Two weeks later and Hermione didn't really know what to do with herself. The lack of people she knew up there was starting to bug her, and she knew she had to keep herself busy. She left Room 13 and crossed the hall to the door opposite.
"Zena!" she called, banging on the door. "I'm bored! Can we do something?"
There was a long pause, filled with muffled shuffling and banging from inside the room. Hermione waited, not sure whether to stay or not, but just as she was about to leave, the door opened and a tired-looking Zena opened the door.
"Sorry!" she panted. "I was doing yoga. Did you say you wanted to do something? I'm sorry, I'm a little busy today. Perhaps on Friday? Oh wait, that's tomorrow. I could show you around, show you all the places to go!"
"Yeah, ok," said Hermione, smiling, hiding her disappointment. "Just let me know when you want to go then."
As Zena closed the door again, Hermione turned and wandered along the corridor, not sure of where to go. She'd already been up to see Fred, who was doing marginally better each day. Sirius, perhaps?
She found he wasn't particularly busy and they sat down for a cup of tea.
"So Hermione," he began. "How are you finding this all?"
Hermione sighed and looked at her hands. "It's all a bit surreal. I just want to go home."
"You are home now," Sirius said sadly. "We're here because we've died, Hermione. There's no going back now. This is it. This is our life from now on."
Hermione sighed. She had been coming to terms with the fact she wasn't going back for the last few days, but Sirius's words were like the nail on the coffin. She wasn't going back to earth, she wouldn't be alive again, and that's just the way things were.
"How come you're still here?" she asked, remembering he was the 'exception to the rule'.
Sirius rubbed a hand across his face and sighed wearily, as if wondering how to word something. "I couldn't face going up there and seeing James and Lily. I just - I couldn't. And I promised myself that I would wait here, until the war was over, in case Harry needed me. And by that, I mean in case he was killed and ended up here. But I suppose... It's all over now, isn't it? I could just go. Could just go..." He trailed off, looking deep in thought.
Hermione spluttered. "But you can't just go!" she said indignantly. "You can't leave me here living next door to him and just go!"
Sirius smiled knowingly, snapped out of his reverie. "Draco isn't a bad man, Hermione. No, listen to me. He has done some stupid things, and god knows he was awful to you, and there is no excusing that, but he's changed. And it might surprise you to know that he hasn't felt that way for a few years now."
Hermione was sat in stunned silence, and then raised an eyebrow disbelievingly. "And you know all of this because?"
"I told you, we got to know each other a bit more. He is my cousin after all."
When Hermione looked unimpressed, Sirius sighed and ran a hand through his long dark hair. Even now, he was still as handsome as ever.
"Hermione, I need you to promise me something."
She was worried suddenly. The tone of his voice set her mind racing and she knew she wasn't going to like what was coming next. "Please don't go on and leave me here," she begged. "What about Remus?"
"Remus and Tonks are fine together. They're coming to terms with... losing Teddy," Sirius managed to say, his emotions clearly running high at the thought of one of his best friends. "Anyway, regardless of when or if I go, Hermione, I want you to promise me something. Talk to Draco. Try and get along with him for a while, and you'll see how different he is. I don't want the rest of your time here to be miserable. Promise me."
Hermione's mouth was gaping, moving soundlessly as she struggled to speak. "I -"
"No, Hermione," said Sirius, his face suddenly ageing and giving away his true years. "Just promise me that."
The strong, funny man Hermione knew looked as if he were about to burst into tears, and so she moved forwards and rested her hand on top of his. He looked up.
"I promise, Sirius. I promise."
She couldn't take the look on the man's face any longer, and she left, but not before giving him a huge hug, filling it was all the things she'd never be able to say. She only hoped he'd stop thinking about 'Going on', and leaving her basically alone with Draco right next door.
She thought about her promise. She didn't have to do that much, really, except try and be polite to Malfoy and hold some civil conversations with him, if he was willing to do so without being a pompous prat. Then again, thought Hermione, it would probably take a lot of effort for him not to be a pompous prat.
Hermione decided she was going to start right now and keep her promise, so instead of walking past his door in order to get to her own, she stopped and banged on his, loudly. There was no answer, so she knocked again. Still no answer.
She was about to knock a third time when the door suddenly opened, and Malfoy stood there in nothing but a towel, having clearly just finished in the shower. Hermione's jaw dropped open in embarrassment and she felt her cheeks catch fire.
But oh God, he looked so good. His hair was falling in his eyes in a way that rivalled Jack in Titanic (not that Malfoy would ever understand that reference) and he was half-leant against the door. His pale skin was glistening with beads of water, and Hermione watched as one rolled down his chest and across his toned abs.
"I know I look good, but there's no need to stare, Granger," Malfoy drawled, with that smirk on his face.
Hermione blushed even harder, if that were possible, and opened her mouth angrily to speak, but was cut off by Draco's laughter.
"I'm kidding, Granger, don't be so serious," he grinned. "Well unless you didn't really want anything, come in and wait while I get dressed."
Sitting in one of his comfortable chairs, Hermione smacked herself in the head. She didn't even like Malfoy, but when she was presented with that in her face there was nowhere else she could really look. He was much taller than her and her face was directly level with his chest.
A few minutes later, Draco emerged from the bathroom in black trousers and a shirt, and he was rolling up the sleeves as he walked in. Why did he always dress so smart? It wouldn't kill him to wear something casual. Although Hermione doubted that he actually owned something casual. But he wore smart clothes so well...
"So," Draco said, leaning against his desk with his hands in his pockets. "To what do I owe this surprise?"
"I think I was the one who got a bloody surprise!" she said hotly. "Who opens their door with no clothes on?"
Draco smirked again, folding his arms across his chest. "Well if you didn't insist on banging on my door so loudly, Granger, I wouldn't have bothered answering at all. Now is there something you wanted or was this just a friendly get-together?"
She hated his sarcasm, the way he was constantly mocking, like he didn't know how to be any other way. He didn't. He actually didn't.
"Drop the smirk, Malfoy," she muttered. "I came because I -"
Should she tell him that she had promised Sirius that she'd make the effort? She thought about if the situation was the other way round. She certainly wouldn't want to talk to him if he told her that.
"- I am trying to be a better person and so I have to be nice to you," she waffled.
A raised eyebrow. "You're trying to be a better person? Now that's something I never thought I'd hear you say. Don't be stupid, Granger. I'm the one who needs to be a better person, hence why I've been trying to make the effort with you."
"So you're only talking to me to benefit yourself," she laughed bitterly.
Malfoy pushed himself forward from the desk, rolling his eyes as he flicked on the television. "Why must you continuously twist my words into things that I didn't mean to say, Granger?"
She huffed, but said nothing as he sat in the armchair to the left of hers and turned on some programme about whales. They sat for about an hour, in an amiable silence, watching the television. She even forgot he was there after a while, before the programme ended and he switched it off.
He looked at her, his grey eyes giving nothing away, and after a short pause said "Fancy going for a walk? I need to talk to - well, one of the heads of departments."
She nodded, not knowing what else to do, and so they made their way in a slightly awkward silence down the lift and out towards the largest building she navigated before when requesting her Pensieve. There seemed to be an unspoken agreement not to mention what had happened down at Hogwarts and Hermione was thankful he hadn't brought it up. They'd both cried at some point or other, and she'd shown far too much of herself for her liking.
"It's like a bloody maze in here," said Draco, as they wandered down a few corridors. "I've been to this office about 80 times and I still get lost trying to find it."
Hermione laughed a little, knowing exactly what he meant. When he stopped in front of a door without a plaque on and knocked, she looked at him expectantly.
"I'll only be about two minutes," he said. "Do you mind waiting out here?"
She shook her head, knowing that it was probably something private he was discussing and she had no business interfering. He nodded in acknowledgement and slipped inside when the door was opened, leaving her in the corridor.
A group of people in suits entered one end of the corridor and Hermione cursed herself for looking so out of place. Her hair was knotted in a bun on her head and she was wearing leggings and a baggy jumper. She looked like a tramp compared to these people, so she looked down as they walked past and hoped they wouldn't notice.
"Hermione?" said a male voice, and she looked up to see Will breaking off from the group as they continued to the end of the corridor and around the corner.
He really was good looking. His emerald eyes just seemed to bore right into hers and make her all nervous and girly, like she was some silly 12-year-old girl.
"Oh! Will," she exclaimed, trying to make it sound like she hadn't noticed him before. "How are you?"
He grinned at her, and Hermione had the biggest urge to reach out and touch the dimples that graced his cheeks, but she didn't. "I'm very well, thank you. I can see that you are."
She blushed, not sure what to say to his compliment, but he seemed to find it amusing and just laughed.
"Hermione," he said, his face becoming a little more serious, and a look of false bashfulness graced his features. "Listen, I hope you don't think this is inappropriate or out of line, but I was wondering how you'd feel if I asked you to dinner on Saturday?"
Her heart fluttered, and she had trouble making sure her breath came out in regular patterns otherwise he would realise how much of a mess she was. He was asking her on a date! He was tall and yummy and Ginny would most certainly approve.
If she were here.
"I would love to," Hermione grinned, and Will returned it, his false shyness dropping immediately.
"So I'll pick you up at 8? See you on Saturday then! Must go, I'm late for a meeting," he winked, and walked briskly round the corner after his colleagues.
Hermione stood for a minute with a silly smile on her face, excited that she was receiving attention. Boys never paid attention to her, the annoying, bossy little bookworm with bushy hair. And here was this gorgeous man offering to take her on a date!
She turned around to see if Malfoy had finished yet, and her smile dropped instantly. He was stood by the door, arms crossed, with his eyebrow raised and his eyes cold.
"Have you finished?" he sneered. Hermione nodded, too shocked and embarrassed to speak. "Can we go back now? Oh, we can? How kind of you."
Why did he make her feel like such a fool? She had done nothing wrong.
He rolled his eyes and barged past her, striding away down the corridor and not even bothering to see if she was keeping up. She tried for a while but his legs were far too long, and as she rounded the corner into a long corridor and saw him disappearing around the corner at the far end, she stopped, panting, and leant against the wall.
What the hell had gotten into him?
What's up with Draco then? Review please :)