Forbidden Paths

Chapter 8

Draco was still in the broom closet trying to catch his breath and calm down a little. Twenty minutes later he emerged from the broom closet straightening his robes when suddenly all the air had been knocked out of him and he was flat on his back. He tried to reach for his wand but his arms were being held down. As soon as he opened his eyes he heard someone murmur ‘Locomoter Mortis’ and he felt himself lifted off the ground.

He looked down and he saw a furious looking Potter and a livid looking Weasley. He quickly thought, She told them. The walked pass some dumb statue three times when suddenly a door appeared and Harry and Ron walked through it and Draco who was still being supported by Potter’s wand drifted through it like a surprised looking marionette puppet.

He heard Weasley murmur ‘Colloportus’ and Draco realized that he was locked in there.
Potter flicked his wand and Draco fell to the ground with a thump anacheached immediately for his wand but when he felt his pocket he understood that it was no longer with him.

“Looking for this?” Potter snarled. He was twirling Draco’s wand between his fingers, “Sit,” he said.

Draco stayed standing and gave Potter an appraising look and when his look was matched with a look of fury. He found a chair. The thought dawned on him that he was not going anywhere anytime soon.

“What is this placDracDraco asked he wasn’t really interested he just wanted to prolong the row that was going to be sto fto follow.

“Room of Requirement,” Ron spat, “Just to let you know we are the ones with the wands and there will be no more questions from you.”
ou tou think that my wand will work against me Weasley? As a Malfoy as soon as I bought my wand 6 years ago my father put a charm on it so only I could use it,” he drawled in a bored voice. He was not going to show his true emotion, Fear above all means.

“Explain yourself,” Harry growled Draco could tell that they were trying their best not to jump on him and beat the shit out of him.

So, he didn’t play dumb and he got straight to the point. He told them about the incidents that happened in the Library, on the Quidditch Pitch and, what had just happened in the Broom Closet. When he finished Ron and Harry both looked disgusted. Draco said, “Don’t even try that. I saw you,” he said looking at Harry, “rubbing yourself on Chang, and you,” he said looking at Ron, “grinding on some poor Hufflepuff girl. Don’t act like you haven’t thought about doing what I did,” he finished with a look of triumph on his face. They were both blushing.

“Well, I think I’ll be going now,” Malfoy said standing up reaching for wandwand.

“Before you go I’ll tell you this, you hurt her and I will tear you apart limb from limb,” Malfoy scoffed in disbelief, “You don’t think I will? Well, seeing as I’ve already defeated Lord Voldemort 4 times you should be no problem to kill,” Potter finished the look of fury back in his eyes.

“Whatever,” Draco said, “Alohomora,” he muttered and the door swung open, “Not that she’ll want to have anything to do with me anymore though. After what I did,” Malfoy said with a hint of guilt in his voice.

“Don’t be so sure about that,” said Ron and he left the room with Harry following behind him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Hermione sat on her bed with Ginny wondering what Harry and Ron were doing. Whether they had caught up with Malfoy or not. She was still sniffling a little. She shouldn’t have told them she knew that thouldould get angry but she didn’t know that they were going et tet that mad. The only time she had seen Harry like that was when Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic hadn’t believed that Lord Voldemort had returned.

She could still feel Draco touching her and the strange thing was she wanted more. She wanted to smell him again more than anything. Unexpectedly the dormitory door opened and Parvati and Lavender walked in and they told Hermione that Harry and Ron were looking for her.

So, she stood up and with an encouraging look from Ginny she walked down stairs to the Common Room where she found Harry and Ron sitting in their favorite chairs by the fire. They look fairly sane so Hermione was a little worried what they had done.

“So, how’d it go did you run into him?” she asked apprehensively.

“Oh yeah we found him,” Ron said gesturing to a chair and a smile was playing across his face, “He was exactly where you said you last were. I was the first one to see him so I ran up to him so quickly and tackled him to the ground and before he could get to his wand Harry summoned it and then he put the Locomoter Mortis jinx on him and then we took him into the room of requirement and talked him.”

“Our talk was kind of weird though. Malfoy seemed so… normal. He wasn’t the usual Malfoy he looked… well, scared. Oh and he thinks that you don’t want anything to do with him anymore. If I’m not mistaken I think Malfoy likes you,” Harry said with a smirk.

“But I still dotrustrust him. Hermione you are a muggle-born and you maybe the smartest witch in this school but Malfoy is still a Malfoy and his dad is sta Dea Death Eater,” Ron said with a smile because Hermione was blushing furiously about the comment made about her being the smartest witch in school.

“Thanks you guys,” she gave them both quick hugs and left the common room.

“Where are you going Hermione?” Ron said with a confused look on his face because he couldn’t think of anywhere Hermione could be going on a Saturday night.

“The Library where else?” she winked and walked out of the picture hole.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

As Draco was walking around the castle trying to clear his head he saw a bushy-haired someone disappear into the library. Hirstirst thought was to follow her so he did what all Malfoy’s do and, followed her. He walked into the Library where the vulture-like librarian stared at him. He nodded and started roaming the Library looking for Hermione.

He looked in the Potions section she wasn’t there. He searched the Arithmancy section and she wasn’t there. He kept looking when he accidentally ran head first in to Madam Pince. “I assume you are ing ing for Miss Granger? You two have been in the Library a lot lately.” Draco nodded and Madam Pince said, “I thought so, she’s in the room that I gave to her since she is such a diligent worker. I thought that she would need some quiet last year because it was O.W.L. year,” she finished acting like this should deeply interest Draco but since she sensed it didn’t she told him to, “ Walk over to that bookshelf to the left of us that’s against the wall and pull the only blue book you’ll find her there.”

Draco nodded and walked over to bookbookshelf and did as she instructed and the bookshelf melted away and sucked Draco inside. He was a little puzzled for a second but when his eyes refocused he saw a quaint little room with a couch and a table with two chairs around it. Occupying one of the chairs that was around the little table sat Hermione. “Did Madam Pince tell you were I was,” said Hermione without looking up. She knew it was him because she could smell sweat mixed with Abercrombie Wood.

“Yeah,” said Malfoy. He walked took his cloak off and flopped down on the couch, “Look Hermione I’m really sorry about what happened today,” he looked at his watch and then said, “Yesterday.”

She held up her hand to silence him and shook her head, “ Don’t apologize. Shut up for a second I’m reading something.”

“Only you would be studying on a Sunday morning,” Draco said with a smirk.

“Uh! I can’t work like this!” she said looking up from her book.

“Yeah I know it’s hard for the girls in the Slytherin Common Room to study when I’m in there. It’s a curse I tell you. My sleek blond, hair and my rock hard body make it hard for anyone to study,” he said with a slight smile.

Hermione rose from her chair and moved in front of Draco, who subtly tried to like his lips. But Hermione caught him and said, “Leave you perverted git! Leave now! Alohomora!” she screamed at the door. “That’s all it is wyou you isn’t? That’s always on your mind well I’m through with you. I thought you would of learned because of our experience but apparently you haven’t and until you can learn to respect me you and I will never be!” She pushed him out the opening and threw his cloak at him and the bookshelf appeared again and Draco was standing there all by himself in the cold dark Library.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

When Hermione finally finished what she was doing she quietly muttered Alohomora and the door melted away and if she hadn’t been so occupied with all of her stuff she was sure she would of screamed so loud that she would have woken up the whole castle. Lying in front of the door was Draco Malfoy curled up underneath his big black cloak.

She thought it would have been kind of mean to leave him there so she gently shook him awake. His eyes opened and he wiped the sleep from his eyes and he opened his mouth to speak but Hermione put her finger to his lips and ushered him back into her private room.

She sat down on the couch and looked at him and asked him, “Draco what were you doing outside my door?”

“Madam Pince locked the Library doors so when you shut me out I could leave so I waited for you to come out and I kind of fell asleep,” Draco explained.

“Oh well, that’s a problem seeing as there is only one couch.”

“What are you going on about ‘there is only one couch’?” Draco inquired.

“Well we’ll have to spend the night here won’t we?” Hermione asked even though she didn’t expect an answer because it was a rhetorical question.

“Well if only having one couch is the problem then I assume I’m the right person for the job,” he stood up and impressively rolled up his sleeves and said, “Widenus.” The couch kind of look like it was swallowing itself and it turned it self into a full sized bed with sheets and a comforter.

“Wow! Draco that was a really advanced piece of Transfiguration. onl only seen that sort of magic on N.E.W.T. practice papers. Could you teach me that?” Hermione’s mouth was gaping open at the new bed.

“You think that’s an advanced piece of magic? I’ve been able to do that since I was seven. My father thought that it would make my room look bigger. So every morning I’d change my bed into a couch and my couch into my bed. You think I started study magic as soon as I got to Hogwarts? My father had tutors come from all over the world to teach me stuff since I was old enough to read,” Draco said. Hermione thought that she detected some bitterness but she was sure she imagined it when he smiled and said, “Which half of the bed do you want?”

“What do you mean? There is no way I’m sleeping in the same bed as you. The way your mind works scares me and I’d rather sleep on the floor,” Hermione said bluntly.

Draco shrugged and said, “ Fine, have it your way. Shortigo,” the bed shrank to a twin sized bed and then Draco muttered something that Hermione couldn’t here and a kip bed sprung of tof the air.

“What about a blanket?” Hermoine asked Draco, “Aren’t you gonna get cold?”

“That’s why I have my cloak,” Draco said in that pompous way that made her cringe, “Good night Hermione,” and with that he plopped on the cot and turned towards the wall.

Hermione slowly took her skirt of so Draco couldn’t hear her moving around and the she jumped quickly in bed so she could make sure Draco wasn’t going to turn around and surprise her. She so wanted to take her bra off because it was cutting into her back.

“Draco,” she said she had turned on her side so she could try and see him but it was too dark so she muttered Lumos to her wand and it magically lit. She directed the beam so it wandered over Draco.

“Mmm?” he sounded like he was on the verge of falling asleep.

“Do you… do you wanna sleep up here?” she couldn’t believe what she was going to do.

He turned over and his smoky gray eyes reflected in the wand light and he said, “Do you want me to?” his voice sounded different, kind of husky and more mature.

“S-sure,” she stammered but then she remembered she didn’t have a skirt on so she quickly said, “Accio! Hold on for one second though,” and she caught he skirt and slipped it on under the covers.

Draco slipped his shoes off and his pants out hut he waarinaring shorts underneath those so it wasn’t that bad. He took off his sweater and socks and he climbed into the bed, after murmuring ‘Widenus’ and the bed grew bigger and he leaned over kissed her forehead and fell asleep.