A Light in the Dark

Chapter Three: Illogical Conclusion

Hermione Granger, girl genius of Gryffindor Tower, was having difficulties; she couldn't solve a simple problem, one that should have been solved days, no, months, no, that was wrong, as well. It should have been solved years ago, not still bothering her to this day.

Damn you, Draco! Hermione mentally hissed, listening to the laughter and chatter around her. Now you're even messing up my ability to solve problems! If my schoolwork gets messed up because of you, I swear to Merlin, I curse you into next week and enjoy it more than Harry would!

"Hermione?" The voice came from far off, echoing like they were stuck in a tunnel.

But Hermione wasn't listening, she was too busy imagining the various ways that she would torture Draco Malfoy if her sudden obsession with him interrupted her schooling.

"Hey, Hermione?"

Ignoring the hand being waved in front of her face, Hermione's imagination took a U-turn and she started daydreaming about the day that Draco would finally come over to their side, letting her admit her feelings for him.

"What did you do?! She looks horrified!"

"I just said her name, nothing else!"

Hermione finally was brought back to Earth in time to see that Harry and Ron were both staring at her with confused and worried expressions on their faces, making her worry herself about how much of what she thought that she said out loud.

"Yes, what is it?" Hermione asked, plastering a smile that she didn't quiet feel on her face in an attempt to deter any questions they might ask, questions she didn't really have an answer to... and that scared her worse than the questions themselves. "Did you need me for something?"

"You spaced out for a few minutes there," Harry replied, gazing at her with his sad, emerald orbs that made her want to admit to everything she had been feeling and thinking for the past three years. Merlin, there were some days when she really hated to look at him. "We were worried that you had gotten sick or had been hit with a curse or something..."

"No," Hermione replied, adding a bit of feeling into her smile as she focused her attention once more on the parchment and quill in front of her, "I was just thinking about a problem I haven't been able to solve... It's been bothering me for a while-"

Hearing the clatter of dropped quills, Hermione looked up from her parchment to see that her boys' expressions had changed from worry to shock, making her fight to keep in a real grin this time.

"What?"

"You found a problem you can't solve?" Ron gave her a once over, causing Hermione to squirm slightly under his scrutiny. "Who are you and what have you done to our Hermione?"

"Maybe she's just tired, Ron," Harry interjected, smiling himself as Ron continued to watch Hermione as much as a mouse would watch a cat; alert for any kind of change in her demeanor. "We have been up for about five hours trying to get this Potions homework done, that would make even Hermione a little sloppy."

Nodding in agreement, Ron began to follow Harry's lead and pack up their parchment and quills, allowing Hermione to breath a sigh of relief before she realized something about Ron's last comment.

...our Hermione...

Watching Ron from under the curtain of her hair, Hermione couldn't help but notice that he kept throwing her concerned glances whenever he thought she or Harry weren't looking, confirming what she thought: Ron had finally realized that she was a girl.

Only took him three years to do so! Hermione's angry thought was echoed by her actions; her ink bottle was almost cracked from the force of being shoved under a stack of spell books and parchments and the haphazard swinging of her book bag. And after I figure out I have feelings for-

Breaking off that unreliable, not to mention disloyal, train of thought, Hermione snatched up the rest of her books and muttered, "I need to go to the library for something," before dashing out of Gryffindor Tower as fast as her legs could carry her.

As she crawled out of the portrait hole, Hermione just managed to hear Harry chuckle and reply to Ron's unheard question with, "That's what Hermione does; when in doubt, go to the library."

Grimacing, Hermione had to admit that it was true, that she normally went to library when she couldn't figure things out, but now she went there when things got tough or when she felt like the world was going to swallow her up.

Only, this time, it wasn't because of the books. It was because of a much more human form of comfort, even if it was only by presence alone that she felt it. Pursing her lips into a thin line that would do Professor McGonagall proud, Hermione decided that tonight she would confront Draco and finally put her feelings to rest.

She made into the library right before it closed for the night and managed to make it past Madam Pince as she made her way to bed. Hiding amid the bookshelves, Hermione waited, wondering if he made it inside as well and whether or not she really wanted him there.

Sure enough, after a few tense moments, Hermione felt his piercing glare in between her shoulder blades and exhaled slowly, trying to push down the mounting excitement she felt from such an intense glance pointed her way.

"I know you're there, Malfoy," Hermione called out, keeping her voice steady and her legs straight, "You can come out now, or are you afraid of a Gryffindor girl?"

Almost hearing his trademark sneer, Hermione had to smile as his steady tread made its way over to her, yet her smile immediately dropped at the look of fury that was directed at her.

"What took you so-" Draco started, before the realization of what he was about to say hit him and his mouth snapped shut so hard Hermione was sure she heard his teeth crack. "Why are you here, Granger?"

"It's the library, Malfoy," Hermione snapped, all warm feeling immediately disappearing. Two can play at this game... "I can be in here if I want to."

Sniffing, Draco made his way to one of the tables sitting in the glow of the full moon, allowing Hermione an unobstructed view of Draco's pale skin and silver hair, giving him the illusion of being not entirely from this world.

Swallowing hard, Hermione forced herself to think of the seven most crucial ingredients to a Sleepless Draught in order to make her overactive imagination to get back on track. It took a few moments, but she finally manged to focus on her question. "What are you doing here?"

"It's the library, Granger," Draco smirked, throwing her own words back at her. "I can be in here if I want to."

Dropping her head in mock defeat, Hermione hid her smile as she made her way to the opposite end of the table that Draco was sitting at and perched there as she raised her head and asked, "Why do you keep coming here, Malfoy?"

"All the books, Granger," Draco answered, not meeting her gaze and making her doubt his answer. "You're not the only one who studies all the time. There's brains as well as good looks in this body."

And such a nice body... No! Potion ingredients, goblin rebellions, glowing skin in the moonlight...

Hermione wasn't sure who was more surprised by her sudden head-slamming, but she was sure that Draco didn't get a bruise the size of a bezoar and a migraine to boot when she was finished.

"What the bloody hell has gotten into you, Granger?" Draco began to scoot further away from her, as if her temporary insanity would rub off on him if he even brushed up against her. "Why the hell are you acting like that bloody Sir Cadogan?"

Her original thought was to continue to act crazy, make him leave her alone for good, but then she was struck by the realization that she would miss their constant arguments and the way his eyes glowed when he spoke her name...

"Bloody hell!" Hermione had enough of him constantly interrupting her thoughts and getting in the way of her concentration, so she decided to take the most dangerous and irrational answer her mind could think of to her dilemma; she crossed the room in four quick strides, grabbed Draco's head so he couldn't move, and kissed him full on the mouth.

His hands had flown to cover her own when she had grabbed him, but as the kiss continued he slowly let them travel down the length of her arms and traced her spine, groaning against her lips as one of her hands snaked around his neck, the other tangling fingers in his silky hair.

Hermione couldn't help but groan with pleasure as she nibbled on Draco's lip, asking entry and feeling him grant it a few seconds later, allowing her to explore new tastes and sensations that Draco's kiss was giving her.

It didn't matter that he was a Slytherin, that he was worst enemies with her best friends. All that mattered was this moment, the way he made her feel and the fact that she was finally experiencing what she had been daydreaming about for years, house rivalries be damned!

Unfortunately, the need to breathe became overwhelming and the two teenagers broke apart, leaning against each other for support and not fully relinquishing their hold on each other. It took a full fifteen minutes before either of them spoke, and it was Draco who broke the silence.

"What..." He gasped, utterly floored by the girl leaning against him and grateful for the table that was supporting him, otherwise he probably would've slid to the floor. "...the bloody hell... was that?"

Twisting slightly, so that she could see him better, Hermione was pleased to see that his face was as flush and heated as hers was. "I don't know, but I think the castle moved..."

"The castle always moves," Draco murmured, running his fingers along the base of Hermione's neck, causing her to shiver slightly, "But I'm not against trying to make it do so again. What about you?"

The only response he got was her lips crashing against his again, causing him to growl deeply as her hands slipped under his shirt...

--

Making his way to breakfast the next day, Ronald Weasley was surprised to see a very ruffled Hermione Granger make her way through the portrait hole and into Gryffindor's common room.

"Don't tell me you fell asleep in the library again," Ron sighed, causing Hermione to jump slightly before she realized who was speaking.

"No, no, it was nothing like that," Hermione knew she sounded breathless, but she didn't care; she had just spent the night in Draco Malfoy's arms, she could die happy now. "I just had a very... exercising study session."

Darting past Ron before he could say anything more, Hermione almost made it the girls' dormitory before running into Harry on the landing that separated the two sleeping arrangements.

"Are you coming to breakfast with us, Hermione?" Harry asked, smiling that smile that made most girls swoon, but just made her slightly guilty of her recent actions. "Hey, Herms, are you okay? You look a little pale..."

Jumping on the excuse not to join them for breakfast, Hermione quickly stated, "I'm just a little tired, I've been up all night cramming for the upcoming quiz. I finally solved that one problem that was giving me such grief."

"What was it?" Harry asked, gaining new interest in his friend, "What was the answer to a question that stumped you, Hermione?"

Brushing past him, she simply replied, "The answer eluded me because it was simply an illogical conclusion."

That I'm in love with Draco Malfoy, fifth year Slytherin.