1.
It was late and as Draco Malfoy rushed down the halls, he had no doubt that he was the only one up and about. Being Head boy had its advantages, he thought slyly; for even if he wasn't the only one up at this hour 'he' at least had an excuse. However, tonight it was not Head boy duties that had him up; it was that blasted potions book he had to share with a certain bushy haired witch and desperately needed. Since she had not return to their shared quarters and he knew it was well past time for her to still be hanging out with Potter and the Weasel; he figured she would be in the only place that had no choice but to endure her company.
Pausing at the two large wooden doors leading into the library, Draco allowed his annoyance to show before bursting into the dark room. His sharp eyes were drawn to the only light shinning at the back of the room and closing the doors behind him; he stepped forward. His footsteps were silent on the wooden floors and following the light, he paused a few feet away and took in the view. There perched in front of him, was a sleeping Granger, the right side of her face pressing into an ancient textbook; the other shinning golden cream and soft in the candle light. Her quill lied limp on the desk and smirking, Draco strided the remaining steps to her desk; perched in the back of the library, hidden in an alcove of shelves that prevented any intrusion of the public. All intrusions expect the one...the only Draco Malfoy.
Seating himself in the seat directly across from her, he picked up her quill and studied it for a moment; frozen. So that's where the damned thing had been. It was his favorite quill; a pristine golden phoenix feather that was the last of a limited collection. Well, he had to give it to her; she certainly chose well. His gleaming slivery-grey irises shifted back to her sleeping form and grinning mischievously, he leaned over slightly until he was hovering over her.
"Oh Granger" he murmured softly, his voice alight with merriment and glee. She shifted slightly and sighed at his voice; grinning, he lifted the quill. Brushing the tip over the exposed half of her face in the softest of touches, he watched as her brows furrowed slightly, her hand lifting to brush at her cheek. She rested her hand on the desk and waiting for a breath of a moment, he brushed the quill over her face again; this time using the thicker side of the feather. Her cheek twitched and she brushed repeatedly at the trail the feathers had skimmed over, brows burrowing and a displeased little grunt sounding at the back of her throat. For his finale, he skimmed the quill over her face, brushing her nose and eyes repeatedly before skimming over her ear. Suddenly, she bolted upright, her hand flattening against the side of her face in a smack. Not being able to contain himself any longer, he chuckled, clutching at his side as she blinked away sleep and looked at him, distorted and confused.
"Malfoy?" she murmured, her voice soft and silky from sleep.
"In the flesh" he replied and watched as she grounded her teeth when realization clicked in. Smirking, he placed the quill back in front of her and watched as she blushed. He had to admit, she was a rather charming sight when just woken up. Her face glowed a relaxed sort of golden hue and her eyes twinkled brilliantly. Her cheeks were flushed and her hair having loosened from her neat ponytail fanned her face delightfully, making her look rumpled and incredibly like she had gotten well and justly ravished.
"What do you want?" she muttered after a long silence had gone with them looking at each other.
"I came to get the potions book. It's my turn with it. But you were sleeping and so, like the gentleman that I am, I took it upon myself to wake you before someone were to stumble in here and see a likely victim" he stated into a shrug. Hermione shook her head at his exaggerance, but turning towards her bag, she pulled it out and handed it to him.
"Next time, why don't you try calling me to wake me up" she stated, rubbing the side of her cheek lightly. He noticed that it had turned pink and smirking slightly, he tisked.
"Where's the fun in that? Honestly Granger, if you insist on making a chart and schedule of who gets the book when; I'd expect you to stick with it. And there better not be a next time!" he remarked. She chose to ignore that last part, cocking her brow instead at the first half of his retort.
"You...you actually read the chart?" she asked in disbelief.
"Well after you insistently shoved several copies under my door and in my bag; I figured it was important. Although I have to admit the color coded part was a bit over the top."
"Well I had to give it colors to keep someone with the attention span of a toddler-such as yourself-interested" she muttered and he smirked. She stretched and tugging at the hair-tie that hung at the tip of her hair, she gathered her mane in her hands and rolled it into a decent bun; hooking a few stray strands behind her ear. She began to pack up and he leaned into his seat to wait for her. He had long ago learned that she hated walking the halls alone, especially at night and after one too many mishaps of having her rushing after him for company and later sending him back for something she had forgotten; he waited. Glancing out the window, he realized that it was pouring outside; not a star or twinkle insight. He decided that it was definitely a good thing he had waited. If there was one thing Granger was fully afraid of, it was a heavy pounding of rain. For some odd reason that was beyond him, she always got the impression that even the slightest mention of rain would later bloom into a full-fledged storm. It was odd how stock-still and pale she would get at the sound of the thunder and lightning rolling one onto the other. He happened to enjoy a good thunderstorm but casting a hooded look at her; he casted a silencing charm and disillusionment charm on the window; making a mental note to do the same back at their shared lodgings. Looking back at her, he sighed; reassured that she hadn't seen him.
He stood and watched as she made her way around the table, swinging her book bag onto her shoulder and turning to the stack of books she had checked out. Before she could reach them however, he quickly grabbed them, grunted and moved ahead of her to the door without a word or a side glance. As a result, he missed the disbelieving shake of Hermione's head and the warm smile that tugged on her lips. Outing the candle that had burned low, she created a bright lumos for them both and followed him out of the library door; quickening her pace to keep up with his longer strides...
