Slippery Soap Suds
A/N: Hmm… sankyuu for all the lovely reviews… hekhek! You don't know how much you make me sooooo happy! I won't tell you what's in this chapter to keep the suspense and all…hekhek ;p
Just keep on reviewin' and I'll keep on ficcing! Wink (There I go again. --)
Chapter V: Keeping Secrets: Draco and Hermione?
Parvati wasn't really a fan of Hermione Granger. Oh, she knew the girl was the smartest student in Hogwarts as of the moment. And her looks? Not bad. She was the kind of girl easy to get along with. No problem trying to connect with her; she would always find the connection.
Parvati also knew about Hermione's recent argument with Harry and Ron. The reason why the frizzy haired girl had been eating with the other girls these past few days. Usually, as everybody knows, she's either tagging along with the two boys or those two are stuck to her. Maybe that was why the girl was acting strange.
She continued pondering on Hermione sitting just across her, taking bite after bite of the ham. But there really is something different about her today. She peered closely at the other girl…and BAM! She saw it!
Parvati choked on her breakfast as she recognized what she just saw. The others gathered around her to help. "Parvati! Are you okay?" Someone patted her back while another handed her a glass of water. Hurriedly, she emptied the glass, gasped and stared at Hermione.
"Hermione's got a hickey!" Parvati exclaimed. "Lots of 'em!"
Hermione froze as all eyes fell on her. Damn! They showed? How could she forget to charm them away! She decided ignorance would be a better approach. "What?" She touched her neck. "What hickeys?"
A fifth-year looked at her neck. "Yup! Hickeys, all right!"
"C- couldn't be…" Hermione stammered. Why can't they just leave it alone? "It must be Russian snow butterfly bites…"
"Nuh –uh…" Another replied. "Russian snow butterflies give an orange shade on the skin they sting, you know."
Of course, I know… Hermione grumbled. Who knew you knew?
Now everyone was asking her questions. Who gave them to you? How did it feel like? Did it bleed, did it hurt? Can I touch it? Are you a masochist? They had circled around her, studying her like some specimen. It looks yucky! It doesn't look like a hickey! But it is! Of course, it is! Have you never had one before?
Hermione kept fumbling around, giving vague answers. "I don't know… I don't care… it's NOT a –" A hand yanked her away from the group. She was almost about to protest but fell silent at Malfoy's icy cold stare.
The Gryffindor table was quiet as he escorted her out of the Great Hall.
"Did you see that?" A girl squealed after the doors were shut. "Draco Malfoy has a huge deep kiss mark on his neck!". Peals of girlish laughter.
What just happened? Harry wondered, still not believing. He had totally forgotten his breakfast when Malfoy and Hermione exited. Together.
He glanced at Ron whose jaw still dropped. Since the Howler incident, they had given each other the cold treatment. But it looked as though both agreed on this whole Draco–Hermione thing. Unthinkable.
Yuck.
-.-.-.-.-
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING, SHOWING OFF THOSE DISGUSTING MARKS!"
Draco Malfoy was all ice while he led Hermione to some dark corridor. When they reached a spot far enough, he began scolding her.
"I was NOT showing off!" Hermione said, defensively, covering the remnants of last night. "Parvati saw it and squealed. It's not like I wanted the whole world to know you bloody touched me!"
"What the - ! You could have used some spell to erase the marks but no! Little Miss Perfect wanted to brag to everyone that she and High and Mighty Draco were having fun last night! Merlin, you want me buried neck-deep in this hellhole, don't you?" Malfoy said in spite.
"You didn't have to ask! Oh how I'd love to see you choke in that so-called hellhole of yours. But sadly the circumstances aren't how I want them to be… I want you to know that I do not want to be trapped anywhere with you!" Hermione shot back. "And I don't want anyone to know I was "having fun"… if you call that FUN! With you around, my life is completely devoid of fun! And what about you? You didn't magically whisk away your scar! You want me to do the honor? For the hundredth time, Malfoy, I hate you and these stupid marks, which, may I inform you, I don't want to waste any of my time on!"
"Well, I hate you, too! I hate how they stare at me… at us… as if we were secretly in love or something!" Draco shouted. "You've cornered me now, you cunt!"
Hermione knew Malfoy's foul mouth like the back of her hand but that had gone beyond the line. She raised her hand to slap him but Malfoy caught it just in time. She was flustered by the gentleness of his grip, and loosened her arm quickly.
Draco sneered at her sudden reaction. All it took for her to lose words was the right touch. Like a helpless wet chick. Weak.
Hermione rushed back to the Great Hall, furiously blushing at his twisted smile. Somehow, she felt as if she left Malfoy with the exact same feeling a girl gets after being shagged bloody well. Merlin, all that wordplay feeling like deep French kissing! Fucking pervert!
-.-.-.-.-
Hermione wasn't sure if she still really hated Malfoy. After that sudden show of whatever, she just wasn't very certain about things. Maybe he could change… Merlin! What was she thinking? Malfoy could never change… could he?
Right, Hermione…
Right? He could! Well… I guess he could. He doesn't look so bad anyway. They don't call him the Prince for nothing. I mean, over the years, he has improved…physically, that is. Although I do remember him thinning sometime in the fourth year…
I wonder… who was I in his illusion? Malfoy? In love!
Yes, Miss Granger…
Fine! Of course he is entitled to love. He is human, after all. I just want to know who tamed that –
"MISS HERMIONE GRANGER!" Professor Flitwick snapped her back to reality. "As I was saying…"
Hermione turned pink at her actions. What was happening to her? Here she was neglecting her studies to daydream of… of Malfoy! Fuck!
-.-.-.-.-
Zabini passed Malfoy a note during Potions, just as Snape turned his back to the class.
What is it between you and the Mudblood?
Malfoy read it once, twice and looked intently at Zabini while crumpling his goddamn note. He went to sleep.
-.-.-.-.-
"Harry, we've got to help Hermione!" A very concerned Ron Weasley confronted Harry. It was Divinity and Ron had taken it to himself to go to Harry and together, save Hermione from the clutches of evil.
Harry looked at him. Somehow, he had anticipated this but Ron was missing something. And Ron knew it. He just couldn't say it.
"Okay! Okay!" Ron said, giving up, making it seem like such a big deal. "I'm sorry, Harry." He smiled. "Friends?"
"All along…" Harry replied, throwing him a smile. "Now let's go bring back Hermione!"
"Harry Potter!" Professor Trelawney quacked. "For NOT the last time, I predict your untimely death due to overjoy!" Harry and Ron faced each other and rolled their eyes. Whatever!
-.-.-.-.-
There she was, sitting by herself on a bench near a snow – covered tree, reading another book, as she usually does. Geeky but the only friend you can turn to when your hair suddenly burst into flames or when you find yourself trapped in a big slop of gunk…
"Hermione…" Harry started, not quite sure how to start. He and Ron had practiced this line several times and now he got it all fuzzy at the beginning. He looked at Hermione. She was still staring at him, waiting for him to continue.
Harry opened his mouth. Then, shut it again. Ron, help me out here! He wished he had telepathy. He didn't bother to turn to Ron. The other would probably hack him to death because of his tied tongue.
"Hermione," Harry started over. "Ron and I came to say sorry..."
Hermione raised an eyebrow. Ron and I?
"We know we've been so cold and all lately," he stammered. "But we really didn't mean it… Just the normal best friends misunderstanding… Right, Ron?" Silence. He nudged the air. "Right, R - ?" He turned around and found himself all alone. "Ron!" Where's Ron? That bloke probably got scared out of his wits! Well, I'll be damned! He spotted Ronald Weasley easily. Red hair doesn't grow on trees, right?
"Ron! Ron! Come here!" Harry called to him, who had no choice, but to reveal himself and face Hermione. When Ron was near enough, he said, "This was all your idea, remember?" The other boy colored in the deepest shade of red.
"Hey, Hermione…" Ron said. No, whispered. No, wheezed.
"What?" Hermione replied, slightly amused.
"What?" Ron echoed.
"What?"
"You said 'what' first!"
Hermione sighed.
"Oh, I'm sorry, 'Mione!" Ron exclaimed, bursting with emotion. "Now you're alone and bored and… and… you had no choice but to surrender to the devil himself! Can you ever forgive us?"
"Please?" Harry added.
To their surprise, Hermione just laughed. "Is this what it's all about? You fear for my safety from that prat?" Both boys nodded. She laughed louder. "That oversized dick tame me? ME, of all people? Well, you're about to prove yourselves wrong. Nobody tames me!"
Confusion was written on both faces. Hermione tried to explain. "It's like this – gbsbghbgfhbgdfhbgjbgfdfhbgdfjbgjb!" What the - ? I'm speaking Gibberish!
"Okay…" Ron's voice trailed off. "I think I get it… So you were partners in Potions the other day and the potion sort of exploded and resulted to the kiss marks?"
"Yeah something like that…" Hermione had to agree. Maybe Dumbledore cast a spell so we couldn't blab about the soap suds incident…
"So…" Harry cut off any talk or implications of Malfoy. "Wanna go to Hogsmeade tonight?" He grinned. "You know… to celebrate the holidays!"
His grin was too cute. Hermione couldn't help but say yes.
-.-.-.-.-
"A toast to us!" Ron exclaimed, raising his butterbeer.
"Cheers!" Harry and Hermione replied, raising their mugs, too. The sound of clinking glass confirmed their strong friendship.
"Wow…" Hermione said in amazement. "Years of friendship over butterbeer and fighting off crappy characters without any help from the teachers. Just our own magick!"
"Yeah…" Harry agreed.
"Uh – oh!" Ron's eyes widened. "Speaking of OWN MAGICK, I forgot my Potions homework!"
"Homework?" Hermione asked in disbelief. "We don't have classes anymore!"
"Yeah, unbelievable, isn't it?" Ron grinned for a while. "But that homework was boiling an hour ago… AND STILL IS! Tata!" He ran immediately to the secret panel.
"And he left his butterbeer!" Hermione clucked her tongue, and then drank all of Ron's drink in one gulp. "Nothing wasted!"
Harry laughed as he wiped the butterbeer moustache off Hermione's face. Jokingly, Hermione pretended to bite off his fingers.
"Tsk! Tsk! Tsk!" Harry pretended to scold her. "Not the way a woman should act! Women should be prim and proper, and according to Ron, 'wet little helpless things'."
"Naughty Harry!" Hermione commented. Oh, how she wished this time would never end! Moments alone with Harry are so rare. Either Ron or quidditch would get in the way. Oh, Harry… still. If you feel the same way and tell me, I'd probably be in Malfoy Manor already…
"Are you okay, Hermione?" Harry asked, putting a hand over hers. It was only then that she realized she was ogling at him like some lost lovesick puppy.
"Sneaking around during midnight, are you, Potter?" A voice said. Unmistakably Draco Malfoy.
Malfoy stared hard at Potter, and then at the Mudblood and snorted at the sight of their entangled hands. "Looks like you had too much butterbeer…" He laughed. Crabbe and Goyle laughed along with him.
"Not as mush as you've obviously had," Hermione retorted. It was so irritating… Malfoy seemed to be everywhere!
Draco was annoyed. He threw a few gold coins at his two sidekicks and ordered them to go do their thing while he played around with the two lovebirds.
"We better leave, Hermione," Harry stood up, sensing trouble. Malfoy was a little drunk, and it didn't help that they had all sneaked out from school.
But Hermione held on to Harry's hand and said, "No… why don't we invite him?" She sneered at Malfoy and patted the seat next to her. "In fact, why don't you sit here next to me?"
-.-.-.-.-
A/N: hahaha! So much for making them fall in love! I love complications! Wait, didn't I say that already? Haha So what can you say? Worth a review? Review review review review…