Chapter 20: Light
Draco entered the stadium followed by his teammates. As Captain of their team he had already briefed them on their surprise Gryffindor guest so there would be no sudden exclamations of having spies in the midst. They all took Quidditch seriously and would have been enraged to find a Gryffindor in the stands watching their practices.
His team had raised a few eyebrows and exchanged looks, but they had all heard the rumours circulating their Captain. They had also heard how Hermione Granger, Gryffindor extraordinaire, had saved Draco Malfoy from severe injuries and turned her own best friend blue because he had endangered said Slytherin. This turn of events had been harrowing considering who the events were concerning.
They may have still protested having the best friend of Harry Potter sitting in their practices if they weren't aware of how diligently Hermione Granger followed Headmistress McGonagall's orders.
As they walked out of the locker rooms, Draco's eyes immediately looked for the familiar bushy hair. A smirk tugged his lips as he spotted her sitting loyally in the Gryffindor stands. Her eyes were on him as he kicked off into the air.
Her heightened senses suddenly sharpened on him and everything else seemed to blur in the background. She bit her lip as her eyes roamed his form. His Seeker uniform stretched snugly across his chest and his hair flew lightly in the wind. His grey eyes were sharp and focused as he yelled orders to his team. Her eyes took in the sparkling beads of perspiration on his forehead. She could feel the adrenaline pumping through his veins making his heart beat faster. She could feel an onslaught of emotions: peace, excitement, nervousness, happiness, anger, passion.
She had never felt so alive.
Her eyes never left Draco as he flew and was astonished to find how quickly practise was over. She blinked in surprise as she found herself watching the team head towards the locker team who looking tired, but happy. She got up and hurried downstairs, waiting for the blond.
Throughout practise Draco had felt Hermione's gaze on him. The rapt attention to him had made him feel very conscious of himself. He had tried very hard to focus on the practise, but somewhere his mind had been very aware of the brown eyes trained on him.
He led his team out of the locker rooms rolling his eyes at the loud arguments surrounding him. As they walked out he noticed Hermione standing near the entrance. She looked at him nervously as he was surrounded by Slytherins, biting her bottom lip. He really wished she stopped doing that.
Hermione wished she had just left when she looked at the group of Slytherins walking towards her. But somehow she just couldn't will herself to walk away from one of them in particular. And it sure wasn't the one bounding towards her smiling brightly.
Draco watched in dismay as Blaise practically skipped towards Hermione. His lip curled back even more when Blaise began chatting cheerfully with her as if they were old pals.
"Hey Hermione," Blaise spoke to her cheerfully, "Do you think I flew well today?"
"Y-Yes you were great!" She replied faking enthusiasm. Honestly, she hadn't even noticed him on the field. Draco walked up to them. His team followed slowly, wanting to see the exchange.
Blaise's eyes twinkled, "Did you see when I hit that Bludger right at Vaisey?"
The team exchanged looks at the question and Draco's eyebrows knitted together.
"Uh yes Zab- Blaise you were good!" Hermione answered quickly her eyes shifting to Draco's face.
Blaise smirked and leaned in towards Hermione. She blinked at the sudden invasion of her personal space, as Blaise moved his face inches away from her.
"Hermione, I play Keeper, not Beater. Do try paying attention to people other than Draco, hmm?" Blaise spoke quietly, teasing. Draco flinched at Blaise's frank comment.
Hermione's cheeks turned a furious shade of red, but she looked back at Blaise determinedly saying, "I just wasn't paying attention because I really don't like Quidditch."
"Whatever helps you sleep at night, sweetheart." Blaise spoke unabashedly, bouncing away. "Come on team let's go get some dinner!" Then he added as an afterthought, "Draco, do be a gentleman and wait for Hermione to tie her shoelaces. Don't let her come alone!"
With that he ushered the rest of the team along with him, leaving a flustered Hermione and irritated Draco behind.
There was sudden silence as the team left. Hermione bent down and did her shoelace as Draco stood, tapping his foot impatiently. She stood up and tightened her scarf, "Let's go?" She spoke softly.
Draco turned to look at her uncertain face. Her cheeks were still flushed pink, her hair still loose and her eyes innocent. His irritation at Blaise seemed to melt away, but his confusion just increased. He didn't know why her presence was always so strong.
Even before the battle she had always stood out, glaringly obvious with that brown mane of hers. Her feisty attitude and wit had called for his attention, as well as the off-limits aura around her. And now, she stood more present then ever drawing his attention with her warmth.
"What is it?" Hermione spoke quietly. Draco blinked before realising he had been staring at her.
He turned and began walking, speaking roughly "Come on!"
Hermione hurried after him. They both walked in silence towards the castle, each in their own thoughts. The silence comforted them both as the thoughts in their minds were loud enough. They walked slowly, in no hurry.
The sky had darkened considerably, the sky starting to show off the twinkle of stars. Birds had finished chirping and now lay resting comfortably in their nests. With only a barely there crescent of a moon, it was quite dark now.
"Lumos." Hermione whispered softly. Her wand lit up so they could see the path better.
"Granger?" Draco suddenly spoke looking at her wand, a sudden thought occurring to him.
"Yes?" She answered looking at him as they continued to walk.
"I once heard that all the Order members learned to cast Patronuses. Is that true?" He asked curiously.
She nodded, "Yes, they were very good for communication and really helped with all the Dementors which had started to crop up."
"So..." Draco started hesitating slightly, "You can do it right?"
"Yes I can. Why?" She answered softly. They were almost to the castle by this time.
"Can... Can you show me your Patronus?" He spoke. He had always wanted to see a Patronus. It was very advanced magic and rare for a wizard to know. It had surprised him when he had found out that the Order of Phoenix all knew how to cast a Patronus, even Ron bloody Weasley.
"Well sometimes it's hard to do. I am not as good as Harry at this particular spell." It pained her to say, "But I can try if you want."
He was debating whether to say no so as to not sound so eager, when Hermione whispered, "Nox." They were suddenly surrounded by darkness, the only rather dim light coming from the castle. Draco could barely make out Hermione's face when she spoke, "Expecto Patronum!"
A powerful Patronus burst from the tip of her wand, shinning brighter than any Patronus she had ever cast! The otter swam happily circling the pair, radiating warmth and light.
Draco had never felt such happiness and warmth as he did while watching the otter float around them, leaving wisps of light behind it. His gaze turned to Hermione who was watching the Patronus with child like delight.
It wasn't the otter that was making him feel warm, he realized, it was her.
She didn't know how she had cast a Patronus so powerful, but it shone brighter than ever. A huge smile adorned her face as she watched the otter with glee. That's when her gaze turned to Draco who was looking back at her.
It was because of him, she realized, that her Patronus was so powerful.
They stood quietly, as the otter swirled around them, gazing at each other. The light danced in his grey eyes as the wind made his hair sway softly. Her eyes were warm and bright as the cold air pinched her cheeks pink.
They stood until the Patronus dimmed away, until it was merely a wisp.
And then when it was truly dark with just the stars' and the castle's light, they both leaned in.
A/N: I hope you guys like the chapter. I wrote this in the middle of the night and it is now 4 in the morning. I really physically can't write another word and I have to be up in a few hours to attend 7 hours of university tomorrow.
Ciao for now, Alex.