Draco
(Hermiones POV)
I'm leaving the hall after breakfast, gripping books, smiling to myself. Why am I smiling? He just wants to hang at the Astronomy Tower. Just like any other day at the burrow right? I'm lost in thought and don't pay attention when I'm turning the corner and run right into someone, books flying everywhere.
"Ouch! I yell, rubbing my forehead.
"Legging it are we?" Draco laughs, "maybe you should slow it down a bit," he laughs. He gathers my books and stacks them neatly before handing them back to me. "You all right?" I take the books from him and look at him.
"I'm fine, thanks," I said bluntly. I stand there awkwardly, not knowing what to do. "Well, I'll be off then," I say starting to walk away.
"Wait," he says, grabbing my arm. Would you like some company?"
"What? You want to walk with me?" I question.
"Yes?" He smiled. I was waiting for some Slytherin lackey to jump out and pull some prank, but I look around and no lackey. "Well?" He asked again.
"Is this a prank? What are you pulling?" I question, starting to walk away. He runs up beside me and starts walking backwards while I'm walking forwards.
"A prank? Do I look like a filthy Weasley?" He laughs. I stop walking.
"That is not funny," I snapped. I start walking away from him. He catches up to me.
"Granger, look I was only joking. I'm sorry okay?" Malfoy said, grabbing my arm. I look at him. He's eyes are a deep grey like the swirling clouds on a stormy day. He seems different. What is with him? Why is he talking to me? Did I bump my head this morning?
"You could learn a thing or two from all the Weasleys, including Ron," I snap, pushing pass his hand.
"You're probably right, well excluding Ron, give me a break," he snorts.
"What is with you?" I snap.
"What do you mean?" He asks.
"Why are you agreeing with me?" I snap.
"Well, if we look at our track records, pretty much answers itself," he responded.
"Why are you being nice ?" I question.
"Am I not aloud to be nice to you?" He laughs.
"No, I mean yes, I mean…" I say, feeling thrown off.
"Am I making you speechless?" He smiles, walking ahead of me. "I can be quite charming you know, I know you've had a crush on me," he says confidently.
"You're joking?" I start laughing, uncontrollably. "In love with Draco Malfoy? That's a laugh!"
"I like your laugh," he says getting close to my face, "you should do it more."
I feel my face get flush and my heart starts racing. My laughing dies down and I pull away from the force I was trapped in. "I'm late for class," I say, trying not to have eye contact.
"What class?" He asks.
"Muggle studies."
"Brilliant, me too," he said smiling. He grabs my books and starts walking. I felt paralyzed. What is happening? "Come on then, we'll be late Granger."
I catch up to him and we walk to muggle studies together.
We walk into Professor Burbage's class and I go to find a seat up front.
"Granger, sit here with me," he asks, patting the seat next to him in the back. Could this day get any weirder?
"I don't need distractions," I protested.
"I won't say a word," he says, crossing his heart or crossing where a heart should be. I look at the front and all the seats were taken so I caved. I walk to him and sit down. He smiles and pulls out some parchment out his pocket.
"Attention class," a mishap has happened with the science experiment I had planned for today's lesson. Seems someone has stolen some equipment from office and I'm in the middle of finding the culprit. Use this class as a free period and we'll be in tip shape tomorrow," she says, walking to the exit. She stops at our desk and looks at Malfoy. "You're not in this class," she says sharply.
"I just was helping Hermione with her books Professor Burbage, I was just leaving," he says softly. She smiles and then exits the classroom. Draco smiles slyly and puts his feet on the desk.
"So, it looks like we have a free period," he chuckles, leaning back in his chair.
"We? You said you were taken this class but you're not?" I questioned.
"Correct, but, just was an excuse to walk with you and look it worked out you have a free period," he says excitedly.
"Free period to study," I retorted.
"Come on Hermione, live a bit. Let's go," he says standing up holding out his hand. This feels so surreal, this has to be a nightmare.
"I can't," I say, opening up my Muggle studies book. He shuts the books and picks them up.
"Let's go, no debate," he says sternly and starts walking out of the room.
"Draco!" I yell, grabbing my bag and following after him. He starts running and I chase him to the Dungeons. I stop.
"Hermione come on," he says, trying to catch his breath.
"I'm not going to your common room," I said, taking my books from him.
"Everyone is in class, just come in," he persists.
I look at the dungeon door and then back at Draco.
"I guess I have always been curious on the Slytherin common room," I say honestly. "I didn't get the chance to come in when I had that incident with the poly…" I started to say but caught myself.
"Poly?" Draco questioned.
"Nothing," I say, let's go." I put out my arm telling him to lead the way. We walk into the common area and he turns left. I follow and we enter a chamber. At first glance all I see is silk. Green and black silk all over. The bed, the couch and even the rugs.
"So, you get your own room? How shocking," I say sarcastically, running my hand over the silky couch. I sit down.
"Father's doing, he has "if you're the best surround yourself with the best" type of mentality. No one is better than a Malfoy," he sighs, sitting down next to me.
"He seems like a real piece of work, Lucius."
"He is but you don't choose your family." I look at him and kind of lose my patience with this situation.
"Draco, why am I here?" I ask bluntly. "Or do you forget I'm a "mud blood"? What if your father walked in here or your friends for that matter?"
"I saw you in France you know?" He says softly, ignoring my question.
"You did?" I ask, softening my tone.
"Yes, you it was in a pastry shop, Odette. I remember specifically you had this silvery flower thing in your hair," he says, motioning towards my hair.
"That's my mothers," I said smiling. "I stole it from her that day, it was a hair pin passed down in our family."
"It gave me a Slytherin feel," he says, wrapping a Slytherin scarf around me.
"Me? No," I laugh.
"Come on Hermione, Ambitious… cunning… definitely clever. It is so hard to picture?" He questions. I look at him and just stare blankly for a moment. Who would have thought I'd consider Draco Malfoy charming.
"Honestly, I thought for a second that the sorting hat would tell me Ravenclaw, but, I really do believe I belong to Gryffindor," I said smiling, running my hand across the silky scarf.
"Well, the hat didn't even touch my head, we all know where I was born to be."
"Did someone give you potion recently? Are you feeling ill?" I ask, annoyed at this point. I'm done with his distracting me.
"No Granger, I honestly just thought we could talk," he said seriously.
"Why?" I ask.
"I just want you to get to know me. All of you see me this certain way and I'm more than that. When I saw you in that shop in France, something just hit me. Something has changed in me, towards you. I just felt it, you know? Have you ever had that happen to you?"
"Felt what? Wanting one thing you can't have or buy? All you do is torment Harry, Ron, …me. You haven't stopped since first year," I said honestly.
"I actually tried with Harry in the beginning," he huffed.
"Yeah, hoping he'd be one of your lackies," I snapped.
"I know Hermione, I can't explain it. You really don't think people can change? I can't change my past but I can change the present and my future. I'm just curious." He says, shifting himself towards me.
"Curious on what?" I ask.
"Curious," he slides closer to me and raises his hand to my head and pushes a strand of hair behind my ear. I felt my whole body tense up. He looked at me, grey eyes spiraling with desire. I look away. I stand up and walk to the door.
"Malfoy, I have no idea what this is or even who you are at this moment, but it doesn't feel right and I," I start to say. I turn around and he's right in my face. He puts his hand on the back of my head and pulls me in close. He stops, a hair close to our lips touching. "Stop talking," he whispers, then he puts his lips on mine. I sink into him and kiss back. I feel the heat spread through me. I let him pull me tight into his slender body. Then some kind of mental spark snapped me out of the kiss. I pull away, holding my hand to my lip. I look at him.
"I have to go," I say quickly, grabbing all my books and racing out of the dungeon.
Curious…
