Song of the Chapter: Daylight by Maroon 5
Hermione Granger was going to kill Cormac McLaggen. Painfully.
During a Quidditch match, he had swung at Harry's head with the Beater's bat and cracked his skull. Hermione nervously held Harry's hand as she waited for him to wake up. Madame Pomfrey mended his skull, thankfully, but still had to bandage the top half of his head. And now, her, Ron, and Ginny nervously waited for him to wake up.
They did the same thing for Ron when he was in the Hospital Wing just a few days earlier from being poisoned. It was at the same time, while holding Ron's hand, when she realized how much she really loved him. But at the same time, it wasn't the love she had felt just a few months before. No, this love was special, because it was love for a friend. And the feeling of having that, it made her accept that they will always be friends, and she would be just fine with that.
Just then, Harry shifted slightly in his bed. Hermione turned excitedly to her other friends and looked back at Harry, who's eyes had begun to open. "He's waking up," Ron mumbled next to him.
"Ugh, my head," Harry moaned, "What happened?"
"You took a bat to the head during the match, and your skull cracked," Ron explained, "Bloody wanker, Cormac. Tried to show up Jimmy Peakes at his own game, ended up taking his bat and knocking you off your broom."
"Well, at least this was only temporary," Harry tried to say as politely as possible, "He got detention, right?" They all laughed a little before a few more people appeared from behind the curtain. "Oy, look everyone, he's awake!" Seamus Finnigan exclaimed. A crowd of Gryffindors had all started chattering about around Harry. Hermione, giving Harry an apologetic look, gave him a quick goodbye and exited the crowded curtain.
She made her way around the crowd and out the door. She felt happy knowing that Harry was okay, but dreadfully sorry that he had to deal with all those Gryffindors. She smiled regardlessly and turned the corner towards her common room. But just then, she saw something out of the corner of her eye. A door had appeared out of nowhere, on the wall that was usually bare.
Hermione moved towards the door curiously before it opened a crack, and then came the head of Draco exiting out of it. The door again disappeared before her eyes, as Draco walked away mysteriously.
What was Draco doing in the Room of Requirement? She had heard that the room was now used for storage. Curiously she followed Draco's path into the next hall. She saw him sit down on the bench in the courtyard and rest his head against the stone wall. Checking if no students were about, she made her way over to him and sat down on the bench.
"Hey stranger," she greeted. Draco jumped in surprise but relaxed when he saw her. "I didn't see you there," he said.
"I just got back from the Hospital Wing," she explained.
"Yeah, I heard Potter got knocked off his broom or something," he scoffed, "Wouldn't have been the first time."
She nudged him in the side and added, "Hey, Harry's a great Quidditch player. Cormac just wasn't watching where he hit, is all."
"Cormac is an idiot who can't play if his life depended on it. You Gryffindors were better off not having a Keeper at all. And losing to Hufflepuff? Pfft, pitiful."
"Yeah, it was pretty strange watching Hufflepuff cheer at the end of the match, but our team won't let it happen again." Hermione smiled and stared into her lap. Draco looked both ways before wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her closer to him. Hermione leaned against him and rested her head on his shoulder. "You really should come back to Quidditch, Draco. Someone needs to put Hufflepuff back in their place," Hermione commented.
"You know I can't," Draco said sadly. Hermione looked at him questioningly before he gave her a knowing look. "Oh," she stated, "But that shouldn't really stop you from playing, right?"
"It already has." Hermione immediately saw the look of sorrow on his face. Draco really did seem to miss Quidditch, but she guessed that his new "lifestyle" might prevent him from doing things he might want. Hermione lightly took his chin and brought his lips to hers in a soft kiss. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up," she apologized.
"It's fine."
Hermione decided to change the subject by asking, "So, did you do your Potions assignment yet?"
"No, not yet."
"Well it's due on Monday," she mentioned.
Draco stayed silent until Hermione added, "Would you believe me if I told you I didn't it start it either?" The look of mock shock on Draco's face caused her to giggle. "Hermione Granger, legendary Gryffindor, bookworm and scholar, didn't do her Potions assignment, which is due in two days? The birds must have stopped flying as well..." Draco mocked.
"Ha, don't make fun. I was going to do it tonight in the library." Draco nodded and Hermione continued, "Would you like to join me?"
"I don't really do work, anymore..." Draco explained, noting Hermione's immediate disappointment, "But I guess I could do the work. Just this once."
Hermione suddenly smiled and hugged him, "Thank you! So I'll see you tonight!" She stood up and skipped away. That witch, she tricked me, he thought. Another thing about Hermione, she can really, really, get under your skin.
Draco calmly walked to the library, with books in hand. It wasn't the first time he had ever secretly went to see Hermione, but this time was different. He didn't like to say the word but...she was kind of his...girlfriend now. They saw each other more frequently and kissed on several occasions.
Oh bloody hell, I sound like a girl, he thought.
As he walked, he couldn't help but get the eerie feeling he was being watched. It might just be the paintings, but he could have sworn he felt someone behind him. He turned around abruptly and thought of casting the snake spell again, but thought against it. Hermione was probably waiting for him and he didn't want to be late.
Oh yes, Hermione is definitely turning me into a girl.
Entering the library, he made his way over to the desk her and the rest of the Trio sat at. The same place where he had left her that note earlier in the year. And as expected, she sat there among her piles of books and parchments. "Of course, we'd be the only ones here on a Saturday night," Draco announced himself.
She looked up at him and smiled, "Hello to you too, Draco." As he sat down, he sarcastically commented, "Wow, I must be the first person to infiltrate the Golden Trio's place of hiding."
"That is true, you are the lucky one," she mocked and leaned over to kiss him lightly on the lips, "So, I've already started my first few paragraphs. I thought that these books might help." She pushed her pile of books towards him, while Draco examined the covers. The essay was on the Amortentia potion they had seen the other day. "And before you ask, no I will not do your essay for you," Hermione mentioned.
"I bet you get that a lot."
"Like you wouldn't believe," she joked.
"I'll be fine. In case you haven't noticed, I am second in our class," Draco gloated.
"Really?" Hermione asked.
"Don't sound too surprised, Hermione."
"I thought you said you don't really do work anymore."
"Well," Draco thought aloud, "Not anymore, but at one point I did!" he pointed out. Hermione giggled and went back to her work while Draco opened up Magical Drafts and Potions. The two worked in comfortable silence on their essays for the majority of the night. It was during this time that Draco could secretly watch her work. Whenever she was in deep thought, her eyebrows would furrow and whenever she was skeptical about something, she'd bite with her lips at the end of her quill. Whenever she got frustrated, she'd but her hair up in a ponytail, and then later remove the elastic band. It was quite nice just being with her in such a calm setting.
But there was always the thought at the back of his mind which kept him grounded. He constantly thought about how long this would last before she went back to hating him again. He didn't want to have to face her when she would find out that he has to kill him. It practically pained him to be near her with that dreaded plan. It wasn't fair to her that she didn't know, and it wasn't fair to himself to develop more feelings for her each passing day.
But, then again, this is what she wanted. She told him to follow what he believes and not think about his involvement with the Dark Lord. So, in a way, he was doing this for her. Or at least that's what he told himself from driving completely insane.
Just then, Hermione yawned, which broke his reverie. "We've been here a long time, haven't we?" she stated.
"Sort of," Draco agreed with nonchalance.
"We should probably stop here for the night. If you want, maybe we can do this again tomorrow," she suggested.
"Yeah, okay." Hermione stood and, with her wand, shelved all their books on the open shelves. Draco shook his hair with his hand and yawned tiredly. He hadn't realized just how tired he was, especially with all of what was on his mind. "You okay?" Hermione asked, sitting down on the table, facing him.
"Yeah, just tired. I haven't really stayed up this late just to do homework."
She reached for his hand and held it within her own, and said, "Thank you, for staying up with me."
"It's not like we haven't before," he pointed out, "But, your welcome." He stood up, took her chin in his hand, and drew her lips to his own. He kissed her gently and pulled her closer, savoring the feel of her against him.
Suddenly, a stack of books fell somewhere behind them, causing Draco to jump away from her. "What was that?" Hermione asked, "Is someone there?" Draco rounded the corner with his wand, only to find the fallen books. "Is anyone there?" he called out, but no reply.
"Do you think someone saw us?" Hermione asked, coming up to him from behind.
"No, I don't think so," he replied, whilst picking up the books. But Draco couldn't help but feel like the person that might have followed him was still around, and he/she might have seen them. He didn't want to worry Hermione, but if someone did see them together, he wouldn't be surprised to find the message being spread around Hogwarts like wildfire.
Harry laid sleeping in his bed in the Hospital Wing, with his head still tightly bandaged. But just then, POP. The loud sound of apparition echoed in the thankfully empty wing. Harry immediately woke up and was startled by the presence of two house-elves, Kreacher and Dobby.
"Dobby and Kreacher are terribly sorry for waking Harry Potter at this time bu-"
"Dobby? Kreacher? What are you doing here? Is it urgent?" Harry answered groggily.
Then the two house elves started talking at the same time, each muttering incoherent words. "Wait, what? One at a time. Dobby, whisper. Ugh," Harry groaned defeatedly. "Shhhh," Harry shushed, "Must you two talk so loud? Madame Pomfrey is in the next room and you guys can't be here."
"Oh no, Dobby has maddened Harry Potter..."
"No wait, Dobby, just, don't cry, ju- Dobby I didn't me- Ugh, never mind. Kreacher, what is it? I told you two to follow Malfoy. What'd he do?"
"Draco Malfoy is a filthy blood traitor, fraternizing with a mudblood. A pureblood like Mr. Malfoy should not be lowering himself to such filth."
"Wait what? That's what he's been doing? That's not important, Kreacher. Has he done anything suspicious?"
"Harry Potter doesn't understand," Dobby blubbered.
"What don't I understand?"
"Young Mr. Malfoy wasn't just kissing any muggleborn, Sir."
"So then who? Why is this important?"
"It was the mudblood," Kreacher finally added, "The one you call, friend."