(I didn't know people liked my story that much oO I'm flattered, but you're all sadly mistaken.
To clear some stuff up -
Yes, Harry is thick. /bitter/ Why does everyone like him so much? He's just a little nerd. Drama-rama. Although I did feel quite bad for him when... /sniff/... ... I'm going to go cry now /Padfoot Forever /love
Draco can be blunt because he's currently DUI (dreaming under the influence (of Hermione's potion)).
Yes, it is a dream.
These are the side effects of the potion. (And yes, if I didn't before mention it, I meant to, but she had to add a bit of hair. Sorry - I really thought I'd put that in there. Absent-minded, you know :x )
I know I'm not real good at explaining things, but I don't want to just write like "This is what happens. This is why. This is what happens next. This is why.", so it can get pretty confusing sometimes. But I 'will' answer questions about the potion in upcoming chapters - I purposely made things muddled there.
Sorry for snapping, I do love you if you review.
PS - I'm still angry that someone obviously stole my Chamber of Secrets DVD)
-/-
"One boy, one girl, two hearts beating wildly... to put it mildly it was love at first sight. He smiled, she smiled, they knew right away ... this was the day they'd waited for all their lives. For the moment the whole world revolved around one boy... and one girl"
-/-
"Do you fancy me?"
"Yes." Hermione heard the word come out of her mouth before she had reached a conscious decision to answer at all. ((A little note - Why in Merlin's name would Hermione answer no, you silly people? o-O?? Although that would have made a wicked plot twist... I couldn't bear it on my conscious for pobre Draco)) It was too late to take it back now, so she watched with apprehension for some sort of response. Far from a confession of his own feelings, though, when he opened his mouth next it was to ask another question.
"Why?" His face was blank, expressionless, relaxed, as if the question were nothing more simply that - a question. His voice was detached, stony, devoid of any emotion that might provide a clue as to what was going on inside his head. But his eyes betrayed his cool facade - in them, Hermione could see confusion, longing, hope, and an unspoken flicker of fear. At that moment she wanted nothing more than to reach out and wipe all the doubt from his heart. The doubts of her own heart held her back.
"Why do you want to know?" she asked quietly, not wanting to put her own feelings into words. Besides, she was the one who was supposed to be finding out how he felt, not the other way around. This wasn't going as she planned at all. Although, she never meant for them to have this conversation in a dream, either.
The mists were rising, tendrils curling around their legs like ghostly cats, giving the landscape an even more ethereal look to it. It settled around them silently, only the sound of a distant sea breaching far-off shores reaching their ears as they stood, hardly breathing, neither wanting to break the fragile stillness that hung between them.
Hermione Granger, Gryffindor, Muggle-born, an intellect with bushy brown hair and a bossy personality; Draco Malfoy, Slytherin, Pureblood, a rich kid who's used to getting his way, no matter who gets hurt in the process; and this night, on this hill, they stood, face to face, as equals, each feeling something for the other that they'd never felt before. They both realized that, no matter what happened next, they would never be the same around each other. ((A little note - Did that sound like a tagline for some mushy summer movie, or was it just me? oO))
And then a slight breeze picked up, ruffling Hermione's dress and mussing Draco's hair, and the magic of the moment was lost. Hermione cleared her throat, put a hand on her hip, and tried to put an impatient look on her face.
"Well?" she asked. He shrugged clearly not any more willing to open his heart than she was. She arched an eyebrow.
"Care to elaborate?" He glared at her and nibbled on his lower lip in concentration. He couldn't help it - it was a habit.
'He really needs to stop doing that,' Hermione thought.
"I suppose," Draco began slowly, watching her face as if to see how his words would affect her. He paused for a split second, hesitating, before continuing.
"Because I rather fancy you, too." He was still looking at her carefully, assessing. He wasn't quite sure of what to do next, as he'd never quite been in a situation like this before.
Involuntarily, Hermione's face broke out into a smile (though, given a moment, it's what she would have done anyway). Draco blinked, then smiled shyly back. Another part of Hermione could have laughed - a while ago, she never would have dreamed she'd see an expression like that on Draco Malfoy's face addressed to her. ((A little note- Hehe. Get it? Dreamed? ... oh, fine then))
The mists were now up to Hermione's waist - the roaring of the sea was minimally louder, and the slight breeze had picked up again. Stray strands of hair blew across her face, chestnut locks contrasting to smooth ivory skin. Draco marveled again how he could have missed her, all those years, as just the frizzy hair Gryffindor know-it-all. He truly was a special kind of slow.
To make up for it, he closed the distance between them and placed his mouth firmly over hers. It was not like that first kiss at all.
There were no fireworks, flashing lights, or choirs of angels singing. But it was magical just the same.
Through the wonderfully blissful cloud she was floating on, Hermione groped for his hand. He put his other hand on the small of her back, pressing them closer. Hermione already felt melted into him. She wondered how she could have lived before this, and how she would live after.
They had to break for breath, and Hermione felt a terrible sense of loss, not wanting to ever separate. They were almost completely shrouded in the mists, but they were still gripping the other's hand tightly. Draco looked into Hermione's eyes, his own full of question. She tilted her head slightly, willing him to speak.
"Hermione..." he said hoarsely. She felt a pleasant shiver run down her spine at hearing his beautiful voice say her name.
"Draco," she teased cheerfully, still high on the taste of his lips. He was looking at her seriously, though, so she stopped.
"What... what does this mean?" he asked, almost whispering. Or... maybe it was just the sea. Hermione frowned, distracted slightly. It hadn't been this loud before. She turned her attention back on the grey eyes looking so intently at her.
"I don't know," she whispered seriously. She wasn't sure what she wanted it to mean.
Draco's face dropped slightly. He thought for a moment, then tilted his head awkwardly to the side, looking embarrassed. Hermione had a moment to wonder what he was so worked up about before he opened his mouth again.
"Do you.... I mean... since we both..." he fumbled around for the right words, flustered. Hermione hid a grin. He sighed and ran his free hand through his hair.
"Do you want... I mean... " He took a deep breath and steeled himself. He had no idea what he was doing. It's not like he'd ever done it before. And in his head, this moment hadn't happened with Hermione Granger.
"Hermione... would you like to be my girlfriend?" ((A little note- I...err... don't really know how the whole girlfriend/boyfriend asking thing goes.... so... if it's a little messed up... sorry!))
Hermione couldn't breathe. She didn't dare. The sea was roaring in her ears now - she couldn't even be sure what he had said was what she had heard. But no, in her wildly pounding heart, she knew she'd heard correct. The mists had closed around them completely now - she couldn't see more than a blurry outline of his face. She felt him start to recede. Her only tie was their hands, still firmly clasped. But as she gripped tighter, she felt it fading away, as if he were becoming a part of the mists himself. Frantic, she hoped it wasn't too late - that her answer would still be heard.
"Yes!"
--
Draco lay awake on his bed, and though he kept his eyes tightly closed, he could see the red tint of the slowly rising sun through his eyelids. Even as his dorm mates stirred to life around him, still his eyes remained shut, trying to hold onto some part of whatever just happened. He didn't dare think about the possibility of it being just a dream - it couldn't be. He was fairly sure that wasn't an option, however, as he still felt the lingering tenderness of Hermione's lips.
His fist curled around an invisible hand, and as he slowly slid out of bed, his mind dwelled on one word, the one which was the most important, and the one he wasn't quite so certain he hadn't dreamed.
--
"'Yes' what, Hermione?" asked a groggy Lavender as she shuffled to get ready. Hermione heard a dim thud, then something large crashing onto the floor.
"Oops. Sorry, Parvati," Lavender yawned. There were more noises, which could have been Parvati throwing things at her sleepy best friend, but Hermione didn't get up to see. She lay stock-still under her sheets, taking deep, calming breaths. Hearing the girls chatter and giggle around her made her wonder briefly if she'd made it all up, but she could still feel the warmth of Draco's body pressed against hers, and there's no way she could have just imagined something as frustratingly sweet as that. Her fantasies were none so elaborate.
Resigning herself to the masquerade of normal life that had been burdened on her shoulders, she slipped her feet over the edge of her bed, wincing slightly when they met cold floor. Left hand still clutching some distant phantom, she got to ready herself. For what, she had yet to find out.
--
At breakfast that morning, Harry was uneasy.
"Ron. Psst... hey, Ron!" Harry jabbed Ron in the side with his elbow, trying to get his friend to pay attention. The redhead turned to look at him, frowning.
"What? Blimey, Harry, you don't have to go poking me, then, just raise your voice a little," he said bitterly. Hermione was looking at them both with a look that clearly read 'You are both completely bonkers.'
"Er... pass the toast," Harry supplied quickly. Ron looked at him as though he were mad and pushed the plate the extra two inches it stood from his plate and Harry's. Hermione raised an eyebrow at him, then went on eating her breakfast. Every once in a while she would glance up and look around, before realizing what she was doing, and thus returning in earnest to her eggs. Harry had been watching this for a while.
"Ron!" he hissed into Ron's ear. Ron jerked around and opened his mouth angrily, but before he had a chance to speak, Harry silenced him.
"Ron, don't you think Hermione's been acting a bit... funny, lately?" he asked. Ron thought about it for a moment, then shrugged.
"All girls are kind of funny, Harry," he replied in equally hushed tones. "By the by, why are we talking like this?" Harry merely rolled his eyes.
"I mean, you don't think she's been acting... not herself?" he tried again.
"Girls are prone to do that every once in a while," Ron supplied wisely. Harry snorted. Since when had Ron become the worlds biggest expert on the opposite gender? Harry gave up. There was no getting through to him.
"You done?" Ron asked. Harry nodded tiredly. "Good," his friend said, returning to gazing across at the Ravenclaw table. Harry, however, gazed at Hermione.
She had put her head up to look around again when she noticed Harry looking. She smiled slightly, confused.
"Is something wrong, Harry?" she asked politely. He shook his head but continued staring at her. She looked around, as though it might be some sort of joke, then looked at Harry again, cheeks slightly red.
"Okay... well, then," And for the rest of breakfast she kept her head down, riveted in her eggs.
--
In Divination, Harry found himself wondering idly about Hermione's strange behavior. It surprised him a little that he suddenly thought of her so much, but didn't make anything of it. He was just concerned, is all. He looked down at his tea leaves in surprise, seeing an odd pattern. He looked it up in the book, curious for once what it meant.
"Bird.... Dove... an unexpected peace will form between unlikely candidates."
Huh. Load of rubbish. What did he expect? The whole thing - rubbish.
--
At dinner that night, Hermione was distracted and a bit nervous. All day long she'd had to listen to girls, all years, from all Houses, discuss the Halloween Ball. What to wear, what not to be seen in, who to go with, who not to be seen with, the decorations, the band, etc. She'd grown increasingly alarmed as Parvati and Lavender seemed to have set themselves the task of finding Hermione a date. As any mildly good-looking boy passed, they'd giggled behind their hands and point out his good features to Hermione, then pick at his bad features. She just sat through it, rather embarrassed to be seen with them.
She wondered, though, what she was to do. Draco had asked her to be his girlfriend, hadn't he? And she had accepted.... although, she wasn't quite sure he'd heard that part. Also, as this entire conversation took place quite literally inside her head, she wasn't sure if it exactly counted. And if it did, didn't girlfriends usually go to Balls with their boyfriends? But she couldn't very well go with Draco without causing an uproar and probably exiling herself from Gryffindor and her friends, while Draco would be shunned from Slytherin. They'd be rogues, outcasts, struggling to make it on their own - Hermione and Draco against the world...
But of course, she didn't let herself get too carried away with it. She kindly refused all offers to the Ball (which, while few and far between, she did get occasionally), and by the time dinner rolled around, she felt certain her two (so-called) friends were about as frustrated as she.
"Why do you have to be difficult?" Parvati asked her crossly as she spooned some potatoes onto her plate. Hermione laughed.
"Me, difficult?" she asked, incredulous.
"What about that... that Anthony fellow, from Hufflepuff? He was a nice bloke," Lavender admonished her. "And you turned him down cold. He was heartbroken!" That was just a slight exaggeration.
"He asked you right after I refused," Hermione reminded her. Lavender just shrugged.
"What about the blonde, oh, what was his name.... Dorien, that's it!" Parvati said excitedly. "He was gorgey, wasn't he?"
"Who was gorgey?" Ron asked suspiciously, sitting down across Hermione. Hermione rolled her eyes, but Parvati spoke for her.
"Dorien Gram. He asked Hermione to the Ball today, you know," she added slyly, nudging Hermione in the ribs.
"Did he now?" Harry raised his eyebrows. Hermione put her face in her hands.
'Merlin, make it stop... they're idiots, each and every one of them,'
"Yes, but Hermione hasn't given a reply yet. Said she'll think about it," That was Lavender. Hermione peeked through her fingers to see Ron gaping at her. She closed her fingers.
"Mnot gong," she mumbled.
"'Mnot gong'?"
She sat up and took her face out of her hands.
"I'm not going,"
-/-
Ugh. What a sod way to end a chapter. At least it's not a cliffie.
Ehehe... - Nah, it's just the name I chose, cuz I made this to put up my Tamora Pierce story, but since my main focus is now Harry Potter (I may have a slight obsession..../cough/), I'm thinking of changing it. If my profile was read, this would be known /meaningful look/ It's only just at the bottom, along with my plea for Marauder stories, so I can write this one that's in my head.... Or you can read my whole profile if you feel like knowing way too much about me! /cheerful/
Orc Scrabbler (Sorry, I shorten names to amuse myself) I'm glad I can be entertaining in some way. And I KNOW! I feel the same way about people who review like that. But, thankfully, she either stopped reading or just stopped reviewing. Although I would have liked to chew her out a bit more. Anyway. Thanks for your support and review! Love to you!
You know, I was wondering why it takes some people so long to update (aka the people whose stories I read :p), and I realize it's because their writing is good. I'm trying to write well, but it's time consuming. Also, I'm lazy. Actually, this chapter was a bit of a test. If you liked it the same as the other chapters, don't say anything. But I was trying something different, so if you have something to comment on, please do!
:O I am shocked beyond all reason. Last time I checked NAF for Herm/Draco PG-13, I was 3 (9 for all ratings - not like I'm keeping track). That cannot be right. Oh, I love you all so freaking much, I didn't know people liked my story this much! :O
Anyway, review!)
To clear some stuff up -
Yes, Harry is thick. /bitter/ Why does everyone like him so much? He's just a little nerd. Drama-rama. Although I did feel quite bad for him when... /sniff/... ... I'm going to go cry now /Padfoot Forever /love
Draco can be blunt because he's currently DUI (dreaming under the influence (of Hermione's potion)).
Yes, it is a dream.
These are the side effects of the potion. (And yes, if I didn't before mention it, I meant to, but she had to add a bit of hair. Sorry - I really thought I'd put that in there. Absent-minded, you know :x )
I know I'm not real good at explaining things, but I don't want to just write like "This is what happens. This is why. This is what happens next. This is why.", so it can get pretty confusing sometimes. But I 'will' answer questions about the potion in upcoming chapters - I purposely made things muddled there.
Sorry for snapping, I do love you if you review.
PS - I'm still angry that someone obviously stole my Chamber of Secrets DVD)
-/-
"One boy, one girl, two hearts beating wildly... to put it mildly it was love at first sight. He smiled, she smiled, they knew right away ... this was the day they'd waited for all their lives. For the moment the whole world revolved around one boy... and one girl"
-/-
"Do you fancy me?"
"Yes." Hermione heard the word come out of her mouth before she had reached a conscious decision to answer at all. ((A little note - Why in Merlin's name would Hermione answer no, you silly people? o-O?? Although that would have made a wicked plot twist... I couldn't bear it on my conscious for pobre Draco)) It was too late to take it back now, so she watched with apprehension for some sort of response. Far from a confession of his own feelings, though, when he opened his mouth next it was to ask another question.
"Why?" His face was blank, expressionless, relaxed, as if the question were nothing more simply that - a question. His voice was detached, stony, devoid of any emotion that might provide a clue as to what was going on inside his head. But his eyes betrayed his cool facade - in them, Hermione could see confusion, longing, hope, and an unspoken flicker of fear. At that moment she wanted nothing more than to reach out and wipe all the doubt from his heart. The doubts of her own heart held her back.
"Why do you want to know?" she asked quietly, not wanting to put her own feelings into words. Besides, she was the one who was supposed to be finding out how he felt, not the other way around. This wasn't going as she planned at all. Although, she never meant for them to have this conversation in a dream, either.
The mists were rising, tendrils curling around their legs like ghostly cats, giving the landscape an even more ethereal look to it. It settled around them silently, only the sound of a distant sea breaching far-off shores reaching their ears as they stood, hardly breathing, neither wanting to break the fragile stillness that hung between them.
Hermione Granger, Gryffindor, Muggle-born, an intellect with bushy brown hair and a bossy personality; Draco Malfoy, Slytherin, Pureblood, a rich kid who's used to getting his way, no matter who gets hurt in the process; and this night, on this hill, they stood, face to face, as equals, each feeling something for the other that they'd never felt before. They both realized that, no matter what happened next, they would never be the same around each other. ((A little note - Did that sound like a tagline for some mushy summer movie, or was it just me? oO))
And then a slight breeze picked up, ruffling Hermione's dress and mussing Draco's hair, and the magic of the moment was lost. Hermione cleared her throat, put a hand on her hip, and tried to put an impatient look on her face.
"Well?" she asked. He shrugged clearly not any more willing to open his heart than she was. She arched an eyebrow.
"Care to elaborate?" He glared at her and nibbled on his lower lip in concentration. He couldn't help it - it was a habit.
'He really needs to stop doing that,' Hermione thought.
"I suppose," Draco began slowly, watching her face as if to see how his words would affect her. He paused for a split second, hesitating, before continuing.
"Because I rather fancy you, too." He was still looking at her carefully, assessing. He wasn't quite sure of what to do next, as he'd never quite been in a situation like this before.
Involuntarily, Hermione's face broke out into a smile (though, given a moment, it's what she would have done anyway). Draco blinked, then smiled shyly back. Another part of Hermione could have laughed - a while ago, she never would have dreamed she'd see an expression like that on Draco Malfoy's face addressed to her. ((A little note- Hehe. Get it? Dreamed? ... oh, fine then))
The mists were now up to Hermione's waist - the roaring of the sea was minimally louder, and the slight breeze had picked up again. Stray strands of hair blew across her face, chestnut locks contrasting to smooth ivory skin. Draco marveled again how he could have missed her, all those years, as just the frizzy hair Gryffindor know-it-all. He truly was a special kind of slow.
To make up for it, he closed the distance between them and placed his mouth firmly over hers. It was not like that first kiss at all.
There were no fireworks, flashing lights, or choirs of angels singing. But it was magical just the same.
Through the wonderfully blissful cloud she was floating on, Hermione groped for his hand. He put his other hand on the small of her back, pressing them closer. Hermione already felt melted into him. She wondered how she could have lived before this, and how she would live after.
They had to break for breath, and Hermione felt a terrible sense of loss, not wanting to ever separate. They were almost completely shrouded in the mists, but they were still gripping the other's hand tightly. Draco looked into Hermione's eyes, his own full of question. She tilted her head slightly, willing him to speak.
"Hermione..." he said hoarsely. She felt a pleasant shiver run down her spine at hearing his beautiful voice say her name.
"Draco," she teased cheerfully, still high on the taste of his lips. He was looking at her seriously, though, so she stopped.
"What... what does this mean?" he asked, almost whispering. Or... maybe it was just the sea. Hermione frowned, distracted slightly. It hadn't been this loud before. She turned her attention back on the grey eyes looking so intently at her.
"I don't know," she whispered seriously. She wasn't sure what she wanted it to mean.
Draco's face dropped slightly. He thought for a moment, then tilted his head awkwardly to the side, looking embarrassed. Hermione had a moment to wonder what he was so worked up about before he opened his mouth again.
"Do you.... I mean... since we both..." he fumbled around for the right words, flustered. Hermione hid a grin. He sighed and ran his free hand through his hair.
"Do you want... I mean... " He took a deep breath and steeled himself. He had no idea what he was doing. It's not like he'd ever done it before. And in his head, this moment hadn't happened with Hermione Granger.
"Hermione... would you like to be my girlfriend?" ((A little note- I...err... don't really know how the whole girlfriend/boyfriend asking thing goes.... so... if it's a little messed up... sorry!))
Hermione couldn't breathe. She didn't dare. The sea was roaring in her ears now - she couldn't even be sure what he had said was what she had heard. But no, in her wildly pounding heart, she knew she'd heard correct. The mists had closed around them completely now - she couldn't see more than a blurry outline of his face. She felt him start to recede. Her only tie was their hands, still firmly clasped. But as she gripped tighter, she felt it fading away, as if he were becoming a part of the mists himself. Frantic, she hoped it wasn't too late - that her answer would still be heard.
"Yes!"
--
Draco lay awake on his bed, and though he kept his eyes tightly closed, he could see the red tint of the slowly rising sun through his eyelids. Even as his dorm mates stirred to life around him, still his eyes remained shut, trying to hold onto some part of whatever just happened. He didn't dare think about the possibility of it being just a dream - it couldn't be. He was fairly sure that wasn't an option, however, as he still felt the lingering tenderness of Hermione's lips.
His fist curled around an invisible hand, and as he slowly slid out of bed, his mind dwelled on one word, the one which was the most important, and the one he wasn't quite so certain he hadn't dreamed.
--
"'Yes' what, Hermione?" asked a groggy Lavender as she shuffled to get ready. Hermione heard a dim thud, then something large crashing onto the floor.
"Oops. Sorry, Parvati," Lavender yawned. There were more noises, which could have been Parvati throwing things at her sleepy best friend, but Hermione didn't get up to see. She lay stock-still under her sheets, taking deep, calming breaths. Hearing the girls chatter and giggle around her made her wonder briefly if she'd made it all up, but she could still feel the warmth of Draco's body pressed against hers, and there's no way she could have just imagined something as frustratingly sweet as that. Her fantasies were none so elaborate.
Resigning herself to the masquerade of normal life that had been burdened on her shoulders, she slipped her feet over the edge of her bed, wincing slightly when they met cold floor. Left hand still clutching some distant phantom, she got to ready herself. For what, she had yet to find out.
--
At breakfast that morning, Harry was uneasy.
"Ron. Psst... hey, Ron!" Harry jabbed Ron in the side with his elbow, trying to get his friend to pay attention. The redhead turned to look at him, frowning.
"What? Blimey, Harry, you don't have to go poking me, then, just raise your voice a little," he said bitterly. Hermione was looking at them both with a look that clearly read 'You are both completely bonkers.'
"Er... pass the toast," Harry supplied quickly. Ron looked at him as though he were mad and pushed the plate the extra two inches it stood from his plate and Harry's. Hermione raised an eyebrow at him, then went on eating her breakfast. Every once in a while she would glance up and look around, before realizing what she was doing, and thus returning in earnest to her eggs. Harry had been watching this for a while.
"Ron!" he hissed into Ron's ear. Ron jerked around and opened his mouth angrily, but before he had a chance to speak, Harry silenced him.
"Ron, don't you think Hermione's been acting a bit... funny, lately?" he asked. Ron thought about it for a moment, then shrugged.
"All girls are kind of funny, Harry," he replied in equally hushed tones. "By the by, why are we talking like this?" Harry merely rolled his eyes.
"I mean, you don't think she's been acting... not herself?" he tried again.
"Girls are prone to do that every once in a while," Ron supplied wisely. Harry snorted. Since when had Ron become the worlds biggest expert on the opposite gender? Harry gave up. There was no getting through to him.
"You done?" Ron asked. Harry nodded tiredly. "Good," his friend said, returning to gazing across at the Ravenclaw table. Harry, however, gazed at Hermione.
She had put her head up to look around again when she noticed Harry looking. She smiled slightly, confused.
"Is something wrong, Harry?" she asked politely. He shook his head but continued staring at her. She looked around, as though it might be some sort of joke, then looked at Harry again, cheeks slightly red.
"Okay... well, then," And for the rest of breakfast she kept her head down, riveted in her eggs.
--
In Divination, Harry found himself wondering idly about Hermione's strange behavior. It surprised him a little that he suddenly thought of her so much, but didn't make anything of it. He was just concerned, is all. He looked down at his tea leaves in surprise, seeing an odd pattern. He looked it up in the book, curious for once what it meant.
"Bird.... Dove... an unexpected peace will form between unlikely candidates."
Huh. Load of rubbish. What did he expect? The whole thing - rubbish.
--
At dinner that night, Hermione was distracted and a bit nervous. All day long she'd had to listen to girls, all years, from all Houses, discuss the Halloween Ball. What to wear, what not to be seen in, who to go with, who not to be seen with, the decorations, the band, etc. She'd grown increasingly alarmed as Parvati and Lavender seemed to have set themselves the task of finding Hermione a date. As any mildly good-looking boy passed, they'd giggled behind their hands and point out his good features to Hermione, then pick at his bad features. She just sat through it, rather embarrassed to be seen with them.
She wondered, though, what she was to do. Draco had asked her to be his girlfriend, hadn't he? And she had accepted.... although, she wasn't quite sure he'd heard that part. Also, as this entire conversation took place quite literally inside her head, she wasn't sure if it exactly counted. And if it did, didn't girlfriends usually go to Balls with their boyfriends? But she couldn't very well go with Draco without causing an uproar and probably exiling herself from Gryffindor and her friends, while Draco would be shunned from Slytherin. They'd be rogues, outcasts, struggling to make it on their own - Hermione and Draco against the world...
But of course, she didn't let herself get too carried away with it. She kindly refused all offers to the Ball (which, while few and far between, she did get occasionally), and by the time dinner rolled around, she felt certain her two (so-called) friends were about as frustrated as she.
"Why do you have to be difficult?" Parvati asked her crossly as she spooned some potatoes onto her plate. Hermione laughed.
"Me, difficult?" she asked, incredulous.
"What about that... that Anthony fellow, from Hufflepuff? He was a nice bloke," Lavender admonished her. "And you turned him down cold. He was heartbroken!" That was just a slight exaggeration.
"He asked you right after I refused," Hermione reminded her. Lavender just shrugged.
"What about the blonde, oh, what was his name.... Dorien, that's it!" Parvati said excitedly. "He was gorgey, wasn't he?"
"Who was gorgey?" Ron asked suspiciously, sitting down across Hermione. Hermione rolled her eyes, but Parvati spoke for her.
"Dorien Gram. He asked Hermione to the Ball today, you know," she added slyly, nudging Hermione in the ribs.
"Did he now?" Harry raised his eyebrows. Hermione put her face in her hands.
'Merlin, make it stop... they're idiots, each and every one of them,'
"Yes, but Hermione hasn't given a reply yet. Said she'll think about it," That was Lavender. Hermione peeked through her fingers to see Ron gaping at her. She closed her fingers.
"Mnot gong," she mumbled.
"'Mnot gong'?"
She sat up and took her face out of her hands.
"I'm not going,"
-/-
Ugh. What a sod way to end a chapter. At least it's not a cliffie.
Ehehe... - Nah, it's just the name I chose, cuz I made this to put up my Tamora Pierce story, but since my main focus is now Harry Potter (I may have a slight obsession..../cough/), I'm thinking of changing it. If my profile was read, this would be known /meaningful look/ It's only just at the bottom, along with my plea for Marauder stories, so I can write this one that's in my head.... Or you can read my whole profile if you feel like knowing way too much about me! /cheerful/
Orc Scrabbler (Sorry, I shorten names to amuse myself) I'm glad I can be entertaining in some way. And I KNOW! I feel the same way about people who review like that. But, thankfully, she either stopped reading or just stopped reviewing. Although I would have liked to chew her out a bit more. Anyway. Thanks for your support and review! Love to you!
You know, I was wondering why it takes some people so long to update (aka the people whose stories I read :p), and I realize it's because their writing is good. I'm trying to write well, but it's time consuming. Also, I'm lazy. Actually, this chapter was a bit of a test. If you liked it the same as the other chapters, don't say anything. But I was trying something different, so if you have something to comment on, please do!
:O I am shocked beyond all reason. Last time I checked NAF for Herm/Draco PG-13, I was 3 (9 for all ratings - not like I'm keeping track). That cannot be right. Oh, I love you all so freaking much, I didn't know people liked my story this much! :O
Anyway, review!)