Chapter 24: The pledge of allegiance
The sound of cutlery clinking at the breakfast table was driving me crazy. I would never consider myself as a person who might be a bit too sensitive to sound, but the forks scraping, dishes clattering, and cups being picked up and put down made my mind spinning as if the remaining senses of mine had churned around and around.
And the light, oh the damn light. Every time I was here it had been a warm, cozy yellow shine and this time it was a bright white light shone directly into my eyes, which made me squint the entire time. Perhaps it wasn't the light, nor the cutlery, it was simple because I didn't get much sleep last night and I wasn't fully awake at this moment.
I looked over my shoulder to see Malfoy, who was sitting next to me with a cup of coffee in his hand, slowly blowing air to it and quietly observing the others in what I could only describe as his twisted and more or less evil amusement.
"You should drink more coffee," He put his cup down and turn to me before putting his arm around my shoulder, acting concerned, "You know you are about to fall asleep."
"I'm sure you'd be delighted if I fall asleep on the breakfast table," I rose my eyebrow.
"What can I say, you've come to know me too well," He smirked. Then he leaned closer to my side and whispered, "Look at Weasley, never learned his manners and still stuffs his face on every occasion when food is involved, how lovely. And how much would you like to bet that he's still angry about last night? I would bank my fortune on it since he's been giving me that pathetic dead stare for the whole morning. "
"Where did all your corrupted manners go? Will you ever learn to be nice, or at least civil, to my f…" I swallowed my words back and quickly straightened my back as if that was going to help with anything, "my acquaintances."
"That's an interesting notion," Malfoy got even closer, "I wonder what made you have a change of mind when it comes to those words."
"Is this supposed to be funny?" I had been staring at my empty plate during our exchange and now, I finally turned toward his direction, only to find how close his face was to mine.
A little too close. I couldn't help but to look at his lips, then to his eyes and back to his lips again.
"Not anymore," He said softly with a cunning smile, "What are you thinking, Hermione? No, don't tell me, I think I know. You are blushing. Why is that? In the next split second, what would you do?"
"The question is, what do you want me to do?" I said slowly, without moving my sight away from his lips. Something was enchanting about those thin, almost colorless lips.
Draco Malfoy was the strongest charm that I had ever came across in my existence and without a doubt, I was the willing victim to be put under the spell.
I was, and always will be, spellbound to him.
"Hey Hermione, um, can you pass me the salt?" I heard a voice, a familiar voice that had once been my fantasy and now had become the one to pull me away from it.
"What? The salt?" I jerked away from Malfoy, cleared my throat and faced the red-haired boy who I used to love, acted as if nothing was out of ordinary, "Isn't it right next to you? "
"Oh, yes," He said, slightly flustered. With a faked smile, he sprinkled the salt that Lavender handed to him on to his broiled vegetables, "I meant to say, can you pass me the scrambled eggs?"
"Ron," I moved my chair forward a little, rested my elbows on the table and crossed my fingers before putting on a faked smile like he did, "It's in the middle between us. I don't see how asking me to pass you it would be easier than you reach for it yourself."
"I guess after spending way too much time with Malfoy, you begin talking and acting like him too," He sneered, didn't reach for the scrambled eyes. I could tell that he was trying to use a harsh tone, yet he failed to hide the fact that he was turning red.
"Weasley, is that jealously I'm seeing?" Said Malfoy in a long, cold and dragged tone, to which supervised me since I couldn't remember when the last time was when I heard him spoke in such way.
"Nonsense," Ron turned redder but controlled himself not to raise his voice, "What would I be jealous for?"
"I think you don't need me to point out the obvious answer," Malfoy's tone sounded malicious and my heart began racing. He grabbed my hand under the table and squeezed it hard. His hand was cold, and I wasn't sure whether I should intervene this doomed conversation.
"Really?" Ron stuck his fork into the broccoli on his plate and made a minor scrapping sound, but luckily not enough to draw everyone's attention, "Do enlighten me."
"You are jealous of me," Malfoy said scornfully, "You are jealous that you can no longer wrap Hermione around you fingers. You, in your elementary mind, think that she will never stop sulking for you and eventually come to you begging for reconciliation. You never expected her to me with me, did you? Tell me, Weasley, how much does it hurt to see the woman who you thought would only love you to fall in love with the one you resent?"
"You have no idea what you are talking about," Ron was clearly agitated, and Lavender was pulling his sleeve, trying to calm his down and signal him not to make a fuss.
"On the contrary, I do," Malfoy squinted and leaned forward, he swiftly glanced over me before staring Ron right into his eyes, "And unlike you, who plays pity games in hope to have a loyal lover, I simply choose to love her in every way and any way I possibly can. Love her and only her. And that's why, Weasley, she pledged her allegiance to me and not to you."
The next thing I heard was plates clattering. Ron had slammed his hands on the table and now he was standing in what I could only describe as fury.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone