Note: I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack! Yay! So I have been driving myself absolutely crazy with work the last couple of months so I thought I should throw in a cutesy Dramione chapter for you all ;)
Chapter 7: Wandering Thoughts
"I love you Hermione Granger"
The words swirled around Hermione's head as she stared up at the wooden ceiling. It had been a week since the confrontation with Fred; a week since Draco had told her he loved her. When the words came out of his mouth, she had frozen. Only when Draco had given her a shake did she mutter something about having to finish the cabin checks and had left him standing there. Alone.
How could Draco Malfoy love me? she wondered privately, tossing onto her side.
Hermione knew she had every right to be worried. Even though the Draco she had seen in the cabin was caring and ferociously protective of her, she knew him. She knew the Draco Malfoy from first year who had taken to calling her mudblood, the boy from third year who she had punched in the face. She smiled at the memory of her fist making contact with his face. It had felt good. Yet, in amongst all the memories of Draco behaving like an ass, there was the memory of the stolen glances in the library when they were both up late finishing homework; the touch of a hand during Potions when they were collecting ingredients, the small smiles in the hallways.
Then there had been the Draco in the hallway of the train. The burning hatred in his eyes when he had seen she was upset. There was no faking a look like that. It wasn't hatred towards her, Hermione knew that. It was a hatred for the person who had caused the tears. The way he had pulled her into a cabin and forced her to confess herself to him. Draco had never done anything like that for anyone. He was selfish, self-absorbed; only ever caring about what his father said. Or Snape for that matter. And yet there he had been, laying it all on the line.
A slight flutter of the thick velvet curtains around her snapped Hermione out of her thoughts. Reaching slowly underneath her pillow, she watched as the curtain drew open. As she curled her fingers around the wand, the curtains swung shut abruptly and a heavy weight was holding Hermione down. Before she could scream, a pale hand was against her mouth as a wisp of blond hair appeared out of thin air.
"Shhh" Draco mouthed, scared that Hermione would scream.
She stared back at him confused. How did Draco have an invisibility cloak?
When he was sure that she wouldn't protest, Draco carefully removed his hand from her mouth and pulled the rest of the cloak off of him, setting it down at the end of the bed.
"Hi" he whispered breathlessly.
Just looking at Hermione made him giddy; her endlessly frizzy hair, the constant look of disproval at everything he did. She was beautiful.
Hermione sat slowly, watching Draco carefully. She looked worriedly at the curtain before turning back to him.
"How the hell did you get in here?"
Draco scoffed fondly. "I'm not an idiot Granger, the password to Gryffindor Tower is no great secret"
He edged further up the bed, making Hermione move slightly so he could lie down next to her.
"And the cloak?" Hermione asked, raising an eyebrow.
""Potter isn't the only one who was left interesting toys by relatives"
"So there is more than one cloak out there?"
"I may seem like filth on the bottom of your shoe at points Hermione but I'm not a thief"
Hermione was surprised at the tone Draco took with her. She watched as he stared broodily up at her wooden ceiling, just as she had been a few moments ago. His nose twitched slightly as her furrowed his brow in annoyance.
"I never said you were" she whispered carefully, reaching out to stroke his cheek.
Before she could reach it, he grabbed her hand and slipped his fingers through hers.
"I know" he whispered, his mouth curving into a smile as he glanced at her. "So what are you doing up so late Granger?"
Hermione snuggled down next to Draco, closing her eyes. "I've been a bit distracted lately"
It was true. The past two weeks since the school had started again, Hermione had been floating around Hogwarts in a daze. She would go to class, go to meals, do her homework and go to bed. Rarely did she pay attention to the mindless conversations Harry and Ron were having. When she wasn't focusing on school work, her mind would wander to Draco. It was only in Potions that they ever spent any time together. That time was spent avoiding Snape's withering comments about her eagerness. They reminded her of Fred.
She felt a warm hand wrap around her waist and pull her towards a hard chest.
"I noticed that sleight of hand in the Great Hall the other day. Pumpkin juice all over the floor I believe" Draco breathed against her neck, provoking goose bumps on her exposed arm.
A flush of embarrassment hit Hermione's checks as she tried to bury her face further into his chest.
"Oh don't! That was terrible! That stupid Pansy Parkinson hexed me from under the table" she muttered.
"Come now" Draco comforted, rubbing her back slowly, "I'm sure Pansy was just aiming for Potter"
"You would be so wise as to not defend another girl when you are in my bed Malfoy" Hermione threatened, pulling away slightly to show Draco she was being serious.
Draco gave her the same narrow eyed stare. "How do you think Pansy ended up in the infirmary that afternoon Granger?"
Her eyes widened at the hinted admission. "You didn't"
"I did" he gleamed. "Honestly, I'm not that clumsy Hermione, have a little faith in my wand skill"
"It's not your wand skill I'm worried about Draco" she retorted cheekily.
Draco propped himself up on his elbow to get a better look at Hermione's face. "What is it exactly that you are worried about?"
Hermione mimicked his actions, distancing herself just close enough so he could feel her breath fan across his face. "How are you with Charms?"
That is how Draco found himself sitting across from the bright eyed Gryffindor in the library the next evening. He watched the smug grin on her face as she scribbled away on the parchment, occasionally glancing up at him to see if he was doing work. Draco had already finished his essay, that parchment sitting close by to dry out the ink so nothing was smudged. He lolled back in his chair, loosening the green tie knotted tightly around his neck.
It had surprised Hermione that Draco was such a perfectionist. Most times, Draco rarely had his tie done up properly, let alone having his parchment tidy. But there he was, parchment carefully laid out in between the two books that he always used to flatten it. The books he had brought to the library were stacked in alphabetical order and his quills were all lined up parallel to each other.
Hermione sighed and dipped her quill into the ink for what seemed to be the hundredth time.
"Can you please find something else to do other than make me feel completely uncomfortable?"
Draco laughed but was quickly hushed by Madam Pince. "It's not my fault that I've finished. Some of us have better time management than others"
"Some of us will still be alive tomorrow, unlike others" Hermione glared momentarily before returning to her essay.
Draco leaned across the table. "You wouldn't kill me" he whispered, delicately running a finger across Hermione's forearm.
"But I would punch you across the face" Hermione muttered, smiling cheekily without missing a beat and continued writing.
"Whatever"
Heavy footsteps approached the lone couple at the end of the library. It was getting late but Hermione was always allowed to stay after hours just in case she had last minute reading that she needed to do.
"Madam Pince, I just need to finish this last-" Hermione stopped in her tracks, staring at the figure with her mouth slightly agape.
Draco followed her line of sight to see a freckly, ginger haired boy standing before them.
"I need to talk to Hermione. Alone."
