a buck tooth and a ferret

chapter 12.

The feel of her lips was just... I do not know how to put it in words. For however brief a moment it was, it felt like my whole body was on fire. The sparks flying between us were unmistakable. I'd had my own share of girls, but none of them made me feel like this before. The moment our lips interacted, it felt as if this was it. This was what Destiny intended for me. I felt that connect, and I am sure she felt it too. It was if as if your mouths molded into one. It was as if everything was suddenly perfect and...

I knew I had found The One.

But when I withdrew, only to breathe, and with so much regret (Damn you, needy lungs, requiring so much oxygen, let a man bloody live!), and looked at her, she just gaped at me as if I had done an unforgivable sin, and her eyes were wide and she had her hands over her lips and instantly I felt my heart literally shatter into tiny fragments. All that passion drifting inside of me just evaporated into nothingness, and a feeling of utter numbness washed over me. I plunged from could nine directly into the abyss of sorrow.

How could I have even hoped for it? How could I be so silly as to hope that the Gryffindor Princess, war heroine, Hermione Jean Granger, would be willing to give me a chance? I knew I didn't deserve her in a million years, but deep down, I still held a remnant of hope. That too flickered away.

My expression must've changed, because she immediately scurried up to me, and in a very gentle and soothing voice, said, "What's wrong? Did I do something wrong? Was it not right for you?"

"What makes you think that, love? Your expression was filled with horror, and I assumed..." The rest of the sentence was caught in a lump in my throat, and I couldn't bear completing it.

Her eyebrows shot up, as if realization just struck her and she profusely started apologizing out of nowhere.

"H-h-hold on! Why are you apologizing? You did nothing wrong! I stepped out of line, and it was my mistake. It was an impulse, and I couldn't resist, and I promise it won't happen again-"

SLAP!

I stared at her in anger. I knew by now she didn't reciprocate the same feelings, and I was utterly wrong, but there was no need to practically assault me. my cheek burned with pain, and with my hand covering it, I yelled at her, "What was that bloody for?"

She yelled even louder, "DON'T YOU DARE CALL IT A MISTAKE, DRACO ABRAXAS MALFOY! EVER!"

This was utter madness.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU EXPECT ME TO CALL IT WHEN YOU LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT?"

"LIKE WHAT?"

"LIKE YOU ABSOLUTELY LOATHE ME AND HATED WHAT I DID!"

She opened her mouth to say something, but stopped, as if what I said just sunk in.

She spoke gently, "Oh Draco, this was why I was apologizing. I wasn't horrified, just surprised. In a good way." She paused to take a deep breath before continuing. "Because I've been wanting to do the same too."

I nodded, and then-

HOLD WHAT!

HOLY MOTHER OF JESUS. MERLIN'S PANTS.

DID I HEAR THAT RIGHT?

DID HERMIONE JUST AGREE THAT SHE LIKED ME TOO?

"W-What?"

She smiled shyly. "Draco, I know we've really begun to know each other only a few weeks back, and there's still so much for us to share and explore, but I feel like I really want to spend time with you. You really match my intellect, and are one of the few that can match my sarcasm with something even wittier. You understand me in the way very few people have truly understood, and I know it's crazy that in such a short span of time I feel a strong connect with you, and I can't help but wonder, "Where were you all these years?" Draco, when I'm with you, it feels as if I am on a rollercoaster that only goes up.

You're an extremely hard-working person, and your diligence is something I really respect. You've managed to rebuild the ruins of the Malfoy name from scratch, without any help. You're not only handsome on the outside, but a phenomenal person on the inside. You've had your own share of demons, and yet you chose to wade through them all, when it was so easy to succumb. You held your head high even when the whole world was looking down upon you, and that requires immense strength and courage. You are a deeply caring person inside, and I can vouch for that first hand. The number of times you have defended me against Ron is unbelievable, and I still can't believe you're the same Draco whose nose I punched in third year for being a pompous ass."

I laughed. "Hermione, believe me, you are far too mistaken. I am none of those-"

She shushed me with her finger. "Draco, I may not know you so well, but you under estimate your worth too much. You have grown up surrounded with Death Eaters, who have tried their hardest to lure you, yet you stuck to your principles. You did not break, even after years of subject to humiliation and torture. I see a man with so much potential inside you, trapped inside a cage of a lifetime of anger, hatred, remorse and prejudice. And if you let me, I want to break those walls. A brick each day."

I stared at her.

What more could I ask for?

My heart took over my senses, as I took her hand, grabbed her waist, pulled her close and just looked at her. She was so beautiful. I took in every last detail of her face, and I couldn't believe what I had done to deserve someone so pure like her. Her eyes glistened with hope and love, and her smile was so wide, and I loved it that I was the reason behind it.

I leaned in and kissed her.

Fireworks exploded around us.

And within us.