Serenity Abandoned

"Serenity Abandoned"
By: MG / Shanibelle
Chapter Two -
"Passion Ignited"

Feedback: And, like I said, I love reviews. They allow me to know what you guys think and whatnot.

Enjoy :)

.-.-.

"Ouch." Hermione drew in a quick breath as she went to sit up with help from her arm and a sharp pain radiated from her wrist.

Looking around the darkened hospital wing, she was met with those same blue eyes, but this time, they were slits, looking at her from a bed across from her.

"You're awake," his voice was faint, and her eyebrows furrowed as he tried to speak again, "Itriedtosave --" he stopped short as he coughed. It was a terrible cough, with liquid behind it, racking his body.

The medical witch appeared and immediately calmed his coughing, sighing as she stared down at his body, lying peaceful on the bed again, eyes closed, a simple sleeping spell making him look almost dead.

"What happened, Professor?" Hermione asked, her voice completely sincere.

Madame Pomfrey shook her head, hands clasped, "From what Draco had been able to tell us, a large branch of that tree that you two were standing under had broken in the strong wind and he was just able to have you dodge most of the damage," at this point, she looked over at Hermione, "you owe your life to him, Miss Granger. He's left with all of his ribs broken, with the exception of just one. I've been able to mend them, even the ones that had punctured his lungs. But those, they'll mend slowly... He'll be out from his studies for at least a couple of more days."

Hermione was outraged. She didn't need to know Malfoy's pathetic story and she definitely didn't owe her life to this... this... there wasn't even a name for him that described him well enough! Well, perhaps one. Scum.

"I suggest that you get a goodnight's sleep now, Miss Granger." Madame Pomfrey turned and walked away, leaving Hermione to listen to the tap, tap, tap of her heels fade away before growling at the boy that laid there, looking even more pathetic than was possible as she took up the sheets in one hand and flopped back onto the bed onto her side, throwing them over her head.

-----

Her eyes snapped open at the feeling of someone's hand against her upper arm, shaking her. Looking over her shoulder, she squinted as her face was met with bright sunlight, leaving the person that was shaking her, a silhouette.

Sitting up, she yawned underneath her hand and blinked the sleep out of her eyes, looking around the wing once more. She frowned when she came to the bed across from hers and Malfoy was looking at her, his eyes slits again.

They rolled back into his head as he closed his eyes and just lay there, breathing. She felt her cheeks grow hot as her anger boiled. Owe her life to him... Bah!

"Hermione?" Harry's voice snapped her out of her angry thoughts and she looked over, his green eyes questioning behind his circular framed glasses.

"Harry... what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in Defense Against the Dark Arts?" she checked her watch on her right wrist to be sure of the time as he sat down on the side of her bed.

"Dumbledore gave me a pass, considering," he paused, eyes dropping to the bed sheets, "you almost died, Herm."

She stared at him, "I almost what?" she asked.

"Died. I guess that Malfoy," Harry cut himself off, glancing across the room to him, Such a flair for the theatrics, she couldn't help the thought before Harry turned his majestic eyes back to her, "well, I guess that he wasn't such a bad person as we thought he was. Rumors started spreading and we thought that you two had gotten into some sort of quarrel or something. You both were covered in blood and we couldn't tell whose it was."

His hand came up to brush a strand of hair out of her face, "I was so worried that I had lost you. Never got to tell you things that I've been procrastinating about..." he stopped himself again, looking, once again, down at the sheets. "I" had lost you? Since when did she belong exclusively to him?

"Tell me what, Harry?" Hermione asked, eyebrows furrowed. Could Harry actually fancy her? That was... well, almost inconceivable.

He took a breath, fingering the soft fabric that he sat upon, "I've watched you grow up, 'Mione. We've been best friends for years now and I can't help it, but my feelings, they -- they evolved. There isn't a day that goes by that I can't think at least three times a day of kissing you and finally telling you how I feel. I've just been so scared." He finally allowed his eyes to raise to meet hers and a smile was tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"Scared of what?" she asked softly.

"Scared that you would reject me. And not want to be my friend anymore. I was scared more about this than I have about ever facing Voldemort." he took a breath here,"So what do you say? Will you be my girlfriend, Hermione?" the questions were asked quickly.

Well, she did find herself thinking that Harry was attractive in the past years. Even more so now that his cheeks had almost hollowed making his cheekbones more dominant, providing the focal point of his face to be his eyes that his mother provided him with, showing his emotions fully in them... and that unruly hair that she sometimes wondered if he teased in the morning, or if he didn't even bothering to do anything with it and just rolled out of bed, ran a hand backwards through it and got dressed.

But then… there was also Malfoy. He had called her 'Hermione'. Not 'Granger' or the nickname that he loved to call her: 'Mudblood'. Why did he do that? And he had saved her life... even if she didn't want to admit it. And since he stopped slicking back his hair and let it fall over his forehead, providing shading for his crystal grey eyes, he looked incredibly attractive now. It gave him sort of a mysterious look, she concluded.

"Hermione?" Harry asked, breaking her away from her thoughts. She looked up from where she was looking -- down at her hands that were clasped together on her lap, her mouth in a smile.

"I'm sorry. I was thinking. As to what I say. I say, 'Why not give it a shot?'" she said, shrugging. Lips were quickly on hers, soft, wet, comforting lips in a hard, spontaneous kiss. She was shocked for what seemed like an eternity, realizing slowly that Harry's hand was on her neck, supporting her head. Kissing back, the kiss softened and they eventually broke away, leaning their foreheads against one other's, forcing themselves to breathe.

Smiling, Hermione's hand came up to rub Harry's that was stroking his thumb across her cheek, her touch igniting something within him.

"That was worth waiting for." Harry whispered, voice breathless. Hermione smiled as the giant clock down the hall rung twelve. Lunch.

"I think that Madame Pomfrey will let me out. I don't feel any pain, so I'll meet you down in the Great Hall?" she asked him as he nodded in understanding and brushed his lips across hers, his tongue sliding lightly across her bottom lip before he stood up and grinned a very cheeky grin at her before leaving, letting out a hiss of a "Yes!" in the hall as he made his way down to Lunch.

Hermione just smiled. Until a voice brought it away from her face.

"So you and the Potty, eh?" She looked up at Malfoy, eyes ablaze with anger. How long had he been watching them?

"What about me and Harry?" Malfoy rolled his eyes at her thick-headedness and sat up; eyebrows furrowed as he leaned back on his pillows and willed the pain away.

He re-opened his eyes and took in the sight of her in the sunlight. She actually was quite attractive… but he supposed that was the reason why he knew that Snape was being unjustly malicious to her and that she'd go to her tranquil spot, but quickly got there before her, wanting to strike up a conversation... show her that he wore a mask around school, pretending to be cold and distant. And then maybe she would understand him and they would be friends. His plan wasn't a big hit, mostly because his infamous Malfoy-temper had gotten the best of him and before he knew it, that giant branch was headed right for him and Hermione. In those few seconds, his mind whirled around the scenarios that he could choose from.

First choice: dive out of the way and let the Mudblood receive all of the damage, or take her and hit the deck, unknowing what the consequences would be, or do exactly what he had done -- And he it was what first came to mind: take most of the damage himself. He knew he was strong and knew he would make it, but for once, he thought of someone else's well being. Turning them around, he wasn't sure if she had remembered what had happened next, but his robes had opened and circled around her, their eyes connecting and he knew his eyes were fearful. Her's just held confusion. And he had leaned down and ever-so-softly pressed his lips against hers in a chaste kiss before he felt an incredible pain searing from all over and not being able to stand the pain, he too, passed out.

"What are you looking at?" she clipped at him, hazel eyes taking on a look of annoyance in them.

He remained quiet, closing his eyes again, evening out his breathing.

Why did he keep doing that? Hermione just growled at him as she got up, searching for Madame Pomfrey.

”Oh, yes yes, you may go. Dumbledore will want to move Draco to a more… relaxed atmosphere later on, so don’t be surprised to see him in the Head’s Room.”

Hermione gave her a curious look, “The Heads Common Room? Why… he would only be in there if – Oh! He made Head Boy? Well, I suppose that’s great.” She said and it was Madame Pomfrey’s turn to give her the look.

”I would have expected you to be jumping about, learning that you’re Head Girl, Miss Granger.” Her eyes twinkled as Hermione’s eyes widened and she grinned.