Masked

Chapter One

He follows me through the portrait. “Hermione you ok? You know, if Draco does anything I can hex him for you. Maybe you can use this to see what he’s up to?”

I turned on Harry, “GET OVER IT HARRY! Draco isn’t doing anything, we cannot prove it or even assume it.” Harry looks taken aback, but I couldn’t care at the moment and just rushed up the stairs to the girls dorm. I pretended to be asleep as the other girls came in so I wouldn’t have to speak to them. Once I felt they were all asleep I quietly got out of bed and grabbed my school books. I tipped toe my way out of the dorm and closed the door as softly as I could and went down to the common room.

Gladly no one was there and I sat down on the floor before the fire and spread out my homework. I tried to focus but I found myself staring at the fire and dreaming of the Yule Ball from our fourth year…

‘Viktor was so sweet all night and I had so much fun with him, but my mind kept wandering to Ron. Maybe he’ll finally get the guts to ask me out after tonight now that he sees me with someone else. He proved me wrong. “GO TO BED RON, AND NEXT TIME THERE’S A BALL MAYBE YOU SHOULD ASK ME INSTEAD OF BEING MEAN ALL NIGHT!” He rolls his eyes and walks away towards the Gryffindor tower followed by a bewildered Harry. I feel the hot tears rolling down my face before I broke a sob. I couldn’t breathe or see through the tears and I plop myself onto the stairs and rip my heels off. ‘Why can’t he see?’ I yelled in my head. I feel someone’s arms wrap around me and lead me away from the stairs.

I notice it got colder as I sit on a bench and I feel the arms tighten around me and I turn into them and just sob and sob. I pull away after what seemed like hours and look up to see a soft look I have never seen on the face before me that it took me a second to realize I was staring at the Draco Malfoy. I yelp as I pull away-’

I’m shaken by the portrait opening, ‘Someone was having a nighttime stroll.’ I get up prepared to give them a detention since I’m a perfect. A fourth year comes around and sees me, “Oh I was coming in to find you Hermione!” I’m startled, “You were?”

“Yea someone knocked on the portrait a little bit ago and they explained to me they wanted to talk to you, so I was coming to find you!” she was chirpy for it being in the middle of the night. I roll my eyes and decide not to give her detention and walk to the portrait. I assume it’s probably Luna Lovegood, she seems to have no concept of time. I walk out into the hallway and find myself face to face yet again with the pale boy from earlier. I feel like roaring but instead I hiss yet again at him, “Draco! What do you want?? It’s the middle of the night.”

He looks at me and pulls me down the hall, I grab at his hand to get it to let go of me but his grip is tighter than earlier today. He stops after we round a corner and turns back to me, so close I backed up and felt a wall against my back.

“I just wanted to do this again, it’s long overdue.” Before I can realize what he’s saying he kissed me. I melt as though we were two pieces of two different puzzles that happens to just fit together perfectly, I’m transformed back to my memory.

‘ “Woah Granger, calm down. You just cried like a lot. You’re probably really tired.” Draco says in this tone that almost sound like caring, as I hop from the bench and stumble away. I trip over a rock and before I know it I’m back in Malfoy’s arms as he catches me from falling. I push myself away from him and look around to find I’m in the gardens. I turn back to Draco, “Why are you being nice to me?” I asked accusingly.

“I’m wounded Granger.” He pretend as though he’s been spelled in the chest, “Can I not be nice?” I cross my arms and glare at him. “Fine Granger be that way, but to be perfectly honest,” He sits back on the bench, “I can’t stand a girl crying, even if that girl is a Granger. And as you were crying into my chest and staining my white robes with your makeup, I realized I don’t know why you’re crying or anything about you to that matter.” I study him until I come to the conclusion he’s telling the truth. I sit back down next to him ‘Harry and Ron will never know I had one civil conversation will a Malfoy’.

“Well to answer why I was crying,” I said with a sniffle from the crying, “Ron was being a twit.” Draco looks at me “Like always?” I laugh, “Yea, like always.”

He looks at his hands and he seems to be fidgeting, “No, I mean.. I never believe they treated you right since the day they met you.” I’m bewildered by this statement, “Well, Harry isn’t so bad, and Ron just doesn’t know when to shut his mouth sometimes.” He nods, but I can tell he doesn’t agree with me. I can’t expect him to do so as they are his rivals. I look around at the garden at all the flowers that were frozen and falling off - since winter came a little quick this year the flowers didn’t have time to fall off before the first frost. So I study a frozen poppy almost like it’s stopped in time and icicles coming off of its petals. I turn back to Malfoy and find his face literally centimeters away I can feel his breath on my face, my heart seems to get stuck in my throat because I can’t make myself say anything even if I knew what I wanted to say.

He slowly leaned in as though his speed was him asking for permission and when I didn’t resist his lips met mine. I kissed back almost instantly, it felt like something my soul has been craving without knowing what it was craving. I pressed against him, my hand on his chest-’

I rip away from Draco and cover my mouth horrified to find myself in this position again. I push Draco so hard he went half way across the hall. He takes a step towards me but stops when I yell no. “Hermione I’m sorry but-” I walk up to him and slap him hard. “Now here comes the excuses! You’re not sorry, you just want to use me again to satisfy what others cannot. You acted all princely and like a gentlemen but really you are a backstabbing snake. What do you want from me this time Draco? Hm?” I struggled to not yell and had to settle with whisper yelling at him. I stood there and waited for his answer, expecting a half truth.

“I want you Hermione. I was wrong last time, I was just a kid. I need-”

“You’re still a kid Draco!”

“I’ve changed, I was dumb then. I still am now but I just want what we had again. I miss you.” He gives me the same face he did two years ago, if I knew better I wouldn’t believe he was being truthful.

“Then go to Pansy, she would be ever so glad to do whatever you want.” I sneer as I turn to the hallway leading back to the portrait. I look back over my shoulder, “Our relationship will be strictly as head party committee members, nothing more Malfoy. Understand?” It takes him a little bit before he nods almost like his heart is broken, but I don’t allow myself to feel pity or even think to believe he has actually cared about me. I march back to the portrait and grab my books from the common room. There was no way I was going to be able to focus now, so I head to bed.

As I couldn’t sleep I found myself thinking about our fifth year and how I wish it didn’t end how it ended.

[Word count:
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