A/N: I really like to read those ten song drabble challenges, and I was really bored, so I did it too. In case you don't know the rules, here they are:
The Challenge:
1. Pick a character, fandom, pairing, friendship, theme, etc.
2. Put on your music programme on shuffle/random and start playing songs.
3. For each song, write something inspired by the song related to the theme you chose earlier. You only have the song length. No pre-planning and no writing after the song is over. No skipping songs unless you're completely stuck – this is meant to be a challenge.
4. Do 10 songs and post. Make sure to include the song name/artist.
So here is my Ten Song Drabble Challenge. NOTE: All of these drabbles take place in separate realities. My pairing: Dramione, o' course!
1. GIG IN THE SKY by PINK FLOYD
The medical rooms were all empty. No patients.
Draco scratched the back of his neck in bemusement. There weren't any patients.
Sure, it was three in the morning, but to not have anyone to heal was almost unheard of. Especially with all of the Death Eater attacks.
"Healer Malfoy!" Elizabeth Hood called down the hallway. "Healer Malfoy?"
Draco tore himself from his musings. "Yes, Liz?"
The hard-working brunette with a short fringy pixie cut smiled lopsidedly. "Since the hospital is strangely empty, Mark's decided to send a few of the Healers home early. I vouched for you, seeing as it's your wife's birthday tomorrow. Might as well surprise her in the morning or something."
Draco smiled genuinely and removed his white coat immediately. He got to go home early. But most importantly, he got to go home and see his wife.
And waking up next to his wife on her birthday after he hadn't seen her in two days seemed like the best present he could give Hermione Malfoy.
2. SAFE AND SOUND by THE CIVIL WARS
Hermione hugged herself around her middle. The cold air bit at any exposed skin and made her ears go numb. The wind blew through the buildings in downtown London, picking up speed before slamming into the large convention centre.
The Anniversary Ball was in full swing. And Hermione couldn't take another second of it. She couldn't take another minute of smiling politely and dancing stiffly with people she didn't know. She was tired of making speeches about winning the war when so many of her friends lay in shallow graves. She was tired of putting on a smile when all she wanted to do was cry. She was tired of being alone tonight.
"Not one for parties, eh Granger?" The sudden appearance of his lazy drawl somehow made the night seem less dark. The shadows lifted, if only for a moment, as he slung a casual arm around her shaking shoulders.
"I still can't believe they didn't invite you," she managed to chatter.
"Nah, I dont' mind. It just means I can spirit you away to the Leaky Cauldron for some hot chocolate. Merlin knows in that dress you could use it." His voice rumbled through his chest, and Hermione had to resist the urge to hug him for eternities.
"Hot chocolate sounds nice." She mumbled. Maybe, just maybe, she mused, things will turn out all right.
3. ELLE ME DIT by MIKA
"I hate parties. So, by extension, I hate you." Draco Malfoy sneered. "Hermione, how can you stand being here?"
She swatted him gently on the arm, but not quite as gently as she would have a few hours ago. "Stop being an irascible curmudgeon. Enjoy yourself, for Merlin's sake."
"I'm not a curmudgeon. If anything, I'm the queen of freaking England in company like this."
Hermione smacked him again.
"OW! "Draco shrieked. "Sweet Salazar woman! Keep those weapons you call hands to yourself!"
"Malfoy," Hermione turned her boyfriend and glared. "I came to this party to have fun with my friends. And if you refuse to support me then you can go home."
Draco floundered for a moment before nodding his head.
"Good." She snipped. "Now stop complaining and dance with me. I like this song."
Harry and Ron stepped closer to the couple as Draco grabbed her hands begrudgingly.
"She's got you whipped, mate." Ron teased, and Harry nodded sadly. Draco just gave them a glare and resigned himself to the rest of the party.
4. END OF THE ROPE by THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS
I hate him. I hate him. I hate him.
I struggled to repeat my mantra, seeing as I couldn't remember why I was saying it.
I looked at my watch, and saw that it was half past nine.
Oh wait. Now I remembered. The prat had stood me up.
I was just about to get up from the park bench, but something still kept me there. Maybe it was moon that hung over the trees. Maybe it was the fact that I was too cold to move. But it probably was because I was still holding out hope.
Still holding out hope that he would show.
But who was I kidding? Three dates didn't constitute a committed relationship. I should have been prepared for this, no matter how much I'd been charmed by the blond.
It was past ten before I got up to apparate home. I'd reached the end of my rope.
But if he dropped by my office tomorrow, I might find a few extra inches of rope in my desk.
5. SWEETNESS by PEARL AND THE BEARD
The Great Hall was always full of anxious students the week before the Christmas holls. That was simply how it was. And despite all she could do, she was focused more on a certain blond than anyone else. Of all the people in the student body to be weirdly infatuated with, did it really have to be him?
Of course, she'd gone to Madame Pomfrey right away when she realised what was happening. She must be ill, or cursed, or something. Anything.
Sadly, she was perfectly healthy, according to the Matron. But Hermione didn't think so. There must be something wrong with her! She had been noticing the way he smiled at a dumb joke someone made, she had been thinking about how he'd stopped slicking back his hair. She'd been thinking about how he'd changed since they'd come back to repeat their seventh year.
There had to be something wrong with her. There HAD to be. And if there wasn't, she was screwed.
6. TOM'S DINER by SUZANNE VEGA and DNA
It rained the morning Hermione took her day off. The rain torrented down gutters and flooded an old china shop on Diagon Alley.
The rain even poured down the streets in Knockturn Alley. Hermione was childishly surprised to find that something so normal and human as rain could penetrate the shadows of Knockturn Alley, but who was she to judge? She was the one slinking around down there in the first place.
Not that she didn't have a perfectly logical explanation for it. She just needed an special ingredient for her next potion. It didn't matter that it was illegal if she had real need for it, right?
Hermione stopped reassuring herself as she reached the potion shop she wanted. With a paranoid glance around, she stepped inside.
She stepped inside and stopped. Draco Malfoy was buying ingredients at the counter.
Of all the places to see your ex-Death Eater ex-boyfriend. Why was she surprised?
She tried to back out the door, but he turned to look at her first. Her eyes widened as he saw her, and she paled when he smiled slowly.
"Ah, Miss Granger. Do come in, I was just finishing up with Mr Judges."
Why didn't his sneering tone annoy her? Then again, why was she surprised?
7. I AM SPARTACUS by BLOOD AND WATER
"When did you become so cynical?" Blaise Zabini looked my way and I flinched.
"Since forever. Where have you been?" I snapped nastily.
"Calm down, Nancy. I was just asking." Blaise sat back in his chair and folded his arms. "You've trusted her for years now, why are you so worried about this?"
I pressed my palms into my closed eyes. "Because Weasley's going to be there. You know how much of a thing she had for him."
"Yeah, like five years ago. And how much of a thing does she have for you now? A lot more of a thing than she had for that git."
"That doesn't assuage my fears any." I couldn't help but whisper.
"Whoa, does the Illustrious Draco Malfoy have feelings?" Blaise teased.
I just about threw the nearest vase at him before he continued.
"Wash your hands of past times where you trusted in vain. Hermione Granger would never do that to you."
I let his words sink in before I sighed. Defeated. He was right, wasn't he?
"More firewhiskey, mate?"
I chuckled bitterly. "With how paranoid I'm being, we both know I need it."
8. 2-1 by IMOGEN HEAP
When Draco Malfoy burnt his Manor to the ground, it was plastered across the papers for days.
When Draco Malfoy gave half of his money to charity, it was plastered across the papers for weeks.
When he married Hermione Granger four summers after the war, forget about it.
And now, now that he sat alone in his study and stared at the paper, he couldn't help but wonder how long this new piece of news would be in the papers.
"MALFOY POWER COUPLE SEPARATES IN MESSY DIVORCE"
He couldn't help but wonder how long his worst mistake would be haunting him from street corners and headlines.
Was it his fault that she had divorced him? Probably. Was it his fault that he was still madly in love with her? Probably not. That was all her fault. It was all her fault that she was perfect and he paled in comparison.
But it was definitely not her fault that he wasn't good enough.
How was it, that no matter how hard he tried, no matter what he achieved, that he was never good enough?
9. HERO by FAMILY OF THE YEAR
The Order of the Phoenix had congregated at Grimmauld place to try Draco Malfoy.
Hermione stood in the corner of the room and watched them fire question after question at the pureblood. He answered calmly, with admirable poise.
After a good hour, Remus finally got around to asking the million dollar question.
"Are you doing this to be some kind of hero? To be some kind of celebrity?"
Draco Malfoy sighed, showing the first sign of weakness since he had come to them a few days earlier. His voice was quiet and raspy when he answered.
"Look, I don't want to be your hero. I don't want to be a hero at all. I just want the same chance for happiness that everyone here has got. And I want those affected by this war to have that chance for happiness too."
And just like that, Draco Malfoy passed the test.
"You understand that this'll be hard," Lupin prompted.
"It can't be harder than anything else I've done," Malfoy shrugged. "And there might be a good outcome of this."
As Hermione looked at him with new eyes, she couldn't help but agree.
10. heartsigh by PURITY RING
Hermione and Draco collided in a fierce hug.
"Merlin! I thought I would never see you again!" Hermione laughed and kissed her husband fondly on the cheek.
"I thought I'd never get back in one piece!" Draco laughed heartily and squeezed her tightly before letting her feet drop back to the ground.
Hermione was suddenly very serious. "What happened out there?"
He grimaced. "It was trap. Harry and I, and the rest of the aurors, walked right into it. They were waiting for us as soon as we entered the Shrieking Shack."
"Was anyone hurt?" Hermione gripped his shoulders fervently.
"Harry got turned into a cat for a few hours there, but he's okay now." Draco smirked somewhat evilly and Hermione smiled at his antics.
She gave him another intense hug. "I'm just happy you're home safe." She grinned.
"Me too."
