Hi everyone! Sorry it's been ages, but I've spent 14 hrs spread over two days doing APUSH assignment stuff soooo this is more filler than substance but I hope it's alright until I can get you guys a proper chapter :P Do you guys think they're too OOC? Let me know please, esp. after this chapter because I'm really not sure, it's difficult to gauge this kinda thing :P
Hope everyone enjoys, I'll be off to bed now XP Night! :)
HERMIONE'S POV
When I woke the next morning, things were fuzzy. I couldn't remember why my eyes were swollen with tears, until I rolled over and saw Malfoy sprawled out on the couch in the corner of my room, the book he was most likely reading flopped askew against his chest, as his chest slowly rose and fell. Then it all came back with clarity, and I blushed at how I must've made him feel, bringing back memories for him like that, dragging him down with me. I felt deep remorse for it, but there was nothing to be done. I would cast muffliato tonight, and that would be the end of that.
I guessed he probably hadn't slept for very long yet, so I got up as quietly as possible, grabbed my clothes and things, and went to have a shower, now thankful for the guest washroom we had created. This way Draco could at least get in another hour or so of shuteye.
As I washed away the stickiness on my cheeks, I examined my forearm as the droplets of water trickled down it. What Draco said last night was very moving, but I had to wonder if he believed it himself. I spent much more time than necessary showering, too caught up in my thoughts to notice the time it was taking. I finally shut off the water, and stepped out, wrapping a towel tightly around me.
I changed and left the room, still buttoning up my shirt when I heard Draco stir and reach the door of my room. I was decent, but the shirt was still unbuttoned most of the way. Damn it all to hell! I thought as I dove for the nearest open door- his bedroom. I quickly shut the door and locked it, hastily buttoning up the rest before Draco knocked on the door.
"Just a minute!" I cried, doing a last check-over in his full length mirror to make sure everything was as it should be, before opening the door and pushing past him back to my room.
"What was that all about?" he asked.
"Nothing," I tossed over my shoulder.
"Okay…?" I laughed, more of a shaky sigh of relief than anything else. Once I had finished getting ready, I headed over to the kitchenette and began preparing breakfast out of habit. He shuffled in, yawning and rubbing the sleep from his eyes still, for once looking like his age- a sleepy teenager woken from slumber, and I absentmindedly smiled while I scrambled the eggs.
"You know we could just go downstairs for breakfast, right?"
"Yes, well, this felt more convenient. Want any?" He shrugged, pushing a hand through his sleep-tousled hair. I full-out grinned and let out a giggle at how adorable he was doing that, before catching myself.
"Are you a good cook?" he asked outright, and I laughed at how blunt his blatant question was.
"Umm, by most standards, yes. But don't ask me to bake anything, I'll set the room on fire," I replied, and he laughed.
"Alright then. Make that two scrambled eggs. I'll set the table." He searched around all the cabinets until he found the one containing dish ware, and had to hunt down silverware through all the drawers.
Soon the aroma of cooking eggs and butter filled the room, and Draco inhaled deeply, giving a sigh of contentment and a small smile. I hid my grin at his reaction as I served up his portion, and then mine, and joined him at the table. We were finished quickly, especially Draco, who made me laugh as I saw him scarf it all down in just a few minutes. He rose and washed his plates by magic before putting them away. He pointed his wand at himself then and suddenly he was in work attire as though he was off to an important firm of some sort. He bent down and kissed the top of my head, and in a fake-deep voice said, "Thank you for breakfast dear, I must be off to work now in my important, 9-to-5 job. Don't wait up if I'm late!" he said as he walked out the door. I laughed out loud, quickly magicking my plates clean and into their cabinet as well, and ran out the door after him, catching up at the end of the hall. He fixed his clothing while I pulled on shoes, and I followed him up the staircase.
"Where are we going?"
"I thought today we might take up McGonnagall on her offer and help out today," he replied. "I don't have anything else to do, if you don't," he said, and I shrugged.
"Not at all. Where are they?"
DRACO'S POV
When we arrived at the Astronomy tower, things were well under way for the day, and we were a bit lost as to where we should be. But McGonnagall happened to pass by, and spotted us.
"Oh, yes, Miss Granger and Mister Malfoy, just in time. We need you right over here…"
Hermione and I were started at the base of the tower, working our way up. I used my broom to get up along the outside and help with structural repairs, while Hermione worked upward from the inside, helping to clean and put back together the stairs, as well as help cast the protective enchantments once more. We worked all day, and well into the night. That evening we were rewarded with chilled butterbeers, and left to ourselves at the top of the tower while the adults left for slightly stronger firewhiskey.
We sat back to back as we sipped on the cold beverages, looking over our handiwork. I shivered, perhaps at the cold, but also because of the memories this place brought to me. So I got up and went to the edge, watching the stars and the grounds instead. Hermione got up to join me, standing by my side. She sighed as she stared out at the moon, which shone brighter than most nights tonight.
"It's times like this when I really miss everyone. Not just Ronald, or Harry, but everyone. Fred, Tonks, Lupin, Sirius even… I feel like I was just starting to know them, to become part of their family too, when they were taken from us," she said, the last part of her sentence shaking with the wobble in her voice.
I put an arm around her as I considered her words. It was true that she was truly the most removed from the Weasley-Potter-Black-everyone-ever-in-the-history-of-wizards-it-seems-like family. Potter had ties to the Weasleys that were essentially familial, and he was even tied to my family, through his godfather. Weasley was of course biologically related to almost everyone.
Hermione had worked her way into their hearts, especially her first year. Even then, as an outsider, I could see how much she struggled to gain the boys' acceptance and attention. It was only natural, but it wasn't fair. Now, as she was finally being treated like family, she went out with the idiot "king," and when they broke up, she was Ron's ex-girlfriend, not HarryandRon'sbestfriendinthewholeuniverse. And I honestly was angry for her.
"How can you just take it from him?" I said, and she sniffed, looking up curiously at me. "All of them, really, aside from Potter and the Weaslette," I elaborated. "You are the best thing that has ever happened to that boy, that family, and he treats you horribly, and then they take his side?" Hermione sighed.
"You don't even know the circumstances of our break up," she said with a chuckle. "And they're not taking his side, they're just in a bad place right now and trying to get them to choose any side over the holidays isn't fair. This too shall pass," she said wisely, while I just huffed in frustration.
"Then help me to understand! What happened between you two for the thickhead to be dumb enough to lose the greatest witch, and most caring girl I've ever met?" She only laughed.
"I'm hardly either, Draco, but thank you. It's just… complicated," she trailed off, as her face fell. I turned her to face me, and implored her with my expression.
"Hermione, please. I don't like to see you like this, especially when I don't know what happened." She looked away, and I saw shame written across her face.
"It's really quite embarrassing…"
"If you don't trust me, I can understand, but I thought we were past that," I half-joked. She gave a mirthless laugh.
"Believe me, you have more trust than I've had in any guy since the incident. If you really must know…" She sighed once more, set down her butterbeer bottle, and began.
HERMIONE'S POV
"You have to understand, the way Ron and I got together was very heat-of-the-moment, and I didn't expect it to work right away. But the funny thing was, and maybe that was my warning sign… it did. It was perfect. He was romantic, in his own Ron-ish way," I said, giving a small smile as I thought back fondly on those moments. "But it couldn't last. By the time the war was over, we were both grieving, for different reasons. I was there for him when he needed me. But then it came my turn, and he just… wasn't." I looked away. "We never got very far, thankfully. I was never ready for it, not with my best friend for seven years. I could think of him romantically, for sure, but just… not like that, and not so soon. I was starting to though, until I found out." I swallowed, and tears came to my eyes.
"I-I, uh, walked in on him, with a fifth-year from Ravenclaw. I was shocked, to say the least. But he smoothed things over the way only Ron can, and I forgave him like I have for all these years… and then it was at his house, and I found him in his room with Lavender Brown, who was over with a bunch of other people for a small reunion before school started again. That was when I lost it. He admitted to a lot more than just those two, and we had it out, big time. I stormed out on him, and Disapparated. I haven't spoken to him since, and only Ginny and George are talking to me. Charlie and Bill are away, Percy never did care, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley are, again, not choosing one over the other, though Mrs. Weasley of course leans to supporting her son." I finished, still refusing to look at Draco. I heard glass shattering next to me, and squeaked, and then realized what he had done.
"Damn," he cursed. He'd crushed the butterbeer bottle in his hand, and a few shards of glass had sliced open his palm, and he was bleeding profusely. I gasped, and scolded him for the foolish action as I quickly used a spell I'd cast many times on the many lacerations Ron and Harry had accumulated over the years, and the wounds sealed up and cleaned themselves neatly. I vanished the butterbeers and cleaned up the mess, before Draco enveloped me into a hug.
"I knew Weasley was foolish, but that's a whole new level of mental. He's an idiot, and I'm glad you stuck to your principles. He doesn't deserve you, he never has," he said, and I sighed into his chest as I hugged him back. "But you were right. This too shall pass. Just remember that as soon as everyone's back though, I'm going to kick his ass."
