Hermione stepped into the gentle glow of the kitchen, immediately greeted by the scent of cinnamon. The room was almost hazy, perhaps by some flour that had drifted astray in the air, and she saw a few house elves washing dishes or rolling out dough on a short table that was just their height.
"Nice, isn't it?" Draco smiled at her, releasing her hand from his. "Just tell them anything you fancy, and they'll be able to whip it up. Right Krodo?" He turned to one of the house elves who was carrying a tray of freshly baked cinnamon rolls—the source of the intoxicating scent—to a countertop to cool off.
"Yes sir. These will be cool in a few minutes if you'd like some!" The small elf chirped happily, which was a bit shocking to Hermione. She had always pictured Draco and his parents holed up at Malfoy Manor, with dozens of house elves such as Dobby that they treated with cruelty and bossed around. It was a pleasant surprise to see that he was so kind to them, or at least here he was. Perhaps much of her perceptions about Draco wasn't really Draco, but instead the version he felt he had to be for his parents.
"Those look delicious, thank you!" Hermione replied to the one she assumed was Krodo.
"Anything to drink?" Draco turned back to her, smirking. "Some Nightflower, perhaps?" She broke into a grin at the mention of the drink they had shared together earlier.
"Just tea is fine, thank you very much." She crossed her arms over her chest.
"Tea for the beautiful girl, coffee for me." Draco ordered one of the house elves, who hurried off to prepare the drinks. Hermione's cheeks inevitably turned red at the sound of his voice, especially considering what he just said. Her mind lingered on his words, trying to figure out if he was being polite or if he really meant what he had said.
"Now then, how about doing some research? I nipped these from the restricted section." He pulled out a stack of books and papers, setting them down on a table in front of them.
"Research for what?" She asked absentmindedly, racking her brain for what classes they shared and what he so desperately needed to study for.
"Remember our discussion? You agreed to help me with…" he trailed off.
"Oh. Oh of course Draco. Your family situation. Alright, let's see what we can do." She sat down next to him and opened one of the books, skimming through the table of contents to try to find something useful. He leaned in closer to read over her shoulder and suddenly she was very aware of his proximity to her. His chin was nearly resting on her shoulder, and his hand was just inches from hers on the table. Resisting the urge to turn and look back at him, she turned to page 394—a section about changing one's identity—when suddenly the elf Krodo scurried up and placed a tray with two mugs and a plateful of steaming hot cinnamon rolls before them.
"Enjoy," he said before scampering off into a separate room of the kitchen. Draco reached across her and grabbed a roll, his arm grazing against hers and giving her goosebumps.
"Try one, they're great!" He encouraged her, taking a large bite of his cinnamon roll. Hermione carefully selected one, waited a moment for it to cool, and then tried it. He was right, this was one of the most delicious things she had ever had in her life. It somehow tasted like home, though her parents never let her have sweets like this for breakfast.
"You're right, they're amazing," she smiled and took another bite, savoring the warmth and sweetness. She turned back to the book and tried to start reading again when a strand of her curly hair fell in front of her face, obstructing her view.
She reached up to tuck it back behind her ear, but another hand had gotten there first—Draco. She finally turned to look back at him as he gently smoothed her hair back away from her face, and suddenly he was all that she could see. Their faces were just inches apart now his grey eyes nearly silver in the dim kitchen lighting. Her head was spinning and she took quick, shallow breaths, her brain barely processing the scent of cinnamon in the air.
And then just like that he was leaning in, she closed her eyes, and suddenly all she could taste was cinnamon and home. The kiss was short and sweet, not lasting more than a few seconds, but even so she was hesitant to pull away and even more reluctant to open her eyes, afraid it might all have been a dream.
But when her eyelids fluttered open the hazy kitchen light was still there, the chatter of elves from the other room in the background, the taste of cinnamon and sweetness still in her mouth, and Draco with a gentle smile directly in front of her. This was all 100% real.
A/N:Hey guys I know I haven't updated in forever and I'm so sorry, but college started back up so I've been a lot more busy and I'm gonna be updating less now (maybe about once a week). Thank you all so much for sticking with this story though and I promise I'm not abandoning it! Remember to comment and share, thanks so much I love you guys.