A/N: Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows after last chapter! I'm going to try not to blather on too long and just let you get into the chapter. You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions.
Please let me know what you thought of chapter thirteen and be on the lookout for chapter fourteen soon!
If he was honest with himself, Adrian could admit that he'd felt relief when Granger had told him that she wasn't even friends with Draco Malfoy. The suggestion that there might be something between the two of them had niggled around in his brain after his friends had suggested it, and he hadn't been able to rid the uneasy feeling that came with it. He didn't want to examine what that feeling was, but he knew that he didn't like it.
Adrian had been bothered enough that he'd actually been compelled to ask her.
But, when he saw Malfoy and Granger standing in the hallway together, Hermione giving him a teasing little smile that Draco returned...he'd felt the feeling return. Had she been lying to him? And if she had lied, why? What reason would she have?
He was forced to acknowledge that he could name the feeling when he saw Draco bend over and plant his thin little lips on Hermione's perfect ones.
Jealousy.
He, Adrian Pucey, was jealous of Draco Malfoy. With the acknowledgement came the stunning realization that it was because he liked Hermione Granger. Well, more than liked her...he fancied her.
Knowing that he needed to get away from the happy couple before he did something stupid like punch Draco or scream at Hermione, Adrian stormed off in the direction of his apartment, needing to be alone with his thoughts so that he could examine them more closely.
When had his annoyance with Hermione Granger and her need to be perfect shifted into something else? He had gradually found himself looking forward to finding her in the library every night. She was the highlight of his day. How long had he been more appreciative of her form, unable to be hidden by her school uniform? He couldn't pretend that he didn't watch her from time to time, gazing at her long legs under her skirt, the gentle curve of her breasts. He loved the way her face flushed when they argued and he was often sidetracked when her lips parted.
Salazar, this crush had swept over him out of nowhere, but he had to realize that it had been building up for months.
He fancied Hermione Granger, but he also had to face the facts. There was obviously more going on between her and Draco Malfoy than she'd revealed to him. It would be hard for him to get over his feelings for her when he had so recently figured them out, but it wouldn't do for him to pine after her like a pathetic boy.
Adrian made it back to his apartment quickly, and slumped on the couch. Why should she give him the time of day anyway? He was only ever mean to her and frequently yelled at her about books - one of the only things in the castle that brought her any joy. He hated the way that she'd automatically assumed he was there to scold her when he'd visited her at Gryffindor tower. But why wouldn't she think that? It was all he'd ever done.
He had barely been back to his apartments when he heard someone desperately knocking on the door. "Pucey? Pucey, come on, please talk to me," he heard. Even with her voice muffled by the portrait, there was no denying that it was Hermione.
Stunned, Adrian remained glued to the spot on his settee. He couldn't believe that she'd actually realized that he'd seen her little rendezvous and that she'd even followed him back. Of course, Hermione couldn't let something like go.
She was practically begging on the other side of the wall, and he was almost feeling sorry enough for himself that he thought about letting her think that he wasn't actually in her. He wasn't sure if he wanted to face her, not when he was so upset with her for lying to him and with himself for being such a jerk to her.
"Fine then, I'll just leave!" he heard her shout from the other side of the portrait. "I don't know why you care if Malfoy kissed me anyway. What's it to you, Pucey? Huh?"
He was moving before he even realized it, knowing that this was probably the only in that he was going to get on this topic and he had to take the opportunity now, otherwise this would only fester between them, crushing any chance of romance between them at any point.
She looked a bit stunned when he opened the portrait door, but he was overcome by how pretty she looked then, hair wild and cheeks pink. "Well, come in then," he said before he could lose his nerve. "Let's talk."
Hermione nodded dumbly, but entered his apartments readily enough. "I didn't think you were actually going to let me in," she said once they were alone. "But don't think I'm not irritated with you!"
"Irritated with me?" he questioned with a snort, wondering just how he could have done anything to upset her. "You are the one that lied to me. Look - it doesn't matter to me if you like Malfoy, but you didn't have to tell me that you weren't."
She flushed a darker pink. "I'm not with Malfoy!" she announced, hurriedly. "I don't know what happened. One minute he was telling me Max said I was looking for him, and the next thing I knew he was kissing me."
"Are you sure?" he asked, skeptically, but he knew that she didn't have a very good reason to lie now.
"Yes, I'm sure and it was absolutely the worst kiss I've ever received in my life," she babbled on. "But, I don't know why me kissing Malfoy would have anything to do with you-"
Before she could say anything else, Adrian was closing the distance between them. He had a feeling that actions would speak louder than words in this case. Wrapping her in his arms, he ducked his head and kissed her soundly. Hermione stilled for a moment, before sighing and sinking deeper into his arms. They fit together better than he'd imagined and he was pleased to note that her lips were as soft as they looked.
An eager little thing, Hermione was keen to deepen the kiss, her tongue darting out to test the seam of his lips. Adrian groaned, wanting nothing more than to open his mouth to her exploration then, but he knew they needed to talk before they took things further or they would end up in a silly string of misunderstandings.
Hopefully she'd be up for more snogging once they got everything sorted.
Breaking away, he looked at her with a self-satisfied grin when he saw how affected she was by him. "That's why," he said quietly.
For once in her life, it looked like Hermione Granger was speechless. Eventually though her brain caught up with her mouth. "I don't understand," she said, her voice no more than a whisper. "You don't want me to kiss Malfoy because you want to kiss me?"
"I don't want anyone but me to kiss you, Granger," Adrian answered, hoping that his honesty was going to pay off. "But I've done a really shit job of showing you that I liked you. To be fair though, I didn't really put it together until I saw you with him."
She gave him a silly smile, before throwing her arms around his neck, trying to pull him down into another kiss.
Salazar, he loved the way that she felt in his arms. But, he needed to focus. "Wait, I haven't said everything that I wanted to say and if I don't get it out now, I never will," he said. "I'm...sorry for how I've treated you this year. I've been a jerk to you, and I think the reason was that I was just looking for an excuse to talk to you."
Hermione softened, looking up at him with her doe like eyes. "I accept your apology," she said with a toothy grin. "It wasn't very nice to be told that I was going to mishandle books every day."
"I imagine that got to you in particular," Adrian said with a roll of his eyes.
"But, I also need to apologize," Hermione added. "I've been such a little twit, and I've been so sure that I'm doing the right thing that I didn't even recognize the unfair treatment I sometimes get from professors and the Ministry. It wasn't fair for me to expect you to bend the rules for me, too, just because everyone else does."
Adrian felt a little bad that she was apologizing for that. "You can't really help how people treat you," he said, hoping that she didn't feel too guilty.
"But I don't have to accept preferential treatment," she argued, a determined look on her face. "I don't want anyone to suspect that I got where I am because of anything but on my own merit."
Adrian gave her a shy smile, glad to hear that she was going to be more aware of the benefits that came with being Hermione Granger. But, he also recognized that she did have to deal with a lot being a muggleborn. He was going to try to be more compassionate about that, too.
"So, is that everything that you wanted to say to me, or is there any more?" she asked with a very Slytherin looking smirk. She took a step forward to close the gap between them, until their chests were touching once again.
Adrian swallowed thickly. Even if there was anything else he wanted to say, he was certain it couldn't compete with Hermione. She was the picture of seduction in that moment. "Can't think of anything else I wanted to say," he said, his voice thick with lust.
"Good," she whispered. "Because I can't think of anything I'd rather do than kiss you right now."
"You really do?" he asked, still a bit stunned that his feelings might be returned. "Want to kiss me?"
She nodded, and started walking him back until his legs were hitting the settee. Adrian sat down with a thud, looking up at the witch who stood before him.
"Maybe like you, I didn't really put it together until today," Hermione agreed. "But I definitely want to spend the rest of the afternoon kissing you." Bold as ever, she pressed her hands to his shoulders and crawled on top of him, until she was straddling his lap, pressed intimately against him.
Adrian brought his hands to her waist to steady her, before nuzzling his face against her throat. He pressed featherlight kisses up and down the pale curve of her neck. "Is that so?" he asked, feeling effervescent to know that she felt the same.
"Mmhmm," she agreed, her fingers playing with the short hairs on the back of his neck. "Should have realized it with how much time I spent thinking about your arms."
He laughed. "My arms?" Adrian asked, pulling back to look at her face.
"Yeah," Hermione agreed. "I didn't see why you needed to show off your biceps, picking up huge stacks of books anymore. I always thought you were pretty proud of your Quidditch physique. You sure love to roll your sleeves up."
Adrian pulled her down for a quick kiss, loving the way she melted against him immediately. "I should have known it was lugging around books that would have caught your attention, Granger," he said, unable to resist adding the kiss.
Hermione gave him a mock hurt look. "Shut up and kiss me, Pucey," she instructed, bossy as ever.
He felt a surge of heat pinball down his spine, hitting each and every vertebrae. "If you insist," he replied. He tangled one hand in that intriguing hair of hers, before pulling her in for a searing kiss. Parting his lips, she practically purred when he finally deepened their kiss, his tongue caressing hers.
Adjusting slightly, he pushed her back against the settee, ready to make good on her promise to snog away the afternoon together.