Evaluate This!
Chapter 13
Never
Midnight came and midnight went. The spell that kept Draco and Hermione within five feet of each other had not worn off.
Hermione fumed.
Draco managed to keep all emotion off his face…but inside, he was gloating. For him, the night had gone mostly well. Except for the embarrassment of the self-proclaimed fiancé…that had been a bit, if not traumatic then... well, it was traumatic.
"Okay, sorry…Malfoy."
"Make that Draco and I might consider accepting it."
"Draco!"
"Hey, I didn't tell you to scream it yet. Later though I'll—"
Draco watched as a very funny look crossed Hermione's face. A look caught between amusement and fright.
"What?" He turned too late. Pansy was on him before he could even register a thought.
"Oh sweetie, let's dance." Pansy purred.
"Uh, Malfoy?" Hermione couldn't tell…was he alive, knocked unconscious, stunned, or dead?
She heard him grumble something that sounded remotely like 'Pansy get the hell off me'. But she wasn't sure.
"Pansy, um, I don't think he can breathe." Hermione edged toward the two.
"What do you mean, Mudblood? Are you saying that I'm fat?"
Hermione squinted her eyes, turned, and held her hand up. "No, Pansy, but, I'm seeing more than I ever wanted to, and so is the rest of the school."
Thinking fast wasn't one of Pansy's... talents. Her eyes grew tiny as she pondered, her lips pursed…it took her a long, long time before Hermione's words registered.
And all that time, Malfoy remained trapped. If he could have said anything, he would have agreed with Hermione, firstly that he couldn't breath and second that he was seeing a lot of skin that was just too close for comfort.
Hermione glanced around the room, not one of the students who witnessed the accident was in any hurry to help Malfoy. 'Figures,' Hermione thought.
She would have to save the pompous ass from the pug-faced blimp—but how? After all, Pansy wasn't small—not fat, but definitely larger than herself…and Hermione was, well, normal. The odds were definitely against her.
Her worrying was brought to an abrupt end as Ms. Danna returned.
"Ms. Granger?"
Hermione nodded as Ms. Danna looked from her to the almost hidden Malfoy.
"I'm assuming that that is Mr. Malfoy." Ms. Danna said to no one in particular. "Ms. Parkinson."
Pansy looked up.
"Would you please come with me?"
Pansy pouted. "But—I"
"NOW."
And that, Draco thought, was why he was alive and sitting here arguing with Granger—Ms. Danna had saved him from asphyxiation.
Unfortunately, he was now indebted to the psychiatrist, as she had made perfectly clear after the ball.
"And what did you put into the punch, huh? I know it was you. You have been planning and sneaking and just being an asshole this entire week. Why?"
Draco looked over to Hermione and shrugged his shoulders.
"Why not?"
Hermione stopped pacing. "I don't know." She sat down.
"Well, Granger, I'll tell you why I did." Draco stood and began to walk away.
"Where are you going? Malfoy, stop." Hermione stood, knowing that if he got too far away from her, her legs would automatically start to follow—no matter what she did to try and stop them.
"I'm going to my room, Granger. You know, that lovely pink covered room?"
"Well, I don't want to go to your room Malfoy—pink or no pink I'm not going."
"Well that's just too bad, isn't it?" Draco sneered and walked into his room, knowing she would follow—knowing she had to…for at least another two hours.
He was a genius—he'd admit it. And this was his crowning moment.
He grinned, glad she couldn't see it, because it was a particularly evil grin, he had to admit. He flopped onto his bed and waited for her to reluctantly come into his room.
He glanced around. Every single thing was one shade of pink or another—courtesies of Hermione and her friends.
This wouldn't have bothered him so bad, except that a weeks worth of searching had yet to reveal a charm that would reverse it.
"This is really not my color, Granger." Draco drawled as he lay on his bed, playing with a pillow that had, a few days ago, been a lovely shade of green. Now, it was a rather humiliating shade of pink.
Hermione, who was now standing at the edge of the five feet that was permitted to her, scowled. "Funny, the girls and I thought it fit you rather nicely."
Draco grinned. He he, she was in his room…he he… "Of course you would." He replied as he gloated on the inside. "You and your little friends must have been under the influence of something to even dare to come into my rooms—and then to desecrate them like this…tell me Granger, was it drugs?"
He watched her face flush, and horror cross her eyes. "We do not do drugs! We leave that to the pathetic waste of society, Malfoy…a society that you take such pride in being one of."
"Nice Granger. Give that temper a work out."
Hermione ground her teeth. "Have I mentioned lately how nice your head will look on a platter?"
"So that you could keep it forever and ever?" Draco asked, his smirk in place. He never thought this would be so much fun. After all, Hermione had no choice but to stay and endure everything he threw at her. She couldn't just stalk off as she usually did.
She was glaring now, her face flushed. He had to admit he enjoyed watching her. Looking at her. Following her. Aggravating her. Tormenting her…Kissing her. Draco sighed at himself. How had this started?
Even he did not know…but if he could just get her to kiss him…one…more…time…
Hermione watched a dreamily sweep the smirk off the blonde's face. She really did not want to know what he was thinking. Instead, she set her mind to other things…
Punch!
"You did something didn't you?" Hermione stated, bringing Malfoy out of his daze, and began to pace.
Draco just sat back and watched. "And what exactly have I done this time, Granger?"
Hermione didn't stop pacing as she thought. "I want to know exactly what you did to the punch. Right now!"
"Why, Granger, would I do that?" Draco smirked. He reclined against the hot pink pillows on his bed and watched the increasingly annoyed Granger pace. He'd get to where he was going in his own sweet time…for now, it was amusing to just watch her.
Hermione was trapped and she knew it, the person who initiated the spell had power over the other. It was just simple fact and to her grievance she had not had the foresight when Malfoy had said he'd wanted to do it. Hermione shook her head…she had been so stupid.
"I don't know Malfoy, why you do anything at all. Why you even bother to breath, 'cause Merlin knows the whole school would throw a party the second you kicked the bucket. Seen any grims lately?" Hermione was on a roll and she was pissed. "If not I can sure present you with an opportunity to see one!"
"Calm down Granger."
"I will not calm down! I am tired, I am sick of this dress, and I am stuck with you! I do not want to calm down!"
"You could always remove it." Draco suggested, and had to stifle a laugh at Hermione's expression.
"I am not one of your whores Malfoy!"
Draco only smirked.
"I am not!" Hermione yelled.
"If you say so."
Hermione's chocolate eyes narrowed dangerously. "I will kill you one day. You just watch."
Draco nodded his head twice. "I'm just a shivering with fear, Granger. Truly. You strike the cold knife of death straight into my heart."
"What heart?" Hermione grumbled.
Draco smirked. "Come over here and I'll show you where it is."
Hermione sent him one scathing look before she exploded.
"Damn it Malfoy! Just end the stupid spell!"
Draco had had enough of her hysterics. "Not right now Granger. I like you like this." He sauntered towards her. "Now for what I was going to tell you." He grabbed her arm. "Please stop pacing."
Hermione wrenched her arm free. "So that's what you have to tell me? To stop pacing, I can't believe you actually got up to make such a stirring announcement. Oh my Merlin! Draco Malfoy wishes for me to stop pacing. Might I say, yes sir, I'll do just that. Now what Alternate Universe would that happen in? Eh?"
Draco shook his head. "This one."
Draco was now sitting happily in the quiet and calm of his room, Hermione at his side. He smiled. "Calm now?"
Sighing, Hermione did the only thing she could—she glared.
"Okay. So do you have anything to say other than that I am a manipulative asshole, a ferret, a pompous ass, or any of the other things you have called me?"
"Why are you doing this?"
"Because I can."
"Then why not go bug someone else, or better yet, your fiancé?"
Draco leaned back to think. "You know, Granger, I've been thinking about that whole fiancé thing. I don't know what I'm going to do about her. But the fact is that I'm here, with you."
Hermione shrugged her shoulders. "So?"
"I guess I should also mention I slipped something into the punch tonight before I answer your question."
"Tell me something I don't already know Malfoy."
"Well, you see, I didn't just slip anything into the punch."
Hermione sat up straight. "You have my full attention Malfoy."
"You see, Hermione…"
Hermione gritted her teeth, her blood racing. "Malfoy."
"I sort of, lets just say I... " Draco paused, he'd never seen Granger look so sick and mad all at once, it pleased him. "Added a weak love potion."
Swallowing was hard as Hermione's face contorted. "You—did—what!" she screamed.
Draco winced. "Jeez, what's the big deal, it wasn't anything permanent, just a little teeny, tiny…" Draco looked up to see if she was buying it. Deciding that she wasn't he added, "Miniscule, completely insignificant amount." He shrugged innocently. "A few drops. I swear that's all."
Hermione shook her head and blinked. "Do you know how much trouble we're going to be in if anyone finds out? Especially Dumbledore! You aren't allowed to mess with people's lives like that! It's…" Hermione paused for breath.
"Great. It's great." Draco stood, losing his temper. "It makes it easy for guys who actually deserve it, and given, those who don't, a freaking chance!"
"A chance at what? No one wants to be with someone they don't like!"
Draco took the few steps needed and shook her. "And how do they know they don't like them? Huh! How is anyone ever supposed to have a chance when that person already has an entire encyclopedia of faults written? Whether its true or not!"
"If you're talking about me, Malfoy and you're sudden interest in me, then you are wasting your breath. Hear me loud and clear." Hermione got right up into his face—something that she probably wouldn't have done, and most likely knew she shouldn't…but when one is mad… "I don't like you." Hermione annunciated each word slowly and clearly. "That's just the way it is."
Draco nodded. "Is that so?" He asked, his voice cold and his eyes fierce.
"Yes. It is."
"Then why are you holding me so tightly?"
Hermione grimaced, realizing she was doing just that. Not for the reasons he obviously had in his head. She hadn't even noticed, after all it was hard to get into someone's face, who was much taller than you. You needed a support beam, and Malfoy had fit the ticket.
"You know what, Granger." Draco ran his hand through her hair. "I don't care what you think about me. I don't care if you say you don't like me. I don't care if you aren't the prettiest girl in school. In fact, I don't care about much of anything other than that somewhere, sometime, somehow…I lost my mind, and—I" He brushed her hair from her face, tracing the line of her jaw, he sighed.
"You fell for me anyway."
Draco smiled. How could he not have?
"I'm sorry." Hermione backed away.
"For what?"
Hermione looked around the room. "For this." She motioned to the pink walls and curtains and carpeting and chairs and bed.
Grinning, Draco took her hand, lacing his fingers through hers. "Well, believe me, I can come up with some things you can do to fix that." He tugged her closer.
"Malfoy."
"Granger." He lowered his head, hoping to taste her soft lips…but unfortunately he met her cheek.
"Not happening." Hermione shook her head.
Draco groaned. "What now?"
"You drank the punch."
"Your point being?"
Hermione sighed. "I don't want to fall in love with you tonight."
"Tomorrow then?"
Hermione shook her head. "Never."
A/N: La la la laaaa...Review please...aaaal al al aL :N/A
