So on Thursday, September 8, I lost someone who I've known since I was barely 5 months old. He was like an older brother to me. We lost him out in Afghanistan, and losing him so close to losing my aunt (May 11, 2011)...well, its been a really crappy year.
This one-shot is a result of me trying to distract myself so I wouldn't break down.
I hope you like it.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. It belongs to the brilliant mind of J.K.
Rounds bore him. Always have, always will. If it weren't for the fact that he was Head Boy, he would have ditched every single one. But, unfortunately, he was, and so had to suffer through the ritual. As he passed through yet another empty corridor he sighed, beginning to twirl his lit wand between his fingers. He watched as the light spun in crazy circles, causing eerie shadows to appear. The sight filled him with unease, causing him to frown at his own foolishness. As he reached the end of the corridor he stopped, glancing around the next and wondering how much longer he had to go. He hoped it wasn't much longer; he had missed dinner, and, as his stomach was letting him know every so often, he was hungry.
Ignoring his rumbling tummy he carried on, passing through several more empty halls before coming across a classroom with a door slightly ajar. He felt excitement run through him at the thought of finally catching someone, and walked swiftly towards the room, his free hand raised and reaching out for the door handle. Grasping the knob he shoved the door open, watching in satisfaction as it swung towards the wall, hitting the wall with a loud bang. Catching it on its way back he stepped inside, mouth open to throw a rude remark to however was out and about.
The sight before him, however, caused the words to get caught in his throat, leaving him standing there with a gaping mouth. Because before him was no other than the Head Girl, her brown bushy hair a mess and dried tear streaks running the length of her cheeks. Her eyes were red and puffy, and currently as wide as saucers as she stared at him in shock, caught off guard.
Shutting his mouth he closed the door behind him, silently locking it so they wouldn't be disturbed. He slowly made his way to her, just as slowly sitting down beside her hunched form, making sure to keep his eyes locked on hers in what he hoped was a non-threatening matter. She searched his face, blinked, then looked away, staring blankly at the desk before her. He looked at her a while longer, wondering what she had seen, before following her example and turning his gaze to the desk. He didn't know what was so interesting about it. It looked rather old and dusty from not being used in years. That thought led him to wonder when this room had last been used, and for what class. His mind continued in that vein for the next hour they sat in silence, formulating dozens of scenarios of things that could have happened in the room. He'd just thought of an interesting one involving a potion gone wrong when she finally spoke, breaking the silence.
"Do you ever have nightmares? About the war?" her voice was quiet and hoarse from crying. He turned his head to find that she was still staring ahead.
"Yes. Almost every night." he answered truthfully. She seemed to appreciate it, and surprised him when she leaned her head on his arm and relaxed against him. He bit his lips as she lapsed back into silence, leaving him to wonder what to do. Should he move? Leave her as she was? Or perhaps move her into a more comfortable position? He debated with himself, a slight feeling of panic working its way through his body before he made up his mind.
He would go with option three.
He gathered all his courage and took a deep breath to steady himself, slipping his arm out from under her head and wrapping it around her shoulders. He slid it down to her waist, pausing there as he found himself second guessing his actions. What if she didn't want to? He did not think he could handle her freaking out on him. Deciding it was worth it he slid his arm between her arm and torso, setting his hand on her waist. He held it there for a minute to allow her time to move it if she wanted to. When she did nothing he set his other hand on her other side, making sure he had a good grip on her before lifting her and sitting her sideways on his lap. The second she was seated she rested her head in the crook of his neck, arms going around him. He jumped in shock when he felt her cold hands slip under his shirt and rest on his back, making him wonder just how long she had been sitting there for. He wrapped his arms around her in response, biting his lip when he felt her breathe on his neck, the sigh the only sound made as she relaxed against him again.
"I can't sleep. Every time I close my eyes all I can see are all the dead bodies. Or her. Her wand raised. And her eyes. Her insane eyes..." she shuddered, his arms tightening around her in response.
Now more than ever he wished he had done something, that day at the Manor. He almost did, but had held back, out of fear. Selfish fear. If he had done anything to stop his…aunt, she would have realized that he wasn't truly on her side. Pretending to not know who they all were was all he could have done for them without getting hurt himself.
"Molly killed her…did you know that? After…after Fred. She killed her." He felt a sense of relief run through him, followed by regret. He didn't regret that she had died; just that he had not been able to the deed himself. That surely made him a bad nephew, but truly, he had never seen her as an aunt. He had hated that she lived with them, and hated the way she was. They way she treated people. Mostly, he just hated her.
"Does that upset you?" she asked hesitantly, going tense.
"No." he felt her relax against him again, and knew that if he could see her face there would be relief in her eyes. They sat in silence again after that, one of his hands eventually making its way up to her hair. It ran through it, gently untangling the curls. Eventually he was able to run his fingers through it from root to tip without interruption, and smiled at his achievement. She shifted against him, sighing and mumbling something he could not understand. It took her hands going limp against him for him to understand that she had fallen asleep against him.
Placing an arm under her legs he stood, holding her close as he inched his way out of the classroom. Cursing under his breath when he almost ran into a desk for the second time, he felt like slapping himself for his stupidity. "Lumos." He whispered, lighting his way to the door and unlocking it before heading out of the room. Stepping out into the corridor he turned back they way he had come, hoping that he would not run into anyone as he made his way to the Head's common room. It wasn't a far walk, and he soon came upon the portrait that guarded it; it was a couple, a witch and wizard. They were both asleep, and he felt bad about having to wake them. They both looked grumpily at him, their gaze shifting towards the girl in his arms and softening.
"Try not to wake her." the woman whispered the portrait swinging open a second later.
"I won't." he whispered before entering. He heard the soft click it made as it was put back into place, glancing down at her face to see if it woke her. It hadn't. He made his way to her room, not realizing his dilemma until he reached her door.
He did not know her password.
He stood and stared at her door in disbelieve, wishing with all he had that the door would just open of its own accord. But he knew it wouldn't, just as he knew it was useless to try and open it with magic. The only way in was with her password, and he had as much chance of figuring that out as the half giant did shrinking. Biting back a curse he turned and headed to his room, whispering the password and wincing when he saw his room.
It was a mess. His clothes were everywhere, books lying in random spots in the room, some of them open and others lying at awkward angles. Gingerly stepping through the room he made his way to his bed, glad for the first time in life that he didn't make it when he got up in the mornings. Gently setting her down, he looked at her sleeping face as he wondered what to do. He could not change her, that much was obvious, but he didn't want her to be uncomfortable. He decided that he would take her shoes off, and her tie. He then unbuttoned the top few buttons, quickly moving on and taking her robe off.
He covered her; the blankets tucked up under her chin, before he grabbed his pajamas and went to the bathroom they shared to change. He went back into his room to grab a blanket, resigned to spending the night on the couch when he saw that she had her eyes open and was looking right at him. He stopped in the doorway, looking at her warily as he waited to see how she would react.
"Draco?" The sound of his name coming from her lips startled him. Even though they had been sharing a common room for months now, they still had yet to call each other by their first name.
"Yes, Hermione?" he asked, surprised to find that he didn't trip over her name at all. In fact, it sounded rather right. He did not know how to feel about that.
"Could you…um…" he watched in fascination as color consumed her face, making her bright red. Her eyes flickered away from his for a split second, looking at the wall behind him before connecting with his again. "Could you sleep with me? Please?" he stared at her in wide eyed shock, wondering if he had heard her right. Did she really just ask him to sleep with her? He figured he must have when her face got brighter, eyes closing in embarrassment before she pushed the blankets away. Seeing that she was going to sit up he panicked.
"Okay. I'll sleep with you." He told her in a rush, watching as she froze. Opening her eyes she looked at him, worrying her bottom lip as she watched him make his way to her. She blushed even more when he had to crawl over her to get onto an empty spot on the bed. She could feel the bed moving as he settled, crawling under the blankets with her; jumping in shock when he set his hand on her waist.
"Hermione? I…do you want me to move my hand?" he asked her in uncertainty.
"Uh n-no, it's…its ok." She stammered, eyes going wide when he slipped it around her waist, setting it on her stomach. He scooted her backwards, tucking her against him. She stiffened involuntarily, having never been in this position before. When her and Harry or Ron had shared beds while on the run, the closest they had gotten to each other was waking up back to back, or falling asleep holding hands. Neither of them had ever held her close like this, not unless they were hugging or protecting one another.
"Do you want me to let go?" he asked, having felt her body go stiff against him. He did not really know why he had done this; he just knew that it felt comfortable. When she didn't answer immediately he started to panic, regretting having gone with his instincts. He should have known she would be uncomfortable.
"No." she finally answered. She forced herself to relax against him, feeling his breath against her neck as he let out a long breath of relief. She timidly set her hand on his, shock spreading inside her when he linked their fingers together. It seemed that tonight was full of surprises.
"Goodnight Hermione."
"Goodnight Draco."
They both fell asleep not too soon after, dreaming a dreamless sleep for the first time since the war ended.
I forgot to add this at the top-
They are friends, yes, but they aren't best buddies or particularily close. This is the closest they've been.
Well, I hope you liked it, and I would really appreciate a review.