Author's Note: There is a lot going on in this I'm not going to lie and it's late so I'm just going to skip straight to all the bits that are in this thing. Chocolate Frog Card Challenge, Hogwarts Assignments, Hogwarts Writing Club, School of Prompts and Christmas Challenge.

Card: (Bronze) Tilly Toke - write about someone committing a selfless act to protect someone else

Assignment: DADA - Write about someone casting off the imperious curse

Prompt: Eminent

Song: Nickleback - She Keeps Me Up

Prompts: Poinsettia/Gingerbread House

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise

Sweet

Draco tried to convince himself that he didn't do it for any sort of important reason. That he jumped in front of that curse out of some sort of pride. Some sort of need to prove to everyone that he was the best. But inside his traitorous heart, he knew the truth. The truth that he jumped in front of the imperious curse because he couldn't bear watching her get tortured. Hearing her struggle and scream against the compelling spell. Watching the heartbreak in her eyes as she succumbed to it.

As the sweet feeling washed over him, urging him to forget his every problem, every worry, every heartache. Everything melted into his peripheral and a feeling of contentment filled him.

Everything, that is, except her. Hermione.

He was vaguely aware of his professor, if such a cruel man could be given such an important title, ordering him about but his voice was small and unimportant in the face of such grace and beauty. Hermione Granger, the know it all mudblood witch who had stolen his attention and his heart.

He ignored everyone and everything else and focused solely and completely on Hermione.

He looked at her hair, wild and untameable just like her spirit. She might be a quiet person, studious to a fault, but she was one of Gryffindors most eminent members and that lioness prowled freely inside her. Draco knew that more than anything after his close encounter with her in their third year. He didn't know what she washed it with but it was always sweet smelling.

He loved her passion, for books, for life but especially for Christmas. He had noticed the way she always lit up around the Christmas season. Dancing and twirling in the snow when she thought no one was looking. Picking and collecting the Poinsettia flowers that sprouted around the castle and once he even caught her down in the kitchens surrounded by house elves constructing the largest gingerbread house he had ever seen.

She always looked so happy at Christmas time.

Draco watched, as if almost in slow motion, as Hermione turned to look at him. Every eye in the room was on him, but when he had pushed her out of the way and taken the hit himself she had had her back turned. But now she looked at him, she looked into his soul.

Draco knew that she understood, they were both lonely, misunderstood creatures. That gave them a bond that went deeper than mere words. In that moment she became the brightest thing in his universe.

Their eyes met and for the first time since they had met that first day Draco saw something other than hatred in those chocolatey depths. He saw pity and gratefulness, she was thankful that he had saved her.

"Jump!"

Draco heard the voice of his professor, the one who had cast the imperious charm at Hermione. He was vaguely aware that he was supposed to obey that command but he was too taken by the beautiful light that Hermione had become.

A wave of sickness washed over him as his heart and body ignored the command that his head was trying desperately to carry out. It was like he was trying to turn himself inside out but he couldn't do anything but stare at her.

He noticed that the longer he ignored the command, the weaker the commanding voice became but the more painful the agony. But it was worth it. Every second more that he stared into Hermione's eyes her smile grew.

It started out small, obviously shocked that he was doing so well in resisting the urges of the imperious curse but no sweet whisperings of forbidden spells could ever enchant him more. Her smile continued to grow in beauty and in light but also the expression in her eyes changed from pity to pride.

Hermione knew what was in his heart. She could see that he wasn't just a scheming snake. He was brave and he was kind and this was just the first of many ways that he was going to show her just how much he loved and adored her.

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Much Love, MaryandMerlin x