Stylistic Harmony

Chapter Four
*****She stirred and woke, the night air biting at her skin. She raised herself from the moist ground and looked all around. The stars were veiled, hiding behind dark clouds. The oncoming storm. In what little light there was she saw him, standing by the lake, the small amount of moonlight bounced off his sleek white blond hair. The tragic hero, blending into the night. She glided up to him and wrapped her arms around him from behind. He sighed and relaxed into her embrace. After a moment he turned and enveloped her in a hug, resting his chin on the top of her head. She started to cry, burying her head in his shoulder. He bent down to her and lifted her head, he wiped the tears away with his thumbs,
"No tears baby. Don't cry. Please don't cry." He implored her, if she didn't hold it together he wouldn't be able to do what he had to. She fought back the tears that had yet to fall,
"I don't want you to go. I can't do this Draco. I can't do this without you, I can't go on knowing what we had, what we could have been. How am I going to go on, living my life as it is, not knowing where you are, what you're doing, I can't wake up everyday next to him when I want you." She turned away from him, collapsing to the ground, the tears cascading down. He looked out across the night, then dropped to the ground and pulled her to him.
"You have to, you know you do. We can't be together like this, there's to much at stake, to many people would be after us. Your side would make you an outcast, discard you like nothing, and mine would kill us both. You know it has to be like this. I don't want to leave you, especially to him, but we don't have any other choices. Please don't cry, please don't make this harder," he hugged her closer, and breathed in everything about her, the way her hair smelt, the warmth of her skin under his fingers, the sniffs she was making as she sobbed her heart out. He turned her face to him, leaned down and kissed her lips,
"Hermione, I....." She looked up, wide eyed,
"What, Draco, what is it?"
"I love you. I know its not exactly the best time, and it makes everything all the worse, but I wouldn't have been able to leave you if you I didn't. I swear to you Hermione, I will find a way for us to be together. I swear i'll find you, i'll always find you," she kissed him deeply and said through tears and pain,
"I love you too, and I always will. I'll wait for you, I promise." They kissed, with the passion and intensity of two people who would never again meet like this, never again feel like they did. Draco moved her to a laying position, she kissed all the way down his neck, this was their farewell, the last time. Two lovers, against the world....*****

Draco bolted awake, where the hell had that come from?! How could he have acted so sappy and disgusting, he ran to the bathroom and vomited. He stripped down and got in the shower, turning the water to scalding hot, he hoped to burn away the memory of Granger, all over him and those hateful words spoken from his lips. Yet the beauty of her smile, and the fire blazing behind her eyes haunted him; she was getting to him, and he was powerless to overcome it.

She bolted upright in bed, pulling half the covers with her, her face still stung with tears. She had to leg it to the adjoining bathroom to throw up. What was that about? She can't really feel that, not for him. She had to do something about this, she couldn't keep this up, sleepless, nightmare filled nights. He was plaguing her every moment. She jumped in the shower and turned it up to boiling, the shower was scalding but it felt good, like she was burning him away. Then and there she made a decision, from now on she would dedicate herself solely to the cause, and to Ron. No more dreaming or thinking in any fashion, about Draco Malfoy. Satisfied with herself she dressed and made her way down to the Great Hall for breakfast. She entered and sat herself down between Ron and Harry, turning to her boyfriend she planted a kiss on his lips and said,
"Good morning, love, how are you?" He looked at her like she was a bit strange, then smiled, kissed her back and said,
"I'm fine babe. How was your first night with that Slytherin prick? He didn't bug you too much? Cause if he did then i'll kick his arse." She laughed somewhat nervously, she had decided not to relate to Ron or Harry, the actions of Blaise Zabini last night for fear it may spark something bigger then it really was. She could handle it herself.
"He was fine, in fact he didn't say two words to me. Lets not talk about that anymore, do you know what our first class is?" Hermione was eager to throw herself into her studies, feeling it would aid her in focusing her thoughts. She however found that this would prove harder then she first perceived, for with the arrival of their timetables came a note that sent her right over the edge, it read like this,

Dear Miss. Granger,
As Hogwarts new Head Girl, the Governors and I have placed in you a certain amount of responsibility, we feel that you possess the level headed-ness and maturity to perform a vitally important role on behalf of the Ministry of Magic. In addition to your role as Head Girl, the Governors and I wish for you to be escort for Draco Malfoy throughout his final year at Hogwarts. As you know he was deeply involved in the situation that occurred last year at Hogwarts, the conditions of his re-admittance require that he be escorted to all classes and at all times during the term. As you share all classes with him it is convenient for you to be the one to carry out this job. The duty will be shared with Blaise Zabini (Head Boy) as he is member of the same house and can escort Mr. Malfoy during times in the Slytherin common room and at Quidditch practice. This is a mandatory task, if you have a problem, please come and see me direct.
Yours Sincerely
Professor M. McGonagall, Headmistress.

Hermione's jaw dropped, they expected her to babysit the prat, carry out her Head Girl duties, and pass her N.E.W.T.S? It was ridiculous, unfair. Harry and Ron poked her,
"What is it Hermione?" Harry asked. She waved the letter at him, he took it from her and read it, then passed it to Ron. "I can't believe it. She knows how dangerous he is, how could she put you anywhere near that bastard. I am gonna waste him, I swear." Ron looked livid, his ears the burning red colour of his hair.
"We'll go to McGonagall, she will see that you aren't happy with it and assign someone else." She nodded mutely, her logical, rational side was feeling ill at the prospect of having to escort Malfoy, however the side of her that took over in her dreams was thrilled. That rocked her to the core.

Meanwhile, over on the other side of the Great Hall, Blaise was trying to calm a very irate Draco, having just received a letter from the Headmistress he was ready to physically kill someone, the letter read,

Dear Mr. Malfoy,
As per the conditions of your readmission, Miss. Hermione Granger (Head Girl) had been assigned as your escort throughout your final year, aided by Mr. Blaise Zabini. Please cooperate with this as you're future in the school is stringent on your willingness to comply with the conditions.
Thank You
Professor M. McGonagall, Headmistress.

On reading this, Draco had exploded into a string of expletive protest,
"Granger? Fucking Granger? They have stuck me with that jumped up Mudblood bitch? Fucking hell. How the fuck am I gonna deal with that little whore breathing down my neck the whole time. FUCK MAN!" This outburst got him a look from most of his housemates, as well as half the staff. He watched as Granger was dragged in front of McGonagall by the wonder twits, by this time Draco had drenched Pansy in pumpkin juice for only for looking at him so he acted. Blaise had to force him out of the Great Hall to calm down, this arrangement could vastly improve the chance of his plan working, he only had to get Draco to cooperate. He shoved Draco out the main entrance doors and into the morning air, Draco pulled his arm out Blaise's grip and turned to give the dark wizard an earful,
"What's up your arse, Zabini? I have every fucking right to be pissed at this. Granger?! Fucking...." Blaise lifted his hand to cut Draco off,
"Shut up Malfoy, for fuck's sake! Don't you get it? You have to cooperate with this! Otherwise they'll throw you out, and probably into Azkaban, you are still the villain in this situation. Just think you can share a cell with Lucius." Draco scowled and shook his head,
"There is no fucking way I am having that know it all Mudblood follow me around every waking moment. Its bad enough i've been dream.........." He cut himself off, then continued in a calmer tone, "That I have to be in the same room as her, now I am supposed to put up with her all day, every day? No way." Blaise smiled, getting Draco on side was going to be easier then he thought, the mere fact that his normally controlled friend had almost let slip that he had been dreaming about the new Head Girl, was a promising step.
"Listen to me, have you ever thought that this could work to our advantage?" Draco looked skeptical, he raised an eyebrow, "Granger, right? She's the epitome of the Virgin Queen right? One third of Potter's pathetic Golden Trio, girlfriend to Potter's dimwitted sidekick? What if that changed? Huh? What if we convinced her that she's better then that? She may be a Mudblood but she's a fucking good witch. I've seen that fire in her eyes." Now Draco was convinced that Blaise was crazy, convincing Granger that the dark side was better then fighting for Potter? The Mudblood wouldn't ever betray her friends. Not for anyone. Yet his head began to swim with images from his dreams, maybe they meant more then he first thought, but still it was Granger. He felt Blaise prod him on the arm, he replied,
"You are kidding right? You know she would never go for that. Especially coming from us, two 'Death Eater' Slytherins, one of which has teased her for the past six years and was also partially responsible for the death of the Headmaster, the other his best friend. Anyway what good would it bring to our side or to us?" He could see the cogs in Blaise's mind working over time, he couldn't seriously be thinking that?
"Just think about it Draco, the Gryffindor Princess, Potter and Weasley's one weakness would belong to us, me and you. You know that this war has nothing to do with blood, you saw that last year on top the astronomy tower. It has to do with one man's lust for power, domination. Turn the Mudblood, we show we have the power. Then the three of us would be unstoppable. You know it makes sense." Draco still had his eyebrow raised, this scheme of Zabini's freaked him out, if he went along with it then the thing of his nightmare may actually transpire. He couldn't deny that part of him lusted after Granger, amidst all the teasing was an actual want for her, but she was still a Mudblood, Lucius had raised him to hate her kind and all they stood for, but then he thought,
"Yeah, but look where that ended him. Granger helped put his arse behind bars. Maybe Blaise is right." After this trail of thought, he looked at Blaise, then said, "Say we do this right? How would we go about it? How do spilt Granger from Potter and Weasley?" Blaise laughed then said in a low voice,
"I saw you last night, on the train. Saw your little tete a tete with her. She came into my carriage almost hyperventilating. Then in our common room, I may have made some advances on her, she smacked me around the face but you could see a part of her was loving it. The key is appealing to the side of her that rebels, the side that made her hit you in third year, the side of her that doesn't give a damn about anything. We convince her that we can give her more then she has ever imagined." Draco went wide-eyed at his suggestion. Seriously he couldn't be suggesting seducing the Virgin Queen of Hogwarts?
"You can't be serious? You are not saying what I think you're saying? She would never fall for you. Or me for that matter." Blaise seemed to think differently,
"You didn't see her last night mate, she was gagging for it, and I wasn't suggesting either one of us for the job, I was saying that we share the job. We've done it before." Draco thought about this statement. yes it was true they had shared before but this was different, this was Granger, she probably didn't even contemplate one bloke let alone two. But then, he had after all dreamed of her in his bed, maybe it was time to admit that these dreams may be portents of the future.
"It won't work but I am willing to try it. It could after all be beneficial to us even if it turns out just to ruin Little Miss Perfects stellar reputation," and maybe he could fuck her out of his head, he added to himself as an afterthought. Blaise smiled and said,
"Thats the spirit! Now get going you have your 'escort' to meet. Remember try and be civil." Blaise wandered off in the direction of the forest. Draco was left to contemplate the utter shit this plan could get them into, it would most likely be the death of them, but a part of him couldn't wait to get under Granger's skin, the thrill of the chase. He relished it.

Harry and Ron, pulled Hermione up by her arms and dragged her in front of McGonagall, throwing the letter on the table in front of her, Harry then proceeded to protest the proposal, completely losing his temper causing everyone in the Great Hall to stare at them,
"What's going on? How can you let Hermione be lumbered with that murdering psycho? She could be in serious danger. Wasn't it enough putting her in a dorm with his best friend, now she has to actively spend her entire day with him? I won't have it, we won't have it, pick someone else because she isn't doing it." Ron then jumped in and said his piece,
"I am not having her watching that ferrets every move, having to trail after him. Like Harry said, he's a murderer, he's dangerous, she is not being alone with him." McGonagall looked extremely angry at this interruption of her breakfast and said in hushed tones,
"How dare you accost me like this at breakfast, I shall speak to all before classes begin, go and wait outside the transfiguration classroom. Now!" They trailed out of the Great Hall, just in time to see Malfoy dragged out the front doors by Blaise Zabini, clearly he was just as annoyed as them at this arrangement. They made their way to the transfiguration classroom, Hermione had never been so embarrassed in her life, how dare Harry and Ron treat her like a child? And in front of the entire school? They were always doing this, smothering her, it made her so angry. McGonagall rounded the corner and ushered them into the classroom, her lips pursed in a tight line,
"Now, Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, please tell me the problem in a calm manner. I will not tolerate you losing your tempers." Ron and Harry both started to talk at once, words like "Malfoy" and "Death Eater" thrown in every five seconds, along with "No way, she is going to," Hermione eventually lost it,
"SHUT UP!" McGonagall looked shocked at her sudden outburst.
"Miss. Granger, I would ask you to calm down." Hermione looked sheepish,
"I'm sorry, Professor. Harry and Ron are angry at the fact that I have to be escort to Malfoy for the rest of the year. They have taken it upon themselves to argue against it on my behalf." Hermione gave Harry and Ron a withering look, McGonagall looked from them to her,
"And you Miss. Granger, how do you feel about this position you have been put in?"
"I, I feel that it is extremely unfair that I have been chosen for this. As you know Malfoy and I have never ever got on, he has teased me, humiliated me and I don't trust him. However, I agree that he should be watched and if the Ministry and yourself feel that I would be most competent in this task then, I will do it. If it helps in defeating Voldemort I will do it." Ron and Harry began to protest heavily and berate her for her decision, Hermione cut them off, "Look you two, I know you aren't at all happy with this but you two will be with me most of the time and I am not afraid of him. He is nothing but a pathetic lost little child." McGonagall huffed at this,
"Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, I believe you have a class to attend. Miss. Granger, a word if you please?" Harry and Ron left looking extremely unhappy. Hermione turned to her Headmistress, "Miss. Granger, I am pleased that you show the maturity to deal with this situation. I have to say that I was somewhat concerned when the Ministry relayed their plan to me, having witnessed your shaky history with Mr. Malfoy, I believed that you would reject this plan. But you have shown the quality that made the Ministry choose you. You will meet Mr. Malfoy in the Entrance Hall, I believe you have a Arithmancy class to attend?" Hermione nodded and made to leave the room, "However Miss. Granger, a word of caution, the Ministry still has no idea of Mr. Malfoy's true allegiance, there may be some danger involved in this task, be aware. Mr. Zabini will aid you, as I believe he is one of few who can exercise some control over Draco. I do also trust your abilities as a witch and your strength of character. Good Luck." Hermione smiled wearily, troubled and oddly excited she left the room. Minerva McGonagall sat behind her desk, watching the girl leave, a worrisome cloud hung over her,
"Whatever you were planning Albus, I pray to whatever God your with, it works. Otherwise I have just sent that girl to her demise," she whispered under her breath.

Hermione rushed to the entrance hall, feelings of exhilaration coursing through her, now Ron and Harry had to listen to her, had to know that she could look after herself. She hurtled round the corner into the hall, stopping short at the sight. Draco Malfoy. He was leaned up against the staircase, what little sun there was creating a false halo around his head, she had to
admit that he looked to die for. Wait a second, what had she just agreed to? She would have to spend every waking moment with him. Her dreams suddenly seemed like they could become all too real. She couldn't deny that there was the temptation of the forbidden, but she knew better then to dwell on it, Pure-bloods and Muggleborns, Gryffindors and Slytherins, they weren't meant to mix, the consequences could create a rift in the fabric of reality, and she would never betray Ron or Harry. Malfoy was just an unfortunate job that she had been forced to take.
He had seen her, standing there watching him, then there was that vacant expression he had seen that day at the lake. He cringed at the memory of that day,
"GRANGER!" He barked across the entrance hall, causing any loitering students to turn and see who was making the ruckus. Hermione was woken from her reverie by his deep voice, "Get a move on, Granger we'll be late for class!" Hermione tutted and walked as slowly as she could over him, as much as she loathed being late for class the thought of pissing him off was much more appealing. He turned away from her and started to walk in the direction of their first class, she fell into step beside him.
"I'm surprised. I would have thought you would have made much more protest about this. A Mudblood invading your personal Pureblood space," he turned to her and smirked, she almost fell over, that smirk, it was the one from her dreams,
"Well, contrary to popular belief Granger, I do give a fuck about school, so ergo my not complaining about the fact that I get stuck with you for the rest of the year. So I will make a deal with you, don't talk to me and I won't bother you. I don't like this anymore then you but at least I didn't need a couple of idiots to fight my battles for me."
"Excuse me, what exact purpose do Crabbe & Goyle serve for you? Oh wait, they fight YOUR battles for you." He didn't reply, she looked at him, he had that same dangerous glimmer in his eyes, she half expected him to slam her into a wall. Instead he merely said,
"Fair point Mudblood. Now shut up I can't be bothered to argue with you anymore."
So that was how it was, for the next three weeks, Hermione escorted Draco to class, ate lunch with him and studied with him in the library, he never said anything, only a few scant words regarding schoolwork. Harry and Ron took it upon themselves to escort her everywhere, thus Harry's initial plan of avoiding Malfoy at all costs was shot to pieces. On the other hand, Blaise was taking every opportunity to talk to Hermione and be her 'friend'. Hermione treated him much the same as she treated Malfoy, she ignored him, he was all for giving up on his plan but Draco seemed to persuade him otherwise. They had been having drinks in Draco's room, Blaise was frustrated at the lack of progress in the plan and was ready to abandon it all together, Draco however felt that it was progressing just fine,
"You can see her getting more and more annoyed about the wonder idiots trailing after her the whole time. She is about to snap, and that is when we strike. She won't be able to resist it. " Blaise still looked skeptical, "Look, man, this was your idea, you can't back down on me now. I can't explain it but there is something about her. I mean she's different then your average mudblood, she's, I don't know how to describe it. There is more power in her then half the school combined. Look give me a few more weeks and she'll be begging for us to take her away." Blaise just couldn't help but disagree, risky as it was,
"But Draco, she hasn't said more then two words to either of us in at least three weeks. You spend most of your day with her and I fucking live with her, she hates us both. I can't see her going for this one bit," Blaise could see the anger rising, Draco was starting to lose his patience,
"Listen to me, it doesn't matter that she hasn't said anything to us, the fact is that she watches. Haven't you noticed it, she stares incessantly, all the time, wearing that dorky vacant expression of hers. That I have learnt is her mind processing what she sees. I've seen the fire in her eyes, and it burns into you. Never has she looked at Potty or the Weasel with as much intensity. That is the sole reason that this plan is going to work, she needs more from her world, and we are going to give her just that." Blaise nodded slowly, he was right, she wanted more, and they were going to be her release, release from the Golden Trio, release from being the perfect Princess of Gryffindor. She would belong to them, and them to her, more powerful then the Golden Trio, and more obsessively passionate then Voldemort himself. They downed the last drop of Firewhiskey and made their way back to the Head's common room. They were just relaxing on the sofas when the portrait door slammed open and in walked Hermione, her face stained with tears....