"Oh, bloody hell, Draco. That's a nasty one." Goyle commented as he stuffed his mouth with a piece of pie.
"Don't talk with food in your mouth. That's disgusting." Draco sneered as he raised his head in the hope of stopping his nose from bleeding. "Got any tissue?"
Crabbe unwrapped the pie that he had taken as a snack from dinner and handed Draco the tissue. Draco sneered at the food stains on it before placing it under his nose.
"Who hit you?" Goyle asked once he swallowed his food.
"What?! Who hit you?" Hurried footsteps came toward them. Granger appeared before the three Slytherins. "I asked a question." Her shrill and uptight voice was directed at Crabbe and Goyle since they were the weaker links of the three. Her eyes flashed with a furious tint.
Crabbe and Goyle gulped before taking off, leaving Draco alone with the Gryffindor. "Chickens!" His voice was muffled by the tissue.
"Honestly, Draco. Let me see it." Draco let her pull away the tissue and tilt his head toward her. He would have been horrified that she was touching him, but the use of his first name had stunned him. "It's broken." Granger tsked. She pulled out her wand and pointed it at his nose. "Nasus Emendo." Draco's nose was put back into place with a snap. He clutched his nose and groaned in pain. "That's what you get for picking fights."
"I didn't pick one!" Shouted Draco in defense of his honor even if Granger believed he didn't have any.
"Whatever, Malfoy." Draco felt a little twitch in his heart at hearing her using his last name again. It was the same feeling he had been experiencing for most of that year every time Granger called him that way. It was an feeling– no, an emotion– that he couldn't name or place. "Who did this to you anyway?"
Granger made to move his face, but Draco swatted her hand away before she could touch him.
"What's it to you?" He snarled. He was feeling wounded and pissed and it wasn't because of the broken nose.
She placed her hands on her hips and glared at him. "We can't have students going around hitting each other."
"You bloody did!" Draco felt his blood boil with shame at remembering the right hook she had given him in their third year. It was the first time he had felt genuine fear– though he learned later on what true fear was.
"Tha...that was different." Granger looked away from him, fidgeting with her fingers in a rare show of nervousness.
"How was that any different?" Honestly, this woman was so fickled. She was surprisingly harder to read than the other girls. But it could also have something to do with the fact that he hadn't actually ever tried to figure out Granger, even if his eyes were always lingering on her.
"Because that was me, and this clearly wasn't!" Her words came out in a burst of anger, shocking Draco to his core. "Ugh! Never mind!" She clutched her hands into fists and stormed away, but not before Draco had seen her face flush a bright red.
Draco couldn't help it. He found himself following after her. His curiosity was eating at him. He was just like his patronus animal– nothing could stop them when their curiosity took over. And Granger had his full attention with her strange behavior.
"How is that any different? A right hook is a right hook no matter who throws it. Why are you making a fuss of this?" He pestered her. She stopped in her tracks and turned around so fast that Draco almost ran into her. She really should give a bloody warning next time.
"It's different because someone else hit you! I'm the only one allowed to touch you!" She breathed heavily.
Whatever words he was going to say became stuck in his throat. How bloody possessive was this woman, and what did she mean that no one else could touch him?! As he continued to stare at her, her face and neck flushed a brilliant crimson, far brighter than what she had been before.
Why was she so red? And what with those possessive words she had been screaming out? Oh! Oh! Realization dawned on him when he realized that Granger was actually like every other teenage girl.
"You like me." His question became a statement as he smirked at her. He was feeling very confident about his claim, and his confidence only grew when he saw her reaction.
"I...I do not!" Her blush deepened, and her eyes kept darting down to the ground. Her fingers kept twitching nervously, causing her to rub her hands together in an act to keep them busy.
Draco found himself leaning closer. "Just admit it, Granger." He wrapped his long, slender fingers around her tiny wrist, putting a stop to her antic movements.
She stared at him in stunned silence before her brain began to function. "I'll admit to nothing!" She pulled her wrist out of his grasp and started walking away.
Draco readjusted his tie before following after her. It took him no time to catch up to the fiery brunette.
He grabbed her wrist and effortlessly spun her around until she faced him. "Just admit it." He leaned his face close to hers. He suddenly found himself wanting to win this argument.
...
Luna was outside in the courtyard. She heard familiar voices shouting. Looking toward the open walkway of the school, she found Malfoy pestering Hermione.
She was tempted to help her friend, but then she noticed the light blush spreading over Hermione's face and the playful smile that Malfoy wore. Things were about to become interesting.
She turned around with a skip in her step, humming a tune that Nargles found pleasing. At least, they didn't steal her things as much when they heard her humming this tune.
When Luna passed by someone who was heading in the direction of the courtyard, she would stop them and talk about the Nargles floating around them. But for some reason, no one ever seemed to believe her. Except for Harry. Harry had been the only classmate to believe her so far, even if he had only agreed with her to make her feel better.
. . . .
Granger became completely still as she looked up at him. Her eyes were wide open, unblinking as she stared in a dazed stupor.
As Draco peered into those eyes, he realized that there were specks of gold within their depths. It was like looking into a muddy lake with the stars shining down onto it, as unpoetic as that sounded.
"Wh– What?" Granger's mouth gaped open, and her voice sounded unsure.
As Draco continued to stare down at her, his confidence grew as he watched her thoughts visibly flit over her face. He was finding it surprising with how easy she was to read.
"I– I," Granger's gaze broke away as she settled her racing mind. "I never thought about it," she finally admitted. "But what I do know is that I hated hearing that someone else had harmed you." She brought her gaze back to his, and he wasn't at all surprised to see how steady they now were.
He felt himself grow warm, and he suddenly felt thirsty, though it wasn't for water.
"That sounds like you might actually like me," he whispered roughly, drawing his face even closer. Granger visibly shivered when his breath grazed the side of her face and ear.
As he watched her, he was finally able to place that strange feeling he had been unable to place. "I want to kiss you, Granger."
Her eyes widened, and her mouth gaped open. And that same beautiful shade of scarlet dusted her cheeks and neck once again. But more importantly, she didn't deny him, nor did she turn away.
Draco closed the distance between them, capturing her perfectly soft lips with his own. He started slow at first, giving her time to shove him away once she gathered her witts about her. When she didn't shove him away, he brought a hand up to cup her chin to help angle her face in a better position.
It was something that he had never thought of or dreamed of, but there was standing in the courtyard, snogging face with Hermione Granger. And it was the most heart-fluttering and heat-induced snog he had ever had. He should have tried this a lot sooner.