No, I don't own anything that you recognize. The OCs are my own though.
A/N: This chapter was originally meant to be two chapters, but I decided to combine it into one chapter so it was longer. Hope you enjoy it ^^
"Gin, this was a great idea!" exclaimed Lavander enthusiastically.
"Really," said Padma with a giggle, "I'll bet the guys don't even know what we're up to."
"Everyone have their sexiest on?" asked Ginny with a wicked grin.
"You bet!" exclaimed Luna and Parvati in unison as Harry, Dean, Ron, Draco, Neville, and Seamus entered the room.
"So that's the meeting-" Dean's last word dragged when he saw the sly grins facing him "-For?"
"Strip poker boys, sure hope you changed your boxers." Ginny's words caused the guy's eyes to widen.
"Now everyone is going to sit around this poker table here," said Hermione, patting the table beside her, "alternating genders. We're playing texas hold 'em style. All in means all in with the exception of underwear, so you guys have something to wonder about tonight."
They took their places and Ginny dangled a shoe above the center of the table, dropping it with a soft thud.
"Blinds in everyone." Several more shoes landed themselves in the center if the table, as well as the shirts of Lavander and Dean.
"First set of betting," said Hermione, glancing at her cards, "two articles." She placed another shoe and a sock in the growing pile. Everyone bet and Ginny flipped the first three cards, an ace of spades, king of diamonds and a five in clubs. The round went on with Hermione winning. Lavander, who possessed a high card of 3, or rather, nothing, lost.
As the game wore on, more and more people were forced out until it was just Draco and Hermione left. They were both all in with only one article left. Hermione still wore her skirt, revealing her black lacey bra, and Draco still wore his trousers, exposing the chiseled muscles of his chest.
"Now," said Ginny, "you can both check, or go all in. however, bottoms remain on until the winner is announced. The winner will remain clothed, and the loser has to take their last article off." They nodded in understandment.
"Nice bra, by the way Mione," said Seamus with a wink. "Looks great on you."
"Thanks," she replied, then added after a moment, "I like your pink boxers too." Seamus blushed as they laughed.
"Be prepared to take off that cute skirt of you're," warned Draco with a smile, "because you are going down."
"Don't you wish," was her reply. "All in." Draco smirked and followed suit. "Give us the rest Gin." As Ginny flipped the remainder of the cards, Hermione's grin grew wider, as did dracos.
"So, what have you got?" asked Hermione. Draco tossed his cards face up on the table.
"Flush," he said triumphiantly and Hermione smirked.
"Well, that would be great…if that last eight didn't drop. Read it and weep." Hermione's cards landed on the table. "Full house, I win."
"Gosh darn," said Lavander, eying Draco greedily, "what a shame."
"Bloody right it's a shame," said Dean as Draco dropped his pants, showing his pale blue boxers.
"Hermione, I gotta say," said Padma with a laugh, "you did good for yourself."
"As much as I love the view Draco," said Hermione, "get dressed." Most of the girls in the room gave a groan.
"You're cruel Mione," said Lavander with a pout.
"Yes," agreed Luna airily, "cruel."
"Don't feel bad," said Parvati, turning to the rest of the guys, "yoi're all hot too. But Draco is…wow."
"Oh yes," replied Harry sarcastically, "we feel the love."
"Oh, Harry, do you need love?" asked Ginny innocently, walking over to him and wrapping her arms around his waist.
"Sure wouldn't hurt," he replied with a shrug, claiming Ginny in his arms. She still wore her powder blue bra and panties, which clashed with Harry's bright orange boxers.
"As sweet as watching you two lovebirds is, I believe it's time for me to stop flaunting my ridiculous good looks and get dressed," said Seamus, locating his shirt and pulling it over his head.
"Good idea. We don't want any teachers to find us wandering around the halls after hours."
"It would have to be the prefessors that find us since both heads and a quarter of the prefects are here." Dean's comment drew laughs from around the room.
"Has anyone seen my shirt?" asked Luna, casting an embarrassed look at Ron.
"Is this it?" Ron held up the black piece of cloth he had retrieved from near his foot.
"Yeah." She blushed as he tossed it to her, narrowly catching it and hastily pulling it on.
"Okay," said Ginny, "is everyone ready?" After a series of 'wait's and 'hold on's had completed and it was safe, Ginny opened the door and everyone filed out. They said their good-byes and departed.
As Hermione and Draco strolled back to their common room, Hermione was possessed by a sense of loss.
"Draco," she said quietly as they entered their dorms, "what's going to happen when Harry has to fight Voldemort? I mean, this is war. People are going to die-people that we know and care about."
"Shh luv, don't think about that now," he soothed. "Here, I've got an idea."
"What?"
"Let's make a promise. I promise not to die if you promise to keep fighting."
"You can't possibly know that Draco," she said seriously. "Please don't joke about this."
"I couldn't be more serious Hermione." His steely blue eyes searched hers and she found herself agreeing.
"Okay," she said quietly. "I'll hold you to that."
"And I'll hold you to your promise. Now get to bed. It's not healthy for you to be staying up till all hours of the night."
"You spoil all the fun of winning strip poker," she pouted, causing Draco to give an audible groan.
"Don't remind me," he said. "It's hard enough to control myself when you're dressed. Don't make me think about all that seductive black lace under you clothes."
"So I look good without my clothes on?"
"You look too damn sexy," he muttered. "Now stop being so cruel."
"Oh, I'm terribly sorry," she said, leaning into him, brushing her lips gently across his. "I didn't realize I was such a cruel person," she whispered against his lips, kissing him again. He deepened the kiss with urgency, wrapping his arms around her. She smiled and wriggled out of his embrace, dancing gracefully away.
"I do have a reputation to uphold," she sang before closing her door.
"And uphold it you do."
Hermione laughed joyously as she flew through the fluffy white clouds. And the sky, it had never seemed so blue than at this moment! It had taken nearly two months, but she could finally do it. She could fly.
She flew higher, the air thinning around her, and hovered there. She enjoyed her birds eye view of Hogwarts castle until her head began to pounding painfully. She curled her legs to her chest and her hands found her head. She began to panic, knowing that from this height she would never survive if she fell.
Fighting for consciousness, she tried to contact Jake. If anyone could save her, it would be the one person that could hear her. She screamed out in pain, unheard by anyone, before everything turned to darkness and she plummeted rapidly to the ground.
Draco sat by the lake, watching the ripples the wind made in the water. He sat back, leaning on his hands, and looked into the deep blue sky.
His eyes narrowed as he saw a small bit of black contrasting with the white of the clouds. he watched as the speck began to fall, and he thought he heard a distant scream. He realized that it was a person falling, and he looked for something to break their fall. From that height, they would never survive.
Cursing himself for not bringing his wand, he glanced back to judge timing. The person had gotten close enough for him to see clearly, and his heart froze as he realized that the person falling was Hermione. He looked desperately to the water in the lake, which had become eerily still, and thought about what to do. If he didn't do something soon, he was going to lose her.
He faced the lake once again, determined, and placed his arms out, widening his stance on the cool ground. Draco concentrated more than he had ever thought would be possible, and the calm water began to ripple once again. The water suddenly sprang up to Hermione in an impossible pillar of liquid. Though the impact of the water from where it was would hurt Hermione, it wouldn't kill her as it would have before.
She landed in the water with a smack, and she continued to sink. When she was in danger of drowning, Draco allowed the water to splash back into the huge crater in the earth, except for the small amount that supported Hermione. This small amount, he froze and brought to the ground near him. He collapsed beside her and wondered what to do next.
Suddenly, someone he was positive he'd never met in his life came running to them. This person knelt beside Hermione and placed his hands on her forehead. A dim green light shone from her head, both arms, her ribs and her leg. Hermione coughed up some water and relief flooded through Draco. As her eyes fluttered open, Draco fought to stay upright and conscious. He didn't want to worry her.
"What happened?" her voice was soft and breathless, but Draco had never heard anything more beautiful. "And why am I on a giant block of ice?"
"Oh Merlin Mione," gushed Draco, "I thought you were going to die!"
"Jake? What happened after-"
"-You blacked out?" he finished for her and turned to Draco. "Yes, she knows me."
"What-" began Draco, who was now completely confused. He stopped however, when he realized he had no idea what he was going to say. He just looked at them in puzzlement.
"Hermione," said Jake with a smile, "you've just found the last elemental."
"You mean-"
"Hermione, you're-"
"You're water?!" she shouted in surprise.
"And would I be correct in assuming that you're air? That would explain why you fell out of bloody nowhere."
"Well then," decided Jake, "to Albus?" They stood, and Jake added as an afterthought, "oh, and Draco, would you mind melting that giant block of ice? I think it's a little conspicuous." Draco stared at it for a moment and gave a sigh.
"Do you want me to do this with, or without passing out?" he asked, wondering how Jake knew his name. "Because I do believe that the second would be impossible to achieve."
"I guess I could give it a try," voiced Hermione. With a wave of her hand, the ice melted instantly. She looked to Draco and gave him a tired smile.
"Was that-?"
"Wandless magic?" She merely grinned.
"Not fair," he muttered.
"Now, let's get the two of you inside before you both collapse," said Jake, nudging Hermione inside.
"Good idea," replied Draco with a yawn.
"I'm sorry," whispered Hermione, leaning affectionately into Draco, "I didn't mean to do that to you." He wrapped his arm around her waist.
"As long as you never do that to me again," he replied, "I think I'll survive."
"Albus," said Jake as he entered his office, "we've found the last elemental."
"Mr. Malfoy," acknowledged Dumbledore, "I should've known."
"I guess I've missed a lot. Sorry I didn't come to you professor, I didn't really know what to do."
"No, I understand. It's not everyday that one finds that they posses the power to control an element."
"I have been practicing on my own though."
"Very good Mr. Malfoy," said Dumbledore. "Though I believe Melissa and Jake will have to judge just how prepared you are, for I have no knowledge if it."
"Yes Professor."
"I've been trying to get Mel here Albus, but I haven't received a reply yet." Jake then turned his attention to Draco. "Are you free?"
"Yeah," he replied after a short pause, "why?"
"A demonstration."
"Oh, can I demonstrate too Jake?"
"Sure. We can all demonstrate…except for Mel, of course, since I can't seem to get hold of her." Irritation was evident ion his voice.
"What about me?" Hermione recognized the new voice as Melissa's.
"Mel!" she exclaimed fondly. "We found water! All this time, it was Draco!"
"Is that so?" Her tone contained nothing akin to surprise. When she saw the confused faces of Jake and Hermione, she elaborated. "Well, you see, when Hermione told me about Draco, I did suggest that he was the last of us. Besides, I've been tracking you guys down for over three years. You didn't honestly think I would be surprised, did you?"
Jake turned to Hermione in amazement. "I think everyone knew but us." She agreed.
"So, what about a demonstration?" asked Mel, "Not today I hope? Those two look about ready to collapse from exhaustion."
"Of course not. Hermione had an attack, and Draco exerted nearly all of his energy saving her. She was flying."
"And it all comes clear," mused Mel.
"I just wanted to show them what their demonstration site would be like." He then led them out of the Headmaster's office and along the corridors of Hogwarts, seemingly effortlessly, for he never once had to stop to think about which way their destination was. Hermione, who realized that they were going to the room of requirement, suspected that he had been eavesdropping in the minds on innocent students. When they had reached the room of requirement, he paced back and fourth thrice, a door appearing. Jake opened it for them, and they peeked inside.
In the room, there was an ongoing canyon, the most beautiful shade of orange, green grass growing on the tops of the plateaus. The orange hue of the sunset reflected beautifully off of the small, placid lake. There was a deep cliff separating the two largest plateaus, a river running far below, through the bottom of it.
"Sure," muttered Hermione to Jake, "pick your element."
"Really?" asked Jake with an easy laugh. "I thought it was rather partial to air as well." Hermione grinned.
"Everything's partial to air."
"So be here tomorrow at 10 O' clock," concluded Mel. "And rest up." Draco promised that they would and they went their separate ways.
"So," said Draco as they slowly walked the short distance to their dorm, "you've been practicing Tuesdays?"
"So you noticed. Have you figured out your extra power yet?"
"You mean I can do something else?"
"I'll take that as a no. But yeah, you can do something else. Like I can use wandless magic, and Jake, as you probably noticed, can use telepathy."
"No," said Draco sarcastically, "I never would've guessed. He can heal too, though."
"Right," replied Hermione, speaking their password. "I don't know what else Mel can do though. I've never seen her use anything other than fire before."
"Well, whatever it is that she can do, I'm too tired to think about it now," said Draco with a sigh. "I'm going to bed. And you, get some sleep. I don't want your energy to short out while you're in the air again."
"Sounds brilliant to me," she said, hugging him before heading to her own room and to bed. Draco dragged himself across the common room to his own room and went to bed, where he slept undisturbed through the night.
A/N: Hope you enjoyed these two chapters! I have finally revealed who water is(though over half of you have probably already guessed by now anyway). Remember to drop me a review, and thanks to all of you who do!