Thunder On The Hill

Hey Guys!!!! Okay, first, let me just say I am so so so so sorry this took so long. I have writtin this chapter SO many times it isn't even funny. But, for those of you who happened to read the first version of chapter three, (only those on my f-list would have seen this) I hope you'll take the time to read the story over, as much has been changed with this new re-write. And I promise that updates will never take that long for this ever, ever, ever again! I had a serious case of writer's block, but that seems to have passed ... for now. ;) And also, this is the unbeta'd version, because I figured you have waited long enough. If you'd rather not 'excuse the typos', you are welcome to wait until the beta'd version is returned to me and updated @ coloured grey. Either way, happy reading!



Draco tried valiantly to pay attention. Really--he did. But then, a little bug landed on his napkin, and he found it to be so utterly enrapturing in contrast to the last forty-five minutes, he couldn’t help becoming entirely fixated on the tiny subject.

He watched as it burrowed its way through a tunnel in the napkin, and then out, and onto a spoon, and Draco silently cheered the little guy on. He was almost to a splattering of crumbs left beind from his meal that must have been eaten, oh what was it, days ago?

‘Draco, are you all right?’

‘Hmm?’

‘Draco!’

Draco snapped to attention.

‘Oh, yes, of course. Right. Ahem. You were saying?’

Blimey, what time was it?

Draco watched the pretty blonde watch him for a moment. She had a curious look on her face, and that was the moment Draco realised something was seriously wrong here.
The look said, quite clearly, "why aren’t you at least pretending to be interested in me to get into my knickers?”

Draco forced a smile, searching for something to say.

'Look, Molls, I'm not really myself today.… Don’t take it personal, I'm just … a bit out of sorts, lately....'

Molly nodded, and appeared thoughtful. Draco tried not to dread the fact that this meant she was going to start speaking again, and soon.

But she simply said, 'Why?'

Draco was taken aback. It was the most thought provoking question anyone had ever asked him. Because he bagan to answer, and then stopped, and then started again, and then, he realised, he really didn’t know why. Had no bleeding idea, actually.

There was the thing with his mum, to start with, but that wasn’t it, really. Draco had been coming to terms with that the past year, and he certainly wasn’t any worse off about it now that ever before.

And there was the situation at work, but that couldn’t be it. He was put out by Granger’s decision to work with Blaise again, sure, but that had nothing to do with his libido.

And that was the issue here, wasn’t it?

Molly was stunning. She fit every quality Draco looked for in a woman; tall, blonde, pureblooded and daft: The Perfect Romp.

Completely unwelcome, Granger’s words from earlier that day bombarded him.

Was that it, then? Were his days of pursuing women like Molly Zimmerman finally coming to an end?

'...Draco,' Molly reached across the table and rested a perfectly manicured hand on his. She looked at him, dead in the eye. Her face was sober, her tone grave.

'I've been thinking about it. About the signals I've been getting from you, and. Well, please don't take this the wrong way. I mean--I might be completely off the mark, but, Draco.... Are … are you, uh, gay?

Draco, naturally, was gobsmacked. That must have been why, instead of answering, he stared at the woman for nearly an entire minute before breathing again.

Draco Malfoy, gay? Ludicrous! Was she –had she –that is, he was--

He watched with a dawning horror as Molly’s eyes first widened, and then softened with acceptance.

'I should have known,' she said kindly, smiling in a very disturbing sort of way he’sd only ever seen women smile at one another.
'All the good ones are.' She patted his hand gently, a knowing look in her eye.

'It must be terribly lonely,' she continued with an air of confidence she’d been lacking entirely before. Even in the midst of such sheer malarchy that he, at the moment, seemed utterly powerless to stop, he found that interesting.

Her demeanor seemed to brighten, suddenly.
'But! I know just the man—'

And that, was when Draco Malfoy leaped to action.

“I am not bleeding gay, you foolish girl!' He exclaimed, much louder perhaps than he should have. He scowled menacingly at the people dining across from him, who tried disguising their giggles behind napkins. Molly did not look at all convinced.

'Draco, do calm down!' She admonished quietly, still patting his hand in that infuriating way. He snatched it away from her.

'I am not gay’ he repeated forcefully, though this time much more quietly. He felt like choking the bitch. Was it really so difficult to accept he simply wasn’t attracted to her? Did that automatically make a bloke gay? The sheer audacity of the idiotic twit sent him into a rather indignant fury. Just who did she think she was?

'I find many, many women incredibly attractive. I am just not attracted to you,' he said coldly. And before he could stop himself--'See, I prefer women who aren’t complete doddles. A woman like you gives it away far too easily for my taste.

He saw his words sink in. Granger’s words, that is, he reminded himself. And merlin, that must be a new low. Her face fell, and then, she seemed to convince herself of something. Draco knew it was no use as soon as she opened her mouth, which had nearly disappeared she'd had it pursed so tightly.

'I’m going to forgive you for that Draco Malfoy,' she said coldly, 'because I know how difficult living with this must be. But until you are ready to come to terms with it, I would rather not be available for the unexpected out lashes toward women that are bound to occur.'

And with that, she stood, gathered her things, and stormed off, leaving Draco to defend himself from curious onlookers until the bill came.

*

It was nearly noon the next day when Granger came bursting into his office in a frenzy, looking like she couldn’t be happier to look like utter hell.

The door slammed open with so much force Draco jumped from his seat and nearly drew his wand, as one disheveled Hermione Granger stood gawking at him with the stupidest grin he had ever seen in his life.

'Guess what?' she exclaimed, and proceeded to bustle right into his office with nary an invite.

'Blaise and I have just had the most amazing breakthrough! I really think we’ll be wrapping things up soon!'

Draco watched as she continued to ramble on and on while pacing about his office and moving things that did not need to be moved. She was just inching a portrait over to the right and beginning what promised to be a longwinded explanation of all the cases she would be able to start working on now, when he stopped her.

'Oi, Granger!'

She jumped, and spun around to face him, nearly knocking the portrait that she'd just spent half a minute straightening clear off the wall. Her eyes were the size of saucers. He eyed her suspiciously for a moment. Slowly, he walked toward her. She backed away cautiously but bumped into the wall behind her. She had the look of a wild cat who'd been cornered.

'I want you to be honest with me.' He said quietly.

She nodded, her eyes still ready to pop from their sockets any second.

'Good. Now tell me ... how much caffeine have you had?' He spoke slowly while eyeing her menacingly, daring her to lie to him.

It was almost adorable how guilty she looked.

'Well, I uh, not … much,' she said weakly.

He could tell that she was trying to remain still, but in vain. Immediately, her eye began to twitch. He knew she was lying. He hadn't learned nothing in the years they'd been partners. And he knew very well her tendency to stay up for days at a time, doing nothing but working and consuming one cup of coffee after another. He'd always put a stop to it when Harry or the Weasel didn't get to her first. But, merlin, he couldn't ever recall seeing her this hopped up before. He briefly considered if she'd consumed anything else at all lately. Her clothes were very nearly falling off of her.

'Merlin, I can’t believe they let you do this to yourself,' he muttered, walking up to her purposefully and taking her by the shoulders.

'Sit,' he demanded, pushing her until the back of her knees hit a chair and she fell down into it with an ungraceful plop.

'No, really, Malfoy,' she argued 'I haven’t had but a cup or two. Nothing that bad, really. In fact it was probably decaf, I’m not even jittery at all. You know how I go all jittery when I've had too much--'

'Shut it, Granger. You’re far too good at heart to make a good liar.'

He watched in amusement as she scowled.

'I'm perfectly fine, Malfoy'

'Right. You’re perfectly fine. And that's why you're currently leaving marks in my vintage leather recliner with your fingernails.'

She glanced down at her hands and looked surprised, as if she hadn’t noticed at all that she was gripping the arms of the seat so hard her knuckleds had turned white.

'...All right, so I've had a few cups. You try not sleeping for two nights,' she pouted.

He sighed.

'That’s precisely what I mean. But it serves you right, working with Blaise. He could care less about your well being’ he muttered, sitting back down at his desk in a huff.

He was looking for the parchments he’d been reading from when she’d blown in there, and when he looked up he saw her watching him with a curious expression. She was in a losing battle with a coy little smirk, to boot. He lifted a brow.

'Yes?' he asked dryly. She gave up, and the stupid grin from moments before returned.

'And you do?' She asked playfully.

'I do, what, Granger?' He mocked. '...And stop looking at me like that. You’re starting to remind me of Narcissus.”'

She giggled. Merlin, she had had a lot. Granger never giggled.

'Care? About my well being?’

And then he'd realised what he said, and he’d be damned if he didn’t almost blush.

'You know that’s not what I meant,' he said irritably.

Her grin did not lessen, however, and he decided it was time to go on the defense. This strange, bubbly version of Granger was throwing him off.

'Look, Granger, I'm pretty busy right now. Can I ignore you some other time?'

But instead of being offended, like she would normally have done, she giggled again. He scowled. Maybe he really was losing his touch. But then it occurred to him, --delirious or not, Granger was always an untight bitch. Unless....

Unless she had some stupid thing up her sleeve to gain one over on him.

The moment he’d worked it out, he saw she was watching him, waiting for him to figure it out and bite. She smiled lazily, content that she had something on him better than any half-hearted insult.

The bitch! All this time, she’d been playing with fire, and he’d merely been blowing at the smoke.

His eyes narrowed, and she smirked quite evilly at him. Hers narrowed in return.

'What are you up to?' He asked suspiciously.

She hummed wickedly and leaned forward, crossing her legs and resting her chin in her hands.

'Oh, come now, Draco, you don’t know?'

Merlin. the way she mischievously purred his name most certainly did not send a quiver up his spine.

'If I did, I wouldn’t be asking, would I?' He said icily. He did not like this game at all.

She laughed, outright.

'Oh all right then, I’ll tell you,' she said breezily. 'I spoke to Molly this morning.'

Draco stilled.

'Did you?'

'Indeed. Funnily enough, she failed to mention the, uh, vigorous lessons you spoke of yesterday.... In fact, she’s asked to be reassigned partners.'

“...Did she.'

‘Indeed she did,' she nodded, an expression of utter bemusement across her face. 'And, do you know why?'

There was a moment of awkward silence. Draco grasped the farthest corners of his mind for something to say to gain the upper hand, but came up with nil.

'Oh, do tell,' he finally bit out.

Stupid bitch. He was going to ruin Molly Zimmerman's life.

'Well, it seems she had quite the thing for you. So, naturally, she was crushed to discover the man she’s been pining for for so long is an angry, sexually repressed homosexual.'

She sighed sadly, shaking her head in dismay.

'I mean, can you imagine how heartbreaking it must have been—' And then suddenly, she broke, and fell into a heap of girly giggles on the floor. Draco stared blankly ahead, Granger no longer in his line of vision. He listened to her giggle and very nearly choke at one point on the floor.

He had to hand it to her. She’d held it together quite impressively until now.

'Yes, Granger, very funny,' he remarked dryly.

She was gasping for air now, trying to pull herself up by his desk. Her hair was in comical disarray, her face scarlet from lack of air.

“Oh, merlin Malfoy, come now, it's not that--” But she crumbled all over again once she caught sight of his expression, which he suspected would have chilled anyone but Granger to the bone, and returned to the floor to resume her giggle fit.

And just like that, he'd bloody well had it.

He had been called homosexual, and been laughed at by Granger, all within twenty-four hours. Enough was enough

He stormed around his desk, quite unaware of his actions, and before he knew it he was scooping her up from the heap she was currently in on the floor. She squeaked loudly as he lifted her up.

'Malfoy, put me down!' She exclaimed indignantly.

'No, I don’t think I will,' he said flatly, walking across the his office in purposeful strides.

She started to struggle and he nearly dropped her before he reached his vintage leather Chesterfield, which matched his vintage leather recliner perfectly, naturally.

He dropped her roughly, taking no care at all to make sure she didn't hurt herself when she landed. She squeaked again and nearly stood to push past him, but he stopped her with a forceful hand.

'Lay, Granger.'

'I am not a dog!' She growled.

He snorted.

'Desipte your uncanny imitation of one just now, no, you are not, You are a dilerious girl who is giving me the bleeding migraine of the century. Now lay, down.'

She huffed, but obliged him slightly by being still.

‘Merlin,' she muttered, just loudly enough for him to hear, “You really are an angry, sexually—'

'Say it again, and I’ll hex you,' he warned.

Her pouty demeanor broke, and he could see the newest onset of giggles coming on.

'Oh no you don’t,' he said forcefully, pulling his wand on her.

She rolled her eyes.

'And what do you think you’re going to do with that?'

'I’m going to stupify you and force you to lie there until you sleep,' he said simply.

Their eyes held for a moment, Granger calculating the seriousness of his intentions.

“I do have a bed you know,' she said finally.

'Yes, and you also have a stubborn streak from hell and an irrational need to defy me. I know very well when you get like this you have to be forced to sleep. And without Harry or The Weasel here, I, unfortunately, seem to be the only one available to see that you don’t kill yourself. Lucky me.”

It seemed to finally sink in that he was serious. But just for good measure, she seemed to want to try him once more

'I was going to go straight home any-'

“No.'

'Ugh, fine,' she huffed.

And with that, she fell back on the chesterfeild and closed her eyes. Within a matter of seconds, Draco suspected she'd be fast asleep.

He was surprised by how easily that had went. Granger had a strong penchent for making everything the most thing difficult he'd ever done.

He went to turn, and return to his work, when he heard her mumble something. He turned back to face her. She still seemed seconds away from sleep.

'What was that?' He asked

She yawned widely.

'I said, when I wake, we’ll talk about the breakthrough.'

He scowled. Why would she want to talk to him—

'It’s about your mother,' she said groggily. And then, she bagan to snore.