Alright. My longest and the most chick flicky chapter is done.
please read and review. I put up a lot of effort to this.
emeraldwolfqueen: THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH. Wow, I let 3 people read this before I posted it and you were the only one to point out my naming errors. I should really blame myself for naming the two main guy characters with names that start with "J"...
Draco is still Jake
Fashionable Tardiness: Homecoming, the Dance
Hey, please slow down. You were always walking too fast for your own damned good. Slow down, I just wanna get to know you. Slow down, please. I can't keep up. I know you hate being held back by my grip, but I don't want you walking away from me anymore. I'm getting tired of seeing your back.
"Hey, Jake," the disk jockey, named Mike, tapped Jake Alexander, the dance's sponsor, on the shoulder. "That song you wanted's ready. You wanna play it now?"
The Homecoming dance had begun. Guys in suits and girls in various assortments of dresses arrived at the school entrance, presenting their tickets. Few were arguing over lost tickets. Some were trying to sneak in; Draco let them, it was a night for everyone to enjoy themselves.
Many couples were taking Homecoming pictures. Their bright, happy smiles brought an enormous weight upon Draco Malfoy's heart.
Hermione and I would have looked better than any of them combined...
Draco, no matter how hard he tried not to, had inherited the hubris passed through the generations of Malfoys. Others' happiness caused resentment, even though he was providing it. He had paid most of the expenses for this year's dance after all, making it the biggest dance in the school's history.
Serving was never on Draco's priority list. Bringing others happiness had never quite satisfied him the way his own happiness did. He had not felt satisfaction in quite a while now; he wondered if he ever had. He wanted happiness. He wanted Hermione. But neither of them was at the dance tonight, at that moment.
He was stuck there, waiting, hoping Hermione was "just" late.
"Nah," Jake replied to the DJ. "I'll signal you when I think it's time."
"Alright," Mike agreed and went back to his work.
"Let's get retarded," a high pitched female voice was heard through the speakers all over the gigantic dance floor. "In heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrre."
"Now everybody get on the dance floor and sing!" Mike blared over the speakers as people gathered around on the dance floor, banging their heads to the tune.
And the base kept running like the good song said and the biggest dance in the history of Sugar Land kicked off fittingly with the Black Eyed Peas. Formation of a thousand students and alumni began the hump and grind game generally characterized by high school dances.
I know Hermione would never approve of THAT.
Draco sighed and sat next to one of the tables, coincidentally occupied by Josh McFarley, his best friend, and Katy O'Toole, his ex and Josh's Homecoming date.
"Hello there," Jake curiously eyed the two who came to Homecoming Dance together as friends. "I expected yal to be on the dance floor."
"Are you kidding me?" Katy answered with a slight annoyance, eyeing the grinders on the dance floor; Josh only shrugged. "There's no way I'm gonna dance like that."
Josh only shrugged; Katy seemed to have psychologically worn the pants in this date.
"Well," Jake chuckled. "For a dancer, aren't you just picky with your dances?"
"Yes I am." The "man" of the relationship answered...
Damn it Josh! Say something to get her attention. I'm getting all her attention without doing anything here.
Josh only sighed quietly.
"I'm bored." Katy declared.
Josh was still quiet.
"Well, dance is the main form of entertainment for this sort of things," Jake covered for Josh. "Why don't you just dance with Josh?"
Katy ignored that question as a new song popped up. It was a slow song this time.
"Come on Jake," Katy got up and grabbed Jake's hand. "We're gonna go dance."
"Fine," Jake forced himself to be polite to his invitee.
Damn it Katy, why can't you just get a clue on who likes you and who doesn't.
"So now do you see?" Katy began as they got on to the dance floor.
"See what?" Jake asked; one hand was on Katy's waist, the other holding Katy's hand as Jake square-danced with Katy.
"You should have been my date for this," Katy answered with a sly smile. "I'm the only one you'll be dancing with tonight."
"Oh, you'll never know." Jake tonelessly answered as he looked around the dance floor, still no sign of Hermione.
"Hey," Katy's hand adjusted Jake's face back toward facing Katy. "I'm your dance partner, not those people."
"Aren't you just the control freak," Jake was annoyed. "Shouldn't you be dancing with Josh? He spent quite a deal of time, effort, and money for this, you know."
"He can dance with whom ever he wants." Katy sighed. It hit her nerve; she hated being told what to do. She took a step forward, trying to control their dance. "He only came with me 'cause he felt sorry for me. You did dump me at the worst time for a girl you barely even know, you know?"
You know nothing.
"That's not the point." Jake argued as he took one graceful step toward Katy, regaining control. "Here's you girls' problem. You spend all the money and time of your day preparing for these things. You force us guys who actually care about yal to work our asses off trying to please yal. And what happens? You come here and say that you're bored when you're the ones making it boring. You leave your dates standing around not knowing what's going on. And worst of all, you start dancing with other guys, pissing the crap out of your dates. You know when girls say guys don't spend enough quality time with them? That's complete bull shit. 'Cause we try so hard for yal, and all you do is ignore it and do everything your own way."
"You hypocrite," Katy counter-argued as Jake finished masterfully spinning her around. "You're the one square-dancing with me, showing us off. Can't you see that we're the best looking ones out here? We're the only ones really dancing. It's making Josh jealous. You've always made Josh jealous from the day he met you; but, somehow using that stupid little pain in the ass charm of yours, you turned him into your posse, your sidekick, your supposed best friend. If you care so much about your best friend, why did you ask me out in the first place? Why did you say all the right things? Why did you purposely send me mixed signals just to keep me on my toes? You're calling me the control freak. You're the biggest control freak around, you stupid ass-hole."
"You know nothing of me!" Jake began yelling. He was toe-to-toe with Katy now; he was surprised he hadn't stepped on her feet yet. They glided around the dance floor. "You have no idea who I am. I warned you when we were first together. I warned you that you were going to open the Pandora's Box by being with me for more than a night. You were the one who chose to continue seeing me. You were the one who smoked me like pot without knowing the consequences. All you see is the light side I chose to show you. You don't want to know me. You don't want to be with me. You Can't Handle the Truth!"
They stopped dancing. Katy released herself from Jake's hold and simply stared back in contempt. They didn't notice that everyone else was staring at them.
"And Hermione Can?" Katy exploded. "You've known her for less than three weeks! I dated you from the time you got to this damned place! Did I ever drag you down and force you to be with me? NO! I knew you had a preference for a shit load of girls and I accepted that. I let you sleep around and party. I let you try and stop smoking pot for your own sake, not mine. I let you see other people. But you always came back to me like you put me on the top of your list. I listened to you. I knew you the best. And you loved the fact that I knew exactly what you wanted: not sex, not pleasure, just someone to listen to you. Heck, I even listen to you cry and bitch about how terrible of a person you were for getting high with your friends and forgetting our date. You tell me that you're not in love with me. Try and deny that I've fallen for you!"
"I Don't Love You Katy!" Jake only yelled harder. "And you don't love me. You love Josh. The only reason you want to be with me is because I made Josh jealous. I forced him to make some kind of move on you. I may have been an insensitive bastard to him, but that doesn't mean I don't care about him at all. I see the way he looks at you. I see the way you look at him. Why can't you just admit you're in love with him and that you loved him all along? Are you just that bad with your words?"
"Stop trying to tell me what to do!" Tears were about to roll down Katy's eyes.
"Then stop being controlled by your own pessimism about Josh." She was only countered by Jake's stone serious command.
There was a long period of silence. The song they were dancing to stopped and another slow song began.
"You know," Katy broke the silence with a little smile. "The first date we went on, you signed us up for a dance class, saying you needed a dance partner to learn how to dance. When I got there, I realized you lied, 'cause you were the best dancer I had ever met. This was the first song we danced to. You swept me off my feet by giving me the most amazing kiss at the end of the song. Did that mean anything to you at all?"
"Some dances don't mean a thing, Katy." Jake forced himself to be cruelly indifferent. It was the only way.
Jake looked down upon Katy, who was simply frozen there. Her face stared at the floor; she couldn't bear catching his eye. A drop of tear rolled down her cheek.
"I see." Katy sobbed.
Again, silence filled the dance floor. It wasn't real silence. The music was going; people who didn't notice them from faraway were still dancing. Only people surrounding them stared. But to the former couple, the world was silent for what seemed to be a millennium.
"You know," Katy broke the silence again. "You were wrong about why I wanted to be with you. I just thought that..." Katy sobbed. "I just thought that if I was with you, I wouldn't have to worry about any heart breaking."
Katy, eyes on the ground, ran out of the dance floor, leaving a trail of tears.
A liter of tears rolling down her eyes, Katy O'Toole leaves my life. What did she mean by not worrying about heart breaking? She knew I was the biggest heart breaker around... But I can't worry about that for now. I hope Josh will do the right thing.
Josh couldn't do anything; he was only Katy's friend. Watching the two dancing, Josh was full of resentment and jealousy toward Jake for always getting everything Josh had ever wanted. But that mattered not. Josh and Katy may have shared a few romantic moments in the past; but, those seemed to mean nothing now with Katy recklessly pursuing Jake Alexander. If Josh ever had a chance, it was too late. He had blown enough chances; he had struck out without a swing. He just sat there and watched.
They were the most graceful couple on the dance floor. They sailed around the dance floor, performing moves unimaginable in a poppy, high school dance. They each took steps toward the other, trying to force the other to back down. Jake eventually took control, getting the upper hand from the best dancer Josh knew, the dancer he could never get control over. As Jake finished spinning Katy around, what used to be an overly complicated square dance turned into a tango. Jake was toe-to toe with Katy, chest to chest, and lips almost to lips. They were meant to be together, it seemed to Josh. Jake had stolen Katy from him after all Jake had said.
But suddenly, he began seeing Jake yelling at Katy. He couldn't hear what was going on; he hated not knowing what's going on. He wanted to walk over there and stop the confrontation, but he couldn't seem to break the force of gravity that bound him to his chair on the side of the dance floor. He just sat there and stared at the only people he could see: Jake and Katy. Katy seemed flabbergasted by Jake's sudden outburst. For a moment, she just stood there, frozen. But then, as if she found her voice, she began yelling back at Jake. She went on and on, her eyes full of rage. Jake grinded his teeth as he waited Katy to finish. He was polite enough to listen to what Katy was saying, as if he wanted to listen to her yell. But as if he couldn't take it anymore, he screamed back one more time, waving his arms around.
Josh could see tears from Katy's eyes.
Josh defied the law of gravity.
Katy ran out of the dance floor as fast as she could manage on her heels. It wasn't very fast; Jake could have easily run after her, but he only stood there, showing nothing but an expression of cold sympathy. He looked like a stone statue carved by the artist to look sympathetic but couldn't actually be so. He couldn't feel sorry for Katy, she had brought upon her own troubles. She had all she ever wanted, all she ever needed, right in front of her face; yet, like a curious cat, she opened the Pandora's Box that was Draco Jake. He had attempted to escape her mind, attempted to save her, but she was a failed product. He couldn't do anything for her now. Only Josh...
Now, it's time to deal with Josh.
Jake turned his face toward the table he formerly sat next to; Josh should have been within its proximity. Josh wasn't there. But before Draco could wonder where Josh had gone to, something hard crashed squarely onto his cheek. He felt a loose tooth.
Jake, thrown off guard, fell to the ground. Used to pain, he rolled right back up, staring at his surprise assailant. It was none other than Josh McFarley. Jake could see the vein on his face. His fist was clasped tight. His eyes, that deep blueness Katy had fallen in love with all those years ago, now seemed red, burning in pure fury. His hair seemed to be floating, as if the aura of his anger was counteracting the gravitational pull of the Earth. But Draco knew that it was muscular tension on his skull. Only enough excitement, enough rage would cause such force. Josh began walking robotically toward Jake, too tense for elegance. Before Jake could react, Josh seized Jake's collars with his vein-bulged hands and shoved him on the wall closest to them.
"What the hell did you do to Katy?" Jake thought he was being burned alive.
Jake sighed. He didn't even flinch when Josh threw a glass bottle at his face; he wasn't about to now. He remembered when he was a coward; fearing threat against his comfort, fearing death. He had cried every time his father beat him. But upon witnessing his father's death, he had become indifferent to fear. Watching the killer had given him the realization that he had to face his fears and let it pass through him. Without doing so, only he would feel death. With doing so, only he would remain.
"What the hell are YOU doing here?" Jake's stone grey vision shot right into Josh's eyes, penetrating his body, his brain, his heart. "I just gave you the chance to do something you were too much of a coward to do. You can't do that here."
All the anger was washed out of Josh's body as the flood of Jake's purifying words flowed into him. All he had left was a blank consciousness. He didn't know what to do.
"Go after Katy you idiot" Jake showed a warm smile that took Josh out of his trance.
Josh released his hold on Jake and backed away.
Josh ran after Katy, following her out to the parking lot.
She was just standing there in the cold night, alone, dejected.
"You've had her heart from the start," someone within him said." Just give her the reassurance that she has yours."
It's my last and only chance.
"Hey." Katy was startled by the voice of her old friend.
"Hi," she looked back at him, and quickly turned back, embarrassed to show her ruined countenance. Her make-up was drenched in her tears now, but she was the only one who cared about that. Josh barely noticed, not because he was unperceptive; it was hard to see the imperfection in what one knew to be perfect for so long. After a brief silence, she began again. "You didn't have to come, you know. You were my date. After what happened in there, you are the last person I expect any sympathy from."
"Well," Josh nervously replied, his inner voice screamed at him to rid the awkwardness. "You're right."
Damn it, Josh! Say something clever! Something funny! Something that'll make her fall in love with you!
"Then why are you here?" Katy coldly asked, her back facing him.
Say Anything!
"I'm here," Josh answered. "I'm here because I'm in love with you."
"What?" Katy turned around, surprised.
No you don't... you can't
"Katy, we've been friends for eight years. There's got to be something more than just friendship between us. I know I'm being selfish, but I want more from you. I want more from us."
Katy just stared at him, jaw open in surprise.
"Remember the first time we met?" Josh sighed and continued. "The time I first moved into our neighborhood; I was walking around and you rode your bike up to me and asked me for my name. I thought you were the most beautiful being I had ever seen, and I still do. I've been in love with ever since."
Katy was again silent. It seemed to be a losing battle for Josh now, but he couldn't stop. It was too late for him to stop now.
"Come on Katy," Josh pleaded. "You can't tell me that you've never had any feelings for me. After all the random phone calls just to say hi, after all the walking around the neighborhood together, after all the time you came to my soccer games, after all the time you laughed at my dumb jokes, you can't just say that you felt nothing about me. After all the time I hung around you and your stupid friends for no reason, after all the unneeded favors I did for you, after all the arguments I let you win, you can't just say you didn't know I had feelings for you. Please say something."
Again, silence crushed him. He was digging a hole for himself. He was now under rock-bottom.
"Damn it, Katy!" Josh begged. "'blab about this the whole night with your bitchy dance friends. I'm offering everything I've got here. Please open up a little. You've got nothing to lose from this; I have everything to lose."
Katy couldn't move a muscle. She was simply overwhelmed and paralyzed by the shock from Josh's confession. It was too much information for her to take in.
"You know what?" Josh gave up. "Forget it."
Josh walked away into the darkness toward where he parked his car.
Katy finally got some of her senses back. She felt her hands twitch a little as her superego, her conscience, began talking to her.
Just let him go Katy, it's the best way...
She just watched him walk away. He had quite a distance to go; he had parked the car pretty far away.
Why am I not allowed to be selfish? I do love him. I wanna be with him, at least for this night, this month.
Katy fought with her inner-self.
But can't you see that will only make things worse for him? You don't deserve him Katy! You're only going to hurt him and drag him down by being with him.
"I can't love him." Katy mouthed silently.
But I do want him. He deserves something. I deserve something. I just wanna be loved like any other girl would.
Katy's legs were freed from paralysis caused by her conscience as her girlish urges took over. Josh was quite far away now. She ran after him.
Katy couldn't run in her high heels. She wanted to yell out his name, but her voice was still disabled. She couldn't think straight. In her head, there was only one way to stop him from leaving her for good.
Katy threw one of her high heels at Josh, hoping it'll hit him and he'd notice her.
She missed the mark terribly. She tried throwing the shoe with all her might that she ended up throwing the shoe onto the ground, barely 20feet away from her.
Ok... aim a little higher this time.
Josh was pissed. He had confessed his love for Katy and got nothing in return. The lack of response was worse than rejection.
If it was rejection, at least I'd know and not have to second guess.
It felt quite easy for him to second guess that it was over though.
Something hit the back of his head, causing him tremendous amount of pain.
"WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT f..." Katy was now barefoot and thought she should have just taken her heels off. She finally caught up to Josh and interrupted him from finishing his exclamation by immobilizing his lips.
Katy had jumped right onto Josh and kissed him. Her arms wrapped tightly around his neck in an effort to stay up. His arms wrapped around the back of her thighs to keep her in air. Neither of them was sure if they were the ones spinning, or if the world around them was.
Katy's lips released their hold on Josh's lips. The world stopped spinning. The world became normal again. Everything was now the way it was meant to be.
"What took you so long?" Josh looked into Katy's eyes.
"I should ask you," Katy only smiled. "You were eight years late."
With that, they drowned in each other's smile.
Later That Night
Jake Alexander, trying to enjoy the Hermione-less night as much as possible, spent most of his time dancing and grinding with a large quantity of girls and women, leaving the females' dates to watch resentfully and helplessly.
Yes, how hypocritical of me... after all I said to Katy
That didn't work. Dancing with large doses of kinky women was similar to drinking alcohol. It only provided temporary relief; while, in the long run, it only made him feel worse.
The night rolled on until it was finally the time to play the last song.
"Hey, Jake," Mike came to see Jake again in middle of a song. "I've been waiting for a sign from you all night man. Am I ever gonna play that song"
"Ooh," Jasmine, one of the women he was dancing with eyed Jake seductively. "Did you want to play a love song for me?"
"No, that'll be your boyfriend," the unaffected Jake pointed at his temporary dance partner's date, who looked quite angry.
"Anyhow," he turned toward Mike and sighed. "No, I don't think will need it tonight. Sorry, I should have told you earlier."
"Alright" Mike eyed Jake strangely. "You ok man?"
"Thanks for asking M. J., I'm fine." Jake smiled and told a white lie. "Play a nice slow song for all the lovers out there will ya? Let them enjoy a nice slow song."
With that, the DJ returned to his turn table to select the next song. Jake got rid of Jasmine and leaned against a column, forcing himself to watch the last few minutes of the dance he sponsored.
"This is for all of you lovers out there," the DJ spoke through the microphone. "It's called Making Memories of Us. Enjoy"
The torture show began for Draco Malfoy.
He hated watching others enjoy themselves while he didn't. That happened through out his years at Hogwarts and he hated it. Hermione was always with Harry and Ron, celebrating their newest accomplishment. All he had was his meager attempts to foil their happiness, not because he hated them, but because he hated them to be the ones making Hermione happy. He carried that impossible wish that he would one day be Hermione's provider for joy. He had his wand in his jacket. He wanted to shoot everyone on the dance floor. He probably could have in his old death-eater days. Those days were long over now.
Josh and Katy were among the couples who danced gracefully and romantically. They were the minority who actually knew how to dance; Josh masterfully performed a few dance moves with Katy, few spins here, few steps there. He looked almost as good as Jake, as Katy gave Josh full control over her body for the first time in their life.
That's for being a close friend to a dancer for all these years I suppose. Draco watched. Not saying that I can't dance.
"You don't have to love me back; I can wait." Josh whispered into Katy's ear. "But I'm gonna be here for you baby. I'll be a man of my word."
Katy answered by laying her head on Josh's chest.
"I wanna sleep with you forever, and I wanna die in your arms."
"Keep singing." Katy felt like she was dreaming.
Draco could barely watch, but he forced himself to. It was the product of his effort; he had to stand by it until the end. And he had to look strong in front of others; he wasn't supposed to have any weaknesses.
"I wanna honor your mother, I wanna learn from your pa" Josh exhaled deeply upon Katy's neck and Katy smiled with a shiver. "But most of all, I wanna steal your attention like a bad outlaw."
Josh's lips slowly touched Katy's skin and moved up toward her lips at snail's pace. His lips backed off when it was inches away from its final destination. They could feel each other's breaths; they were breathing nervously, hard. The war of the breaths lasted for what seemed to be hours as Josh stroked Katy's nose with his own nose.
"I'm gonna love you like nobody loves you," Josh exhaled into Katy's mouth. She could smell his breath. It was a nice smell, the scent of her favorite mint gum; he had remembered her favorite gum.
"And I'll win your trust making memories of us." Josh finally kissed Katy at the song's conclusion. She forgot all about Jake's old kiss. But her worry lingered in her heart. She hoped enough memories would be made at the conclusion of their love story.
Draco sighed as the torture show called Homecoming finally came to an end. The clock struck midnight.
Midnight, Memorial Hospital Sugar Land Branch
Hermione jumped straight up from her bed as the effect of the tranquilizer curse finally wore off.
Where am I?
The room was familiar. She had been here before at another time. She remembered just as another familiar figure walked into the room.
"So I see you've woken up." It was Dr. McFarley.
"How did I get here?" Hermione inquired.
"Cuttin' to the chase aren't ya?" The doctor smiled. "You got into a car accident. You got hit by a drunk driver. You don't have to worry about any medical fees or insurance because it was the other driver's fault. You should be a little more careful next time, though. All the tests came out negative so you're fine, but we thought you were seriously hurt."
"Why?" Hermione looked at her body; she didn't have a scratch on her.
"Well, you were knocked out stone cold." Josh"s father answered. "We thought you were tranquilized or something, but there was nothing in your system. Your brain activity was fine too so you didn't have a coma either. You were simply... sleeping."
The effect of the curse...
"I see." Hermione looked at the clock. It was past midnight.
Shit! The dance is over!
"Sir," Hermione looked at Dr. McFarley. "Can I be discharged?"
"Huh," the doctor was surprised. "It's pretty late. Don't you want to just stay the night?"
"I have some business to take care of."
I need to disapparate to the school, transfigure myself to look pretty and dressed, and time-turn myself to the beginning of the dance so that Jake wouldn't get mad at me.
"I suppose you could." Dr. McFarley sighed. "I could force you to stay here, but I suppose if you really want to. You're clothes are right on the chair right there."
"Thank you"
"Oh, and that tree branch you had in your pocket, do you want us to throw that away?"
"NO!" Hermione exclaimed as the doctor stared her in surprise.
"I mean, no" Hermione blushed. "It's a branch from a rare tree. I'm using it for a biology project."
Knowing that Hermione was one of the brightest students in the school, the doctor fell for the white lie.
"Alright," he smiled. "It's a good thing I didn't throw it away then. I'll let you change back to your regular clothes. You can leave your hospital gown on the bed."
He walked out and Hermione changed back to her regular clothes.
After changing, she walked out of the room and signed all the discharge papers. Upon thanking the doctors and nurses, Hermione rushed out of the area before Dr. McFarley could ask "How are you gonna leave without your car?"
Hermione rushed into an empty lady's room and disapparated. It was 1:00 am.
That Time, at School
Draco Malfoy sat on the stage alone, watching what was left of the Homecoming dance. Everyone had left, the clean up was over, but Draco couldn't seem to leave. Something kept him here; he supposed that it was the sense of loneliness that the empty dance floor evoked. He could relate to that feeling; he was destined to be alone too.
But, he couldn't sit there forever. He had move on and leave.
Jake Alexander stood up and walked away from the dance floor.
Hermione Granger apparated right in front of him as he approached the doors.
They stared into each other's eyes in complete surprise.
"What the hell are you doing here now?" They exclaimed simultaneously.
REVIEW, and tell me especially if there's any mistakes
Sorry, I left this with a cliff hanger and a lot of issues unexplained.
Furthermore, I'll step out from the Katy/Josh stuff to focus more on Jake/Hermione, Horcrux, and the whole ring issue.
Oh, and i'll be spending this Spring Break, or try to at least, to edit and lengthen up my old chapters in order to make it better. You won't miss out on the plot if you don't re-read, but it'll have more detail, stream of consciousness, talking, some fighting, etc etc.