I Learned Your Pulse

Draco wasn't sure what he was expecting when he met Hermione in the common room the next day, but it wasn't what he received. She looked beautiful, in a simple sort of way. Her normally bushy hair had been tamed to simple waves for the day, waves of chocolate silk that cascaded down her shoulders softly. Her eyelashes were already long, but they appeared longer and fuller than before, darker, also - her cheeks had a faint blush to them (though he didn't know if that was makeup or not). Her lips sparkled, and he could tell that she had applied lip gloss, something strange for her. She wore a tight-fitting cotton sweater, the cream color pleasant next to her hair, and it clung to her curves. He had trouble not staring. Her jeans were tight, but not overly-tight, in the way some girls wore them, so he could easily make out her figure, but they were not, in the least, something a 'harlot' might wear. She wore nice-looking, rather low boots, perfect for the chilled and snowy outdoors. But her eyes were what caught him. They sparkled with anticipation, and hesitance, and excitement. And they averted themselves to the floor as many eyes were drawn to her.

"You're going out?" Ginny piped up from the window, seating next to Harry, who'd been whispering sweet nothings into her ear.

Hermione nodded.

"With who?" asked Harry.

"Draco," said Hermione.

"Draco?!" shouted Harry, standing straight up and almost knocking Ginny over. His gaze went from Draco - who felt very self-conscious in his normal apparel, though it was a suit - to Hermione, who appeared disapproving of his tone. "When did you two start dating?"

The room waited for an answer. "We haven't," he said, rather harshly.

"Ah," said Ginny, shooting Draco an understanding look. "Just to... mess up the papers?"

He nodded. "Exactly." Their eyes met, and he noticed their shade was slightly darker than Hermione's, and stayed that way, never shifted from chocolate to caramel to whiskey like Hermione's did. She smiled knowingly. He looked away. From her neck hung the star - not a day yet she hadn't worn it.

"Why are you going out if you're not dating?" Harry asked, somewhat in control now.

Draco couldn't help his smirk. "To mess up the papers. Listen to your girlfriend, Harry."

Ron and Lavender chose just then to exit the girls' dormitory, almost running into Hermione, who was still standing there. Hannah blushed; Ron looked rumpled, and proud of himself. Hannah looked at Hermione awkwardly.

Hermione pretended not to see the awkwardness. "Good catch, Ron," she congratulated him, patting him on the back and leaving him looking shocked as she walked over and hooked her arm through Draco's. Knowing her skin was there through three, maybe four layers made his heart skip. "Shall we go?" she asked him.

He grinned at her. "We shall."

And, to the interest of the room, they exited it.

And walked straight into a hoard of males, all who'd been turned down by Hermione and who'd wondered who she was going with. Upon seeing her, they called greetings; upon seeing him, they glared. A few gazes turned to his left forearm, and he hid it immediately behind his back, as was his habit whenever passing anyone lately. The crowd of silent, glaring males made the air awkward. Draco cleared his throat after a moment of waiting for them to clear. Nobody moved.

"Would you mind letting us through?" Hermione asked them pleasantly.

The moved grudgingly aside, created an uneven path - she pulled him through, the entire time he pressed his mark to his side tightly, letting no gaze find it. Getting past the group, he glanced back, but Hermione tugged on his arm sharply; they continued walking.