Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the lyrics I quote in each chapter.
Chapter Twelve
Ain't No Rest for the Wicked
"She looked at me, and this is what she said,
Why do you do this to yourself,
And I said,
Oh, there ain't no rest for the wicked,
Ain't nothing in this world for free,
No I can't slow down,
I can't hold back,
Though you know I wish I could,
No there ain't no rest for the wicked,
Until we close our eyes for good…"
Ain't no rest for the wicked by Cage the Elephant
Friday September 27th, 1996
Just outside the Gryffindor commons room- Five minutes after six pm
Ginny stood still, crossing her arms with a sniffle followed by a choke of a hallow laugh as she gradually started descending the staircase. After yet another fight with her boyfriend Dean Thomas, she could not decide why she was still with him, especially if he did not trust her around Harry at all. Relationships involved trust and understanding, but most of all, love, which she unfortunately didn't think she knew the feeling.
Huffing aloud she looked down at her wrist watch gasping when she realized she was late to the dinner party and most likely a right mess from her tears. Cursing softly, Ginny quickly made her way through the empty halls but stopped just outside a girl's lavatory where she could check her small amount of makeup she had wore for the occasion. Once inside she looked her reflection of her puffy red eyes, slightly smeared mascara and her hair slightly askew.
'Ginny Weasley. Trust you to make a mess of yourself before seeing… Harry…' she thought to herself, rolling her eyes as she realized she had been thinking about how Harry would see her, and not about Dean. Scoffing slightly, she reached for her small handbag to take out her wand and fix her ghastly appearance before anyone, not just Harry, saw her.
When she approved of her look once more, she sighed seeing that is was now eight minutes after six as she shoved her wand inside her handbag and made her way to exit the loo. Just as she stepped into the threshold, she literally stumbled into someone who had been standing there.
"My goodness, I am so sorry. Honestly didn't see you there, my apologies." She explained to the boy that stood before her with a smile and a soft chuckle. Looking down at his house robes, she noticed the emerald green stitching of Slytherin, which confused her greatly, for him to be here on this floor, after all classes were finished for the day.
"No, that's quite alright. I've been looking for you actually, you're somewhat of a difficult person to find, Ginny Weasley." he wondered tilting his head to his right while giving her a lopsided smirk and then taking a step forward. An uneasy feeling tugged at her gut as she took two steps backwards into the loo, but shortly after he began to follow her inside.
"W-What are you doing? This is the girl's lavatory, you need to get out of here, now." She barked feeling for the zipper upon her bag in attempts to retrieve her wand but he had stopped her by a flick of his fingers causing her bag to fly across the room. Gasping, Ginny swallowed the lump of fear tied in her throat backing up and into the cold tile wall behind her. Stopping just before her, she watched the boy mumble something just under his breath as then he reached inside his dress robes for his wand.
"You see, Ginny, I've been looking for you specifically, because I need you to do something for me, and unfortunately for you, I already know you won't do it willingly." He said to her with a casual shrug followed by an eye roll as she fervently tried to see where her bag landed, seeing that it was right behind him near the sinks but stopped when she saw him point his wand towards her.
Ducking just as he sent a Petrificus Totalus towards her, she then shoved past him towards her bag, but stopped when she heard the word Crucio just before a violent eruption of burning knives began cutting and stabbing at her skin. The pain consumed her, forcing her to collapse where she once stood, reaching outwards as her hands grabbed at the chilled porcelain sink. Her fingers began to slip and all she knew was that she was screaming, harder than ever before while her head felt as if it were about to burst. Tears streamed down her now heated cheeks as the pain came to a halt, stars lingering in her watery vision, but she still saw the boy standing above her clicking his tongue.
"Now, now, this could have gone a lot different. I- well, I was about to say that I didn't want to have to do that, but that would be a lie. Anyways, so here is the thing, Ginny, I need inside eyes, someone who's close to Potter, in order to obtain information that could be of value. See, it cannot be one of the actual Golden Trio. So naturally, I had improvise, which meant you, because I had to find someone that they completely trusted, and as you know that is a very limited amount of students here at Hogwarts." The boy sighed whilst rolling his eyes and Ginny felt the hot tears still flowing down her cheeks as her lips trembled in fear.
'Why didn't someone hear me scream…' she wondered to herself watching the boy reach downwards, gently pushing stray hairs away from her face causing her to flinch away still sobbing as she scooted away from him. Shaking her head she still seeing stars from the pain she had endured, gasping for air and hoping someone would find her soon.
"Alright, well let's get to it because you're already late to that ridiculous dinner party." He scoffed pointing his wand down at her as she closed her eyes while she chocked upon a thick sob. Opening them once more to look at the boy, she shook her head whimpering 'Stop' so softly she doubted that he even heard her. Then the vile word rang in her ears as she waited for it to take her, hoping that everything would be all right. "Imperio…"
"I can see you running,
every night from the same darkness,
It's coming,
Send out the signal and I'll fly low,
And if I'm lost in the worlds shadows,
I'll use the light that comes to me,
From your halo…"
Halo by Starset
Friday September 27th, 1996
During Slughorn's Dinner Party- Quarter after six at night
Deplorably Slughorn required Draco to sit beside the obnoxious Gryffindor Cormac McLaggen, but to his right was fortunately for him Granger who, he would like to add, was still ignoring him. With a sigh, he used his spoon to take a bit of the dessert before him, while 'accidently' bumping elbows with her and then glanced over only to see her pretending that he hadn't.
Rolling his eyes in annoyance, he took yet another bite of his ice cream, having a go at trying to think of a way to get her to talk to him while ignoring Slughorn's piss poor attempts at a conversation. Slughorn's voice drew Draco from his thoughts just as he said Granger's name.
"And what about you Miss Granger? What exactly does your family do in the Muggle world?" Draco heard Professor Slughorn ask, as he narrowed his eyes towards Granger who stiffened in her seat at the question.
"My parents are dentists…," she stated quickly after clearing her throat softly and poking at her dessert with her spoon. Everyone turned to look at her causing her to shift in her seat more than before, and it was obvious to Draco that she was uncomfortable with the question all together. "They tend to peoples teeth." She added while bobbing her head as Draco watched her begin to nibble upon her lip, yet again, forcing him to inhale sharply and the making himself look away.
"Fascinating, and is that considered a dangerous profession?" Slughorn wondered as he then ate another spoonful, and Draco grimaced to himself at the thought of another person 'tending' to his teeth. Shaking his head briefly, he then actually turned his head while waiting for Granger's response to the new question.
"No…" she almost bit out, but seemed refrained, sort of like she was defending her parents instinctively and then cleared her throat yet again before speaking with an awkward laugh. "Although, one time a boy named Robbie Fenwick did bite my father once. He needed ten stitches." She said with a smiled, laughing a little, and then she looked directly at Draco, which had most likely been accidental, but he too found it rather amusing nonetheless. Then the door to the office opened with a squeak, while the girl Weasley walked in shutting the door softly behind her, and then made her way towards the table as Slughorn told her to come in.
"Sorry, I'm not usually late-" she stated softly, as Draco watched saint Potter hop to his feet just after Granger had mumbled something to him about fighting. Potter's sudden reaction to Weaslette , whom by the looks of it had been crying recently, almost made Draco laugh, but he stifled it just in time to speak.
"What's the matter with you Potter? Can't seem to keep yourself seated at a proper dinner party? Clearly your, mother didn't teach you any manors, I mean even Granger, here has some." he chuckled watching Potty look over Granger towards him whilst pushing his rounded glasses up from the tip of his slightly crooked nose. Letting his spoon clank against the glass of his bowl, Draco smirked leaning backwards in his chair locking his fingers together in his lap while waiting for everyone to explode upon him.
"No! I will not allow you to talk about Mr. Potter or his family in that way nor will you talk about Miss Granger… I will have none of that here, Mr. Malfoy. Clearly, it was a mistake to invite you this evening, as predicted." Slughorn said as he fumbled around with a napkin as Draco rolled his eyes looking to see Granger glaring at him harshly, right before speaking.
"No, it's alright professor. Evidently, Mr. Malfoy would rather create simple animosity than to get along others. Blood superiority will always be a problem for him, and I feel sorry for him because nothing will change that. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need some air, it was a lovely dinner party." She snapped, her eyes never leaving his, as she tossed her napkin inside her dissert bowl and stood before brushing past his seat in the direction of the door.
Draco sat there for a few seconds, somewhat stunned by what she had said whilst trying to refrain himself from storming after her in a fit of ire to go talk with her. Smiling at everyone here, he stood up, fixed his dress robes, and then sighed, knowing that if he wanted answers as to whether it was a magic or simple attraction, he needed to talk to, her.
"Seems that I've been uninvited to join the Slug Club, so I guess I shall be on my way then." He said quickly before walking in the same direction Granger had went, shutting the doors behind him just as he saw her rapidly round the corner. Stalking down the hallway briskly, he saw her paused upon a set of stairs for some reason, alone.
"I fear the fever,
Deep in my bones,
It runs electric,
It draws me home,
It knows the weakness,
Deep in my soul,
It keeps me hostage,
I'm never alone,
Maybe I should go,
Baby can't control,
It wants to kill you,
It wants to tear you apart,
It wants to thrill you,
This vengeful love that I've got,
Wants to consume you,
Then spit you out,
I fear the fever,
Can you feel it now,
I fear the fire,
Burning below…"
Fear the fever by Digital Daggers
Friday September 27th, 1996
In the Hallway after dinner party- Nearing Eight at night
'I am honestly done with that git! I want nothing to do with him, ever again!' Hermione practically growled aloud to herself as she stopped walking to cross her arms and just think. She could not believe what he had said, not only bring up Harry's mother, but also bringing her muggleborn status into it, and it was despicable. Scoffing as she remembered what happened Monday night, not even sure how she could feel that way about someone so, so-
"Really Granger, this offended act seems a bit old. After all, we both know that calling you that, really stopped having an effect upon you quite a while ago." his detached cool voice made a shiver run through her as she shook it off, she spun to face the git with a hard glare and a expression of disgust.
"What, you've stopped saying 'Mudblood' now have you? Honestly, Malfoy, if you actually took two seconds to think about what you say, then you would realize that every single time you talk to me or about me, you constantly remind me how much of a lower class witch I am. You're right, it is getting rather old isn't it?" she barked a hollow laugh throwing her hands in the air and scoffing. Spinning around she finished climbing the set of stairs before her, not even caring that she could hear him following her.
Stopping, Hermione turned around as the two of them stood in an empty long narrow corridor that had pillars lined up on both sides down the length of the hall. "What is it that you want from me Malfoy?" she asked in a biting voice gritting her teeth together whilst watching his brows frown.
"What do I want from you? I recall it was you wanting something from me the other night Granger." He sneered down at her taking rather large steps towards her. She backed away, trying to avoid a repeat of Monday night, backing into a column to lean into it while he raised an eyebrow at her.
"Alright yes, I did, past tense but I thought about it, and I honestly don't care what happened if it means I have to get answers from the likes of you, so I left without answers. Now back to right now, if you don't want anything from me, then why are you following me?" she growled allowing her arms to cross her chest yet again, not exactly sure what to do with them. Looking over his expression, she waited for him to shrug, to leave, to do anything that involved her going back to her dormitories alone, but he shook his head.
"No… No that's not why you left that night." He said softly with a small smirk tugging at his lips ignoring her question while he took yet another step towards her now, just arms length away making that electric feeling return from that night full force. She jeered softly to herself while tilting her head to her right and spoke.
"Is that so? Then please, do tell why I left." She smiled towards him lifting her chin upwards to look at him while blinking twice. Malfoy took yet another small step forward towards her, returning the smile then looking her up and down causing her stomach flip-flop.
"It was rather obvious, you left because you were scared…" he leaned forward to lay the palm of his hand flat against the pillar just above her head while the tips of his shoes touched hers. Attempting to remain stoic by his rather close proximity, but then Hermione gaped when she realized what he had just said and before she could respond, he clicked his tongue then continued talking.
"Don't even say you weren't anxious just because you're an all high and mighty Gryffindor. I saw your expression just before you left, and truthfully, it was actually the third time I've seen that look… Would you like to know the other two times I saw it?" He asked softly, almost whispering to her making that dizzy feeling she had gotten on Monday return, while she inhaled deeply.
"Yes actually, I do, because I doubt that's what you saw." she whispered heatedly to him under her breath causing him to grin and lean down even closer towards her. Frozen in her spot, she swallowed the lightheaded feeling that she usually got around him, pointed her chin outwards while pursing her lips together tightly. When he leaned down towards her, she flinched away slightly but stopped when she felt his cheek brush hers softly as he began to murmur ardently in her ear.
"First time, was in the alleyway at the end of summer, when you saw my mother and my aunt… Second time, was on the train back to Hogwarts, you were afraid not because of me, but of Weaslebee and his blonde bint. That's how I know that look, because I've seen it before, and I also know what you were petrified of on Monday night." His hot words made her shiver, as she bit down upon her lip to stop the gasp from the warmth of him blanketing her body.
Malfoy then pulled back, probably in order to see her facial expression before continuing talking. "You were afraid of me, and what I might do. Kind of like right now, isn't that right Granger…" he smirked lightly, his steely eyes examining her most likely to determine what she was feeling right now while he used a finger to brush away a stray curl from her face. Clearing her throat, she batted her lashes once and then tilted her head to her side.
"No, actually, you're wrong. I'm not scared of you…" she spoke evenly as he leaned backwards, standing up right so that he once again, towered over her. Reaching up to give his chest a singular hard poke, she raised her brows in annoyance, as she swallowed the tightening feeling in her throat.
"That so?" he chuckled lightly shaking his head, then proceeded to lift his right hand towards her face yet again and she shied away from him stopping just before letting the back of his finger meet her cheek. "Then care to explain why every time I touch you, you just so happen to jump or flinch away." He rolled his eyes taking a step backwards away from her, as she suddenly missed the heat radiating off him but then banished her thought as soon as it came.
"I flinch at your touch because you're a malicious prat, not because I am frightened of you. So, now that you've talked, from now on aside from potions class that is, I want you to leave me alone. I have things to do, good night, Malfoy…" Hermione stated quickly, turning to leave somewhat surprised that nothing happened so far to suggest a repeat of the other night. When she was turning to walk away, she stopped as she felt his cool long fingers grab her wrist yanking her backwards towards Malfoy. Looking at him as he gave her an indifferent shrug, she was about to tell him to let her go when he shook his head.
"Does it look like I'm done talking with you Granger?" he sneered down at her pulling her closer with a sharp inhale and a tensed jaw. Hermione rolled her eyes, scoffing at his audacity to grab her, but she still enjoyed the burning feeling of his skin on hers, like a current of electricity continuously rushing up and down her arm.
"Now, about patrols, since you wanted to know so badly, yes we were attacked, no I don't know whom by, and I didn't tell you because I don't want anyone knowing. As for right now, we both know that you're not being very honest here Granger, because I can see by the current look upon your face, that tells me you don't think I'm very vile. That damned expression written across your face, is the one I see every time I touch you or get close to you, you know that?" he paused briefly, pulling her closer so that she was almost pressing into him while his thumb rubbed the soft part of her wrist making it harder to breathe. Exhaling shakily, Hermione let her eyes wander towards his lips, knowing that she wanted to feel them, if only just once.
"I know you're not scared of me Princess, you're scare of wanting me and I know that because like I told you before… I can read you like one of your damned books. So I guess I got my answer tonight…" He spoke through his teeth, just before he gave her a right signature Malfoy smirk followed by a sharply singular lift of his brows. Hermione stood there somewhat confused by his last statement as she then looked upwards and could see in his eyes that he was far from okay with her telling him what to do.
Before she could even respond to what he had just said, or react to him, he had let go of her wrist, was halfway down the hallway and around the corner, leaving her rather speechless. Subsequently two students climbed the stair just five feet away from her, as she saw Harry and Ginny walking towards her. Whatever was going on with Malfoy, there was something there, between them and she knew it, just as he did. A spark between them that wasn't going away anytime soon, and that fever she felt, was getting more zealous every time they talked, unfortunately for her.