Mini-Disclaimer: The lines, "I think maybe the dark is drawn to the light like a moth to a flame. Maybe
it is the nature of all things to be pulled toward their opposites," is from something. I can’t remember what,
but I didn’t make it. It was the perfect line, though, and I had to include it.

Notes: If you’re French in the kitchen, American in the living room, and Swedish in the bedroom, what
are you in the bathroom? European! (You’re a-peein’…) Sorry, that joke is really dumb, but I needed
some kind of release…

For Earth is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky

by Pata
 
 

Chapter 10
Falling
 

As the memory of the fight slowly dissipated, the judge wasted no time in continuing on. "Forward
two days!" he commanded.

"No, Justice, I assure you -" I began, but he cut me off.

"Mr. Malfoy, I see your memory as clearly as you do. I know what lies two days from now."

Realizing that further argument was futile, I lapsed into silence, trying to hide tears.

*

"Malfoy! Malfoy!"

I stopped dead in my tracks halfway down the Charm corridor, turning around. Hermione came
tearing out from behind the corner, waving her arms furiously.

"Relax, Granger," I sneered. "You look worse than a sled dog in the last race of the Iditarod."

She caught up to me, bending over and clutching the stitch in her side. I was struck by a strange
and unfamiliar urge to comfort her, which I quelled. "Now, why did you say you were flagging
me down?"

"I didn't," she panted.

"Then why are you stalking me?"

Horrified. "I am not stalking you! I just...I wanted to say I'm sorry."

"Ssssh, don't say the s-word!" I hissed sarcastically.

"Shut your mouth and listen to me for one second, would you!"

"You're an obnoxious know-it-all, you realize that?"

"Yeah." A one shouldered shrug. "I don't really care."

I stared at her. Then regained my composure. "So, you were saying something about the s-word?"

"Would you stop calling it that?" she snapped.

Snidely, "Of course, Your Highness."

"Well," she said indignantly, titling head in an altogether very fetching way, "I came to tell you I was
sorry for being such a brat yesterday when you returned my robes, but now I think I'll just walk
away and not say it."

"You just said it," I pointed out.

"It's the principal, Malfoy." She turned her back on me and began to leave. I started to say something
mean, but stopped and changed my mind.

"I'm sorry too," I said, absolutely floored by my own words. "I'm sorry I'm such a ... rude, insincere,
arrogant weasel of a human being."

She stopped walking, her eyes widening, but she didn't turn around when she spoke. "I thought you
were a white ferret."

"Yeah, but I remembered you liked 'weasel' better."

The corners of her mouth twitched slightly into a smile. She turned around and took a couple steps
back toward me. "I was thinking about what you said the other day, about us being opposites. I think
you're right. I think maybe the dark is drawn to the light like a moth to a flame. Maybe it is the nature
of all things to be pulled toward their opposites."

By now she was nearly pressed up again me. She was shorter than me, but only by about an inch.
Our eyes met and a mutual understanding seemed to pass between us. Barely aware of what I was
doing, feeling only raw passion and the heat of the moment, my arms found her waist and I felt her
slender hands on my back.

Our faces drifted slowly closer. Her eyes flickered from my face down to the floor, then closed
altogether. I couldn't think straight. I hesitated, feeling her breath caressing my cheek. She seemed to
sense my reluctance and decided to do something about it.

She seized me by the collar of my robes and yanked me toward her; our lips met with a small 'oomph'.
The first kiss lasted only a moment, the second slightly longer, and when we broke apart it was I who
pulled her face to mine for the third, seeming never to end.

*

I think my father nearly had four simultaneous heart attacks. He tried to speak but only succeeded in
uttering some gibberish grunts and choking sounds, something like a cat hacking up a hairball.

I made several apologetic gestures, but I still thought he was going to explode. Hermione's hand
touched her lips slightly in remembrance, and this time she shed no tears. That memory was a pleasant
one, and one we both treasured.

"Lucius," said one of the judges, "please save your vicious outburst for later. Now, we will continue."

And, to my absolute horror, the memory kept right on going.

*

It was later that night, and Pansy was leading me into the dining room for dinner. Hermione and I
would have lingered longer - and probably gotten past just a kiss - but a vengeance-filled mew from
Mrs. Norris sent us fleeing opposite directions.

I ended up spilling out the entire spiel to Pansy. She was devastated, but tried to hide it behind a
hollow smile and quavering laughs. She, like most other girls, knew I didn't date much, and when
I did it was usually a one night stand. Dinner, maybe a movie, and the girl would most likely insist
on a trip out to the furthest grounds of Hogwarts for an anatomy lesson, of sorts. Which was, all in
all, fine with me. I didn't care much for most of the girls, and my touch was for pity. They wanted
me, and why not comply?

Pansy was certainly surprised by my choice, though. "Hermione Granger? You mean that bossy,
know-it-all Gryffindor bitch?"

I couldn't keep myself from smiling. "That's the one."

"You're a weird man, Draco. But if you like her, she can't be all bad. But really...a Gryffindor..."

Here we reached the doors, and I wasn't hesitant to say a hurried goodbye and take an alternate
route to the other end of the Slytherin table. Dumbledore said something, but my head was up in
the clouds from my moments with Hermione and I didn't hear it. Still somewhat oblivious, I took
a lobster from the plate and began munching.

I didn't eat much. A couple of the more concerned Slytherins (both girls, I noted), asked if I was
okay, and I answered truthfully, "Never been better."

Frankly, I was glad when dinner was ended. Hermione and I had a tutoring session at nine, and
I wanted as much time as I could have to get myself back to reality. I gathered my wits about me
and headed for the door when a hand reached out and snagged the back of my robes, effectively
strangling me and yanking me backward.

"It’s you," Ron Weasley cried. "It’s you!"

"I know I’m famous, Weasley, but why do you keep exclaiming that?"

Quieter, more submissive, maybe even slightly shocked. "It’s your cologne she smells like."

"What are you talking about?" A strand of hair fell into my eye and I blew it aside, my temper
flaring up.

"It’s what Hermione smells like." A quietly surprised whistle. "Your cologne. I’ve been noticing
it for a while now, but I couldn’t quite place the scent."

He was about to say it. I knew exactly what he was going to accuse me of – and he’d be right.
I glared him into momentary silence with my piercing eyes, but he resumed his insinuations all too
quickly. "You’ve been kissing her, haven’t you?"

*

The judges all exchanged glances.

"Well, Mr. Malfoy," said one. "The moment of truth."

I covered my face with my hands, knowing exactly what I was going to say.

*

"What would you know about it, Weasley, you couldn’t get a girlfriend even if you did try dressing
stylishly once in a while, and you couldn’t afford half a whore!"

*

I let out a small moan at my own relative stupidity.

Molly Weasley covered Ginny’s ears. Ginny rolled her eyes, seeing as she was sixteen and quite
old enough to hear the word ‘whore’ without fainting.

*

Ron’s eyes widened, then narrowed. "You - "

"What?" I asked cruelly. "I just tell it like it is."

He couldn’t argue, as I was telling it like it was. He didn’t have a girlfriend, whereas I did; and,
he knew as well as any girl, I was very much considered the heartthrob of our seventh-year class.

It was quite unnecessary for me to continue, but I did anyway. "Oh, you know it’s true, Weasley.
Granger’s mine. The only woman who ever kissed you is your mother. And possibly your idiot
Potter-worshiping sister – wot’s her name? Jenny?"

Ron hissed, "Ginny."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. I don’t care. Is that what’s happening, Weasley? Incest? I’d bet, your
family is so huge half the people at Hogwarts are related to you. You know, I think Granger’s
related to you, too. Thirty-first cousin? Grand aunt once removed?"

Viscously, "If you hurt one hair on her head…"

My eyes narrowed coldly with sudden realization. "You’re jealous," I breathed quietly. "You’re
damn bloody jealous."

"So you have been kissing her!"

"I’m not going to dignify that with an answer." I decided to be dramatic and took it as the perfect
movie-moment to walk out on him. So I turned on my heel and strode arrogantly out, but it was
spoiled when I crashed into a chair and fell onto my face.

"Hope it flattens that pointed nose of yours," sneered Ron as I gathered my dignity and proceeded,
unhindered, with my stately exit.
 
 
 

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Chapter 11