Revelatio

As They Slip Away

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You know that place

between sleep and awake?

That place where you

still remember dreaming?

That's where I'll

always love you...

That's where I'll

be waiting.

— Hook, 1991

~°~°~°~°~°~°~

She woke up at the break of dawn or rather, she just weakly opened her eyes and then shut them up again. She hadn't slept for much of the night, there was too much trouble in her young soul.

She was so lost...

There were troubles like trying to patch up Ron and Harry's friendship, figuring out a way for Harry to get past those vicious dragons, Sirius's visit and then there was potions with Lord Peroxide.

She remembered their yesterday's meeting and how odd it had been. There was a marked change in his approach. Him not calling her a Mudblood and talking almost politely had of course not gone unnoticed by her.

She lay in her bed, her feet refusing to sway. It was too early to leave the dreamy adobe; too late to go back to a dreamy haze. However, there was this place that she liked to get lost in- a place in which one is awake and yet one dreams.

It was in this place that she was thinking about her troubles. Specifically one trouble.

Potions- with Lord Peroxide that is Draco Malfoy

She had tried hard, very hard to get Snape to change his mind. But Snape being Snape hadn't budged an inch from his horrible decision and even took twenty five points from Gryffindor for her 'arguments'.

But was she really that unhappy?

No, she was not. At least Malfoy knew the stuff he was doing unlike some of her fellow friends. Sure Malfoy was a git but he matched her intellectual level and that made him fine enough. She thought about his other aspects and imagined how things could have been different if he weren't such a snobbish spoilt prat.

In her mind's eye she imagined his face. He was handsome, that she had to admit. His grey eyes were always in the midst of an eternal storm, she remarked. Then she imagined Ron's face and a wonderful warm feeling fluttered in her heart. She liked Ron, she couldn't deny that. But he never seemed to notice her; well not as a girl anyway.

But that didn't stop her feelings. In fact, his ignorant behaviour caused her to be even more attracted to him. She pictured Ron's eyes, she wanted to be called by that cool blue azure. She wanted to drown in the deep blue sea of his eyes for an eternity.

But it didn't seem to be happening anytime soon, did it?

She was so lost...

=+=+=

The vivid forest green sheets of his bed were tossed and creased as he moved in his sleep. Though, he was not completely asleep,he still was having horrible nightmares with scenarios ranging from him marrying Pansy Parkinson against his will to the death of his mother.

And everything was clear...

One of the nightmares kept replaying over and over, again and again—

Hermione; his Hermione was in his home being tortured viciously by none other than his aunt Bellatrix.

He couldn't make out what they were speaking about, he could just see her struggling tiny form. He felt helpless standing there, watching from afar, unable to do something.

After a long time, his aunt left, still quite unconvinced. He made sure that the coast was clear before dashing over to his Hermione, who still lay writhing in pain on the cold rough hewn floor.

"This is all my fault.", he whispered as he delicately cradled her head in his lap, softly, tenderly. She didn't reply, she was in no position to do that; she had been injured so severely. Instead she just opened her beautiful chocolate eyes, looked at him with relief and disgust mixed up together and shut them up again. He went back to muttering something about how he would kill Bellatrix himself, how they would escape and how they would live together somewhere when all this mess was over.

"You know what, I love you.", he said tenderly while stroking her cheek. He visibly winced when he saw the word 'Mudblood' engraved on the pale skin of her arm. Once again he swore that he would kill Bellatrix and somehow Voldemort too.

The dream ended with that severe thought and Draco Malfoy woke up with a start.

He peered around and relief flooded his tormented face when he realised that he was indeed in his bedroom in the Slytherin quarters and not at the Malfoy Manor, watching his Hermione getting tortured.

Did he just think his Hermione?

No, she was Granger, just Granger to him. But somehow, Granger sounded even more personal than Hermione. Only he called her Granger in the whole of Hogwarts, he realised. Even Snape called her Miss Granger. But he?

Just Granger.

His brain must have been messed up hard, he thought.

He didn't want to wake up yet. So he resorted to lying down on the tossed and higly creased sheets of his bed and he thought about the various things plaguing him, perplexing him till no end.

Thinking; it was pretty much what he did those days.

Granger had invaded most of his senses. She was an amazing sight to take in with olive skin, melted chocolate eyes and hair he wanted to run his hands in, her voice was the sweetest melody to hear, the aroma of lavender tickled his nose whenever she was nearby, her touch was soft; he knew that from the well placed punch she had thrown him last year and her taste...

He didn't know her taste, he hadn't got the opportunity till then. He wondered how she would taste against his lips. Would she be sweet or sour? He hoped it to be sweet; sweet like chocolate.

'Look at yourself', he thought and reprimanded himself for having that strange obsession with Granger, of all the people.

And suddenly, he hopelessly wanted to find out how she tasted and maybe, maybe, he thought, he would be able to win Granger and show that he was indeed not a pompous prick that almost everyone assumed him to be.

Potions with Snape never looked better.

And everything was clear...

________________________________

well people, thanks for the huge support!

I love you all so much.

~ Norma