3. Baby's Day Out
The tall, lean form of the Slytherin prince made it's way to the shifting staircase; the final rounds for the night of his Head boy duties finally over. Leaning against the banister, he raked a hand through his corn silk hair; waiting for the stairs to shift to the right sector leading to the perfects' lodgings. Stepping onto solid ground, Draco pushed his hands into his pockets and whistled lightly until he came to the portrait leading to his shared quarters. The Duchess, as the title claimed, was fast asleep, her stout form fully decked out in yards of silk and ruffles of lace that drowned her. The powered wig of curls threatened to fall over; revealing the thinning hair and receding hairline. Her excessively painted face made Draco's lip curl; the woman making his stomach do threatening flops of sourness. Clearing his throat, he watched as the woman bolted awake, her shrill voice piercing his ear.
Catching sight of his, she quickly adjusted her wig and smoothed over her gown.
"Well, good eventide to you m'lord" she murmured huskily and Draco inwardly cringed. Soon would come the excessive fluttering of her lashes and her high-pitched laughter that threatened to crack his ear drums. He was often tempted to throw a cloth over the stupid thing but she was rather sweet to Granger and if Granger was one thing; it was a walking, talking pile of mush. Quickly uttering the password, the portrait swung open and he was plagued with the most tempting idea to push it slightly farther, 'accidentally' splintering the damned thing and having it replaced. However, as he thought it over, he was sure Granger would just restore it and have him suffer through the angry wrath of the portrait. No, no, it was better to stay on the good side of the bloody thing; for one could never neglect the luxury of having access to one's home.
Entering the common, Draco paused. The girl who had not too long ago been apart of his thought was occupying the lounge facing the hearth and perched a few feet away from her was a muggle contraption she called a 'television.' He had forgotten that it was Friday and undoubtedly her 'movie night' or whatever. No wonder she had left early in their shared patrolling routes. Shaking his head, he moved towards her laughing form and flopped down next to her. She turned to smile at him; offering a section of her blanket and shrugging at the shake of his head.
He turned his gaze towards the screen and watched as a golden-haired baby entertained his mother...or was it his nanny? It was well into the movie and towards the end of his laughter that Granger spoke; her voice shaking from its amusement.
"You know, the baby sort of reminds me of you!" Before he could reply, they both laughed as the crawling baby's drool caused his main kidnapper to slide and collapse.
"He should. That's one good-looking baby and let's not forget clever." He watched as she rolled her eyes but smiled none the less, shifting closer to him.
"You're going to like the part that's about to come up" she murmured and turning away from her, he watched. They both laughed and leaning into his seat, he propped his feet up.
As the rolling credit's died away, he watched her slip out from beside him, finding that the side she'd been warming felt empty. She switched the disk or whatever it was called and replaced it with another. Turning back to him; she beamed.
"If you enjoyed that one, you'll certainly enjoy this!" Settling back into her spot, she wrapped herself snuggly in her blanket, a slight piece overlapping onto his leg and searing him with her warmth. Making no move to brush it away, he settled back into his former relaxed state and folded his arms across his chest; turning his attention to the screen. 'Look whose Talking'. His brow quirked and he smirked at the opening scene. In no time, she had him throwing his head back to let out a bark of laughter; full of merriment. Wiping at his eyes, he turned his gaze to Granger and found her already looking at him; a pleased little smile curling her lips.
"You know Granger, the mother reminds me of you." Not taking offense, she broke into a smile and nodded in acknowledgement.
"I figured you'd say that" she replied simply and he passed a hand through his hair. It wasn't long before they were both asleep, the movie long but forgotten.
It was the second Friday in a row that Hermione returned to her shared lodgings and found Malfoy waiting for her patiently. Smiling at him, she shrugged out of her cloak and moved towards him. Surprisingly she enjoyed his company and was more entertained by his reactions than by the actual movies. Settling down, next to him, she turned in his direction and beckoned towards the stack of DVD's she had gotten for Christmas.
"So, which one is it tonight?" she asked and watched as he scanned the pile. Picking up the one titled 'The Wizard of Oz,' Draco watched her beam. Shaking her head in approval, she placed it into the player and turned back to him.
"One of my favorites" she stated and he quirked a brow.
"So you've said for every last one we've seen." Giving him a playful look, she took her seat and waited until he was fully engrossed by the movie to watch his different and familiar reactions. It was nice to see that he at least appreciated one thing that was from the muggle world. Turning back to the screen, she hoped that perhaps little by little she would be able to change his view of where she came from and those like herself...