Sorting Priorities (a Romione/Dramione Fic)

Chapter 10 • Ron is in His Natural Habitat

Hermione layed in her bed, listening to the soft rustling of the wind outside her dormitory window. Her mind was once again consumed with indecision between two boys. Ron and Draco.

Ron...He was so sweet to her, always caring and concerned with what she had to say. And then there was Draco. He was harder, less trusting, broken inside. He needed her, but did Hermione need him? She knew she couldn't hurt him so much as to break his heart, but she really thought Ron was the one for her. She sighed, rolling to the edge of the bed, her arm hanging down, her fingers just tickling the soft floor. She shut her eyes tightly, counting slowly. She got to twenty this time.

Her eyes opened slowly again, only to see the face of... Draco Malfoy? Hermione blinked, assuming her mind was playing tricks on her, but his face was still there, watching her. She rolled over, shutting her eyes again. He couldn't have even gotten up to the girls' dormitories, much less the Gryffindor common room. She lay on her side, about to drift off again, when she felt a soft hand trace a line from her temple to her shoulder.

Hermione stiffened. She sat up, throwing the hand off of her. It was Draco.

"What do you think you're doing?!" She yelled, pulling the covers up to her chest to cover her tank top. "This a girls' dormitory! A Gryffindor room! Get out!" She reached over to her bedside table, grabbing her wand and pointing it shakily at him.

Draco looked startled. "Calm down, Granger," he drawled, walking over to her. "I recall you said we were together?" He stopped a foot away from her, but Hermione felt no urge to kiss him, only boiling anger.

"Get away," she spat at him, but he only moved closer. He was inches away now, and Hermione could feel her resolve melting with the heat flowing off of Draco's body. He was looking down at her, a slight look of amusement on his face.

"Are you sure you want me to leave?" He asked, leaning down and kissing her lips. He plucked her wand out of her hand, tossing it casually to the floor. Hermione didn't give in to his kiss. She could only guess why Draco had come into an empty dormitory... She finally pushed him off, her face red. "Really, Granger?" Malfoy asked, unswayed, as if he could feel the weakness of her walls. " Because I think you want me to--Stay." He kissed her again, harder, pushing her against the mattress. He threw the covers off of her, but paused, looking questioningly into her face. He didn't want to force her to do anything.

Hermione shook her head, a jerky movement, and stood up, her back to him. "You should leave, Draco," she said, her head bowed. She could feel his disappointed eyes boring into the back of her head. If only he knew just how much she wanted him to stay... She shook her head. "Go, Draco, you really need to go," Hermione said, tears brimming in her eyes. Draco seemed to hear the shaking in her voice, but he stayed in the room.

"Hermione, are you okay?" He asked, taking a step towards her. He put a hand on her shoulder, gently turning her around to face him. Hermione squeezed her eyes shut, feeling all of the emotions she had built up over Ron and Draco rise to the surface, threatening to send tears down her face. She hugged her arms around her chest, not responding. If she said anything, she was afraid she would start sobbing, and she didn't want Draco to see that. Instead she just shook her head.

"Please go away," Hermione whispered. She could feel Draco's disappointment as he turned around and walked out of the dormitory, and only when she heard the distant sound of the portrait hole did she let out a sob.

She slowly pulled on a clean set of robes and headed straight for the library, skipping breakfast. She wasn't hungry. As she walked into the empty library, making her way to the hidden table that she often sat at, she felt tears spill over her cheeks and fall onto the floor. She came to the table at a fast walk and fell into a chair, crying.