Chapter 1: Staring, Stuttering and Not Quite Believing
Hermione sat at the Gryffindor table, dutifully eating her porridge. She felt a pair of eyes on her and lifted her head to search. Her gaze landed on the grey eyes of Draco Malfoy. Hermione sighed resigned, and dipped her head back to her breakfast, pointedly looking anywhere bar the Slytherin table.
It had been like this for weeks now, everywhere she went, and everything she did, those grey orbs followed her, watching her and what she did and how she did it. Now her only safe-haven was her dormitory and the Gryffindor common room. Even when she was moving between classes, Draco Malfoy always seemed to pop up, always watching silently. Plus, by spending all her time in Gryffindor tower she was beginning to feel slightly stifled by Harry and Ron
At first, Hermione had put it down to curiosity and trusted that soon enough he would get bored with her mundane life and leave her be. After all she was just the same as any other student at Hogwarts and she definitely didn't consider herself anything worth watching. However, when Draco continued to watch her Hermione got more uncomfortable, as she trusted that now he was doing it to simply freak her out or cause her to become paranoid and unnerved. Nothing bad ever seemed to happen when she was on her own and Draco did nothing to give her any reason to worry, if anything he was almost civil when she ran into him once or twice.
Now his persistent staring had seeped into her dreams, contaminating even her subconscious and Hermione was worried. Worried because she had dream-cheated on Ron and if she was truthful with herself, her dream had been better than her reality with Ron, even now she blushed red when thinking about what she had dreamt. Hermione glanced up, checking that no-one had noticed her suddenly flaming cheeks, only Draco was still watching; now smirking slightly at her red face, his humour lighting up his pale features.
She couldn't deny that Ron was a good boyfriend, or that he was sweet to her, but he lacked any of the passion that was in her dream and he definitely didn't make her heart flutter or her panties wet just by looking at her, the way Draco did. Ron was lovely and a great boyfriend, kind and caring, but her dreams were putting things in perspective, Ron was nothing compared to Dream Draco. Hermione groaned and stood up.
"Where are you going, baby?" Ron asked half-heartedly, far more interested in his bacon.
"Oh, I just..." have got to get away from Draco's eyes, "...forgot something. I'll see you in class." Hermione bent to give him a quick kiss on the cheek, which Ron blatantly ignored, and headed out of the hall, all the time avoiding Draco's gaze as best as possible.
Once the doors of the great hall had shut firmly behind her, Hermione let out a sigh and headed for the marble staircase, intending to go straight to transfiguration and be early, rather than stay at breakfast endure the torture of Draco's stare. Draco's incessant glare was a constant reminder of her dream, and more importantly her dream-cheating, something that was ever resting on her conscious. But before she could put one step on the stairs, she heard a highly fake cough behind her, the kind that was designed to catch her attention.
"Ahem." Hermione whirled around, heart pounding in anticipation and faced a smirking Malfoy; the very person she had expected yet did not want to see. "You're looking a bit hot under the collar, Granger." Hermione crossed her arms, determined to hold her own and ignore the hormones racing through her system that were practically yelling her to jump him there and then.
"And what, pray tell, is it to do with you?" Hermione asked, mentally looking for escape routes from the conversation.
"Oh it's everything to do with me." Draco chuckled, a sly smirk forming on his lips which only increased the rapid pounding of Hermione's heart. "Since you've been fantasising about me." Hermione's eyes widened and a tell-tale blush crept up her cheeks for the second time that morning while all thoughts of escape vanished from her mind in shock.
"I h-have not." Hermione denied instantly, but even she couldn't make herself believe that lie and she could tell it held no credit for Draco, either. It can't have helped that she both stuttered and immediately tried to avoid his gaze, knowing the truth was plainly visible in hers.
"Of course you have." Draco said, moving closer to her. "You can't help it; I bet I'm even in your dreams." Hermione's eyes opened wide, shocked at his shrewd conclusions, knowing he was right on the truth. Her shock plainly told Draco that his guess was correct. He walked behind her, whispering in her ear. "I know you're in mine." Hermione shuddered as his breath whispered past her ear, making her squirm. "You can't hide from this forever." Strong muscular arms snaked round her waist, pulling her against him. She immediately revelled in the feeling, humming slightly as she unwisely relaxed, feeling content. "I can give you so much more than the twin idiots could ever even imagine."
"I-I...uh." Hermione tried to form a logical answer, something she was usually very apt at, but her brain was sending her mouth scrambled signals. Draco chuckled again, the sound vibrating through his chest to Hermione, making her let out a small gasp as the vibrations travelled straight to her core.
"You will be mine." Draco tilted her head back towards his with a lean finger and bent his neck in order to place a small sweet kiss on her lips. Draco walked away, leaving her standing there, wanting more.
Draco strolled confidently back into the great hall a smug grin lighting his face, and sat back in his place next to Blaise, immediately continuing his blueberry pancake.
"How did it go?" Blaise asked, slightly distracted by a passing blonde seventh year Ravenclaw.
"She wants me, bad. I tell you, by the end of this week I'll have her begging. It's so obvious those twits, Potter and Weasley suffocate her. She has passion and they don't have the brains to see it." Blaise nodded along to Draco's words. "It's ridiculous. I've never seen a more powerful witch and all they ever seem to want her for are her homework skills. They stifle her completely, it's disgusting really." Blaise grunted. "Are you even listening to me, Zabini?"
"Uh, sure, Hermione's a goddess and Stupid and Stupider can't see it and don't worship her as she deserves."
"You never listen, this is important to me."
"Draco, you have been wittering on about Hermione for weeks, and it is always the same arguments and comments, it may be important to you but would you please shut up about it at least until the end of breakfast?"
"Fine." Draco scowled. "But you are right, she dates Weaselbee and he can't spare ten seconds to really work out how lucky he is, never mind pay her the attention she deserves." Blaise looked at Draco; utter annoyance etched on his handsome features. Blaise angrily wacked him on the back of his head, and stood up.
"I'll see you in class, Malfoy. Please learn to shut up." Blaise stalked out of the hall, thoroughly sick of hearing Draco sing Hermione's praises like there was no tomorrow and no other woman on the planet, at that.
Blaise was not a one woman man; he preferred to be able to pick and choose depending on his mood at the time, never holding on to the same girl for longer than a week. Draco had once been the same, but once he realised that everything he ever wanted was Hermione, he focused on making her his, by quite literally staring her down it seemed. Blaise was shocked that it was working, it was the most unorthodox method he had ever heard, but he knew that if anybody was capable of seducing a girl it was Draco Malfoy.
Blaise walked out of the great hall and scowled when he saw that his path down to the dungeons was blocked by two gossiping fifth year girls, his scowl faded slightly when he really looked at them, realising that they weren't bad to look at. In fact they looked like something he could add to his collection. Blaise had written an extensive list of every girl he had ever dated. Naturally including all of his one night stands, which were admittedly the majority of his dating record.
Blaise leant against a nearby pillar, uncomplaining, to watch the two girls converse. He couldn't quite work out why he recognised them or who they were. He had evidently seen them around the castle before, but he had a niggling feeling that he had perhaps spoken to one of them in passing. One was white-blonde, a dreamy expression coating her face. The other, the one that was more familiar to Blaise, had long red hair, a beautiful figure and an entrancing laugh.
Watching the beautiful red-headed girl, Blaise decided then and there that she would be his. And maybe if he was feeling lucky he would bed the blonde too. It was time he used his Italian roots that were the source of his good looks, and his charming persona to their full advantage, though he could admit to using them many times before to get the woman of his choosing. They had never yet failed.
He spied a gap between the wall and the red-head and took his chance to make her notice him. He walked between them, his muscular chest barely passing with an inch to spare. Just as he was about to step away from the pair, he reached out a hand and squeezed.
Ginny jumped, and whipped her head around, her green eyes flashing dangerously, almost everyone knew the Ginny Weasley was powerful and not one to rile or feel up in the corridors. "Please tell me that you did not just pinch my ass." Ginny flipped her hair, hands on her hips striking an intimidating pose so much that even Luna drew back from her a little bit. Ginny was just itching to throw a hex, wanting to take down the cocky ass that dared to touch her.
"What can I say? I'm not about to lie." Blaise smirked, a trademark Slytherin smirk that simply oozed sex and disappeared down the stairs, leaving a seething, and slightly confused Ginny fuming at the top.
"Stupid, Slytherin jerk!" Ginny yelled, vowing that in future she would always bring her wand to breakfast. Turning to Luna, Ginny spoke in a quieter voice. "What is it with men, do they not get that I do not want to be touched by them." Luna smiled slightly.
"He wasn't bad to look at though, you must admit. At least you attract the sane ones." Luna laughed slightly before she trailed off. "I could really do with a muffin. I'll see you in charms." Ginny stifled her giggles as she watched Luna trail into the great hall, humming to herself happily, evidently eager for her breakfast muffin.
Shaking her head, Ginny began her trek up the staircase. She had misplaced her charms homework and she had a feeling she had left it in the library after asking Hermione for some help with the conclusion.
While she walked, Ginny considered the Slytherin. Luna was right, he was definitely something to look at, but she knew that you couldn't judge a book by its cover. Especially when that particular book was a Slytherin. This was why she had settled down with Harry. After all, Ginny reasoned, he wasn't all that bad to look at, and all the Quidditch had done wonders for his muscles. He was definitely sweet to her and she did love him.
But when Ginny thought back to her past relationships, they were just the same as the one she had with Harry. However if she compared them to the short fling she had had with the Slytherin in her year, Danny Harper, she sighed. That fling had been more heated and more exciting than anything she had experienced before. Though that may partially have been because their relationship was all sex and they had to keep it secret.
"Why isn't life easy?" Ginny mumbled as she entered the library. She moved through the tall shelves and past the empty tables, until she found the place she had been working the night before. Just as she had anticipated, lying on the floor was a rolled up piece of parchment. Ginny opened it, checking that is was indeed her work, before stuffing it in her bag.
She turned to leave, but spotted a lone figure, sat at a desk, staring blankly at the wall, a book sat on the table in front of her, closed. Ginny walked over and seated herself opposite Hermione.
"Hey, Hermione? Are you okay?" Ginny slid her hand across to where Hermione's was lying on the table and clasped it in her own, peering into her friends eyes.
"Hmm?" Hermione blinked, her eyes clearing, and she smiled. "Oh no I'm fine Gin, I was just thinking." She glanced at her watch. "Actually, I better get to class, as should you." Hermione stood up, grabbing her bag from where it sat on the ground and exited the library without so much as a wave for her friend.
Ginny stared after her, slightly confused at her friend's odd behaviour. She glanced at her own watch. "Ah, shit." She mumbled, dismissing any and all thoughts about Hermione's odd behaviour and hurried off to class.
Just outside the library doors, Hermione stopped, pressed against the wall and waited until Ginny had blindly hurried past. Once she had, Hermione began to follow at her own calm pace in order to give herself time to mull her thoughts over. She was most confused about the events of the great hall earlier that morning. She knew that as soon as she got to class, Malfoy would be there, undoubtedly watching her persistently. She was striving to put it off as long as possible, knowing her blush would not remain unnoticed all day. Even if putting it off meant that book smart Hermione Granger was purposely late for class.