Disclaimer: In case you have been living in a cave on mars with your fingers in your ears for the last ten years or so; JK Rowling owns Harry Potter and all terms and characters associated with the fandom. I only own the story, some characterisations and an occasional OC, I try to limit them as much as possible. Song lyrics which may crop up now and then will be attributed as appropriate.

Chapter 10 - Take it Easy (Love Nothing) Part 1

"Now I do as I please and lie through my teeth

Someone might get hurt, but it won't be me

I should probably feel cheap but I just feel free...

and a little bit empty

No, it isn't so hard to get close to me

There will be no arguments

We will always agree

And I'll try and be kind when I ask you to leave

We'll both take it easy

But if you stay too long inside my memory,

I will trap you in a song tied to a melody

and I will keep you there so you can't bother me..."

Bright eyes

------------------------------------

Draco placed a cup of tea in front of Hermione to which she gave him a small smile as he took a seat across from her in the hospital canteen. Both had found very little to say to one another so far after the shock of seeing Blaise getting it on with a nurse, although it had not been the first time Draco had walked in, on such an event, Hermione was usually very careful about not entering his room if he had a female visitor.

Hermione picked up the cup and took a sip of the steaming contents, "This place kinda reminds me of a greasy spoon."

"A what?" Draco peered at her quizzically, dipping his teaspoon into the sugar bowl on the table and then adding two spoonfuls to his tea.

"A greasy spoon cafe. Have you never heard of that expression?"

"Clearing not or I wouldn't have questioned it. I wouldn't like my spoon to be greasy, that doesn't sound very pleasant, is it a muggle thing?"

She chuckled a little. "A greasy spoon cafe is what you call a cafe that's a little bit scruffy. All the food is stuff like chips, sausages, bacon, burgers, mash, all really greasy stuff. "

"So it gets it name from the food, I see. I've never been a place like that."

"Well that doesn't surprise me. Have you ever even eaten anything like that."

Looking slightly offended Draco took another drink of his tea. "Of course I have, I love mash. Blaise hates it, the freak."

Hermione smiled looking slightly surprised. "Sorry, it just doesn't seem like the kind of food you'd get in a Pureblood household." She paused for a moment, looking thoughtful. "How can anyone not like mash?"

"I know!" Draco hit his fist against the table exasperated, as though he had been waiting for someone to agree with him on this for years. "He says he likes all kinds of potato except mash, that's just wrong isn't it?"

"Completely wrong." Hermione took another sip from her cup. "Ah, but then he's not good with anything mushy is he? Won't eat mushy peas, won't eat porridge, won't eat swede, won't eat mince, scrambled egg or anything like that."

"He'll eat weetabix."

"Ah, but that's different, he mushes it himself and leaves a little bit of it crunchy."

"Just a second." Draco stood to his feet and Hermione paused while he walked over to the counter to purchase something and returned with a plate full of biscuits. Picking up a custard cream to dunk into his tea he pointed at the plate to Hermione. "It's alright, you can have some if you want."

Smiling slightly at this gesture, Hermione picked up a bourbon and dipped it in her tea, taking a bite out of the soggy end. "Where does he get his weird food things from? Has he always been like that? Sometimes Obed has a right carry on trying to find something he'll actually eat."

"You mean like that phase he went through where he'd only eat scotch eggs and cheese and ham toasties?" Hermione nodded, Draco sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "I think it was something to do with his first stepdad, I think Barton used to go shopping with his mum to carry the bags and while she was out, he had to feed Blaise and the only thing he knew how to cook was scrambled eggs. He used to force feed him it and he couldn't leave the table until he'd eaten it all. Blaise told me about it once, said he used to have to try to swallow it without chewing it because it tasted so bad. He's hated it ever since."

"That's horrible. Poor guy." Hermione picked up another biscuit from the plate, this time a rich tea, dunking it in her drink. Draco peered at her curiously, this note of genuine sympathy from her surprising him. It occurred to him only in that moment that they were having an actual conversation, a pleasant one at that.

"We'll finish these teas then go see him shall we? He should be done by now."

Hermione nodded, draining the contents of her cup and then finishing off the last of her biscuit. "Should we take him some of these?"

"Should we bollocks! Not after what we walked in on."

Hermione laughed as Draco finished his own tea, pocketing the biscuits on the plate for himself and stood up, motioning for her to follow. The two walked out of the cafeteria, heading back to the ward where Blaise was kept, Draco checking through the window of the double doors to make sure the curtains were no longer drawn around his bed before venturing back onto the ward.

Seeing his best friend approaching the bed again, Blaise smiled broadly, holding his arms up to greet him. "Mate! Good to see you! Sorry about earlier, but these nurses do such a good job, someone should reward them. Granger, didn't know you cared, 'bout time you got out the house for once. Where are me grapes?"

Draco smirked, standing beside his friend, glad to see him in good spirits despite the circumstances. "What's the prognosis then?"

"Oh nowt much, cut of the head they already cleaned up." He pointed to the side of his head, where the gash that had been there had completely healed up. "Broken left arm, they fixed that but it's still a bit sore, aside from that, just cuts and bruises."

"So your heads fine?"

"Absolutely."

"Good." Bring his hand up, he slapped Blaise across the back of the head, causing him to yelp and rub it with his hand, looking up at his friend, offended. "That's for letting us walk in on you having sex."

"Charming, here I am, injured, laying out in my hospital bed, no grapes, no sympathy, just a slap across the back of me head."

"And that's all you'll be getting you git." Draco smirked. "We're not stopping, we came to inspect the damage but seeing as your shagging fit, we'll leave you to your nurses."

"Actually you'll be doing me a good favour there mate cos there's this hot nurse offered to give me a sponge bath and..."

"ALRIGHT!" Draco shook his head. "That's all the information we need to know, we're going. Come on Granger." He turned grabbing Hermione's elbow and leading her away while Blaise waved at them, laughing to himself, thoroughly enjoying the situation.

As they exited the ward, a nurse stood outside the doors seemed to be adjusting herself so that her top exposed the tops of her breasts. Raising an eyebrow at the sight of Draco and Hermione leaving, she quickly made her way into the room. Hermione turned her head to see what she was doing, only to have Draco shake his head at her, implying that she really didn't want to see what was going to happen.

----------------

"No honestly Tracey he's fine, visiting hours are over but he should be home tomorrow, I'll have him owl you the second he walks through the door, now I have to be at work tomorrow so as lovely as it would be having your company tonight, I have to go to bed early. Alright luv, bye!"

Hermione poked her head around the corner, seeing Draco stood with his back to the front door, shaking his head and holding the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. She quirked her brow and whispered to him. "Has she gone?"

"Yes, thankfully. It's ok for you to come out now."

Sighing with the relief that Blaise's fiancee had finally left, Hermione ventured out of her hiding place, Tracey could be nice, be neither of them fancied spending an evening of her wailing about the fact that by the time she found out he was safe, it was too late to visit him. "It's been a long day, you should get some rest."

"I'm not doing anything before I've had a drink. Get me a bottle of ogdens will you? The good stuff."

Hermione nodded, going to retrieve a bottle of firewhiskey from the alcohol cabinet and taking it through to the living room for Draco who uncapped it as soon as it was in his hands and poured himself a large glass of the ruby coloured liquid. "Is it ok if I go to bed?"

"Sure." He sighed, he wasn't that used to being left to drink on his own, it seemed wrong not having Blaise there, it felt empty.

"Alright then, goodnight."

"Night..."

--------------------------------

Hermione's bedroom door flung open and she bolted upright, being awake very suddenly, she looked up to see the form of Draco Malfoy in her doorway. "Granger..."

-------------------------------

Author's Notes:

Oh, that's right, a two part chapter. Why? I hear you ask, well my dear readers, it's very simple, there's that much to this part that it's easier, (for me), to separate it. So the next part will be; Chapter 11 - Take it Easy (Love Nothing) Part 2

Hopefully you will ignore my madness and stick with me for it.

At this stage of the story, there's a few readers who I'd like to thank for all the reviews you keep leaving me. Honestly, keep it up because I love getting them and it keeps me going, I love to here everything you think about each chapter. I'm not being a review whore, I just really like hearing from my readers.

That in mind, thank you's go out to: fantasygirl26 (the superstar), ImperfectSilver, Aisling Malfoy and madam-obscure. You guys rock, you really do.

Sugar, when you get back from holidays, you've got a lot of catching up to do, I expect individual chapter reviews young lady... (Please?)

Next chapter will be along soon.