A Touch of Magic - 10/18/10

Pairing: HG x DM

Rating: K

Prompt: that's magic too

Hermione looked on in wonder as the stars twinkled overhead- it was breath-taking. "Harry, it's amazing." She beamed at him, smiling softly. It had been a long time since she'd seen Hogwarts glimmer like this. The damage done to the school in the final battle had been devastating, and it'd taken them so long to repair it, even with all the wizards working on it.

"Don't thank me," Harry replied quietly, looking over a list of things still needing to be done. "Malfoy did most of the research and actual work."

Hermione looked faintly surprised as she glanced towards the blonde, who was arguing with Dean on how to fix the glass panes of the windows. Maybe there was more to Draco Malfoy than any of them had thought originally.

Later that night, as the working wizards gathered for an informal dinner before retiring, Hermione sat a few seats down opposite from Draco. She listened to the excited chatter- the repairs were almost done, and Hogwarts would be opening in only a few days. With one ear on the conversation, she mentally rehearsed what all she needed to get done.

"Granger." Draco's tone cut through her thoughts. The table was mostly empty, as apparently she'd been zoning off.

"Yes?" He said it like she hadn't been listening to him and he'd had to repeat himself. She shrugged it off. He could be flustered all he wanted- it wasn't her problem.

"I said, I'll take care of the potions tomorrow. There's only a few more that we need stocked for the infirmary and then we're set."

"Oh, yes, that's good." She smiled at him and tucked her hair behind her ear, standing. Eyes drawn to the calm night sky, Hermione touched Draco's shoulder, giving him a genuine smile that reached even her calm brown eyes. "You did a great job on the ceiling, Draco," she said softly, before turning to leave.

Draco was touched. He'd worked hard to be seen as a wizard working FOR the people, not as a double agent who turned a little too late in the game to be trusted. Her open acceptance of him lit a bit of warmth in his stomach. Catching himself, Draco smirked, and called to her back, "Even a wizard as advanced as me knows a few simple tricks, Granger."

Hermione looked over her shoulder, then back to the sky. "Yes. I suppose you do." The playfulness of her words wasn't lost on Draco as his smirk melted into a lop sided grin.

Perhaps coming back to Hogwarts would be the best idea he'd had in a long time.

A/N: 31_days prompt yet again~