Chapter Five: Once Again
A/N: Thanks SO much to ShadowHexx771, HRInuyashaFan16, Cndylvr697, iluvsmallville1, AllApologies, and LeTea for reviewing! Sorry for the late update, once again. I can't guarantee I'll be updating in this next week..I just got a job, and it's my last (and busiest) week of school (semester tests). After this next week, however, there will be NO MORE late updates, unless I get writer's block, which I hope I won't. Now please, here is Chapter FIVE!
Hermione's POV
I think this is pointless. We don't need water, and he didn't need to kiss me. Why did he? I guess it was a way to shut me up- and sadly, it worked. Damn, he is a good kisser, too. But wait- just wait a minute! I was reserving my lips for that kind of kiss from Ron, not Draco! I've already kissed Krum and McLaggen- but both were only ploys to get that irresistable redhead jealous! But no, he goes off into a dark and shadowy corner to have a snog fest with Lavender..curse her! Ha, they aren't seeing each other anymore, anyway. Serves her right.
What did that kiss mean? And why didn't I stop him? I thought I liked Ron. I still do like Ron...don't I? I just want to go somewhere, alone, and analyze my thoughts and feelings. They're all mixed up now, thanks to the blasted snog I shared with Draco! But my feelings shouldn't be...I was so sure that I would always fall for Ron.. actually, I had. But now..I can't honestly say that. Sure, we argue a lot. Share shouting matches. But it was more like fighting as if we were an old couple, and somehow, those arguments made me like him even more. We're close, and we had something. But I really can't quite put my finger on it, thanks to who I thought was my arch-nemesis that I snogged! No. I didn't kiss him- the git kissed me!
And I know what I am feeling right now! Angry! I just want to break something..I want to scream!
Instead, I do something less violent and much more satisfactory. I stop and turn towards Draco, who also stops and is about to say something. But before he can, I raise my hand and slap him across the face! An angry red mark appears where I had hit him. Ah..I already feel loads better. Just as I had when I slapped him in my third year.
"What the bloody hell was that for!" He says, smarting.
"For kissing me, you slimy git!" I say, angrily, then storm off up ahead of him.
He catches up to me and remarks, "You didn't stop me, did you?" Did he have to point out the obvious? And be right? Honestly.
"You- you hate me! I hate you! What kind of kiss was that? The kiss of death!" Well, I don't really hate him. And I'm not sure if he hates me- but still, that was one of the most inapproriate times to just randomly grab someone and start snogging them! Least of all to someone as dignified as me!
"Oh, come off it! You know it wasn't like that. I..don't actually know why I did what I did. It was just a kiss, anyway. It didn't mean anything. I swear." It didn't mean anything. Was that what I had wanted to hear? But then, why was there a sickening feeling in my stomach from hearing those words?
"Good," I say, huffily. Just because I liked that one moment of kissing him, didn't mean I liked him. I still like Ron..I still like Ron...
He stops and looks me in the eye, then smirks. "I got you all out of sorts, didn't I?"
"I- er- no you didn't!" Obvious lie.
"Don't lie." Of course he knew it was a lie! Act cool, Hermione. Act cool.
"I- well, maybe you did," I say, flustered. So much for acting cool. "But would you still be sane if someone you thought as an enemy starts kissing you?"
"Maybe not," he replies, then grins. "Did you need another kiss to make you sane?" What! This isn't the reaction I was expecting! My heart is pounding. Oh no! Would he kiss me again? And if I did, would I have the willpower to stop him? I can't let him kiss me, not again! Then I would never be able to get out of this- these good feelings that I've suddenly developed for him! And Draco is not one I'm about to fall for. No. I just can't..Look at it this way, Hermione. He's in Slytherin, he's dishonest, unloyal, cunning, and an absolute hater of 'Mudbloods' like me! Merlin, could I honeslty fall in love with someone like him? What chance would I have with him, anyway?
"No, I don't think so," I answer, nervously. Since when did I wind up in this sort of situation with him, of all people? Once it would have been easy to ignore him. Now..I'm not so sure.
"Come on, Hermione," he says, huskily, "You want another kiss, and we both know it." He must be trying to mess with me and my mind. And he's doing this very well. Too well, for my own comfort.
I gulp. "Cut it out. I know you're kidding." He had better be kidding.
"Am I?" This is starting to freak me out. What if he really wasn't kidding? I scoot on ahead, but he grabs my wrist and spins me around to face him. He just stares at me and says nothing, a look of..yearning in his eyes. Merlin. This can't be happening.
"No- I mean yes, you are kidding. And I do not need another kiss from you. I'll just be waiting for one from someone like Ron. Someone like Ron who can match you at your best, even when they're not at their best! Besides..why would you want to kiss me? You said that kiss didn't mean anything. I'm sure you can find someone else more worthwhile to snog." Saying that him at his best wasn't even as good as Ron's normal wasn't exactly called being nice. But since when was Draco nice, either?
"Maybe I was lying about it not meaning anything to me. And how're you ever going to see your precious Ron again without falling in love with me?" He got me on that one.
"There still must be another way," I say, obscurely. I highly doubt there are any loopholes now. It would be so much easier if there were, though. But would it be so bad if I did fall for him? He could be charming sometimes, and not always so arrogant..it was nice to be comforted and in his arms when I was crying earlier..he is extremely sexy and- as I found out against my will eariler- an extremely good kisser. What girl wouldn't fall for that?
And I know the answer to that- someone smart and sensible like me. He's practically a Death Eater, Hermione- and hates your best friends with a fiery passion. And besides that- your friends hate him back with that same fiery passion. Argh, I have got to stop talking to myself in third person.
"And what other way is that?" He says that as if he's pissed. I guess I would be too if I was rejected from a kiss.
"I don't know!" I say, frustrated. "How about we stop arguing and continue to search for that place with the water?"
"If you knew where it was," he replies, coolly, "We would have been there ages ago. It'll be nightfall by the time we reach it!"
For the first time, I don't snap back. "Could you please just leave me alone? We'll find it..eventually." I'm suddenly just tired, and don't feel in the mood to argue. I'm not in the mood to waste my breath on conversing with him anymore. I would rather just run away from him, and sleep..or at least be alone. But I can't get away from him. And I don't have enough time to figure out why I have feelings for this bloke at all. Curse him! Oh. That's right. I almost forgot- we're already cursed! Bloody hell!
I'm about ready to slap him again- but I restrain myself and instead settle for punching a tree. Bad idea.
"OUCH!" I scream out loud, my hand throbbing.
He smirks again, which make me all the more angrier. "What are you looking at?" I say, angrily.
"Moody, aren't we? What is it, your time of the month?"
I choose to ignore his last comment. "Guess what I pictured that tree to be?" I pause, but don't leave enough room for him to get a word in. "Your face!"
"What is it that makes you hate me so much?" He asks, pained.
"You- you're ruining me! All because of us being trapped on this bloody island, and us having to fall in love! And then you start snogging me- and that- you can't do that!" I'm panicking. I know I am, but I'm helpless to do anything about it.
"But I did."
"Exactly!" I'm about ready to storm off and away from him, once again. But once again, he grabs my wrist to spin me around towards him.
"Hermione, you can't just run away again. And I'm not about to let you run off again.." He pauses, then continues. "I won't kiss you unless you want me to, and I'm not trying to 'ruin' you. So please, can we continue the search for the water? Then, if you want, I can go off somewhere else and never bother you again. So until then, how about you try and pull yourself together?" He says this, gently. I search into his eyes- he's telling the truth. My initial panic is ebbing away.
"Okay," I sigh. "Let's look. But I don't know where to start looking. And we have already been looking for ages."
"We're in the middle of a forest. We're lost. You were lost when you found it, too. We'll find it sooner or later," he says, reassuringly. We start walking in some random direction, walking over and around rocks, logs, and bushes. This forest is dreadfully thick and full of trees, which is a rather stupid statement. Of course, if there were few trees, it wouldn't be a forest, would it?
I manage a small smile. "You mean later than sooner."
"Well, we'll find it sometime, right?" I hope so. I'm so tired. Have I mentioned that yet?
Silence surrounds us for a time, apart from the occasional rustle of leaves and the snapping of twigs as we walk upon them. It hasn't been long since I was feeling angry and panicked, but already I was calm. I guess Draco is okay when he's not being his usual self, and when he isn't in that strange mood of wanting to kiss me..and/or do worse, unimaginable things. That was probably what had mostly freaked me out.
"Bugs," Draco mutters, after awhile, to himself. "Of all the living things in this world, it had to be bugs."
"I forgot to mention that. Apart from finding that man, I had found bugs. Just what we need, eh?"
He stops to gaze at me. "Just what I need." If I'm not as crazy as I was earlier, I would have thought that he had more of a hidden meaning in that. Hopefully not.
"Right," is all I say.
"Look, Hermione, I-"
I grow rigid. "Quiet, I think I hear something." It's the familiar noise of rushing water! Finally! I honestly didn't think we'd ever find it..
"Draco!" I say, excitedly. "It's water!" We start to run towards the noise. I'm excited, because I'm secretly as thirsty as Draco is..but I'm not about to let on to it. Even though I am running excitedly towards it..bah.
Out of the blue I stop. I almost forgot about the man in the water..suddenly my thirst is forgotten.
Draco was still running towards the sound when I had stopped, but he turns around and runs back towards me. "What?" he asks.
"It's..that man. I don't really want to see him."
"He's dead, he won't jump out at you. And it's not like the body has rotted yet-"
"Please," I say, starting to feel sick.
"Hermione, I'm here, too. Nothing will happen. If it makes you feel better, I'll go check it out first."
"No..I'll..go with you." He nods and takes my hand, but I don't protest. We press on, but instead we walk.
As we're about to reach the clearing and the waterfall, I clench my teeth and close my eyes shut. Just because I went still didn't mean I wanted to see such an awful sight. I could just..drink while keeping my eyes shut. Yeah! That's what I'll do..
We stop. I'm guessing we're in the clearing now.
"There's nothing here except for water."
"What?" I snap my eyes open. Here's the place- with the water gushing into the pond but- no body. No old man.
"Are you sure there was an old man here at all?" He's doubting me. But I can't have been hallucinating- I wasn't tired or anything. I know he was here...he drowned here, for Merlin's sake.
"Yes, there was," I insist. "Maybe there's something...down there. Like the giant squid."
"He's obviously been here for awhile, though. Wouldn't that mean he would have figured out that there was something in this pond? I mean, you said he had emerged from the water, didn't you?"
There's a sinking feeling in my stomach. "Yes..if he was real..but I know he was! I'm sure of it.." Great. I'm starting to doubt myself as well.
"Hmm." He pauses. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's drink up!"
"But what if there's bacteria in it or something?" I ask, my Know-It-All self asks. "I'm not about to drink stale water."
"Look at it! It's clear enough," He answers, patiently.
"Fine," I give in. We both kneel down to take a sip. Pure, fresh, lovely water. Yes..my throat feels better already!
Still, I can't help but wonder- what happened to that man? Were there unexplainable forces here at work? Were there even more people here that we don't know about? Was he really a figment of my imagination..?
I wonder even more about Draco. Deep down, I know we now have something. But what that is, I can't quite put my finger on it..
A/N: I know, not an awful lot of romance yet- but they both need some time to realize the feelings they're developing towards the other. So just be patient with me please! And also, review!