The Massage
A/N: This is a Dramione one-shot - my first M rated fic so hope you enjoy =)
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or it's characters - if I did Ron & Hermione would NOT be together =)
'Snape'. Hermione thought, sinisterly. 'Who in the world thinks it's a good idea to pair people up from different houses, let alone Gryffindor with Slytherin! Has he completely lost his mind!'
"Cheer up, Granger." Malfoy smirked, knowing full well she was trying to forget he was there, also knowing full well him speeking would make it a hell of a lot harder. "I'm starting to think that scowl on your face will become permanent"
"Shut it, Malfoy or I'll make sure that your face will be permanently damaged" she sneered.
"Alright, alright. No need to get hostile"
'Just one week, just one week' Hermione kept repeating to herself, just one week and they would be done with the project and she wouldn't be stuck in the library with him all night.
Malfoy sighed, starting to get restless. They had been down in the deserted library since 8pm and it was now 12:30am "Don't you ever sleep Granger?" he asked, it had been like this for the past three days.
"Well maybe it would go faster if you did some of the work" she retorted.
"I already know everything I need to about Potions, Granger. What's the point in working through stuff I've already conquered?"
Hermione sighed. She really couldn't be bothered to reason with Malfoys logic, if there was any, for she was beginning to get a bit restless herself.
"Ok" she said a bit too loudly "I think we're done for tonight" she exclaimed getting a bit stressed "Same time tomorrow" she told him.
Malfoy shrugged and headed for the door.
Hermione picked up her stuff and followed but moved faster so she was ahead of him. She heard his footsteps behind her she spun round "Why are you following me?" she asked, daring him to say the wrong thing.
"Just wanted to remind you" he said coming up to her fully, whispering in her ear "You're going the wrong way" he smirked when she shivered and immediately walked off in the opposite direction.
'Stupid Head Boy and Head Girl. Stupid shared dormitorys. Stupid Malfoy'she was still scowling, and wondered absentmindedly if Malfoy was right and it would become permanent.
Malfoy was a few steps behind her when she reached the portrait.
"Password?" The painting yawned.
"Depone" Hermione answered.
The entrance swung open and closed when Malfoy was through.
"You seem tense" Malfoy observed.
"Well what do you expect? Every thing's so much harder this year and in potions it's not like you're any help and Snape" she stopped herself from revealing more to her enemy.
"You want me to start helping?" Malfoy asked.
Her head snapped towards him while shooting him a bewildered look.
"Like, with potions? Do you want some help?" he asked again.
Half of Hermione wanted to say no that she was perfectly capable of handling it on her own. The other half, the exhausted half wanted to take him up on his offer.
In the end the exhausted side won over and she nodded.
"OK" he replied simply.
"So, you'll start helping? Just like that?"
Malfoy nodded.
"Why?" she questioned.
"Am I not allowed to do something nice?" he asked, walking up to her, slowly.
She backed away, just as slowly "Well, yes" she answered, not knowing how to answer properly.
He smirked and stopped walking towards her, she looked confused until he pulled a book down from the bookshelf.
She let out a long sigh, of relief? she wasn't sure.
She gulped and decided to go to her room to get her senses straight. 'Ok, calm down. Why did you think he was walking towards you, you idiot? Because he was coming towards you! Right but then why sigh? It wasn't of relief! So what was it?'her subconscious couldn't answer this one for her.
Hermione was quite content with sinking into her bedspread before she realized that she had left her bag outside. She groaned pushing herself off the comfy mattress and walked into the main area of the dormitory, where she found Malfoy sitting on one of the sofas reading the book he had picked out earlier.
She sighed, she was tired but knew she wouldn't be able to get to sleep with the amount of stress she was under so went to the bookshelf and scanned through the titles. None popped out immediately.
She was so consumed with her mission she didn't hear Malfoy get up and walk behind her. Only when he started massageing her back, unlocking the tense muscles she had did she notice, and did not try to push him off straight away.
"Damn Granger. How can you put up with this?" he whispered in her ear, the second time that night. Again Hermione shuddered not being able to think.
Suddenly some sense came back to her and she spun round and looked Malfoy straight in the eyes, demanding an explanation.
"What?" he asked innocently "You looked stressed and you can't tell me that didn't to anything for it" he asked in a hushed voice, as if afraid of alearting anyone of their presence, even though they both knew perfectly well that they were the only two in the place.
She gulped "Well, yeah but since when have you cared?" she asked, suspiciously.
He just shrugged, she took that has her answer.
She was beginning to feel very uncomfortable to be in such close proximity with her enemy, but he wasn't budging.
Malfoy sighed and picked Hermione up and threw her over her shoulder.
"Hey! What the hell! Malfoy!" she yelled, hitting his back as he carried her into his room. "What are you doing?" she screeched.
"Helping you relieve that unnecessary amount of tension you've seemed to accumulate inside that body of yours" he told her "It's not healthy"
"I don't care" she seethed and she was dropped down onto the bed.
"Well I do! I'm living with you and the tension in the air is beyond average"
Hermione didn't say anything, just glared.
"Now will you let me help you?" he asked.
They started a glaring match, neither one willing to back down. Finally Hermione accepted defeat along with his offer and layed flat on her stomach.
"Good, now strip"
"WHAT?!" She screeched, bolting upright.
"Really Granger? Have you never had a massage?"
"Actually no I haven't but do enlighten me, why exac-"
"Just trust me, Ok?" he asked, cutting her off.
She glared "And why would I trust you, Malfoy? Even more so, why would you want your bare hands to touch a filthy mudblood like myself?"
There was a flash of guilt in his eyes but was gone before he thought anyone could notice. "Name one time I've said that to you this year?" he asked.
Hermione was ready and opened her mouth to reply "Well the time whe- No wait that was Pansy" she remembered "What about - Damn it that was Blasie" her face was scrunched up furiously trying to conjor up any memory from this year where he called her it. And again, sighed in defeat.
"Still, countless other times" she eyed him.
"I know and I know I can never take that back" he told her "But I promise that even if it's just for this year I will see you, I will never treat you that way again" he promised, ending up sitting next to her on the bed.
"So all this?" she questioned "Is trying to make it up to me?" she asked.
It was Malfoys turn to accept defeat "Yeah" he answered, truthfully.
She nodded "Ok"
"You believe me?" he questioned "After everything I've done in the past?"
"The past is the past, best not to dwell on it. Unless there's a reason I shouldn't believe you?"
He shook his head "No reason at all"
"Well then I suggest we make a truce and start over" Hermione said happily. "I'm Hermione Granger, in my 7th year at Hogwarts School and am Head Girl" she introduced holding out her hand.
He laughed at this but played along "Hello Hermione, I'm Draco Malfoy also in my 7th year at Hogwarts School and am Head Boy" he introduced himself, shaking her waiting hand.
They laughed for a minute, wondering why they were enemies all these years.
"So Hermione" he started, using her first name "Would you still like that massage?" he asked.
"Well Draco" she started, using his first name, coming nose to nose with him "Do I really have to strip?" she asked.
Draco chuckled "Sorry, but I'm afraid so it'll be easier and much more relaxing"
"Hm, we'll see about that" she said, jumping off the bed and into his bathroom.