step, pivot, turn - A Dramione Fanfiction [ONESHOT]

step, pivot, turn

Hermione closed her eyes as Draco took her hand.

They took hers firmly, like it came natural to him to be holding her hand. Whatever confidence he had in that moment, he must've stolen it right from her. She was trembling with his touch. She was too guarded, waiting for the moment where he would suddenly make a move too jarring and the rug would be swept from under her feet, and she would make a humiliation out of herself.

She needed to think about something else. Step, pivot, turn. Glide, her hands outstretched, sweeping through the air. She could barely begin with the next move when Draco had paused.

"What are you doing?"

It hadn't even been 20 seconds into the song yet.

"What?" Hermione asked, opening her eyes, her breath caught. She would've had a million words at her dispense to throw at him right now. But she was busy poring through every detail of her dance.

What? What was it? A step, a pivot, a turn. She glided perfectly, and she smiled widely-she did everything right she could've done in the little time he gave her. All of it, she had done as rehearsed, so what could have been his problem? Was she unsightly? Was she being too stiff? Awkward? Merlin, did she step on him without her knowing? She couldn't be that inexperienced, could she?

"You were dancing like you owned the place," he said. Hermione frowned.

"Okay? What's wrong with that? Professor Burbage said that we should treat each rehearsal like it's the final thing."

"Well, that may be the case but you're too inexperienced to be doing that just yet. Watch me, Granger. Maybe you'll learn something about sophisticated dancing." His hold on her tightened, expecting for her to have a violent reaction to that. And she would've had one, but this was dancing. She knew she was inadequate, and she knew Draco wasn't.

Hermione deflated. "Well, I'm sorry if I'm so unsophisticated for your liking. Maybe you should've asked someone else," she muttered.

Draco's mouth opened, like he was about to say something, but instead, he groaned. "Forget it," he grumbled, squeezing her hand firmly. An attempt to cheer her up. "From the top."

The music started again, and Hermione... she didn't bother closing her eyes this time. She did as was told of her. She watched Draco, took notes from his experience. He moved surely. Each step he took was done with purpose. But his eyes wandered everywhere else. His grey gaze flipped to and from her hands, her hair, her arms, her face. She couldn't read what he was thinking, and it only made her more anxious. There were too many things to keep track of, she stopped on her own accord.

"Is there something wrong with me, Malfoy?" Hermione asked behind a heavy sigh, ignoring the way he almost fell off his own feet. Thankfully he caught himself, but he looked up at her unamused..

"Can you not stop like that out of nowhere?" He hissed. She looked away.

"I was too overwhelmed. You told me to watch you but you were looking around frantically and it got-" She took a deep breath, trying not to sound like she was letting this affect her more than it should. "It got overwhelming."

"Maybe you wouldn't be so overwhelmed if you knew what you were doing." Hermione glared up at him as the words left his mouth.

"Don't- tell me what I know and what I don't." He barely flinched as she spat upon him, his expression still unreadable, almost condescending. "I knew what I was doing until you went ahead and called me unsophisticated. I would've been fine if you just shut your useless soundhole."

Hermione took a deep breath as she attempted to reel her cool back in. He was yet to say a word. It turned out he didn't need Draco to humiliate her, she could do that herself.