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Searching	By : avari20 Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Hermione Views: 10921 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 0
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-Searching
- 2-Part I
- 3-Part II
- 4-Part III
- 5-Part IV
- 6-Part V
- 7-Part VI
- 8-Part VII
- 9-Part VIII
- 5
- 6
- 7
Disclaimer: I own nothing, JKR�s got it all.

Part V

In Draco�s time, the forest had been a thing to fear. It had been creeping back toward the castle, trying to gobble up the stones that had been taken from their depths. Attempting to destroy the evil that pervaded the structure by returning it to its rightful place in nature. When Draco stepped through the hidden door in 1473, he was stunned by the change. He was confronted by a field, the figures of the hurrying twins illuminated by the moonlight.
Draco was so busy marveling at his surroundings that he almost didn�t notice that Conall had taken the lead. By the time Draco snapped out of it, Conall was silently loping across the expanse in hot pursuit of the twins. Draco had to rush to catch up. He knew that anyone who bothered to look out of a window could see them easily. It would be impossible to effectively attack from the woods, Draco realized. The forest stood at a discreet distance from the castle proper. If Aniston were to arrive tomorrow, he would be forced out into the open field if he wanted to do any real damage. The arrangement cancelled out any possibility of a surprise attack.
So how the hell had Aniston managed to conquer the castle? Draco dodged branches and leapt over exposed roots, only half aware of what he was doing. He wasn�t worried about making any noise. This wasn�t the first time he had ever had to get somewhere quickly and silently. In fact, he was so busy brooding over the mechanics of his ancestor�s eventual invasion that he didn�t register the fact that Conall had stopped.
Draco ran right into the burly bastard who, much to Draco�s displeasure, didn�t move a muscle. Draco, however, bounced back and would have fallen if the bugger hadn�t steadied him.
Clutching his nose, Draco shook off Conall�s hand and glared at the other man silently. That had better not be a smirk on his ugly face, he thought furiously. Bad enough that he hadn�t been paying attention. Worse still that he had actually run into someone and had to be caught up like a fainting woman by that same someone. If that bastard laughed, there was going to be one less person coming out of these woods!

Conall had turned his face away from Draco so he couldn�t see his expression, but his shoulders were suspiciously shaking. Just as Draco was about to kick caution to the wind and whale the impertinent arse, Conall gained control of himself and motioned Draco silently forward. The trees in front of them had grown so close together over the years that they formed a natural wall. Draco couldn�t see anything significant through the small spaces that were visible. To his left, however, he could see a space just big enough to form a door. Conall pointed to one side of the opening. With narrowed eyes, the blond man crept up to the tree the warrior had indicated. Conall hid on the other side. Together, the men peeked cautiously into the twins� hideaway.
Draco�s eyes widened.
It was a rose glen, a beautiful paradise ensconced in an ugly, harsh place. Hundreds of roses crept up the trees, wildly engulfing almost every inch of space they could. The fragrance was intoxicating, even to Draco, who disdained roses. Blossoms of every color found itself kissed by the moonlight that filtered brightly through the treetops. Draco�s gaze flickered to the bark underneath his fingers. Hawthorns, the witch�s tree. This tree was supposed to be the transfigured bodies of some of the earliest witches in existence, making it sacred and widely used in the wizarding world. It was the ultimate creation symbol.
There was a lot of magic to be found in this glen. Pure, unadulterated magic, in its rawest form. Draco was just a wee bit awed by it all.
In the center of the glen the twins stood and admired their surroundings. Hermione looked at Hannah, Hannah looked back--and suddenly giggled. Hermione soon joined her. And then the pair were laughing like little girls, separating to run to the rose bushes. To Draco�s surprise, the two began to kiss every rose within reach, grinning and crooning like a brace of loons. What in the devil were they�.?
The roses began to glow.
One by one, blossoms shimmered to life and opened. Draco heard the distinct sound of little bells tinkling. To his amazement the lights rose and began to dart about merrily. Of course! Fairies loved roses. Glens like this were said to open up portals between the mortal world and the fey.
Hannah reached for Hermione.
They swung one another around in child-like delight. Always ready to play, the fey swooped about madly, tickling the women and riding in their hair to join in the fun. Hannah broke away from Hermione and twirled around, her arms raised toward the moon. One light separated from her hair. It hovered in front of her, growing and stretching until it was taller than Hannah herself. A male fairy stepped forward, now the size of a human man. Had this been the first time Hannah had ever seen him, she would have been gaping. As it was, she was still stunned by his sheer beauty, but by now she had grown somewhat used to it. �Calix,� she greeted breathlessly.
The fey man bowed. Black hair fell rakishly over one eye, that one lock that forever escaped the queue at the base of his neck. Blue eyes met hers when he straightened. �I�ve missed you,� he murmured. It was a tone that brought hot summer nights and lots of naked skin to mind. Hannah smiled. �You say that to all the pregnant women you meet,� she teased.
His answering grin was wicked. �What can I say? There�s something about a witch about to bring forth life that thrills me as nothing else.� His eyes dropped to her distended belly. �A glow, if one must describe it.� He grabbed her hand and kissed it gallantly. �Where have you been, my Hannah?�
Hannah�s smile turned bittersweet. �Surviving,� she answered softly, looking over at her sister. Hermione was currently upside down, laughing while she fought to keep her skirt from drooping over her face and exposing delicate selections of her anatomy. Little bells tinkled in response.
Calix hooked a finger under her jaw and gently brought her attention back to himself. �You haven�t been doing a very good job, my love. Have those mortals been treating you callously? You should finally accept my offer and return to the fey world with me.� He extended a hand to indicate the glen, falling back on the old lure he had been offering since the twins were little more than infants. �All of this and more at your lovely feet.�
Hannah quirked her eyebrow, going along with the old routine. �Oh? And what about Hermione?�
Calix pretended to think about it, tapping his chin. �Hm, two magical women all to myself. Very well, since you begged so sweetly, I accept!�
�Oh, but I�m sorry, my lord. I must be the only woman in my man�s life, but I fear that I must stay with my sister. She needs me, you know.�
Calix laughed heartily, as he always did when she answered thus. He hooked an arm around her waist and swept her up against his body. �Ah, Hannah, I truly did miss you. Ever since you two were little girls, I have looked forward to our meetings. What will I do without you?� A rare sadness dimmed the sparkle in his eye. Hannah felt her heart skip a beat. �What do you mean?� she questioned, a note of anxiety evident in her voice.
Calix looked grim. �One day another man will come and take you two away from me again,� he answered solemnly. Then, as though the sadness had never been, he teased, �But then, isn�t that the way of things with two such beauties as yourselves?�
Hannah stared at him for a moment. What had that been about? Had Calix experienced one of those fleeting moments of fey sentimentality toward mortals�or had it been something more? Something prophetic? No, that was the grief of the last few months talking. She was safe in her home. Nothing would take that away from her. For once, Hannah, let go and remember who you used to be.

She shook off the feeling of foreboding and offered Calix a smile. �Dance with me,� she asked. Calix didn�t hesitate. �Always.�

~*~

It was late when they returned. The moon was sinking behind the trees when the twins entered the courtyard again. They remained silent throughout most of the trip home, not speaking again until they stood outside Hannah�s room. �Thank you,� Hannah whispered. She squeezed Hermione�s hand once, and then quietly entered her room. She needed time to be alone.
Hermione watched her close her door, understanding that Hannah had taken a new step toward reclaiming her life tonight. Talking to Calix, returning to the glen, dancing under the stars. Hannah needed a moment to let the possibility of a new life, without Duncan, to sink in.
Hermione walked aimlessly down the hall, not quite sleepy enough to retire. She trailed her fingers along the wall, using the contact to ground her while she lost herself to her thoughts. What would it be like, she wondered, to fall in love? Hannah had been in love with Duncan for so long no one had ever really questioned it as something other than fact. It had just seemed to always be. The sky was blue, the grass was green, and Hannah loved Duncan.
But what about Hermione? Would she simply know, like Hannah had, when she found the One? Hermione rather thought that it would be something like a lightening bolt striking. Everything would suddenly become clear, and her future would be mapped out from that moment on.
It sounded so�.boring.
Hannah had been supremely happy with Duncan. They had matched one another perfectly, their temperaments balancing out. They had never argued, never fought, and never doubted for one moment that they would one day wed. Hermione had been happy for them, yet at the same time had wondered if she could survive such a relationship.
Granted, Hermione�s experience with relationships of an abiding nature was restricted to her findings in potions. Yet potions that contained two ingredients that possessed characteristics of an opposing nature (minor or major) lasted much longer and retained a high level of potency. Potions made of ingredients that perfectly complimented one another tended to stagnate and diminish in effectiveness. Hermione had always supposed that a relationship between a man and a women would be like that of the ingredients. For the relationship to work, the two people had to retain quirks and differences in their personalities. They would always find something new about their partner, have new reasons to stay interested and active in the relationship.
Two people who knew everything about each other, with no real differences in personality�..well, it became more about comfort than love then, didn�t it? It would be like marrying yourself, with no surprises. Even she and Hannah had differences. Hannah was much more logical than she, despite the fact that Hermione was the more avid learner. It was those little things that bound them together much more tightly.
So was love the relationship that had existed between Hannah and Duncan? Or was love something else, something more like Hermione had once imagined it to be?

�You�re a bloody idiot.�
Now really, that was rather- wait a minute, that wasn�t her voice! Hermione stopped abruptly and looked over her shoulder in surprise. Like an angel swooping out of the night, Draco of Nowhere was bearing down on her, his hair a blinding contrast to his black shirt. He was scowling at her. Hermione cocked her head at him. �What are you doing--?�
He kept walking, going right past her and barreling down the hall with the speed of the angry. Hermione�s mouth dropped open. Annoyance quickly overwhelmed mild shock. She rushed after him. �Now, see here, I was speaking to ye!� How dare he call her an idiot and then run off without so much as a by-your-leave? �I demand an explanation!�
He ignored her and kept walking.

Hermione was practically running by now. She managed a singular burst of speed and threw herself into his path, bringing him to a stuttering halt. �Who do you think you are!� she snapped at him.
He was glaring at her, his eyes crackling with emotion. �I am a very tired man, running around after a madwoman who doesn�t have the sense to stay inside at night.� He tried to go around her. He was too mixed up right now to talk to her reasonably. Draco had to hide out in his room awhile and deal with his thoughts. Tonight he had come to the conclusion that he had to use Hermione to get the treasure. For a moment there he had allowed himself to hope that she would lead him to the secret, thereby giving him what he needed without having to resort to tricking a girl he was beginning to like too much.
He was afraid that if he stayed, he might start to shout at her. He would very likely tell her things that he shouldn�t. Draco was also certain that he would take the anger that had been steadily growing inside all night out on her.
Hermione blocked him once more. �Ye were following us? Spying?� she spat out incredulously. �I should have Conall-�
Draco took a menacing step forward. �Somebody had to make sure that you two brainless twits didn�t get yourselves hurt,� he returned angrily. �And just for your information, your precious Conall was with me almost the entire time.�
Hermione tossed her hair over her shoulder. Her hands went straight to her hips. �Hannah and I have been doing just fine without you for years,� she told him hotly. She would deal with the issue of Conall�s defection later.
Draco waved his hand. �Yes, well, that was before, wasn�t it?�
�Nothing has changed-�
�The devil it hasn�t!� Draco thundered. �Everything has changed, Hermione! You can�t go out there like that again. Theses are dangerous times and you know it!� He poked her shoulder. �You could have been hurt. Do you even understand that concept, or do you somehow think that you are invincible?�
Hermione slapped his hand away. �What do you know of danger in this world? You will not be here forever, so why do you care if I live or die?�
Anger surged to new heights inside of him. �Die? Die? That�s just it, isn�t it? I shouldn�t care if you live or die, because you are already six hundred years in the grave!� he shouted. �By the time I am born, not even dust will be left of you!�
She paled and took a step back. He watched her, his breathing shallow. It was all her fault, he thought to himself. It was all her fault that he felt this way. If she hadn�t been the way she was, so like Granger, he wouldn�t have cared about her like he did. It wouldn�t hurt so much to know that he would be using her. He wouldn�t have felt like he had been stabbed in the heart while he watched her in the glen. Suddenly realizing that this girl was going to die so very soon because of his ancestor�because of him, wouldn�t have made him rather die than go through with it.
He�d wanted to burst into the glen and take both girls into his arms and run so very far away. He wanted to tell her everything and damn the consequences. So what if history was changed forever? So what if thousands of events would alter instantly? So what if he died in the end? Hermione would be alive. Hannah and her baby would be alive.
But he couldn�t. This was bigger than him, or her, or Hannah. It involved possibly millions of lives and events that, if changed, would alter his world for the worse. Draco was suddenly made responsible for the lives of babies that hadn�t even been born yet, and it chafed him to know it. It was killing him inside to be damned any way he moved. �You and Hannah don�t exist for me. You�ve been gone so long no one remembers your names!�
�I live,� she told him, conviction hardening the words. �I live and breathe and love. For all the air you draw into your lungs, can you tell me the same?�
He couldn�t. Gods help him, he truly couldn�t say that he had ever lived. Living required a reason, a higher calling that he just didn�t have. He had always existed, drifting. She saw him rear back involuntarily, and pushed on. �When I die I will have gone knowing that I served my purpose and do not die in vain. I�ve watched you these last few days, and I can tell ye that I see no direction, no goal, no rationale to your life! Ye wander about, looking for something ye don�t even know you�ll recognize when you see it, and then you have the bollocks to tell me I don�t live!�
She turned away, seething. How dare he? Gods, she wanted to slap him! She wanted to wipe that scowl right off of his face so badly she could taste it--her wrist was snatched up and he spun her to face him. �Let me go, ye arrogant-!� He dragged her into his arms. Ignoring her protest, he bent his head and kissed her. It was hard and quick and close-mouthed. Draco wasn�t sure why he did it, but the urge that drove him had been so strong that he hadn�t questioned it. It didn�t last long. Barely a taste, to his mind. Hermione lurched back and broke his hold on her wrist. Her eyes blazed with hurt and frustration. She drew her arm back and let her fist fly. He caught it easily--only to be blindsided by her left hook! She hit him so hard that his head snapped to the side.
She tore away completely. Holding his gaze, she reached up and deliberately swabbed at her lips with the back of her hand. �That,� she said slowly, �was my first kiss. Ye ruined that for me.�
As quick as a flash, Hermione raised her knee--right into his family gems! The breath left him in a whoosh while agony swept him. His knees went weak. He collapsed to the floor, cupping himself protectively and trying very hard not to cry like a baby. That bloody wench! Bloody, bloody, wench! Hermione stood in front of him, completely unsympathetic to the devastation she had caused. In fact, she looked rather satisfied with herself. The little--
�Now we�re even,� she told him smugly. Without another word she turned on her heel�.and left him there!

~*~

The next morning he approached with determination. He almost hadn�t approached at all, but had firmly reminded himself that while tender, he still had his manhood, and he was damned if he was going to hide out from the Squibby wench. They were having this out. Now.
He planted his hands on the table and leaned forward. �Apologize.�
Hermione measured out an ounce of powder. �Drown yourself,� she immediately responded. She never looked away from the powder, giving Draco only half the attention he was used to getting. Which he noted right away. Which pissed him off that much further to have noted it.
Which made some inner thing laugh its ass off at his continued denial of his feelings.
Draco growled. �Taking away my future children,� he gritted, �in exchange for stealing a kiss is in no way equal. Now apologize to me!� Stop looking at her lips! he commanded himself, dragging his eyes away.
Hermione took his demand in stride, casually casting it aside in favor of stirring the liquid in the little bowl just so. �Not quite right,� she murmured to herself. �Hand me those silver fir needles.� He passed the jar that sat next to his left hand, continuing his tirade. �It�s not like the kiss was all that grand anyway. It barely lasted a minute. If that. That�s--use a smaller spoon, it might help, yes that one--fairly insignificant compared to the propagation of my line. If you really think about it, you�re denying not only me of my children, but my poor wife as well--�
That caught her attention. She looked at him for the first time in the entire exchange, her eyes narrowed. �What were ye doin� kissing me if ye were married?� she asked suspiciously.
He waved the question away. �I�m not married, but by the gods, the possibility still exists! That is, if a woman will even have me now that you�ve gelded me.� He ignored her snort. �Heirs are still very important in my world, thank you very much.�
Hermione rolled her eyes, returning her attention back to the apple she was dicing. �I�m sure your wife will be quite satisfied with your reproductive abilities. Apple?� She tossed him a piece, which he caught. �Though why you�re so worried is beyond me. Surely you can find a woman who will appreciate you for more than what children you may give her. Ye are well bred. You aren�t unpleasant all the time, though you have your moments. I suppose, if one is interested in such things, you aren�t that hard to look at. It could not be that hard to find someone for yourself.�
Draco hooked his foot under a nearby stool, brought it over, and sat down. �You�re hopeless. At this rate, the potion will be too far gone for the apple to take affect.� He took a knife and apple and started to peel. �You�d think so, wouldn�t you?� he asked.
�I�d think what?�
He tossed the skin and started cutting again. �You would think that a handsome, civilized, wealthy chap like myself would have women swarming his doorstep. In school girls would fight to sit next to me in class. I thought for sure once I survived the war and finished sowing my wild oats that I would find a wonderful girl and settle down. But here I am, a spinster at twenty five!� Draco whacked the apple viciously with a huge knife. One piece flew off of the table and hit a dog laying nearby, who jumped.
Hermione soothed the poor hound with a bit of meat. �Men can�t be spinsters,� she pointed out, managing to hide her smile. She watched his agitated movement, the issue obviously bothering him. Hermione had a feeling that Draco of Nowhere was used to being seen as a charming, unruffled man. Yet she could see that he was more out of place here than temporally speaking. Everything was new, and he was reacting like a little boy who had never been around other people because of it.
It was just a wee bit endearing.
�Ha!� he exclaimed, pointing at her with his knife triumphantly. �That shows how much you know! Bachelors,� he explained, gesturing with the blade, �are men who want to be single. Men who are quite happy with the way their lives are going. I,� he almost stabbed himself in the chest at this point, but he caught the motion in time and put the knife gingerly on the table. �I want to get married. I want to have children. I just can�t seem to get it all together. Therefore, I am a spinster.� Draco glared. Stop looking at her lips! �And thanks to you, I�m stuck in the condition. Who wants to marry a man who can�t have children?�
�What war?�
�What are you on about?�
�Ye said something about surviving a war�.�

~*~

He never did get his apology. Explaining the war took far longer than he had anticipated. First he had to go through the terminology, and then Hermione had begun her questions. What a brain that girl had. She had asked him things he had had no answer for, and he had been there! He had found himself alternately bewildered, angry, amused, and saddened throughout the entire discussion. By the time they had taken a break, Draco had absentmindedly helped her complete four potions and a snack.
They were on one of the tower rooftops. There was a table where the men sometimes ate their meals while they stood guard, and the two sat on top of the table so that they could better see the view. Draco bit into his cheese and marveled. �This really is a beautiful country,� he said. �You know, from afar.�
From up here he could see much more of the countryside than he ever had before. The forest stretched out for miles, but there were patches of farmland where much of the castle�s foodstuffs came from. Draco could see herds of sheep, and even a river that he assumed was somehow connected with the cavern�s water system. There were hills and valleys and colors that Draco hadn�t been aware existed in Nature. He had never really stopped to appreciate it, he supposed.
Hermione murmured an agreement around her bread. Once she finished chewing, she asked, �What was it like where you lived?� She was swinging her feet like a child. For a moment Draco forgot to reply, captivated as he was watching her. But then he shook himself and managed to look away. Stop looking at her lips! �Well, I lived in a city. School was set in a pretty secluded area, but I never really ventured out except to play Quidditch.� He had explained the game to her. She showed about as much enthusiasm for it now as she would six hundred years later--none whatsoever. Except perhaps the flying bit. That had intrigued her. �And the manor where I grew up had a lot of land to it, but it was all perfectly manicured. Nothing like this.�
Hermione propped her chin on her hand. �I�ve never been to a city,� she admitted. �Is it as big as they say?�
�Imagine all of this,� he said, indicating the land, �covered in buildings. Some are taller than this castle, or at least in my time. There�s people everywhere.�
�It sounds exciting.� Hermione sounded wistful.
Draco shrugged. �It can be. There�s no end to entertainment. Mostly its lonely. You can never hope to meet all the people around you, and everyone seems more concerned with themselves than anybody else. It can get rather brutal.� Funny. He�d never thought about it like that before. �Why have you never been to a city?�
Hermione sighed and picked at her bread. �We were afraid of what would happen. Here, people know that we�re�.different. They accept it. The further away from the castle we go, the less understanding people can be.� A little flash of pain in her eyes. �There was this fair once��
They had been trapped here by circumstances they couldn�t understand or control. Magical children often had less control over their powers, no matter what training they might have received. They tended to react instinctively, sometimes with devastating consequences. �But now that you�ve grown up,� he pressed. �Surely you can go now.�
�Sometimes I want to,� Hermione said. �When Hannah married and moved away, I was lonely. Then my father sickened. I just�stayed.�
Draco sipped his drink. �If the two of you never left here, how did Hannah meet Duncan?�

�My father was a healer. He saved Duncan�s father once. They were friends until they died. It pleased them that their children got along so well. When they married, Hannah went to live with them. Duncan was just a second son, but he was very important to his clan.� Hermione thought back to the years she and her sister had been separated. It had hurt so much, and while she had adored Duncan, Hermione had been incredibly happy to have Hannah with her again. �They never truly welcomed Hannah, though. She also got strange looks. When Duncan died, they blamed her.� Anger tightened her lips. Stop looking at them! �I sent Conall to help her escape. She had to hide in a hay cart for miles.�
Hermione had known the minute Duncan had died. Hannah�s grief had reached out across the miles and gripped her hard. She had collapsed by the well, overwhelmed by tears that she had no logical reason for. At first everyone believed that her hysterics had been a delayed reaction to her father�s death, but soon it had become clear that Hermione�s pain was not her own. Conall and a handful of the best warriors Hermione could find had been dispatched immediately. Hermione had been waiting at the gate when they returned less than a week later with a haggard, grief-stricken Hannah in tow.
�They want her dead,� she continued. �In their eyes Duncan�s killer has gone free. They want war badly, but they don�t dare encroach on our land.�
�They�re afraid of what you and Hannah can do.�
Hermione nodded. �Yes. So here we stay, Stranger. Feared and reviled by the outside world, two against many. I doubt your city could be so much worse.�
Draco was silent for a while. It was startling to realize just how lucky he had been to grow up in a world that understood him. But even then, it hadn�t been perfect. Times had advanced, but situations had also reversed. The Great War had happened because the Wizarding world had turned its contempt on Muggles, Muggleborns, and Half-Bloods. The few had still been hated by the many. The notion that things would never change caused a sinking feeling inside.
�I suppose all is not lost. It�s not like I have a shortage of men here. I could always marry Conall if I get lonely,� Hermione mused.
Draco head snapped to face her. �WHAT?� He realized how jealous he sounded when she began to laugh at him. �It�s not funny,� he grumbled. �I bet you gelded me because you wanted your first kiss to be with him.� The word tasted bitter. He took a bite out of his bread and chewed vigorously. He�d been thinking about that damn kiss all day. More specifically, he�d been thinking about kissing her again. Bad Malfoy, he berated himself.
Hermione quirked a brow at him. �I exacted retribution because I have waited for years to find that one man who would appreciate me, despite my�.differences. If I wanted to give him my first kiss as my gift of gratitude. It was not a common thing, and I did not appreciate having it stolen by someone who didn�t value it for what it was.� She got off the table and brushed at the crumbs on her dress, anger evident in her movements.
Draco leapt off the table, angry and embarrassed at the accusation. He stepped in front of her to prevent her from leaving. �If it meant that much to you, why did you only get angry now, instead of spending the morning with me? If you were really upset about it, you would have slapped me around a bit. Hexed me or something! So why didn�t you?�
She glared at him mutinously. Stop looking at her mouth! �I don�t know!� she retorted hotly. �I was angry. I was furious. I couldn�t sleep last night for planning all the heinous things I would do to you today. But�I forgot.�
�You forgot?� Draco repeated incredulously.
�Yes! I forgot! And anyway, why did you come to me this morning? If you were really upset, you would have planned something and demanded your ridiculous apology later! Why did you spend the morning with me?�
Draco pursed his lips. He looked away and mumbled something. �What was that?� Hermione asked suspiciously. �I said,� he shouted, turning back quickly, �that I forgot too, ok? I forgot too!� He crossed his arms. �Are you happy now?�
Hermione grunted. She made to move around him, but he held out both arms to block her in. �Truce!� he cried out.
�What?�
He looked determined. �I said I want a truce. I don�t want to fight. I�ll say I�m�.sorry�.if you will. That�ll be the end of it.� He didn�t look happy, but then, it couldn�t have been easy to say the �s� word, Hermione thought.
�Are ye serious?�
�Very.� His tone held no hesitation. He waited. �Well, aren�t you going to say it?� he demanded.
�You first.�
�Like hell.�
�This is getting us nowhere.� She made to leave again. Once more he blocked her. �Ok, ok! We do it at the same time. On the count of three. How about that?� he gritted out, frustration gnawing him. Hermione sighed, and then finally nodded. �Alright�.one�two�.three-
�I�m sorry!� he rushed out. And then he realized that the wench hadn�t said a thing! �You little-! You tricked me!�
Hermione was laughing. Correction, she was laughing so hard that she was crying. He lunged forward, intent on exacting revenge, but she dodged in time. The girl really was devilishly fast when she wanted to be. He ended up chasing her around the table like a lecherous old man going after his secretary. It wasn�t until she tripped and he launched himself over the table that he finally caught her. He was laughing too by then.
For a moment they stood there and hugged each other while they tried to catch their breath. But Draco felt the rising tension in his body. The calmer his breathing got, the more his heart sped up. He was staring into her eyes, barely aware of the smile had slipped from their lips. Awareness grew. For the thousandth time that day, Draco�s gaze dropped to her lips. The pull was magnetic. He felt his head bending. He was getting closer. Her eyelashes were drooping. She wasn�t moving away�.
Someone dropped something large in the courtyard, the crash echoing, making Hermione jump.
The moment broke into a million pieces. Hermione shook her head as if to clear it. Slowly she backed away. He found himself letting her go. She patted his arm. �Yes, well,� she started. Nothing else came out, and she blushed.

�Yes,� he repeated. �Well.�
�I really must be going. Lots to do and all that.� Hermione almost tripped again in her haste to get to the door. Once there, however, she paused. She turned back to him, one hand on the door. He stood where she�d left him, watching her. �Do you--do you want to come with me?� she asked, licking her lips nervously.
�Yes,� he said again. �Yes.�

~*~

To Be Continued.
- 5
- 6
- 7
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