CHAPTER 6

AS THEY TEASE

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Listen,you only tease

the ones you love.

— John Boehner

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She turned around nervously. Suddenly a pit had formed at the bottom of her stomach. That infamous drawl was doing things to her."What do you want Malfoy?", she tried to sound brave but her voice came out low and weak. Where was that Gryffindor courage when you needed it?, she thought bitterly.

He watched her, smirking. She seemed so dainty, delicate and vulnerable, hiding half of her face like that with her scarf. " Granger, I just need you to follow me."

"And why shall I do that? No...no— not after what you did, what— whatever trap you've laid for me, I am not bloody falling in it." Suddenly she was shivering and it was not happening because of the cold.

"Are you even okay? Because you don't seem to me. And what are you going on rambling about last night. I didn't hear quite correctly. Something concerning me I believe?", he finished off cheekily as he covered her with his own robe. She didn't protest but watched the snake crest with disgust.

Her brown eyes watched him warily as he sat down beside her, now that her shivering had lessened. "No, I am not okay Malfoy! And you must be wanting to know why?", she rasped out.

"Why?"

The nerve of him."Because of you, you git! You seriously are a foul, loathsome, evil, little coackroach—"

"Hey!", he said indignantly.

"Shut up! What right do you have to come blasting in my already perplexing life and make it even more complicated? Last night! Last night you came and wrecked havoc. What the hell do you think you were doing?"

"Oh my Granger! Let me see,... Umm, I think I was snogging the daylights out of you.", he said seriously and then flashed a charming grin at her.

She looked at him in disbelief, wide-eyed and then regained whatever composure she had that morning. "Exactly", she started decisively, "And I want to know why were you doing that. I was not fooled by all the nonsensical talk you were doing out there."

"Surely it didn't seem like that when you were clinging oh-so-needfully to me.", he smirked, yet again and his stormy eyes were flashing.

She blushed heavily. Thankfully it was hidden by her scarf. "Don't play games with me Malfoy or should I say Eltanin?"

"Actually Draco would be the most preferable."

"Shut up. Tell me why you did that and don't say you fancy me or anything like that because I am not going to believe that at all. You have two minutes to explain yourself, beginning now."

"No, you listen to me. Come with me and I will show you why."

"No, I completely, plainly refuse."

"As you wish."

He got up and started to walk away. She didn't say a word. He walked farther and farther away, his slender form seamlessly blending in with the thick fog. At last when his silhouette was barely visible, she realised she was still blanketed in his robe and so she broke into a sprint, with the robes whipping about her.

"Malfoy!" He didn't stop.

"You forgot your robe." He still didn't stop. I didn't forget that only.I forgot my heart too,he thought remorsefully.

"Draco!",she was nearing him now.

And here, it comes back. He stopped walking.

"Okay, I will come with you if and only if you promise to answer my question.", she mumbled tiredly.

"Fair enough. I knew you would come, curiosity is your weakness Granger. Follow me.", he said as she handed him his robe back.

He walked towards the lake's edge and she followed him warily, concentrating on his back, lest she lost him to the fog. Seeing clearly was becoming extremely difficult by the moment. It was so foggy and dark that it seemed as if it was early evening instead of late morning. He quietly walked ahead. She wondered what was up with him and what did he so badly want to show her.

She was still lost in her own little world when she bumped into something hard and noticed that he had ceased walking abruptly. They were now standing on the lake's banks. He didn't say anything about their collision and instead remained quiet. It was quite unlike him. Who are you and what have you done with Malfoy?,she thought.

He left her standing and moved a few metres to the left of her and put down the robe she had given him back on the grass. From there he walked forward, nearing the edge of the lake. She watched him, unclear as to what he was going to do.

"Eh, Malfoy what are you doing? Planning on drowning, are you?"

"Watch, Granger. You will get your answer if I am successful."

What does he mean 'if I am successful'? What is he doing?... Various questions were flying through her head.

He stood straight and closed his eyes as he stretched his right arm outwards. He would have looked the picture of peace if his concentrated brows were absent. With his outstretched index finger he began making little circles in the air.

She watched on, perplexed by his strange actions.

Suddenly a jet of milky white light shot out from his finger. It took the form a beautiful, glimmering, translucent swallow. It flew gracefully towards the waters of the lake, its delicate wings gently disturbing the glassy water, leaving behind a faint milky path. After a while it disappeared in the thick fog, like a beacon of light in the darkness.

Hermione watched Draco as if he were a madman. After all he had just performed the Patronus Charm wordlessly and wandlessly and everyone knew that that charm was ridiculously advanced, far ahead of the N.E.W.T. level, even if one tried with the words and the wand. Her eyes automatically turned towards the lake as if the beautiful swallow would reappear.

He walked towards her but she didn't notice, she was too shocked and dumbstruck by the occurring. "Granger, that was your answer.", he whispered in her ear. His warm breath on her neck brought her back to her senses and she jumped away from him.

"What was that?!",she asked, her voice full of hate and respect at the same time. Hate because for starters he was her 'enemy' and secondly she couldn't produce even an incorporeal patronus with the incantation and a wand. Respect because he had just done something only Merlin was rumoured to do.

"Produced a patronus, what else or have you suddenly become blind?"

Now that's the Draco Malfoy I know.

"No, I mean... I mean to say how did you even do that? Silently and wandlessly?"

"Magic."

She rolled her eyes, thoroughly at that.

"Just answer the damn question Malfoy!"

"Blimey! Calm down. Okay I know you're going in a little green in there— really so Slytherin of you, after seeing that but it was you who made it possible in the first place."

"Me? How?"

"You must be knowing that one needs happy memories to conjure it"

"Yes, I know that! How come I come in the picture?", she snapped, impatiently.

"Ah, finally the know-it-all Granger has made an appearance. Frankly I prefer her to the quiet one—", he glanced at her and saw that she was really impatient to know the answer.

"Fine, I'll tell you." He took a deep breath. "The fact is that the kiss, that you were so trying not to acknowledge—", he said as he walked in front of her," —happens to be my most happiest memory ever."

There, he had said it. She was seeing him, visibly shocked.

"Before that I was able to cast a Patronus, without the incantation or without the wand but not without both since my memories were not happy enough. It was the first time that it happened. All because of you. All thanks to you. Really, I mean it ."

His face was in front of hers as he had bent down a few inches to come at her level and for an insanely wild moment, she thought that he was going to do last night's repetition.

And then lean but strong arms wound around her own arms and waist tenderly as she was enveloped in a very warm and comforting hug. Faint but somewhat familiar spicy woody aroma surrounded her and The Brightest Witch Of Her Age was clearly left dumbstruck for the second time that fateful day as she was hugged by probably The Brightest Wizard Of His Age.

Malfoy, who are you? Merlin's incarnate?

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