Disclaimer: I don't own anything. JK owns Harry Potter.

The Other Way Around

A DraMione One-shot

By: Mystical Pen

The bright sunrays of the hot golden orb were casting beautiful light down at the castle of Hogwarts. It was a very fine day and it was apparent that every Hogwarts student was having such a wonderful time touring the place under the bright, but not too hot, sunlight. Hermione Granger was no different.

Hermione walked the paved stones of the castle courtyard with a bounce on her steps. On either side of her walked Ginevra Weasley and Luna Lovegood, both were also smiling radiantly. Ron and Harry were currently serving a detention they had earned and instead of sulking inside the Gryffindor common room, Hermione decided to have a trudge around the castle and have a whiff of fresh air. Ginny and Luna were more than glad to join her.

"You seem especially cheerful today, aren't you?" Ginny voiced her inquiry as she kept up with her best friend and walked beside her.

"Well, it is a fine day, why wouldn't I be happy?" Hermione answered with a wide smile. She didn't know what was exactly special on that day. She just felt that something good was about to happen. At that time, she was fairly sure nothing could ruin her day.

"It is a great day." Agreed Luna. As usual, she had the dreamy light in her eyes coupled with the glowing smile she had on her lips. "Today is fairly special. I haven't seen any nargles around yet. I think this day is just about to get better."

Another smile tugged at Hermione's lips at the sound of Luna's dreamy voice. Even though her Ravenclaw friend had just said an odd statement, Hermione couldn't find it in herself to disagree. She felt like for once, she wanted to relax and look at the bright side of everything. She reckoned she could see the light side of everything that would happen that day.

"Well, you might have to think twice about that." Ginny Weasley's slightly irritated voice broke Hermione from her reverie.

Hermione turned to face Ginny, her head cocking to the side in curiosity. "Why is that?"

Ginny didn't have to answer because at that moment, a blonde boy, along with a dark male and a female walking make-up kit, rounded the corner and came face-to-face with them. It was the Slytherin's 'Silver Trio', whatever they meant with that.

"So, if it isn't Granger, the Ginger's girlfriend." Draco Malfoy said in his usual drawl. He smirked arrogantly at Hermione before continuing what he was saying. "Oh, wait. She isn't the Ginger's girlfriend. Pity how Weasley chose that slutty octopus, Brown, rather than you. Don't tell me you're that horrible."

Pansy Parkinson's cackling laughter followed Draco's insult. Even Blaise Zabini, who was usually quiet and uncaring of their Slytherin antics, gave a slight smirk.

"Shove off, Malfoy, if you know what's good for you," threatened Ginny as she pulled out her wand from her robe pocket. "Or maybe you want another taste of my bat bogey hex?" She raised her eyebrows at Malfoy, her eyes shooting daggers at him.

"Ohoho. The she-weasel's talking. You wouldn't want to do that now, would ya? Not with Professor Snape just around the corner." Malfoy sneered.

If it was even possible, Ginny's eyes flared more angrily. She was about to raise her wand and point it at Malfoy's face to show him she didn't care about that greasy git they called a professor finding out, when Hermione raised her own arm and pushed Ginny's wand arm down.

"Wha-" Ginny's question was cut-off by Hermione's voice.

"Stop it, Ginny. Let's just go. They're not worth our attention." Hermione retorted. She wasn't about to let Malfoy have the satisfaction of driving them to trouble. She wasn't about to let him ruin her wonderful day. So, she pulled at Ginny's arm and reached out to grip at Luna's. Without another word to the Slytherins, she walked away. But even before she got a couple of steps away, Pansy's voice made them stop on their trails.

"Same as you're not worth Weasley's attention, eh, Granger? I always thought nobody would have you." Pansy insulted. "Not with that big mouth of yours."

Hermione took a deep breath to calm herself and took another step away from the three, pulling her speechless friends again with her.

"It must be a nightmare to kiss that pathetic excuse for a mouth that you have, huh? Not even Weasley, who's desperate to have someone devouring his mouth, would risk kissing you," Pansy said again. "Not that I'm blaming him."

"I pity you, Granger," seconded Draco. "You will be forever alone."

With that, Hermione turned around. Her face was red with anger and her eyes were glaring intensely at Draco. "Would you stop bothering us? Why don't you just get a life? Do something productive instead being gits and ruining everybody's life."

Draco scoffed as he slowly walked towards Hermione, who, for the time being, stopped on her feet and released the still speechless Ginny and Luna. "Can't think of anything to retort with that one, huh? It's because you know we're correct, right?" Draco raised his eyebrow at Hermione. He was intent on angering her. He knew that Professor Snape was just somewhere nearby and he wanted to irritate Hermione to the point that she would hex him. And then, surely before that happened, Professor Snape would come to the rescue and take points from Gryffindor and give her detention. It had been a few days since he got Potty, Weasel and Granger in trouble. He was itching to do it again, even though it only involved the female Gryffindor. "Nobody would take you, not even Weasley. Clearly, you're not worth it, you're not worth anything."

Ginny, who was struggling to remain calm for the sake of her friend, balled her fist tightly and raised her wand. She was losing her temper. She was planning on letting Hermione deal with the ferret but the stupid vermin was setting her teeth on edge. The incantation for the hex was already on the tip of her tongue when she almost jumped with surprise upon hearing Hermione's bellow.

"For your information, ferret, I don't need a boy for me to know that I am worthy! I don't need a man just so he could tell me how wonderful I am. I don't need someone clinging all over me just to make people see that I am worth the attention. I've done that years ago all by myself." Hermione yelled at Malfoy's face. The loudness of her voice was clearly attracting attention from the other students nearby. All eyes were trained on them and all ears were dedicated to hearing the commotion.

"You, on the other hand, haven't proven anything." Hermione continued. By that time, they were only several meters apart and Hermione kept advancing towards Draco like an attacking predator as she pronounced each word. "You don't have a right to insult other people because you haven't proven anything yet. You can't treat people like they're lower than you because you haven't done anything to prove that you are better. Instead, you have only proven that you're a lot worse. You haven't done anything useful. You can't act on your own. You're always with your gang, your goons. You're always bullying people who don't stand up to you!" Hermione said, her eyes flaring and her knuckles closed tightly in a fist.

Draco opened his mouth to retort on all that Hermione said but she wasn't done yet. Hermione raised her hand, palm up front to stop Draco from saying anything. "Besides, why do you even care about my love life and Ron's? A day wouldn't pass without you commenting on his life with his girlfriend. You never let a day pass without mentioning him as you insult me. I ask you this, Malfoy, why do you care?" Hermione asked. She wasn't oblivious to the attention they were getting. Normally, she hated people staring at her and snooping around her life. But at that moment, she didn't care. She was fed up with Malfoy and despite what she said to her friends earlier that they shouldn't give them attention, she wanted to put a stop to it. She had decided she would end it that day. "If I didn't know better, Malfoy, I'd say you like Ron and you're jealous of Lavender. I'd even wager that you're the one who wants to kiss him."

At that, Draco's jaw fell slack. Pansy released a gasp. But Blaise, despite himself, released a snigger. Even the eavesdropping students from the other houses had different reactions upon hearing what Hermione just accused Malfoy of. Some were speechless, some gasped just like Pansy and some cackled with laughter.

"What did you say, Granger?" Draco said through gritted teeth. His jaws were tight and his teeth were gnashing together. His eyes turned dark as he glared at Hermione.

"You heard me, Malfoy." At the sight of the expression Malfoy held, Hermione knew she had the upper hand. She knew that she had turned the table and with what she said, she had hit a nerve. She knew she was close to getting her revenge. "I said, if I didn't know better, I'd think you have the hots for Ron."

"How dare you, Granger?" Draco yelled at her as he stepped nearer to her, even shortening the gap between them. "You dare tell me that?"

"I just did, Malfoy." Hermione smiled sweetly and teasingly at him. She held her chin up and puffed her chest out, showing that she was far from being scared of him.

"So what are you implying?" Draco continued to yell at her despite the fact that their faces were inching nearer towards each other as they bickered. "You're saying that I am gay and gay for that Weasley?"

Hermione gave a teasing chuckle. "You're the one who said that. It came from you, not me." She smirked triumphantly.

Upon seeing her smug smile, Draco's eyebrows crumpled tighter together in the middle of his forehead. His mouth pressed tighter together, forming a thin line as he glared at her. "You!"

"Me?" Hermione continued to challenge him. Her smile never faltered.

"I am telling you, I am not gay. How dare you insult me like that? I'll have you know that each and every human female in this whole castle is going head over heels for me. How can you accuse me of being gay if I have an effect on ladies that just makes them melt whenever I touch them?" Draco defended himself. It was unusual for him to shout and lose his calm and sarcastic aura like today but he didn't care. That Granger had just insulted her and he wouldn't let her win.

"Effect?" Hermione asked as he plastered an innocently curious expression on her face. She released a humorous chuckle. "What effect? I don't know what you're talking about. All I can see is how you always bring up the subject of Ron and Lavender as if you're jealous. Don't worry, Malfoy. I totally understand. It isn't a complete surprise anyway, not with me noticing the signs since years ago."

"Why, you!" Draco growled. Little by little, due to his anger and the desire to just squash Granger, he was unknowingly inching closer to her. By that time, he was already only a few inches away from her. As a result, he was looking down on her. "I am most certainly not gay!"

"Really? That's not what I'm seeing." Hermione said as she raised her eyebrows. She wasn't backing down even though Malfoy was practically just inches away from her. She was having the time of her life by seeing him so worked up. It was sweet revenge for her, seeing him angered by her. That was the great thing about Malfoy. He always insulted people around him but when the joke was on him, he couldn't take it neutrally. He was always losing his calmness, which only made joking about him better. "I don't see what you're fighting for, Malfoy."

"You don't see it?" Draco spat at her. He was losing his temper and along with it, his reasoning. He knew he was the most sought after male in the whole castle. Whatever the girls said that they hated about him, once he had put on his charms, nobody could refuse him. And hearing Granger, the bloody Mudblood Granger, accusing him of being gay is too much for him. His ego and his pride couldn't stand that. Despite what he and his friends had just pointed out earlier about nobody wanting to touch Granger, he had to teach her a lesson. "Then, I'll show you."

"How will-" Hermione started but she was never able to continue what she was about to say. She didn't know how it happened but the next thing she knew was that another set of lips was pushed against hers and a strong arm was wrapped around her waist and pulling her closer. The only thing that registered in her mind was that Draco 'the ferret' Malfoy was kissing her.

Gaps emitted from all the spectators. Ginny and Luna would have put a stop to it. The only problem was, they were struck frozen on their feet with their mouths hanging open. Blaise and Pansy were no different, Pansy's jaw was hanging open as well, forming a big letter O. Although Blaise's mouth was completely intact, his eyes were as wide as an owl's and his face was as surprised as the others'

If Draco Malfoy could be called anything 'great', besides being a great git, he could be called a great kisser. He was proud of that title. When he kissed a girl, it was normal for them to melt in his arms. That was what he was rooting for with Granger. He couldn't take her insulting him and calling him gay. He had to make her pay. His way of making her pay was making her experience his touches and making her swoon over him. Then, she would have to eat her words and embarrass herself. After that, he would gladly leave her under the scrutinizing stares of the whole school. He was sure the news would spread around the castle. He could see the headline already. 'Hermione Granger swoons over Draco Malfoy.' That would be hilarious. And so he had that goal as he crashed his lips against Hermione's. He would bring her to heaven and then let her fall to hell after.

Draco Malfoy's kiss was in no way patient. It was aggressive and it was hard. But nevertheless, Hermione felt like melting in his arms. As soon as she felt his lips moving against hers, she felt her knees turn to jelly. Her eyes automatically fluttered close, feeling his lips against hers. She had always thought his lips would feel cold and hard but it was far from those things. His lips were soft and warm. It fitted perfectly with the curves of her lips like they were molded together.

Draco kissed Hermione passionately. Even though she wasn't responding, he wouldn't stop. He knew she would come around sooner or later. He bit her lip lightly, encouraging her to respond but it still had no effects. Pulling away for the tiniest bit of a second, Draco wrapped his arms tighter around Hermione's waist and pulled her closer. He lifted his hand and tangled his fingers through her hair, pulling her head closer in the process. "Granger…" He whispered huskily to her, making sure his breath brushed her lips. He smirked slightly when he saw her lips quiver at his breath. With that, he kissed her again.

For the second time, Draco wasn't up for experiments, he was going to make her respond and be done with the task. And with all he had, he kissed her more passionately than the first one.

Hermione didn't know what was happening to her but as Draco kissed her, she felt a shiver run down her spine. His kiss wasn't soft and gentle but nevertheless, it was like he was unveiling an emotion she hadn't felt before. She felt her heart swelling with emotions as she felt his lips against his. There was a foreign feeling from the very inside of her that threatened to surface as Draco held her close in his arms. She found herself forgetting about everything, forgetting about where they were and forgetting about the past they had. It was ridiculous but at that time, it felt right. And so, without hesitation she let her hands crawl up from her sides up to Draco's chest and around his neck, her fingers weaving through his hair as his was tangled through hers. She pulled at his head the way he did at hers, just to pull him closer to her. She had the strangest feeling that she wanted him close and never away again. Then, without another moment of thinking about what she was about to do, she responded to his kisses.

Draco was intent on just playing with Granger, he was sure of it. He was just meaning to toy with her but as he felt her soft lips finally move with his, he momentarily forgot all about that. The way her lips so softly and slowly move and respond to his kisses was causing him to doubt what he was about to do. Right at that moment, he didn't feel like stopping and laughing at her because she gave in. At that exact moment when their lips were moving in synchronization together, he felt like the moment was perfect and it was right. Never in all his years of life had he kissed someone who made him feel that way with just a simple kiss. Unconsciously, his lips curved into a happy smile.

When Hermione felt Draco's lips curve into a smirk, she was brought back to Earth. Her eyes snapped open. She looked at his eyes, which were now open as well, and saw them glimmering with mirth. Everything clicked and she remembered that they were playing a game. As fast as everything made sense, Hermione's anger flared. Her former desire to embarrass him and give him a taste of his own medicine came back to her. Thinking fast, she came up with only one way she could walk out of this unscathed and she took that lane.

"Oh no, you don't. You're not gonna walk out of this with that smirk. It'll be the other way around." Then, without waiting for any response from Draco, she clutched at his collar and pulled him, placing her lips once more against his.

Draco saw only a short glimpse of Hermione's eyes before he was pulled again and all he saw on her brown orbs were hurt and confusion. He didn't know what exactly it meant and he wasn't left to ponder about it much as Hermione kissed him this time.

If Draco's kiss was aggressive and hard, Hermione's was the exact opposite. It was soft and gentle. To Draco, the movements of her lips were like a slow tune of music that he loved to listen to. The way she moved her lips against his could never be compared to anybody else's. At that time, Draco thought it was like a brand of perfume; enticing, beguiling, enthralling and most importantly, one of a kind.

Hermione placed her hands back to Draco's nape. She entangled her fingers through his hair once more and pulled at his blonde hair. The gesture itself sent shivers down Draco's spine. Then, she let her hands slide to his chest. She clutched at the material of his shirt and pulled him down even more. She continued to kiss him as her hands roamed his chest over his robes.

For the second time, Hermione didn't pay any attention to the still watching crowd. She didn't even notice when a teacher came, Professor Slughorn and not Snape as Malfoy and his goons had predicted, and saw them; muttering nothing but "Ah. Young love." Before turning to the next corner and walking away. This time, she didn't pay attention not because she was held down by the unknown emotions being held in her chest, but rather because she was intent on getting her revenge. She was angry that he played with her. So, she was going to do something about it and returning the favor. In short, she was playing with him, by what people would call seducing him.

She nibbled at his lower lip, as she continued to roam her hands over his chest. She was supposed to be playing with him but there came moments when she would lose herself and just drown on the intensity of his responses. Those moments were short-lived but even though it was, it still left Hermione confused as to what she was feeling. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore and with all she could give, she kissed him slowly but more passionately. She kissed him deeply as her hands tangled through his hair once more, and digging to his scalp, which would normally hurt Draco, but during that time, it gave him not hurt but pleasure. While her other hand was tangled through his hair, the other was crawling to the side of his neck, her fingers drawing trails, which made Draco shiver.

Hermione was breathing hard but she didn't pull away. Draco didn't give any intention to pull away either, which made Hermione think that she was winning. She bit at his lip, hard. Then touched his lips with her tongue, trying to see if he would give in to her teasing. To her surprise, he did. He opened his mouth and granted her access. Their tongues danced in silent harmony that only the two of them heard.

Hermione was the one taking control of the said snogging session and Draco wasn't protesting. He didn't want it to end. He kept telling himself it was only because of lust or desire, but something deep inside his mind, his heart was telling him otherwise. Deep inside, somewhere, he was feeling as though it was more than that, it was always more than that. He was going mad…he was going mad as Hermione clutched tightly at his hair. It gave him extreme pleasure.

Normally, at that time when he kissed other girls, he would be aroused. But with Granger, he didn't feel any of that. What he felt was that he wanted to pull her even closer and just hold her forever. He didn't know where that came from and it drove him crazy. But he didn't care at the moment. It all felt right to him at the present and he wanted to just drown in her presence. So it was natural when he moaned against her lips as she continued to kiss him passionately. But as soon as the moan escaped his mouth, he felt her pull away. He opened his eyes and looked down at her with inquiring eyes.

What he saw in her eyes mysteriously made him feel hurt. Her orbs were shining with vengeance. She had gotten her revenge. It hurt him mysteriously but he shook it off. He tried to fix his face and turn it neutral. But Hermione wasn't helping.

Hermione stood on her tiptoes and leaned towards his right ear. She whispered softly to him. "I told you it's the other way around. I won today. Better luck next time." Then, she turned around and walked away, gesturing to her companions to follow her and not caring about the eyes that followed her.

"Bloody hell, mate. Who knew Granger could kiss that way?" Blaise muttered as he followed the leaving females with his eyes, his mouth still slightly agape.

"Nobody. Apparently nobody." Pansy answered Blaise as she took a look around at the audience that had gathered around them. "Looks like we became the clown of the joke we made. Because clearly, Draco was smitten by that Granger."

Draco didn't respond. He continued to stare glaze-eyed at the spot Hermione was standing on a while ago.

Pansy poke him on the shoulder. "It's just a game, Drake. Don't tell me you were affected."

Draco still didn't respond. All he did was shake his head. Yes, it was a joke. Yes he knew it. But the problem was, he didn't know if he was okay with it. As he stood there, staring at where she used to stand, he felt disappointment and regret with the fact that it might not happen ever again.

He, Draco Malfoy, had been given a taste of his own medicine and he was starting to get addicted to it…to her…

"Well, that was quite a show. I can't believe you did that." Ginny said with a raised eyebrow as she struggled to keep up with Hermione. "And as a first kiss too."

"First kiss?" Luna inquired as she walked beside Hermione. "I thought that was Viktor Krum?"

"No." Hermione answered with a blank expression on her face. "That was just on the cheek."

"So, that is really your first kiss?" Luna clarified.

"It is." Was Hermione's simple answer.

"So, what do you think? Worth it or not?" Ginny inquisitively asked.

Hermione didn't answer and just kept walking. Deep in her thoughts, she knew the answer to Ginny's question. Yes, it was worth it as a first kiss. But because of what just happened, she just wasn't sure if that was enough for her. She had the enigmatic feeling that she wanted something more from him…from Draco Malfoy…the guy she hated all her life…or thought she hated…

A/N: There ya go. I don't know why I wrote that. I was bored and it came to my mind. Honestly, until now, I don't know what I've done with this. I'm just so out of my mind right now. I'm insane right now. HAHA. So, like it, love it, hate it? Tell me, okay? REVIEW!