Written for Gryffindor's 72-Hour Truth or Dare Competition. Prompt was Truth (title): Better.
Warning: one swear word.
Summary: Hermione is leaving Draco for someone else. (Didn't want to give too much away.)
Other prompts and author's note to follow.
Better
Better, Hermione thinks when she finally finds the shirt she has been looking for in the back of her closet. She slips it off the hanger and stares at it for a moment, then presses the black fabric to her nose and inhales. Clean parchment and freshly mowed grass. The scent still makes her heart beat a little faster.
The bedroom door thuds against the wall and she spins around, an almost-guilty expression taking hold of her features. She's only wearing a bra up top, but that's the least of her worries right now.
"You're going back to him, aren't you?" The blond's normally proud voice is laced with hurt.
Hermione doesn't answer. She doesn't trust herself to. She merely pulls the shirt over her curls and savors the musk of the man she never really forgot.
Better, to wear something that aligns more with her practical nature than the opulent monstrosities Draco has dressed her in the last two years of her life.
"Fuck, Granger, the least you could do is look at me."
She doesn't feel much like a Gryffindor as she avoids his burning gaze. In her defense, she's never been great at confrontation or breaking hearts.
"Hermione...please."
His switch to her first name and a gentler tone brings tears to her eyes and pain to her heart. Ron has never said her name with such reverence, and yet...she can't stay away from the redheaded man.
"Don't go. I need you."
It's a final, desperate plea that falls short of reclaiming her heart or changing her mind. She wonders, briefly, what exactly he means by that. But she's afraid to know just how much he needs her, and it doesn't change things anyway.
Hermione pushes past him without reply, but in her head she's thinking, I'm going back to the man who makes me better.
Word count: 310 (excluding the title/notes)
Other prompts are as follows:
Writing Club
Disney Challenge - Rex: (alt.) write about someone who doesn't like confrontation
Hogwarts Gym
Oliver Wood's Quidditch Training Camp Level 1 - Side Planks: Make a pairing using two of the following characters - Harry Potter/Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy/Daphne Greengrass
Paint by Numbers
Red (characters): Draco Malfoy
Hogwarts Yearly Challenges
Insane House Challenge #693 (restriction): start and end the story with the same word
A/N: Poor Draco. :(
Sometimes I write things that I really like but that I know could be a lot better. To that end, constructive criticism is always appreciated! Or just let me know if you'd like to see this polished up a little more.