Chapter 14: Impossibly Whole
It was a cold, crisp autumn morning. Hermione sat in the great hall in a better mood than she had been in a long, long while. She smiled to herself, as she buttered her morning toast, thinking of the day ahead of her.
It was the first Hogsmead weekend of the year. She, Harry and Ginny were going shopping together and going for some butter beers in The Three Broomsticks. The bright blue sky reflected in the enchanted ceiling of the hall sparkled down on her as she took a bit of toast.
All in all, since that night at the Quiddich pitch, things had gone exactly as planned. Harry and Ginny weren't speaking to Ron; Ron was too confused and embarrassed to figure out what had happened, she hadn't felt sick in almost three days and…and….
Her thoughts wandered to Draco
Draco….she thought of last night, when they lay in her bed together…touching, caressing and falling asleep in each other's arms. God she wanted him so badly, she wanted him inside her, and she wanted him to make love to her.
But no. She let out a little sigh, she couldn't let it happen so quickly again…they needed time; she wanted to get to know him and him to know her. Did she want a relationship? A little part of her went cold and she put down her toast. She could never really be with Draco Malfoy, a Slytherin, and a deatheater. No one would accept them, she dreaded to think what would happen if she started publically dating the Slytherin Sex God.
"Hermione!" squealed Ginny, her red hair bouncing around her shoulders as she plopped down next to Hermione.
"Ginny" Smiled Hermione warmly, trying to release her mind from her previous thoughts
"Have you heard?" Ginny reached for a sausage
"Heard what?"
"About the Ball!"
"What Ball?"
"The 7th year Christmas Ball of course!" Ginny bounced in her seat excitedly
"Well of course I've heard of it Ginny" laughed Hermione, "but so what…that's not until December"
"What? How did you know? It's supposed to be a secret"
"Well, for starters, I'm head girl…so they do let me in on a few secrets"
"Yah…ok" Ginny rolled her eyes
"And secondly, I'm in 7th year and they told us about it last week"
"Well." Ginny beamed "Harry just asked me to go with him"
"Aw!" Hermione leaned over and gave Ginny a hug, "Congratulations!"
"Thanks!" giggled Ginny, "but I had to promise not to tell any other 6th year who wasn't also invited"
"Who else was invited?"
"Well, from what I've heard Neville invited Luna"
"Excellent" Hermione sniggered
"I know" Ginny giggled, "but anyway, my point is, I think we should take this opportunity to shop for some dresses!"
"Uh…I don't know, dress shopping isn't exactly my thing"
"Shut up Hermione, it's everyone's thing! I'll meet you at the Hogsmead gates and we can look around the village before we meet Harry for some butter beer"
Hermione sighed, she didn't even have a date yet…and dress shopping reeealllly wasn't her thing but she couldn't let Ginny down already so, "Alright, sounds good"
"See you there!" Ginny beamed at her as she stood up and hurried out of the Hall.
Hermione got up too, her mind spinning. She really didn't want to think about a dance right now…and she didn't know how comfortable she was spending the day with just Ginny. As successful as her plan to degrade Ron had been, she wouldn't forget too quickly the weeks that Ginny had refused to talk to her just because Ron told her to.
But whatever, water under the bridge right? She felt warmth against her chest and a thrill of excitement; it was a message from Draco. She hurried out of the hall and started to walk towards her rooms to get her coat. As she did she opened the locket.
I can't wait to have you in my arms again. Meet me for lunch at 1pm in the Hogshead? Don't worry; no one will see us there.
She quickly scribbled her reply and practically bounced off down the hall. Today was going to be a good day.
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"Oh. My. God. Hermione! That's defiantly the one"
"You've said that about the last 30 dresses I've tried on!"
"Don't be ridiculous, you've only tried on about 15"
"19."
"Whatever" replied Ginny, prancing around the dressing room in a very tight and revealing silkily blue dress, "I'm not too sure about this one…?"
Hermione plopped down on a nearby footstool, "I think you'd get kicked out of school if you showed up in that"
Ginny laughed, "Imagine if my mum saw me right now" she smashed the sides of her breasts together to give herself extra cleavage
"She'd kill you"
"I know! It kind of makes me want to buy it…"
"No!"
"I'm just kidding!" Ginny said as she wriggled out of the dress and reached for the next one, a pale green strapless with a heart shaped neckline and that pooled out from her waist with small delicate purple flowers climbing up from the hem.
"I like it!" smiled Hermione, reading the expression on Ginny's face
"I've found it!" cried Ginny, twirling around
"Excellent, now let's go get some butter beers"
"You're not getting off that easily" warned Ginny, "we still have to find you one!"
They searched for another half an hour. Hermione felt light headed, she just wanted to get out of there. She didn't want to think about the Ball or dresses or her date. Like anyone would ask her, and it didn't matter because the only person that she actually wanted to go with would never ever be able to ask her.
"How about this one?"
"Ginny, I really just want to go…"
"Come on! Last one I promise"
"I don't even like pink"
"You'll like this!"
Hermione sighed, alright she would try it one if only it got her out of there. So she stripped and slid on the silky dress and turned away from the mirror for Ginny to zip her up.
"Oh my god"
"You've said that before" Hermione said annoyed
"No Hermione, really, turn around."
So she turned around and then caught her breath. Hermione didn't look like Hermione, she couldn't describe it. Despite her messy hair and almost make up free face with her bare feet and unpolished toes, she looked like she'd always dreamed she would one day look. Like sleeping beauty or Cinderella.
The dress was a pale pink that came in to bunch at the middle right below her chest and fanned out again in a darker pink and purple. It was off the shoulder, revealing her creamy white shoulders and dipped low enough to reveal a hint of cleavage. The dress fanned around her in a mix of silk, taffeta and tool. .
"Wow." She whispered
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Hermione and Ginny trudged along the cobblestone streets of Hogsmead towards The Three Broomsticks. Hermione's head was spinning with the dress, the ball, Draco and her whole mess of a life.
They pushed open the door and were greeted happily by the warmth of the pub. Harry was sitting in a corner with three butter beers at the ready and waved them over. Ginny practically skipped over to him and Hermione followed behind sheepishly, feeling like the third wheel.
"Hey Hermione" smiled Harry after accepting a kiss from Ginny
"Hi" Hermione forced a smile and sat down next to him. Was it just her or was this reeealllly awkward…
"So what did you guys go shopping for?"
"You'll see" giggled Ginny, scooting her seat closer to him
The all took a swig of butter beer and sat in silence for a second. Hermione looked at her watch, she was meeting Draco in an hour…how could she put up with this for an hour?!
Ginny began to babble on about her latest dramas and 6th year problems and Hermione lapsed into silence. She appreciated their efforts to bring her back into their group again, to be honest that's all she had wished to happen for quite some time, but now that it had happened she wished that she was alone again.
She sat there for a while, staring at the grains in the woodwork of the table and occasionally laughing or agreeing with whatever her companions were saying. As for Ginny and Harry, they hardly seemed to notice whether she was there or not.
A sudden lull in Harry and Ginny's conversation made Hermione look up and when she did she went cold.
Ron was standing at the edge of their table, holding his own butter beer.
"H-Hi" he said, his pink face clashing horribly with his hair
There was a 5 second silence that seemed to last an hour. Ron shifted his weight and Hermione glanced at Ginny whose eyes were brimming with tears.
"Hey" Ginny whispered as Harry stiffly nodded.
Hermione didn't say anything
"I…uh" Ron stuttered, "I just wanted to apologize to Hermione" Hermione noticed that his hand clenched tightly around the bottle as he said this, "and sorry to you guys too."
"Right." Replied Harry coldly
"Ok so, um…see you around" Ron replied, hesitating
"Yeah" whispered Ginny
And with that, Ron left. Harry put an arm around Ginny who was trying to blink back her tears. Hermione wanted to yell at them, who the hell were they to be upset? Ron had ruined her life, not theirs!
"Look." She couldn't help herself…she had to say something, "I appreciate your, uh…support. But you really don't have to-"
"Don't have to what?" replied Harry harshly, "he did something unforgivable Hermione, don't worry."
"But, he's your best friend…and your brother Ginny"
Ginny opened her mouth to say something but Harry cut her off, "Was my best friend, was."
"He's still my brother though" whispered Ginny
She couldn't stand this, making people upset over something that wasn't anything to do with them.
"Alright, well I have to head back to the castle…lots of homework you know?"
Harry had withdrew his arm from around Ginny and Ginny looked like she was about to burst into tears, "ok" said harry, "see you later"
The wind was picking up as Hermione burst out of the pub, breathing heavily, what on earth had she gotten herself into. She leaned against the side of the building to try and organize her thoughts but her mind was spinning so helplessly out of control that she couldn't. There was only one thing that could help, and he was waiting for her in The Hogshead.
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"Hey…I thought you were going to stand me up" Draco said as a flustered Hermione entered the bar, but it only took him a second to realize that this wasn't the usual flustered Hermione he was dealing with, "what's wrong?"
"I accidentally spent the day with Ginny and Harry"
"And how did that go"
"It was alright, at first"
"Well, as annoying as I both find them, they both used to be pretty good friends of yours right?"
"Yah"
"And that whole plot to embarrass Weasley was partially to help get them back as friends too right?"
"Yah, but…I don't know whether we can ever really be friends again"
He reached across the ancient pub's table and took her hand; she laced his fingers into hers and looked up to meet his eyes. God those eyes, he thought, they reminded him of honey and chocolate…he could lose himself in those eyes. "Why can't you?" he whispered
"They ignored me, for no reason…just because Ron told them to, when I needed them most"
He nodded, "but they came back didn't they? When they realize what really had happened"
"Yes but, they showed me how easily they could desert me. And I know a part of them, at least Ginny, can't completely drop Ron. I feel like they hated me and now they've done a 180 but still can't shake the feelings they had before"
"Well…I'm not going to lie to you, I hated you once"
"That's different"
"Why?"
"They knew me, they liked me and then they decided to hate me"
"Well, I don't know whether you remember this…but there was a brief moment before we knew of each other's faults that I actually kind of liked you"
"WH-what" Hermione sniggered
He smiled back, "yah on the train"
"When?! Tell me."
"It was the first day of school, aboard the Hogwarts Express? You and I spoke then for a little bit with complete innocence, having no idea what the other one was. No idea of the hate that would come later. Still, I distinctly remember you telling me something. 'Ravenclaw. I think Ravenclaw would suit me.' I laughed. I asked you if you were the "brainy" type, and you nodded with confidence, saying that you thought you were. So I asked you the next question, to categorize you…to put you in the right slot: enemy or friend 'How about Gryffindor?' and you shone me that small smile, the one I've grown to love now. "Oh, I don't know. I'm not that brave, but wouldn't it be great if I was full of valor and courage, less to worry about don't you think?" I thought that you were an all right person then. I didn't trust many people, I still don't, but I remember thinking then, She isn't so bad. I didn't hate you; you were funny and kind of cute. But then that all changed with one word. What was that word?
Telephone.
What was a telephone? And you told me just what it was some sort of a communication device. A muggle communication device. Why not use Floo Powder? Of course your family didn't use Floo Powder. Why? Because they didn't know about witches and wizards before your invitation to Hogwarts." He smiled at her aghast face and chuckled to himself, "I felt so betrayed by that, and then embarrassed! I was stand there talking to you! A muggle born. I think I said some nasty things to you-"
"You made me cry" whispered Hermione
"I regret that every day" Draco brought her hands up to his mouth and kissed them gently.
"I love you"
"I love you too; I guess you could say that I've grown out of that now"
"But you haven't! Not unless you break ties with your family and join the right side Draco"
He let go of her hands, "let's not start this again"
They sat there in silence of a bit, sipping their drinks, "alright" Hermione agreed, "Let's changed the subject.
They sat there for another few hours and it wasn't until the barman said that if they weren't ordering dinner they had to clear out that Hermione realized the time and insisted that they left, "we'll get in so much trouble for being late"
He smiled down at her as they walked out the door, "something tells me they won't panic about losing the head boy and girl for an hour or so"
She laughed, "I suppose you're right"
"I know I'm right" He couldn't help himself; he knew they were in public and he shouldn't do it but he took her hand again and laced her fingers with his. There was a security in that gesture that he couldn't find anywhere else.
"Let's not go back yet then"
"Alright, where do you want to go?"
Her eyes twinkled mischievously, "well, there's always the shrieking shack"
"Sounds romantic" he teased
"Shut up, at least it's out of the cold, and then we can stay out and use the underground passage to get back into the castle"
"Alright, let's go"
They trudged along in the sunset, arms around each other. He wanted her, he wanted to reach out and hold her close and never let her go.
The entered the run down house with creaking floor boards, Hermione held his hand more tightly and he chuckled to himself, so much for being a Gryffindor.
They went into the master bedroom and Draco conjured a fire in the fire place and a rug in front of it to sit on. Removing her coat, Hermione plopped down in front of the flames and cuddled up next to Draco.
The silence was comfortable, filled by the crackling flames but also by a want…a need. They both felt it, though neither addressed it, instead they sat and stared into the dancing flames.
Suddenly, Hermione couldn't take it anymore. Screw rules and expectations, she wanted Draco Malfoy. She snaked her hand around his neck and pulled him to her, he obliged and wrapped her in his arms and pressed his mouth against hers.
Their passionate kiss turned into a furious need and desire to get closer, she reached down to his pants but Draco caught her hand
"Do you want this?"
"Yes. Do you?"
"More than you know" he replied, smiling lowering his face to hers
He carefully unzipped the zipper that ran down her jumper as she kicked off her shoes.
He then slowly slid her shirt off of her small, lithe frame, and planted feather-light kisses on every patch of skin that was gradually revealed. Her skin tingled and burned wherever his lips touched, and she felt goose bumps rise rising along her flesh. Closing her eyes, she concentrated fully on what she was feeling and the growing heat between her legs.
While he removed her bra her focus was so absolute that she cried out when he took one of her breasts to his mouth, massaging the other with his palm.
Her needy moan was stifled by the kiss he pressed to her lips. She pulled him up onto her flipped them so that she was in the position of dominance. Draco's eyes widened in surprise, but he went along with the change without missing a beat.
Hermione broke the kiss harshly and straddled his legs. Her fingers flew deftly over the button on his pants, and she pulled the offending cloth from his body in one swift motion.
She cried out into his mouth at the feel of his erection pressing into her stomach, feeling the hardness through his pants, wanting to feel it inside of her body. She pulled off his jeans and took him in her hands, pleasing him and watching the ecstasy on his face.
He couldn't take much more of it and so flipped them again so that he was on top of her and took her mouth with his again. Somehow, his jacket fell to the ground, followed swiftly by his shirt; all the while they never broke the kiss. It felt so good, sending electrical shocks of pleasure coursing through their bodies, causing their heart rates to increase in unison, their breaths immediately coming in short pants. His fingers made their way to her aching core and she cried out, arching upwards as he teased her.
Raking her nails down his back, she looked him in the eyes, noticing that there wasn't just lust in them, but something else … something deeper. She knew, then and there, that as she looked at him, she reflected the same emotions in her eyes, and she knew the answer.
"I love you" they whispered, slightly separated but mostly in unison.
Without hesitation, he growled as he crushed his lips to hers, moving his hips forward to push himself deep inside of her body.
He pumped himself in and out of her and the feeling of wet heat sliding around him pushed him almost over the edge.
The second her hips surged up to meet his, her lips opening to let out a moan of pleasure, and her she tightened around him. His fingers bruised her hips as he pulled her with him, pumping hard and fast in her.
Her eyes were glazed over with lust, she no longer felt her heart racing and no longer cared if she got air into her lungs; all she felt was him moving deep inside of her, reaching every little sensitive area inside of her body.
She felt impossibly whole. She was going to come
The air was heavy with their cries of passion, and soon their hips were meeting thrust for thrust until they both screamed one last time and collapsed on one another, breathing heavily.
He wrapped her up in his arms and the lay by the fire. She felt so happy, so complete. How could anything ever be wrong again? His lips brushed over her face as he whispered to her while the wind outside howled.
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A/N: hey guys! Alright…I'm sorry! But I did warn you that I would be busy didn't I? and this chapters nice and long to make up for it, I hope you enjoyed it *wink wink* hahaha
Anyways, tell review! Pleaseeee tell me what you think of this chapter or of my story so far, be it criticism or compliments let me know if there's something you don't agree with or something you love
It might be a little while before I update again, but I'll try my hardest to have it not be as long!
xoxoxoxo charlito