Disclaimer; I don't own Harry or any of his friends or enemies for that matter.
A/N Hi all! Happy New Year! I hope you all had a great holiday. Here is chapter 4. I hope you all like it. Happy reading and don't forget to review!
The kiss
Dinner time rolled around and Hermione was eating quietly at the end of the Gryffindor table. She had her head buried in a book as usual and was taking bites in between turning pages. She didn't even notice Ron entering the great hall with Lavender Brown giggling on his arm. He shot Hermione a dirty look of contempt before settling in at the table only a few seats down from her. Lavender clung to Ron like glue, giggling and kissing him at every opportunity. Hermione rolled her eyes and went back to her book. A minute later Draco entered the great hall and sat across from her. He was there for a full minute before she noticed.
"Hey." he smiled. "Wondered where you had got to."
"Had some catching up to do. I was a little distracted in astronomy." she laughed. He thought for a moment and then caught on.
"Oh." he went slightly pink.
Just then Harry and Ginny entered the hall arm in arm. Harry saw Draco sitting at the Gryffindor table and made a beeline for the couple.
"Just what the hell do you think you are doing Malfoy?" he said loudly for the whole school to hear.
"Uh…talking to my girl?" he answered back, standing to meet Harry's emerald green eyes.
"Not at our table you are not, now go you slimy git." Harry spat.
"He does not have to go anywhere, as head boy and girl we can eat at whichever table we choose. The two of us are not in houses anymore Harry. We are heads of all four houses so bugger off and find someone else to bother." Hermione said furiously.
Harry gave her a look that sent daggers into her heart and walked on down the table. She sat back down and motioned for Draco to do the same. He looked at her with a renewed respect. She had stood up to Potty. Wow.
"So you were saying you were distracted?" he asked one eyebrow raised.
"Uh…yeah. Had a lot on my mind." she smiled.
"Ok, well I am going to go have dinner with Crabbe and Goyle, see you later in the common room?" he asked.
"I'll be there." she said before he grabbed her hand and kissed it softly. Hermione had never been more confused in her whole life. She didn't know which parts were acting anymore, and which parts, if any, were real. That kiss earlier had certainly seemed real. There was no one around watching them. Her knees had felt weak and her heart had beaten almost out of her chest. What was she feeling for him? He was smart, and funny, and fun to be with. But was it all an act? She decided she needed to find out. But wait, if she came out and asked him, and it was all an act she would feel like a fool. But what if it wasn't? She just couldn't decide what to do.
Draco ate dinner with his friends talking and laughing but also keeping his eyes on Hermione. He felt slightly bad for ostracizing her from her friends, but that is what she wanted right? And what was with that kiss earlier. He actually wanted to kiss her. He wanted to feel her soft lips on his and her hands running through his hair. It had made him feel all weird inside. But a good weird. Her body had been pressed against his and he liked it. All those years of conditioning from his father had gone out the window today. Hermione was one of the smartest witches in Hogwarts. She was fun to be with and kind. Things that pureblood girls severely lacked. His father was probably rolling in his mausoleum at that very moment. He laughed. All the times his father had drilled it into his brain that mudbl…muggle borns were inferior. What a waste of time. He was almost, kind of, mostly, 99.9 sure that he had something more than friendship feelings for her, but he wasn't sure how to find out if she felt the same, or if she would laugh in his face and call him a ferret; telling him that this all was an act and it was Weasel she loved. He glanced back to the Gryffindor table and saw her reading her book, taking tiny bites of food. He also saw the Weasel and Potty laughing and talking loudly. That slutty girl on the Weasel's arm. He thought he saw Hermione look over at them a few times before returning to her work. Action needed to be taken. And he was just the man for the job. He stood up and strolled back over to her.
"Hem, hem." he said to get her attention. She looked up and saw the blonde haired boy smiling at her, holding out his arm for her. She stood up to meet it and he grabbed her book for her along with her bag.
"Shall we?" he asked leaning his head so that his lips were again close enough to feel his hot breath. The edges of his mouth turned up into a smile and she brought her head to meet his, just briefly, then for a moment or two longer. The whole school gasped, including Ron who had stopped talking loudly and fell silent. The only person still chatting was Lavender. She was talking to Ron in a high pitched voice when she noticed that the room had gone deafly quiet. She looked to Hermione and Draco who were still snogging and also fell quiet. Ron's ears had gone redder than his hair. Lavender kissed Ron directly on the mouth but he did not kiss back. He just stared at the two of them. A moment later Draco pulled away and grabbed Hermione's arm, leading her out of the great hall. The only sounds that could be heard were their footsteps as they left. When the hall doors had closed he didn't let go of her hand, but instead kept a tight grip as they walked up the steps to their fifth floor common room.
Hermione's mind was so full of thoughts that it hurt. This was only supposed to be an act right? To make Ron and Harry mad. But she enjoyed kissing him, and felt odd things jumping in her stomach. And why hadn't he let go of her hand? The corridors were deserted. Anyone who mattered was in the great hall still eating. They reached the portrait and went through the hole. He set her books on the table and pulled her to the couch by the roaring fire. She followed him wide-eyed and nervous. Should she ask? Risk making a fool of herself? No, she would just let nature take its course. Draco had other ideas.
"So." he said.
"Uh…yeah?"
"How am I doing?" he asked jokingly, but Hermione saw this as the answer to her question. Or so she thought.
"Great, uh…very realistic." she said shyly.
"Good, that's good. That's what I was going for." he said softly.
"Oh." she said feeling stupid for even thinking any of that act was real.
"What's wrong?" he asked trying to pry into her eyes.
"Nothing, just some silly idea I had." she smiled sweetly even though she felt like crying for some reason. Her eyes filled up with tears and she tried to blink them away quickly before he noticed.
"I can't help if you won't tell me. Is it something the Weasel did?" a small amount or rage towards Ron was building in Draco's stomach.
She thought quickly, not wanting him to know that she was crying over him, but for no reason.
"Uh, yeah. Seeing Ron and Lavender tonight really got to me. She was all over him wasn't she?" she sniffed.
"Lavender Brown is a tramp. She hasn't nearly the brains or the class that you do Hermione." he said pulling her head onto his shoulder. Draco was yearning to tell her that she was too good for the weasel, and that she needed someone who understood her, challenged her mentally and physically, understood her. Someone like her in everyway, but different enough to be fun. Someone who would be there for her when she needed him, but not smother her. Someone like…well, someone like him. He sat there staring into the fire biting his tongue. This was all an act for her. She still wanted Ron and was doing this to make him jealous right? He decided to get his emotions in check and get to bed. He started to stir and she picked her head up off of his shoulder and looked pleadingly at him with her big brown eyes. Her face was only inches from his. He wrestled with the thoughts of pulling her into a kiss. She had kissed him earlier in potions. Well he had wanted to kiss her of course, but there was no one around to see them so really he had no excuse. For the first time in his life he felt very conflicted and confused. He needed to get to his room and think.
"Well, I am going to shower and then turn in. I will see you in the morning then?" he asked with a strained voice.
"Yes." she said in such a quiet voice that he had a hard time hearing her. He leaned his head in and she planted her full lips onto his. He responded the only way he knew how. By kissing back. Before either of them knew it his hands were on the back of her neck keeping her head from pulling away. And her hands ran themselves over and over in his corn silk hair. They ran down the back of his neck and then fell to his waist where they pulled his shirt out of his pants. She inched her long fingers up the back of his shirt and felt his smooth skin. He opened his eyes and looked at the girl he was kissing. And then as much as it pained him, he had to stop. He let go of her hair and pulled away from her. She opened her eyes to look at him and her mouth fell open in horror.
"Oh gods I am so sorry. I thought you were going to…and then I wanted you to…please don't be mad." she looked to be on the verge of tears again.
"It's alright. I am going to bed now thought. Uh…I will see you tomorrow. Have breakfast with me?" he said slightly embarrassed at the intimate moment they had just shared.
"If you want." she said not looking at him either. She had made a move and he had plainly just told her that it was all an act. And now she had made a fool of herself in front of him.
"Hey, I am sorry." she said quietly.
"It's fine. See you tomorrow." he said before walking up the dual stairs quickly and into his room, shutting the door behind him.
Hermione sat on the couch for a while, contemplating the events that had just unfolded. She screwed up. She thought that kiss earlier had been real. It was an act for sure now. All part of the plan. At least now she knew, but why was she so bothered by it?
A little while later she was in her bed staring at the ceiling, before she knew it tears ran down her face and onto her satin pillowcase.
That night Draco lay in his bed wide awake a mere forty feet from where she slept. He thought about that kiss they had just shared and was very confused. Hadn't she asked him to 'pretend' to be her boyfriend to make the weasel jealous? But then hadn't she also kissed him twice that day and touched him in a way that sent chills down his spine? Maybe this plan of hers was less about revenge and more about making the weasel jealous? After all, what is a better way to get revenge for a scorned love than by hooking up with his worst enemy right? All of this was too much for him to handle right now. He closed his tired eyes and went to sleep trying to sort out everything in his already full mind.
Hermione felt slightly awkward in his presence now. She felt foolish for ever believing that he was doing anything more than acting. They spent the next morning away from each other's company, aside from sharing breakfast together in the common room. Draco headed off to the Slytherin common room to see his old housemates. Hermione stayed in her bedroom reading. She heard something outside of the portrait hole. They had several free periods that morning.
"Hermione, it's me, Ginny. Are you there?" she shouted.
"Coming." Hermione yelled back. She ran down the stairs to the door and opened it.
"Hi Ginny!" she said hugging the small red head. "I am so glad to see you!" Hermione pulled Ginny into the room and they sat on the couch.
"I heard about your walk with Malfoy out by the quidditch pitch the other night." she smiled knowingly.
"The whole school has to know everything." Hermione sighed. "Who told everyone, Harry or Ron?"
"Lavender, actually. But Ron probably went on a rant about it to her." Ginny admitted.
"Oh, right. Lavender." Hermione huffed.
"So, I want details!" Ginny squealed.
"What details, we went for a walk, kissed a little and talked. It was nice." she smiled thinking of her 'date' over the weekend.
"How come neither of you showed up for dinner then hmmm? Explain that one." she said folding her arms on her chest.
"When we got back to the common room Dobby had dinner here for us, nothing else happened."
Ginny raised her eyebrow at Hermione.
"No, really. I swear." Hermione said.
"Ok, but I have to know. Is he a good kisser?" Ginny asked brazenly. Hermione blushed a deep red.
"Yeah." she said dreamily, and not lying either. "He makes me feel…I don't know."
"Uh huh." Ginny said smiling.
Hermione couldn't help herself. She smiled back letting her mind wander to their last kiss in the common room the previous evening. She immediately fell silent and changed the subject.
"So, how are things getting on with you and Harry?" Hermione asked.
"Fine, he is so shy. Its cute." she giggled. Hermione gave her a weak smile. Just then Draco burst through the portrait door and interrupted the giggling girls.
"Ladies." he said. He must have been playing quidditch with his housemates. His blonde hair was plastered to his forehead with sweat and he was slightly dirty. He ran up the stairs to the bathroom and shut the door. Ginny giggled.
"How do you stay in this room with him and not jump him?" she said glancing back at the bathroom door. "I mean don't let Ron or Harry know that, and I know he is a git, but…damn."
"Oh Ginny." Hermione said lightly slapping her arm.
"Well I had better go and leave the two of you…uh, alone?" she said raising her eyebrows.
"Yeah, alone." Hermione mused as she pushed her younger friend out of the door. She sat back on the couch before looking at her watch. She had forty five minutes until Charms. She settled back into her book when she heard an upstairs door open and footsteps on the stairs. Draco was approaching the chair wearing nothing but boxers on his well sculpted frame. He threw himself in the chair as if he were exhausted. Hermione's eyes traveled his chest taking in every inch. She hadn't realized what a fabulous body he had until just that moment. Her cheeks went crimson again and she looked back down at her book before he could realize that she was staring. But in Draco's mind he had noticed the second he felt her eyes boring holes into him. He was somewhat amused by the fact that she was looking at him. He was used to it of course; many a Hogwarts girl had been caught glancing the way of the Slytherin prince. He had no classes that day and longed to just lay here in front of the fire and sleep.
"You going to classes today?" he finally asked her.
"Yeah, I have charms in like forty minutes or so." she replied keeping her eyes in her book and off of that smooth pale chest. Her stomach was doing some weird flippy thing again.
"Oh. Alright."
"Are you?' she asked.
"No classes today." he admitted. "Just going to lounge around and sleep." he yawned at the very thought.
Hermione continued to read until 10 minutes before she was due in charms. She stood up and stretched, noticing that Draco had fallen asleep. He looked so sweet and child-like while he was sleeping. She smiled before leaving to go to charms class.
Two hours passed and Hermione was beat. Harry and Ron were still harassing her about Mal…Draco and she was tiring of it. She bolted out of the class and ran back to her common room where to her surprise Draco was sleeping on the couch, still near naked. She put her books on the tiny table and walked over to him. It was drafty in the castle and the fire had gone out while he slept. She went to the armoire and grabbed out a hand knit afghan. She moved in front of his slumbering body and covered his lower body first. She kneeled down, fingers grazing his chest and abdomen as she pulled them up. Then she didn't know what came over her. She pulled the blanket back and ran her hand over his smooth skin. Goosebumps erupted on her skin as well as his. She had never touched a boy this intimately. Her right hand wandered to his angelic face and his silky fine hair. He truly was beautiful. An urge came over her then. The urge to kiss him. To place her lips on his plump pink ones and just kiss him. She leaned over him, faces barely an inch away and then she did it. She ran her tongue ever so softly over them, tasting him. And then to her surprise he began to kiss back. Eyes still closed he must have been dreaming. She cupped his face with her hands and deepened the kiss. He let out a small groan in his sleep. His breathing became heavy and when Hermione looked down she was shocked. His boxers had become tight. Hermione giggled and continued teasing him with her mouth. She couldn't believe she was doing this. She kissed down his neck and to his pale strong chest. He smelled so good she inhaled deeply just to take it all in. By the time she had kissed to his navel she suddenly realized that she should not be doing this. She stopped and looked at him again. His eyes were wide open.