AN: This isn't my first HP fic, but it is the first I've posted on this site. It was a random idea that I got awhile ago and finally got it all down on paper. A few may be out ooc, but I tried to avoid that best I could. Please excuse any mistakes. I'm currently without an editor. Also, a quick warning beforehand. This story does contain some sexual content. Don't read it if you don't want. I'm just warning a head of time.
Disclaimer: Nothing of this is mine. All of the characters and places belong to Rowling.
Blame it on the Stubbornness
"I don't want to do that!"
"Oh come on Lav, this is an easy one."
"No way."
"You don't have a choice. Unless of course you want to answer the Truth question…"
"What is it?" Lavender Brown asked wearily.
Pansy Parkinson grinned. "I heard a rumor about three months ago involving you and a certain large, food-obsessed, Slytherin guy named Cr-"
Hermione Granger gaped and Lavender blushed, quickly cutting Pansy off. "I'll take the dare, alright?"
Hermione hid a smile as she watched Lavender walk away from the group and over to Justin Finch-Fletchley. The group consisted of Hermione Granger, Lavender Brown, Ginny Weasley, Padma and Parvarti Patil and Pansy Parkinson. It was their seventh year at Hog warts and all past animosity towards one another was all but forgotten.
Voldemort had been defeated in their sixth year by combined efforts between Harry, Dumbledore and the Order. There were still a good amount of Death Eaters roaming around, therefore the Order was still working around the clock in rounding them up. Aside from Harry and a few close friends (the Weasley siblings and Hermione), the students at Hogwarts had managed to stay out of the war. Even the Slytherins who had parents serving the former Dark Lord.
Lucius Malfoy had been one of the many Death Eaters convicted and sent to Azkaban. Nearly a year later, his son had gotten over most prejudices he once held. While he may have gotten past it, that did not stop him from tormenting others. For old time's sakes, he had said. Mostly, he did it to keep his reputation of the school's largest prat in Hermione's opinion.
House rivalries had been lessened to more a more friendlier extent, causing more friendships to build. Ron had started to show an interest in Pansy, who soon after started to return the feeling. The two had now been dating for the past month. Ron had already had his fair share of girlfriends the past two years, but as he told Harry and Hermione (despite all the new friendships, those three remained closest to each other) just the other day, Pansy was different then all the others ("No offence Mione," he had said to his ex-girlfriend. The two had dated back in sixth year but it had ended a few weeks later when they both decided they were better off friends).
Now, the group was gathered outside near the lake. It was a Saturday and one of the first warm days they had had in some time. Winter had ended not long before, and while the snow had yet to melt, it was still sunny and almost warm. So, taking advantage of the beautiful day, the group decided to hang outside, while Harry and Ron with a group of others practiced Quidditch. They had gotten the idea of Truth or Dare from Hermione, the only muggle-born there. Once she had explained it, they were all eager to begin.
Several rounds later, they watched Lavender struck up a casual conversation with Justin, who looked slightly suspicious at first but wasn't about to complain as Lavender was one of the prettiest girls in school. In fact, their group, Hermione included, had all grown over the past few years and could be considered the most sought out girls in Hogwarts. Hermione, unlike her friends, did not take advantage of that title. While she did occasionally date, most of her time was still dedicated to studying and her Head Girl duties (Harry had been made Head Boy).
Refocusing, Hermione watched her glance over at them before pulling Justin into a kiss. The Hufflepuff only hesitated a moment before responding. When the two broke apart, they were both blushing; Justin more then Lavender. She mumbled something to Justin before hurrying back to the group of grinning or smirking girls; Justin's eyes following her the entire time.
Lavender tried glaring at them but failed and eventually broke out into a goofy grin. "Alright, pay back time." Her eyes scanned over the group and alighted on Hermione. She grinned, recalling having spotted a certain group not far from them. "Hermione…Truth or Dare?"
Hermione hesitated, seeing the evil gleam in Lav's eyes. "Uh…dare?"
"I was hoping you would pick that one. Okay, I want you to…" She whispered something into her ear. Hermione's mouth dropped open.
"You want me to-to seduce Draco Malfoy!"
The other girls gasped but then broke into identical grins. Lavender smirked. "Basically, yeah. You do whatever you need too in order to turn him on. If you don't want to do that…I can always ask you the Truth question."
"Which is?" Hermione asked hesitantly.
"The truth about certain events involving you and another Slytherin…" She trailed off and Hermione's eyes widened. She glanced over to Ginny, the 'certain Slytherin's' current girlfriend.
"Fine, fine. I'll do the bloody dare." She hissed and Lavender snickered. It wasn't every day that you got to hear Hermione Granger use such language. Hermione sent one final deadly glare at her, before stomping off towards the large tree where Draco Malfoy and his group of friends all sat.
Draco chuckled as his best friend, Blaise Zabini told him about Longbottom's latest screw up in Potions. Draco had missed the last lesson due to a meeting with the Headmaster and a ministry agent, regarding his father and legal matters having to do with his Manor and money.
He was just about to ask how many points Snape deducted from Gryffindor when he saw Blaise glance at something over Draco's shoulder. Draco was sitting on a tree root, so that he wasn't actually sitting in snow. Blaise, Crabbe and Goyle had remained standing however.
"Crabbe, Goyle, let's go." Blaise said, confusing Draco even more. Blaise smirked at whatever it was behind him before leading the two other Slytherins away. Just as Draco was about to turn around to see who or what was there, he felt small, feminine hands come to rest on his shoulders. He was even more surprised when they started to massage his shoulders and neck. He could feel the hesitation at first, but whoever it was slowly grew more confident.
Draco went to turn his head, trying to see who it was, but the hands quickly but gently gripped his head and held it straight, letting him know he was not allowed to look just yet. Draco couldn't protest as he felt the girl's lips begin making a trail along his neck, spending a good amount of time at the joint between neck and shoulder. He shivered and it wasn't from the cold. His pulse quickened as well.
As the person continued her work on his neck, one of her hands drifted down towards his waste and began tracing her finger along his pant line, after moving his robe aside. Draco felt his pants tighten and his eyes fluttered shut. Merlin, he was having the hardest time concentrating. This was definitely a first for him. He was used to girls throwing themselves at his feet, wanting to be his next 'conquest' but never had any of them taken this approach. He was also used to being the one in control and giving whoever the girl was, pleasure, not the other way around. And whoever it was, she was barely even doing anything to top it off. Why was he reacting this strongly?
Not that he was about to complain as he felt her move her mouth up to his ear and begin nibbling on his earlobe. He was ashamed of the low moan that escaped from him. Bloody hell, the situation would have been embarrassing to him if he could only get a thought across.
He took hold of the hand that was tantalizingly close to a certain part of his body, attempting to regain at least some of his concentration. That was blown to hell though as he felt her tongue enter his ear.
"Oh Merlin," he moaned. He couldn't take it any longer. He needed to know who it was that was driving him this crazy with just simplistic moves. And more importantly, he needed to feel her lips against his own. She must have known what he planned because she suddenly yanked her hand from his and fled. Draco's eyes shot open and he spun around. His mouth dropped open.
"Granger?" He whispered, disbelievingly. His eyes followed her as she rushed back to the castle. He shakily ran a hand through his hair, a habit he picked up for when he was distracted or confused. His cheeks were slightly flushed and his breathing slightly labored. He groaned. What the bloody hell was that about?
A short distance away, the group of girls and Blaise watched in amusement. Blaise had his arm around his girlfriend, Ginny. "So, who came up with this idea?" He asked curiously.
"Lav did." Ginny answered, watching as Hermione realized what she was doing and rushed away from Draco. Blaise smirked.
"Bloody brilliant. I have to hand it to you, Brown. Those two are perfect for each other."
Lavender grinned. "I know." She replied simply.
"Do you think this will be enough? Or should we continue to help push them along?" Padma asked, her eyes were fixed on Draco's agitated form. He was still staring at the place he had last seen Hermione.
"Knowing how stubborn those two are, I say we give them a little bit more help." Pansy suggested.
"What about Potter and Weasley? You don't think they'll be the slightest bit peeved that their best friend is being set up with their former enemy?" Blaise asked, one eyebrow raised.
Ginny scoffed. "Ron can't say anything as he's currently dating Pansy. And as for Harry, he won't care. He's more mature than Ron is. I don't think they really hate Malfoy much anymore. Not that they're overly fond of him either though."
Blaise nodded and watched as his best friend got up from his spot by the tree and headed back to the castle. Blaise had dated Hermione for about two months earlier that year in secret. In fact, very few people ever found out about it, not including Draco or Ginny. They had eventually decided that while the two enjoyed each other's company, they would be better off friends. They both wanted to see other people and had parted on friendly terms. Even now, they remained good friends and would still meet up just to chat.
Blaise knew that there would be nobody better for Draco then Hermione. She had a kind heart, wonderful personality, fiery temper and did not take crap from anybody. She could put up with Draco's attitude and match his wit and sarcasm with her own. Both were intelligent and good looking. It would be very interesting to see how it all turned out.
Two days later, Hermione found herself walking to class with Dean Thomas. They had just had double potions with the Slytherins and they were now headed to Charms. Harry and Ron had left their Charms text in their dormitory and had darted out of Snape's class as soon as it was over so they could get the book and get to class on time.
"What are you doing this coming weekend, Hermione?" Dean asked casually.
Hermione shrugged. "Apart from studying and homework? Nothing as far as I know. Why?"
"Well, it's a Hogsmeade weekend and I was hoping you'd want to go with me?" Dean asked, uncharacteristically shy. Hermione gave him a small smile.
"Can I think about it? I hadn't planned on going anywhere so I'll have to make sure I won't fall behind in my work or anything."
Dean grinned. "Hermione, I'm sure that whatever work you're talking about isn't even due for two weeks."
Hermione gave him a mock glare. "For your information, one of my papers that I need to write is due Monday."
Dean put a hand to his heart. "Oh Merlin, the world is coming to an end. Hermione Granger is procrastinating!" Hermione swatted him on the arm playfully. "Okay, okay. Sorry," Dean laughed. "Just let me know about this weekend."
Hermione nodded.
"Oh, before I forget, you don't happen to have the notes from Binns' class do you? I kind of drifted off." He admitted sheepishly. Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Of course I have them. Just be careful with them. I'll need those later on." She said as she started to rummage through her bag.
"Thanks a lot Hermione. I didn't want to ask right now because I didn't want you to think that was the reason I asked you out. Because it's not," he said quickly. "But I just remembered we have a foot long paper for that class due tomorrow."
"Don't worry. I know you aren't like that." She frowned when she didn't feel her History of Magic text in her bag. "Oh no, I must have left it in Potions. You go on ahead, I'll catch up in a minute."
"Are you sure? I'll wait for you."
"Thanks, but that's okay. I don't want you to be late on my account."
"Oh, all right. See you in a bit then."
Hermione nodded and started walking briskly back down to the dungeons. She was going to be late for Charms. She could always blame it on Head Girl duties though. Flitwick wasn't exactly the strictest teacher anyway. She had just turned the corner when an arm snaked out and pulled her into an empty dark classroom.
Hermione let out a small yelp and stained her eyes to see who had done it. She felt someone push her up against the closed door.
"Who do you think you are just yanking me around like this? I-" She was cut off by a hand covering her mouth. She fought down the panic and fear threatening to take over.
"You don't ever shut up, do you Granger?" The voice was all too familiar to Hermione. Her breath hitched in her throat. "But then again, you put your mouth to a far different use the other day." Malfoy let out a small, cold chuckle. "Looking for this?" He held up her book.
Hermione shoved him off and after grabbing her book, spun around. Her blood ran cold as she tried the door knob and it didn't open. "Unlock the door Malfoy."
Draco frowned. "I didn't lock it." He pushed her aside and tried it himself. He paled slightly.
Outside the door, Blaise walked away, spinning his wand between his fingers and whistling happily to himself.
Hermione drew her wand and tried various unlocking spells, but none worked. She frowned.
"It's a timed-locking spell. Only once the intended time is up will it wear off."
Draco glared at the door as if it was it's fault. Seeing that wasn't getting him anywhere, he decided to look on the bright side. He smirked and leaned against the wall as Hermione used her wand to light the torches along the wall.
"So Granger? You finally decided you couldn't resist my good-looks then?"
Hermione blushed and kept her back to him. This had been a confrontation she had been hoping to avoid. "Don't think so highly of yourself, Ferret Face."
Draco ignored the insult. "Oh? Then what was that Saturday? I must say I never knew you were the type to just throw yourself at any old guy."
Hermione bristled and stomped over to him, pulling her wand out as she did so and pointed it with a somewhat nerve-wracking steady accuracy in his face. To his credit, he didn't show his nervousness, and kept his face impassive. A furious Hermione Granger was not something to be taken lightly.
"I'll have you know, that I did not have a choice. Like I would ever willingly touch you." She spat.
Draco put a hand to his heart in mock hurt. "That stung Granger. Am I really that repulsive to you?" He slowly moved closer to her, and before she had known what was coming, he had grabbed her wrist, her wand hand, and pulled it down to the side of her. She stood tall and didn't move as he came right up in front of her.
"Oh, you aren't that repulsive…You're much worse." She hissed. "I'd rather kiss a troll's arse then you."
Draco's eyes flashed and he leaned forward so his face was right in front of hers. "Is that so?" He growled. Hermione glared back.
"Yes," and she quickly tore her wrist from his grasp and ducked around him, retreating to the other side of the room. Draco growled to himself and ran a hand through his hair.
Ten minutes later found the two still locked in the room. Draco was currently relaxing in a chair while Hermione paced, occasionally trying the door but too no avail. "Granger, will you just sit down? Wearing a hole in the floor will not do you any good. Unless your plan is to tunnel your way out of here?" He asked dryly, a fine eyebrow raised.
"Shut up Malfoy. How can you just sit there? We're missing classes right now. Plus, I highly doubt you're thrilled to be locked in here with a lowlife mud blood as you're so fond of calling me."
Draco frowned slightly. He hadn't called her that in around a year now. He no longer had too. His father was out of the picture, no longer monitoring his every move. He remained quiet and continued to follow her with his eyes.
After Hermione tried the door once more, she gave a sigh of defeat and walked over to the desk with her bag on it. "Might as well study," she muttered to herself and Draco rolled his eyes but smirked in amusement. His eyes widened slightly as she dropped several pieces of parchment and when bending over to retrieve them, presented him with a view of her behind. His smirk widened.
"So Granger, you and Thomas, huh?" His eyes still followed her, much to her increasing annoyance.
"Possibly. I haven't decided yet. Not that it's any of your business." She snapped. He held up his hands.
"Relax Granger. No need to bite my head off. It was just a question. Personally, I think you can do much better then Thomas."
"Oh really? Like who?" Hermione asked wryly, her eyes scanning her notes and not really paying attention to him.
"Well, a Slytherin would be too good for you. So that rules my house out. Unless you're interested in Crabbe and Goyle? I hear Brown was desperate enough one night, or so Crabbe told me." He smirked while examining his nails.
Hermione scoffed. "Your best friend obviously doesn't feel the same as you do." She said and Draco frowned.
"What are you going on about?"
"Slytherins are too good for me? Nobody must have told that to Blaise if he dated me for two months." She grinned as Draco nearly fell off his chair.
"W-What?" He gaped. "You and Blaise? You're not serious. Blaise would never date you. He's with the Weaslette."
"Now he is. And don't call her that. Ginny doesn't know, so I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell her."
"Does Potter and the Weasel know?" He asked, still in shock.
"No, they don't. So once again, keep your loud mouth shut about it."
Draco didn't reply. He was too busy lost in thought. His own best friend and his rival had dated for an entire two months and he had never known about it? He was going to have a talk with Blaise later on. What had he seen in Granger?
Draco took the time to study her while she wasn't paying attention. She was definitely good looking. Alright, Draco had to admit, she was beautiful. Her once bushy hair, while not completely tame, was much smoother and fell halfway down her back. She wore very little makeup, not needing any, as she was able to look beautiful without any help. It was a relief compared to all the girls who coated their faces with so much makeup it was disgusting. Even through her school robes, he could see her womanly figure that hadn't been there before, at least, as far as he noticed. He had never really taken the time to actually look at her. He had only ever seen her as the annoying muggleborn that somehow always bested him in school. Now, he wondered how long he had allowed himself to be so blind.
The more he thought about it. There were numerous things Blaise could have seen in her. Not only was she beautiful, but she had a great personality to match it. She was intelligent and the epitome of a Gryffindor, brave, stubborn and loyal to her friends. She was kind hearted and helped those in need. In fact, he realized that he had only ever seen her unkind to him or any other person that insulted her or anyone else for that matter. So basically if they deserved it, a small part of his mind supplied but Draco ignored it.
He then remembered two days before, when she had come up behind him, kissing him and pulling other moves that he hadn't thought the Gryffindor possessed. He was still ashamed of his own reaction. Looking over at her now, his eyes lit up as an idea came forth.
Hermione was sitting in the desk, rereading chapter eleven to her Potions book, making sure she would be ready for the following week when she suddenly felt cool hands move down her arms. She jumped.
"Malfoy! What in the bloody hell are you doing?" She hissed, not having to turn around to know who it was.
"Payback," he whispered into her ear, his breath sending shivers down her involuntarily. His hands continued down her arms and across her waist, tugging at her school robes. "It suddenly occurred to me that I owe you from the other day Granger." His lips brushed against her ear and she found she was incapable of moving away. Once he had her robe undone, he slid it down off her shoulders, and she felt goose bumps spring up along her arms when he slid his hands up them again.
"Don't Mal- Malfoy," she muttered, her voice catching when she felt him begin nibbling on her earlobe. Merlin what had she done to deserve this? She should never have introduced her friends to that cursed game of Truth or Dare. If she hadn't, then she never would have been dared to seduce Draco Malfoy and in which case she'd never have found herself locked in a room with him, leading to this. She wasn't sure what was worse. The fact that it was happening or that she was enjoying it. It definitely didn't help matters that he was barely doing anything either.
"Don't what?" He murmured. "Don't do this?" He asked as he tugged on her ear with his teeth, not enough to hurt her, just make her emit a small moan. "Or this?" As he moved his mouth to her neck, sucking, biting and licking. She tilted her head to the side, giving him more access and causing him to smirk. Hermione ignored it though. She was too preoccupied. "Mmm, or what about this?" He asked as he moved one of his hands towards her chest. She gasped as he fingered her breast through the fabric of her shirt. She leaned as far as she could back into the chair and incidentally as close to him as she could. She found she wasn't even in control of her movements anymore which only slightly unnerved her. The hand not occupied with her upper body had moved down between her legs and was lightly caressing her inner thighs. Hermione bit her lip to keep the loud moan threatening to escape. Merlin, she wasn't sure how much more of this she could take. Not only were his hands extremely talented, but they were giving her no mercy in her two most private areas.
"Don't hold it in," he whispered into her ear. He pinched her nipple the best he could through the layers of clothing and was rewarded with a moan she couldn't help but let escape. He was only a little surprised when she spun around in the chair and captured his lips with hers. What did surprise him was the intensity in which she kissed him with. He brought one hand up and tangled it in her hair to bring her head closer to his while his other hand came to rest on her upper arm.
He ran his tongue along her lips, seeking entrance and she allowed it a split second later. Their tongues battled for dominance and he, of course, won.
Hermione moaned into the kiss. He seemed to know just what spots to hit with his tongue. She put her hands on either side of his head, pulling him closer and causing him to open his eyes slightly in surprise. Her elbow knocked into her potions book and caused it to drop off the desk, creating a loud thump. It was enough to bring her to her senses and realize what she was doing. She quickly pulled back from him, shooting out of the desk and to the other side of the class room.
Draco kept his eyes closed, breathing hard still. He hadn't meant for it to go there. He just wanted to first get back at her for the other day and to also show to himself that he could make her feel similar to how she made him feel. Though he wouldn't admit it, he needed it to boost his ego after how embarrassed he had been. But Merlin, her kiss. That was another item to add to the list of things Blaise could have seen in her. Kissing her hadn't been at all what he expected it to be. She always seemed to innocent and too much of a prude to date let alone kiss a guy like that. He shakily ran a hand through his hair. Well that had backfired on him.
He stood up and masked his emotions, making it seem as if nothing was out of the ordinary. He sent her a smirk. "I knew you couldn't resist me Granger."
She glared at him. "Don't get to full of yourself Ferret. Nothing happened."
He chuckled and leaned against the wall opposite her. "Wonder what Potter and Weasley will have to say when they find out about you throwing yourself at me twice now."
She paled. "Don't you dare tell them!"
"I thought you said nothing happened?" He asked innocently. "If nothing happened, then you shouldn't worry about what I tell them because it could be passed off as a lie."
"Oh, you're insufferable," she growled, crossing her arms and glaring at him. He smirked again but didn't reply. He loved taunting her. There was something about getting under her skin that was irritable to him. He watched as she walked over and tried the door again. "Damnit," she muttered when it didn't work. Draco's eyebrows shot up.
"Language, Granger. There are innocent ears in the room."
Hermione snorted. "I know you aren't talking about yourself. You are anything but innocent."
Draco grinned. "True. But from the moves you've shown me in the past few days, I'm going to have to say that you aren't exactly the essence of innocence either."
Hermione blushed crimson and looked away from him, adding to his amusement. She quickly changed the subject. "Why on Earth would anybody lock us in here with a time locking spell? Are you sure you had nothing to do with this Malfoy?" She asked, her eyes narrowed at him. Draco rolled his eyes.
"I'm quite sure. And as for who would lock us in here? We're in a school full of people. Anyone of them could have. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if that old bat, Dumbledore had something to do with it."
"Don't insult Professor Dumbledore." She snapped. "He's a much better wizard then you could ever hope to be."
Draco shrugged carelessly, moving to a chair near her and sitting down. "I never said I was better then him, nor implied it. I only meant that he is clearly off his rocker."
Hermione gave a small smile but it wasn't directed at him. "He isn't as insane as he allows everyone to believe. He is very wise and somehow seems to know everything that goes on. Either that or he's good at guessing and hiding his surprise."
"I'm sorry I brought it up. I really didn't want a full analysis on the man."
Hermione fought back a chuckle. Her face turned serious though. "I doubt it was Dumbledore who locked us in. Whoever did must either want us to kill each other or…" She trailed off, something suddenly occurring to her. Draco watched, confused and a little curious as her eyes were unfocussed, showing she was deep in thought.
"Or what?"
Hermione didn't answer him. She was starting to formulate a theory based on the past few days. She walked over to the door and raised her wand, muttering a charm Draco couldn't here. He stood up and walked over next to her and blinked in surprise as the door suddenly became see through.
"What did you do?"
"I cast a charm so we can see out, but no one can see in. I want to see if there's anybody out there waiting."
Intrigued, Draco leaned over her shoulder to get a better look through the door. Hermione felt his body up against hers and fought to control her breathing. It became more difficult as she felt his breathing on her neck and shoulder.
"Do you see anyone?" He asked and Hermione refocused her attention on the task at hand.
"No, the halls are empty-wait! Look, over there, by the suit of armor."
Draco looked in that direction and his mouth dropped open. "Blaise? And the Weaslette? You really think they did it? They look rather preoccupied to me." Indeed, the two were using the alcove to snog each other senseless. "It could just be a coincidence."
"Right, it's just a coincidence that they're skipping class to conveniently snog right across from where we've been locked in, after I was dared by my friends to-er, well the incident on Saturday, where Ginny and Blaise happened to be in on that as well?"
Draco glared at the couple. "I feel betrayed." He sniffed indignantly.
"No kidding," Hermione muttered. She muttered the counter charm and the door returned to normal. She turned around only to find Draco hadn't moved yet. She let out a grunt as she collided with him. His arms instinctively reached out and grabbed her around the waist to keep her from falling back and Hermione grabbed onto his arms with her hands to support herself.
"Eager for more Granger?" He asked, amused. Hermione glared at him. "You know, until we're let out of here, we might as well put our time to good use." He purred huskily. Hermione tensed, ready to tell him off but never got the chance as he leaned down quickly and kissed her.
Unlike the previous time, minutes before, this one was gentle and less intense. But even still, Hermione felt her knees start to give out. Draco pushed her up against the door, one hand behind her head, keeping her from any discomfort. His other hand was wrapped around her waist, supporting her.
It only lasted a second longer before Hermione pushed him back, slapping him as she did so. He raised a hand to his cheek which was quickly turning red. His eyes glinted furiously.
"What in Merlin's name was that for?" He growled. Hermione glared at him menacingly.
"You know damn well what it was for Malfoy. Keep away from me."
He growled in frustration and ran a hand through his hair again. "You are such a hypocrite! You were kissing me back! And the first time, it was you that kissed me."
Her cheeks colored slightly but her face didn't lose it's furious edge to it. They both stood there, breathing heavily and glaring at each other. If it had been anybody else, they wouldn't have been able to stand either one of the glares but both were equally stubborn and not at all ready to back down.
Hermione, being the more mature of the two apparently, finally rolled her eyes and broke eye contact with him. "This is absolutely ridiculous. We cannot even go five minutes without arguing."
Draco gave a small chuckle. "We do seem to be good at it, don't we?" He asked.
Hermione gave him a small smile and Draco's breath caught at the sight of her giving him a true smile.
"I suppose so. It's any wonder we've lasted in the same school this long without killing one another." She crossed her arms and leaned back against the door, facing him.
"Face it Granger. We're both just too stubborn. Neither one of us likes to admit defeat."
Hermione sniffed. "I can admit defeat. Just not to a slimy Slytherin."
"And I can't admit defeat, period. Especially to a dimwitted Gryffindor." Draco grinned.
"Dimwitted?" Hermione scoffed. "Pompous git." She fired back.
"Conceited wench."
"Albino ferret."
"Ouch, now that one was uncalled for."
Hermione chuckled. "Are you saying you can't handle a little name calling?" She asked, her eyebrow raised slightly.
"I can more than handle it. But one of us has to be the mature one and quit while he's ahead."
"You mean behind? Sorry Malfoy, but you can't beat me." She gave him an innocent smile.
"Of course I can. I just figured that your ego could use a little boosting and therefore have been allowing you to win."
"Oh, well how courteous of you. I didn't think you had it in you." She said dryly.
Draco smirked. "There's a lot you don't know about me Granger." He winced slightly though as his smirk caused his cheek that she had slapped to sting. "Merlin Granger. You really know how to slap don't you?" He asked, cautiously rubbing his cheek.
"Oh come on. It can't hurt that bad."
Draco turned so his face was bathed in more light and Hermione flinched at seeing the distinct hand mark still on his cheek. "Would you care to wager on that one?" He asked.
"You're just being a big baby. You must have a low pain tolerance." She grumbled, moving towards him. She took her wand out and pointed it at his face. His eyes widened and he looked as if he were a deer caught in head lights. "I'm not going to curse you, you coward." She said, slightly amused. Draco relaxed only a little. He watched as she muttered a healing charm. "There." She reached up and ran her fingers along where the mark had faded.
Draco's eyes widened again, before closing slightly. Her touch was extremely soothing and despite himself, he relaxed into it. Her fingers were soft and somewhat cool, sending a shiver down his back.
Hermione, meanwhile, was transfixed, first by how soft his skin was and how flawless it now was. Then she saw his eyes drift close and relax into her touch. Surprised and amazed, she didn't remove her hand right away, instead running her fingers along his face softly.
When she went to remove her hand, his own shot out and gently gripped her wrist, holding it in place. Her breathing quickened as he took hold of her other hand and his gray eyes watched her from half-closed eye lids.
"I don't understand you Granger." He muttered. She looked at him, confused, trying to fight the strange feeling coursing through her. "Nor do I understand what in the bloody hell you keep doing to me."
He guided her hands so that they were placed around his neck and then he put his hands on her waist, pulling her closer to him. He then leaned down and gently kissed her once again. Only this time, Hermione didn't slap him or pull away. She immediately responded and moved with him when he pulled her further into the classroom. Not once breaking the kiss, he maneuvered her onto the large desk in the front of the room, so that she was sitting on top of it and he was standing in between her legs.
She had to bend her head slightly, but barely at all, seeing as he was quite tall. While his hands remained firmly on her waist, hers had moved up so that she was running her fingers through his silky hair. He reluctantly broke the kiss, but kept his head leaning against hers and his eyes closed. Hermione watched him as she attempted to control her breathing. Each kiss with him was different. The first had been intense and passionate; the second gentle; and the third one was gentle, intense and something else Hermione couldn't quite name. Either that or her brain refused to allow her to consider what it might be.
He never ceased to annoy and aggravate her and the two seemed to never get along. But moments before, they had bickered in a more playful manner. And Merlin could he kiss. She hadn't ever felt like this with any other guy before. She was having a hard time making any of it out. Things were moving entirely too fast for her liking.
They both heard a quiet click coming from the door and they glanced over briefly.
"Looks like we're free now." Hermione said quietly. Draco nodded, turning back to her. His eyes were intense and studying her carefully.
"Now what?" He asked her.
Good question.
Outside, Blaise and Ginny hid behind a suit of armor in an alcove across from the room. Ginny had just cast an invisibility charm on them and they were waiting for Draco and Hermione to emerge.
"Do you think it worked?" Ginny asked.
Blaise shrugged. "I don't know. It better have. I missed an entire class over this."
Ginny smirked. "As if that really bothers you."
"Good point." Blaise grinned. He saw the door opened and quickly nudged Ginny. The two watched as Hermione stormed out with her bag slung across her shoulder. A furious look on her face. She quickly left in the direction of the Great Hall. A split second later, Draco came out, equally angry. He glared at anybody who got in his path. He headed down to the dungeons.
Blaise's mouth dropped open. "It didn't work?"
Ginny frowned, disappointed. "Apparently not. There's no way the two could have done anything other then argue if they came out looking like that."
Blaise cursed. "Well, we'll have to inform the others that we need a Plan C. Plan A and Plan B haven't been enough it seems." He cursed again. "Draco is entirely too hard headed if he is resisting her that long."
"Same can be said for Hermione." Ginny grumbled. She took off their invisibility charm and they left dejectedly.
That night, two sole figures crept through the halls. It was midnight and the only other person awake was Argus Filch. But as he was currently patrolling the second floor, he never knew of the two students out past hours.
A girl with brunette hair glanced around her before entering a familiar abandoned classroom. Almost immediately after, a platinum blond haired boy arrived and also entered the room, closing the door quietly behind him. He smirked as he saw his companion sitting on the large desk and he made his way over to her.
"None of your friends suspected anything?" He asked her, snaking one of his hands around her waist.
"Nope, they were all to crestfallen that their plan failed. It was surprisingly easy to fool them." She brought her legs around him, bringing him closer to her.
He chuckled. "Blaise and Pansy were the same." He leaned up and crushed her lips with his, elated when she eagerly kissed him back.
"How long should we keep them from knowing their plan actually worked?" She asked him when they paused for breath.
He shrugged. "Just until we can get them back well enough for interfering."
"Are you truly that disappointed they did? Look what it brought." She kept her voice neutral but he could tell she was slightly worried he didn't want what they were doing.
He kissed her briefly. "I'm the complete opposite of disappointed. Truthfully I'm rather grateful. I just don't want them to know that. Not yet anyway."
She smiled, relieved. "You and your overly large ego." She teased.
"You and your overly large brain." He shot back. She opened her mouth to retort but he cut her off. "Are we going to waste time bickering? Because we can do that in public. I can think of a few other things that we can do in private that are much more fun."
"Hmm, can I think about it?"
"Nope."
"Alright then. I guess we can hold off on the bickering." She gave a small smirk. "Now Malfoy?"
"Yes Granger?"
"Shut up and kiss me."
"Very demanding...I like it."
AN: Please review and let me know what you thought. Please refrain from flames though.