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Pansy's Volcano	By : Bluemidget57 Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Hermione Views: 206366 -:- Recommendations : 6 -:- Currently Reading : 8
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1-Pansy's Volcano
- 2-Two
- 3-Three
- 4-Four
- 5-Five
- 6-Six
- 7-Seven
- 8-Eight
- 9-Nine
- 10-Ten
- 11-Eleven
- 12-Twelve
- 13-Thirteen
- 14-Fourteen
- 15-Fifteen
- 16-Sixteen
- 17-Seventeen
- 18-Eighteen
- 19-Nineteen
- 20-Twenty
- 21-Twenty one
- 22-Twenty Two
- 23-Twenty Three
- 24-Twenty Four
- 25-Twenty Five
- 26-Twnety Six
- 27-Twenty Seven
- 28-Twenty Eight
- 29-Twenty Nine
- 30-Thirty
- 31-Thirty one
- 32-Thirty Two
- 33-Thirty Three
- 34-Thirty Four
- 35-Thirty Five
- 36-Thirty Six
- 37-Thirty Seven
- 38-Thirty Eight
- 39-Thirty Nine
- 40-Forty
- 41-Forty One
- 42-Forty Two
- 43-Forty Three
- 44-Forty Four
- 45-Forty Five
- 46-Forty Six
- 47-Forty Seven
- 48-Forty Eight
- 49-Forty Nine
- 50-Fifty
- 51-Fifty One
- 52-52
- 53-53
- 54-54
- 55-55
- 17
- 18
- 19
Campy - you win the prize for this one.

Chapter Eighteen

Neville winced beside Hermione; hard as it seemed to believe, the game was not going well for Gryffindor. They had been playing for a little over an hour now and Slytherin was ahead by 120 points to 90. The snitch had not put in an appearance until five minutes ago, and after some blindingly fast pursuit by both seekers, it had seemingly vanished into thin air again.
Harry was cruising high over the field, ignoring the action below him, eyes alert for any flash of gold. Draco hovered some yards lower, keeping his eyes on Harry, his team and the surrounding area. Hermione thought he was behaving differently today than he usually did during a match; he was prone to haunt Harry�s tail like a shadow most games, but his tactics had changed drastically for this one. He was only watching Harry in a very cursory manner, as if he was no threat; the same way that Harry usually treated him when they were competing.
Hermione began to worry if she was responsible for this change of tactics; had her parting words caused bad luck for Gryffindor? For what she had intended to say of course, had been, �Good luck, Malfoy - because you�re going to need it!� But somehow the latter half of the sneering sentence had refused to come out of her lips, despite her urgently trying to force it, and she was fairly sure the contemptuous tone had gotten lost somewhere between her brain and her mouth. She had intended it to be a scathing epilogue to her comments about Harry�s flying ability on Sunday night, but she feared that it had actually turned out more like a heartfelt encouragement to go and flatten Gryffindor!
Of course, if she hadn�t given in to his taunting and actually kissed him, then maybe her brain might not have turned to mush and allowed uncensored sentiments to slip out of her mouth when she wasn�t paying attention! She was most horrified by the thought that somewhere in her subconscious she apparently wanted Malfoy to win this game; otherwise why would she have let such unguarded words slip by her.
It was certainly a fact that she had hardly taken her eyes off him since the game started. Despite having spent the past sixty minutes telling herself to stop it, she had only managed to look away to her own team when groans and gasps from the students surrounding her made her realise that Slytherin had scored more points against them.
She was only surprised that neither Neville or Parvati had commented on her distraction, but she supposed that they could be mistaking the fierce look which she could actually feel to be present on her own face as she wrestled with her traitorous hormones, for the look of someone plotting a nasty revenge, rather than the look of someone fighting an unacceptable attraction.
Malfoy certainly had a better team this year; even with her own deplorable lack of Quidditch knowledge, she could see that they were more cohesive and focused than ever before. Malfoy seemed to have developed a range of signals to direct his players around the field without him having to speak, and the intimidation tactics they had used in previous years had been superceded by speed, skill and flying ability. If they could maintain this high level of performance throughout the whole year, it was entirely possible that Gryffindor would have a real battle on their hands to retain the Cup for another year.
She was torn from her contemplation as Parvati suddenly gripped her arm hard, and her loudly squealed, �No!� was echoed all over the Gryffindor stands. Hermione followed her friend�s pained gaze to see that the scoreboard had added another 5 points to Slytherin, and that all the players had momentarily ceased flying as Madam Hooch descended to the pitch to check on a Gryffindor player who had toppled off his broom and fallen to the ground.
Ferdic Brennan, a 6^th year from Ravenclaw who was the current commentator was shouting excitedly over the cries from the spectators, �And that was just an amazing save by Slytherin seeker, Draco Malfoy, even though he was totally out of position defending his own goals! And Gryffindor chaser Neale Bosworth taken down by one of their own bludgers! I don�t think I�ve ever seen such a thing before. Madam Hooch is calling for a ten minute recess while she has Madam Pomfrey check out Bosworth, but he looks to be okay; I see him waving!�
Most of the Gryffindor players had flown down to ground level; Harry was standing close to Madam Hooch�s shoulder obviously worried about Neale, the rest of the team was waiting close by for the mediwitch�s prognosis. Hermione felt her traitorous eyes swivel away from the drama unfolding on the ground to seek out the object of her distraction. The Slytherins had closed together in a huddle near their own goal hoops and were gesturing forcefully amongst themselves; Malfoy was flying in lazy circles some feet below his teammates, obviously playing the part of concerned Captain, and waiting to hear if the game could recommence.
As if he had felt her eyes upon him his head swung round to look directly at her, finding her in the crowd as though he had known exactly where she was all along. Their eyes met and held, and Hermione did not know how long they might have simply stared at each other if Ferdic had not chosen that moment to announce, �Madam Pomfrey is letting Bosworth continue to play. Look, he�s mounting his broom and he�s back in the game!�
A huge cheer resounded from around Hermione and she was dragged to her feet with the rest of the Gryffindors when they rose to support Neale as he flew back into the air. She maintained eye contact with Malfoy for moments longer as he mouthed to her, �I�m going to win,� and all she could manage in response was to confess, �I know,� and she did; what she was uncertain of was whether he was talking about just this game, or something else entirely.
However, the minute Neale was back in his position and Madam Hooch blew her whistle again, Malfoy was all attention; back to the professional alert seeker that they had so disbelieved he could actually be back in second year when he took the position on the Slytherin team.
The Slytherins flew into position like a well-oiled machine; Hermione hadn�t even seen Malfoy direct them. Next to her, Neville leaned over and said worriedly, �They�re awfully good this year, aren�t they Hermione?� and she knew he was not talking about the Gryffindor team. Neville was not a great Quidditch follower like Dean and Seamus, so Hermione supposed that today�s display had been as much of a shock to him as it had to her, even in spite of Harry�s warnings.
�Yes, it does look that way,� she agreed, uncomfortably aware that the knowledge was not paining her as much as it had Neville. There was an undeniable part of her subconscious which had pushed itself so far forward that it was teetering on the very brink of becoming conscious, and it was cheering for Malfoy. She was perched on the very edge of her bench and although she was responding to Neville all her attention was focused on Malfoy as he circled the pitch, trusting his team to keep scoring points whilst he searched for the snitch.
She had nervous butterflies in her stomach and she was disgusted with herself; she felt as if she was behaving like one of the Snitcher Girls Ginny had described yesterday morning, but she couldn�t stop staring at him. Merlin, but he looked good with his hair all ruffled up, and where the speed of his flight blew his robes out behind him she got a perfect view of his thighs and buttocks clenching to keep his balance on the broom, and that got her to wondering if Quidditch players wore some kind of athletic support to protect themselves from the friction of the broomstick, like cricket players did in the Muggle world. She squirmed uncomfortably on the bench; she was spending entirely too much time lately thinking about the contents of Draco Malfoy�s trousers, and it was making her as randy as a goat.
Ferdic Brennan was yelling excitedly now as the newly restored Neale Bosworth took a hold of the Quaffle and was heading straight for Slytherin�s hoops. �Bosworth is going to score for Gryffindor, and he does. What a recovery, you just can�t keep this boy down!�
The crowd around Hermione erupted into cheers as the score board advanced in their favour again, and if her cheering was only half-hearted, at least she was the only person to know it. But as she was the only person not wholeheartedly watching the Gryffindor team as they celebrated the goal, she was therefore the only one to see the exact moment when Malfoy spotted the Snitch, and she gasped in anticipation as he shot after it a good five seconds before Harry also spotted it.
Ferdic had also seen that the seekers were in hot pursuit of the Snitch and was giving a comprehensive dialogue on their progress; He was actually an excellent commentator, not as biased as both Lee Jordan and his brother who had preceded him. Even in matters of his own house he had managed to give objective commentary, even when annihilated by Slytherin
Hermione had one fist stuffed into her mouth at this point, trying to prevent any cries of the wrong name escaping when the chase reached its climax; she was genuinely afraid that she might scream out Malfoy�s name at the crucial moment. The other hand was shredding the fringe at the end of her scarf as she twisted and twined it around her fingers. Was it really so awful for her to want in the deepest recesses of her secret heart for another team - no not even the team, just one person on the team - to win this once? she asked herself, as she watched Harry and Draco racing after the elusive tiny golden ball? Well, of course it was and she knew it; she was the Keeper�s girlfriend. She of all people could not be supporting the other side.
All she really wished now was just that it be over quickly; she had never felt tension like this at a match before, where her heart was contradicting her brain. She thought something might snap if she had to watch much more of this. And then, just as if she had wished it so, it was. There was a moment of utter silence in the stadium where you could have heard the proverbial pin drop, and then Malfoy roared �Yes!� at the top of his voice and holding the Golden Snitch out in his left hand, he sent his broom into a tailspin straight upwards from the pitch. He had obviously charmed the tail to emit sparks if they won, for as he shot upwards a trail of green and silver spangles burst from the end, falling gently to the ground before fizzling out like fireworks on Bonfire Night.
Harry looked utterly disconcerted, as if he had no idea how Malfoy could be in possession of the snitch whilst he was still hovering in the place where he had last seen it. Even Hermione whose gaze had been glued to Malfoy for the whole game was unsure how he had actually captured the snitch; he had maneuvered so fast that it had all seemed a blur.
All of a sudden the frozen spectators erupted into reaction. The Slytherin stands were actually shaking with the effects of the stamping feet and jumping students as they roared and cheered for their team. Hermione actually let out a muffled squeak of relief, but thanks to her fortitude in keeping her mouth full of her hand, it was easily swallowed up in the groans of despair from her housemates all around her.
Ferdic Brennan was announcing to anyone who might have missed the result, �Slytherin has won! In an astonishing display of skill and dexterity, Slytherin seeker Draco Malfoy captured the snitch right out from under Harry Potter�s nose by using an upwards Corkscrew Turn. He must have been practicing that move all summer! Again, Slytherin wins, in just an hour and forty minutes!! The score is 275 to 115!� Ferdic continued to try and give the history of the maneuver that Draco had used and its development by the French National Quidditch Squad, but even with the use of a sonorous charm, he was unable to make himself heard above the clamor from the stadium and eventually he gave up and joined the rest of his housemates.
Finally brought to a comprehension of her betrayal by the sea of devastated faces around her, Hermione felt her euphoria dissolve with the realisation of what this actually meant to her House. On examination of the sickened expressions before her, she found that she couldn�t remember the Gryffindors looking this upset since the day that Professor Umbridge had banned Harry and the Weasley twins from Quidditch back in the 5^th year, yet another occasion which had all been Malfoy�s fault.
An awful and perfect recollection of exactly what Malfoy had done then to result in Harry�s ban from Quidditch rose up in front of her eyes, and she felt suddenly sick to her stomach. This was still the same person, even if he had been showing improved personality traits over the past year; he would always be Draco Malfoy, who had lied cheated and hexed his way through the first five years of her schooling. The boy who had manipulated and connived continuously to get them in trouble. How could she have been kissing him less than two hours ago, and desperately wanting him to win against her own house?
And how - even now as he flew another victory lap around the stands, followed in an arrow formation by the rest of the Slytherin team and pausing deliberately in front of the devastated Gryffindor stand - could she watch the ecstatic grin on his gorgeous face and still feel a rush of pleasure that he had won this game? She allowed herself to think for a moment that the huge smile on his face was for her alone, as was the silently formed word which she thought she saw ghost across his lips as he turned away and led the team off again; Thank you!

She sat down abruptly on the bench, and buried her face in her hands. I am in so much trouble, she thought. Why can�t I stop thinking about him? She almost jumped as she felt a hand descend on her shoulder, and looked up to find herself relieved to see that it was only Parvati, with Lavender hovering behind her.
�Are you okay, Hermione?� Parvati asked. �Wasn�t that just terrible?� she added mournfully, and Hermione nodded, fully aware that she was agreeing to something totally different than what Parvati meant.
�We should go back to the common room,� Lavender added. �Ron�s going to need you to comfort him when they get out of the showers.�
The sick feeling returned tenfold. Ron. How could she have forgotten about her boyfriend in all her selfish musings about her own agitation? Lavender�s reason for mentioning him suddenly became apparent to her as she looked towards the Slytherin stands and heard a faint burst of Weasley is our King escape as Malfoy�s team stopped to hover in front of their housemates.
She noted abstractedly that Draco abruptly stopped the chorus before it could start with a few decisive hand motions, apparently lecturing the Slytherins on some alternative amusement, as a huge cheer greeted whatever he had said. There was too much other noise in the stadium to hear his words, and as his back was to Gryffindor, she was unable to attempt her minor ability to lip read. Why had he stopped them singing a song he himself had penned, and which had become akin to a National Anthem to the Slytherins, she wondered?
Lavender was tugging her upwards now and she squared her shoulders for the journey back to the Gryffindor Tower. She had the distance of the grounds to prepare herself to be the supportive girlfriend, and banish all thoughts of sexy blond Slytherins who kissed like an angel and behaved like the devil from her mind.
The mood in the common room seemed more suited to a wake than a post-game afternoon. It wasn�t that Gryffindor had never lost a Quidditch match, for they certainly had. But Hermione realised that they rarely lost to Slytherin, and so early in the season too. True, there had been pre-season friendly games played already this term, and Gryffindor had won theirs against Hufflepuff, as had Slytherin against Ravenclaw. But this was the first game which counted towards the Cup at the end of the year. Could it have gotten off to a worse start? Hermione felt her own culpability as she looked upon the morbid faces of her friends as they awaited the return of their team.
Thirty minutes later, the portrait hole opened to admit Harry and the rest of his team. They looked rueful but resigned. A cheer arose for them despite their defeat and they acknowledged the support gratefully. As their leader, Harry felt compelled to address the result, and he climbed onto a small occasional table with Ginny beside him holding his hand. The other members of the team took seats around the common room and waited to hear him speak. The room was exceptionally full as most students didn�t want to retire to their dormitories before sympathizing with their Captain, and any excuse to revile Slytherin was always welcome.
Sitting aside from the main crush of people tucked away in a corner chair, Hermione felt again the pressure to uphold the Sorting Hat�s pleas to unify the Houses, and wished that Slytherin was not so readily regarded as the villain. Of course, they did little to alter their bad image outside their own house, but even someone as inexperienced as Hermione in the area of Quidditch could see that today�s game had definitely been won by skill and experience and not the usual tactics of intimidation and borderline thuggery that had been prevalent in previous years.
Ron spotted where she was sitting and made his way over to her as they waited for Harry to begin speaking. He pulled her up and sat down in her space tugging her onto his lap. He looped his arms loosely around her waist and she could smell the soap and shampoo on him. His hair was still wet, and seemed much darker than usual where it clung to his neck and dampened her shoulder as he rested his head there with a sigh.
�Told you they were playing better, didn�t I?� he groaned as he played with the hem of her jumper. But Hermione was relieved to find that he didn�t seem to have regressed to his 5^th year behaviour of blaming himself for any goals which slipped by him.
�Yes, you did,� she agreed softly. �I think -� but she got no further for Harry began speaking.
�Well, there isn�t much I can say about this afternoon which I am sure hasn�t already been said by all of you gathered here. We knew that Slytherin was operating differently this year; we�ve all watched them in the pre-season games. However, I think we found out today that watching and participating are two very different things. It�s very easy to be critical when you are a spectator; it�s much different when you are up in the air facing down people who have always behaved in one way. You have expectations which are ingrained, even though your common sense tells you that this will be different today. All I can add is that we won�t be taken by surprise again. We�ve got the measure of this new Slytherin now, and next time they better watch out!�
He jumped off the table accompanied by rousing shouts of, �Next time,� and �Watch out Malfoy!� Shortly thereafter many of the students drifted off to their dormitories or outside the common room to follow other pursuits. No one really felt in the mood for a party; Ron seemed to be dozing in the chair with Hermione held loosely on his lap. She realised with a aching heart that there was absolutely no way on earth she could tell him they had to stop seeing each other today, now that this had happened.
There was a sudden knocking on the portrait door, and one of the younger girls went over to answer it. Hermione watched as Luna Lovegood entered the common room and was immediately joined by Ginny Weasley. Luna and Ginny exchanged a brief but seemingly intense conversation, and Hermione thought she saw Ginny gesturing over to where she was curled in this chair with Ron�s head on her shoulder.
There was absolutely no change of expression on Luna�s dreamy countenance, but Hermione suspected that something unusual was being discussed between her and Ginny, and when Ginny placed an arm on Luna�s elbow and tried to bring her further into the room she became convinced. Luna however, shook her head firmly and detaching herself from Ginny slipped back out of the common room as quietly as she had entered, leaving Hermione to ponder what that could have been about, especially as she saw that Ginny was watching her brother and Hermione whilst at the same time trying very hard to seem as if she wasn�t.
Hermione was effectively trapped in her position by Ron�s seeming slumber, and she had ample opportunity to wonder what could have brought Luna Lovegood to the Gryffindor common room so quickly after such a major defeat. The only thought which she could come up with was to again wonder if there had been some prior relationship between them that she knew nothing about, and that Luna had come to extend her sympathy and support to Ron in the light of the Slytherin victory.
She wondered if it was just her own guilty conscience encouraging her to believe that Ron had secrets now that she had some of her own to worry about. The evil corner of her mind was telling her that Luna just might prove to be her salvation in all of this mess; if Ron was to be embroiled in a relationship with Luna, then at least her own defection might be achieved without any resulting loss of friendship between them. She didn�t know how she would survive if the closeness between herself, Ron and Harry collapsed because she broke up with Ron. Their friendship and devotion to each other had been the cornerstone of her life here at Hogwarts, and she should have known that to try and involve romance within it would be a recipe to destroy the foundations upon which it was built.
She could only hope now that she would be able to save what they once had, and maybe Luna would be her one chance to succeed, if she had read the signs correctly.

*************
Another smut free chapter, I am sorry to say. It seems to have wandered off by itself and won�t come back when I call. However, in the next chapter we will visit the Slytherins at their post-game party, and catch up with Pansy and Blaise. Ooh, that naughty Pansy!
Thanks to all who reviewed. I must do some replies again. I must mow the lawn��ah, the list just gets longer!!!
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Pansy's Volcano