A Taste of Heaven

A Taste of Heaven



Ch 4 - Punishment



I was being punished.



I did not want to believe it was intentional, but Draco always was a bit cruel. It has been a month since our whole misunderstanding, but it\'s felt like years. Since the argument he has gone through thrice as many girls. Instead of just the usual one or two girls a week, it has now turned into two or three a day.



He wasn\'t being very discreet either.



I would find numerous under things strewn across the common room. Bras, knickers, and school skirts - I would always find at least one a day, sometimes more, always belonging to a different witch. He also decided to forgo the silencing and locking charms. It was hard enough just to see the evidence of his trysts, but the torture of actually hearing them was just too hard to bear.



I spent all of my free time in the library or the room of requirement. I stayed away from our dorm as long as I possibly could until I absolutely needed sleep. Although Draco wasn\'t avoiding me, he wasn\'t talking to me either. The only time he ever acknowledged my presence was during prefect meetings where he was forced to give me some regard.



I was in a perpetual state of depression. I had so much that needed to be done. Graduation was only a month away and what should be the most exciting time of my life was actually a nightmare. I could not concentrate on anything anymore. My grades weren\'t up to \'Hermione Granger\' standards and, although I was still nearly top of my class, Draco had taken the number one spot.



I did worry about the future, probably more than I should. After our departure from Hogwarts I planned to work at the ministry. I was offered an internship in the Dark Artifacts Research Department. I thought it would be a good way to get my foot in the door and I was always good at research. I knew that Harry, Ron, and Draco were already accepted into Auror training and would begin academy shortly after graduation. It was inevitable that we would see each other, probably quite frequently, at the ministry.



I slowly gathered my things into my bag, breakfast would be over soon and class would begin shortly thereafter. I forced myself to eat an apple this morning although I was anything, but hungry before rushing off to the library. I preferred to wallow in my own misery in private and not be gossiped over in the great hall. Merlin, I hated feeling like this! Draco Malfoy should not affect me this much. I shouldn\'t be losing sleep or forcing myself to eat. This depression was too much and I needed to get over it or obliviate myself.



I was about to leave the library when Ginny Weasley stepped in front of me blocking my exit. She was taller than me and her hair was so shiny and glossy it made me sick. Her arms were crossed under her breasts and her eyes held malicious intent.



Ginny Weasley is a bitch.



There is no use in sugar coating the facts about her. She has always been and probably always will be a complete and utter bitch to me. Ever since Tom Riddle scrambled her brain during her first year she has had some sort of sick and twisted view of the world, me especially. She is absolutely fine with Harry and Ron, but me she absolutely loathes. In her mind, she thinks I\'m trying to take Harry and Ron away from her even though I spend less time with them now than I ever did. She acts all polite and sweet in public, but the moment we are alone she is vicious.



"Can I help you with something?" I asked while checking my watch. I had about ten minutes to make it to charms and I really had no patience for dealing with the spiteful little girl in front of me.



"You are so pathetic. Still pining after a man who doesn\'t want you anymore."



I very nearly rolled my eyes at her observation. I already know that I\'m pathetic and I also know that he doesn\'t want me - that\'s old news. "Ginny, was there a reason for you to stop me or are you just being a bitch for the sake of being a bitch?"



Her face turned an unflattering shade of red, but it still didn\'t take away from her beauty. She stepped closer to me and tilted her head down so we were nose to nose. I had to suppress the urge to step back; she was way too into my personal space for my liking.



"I fucked him."



Her words were whispered quietly, but I heard them so loudly that I could have sworn she yelled them. I forced myself to stay calm and not show any outward sign of emotion. The last thing I needed was to give her was more ammunition.



I shrugged, "Who hasn\'t?"



I knew she wasn\'t expecting my response by the way her eyes widened. She took a step back and regarded me coolly, probably trying to find a chink in my metaphorical armor. We studied each other silently for a few moments until her eyes lightened with knowledge and an evil smile adorned her perfect face.





"Oh Hermione," Her voice was mocking, "You poor deluded little thing. You don\'t understand at all, do you? I\'m the reason he tossed you aside like the mudblood trash you are. I fucked him more than once. On several occasions while you two were still together, before you even got together. In fact, the night he ended things with you, he ended up in my bed. Beside me. Inside me."



Her smile turned victorious so I knew my aloof manner was shattered. I swallowed as she continued filling me in on all her little adventures with Draco.



She leaned closer to me, "He wanted to fuck me so badly, even before you guys got together. You know I orchestrated that whole entire mistletoe debacle. You are so transparent with your feelings. Anyone with eyes could see that you were into him. I told him that if he made you fall in love with him, if he broke you, I would be his."



I closed my eyes at her condescending chuckle, "And you fell for it. All of it. It\'s almost too good to be true that goody-goody Hermione Granger would actually fall in love with Draco Malfoy of all people. He\'s still a Malfoy at heart and a man as well. He will do whatever it takes to get what he wants... even if it means breaking the heart of the Gryffindor Princess."



We were both silent for a few moments.



"Do you really hate me so much?" I asked, opening my watery eyes to stare at her. She was heartless. A heartless, cold bitch.



"It\'s the nature of the beast Hermione and you would do well to remember that. No matter how the pieces fall - you will always lose." Her voice took on a light note as if we were talking about kittens or rainbows or something equally happy.



"Happy Heartbreak."



And with a cheery smile she walked away.



I stared after her for a few moments and took a deep breath.





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I was furious.



There was no other word to describe it.



I glared at him all through out classes. I snapped my quill in half more than a half dozen times. I didn\'t even raise my hand once to answer a question. This uncontrollable rage I felt just kept boiling until I knew I was going to explode.



Dinner was my breaking point.



I stared at my plate of food in disgust - not at what was on it, but the fact that I was still too furious to eat. Harry, bless his heart, knew that I was upset at something or other and quietly kept his distance, just asking the polite "How are you?" briefly before returning to his meal.



Ron, on the other hand, really did have the emotional range of a teaspoon.



"\'Mione, you shouldn\'t make that face. You are really red and your eye is twitching and hey, are you gonna eat that?" He asked as he took a large bite of my mashed potatoes.



"Well Ronald, even if I was going to eat that I can\'t now because you have so graciously decided to slobber all over my mashed potatoes. Secondly, I wouldn\'t be so red and twitchy if your sister wasn\'t such a slag and third.. Don\'t call me \'Mione. You know I hate that horrible nickname."



Ron opened his mouth to respond, but Harry wisely shoved a buttered roll between his teeth to end whatever asinine thing he was going to say. I turned away from them and watched with mounting anger as Ginny Weasley sauntered her way over to the Slytherin table and, more accurately, Draco Malfoy. He was sitting next to Pansy and they seemed to be in a heated conversation. Pansy had an angry look on her face, while Draco looked determined.



Suddenly his eyes widened and his face turned towards mine, our eyes meeting and locking. We stared at each other for a few moments and I unconsciously licked my lips, drawing his eyes to my mouth. His eyes stayed on my lips for a bit longer before snapping up to meet the grinning face of Ginny, who was leaning over the table in such a manner to give him the perfect view of her cleavage.



She is such a bitch.



I really should find a better adjective to describe her, but bitch is such an easy word to use and it sums her up in one, neat syllable. I don\'t like to think of myself as normally so hateful and rude and my anger should really be taken out on Draco himself too, and believe me, I\'m an emotional basket case when it came to thinking about him. I feel the anger and the pain and longing. Merlin did I still long for the git, but what was I to do?



I could practically see Draco\'s eyes burning a hole through Ginny\'s shirt. What an insufferable jerk! It automatically caused all of my insecurities to rear their ugly heads. Yes, I realize that I do not have enough curves. I\'m too bony, too flat chested, too… Well, me. I\'m too plain and she\'s not. She\'s no Pansy or Lavender, but she is something special.



I felt myself smile as Pansy narrowed her eyes at Ginny and then said something, probably malicious, and Ginny turned an ugly shade of puce.



I felt a hand on my shoulder and glanced at Harry who was watching me with concerned green eyes. I forced a smile and turned back to my uneaten dinner, trying to gauge how much I could eat before I vomited all over the Gryffindor table.



"It\'s alright to be angry." Harry’s voice was low and soothing.



"Oh, I know. I\'m very angry. I will probably be extremely angry for a long time. You might not have a quidditch buddy for awhile once I\'m done with him."



Harry smiled faintly, "Eh, I\'ve still got Ron in case you hurt Malfoy too bad." He gave my shoulder a squeeze and returned to his food.



I glanced past Harry to watch as Draco leered up at Ginny and gave her a flirtatious wink. I could tell Pansy was fuming and I was too. I couldn\'t think with this entire ordeal pressing down on me. I needed to say something. Do something, but I really didn\'t want to make a scene.



Then Ginny turned and smirked right at me.



I didn\'t even realize I was moving until I found myself in front of them. It was odd to have stood up and marched over to them without ever be conscious of it. Pansy looked worried, Ginny looked triumphant, and Draco almost looked concerned. I say almost because I doubt the bastard could feel concerned for me.



"Don\'t act like you care Draco. It doesn\'t suit you."



My voice was harsh and biting. His eyes widened slightly before he glanced at Pansy. I could tell they were having some sort of conversation with their eyes before Draco turned back towards me. I glanced at Ginny and frowned.



"Get that smile off your face you stupid slag."



Ginny and a few others gasped and only then did I realize that the Great Hall was silent. Everyone was watching our interaction with keen interest. I looked back at Draco and saw that he refused to meet my eyes.



I bent over the table, closer to him and grabbed the collar of his robes, "Look at me Draco Malfoy. Don\'t you dare ignore me."



His eyes snapped to mine and I fell in love all over again. His eyes were twin pools of silver that just sucked you in. I could lose myself in them and I wanted to so desperately. I swallowed hard, but didn\'t divert my gaze.



"You are a coward. A complete prick. A horrible, cruel person. And I am irrevocably in love with you. I have always loved you and I most likely will always love you. But if you think for one moment I am going to let you get away with what you did to me you have another thing coming."



I closed the distance between us and kissed him. A simple swipe of my tongue against his lips and his mouth opened for me. I felt him shudder as our kiss deepened. His hands found their way into my hair and I had climbed half way across the table and was practically in his lap before I pulled away.



His eyes were dreamy and he looked so damn beautiful it hurt. I leaned closer and his eyes fluttered closed anticipating another kiss.



"I hope you’re happy with that cunt."



My whispered words were like a slap to his face. His eyes snapped open, but I was already off of him and taking slow steps backwards towards the doors of the great hall. I turned around and stepped through the doors, but not before hearing Pansy\'s angry voice.



"Draco Malfoy, you are completely ridiculous! You are making the biggest mistake of your life and if you decide to keep doing this… I\'ll inform your mother!"



I had no idea what Draco would be scared that his mother might find out about. I was happier that I found another word to use for Ginny.



Cunt would be a suitable replacement for bitch.





A/N: I apologize for the extremely long pause between updates. MY life has been so hectic with work and our new home and everything. WE\'ve had the ocassional family drama and my oldest just turned 5. So pink, princess parties galore! I thank all of my faithful fans and I do hope you like this chapter. I know my chapters are rather short, but most of my stories are like that. It\'s just the way I write. As most of you know, I am a fan fiction Dramione trailer maker. I was wondering if you guys think I should make a trailer for this story or not. I\'m working on a few projects and one I am very excited about but I wont be posting the trailer until she\'s about 7 chapters in and she\'s on chapter 3 right now, so I\'m not going to give anything away. The next chapter is already partly written so hopefully it will be posted soon. If you guys have any suggestions or ideas for this story feel free to let me know. I already have an idea of where I want this to go, but that could change at any moment.



Take care!