Care to Play?

The next week saw Hermione and Draco trading glances every now and then. When she was feeling bold she gave him a smile. He always made sure nobody was looking before halfway returning it. She had yet to see a full fledged smile from him that he started himself, but she had a feeling that in time she would see something worth more then a smile.



During Transfiguration class they ended up seated next to each other. Normally either would have moved to another place but this time they didn’t. They merely sat and removed books and parchments, preparing for class.



They took notes throughout the lecture and when they were set to their bookwork, Hermione found her concentration waning. Draco’s legs were moving around, unable to find a comfortable spot. He eventually planted them firmly and tried to focus on his book.



Hermione decided to do the same and together they succeeded for a while but both of them froze when their legs made contact. Hermione’s calf connected with Draco’s and she felt the heat through his trousers and her tights.



Neither of them knew what to do, they just held still. Hermione wondered if he was just going to stay there or try something. Maybe he was nervous and wondering the same about her. Well, she thought, boldness was working so far.



She lifted her leg, balancing on the ball of her foot, caressing his leg with hers. She turned her knee outward and nudged him with it, stroking the side of his knee up and down.



She noticed Draco’s quill pausing at various points. He rolled it in his index and middle finger letting the downy tip thump against his book. He spared a glance in her direction and was given an innocent smile before she turned back to her book.



Hermione kept up her movements, brushing up against him nice and slow. She slowed down even more when she felt his leg move. She thought he was going to move away but then she felt his foot slip behind her ankle, cradling her calf with his, lifting her foot off the ground.



Hermione wished she didn’t have her shoes on at the moment, because Draco was brushing the inside of her arch with his toes. What she wouldn’t give to feel his bare foot caressing hers during class……. Wait a minute, she thought, he was caressing her foot with his, even through two shoes she recognized the movements.



She chanced a look in his direction and saw him smirk and raise an eyebrow before turning back to his book. She grinned to herself as she turned to her own assignment. Move, countermove, huh Draco? This was going to be fun after all.







During lunch Hermione thought about Draco’s actions as Ron, Harry, and Ginny talked over Quidditch strategy for the next match. Normally she would feel left out but having Draco as a diversion gave her something to focus on. That reminded her, she had to write to Tonks.



The afternoon owls flew in, dropping off letters and packages. The afternoon owls were in small amounts compared to the flurry that came with the morning mail, since these were just deliveries missed from the earlier rush. A plain barn owl dropped a letter next to Hermione’s plate. It went unnoticed as several others were delivered as well to the Gryffindor table.



She opened the letter and quickly read it. ‘What are you doing?’ It wasn’t signed with a name but Hermione knew it was from. She lifted her eyes to the Slytherin table and found Draco looking at her over his mug.



The owl was waiting for a reply. She took out a quill and quickly wrote back. ‘Playing chess.’ She attached the note to the owl and before the flight of carriers had a chance to clear from the hall, let it fly off.



She watched as the same plain barn owl returned through another window and landed near Draco’s plate. It was the same as any other owl the school used and went unnoticed.



She watched as he read the note then tucked it in his robes. It took a few moments for him to look up but when he did he gave her a smirk across the hall.



They had rounds together that night, just like they did a week ago. She wondered with this new communication how the game would play out now. Technically it was her move. His response to her silent flirtation in Transfiguration told her that he was eager for a game as well.



Again she took care with her appearance, making sure to wear the new perfume her mother had given her on her birthday. If Draco was going to be playing with her then she would make sure her weapons were honed.





She met up with him at the third floor as agreed and went through the motions of rounds within the castle. Hermione knew he was waiting until they got to the lower levels. Since they weren’t used it was only routine to check them, but there was an extreme amount of privacy to be had.



As they approached the narrower corridors they glanced this way and that, until they got to the final hallway. Once they checked this hallway and neared the end, their steps slowed.



Hermione faced him and watched his features. When he wasn’t scowling Draco as indeed handsome. His hair had always been enviable but then again with her own hair barely manageable with a myriad of spells she found most hair to be enviable.



He was waiting for her to make a move, it was her turn after all. She wondered just how bold she should be. She had been successful so far, so why not continue with that particular strategy. She reached up and pulled his tie out from under his jumper. Stroking the silk she admired the green and silver and then looked up at him.



He was still watching her, waiting patiently. She tugged on his tie, hand over hand until he was a hair away. Titling her head ever so slightly she smiled inwardly as he mirrored her movement. His eyes shifted down to her lips briefly then back at her eyes.



Lifting her jaw she kissed him. Every pour in her body ignited in a bonfire. She was not expecting a response from her own body like this. Draco’s cologne, his warmth and the softness of his lips played havoc on her senses. She took a chance and it paid off, so she decided to take another.



She parted her lips and was immediately rewarded when Draco slipped his tongue inside to duel with hers. She let go of the tie and slid her hands up his shoulders. She leaned against him when his hand came around her waist, pulling her closer.



She gave into the heat before breaking the kiss. Still in his arms, she smiled up at him biting her lower lip, then eased away. Walking away and leaving the hall, she went up the stairs and slipped behind a dark niche. It was several moments before Draco came out. She almost thought he might have turned around and went the other way.



She watched him move slowly, leaning against the wall, letting his head rest against the stone, while one hand came up to his stomach. He took a moment then stood up again, running a hand through his hair before turning toward the Slytherin common room.



Hermione ran all the way to her dorm room and quickly took out a quill. This had to be written tonight. She mentally congratulated herself on purchasing her own owl this year, and in no time at all a letter to Tonks was off into the night.