Chapter 3
Rounding a corner the pair stopped in their tracks, the once deserted corridor was now lined with full size portraits.
"This must be where all the new dormitories are." Draco whispered.
"Correct Mr. Malfoy; this is where all your married peers will be living by the end of term." Snape droned leading them over towards their portrait which was of a young looking wizard with black hair. "This is Sir Brian de Skip. Once Minerva and I leave you may set a password that you both agree on." After bidding each a good night the professors left the students alone.
"What do you think the password should be?" Hermione asked. "Something that reflects us I would think."
Draco looked up at the man in the portrait noticing how he was gazing at Hermione. Without realizing what was happening, he felt something. Jealousy. "How about you just pick something." He said, trying to sound calm.
"You know that book I was reading on the train? It's a muggle play called Romeo and Juliet and in the play the title characters fall in love with each other even though their families are enemies. That sounds kind of like us, right? So we could use their last names which commonly mean something along the lines of our situation has happened." Hermione explained. Draco nodded his head just wanting to hear the password. "Alright, so we would like the password to be Montague and Capulet please." The portrait smiled and opened up finally giving them access to their new home.
Walking in, Hermione gasped. The walls were a cream color with crown molding, the carpet was soft and dark green, the furniture was made of cherry wood and included a coffee table, many bookshelves, and a few overstuffed cream colored chairs. Near the couch and chairs was a fireplace set in stone, along the wall to the right was a bay window extending out into the night with another couch set into it.
"It's amazing." Hermione mused walking around."I wonder what the other rooms look like." Turning to her left she walked into a spare bathroom with white walls and a titanium sink. Leaving that room she finally walked over to the other door following Draco who had already gone to check it out. The bedroom was just as large as the living room with two armoires as well as two desks, and two night stands (all made with cherry wood, just like the living room set) on either side of the bed which was a four-poster canopy like the other beds in Hogwarts. The sheets and white comforter were almost like a beacon in the room against the venetian red walls and light grey carpeting.
There were two other doors in the room, one set were French doors leading out to a small balcony overlooking part of the grounds, and the other lead to the bathroom. The marble counter stretched along the right side with two sinks set in and several cupboards and drawers set it, the left side was taken up entirely by a shower stall, opening the door to peer in the couple saw several shower heads and a stone floor. At the end of the bathroom, straight ahead was a tub big enough for four or five people to fit in comfortably.
"I can't believe we're living in here, and it's all still in Hogwarts." Malfoy finally said from behind her. "I feel like the King of England right now.
After exploring everything possible the pair finally got down to unpacking their trunks by putting clothes away as well as all their school supplies and toiletries which took up most of their time. Eventually, they both changed into pajamas and got comfortable on the bed leaving the balcony doors open to create a breeze.
"What are you all about, Hermione?" Malfoy asked after a few moments of silence. "I mean, where do you come from, what are your parents like, what are you like?"
The girl sat, stunned for a moment before finally thinking for answers. "Well, I was raised outside of Caterbury all my life in a small town. My parents are dentists so I always make sure to keep my teeth clean; I'm an only child and so are my parents so I never really had any cousins to play with when I was growing up, everyone in my family thinks I'm attending a boarding school in Wales, I like to knit, my favorite animal is a pig, my favorite color is purple, and my favorite thing to eat is cookies n' cream ice cream." Draco nodded, trying to store all the information. "Your turn."
"We all know I'm an only child, living in an upscale wizarding community near Liverpool, my parents both come from very prestigious families, I don't have any cousins either since my Aunt Bella is more obsessed with being a maniac than having children, my favorite color is grey, favorite animal is an antipodean opaleye dragon, and my favorite food is anything pasta." Draco lay on his back with both hands under his blond head. "And I never really knew why I always disliked you." Hermione's gaze shifted to her fingernails. "I guess, I just wanted to please my father by becoming friends with Potter and when that didn't happen and I saw that you were one of his friends I was infuriated. I mean the most famous wizard alive befriends a muggleborn and pure-blood who just happens to not care what purity you were, it was everything the Dark Lord was fighting against: muggleborns, half-bloods, and blood traitors. Yet there you all were, the happiest people alive not realizing what you would be doing in the future." Rolling over to finally look at her, Draco realized how much the war had caused Hermione to age. "I want you to know that even though I never showed it, I respected you for everything you have done because you chose something you wanted to fight for and you believed in it from day one."
Hermione looked up into Draco's eyes. "Promise me something." He nodded. "Promise me that we won't resent each other when we get married or when we have to raise a child because I won't have my child live with parents who are constantly fighting." Not wanting Draco to see her tears, Hermione got up and walked out of the room.
She knows what that's like. He thought. She doesn't want her child to grow up like she did. Letting his fiancé get everything out of her system Malfoy sat there for a few moments before making his way to the living room. Hermione sat in front of the fire, watching the flames dance. Sitting next to her, Draco slid his arm around her waist holding her next to his body.
"I promise." He said tenderly.
A/N: I know this is a very out of character Draco, but I've changed the story a bit as you can see.
