Granger put her hands on her hips. "Were you even listening to me?" She huffed in annoyance.
Draco decided to be honest with her. He was curious to see if the curse was right and he did secretly love her. He was also really hopeful that something could happen between them. She hadn't turned him in after all. Though there was the problem of The Weasel. Though Granger did say that she was angry with him for the moment. He was already going to be locked away in Azkaban for something that he no longer believed in, might as well do something that he actually wanted to do.
Instead of answering her, he lowered his head until he was a breath away from her. She looked up at him with astonished eyes. Before he could chicken out, he kissed her.
Granger-no, Hermione reached up on her toes and wrapped her arms around his neck. This was an interesting development. Maybe The Weasel wasn't that important to her.
"Ten points away from Gryffindor and Slytherin."
Draco and Hermione jumped apart. Standing before them was a stern faced professor Snape. Draco swallowed the lump in his throat, realizing that things had just turned from worse to great to terrible within minutes.
"I kissed him!" Hermione hurriedly shouted. Draco realized that she must have figured out that their potions professor was a Death Eater.
Professor Snape narrowed cold eyes onto Hermione. "Leave for class before I deduct another ten points."
Hermione looked as if she wanted to argue but decided against it. She ran for the classroom with her head hung low.
Draco tore his eyes away from her and forced them to Snape.
"A relationship between a Slytherin and a Gryffindor can never work out. You must do your best to protect her." With that, the professor left, his robes fluttering around him like the wings of a bat.
That was weird, and so not what Draco had been expecting. Did professor Snape feel the same way about Lord Voldemort that he did? But Snape always seemed to be a big supporter.
Draco had too many questions in his head. Maybe he could ask Hermione. Hermione. That was another question that definitely needed an answer.
. . . . .
She kissed Malfoy. She kissed Malfoy! What was she thinking! To make matters worse, they were caught by professor Snape. Someone who Harry suspected of being a Death Eater.
Hermione groaned inwardly, unable to show her inner turmoil. It would do no good to have a mental breakdown in the middle of class.
A bird shaped paper landed on the desk in front of her. She turned around in her seat in the direction it had come from. Malfoy nodded his head and made a reading motion with his hands. Hermione turned back to face the front, the professor and the rest of the class were none the wiser. She unfolded the paper. Meet me in the library during lunch.
. . . .
Hermione pushed open the doors to the library. There were a few scattered students but not many since most were at lunch.
She walked down the aisles. She couldn't believe she was doing this but she wanted answers. Out of all the questions swirling in head, she mainly just wanted answers about that kiss. Kissing her was totally out of character for Malfoy.
Her lips tingled the more she thought about that kiss. She pressed her fingers to them hoping to stop the tingling. That only caused them to become warm.
Ugh! She snogged before, so why was it that Malfoy's brief kiss left her feeling dizzy and unacclimated?
A hand tugged her shoulder, pulling her closer to the source. She looked up to find Malfoy staring down at her with an amused smirk. She found herself drawn to his lips. What was wrong with her!
"What is going through that mind of yours? You look as though you're trying to figure out a puzzle."
Hermione stared quizzically at him. How did he know that?
Malfoy snorted. The action sounded foreign to her ears. He rolled his eyes. Lifting up one pale, slender finger, he placed it on the bridge of her nose. "You get crinkles here when you're thinking deeply."
"How do you seem to know what I am thinking?" He wasn't using legilimency on her, she would have known.
Malfoy offered her a sad smile. "I know you better than you think I do." He looked away from her for a second before looking back with a sigh. "Your whole theory about me breaking the curse through a paternal-like bond was for once, wrong." He leaned closer to her, his voice barely a whisper. "I have always done what my family has asked of me. This time, I'm doing what I want, for today anyways."
"And what is that? To tease and torment me in some sick and cruel way? And what do you mean by today? Don't you usually do what you want everyday?"
Malfoy looked at her with hurt eyes. "Will I always look like the villain to you?"
Villain? Of course not. The villain was Voldemort. Malfoy was just a prat. Then she thought about all of the times he had seemed to genuinely care for Bookworm. The way he had cried when he had believed her to be dead. The way he and his roommates had looked when they talked about Voldemort.
No. He was definitely not a villain in her eyes. She was starting to realize that Malfoy may not have had a choice in the way he lived his life. "Of course you are not. You're just a bloody prat most of the time."
Malfoy's grey eyes turned to silver and a genuine smile appeared on his lips. "Can't deny that," he chuckled.
Hermione shivered and this time it wasn't from fear with hearing his laugh. She folded her arms across her chest and narrowed her eyes. She couldn't help it if she looked more playful than stern. "You didn't answer all of my questions," her voice came out teasingly. What was she doing?
Malfoy leaned in closer. His breath fanned across her cheek. "I believe the answer to one of your questions is that for today and today only, I will be true to myself and my feelings. After today, I have to continue with their plans," he grimaced.
"You still haven't answered my question." She knew she was just egging him on but she was curious. She was also concerned by what he meant about returning back to their plans. She had a pretty good idea as to who their referred to.
Impossibly, his eyes turned an even deeper silver. "This." He closed the gap between them and gently pressed a kiss to her lips. She stopped herself from whimpering when he parted from her. "I know you could not have any feelings for me, but I wanted to tell you that you have always been more to me then you could ever possibly imagine. Why else would I name a dragon Bookworm?" He teased.
Hermione hadn't expected this. What was worse was that she didn't feel as conflicted as she thought she would. Didn't she love Ron? Was she feeling conflicted because of the way he had treated her when she was under the curse?
Even if she was unsure of how this situation made her feel, maybe she could use it to her advantage. "Who said you had to stay on their side. You could always defect."
Malfoy gave her a small smile. "I know what you are trying to do and it won't work. If I change sides now, my family will be at risk."
"Can't blame me for trying." Honestly, she kind of understood. She would fight for the wrong side too if she thought that was the only way to keep her parents safe. Well, maybe. She would have still looked for an alternative even then.
Hermione turned to leave but stopped. "What exactly is their plan? I know you are going to let Death Eaters into the school. Headmaster Dumbledore also knows this," at least she hoped he did.
Malfoy gave her a grave smile. "If I tell you, will you promise to leave? You can even take Potter and Weasley with you." She nodded, though she had no intention on leaving. "I have to kill Dumbledore. If I don't then Snape will have to. If we don't then Snape will die. He's under an Unbreakable Vow."
Hermione's heart twisted in fear. They're going to try to kill Dumbledore? "You can't."
Malfoy let out a breath that Hermione didn't know he was holding. "Believe me, I don't wish for any of this to pass but there is no way out of it."
"We have to warn him."
Malfoy's face paled and that was when she heard the rustling from behind her. "He already knows," drawled Snape's voice. "This is not what I meant when I said to keep her safe. Do not mention this to the others," warned Snape. There was more rustling then quiet.
Malfoy looked at her with wide, terrified eyes. "I thought we were goners." Hermione felt her legs give out. "Hermione!" Malfoy caught her before she hit the ground.
"We are so dead."
Malfoy shook his head. "I don't think he'll tell."
"You don't think? He is a Death Eater!" She loudly whispered, not forgetting that they were still in the library.
Malfoy arched an eyebrow up at her. "So am I."
"That's different."
"How is that different," Malfoy asked sharply.
"Because it's you." She herself wasn't sure why it was different, it just was. She pulled herself away from Malfoy. She had to get out of there.
Malfoy placed a hand around her wrist to keep her from leaving. "Wait."
"What is it now?" She snapped.
Malfoy looked down toward the ground before lifting his eyes to hers. "This may be asking too much, but is there any way you might look at me differently? A chance that I might mean something to you, once this is all over?"
"What are you asking?" She was starting to get annoyed.
"I know that I could not be what Weasley is to you, but is there a way that I might be a friend or something in the future."
What Weasley was to her? Ron was her crush and nothing more. Is that what Malfoy wanted, for her to like him? And if not, he was fine with being a friend? This was just too weird.
"Will you promise me to at least think about it?" He pleaded.
"I'm not sure if there could ever be a future between us but I will promise to at least give being acquaintances a thought."
Malfoy released her arm. "That is all I could ever ask for."