A/N Merry Christmas! There is something everyone can be grateful for, so hold on to that. Love you all and thank you for the reviews! REVIEW MORE ;) please.
Hermione was in the library. It was a Saturday, and she had finished all her homework. She was currently trying to read through a book about proper wizard greetings from around the world for a class she had to take for her desired profession.
Hermione wanted more than anything to work for the ministry. Wizarding politics intrigued her, all the little pieces working behind closed doors to make the bigger things happen. She wanted power behind closed doors, to be an unseen force. She wanted to make sure the level of corruption Voldemort had caused never happened again.
The only problem was, Malfoy was distracting her. And he wasn't even in the room.
She was trying to forget about Malfoy and putting her efforts into her book, something that hadn't worked so far. Unfortunately, she knew exactly where he was, and she knew he was alone. She could find him and talk to him, try to get some clarity about his response while on veritaserum. He said his reasons for hating her had been selfish, not because of her blood. How could hating her be selfish? Hermione had thought about it from every possible angle, and there's no way that could be true, yet Draco had said it under the influence of veritaserum, so it had to be. The brunette hated not having answers.
Hermione pulled her ponytail out of her hair and ran her hands through the curls she had released, frustrated that her train of thoughts had once again stopped on Malfoy. What did she care if he was the most confusing boy she had ever met? That's right; she didn't. Trying to read the same sentence over again for the twentieth time, she didn't notice the person behind her until he had picked up her book to read for himself.
"Tsk tsk, Hermione. This isn't for class, is it? I thought we had all of ours together," Malfoy said from behind her chair, leaning over one of her shoulders. She shivered at his closeness, his scent making her want to close her eyes and let down the so carefully constructed wall between her and the rest of the world.
"Give me that back!" Hermione said, snatching her book back and carefully placing the bookmark next to the spine, shutting the cover. "Didn't know you paid that much attention to my schedule, Draco, but you would be wrong. I take extra class on Mondays that you don't." She flipped her honeyed eyes over her shoulder, her gaze trailing down Draco. The blond clenched his jaw, wanting to punish her for making him think such dirty thoughts about the Princess of Light, the untarnished war heroine. All Draco could think of when she was near was making her pay for what she was doing to him.
"Now who's paying attention?" Draco responded with a smirk, flipping his gaze over the girl slowly, making her squirm. "What are the extra classes for?"
Hermione tilted her head to the side. This had to be the first time he had asked her anything without a clearly nasty motive. "Well, it's for Wizarding Relations. I want to work in the Ministry," Hermione admitted hesitantly. Draco leaned over her, his hand on the back of her chair, tilting it back slightly so she was forced to look up at him.
"Why would you want to work for the Ministry? Don't get enough attention as the Princess of Light?" Draco questioned, winding a curl around his knuckles.
Hermione shivered. What was he doing to her? "I wouldn't want to be a public face, just more behind the scenes. I hate being stared at." At this Draco's eyebrow raised in surprise. He would never have guessed she disliked public attention with how gracefully she handled it. "And the ministry needs help fighting against corruption. During the war it was horrible, and I just want…" Hermione stopped, suddenly acutely aware that she was about to tell Draco about ambitions she had never told even Ron or Harry.
His lips curved into a smirk. He pulled gently on the hair that was still tightly wound around his fingers, forcing her eyes back to him. "What do you want, Hermione?" He leaned down, breath ghosting over her skin. He suppressed a groan as he watched her blush slowly, spreading to her cheeks. Her eyes glimmered with what Draco knew was lust. He had seen it many, many times before, but he never expected to see it on Hermione's features, and he sucked in a breath.
"Draco, let me go. Now." Hermione's voice wavered, and Draco wondered what would happen if he just closed the distance… but he couldn't. Because then the game would be over, and she would never look him in the eyes again.
Hermione flicked her tongue over her lips, never breaking eye contact with Draco as he slowly unwound her hair from his fingers, releasing her. What the hell was wrong with her? She didn't like Malfoy, she liked Ron. Ron was her unrequited crush, not the infuriating Slytherin looking down at her with molten silver eyes.
Hermione stood up quickly, needing to get out. She stuffed her book in her bag, and practically ran out of the library, her safe haven turned… well, she didn't know what just happened. But she knew she felt far from safe and comfortable when Draco looked at her.
—Draco
Draco stared at the door Hermione had just ran out of like a bat out of hell. Flopping down in the seat she had just left vacant, Draco ran his hands through his hair, rubbing his face like he could erase her from his mind if he pressed hard enough.
Fuck. She was… more than he could handle. He hadn't admitted it until now, but there was no way he could control their relationship, and that scared him.
Draco had control over everything in his life. When he dated Pansy, she did whatever he said, like the pathetic little puppy she was. Hermione was just… she was just so damn unpredictable. Uncontrollable. When he expected flashing anger and verbal sparring, he got barely concealed lust, for him, of all people. He saw it in her eyes, in the way she responded to him when he hadn't even touched her.
The Princess of Light may not admit it, but she fucking wanted him as much as he wanted her, and that was more unexpected than anything she could have thrown at him.
Draco stayed at the library for another hour, finishing his homework. He needed to cool down before going back to the dorms they shared. How the fuck was he supposed to sleep tonight now?
Draco threw his book angrily in his bag, heading to the Slytherin common room instead of straight to his quarters. He needed to see someone else before seeing her again, and there were plenty of choices in his House common room.
The chill of the dungeon welcomed him back like an old memory. The cold never bothered him anymore, in fact, it was a welcome change from the heat in the library. Breathing deeply, Draco reminded himself that he was as stony and cold as the concrete walls surrounding him. It's how he survived, and it's how he maintains control. Hermione could not change that.
He stormed into the room, surveying the couches with Slytherin girls and boys hanging out, doing homework, flirting not-so-subtly. His eyes searched the room, latched onto a girl with curly dark hair and a smile that wasn't so innocent. Draco walked over, silver eyes flashing and hair a mess. He was definitely worthy of the title Slytherin Prince.
Every girl's eyes followed him around the room, hoping he would walk over to them. His lean, muscular frame, strong jaw, and light stubble made him very popular with the ladies. It wasn't just his looks either- it was him. His careless attitude, his smooth charm, his untouchable status. It didn't hurt that he was a billionaire, either.
He approached the girl, smirking as he effectively cut her off from her friends by positioning her between his long frame and the wall behind her.
"I don't think I know your name," Draco murmured, barely bothering to look interested. He knew she would do whatever he wanted her to do anyway. Everything was too easy. Everyone was too easy.
The girl giggled obnoxiously, the sound grating Draco's ears. "I'm Ravyn. I already know who you are, Malfoy."
Draco flipped his eyes over her short black skirt and tight dark green sweater, taking his time responding. "Good, then we aren't strangers. I thought you might want to take a walk with me for a bit."
Ravyn giggled again, fluttering her eyelashes at him. "I'd love to. Lead the way, Malfoy."
Draco walked off towards a more unused hallway he knew had ample coverage for what he wanted to do. He didn't bother to look back to see if Ravyn had followed him- he knew she had.
When they got to a turn in the hall that had a tapestry covering the corner, Draco stopped and turned back to find that Ravyn had moved behind the tapestry already, leaving her lacy black panties on the hall floor. Draco kicked them to the side, following the girl behind the tapestry.
He slipped his hands under her sweater, kissing her almost painfully hard. She didn't mind. Slipping the sweater over her head, she sunk to her knees in front of Draco.
Leaning his head against the wall behind him, Draco closed his eyes. His mind immediately conjured up the image of Hermione in the library, face flushed, eyes simmering, mouth slightly open… Draco wound Ravyn's hair around his hand, pulling like he did Hermione's curls in the library. Hermione's hair was softer. Draco thought about Hermione breathing next to him, crushed against him in the alleyway in Hogsmeade. Her body grinding against his as she struggled, before relaxing into him, breath hot on his chest.
Ravyn wasn't Hermione.
He thought about those jeans and that tight, white shirt Hermione had worn with her hair straight. She had looked so bloody perfect, laughing with her friends. She was a fucking angel.
Draco groaned, losing it, gasping out Hermione's name like a prayer.
Ravyn stood up, eyes wide with shock. "Did you just say another girl's name? Who the fuck did you just call out for?"
Draco zipped up his pants, licking his lips. What the fuck had he just done? Did he actually just say Hermione's fucking name?
"You didn't hear? Too bad, would've been good gossip," Draco said coolly, shouldering past the shocked girl into the hallway, grabbing his bag in the common room.
Blaise approached Draco cautiously, noting Draco's off-balance look. "Hey, man. You good? How was the hookup?"
Draco cut his eyes to Blaise's cold brown ones. "I fucking said another girl's name."
Blaise's eyes widened. "Fuck man, I thought you never really liked Pansy, but she'd definitely take you back if you…" Blaise studied his best friend of more than ten years. "It wasn't Pansy. Who was it, then?"
Draco looked torured, steely eyes cold and confused. He dragged Blaise out into the hall, away from prying eyes. "Fucking hell…" Draco said, a haunted look in his eyes. "I can't do it, Blaise. She's the one girl I really can't have. She's too good. I'll destroy her. She'll destroy me."
Blaise closed his mouth. "Hermione Granger." Draco didn't deny it, just stared past Blaise with a blank look on his face.
"Bloody hell, did she hear you? When you said…"
Draco shook his head, jaw locked tightly, not trusting himself too speak.
"I don't know what you're going to do, man, but you can't. You're right, you can't have her. Not after everything that's happened."
Draco shouldered past Blaise, heading back to the room he shared with Hermione Jean Granger.
A/N Sorry! I've been super busy, but I have some ideas for the next couple of chapters, so keep reading! ;)
