Okay guys...I was gonna wait another two days, put this out on St. Patrick's Day. I'm Irish, and I love that day, but I just couldn't wait.
Lá Fhéile Pádraig Sona Daoibh!!!
Anyways, it's tradition amongst my friends to give a gift to one another on this day. So, since you guys have shared alot with me, i consider you friends, and therefore I shall give you the next chapter of a story. Who knows, maybe you'll even get another chapter of Surrender too. lol
For now I want to say two things...
Sláinte is táinte!
and
read on!!!
Disclaimer: Éirinn go brách!!! Other than that nope I don't own Harry Potter.
Captivating
The shrill sound of Draco's alarm clock was what initially woke him from his sleep. Reaching a hand out from beneath the warm covers he shut it off, groaning. His feet still hurt a bit from the dancing but overall he felt fine. He was disgruntled only at the fact that he was forced to get up at such a heinous time. But throwing the covers off of him, he struggled from the comfortable confines of his bed, and shuffled across the room to the bathroom.
Knocking on the door he noted no reply and opened the door. The room was empty and for that he thanked Merlin. The last thing he wanted to face that morning was Granger. He'd had enough of her the night before, what with their staring contests and all the hands on activity. He preferred to know that he was the only member of that dorm that was awake for the moment.
He used the bathroom quickly then proceeded to wash his hands and face, opting again for a shower after his practice, which he hoped, would go quickly. If not he was sure that they would be out there until lunch. After he was washed up and changed into his practice uniforms that had conveniently been laundered the day before, he grabbed his broom and left the dorm.
On his walk Draco thought about his victim, Ginny Weasley, the girl that he had the pleasure of pranking that year. Whatever it was that he did, would somehow end up effecting Potter, a thought that lifted his spirits a bit. But he only had one more day to think up a prank to pull, something that returned his spirits to their previous place.
His mind was working overtime trying to figure out something good enough to be considered a prank. It had to be something that humiliated the girl, but quite frankly she was a challenge. He knew little about her, except that she was Potter's girlfriend, that she was the Weasel King's sister, and that she was Granger's best mate. Other than that he didn't know much about her, something that would obviously hinder this little project, but Draco never gave up on a challenge, and this one was a challenge all right.
Another challenge was getting his team to follow his orders. They were flying terribly that morning, granted the wind was blowing fiercely, for there was a storm approaching, something quite obvious from the black clouds that loomed off to the west. He ended up cutting practice short for the wind was blowing their keeper out of his spot, and the chasers kept losing the quaffle to sudden gusts.
Draco traipsed back inside his pale features coloured from the wind that had been hitting his bare cheeks. His broom was on his shoulder as he called out the password to the Heads dorm and pulled open the door. The rays of sun that poked through the clouds outside were cascading into the room via the almost floor to ceiling window opposite the fireplace. Ignoring the howling of the winds outside that he could hear clearly through that window, Draco started up the stairs the muscles in his body, which had been overworked that day sending pains through him.
He collapsed on his bed a few moments later, letting out a frustrated sigh. Granger would probably be up soon, and after lunch she would come hunting him, pressing their practice that he was in no way looking forward to. He closed his eyes, raising his hands to rub his eyes furiously, for he felt a headache coming on.
As the silence enveloped him he could feel himself drifting off. He dropped his broom on the floor, kicking off his shoes. Pulling himself up on his bed, turning on his side so he could shrug off his robes until he was left in a white t-shirt and a pair of boxers, Draco laid his head down on the pillow, intent on taking a nap. His body was relaxing and his thoughts were becoming wild and hazy, like they do when you're exhausted.
Hermione was lying in her bed, sleeping peacefully, for it was Sunday and she had nothing planned for the morning. It wasn't often that Hermione slept in so when she did it was a very bad idea to disturb her. She was snuggled beneath her covers, drooling lightly on her pillow as her dreams flitted in and out of her mind.
The sky outside had steadily grown stormier. It was filled with dark clouds and the wind, which had already been whipping around the grounds howled loudly. Her windows, which faced the Forbidden Forest, were rattling though she slept through the entire thing.
As the storm brewed above, a speck slowly made its way closer to the school. As it neared it was identified as a dark black Eagle owl carrying an ivory white envelope in its beak. The bird flew towards Draco's room, intending to enter to deliver it's message to the Head Boy, but the window was locked and the curtains drawn tightly, so even if the owl banged on the window the sounds would be muffled and incoherent.
Fighting against the strong gusts the owl made its way around to where Hermione's window continued to rattle and upon finding the curtains open, sending the dreary light spilling into her room, it landed on the small stone sill outside scratching at the pane. The scratching continued like nails on a chalkboard until Hermione's head rose from the pillow. She let out a grunt of displeasure and turned her squinted eyes to face the window, noticing the struggling owl. Throwing her covers off she hurried towards the window unlocking it and stepping back as they burst open, the owl fluttering in. She struggled for a moment, but finally was able to close the windows, only to see that the damage was already done. Her papers and books lay windblown about the room.
"Bloody hell." She growled frustrated before approaching the owl.
She held out her hand to take the letter but the owl didn't release it, the universal signal that this piece of mail did not belong to her. So instead she looked at the front of the envelope, noticing that Malfoy's name was scrawled across in silver ink. It seemed to shimmer, though there was no light.
Holding out her arm to the owl Hermione opted to help the creature deliver its message safely. It hopped on, the letter still clutched safely in its beak and Hermione carefully walked to her door. She crossed the hall and knocked lightly on Draco's door, hoping that he was there at all.
Within Draco ignored the sound, his semiconscious state much more desirable. The sound had been far away anyway, so therefore it might have all been in his imagination. But as the sound was heard again, as well as a girl's voice softly calling to him, Draco knew that it was no imaginary knocking.
His eyes snapped open and at the third knock and another soft call of his surname, Draco hauled himself off the bed. He didn't even bother to pull on pants but instead stumbled to the door, scratching his eyes and running a hand through his hair. He gripped the handle roughly and threw open the door.
She stood there before him in her pyjamas, or a silly excuse for them anyway. Her shorts were cotton and much shorter than anything he'd ever seen her in. And the top was only a white tank top, with no bra. He was staring at her body as if he'd never known it existed. Hermione however cleared her throat softly, his eyes snapping back to her face. That was when he noticed the bird on her arm, the same bird that his father had bought him in his first year.
"What are you doing with my owl?" he asked holding out his arm. The owl hopped from one student to the other it's wings ruffling slightly.
"He scratched at my window. I guess you didn't hear him. Have you been here the entire time? I thought you had Quidditch." She said noticing that his attire was far from appropriate, but she only blushed at her peek and kept her eyes strictly on his face.
"Ended it early, it's looking worse out now. It was too windy out earlier. I only just got in maybe half an hour ago." He said not realizing that they were again having a normal conversation.
"All right then." She said her eyelids drooping a bit. It seemed that the Head Girl had been sleeping when his owl came scratching.
Draco watched her turn away, noticing again that the shorts were much shorter than anything she'd ever worn in his presence. He saw more of Granger than he'd ever seen before and it seemed that she didn't care. As she walked she stopped and looked over her shoulder at him.
"Nice owl by the way."
And after that she disappeared back into her room, the door clicking softly behind her. He wondered if he would be hearing her in the bathroom within minutes as he closed his door, carrying his owl to the perch that stood in his room. The owl hopped upon it, finally releasing the envelope to its master and recipient.
He turned the envelope over in his hands, knowing that it was from his father. He didn't even need to read the contents to know that it was a request for him to come home at some point this week. But this was not the week for his father to be making requests. He wouldn't be able to get away, and his father would not be happy to hear that.
But Draco picked his wand up off the table and used it to open the envelope, as he sat himself on his bed. The contents of the envelope slipped out and into his lap, a letter written on the exact same high quality parchment that was specially made for his father.
His eyes scanned the letter, written in the same silver ink as his name on the front. The paper was heavy in his hands, thick and rough to the touch. His mind was concentrating on the way the letter opened. Instead of putting his name, his father had written son, an awkward greeting for a man who could barely tolerate him sometimes.
Feeling to tired and annoyed now to read the letter he tossed it towards his desk and leaned back on the bed. He listened for the sound of the shower running, but heard no such thing. Lifting his head he stared curiously at the door before sitting up again and approaching it. The light that would usually seep beneath the door was not doing so meaning that the bathroom was currently empty.
Opening his door he entered the bathroom, crossing the room in a few quick strides to position himself before her door. He pressed his ear to the cold wood and listened, hearing very little from within. He gripped the handle with his hand, turning it ever so slowly, before opening the door a crack.
There she was, wrapped in the red and gold bed sheets and blankets. She'd thrown the curtains closed after his owls interruption and was sleeping peacefully. The room was dark, but he could make her out perfectly in the bed, her hair fanned out on the pillow beneath her head. Her room was warm, a change from the icy room that he slept in. But he preferred the cold.
He stared at her, wondering why she was going back to sleep. Usually Granger could be seen in the library on days like today, either studying or merely sitting in a comfortable chair and reading away at some fairytale or other. He'd once seen her in the library sitting beside a stack of books almost as tall as her, and they were all fairytale stories with happy endings.
'Maybe she's trying to tell people something.' He thought.
A book he'd frequently seen her with was Cinderella. He guessed that was her favourite. He wondered why she didn't just buy her own copy instead of constantly borrowing the libraries. It was one book that he'd always seen either spilling from her bag, or stacked on a desk corner. It was as if that book was her comfort zone.
Snapping out of his daze he shut the door just as softly as he'd opened it, being sure to make no sound at all lest he wake her. That was not what he needed at the moment, to wake her and have to come up with some half assed excuse for what he was doing. How could he explain peeping into her room?
With thoughts of Granger's reactions, and her possibly slapping him once again filling his head Draco started back towards his room. He was glad when he slipped back into his bed that he could sleep to take his mind off the letter and Granger. Sleep seemed to be the only way that he could take his mind off of his life, but he couldn't sleep forever.
When Hermione finally opened her eyes she looked at the clock on her nightstand. The time was almost noon, and there was much to do. She rolled over and stared at the ceiling, wishing that she could just go back to sleep, but the rumble that her stomach let out told her that she had to at least eat not to mention get on with the practice that they desperately needed to start. Closing her eyes and letting out a sigh Hermione sat up, the covers falling in a heap in her lap.
She wiggled out from beneath the rest of the blankets allowing her feet to dangle over the side of the bed as she stretched. A chill crept up her spine, but soon she was warm again, feeling cozy in the room that she'd come to know as home. She slipped off the bed, her bare feet landing on the soft plush carpeting. She wandered over to her closet and gathered her clothes, but just as she closed the doors, her ensemble in hand she heard the sound of the shower running.
Turning her head to gaze at the bottom of the door she saw that small bar of light and knew that Malfoy was in the bathroom. So tossing her clothes onto her bed she walked to the soft red armchair that sat in a corner and threw herself into it, draping a leg over one arm. She laid her head against the back, her eyes focused on the ceiling. She listened to the sound of running water and the howling of the wind outside her mind fogging over as she felt herself drifting off again.
She tried to concentrate on the sound of the water, for when it ceased she would wake up, wake up and get ready for the day. The lazy stormy day that she couldn't help but wish to sleep through. The splatters of the water hitting the stalls floor and quickly heading down the drain filled her ears.
The idea of a shower was pleasing to her. She couldn't wait to stand beneath that showerhead and feel the waters attempts to release her stress and tension. She wondered what was taking Malfoy so long. She shut her eyes and at first her mind was empty, but then she began thinking about what it might be that was keeping Malfoy in that bathroom. Her frustration was growing.
Draco was stepping out of the shower, a fluffy white towel wrapped about him. He walked before the fogged mirror using his hand to wipe away the condensation. He reached for his shirt and was about to pull it over his head when he heard the sound of Granger in her room moving about. He wondered how long she'd been up.
Hermione was growing restless. She was growing hungry, her stomach aching terribly. The storm outside was ragging worse than ever. She walked to her window and pulled the curtains aside to gaze out at it, the fury that hung above the school. The trees were bending and swaying terribly in the wind the leaves being ripped off only to be thrown about. The rain was beginning to fall and splatter the window with it's drops, her view blurring. Hermione gave up at the window and turned her attention back to the bathroom that was now empty.
Draco was seated at his table in the Great Hall when Hermione wandered in, paying little attention to the boys at the Hufflepuff table that hooted lowly at her. Draco thought their actions were tacky and quite disgusting. They were hooting for a Mudblood. Granted she was attractive, but still, she was filthy.
His eyes trailed her as she walked to the center of the table where the ginger haired female Weasley sat having a heated discussion with her boyfriend Potter. Granger looked fidgety and nervous, the way she normally looked before exams. It was strange to see her so antsy this early in the year a fact that Potter must have noticed.
"So where were you and the Mudblood all morning?"
"Sleeping." Draco said automatically, and at the clatter of a fork falling to a plate he turned to see Blaise staring at him with wide eyes.
"What?"
"Oh Merlin Blaise! Never!" Draco cried understanding the shocked look on his friends face. "She was in her room and me in mine. After Quidditch practice ended I went back up to my dorm and went back to sleep, Granger was still sleeping when I got there, then there was this fiasco with Sterling."
"What happened with your owl?" Blaise asked.
"He went to Granger's room instead of mine because my curtains were closed. He woke her up and she in turn woke me up." Draco said turning his attention back to Granger who sat talking to Potter in low whispers.
"So you didn't sleep with her then?"
"Sleep with who?" Pansy interjected as she sat herself down.
"You should really stop listening in on other peoples conversations." Blaise said looking past Draco to the girl who was sitting there staring with wide eyes at Draco.
"When they concern Draco, they're my conversations too."
"He doesn't belong to you Pansy, Merlin you'd think his constantly ignoring you would put you off that notion." Blaise cried feeling that the girl grew dumber every day.
"He doesn't ignore me, he's just got a lot on his mind what with those dance lessons with the Mudblood."
Pansy then turned away to engage another Slytherin female in conversation leaving Blaise staring at her bewildered. He shook his head in dismay, wondering how Pansy had become so demented.
"Anyway, so did you?" Blaise said not in the slightest deterred from the original topic.
"No Blaise, that's revolting, can't you see I'm trying to eat."
Blaise let out a chuckle, "Don't tell me you haven't thought about it?"
"Honestly no it never crossed my mind."
"You're lying. I see how you stare at her." Blaise said getting frustrated with his friend's lack of honesty.
"I've looked at her, but I've never thought of sleeping with her. She's a Mudblood, I can look all I want, but I can't touch."
"How would your father ever find out?" Blaise said softly.
Draco nodded to his right where Pansy was seated talking animatedly about her dress for the ball. Blaise nodded his head in understanding. If Pansy ever learned about that there was no doubt that she would go tell Lucius immediately, and Draco would then most likely be punished.
"She is a little vixen though." Blaise said staring over at Hermione.
Draco shrugged trying to keep the vision of her body that morning in such simple yet revealing clothes from floating behind his eyes. She'd revealed more to him that morning than he suspected she wanted to, but she said not a word, and he certainly hadn't said anything, for he'd been to shocked at seeing it to speak.
"If you like dirty blood." Malfoy said before taking a bite of his sandwich.
Blaise chuckled again. "So how were the lessons?"
"Not bad, we did well. She's better than I'd thought she'd be but I'd still rather not be doing it at all. The teacher gave us homework, can you believe that."
"What kind? Do you have to research this particular dance or something? Is there an essay due tomorrow on the subject." Blaise laughed at his own joke.
"You really are getting a kick out of this. No, she gave us a piece of paper with the next set of steps to learn. After lunch I have to meet Granger in our dorm to practice. This woman expects it memorized by tonight's lesson."
"Ouch. Bad news mate." Blaise said sipping pumpkin juice from his goblet.
"What are you doing this afternoon?" Draco asked.
"Homework. Bloody teachers are piling it on eh?"
"Yeah."
Hermione's eyes wandered around the Great Hall as she thought about the practice session that she had soon with Malfoy. That was not her idea of a good day, being stuck in her dorm with her dorm mate, practicing the steps to a dance that neither of them wanted to do. The dance was simple enough so far, and she figured that it wouldn't be too complicated for it was only to be performed once. But the simple fact was that there easily could have been another task that forced the Slytherin and Gryffindor heads to work together, why did they pick something that involved so much touching?
She was avoiding looking at him, something that was hard enough due to the fact that he was right in her line of sight and that he was all she was thinking about. She couldn't understand why she constantly thought about him, nor could she understand why he was constantly caught staring at her, the way he was at that moment.
Her eyes had flicked to him and sure enough he was focused solely on her, a strange enough phenomenon. She stared back her head tilted to the side. There was a perplexed expression on her face as he mumbled something out of the corner of his mouth so she couldn't understand. That was when she noticed that his friend Blaise was staring at her. She bit her bottom lip as she tried to figure out his reasons. Blaise she noticed then smirked and nodded.
"Uh huh." She heard Ginny say before her.
Snapping out of her staring contest with Malfoy she turned her eyes toward Ginny who was grinning. Now she looked even more confused than she'd been before as she opened her mouth to ask Ginny a question.
"Why do you think I have a thing for him?"
"Because Hermione, it's obvious that you do." Ginny said grinning still.
"We hate each other Gin." Hermione said getting aggravated.
"Hermione you are constantly staring at him, and I bet you're thinking about him a lot aren't you."
"We live together, we have dance lessons together, he's always around me, of course I think about him some." Hermione protested.
"Hermione, when you're dancing what are you looking at?"
"What do you mean? I'm looking at him, there's not much else to look at and plus that's what you're supposed to do."
"What are you thinking about, when he touches you what goes through your mind?"
"Ginny I can't believe you."
"Answer me." Ginny said softly.
"I don't know, I don't really think. Everything goes away when we start dancing."
"What do you mean everything goes away?" Ginny asked curiously.
"There's no music because we have to learn the moves without it first. So everything is quiet but I'm sure if there was music I probably wouldn't hear it." Hermione thought for a moment seemingly drifting off into that world. "I look at him, and our eyes connect, and it's weird but I feel almost like there's something there. It's hard to explain. My mind goes blank, I don't even think about the steps or the hall or even Madam Peruge. It's like everything is gone but me and him together."
"Wow, it's worse than I thought." Ginny said a stunned look on her face.
"What are you talking about Ginny?" Hermione said tilting her head to the side.
Draco had risen from his seat, noticing the time. Lunch would be over shortly and he wanted to get this practice over with as soon as possible. He approached the table unnoticed by the two girls, for they were wrapped up in a conversation. He couldn't really hear anything that they were saying because they were speaking in whispers but there was something that he did catch.
"Hermione I think you're falling in love with him." The Weasley girl said loud enough for him to hear.
"That's all fine and dandy and my condolences to the poor guy, but is it possible that we get this practice over with Granger?"
Ginny spun around and stared up at him, her eyes wide. Hermione looked shocked as well and Malfoy felt he'd heard something he shouldn't have. It merely brought a smirk to his youthful face. The girls glanced at one another before Hermione stood quickly. She sent a glare at Ginny before leaving the Great Hall, Malfoy following along behind her.
"Granger!" He called as she rounded the banister to move swiftly up the stairs.
"Leave me alone Malfoy. We'll just practice quickly then you can go do whatever Slytherins do." Hermione said feeling to shocked and confused to think of a creative and harsh comment.
"Who are you falling in love with?" he asked, making her freeze. "It wouldn't be Weasley would it?"
"Malfoy you don't know what you're talking about." Hermione said but she still didn't climb the stairs.
"Then who is it? Obviously the Weasley girl thinks you're falling in love, the only question is, with who? It wouldn't be that Quidditch player from fourth year?"
"Viktor? No, he went back to Bulgaria. It's none of your business either way Malfoy."
Draco walked to the stairs and stopped beside her. He leaned in close to her ear and whispered, "I'll find out sooner or later, Mudblood." Then he walked away, leaving her standing there on the bottom step.
Hermione walked slowly, her mind thinking hard about the conversation that she and Ginny had at lunch. She was turning it over in her mind the conclusion that her friend had come to. There was no way that Hermione could be falling in love with Malfoy. She hated him and she always would, but that didn't explain what was happening between them.
Her thoughts were interrupted when she opened the portrait hole to find him waiting there, already wearing his dress shoes. He was standing beside the couch, tapping his foot expectantly. He looked angry as he glared at her, but she returned the look with a glare of her own.
"What took you so long Granger?" Draco demanded as she wandered past him.
"Shove it Malfoy." He heard her mumble before she wandered up the stairs to her room.
He waited in the common room watching her door. She'd left it open as she went inside to change her shoes and he could hear her up there chattering to herself in a frustrated tone. Soon she left her room and walked slowly down the stairs pulling her straight hair up high on her head in a ponytail. He watched her as she approached him, to busy fiddling with her hair to notice him staring.
"Are you ready yet?" he demanded as she stopped beside him.
"Are you?" she asked pointedly.
Hermione walked to stand beside the window, and Draco glared at her before beginning the steps. She slipped her hand into his when he offered it, but Hermione kept thinking about Ginny's words and refused to look up at him. She instead stared at her feet, and in turn tripped a bit.
"What the hell was that?" he asked dropping her hand.
"Sorry lets start again." Hermione said approaching the window again.
They tried it several more times but each time during the part of the routine that they'd done a million times or more Hermione would mess up. Draco was growing frustrated. How could it be that she did it perfectly the night before, but she couldn't do it now?
"What's wrong Granger, thinking about your lover boy?" Draco said.
"You have no idea what you're talking about so please, for the sake of this practice and my sanity, drop it." Hermione said staring out the window at the storm that still raged.
The torches around the room were all lit because it was so dark. The sky had changed to a very dark grey colour as the clouds swirled about overhead. The wind had picked up even more and now the trees looked as if they were bowing to something, all bent over their tallest branches almost sweeping the ground. The fire in the grate roared to life, the flames throwing dancing light across the room making Hermione's hair shimmer. She kept her back to him and stared out the window, trying to force the thoughts from her mind.
Draco angrily moved forward and grabbed Hermione by the shoulder spinning her around to face him. As she whirled her eyes widened and connected with his. He could see the confusion in her eyes, and wondered what was going through her mind, but quickly he pushed his curiosity out of his mind and glared at her again.
"We have work to do. I don't want to deal with that woman if we don't know these new steps. I'll just let her know that you preferred to look out the window than practice." He said reaching around her to throw the curtains closed.
Hermione's eyes widened as Draco's arms wrapped about her and their bodies connected. Her arms immediately flew up to place a barrier between his body and hers as she backed away, her lower back connecting with the stone sill. Her eyes darted between his as he closed the curtains, his hands connecting just above her head. She upturned her head to see his hands gripping the curtains heavy material.
Hermione looked like a cornered animal, frantic and confused. Draco backed away as she stared up at him, her eyes boring holes into him. He could see her shaking with nervousness, and he figured he'd startled her by grabbing her so roughly. It was unlike him to put his hands on any female in such a way, even a Mudblood like Granger, but this girl had a way of bothering him so much that he lost all control. One minute he was easily in control of the situation, then with a comment or a look Granger could set him off.
"Can we just practice." He said running a frustrated hand through his disheveled blond hair.
"Fine." She whispered.
Draco walked back to his place and started again. Hermione kept her eyes on the floor as he approached until he held his hand before her, and she accepted. This time she chanced a look at the Head Boy who her best friend thought she was falling in love with. Their eyes connected and it all happened again, like the world fell away, and there was nothing but them.
They danced the routine up until the new steps perfectly. When it came time to start the new steps Draco stopped dancing and broke away from her, though it was hard. Their gazes had been locked so tightly that Draco was sure someone could have screamed his pants were on fire and he wouldn't have noticed.
He picked up the paper and he and Hermione studied the new moves, before starting again. Again they ran through it flawlessly, and nailed the new steps perfectly. By the end Draco was sure that they were doing even better than the teacher suspected they would. They went through it twice more before they parted and Hermione ran up to her room, slamming her door behind her.
She leaned against the door her breathing abnormal. It looked as if she'd run a mile. She almost seemed to be hyperventilating there by the door. Her face was flushed and sweaty and she was shaking a bit. She slid to the floor in her jittery state. Her mind was racing with the thoughts from lunch and the proceeding that just ended.
'Why do I get like this? He makes me so nervous, but in a different way. It's almost like anticipation, excitement, yet I'm so scared. My hands are shaking, my hearts beating so fast. I can't think when he's around and his eyes are so captivating.'
"No. They're not captivating." Hermione said aloud. "I'm not acting any different. Ginny was wrong."
But Hermione couldn't deny that she was feeling something more than hatred when she saw him, when she looked into his eyes. It was always so hard to look away from him, like something within his eyes attracted her. It was so hypnotic. It was so hard to explain but she knew that she could stare at his eyes forever and still be confused.
They say that the eyes are the windows to the soul, but Draco's eyes were grey foggy windows that were hard to read. He could be thinking one thing but his eyes would show something completely different. She was so easy to read, for her eyes always betrayed her.
"I need to keep my thoughts on better things." Hermione said finally. "I can't constantly think about him."
Draco had followed Granger up to her room and was listening on the other side of the door, hoping to figure out who it was that Granger was supposedly falling in love with so that he could announce it and embarrass her and the poor guy. But she was talking in circles, not dropping names, not even descriptions. She was instead trying to convince herself that she wasn't in love, but Draco could tell that there was definitely something up with her.
She was embarrassed that he'd overheard her and the Weaslette talking during lunch about the entire situation. He just wished that he'd heard more, for it was obvious that she'd just finished babbling on about him when the red head had said something about falling in love.
'And she was so skittish about it.' Draco thought. 'It was almost like she was afraid.' But Draco figured that she was probably worried that he would find out and tell the person.
Whoever this guy was he was constantly on her mind, something he could relate to, for Granger was constantly on his mind. He sympathized with her a bit for that, but she was on his mind for other reasons. Reasons he couldn't quite explain. He wasn't allowed to be interested in her, yet he was finding himself fascinated.
He walked away from her door wondering just what it was about the Mudblood that confounded him so. What was it that drew him to her like a moth to the flame? What was their relationship, were they becoming friends or were they just growing civil? And where would this strange borderline obsession with Granger take their relationship? These were all questions that would be answered as time moved on, but Draco couldn't and wouldn't wait that long.
When he was in his room he kicked off his shoes and threw himself upon his bed, pulling his pillow beneath his chin. He stared off into space thinking about the situation that he was in. He couldn't help but wish he were able to give up his position as Head Boy, because then he wouldn't have to see Granger everyday, and things between them could go back to that simple relationship of victim and bully. But now things were so scrambled and mixed up that the lines were becoming blurred and Draco was dangerously close to crossing them.
Granger was just as confused about her life as he was, which only seemed to make things worse for both of them. Neither knew just what to do with their problems and was instead trying to figure them all out alone, without help from friends, which only ends up causing more problems for the others.
Dinner came and went and soon Draco and Hermione were standing in the Great Hall, waiting for their teacher. Hermione was standing in the same place she'd started from the night before, the table with the gramophone already in place. They were standing in silence, the sounds of students above and below them humming through the floors.
"Should we practice really quick, before she gets here to be sure we have it?" Hermione asked him finally breaking the unbearable silence.
"I'd prefer not to but I'm sure it wouldn't hurt. It's not like I'll be doing anything other than this for the rest of the night."
On a slow count of three they began. Draco approached Hermione as he had done what felt like a million times before. Their eyes locked as their hands did and she followed him to the center of the floor, their gaze seemingly unbreakable. It was as if the music was playing in their heads, for they seemed to have a pace, a rhythm to their moves. His hand held hers tightly as she spun out from him, then back in, her curls flaring elegantly.
Unnoticed by either of them Madam Peruge stood in the shadows of the doorway watching. A small content smile spread across her face as she gazed upon the dancers. Pride shown in her eyes as they followed the elegant and flowing movements that the two made together. She noticed how their eyes never left each other's and her smile widened.
As the couple finished the moves that they'd learned already and the new ones that they'd practiced that day Madam Peruge made her presence known. She walked forward her heels clicking softly against the floor, as Hermione and Draco broke apart, almost as if they'd been caught doing something wrong.
"Do it again." Was all she said as she passed them by.
Hermione walked back to her place and watched her eyes trained upon his as he approached. They ran through it once more as she commanded all the while Hermione's eyes staring straight into his, almost as if she were searching them for something. When they finished they turned and faced the teacher their shoulders brushing lightly.
Madam Peruge continued showing them new moves making them practice the entire thing all over again with the new moves. It was the same method that she'd used the night before and they were beginning to figure that was how they'd learn the entire dance, bit by bit. As the lesson came to an end Madam Peruge called them back to her.
Handing them another slip of paper with that nights work on it she smiled. Draco immediately turned and started out. Hermione turned and began to follow only to be stopped by the singsong chant of her name from the flamboyant woman behind her.
"Oh Hermione!"
"Yes." She said turning about to gaze into the soft eyes of their teacher.
"How are you enjoying lessons so far?"
"They're fine. It's just so hard to get used to all this. You must be very fond of dancing to teach it." Hermione said giving a soft friendly smile.
"Oh my dear I'm not fond of it, I'm in love with it." Madam Peruge eyed the girl before smiling herself. "This dance in particular."
"Why this dance? What's so special about it?"
"I've been told you're one of the smartest witches in the school, surely you must know the dance."
"No, there's nothing about it in Hogwarts A History." Hermione said trying to remember if she'd missed something.
"There wouldn't be. The tasks aren't mentioned in that book, heavens knows why."
"Where can I find it?" Hermione asked, desperate to learn more about it.
"Why, the library of course. Good night."
Then Hermione watched as Madam Peruge walked out of the room, leaving Hermione standing there looking confused and unhappy. She stayed there for a moment gazing up at the ceilings imitation of the starry night sky above. Hermione thought about the next day and figured that she would have enough time after classes to head to the library to research.
As she walked the Head Girl tried to figure out the best place to start her search for the nameless dance they were learning. Madam Peruge had never told them the dances name and it was on none of the sheets she'd handed them. There wasn't a word about a dance in Hogwarts A History, so she was sure that the search would be long and tiring, but she'd been through worse.
"Well, let's see, the last time that the dance was performed was close to a century ago. I'll start there, with the Slytherin and Gryffindor heads who last danced this dance."
Hehehe...I'm sooo much further ahead. And if you guys like long chapters you will love this story. the chapter I just finished writing, which is like four ahead is exactly 30 pages long. and they'll all be relatively long in this story. But anyway, go review, I think i deserve it. lol. Please?
Sláinte!!
Starry