Disclaimer: Harry Potter - J.K. Rowling…Plot - The Lovely Gal Seated at the Laptop
Author's Note: So, I am a tad disappointed with my reviewers. I love you guys and all, but only two, count two, of the reviewers have given me ideas. I would like to thank Sonata's Moonlight and AngelInspired, who have given me ideas, and would like to make it very clear to all my other reviewers that, although your ideas may seem small or unimportant, or simply crazy, I will happily take them. I love turning simple ideas into an amazing twist of my stories. IDEAS, IDEAS, IDEAS!!!
Chapter Seven
The next morning, Saturday, Hermione woke early, not for any particular reason, just because she wasn't very tired. This surprised her, especially after how late she stayed up the night before.
Hermione and Harry didn't have any set plans that day, so she took her time getting dressed in jeans and a pink, graphic tee that said, "Everything's Sunny In My Head," in green print. The shirt was pulled taut over her breasts, and the jeans clung to her hips. She slipped into a pair of simple black flats and left her hair down, brushed out.
Hermione entered the common room, and noticed that Draco wasn't in the room. She could hear him moving around in the bathroom, and assumed he had woken up later than her. Hermione tidied up the common room a bit, then began the quiet walk to the Great Hall.
Entering the hall, she saw that Harry and Ginny were both seated at the Gryffindor table, but Ron was nowhere in sight. Wondering about his absence, Hermione took a seat next to Harry, and returned his kiss.
"You guys are kind of sickening," Ginny said from across the table.
Hermione smiled, and loaded her plate with food. "Where's Ron?"
"In the library," Harry answered. "Transfiguration homework."
"Ron has been spending a lot of time in the library," Hermione noted as Harry gulped down his eggs. "Since when has he been so into his studies?"
"Since Hannah Abbott made the mistake of saying she liked intelligent guys," Ginny said, smirking. "Ron has been in love with Hannah for, like, ever. He seems to think she will fall for him if he can prove his genius."
"Aw, that's sweet," Hermione said, smiling.
"Or, like, puke-inducing," Ginny said, her smirk widening.
"You're just saying that because Ron is your brother," Hermione said. "I'm sure he finds you and Dean 'puke-inducing'."
Harry awkwardly cleared his throat and kept his gaze on his plate. Ginny also looked down, her long hair falling in front of her face.
"What?" Hermione asked, looking at the two. "Did I say something wrong?"
"Dean and I broke up," Ginny said finally. "This morning, before breakfast."
"Oh, Gin, I'm so sorry," Hermione said. Standing up, she hurried around the table and pulled the girl into a hug. "And here I've been going on about Ron and other nonsense," she sat next to Ginny, clutching her hands, "when you've been going through all this."
"It's okay," Ginny said, smiling. "Really. I'm over Dean. Of course, now I need to find someone new to fall for me."
"Which won't be hard, of course," Hermione said, smiling.
Breakfast ended soon after that, and the trio left the Great Hall, sans Ron. It seemed he was taking the smart-guy thing serious.
The three friends entered the Head's common room, and all were silently relieved that it was empty. No one was really up for an argument with Draco. Ginny draped herself across one of the couches, while Harry and Hermione snuggled on an armchair.
Ginny looked around the room, studying its size and available space. "You know, Hermione, you really should have a party in here, or something. I mean, you've got all this space, but you don't really use it."
"Yeah, right," Hermione said, smiling. "Like Hogwarts would even let us think about having a party."
"That's not such a bad idea," Harry said. "Us Gryffindors were allowed to have parties whenever we won Quidditch games. They weren't really major parties, or anything, but we had a lot of fun. I mean, you were there."
"I'm liking this idea more and more each second," Ginny said, sitting up. "The first game of the year is this afternoon, right Harry? Gryffindor against Hufflepuff?" When Harry nodded, Ginny continued, with more enthusiasm. "You're allowed more than a few visitors, right? And I'm sure someone could sneak in the fire whiskey. We'll enchant some music, move the chairs back, it'll be awesome."
"Yeah, except for one problem," Hermione said. "Most of Gryffindor aren't old enough for fire whiskey, and, besides, if any of the teachers were to find out, we'd all be screwed."
"I'll talk to McGonagall," Harry said. "If we promise to keep the noise down, and get everybody out of here by curfew, it should be fine. I won't tell her about the fire whiskey, of course, so we'll have to be careful about that, but it shouldn't be a problem."
"Okay," Hermione said, "what about Malfoy? It's not like he's going to want a bunch of Gryffindors in his common room. I do share this place with a Slytherin, remember?"
Harry and Ginny were quiet for a moment, then Ginny spoke up. "I'll put a spell on him, so he spends most of the night in the Slytherin common room. We'll just have make sure everyone is out of here by a certain time, so Malfoy doesn't interrupt us."
Hermione tried to think of another excuse, but she couldn't find one, and instead sighed. "All right, we can have the party here."
"Woo!" Ginny said, throwing her arms into the air, as Harry gave his girlfriend a kiss.
"Don't worry," he said, "you won't regret this. And if any of the teachers catch wind, which won't happen, Gin and I will take the fall."
Ginny stopped cheering. "Wait a second, who said I would--?" One look from Harry shut the girl up, quick.
"How exactly do we get the news out," Hermione said suddenly, "without alerting the teachers, or any of the other students?"
"Lunch," Harry said. "Before the game. We'll enchant everyone's plate with an invitation, and threaten everyone with death if they tattle. Or, at least, we'll threaten them with Ginny's wrath."
"Aw, thanks Harry," Ginny said sarcastically, smiling.
"What if some Gryffindors aren't at lunch?" Hermione asked.
"Then they won't get to come," Harry said. "Chill, Hermione, everything is going to work out fine." He put his arm around her shoulder, and pulled her closer. Hermione wasn't so reassured, but she snuggled closer to him.
The plan was set in motion. The game was after lunch, so the party was scheduled for seven o'clock, giving the game enough time to end, and the Gryffindors enough time to get the common room without alerting anyone of authority. Allegra, who had been a party-girl herself in her day, was told of the plan, sworn to secrecy, and ordered to allow all Gryffindors in. The Gryffindors were told to wear something grey on their torso, and Allegra was expected to ask each student the number of chairs in the Gryffindor common room, so Allegra could be sure they were genuine Gryffindors. Allegra seemed to like Hermione, so no one was worried that she would spill their secret.
During lunch, Ginny placed a spell on Draco that made him have an odd feeling to go straight to the Slytherin common room right after the game, and to stay there until it was time for rounds. By then, everyone was expected to be gone. Ginny also told Ron about the plan, but he was paying more attention to Hannah.
Harry and Hermione left lunch early, and set the room up. The spell that Ginny had put on Draco didn't stop him from entering the common room during the game, so Hermione and Harry put a timed spell on the room that Allegra would activate once people began arriving, and she was sure the common room was empty. Hermione was going to try to get to the common room first, but, if someone came earlier than her, Allegra was to wait until Hermione got to the room. Harry, Ginny, and Ron were all playing in the game, so everyone thought that Hermione could get back to the room before any of them.
Harry spoke to McGonagall before he and Hermione left at lunch, and, surprisingly, she agreed to the party after the game. Her only rules were that everyone was to be back in their beds before common room, the noise was to be kept to a minimum, and any destruction would be repaired by the students. The professor did ask where Draco was going to be throughout all this, but Harry managed to avoid answering the question.
As Harry and Hermione walked to the Quidditch fields after lunch, their arms wrapped around each other, they discussed the party in hushed tones.
"So, everything should go smoothly, right?" Hermione asked, her brow creased.
"Yes," Harry said, exasperated, "for the last time, yes. Just please calm down already." When Hermione didn't respond, Harry looked over and saw that her head was down, looking dismayed. Harry sighed, and tightened his arm around his girlfriend. "I'm sorry, babe. I know you don't like breaking the rules, and that this probably goes against everything you believe in. Everything's going to be fine, don't worry."
"I know," Hermione said, smiling meekly. "It's in my genes to worry. My mom's a pro at it."
The two walked down to the fields. Hermione left Harry at the Gryffindor locker room with a final kiss, then went in search of a good seat. The Gryffindor stands were pretty filled, but Hermione managed to squeeze next to Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil. Before the game began, both girls turned to Hermione.
"So, is it true?" Lavender asked.
"Is what true?" Hermione asked, completely oblivious.
Parvati playfully rolled her eyes. She lowered her voice. "Are you really having a party after the game?"
Looking around to make sure no one was listening, Hermione responded, "Only if Gryffindor wins."
Lavender and Parvati both sucked in their breath sharply, then smiled. "I cannot believe you agreed to that," Lavender said.
"Yeah, no offense, Hermione," Parvati said, "but you're kind of a prude. And I don't mean that rudely at all. We all know how totally fun you are in private, but I didn't know you were into these…hostess things."
Hermione returned the smile, although it was not totally genuine. She wasn't sure how she felt about Parvati and Lavender's thoughts on her. "Well, Harry and Ginny can be very persuading. And I figured, why not? This is our last year here, why not enjoy it?"
The two girls smiled brightly, then returned to their own conversation. Hermione's smiled dropped, and turned to a sneer. Hermione wasn't a big fan of some of the girls at Hogwarts. She was quite content spending time with Harry, Ron, and Ginny.
The game began quickly, with Gryffindor earning a goal. Hermione attempted to pay attention, but it was really hard. She wasn't much of a fan of this sport, and really didn't even enjoy Muggle sports. Finally, after about twenty minutes, she gave up. Pushing her way through people, Hermione left the stall and quickly hurried back into the school. She walked down the empty corridors, listening to the silence around her. Hopefully, Harry, Ron, and Ginny would not care that she had missed most of the game. They all knew how she felt about Quidditch.
Without realizing it, Hermione stood outside the library. She entered the large room, which was like a safe haven for her. The front part of the library was pretty filled, most with the younger grades, but, as Hermione walked deeper into the library, the tables emptied. Hermione walked over to one of the bookshelves, randomly grabbed a book, and took a seat. She began reading about magical herbs that unaware Muggles used everyday.
About ten minutes into her reading, Hermione felt someone seated next to her, mostly because the tiny hairs on her arm had raised. Looking up, she saw that Draco was reading a book.
"Shit, you scared me," Hermione said, putting her hand against her chest. "Are you stalking me?"
"I didn't know Head Girls were allowed to swear," Draco said, not looking up from his book.
"You didn't answer my question."
Draco lifted his gaze and looked straight at Hermione. "I saw you sitting here. I didn't want to sit alone, and I didn't want to sit with any of the children in the front. I figured sharing a bathroom with you gave me the right to sit next to you."
"Where's Blaise?"
"Snogging some girl in a broom closet, probably," Draco said, shrugging nonchalant. "Why aren't you at the Quidditch game?"
"I'm not a big fan of Quidditch. Why did you decide to come to the library?"
"I dunno. Nothing else to do, I guess. Also, when I saw you in here, I just knew I had to come see you. Wanted to make sure you were okay."
"Thanks, you're so considerate," Hermione said sarcastically.
Hermione stood, and returned her book to its shelf. She walked farther into the library, if only to distance herself from Draco. Of course, it didn't work, and he followed her.
"Don't you have some first years to torture, or something?" Hermione asked.
"Sadly, no. I filled my quota today, early this morning, so the rest of my day is free."
Hermione and Draco had walked so far back that the noise from the other students in the library could not be heard. It was also a lot darker back where they were. Hermione turned around, and noticed how close she and Draco were, and how small the aisles between the shelves had gotten.
Hermione cleared her throat. "I think maybe I should get back to the game." She attempted to pass by Draco, but he stepped in front of her, and her face met his chest.
Raising her gaze, Hermione couldn't really tell what his eyes were saying. They were just looking deeply into Hermione's eyes. She felt her breath quicken, and noticed that his eyes had turned a shade darker.
Draco wasn't sure why he had stopped Hermione from passing. Maybe he wanted to screw with her head. Maybe he hadn't slept enough the night before. Maybe his testosterone was in overload.
Suddenly, Draco's hand was lifted from his side, not from him doing so, and slowly moved towards Hermione's face. She didn't even flinch as he curled her hair behind her hair, and cradled the side of her face in his hand. His other hand came up, and he held her face in his hand. Leaning forward, he pulled her face closer to his, and noticed that Hermione did not resist, and even moved closer to him. Suddenly, their lips were touching. Soft, hesitant, with slight movement. Neither were really sure how smart this kiss was, and so they were careful with their movements.
Hermione placed one hand on Draco's shoulder, and, tired at how slowly things were moving, quickened the pace. Draco happily obliged, and opened his mouth partially. Hermione followed suit, and Draco lightly touched his tongue against hers. They stood like that for a few moments, things getting hotter by the second, until Hermione suddenly pulled away.
"What--?" was all Draco got about before Hermione pushed past him, and rushed out of the library. He leaned against on the bookshelves, watching her retreating figure, gently stroking his lips. He wasn't sure what had compelled him to kiss Hermione, and was having mixed feelings about it all.