AN: You guys were so much nicer than I had any right to expect. Thanks for the reviews! Please, keep it up. They really made me smile.
Congrats to the winner of the first cameo contest: AryaEragonPrincessShadeslayer. She was the first to correctly guess sight as the next sense! : ) Good job! And thank you to everyone else who participated!
SIGHT—Second Year
Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how it's looked at, the troll incident did occur. After which, Hermione gained several new friends, but as a result, lost her first. Had she known at the time that gaining friends within her house would lose her Draco, would she have still made the same choice? Most likely. It just would not bode well for either of them to be seen with the other. Their other friends wouldn't approve. So it was a mutual decision.
It was a beautiful day and the weather was sunny and clear. It was just right for the Gryffindor/Hufflepuff game to take place in half an hour. Hermione, never having been an avid fan of Quidditch like the rest of her friends, chose to spend her day in the library researching possible answers to what the monster in the Chamber of Secrets could be. The trio's lead on Malfoy failed (as Hermione figured it would), ergo, she turned to the library for more concrete answers.
Due to the approaching game, the room was completely free of students, save for Mae Whittaker, a petite first year Slytherin with long red hair and freckles that Hermione had tutored before. As far as Hermione was concerned, that was perfect: a mostly empty library was much more conducive to extensive research than a bustling one. A voice brought her abruptly out of her reverie.
"May I join you?" A sense of déjà vu overtook Hermione when she looked up to see Malfoy. He hadn't changed much since last year. If anything, his eyes had gotten darker and more alluring.
"Um, sure, go ahead."
He pulled up a chair and sat across from her. "Hermione Granger of Gryffindor, how have you been?" His pouty lips curved upward in an almost smile.
"I've been well, Draco Malfoy from Slytherin house. What brings you to my corner of the library?" She flashed a smile at him, showing that he wasn't the only one with a memory of their first meeting.
"I've come to escape the Quidditch game. I'd rather not watch the entire school cheer on the Boy-Who-Lived." His voice rang of bitterness and a sly smile crept onto Hermione's face.
"Aha, jealous, are we? Green, though it may be your house color, does not become you."
He scoffed, "Don't be ridiculous! I would never be jealous of Scarface."
Hermione was not convinced and turned back to the passage in the book she was reading. Draco watched her for a moment, completely enthralled. It was fascinating for him to see anyone get so quickly absorbed into a book. It was almost as if she had forgotten he was there. Surprisingly, that didn't bother him; he could have watched her all day.
Suddenly, Hermione gasped. With an unbelievable speed, she snatched a quill from in front of her and scribbled something in the margin of the page. Draco mocked her dramatic gasp and she glanced up at him in amusement.
"Yes?"
"You wrote in a book that was not yours to write in! How dare you defile a school library book!"
She rolled her eyes. "Shush you, if Pince hears you say that, she'll have my head. All joking aside though, this is not the time for making fun of me." She paused, "I need you to go get a hand mirror."
"Oh, sure; let me just pull one out of my pocket."
"Draco," Hermione was absolutely deadpan, "I'm serious. Please, just go. I have one, but you need to get one for yourself and come back."
He sighed reluctantly, knowing that she wouldn't divulge any information until he complied with her strange request. "Promise to tell me why when I get back?"
"Yes, yes, now go! Please, hurry!" The urgency in her voice was enough to make him rush out of the library faster than he would have thought possible. Once he was gone, Hermione rummaged in her bag for her mirror. When she found it, she stood up and made her way to the door using the mirror to see where she was walking. On her way to the door, Hermione warned Mae of the possible danger. The first year's hazel eyes widened in fear and her pale complexion got several shades whiter. Without a word, she quickly scurried out of the room and left her books behind.
Hermione was almost at the door when Draco came stumbling in through the entrance, completely out of breath. She looked up from the mirror and took one glance at his tousled hair and pink cheeks; that was all it took for her to start laughing. Her laughter helped to mask the confusion in her mind at the fact that the sight of him made her heart flutter wildly. She looked back at the mirror to hide her blush and saw a pair of great, big, yellow eyes. The scream never left her mouth—it simply stayed frozen on her petrified face.
End notes: I really, really liked that chapter. I love how it tied in with everything. Didn't you? : )
Okay, so the first two senses have been hearing and sight. Any guesses for the next one? Again, the winner (i.e. the first one to guess correctly) will get a cameo in the next chapter. Send your answer in a review and I will inform you if you won!
Ready...Set...GUESS! : )
