What in the world had just happened…? Did Granger just walk out on a kiss? His kiss? Did she really just leave him hanging like that? After he confessed his feelings? Draco suddenly let out a confused, hysterical laugh. Incredulous, mystified and downright stunned were only few of the words he could come up with to describe what he was feeling at that moment.
Was he feeling sad? Not really, no…
Hurt? Well, it did hurt whatever pride and ego he had left.
Baffled and bamboozled? Merlin, yes!
Scared?
Draco stopped and pondered over this for a moment. Letting out a long, frustrated sigh, he walked over to the ship’s railing and rested his elbows on top; supporting his head on his hands. Scared? Pffttt… Scared of what? Draco let the question linger for a moment before he groaned in realization. Petrified was more like it. God damn it!
Never in his life had he felt such strong and powerful emotions for a person. How was it even possible for him to feel this way after spending merely two weeks with her? It was ridiculous! What was it that he was feeling anyway? And why in Merlin’s bloody underwear did he have to say that he was ‘falling’ for her?! He replayed the scene in his head and felt like throwing up. No wonder she ran. He had said the most disgustingly tasteless line in all of history.
Draco face-palmed himself. I’m a bloody, blundering git…!
But Draco didn’t regret what he had done. If he was honest with himself, kissing her had been immensely pleasant. Her body close to his… her fingers running through his hair… As if on their own accord, his fingers traced the outline of his lips, feeling the ghost of Hermione’s soft and supple ones on his own. It sent tingles right down to the pit of his stomach just thinking about the intensity of that short, stolen kiss. It had been stomach-twisting, head-spinning and just so… passionate. Draco grimaced. God he was going soft.
Hermione on the other hand, was sure she had discovered a new level of confusion. There was no way another human being on this planet had ever felt what she was feeling at that precise moment. She ran all the way back to her room, ignoring the looks people threw at her as she made her way through and out of the ballroom, only to realize that her key card was in her bag “ sitting innocently on the table along with the rest of her friends. Luckily, she had her wand hidden beneath her dress - underneath one of her long stocking, so that it rested against her thigh. She had pulled it out and tried ‘Alohomora’ of course, but the door just wouldn’t open “ it probably didn’t work on automatic locks.
With nowhere else in mind to go and not in the mood to figure out which spell would work, she slid onto the floor next to her door and pulled her knees to her chest; her head limply resting against the hard, oak wood. It was a small relief knowing that no one would witness her in such a state “ everyone else was probably having a glorious time at the Ball…
She should be with Draco right now “ out on the veranda and just holding him close. She shouldn’t be here berating herself for running away! Oh, but she couldn’t think of what else she could have done! She had been terrified by his words, his sincerity… it felt wrong “ forbidden even. It was Draco Malfoy we were talking about here! Draco Malfoy, who had teased her, taunted her for seven years, called her vile names… had held her close to him, said the most beautiful things to her… kissed her… He had actually had the nerve to just kiss her like that! When she thought about it for a while, she reluctantly smiled. She felt lovely little tingles spreading through her just thinking about it.
Hermione… I think… I think I’ve fallen for you.
Despite the current situation, Hermione stopped herself from letting out a small chuckle. Now that she was thinking about it, she had to admit what Draco had said was somewhat tacky and cliché. She wouldn’t have believed that he had said it if she hadn’t seen his lips moving. Nevertheless, it had managed to steal her heart. The very fact that Draco had said it to her “ that someone had said it to her “ made her feel lightheaded.
So why did she run away like that? Why had she left him after he had professed his true feelings for her (which, she supposed, must have been very, very hard for him to do)? Hermione sighed. She ran because she had been completely and utterly scared out of her knickers. She had been overwhelmed by a wave of contradicting emotions and had acted instinctively. She had enjoyed the kiss immensely, don’t get her wrong, but everything had happened so quickly! He had just swooped down… pressing his lips against hers… caressing the nape of her neck…
She shouldn’t be here… it was wrong “ it felt wrong. She didn’t merely ‘like’ him as she had admitted to herself and Violet the last time “ it was far deeper and complex than that. It wasn’t exactly love at the moment either, but she was sure something more profound would blossom between them if she didn’t mess up her chance.
She breathed in deeply, feeling her head become a little clearer. She had been on unfamiliar territory, hadn’t known how to handle what she felt for him at the time, and so had acted impulsively. Her inexperience had led to such events, but she was slowly learning. She eventually came to recognize the fact that she had ‘fallen’ for him herself.
Jessie had watched in glee as Hermione pulled away from Draco and ran away. She had seen everything, of course, and was simply elated at how things had turned out. She had purposely come to the ball with darling Bob for a while just to see that little wretch get all upset, which obviously worked out perfectly, and now she had abandoned Draco “ giving her complete access to his probably emotional state! And who else should it be but her to comfort him in such a situation!? Luckily enough, Bob was an easy one to ditch. Oh, he was good-looking and all, but there was no comparing him with Draco. All she had to do was make up a story about feeling a little feverish… Besides! Being a sailor and all that, he had a limited amount of time to spend with her. He had mentioned that he had to be back on duty after a couple of hours, so she wasn’t really leaving him alone for the whole night…
What a stupid witch! Jessie cackled to herself, smiling from ear to ear as she brought back her focus on what had just happened. Who in their right mind would ever leave such a gorgeously fine person like Draco? She had seen and been with tons of guys, mind you, but he… he had a certain bad-boy aura about him that just kept pulling her in. Although… there was something about him that she couldn’t quite put her finger on. His last name… Malfoy, wasn’t it? It sounded vaguely familiar coming to think of it… and his face! As she continued to look at his features, she had a nagging feeling that she had seen him somewhere.
Jessie watched as Draco walked over to the railing, all thoughts flying out of her head. Quickly, she smoothed out her dress, made sure her hair was all in place and walked over to him.
“Draco!”
Draco slightly inclined his head at the sound of his name and moaned at his luck. Why me?! He groaned, looking up at the sky as if looking for answers. Couldn’t Violet or one of the guys have come? Did it have to be Jessie!?
“Darling, what are you doing out here all alone!?” Jessie asked happily, spreading out her arms “ getting ready to embrace him. “Where’s Hermione?”
Draco couldn’t believe her nerve! “Hold it right there,” he said, pushing back against the railing and turning around to face her. “I don’t want you coming any closer, thank you very much.”
Surprised, Jessie stopped in her tracks and looked at him curiously. “Now, that’s not very nice, is it? I just came here to -”
“Whatever your reason, Jessie, I’d prefer if you‘d leave me alone.” Draco pushed back his hair, which handsomely fell back onto his forehead. “I’ve had enough of your nonsense… Merlin knows what you’ll do next. Try to seduce me again, I suppose?” He put his hands in his pockets and casually leaned his back against the railing, looking over at Jessie’s gaping mouth. “Come now, Jessie… Don’t pretend. I maybe ravishingly good-looking, but I’ve been blessed with some brains too,” he said, tapping his head with a finger.
Jessie stared at him, momentarily dumbfounded. However, she quickly regained her composure and pressed on, “Aw… Draco! Don’t be like that! Still clinging on to what happened these past few days? That is entirely in the past and I’m over it… you should be too! I’m sure Hermione is way past it.” Ignoring, what he had said earlier, Jessie made a move to walk towards him one more time.
Draco laughed and put one hand out to stop her from advancing. “You aren’t listening, Jessie. I told you not to come near me.”
“Oh, honestly, what has gotten into you?”
“Don’t stand there and pretend to be all innocent,” Draco said darkly, “I don’t easily forget things like what you’ve done. Going around putting love spells on people, taking advantage of me by using your precious Amorodor, using that sailor guy as puppet, hurting Hermione in more ways than one… Do you have any idea what you have put us through?”
Jessie had not planned for this to happen. She had thought Draco would have been devastated after Hermione had run out on him. He didn’t seem at all sad. “Still defending her after she left you like that, I see,” Jessie said nonchalantly. “I think she’s put you through a lot more than I have.”
“Spying on us now, are you?” Draco growled. “Don’t you have better things to do than following us around?”
“I thought I’d come and say hello,” Jessie said, trying hard not to seem irritated.
“Oh, really? How nice of you,” Draco replied mockingly. “And you decided to leave your partner in the process, have you? What was his name? Bog or something wasn’t it…?”
“Bob -”
“Ah, yes… him. Well, I suggest you go find him and relieve me of your presence.” Draco couldn’t stand talking to her any longer. She was lying through her nose and putting on such an innocent act that it was bugging the life out of him! She hadn’t come to say sorry “ oh no! She came back for him! As much as an ego boost as it was, Draco sincerely had had enough of her.
“Well, I’m not the only one who walked away then, am I?” Jessie continued through gritted teeth, “Looks like Hermione and I finally have something in common. I saw it all. You kissing her like that and she running away… I thought you might need a friend -”
Draco slowly walked towards her, towering over her as he went closer. He somewhat relished the flicker of fear in her eyes “ the way she cowered as he looked down at her. She was too used to having it her own way. Draco assumed she was also used to guys bending to her will “ falling for her charms. Luckily enough, he wasn’t like the others… and all her magical items had been taken away for a while. “Your company is the last thing I want,” Draco snapped, watching as her eyes grew wide in revelation. “Get out of my sight.”
“H-how…how dare you!” Jessie stammered in alarm. “Don’t talk to me like that!”
“I’ll talk however I want,” Draco shot back.
Jessie wasn’t at all used to being talked to like that; especially from a guy such as Draco. “Then I’ll do whatever I please!” she replied shrilly. She was losing her temper quickly and she could feel her rage slowly coursing through her. Before she knew it, she blurted out, “I never want to see your face again!”
He smirked. “Already gotten over me, have you? Well, I never wanted to see your face to begin with. Glad we’ve come to an understanding.”
“I take back everything I said to you!” Jessie shrieked, throwing her hands up in the air. “You’re nothing but a pompous jerk and I hope I never see you again! Never!”
“You’ve said that already,” Draco pointed out calmly, enjoying seeing her get all uptight all of a sudden. “And yet you’re still standing here.”
“You think this a joke, don’t you?!” Jessie exclaimed, looking absolutely livid. “I don’t let people cross me just like that. You wait… just wait… I’ll-”
“Make me fall in love with you again?”
“That’s the last thing I’ll ever do!” she snarled.
“Brilliant,” Draco drawled, “We should have had this talk ages ago th-”
SMACK!
Jessie’s hand came flying out of nowhere. Draco’s head had turned at the force of its impact and he could feel his cheek burn at the place she had hit him. He slowly touched his face, looking at Jessie from the corner of his eye; seething with anger. The filthy little witch had hit him! “Why you good for nothing -”
But Jessie managed to get away from his reach. She watched him grasp at the place she had just been and gasped in relief. She backed away some more and sputtered, “Y-you had it coming… I-I told you not to talk to me like that!” Before Draco could pull out his wand, she turned and ran as fast as she could; leaving him alone once again.
Draco felt like screaming! What had he done to deserve such a night?! He turned around and angrily banged his hand on the cool railing. What the hell was happening today?! What the bloody hell is everyone’s problem!?
Jessie was absolutely raging with madness. Her face was flushed and her hand still throbbed a little after her little outburst with Draco. Never in her life had she been talked back to in such a manner. He made her feel insignificant, like a little worm struggling in the dirt and hell did that infuriate her! She hated doing that to him, but how dare he! Testing her quick temper like that!
In that moment of pure enragement, all she could think of was Hermione. She strode in the direction that silly witch had ran and cursed her under her breath. She couldn’t help but blame her for all that had happened. It was her fault that her wand and her precious Amorodor had been taken away; that her friends had not backed her up the other day. And it felt like it was her fault that Draco had turned against her.
It didn’t take her so long to find Hermione. Once she had figured out which direction she had headed towards, she had easily found out where she had gone: her room. After a slight little detour, she managed to find the person she had been looking for. It did come as a surprise however, when she saw her getting up from her sitting position in front of the door.
“Jessie?” Hermione said in astonishment, looking over at her with curiosity. “What are you…?” She quickly noticed her heated expression and duel-like stance, and knew instantly what Jessie was about to do… and she was all for it. She seized her wand from the floor and pointed it at her opposition. “You never seem to get enough,” she spat, narrowing her eyes threateningly. “After all you’ve done… still think I ought to be hexed, do you?”
“More than ever!” Jessie snarled, pointing her own wand at Hermione. “You’ve turned everyone, even Draco, against me!”
“Got your wand back, I see,” Hermione said coolly. “Nicked it from Violet’s room, I expect. How did you get in?”
“None of that matters,” Jessie sneered, looking murderous now. “I’ve got it now and I’m ready to use it!”
“So, what’s stopping you? Unless you know my skills with a wand-”
“Shut it!”
“And you’re secretly afraid-”
“I said shut it!”
“That I’ll turn you into an ugly little-”
“That’s it!”
“-worm!”
“Enough chitchat!” Jessie yelled. “Stupefy!”
But Hermione was more than ready. “Protego!” she shouted back quickly, standing her ground.
The spell rebounded and missed Jessie’s head by mere inches. The witch, momentarily taken aback by Hermione’s swiftness, quickly gained her composure and aimed her wand again “ she was determined not to get beaten! “Petrificus totalus!”
Hermione easily avoided the jet of light. She cocked her head to one side and smirked. “Remembered the spell I previously used on you now, did you?” she said as she watched Jessie advance on her to get a better shot. She pointed her wand at the floor and said, “I’d rather you stayed as far away from me as possible. Glisseo!”
Jessie slipped on the icy surface and yelped in surprise as she was thrown off balance; her legs flew up from underneath her and she landed with a small thud! on her bottom. “What the-? Argh! You little…! Incarcerous!”
Thick ropes shot out of Jessie’s wand and managed to wind themselves tightly around Hermione’s arms and waist before she had the chance to move out of the way. She struggled against them briefly and managed to free her wand arm “ quickly casting a counter-spell to release herself. “Enough, Jessie! You know who I am… you know what I’ve been through! You can’t duel me “ you just won’t win... and I’m not going to sink to your level and try and hurt you.”
“Obnoxious coward!” she screamed. “Just because you helped Harry Potter, doesn’t mean you’re all that great!” Jessie righted herself against the wall and screeched, “Aguamenti!”
Great jets of water poured out from Jessie’s wand, but once again, Hermione was faster. “Impervious!” she shouted promptly. The water was blasted backwards and Jessie screamed as it rained over her, drenching her hair and soaking through her gorgeous black evening dress. The force of the water made her slip on the icy surface once again and this time she was thrown flat onto the floor.
Hermione couldn’t help the feeling of guilt wash over her as she watched Jessie struggle on the floorboards. Was she actually enjoying this? Did revenge make her feel any better? If it did then why was she feeling pitiful for the infuriating witch? Jessie was no good at dueling, so was this really right? “Give over, Jessie,” Hermione said warily, “there’s no point in continuing this stupidity-”
But Jessie was unrelenting. Her mad temper took control of her so she was unstoppable. “Look at what you’ve done!” Jessie interrupted, ignoring Hermione’s words. “You idiot!” Jessie really was a sight to see - water droplets clung to her hair and her black dress was splayed around her on the icy floor, giving her a beautiful and yet dangerous look. Her expression looked as if she was ready to kill something and Hermione instinctively clutched her wand tightly.
“You’re the one who asked for it,” Hermione pointed out icily. “I’m not the one constantly throwing spells “ I’m merely defending myself."
“You rotten bitch!” Jessie continued, looking absolutely enraged. “You and Draco can both go to hell! It’s a good thing I already gave him a piece of my mind… at least one of you-”
“What’s that supposed to mean?’ Hermione asked sharply, glaring at her dangerously.
“It means that I left something for him to remember me by,” Jessie sneered. She got up and muttered a spell to clear up the mess. Instantly, the ice vanished and she was dry once more. “He must be feeling pretty bad about himself tonight,” Jessie prattled on, relishing the way Hermione’s face fell. “You running out on his kiss and then me showing up and… well, let’s just say his cheek won’t feel right for a while…”
To hell with guilt! Hatred was radiating within Hermione, and she was willing to give her a piece of her mind. After pining over Draco so much… it just wasn’t fair for Jessie to do that all of a sudden. She shouldn’t have brought him into their fight! “That’s it, you crazy witch! It’s one thing trying to get back at me, but it’s another thing entirely to involve Draco into this!” She whipped her wand in front of her and growled vehemently, “Furnunculus!”
The spell caught Jessie squarely on the face and she cried out in pain. Huge, disgusting pus-like boils were erupting all over her. Her face became bloated almost immediately and soon she was barely recognizable, even from a short distance. Hermione took one look at her and past by her indifferently. “If anyone asks,” she said venomously, “you’ve got an allergic attack.” And with that, she walked off and left Jessie to fend for herself “ there were more important things to do.
Draco went and plopped himself on a barstool, receiving curious stares as he angrily banged his fist on the counter before him. Merlin was he fed up! One minute he was coming down the steps with a beautiful witch at his side, and the next he was sitting alone with a bunch strangers at the bar!
“What are you looking at?” Draco snapped at a guy who was looking at him funny. “Do I look like something to ogle at?” Draco glared at him and the man, giving him a sheepish look, shrugged away, probably knowing that he wasn’t having a good day. “Bloody Muggles….” he muttered under his breath.
“Alright thar old feller?”
Draco looked up and saw a great, pot-bellied old man with a tomato-red face smiling down at him. He wore a white shirt that was rolled up at the sleeves and a black vest that looked strained at the buttons “ Draco was certain that if the big man inhaled, the buttons would finally give up and pop out of their places. It was a miracle that the guy had managed to get it around him…
“Looks like yo've got trouble on yer mind,” the bartender continued. “Whut'd yo' like t'have?”
Draco rested his elbows on the counter, closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose with a forefinger and a thumb. “One Firewhiskey,” he ordered without thinking.
“Yo'll haf one whut?” the bartender asked, looking utterly confused.
“One Firewh-” He blinked and mentally scolded himself. What was he thinking? They didn’t have Firewhiskey in the Muggle world! He peered over at the befuddled barman and considered asking him what kind of drinks he had to offer, but decided against it “ he didn’t want to look like a complete idiot… “What do you think I should have?” Draco finally asked, reading the man’s expression cautiously. “For a person with trouble on his mind.”
“Ahh…” The man wagged a thick finger at him and winked. “I've got jest th' thin'.” And he bustled away to mix Draco’s drink, leaving him alone with his thoughts. But before he could even begin to dwell on them, someone slightly tapped him on the shoulder.
“Draco?”
Draco’s head whipped around in surprise and saw Hermione standing in front of him, looking slightly disheveled and anxious “ he could tell she was a little tense because she was nibbling on her lower lip and fiddling with her fingers. She nervously tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear and stared at him pleadingly, looking for words to say, but it seemed she was incapable of uttering anything “ in fact, Draco thought she was ready to break out in tears.
“What are you doing here?” He couldn’t help the angry tone as he spoke. He was, after all, pretty much irritated at how things had turned out “ not to mention that she had been the one who had left him just like that.
“Draco, I “ I’m so, so sorry…” Hermione explained urgently. “You need to understand I didn’t mean to… I never wanted it to-”
“Go that far?” He was surprised at how bitter he sounded.
“No! It’s not that!” Distressed, Hermione sat on the stool next to his and looked straight into his eyes. “I didn’t want to r-run away like that,” she whispered, “I just had to… get my thoughts straight. I was full of contradicting feelings-”
“You were analyzing what “ what we’d done, weren’t you?” He was about to say ‘analyzing the kiss’, but changed his mind last minute. “Already regretting it, aren’t you?” Draco tore away from her gaze and said off-handedly, “Well, I don’t care, really… I’m not going to sit up and cry all night thinking about it. What I did… it didn’t mean anything.”
The big, round man came shuffling forward and placed his drink before him. Seeing that something important was going on, he nodded his head at Hermione in greeting and walked away once more. Draco stoically stared at the drink before him and tried to ignore her presence. It was so hard to lie to her now…
Hermione wouldn’t give up that easily. Even though it had hurt to hear him say it, she knew it wasn’t true - she refused to believe what he had said. Bravely, she laid her hand over his and squeezed it slightly, hoping with all her might he wouldn’t pull away. “Draco, I don’t regret anything… You have to know what I was feeling. I was overwhelmed, I-” Her heart sank as his hand slid away from under hers. He pretended not to hear her and she watched tearfully as he seized his drink and gulped it down. What was she to do?! She needed to “ wanted to tell him what she felt, but how?
Draco suddenly felt his drink being pulled away from him. Hermione took hold of the glass and set it on the counter, tugging his hands and trying to make him stand up. “What do you think you’re doing?!” Draco asked incredulously. “What do you want?!”
“Come with me,” she said simply.
As he was being pulled away from the bar, the round-belled man came over and said in a booming voice, “Yer a-gonna hafta pay fo' thet!”
“Right, right… Give me a moment.” Somehow, Draco managed to get his money out of his wallet and pay for his drink while Hermione tried to drag him away. He handed the money over to the guy and told him to ‘keep the change’ as he finally gave in, and watched where Hermione was taking him.
“Do you mind telling me what the bloody hell you want?”
Hermione was tightly holding onto his hand and she didn’t bother to answer him as she continued to lead the way. He was vaguely curious as to what she was up to, but he got his answer soon enough once she slowed down; realizing that the both of them were standing on the dance floor. Suddenly, she spun around and faced him, smiling slightly “ mischief glinting in her beautiful brown eyes. He arched one his eyebrows.
“Dance with me.”
Draco was completely taken aback. “W-what?!” He looked at her in bewilderment.
Slowly, Hermione closed the distance between them and looked up at him with shy eyes. “Dance with me.” She boldly curled her arms around his neck and tried her very best to lock her eyes with his, which was superbly hard for her to do since he was so up-close now. She desperately prayed that he wouldn’t feel, how much she was trembling. She had never been so bold in her life and it terrified her. What if he pushed away from her? What if he rejected her? She had to get him to listen and this was the only way she could come up with.
But Draco had noticed how she trembled… how petrified she was behind those eyes. As he encircled his arms around her waist halfheartedly, pulling her closer, he could almost feel her heart pound against her chest. It was so hard to stay mad at her for long “ he didn’t have the heart to tell her off. He just hoped she wouldn’t suddenly have another mood swing and leave him again. Ignoring that thought, he leaned forward and sighed, “How hard was it for you to do that?” He felt her arms tighten around his neck.
“Very hard…” She chuckled lightly and rested her cheek against his neck. Draco felt an odd thrill run up his spine.
“Are you going to explain what this is all about?” Draco slowly moved to the music, though not really hearing it. “Because I’m through with evasiveness today.” He could almost feel her smile.
Hermione pulled her head back and rested her hands on Draco’s chest, trying to think of a way to explain her earlier actions, when a faint mark on his left cheek caught her attention. All of a sudden, waves of hatred washed over her as she realized what it was.
Draco must have seen her change in expression, because he looked a little puzzled. “Is something wrong…?” But he trailed off when he saw her right hand rise and felt her fingertips lightly brush against his cheek. Draco felt something in his stomach tighten.
“How hard did she hit you?” Hermione whispered in revulsion, gently soothing the fading mark. “She had no right to lay a hand on you…” She felt him stiffen beneath her fingers and she looked up to see anger raging behind those blissful grey eyes.
“Did Jessie go shouting it around or something?” Draco growled, looking absolutely furious.
“No,” she assured him. “But it’s a long story “ I’ll tell you later.”
Draco was unsatisfied, but let it slide for the moment. Hermione’s feathery light touches on his cheek were a wonderful distraction. “You still owe me an explanation,” he reminded her.
“I do,” she agreed. She bit her lower lip and once more wrapped her arms around his neck. “Would you believe me if I said I was…that I was scared?” She glanced at him and tried to read his expression, but his face betrayed nothing. “It was so sudden “ I felt overwhelmed. I’ve never felt anything like it before. You were kissing me so intensely…” Hermione flushed as she said it and quickly darted her eyes to floor.
Draco smirked. He really did like it when she blushed. “And is that a bad thing?” he asked, his tone light. “Need I remind you that you were kissing me back with as much passion?” He felt his lips tug into a smile when he saw her turn a deeper shade of pink.
“That is besides the point,” she said indignantly, now looking back at him with defiance. “Now, do you want me to continue or not?”
Draco chuckled slightly and nodded his head for her to continue. “You were saying…?”
Hermione let out a deep breath and launched into describing what she had felt. She tried her hardest to explain what she had mulled over at the foot of her door and the complex feelings that had overcome her. She was unsure whether he understood anything she had said so far and his unreadable expression did nothing to help her figure out what he was thinking. She badly wanted him to say something, but he did nothing but hold her in his arms with a distant far-away look in his eyes.
“What are you thinking?” she asked finally, unconsciously playing with the hairs on the back of his neck.
He sighed, “I understand, you know… what you mean…”
She looked up at him dubiously. “Do you?”
“I do.” The music was eerily slow and the both of them revolved around one spot, concentrating mostly on each other’s thoughts. “I guess I was scared too-“
“Malfoy “ scared?” Hermione teased him, but a little stunned as well.
He scowled. “Do you mind? I’m trying to explain myself here. And besides, I wasn’t scared in that way.”
Hermione smiled slightly. “How hard was it for you to say that?” she murmured, echoing his previous words.
His expression softened. “Not as hard as I thought.” He gave her a small smirk and breathed, “It’s coming out more easily now “ expressing my feelings…”
“So… is everything all right between us now?”
“Hmm...” Draco tilted his head to one side stared at her; analyzing her. “I still don’t quite understand why you ran away like that. Did you see me sprinting away in the other direction?”
Hermione laughed while trying to picture him doing something like that. “Everyone reacts differently…”
“I thought I had done something seriously wrong.”
“Are you doubting your kissing expertise?” She smiled playfully.
“Never. You don’t doubt it yourself. You were responding very enthusiastically.” He smiled at her audaciously as her cheeks turned rosy-red.
Hesitantly, Draco lifted his hand and smoothly traced the outline of her jaw with one of his fingers. He let it swiftly glide down her neck and linger at the base of her throat before gazing back at her questioningly. He noticed she wasn’t breathing. “Are you planning a way to escape?'
Hermione frantically tried to gather her thoughts, reminding herself to take in a deep breath. “No,” she managed to choke out. He smirked.
Slowly, he leaned forward and brushed his lips at the edge of her jaw, his fingers gently dancing along her collarbone. “Are you afraid?” he breathed, his mouth dangerously close to her own.
She tried to make sense of what he was saying, but she was too caught up on what he was doing. “A little,” she said honestly.
Draco smiled at the edge of her lips and pulled his head away to look at her. Her cheeks had turned a wonderful shade of red and her eyes twinkled lightheartedly. “We’re making progress,” he chuckled.
“We are, aren’t we?” Hermione replied, smiling shyly. “We’ve come a long way in such short period.” Gradually, she stopped moving and Draco looked at her questioningly. “Let’s do something,” she said suddenly.
“Like what?” he asked, half-surprised and half-amused.
“I don’t know… anything! I’m tired of dancing.”
“Is that what we’re doing?” he laughed. “I thought we were turning around in one spot…very slowly…”
Hermione rolled her eyes and Draco suppressed a smirk. “I’m serious, Draco. It’s our last night here! We should do something! Like… like go for a movie! We can go to that on board movie theatre!”
“How utterly boring,” Draco grumbled. “I’d rather watch television.”
Hermione burst out laughing. “It’s good to know you remembered what it’s called.” She beamed at him. “Then what else do you want to do?”
He shrugged his shoulder indifferently. “I don’t mind anything else.”
Hermione pondered over the things they could do. She tried to remember the facilities that were on the ship, but couldn’t think of anything very interesting. She ruled out swimming and rock-climbing “ she wasn’t up for either of them. The idea of going to a casino didn’t really thrill her as well, and shopping… well, Draco would get bored out of his mind.
After a few minutes of contemplation, she finally came up with something exciting; something she was sure Draco had never done in his life. “I’ve an idea,” she declared finally, looking at him impishly.
“Well, do you plan on telling me sometime this year?” he said sarcastically.
Her eyes danced with mirth; her smile widening happily. “Draco,” she asked innocently, “have you ever been ice-skating?”
A/N:
Hey, guys! Well, I certainly hope you enjoyed this chapter! Jessie finally get's what she deserves and Hermione steps it up a little! Oh, and I didn't leave you guys with a cliffhanger! *beams* It would be great if you left a review on the way out - tell me whether you liked/disliked it or have any suggestions! Thanks to my BETA, simplyme!