Disclaimer: Do Not own Harry Potter
Chapter 8
Breaking away Hermione took a step back and looked into the gray orbs that had captured her heart. She saw the way his eyes danced with amusement while looking at her. She knew it was stupid to just up and kiss him. But it was the only way to get him to shut up. Not that she minded any.
He was studying her. He noticed the way she took a step back like she was unsure of what to do next. She was biting her lip softly, he always saw her doing this when she was nervous or reading. He watched her the way her hair blew in the wind and the way the emerald green dress was bringing out her eyes. She looked so beautiful standing before him.
"Hermione." Harry yelled. Damn him, Draco thought it just had to ruin the moment. Hermione looked at him one last time and for some reason she was scared. 'Potter, Draco, Potter, oh she is probably scared he saw. Dammit he just had to come out here.' Draco was to busy talking to himself to notice her turn around and walk apprehensively towards Harry.
"Um . . . Harry." Hermione was nervous her voice was slightly breaking and she could not look at Harry.
"Hermione, I have been looking for you for half a hour. I just wanted to know if you were coming back to the Gryffindor common room for the party?" Harry questioned.
"Oh, right. I can't I am really tired and I would just be a bore." She finished it off with a little yawn. She wasn't lying but she really was tired, but she just was not that tired.
"You are going to miss all the fun. But if you really cannot then I will see you tomorrow. But I am going to ask again. Are you sure you would not rather be-"
"No. Harry just go have your fun." She said cutting him off. "Go you do not want to miss all the fun."
"Alright, night Hermione." She watched him go. Hermione and Draco were unable to leave with everyone else once the ball was finished. At 12:15 everyone was finally out and that left them to clean up and get everything in order for breakfast.
Moving slowly Hermione mumbled a spell to clean up all the trash while Draco, started transfiguring the tables back into there larger size. They worked in silence for an hour. Finally, they met at the door and headed up to the common room. The walk was long and neither dared to speak. When they reached the portrait of a young women. She was known to them as Peyton, she lived in a small cottage on the edge of a small unknown to them. Peyton was a beautiful girl. She had long straight brown-blonde hair, her eyes were a color of blue. Her style of dress was simple. She wore a simple full length red cotton skirt and the blouse was a white with long sleeves the neck was covered and it buttoned up the back. She stepped out of the cottage just as Hermione and Draco were approaching.
"Hello and do we look wonderful or what. How was the ball, did you have a good time, password?" She said this in one breath. She really was a chatter box and on some days you could not get her to shut up and then some days she would not talk at all and just glare at you as you said the password.
"Appugno." Hermione said and slowly walked into the heads common room followed by Draco. The common room was not big but it was enough. The carpet was a soft caramel color. On the wall across from the fire place set a couch in a light hue of brown, to the right of the couch was a love seat and to the left a big chair. Draco claimed the chair their first day there. Hermione did not mind because she claimed the love seat. Neither ever set on the couch. On the walls there was a picture of the four founders this was an odd picture, well in the school, because it neither talked nor moved. Also on the wall between Hermione and Draco's rooms was another picture of Peyton.
"It is good to be home, do you think so?" Hermione asked. She turned around and saw him sit in his chair so she followed this and sat. She watched him as he looked around.
He took it all in again. He never really thought of this as home but as he looked around he realized this was the only place he did feel at home. When Dumbledore, made the room he made the common room neutral. For this Draco was thankful, he would never tell anyone, but his favorite color was actually a deep red. Just because he was a Slytherin did not make his favorite color green or black. And he was certain Hermione's was not red or gold.
"Hermione, what is your favorite color?" He asked and watched her as she looked up to him with a confused expression. He never really asked her personal questions before. This was not that personal but it was a way to get to know her.
"Yellow, what about you?" She said this and looked back at him she had a small smile playing at her lips and he just smirked. "Come on I told you mine tell me yours, please." She then stuck out her bottom lip and looked like she was going to cry. "Please." She said again and he just smirked.
"Guess."
"Green."
"No why was that your first guess." He already knew the answer but just wanted to hear it from someone else.
"You are in Slytherin and it would just make sense. People think mine is red. Oh, I just stereotyped just like everyone else. I always get annoyed when someone says something like 'oh that was such a Gryffindor thing to do' because to tell the truth. I have been doing the same thing for years even before I was a Gryff. Others do it to but no one says anything to them."
"Alright, alright please, stop."
"Sorry, I do not know why I do that. Anyways, is your favorite color, blue."
"No and do not apologize you did not do anything."
"Fine, red." He just looked at her the smirk fading and she knew she got it right. "Woo, wait, red." She couldn't stop laughing. He always made fun of her houses colors and it was, oh, it was just to funny.
"It is not that funny you can stop laughing."
"But, Draco" she had to stop because another round of giggles came around. "It is come on what if I told you my favorite color was green and I absolutely loved snakes. You would laugh." Again, she started laughing at that thought.
"Do you?"
"Do I what?"
"Like snakes?"
"Oh, no, definitely not. They just happen to be one of my worse fears besides flying. When I was little my cousin Tyler, would chase me around with his pet snake, 'Baldwin' one night he put him in my bed and he bit my toe. I had to go to the hospital and make sure nothing was wrong. That is when my parents realized I was different. When we got back, my cousin was laughing and before he knew what was happening his pants were on fire and he was hanging from the ceiling." Draco just started laughing as Hermione told her story. He could just see Tyler hanging there. He was laughing so hard that he had to wipe away his tears. "It is not that funny."
"But, Hermione it is. Come on you laughed at me it is only fair I can laugh about this."
"Oh, fine what ever. Laugh all you want. But you have to tell me one of your stories, it is only fair."
"Alright, lets see here. That's the story. Okay, I have this weird fear of, you cannot laugh, I am afraid of spiders. When, I was younger I always would go outside and I was playing by my favorite tree and this spider came out of nowhere and started talking to me. I got scared and ran to my mum and it followed. Then, when I came here I thought I had gotten over it. But in first year when I got that detention and had to go to the forest. Did you know there were giant spiders out there? It tried to feed me to its kids. If it was not for Hagrid I would be spider food." Hermione could not help but just stare at him and then slowly started laughing. He look petrified.
"Ron is afraid of spiders to. Aragog, the giant spider, almost fed him and Harry to his kids second year. Aragog, is Hagrids pet spider."
"That thing is his pet." Hermione just nodded because she was once again overcome with uncontrollable laughter.
They spent there whole night in the common room just talking about anything that came to mind. Neither of them had changed from there earlier attire. They did not really care. That night Hermione realized Draco was more than he seemed. And Draco found the true Hermione, the one he was slowly falling for. Somehow during the night they ended up on the couch and fell asleep in each other's arms as dawn approached.
A/N: Thanks to those who have reviewed. All I really need to say is sorry that I have not updated in awhile. This week I had 3 golf meets and all were out of town so I have not been home. PLEASE REVIEW!
