Chapter 10: Transference

Hermione slowly reached for the letter and looked up at him. Wait, it really does exist? I mean- he was under the serum when he told me- I keep forgetting that.

He looked visibly nervous and sat waiting.

"Oh! Did you want me to read it… right now?"

"Well I mean- you don't have to… it wasn't like… I - You can read it later if you want."

Hermione studied his nervous reaction, and decided she quite liked watching Draco Malfoy stumble over his words. He appeared vulnerable again, like when he was sleeping peacefully in his bed.

"Okay, how about you go over there and let me read it alone? After all, that was how it was intended to be read the first time, right?"

Draco nodded and slowly stood up, watching her as he shoved his hands into his pockets. She was examining the envelope and then noticed he was still there, stalling. "Go! I want to read it!"

Grimacing, he walked away to the counter to fidget and clean his potion tools, though he glanced up to see her reactions every so often. While he waited, he took note of the Veritaserum that Hermione had been brewing, and to keep busy, he checked on its progress.

Over on the couch, Hermione carefully opened the envelope like a lost relic, finding an old parchment paper inside. There looked to be the remains of a red wax-seal that had crumbled from years of wear and tear. Glanced back to where Draco was, she saw that he was thankfully keeping busy by taking notes in his journal, so she quickly brought the parchment to her nose to inhale the letter.

It smelled good to her. She noted an added hint of jasmine, probably from being stored in his bag for so long. It made her think about how long he must have had to keep such a thing a secret, in an emergency bag. What else does he keep in there?

She carefully unfolded the parchment and opened the letter to its full length. At a glance she recognized his writing, though it was slightly less tidy. A smaller note was also attached, and she noticed there were some drawings near the edges, which made her giggle quietly.

Back in the kitchen area, Draco heard Hermione's faint giggle, Oh Merlin, it's open. At least something in there is funny to her. I hope she doesn't find it offensive.

Hermione adjusted herself on the couch, tucking her legs under her and fully engaged in the letter:

Dear Granger,

I was bored and decided to write to you. I thought that maybe next year I would try to be nicer to you because you're pretty clever and could use an equally clever friend. I think Potter and Weasley are a bit dim-witted and you are probably bored of them by now. I could also give you flying lessons. You did not seem that skilled in our flying lessons.

What do Muggles do over summer break?

I will probably be traveling somewhere grand like Paris this year.

Okay, have a good summer,

Draco Lucius Malfoy

Hermione raised her eyebrows, wondering what her younger self would have thought about this letter. Would I have responded? ...Yes... She'd had a small crush on Draco when she first met him, thinking he was some prince from the magical world she had not yet heard of.

She focused on the extra small parchment attached:

Coupon Good for One Free Flying Lesson.

Younger Draco had drawn decorative designs around the words, making it appear like a fancy movie ticket. He made me a coupon for a flying lesson?

The letter had obviously been written by the arrogant Draco she recalled, but she could not help but find it endearing. She then looked over at the scratchy ink drawings in the margins of the letter.

In one, the Sorting Hat was making a funny face and shouting out 'Gryffindor.' Then, what she assumed was a stick-figure drawing of her with a triangle body for a dress and crazy, twirly hair in all directions, contained a sad face. Am I supposed to be sad that I got sorted into Gryffindor? Looking at it critically, she thought, Of course I am characterized by my messy hair!

On the other side of the letter there was a second drawing, of a stick-figure boy flying on a broom, which she assumed was a smiling Draco.

This concluded the letter.

Hermione scanned it over a few more times. She felt special, as if her younger self had just received that letter.

Draco anxiously waited, wondering why she was taking so long. After a few more minutes, Hermione called, "Okay, I'm done!"

Draco exhaled and apprehensively made his way back over, not taking his eyes off her. He wanted to know what she thought, as if he had only written it yesterday. He sat across from her this time, in the mangy armchair, in order to get a good look at her reaction.

"So, you think I need a flying lesson, huh? And I am also just so sad to having been sorted into Gryffindor?"

Draco was relieved to see she was taking it lightly. He attempted to hide any blushing embarrassment with a grin, "Well, have you learned to fly yet? That has no expiration date on it."

"Yes! And I'm not 'great' because I have a fear of flying!"

"Well that, I do not have a coupon for."

Hermione nodded, "I enjoyed the letter. I think… I would have written you back..."

"Really?"

"Well, why not? Though, I might have hesitated because you were enemies with Harry and Ron in first year. At the very least, I would have responded just to put you in your place, or maybe not, who knows. At least I would have been writing to someone at all! Harry and Ron weren't all that responsive to letters."

Draco pointed to the letter. "Well, that is because they're dim-witted."

Hermione had to laugh. It was strange that Draco, a childhood nemesis, had been all too eager to write to her, while her closest friends had been lacking. She had always felt that she had tried harder to be friends with Harry and Ron than they had with her - but here, in this letter, a younger Draco had actually made an effort to befriend her, even despite all their aggression.

Reflecting on these thoughts, Hermione grew calm, "If we had been friends-"

Draco quickly cut her off, "It wouldn't have lasted."

Offended, Hermione stared at him. Did he mean I would not be good enough for him, or the other way around?

Following her thought process, he continued before she could allow her thoughts to spiral out of control, "I mean, look at what happened to the letter in the first place. It was taken. Even if we became friends, my parents would have found out and punished me or something. And the Dark Lord was slowly rising and obviously succeeded in his power… you wouldn't have been safe being my friend."

Hermione exhaled, placing the letter beside her on the couch. I wonder how long he's thought that? It frustrated her that the Voldemort had this type of control over everyone's fate. Looking up at Draco, she met his eyes, "All the more reason we need to take this arsehole down."

Draco's eyes grew wide. He had never seen this side of Hermione, at least when it was not aimed at him. He nodded, "I hope we can. But for now, let's get something to eat, then you need to rest after."

She tucked the letter into her bag and followed her new friend to the kitchen, with a different perspective.

Hermione decided to make a small cooked meal for them, figuring it was the least she could do after all of Draco's efforts. As she took out all of the ingredients for roasted vegetables with chicken, Draco watched with intrigue. Reaching for one of the kitchen knives to begin cutting up the vegetables, it took her a moment to remember that she had her wand now.

As she reached for it, Draco interjected, "We really shouldn't be using too much magic… unless it's for your potions and for sure… your hair. Besides, I want to see you use the knife."

Hermione had fixed her hair at her first opportunity so that it was much softer, with wavy curls she could actually wear down. When she glared at him, Draco snickered, but really, she was taking this opportunity to watch his lips and his smile. He had a small amount of stubble that highlighted his lips and she imagined for a second what it would be like to kiss them. Resolving that he probably did not reciprocate that feeling, she scolded herself over her small fantasy.

Trying to focus instead on his comment, she brandished both the knife and her wand, "This time I have two weapons in hand and yet again, you choose to insult me. Brave or dumb? I really don't know."

Draco only shrugged.

Hermione shook her head, but as requested, she continued to use the knife to chop the vegetables. She sensed that he was watching her and glanced up to confirm that he was. "Is this odd for you to see? Using a knife?

"It's not odd but I don't often get to witness it for cooking. You're pretty skilled there."

She smiled going back to her focus and Draco continued to watch her make the whole dinner the Muggle way. He imagined what her life would be like outside of Hogwarts in her own personal home. Questions he was not ready to bother her with like; do they teach Muggle children to cook at a young age? Does it take up time for which they could be learning other things? What else do they do that houseleves usually tend to?

Once it was ready to eat and Hermione had got it on a plate at the table, Draco took a bite and admired how good it tasted. "Not bad, Granger. I had no idea you had a talent for cooking, maybe it's something for you to fall back on."

She understood that he was mocking her for her Quidditch comment from the other day, but could not help imagining it from his point of view. To him, this talent was probably no better than a house elf. Attempting to quell her usual speech about house elves, she only remained quiet.

"I'm kidding, Granger. Everyone knows you have many talents..." looking up at her, he mumbled the rest, "besides flying."

Hermione teasingly picked up a carrot from her plate and threw it at him, where it bounced off of his shoulder before falling to the floor.

"You can't just compliment someone can you? There's always a sassy remark to follow!"

"Ha, I guess I've never noticed. But being such a good friend I'm sure you'll forgive me."

Hermione smiled to herself and shook her head, admiring is table etiquette in every bite, unlike Ron ever had been. She guessed that he had obtained proper table mannerisms from his upbringing.

After they finished their dinner, Hermione decided to take a vial of the blue-tinted potion to help her relax.

"I'm off to bed," she announced. "Hopefully, with your additives to the potion, I'll sleep without any disruptions."

Draco nodded, "Okay, Granger, goodnight."

They both departed to their separate bed areas, switched off their tent lights, and closed their curtains for privacy while they settled to sleep.

As Draco changed into his pajamas, he remembered to cover the Dark Mark on his forearm. This was as much because he preferred not to look at it himself, as a precaution in case Hermione should wake up again like last night. It was too warm to wear long sleeves, so he had to think of what to accio from his bag before recalling he had an emergency kit. Summoning it, he wrapped some medical tape around his forearm to cover the mark. As he pulled the tape around his forearm, the mark slowly disappearing, he thought, She's finally read that letter, and she liked it! It's strange not to have it any more. Is she finally trusting me? I honestly thought it would take longer. How is she so forgiving? I've never been around someone so… there isn't even a word for it.

He finished his wrapping and placed the leftover tape inside, before it occurred to him what else he had in his bag, though he had forgotten what the exact name of it was.

He reached in, pushing aside a multitude of things. He could hear the sound of all kinds of loose change clinking around, and wished he had separated the Muggle money from the magic. Finally, his hands landed on what he was looking for and he pulled the items out and studied them, smiling to himself. It was something else from his childhood that he could share with her, but this would be something they can both have now. Satisfied and looking forward to the next day, he quietly drew open his curtains before he rolled over to sleep, not wanting anything more dividing them.

After a few hours of sleep, Draco woke abruptly. He took a deep breath, wondering what the noise was this time until there was a bright blue flash from behind Hermione's curtains. He quickly got up, grabbed his wand, and went directly to her bed.

He paused, listening. Another flash of the blue light, even brighter this time, was accompanied by her scream and the shaking of her bed.

Another nightmare! What is she doing, casting spells in her sleep?

He cautiously opened the curtains to find Hermione in the corner again, wand in hand with her other arm guarding her head. Draco thought about what to do, since he did not want her hitting him with a spell. She was hardly aware of his presence so he cast a disarming charm to relieve her of her wand. It flew out of her hand and he caught it. Her screaming flared up again, and she now had both hands over her head as if she were blocking a dragon's fire.

"Granger, you're having another bad dream, it's okay, you're safe."

She heard his voice and instantly stopped screaming. He removed her hands from her head, and noted that she appeared to be coming back to reality.

Breathing hard, Hermione glanced around, her eyes landing Draco. Even without much light, she could see his light hair in the darkness. "Draco? Is that you?"

Switching on a small tent light, he answered, "Yes, it's me. You okay?"

She looked around and nodded. "Was I? ...Nightmare?"

"You nearly hexed me. I have your wand, but maybe it would be safer to put it away while you sleep."

She nodded; while her breathing had settled, the nightmare was still fresh in her mind.

"Granger, are you okay to go back to sleep?"

She looked up at him and stared. Though she felt exhausted, going back to sleep was the last thing she wanted to do right now. When she did not respond, he began to turn away. She stopped him with a whisper, "Draco… can you stay?"

Draco's heart rate sped up. Of course he would stay, he would probably do anything if she asked him. After a moment's hesitation, he replied, "Yes."

She looked relieved. "Thanks, sorry I woke you up again. The nightmare is still fresh in my head..."

Unsure if she wanted him to stand there, pull up a chair, sit beside her, or lay down, Draco opted to sit on the edge of the bed and wait for her to give him a cue.

For a moment, Hermione felt foolish when she saw that Draco was politely hanging halfway outside of her bed, but was distracted when she noticed a bandage around his arm. First, she worried that maybe he had been hurt, but then remembered what was under it. She looked down at her own scar on her forearm and took a deep breath.

Draco followed her eye to her arm, "Need to wrap that up?"

She looked up at him quickly, then nodded. It was not painful, but seeing it right then reminded her of the nightmare. Draco turned toward his bed to summon the medical tape, then turned to back hand it to her. To his surprise, she stretched out her arm. Glancing up at her, he shifted closer. It was strange; the night before, he had been completely in her bed, and he had also carried her many times, but this time, she was asking for him to be next to her. She expected a friend, and it made him more nervous than ever.

He unraveled some tape and held her arm with one hand, wrapping it gently around her scar with his other, forgetting that this could all be done with his wand. When he was done, he lifted his head slightly to admire his work.

"There, now we match," he announced, shifting right beside to her and touching his own wrapped forearm to hers. He looked up to see if she approved, and finding her smile, he felt proud that he had made her feel that way.

Hermione studied her forearm, nervously avoiding his eyes. He had never this close to her, not even when he had carried her so many times before. For some reason, this seemed to be by far the most intimate they had been. "Thank you, Draco."

When she glanced up at him, she found him already gazing at her. In a soft, unspoken moment between them, she could feel the connection of his body leaning against hers, and the ease and intensity of being near him this way.

Slowly dropping his arm, he cleared his throat and whispered, "You should probably get some rest, Granger."

Hermione looked from his eyes to his mouth as he spoke, as if she could not have heard him unless she watched his lips move. She managed a nod in agreement, her heart racing again, but this time it was not from nightmares.

It took everything for Draco not to kiss her. He chastised himself for even thinking it, She asked me to stay out of fear, not for me to snog her! He moved away to allow a sliver of space between them in the medium-sized bed, just large enough for two people to lay a pillow between them. He stayed sitting up, leaning on the back wall and watching her as she hesitantly lay down onto her side.

"I'll be right here."

Draco had never shared a space with someone like this before and so far, it felt easy and comfortable.

He used his wand to switch off the light, and held both of their wands together. Leaning his head back, he checked intermittently to see if she had fallen to sleep, and wondered if he would be able to get any rest like this. It took a while, but eventually Draco could sense when Hermione had fallen asleep, as her breathing became a steady rhythm and her energy had dulled. Closing his eyes, he made an attempt at resting himself, and after a long while, the sound of her breathing caused him to doze off.

He woke himself back up when he felt his head drop quickly to the side. It took him a moment to remember where he was, until he looked down at the sleeping form that was Hermione. Though he was groggy, the logical side of his brain recognized, I'll never sleep sitting up this way. I wonder if it would be wrong of me to lay down... Would that creep her out? Maybe if I move as far away as possible? Her bed is a decent size to leave some room between us...

Too tired to rationalize his actions any further, he slumped down into a lying position as far as he could be to the edge of the bed. Turning slowly onto his stomach so as not to disturb her, he realized, I'm lying down next to Hermione Granger.

Draco smiled to himself and slowly fell back asleep. For the rest of the night, they slept soundly next to one another without any interrupting nightmares.

Eventually, Hermione awoke, as morning sunlight entered the room. She could sense that something was different, and when she turned, she saw Draco on his stomach, asleep and facing toward her. She froze before recalling that she had asked him to stay.

She did not really know what to do in that moment, but at least her legs were working. Shifting to sit up and leaned against the back of the bed, Hermione took a quick study of Draco as he slept. His right arm was under a pillow which his head was lying on top of, and his other arm, the one wrapped in bandages, was by his side holding both of their wands. She looked down at her own forearm, finding it was still wrapped up as well, and it made her smile.

She watched as he breathed quietly through his nose, and was very tempted to touch his hair as some strands had fallen into his eyes. Resisting the urge, she continued to observe him. His T-shirt had bunched up, exposing some of his lower back and she felt a bit sheepish when she glanced lower toward his bum. The plaid lines on his blue pajama bottoms seemed to trace every curve of him down to his legs.

By Godric's sword, give me strength: he's beautiful. And... he's in my bed. I have never had someone sleep in my bed before. Bringing her fingernail to her mouth, she had to stop herself from nibbling it off. There was a moment last night where I thought he could possibly kiss me, or me him, but he stopped it. Maybe he just doesn't feel that way about me. Or maybe he was being polite because I'd just had a nightmare. She buried her hands in her face. I need to calm down… but Draco Malfoy is in my bed! She peeked between her fingers to look at him again. Is he even slightly interested in me? I wish I could just... just touch him. Why do I feel like he is untouchable? He's just a guy! No, he's different... and he smells so good...

Draco's cologne had most definitely added a pleasant aroma to her bed space. He had his own scent though too, and she enjoyed the combination of both. She felt strangely safer next to him and wondered if maybe his presence had helped her sleep. Oddly, she could not figure out how she had fallen asleep at all.

My legs are fine right now, but maybe I can pretend they aren't. That would add a few more days with him... just to get to know him better.

Then, Hermione was filled with guilt again: while she was sitting here gushing over Draco and resting in this peaceful place, there was a war going on out there.

Just the other day she had been searching for ways to shorten her time here, to go find Harry and Ron, but now all she wanted to do was be here in this haven, with Draco.

Her mind filled with thoughts of Ron and their tempestuous relationship. Though there might have been something between them, she could not help but think that whatever it was, was never as deep or intense as the feelings she had building for Draco. As her friend, Ron felt safe, but when she began developing feelings for him, she felt constantly rejected and let down. Moments with Ron were met mostly with frustration and wanting things that he might never be able to give her. Looking back now, it was not really his fault... maybe he was just not her match.

But what if Draco doesn't feel that way about me, or ever would? Maybe I'm being foolish, but there is something between us... something more... I can feel it.