Chapter Nine
Draco stared into the fire moodily, brooding over what had happened. Hermione had told him to leave but he hadn't, preferring to remain slouched in an arm chair. The rain was still pouring, getting stronger and stronger, and she had been gone for about three hours. Just as he was beginning to think about going to bed, he heard footsteps walking along the corridor to the Heads Quarters. He arranged his body a little more casually, trying not to reveal the all-pervading tension.
Because he was tense. It was easy to pretend that he wasn't, but Hermione was so different to every girl that he had ever been with. He certainly had no intentions of apologising, or asking for her forgiveness, but he didn't want them to be on terms like this. If…if they could just go back to what they had been like…that would be perfect. He could wipe her memory, he thought, make her think that there had never been any argument…but that would fall through so easily, just taking Blaise to open his huge mouth one more time. Draco's fists clenched when he thought of what Blaise had managed to do.
Before he could work himself up into a fouler temper, the door pushed open. He turned his head slowly and saw Hermione standing in the door way, looking at him without any expression on her face.
''I thought I told you to be out of the common room by the time I got back.''
Draco didn't answer, caught up in looking at her. The rain had soaked her clothes and they were sticking to her in a very becoming way, her hair was slicked back, showing off her elegant cheekbones. Her eyes, gazing at him, weren't red or puffy (disturbing Draco slightly – why hadn't she been crying?). The only sign of tension was the white teeth chewing gently on her plump lower lip.
He finally pulled himself together long enough to answer her. ''I wanted to talk to you.''
''Tough.'' Hermione walked past him. He looked after her, and then braced himself for an onslaught as she spun around in the doorway. But no verbal barrage came. Instead : ''Petrificus Totalus!''
Draco's body froze into a rigid position where he was seated. Hermione smiled. ''I did warn you.'' Leaving the room, she walked into her bedroom and stared at herself in the mirror, her breath coming quickly. Was she really about to do this? It shouldn't seem this hard – she'd done far worse things : faced Deatheaters in the Ministry of Magic, faced off attack in Hogwarts, survived without her friends, mastered making a Patronus…and yet this seemed to be the most difficult thing of all.
Pointing her wand at her hair, she dried it into glossy curls and flicked it over her shoulders. Toned down her flushed skin and made up her eyes (subtly of course), and then slid out of her bedroom and into Draco's, trying to make as little noise as possible. Rummaging through his wardrobe, she found one of his plain white shirts, and snatched it off the hanger. Sliding back into her room, she peeled off her clothes and wriggled into the shirt. It fell to mid thigh and covered her quite decently but there was definitely something going on there, Hermione thought, turning in front of the mirror.
Checking her appearance one last time and making sure that she had her wand, she walked back into the common room. Draco's head had frozen facing a different direction, so he could hear her but had no idea what she was doing. Walking around him, she stood in front of him. His eyes widened as much as they were able. Hermione flicked her wand and loosened part of the spell, freeing him from the neck upwards.
''What are you doing?'' he asked her, his voice full of shock and his eyes wide.
''Be quiet, or I'll gag you again.''
''Mione…''
''Oh, it's Mione now?'' She flicked her wand and bound him. ''I did warn you.'' She stepped closer to him.
Draco's eyes ran up and down her body, and Hermione felt an unmistakeable thrill. Draco in turn thought how cute she looked in his shirt and then lost his train of thought as he noticed her legs. She put her wand to one side and placed her hand on the side of his face, looking down at him. Draco closed his eyes in momentary ecstasy as he felt her soft touch, but was unable to react any further.
Hermione walked behind him and rested one hand on his chest and bent down next to his ear. ''And yet you say you don't feel anything for me?'' She ran her hand slightly lower and felt his heartbeat pick up. ''So, technically, if I were to do this…'' she nibbled the back of his neck, ''you wouldn't feel anything.'' She felt his heart go even faster and an incomprehensible moan escaped his lips. ''Fine, if you don't feel anything…'' She let go and stepped away.
Draco moaned again, and with a flick of her wand, Hermione let him speak. ''Please…''
''Please what?''
''Don't go.''
''I don't know. I'll see if I can get someone to place a bet before I do anything else.'' Draco stared at her as she gave him a sweet smile.
''Don't be like that.''
''It's fine. You don't feel anything for me, I obviously don't feel anything for you.'' She walked in front of him and sat across his lap. ''But I am a human being, not a bet. And this is not over.'' She kissed him briefly along his jaw bone and then stood up. ''I'm going to bed. I guess you'll just have to wait until the spell wears off.''
And with that, she sashayed out of the room, ignoring Draco's entreaties for help.
Later that night, Draco was still sitting in front of the burnt out fire. The spell had long worn off, but he had yet to move. He couldn't believe that Hermione had done that – had found the nerve to imprison him and then to taunt him. He was (he hated to admit it) impressed. Of course he knew that she had a backbone, but to exhibit it to such an extent – well that was amazing.
And he knew that she was lying about not feeling anything for him. He had proved that often enough, every time he told her to kiss him and she melted into him. And if you didn't feel anything for someone, you certainly didn't wear one of their shirts and parade round. Draco smiled slightly, remembering how she had looked.
It wasn't over. He stared at the embers in the grate before him. ''You're damn right this isn't over Hermione.'' He smiled again. She wanted him. He would make it up with her in the morning. It'd be simple.
The next morning, Draco walked into the common room to see Hermione already to go to her lessons. As she slotted yet another book into her bag, she tossed her curls absentmindedly over her shoulder.
''Morning.'' He smiled at her.
She looked at him, completely disinterested. ''Mmm.''
''Fine. Be that way.'' Draco stepped towards her and slid a hand under her hair so that he could rub the back of her neck. Just as he was bending down to kiss her cheek, a knock came at the door.
Hermione moved away from him, thanking Merlin for small mercies : she had been so close to sighing and rubbing back against him. Opening the door, she smiled at Cormac McLaggen. ''Hi.''
''Hey Mione.'' He leant with one elbow against the doorjamb and Hermione cringed inwardly : could he be any more obvious?
Draco moved forward, a confrontational sneer at the ready. ''And you are?''
''Cormac McLaggen.''
''And you're here because?''
''I'm walking Hermione to class.'' He smiled at Hermione, who busied herself with her bag.
''Hermione, you've been at Hogwarts for seven years, you do not need this prat showing you where to go.'' Draco looked at her in disbelief.
''Of course I know where to go, I just want Cormac's company.'' Hermione widened her eyes faux-innocently.
With a contemptuous look at Cormac, Draco slammed the door in his face. ''You cannot be serious.''
''About what? Open that door!''
''Hermione, the guy is a complete tool!''
''You think I hadn't noticed?'' Hermione's voice was so sarcastic that it stopped even Draco in his tracks. ''He's self obsessed, arrogant and possesses no sense of tact or subtlety.''
Draco looked at her. ''So why are you encouraging him?''
Hermione reached forward and grabbed the door handle. Just before she opened it, she gazed straight into his eyes. ''Because Draco my darling, it's driving you mad.'' She pulled the door open, but Draco's hand hit it and it flew shut again. Without another word, he pushed Hermione up against it and kissed her harder than he had ever kissed her. She returned his embrace just as vigorously, biting at his lower lip, opening her mouth so that his tongue could explore. And then, just as Draco's hands were beginning to twine themselves through her hair, she had broken away and was already moving through the door. All Draco could hear in his lust-fogged brain was ''So Cormac, how's the Quidditch going? I'm surprised you haven't been made captain yet.''
Draco stared at the closed door, an incredulous expression on his gorgeous face. She wanted him – there was no doubt about that, but she would rather spend time with an idiot like McLaggen? Did that mean she really didn't care, that she was willing to overlook lust because of what he had done? Draco looked at his reflection in the mirror and raked his fingers back through his hair. Bloody Blaise, he thought, this is all his bloody fault. He started this whole thing off, and now I do want her. Just in the way that you like having a certain pet around though, he assured himself. He picked up his bag and walked out the door, thinking hard about what his next move would be.
AN: well, that was a fun chapter to write lol. Thank you to Hollybaby 390 (because the idea of Hermione taunting Draco in the shirt was her idea), I liked that idea. Anyway, plenty more coming, so keep reading and keep reviewing, I love getting them so much! Shall we do the stats? At the time of me writing this, 'The Rain Keeps Pouring' has 91 reviews (wow, keep up the good work guys), 6538 hits, is the favourite of 31 readers, and 57 of you have put me on story alert. Gosh that's just thrilling. Lovely reviewers for chapter 8 include : mhaj78, breezie, crystal Slara, ILOVERWHPDM, Pirateluver, hollybaby390, iluvtheoc3000, Cali'sOwnCaliGrown, hpdork22, toujoursperdue, HarryPGinnyW4eva, S3V3RUSISMIN3, hanna28, onelife01, Amester, re-o-ko, Fnicks-Gurlz, Xblackdragonx and Hopeless4NonExistentLove. Anyone who left me a suggestion, thank you, chances are I probably will be using it if I haven't already. Anyway, I've gotta go now, so thanks for reading, much love etc Petitesorciere x x