy, she headed to the Gryffindor common room, since she'd already missed dinner while recovering from her shock. She made sure to close her eyes and take a few long, deep breaths, before heading down the corridor, head held high, as if nothing had happened. She smiled politely at students she passed, and she felt much better, back to her usual self, but underneath it all she still felt a strange feeling the pit of her stomach. She started up the staircase to the common room where everyone would be waiting and felt like everything was going just fine, back to normal, when she heard an all-too familiar chortle behind her.
"Ah look who it is, everyone's favourite Mudblood." She heard his smooth, smug voice call out. She shut her eyes tight, this isn't happening. She spun around and glared down and the smirking Draco Malfoy.
"What do you want Malfoy" she spat.
"Ooh someone's got a bit of a temper today don't they?" he delighted in irritating her. He noticed how her cheeks started to turn that soft cherry colour that they had gone after they had stopped kissing on the train. He scrunched up his face at the thought of kissing a muggle.
"Why don't you just fuck off and leave me alone, ferret." She finished, turning around and continuing up the staircase. How could I have possible even touched that conniving smug, arrogant, son-of-a-
"Define to me what you mean by 'fuck' off? Technically?" he asked, after checking that there was no-one around. She turned round to face him abruptly, her eyes burning with rage.
"Just leave. Me. Alone." She said menacingly, scowling at him.
"Fine. I don't particularly want to be in the presence of a Mudblood for this long anyway, especially such a dirty, dirty Mudblood." He hissed, taking care to linger on the word dirty. She felt her anger explode inside her, as she slapped him hard across the face. He touched the red mark on his face lightly, looking into her fiery brown eyes. She looked back, and felt so…lost. She felt deflated and empty, and she couldn't control her eyes shining and brimming with tears. Before she could allow herself to think anymore, she was in his arms, confused, frustrated tears falling down onto his shoulder. She'd reached the stage of blind confusion. He stroked her hair, and looked around to see if anyone was there, before taking her hand and leading her down a hallway and into a room that Hermione had never seen before.
Draco didn't know what he was doing, why he was caring for this stupid Mudblood, but every time he looked at her he felt this strange sensation running through him. He hastily shut the door to the room of requirement, which had now become an abandoned classroom, before turning to look at her. She was sitting on a desk awkwardly, trying to wipe the tears away from her eyes. What is wrong with me? Why am I with this horrible, nasty , cruel- well my enemy! Who has found yet another way to confuse, irritate, anger and upset me all in one day? She looked up at him hatefully, before softly whispering.
"I hate you." And quickly moving ahead into the stage of pure disgust.
Draco looked a bit shocked, but quickly felt a strong force of anger pulsing through his veins. I just…I just took care of her! That selfish, ungrateful Mudblood bitch!
"Well I hate you more!" he shouted at her, making her jump, "I hate everything about you, you egotistic Mudblood whore!"
"ME?" she screamed, standing up to face him, "I'm egotistic? Have you even listened to yourself these past few years! You are without a doubt the most insensitive, self-centered, conceited prick I have ever had the displeasure of knowing!"
"Shut the fuck up you know-it-all bitch!" he roared, thrusting his wand into her throat. She gasped and tore his wand away, glaring at him.
"Don't even try it ferret, or you'll get another punch in the face!" she hissed.
His eyes mirrored hers, fierce and full or fury.
"I ought to shut that filthy mouth of yours once and for all," he growled. They were centimeters apart, and he could feel the heat radiating from her body. Before he could stop himself, he glanced down at her perfect, full lips, and couldn't not touch them with his. His lips tore onto hers hungrily, and he pulled her head towards him. Their tongues clashed and their lips bruised together. She wanted him, more than she had ever wanted anything. She wanted to touch him and hurt him and please him all at once. They stumbled around the room knocking over chairs as they devoured each other. She shoved off his robes and her own, all the while still entangling her tongue with his. His hands found the base of her muggle t-shirt, and they slipped underneath to feel the smooth, warmth of her waist. Draco broke his mouth from hers and sucked hard on her neck, earning a soft moan from Hermione. Why does he have to make me feel like this? She thought painfully.
"Oh…god…I hate you" she murmured as his lips traveled over her tanned shoulders, and his hands roamed around her waist and back. He bought his face back up to meet hers and looked into those severe brown eyes that he had grown to know.
"And god, how I hate you" he whispered, kissing her, for the first time, gently. It was a soft kiss, one she was not used to from him, and she was taken back by the velvety smooth his lips. His lips fluttered against hers, before they broke away, and his forehead rested on hers. They could both see the deep colours that danced in each other's irises. Suddenly she felt a strong emotion overtake her, there was no doubt what it was, but she refused to even think she could feel, especially for…him. Startled by this feeling she pushed him away, and hurriedly grabbed her robe from the floor. He stood looking at her, eyes wide and innocent, about to ask where she was going. Then he remembered who she really was, and how much he despised her, and that she shouldn't even be here with him at all. He was about to look away, until he saw her look up into his pale blue eyes. He made a small nodding action and she pursed her lips, before they both looked away. Hermione shoved her robe over her and Draco turned his head in the opposite direction. She paused and glanced at him again, before heading towards the door. He felt a small pang inside his chest, and couldn't help but watch her walk out.
Hermione strode down the hallway until she reached the corner, where she closed her eyes and took at deep breath, leaning against the wall. She could still feel the burn of his lips on her skin, and even worse, the burn of their passion in her heart; and so she reached the final stage of recovery, to some extent, acceptance.