Chapter 16: Just mine

Capitulo XVI: Sólo mía

The next day, Hermione went alone to the Great Hall. She couldn't handle the mood in the Common Room, after her friends knew she was with Dewey. Ron had completely ignored her, not a single word and soon enough he had engaged himself in a tongue battle with Lavender, which Hermione was thankful for because she seemed more interested and excited about her relationship with Dewey and didn't stopped asking uncomfortable questions that tensed and pissed Ron off.

Ginny and Harry tried to maintain a conversation that simulated normality, but there were awkward silences and worried glances between them. Neville, who that morning accompanied them, was disoriented for the reigning atmosphere so he barely spoke a word. So, after a long, tedious and tense hour, Hermione stood up from her sofa and with the excuse of eating quickly to go to the library, slipped away. She wasn't hungry at all but eating was much better that being one more hour with her friends.

She sat on the almost empty Gryffindor table and ate calmly with her eyes fixed on the plate and her mind lost in her thoughts until someone gently touched her shoulder.

Ben! – she exclaimed while forcing herself to show a smile even though she wasn't happy at all.

Hello Hermione – he kissed her furtively on the cheek and then watch her with shiny eyes as if he yet couldn't believe she existed – have you finished?

Yes – she answered giving her glass of pumpkin juice the last drink and standing up – did you eat?

What? Ah… ah! No, no, I think I haven't – he said blinking a few times as if he had just woke up – let's go for a walk?

But… you should eat first…

I'll eat later! – he exclaimed making a move with his hand as if eating wasn't something important or necessary for being alive. Hermione couldn't avoid laughing a little bit ashamed but feeling flattered.

Let's go – Ben held his hand to her with a radiant smile. Returning the smile, Hermione took the hand he offered without noticing the pair of icy eyes that were watching her.

While Dewey and Hermione went out of the Great Hall, Draco pressed the golden goblet with such strength that his knuckles and part of his fingers went pale, the silver serpent ring that was in his middle finger cracked by the pressure against the goblet. But he didn't feel it at all, he had the sharp, burning need of going after Dewey and throw him an Avada Kedavra.

Malfoy, are you all right?- Zabini observed him curiously and mockingly. Draco gave him a killing look and pressed even more the goblet until his ring gave up and with a crack broke up, sinking its edge on his hand's pale flesh, he didn't notice.

Draco! You are bleeding! – cried Pansy dumbstruck as she saw how weak strings of red blood ran down his fingers offering a scary contrast with his pale skin. It took Draco a while to assimilate her words and then, indifferently he examined his hand and observed the dense drop of blood in his knuckles but not even then he felt pain.

Why would it matter if he was bleeding? He pressed more fiercely and the blood flow easily, but he didn't found the comfort of physical pain to kill the intangible grief that was stabbing his heart.

Draco, stop now! – Pansy horrified watched his hand. Crabbe and Goyle had their mouths completely opened. Draco just ignored them – Zabini do something!

The boy seemed to think it twice before grabbing the blonde's wrist but he didn't bat an eyelash.

Malfoy, what the hell is going on? – asked Zabini, watching him with arrogance and despise. Draco watched him wildly and warningly before posing his eyes on Zabini's hang. It wasn't necessary for him to say nothing else, Zabini felt the danger and slowly, very slowly, loosen up his hand and released Malfoy's wrist.

Draco watched him pursing the lips with disdain. The he fixed his eyes on his hand still pressing the goblet and something called his attention over the paleness of his skin and the darkness of his blood. One drop of deep red slide until it reached the green emerald stone that was in the center of his ring, hiding half of the sphere and making a kind of Yin and Yang.

But there was no black and white, but scarlet and emerald green.

Gryffindor and Slytherin.

Hermione smiled while she followed Harry and Ron to Defense Against the Dark Arts. Even though it hurt that the red haired didn't talk to her, she have decided to ignore him. The evening before, after having a walk with Ben in Hogwart's fields and talked about many things, she had told him about the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare and he had supported her. Then, when he told him that sometimes he went to the kitchens to visit the elves, Ben asked her to go visit them. While she spoke with Winky and Dobby, Ben had asked the elves to prepare them a light dinner, which they gave him in a basket without Hermione noticing it. When time for dinner approached he surprised her with a pic-nic near the Dark Lake. Even though they were in February and it was a little cold, the evening was amazing and after dinner, Ben had kissed her for a long time. Hermione felt cheerful, not just because she had had a good time, but because Ben had made her forget Malfoy for many hours, which lately had seemed impossible.

But that didn't stop her from staying awake at night thinking of the Slytherin.

Removing that bitter memory, Hermione entered the class putting a lock of hair beside her ear while she walked to her desk.

Well well well, look who we have here – said a girly voice and Hermione knew immediately that Pansy Parkinson was talking about her. She was sitting next to Draco and Zabini. The girl smiled with malice and satisfaction, Zabini just watch Hermione with his face lifted and his eyes half opened and Malfoy… it looked as if he wanted to kill her with his icy eyes.

Harry approached Hermione watching the three Slytherins menacingly, but Ron sat in his desk, indifferent.

But it is the crawling and climbing mudblood – said Pansy with a sweet voice, loaded with evil – I must recognized, know-it-all, that you are smarter than I thought.

What are you talking about? – inquired abruptly Harry, frowning.

That in spite of being a daughter of muggles – she said as if it was the lowest and humiliating thing in the world – had achieved to get involved with a pureblood boy…

A blood traitor – correct Zabini with icy tone and raising his head.

Oh Blaise, maybe is not all his fault. Is too possible that she mend to use a love potion, in other way it will be impossible that Dewey could see something in her…

Hermione lowered her shoulders almost imperceptibly. Parkinson's words had brought her memories… they were almost the same words Malfoy had said after kissing her. The girl look at him with eyes full of offence but he just watched her fixed and seriously, totally unexpressive.

Why don't you shut up Parkinson? – snapped Harry angrily.

I don't think that any love potion could be strongly enough to make any pure wizard to see the less interesting thing in… - Zabini watch Hermione up and down with disgust – in that…

Hermione had to made a strong effort to control the sting in her eyes, but the she saw Harry pulling his wand out, ready to hex Zabini and before he could do it, she grabbed her arm, immobilizing it.

Harry, leave them… - she begged – is better to ignore them… don't pay attention to them.

Pansy burst out into laughing stupidly, in a way that made Draco want to strangle her. All of his body was tense, his fists closed, his jaws pressed in an effort to contain himself of throwing an unforgivable curse. But not to Granger or Potter, but to Pansy and Zabini…

You know? Long time ago I thought you could make a good couple with the know-it-all, Potter – continued Pansy with mocking voice – but the truth is that I don't wish that to anybody… not even to my worst enemy…

In that moment many things happen. Hermione couldn't contain Harry's arm anymore, and he released it to point Pansy, but Zabini had also brought out his wand to attack him, and Draco Malfoy had stood up abruptly. A tense silence grew up, in which everyone stood alert ant still, waiting for the minimum provocation to throw a curse.

Potter, why do you defend this mudblood? – asked Zabini without stop pointing him with his wand – what does that… thing… has between her legs that makes everybody crazy?

Harry, pissed off, opened his mouth to throw a curse at the same time Zabini did, but a voice interrupted both.

Shut up Zabini! – spit Malfoy furiously. Hermione drown a moan of surprise and without moving her gaze from the blonde, grabbed Harry's arm again.

What have you said Malfoy? – asked Zabini very slowly and with a defiant tone, without lowering his wand he turned to face his house mate, now pointing him.

I told you to shut up – answered Malfoy fiercely watching Zabini's wand as if it was just a candy and Hermione thought that the last thing she would like was to be Zabini in that moment.

But, Draco, what…- started Pansy, astonished.

And you too Pansy – silenced her Draco with a threatening air – shut up both of you and stop picking on her. Granger is mine. Just mine.

Hermione felt a click in her heart when she heard those words and all her hair stand on end. Something inside her had recognized those words as a sentence, a sentence that against every forecast and logic she wanted to fulfill…

In the tangible tension and the reigning skeptical silence, a pair of hazel eyes and one of the color of the ice met and recognized.

His, thought Hermione, in some way she already was. It was the first time she fall in love, the first time she felt something that deep, which however was condemned to die. She had known it since the beginning, and because of that she had fought her feelings until she was not able to deny them. She knew that she had no chance with him, and even though it was, they could never be together. He was a Slytherin and she was a Gryffindor. Heaven and hell. Black and White. Velvet and sandpaper.

And, it didn't matter that they couldn't be together, those two words of the Slytherin, "Just mine", make her feel alive. Draco stared at her lividly. What had he said? He had said too much! Why had he care that Zabini and Pansy were picking on her? He didn't care that the called her mudblood, thing or that Zabini insinuate that she was…

He couldn't think of it without making his blood boil. He wanted to cut his venomous tongue so he could never again talk about her, and Pansy's too. Pair of…

Be careful, he said. Why did he care? Why had he defended her? He seek desperately for an answer that was coherent and he found it. As he had told Zabini and Pansy, Granger was his. For his use and personal entertainment, no one else could bother her. Just him.

He hadn't defended her, but what was his. He had saved her life; it was fair that he had the monopoly in what involver Granger.

When Snape enter tha classroom he found Parkinson, Zabini and Potter with their mouths half-opened watching Malfoy as if he had two heads and a shaked Granger. Behind them, Weasley was raising his wand and with his face livid, Brown had the same astonished look that the rest of the class that observed them from their desks, just Longbottom was paralyzed.

What is going on here? – asked Snape heatedly and all appeared to wake up form their charm and react. Neville sat down and the rest of the class started to arrange their things. Everyone sat slowly, but the last ones to sat down were Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger, and when they did it, their heart beat uncontrollably.

Hermione Granger's for what she had just heard.

And Draco Malfoy for what he had just said.

Hello!

Here is the next chapter! Is a Little bit short but I think pretty much intense XD. In the first place you can sense Draco's jealousness of seeing Ben and Hermione (I hope you like Ben) and second, for one time Draco did something good, he defend Hermione. Had he uncovered himself too much?

Thanks!

Dry

Well… here is another chapter. It is a short one so… I'll try to update sooner. PLEASE sorry for my terrible grammar, as someone made me notice… I think, and it seems that I need to find a beta reader… Thanks for the reviews! And… please REVIEW!! Lol… =) kisses Lola