A/N: So sorry for the late update! I've been busy with school stuff (bleh) Plus this is a long chapter. There will be 2 parts, because fourth year is so long. So, I'll post part 2 soon and make up for my crappy update skills
From the protection of the trees, Draco watched the Death Eaters, one of them his own father, cause complete havoc in the campsite of the World Cup. He knew he should be amused, but the thought of one particular Muggle-born worried him.
Ironically, he heard the voice of this Muggle-born anxiously asking about the fate of the Weasel. When her wand lit up, and Draco saw her, frightened but unharmed, he knew he had to make his presence known, and what better way than to insult Weasley. Then, as soon as he could, he made sure they knew how much danger Hermione was in.
"…You wouldn't like her spotted, would you?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Draco saw the anger in her eyes, and knew she wasn't getting his message.
"Granger, they're after Muggles," Draco said, trying to give the meaning in his eyes instead of his voice so as not to give too much away to Potter and Weasley. He seemed to be doing a good job of it, based on Potter's reaction.
"Hermione's a witch," he snarled.
"Have it your way, Potter. If you think they can't spot a Mudblood, stay where you are." Draco knew that his father would recognize Hermione right away.
"You watch your mouth," Weasley yelled. This enraged Draco. Could they not tell that he was trying to warn them? Were they that stupid? He nearly yelled at them, but Hermione spoke first, and her words made Draco relax immediately.
"Never mind, Ron," she said, trying to stop him from attacking Draco. He looked at her again, and they locked eyes. She knew what he was doing, if the rest of them didn't.
Draco, relieved, kept up his usual unpleasantness until they finally ran off, and he couldn't help but say, "Keep that big bushy head down, Granger."
It was the closest he could get to, Stay safe, Hermione.
Hermione's head was whirling as she raced through the forest again. She knew Draco had been warning her and she was grateful for it, but another thought ran through her head—something Harry had said before they left Draco. Where're your parents? Out there wearing masks, are they?
That would explain everything. That was why Draco wasn't scared and why he thought the Death Eaters would recognize her. What she didn't understand, though, was why Draco was trying to protect her in the first place. Did he not believe in his father's own mantras? Or was it just Hermione that Draco was worried about? The latter seemed most likely, as she thought of the cruel way he'd laughed at the Muggles. It didn't give Hermione satisfaction to know this; in fact it made her feel sick. That was the precise reason why Hermione again shoved it away.
It seemed that her relationship with Draco consisted of that action, shoving away thoughts of him, thoughts inspired by veiled meanings. She was sure that she had to have some interpretations wrong, surely, Draco wasn't skilled enough to put that much meaning in such cruel statements as he did. Well, whatever the meaning before, Hermione thought, Draco was definitely trying to protect me tonight.
And this thought was the only one that didn't get shoved to the depths of her mind.
It was all Draco could do not to run from Moody's office in horror. It was the most bizarre experience of his life, being a ferret—and not in a good way. And to be flung around by Moody's wand was that much more bizarre—and probably the scariest thing Draco had been through.
Briskly walking through the halls, Draco spotted Pansy, who must have been unaware of the ferret incident, as she didn't even mention it, nor Hermione, who she ranted on about constantly. Instead, she was smiling mischievously.
"You'll never believe what I told Skeeter," Pansy said excitedly.
"What did you tell Skeeter?" Draco said in monotone to cover up his terror at the memories of ferret-hood.
Pansy ignored the lack of interest. "I just told her that Potter's in love with Granger!"
That got Draco's attention, though he immediately smothered any signs that may have shown on his face and said, "Only a child would think that's funny, Pansy—I mean, how often have we heard that before?"
"Well, she got the 'proof' from a Gryffindor—Creevy," Pansy said reluctantly.
"I don't know, Pansy, we'll see," Draco said, and continued down the hall without another word.
Hermione knew it was an accident, that Draco hadn't pointed his want at her directly, but she couldn't help but think that her teeth "problem" was his fault. After all, he had just made another Mudblood jab and Harry was defending her. Though she had tried to warn Harry against it.
Hermione didn't necessarily think of the jinx that had hit her as bad, not any more. Sure, Pansy still shrieked to whoever would listen that Hermione looked like a beaver or something along those lines. But to have gotten her teeth to look normal, not buckteeth in any way, Hermione felt like she'd drunk a dose of Felix Felicius.
This was probably why, when she saw Krum in the library, Hermione sat within speaking distance. The fan-girls hadn't arrived yet, so Hermione felt peaceful enough. She expected him to studiously ignore her, as always, but he looked up.
"Miss Granger?" he asked.
Hermione almost didn't respond, she was so shocked. "Oh, er, yes?"
"I haf been trying to ask you for a vile, but I haf never gotten the chance until now," he said.
"To ask me…what exactly?" Hermione asked, getting nervous.
"Vill you go to the Yule Ball vith me?"
Hermione hesitated, sure that she'd misunderstood his accent.
"Do I want to…go to the ball with you?" Hermione asked.
Krum nodded.
Hermione hesitated again, but as she felt she wouldn't get asked by anyone else, she could only reply with, "Of course."
Draco walked through the procession with everyone else, Pansy at his side. The events leading to their being dates to the ball were really uneventful. Pansy asked Draco, and Draco accepted without thought because, after all, he didn't care about silly things like Yule Balls, as he'd been to so many as a child with his father and mother.
Draco, bored by the formality, looked around at the others-the champions specifically. He passed his eyes over them one-by-one. He noted that Krum's expression had a tiny bit less brooding about it. Draco's eyes flitted to Krum's date, which he assumed was why he was happier. The girl was definitely pretty. It was no wonder—
Draco did a double-take. Almost unrecognizable with her bushy hair smoothed, Hermione Granger was dancing from one foot to the other in anxiety. Her dress robes made her look beautiful. No, everything made her look beautiful. She was like a new person, only…not.
"Draco, who are you looking at? Draco? Hello—Draco! Draco!" Pansy jabbed Draco in the ribs, making him jump.
"Pansy, what—"
"You were looking at Fleur, weren't you?" Pansy interrupted him. "She's part vela, so that would make sense. Yes, of course, that was it."
Not wanting Pansy to know who he was really looking at, Draco just nodded, but he kept casting glances in Hermione's direction throughout the dinner, and indeed between dances. It was just such an occasion when Draco saw Hermione standing all alone. Making a quick excuse to Pansy, Draco hurried over to her.
Without even asking, Draco took her hand and pulled her to the dance floor. He ignored her squeak of surprise when she saw him, and immediately said, "You look quite lovely tonight."
"I—er, thanks," she said, turning pink. "You look nice as well."
"Nice?" Draco asked, spinning Hermione around as the dance called for.
"Excuse me for being at a loss of words right now," Hermione said with amusement.
"Oh no, I completely understand, after seeing you," Draco said.
"I'm not sure Pansy would appreciate you saying that," said Hermione with a glance in Pansy's direction. She was dancing with Blaise Zabini.
"Pansy isn't here, is she?" Draco said mischievously.
"How do you stand all that shrieking?" Hermione asked suddenly as she and Draco turned together.
"You learn to ignore it," Draco answered. "But I didn't ask you to this dance so that we could talk about Pansy."
"I don't exactly remember you asking, exactly."
"That's beside the point. Anyway, I was wondering if you gave any thought to our conversation in the library."
"Oh, you mean the one before I slapped you for making fun of Hagrid?" Hermione asked icily. "Besides, Mudbloods are off limits for you, aren't we?"
"Do you remember what I called you on our first train ride to this school?" Draco said, making sure their eyes were locked together.
"Er…besides Mudblood, no," Hermione said with a quizzical expression on her face.
"You're an exception, Granger," Draco said. "In every way."
They were inches from each other, toe-to-toe. The song had ended, only the murmur of the crowd around them as the lights changed. Draco wasn't sure what he'd been about to do—kiss her most likely—when Pansy's voice shoved its way into his befuddled brain. He stepped back, and just managed to hear Hermione say something about talking to Harry and Ron.
Hermione ran from her argument with Ron, not knowing exactly where she was going. Tears were blurring her vision as she ran down a hall, so she didn't know someone else was there until she ran straight into them.
"Oh, I-I'm so sorry, I—Draco?"
And it was, indeed, Draco who was standing next to her, straightening his robes. Hermione made sure to wipe her cheeks of the tear tracks accumulating there, but she couldn't hide the involuntary sniff that immediately alerted Draco to the fact that she was crying.
"Is something wrong, Granger?" he asked.
"No, I mean—well, yes, but—oh it's just Victor and you and Ron, and—I've never had my affections toyed with so much with in my life," Hermione said, attempting a smile.
"Had your affections—do you assume that I was flirting with you?"
"Well, to be perfectly honest, yes. So, I'm an exception?" Somehow, this interaction was making her feel better. She was already smiling.
Draco looked around as if making sure the hallway was clear before saying, "Follow me, Granger."
As they walked, Hermione had to asked, "So why were you in this hallway?"
"Let's just say that Pansy didn't like that I was dancing with a…well, you," Draco said-he was avoiding the use of the word Mudblood. He'd lead her to one of the larger broom cupboards, which didn't completely thrill Hermione, but she continued the converastion anyway while they both lit up their wands.
"That's funny," Hermione said. "Ron didn't like my dancing partner either. Though he didn't see our dance."
"I figured that he or Potter would have asked you to the dance," Draco admitted.
"Ron tried, but I just can't see being with either of them as being more than just like brothers to me," Hermione said, not sure why she was telling Draco this.
"Well Krum seems odd. Did you ask him?" Draco asked. Hermione wasn't quite sure why Draco was asking, but she answered any way.
"No, he asked me, but I have to agree, it is quite odd."
"So…forgiving my terrible insult to Hagrid, did you ever rethink that conversation I asked you about?"
It came so quickly and suddenly that Hermione had to answer truthfully, "Almost every day."
"Really?" Draco asked with interest. Hermione was suddenly aware of how confined they were in the broom closet.
"Well, nearly," she said quickly, her cheeks feeling suddenly warm. "Especially during the Quidditch World Cup. Thanks for warning me, by the way."
"I wanted you to be safe," Draco said, turning a bit pink himself. Then he sighed, and added, "Did you know I visited you when you were petrified?"
"You-I…no," Hermione breathed. Suddenly the words came back to her for the first time since that stressful third year. I really care about you, Hermione.
"I did, and I promised that I would never speak to you on good terms again," Draco said. "Of course, I broke that soon enough—right now for instance."
"Why are you telling me this, Draco?" Hermione said softly. She was shaking suddenly, as if expecting something big.
"Because, Hermione," Draco said exasperatedly, "I thought it would be a good thing—that I would stop caring about you in a way I knew I shouldn't—but all it's done is cause me to want you more. I want to have another conversation like that first one on that train ride. I want to be around you when you smile. I want…I want…"
But Draco went no farther. Hermione only registered that he seemed to be giving into something as he leaned down, just before kissing her full on the mouth.
It was as if Hermione had a spark flare up inside her. Her heart seemed about to explode with emotion, and her hands stopped their shaking. Instead, they found themselves on Draco's shoulders, one continuing on its way into his white-blond hair, holding on as if he was something valuable about to slip away. Draco himself had his hands cupping her cheeks. He moved them slowly upwards to her hair, and, finding the pin holding up the knot she'd so carefully put it in, pulled it out and caused her hair to tumble down to her shoulders again. This action brought Hermione somewhat back to reality, and she pulled away with a gasp.
"Oh, I really shouldn't be doing this," she breathed.
"Why not?" Draco asked quietly, his breath tickling her cheeks.
The thing was, Hermione really didn't know the answer, not in that moment. "It-it's just too surreal. I mean, you of all people…I have to be dreaming.
"Is this what you dream about, Granger?" Draco said with a laugh. Hermione was really having problems thinking with Draco so close like this.
"Oh, shut up, you know what I mean," she said, unable to stop a grin.
"So am I still just toying with your affections, or have I won them?" Draco asked with a crooked smile in return.
"You—oh no, Krum!" Hermione exclaimed. She saw Draco's face fall, and quickly added, "No, it's not that. He went to go get drinks ages ago, and oh, he must think me so rude!"
Hermione opened the broom cupboard door, and left. Draco followed, saying, "Yes, we should probably go back, now that I think about it."
They walked down the hall in complete silence until Hermione stopped suddenly.
"Draco, what does this mean for us?" she asked anxiously.
Draco sighed as truth began crashing through his thoughts. "In my head, a whole number of things, but in reality, probably nothing. With my parents and your parentage, us just isn't possible. I'm sorry, Hermione."
"I figured that's what you would say," Hermione said sadly, walking again. "I guess it would just be better if we avoided each other and try to act like we normally do."
Draco pulled on Hermione's arm, stopping her again just before the door that lead to the Great Hall.
"Kiss me, Hermione. One last time, please," he pleaded.
Hermione looked into his stormy grey eyes for a long time. Then she shook her head. "If I do, it will only make us both feel worse. Just…remember the kiss we had, the moment where nothing mattered for once. Let's both hold on to that moment. Promise me that, and promise that we'll avoid each other to spare ourselves. I promise the same for you."
Draco looked like he wanted to argue, but he only gave her a quick "I promise", and they entered the Hall again.