A Shoebox of Photographs
A Collection of Draco/Hermione Drabbles

A/N: Title came from the Jack Johnson song "Better Together"

Title: Tick Tock, Goes the Clock
Rating: G
Summary: Draco is awake at the middle of the night. He has a revelation.
Words: 389
A/N: Thanks to Flo, Sunny, Sara, Iya, and Shampoo for reading this over. Man, that is an excessive amount of betas for a drabble. :P

The sound of the grandfather clock ticking in the distance was one of the most calming sounds he had ever heard. It was constant and something that he could rely on. He knew that every night he lied in bed in the early hours of the morning, he would hear it: the incessant ticking of the clock and the occasional chiming as the clock struck the hour.

The sound of the clock had become his late-night companion during these summer months. Before this summer, he had never dealt with insomnia, quickly succumbing to sleep in his plush, luxurious bed. He blamed it on his father and his constant presence. He often wondered if he had ever comprised a single original thought during his childhood. He doubted it as his father was continuously over his shoulder, sneering at his failures. 'Disappointing' had been a common word to describe him. With his father gone for an undetermined period of time, a decision was thrust upon him: should he follow the footsteps of his father or stray from his destined path?

But most of all, he blamed his insomnia on the girl - the girl with the wild hair and warm eyes. She gave him a conscience and for once he cared whether or not he would do the right thing.

Follow his head or follow his heart. If he asked the girl, he knew the response that he would get.

She would flash him a smile and her warm, brown eyes would pierce into his, searching for something that he doubted was even there in the first place. She wouldn't even need words to get her message across.

The ticking of the clock continued to fill his ears. It was a constant in his life. His father used to be a constant until a month ago. He was not even sure if he still wanted his father to be part of his life after this fiasco. He was angry, betrayed, and hurt. No, his father was not a constant any more.

But this girl - this girl with the wild hair and warm eyes - could be a constant. She would be there for him and he would allow her to chip away his carefully guarded heart.

Then he knew the answer all along. His heart. He would follow his heart.