Chapter 13: A Night to Remember
"Have a nice night!" Hermione called cheerily to the last customers of the day. She managed to hold the smile until the door shut, then her face fell with a sigh. It had been two incredibly long days. Thank goodness Oliver had agreed to take her shift the next day. She didn't think she could handle coming in again so soon after so many hours work with so little sleep. Sighing again, she began to do the closing preparations for the store.
As it did so often over the past two days, Hermione's mind wandered to Draco. She hadn't had time to owl him. The school shopping season had started, and customers were nearly constant. She also hadn't received one from him, not that she thought she would. She wondered how the potion screenings had gone, and more importantly how he was doing. What she had witnessed was certainly not something that would easily be forgotten by either of them. Those kinds of dreams stick with you for days. And most of all, she worried about what was going through his head about her baring witness to his distraught. Though he had obviously changed a great deal, he was still a Malfoy. Emotions were expected to be kept in check in that family. He was probably worried she would think less of him. Oh, if only he realized that was the farthest thing from the truth.
Well, she thought, she would just have to make her point again tomorrow. Tomorrow, she smiled as she walked to the door. She would see him again tomorrow. As she locked the door behind her, memoreis flooded back. She remembered the way he had touched her when he came out of the dream, their embrace, their intertwined hands in the morning, and who's death he thought he saw that had gotten him so upset. She tried not to see any meaning behind it, but it was hard not to hope.
"I thought that was you," a voice drawled behind her.
Hermione whipped around, staring into a familiar scowling face. "Inchworm," she whispered to herself.
"Still sleeping in the bed of snakes, or did the love potion wear off?" The man sneered.
"There is no love potion," Hermione said in exasperation. "Now, if you'll excuse me."
The wizard stepped in front of her. "Don't tell me you're going to see the Death Eater."
"First of all," she said huffily, "he is not a Death Eater. Perhaps if you knew how to read you would have picked up on that fact. Second of all, it is none of your business where I am going or who I am spending my time with. Now move out of my way.
"Don't you know what they've done? How many people they've killed?" he spat.
"Death Eaters did those things, and as we have already been through a number of times, he is not one of them," Hermione said, once again trying to move past him.
The man scoffed. "The Dark Mark in on his arm. He is a direct relation to the worst of them. I've heard the rumors, read the papers." He leaned forward and whispered darkly, "You were in their Manor, weren't you?"
The blood drained from Hermione's face. Her heartbeat quickened. She wanted to fire off a witty retort, but her mouth was suddenly very dry.
The wizard leaned back, nodding. "That's what I thought. I had a friend once. He was at the wrong place at the wrong time. Just wanted to pick up a bottle of wine for a gift. Ran into your boyfriend's aunt and her cronies. Care to take a guess what happened to him?"
Hermione shook her head, trying desperately to regain control of herself.
"She tortured him," he continued. "Just because she could, just because he was there and she was in a foul mood. Crucio after crucio until his body gave out. I was two stores down and heard the screams. And you willingly hang around with that slime?"
Clenching her hands to stop them from trembling she said, "Draco is not his aunt."
"They're cut from the same cloth!" He fired viciously. "You of all people should know!" He lowered his voice, leaning in once more. "How long were you tortured? Did your boyfriend try to save you?" He paused, watching her rapid breathing. "I thought not."
"You know NOTHING!" Hermione snapped. "You were not there. Don't you dare stand there giving me some grand speech about the way things are when you don't have to slightest clue. I realize that it might be too much for your feeble mind to handle, but everything is not black and white. There were Death Eaters who came from families with absolutely no ties to the dark arts, and people who ran from their dark families and fought with the light. In case you didn't notice, and judging by the intelligence you have shown thus far I would say it's a safe bet you didn't, that was the whole bloody point of the war! Blood does name make a person better or worse. People make their own choices and it's about time you get your head out of your arse and see that!" She forcefully pushed past the wizard, moving quickly down the road before turning on the spot.
Moments later she was standing in her flat, heart racing. On instinct she intensified the wards already set and did a quick search thought her rooms.
'Calm down', she told herself.' Don't let him get to you.' Closing her eyes, she took several deep breaths. A cup of tea is what she needed. That man was trying to make her break, and she couldn't allow it.
Absently she filled her favorite cup with water, charmed it to the right temperature and tossed in her tea bag. Hermione supped the soothing liquid, trying to clear the images of torture from her head.
Why did that stupid man have to be there? And why did he have to bring up that woman? She had been having a perfectly boring day until he showed up. She chided herself for having any reaction at all. This is exactly what he wanted. That was years ago now, and she was dead. Dead! Why couldn't she just get over it already, she thought, almost breaking her tea cup by slamming it in the sink. Determined not to let him win, she changed into her pajamas and got into bed.
Draco cast a quick tempus. 2:43 am. It had been fifteen minutes since the last time he checked. He had been laying there starting at the ceiling for nearly three hours. In a few more hours Hermione would be there, and he was nervous. He wasn't sure how to act after his breakdown. He wasn't sure how she would act. Would she pretend the whole thing never happened? Would she expect a discussion? Would she even be able to look him in the eye?
Draco wasn't entirely sure which option would be worse. As a Malfoy, he was trained in the art of pretending nothing happened. But that would also mean the more...tender moments never happened either, and he had yet to decide if that was something he was willing to give up. A discussion would delve into areas that would probably make him look even more like a lovesick fool. And well, if she couldn't even look him in the eye he didn't know what he would do. It would be like a dagger to the heart. Not that he would blame her after the display he put on.
With a sigh, he grabbed his wand and got out of bed to make himself a cup of tea. Perhaps something warm would be enough to lull him to sleep so he could stop worrying for a few hours.
He had just reached the kitchen when he heard a familiar popping sound. On instinct he whispered nox and crept towards the door. Pressing his ear to the door, he listened, his heart racing. Mentally he went through the list of Death Eaters that were still unaccounted for. The list was thankfully short now, and he was almost certain even the highest ranking of them didn't know of this cabin's existence. Taking a deep breath, he threw open the door and was immediately frozen in shock.
Standing on his doorstep clad only in blue pajama bottoms and a black tank top stood Hermione Granger. Draco just stood there, unsure if what he was seeing was real.
Hermione swallowed, looking up at him with watery eyes. "It's your turn," she whispered.
Without another word Draco stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her. Sobs began to shake her body as she clung to him.
"Shhh, it's ok," Draco whispered, stroking her hair. "Come on, let's go sit." Grabbing her hand, he led the way to the sofa. Gently he sat them down and leaned back, once again wrapping his arms around her. They sat like that for a long time, Hermione curled into his side while he held her, resting his cheek on her head. Eventually the sobs began to stop. Slowly she looked up.
"Thanks," she said, giving him a weak smile.
"No problem," he answered, wiping away a few stray tears from her cheek.
She laid her head back on his shoulder. "It was that man," she whispered. "The one from outside the apothecary."
Hermione could feel his whole body tense. "What did he do?" He asked darkly.
"No, nothing like that," she said sitting up to look him in the eye. "Nothing much really. He just sort of showed up when I was closing up the shop. He was behind me and started in with the normal stay away from him nonsense, but then he mentioned B-Bellatrix and how she tortured his friend to death. I tried to block it out before I went to bed, but-" Tears were running down her cheeks again. "Oh Draco, it was awful," she whispered. "It was like the whole thing was happening again, but this time when she was done with me, she moved on to you. Then I woke up, and I just—I'm sorry I came here to late, but I just couldn't be there anymore."
Draco looked at her seriously. "Don't apologize. You can come here any time, day or night, ok? I don't care if you think I am sleeping, I will wake up. I know how awful it is to deal with that alone," he smiled. His face quickly darkened. "But I am going to find that asshole and-"
"No!" Hermione cut him off, placing her hand on his chest. "Really, he didn't even do anything. It was just that name... Besides, then you would just be proving his point for him. Really Draco, don't, okay?"
"Fine," he grumbled, looking down in a huff. His breath caught in his throat. Her arm. She always had it covered, but now it was in full view.
Tentatively Draco reached, gently taking her arm in his hand. He felt her stiffen slightly, but she didn't pull away. Slowly he moved his hand to touch the letters emblazoned there. His fingertips caressed the scar with a feather light touch, shooting shivers up and down her spine.
Draco raised his head, looking deeply into her eyes almost pleadingly. "You know this doesn't mean anything, " he said in a near whisper, laying a hand over the cursed word.
Reaching forward, Hermione gently took his arm and mimicked his gesture, placing her hand over the Dark Mark. "Neither does this."
His heart was racing as he searched her chocolate eyes. She meant it. Every word. He wasn't sure how he had managed to finally receive a bit of luck, but he wasn't about to let it slip by. He couldn't anymore.
Draco brushed a curl off her brow and trailed his hand down to cup her cheek. For a moment he was overcome by her beauty, the way her eyes shone with intelligence and strength, the way her hair cascaded down her shoulders and perfectly framed her face, the way her lips—oh her lips. He leaned forward, tilting his head slightly, watching for a sign of rejection that would never come. He saw her close her eyes a second before he followed suit. Gently, his lips brushed hers. He paused, opening his eyes to gauge her reaction. She smiled and he moved in again, kissing tenderly. Slowly their lips moved together, relishing in each others touch. Their kiss deepened, passionate yet tender. Their tongues explored, tracing each others lips, sweeping their mouths in a sensual dance. It was a kiss unlike anything Draco had ever experienced.
After what seemed an eternity, they broke apart. Hermione smiled and rested her forehead against his. "I missed you."
Draco sighed contentedly. "I missed you too." He sat back, looking into her face. "Stay," he breathed. "I mean, I'm not expecting—we don't have to—certainly not yet—just...stay?"
Hermione nodded. "I don't want to be alone," she said sheepishly.
He smiled and transfigured the couch as she had three nights previously. She climbed in as he accioed the blanket and pillows, then moved in beside her. This time she moved in close, her back against his side. He rolled over and put a cautious hand on her side.
"Good night Draco," she said, pulling his arm around her.
"Good night Hermione." He smiled to himself. So this is what it was like to be happy.