Trial by Fire

Hello everyone! Hope you all had fantastic holidays. don't forgt to feed the writer. the more you guys review the faster I update!!! As always I don't own a damn thing. So happy reading!!! ~Ivy

Draco and Hermione walked from their common room to the front doors of the castle. They got a few glances from the seventh years but there was to much excitement over the first Hogsmeade weekend to draw that much attention. The weather was still mild this early in September so the students walked to the village chatting and racing amongst themselves. Hermione stopped to wait for a few third years that were still trying to catch up to the rest of the group. She turned toward the village and found her hand caught in Draco’s.

“I figured if we’re going to do it, we might as well do it right.” Draco said.

“Do what?”

“Have a date, what did you think I meant?” Draco question went unanswered, and answer in itself. “Could the Head girl get her mind out of the gutter please? I’m trying to have a civilized date here.”

Hermione couldn’t help but giggle. “Tell me something about yourself, something I don’t know.”

“I love when I can make you smile,” Draco simply stated.

“You know what I mean.”

Draco pondered her request for a moment as they entered the village of Hogsmeade. “When I was a little boy my father took me to the Ministry to work with him one day. I got to see all the floors and departments, when we stopped of the floor for the department of Mysteries I decided that was what I wanted to do when I grew up. Are you hungry? Lets stop and eat.” Draco pulled her into the little bistro that had been added on to the Three Broomsticks.

“Don’t think by feeding me you can change the subject. Now that I know when you were a little boy you had a heart I’ll want to know more.” Hermione spoke nothing more then the truth.

They were seated at a small table near the back of the bistro. As they skimmed their menus Draco broke the comfortable silence. “If you truly have questions about my past I’ll answer them Hermione. I don’t want you to ever think I hide things from you.”

Hermione waited until they ordered their meals before she responded, “Your past makes up part of the man you became today Draco, but it doesn’t show who you will be in the future. I think that is one of the things that my brain needs time to figure out. We will learn about each other’s pasts over time. We will be together forever wont we?” Hermione questioned with a cocky smile.

Draco responded in kind by placing his hand on her jean-clad leg and feeling the jolt that shot through her. “We have less time then you think and more then I would like,” He whispered across the table. Hermione stared blankly for a moment digesting the words before dropping her head to concentrate on the meal at hand.

They ate the rest of their meal in causal conversation touching on their families, school problems, and future plans. Draco paid their tab when the check arrived and held the door for Hermione when they stepped back out onto the street. They walked aimlessly from one end of the street for most of the day, just enjoying each others company and keeping watch over the students that were out. At five o’clock Draco pulled Hermione into the only jewelry store in the village. Once inside the door Hermione froze, ‘what the hell are we doing in here?’

“You did promise me that you were going to help me pick out a gift to win a certain birthday girls heart.”

“You want to get her jewelry? Don’t you think that’s a little much, you barely know her.”

Draco leaned down and brushed a kiss along her hairline, “But, I plan on marrying her.” Hermione stood speechless in front of the cases. Marriage? What on earth was he thinking, they couldn’t get married. They were well, they were them.

A young witch approached the couple offering her assistance in anyway. Draco turned to the saleswoman and explained he was looking for a birthday present. “Did you have something in mind, Sir?” the clerk asked. She may have been young but she could spot money a mile away.

“I was thinking a necklace. She has such a great neck, great lines. Darling while don’t you go look at something over there?” Draco motioned for Hermione to look at rings. Well, rings and pendants. Hermione did indeed walk over to view the precious gems. If she was getting something shinny for her birthday the least she could do was not actively continue eavesdropping to hear exactly what it was.

Draco stood beside her looking down at a rather stunning setting. An emerald cut ruby sat along side a crystal clear emerald, instead of being traditionally facetted in the four corners with prong a silver vine encircled both stones before joining the band of the ring seamlessly. They both knew the implications of fate and decided silently that it was time to head up to the castle.

As they made one last sweep of Hogsmeade they walked hand in hand once more. Hermione broke the comfortable silence once they headed up to the castle, “What do you think we should plan for the ball?”

Draco pondered the question carefully. He was making a few plans of his own for that night. He knew that if he and Hermione were really going to have a shot he needed to show her it wouldn’t always be an up hill battle. “I think we should include both wizard and muggle customs. Certain things that anyone and everyone can enjoy.”

“We could have a king and queen.”

“What?”

“Muggle children our age, when they attend a muggle high school have dances in the spring. My cousin in America went to Prom a few years back, that’s what they call it, anyway, the week before the dance everyone in school votes for a couple to be king and queen of the dance. Then the results are read at the dance and they have a dance all to themselves, they get crowns and such.”

“I think that would be a great idea, what about seating though? We do want to promote inter-house spirit?”

“We could make place settings, send out invitations like a muggle wedding and have everyone send their response card back to the head dorms and we could make place seating. That way even when people bring dates from the same house not all the tables have to have the same house couples. Did any of that make any sense at all?”

“A little I think somewhere. I think we should have a theme. I just haven’t come up with one yet.” They passed through the great oak doors and headed to their common room instead of the Great Hall for dinner. When they arrived at their common room Draco spoke the password ‘swallows and coconuts’. They flopped down on opposite couches pondering what kind of theme to have.

“Winter wonderland?” Hermione questioned.

“Too over done, costume party as well.”

“There’s magic in the air, wait, this is Hogwarts, there really is magic in the air. This is hard.”

“Now you see why I have been struggling trying to come up with a suitable theme.”

“I’m going to ask Dobby if he will bring us some food from the kitchens, let me grab some parchment from the desk and start writing some of this down for Dumbledore.”

“Hogwarts invites you and a guest to spend an evening under the stars with us.”

“I like the stars a lot; let’s keep that we can work other things around it. I think we should use a lot of blues, silvers and maybe pale greens, you know very cool colors. Enchanted snow falling from the ceiling and ice, we have to have ice every where.”

Hermione scribbled down all of there notes, when she finished she looked up at the person who was fast becoming the love of her life. “I think we should call it a night on the planning. If we pick it up tomorrow we will have a fresh look.”

“That’s fine. Hermione what’s wrong?”

“What makes you think anything is wrong Draco?”

“I can feel it. You’re edgy, I can place when it happened, but you were fine all through our date, now you’re sending out signals like you are a caged animal. Did I do something wrong?”

“No, it’s nothing like that, my brain is just catching up with my heart I think. I had a very nice time on our date. Thank you for everything by the way, I really did have a lovely time.” She stood on tip toes and kissed him gently before heading to her room for the night.

Draco stood dumbfounded in the middle of the now empty common room. He had taken girls on dates before and he wasn’t expecting anything to ‘cum’ of it. He knew she would need more time. Time Draco had no problem giving her. Time was after all on his side on this one, but the most shocking thing was that she had kissed him. She had to have felt how right it was when they were together. He had bedded many girls in his playboy days and none of his sexual encounters had come close to that one brief and innocent kiss she gave him. Draco wandered half heartedly into his room to find solace in his bed.


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Hermione shot up from sleep in a cold sweet. There was no physical discomfort, just an uneasy feeling. Before she realized what she was doing she was walking through the bathroom and into Draco’s room. She opened the door, stepping over the threshold, she could see him tossing and turning. He was having a nightmare. She crossed his room and sat on the edge of his bed. They had never really talked about personal boundaries, so she was slightly uneasy about just waltzing into his room, but something told her that he needed her. Her gently stroked his hair, he instantly stilled. ‘So this is what I do to him? I calm him as well as excite him? Interesting.’

Draco’s eyes fluttered opened he stared at the object of his desire. “What’s a pretty girl like you doing in a place like this?”

“I woke up and felt like this was where I should be. I can’t explain why, I just knew.”

“I missed you.”

“You saw me three hours ago before we went to be.”

“I know, but that was long enough. Hop in.” Draco said sleepily as he lifted the covers. Hermione would never understand what made her get into bed with him, but she did it anyway. As she snuggled in beside him she could feel his silk pajama bottoms against her bare legs. Hermione had worn only a tank top and cotton shorts, the weather still allowed light sleeping attire. She surveyed her soroundings for the first time. Rather then being the Mecca of Slytherin pride the walls were painted in a cream color. The one thing that she was expecting to see was the black satin sheets. That was a given, the rest of the room however was done in silver with touches of green instead of the other was around.

Draco pulled Hermione close and snuggled in against her. Hermione knew instantly that this was a bad idea; she could feel his erection pressing against the small of her back. ‘This will never end well.’ She laid motionless waiting for the sensory onslaught to commence. Instead she felt a wave of peace settle over her and what seemed like the rest of the world.

“Draco…”

“Don’t worry love, I don’t expect anything, it’s just nice to have you in my arms right now. That won’t always be enough for either of us though.”

“It doesn’t feel like it will be enough for you.” Hermione whispered half afraid of whatever he was going to say next.

Draco couldn’t help himself, he was after all Slytherin, he ground his growing erection against her. “I can’t help it; you’ve always had that effect on me.”

“Draco…”

He cut her off while flipping her over underneath him, “Just let go baby.”