Friends,

I hope everyone had a wonderful Halloween, Samhain, Harvest Festival, Dia de los Muertos, or whatever else it may be to you…. Even if it was just plain ol' October 31st. I dawned my Slytherin uniform for the evening as a 'costume'…. The muggles were none the wiser! Anyway, here is the next xhapter. Let me know what you think!

Love,

SweetSlytherinPrincess

Locomotive

Chapter VIII

It was easy to tell that Draco Malfoy was not in the most pleasant of moods. He sat facing the crackling fire, his posture leaded forward with his elbows resting on his knees. His head bowed forward causing his white-blond hair to fall forward. She sighed, the flames dancing warmly across his bare skin of his upper body. He was disgusted with himself. A feeling that he was well acquainted with.

"Why are you doing, Draco my dear?" the voice he heard was not the one he had hopes for. He groaned and sat back in the black leather chair that sat in the middle of the common room.

"I couldn't stand it anymore." Malfoy returned in a dry voice, staring blankly into the flames. The dark haired witch scrunched her face, tilting her head as she moved closer. She lightly traced her fingers along his muscled, bare shoulder.

"Stand what?" She said cutely. He scoffed, leaning away from her touch. She retracted her hand, letting it fall to her side. She wore the dress shirt that seemed to be missing from Malfoy's frame. Her hair slightly awry and her cheeks flushed.

"I couldn't stand the sight of you." He said softly, turning his gaze forward once again. He had no interest in gauging her reaction. He simply wanted to stare forth at the flames before him, picking out the glinting tones of warmth that reminded him of Granger's hair in the sunlight or the spark in her eyes at just the right moment. His jaw tightened as he thought of her.

It was strange to him, how much he disliked Pansy nowadays. She had always fawned over him, and he used to always enjoy the attention. She had a good body and was a decent lover, but recently the very sound of her voice irked him. Recently her affection in public set him off. When she had appeared at his door earlier in the evening, he had hoped that she might clear his mind of the strange feelings he had been having for a certain mudblood. But all she did was prove to him that his feelings were there to stay. As he pulled his body from hers after the act was done, he felt nothing but emptiness, her sweet words and soft touch revolting him.

Pansy gasped at his words, her bottom lip pushing out. She raised a hand and let it fall harshly across his cheek. He let it happen, moving to stare up at her. Her dark eyes welled with tears and her face reddened for a different reason this time.

"How could you say that? After we just had a good shag?"

"Who said it was good?" He replied coldly.

"Why you little…." She crossed her arms over her chest now, her expression changing from hurt to outrage. She turned on her heal and retreated back down the hallway towards Malfoy's room. Returning a moment later haphazardly dressed in her uniform, his shirt bundled in her hands.

"You have really changed, Draco." She shot at him, throwing his shirt in his direction. Malfoy shrugged, looking forward. "I can't believe this! You know how far my room is! How could you make me go all the way back at this hour?" She pouted now. Despite her anger, she wanted so badly for him to look at her with love.

"Don't worry. I already did rounds for this evening." He looked over at the grandfather clock in the corner of the room. "But Filtch will be passing making his way towards the dungeons in about a half an hour so I would put a pep in your step." Her mouth hung open, and she shook her head in defeat. She looked at him a moment longer before breaking out into tears once more.

"Why can't you even look at me?" She turned from him, hurriedly making her way for the door. Malfoy making no move after her.

The door creeped open just as Pansy laid her hand on the doorknob, Hermione tiredly pushing her way into the door, jumping with a soft peep as she collided with Parkinson. Hermione grumbled, eyes wide as she registered who she had bumped into. It was Malfoys pretty little play thing. Obviously departing after one of their usual rounds, being that her clothes were barely on correctly. She felt her heart burning.

"Move it! Filthy mudblood!" She pushed Hermione out of the way with her shoulder before practically running out the door. Had she been crying? Confusedly, Hermione shut the door softly. It was an early hour, but these days Hermione avoided walking about the commons at a time she might run into the Slytherin Prince. But as she padded softly into the main commons, her heart sunk.

The room was dim, the firelight causing shadows to play across the room. Before the fireplace was a daunting leather chair, the blonde sitting in it, his hair shining like white-gold. He stood suddenly, and her heart jumped as she backed slowly against the wall. Her breath caught in her throat. He was tall, the flames casting shadows along his body that hugged the stressed muscles in his back. His shoulders were much broader than she imagined, and she realized this was the first time she had laid eyes on his bare skin. The warmth of the room offset his usual paleness, and it all looked so perfect and smooth. Yet she knew if she felt him, her would feel like stone.

He turned slightly, and her eyes traveled up the contours of his front torso. Her heart skipped a beat, and every rumor she had heard about his Godly ways within the bedroom flashed in her mind.

"Ah. Granger. Never thought I'd see you here." His voice was surprisingly soft compared to the coldly delivered words exchanged with Pansy just moments before. He leaned down and retrieved his shirt, pulling it over him and slowing working up the buttons. She was relieved, but at the same time she longed to gaze upon his Adonis of a body for longer.

"I… have been busy, you know." She managed to say, barely audible even to herself.

"What was that?" He moved closer to her now, and she tried her hardest to disappear into the stone that met her back, but she could only flatten herself so much. "What is this? Hermione Granger showing fear?" He smiled softly, his tone warm, and strangely kindhearted. She relaxed slightly a blush coming over her face.

"Malfoy, I'm sorry but I need to go to bed…" She broke eye contact with him and moved to make an exit, but he stepped into her way, laughing as she bumped against him.

"Quit running from me Granger." He said softly. "I don't care how much you regret what happened. You can't keep up this game you've been playing. For your own sake. Since when did you let any one chsnge you like this. You're not acting the Hermione everyone knows." He paused, surprised at himself for using her first name. By the look of it, she was surprised too. It was the first time in either of their immediate memories that he had said it. And he rather liked the feel of it in his mouth, and he daresay it sounded nice to speak it.

"What makes you think you know anything about the real me?" She looked up at him now, her eyes burning. He stepped closing, looking down at her face. Wishing her pink mouth was on his again. Wishing she would make the request once more.

"Probably the same thing that makes you think that you know the real me." He retaliated. "I've only known since you were eleven. Not even that dimwit Weasel could get you to cower." He had said the wrong words, and he knew it immediately. For at the sound of the red-haired boy's name, her eyes widened, and her face suddenly was painted with worry.

"Hermione." He said firmly, and her gaze shot back to him at the sound of it.

"If what happened between you and me, means nothing to you. Save yourself the trouble… save Weasley the trouble and just forget it ever happened. I won't ever speak of it again" His voice had dropped low, and he made space between them, making his way towards his bed, ready to sleep off the mistakes he had made this night.

Once Hermione heard his close his door, she broke down and sighed heavily, feeling her eyes dampen.

She whispered in a broken voice to herself, "But it did mean something…"