Chapter 5: Blood and Water
Hermione tapped her quill against the blank parchment in front of her. She could hear Professor McGonagall droning on about something; probably something important that would play a key role in her OWLs, but for probably the first time in all her years at Hogwarts…Hermione wasn't paying attention.
She stared listlessly out of the window, one elbow on the table and her chin resting on her palm. Her mind wandered as she watched the trees change color in front of her but she was so detached that it seemed the only thing keeping her in her seat was the tap-tap of her quill.
She thought of Ron. He hadn't talked to her since, but she had the feeling that he felt guilty about what had happened the previous week, at least that's what Ginny thought. However, no matter how much of an ass he had been she couldn't see herself without him, he was someone she had dreamed of ever since she had met him.
She had accepted all his faults in hopes that one day he would return her love and now she knew that just because they were together didn't mean that his faults ceased to exist. Who was without fault? …If only he would just apologize.
Her mind wandered to Draco. She had barely seen him since that night, he was either locked up in his room or roaming the corridors with Blaise taking advantage of their head boy and prefect powers. In fact, he acted like what he had done that night had never happened. But she couldn't help thinking of him, the way he had acted had completely thrown her off…it was so…tender…kind…even loving.
She shook her head to clear her mind. No that was ridiculous, he was a death eater…if anything he might have thought that it was that other girl in his shower and came in for round two. Right?
"Ms. Granger…"
Hermione's head shot around so fast that she tweaked her neck, "ow, Oh! Yes Professor?"
"are you alright girl?"
"yes I'm fine" Hermione replied in a high voice
"I just called your name 5 times and you didn't respond and I must point out that this is the first class of mine that you haven't been jumping out of your seat to answer every question" Professor McGonagall gave a small twitch of a smile and raised an eyebrow.
"I'm s-sorry" Hermione gave a nervous laugh which died as Ron looked back at her from the front of the room. She turned red and began to hastily copy the notes down from the board. When she looked back up again Ron was slouch over his desk, but she could see that his quill wasn't moving. Harry turned and gave her a shrug from the seat next to him.
Progress perhaps?
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At the end of the period Hermione avoided both Harry and Ron and made for the door as quickly as possible. It was lunch but she didn't feel the least bit hungry and she had nobody to sit with anyway. Ginny would sit with Harry who would sit with Ron who she did not want to talk to and going into her private dining room seemed even more lonely and depressing. So, to pass the time, she took a long root back up to her rooms.
She had first discovered this hallway when she was in her 1st year. At that time, much like now, she had had trouble making friends and had often taken to wandering the school during awkward social gatherings, such as lunch. She climbed the seven flights of stairs and turned left at the painting of ripe strawberries that giggled as she walked by.
Then she stopped at the third door down on the left. To anyone else it looked like just another empty classroom door but for anyone who bothered to look it revealed a truly amazing work of magic. It was lit by sunlight, pouring in from all corners of the hall, and the temperature was so incredibly hot that it reminded Hermione of her holidays in France as a child. Plants and benches lined the wall until halfway down where it opened up to reveal a huge fountain the size of a swimming pool and at least 12 meters deep.
She had kept this place a secret for years, a place just for her. She would come here year after year and just sit, in the sun and heat, listening to the fountain…dreaming of Ron and what it would be like if they were together.
Exhausted, she sat down on the fountain's edge, dropping her books onto the ground and closed her eyes. She swished her hand back and forth in the water, enjoying its coolness. It felt so good, she let her stress and troubles wash away and tried to make the warmth in the air fill her, so peaceful…so-
SPLASH!
Hermione let out a scream reeled back from the fountain, tripped over her bag and went crashing to the floor. She looked up, her heart beating madly and watch a figure emerge from the fountain, dripping wet, breathing almost as heavily as she was and completely naked.
"what the fuck!?" Draco snatched for a towel that she hadn't noticed when she had sat down.
"wha-what are you doing here?"
"shouldn't I be asking you the same thing Granger?"
Hermione stood up and blushed, "sorry, I didn't know anyone else knew about this place"
"Well that's a bit self-centered" Draco wrapped the towel around his waist and shook the water out of his hair. Beads of it trickled down his well defined chest and glistened in the sunlight. His towel was a little small, and she could see-
Hermione turned a dark shade of red and looked away, "right, well sorry…I better be going"
"what's wrong Granger? Never seen a naked man before? Want another look?"
,"I wouldn't exactly call you a man Malfoy…maybe when you start to stand up for what you know is right instead of what is easy then we'll talk" She replied waspishly and turned on her heel to leave.
"oh and I suppose that blindly following the will of Dumbledore is soooo manly"
Hermione clenched her fists and couldn't resist turning back around, "well it's a hell of a lot better that what your lot do, I trust Dumbledore and I'd sooner blindly follow him than anyone else"
"are you calling yourself a man?"
"what? No!"
"hermaphrodite?"
"what do you want now? Proof that I'm a girl?"
"well if you don't mind"
"you're disgusting!"
"come on Granger, you know you want me"
"wh-what?! Of course I don't, are you kidding…where on earth would you get that idea…not in a million years! Never in fact!"
"oh really…so why were you creeping around my shower?"
She didn't know what to say, "mine…was, uh, in use"
"was it?" he took a step closer
"yes it was, and why did you come in there with me then if I'm so manly and repulsive?!"
He looked her in the eye and took another step closer, she held his gaze but took a few steps back until she was against the wall, her heart rate quickening again. He moved even closer and rested one of his hands on the stone wall next to her head, leaning in.
She could smell him, he was so close she could almost feel the touch of his hands on her body, she was so drawn to him so could barely keep herself standing
His bent his head and his lips brushed her ear, she felt a surge of what felt like electricity flow through her body as he whispered, "I think you know Hermione"
She drew a shaky breath and ducked under his outstretched arm and backed away, "stop messing with me! Just leave me alone" and she turned away.
He laughed, not a malicious cold one…but one that she had never before heard leave him…it seemed almost real, "Granger you make it way to easy"
She huffed off down the hall and opened the door at the other end to the dark hall right above her rooms but before she was about to slam it shut after her she heard him call out;
"if you can do it with the Weasel surely I would be a step up from that!"
That fucking arrogant asshole she vented as she marched down the hall. The cold air of the corridor filled her with even more stress and frustration. Her perfect little secret place, ruined…destroyed! Fuck.
She arrived a Venus' portrait, "equality" she barked
"alright dear? Someone left this for you" Venus pointed at the floor.
Hermione looked down to see a single red rose with a scrap of parchment tied to it. She quickly bent down and picked it up.
"oooo, whose it from? Not that red head, I hope, he was so rude…"
Hermione looked at it and recognized Ron's untidy scrawl, "didn't you see him drop it off though?"
"yes…" Venus sighed, "I just hoped it wasn't from him"
Hermione rolled her eyes and said the password again impatiently
"oh alright…" Venus swung forward
Hermione entered the common room, dropped her things and lent against the back of the armchair as she read it:
'Hermione' it read, 'please meet me by the lake tonight at 7. I'm sorry, Forgive me? Ron"
Not exactly a romantic love poem but, she smiled to herself, maybe things would really turn around. This would be perfect…they would meet and talk out all their feelings and frustration and come out of this whole mess closer then ever.
Hermione folded the note and brought the rose closer to her nose to smell. Instantly she felt a sharp pain on her finger and looked down where a bead of deep crimson blood had already begun to form from the thorn prick.
She stuck her finger into her mouth and walked into her bedroom, wondering what she should wear to see Ron, and yet…as she wrapped her finger in a handkerchief she could not help looking back at the rose and thinking,
an omen?
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A/N: WOOOOO another update already?! Amazing huh? Hopefully this will attract a few more readers? Mayyybehhh
So how do you like so far? Do you think I should switch back and forth and go to Draco's view or stick with Hermione? Please review and let me know!
Love love love char