Chapter Five: Realization
Disclaimer: I only own my little ideas...Everything else goes to J.K.
A.N. Wow it's been a while... I am back with venegance ready to write more!
Hermione avoided Draco for the next few days. She felt as if he would only need to take one lok at her and he would know... She couldn't afford it. That was not an option... But then... she missed his touch... even if it was only a magically induced dream...
She could... maybe...
Hermione couldn't resist. She has been thinking about it the whole day... Finally she was free of all classes and questioning glances of her teachers who were wondering why she wasn't jumping up wanting to answer all the questons... The only professor that found it a nice change was Snape...
Hermione left the dinner early in hopes of avoiding everyone. She rounded a corner to bump into someone. Preoccupied by her own thoughts she lost her balance, falling on her backside...
"Sorry."
A pale hand was offered to her she took it and stood up only to be looking into the stormy grey eyes that wouldn't leave her mind. It was Draco.
"..." He didn't say anything, he remembered the daydream... True here was nothing ot be ruined... He ruined it years ago.
Hermione stared into his steely eyes as if hypnotised. She didn't see any hate, only a raw emotion she couldn't name (least in his eyes) and once again... sadness.
He couldn't hide it. He knew he couldn't. After all those wretched daydreams... His father's teaching was o god in situation like this.
He was still holding her hand and they were standing barely inches apart. Draco could feel her warm fresh breath (faintly smelling of the mint sauce that was served with the dinner) on his throat.
They both seemed to have heightened senses when they were near. They could feel each other's warmth, the touch of their palms, their lips were coming near, their eyes fluttering closed when- BANG!
The door from the Great Hall opened setting them each running in opposite direction, still feeling each other next to them.
Draco's heart was beating hard when he finally leaned his back against his door after locking it securely. That was a close one. She almost knew. He almost kissed her in public! In a real life!
Still breathing heavily he sat on his bed, taking a certain vial out of his pocket. He needed her.
In a moment of fuzziness the world came into focus.
They weren't on the Lake this time... Hermione was standing a few steps in front of him. She was leaning onto a large oak tree which Draco knew grew on the other side of the lake...He was free to watch her for a while... before having to explain himself... maybe.
He stepped aside, into the shade of the giant of a tree, accidentally stepping on a branch in a proccess. The sudden noise alerted the Gryffindor.
She turned. Her chocolate eyes found his and suddenly she was strolling towards him. He couldn't tell what was it in her eyes... They were sparkling a little. Next thing he knew, her arms were wrapped around his neck and her soft lips pressed on his.
Draco closed his eyes and let her explre his mouth with her tongue, drawing his inner-most secret out of him. When she pulled away after what seemed like an eternity he reluctantly opened his eyes.
" I know that I'm not supposed to speak but..."
She smiled at him not really wanting to stop him. He wouldn't ruin it.. this time...
"I love you."
An unsuspected tear slipped out of his eye, rolling down his cheek. It was a tear for his love for her that could never be true in the real life, for his life of lies and pretending, for all the names he called her, for all the time he wouldn't be kissing her and even for his future when he was to marry Pansy who was chosen by his parents as a suitable pureblood wife.
For once he couldn't hold it it. It had to come out and best he could do was cry in his dream where noone would ever know... Except for him and the dream Hermione.
He closed his eyes to try and stop the flow of tears and the bewildered look on Hermione's face. Her soft touch startled him. Her hands wiped away his tears and then she stood on her toes to kiss it better.
" Shhh. It's okay. You're here with me. Your life is not wasted and you can spend the eternity kissing me."
He looked at her startled... Since when could she read his mind?
Hermione chuckled slightly.
"Well I figured that if you could dwelwe into the depths of my thoughts so could I..."
He put his arms around her holding her warmth, her sweet smell and love to him while he could...
If there were any other people oin their daydream they could find them sitting under the great oak tree that has seen many young loves, and tragedies unfold. Hermione was sitting up, leaning against the rough tree bark with Draco sleeping with his head resting in her lap.
It was like some movie. It seemed so perfect. Hermione's hands were playing with his soft blond locks, her soft brown eyes were studying his face. He looked so angelic, so innocent. She watched his brow knit together in his sleep. She knew what was troubling him. It was troubling her too.
She loved him. He loved her. Even if only in this perfect virtual reality. How was she to know that it was so real. More real than she cared to think. If only in a dream, she wouldn't let him marry Pansy, or devote his life and innocence to Lord Voldemort. Hermione knew that Draco was innocent. Despite his upbringing and those years of insults and act. She could help him. She knew who could help them both.
She bent her head, softly brushing her lips over his pale cheek. She knew that the potion wouldn't last much longer. He stirred before opening his eyes to see her.
She smiled at him.
" Draco I have to go now. Please meet me at the top of the Astronomy Tower when your patrols start."
And with one last kiss she disappeared, leaving him.
He opened his eyes to find the green and silver around him in his own Prefect room. He looked at his silver pocket watch only to find that his patrols were starting in five minutes.
Draco had his doubts. He knew it was a dream. He was sure that it was only the dream Hermione that wanted to meet him. He knew that he would go up to the Astronomy Tower to find that it was dark, cold and that noone was waiting for him. He told himself that he shouldn't but the curiousity got the better of him.
He could always just day that he was checking for students out after curfew, no matter that he was four floors above from where he was meant to be patrolling.
Twice when he was going up the long stairway up the tower he changed his mind and walked back partly. Then he found a courage he neve knew he had and with his head held high he got to the top.
Once outside in the cold night air all the unlikely-for-slytherin braveness has left him, leaving him in doubt and maybe even regret...
He turned around and was about to go when he felt a warm hand holding his wrist. Slowly the rest of the body that belonged to the hand came into the view. It was her. It was Hermione.
He looked into her chocolate brown eyes and thought that it was almost like in the daydream. Except for one little thing... Her eyes weren't shining with her confidence - with her success in classroom or when she came up with come backs that he could never rival nor when she kissed him in the dream.
Her eyes were sad and scared. He guessed that his eyes looked much like that. He felt exposed. It was as if he came up here, wearing his heart on his sleeve for her to take and throw away... All he wanted to do was hold her and tell her it would be okay... But how could he?
"Draco."
He was slightly surprised as she always called him Malfoy or 'Ferret'. Never Draco. His mouth opened a little in wonder and in concemtration. He was trying to look anywhere but at her but she was like a magnet. He wanted to look at her. As if his eyeballs were glued to her. She was like magnet because he wanted to touch her. to feel her.
Finally he looked at her to see that she was looking at his lips, then glancing up into his eyes and bititng her lower lip slightly.
He found himself drawn to her lips. They were full and pouty and he noticed that the corners of her mouth were pointing upwards unlike normal people's. It seemed as if she was about to smile.
The only thing he could think about was her. He was drawn by her magnet and there was no way to fight it. She seemed to feel the same because she stood on the tips of her toes to kiss him.
Draco lost himself in her. The daydreams were brilliant and so real but it couldn't compare to the real thing. He could feel her every touch as if once again his senses were heightened. It seemed as if time has stopped for the two of them.
When they finally broke away their breathing was ragged and they were dizzy from the lack of oxygen. Hermione was the first to speak.
" You came. I thought you would never come that I was just imagining it. You came." Her eyes have opened at last to find his surprised grey orbs.
" The daydream... Hermione?"
A realisation dawned on the two brightest students of Hogwarts as they put the pieces together.
" No way. There is no way... It's impossible." Draco's speech wasn't making any sense and he certainly didn't seem like one of the brigtest students since Tom Riddle but Hermione knew exactly what he was thinking as she was thinking along the same lines...
"Draco."
He didn't seem to hear her.
" Draco!"
He shook his head and looked at her.
" It doesn't matter."
He looked at her standing in front of him with a real love shining in her eyes and realized that she was right. It didn't. The emotion in her eyes had overwhelmed him so much that he didn't see the worry pooling in her brown doe-like orbs.
There was another reason for why she wanted to meet him there.
--TO BE CONTINUED--
A.N. Soon. hahha, yeah, finally. An update... heheh, i hope I didn't make it too mushy... Couldn't help it but yeah, I know that they made out about 4 times in this chappie but think of it as of two joined chappies.. lol, its kinda long... anyways, hope you liked and WRITE REVIEWS!!!! heheh, okays all the love
