Gryphon's Wings and Crocodile Tears

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the other original characters and or places in the Potterverse, which was created by the wonderful JK Rowling. I believe that they are owned by Warner Brothers. However, the plot, new characters and or places are mine, mine, and mine! And are subject to copyright by ME!


Chapter 20-Second Chances or Round Two


Hermione did her best to conceal her shock at what she’d thought she’d heard Draco say as he left the room with his golden head hanging, the instant that the door closed she let her confusion and frustration fly out of her mouth, “What in Bloody Hell did he mean by that?” Her triumph at having bested the seemingly untouchable Draco Malfoy was cut short by his muttered profession of love as he left. How was she to celebrate her victory with such a sword hanging over her head? In true Hermione fashion she instantly began to rationalize what she’d heard, “He must have said ‘loathe,’ I did kick him out of the bed and onto the floor and I have known him to say much worse things for far less than that.” In the dead and hollow silence that followed she began to consider it from another angle, “Maybe he realized that I had the upper hand for once and he only said it to throw me off of my game. Yes, that would be just like him! Oh, I hate him more than ever!”


She carefully redressed and made sure that her school robes were in their usual immaculate condition before exiting the Room of Requirement and heading for Gryffindor Tower by way of the Library, which would give her an excuse as to her whereabouts for the past hour or so. As it happened she met with no authority figures who might have questioned her presence in the corridors at this late hour. She clutched the piece of parchment that had essentially given her carte blanche to access the Library at whatever hour she felt the need in her tiny hand as she approached the portrait hole. The Fat Lady no longer felt the need to check Hermione for this ever-present note, she merely mumbled something about being rudeness and lack of good breeding in today’s children and opened before going back to sleep against that side of her frame.


Hermione would have suspected that the common room would have been empty at this time of night, but it wasn’t. She was pleased to see that Ginny sat by the fire trying to appear as though she was casually reading one of her textbooks, when in reality she’d been staring at the same page since Hermione’d left a little over an hour ago and she hadn’t managed to make sense of a word of it. The redhead looked up as Hermione entered the room and her expression was one of concern and apprehension.


Hermione paused before speaking wondering why Ginny looked so…ashen, “Ginny what’s wrong?”


“Did you, well, you know…with Malfoy?” Ginny hoped against her certainty that her friend had not allowed herself to be led by that despicable serpent. Her hands were shaking at the idea that any other woman might be used as she’d been by Him and the violence of her tremors tore the page which she was holding between her fingers, she took this as a sign that she should put the book down. She stood and met Hermione before she could escape up the spiral staircase that led to the dorms, “You didn’t answer me.”


“I’m not going to get all hung up on the prick if that is what you’re worried about. Honestly I can’t see what all the fuss is about, he was terrible, his personality leaves much to be desired and he’s really not my type. So you can stop worrying and take that look off of your face.” Ginny seemed relieved by her friends’ words and she turned to ascend the stairs herself and find her bed.


Just as her foot hit the second step she was interrupted by a strange question from Hermione, “Have you ever heard any of Draco’s women say that he said that he loved them?”


“Yeah, all the time. It seems to be the main thing that they fight over…”


“That’s not what I meant,” Ginny cocked her head to the side, “Ginny as he left he mumbled something that sounded like ‘I think I love you.’”


“What? That is totally different than what I thought you meant. I never heard any of them say that he told them that before. That is so odd.” A long pause gave the redhead some time to consider what Malfoy really meant by what he said until she broke the silence with ideas that ran along side Hermione’s own suspicions, “Well, seeing as it’s Malfoy he must be using it as some kind of way to trick or trap you…and doesn’t ‘love’ sound an awful lot like ‘loathe?’”


“I thought so too and under the circumstances of our parting I wouldn’t be all that shocked if he had said that.” Ginny looked at her in askance and she replied to the implied question without hesitating, “I was so angry at him for doing what he did to you that I kicked him out of bed when he was finished, literally. He fell right onto the cold stone floor and he just sat there stunned for a few seconds, like he couldn’t believe what had just happened to him. It was so gratifying to see him like that, but then as he was leaving he said…”


“That he loathed you. It makes perfect sense. Was he really that bad?”

“You have no idea! At first it seemed like all of the rumors about him were true, but then well, the finale came two minutes into the first act. It was pathetic and not at all like the Malfoy that we all know and hate. I don’t think that he smirked during, but he actually asked how I thought he’d done. It was all that I could do not to laugh in his face.”


By now both of the girls were deep shades of red and trembling with laughter at the plight of the womanizing prat formerly known as Draco Malfoy. Hermione suddenly realized the hour and she made an unsuccessful attempt to quiet her comrade’s laughter. Ginny stopped laughing abruptly and grew almost painfully serious before she next spoke, “You know, that’s not a story that he’s going to want broadcast around school. You don’t suppose that he’ll make up some lie about you to get back at you, do you?”


Hermione considered this for a moment, “No, but that is a possibility knowing him. What I think is more likely, though, is him asking me for another chance to prove his virility before I make a decision. He has one flaw that I can exploit, namely his undying need for approval from those around him…even his enemies. Haven’t you ever noticed they way that he hangs on the words of whomever is complimenting him?”


Ginny smiled evilly and nodded her agreement and approval; it was about time that a woman put that bastard in his place and if that girl happened to be Hermione, the Muggleborn thorn in his side, then so much the better. Feeling much better she followed the brunette up the stairs and found her own bed and slept soundly for the first time since she and Hermione had quarreled.


Draco stood outside the Room of Requirement for an astonished five minutes before he’d the sense necessary to find his way back to the Slytherin common room, his mouth was wide and his jaw slack he resembled a stunned fish that had been electrocuted. As he neared the portrait that led to the common room he thought better of going back so early, fearing that his masculine shortcomings would be obvious to everyone who’d chosen to wait up for him. Several members of his own house had taken bets as to whether or not he’d be successful in his seduction of Her, and the galleons said that he’d fail miserably. This was not an attempt to impugn his skills, as all of the women present could and would attest to them personally, rather it was a testament to how much of an uptight shrew they thought Hermione.


Draco himself had been one of those who’d held that mistaken impression only an hour before now; he wondered how he could have possibly been so vastly wrong about someone’s character. ‘How could She, of all witches have turned out to be the aggressor sexually? It isn’t anywhere in her character at all, and worse than all that it means that she knows that it’s generally supposed to last longer, a lot longer, than that. I’m screwed, she’s going to tell everyone.’ He had suddenly developed a violent headache and as he turned for the Hospital Wing it occurred to him that he’d also made a rather startling confession to her as well. He couldn’t fathom what had made him say so ridiculous a thing as, “I think I love you,” to his mortal enemy. It was, of course impossible for him to be so little as infatuated with one of her ilk, let alone in love with her. Besides, she would know that it would do more damage to his reputation if she were to tell what he’d said rather than announcing his…quick finish.


There was no way to help the situation, but to demand another chance to impress her. Not that that would earn him a place to sleep for the night, he sighed as he turned away from the Hospital Wing and headed back to the Room of Requirement. He hoped that Hermione had left and having discovered the source of his headache he knew that he’d find the appropriate cure in the room, if only she’d gone. If she hadn’t then no amount of potion could rid him of his ailment.


Draco steeled himself before pressing the door open and he was pleased to find that she had indeed gone and a vial of potion was sitting on the end table next to the bed. He resolved to talk to her first thing in the morning and as he swallowed the potion and climbed into bed the vision of her beautiful, haunting eyes danced in front of him and led him into dreams.


Hermione was the first one to reach the Great Hall the next morning for breakfast, but she wasn’t alone for long, as an uncharacteristically blunt and flushed Draco joined her. He sat next to her and did not give her an instant to ask him what he wanted, “Things went badly last night and I want to leave you with a better impression of my abilities. It was not at all up to my standard and I cannot have anyone hearing that I was less than Godlike in bed.”


She tried not to laugh openly in his face, but it was indeed a battle. Fortunately she won the day and said coolly, “Very well. For the record I knew that you’d come crawling back, they always do.”


Her words had the intended effect on him, if he really had said that he loved her then she was going to make him work for every scrap of attention she gave him. Draco’s face paled to its proper tone as she spoke, ‘Arrogant bitch!’ he thought. “Tonight, same time same place.”


“No.” She waited to see if he’d step further into her trap, “I’m busy, I have plans.” She smiled innocently at him and in spite of himself he smiled back at her. Even she had to admit that when he wasn’t scowling that he was nothing short of beautiful, very much like one of the Renaissance sculptures she’d seen on her last summer vacation. To her evident pleasure, he took the bait and he was well in the trap.


“Well then how about tomorrow?” She merely shook her head by way of response; he was beginning to get desperate, but was equally determined not to show it. “Then may I ask when you are free?”


“I’m quite busy just now, but I will let you know soon.” He had no choice but to accept her terms and he stood and walked away from her just as the double doors opened and the Great Hall filled with students hungry for food as well as gossip.