A/N: Hey guys. Back again with Chapter 2. Meh, I dont feel much like typing--er talking. Hope you enjoy!
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Chapter 2
Is the Grass Greener on the Other Side?
A Fanfiction by Fitzgerald Bongonium III
Dumbledore had just finished his annual beginning of the year speech and the feast had began. Hermione didn't have a much of an appetite, having ate before leaving home. Ron and Harry however, were pigging down.
Earlier, Hermione had apologized for her behavior and told them she had something else on her mind, that she didn't mean to take it out on them. They said it was no big deal, and Ron having admittedly say he deserved it after learning his mistake.
Still, Hermione noticed they were wary of her. Choosing what they said carefully and giving her glances whenever they did say something to make sure she was okay. They even talked to her about quidditch.
Hermione thought it was sweet they were trying and felt even worse about her earlier outburst. She hoped when she went to sleep and woke up, everything would be forgotten. With that in mind, Hermione stood and excused herself.
She took a second and stole a glance at Draco at the Slytherin table. As always, he was flanked by Crabbe and Goyle with Pansy oogling him. Draco seemed kind of peeved, what with Pansy trying to spoon feed him his food. Hermione had to smile and stifle a chuckle before turning to walk to the dormitories.
'Serves him right,' she thought, walking down the long corridors. She remembered his earlier comment about how loud mudbloods could be and his stare. She didn't want to admit it, but she liked it.
'Of course its not because of Malfoy. Im just...deprived...' she tried to piece the right words together, albeit with difficulty. Was she really deprived of the dating experience? There was the little fling with Viktor Krum in her fourth year. Viktor was a student from a different school that came to Hogwarts along with another school to participate in the Triwizard Tournament. They tried having a relationship of sorts but it didn't work out. When he went back to his school, they had tried to send owls to each other but they slowly lost touch.
Other than that, she really hadn't communicated with a boy that she was attracted too. Most of the boys in Gryffindor were friends and nothing else...and certainly Harry and Ron didn't think of her that way...
Hermione sighed. She finally reached the portrait of the pink lady and said the password. Going into the common room, she looked around at the empty area. 'Same old...'
She then went up the flight of stairs that led to the girls rooms. As always, her trunk was at the head of the four poster bed and Crookshanks was laying on her bed. 'I think I'll take a shower...' gathering her night clothes, Hermione left the Gryffindor tower to go clean up.
Hermione shuffled out of the bathroom, dead tired. She had stayed in the tubs soaking longer than she thought. Now, clad in her pajamas, and holding her uniform under her arm, she slowly walked down the hallway yawning every twenty seconds.
'I'll never take a nice bed for granted...' she thought, putting a hand to her mouth to stifle the upcoming yawn. She rounded a corner and stopped. Malfoy was standing in the moonlight of an open window, staring at something. Noise was coming from outside the window but it was so faint that Hermione couldn't make out what it was.
She snorted. 'What or who could capture Malfoys attention...' Hermione tried to get a good view from where she was standing at what he was looking at, but even bending sideways didn't help. 'Oh, I should just go another way. Its probably not that important. Besides, curiosity killed the cat...' she turned to leave but stopped.
'But satisfaction brought it back,' she reminded herself. Making up her mind, she turned and lightly stepped into the shadows, staying close the wall. She tiptoed till she was almost behind Malfoy and stopped. 'Now, to see what your looking at...' she looked out the window and gasped.
The lake laid out before them, sparkling under the moonlight. Hermione was used to these kinds of scenes, having one almost identical at her house...but the one at her house didn't have mermaids glowing underwater either.
In the moonlight, Hermione could make out golden glows from under the water and could hear their voices. Hermione almost dosed off listening to the music but she wondered how she could hear it considering they were underwater and couldn't sing above.
"Granger!" Hermione was snapped out of her reverie and focused her sight on Malfoy. "Oh, I was j-just," she stumbled over her words. She had forgotten all about Malfoy being there and was surprised she got caught.
"Spying," he hissed, taking a step towards her. His eyes held the same intense stare as it did on the train. Like he could take her, destroy her, kill everything she had done and still make her bend to his will. Hermiones legs trembled. What was going on? She noticed how the moonlight bounced off Malfoys hair, giving it an ethereal glow and his grey eyes almost seemed silver with the light casting off. It seemed the moonlight enhanced his features positively. Features Hermione had never recognized before. Features like his perfect pale skin and lean but muscular body.
Hermione thought of herself and her light brown hair frizzed crazily if not for a control charm and her eyes that were a dull shade of brown. For the most part on body build, she was shapely but lacked in some departments. Yes, she was sure. Next to Malfoy, she would look like a stick in the mud.
'Wait, why am I even thinking this?' Hermione gave Malfoy a hard glare. "Last time I checked the halls were free for everybody to use". She should had left then and there. She should have ran to the Gryffindor dormitory, up to her bed, and hide under the covers. And she could have, she knew she could have, but she didn't want to.
Malfoy sneered at her and took another step, landing him only two feet away from her. "And the last time I checked, you were griping about eavesdropping". Touche. "Well...I wasn't really...eavesdropping," she had a hard time talking, with Malfoy looking at her, his beautiful face leering at her. "I was merely..." he took another step towards her, this time letting his eyes drop to her mouth. "Shut up Granger," he said, shaking his head before grabbing her roughly and slamming her against the wall. Hermione was about to let him have but her protest was cut short by Dracos lips landing on hers.
The uniform Hermione had been holding slipped from her arms and her eyes widened. She couldn't comprehend the action taking place, what wasn't taking place.
Hermione closed her eyes tight and imagined she was somewhere else but she knew she wasn't. She was in a Hogwarts hallway with Draco Malfoy kissing her. This couldn't be happening. But it was and she was...liking it.
She couldn't believe herself, she liked it. She liked the feeling of his soft lips on hers, his hands caressing her hair and waist. She liked the very thought of any contact from him.
Hermione pushed Draco away, her hands trembling as she watched him regain his footing. She didn't hesitate a second longer before grabbing up her things and running away.
Her heart was beating so quick, she was sure it would burst. 'What...how...' Hermione had many thoughts circulating through her head as she neared the portrait. 'That was Malfoy for petesake! Malfoy!' she gave the password and entered, hurrying up to the bedroom.
She was surprised when she walked in to see most of the Gryffindor girls gathered in a circle. They looked up as she entered and greeted her. "Hermione! We were wondering where you were!" one girl said, motioning for Hermione to take a seat in the circle.
"Oh I was in the bath," she said low, taking a seat slowly. What were they doing? "We were just discussing about some of the hottest guys at Hogwarts," another girl piped up. Hermione looked around and didn't see Ginny anywhere. 'Lucky. She's probably sleeping'.
"Of course, Hermione would know all about that," a girl in Hermiones year said. "Huh?" she raised her eyebrows, just earlier she was confirming that her love life was the pits now she knows the hottest guys at school?
"You hang out with Harry! That Rons not a bad looker either!" the girl asserted, giving Hermione a 'knowing' look. How little she actually knew. "Hermiones got them all to herself," she continued to the circle of hormonal girls.
"No, its nothing like that! We're just really good friends is all," Hermione tried to defend for herself. "That's it," she finished, looking at them sternly.
"Hm, well okay. Now what about that Draco Malfoy? He is hot," the girl Hermione had dubbed as the ringleader spoke up. Upon hearing that name, Hermione tensed and her breathing sped up. Why did they have to mention him?
"But we're Gryffindors, aren't we supposed to hate Slytherins?" a second year said, hitting Hermione in the gut. That's right. We're supposed too..."Hating someone and thinking their hot is way different than liking them and thinking of them that way," the ringleader said, giving the girl a pat on the back. "Plus, we're all still people. Just because we have different houses doesn't automatically make us different species".
The rest of the Gryffindor girls gave silent nods and murmurs of approval. "Its mostly the boys anyway, well, all the boys and Hermione. She cant stand Slytherin!" Hermione gulped, this was why she didn't have girls for friends. They usually made the wrong comments that were right.
They looked at her expectantly, waiting for some kinda of explanation. "I think...Im going to bed!" she said quickly, getting up and putting her things away before climbing into her bed and facing the wall.
"Oh well, anyway Draco has...," Hermione blocked their voices from her head. It was getting annoying. They were getting annoying.
Hermione thought back to what happened in the hall and unknowingly touched her lips. 'What was that? Its not like he likes me or anything...and there's no way he could find me attractive...Wait! What in the hell am I thinking?All those years of ridicule and names cant be swept away with just a look and a kiss right? Anyway he's a filthy low pig! Its probably a joke or something! Just a cruel joke!'
With that assumption in her head, Hermione felt a lot better and wanted to catch some sleep. She couldn't help however but hope that maybe it wasn't a joke...
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A/N: Again, if you have any questions about their behavior, itll all be answered in following chapters!
