Dragon's Breath

Dragon's Fire

Chapter One

"Hey, wait a minute, come back!" he exclaimed, reaching forward for her wrist to pull her towards him once more. Ever since she broke their kiss a few seconds ago, it had felt like a torturous eternity and he didn't want it to end. As Draco Malfoy's hand closed around Hermione Granger's wrist, he pulled and immediately regretted doing so. Her face wore the look of disgust, anger and mistrust. He didn't even know why he pressed her to the wall after Potions today and kissed her. He had always wondered what it would be like to kiss her. That was it, wasn't it? Or was it because she was beautiful? No, she was just a Mudblood. Maybe it was the thought that Weasley was her boyfriend and they were happy. That's right, that felt more like himself. Draco would do anything to bring chaos and despair to any one of the trio, and two out of three ain't bad, he thought.

"You'd better let go of me Malfoy, before I hex you," her other hand brought her wand up to his face, "for doing that in front of my boyfriend. Hell, I should hex you for doing it at all." She broke free of her grasp and set off at a run, trying to quickly get as far away from the dungeons as possible. Maybe it really hadn't happened. Maybe Malfoy hadn't kissed her...maybe Ron hadn't seen. As Hermione ran to Transfiguration, she dreaded sitting there under Ron's gaze, it was bound to be full of pain and confusion. "I should have hexed him, damnit." she said as she turned a corner and ran right into Ron. He looked at her in horror, his mouth gaping open. When he found his voice he said, "Well then Miss Head Girl, bloody get on with it and hex me before I convince myself yet again that you didn't mean it and you still love me." Ron stared at Hermione's shocked face for no more than a second, turned on his heel and walked the opposite direction.

"Ron!" Hermione half yelled-half sobbed. "It isn't what you think, let me explain, please."

"Explain? What, do you want to tell me how much you enjoyed being between the wall and Malfoy kissing him after Potions? You want to describe to me what hex you wanted to use on me, maybe you wanted to alter my memory, or maybe you didn't...maybe you just wanted to see me in more pain. Maybe you're Malfoy's Slytherin Princess and you and he want to make my life hell!" Even Ron was surprised at that last bit, and immediately regretted it.

"Ron...I," Hermione began, her voice shaking from each shudder that threatened to render her nothing but a crying heap on the floor, "I...didn't kiss Malfoy. He grabbed me and kissed me, I don't know why. I hated it you know, I kept trying to break away but he's a lot stronger than me and I couldn't get to my wand right away. By the time I got him away from me you'd already gone. And the hex I was threatening...I was saying to myself how I should have hexed Malfoy before running away from him." Hermione said all of this so quickly that she had to catch her breath, which was no easy task because she was now crying in full, tears streaming down her face.

It must have taken Ron a long while to catch up to what she said (at least to her it felt like forever) and finally comprehension dawned across his face and his ears that were scarlet began to return to their normal color. He slowly walked towards her and reached his hands out to grab her shoulders. He pulled her towards him, not caring at all that her tears were leaving a big wet spot on his robes. He held her, whispering apologies and threats towards Malfoy for a few minutes. He gently took her chin in his hand and tilted her head so that instead of being buried into his chest her face was towards him. She shut her eyes quickly, looked down and said, "Ron, I am so sorry. I did try to resist but I couldn't. I was...I was so scared." Again he gently tilted her head up and wiped her tears away with his thumb. She opened her eyes to gaze into his, only inches away.

"It's okay, Hermione," he said pulling her into another hug, "Malfoy will pay."

"Pay? It's torture enough seeing you two, that was disgusting. What's the matter Weasel, you're not man enough to kiss her? I guess she'll have to rely on others to satisfy your shortcomings," Draco sneered, as he made a grab for Hermione. Ron instinctively turned around so that Hermione was behind him, but unfortunately his back was now facing Malfoy, and Malfoy's wand was pressed into Ron's back.

"You know," said the Head Boy as he pushed the point of his wand further into Ron Weasley's back, "I wonder if it would be as much fun to screw her as it was to kiss her. I loved seeing her squirm. She's really got a good body, shame it's wasted on a Mudblood though. Oh well, maybe I'll get to have some fun with her anyway." He was twisting his wand into Ron's back when he heard a familiar voice behind him. One that he loathed.

"Mr. Malfoy, what on Earth is it that you think you are doing?" Her brisk voice carried far, all the way down the hall from the door of the Transfiguration classroom. "I look outside to see if I see my three missing students and I see this. Wait for me in my office, all three of you."

That was never a good sign. Draco knew what he'd say though. As she opened the door to her office, he rose from his chair. "Professor, please allow me to explain. On my way from Potions to Transfiguration, I came upon Weasley grabbing at Granger and she was crying. Not that I care about her, but being Head Boy I felt it was my duty to get him away from her," he finished, proud of himself.

"Mr. Malfoy, even though they do not choose to display affection in public, the entire school knows that Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger are dating. It's not a secret. I'm sure you knew as well, seeing as how you are not daft, am I correct?"

Shit, she trapped me. Malfoy tried to think quickly, but all he could do was respond with a small nod.

"Mr. Malfoy, you may go for now, but I want you back in my office in precisely one half hour," McGonagall stated.

After the door shut behind Draco, she turned to Ron and Hermione with what appeared to be sympathy on her face. "Any other details I should know?" she asked. Hermione shook her head but Ron burst out, "He kissed her against her will outside of Potions, Professor. Her and I had a fight and I was trying to apologize and comfort her, because he scared her and all, when he put his wand up behind me, the stupid git, and started muttering really offensive things about how he wanted to...how he..." Ron trailed off, unable to say exactly what Malfoy had wanted to do. During Ron's outburst, Hermione sat there, shocked and pale. Now color began to creep into both their faces as Professor McGonagall understood what Ron was about to say. Their embarrassment aside, they were both glad that she knew..

"Thank you Mr. Weasley. You both may go. There is still time to go to lunch, I daresay that Mr. Potter was very concerned when neither of you showed up to class. Perhaps you should inform him that you are indeed alive," McGonagall said, dismissing them.

As they walked out of her office, Ron said to Hermione, "I don't really want to go to lunch right now, how about you?"

But before Hermione could answer, a drawling voice came around the corner. "Oh, so you finally decided to fuck her then, Weasley? Let me know if it's any fun." Ron started towards Malfoy, forming a fist with his hand that hadn't been grasping Hermione's, all ability of magic forgotten.. Hermione pulled him back and said "He's not worth it, Ron...don't get into trouble over him." Hermione and a calmer Ron turned and walked the other way, towards the Gryffindor Common Room instead of towards the Great Hall. Draco sniggered after them, and after a few moments, knocked on Professor McGonagall's office door and entered.