CHAPTER 5

AS THEY WONDER

A kiss is

a lovely trick

designed by

nature to stop

speech when

when words become

superfluous.

-Ingrid Bergman

Memories of last night replayed through his head as he desperately tried to maintain a neutral face in the common room, among the mass of his house mates.

But he couldn't help forming a small smile, could he? Last night had been fabulous. He had kissed her at last. He wondered how they fit so perfectly in each other's embrace and how their lips molded against each other.

She's the drug I am addicted to...

"Hey! Draco?", a shrill voice rang out, bringing him out of his sweet reverie.

He quickly lost the distant look in his eyes as he whipped around in his reserved seat on the sofa to see the overly happy face of Parkinson. All signs of a ghost of a smile had gone, in fact a sneer resided in its place.

"Yes?", he said in a matter of fact manner, not at all pleased with her intrusion on his beloved memories of the dark.

Blushing from cheek to cheek, she began coyly, "I was well...err... I was wondering if... If you could take me to Hogsmeade today?"

He was unfazed. He had known that's what she would ask from him. The boy-hugger she was. "No. I will not.", was his cold reply. "But Draco, you promised!", she said in her fake chirpy voice.

He didn't even raise his face from the book he was pretending to read and replied with the coldest voice he could muster. "I make no promises to anyone. Just stop trailing after me, I have no need for your unwanted attention. Shoo!", he pretended to dismiss her with a wave of his hand.

"After all these years, how dare you, Draco Lucius Malfoy!" Her face had turned a scarlet shade now. Nearby some innocent first-years got startled. Her face was so scarlet that she could have been mistaken as a Gryffindor enthusiast at a Quidditch match. "This is about that Mudblood, isn't it? I have seen how you look at her! You go after her and dare to leave me? What will daddy dearest say? I daresay he would disown you. You're no Malfoy!"

Now that, was uncalled for, he thought. His face visibly darkened. But he couldn't burst out. It would blow a hole in his usual calm and composed demeanour, for which he was known. It would also reveal his strange obsession with Granger and he really didn't want that to happen. Instead he chose the only way he, the consummate liar knew. Lying. Consummate lying.

And so he put a stone upon the dark truth and his fragile heart and proceeded to lie, all so that Parkinson wouldn't backfire on him and reach his parents about his obsession with a mudblood. That said mudblood being Harry sodding Potter's best friend. Merlin forbid that from happening, he thought uneasily or he would not only be disowned but murdered too. He tried to put the most calm expression on his face before answering the tormented as well as tormenting female in front of him. So much for an addiction.

He sighed. "How can you even think that I like that filthy little mudblood-", he cringed inwardly but nonetheless continued smoothly- "Pansy! I was just joking. But yes, I can't take you to Hogsmeade, I have pending work to do, okay? You go with Blaise, Daphne and Theo. I will go next week.", he said with an air of finality about it. He looked at her, hiding his apprehension. He inwardly shook away his anxiety. It was like him.

Parkinson's face returned to its normal shade from the livid scarlet at his words. Her eyes even twinkled a little with relief. "Umm, it's okay... I thought something else, I am sorry.", she said sheepishly. "It's okay. I was acting unreasonably.", he said waving his hand slightly. His words were utterly betraying his emotions. But he couldn't show his true colours, could he?

"Let's go to the great hall, shall we?", he drawled in a bored voice but inwardly he just hoped that Parkinson would forget the previous subject of her shouting match. "Yeah, yeah why not. Let me call the others.", she said a little awkwardly. And so the Slytherin Quartet- Draco, Theo, Blaise and Daphne started towards the Great Hall along with their unnecessary companions that is Pansy and Millicent.

As soon as they had settled on their table, Draco's eyes began searching for a certain bushy haired girl on the other side of the hall. He didn't fail to notice that Granger was not squished between her beloved Potter and Weasel.

Wonder where did she go?, he asked himself. Must be too embarrassed. He chuckled quite loudly at that thought and people around him gave strange looks. But he didn't bother retorting at them; he was simply too busy thinking about the her and her nervousness.

Nice going, Eltanin.And he chuckled again, simply too happy in months. After a while he got up, bid his friends farewell and went away, saying he would truly come with them the next time.

For now he had some unfinished business to complete.

She's really the drug I am addicted to...

Many floors above the chatter and clatter of the Great Hall, Hermione Granger sat cooped up on the floor in her dorm. She hadn't been able to sleep after the tumultuous and confusing events of last night. She wasn't even sure how her feet had carried her back to her bed. All that snogging with Malfoy of all the people had made her quite heady. She had a massive headache from all the waking up and due to that she had become utterly cranky. Or so she told herself.

Damn...

However in the depths of her heart she knew that a certain platinum blond haired boy's certainly uncertain actions towards her were the reason of her crankiness that morning. Due to her sour attitude she had rudely asked Ron, Harry, Ginny and Neville to leave her alone. Only Merlin knew how tormented she was. She had sat down leaning against her trunk for some time now. Even the usually inattentive Lavender and Parvati had asked her if she was unwell.

Stupid, stupid Malfoy! As if her life wasn't already difficult solving puzzles of various kinds. Her life was a perplexing puzzle itself, she thought bitterly. She got up and paced around the dorm, massaging her forehead with her hands now and then. The stuffy atmosphere wasn't helping. She was always tempted to walk out but then she remembered it was that stuffy atmosphere that had eventually led to strange twirlings in her stomach, electrifying sensations in her feet, weakness in her knees and overall mental insanity. She still remembered how he had hovered a centimetre away from her lips, how his stormy mercurial eyes had shone in the faint glimmering moonlight, how he had leaned in and how his lips had devoured lips' chastity.

"Stop thinking about that stupid git and his kissable lips. Think about Ron, think about Ron!", she nearly screamed out. Luckily no one else was nearby to hear her strange contemplations. What is even happening to me?, she asked herself.

Obviously Draco sodding Malfoy's after effects are taking over me.

"Oh, I will go out. What can happen? There's no harm. Besides that cowardly prat wouldn't try anything in the glowing sunlight, only in the faint moonlight.", she half muttered, half huffed. She took out her favourite book, 'Pride and Prejudice' and decided she would go sit by the lake. It was bitingly cold outside her dorm and as she stepped out, she involuntarily fastened her scarf tightly around her neck. The scarf now not only covered her neck but also most of cheeks and a little of her nose and ears. The black of her robes and the mysterious way in which she wore her scarf made her look like an unprepared thief. She walked down the stairs. Luckily she didn't meet any of her friends or enemies on the way. She just didn't want to talk.

The trip to the lake was long. Not only were the stairs particularly nasty that day but the fog had also decided to take over. The fog was extremely thick and visibilty was greatly reduced. She could only see faint and misty outlines of other students and objects in the distance. She made her way precariously through the grounds, careful not to bump into anything or anyone and doing this was becoming increasingly difficult by the minute. She passed Hagrid's hut on her way and smiled at him when she saw him sitting on the front steps. However, she was highly doubtful that he had seen her. At last she saw the smooth glass like surface of the errily calm lake. Not even little waves could be seen. It was almost as if nature had made herself quiet for her. She found her regular spot by a tree trunk, abeit with some difficulty. She had not even read a complete paragraph of her old dogeared tome when she heard the sound of footsteps crunching fallen, wispy leaves, from somewhere behind her.

"I knew you would be here."

Damn...