Draco's eyes never left hers. What little light made it to them was enough for him to see everything he needed in those gorgeous brown eyes that stared back at him. When the sound of footsteps had disappeared, and the threat was presumably over, he let his hand slowly slip from her mouth, his fingertips lingering gently over her lips before falling to her waist. She was close enough that, if he couldn't feel her breath on his skin, he could definitely feel her chest moving.
Swallowing hard, Hermione found herself licking her lips as her arms slowly slid back up to snake around Draco's neck. "It was probably Neville," she whispered, speaking of her appointed partner. He was patrolling the halls, as was she. Well, as she was supposed to be doing. As she had been doing before he had caught her.
Draco only nodded in silent agreement.
Closing her eyes, Hermione took a deep breath before uttering the words she dreaded. "I should go."
It broke her every time she had to leave him, or he had to walk away from her. It seemed almost pointless, really. So much had changed over the past seven years that her return to Hogwarts to complete their last year seemed almost…ridiculous. How could one return to taking notes and doing homework when they had, just a few months ago, been at the very brink of death? When they had all lost so many that they had cared for? How could one simply return to being a student, a child, after the innocence was ripped out of them? There were days where she could barely walk through the halls without imagining the bodies that had once been laying there. The initial excitement of returning to Hogwarts had, over the past couple of months, turned into the gruesome memories of the war that had been waged.
Leaning in close, Draco lifted his head so his lips pressed against her forehead. He closed his eyes as his fingers gently massaged the back of her head, his other arm wrapping around her waist to hug him against his chest. "I know," he muttered, and if his lips hadn't been moving, she probably would not have even known to listen. His words did nothing to comfort her, only cause her to shut her eyes tighter and her fingers to twist even more tightly into his shirt.
A soft sigh escaped Draco's lips as he felt her grip tighten, and he let his hand fall from her hair to wrap fully around her. Leaving her was hard, every single time, because he never knew when he would get to hold her again, when they would get to be alone. Their daily interactions consisted mainly of nods of acknowledgement as they passed through the halls or a slight smile when they thought no one was looking. To anyone on the outside, it would look like a silent confirmation, the same kind shared between all those who fought the battle and survived to roam the halls of Hogwarts.
"You've need to go." It killed him to be the strong one, but he knew that tonight, the duty would fall upon him. As his grip on her released, he found himself kneeling down in front of him as he lifted the discarded wand, reaching out with his free hand to take hers and slipping the wand between her fingers. "I'm sure there are some third years who just discovered the closets," he joked, attempting to lighten the mood.
Hermione smiled as she looked up at him. Sometimes, she could not believe that this was the same boy who had taunted her for the past few years. The boy who she had loathed and despised for being cold, cruel and heartless was showing her a warmth that she had never expected. That she could never have imagined.
Tucking her wand into her pocket, Hermione reached up and cupped his face between her hands as she leaned up on her tip toes and pressed her lips softly against his. Draco's hands rested on her hips, his eyes closing as he leaned in slightly just before she pulled away. With her forehead resting against his, he opened his eyes slowly to look into hers. She was smiling. Even if he couldn't see her lips, he could see it in her eyes.
"Tomorrow," she stated softly, her hands leaving his face to rest on his shoulders as she lowered herself back to her normal height.
Draco stepped back as he watched Hermione walk away from him and deeper into the hallway that she had previously been patrolling. When she stopped and turned, he raised an eyebrow curiously as he watched her turn towards him and smile before raising her hand in a wave goodbye. Raising his own hand, he returned the gesture before both his hands slipped into his pockets, a smile forming on his own lips as she hurried out, probably looking to catch up with Neville.
Hermione Granger would never back out of her responsibilities and Draco Malfoy would never want to be the one who pushed her to do so. To change who she was. He had a moment with her and it had been enough. The promise was there. The promise of tomorrow.
Listening quietly as her footsteps disappeared into the night, he paused a moment before stepping back into the hallway, moving in the opposite direction to retreat back to the Slytherin dorms for the night. The thought of the promise was the reason behind the smile that tugged at the corners of his lips.
Tomorrow.