Masquerade (Dramione)

Chapter ten

Hermiones POV

As Toby walks me back to my common room. I try to make small talk with him. After my fourth attempt to initiate conversation to fill the silence, I try the old standby.
"Sure is nice weather..."
"The weather? Seriously?"
"Hey, I'll be the first to admit that I'm really bad at conversation." I reply.
"You didn't seem to have a problem at our picnic."
"Well yeah, but that was before...before..."
"Our kiss?"
I simply nod, afraid to reply.
"Hmm" he continues. "I guess it's normal to feel awkward after kissing someone for the first-"
"So do you feel a little awkward?" I tease.
"Do I Seem normal to you?" he jokes. "Anyways, I've got the perfect idea to reduce the awkwardness."
"Well great. What?"
"Kiss me." October says simply. A small laugh escapes me.
"Do you really think that'll work or do you just wanna kiss me again?"
"A little of both."
So I took a breath, stood up on my tiptoes and kissed him. Tobys hands find my waist and he pulls me closer. I play with the tips of his dark hair and carelessly wish that it were long enough for me to run my hands through. As I pull away, Toby smiles at me and I spot a dimple in his left cheek. It made his smile look kinda crooked and unbalanced. His eyes light up.
"Better?" he asks.
"Yeah."
But it's just like when he leaned down to kiss me in the hall, it doesn't feel quite right. Something is off, it's not that kissing October wasn't pleasant or nice, it just wasn't....something.
~~~
I sit on the couch in our common room reading a book and worrying. It was eleven and Draco wasn't back yet. I wondered whether I should go out and look for him, but immediately decided against it, I would get detention. Just when I decided that I was going to go out and look for him anyways, the door swung open, admitting a very tipsy looking Draco Malfoy. His foot caught on the doorway on the way in and he sprawled onto the floor. I gasped and rushed forward to help him.
"Bloody Hell Draco, are you alright?"
"Yeah." he mutters, face pushed into the carpet, "Just fine and dandy."
"What happened?" I ask, pulling one of his arms up around my neck so he could breathe properly.
"One firewhiskey too many." he hiccups.
"Come on." I grunt, trying to stand him upright, but he weighs too much. "Help me out here."
Draco puts in a weak effort, but somehow I manage to get him in a standing position up against me. The moment I try to take a step forward, he flops down on the ground, taking me with him.
"we have to stop meeting like this." he jokes, his breath tickling my ear. I look down and notice that I am once again laying ontop of him.
"are you okay?" I ask him, genuinely concerned. I had never seen him so off.
"No" he groans softly. "but I'll probably feel better when you remove your elbow from my stomach." If he meant to make me laugh then it worked, I giggled and got up off of him, offering my hand once again.
"I've got it." he smiled, pushing himself up off the floor and onto his feet.
"you arent allowed to have alcohol on school grounds." I pointed out, immediatly I felt like a know it all.
"you planning on reporting me?" Draco smirked, stepping towards me.
"Nnn..no"
He raised an eyebrow. "really? The head girl isnt going to report a misdemeanor?" with every word, he stepped closer, until the back of my knees were up against the couch cushions.
"well maybe I will, what are you going to do about it?" I half threaten, avoiding his eye contact. there was a long pause, then without warning, Draco reached out and lifted my chin with a finger so I had no choice but to look into his steel colored eyes.
"Is there something you want to tell me?" He asked, with a gentle concern that made my knees a little weak.
"I kissed October"
"I know"
"you do?"
he nodded. "I saw."
I slipped out from between him and the couch and took a few steps back towards the door to my room.
"Are you angry?" I asked, hesitantly.
"No"
"Why?" now I was just confused, maybe he didn't like me as much as I thought.
"Because it doesn't matter."
"Oh." the word came out flat and lifeless. "So you don't...I mean..."
I stumbled over the words, trying desperately not to cry, of course it didn't matter. Draco didn't care about me, I was just a distraction, something to chase after while he waited for someone better to come along. Draco Malfoy didn't date, he hunted.
"Yes?" he asked, obviously confused.
"It's nothing." I lie, putting on a fake smile. "Goodnight Draco" I turned towards my door, just as I placed my hand on the knob, I felt his arms wrap around me, turning me to face him. I exhaled softly, enjoying the feel of his muscular hands on my waist. He looked down at me and smiled my favorite smile.
"Goodnight Hermione." he responded, tilting his head down until his lips brushed against mine, igniting an inferno that spread from the nerves of my lips to the very tips of my fingers and sent my heart jackhammering. I wrapped my arms around his neck, expecting him to take full advantage of the situation, but to my surprise the kiss ended there. He pulled away and disapeared into his room with another smile, leaving me all hot and crazy and craving more. I hated myself for wanting him, but kissing Draco was very different from kissing Toby. Where Toby was cool and steady and safe. Draco was firey and wild and impossibly dangerous. Toby couldn't hurt me if he wanted to, but Draco was exactly the kind of risk I could get my heart broken over. He could never love me, but I couldn't help but love him.
~~~
Breakfast was awkward, neither Harry nor Ron had spoken to me since my study date with Draco. I quickly gave up on siting next to them and claimed an empty seat near the end of the table. Nobody spoke to me, an after effect, I suspected, of rumors being spread about Draco and I. My suspicions were confirmed when Lavender Brown walked by my seat and muttered the word "slut.", barely concealing it with a fake cough. I didn't bother being shocked or surprised, Griffindors weren't famous for being loyal, if I had been in Hufflepuff it probably would have been a different story. You would think, after having fought so hard against Voldemort to create blood equality, that inter-house unity would be easily achieved, but apparently the rivalry between the houses ran too deep.

Dracos POV

Breakfast was a rather bleak affair, I hadnt spoken to Pansy since last night and I was worried about how I was supposed to respond. Should I bring it up? Should I apologise? Was this a beg for forgivness kind of moment? When I spotted her walking towards our usual spot, I decided it was probably best to pretend it didnt happen.
"Morning Dre" she yawned, stretching in that way that always made every man within a five seat radius, forget how to swallow.
"Morning Pans." I respond casually, exhaling in relief on the inside.
"Hows stuff with Granger?" she asked, picking up a piece of toast. I could tell she was attempting to appear unthreatening and I appreciated it, but I suddenly felt uncomfortable with the idea of discussing Hermione in her presence.
"Everythings fine." I feigned nonchalance. Pansy raised an eyebrow.
"Well it wont be for long if you don't go rescue her."
"rescue her? what happened?" I asked, concerned.
"Potter and Weasley seem to have abandoned her."
I looked over Pansys shoulder to see what she was talking about. Hermione was sitting alone at the end of the Griffindor table, staring at her food like she was contemplating the best way to diappear.
"What should I do?" I ask, it felt too natural to ask for Pansys advice.
"you're pretty thick." she laughed, flipping through a copy of the daily prophet, while making a dismissive gesture with her other hand. I got the idea pretty quickly. The Griffindor table was on the complete opposite side of the room from the Slytherin table, it might as well have been on a different planet. there was absolutly no way I would be able to walk over there without every student in the great hall staring at me...oh well, its not like I could possibly become more of a social outcast.

Hermiones POV

I was debating whether six minutes was to short a time to wait before it was socially acceptable to leave my empty section of the table, when suddenly I was no longer alone. Somebody slid into the seat opposite me. I looked up and and met a pair of blue eyes.
"Hey, Toby." I said, smiling, happy to be rescued from my awkward moment.

Dracos POV

Just as I was about to stand up, I spotted someone sit down opposite Hermione. That Tony prick, or whatever his name was, had beaten me to the punch.