"Draco—"
This is it, thought Draco suddenly, as he watched Granger's face become one mess of fiery doom aimed at one person (namely, him), this is the defining moment in our relationship. We have taken the next step. We have called each other by our first names.
The thought made him shiver.
Time froze as the girl next to him continued yelling at him and as he contemplated what this meant to his life. We have built a new bridge. Our souls have been forged together in this moment.
"—BLOODY MALFOY!"
Or not.
"I will hex you so hard into next week your mother will cry! Malfoy! Do you know how much of a living hell you have made the past day for me? Malfoy, you are dead. You hear me? DEAD!" Granger started searching her pockets for her wand, most likely to carry out the death threat established previously.
Draco cocked his head for a moment, watching her. It was really quite impressive the way she got her hair to send off those little sparks. Charming, really. He continued watching her search through her pockets, then began browsing through his own. He was a sticky-fingered, smooth, hot, rich little guy, after all. Who knows? He could have swiped it without even meaning to.
But neither of them found the ten and ¾ inches, mahogany wand with the center of a unicorn hair that was rather disinclined to bend and good for Transfiguration and Charms in any of their pockets.
"Where in the name of all that is holy is my wand?!" cried Granger, looking even more distressed than before and like she was going to cry.
Then they both saw it.
Lying only a few feet away from the two was said ten and ¾ inches, mahogany wand with the center of a unicorn hair.
In a second, both had scrambled up and raced towards the desired piece of wood.
Draco allowed Granger to get all of two victorious steps ahead of him before leaning down and neatly grabbing her ankle, forcing her onto the ground.
Again.
Dang, he thought, a smirk on his face as she hit the floor and he sauntered over to pick up her wand, I am just too good.
"Really, Granger, everyone says you're so smart. I'm surprised you fell- excuse the pun- for the same trick twice." He picked up her wand and did one of those neat, spin/twirl tricks around his fingers as he turned back to her, expecting more wrath and fire to come bubbling up from the girl.
But said girl was simply sitting on the ground, her back to the smug blonde boy. Draco could hear snippets of her conversation with herself, and she didn't sound very happy. Not like she was ever happy with him around, but you know.
"Stupid bugger… I can't believe… stupid race! …going to walk around now?"
It was then Draco realized her hands were wrapped around one ankle and she wasn't moving. Great, he congratulated himself, tempted to poke his own eye out with the offending wand, first I ruin her morning and then I ruin her ankle. Boy, I am just too bloody good.
"Granger," he tried, taking a few apologetic steps forward and offering the wand to her, "here, you're probably going to need this later on—"
"…bugger all of this, I can't take it… can't wait to see… oh, accio wand!"
And perhaps Draco saw wrong, but he thought he saw the wand just sort of… fly from his hand and fall next to the witch with the twisted ankle.
But then again, he could've just dropped it.
"Listen, Granger," he tried again. "I think maybe—"
"You've done quite enough for today, don't you think?" Granger said shrilly at him, glaring up at him, and the glint of tears startled Draco from his Snarky Mood. "You've ruined my morning, you threw me on the floor twice, you almost stole my wand, and you made my hot chocolate get cold!"
Draco didn't even dwell on the absolute wrongness of her wording choice. It was only the right thing to do.
Okay, well, maybe he dwelled, just a little. But not much.
Promise.
"Granger," he started again, but the stupid Gryffindor wouldn't let him get a word in.
"Why don't you just go back to whatever rat-infested hotel you were staying at before you decided to crash my room and stay there until the Hogwart's Express comes? In fact, why don't you just stay there and miss the train? Then my last bloody year at Hogwart's will be perfect and Draco Malfoy free! Oh, but those two things would be synonymous, wouldn't they?" She buried her face in her knees. "God, is it too much to ask that you just take this affliction away? Send me the plagues. I'll take locusts, I'll take water turned into blood, even give me the death of my first born son, but God, please take this bloody monster away!"
Draco was more than a little offended. He tried to be nice, and he got called a bloody monster?
Ingratitude these days. The youth of England, really. Just ship them all off to America, for all Draco cared.
"Granger," Draco growled for the fourth and final time, "Just do us all a favor and shut up, will you?"
"I don't think you're in any position to tell me anything—"
Draco rolled her eyes and scooped her up in his arms.
"Well, now I think I am." He smirked down at her.
"What do you think you're going to do with me?" she shrieked at him, beating on his shoulder.
Merlin, I pity the man who marries her. "I'm taking you up to your room, since you're obviously incapable of getting there by yourself," he answered her, much in the way people do when they've spent the past four hours listening to an in-law yack on about their methods of keeping a house.
"I could get there perfectly if it wasn't for you and your grabbing my ankle fetish!" Granger retorted, much in the manner of a person who has spent a day living with Great Aunt Cecilia, who is hard of hearing and doesn't like the person with whom she's spending the day.
As Draco approached the stairs, they quivered for a minute, trying to make up their minds whether to switch or not.
"I've got an injured girl here, work with me!" he sighed, and thankfully, the stairs stayed.
"Oh my freaking heck, are you talking to the stairs? You really do need a doctor, Malfoy, you're going insane. Or already are insane, take your pick."
"Does it really matter?" Draco rolled his eyes.
"Don't roll your eyes at me," she snapped.
"Oh, believe me, I wasn't rolling them at you," he rolled them again.
"Stop that!" she poked him.
"Okay, we're here," Draco said, opening the door and sitting her down inside the room. "You going to be okay?"
"What does it matter to you," the sullen girl muttered. "Now I have to waste this beautiful day with a broken ankle. But you're probably happy! One less Mudblood to dirty the streets of Diagon."
"Now you're just being difficult," he said patronizingly, resisting the temptation to pat her on her bushy head.
"Isn't that what you want?!" she shrieked.
"To make it up to you, let me take you out for dinner tonight at seven," Draco responded smoothly, raising a perfectly plucked brow at her. "What do you say?"
Hermione got this furious sort of look on her face, and then reached up and smacked him clean on the face. "Dinner is the least you can do," she fumed, and then slammed the door in his face.
Well, then, thought Draco, massaging his cheek. Did I just get me a date with Miss Golden Gryffindor? Go figure. He shrugged, and then sauntered down the hall, already planning for his night with Granger.
---
Author's Notes: well, I'm really sorry this time, but it wasn't my fault. Actually, come to think of it, it wasn't my fault last time, either, but I digress. This chapter took longer than normal because I caught pneumonia. In fact, I still have it, but I'm getting better. But this past week I had a temperature anywhere from 100 to 103 and basically, I wasn't in the mood to do anything. But I was thinking of our favorite Gryffindor and Slytherin couple the whole time, and this chapter came out fairly quickly and easily, once I was well enough to sit up.
IceCristal – dude, I want Draco for my birthday, too. Talk about better than a car!
Tokyobabe2040- hey, dude, that game of Tag and Seek (just combine the two, makes it easier) sounds like fun. I gotta play that with my boyfriend some time. Oh, wait, I don't have one. *makes a mental note to get one for the sole reason of playing Tag and Seek* and don't worry, I have a special moment reserved for Ron and Harry to make their entrance.
Dracos_kiki – I think my ears weren't supposed to hear your fantasy *covers poor ears* they're a little non-used to hearing such fantasies as yours. *grin*
Draco's-Tootsie23 - *ponders* why does saying you're proud of me not sound right? I think it sounds fine. But I'm sheltered. Perhaps I'm missing something?
Hustler – good that one of us can laugh right about now! Every time I try to laugh I practically end up coughing my lungs up.
Blue-chick – my goodness. Your review almost made me cry. *shakes you* brilliant, I tell you! You're brilliant! No, this isn't a story I update only once every month. See, I started this story… a long time ago, and only recently picked it back up. So there was like… one update back long ago, and like, ten within the past few months. Don't worry, I'm all about updating. When I don't have pneumonia. Yeah.
V son sayian – well, apparently there's a date in store… we'll see what else!
And to the wonderful and encouraging Kate – okay, so I didn't make the time frame requirement this time, but you'll forgive me, right? See, this update brings… um, a neat, artsy black and white picture and another of those penguin erasers (I have a family of them). Thanks for the steady reviews!
Thank you to everyone. You guys are awesome- thanks for the encouragement and that… gee, come to think of it, this batch of reviews has been pretty long. I mean, not as many, but each person had more to say, which definitely makes up for it. So thank you very much!
As for when the next chapter will be up… er, we'll see. It might be slow, thanks to ol' P. Nee Monia. *slaps him on back and grimaces*