Chapter 8 – Decisions

Halloween came and went, the Great Hall was decorated as spectacularly as all his previous years at Hogwarts. N.E.W.T level classes were still difficult, but sometimes Hermione would give him a hand. She would never tell him the answers directly, but sometimes she would tell him where to look, or she would read over his answers, making suggestions. He was grateful for her help, the cleverness that he had always mocked and hated her for, he now loved.

Coming back from dinner one night, he noticed there was a new piece of parchment on the notice board. It read:

FIRST HOGSMEADE VISIT:

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 28TH

He had completely forgotten about Hogsmeade in the chaos of his final year. The only all magic settlement in Britain, with its numerous shops, had always been enjoyable for him.

Hermione had noticed the it too.

"So" he started, reminded of their first conversation that year.

"So" she repeated back to him.

"Hogsmeade" he stated. She looked amused.

"Hogsmeade" she said, repeating his statement again, teasing him.

"You, er, wanngowime?" He rushed the last part of the sentence, for some reason his stomach felt like it had been infested with pixies.

"I'm sorry? You'll have to say that again." She looked slightly confused at what he had just tried to say. He sighed.

"Would you like to go with me?" he asked again, this time slowly and deliberately, trying to hide the fact that his whole body was shaking as if he had been hit with a buzzing charm.

"Of course!" she beamed. He let of a sigh of relief, he had not realized he had been holding his breath.

The rest of the week passed by in a blur. Before he knew it, it was Saturday, and he would be going with Hermione down to Hogsmeade. He did not know why he felt a buzz going through his entire body, it was only Hermione, and it was not a date. She had probably only agreed to go with him to show House Unity, there was no need to get himself all excited. He could not help it though, for all his words, he still felt like a four year old told he was going to the candy shop.

He greeted her in the common room, and they set off for the doors leading out of the castle. It was a cool, crisp morning, the sun was out, but there were no clouds in the pale blue sky. The village looked beautiful, but no where near as beautiful as the charming young witch did who was standing beside him.

"So M'lady, where would you like to gander first? The choice is yours." He teased with the poshest voice he could muster. She giggled at his mock chivalry.

"Well my good sir, I would rather enjoy some sweets from Honeydukes." She teased back, trying for the snobbiest, shrillest voice she could. Having not been raised in a pureblood family, her attempt was not nearly as successful and his, which only made him laugh more.

"My good sir!" She exclaimed in mock horror, in the same shrill, snobby voice. "Is it your intention to stand there mocking me whilst I freeze! Where is your honour? I was told you were from the most prestigious of the families, yet you behave with such distaste! For shame!" By the end of her little speech, they were both curled over in laughter, Draco was pleasantly surprised that she had brought his family into this, even if there were just joking around.

"My sweet madam, I find myself most shocked at your accusations. I could not possibly mock you, how could I? What could I possibly find to mock on such a perfect example of grace and prestige such as yourself?" Though he was still using his posh voice, he found that his words were no longer jokes. He looked at her, and for a moment, they were both speechless, and then he whispered, so silently he was not sure she would hear him, "For all the girls of pure and noble blood, all those who are doted on by all, none could compare to a beauty such as yours."

Her eyes widened, she had clearly heard him. They just stood there, looking at each other, equally as shocked. Draco Malfoy, whether she realized it or not, had just told her he thought she was the most beautiful girl in the world. She did not need to spend hours in the morning, doing her hair and make up, she had a natural glow about her. It was not only her face, but her very essence that made her so beautiful. The genuineness in her smile, not the lip gloss on her lips. It was the sparkle in her eye, not the eye make up she wore. And that, was something no other girl could ever wish to have. She thought she could never compare to any other girl, but she had in completely backwards. No other girl could possibly ever hope to compete with her.

"Draco-" she started to say something, but she never got to, as right at that moment, someone shouted.

"Oi! Hermione!" someone bellowed. As they both turned to see who it was, he heard her gasp. He had a mop of ginger hair and a very mad expression on his face.

Ron Weasley had come to see her.


As he came nearer, he continued to glare at Draco.

"What do you want Ron?" Hermione snapped at him

"What are you doing here Malfoy?" Ron growled at him, ignoring Hermione completely.

"I happened to have asked Hermione here to come with me to Hogsmeade." He drawled.

"And what gives you the right do to that Ferret?" Ron snarled

"We've become friends." He said shortly, his temper rising. "Something you would have known if you had bothered writing to her."

"Don't you dare lecture me Ferret!" Ron's voice was steadily becoming louder. "What could you possibly know about friends, Death Eater." The last two words he said with such ferocity, Draco snapped.

"I happen to know a lot, Weasel." his voice quiet, but filled with intense fury. "While you've been off snogging other girls, I've been there. Held her through her tears, the tears you caused I should add."

"YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO TOUCH HER!" Ron bellowed at him, drawing his wand and pointing it at him. Draco was just as quick.

They stood there, wands pointed at each other, equal looks of loathing on their faces.

"Aren't you going to try and hex me, you pathetic Death Eater?" Ron growled at him.

"You're the one who pulled your wand first, Weasel. I just have mine out in self-defence." He snarled back at him.

"And if anyone saw us right now, do you really think that's what they would think?"

Hermione cleared her throat.

"They might not think that, Ronald, but I saw the whole thing." She growled at him.

"You're taking his side? Mione how could you? After all he's done?" Ron was shocked.

"Ronald Weasley don't you dare call me Mione! And what about what you've done?" She screamed at him.

"You would choose a Death Eater over your best mate?" His voice was only a whisper now.

"No." She said, and he looked relieved, while Draco while crushed. "But I would choose the boy who's been there for me over the past few months over the boy who broke my heart and abandoned me."

It was Ron's turn to looked crushed. He lowered his wand as her words sank in.

"Mione I'm so sorry." He whispered, barely audible. Her expression softened. "Could you find it in your heart to forgive the boy who made the biggest mistake of his life?" He was chocking up.

"Oh Ron." She went and hugged him.

"I'll leave you two to it then." Draco muttered so they could hear him, ad stalked back towards the castle. He did not feel like going to Hogsmeade anymore. He wanted to disappear, or at least to forget about the events that just happened. He should have known better. Hermione loved Ron, everyone knew they were going to end up together eventually, get married, have children. He was just a footnote.


Hermione returned to the common room that night with a smile on her face. As soon as she saw the expression on Draco's face, her face fell.

"Draco I-"

"Don't start" he snapped.

"Don't start what?"

"Don't start apologizing!"

"And what gave you the impression I would be apologizing?" She asked coolly.

"Nothing." He spat.

"Then why did you tell me not to?" She spat back.

"Because I wanted to make sure you didn't feel sorry for me. The last thing I need is your pity." He snarled at her.

"Well I don't feel sorry for you!"

"Good!" They just stared at each other for a while.

"So how was your date? Have you forgiven him already?" He asked, voice still dripping with malice.

"What does it matter to you? I didn't think you cared." She replied nastily.

"You don't think I care anymore? One day with Ron and suddenly I'm the bad guy again? He started the whole think Hermione! He's the one who pulled his wand out at me. Or has he managed to brain-wash you in the matter of a few hours?" He snapped at her.

"Well why the hell would you care about my date with him anyway?" Her voice had lost some of it's vigour at his words.

"Oh, so it was a date. So you've just forgiven him. Have you forgotten how upset you were at him? Forgotten all the tears he's caused you? He just disappears for three months, snogging and probably shagging others girls, but I'm the bad guy? I'm the one who held you when you were crying! Not him!" He was furious, whether at Ron or Hermione, he was not sure.

"So you think that I should judge people on their past actions, even if they say they have changed?" Her eyes had softened a bit, but her tone was soft and dangerous.

"That's not fair." He said, feeling broken.

"Not fair? You know what's not fair Draco? Being tormented because of your parents! Being persecuted because of who they are, not because of anything you've done. Being on the run because school isn't safe for you anymore! That's not fair." She snarled at him.

He laughed at her. It lacked humour, lacked all happy emotion. He laughed a sinister laugh.

"You don't think I know about being labeled because of who my parents are? I wasn't raised with love, I was raised to uphold my families honour. I was raised to be a Death Eater. I was raised with hate, forced to take a mark I did not want, forced to do awful things. I was born into persecution just as much as you were, it was just a different kind." He said sorrowfully.

"Oh boo hoo Malfoy!" Hermione snapped, surprising him. "I've heard enough of your pity stories. You say you had no choice, it was how you were raised. That doesn't change the hurt you caused me! You never questioned your beliefs, you accepted them, you loved thinking you were better than everyone else. Sure, Ron made a mistake, but three months worth of torture is a lot better than seven years of it!"

"I never questioned my beliefs?" His voice was shaking with anger now. "If I had never questioned my beliefs, do you think my beliefs would be different now? I questioned my beliefs every day during the war! I even changed my beliefs! Have you forgotten everything that's happened in the last few months Hermione? I held you, I comforted you, while he didn't write, and didn't care!" He stepped dangerously closed to her. Their bodies almost touching as he towered over her.

"Why do you care so much Malfoy? Why do you care what happens between me and Ron? For the past years, you would have cherished the thought of my heart being broken, and suddenly you're worried about another guy hurting me? That's rich Malfoy, especially since no guy could ever hurt me as much as you did." Her voice was filled with venom, her mouth in a scowl. Her eyes were filled with fire like he had never seen before.

"I hate you." She spat at him. "I always have, and I always will."

At those words, something stirred inside him that he had never felt before. It was like a beast growling within him. He was no longer Draco Malfoy, his actions were no longer his own. He felt as his body, as if on its own, move. He watched his hands grab Hermione. One snatched her waist and the other tangled itself in her hair. He felt himself close the gap that was between them, looked at her shocked face.

He lowered his lips onto hers. He was not sure if what he did was really a kiss though, it was more of an attack, a hunger. He bit her bottom lip and she gasped. He seized his opportunity to deepen the kiss, his only thoughts of needing her. And then, she started kissing him back, with just as much hunger. As if through the kiss, and only through the kiss, could they tell each other how they really felt. He needed her, she was his air supply. If he stopped kissing her, he would die.

He felt her hands on his chest, and they slowly snaked their way up to his hair. She bit his bottom lip and a moan escaped his throat. He tried furiously to bring her closer, their bodies pressed together. He deepened the kiss even more, their tongues dancing upon each other. She let out a small moan of her own. Upon hearing her moan, he was helpless. Whatever control he had of his body before had completely vanished.

His hands snaked down her body, resting right on her arse. He lifted her up slightly and her legs wrapped around his hips, as if on command. He pressed her against a wall, his lips leaving hers to go to her throat, and she whimpered slightly. As he made his way dow her throat, he stopped right above her collarbone, gently biting the area. She moaned again, louder this time. He continued to bite, suck and kiss the area, her moans steadily growing louder.

He then returned his attention to her lips, they were now partly chapped, and still open from her last moan. They looked so inviting. He pressed his lips to hers once more, hungrily taking her in. He felt her hands begin to wander from his hair to his chest once more. Her delicate fingers tracing his muscles. Her hands traced his chest, and slowly made their way down to his hard abs, finally ending up right at the waistband of his trousers. He groaned as she slowly slipped one finger into his pants, stroking the skin between his hips, teasing him.

He slowly brought one of his hands up, supporting her weight with the other one. He sneaked his free hand under her shirt, caressing the soft skin of her belly. She whimpered at his touch. He slowly moved his hands up-

THWACK!

There was a sharp thud on a the window, bringing them both to their senses again. Hermione's eyes widened in horror as the haze from the lust vanished. She pushed him away and scrambled off him as quickly as she could, tripping over herself in the process. She feel the a soft thud onto the floor. When he reached down to help her up, she scrambled away from him, still on the floor, looking terrified. He did not think he quite deserved that treatment, after all, she had kissed him back.

And she set herself right once more, she searched for the cause of noise, and found it quite quickly. An excited little fluff ball was zooming around outside the window, looking quite dazed. She let it in and sighed.

"Oh Pig." She chuckled, clearly forgetting that Draco was still in the room, eyeing her cautiously. She untied the letter from the fluff ball's leg, he presumed, and scanned the letter. The ferocity returned to her eyes as she looked up form the letter, glaring at him.

He gulped.

She stalked into her room, and disappeared.

Draco sighed, wondering what had taken over him, and wishing they had not been interrupted.

A/N: A chapter or two from Hermione's POV was actually in the plan, I'm just currently trying to decide when to put it and how much to write.

There, they finally kissed, we can all let out that inner breath we've been holding (or maybe it just me.)

Thanks for reading!

Always,

Shan :)