Author's Note: Alrighty, here we are again!
Everyone, the whole idea of the challenge was inspired by Inner Self, who invented the thing that happens in the car. And chose the theme of it as well. Kudos to you! (Again, :D) Oh, and there is a code red near the beginning, that isn't the real incident! It was a solution to the Blaise-know-the-words thing. XD. Oh gosh, this is like talking in code!
I've read Breaking Dawn. If you haven't, I recommend not doing it and soiling your opinion of what used to be the greatest vampire love story saga and is now a trilogy with a horrible sequel book which failed epically.
Please don't hate me. This chapter is going to pass through almost three days because quite frankly the whole car thing has gone on much too long, and we all just want them back in the house. So it will probably be quite disjointed, and I apologize for that, but it had to be done.
Special thanks to Max Ride Fan 13 for being a brilliant beta and got this chapter back to me ASAP!
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any musical groups or singers. The only thing I'm HAPPY not to own is the hideous disappointment that is Breaking Dawn. And the horrible knowledge that I am Stephenie Meyer. Yup. I'm happy not to own those!
The next morning, Hermione felt refreshed, though there was a strange buzzing noise in her ears. She'd slept soundly, either because the two males had decided to let her sleep or they just couldn't wake her up. Sometimes when she was very tired, no matter how much you shook her she wouldn't wake up at odd hours. Her muscles were a bit stiff, but thanks to Draco's mother's lotion, they weren't that bad.
The only thing she would have liked more than anything was a shower. Her hair felt a bit tangled, and while she didn't really care how it looked, it felt like some sort of birds nest. Half her face was extremely hot and had the pattern of the seat on it. Her clothes were wrinkled and had the disgusting, yesterday-work-out feel to them, because none of them had had the time to change before they'd left.
It took her a second to clear her head and realize the buzzing was not, in fact, bees or just her brain being fuzzy. Blaise was humming a song that sounded familiar, but she couldn't quite place. He's got a nice hum. He was also tapping a beat on the steering wheel, his head going with the rhythm.
"Awake?" He asked and stopped humming. "You sleep like a log."
Oh. So they didn't let her sleep.
"Some of us do like to do that." She said airily and sat up, rubbing her eyes blearily. They were on a dark road, surrounded by thick forest with tall trees and full leaves. There were no cars, animals or buildings in sight. "Where are we?"
"I dunno, but we've been driving on this same road for fifteen minutes." Blaise said, looking a bit creeped out.
"Oh." She really hoped that Sheila and James didn't plan on breaking down their car and making them fix it. There was an eery sort of silence following them and it made her shiver.
A bird chirped softly and she nearly jumped.
"Your bag has been making that noise all morning." Blaise said, glancing down between their seats. "Draco drove all night so you could sleep, so I'd shut it off before it finally wakes him up."
'"Draco drove all night so you could sleep."' She smiled a bit and looked back at him as he slept on the backseat, trying not to cringe at the bruises on him. He would probably want to sleep all day. She looked at the clock on the dashboard. It was only 7:35. The beeping was probably alerting her of a message on her phone. She hoped it wasn't Jacob again.
The thought made her feel guilty and her hands instinctively went for her bag. It took awhile, she had pens, paper, her wallet, iPod and cellphone in there, with a few candy wrappers, but eventually she got out her phone and flipped it open.
"Two new messages." The electronic voice said cheerfully. The first was from Jacob and the second was from Andrea.
'"Hey, Hermione, this is Jacob… again. About my last message… I don't really have a choice; they called me two days ago… You know that, right? Please call me."
The tone of his voice immediately caught her attention and she sat up straighter, listening. I deleted his messages without listening! She thought in disappointment, and then…He didn't have a choice about what? What does he have to do?
She went up to Andrea's, hoping it would enlighten her.
"Hermione!" Andrea cried out and her heart thudded anxiously in her chest. "I had no idea this was coming, I'm SO sorry! He didn't even tell me until after he phoned you and…I know its just my brother…Please phone me back! It doesn't even matter when, midnight if you have to I know you're busy on that project and…"
She was really worried now. What was so terrible involving Jacob? Oh no! He's a drug dealer. That's what he is, and he's got caught up in a sham and they called to say he's being tracked, to be killed. That's why Andrea is distressed! He said he and Derek aren't friends anymore, because Derek wouldn't pay up for them!
"Something wrong?" Blaise asked, turning down another bend.
"I don't know." She answered honestly, her mind running every which way. She hadn't seen Jacob in a long time. And they were supposed to meet tomorrow.
"Feel like a coffee or anything?" He looked over at her, "I'm hoping we'll reach civilization soon."
"I'd love some." She said, "I'd also love a shower."
"Me, too." Blaise was silent for a moment. "I wonder why we had to be gone from the house for so long. Isn't two weeks a bit long?"
"I've been thinking that, too. Maybe they need more time to clean everything up. They said they'll change it so that the people don't remember us being in the village…" She thought of Mike and Pam, wondering if they would get together soon. How strange, she'd only known them for a few days, but remembering them made her feel a bit sad.
"I'm sort of sick of driving." He said, sighing. "I would much rather be in that house than out here, nowhere."
"Me, too." She agreed, nodding. "The idea of being entertainment for other people has sort of grown on me to the point where I don't want to kill the cameras following us anymore." She shuddered, "But a few good things have come of it, so far."
"Yeah, I've had a few good shags." Blaise said, smirking smugly.
She rolled her eyes at him, a smile tugging on her lips. "I mean…well, I've hardly said two words to you before this show. But now…Well, we've talked."
He was silent for a moment. "Yeah. It was…nice, to know you, I guess. And Ron isn't bad, either. He's also sort of hot…"
"He's also sort of straight." She pointed, and didn't find any awkwardness in that statement, as one might if you weren't comfortable with the person you were talking to.
Blaise shrugged, "Right now."
She looked at him pointedly and he sighed. "Right, well I suppose I shouldn't give him a heart attack…I was planning on lying naked on his bed and then when he came in-"
She burst into laughter, because she could imagine the exact shade of red that Ron's face would flush, and then the loud, 'ARRRRGHH!' and his desperate escape from the room. "I don't think that's the best idea."
"Probably not." Blaise said, sighing mournfully. "Ah, well…"
"And I've learned self defense, so if anyone attacks me I'll be ready." She pointed off, ticking things off on her fingers. "I've been able to experience what its like to be a cat, and I think that sort of empathy could really inspire certain changes in the regulation and control of non-magic creatures."
"Yeah, that really is an advantage!" Blaise gushed sarcastically. "And, you also totally know the strategies of Truth or Dare, and how to play scavenger hunt, and how not to drive-"
"That was a fluke. I don't know what came over me." She said, slightly flushed. "I would never do it again."
Blaise went on, uncaring. "And, never to insult Jasper Hale – can I read that, by the way? He sounds really sexy – or you'll hit us on the head with a book. And you can convince anyone that you're a sex crazed psycho, and that as animals, we're all pretty strange, and you seem to fall a lot when you're around Draco. Like, wild falls where you lose complete control over yourself."
She flushed as he laughed at her expense. "Oh shut up. Those were all accidents, and were his fault, too."
How strange that Blaise would say something like that and have no idea that it applied to her in more than one way.
-
-
"Hm. I like this song." Blaise said a few hours later while Draco slumbered on in the back.
Hermione paused and listened, recognizing the interlude being sung. "Ah, I Kissed a Girl. It's Katy Perry."
"I like it." He repeated and they both listened in silence.
"Do you think that Helga might-"
"Shit!" Blaise exclaimed and for one moment she was gripped by terror, sure that he had just run someone over.
"What is it?" She asked loudly, gripping the armrests on her seat.
"I was listening to the words in the song, and your talking completely overlapped them! Now I don't know what she says." He complained, shooting her an annoyed look.
"That's all?" She asked dryly. He nodded and frowned at her, changing the motion to a head-shake.
"No, it's not all. Now the song is over."
"If it means that much to you, I'll print you off the lyrics." She said, rolling her eyes at his childishness.
"Fine." He replied, "And you can drive when you're done."
It was now 10:15, and she wondered when Draco was going to wake up. She looked back at him, but noticed Blaise watching her and didn't let her eyes dwell there. With quick ease she brought out her laptop, searched the lyrics and – frowned. They didn't have a printer. She told the problem to Blaise.
"Hm. Stupid muggle technology. To buy this, you have to have this and that and this and that because none of it works just on its own." He grumbled, "Fine. Can you copy it out for me?"
"No!" She answered indignantly. "Copy it out yourself!"
"Fine." He huffed (she couldn't tell if he was doing it mockingly or not) and pulled over the car. They switched spots and she adjusted herself and the seat. In a few minutes he discovered that he had the song on his iPod and leaned back, keeping it on repeat.
The black stretch of road continued on and she began to wonder where they were. There were so many trees and the path wound in different ways, so she couldn't see how near they were to the end. It was actually a bit creepy. Like a tunnel that never had an end.
When her phone rang, she nearly jumped out of her skin. "Oh." She sighed in relief and embarrassment, before digging it from her bag and flipping it open. "Hello?"
"This is prerecorded." Sheila's voice said, "We've given you a designated stop for one hour. Sometime throughout this day you have to stop, or the car will shut down at 11:00 until midnight tonight.
She felt a thrill of relief. "Here," and handed it over to Blaise. He pressed the phone to his ear curiously and listened intently, before handing it back. She flipped it closed and checked the time. 10:32.
"I hope we reach a village soon," Hermione said, "Because we should be reaching the spot where Jacob and I meet at 12:30."
She felt a rush of anticipation flow through her. I can finally get to the bottom of this stupid message thing…And thinking he's involved in some sort of drug scandal is ridiculous.
"I don't know what you could possibly see in him. He's an imbecile." Draco's voice said from the back and she was surprised that he was awake.
"You don't know him." She pointed out, a small smile tugging up the corners of her lips.
"His head is hideously deformed." Draco said, "It's much too big."
"His head is fine." She said with an amused chuckle.
"And he can't be very smart," Draco continued, "You say he's in university but all he does is phone you."
"Because he wants to talk to me." She said and had to force herself not to tell him about the message. "We're dating. As in, I care about him and he cares about me. I think he is justified in wanting to talk to me."
"I think his head is too big." Draco muttered, rolling over to face the back of the seat sullenly.
-
-
To their shared delight, they turned a corner about fifteen minutes later and were immediately encircled by office buildings, houses and shops. Draco sat up, running his fingers through his hair and grimacing as he grazed sensitive spots on his skin. She kept careful eyes on the road to make sure she didn't run anything over and to not look at the spots marring his pale skin while Blaise looked out the windows for an inn.
"Look!" He said suddenly, pointing. They all turned to a large hotel with the words 'Sana Mero' written on it.
"Perfect." She said, sighing with relief. They hastily got out of the car and grabbed their bags, before hurrying inside to the front desk.
"Hello, welcome to the Sana Mero hotel. What can I do for you?" The woman at the desk's smile faltered a bit when she took in their disheveled appearance; no doubt she was used to fancier dress, but then resumed her happy expression.
"We'd like to rent your least expensive room." She said, opening her purse.
"Alright. Single or double?"
"Whichever is available." She said as the woman began typing on her computer.
"How many nights will your stay be?"
"Just the one." She responded, glancing at the clock on the wall. 10:45. So they had until 11:45 before they were using up their own time again. A horrible thought struck her.
"Any affects you would like besides the initi-"
"Look," she leaned forward, "we're not even staying overnight. We just need to use a shower, so if you could put us down for something cheap, I'd appreciate it."
The woman looked mildly offended. "Alright. We have one for 100 pounds a night."
"We'll take it," Hermione said and paid as quickly as she could. "Thank you."
They took the key she offered and hurried to the elevator. Thankfully, it was otherwise empty and she relaxed a bit in it. "I'll go first, seeing as last time you used up all the water."
"I'm pretty sure this hotel should have better resources than that place." Draco said, but didn't argue.
As soon as she let them into the room she was in the bathroom, tearing off her clothes and turning on the water to heat up. The steam from the glass shower was seeping through and warming her up, making the task of brushing her hair less annoying. She only brushed it before and after she showered, otherwise it was pretty counterproductive.
With a sigh of relief she stepped into the water and began to lather her hands with vanilla strawberry body wash, washing herself. It was always so satisfying to get really clean.
But she didn't have time to dwell on life's frivolities, so she hurried through her shower, dried herself off and dragged off a pair of jean shorts and a charcoal tank top. After shoving all her things back into her bag she ran her brush through her hair and scrunched some leave-in-conditioner into her hair.
She'd used thirteen minutes of their time. While she could use another seven to make twenty, she decided not to because no doubt Draco wouldn't be able to restrain himself to only twenty minutes.
When she got out Blaise was lying, sprawled out on the bed and Draco sat casually on the couch beside it. "Oh, drat she's back." Blaise said, sighing mournfully.
"Thank you." She said sarcastically.
"No need to get offended, Granger. He was just trying to decide whether or not to go find another victim." Draco said, holding his arm out in front of him and frowning at it. The sleeve was rolled up to near shoulder, exposing purplish black bruises and a few yellowish green. Shaking his head he stood up and grabbed his bag.
"Twenty minutes!" Blaise called after him and rested his head back on the bag, smirking.
"Er…I just have to make a phone call." She told him and pulled her cell phone from her pocket. Turning her back on him she dialed the number.
"Hello?" He answered after two rings and she heard the distinct noise of a car in the background. Her stomach did tiny flip flops.
"Hi, Jacob. It's Hermione." She said softly.
"Hermione…hey."
"Look, about us meeting up…"
"Yeah?" He said, sounding quite depressed.
"Could you come an hour later? We got really stuck up in traffic and I won't be able to make it for twelve thirty." She heard the guilt in her voice.
"Sure," he was surprised. "Yeah, that's fine. I'm just glad you want to see me at all."
"Why wouldn't I?" She asked and mentally hit herself. She couldn't tell him that she deleted all his messages!
"Well…message…wish it was different…to be upset…"
"Jacob? You're breaking up, I can't hear you."
"What…say I can't…"
The line went dead and she sighed in frustration. Perhaps it was the forest on the other side of the city. It was so difficult, as soon as she and Jacob are together, they have to leave. They arrange to meet up on the way back, but they stopped to shower – though this sacrifice wasn't too bad. She didn't even know if they could afford to stop for more than ten minutes on the way back, because they needed to keep driving constantly. She should have thought about it before.
"Trouble?"
"I shouldn't have arranged to meet him." She said, "We haven't got time."
"Tell him we have a very important commitment or something. There's not much he can do about it." Blaise said and rolled over.
"Yeah, I guess." She said quietly. "Thanks."
Blaise shrugged. "Helga phoned."
"What?" Her problems zoomed out of her head and sat down on the spot Draco had vacated. "What did she say?"
"She was really mad that he'd left, but somehow set up an appointment for the day after we get back to the house." He said and bit his lip.
"How's Malfoy feeling?"
"He's pretending he doesn't care anymore. Started examining his bruises." Blaise looked at the direction the bathroom was and there was a silence only punctuated by the running water.
"He'll be OK. He's got you." She said quietly.
Blaise looked over at her. "And you."
-
-
"This is the spot." She said and parked the car in a small gravel lot. She recognized Jacob's car and her heart began to beat faster. "I'll…I'll see you in a few."
Before she got out she smiled at the sour faced Draco and frowning Blaise as they both looked at Jacob, leaning on his car and began to mutter rude things about him.
"Hey Hermione." He said, smiling warily at her and stepping forward.
"Jacob." She beamed and the sight of him drove all her worries about the message away. "How have you been?"
"Fine." He looked at her, eyes scanning her face. Apparently, he didn't see what he thought he would. "You?"
"I missed you." She came right up to him and he grinned at her, seeming momentarily appeased.
"Me, too." He reached out and tilted her chin upwards, slowing drawing his face down to hers and kissing her on the mouth.
She blinked at him, unsure of what exactly she was to do. Her lips were tingling and her stomach was flip flopping pleasantly. He drew back after a moment and smiled tentatively at her. Her first kiss…Not quite like she'd imagined it, but it was sweet and Jacob's lips were warm and he cared about her. She hadn't been expecting fireworks, or anything.
"So…about the message…"
"Yeah. Its fine." Her mouth betrayed her. "It doesn't matter."
"It doesn't? You're not angry?" He asked, the surprised look sliding back on. She felt a raindrop on her skin and wrinkled her nose in distaste.
"No, I'm not. But listen, Jacob…I haven't much time. We really have to get going. I thought we'd have more time, but…" She didn't much like the idea of saying goodbye again, but she would see him soon. Only a few days. "I'm really sorry you had to drive all the way out here."
"It was on the way." He said and shrugged, eyes still on her face. It was those eyes that prevented her from wondering what that sentence meant.
"Hm."
"So long do you have?"
She looked at the ground guiltily, "As short a reunion as we can manage."
"Oh." There was something indescribable in his tone and she wasn't sure how to feel about that. "So you should go now…?"
"Probably." She looked up into his eyes, melting a bit. "I…I'll see you soon?"
He nodded slowly. "Yeah, hopefully. I'll…I'll miss you, Hermione."
She really loved the way he said her name. It was soft and flowing, but still sort of caring in a low way. The kind of tone you could use for one word but described your feelings for someone.
"Bye, then." She said, smiling up at him half-heartedly. It seemed such a waste to have stopped to exchange a few words and then go. But it was raining lightly now and she didn't want to get too wet.
"Goodbye." He said, watching her intently. She smiled again and once she'd turned away it turned into a frown. She climbed into the back and sat down.
"That was fast." Draco commented and she shrugged. "And the kiss looked rather dull."
"It was nice." She said impatiently and leaned forward to see Jacob, who had his cell phone out. Her phone rang. If this is him I will scream.
"Hermione?" Andrea's voice said loudly as soon as she answered it. "I'm so sorry! Oh my god I told him to tell me as soon as you'd talked and I-"
"Andrea, what are you talking about?"
"Jacob." She wailed, "And the university!"
It occurred to her that she'd temporarily forgotten that he'd said he had to do something. "What about it?"
There was a long silence. "He told me that he left you a message."
"Andrea, he'd left me about fifty messages!" Hermione exclaimed and eyed the two makes watching her. "I deleted them all!"
"Oh. Oh God I didn't expect this." Andrea said, sounding close to tears. "Oh God I'm sorry Hermione, but Jacob's gone!"
"What do you mean?" She asked carefully as Blaise started up their car. She could hear rain drops falling loudly on their car and he turned on the windshield wipers.
"The university called a few days ago and said they need Jacob back. They have this business person that wants to talk to him about an opportunity."
"Oh." She said, a nervous feeling settling in her stomach. She knew the answer to her next question, but she had to ask. "When is he coming back?"
Draco's head snapped around to looked at her.
"Hermione…he's not coming back." Andrea said softly, "the business thing will take the rest of the summer, and then he's back at school."
"Oh." She repeated, feeling dumb and stupid. A flush crept into her cheeks and her eyes prickled. "Okay."
"He told me you didn't seem upset, but I just thought, well that's Hermione! You don't like to lose control very obviously I just…I'm sorry."
"Its fine." She said in a high voice. "Look," it came out raspy and she cleared her throat. "Look, I have to go. Bye."
As Blaise pulled out of the drive she turned around on her knees to look out the back of the car, suddenly desperate to see Jacob's face again. The window was blurred with rain and showed very little, but a second after the wiper swept across she thought she could make out a lone figure getting into a car, and they whipped around the corner.
-
-
That night she offered to drive. The males took her up on it and so at 12:05 the next day she drove down silent streets in the dark. It was really the only way to have quiet time to think. She also thought better in the night. At the moment, she was feeling so stupid and ashamed she had tears pricking her eyes and a flush on her cheeks.
Jacob was gone. He was a university student and a muggle, involving herself with him had been a stupid idea, because they only had until the end of the summer and then they had to go back to school. Not to mention the fact that they were on a wizarding television show and had to do random challenges. It would never have worked.
And yet she still felt this deep ache in her chest when she thought about him. Everything about him really had been ideal. He'd been nice, and caring, and sweet, and intelligent and…
Don't be an idiot, Hermione. She shook her head, deciding to get lots of sleep the next day. Why else would she feel the urge to cry? Certainly not because she wasn't going to see Jacob in awhile. Certainly not because he'd been her first kiss and it had been such a disappointment. Certainly not because she'd really liked him, enough to cry over this. Keep it together. She ordered and pulled into a coffee shop.
After checking on Draco and Blaise, she climbed out and hurried inside. Somehow, it still managed to be extremely cold outside. She did like the cold. She liked when you pulled your sweater closer around your body, and when the tip of your nose felt slightly cold.
The door tinkled when she stepped inside and she smiled at the person behind the counter. "Hi. Can I have one large hot chocolate?"
"Sure." The man said tiredly and walked over to a machine on the left and picked up a cup. She looked around the shop and movement caught her eye. Draco's head was peering through the front of the car, raking a hand through his hair. "Whipped cream?"
"Yes, please." She said, turning back. "Sorry, but could I get a second?"
"Sure." He said and she smiled in thanks.
He put them on the counter. "Is that everything?"
"Erm…could I also have two cinnamon buns?"
"Sure thing." He put them into a bag. "Would you like them heated up?"
"No thanks." She said and he placed them on the counter. "That's it."
She paid quickly and juggled everything back to the car. Draco opened the door for her. "Thanks. Here."
He accepted it readily and sniffed it experimentally as she got in and put the key back in the ignition. She drove out of the lot and back onto the road. "Do you have a sleeping disorder?"
"Dunno. Could be you. Your brain is sending off weird transmittance." He said, pulling back the tab on his cup. "Ew. What's wrong with this?"
"Its whipped cream, Malfoy." She said, smiling slightly. "Just drink it."
"If I die…" He trailed off and brought it to his lips.
"You really tried to make that sound ominous, but it was really obvious you couldn't think of anything smart to say." She said and he laughed. The noise was nice, and she marveled at its unfamiliarity. She'd been in a car with him for almost two weeks and had never made him truly laugh. How strange. If she'd ever imagined how he laughed, it would probably be a bit more girly and high pitched. Instead, it was lower and had a deep roughness to it, but it was still smooth.
She was intrigued by how hard it was to describe. Maybe I should try and get him to laugh more often. Just to hear it and find the words, of course.
"I don't understand you." Draco said thoughtfully, holding his drink close to his lips and watching the steam rise in a steady trail. It was stated as one would absentmindedly comment on how they'd slept, or the condition of some carefree aspect in their life.
"Do you even want to understand me?" She said back calmly, though her heart was speeding up quite rapidly.
"I'm not sure." He continued in the same airy tone, not looking at her. "Yes."
"What is it you want to know?" She asked, not as horribly adverse to the idea of letting Draco get to know her better as she might have been a few weeks ago.
"I don't know. Do you think I would know you better if you told me about your life, or the little things in your life that make you you?" He wondered and she felt impressed. That he could realize the difference was interesting.
Harry and Ron weren't stupid. Neither was Ginny. She didn't know anyone who was truly stupid, or dumb. But none of them would think about something like that enough to realize the difference between what Draco had said. None of them were very interested in the sorts of things she was. They didn't understand the contentment of spending an afternoon in the library, just reading, studying or doing your work at your own pace.
"I'm not sure. We could just have a normal conversation, like normal people." She said, a smile stretching her lips.
"I don't think you're very normal, Granger."
She glanced at him. "Is that an insult?"
He didn't reply and she looked at him again. He was watching her solemnly. "Erm…Well, I suppose you're abnormal, too."
"Do you always try to make things you don't understand into jokes so you don't have to wonder if there was a deep meaning to them?" He asked and she sucked in a breath, giving him a startled look.
"Not always. Usually only when its you, because you never make sense." She said irritably. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't try to use your stupid 'powers of psychology' on me. I don't need you to read how I respond to people."
He was silent for a moment. "Sorry."
The tone of which he said it made her laugh. It was sulky, reminding her of a child who had their dessert taken. "I didn't realize you had so much fun doing it."
"You're an interesting person." He said, looking at her. She looked back and their eyes caught. The road was deserted and quite straight, so there really wasn't much need to keep her eyes constantly on the road. Had the moon not been shining through the window and casting planes and shadows on his face, she would have sworn he had sucked it through his eyes into his corneas.
For one breathless moment they stared at each other and she couldn't breath. The air around them sparkled with dust that was illuminated by the pale light shining through the window and the only thing punctuating the silence was the radio playing softly. "Stop and stare…I think I'm moving but I go no where…I think I'm moving but I go no where…"
Simultaneously they jerked their heads away and she took a deep breath, calming her heart as it beat frantically in her chest. How strange. My emotions are so out of sorts from Jacob I can hardly think straight. Just fantastic. She thought dryly.
"I like this song." Draco commented offhandedly, eyes flicking back and forth between the floor and him.
"Me too."
She turned down another drive and pulled a cinnamon bun from the bag and took a bite. It was already cold from being in the car, and the stickiness got on her fingers. She held the bag out for Draco and he took it out, ripped off a piece and ate it.
"No death threats?" She asked lightly. She felt slightly frightened to look at him and find him watching her but at the same time desperately wanted him to.
"I figure your taste in foods isn't lacking all that much." He replied. "S'good."
She nodded, looking at him from the corner of her eye. He was yawning and she yawned afterwards, which unfortunately let him know she'd been watching.
"I am so fucking tired." Draco sighed and rested his head back on the seat. "Night Granger."
"Good night, Malfoy." She said, smothering a giggle. When his breathing was even and his mouth fell open slightly she took the hot drink from his hand and placed it in a cup holder, leaving his food in his hand.
Unsurprisingly, it was not Jacob who occupied her thoughts for the remainder of the early morning.
"Stop and stare… I think I'm moving but I go no where…Yeah I know that everyone gets scared…I'm becoming what I can't be…Oooh do you see what I see…?"
-
-
Draco took over for her at 10:00 and she slept from that time to about 1:00 in the afternoon. When she awoke, it was to Draco avoiding her eyes, Blaise cackling evilly and her phone ringing. Blearily she grabbed her bag and scrabbled through all her stuff in there until her hand closed around the shiny, compact surface of her phone.
"Hello?" She asked, not bothering to check who was calling. Her throat felt scratchy and her eyes were hot. Sleeping in a car was not the best way to go.
"Hermione? Its…Its Jacob."
"Who?" She asked strangely as her brain worked to function.
There was a silence on the other end of the line. "You don't have to be like that."
Her mind comprehended who she was speaking to and anger, hurt and humiliation bubbled to the surface. "Jacob, you woke me up."
"Oh." He said, guilty.
"Yes. I'm not being catty, but please. You have made it very clear where your priorities lie, Jacob." She said, looking down at her nails to avoid the two males now looking at her.
"Hermione-"
"Let me finish." She continued, letting her eyes slide to the window. "I obviously didn't expect you to pick me over your education, that would be ridiculous. I am angry, but I have a right to be so don't try to change my mind. Did you know there was a slight possibility that they might offer you this?"
"…There was only a small, small chance. I never thought I'd really get it."
"You shouldn't have pursued a relationship with me. If you knew there was a chance, chances are it would happen for you. You're good at what you do. If the roles had been reversed, and I did get involved with you, I would have laid everything out over the table." She heaved a sigh, massaging her temples in hopes that they might be attached to her tear ducts and stop possible flow. "But that's past. I'd just like to make it clear that I'd rather not talk to you anymore."
"You can't be serious! This move could make my career-"
"That's all nice and fine!" She snapped, losing her temper. "But I don't want to talk to you, alright Jacob? We would only have had some stupid summer fling, and I'm not interested anymore! So go back to your life, I've certainly already gone back to mine, and have a good one. I might see you again sometime."
"Okay…See you, Hermione."
"Maybe." She said tersely and sighed, because while it would be satisfying to just hang up on him and stay annoyed, she would regret ending it that was later. "Goodbye, Jacob."
She hung up and tossed the phone carelessly into her bag.
"I never liked him." Blaise said, glaring down at her bag, as thought his dislike could somehow reach Jacob by doing this. "He always seemed like such an arse. Stupid moron. So not good enough for you."
"And his head was enormously large." Draco added, "Probably because of all the deluded fluff in there."
It reminded her so much of Harry and Ron, or the protective older brothers she'd never had, or just made her laugh, whichever the reason she burst into hysterical half-laughter half-crying.
"Oh fuck." Blaise said, looking alarmed. "Way to go, Draco!"
She clapped a hand over her mouth and shut her eyes tightly, quickly wiping away her tears. The lack of oxygen quickly overcame her hysterics and she removed the hand, breathing deeply. "Thanks, you two."
"Er…no problem!" Blaise said, grinning widely and shooting Draco a looking in his eyes which clearly said I-don't-know-what-we-did-but-lets-never-do-it-again.
"I'm sorry. It's just…well…yeah. He knew he might get offered this business thing, but he still decided to go out with me and didn't tell me!" She frowned and leaned back against the seat.
"Stupid ponce."
"Well, if I really fancied someone and I knew we might not have much time I would still pursue them. I think that feelings of that sort make people get desperate." Draco stated, "As long as they knew what they were getting into."
"I don't think anyone who dates you will ever truly know what they're getting into." She said, chuckling dryly.
"Maybe." He shrugged and a subdued silence followed. Hermione took to staring at the floor and mulling silently over Jacob. Telling him not to talk to her was for the best. She could get over her feelings for him and move on from their week long relationship.
In fact, as unfortunate as it was to realize something like this, she didn't think many of her feelings had been a result of actually fancying him at that time. He'd been her first crush, so she'd thought herself in love with him at the time, and no doubt the strong feeling of loss was an attribute of that realization. I've referred to the 'relationship' we had as ideal. Ideal? I don't think you're supposed to think of your boyfriend as ideal.
Or it could be that I'm just not a good girlfriend. I don't know how to kiss, I have no experience whatsoever, I don't know how to act around him, I-I…This is so immature. Why should I dwell on these things? It's done, over. No need to think of it now.
Quite randomly Blaise cheered. She and Draco both jumped, but Blaise was oblivious to anything but his excitement. "Haha! Hermione, listen!"
She listened to the opening, strong beat of I Kissed a Girl. '"This was never the way I planned. Not, my intention."' She looked at Blaise in amusement, who was lip syncing to the words. '"I got so brave, drink in hand. Lost my discretion."'
He leaned towards her, holding his fist up to his mouth. For one wild moment she imagined he was getting into the stance Sensei Joe had shown them, but then he started singing. "Its not what, I'm used to. Just, wanna try you on."
He held his hand towards her lips. She knew exactly what he wanted and, through a smile, gave it to him. "I'm curi-ous for you."
He whipped it back to himself in a flash. "Caught, my attention! I kissed a girl and I liked it. The taste of her cherry chapstick."
She couldn't refrain anymore. It must have been her strange mood, after the Jacob confusion, and Draco the previous night, and now Blaise was singing in an obvious attempt to cheer her up and the beat from the song was so infectious. "I kissed a girl, just to try i-iit. I hope by boyfriend don't mind it."
"It felt so wrong." Blaise sang, to her amusement. Nevertheless, she leaned forward, resting a hand on Draco's seat to get the next line. "It felt so right."
"Don't mean I'm in love tonight." The dark male twisted in the seat so his neck was arched backwards for the next few sentences while she picked up a hairbrush from the ground. She wasn't sure whose it was, but there was no hair in it so it would work.
"No I don't even know you're name." Hermione got onto her knees and then stretched her legs upward, much like the position they'd been in when Sensei Joe had made them do the partner fall exercise. "It, doesn't matter."
"You're my experimental game, just, human nature." He flicked his hair from his face and licked his lips slowly, somehow still managing to sing the lines.
"It's not what," her competitive nature took over. Of course they weren't really winning anything, but she couldn't help it. "Good girls do," she ran a hand through her hair on the right side of her head, letting her head fall back and using her makeshift microphone tilted and moving lightly to the beat. "Not, how they should behave."
"My head gets, so confused." Blaise caught her eye and smirked, nodding.
"Hard to, obeeey." They both launched themselves forward – though not violently – and used Hermione's hairbrush a shared microphone, singing into it.
"I kissed a girl, and I liked i-iit. The taste of her cherry chapsitck." His hand overlapped hers on the microphone and, had she not been so focused on not laughing, she might have noticed Draco realize the same thing and frown. "I kissed a girl just to try i-it. I hope my boyfriend don't mind it."
"It felt so wrong."
"It felt so right." She answered and moved to the backseat again.
"Don't mean I'm in love tonight. I kissed a girl, and I liked i-it. I liked it." Blaise nodded in her direction again and she couldn't help but grin back in the time there was between the ending of the chorus and the beginning of the interlude.
"Us girls we are so magical. Soft skin, red lips, so kissable." She touched her collarbone, her lips and then blew a kiss. "Hard to resist so touchable." Draco's eyes nearly popped out of his head when she ran both hands down her sides. "Too good to, deny it. Ain't no big deal it's innoce-ent." She caught Draco watching her in the mirror and winked.
They launched into the chorus together, separating once again at the 'it felt so wrong' part. "I kissed a girl, and I liked it." Hermione finished and sat back against the seat, beaming. That was so much fun!
"Nice one." Blaise leaned back and dragged her into a hug, which shocked her for a second and then she smiled. "We should totally do a duet."
She laughed, "Thanks."
She sat back against the seat, pulling a copy of 'Pride and Prejudice' from her bag, settling back to read. At the front, Draco watched her, biting his lip slightly. Then he glared at the radio, wishing, for some reason that it was on repeat.
Blaise watched sneakily, smirking.
-
-
It was only half and hour later that they got the phone call. She answered hers, putting it on speakerphone. Somehow, she knew what would happen.
"Hello, Bloody Fuckers." James said happily. "We have a new challenge for you! Meet us at 12 Dunlop street. See you soon!"
Blaise hurriedly punched the co-ordinates into the GPS and in about fifteen minutes they'd arrived. Unfortunately, it would seem that the other groups' route differed too greatly from their own, and they only got one half of Shame. Technically, there should be an's' on Shame. Hermione thought as they faced James. But Shames sounds strange.
They were in what could only be a dance studio. The floors were wooden and glossy, the walls were covered in mirrors and there was a bar around three quarters of it. There was also a chair, a pole, a stool, a velvety chair with armrests and a table.
"Hello!" He said brightly, looking a bit harassed. "This is Marsha Banks," he pointed out a woman talking to another woman in the corner. She looked up at him when he spoke her name. She had severe black eyebrows and dark hair and was wearing a tight t-shirt vest ensemble with what looked like 50cotton 50spandex Capri pants. "And the other woman is Jacquelyn Vashen."
"Hello." She said pleasantly. Her hair was honey blond and up in a ponytail. She had one a pink t-shirt and grey sweatpants.
"Now, you may or may not be pleased to know that this challenge was inspired by Hermione and Blaise." He smiled, "so it's a singing challenge! Tomorrow evening you will be performing on a specially constructed stage in front of a specially chosen crowd!"
Despite part of her knowing, this part hadn't actively made it known. So she still felt waves of dread, nervousness, anticipation and determination wash over her.
"Marsha will be your choreographer, and Jacquelyn will be your singing coach. We will give you a choice of three songs to sing, and you must choose one. You also have to do a performance as a group, but you'll only practice the routine together tomorrow in the rehearsal. Make sure you know it. You each get two hours with Marsha and two hours with Jacquelyn, one for your song and the other song. The other two will be waiting through this door," he gestured at the studio. "You can stay in here until Hermione starts her routine. We're going to keep your routines a secret, so please refrain from trying to tell the Wizarding World about it. Now, Hermione?"
She stepped forward and he handed her a folder. "You get to start with Jacquelyn, first. Now, Marsha has decided that unless you know your song inside and out, she will not teach you the routine." Ah. So that's why he looks so annoyed. "So make yourselves comfortable. You'll be here for eight hours."
Great. So we'll be here until at least 10:00. She looked back at Draco and Blaise, both of whom and thrown themselves onto couches that seemed to be designed for parents to watch their children.
"See you, Granger." Draco said, laid out with disheveled grace, one leg hanging off the side and the other bent at the knee on the couch.
"See you." She said, and Jacquelyn smiled.
"Hermione, is it?"
"Yes."
"Excellent." She led her through a door in the back corner and into a small room with a black, grand piano in it. "So, your song choices are just inside there. Do you play any instruments?"
"No," she replied and opened the folder, pulling out three sheets of music. Bleeding Love by Leona Lewis, Dancing Queen by Abba and I Kissed a Girl by Katy Perry.
She held up the file, smiling. "I'll do this one, if it's OK?"
"Sure thing. I've never heard it." Jacquelyn smiled and took the music, eyes skimming its contents. "Oh, it sounds nice, though. I like it. Its got a strong beat, yeah?"
She nodded. One of the reasons she'd given up on piano(before Hogwarts) was that her teacher always looked at the music and could hear it in his head, making him look superior and her look stupid when she struggled over the notes. Plus, she found that playing it wasn't as nice as listening.
"OK, so…I don't think this will convert very well to piano." She sat down on the bench and quickly played the song at a too fast tempo, but still perfectly. "Hm…Sounds a bit weird. I also don't think a drum kit would work very well…Do you think you can try it with piano? I wish we had a live band but there's not room…"
"Sure," she said easily. She didn't want to inconvenience the woman any more than necessary.
"M'kay. So we'll run it through once and I'll make notes on certain parts. Just sing it as you would if you were, say, listening to it on the radio. And come stand over here so you can read the music."
"OK." She said, nodding slightly and moving as directed.
"Good." Her fingers began to glide across the keys. It did sound very, very strange, but there wasn't much time to dwell on it and she launched into her best variation of the song. The results were very surprising; hearing yourself sing accompanied is quite flattering. It adds richness to your voice.
"Good." Jacquelyn was nodding and looking at Hermione even before the end of the run through. "OK, so we're going to work on your breathing first, because it is so important to use the diaphragm. You can't take deep, gasping breathes at different intervals when your lack of oxygen has already altered your tone quality."
Hermione's brain immediately shifted into the avid sponge-like way it was while she was in class and she began to work. Singing was harder than she'd expected…
-
-
"Thanks very much." Hermione said, holding out her hand to shake Jacquelyn's an hour later. "This has really helped me a lot."
"Oh, don't be silly." The woman dragged her into a hug. "Remember to breathe! Breathing is the most important thing! Practice those warm-ups. We didn't have enough time to really do a good one, I just had you run through the song as it."
"Thanks again." The brunette said sincerely. Her throat felt a bit hoarse, Jacquelyn certainly had not been easy on her but it would help her so much to be prepared for the next day. It was more than a little nerve racking to think of all those people, watching her sing and attempt the choreographer Marsha would teach her…
"Sure. Send in Blaise, please?"
With one last smile she exited the room, folder in hand. Her chances of performing Leona Lewis were so out there, and Abba was classic; she would ruin them. Katy Perry, at least, gave her a moderate chance. "Blaise?"
Blaise looked up from his perch and yawned, stretching his limbs. "I'm tired."
She shrugged and jumped as someone snapped her name. "Yes?" She whirled around.
"No time for chatter." Marsha said impatiently, tapping her foot. "I have waited long enough! What song?"
"Er, I Kissed a Girl by Kat-"
"Good. Now, come here. We must start right now." With a forcefulness that reminded her of Joe she was dragged over to the velvety chair. "You will start like this!"
Marsha sat in the chair, swung her legs over one armrest, let one hand call over the back of it and the other went onto its elbow, propped on the other armrest. A few seconds after Hermione was able to take in this scene, the woman was up and off the chair. "Now, go sit."
There were some people you just don't question. Professor McGonagall was one of those people – Hermione respected authority, but if there had been a solid reason, she could question almost all of them – and so, as she could easily see, was Marsha. So she hurried onto the chair, trying not to look at Draco as he watched her from his own chair.
"No! Back straight! Don't slouch, are you stupid? Straighten it, now!"
She bit her tongue and did as was told.
-
-
Because Shame had given them permission to 'use magic in the form of a silencing charm, so you can practice singing without killing anyone,' she spent most of the night in the comfort – and also annoying – bubble of silence or singing. Most of the time, they would all practice at once, so she supposed she should be grateful, but it irritated her to know that the next day she would have to perform to the best of her ability. The questionable part about that was the 'best of her ability' part. She could carry a tune, yes, but her voice in itself wasn't spectacular, so most of her hope was lying in how good her performance was. And it involved dancing and looking confident, also not her strong point.
Shaking her head, she tried to focus on getting the notes right and doing the limited movement she could – the Confession Box had enough room for her to stand up, so if she took very, very small steps in the place of large ones and under accentuated all movements, she could practice successfully. One breakdown had been embarrassing enough, despite the fact that only Marsha had been there, and she hadn't seemed too annoyed by it.
If only she knew what the next few days would bring.
Author's Note: I was originally going to go straight through the performances, but it would have made it too long. Much much too long. Plus, tomorrow (1st) I start school and I wanted to have this finished by the time I start grade ten! I don't have to go until halfway through the day, though, because our school was hit by lightning so the air conditioners went bust, and then the people who came to fix it prevented the teachers from getting inside in time, so they need a few hours tomorrow to prepare themselves. XD.
I have a poll up for this story, in case no one knows. I can't remember if I've mentioned it already.
IMPORTANT: OK, so I think it is fairly safe to assume most people regard this story as at least somewhat humorous and not too serious with the whole Voldemort situation. Which brings a problem into the factor. I've already had Voldemort and the Horcruxes mentioned in prior chapters, so I'm wondering…
Would anyone be bothered if I took out those mentions and replace them with hints that Voldemort is keeping a low profile, possibly in hopes of developing a plan?
Cliché? Yes. But there just isn't a way to incorporate him in this story, and it wouldn't make much sense with the tone I've set. I wouldn't say this story is just happy go lucky humor with no real depth, or at least I hope not, but when I added those few sentences, way back, I didn't think about it. (Mostly because I don't think I've ever written anything funny in my life.) I have no problems taking him out and had no plans even involving him, there just had to be the lunatic idea of putting them in a house right near Voldemort's fathers' town, and the fact that he is still out there, just not in full I-shall-hijack-the-show-and-murder-everyone-on-it-who's-laughing-now-,-moron! way. Please be honest. If you think removing him is a cheapskate, easy way because I'm too stupid to figure something out, I really do want to know!
Because it would be inconvenient for those of you who would actually want to listen to the songs they sing while you read their performance to try and download them while you're reading the chapter, I've decided to list them here, in playlist form. As in, this is the order of the songs. Hm…See if you can guess who sings what?
It's My Life – Bon Jovie
Pocket Full of Sunshine – Natasha Bedingfield
Light Up the Sky – Yellowcard
I Kissed a Girl – Katy Perry
Vindicated – Dashboard Confessionals
Gay Bar – Electric Six
Sexy Back – Justin Timberlake
Stop and Stare – One Republic
We Might As Well Be Strangers – Keane
Review review review!