It's been forever since I posted, I know, but school has started back up so I've got less time to devote to writing fanfiction. Sadly.
Not to mention that this chapter gave me a lot of problems. It's terrible, I think, and I forgot where I was going with the story temporarily. But the idea is back now and the next chapter will be on a better track.
Let me know what you think, please. I know that there's not much to go on here but I love reading reviews! They give me a reason to keep writing.
As always, I don't own Harry Potter.
She only glared at him, waiting for more rubbish to fly out of his mouth. However, as she stared, she was shocked to see his lips spread into a wide smile. "Bloody hell, Hermione. You know that I'm kidding."
"Oh? You're speaking to me again?" Her words were bitter, caustic. "Shame. I was growing used to the silence."
"Well, you did shag the Potions Master. A Slytherin. Someone who has hated our entire house for years." His smile didn't fade, despite the inflammatory words he spoke. "But I guess that you could consider yourself forgiven, you know, for such a vile thing."
Hermione considered him for a minute, debating on whether or not she should call out his dreadfully clear arrogance. It wasn't a look that suited Harry but she decided that she had enough issues to deal with that day. That wasn't going to stop her from getting a small bit of revenge though.
"Well good. You can be the best man at our wedding." She started heading up the stairs as his mouth fell open and his jaw almost hit the floor. Working to hide her smirk, she didn't stop ascending the stairs.
"Wedding?" he choked out, obviously not expecting that blow. "You're marrying him?"
Turning, she winked at him. "He's suggested it and Dumbledore is all for it."
Harry visibly cringed. "You can't be serious. Marriage? You're not even out of school." He started to follow her up the stairs, all mocking behavior gone.
"I know. Wild, yeah? I thought so too." Her laughter was getting harder to hide as she tapped her wand on the lock of her door.
As expected, Harry followed her inside. "You can't be serious," he repeated, looking anxious now. "You just can't be."
Putting her books on the desk, she turned and smiled. "I'm not. But I sure had you going."
She watched in amusement as he let out a sharp breath of air and sank onto her bed. "Blimey," was the only speech he could muster in his current state.
"You deserved it, you know. I shouldn't be speaking to you at all."
"I can say the same thing!" he blurted out.
Shrugging, she sat down beside him. "Not really. I can date whom I please. I don't need anyone's permission."
"That might work with me but trying telling that to the rest of the wizarding world."
She sighed. "I know. But I'm not concerned with it at the moment. I just need to deal with it one step at a time."
They were silent for a few minutes. Hermione felt like there was a lot that he wasn't saying. She knew that she wasn't speaking everything on her mind. Apparently, the fight between them was hindering normal conversation.
"You were right in not telling me. Or Ron. I'm sorry that I acted like such an ass."
"I'm not even sure of the relationship as it is, Harry."
Hermione tried her best to ignore the almost hopeful look on his face. "Yeah? Why's that?"
"It's moving too quickly. I wonder if he's really thought this out or if he's just acting on… instinct, almost? There hasn't been any time to think…"
"Have you told him that?"
"No."
"Are you going to?"
"I don't know."
The silence came back. It was interrupted by a loud tapping sound at her window lattice. Confused, Hermione went to let a beautiful, large owl into her room.
It flew around several times before landing on top of a post on her bed. It looked down at the two of them with large eyes and then dropped a letter on the comforter. "Isn't that Malfoy's owl?"
Scowling, Hermione moved to pick up the folded piece of parchment. "I think so." Reading the neat scrawl, her scowl didn't move.
Granger:
I need to speak with you.
After classes, meet me outside the main doors.
I'm going alone. Do the same.
Malfoy
"Sounds like a trap." Harry's voice broke the silence. "'Go alone'? That might happen. I'll follow you down in the cloak."
"I don't think that's necessary," but she didn't believe it. Maybe it was the fact that she was dating the Head of Slytherin, but she wanted to give Malfoy the benefit of the doubt. If his henchmen weren't going to be there, she should be fine. It wasn't likely that he could get a hex on her without difficulty. She was no novice in dueling.
"You don't know that. It might be safer-"
"No. It's okay. I can take care of myself, Harry."
"Fine…"
Hermione skipped all of her classes that day, for the first time in history. After Harry left her room, she laid back, lost in thought. All day, letters came for her. After she opened the first few, she realized that they all said the same thing, basically. It was the rest of the world against her love interest. She stopped reading them and put a cloaking spell on her room so the owls couldn't find her.
After classes were official over, she slipped from her dormitory and took the path of least resistance out of the castle. That included heading to the ground floor, slipping out of a window and then walking around the circumference of the castle until she reached the front doors.
She didn't encounter anyone, luckily, hoping that everyone was at dinner.
But Malfoy was there, leaning against a stone pillar, staring at the ground.
He didn't notice her right away and she looked around. True to his word, Crabbe and Goyle weren't there and she knew that neither of them could hold up a spell to stay hidden.
Malfoy must have heard her approach because he looked in her direction and greeted her. "Granger."
"Malfoy. What's this about?"
He looked around suspiciously. "Where are they? Hiding under that cloak behind you?" His sneer was less than normal, like he was nervous.
"I'm alone, Malfoy. Get on with it."
He stood up straight then and started heading for the Forbidden Forest. "Fine. Take a walk with me, Granger. I don't want to be overheard."