Chapter 14-To Shut You Up

Draco's POV:

"Why does Umbridge keep making us patrol this corridor? There's nothing here." Blaise groaned, his voice laced with boredom. Rolling my eyes, I ignored him. He had asked this question so many times in the past fifteen minutes that I was beginning to think that he physically couldn't say anything else. It was extremely irritating. And apparently Theodore Nott thought so as well because he had chosen to ignore every word out of Blaise's mouth too.

It wasn't as if I was happy about having to constantly check this corridor either, but I wasn't complaining about it-as if it would change anything anyway. However, that could have been because I knew the reason for Umbridge sending us here; everyone else was just too slow to notice it. Potter and a large group of his friends were spending a lot of time up here. Although they'd tried to be discrete, I had still noticed. But I hadn't said anything yet. They could be doing anything and I didn't care enough to find out what it was-especially since it was probably something idiotic that I shouldn't waste my time on.

I turned the corner onto another hallway of the seventh floor, this one slightly lighter than the last due to the windows that lined the wall high above our heads.

"Wow guys, you're both such amazing company." Blaise muttered. I glanced at him to find that he was scowling at the floor, his hands buried deep inside the pockets of his robes. He was sulking like a child. A sigh rolled out of my mouth as I swung an arm around Blaise's shoulders and pulled his head towards me in a tight grip. He struggled in surprise but laughed a little.

"Stop being such a baby Blaise." I smirked in amusement as I watched him squirm.

"Well, you're an arse." He retorted, grinning. Then he seemed to remember that he had feet, so he shuffled them around in an attempt to ruin my balance. My hold on him stayed secure but I was forced to hobble around as well to keep it that way. Every now and then he tried to hook a foot around my leg but I was quick to jerk it out of his reach with a grin.

"You're both morons." I heard Theodore mumble from beside us. Laughter burst from me as I removed my gaze from Blaise's head to Theodore's bemused face. Nott wasn't used to seeing me react to anyone in any sort of positive way I suppose; I'd been bored of people. Thinking about it, I still was in a way-but I was growing to enjoy Blaise's company again after a phase of even him irritating me.

While I was distracted, Blaise managed to free one of his arms to reach up and push my face away, causing me to lose my grip and stumble back a little.

My friend straightened up and began to repair his uniform while I fixed my footing and ran a hand through my hair, re-arranging it so that it was as it had been earlier.

"When I say that you're bad company, that doesn't mean I want you to attack me." Blaise grinned. I returned the smile and shook my head, glancing off down the corridor.

Then my gaze fell on Granger.

A blast of Déjà vu hit me as her head of large brown curls turned to face me. This had happened before. But last time, we weren't on quite as good terms as we are now. She'd tutored me for History of Magic a few times now; enough times that we could handle being in the same area as each other for more than a few minutes-mostly. But of course that didn't mean that we didn't have arguments anymore. There had just been less of the intense ones.

I was vaguely aware of Theodore and Blaise talking beside me, their voices lightly tapping me on the shoulder to get my attention. But my focus was on Granger. Neither of us quite knew where we stood with each other in situations like this. Would it be normal to wave? Smile? Or was I supposed to ignore her? So I watched her. She could decide what our new custom was because I certainly wasn't going to. Whatever I chose to do would probably get me into trouble anyway as she was with her Gryffindor friends-either she would cause a fuss when I saw her later because she doesn't want her pals to know, or her group would get aggressive with me for misunderstanding my actions. So I did nothing.

Until she locked gazes with me, her chocolate eyes softening slightly with confused warmth, and the corner of her mouth twitched upwards; so subtly that I almost missed it. Her eyes were so expressive-I had come to realise this during our lessons. They often seemed to reveal what she wished to hide. But apparently that was all I would be getting. So, glancing first at the Gryffindor boys beside her, I raised my head sharply once in a nod to indicate my acknowledgment.

I lowered my stare from the Gryffindor, returning my attention to Theodore and Blaise. Theo appeared to have not noticed what had transpired in front of him. But Blaise on the other hand, was watching me intensely-one eyebrow raised-when I looked back over to him.

Shoving my hands into my pockets and lifting my shoulders slightly, I continued walking a little more briskly than before.

Hermione's POV:

I watched Malfoy as his hand trailed across the piece of parchment, his quill swirling and gliding along with his fingers and scratching black marks onto the page. It was a soothing sight-enough to make me sleepy as I slouched back in my chair.

"Are you done yet?" I asked, forcing myself upright in my seat.

His quill stopped moving instantly and the hand it was in tensed.

"No. You've asked me that a hundred fucking times. When I'm done, I'll stop writing." Malfoy whispered through clenched teeth before he started to move his quill again.

"Well if you would have just written the notes down in class like you're supposed to then you wouldn't have to do it now and we could have moved on ages ago."

Malfoy mumbled something incoherent under his breath in response but I didn't draw attention to it. He already seemed on edge enough today and I wasn't about to push him any further-as long as I could help it. These sessions went so much better when we didn't argue. Although, he had been getting better recently. This was only my fifth time tutoring him and already he'd started to treat me like…well like someone he tolerated-because he didn't really seem to go much further than tolerating people apparently.

We were in the library again today, working once more on his History of Magic. It was irritating to have to teach him, but it also allowed me to go over my own notes, so I was getting my own revision out of it in a way. And that was something that I desperately needed right now. Dumbledore's Army had been consuming quite a lot of my time recently. It required constant organisation and guidance to succeed, something that no one else was exactly eager to do. The others all thoroughly enjoyed playing the heroes, experiencing the thrill of casting new spells and improving their skills, but none of them felt the need to help with the necessary organisation.

And if I was being honest, the sessions with Malfoy could be quite relaxing-if he didn't cause any trouble. I had found that when the boy wasn't too busy being snarky, he was actually capable of some stimulating conversation. And on the days that he didn't feel much like talking, it gave me a bit of quiet time away from the other Gryffindors to clear my head-and a reason to provide Harry with for my disappearances.

"So, what were you doing on the seventh floor today Granger?" The Slytherin's mumbled voice roused me from the book I had been reading-well, staring at-and drew my attention to the fact that the gentle scratching of quill against paper had ceased; leaving only the gentle ticking of a distant clock to echo through the library.

Turning my gaze to him, I found that he had stopped writing and had preoccupied himself with gliding his finger along the edge of the delicate, black quill; caressing it almost menacingly and not even looking at me.

"Nothing." I answered simply, setting my book lightly against the table.

"Well then, what were you doing up there yesterday?"

"Nothing. Have you finally finished then? Since you've stopped writing?"

"What about last week? Why were you up there last week Granger?" Malfoy lifted his head, fixing his grey eyes on me with a growing smirk. Those eyes were often the cause of my discomfort in these sessions. They were smooth as steel and cold as ice; occasionally possessing a certain shimmering look that clued me into when he was feeling mischievous. I fully understood that my own eyes constantly betrayed me to those that knew me, they were so open; acting as an amplifier to my emotions. But not his. Malfoy's eyes were as sealed as the Department of Mysteries. No one could get through unless he allowed it-something I hadn't been permitted since…the broom cupboard incident.

"Am I not permitted to stroll through the corridors?" I questioned, trying to keep my tone light but firm. I avoided looking directly at those intimidating steel eyes.

"Depends. What were you doing before your stroll through the corridors?"

My eyes widened slightly, but I didn't waver.

"I was talking with Harry and Ron."

"Oh, alright. I suppose you and your boys were also talking to all of your Gryffindor buddies up there as well? Because they were all on the seventh floor, Granger. You may not have been together; but they were all there." He smiled at this and placed his quill on the desk across his open book of notes, watching me keenly.

I shrugged, turning back to my own book and flipping the pages, searching for the next stage of notes that he would need. If I could manage to preoccupy him then maybe he would abandon his questions-he didn't seem to have too much patience for things that weren't directly his problem.

"I'm not a fool Granger. You may think that you're smart; separating the group so that it looks like a mere coincidence for you to all be there. But that's an amateur move. And I've seen through it." He leant forward on the desk, placing his head in his hand with a light smile. "So come on, just tell me."

"How about I don't tell you?" I spat, locating the page of notes he needed and dropping the book in front of him with a thud.

"How about you evaluate your options." The light smile dropped from his face and he lifted his head off his hand to lean across the table, staring at me intently.

"My options?"

"Well, I know that there are certain activities going on up there. I may not know what they are exactly but Umbridge wouldn't really care about that-and my guess is that you don't want the lady herself snooping around."

"Wait…you haven't told her anything?" I watched him carefully; he was playing with me. Surely he was.

He suddenly softened, his gaze dropping to the table as he ran a finger along the spine of the book I had put in front of him.

"I'm a Slytherin Granger. We're loyal to those that help us." He muttered, not allowing me to see his face properly. "And you've helped me with this." Malfoy lifted his head, staring at me with a blank expression as he motioned to his pile of notes.

I stared back, puzzled. I had gone so quickly from feeling threatened to feeling secure; without my conscious consent.

"So because I've helped you, you'll help me-"

"No." He cut me off, his face twisting into a sneer. "I won't help you. I'll just keep my knowledge from Umbridge."

I couldn't help it. A smile began to spread across my face as I looked at the blond and I began shaking my head slowly.

"What?" His tone was laced with suspicion and he regarded me cautiously. But I continued to shake my head, the smile not faltering.

"What are you smiling at Granger?" The Slytherin quickly turned defensive, crossing his arms and drawing them tightly to his chest.

"I hate to break it to you Malfoy, but not telling Umbridge is helping me."

The moment the words left my mouth, he practically deflated. Shaking his head and clenching his jaw, he picked up his quill and stared down at his notes, not uttering a word. But this didn't cause my smile to fade. Whether he considered it to be useful or not, he was helping me. And I was simply relieved that he wasn't blackmailing me with his information.

"Whatever you think your actions mean, I'm grateful." I whispered, becoming suddenly aware of how quiet it was the in large room without his snarky comments to decorate the air. He paused writing to glance up at me, but I couldn't tell what it meant. Those silent eyes remained sealed.

The remainder of the evening went extremely smoothly. He hardly spoke a word to me-not even a negative one-and I was gentle when giving him instructions to ensure that the peaceful balance wasn't disturbed. And he seemed to appreciate it. He completed his tasks without complaining. The most I had to endure were a few grunts or groans-but I couldn't expect a miracle.

When Malfoy had finished writing out all of his notes-the ones that he realistically should have completed in our actual lesson-I began to pack away all of our equipment and he soon mirrored my actions. I closed over my books, carefully placing stray pieces of parchment in the correct places inside them, and piled them into my bag. All of this I did in silence. Malfoy however, wasn't as delicate. He flipped the books closed, causing dull thuds to bounce around the room, and stuffed any extra objects-such as parchment and quills-into his bag without delay. His paper crumpled and his bag rattled as he lifted it from the table and slung it over his shoulder.

"Could you be any louder?" I hissed under my breath, glaring at him.

"No, that would be rude-we're in a library." He smirked in response. It appeared he was full of life again. Great.

Releasing a huff, I turned back to my bag to gather up the rest of my things. I made a show of picking up my quills delicately and arranging them neatly in the bottom of my bag; making sure they weren't being crushed by my books. And when I closed it, picked it up and turned around to leave, I found Malfoy still stood where I left him, watching me with the faint remains of a smirk.

He didn't say a word but as I walked towards the grand doors of the library he followed and fell into step beside me, still silent.

This hadn't happened before. Usually, he was up and out of the doors before I had even picked up my books, destroying any evidence of us even being in the same room. But I didn't question him-it was better to simply play along. A less direct approach would probably be best.

"So what are your plans for tonight?" I mumbled, glancing at him uneasily.

He looked at me, raising an eyebrow as he stretched out an arm to open the library door and hold it as I passed through. "We make small talk now?"

"Well...good point." We walked together along the hallways, heading for the stairs that would lead us to our separate dormitories.

The castle was almost empty, a few students passed by every now and then in groups, mumbling sleepily to each other and casting shadows as they passed the softly glowing flames that hung on the walls. We encountered two ghosts-one of them being the Fat Friar who waved cheerily at us as he floated past. I smiled in return but Draco gave no inclination that he had seen the ghost. And most of the paintings were asleep, the odd few that weren't glared at us for disturbing their silence with our echoing footsteps. But it was empty and silent enough to allow the dripping and groaning of the old castle to be heard alongside the roaring winds outside. I hadn't realised how long we had spent in the library-it had been more time than usual and it was late enough for everyone to have returned to their common rooms in preparation for Filch's rounds.

"So are you ever going to tell me what you and your friends are up to?" Malfoy asked lightly, his tone gentle and quiet instead of demanding like I expected it would be. I lifted my gaze to him. He wasn't even looking at me, his eyes were fixed straight ahead on the dimness of the hallway. I couldn't even detect a hint of the interest that he had possessed earlier in his voice, only bored curiosity.

"You're not going to tell her?" I questioned calmly, watching him.

After a brief silence, he turned his head to face me. "No. I won't tell her anything."

I hitched my bag up onto my shoulder to ensure that it was secure. Telling him wouldn't be that bad would it? After all, he was suffering the same awful teaching-or lack of-in Defence Against the Dark Arts as the rest of us. And he did still need my help for History of Magic, so he wouldn't get me into trouble.

"We're making up for our poor lessons of Defence Against the Dark Arts" I mumbled, casting a swift glance around us to check that no one was listening in.

"You're what? How?"

"Harry is teaching us."

"He's not that good." Malfoy scoffed.

"Well he's ahead of the entire class-and he's got experience. Can you cast a patronus?"

"No but-"

"Exactly." I cut him off, grinning sweetly. He turned away from me with pursed lips, balling his fists at his sides and puffing out his chest.

"Well, you're not getting anything out of Umbridge's lessons either so...why don't you come join in with our activities? You'd benefit from some actual practise to go along with the theory learning that she gives us." I mumbled, unsure if this was a good idea or not. But part of me thought it would be decent to offer.

"I think I'll be alright Granger." The corner of his mouth turned up and he shook his head.

"Why not? We all need this kind of thing considering the circumstances."

"Are you saying that my defensive skills aren't good enough?" He hissed, halting his steps and turning to me with crossed arms. I stopped walking and stared up at him in return.

"No, I'm just saying that you can't possibly expect your grade to be high in DADA under Umbridge's tyrannical reign and nonsensical methods. You're not actually learning anything-no one is. "

"So you are saying that." He spat with a tight-lipped smile, clenching the fists that he had crossed over his chest. His actions stirred a familiar response from me. Anger bubbled hotly under the surface of my skin, desperately scrambling to spill out and escape. And I wasn't about to hold it back. We had been getting along perfectly fine but he had decided to take offence from my words like a child. My face grew heated and my heart began to pound as the furious words shot from my mouth.

"No I'm not! Honestly Draco, why do you always have to be so defensive?"

"I'm not being defensive!" He barked, throwing his hands up and grabbing fistfuls of his hair and running his fingers through the blond strands.

"Yes you are! Every single time that we manage to get along you ruin it because of something stupid. If you weren't so full of pride then perhaps you'd be able to see that I wasn't trying to offend you. Not everyone is constantly turning everything into a battle like-"

Malfoy released a throaty groan and took a step forward to grab me by the arms, pulling me towards him. I stared wide-eyed up at his face, trapped within the secure grasp of his hands and barely having time to register what he was doing before his lips came crashing down onto mine.

They were harsh at first, pressed almost stonily against mine as if they protested being there. But then they softened, melting onto mine with a certain tenderness that shocked me. The hairs on the back of my neck rose as Malfoy snaked his hands off my arms to hold my waist, pulling me closer again. Feeling my anger seep slowly away, I allowed myself to soften in him. But the second that I did that, he froze. His lips stopped moving and his hands turned to stone on my waist. Those brief few seconds provided me with time to realise my situation.

I broke away and placed my hands on his chest, pushing him gently away from me. And he moved gladly.

"What the hell was that?" I mumbled, uncertain.

"I was just trying to shut you up." He grumbled in reply, avoiding my gaze. I watched his grey eyes intently, noticing a slight gleam there. His locked vault had slipped open a fraction, but he was turning away from me.

"I'll see you at our next session." Malfoy stated over his shoulder, as if nothing had happened, while he walked away from me down the now dark hallway.

I'm really really sorry for the time this took but since I last updated this I've started college and it's a whole lot more time consuming than high school ever was and because of the work load I've been feeling kinda down and very blocked. I hope it was worth the wait? Maybe? A little bit? And I'm sorry to say that my A-level exams are starting in a month so I'll have even less time. Hopefully I'll push through the block once they're out of the way though. But let me know what you thought of this chapter please.