Chosen

Falling For You

Hermione stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom, scrutinizing herself. A part of her wanted look nice for Draco, while the other posed questions like what did she care what he thought? Since when did she start wanting to impress Malfoy? She had eventually settled on a plain shimmery dress her parents had bought her a while back. It was silver and sparkled under the whitish light of the bathroom. She had never really bothered with make up and wasn't starting now, but she did pull up half her hair into a twist and pinned it in place, curling the lower section of her hair. A girl in her dormitory had taught her a spell to do it. Hermione thought she would've known more about spells than anyone, but then again, she had never studied the cosmetic side of using magic. She slipped her feet into the same pair of heels she wore to the Yule Ball, remembering how comfortable they had felt, even after hours of standing and dancing.

Draco stood at the foot of the girl's dormitory, anxiously waiting for Hermione. He had his white shirt sleeve pulled up, examining his arm. The ugly brand that had taken residence there had been burning all afternoon, and it was only getting worse. He knew what it meant: he was being summoned. But he wasn't going to give into his father that easily. He heard the creak of a door and looked up the stairs, hastily pulling his sleeve back down to cover the dark mark. 
At first, Draco didn't recognize the girl that stood there, but as she suppressed a smile at him, he knew he was being stupid. Of course it was Hermione; no one else could've made his heart speed up to a million beats a second just by a look. But there was something different about her. It could've been her perfectly curled hair, or the few inches added to her height by her shoes, but he was sure it was something much deeper. It was a look of strength; as if she was ready for anything. 

"You look beautiful." Draco breathed as she descended the steps, meeting him at the bottom of the stairwell. Even with her heels on, he was still a good few inches taller than her. 
He was looking smart in a plain white shirt and black trousers, but his blonde hair was tousled and there was something different about him; more distant, that Hermione couldn't put her finger on. 

"I mean you always look beautiful, but-" Draco started, looking worried and it was if Draco was back to normal, if only for a moment. She smiled.

"You don't look so bad yourself." 

As they neared Slughorn's party, they could hear music drifting through the hallway towards them, an dancing orange glow of light streaming through the gap in the door. They had barely spoke as they walked, which Hermione had thought was strange for Draco. He seemed to be scratching his arm in anxiety. 

When they reached the party, Hermione realised it wasn't just one of Slughorn's usual formal dos. People seemed to be everywhere, filling a massive room Hermione could've sworn she'd never been in before. It must have been enchanted. There seemed to be a band, just like the one at the Yule Ball, and the heat, music and rhythm of grinding bodies filled the room. 

Draco seemed much more at ease with the whole situation. He stepped in front of her, clocking the look of unease on her face. He bowed in front of her, a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth, offering her his hand. She chuckled lightly, taking his hand. He dragged her through the masses of people into the center of it all. People jumped and danced all around her, bumping into them and nudging them. 
"Its a bit crowded!" She yelled to Draco over the noise. He watched how she seemed to curl inward, the strength he saw in her minutes before slowly dwindling. He knew he had to do something. 

"You've just got to join in!" He yelled back.

Hermione watched, stunned, as he began jumping around, flinging his arms about in a terrifyingly goofy way. 

"Oh my God!" She gasped, "Stop! Before someone sees!"

He moved closer to her then, a mischievous grin lighting up his face. She hadn't seen this much life in him for what seemed like years. He grabbed her wrists and began pulling her arms around with his. She laughed aloud, throwing her head back as he twirled her around him. And then it was like the rest of the world disappeared except for Hermione and Draco. They danced like maniacs, like the people around them, also lost in their own worlds. Sweat ran off their bodies, making their faces shiny and hair cling to their necks. Hermione had felt more alive than she had in months.

Draco watched as Hermione danced, losing herself to the moment. Her hair was coming undone as she swung her head from side to side, singing along to the song. She had her eyes closed and he took the opportunity to watch her without her seeing. This was what had confused him earlier. He hadn't seen Hermione as she walked towards him, because she wasn't. This was the Hermione he knew and loved. The Hermione so full of spirit, she would fight for it. He moved towards her unthinking. Maybe it was the intense throbbing of his arm, or the heat, but any thoughts of reason seemed to fade away. He gripped Hermione's waist, pulling her against his body. Her wide brown eyes snapped open, suprised. She had frozen in place as he tangled his hand in her hair and brushed his fingers over her back. He played with her hair in his hand and she looked down at it, then back up at him. He tucked her hair behind her ear and brushed her cheek with his thumb. The agony of yearning lit his heart up like a flame. She broke him, something he didn't think he would ever feel after the ugly mark had been made on his arm. Her breath caught as he ran his thumb over her bottom lip. 

"If you want me to stop," He murmured as he ducked his head down against her neck, placing a kiss at the very  base of her throat, "Just tell me to stop." He could feel her heart beat pounding rapidly under his lips and her staggered breathing told him she was feeling exactly how he was feeling. He was even suprised as she slid her hands up his chest and pulled on the colour of his shirt. 
Almost hungrily, he kissed her neck again, then left a trail up her throat to her jaw. He drew back his lips millimeters from hers when it hit. The dull throbbing of his arm suddenly exploded like a million explosions of agony in his body. Black filled his vision and he felt himself falling.