Fraternizing with the Enemy

At the Top of the Stairs

Chapter 5

"Potter and Parkinson...Weasley and Goyle..." Snape's voice boomed out, exclaiming the assigned pairs for the next lab. "Granger and Malfoy." Hermione looked over at Draco, who was looking right back, and she pretended to glare at him. After Snape was done announcing the pairs, the students stood from their seats to meet with their partners, groans emerging from every one of them. It seemed that Snape had purposely put the students with people they didn't like.

"Good afternoon, Malfoy," Hermione said, accenting his name as if was some kind of curse.

"And what's so good about it, Granger?" Draco replied. After making sure that no one was looking, Hermione lightened her attitude and sat down next to Draco to prepare their cauldron.

"This doesn't seem so bad," she said, focusing on the potion they were now beginning.

"Not at all. So, anything new as far as Gwod is concerned?" asked Draco as he crushed leaves of witch hazel.

"Nothing other than some interesting looks. This afternoon we should try something else."

"Sounds like a plan. Meet me in the Library after class?" he asked, dropping the witch hazel into the cauldron.

"Sure," Hermione agreed, looking over at him with a grin. When he gave a slight smile in return, Hermione felt her insides buckle. He looked so different when he smiled like that, almost attractive. Her lips straitened into a line as she stared into his cold, gray eyes. "Why didn't I see it before?" Hermione thought. "He looks almost...sad."

"You're finished, are you?" Snapes voice pulled her from her sudden entrancement.

"Yes Professor," Draco said. Snape filled a small jar with the liquid and put it up to his nose.

"Well done, Mr. Malfoy. I trust that you were the one doing the most of the work in this group," he said glaring at Hermione.

"No, actually it was mostly her," Draco said, nearly scaring the life out Snape as well as Hermione. "May I go to the bathroom?"

"Fine," Snape spat, tucking his tail between his legs and sauntering away. Hermione watch Draco walk away with a confused look on her face, pondering what had just happened.

~#~

"Hey Granger, over here!" Hermione heard Draco's voice call from across the Library. She walked over to their usual table, and sat down beside him. "So, what's the game plan for today?"

"Draco, why did you tell Snape that I did most of the work?"

"Pardon?" Draco asked, apparently taken aback.

"Why did you stick up for me like that? You didn't have to do that you know."

"Well, I...er...just wanted to see the look on Snape's face...that's all," he stammered.

"Oh," Hermione said regretfully.

"What did you think was the reason? I mean, you didn't think I did it cause I like you or anything? Did you? Cause that is definitely not the reason," he asked worriedly.

"No, I didn't think that. Why would I ever think that?" Hermione spat.

"Good then," Draco said, apparently moving on. "Asshole," Hermione thought angrily. She could feel Draco staring at her, and it only added to her irritation.

"WHAT?" she spat.

"Nothing, god! What is the matter with you all of the sudden?"

"Nothing. Forget it. Let's talk about what we're gonna do to Ron," she said, looking back down at her books, ignoring Draco's stares.

~#~

"Stupid jerk," Hermione mumbled to herself as she shuffled her way to the common room. "Idiot," she spat, kicking a wall.

"Damn Hermione. You trying to bring the whole school down?" Hermione turned to see Harry walking up to her.

"Hey Harry," she sighed. He looked at her incredulously.

"What did you promise me about not getting hurt?" She gave him a weak smile. Apparently Harry didn't miss anything.

"You know how Malfoy can be," she said.

"Oh yes, and I know how Ron can be too." She knew where he was going with this. "No body's perfect Hermione," Harry said.

"Well, I am," she said, jokingly.

"All I'm saying is that Ron isn't exactly an extrovert when it comes to confessing his feelings. See ya later!" Harry said as he walked off, leaving Hermione standing there, more confused that ever. "I need a walk."

~#~

Hermione's feet stomped across the wet grass of the Hogwart's Grounds towards the lake. She stopped at the waters edge and looked out across the black and silver water.

"Hermione?" said a voice from behind her. "What are you doing here?" Hermione turned to see Draco staring at her, hair reflecting silver beams of moonlight.

"Just taking a walk. What do you care?" she hissed at him.

"Why are you so mad at me? I don't remember calling you Mudblood recently," he smirked.

"I didn't think you were going to kiss me you know," she said quietly.

"What are you talking about?"

"In the Library the other day, you said that you weren't going to kiss me..."

"Yeah..."

"Well I knew that you would never do that, okay?" said Hermione.

"What do you mean you knew I would never do that?"

"You don't have enough guts to do something like that," she said through a crooked smile.

"What? Of course I do! Just cause I didn't doesn't mean that I-"

"It's okay Draco; I wont tell anyone you're a coward," she drawled.

"Hermione! If I wanted to kiss you I would do it anytime I wanted to!"

"Sure," she said sarcastically, turning to walk back to the castle. But Draco caught her by the wrist instantly, pulled her into him, and kissed her.

When he pulled away, Hermione looked up at him with enlarged eyes. Apparently, Draco was just as surprised as she was that he had done something like that. He stuttered gracelessly before pulling away from her, a look of disgust plastered on his face.

"I...I...just kissed a Mudblood!" he stammered in revulsion.

"You are such a jerk!"

"Wench!"

"Asshole!"

"Gryffindor!" And Draco reached out once again, grabbed her by the hips, and pressed his lips against hers. It was a much deeper, more passionate kiss that lasted quite a bit longer than the first. When they parted this time, both their faces were red from either yelling or kissing (or maybe both). They simply stared at each other for a moment or two, each one examining the face of the other. It seemed that there were no words in any language that they could speak at the moment.

"Um," she said quietly, rummaging through her brain for any inspiration as to what she could say. "Did you just call me Hermione?"

"Well that is your name..."

"But you have never called me that before."

"I've never kissed you before either."

"True," she admitted, once again plummeting into an awkward silence. Draco gently pulled away from her and walked towards the edge of the lake, feet nearly touching the water.

"This wasn't a part of the plan," he said after a few minutes.

"No, it wasn't," Hermione said distantly, the taste of Draco still lingering upon her lips.

"I don't need to tell you that it isn't going to work. You are, after all, ranked first in our class."

"And I don't need to tell you that class rank has nothing to do with it." Draco turned to her, an all-too-familiar smirk upon his lips.

"What do you want, Hermione?"

"Huh?"

"You heard me."

"I don't know, Draco. It might work someday," she sighed.

"But not today. You're who you are, and I'm who I am. If things were different...I..."

"I know."

"I am sorry."

"Me too," Hermione said quietly.

"We'll continue hating each other as usual. Tonight never happened, and Gwod never happened. It's better this way," Draco said as he walked up to her. "I believe this belongs to you...Mudblood," he said, pulling the same black journal out of his pocket and handing it to her. Hermione took it and looked up at him, confusion and tears swarming in her eyes. Draco leaned down and kissed her lightly on the cheek, before walking off towards the castle.

Hermione stood there, feeling cold and vulnerable, clutching the little black book tightly against her chest. She looked down at the journal and gently opened it, anticipation growing. Her thoughts buzzed with ideas as to what mysterious and dark secrets Draco might have hidden in there. But when her eyes feel upon the parchment, to her surprise, there was nothing but blank pages.

~#~

Hermione humbly climbed the stairs towards her common room, black book in hand. "You are a fool, Hermione," she thought to herself. She remembered the kiss they had shared. It was so eager, so desperate, as if it was his last kiss. "Perhaps it was. What am I supposed to do now?" The tears began to tumble down her cheek and she wiped them away violently, cursing the feelings that she now felt. Hermione looked up, and stopped suddenly, for at the top of the stairs stood Ron.

He was looking at her as though he had nothing to hide, as though he'd been waiting for her forever. Hermione looked back up at him, new tears forming, seeing something she had never seen before. She ran up the stairs, wrapped her arms around him, and began crying silently into his chest. He held her tightly, as though he understood every thing without words, and if he didn't, it didn't matter. Hermione didn't care anymore. She felt as though every emotion she had was pouring out of her at once.

"Thank you so much, Ron," choked Hermione.

"What are friends for," he said, never seeing the smile forming on Hermione's face.