Bad Blood: A Dramione Fanfiction

Chapter Nine

Draco

"Fine," Ron spits, backing away, "be in love with him. See if I care. And when he starts calling you Mudblood again, Hermione, don't come crying to me." He turns around and exits the Quidditch pitch, sneering. Hermione is still standing in front of me protectively, her wand brandished, and her hair flowing in the wind.

"I'm sorry," She whispers, turning to face me, and she grabs my arm. I flinch. "He did that, didn't he?" I nod.

She looks into my eyes intently, and I do the same. Her hair is tousled, her skin paler than usual. I want to tell her how beautiful she looks, describe every feature word for word, but I realize what she must be thinking.

"You probably think I'm such a coward, Hermione, I'm so sorry-" I say, but she cuts me off, gently placing a hand on my shoulder. My heart begins to beat a little faster.

"I could never think that, Draco. You couldn't defend yourself because you didn't have your wand." She assures me, and my heart beats faster yet.

"Thank you. Thank you so much. For everything." I say, and I place my hand on the side of her face. Surprisingly, she doesn't look alarmed. Her skin is cold and soft.

Suddenly, I'm struck with an insane amount of both courage and lack of self-control. I lean in and kiss her.

Instantly, it feels as if my heart is perfectly capable of beating out of my chest. A shock seems to course through my skin, and my nerves are on edge. I half-expect her to pull away, but she doesn't. In fact, she does the opposite: she wraps her arms around my shoulders.

When I pull away, I keep my eyes closed. I'm scared to see the look on her face. She'll be angry at me for kissing her. Maybe she'll hate me again. But perhaps, even though it's not preferable, it would be okay because I would have these few seconds of happiness. Perhaps I can freeze this moment and dwell on it forever.

But when I do open my eyes, when only our foreheads are touching, that's not what I see it all. Her face reflects my own elation, and she's displaying a scintillating smile. I do the same, and she laughs a bit. I wish I could memorize the way she looks at me: her chocolate eyes shining, her nose crinkled as she laughs. My heart swells, and I pull her into a tight, lingering hug. Her head is buried into my shoulder, and it starts to rain.

So this is what happy feels like.

It seems that we're both speechless. For a while, neither of us say anything. But finally, when our hug ends, I decide to speak.

"Turns out studying isn't the only thing you're good at," I joke, and she laughs. On a more serious note, I add, "I thought you'd be angry with me." She looks astounded.

"You thought I'd be angry with you for that," She asks, "Trust me, there's nothing I've wanted more these past few days." I smile at her, but nothing can express the happiness I feel in this moment.

"Dinner?" I ask her, draping my arm around her shoulders. She nods, grinning, something neither of us seem to be able to stop doing.

The rain is steadily falling, and it's audible as it lands in the Black Lake. I look around for anyone who may be watching, but no one seems to be. Sensible people don't spend their time in the rain, besides Hermione and me, but we have an excuse.

"Draco," She touches my arm that's wrapped around her shoulder, and I minutely jump. I wonder if I'll ever get used to her touch.

"Yes?"

"Thanks for teaching me- or attempting to, rather- to fly. That was really sweet," She says, blushing.

"It was no problem. Besides, I got my reward," I respond, squeezing her shoulder tighter.