Author's Note: My goodness. Here's chapter 11. Hope you enjoy. Read and Review please. Thank You.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or songs used in this story.
Dumbledore led them up several flights of winding stairs to a corridor neither of them had even seen before. He stopped when they came to a large portrait of a wandering minstrel.
"I thought this particular portrait would be very appropriate for the two of you," he told them with a wink. "I shall leave the two of you to decide on your password and see to your quarters. There will be a meeting tomorrow in my office, the password is canary creams. Goodnight."
As he left Draco and Hermione turned back to the portrait. "Please pick a password, I need the password, without the password I can't let you in," the minstrel sang.
"I've got nothing. You pick one," Draco said.
Hermione pondered for a moment. "Canto alla vita," she announced. Draco looked at her curiously. "It means 'sing to life."
"Are you sure?" the portrait sang.
"Yes," Draco said. The portrait swung open to reveal a completely empty common room.
"That's odd," Hermione observed. On the floor there was a single piece of paper. "Oh, we get to pick everything."
"Tell you what, you do the common room, I'll take the kitchen."
She nodded and they both set to work. Around an hour later Draco called Hermione in to see the kitchen. It was beautiful and tasteful, with dark wood floors and cabinets and granite counter tops. It was already fully stocked with everything they could possibly want. They went out into the common room and Draco equally approved. The walls were a deep midnight blue and the furniture was soft leather to match.
"I guess now we do the bedrooms."
They separated and Hermione found the stark white of her large room much too sterile. With a wave of her wand she turned the walls a deep purple. There was a huge sleigh bed, matching vanity, dresser, and bookshelves. The comforter and pillows were a deep charcoal gray to coordinate with the walls. She unpacked a few of her things and went to check out the bathroom. Unhappy with the plainness she waved her wand and made the walls a pretty sky blue. She knocked on the door that led to Draco's room and came through when he gave her the okay. The walls were a lush emerald green, the furniture large but tasteful and the comforter jet black.
"It suits you," she told him.
"I suppose it does." He stepped through to look at her room and nodded in approval. "You should get some sleep. Go to bed and I'll see you in the morning."
Draco retreated, presumably to his room and Hermione went through the motions of getting ready for bed. After brushing her teeth and washing her face she plaited her thick hair into two braids and settled under her heavy covers in comfy pajamas. As she closed her eyes and began to drift off she was overcome by a feeling of intense contentment.
Around three in the morning Hermione was awakened by a strange dream. She couldn't seem to remember any of the details, but hard as she tried she couldn't manage to get back to sleep. Resigned, she went down the small set of stairs from her room in hopes that a glass of warm milk would help. When she reached the common room she was surprised to find Draco sitting on the couch with a book.
He heard her footsteps and turned. "What are you doing up?"
"I could ask you the same thing," she replied with a smile.
"I've never slept much. I was always taught that sleep was just another time for vulnerability, if you close your eyes to long something will catch up with you."
Hermione sat down next to him. That's terrible, I…" she trailed off on a yawn.
"You really need to go to bed," Draco said with a laugh.
"You shouldn't have to sit up all by yourself."
He smiled down at her. "Come here." He wrapped her in his arms and they lay down. He pressed a kiss to her temple. "I'll try to go to sleep if you will."
"Mmmhmm." Before long Hermione had drifted off to sleep, and against his better judgment he followed soon after.
When Hermione woke the next morning she was immediately aware of the fact that she most certainly was not in her bed. She opened her eyes and all she could see was black t-shirt. When she opened her eyes and saw Draco she couldn't suppress a smile. His arms were wrapped tightly around her, and for once he seemed completely relaxed. As Hermione watched him she couldn't help feeling amazed. When he slept he looked positively angelic, his hair falling in pieces around his face and his lips parted slightly. At the moment Hermione wanted nothing more than to snog him senseless. Giving into the urge she gently brushed her lips against his.
Draco's eyes, still blurry from sleep opened in surprise. "That's definitely not a bad way to wake up," he murmured, kissing her back.
After a while they pulled apart and simply sat, Hermione absently playing with his hair. "We'd better get up; we don't want to be late for the meeting with Dumbledore."
"I know, lets go."
The meeting was very straightforward, duties, patrolling schedules and so forth. Hermione and Draco went separately and left separately. After the meeting Hermione met up with Harry and Ginny. The youngest Weasley apologized profusely for her brother's asinine behavior.
"We're all so furious with him. Mum wouldn't even let him come home. That's why he spent the summer at Hogwarts. She and dad said that if he thought he was responsible enough to be a father, he was responsible enough to live on his own. We were all surprised that he decided to stay in school, even more that she did. Everyone hates them both for what they did to you, but they don't care. They're getting married in a big ceremony in front of the school later on, they just don't realize the only reason anyone's coming is to mock and throw things."
"That's certainly interesting," Hermione muttered.
"Oh I'm sorry Hermione; I didn't mean to upset you."
"Don't worry about it Ginny, I'm over it. He can have whatever his black little heart desires." No sooner than the words were out of her mouth she found herself flat on her bum. "Why can't people just watch where they're going?" she asked as Harry helped her to her feet. She turned around only to come face to face with a large group of Slytherins, Draco Malfoy at the head. They both froze, with no clue what to do.
Fortunately, or unfortunately, Pansy spoke up. "Are you going to let that filthy little mudblood treat you like that Drakey?" she screeched, hanging off of him all the while.
Draco's jaw clenched, hating what he had to do. "Watch where you're going mudblood."
Hermione felt as if she was burning up from the inside. "Bugger off Malfoy!" She pushed past the group with Harry and Ginny hot on her heels. When Ginny caught up she grabbed Hermione by the arm and pulled her to an abrupt halt.
"What was that all about?" she asked.
Hermione shook her head. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"You know exactly what I'm talking about. Draco Malfoy has been talking to you like that for years. It stopped affecting you that way a long time ago."
"I…" She turned to Harry for help.
He shook his head. "You two should talk, I'll see you at breakfast."
After Harry left Ginny simply stared at her friend. "I know there's something going on Hermione; I saw it in his eyes. He didn't want to say that any more than you wanted to hear it. Please tell me Hermione, you know you can trust me."
"You have to promise not to tell a soul." Ginny nodded eagerly and Hermione pulled her into an empty classroom.
Ginny was practically bursting. "I knew it, there's something going on between the two of you! Are you sleeping together?"
"God Ginny, no we are not sleeping together. We've just been seeing each other."
"How on earth did that happen?"
"We went to the same camp, it just sort of continued on from there," she said with a smile.
"Well it's good to see you smile again. Does Harry know?"
She sighed. "Yeah, he knows. He's not all that thrilled, but he's okay as long as I'm happy. What do you think?"
Ginny grinned. "I'm thrilled for you! Do you have any idea how many girls in this school would kill to be in your position?"
"I do, but I don't know whether to be worried or feel special."
"Feel special. Hermione… Is he a good kisser?" Hermione only laughed and headed out of the room with Ginny trailing behind her. "Oh come on Hermione, please. Oh come on please!"