I always forget what I want to say by the time that I come to write this thing, but hopefully I've remembered the important parts.
Writing this isn't easy just now but I'm hoping that I'm going to get a lot done in the next two weeks as I am moving out and into a friends house while she's on holiday so that I can look after her cat. Hopefully without distraction I'll be able to write more. Which moves me onto my next point.
I'm hoping that my mobile internet will work while I'm there [which, may I add, I bought so that I'd be able to update as normal] but if it doesn't then I may not be able to update. Just know that you've been warned if you look next week and find I haven't updated. If I can't then I will make it up to you, promise.
Last little thing, last chapter I surpassed 100,000 hits on this story. To me, this is just mind boggling. I can't thank you all enough. I will try and write a one shot Draco/Harry in celebration, I just need an idea first, that's all. Thank you everyone that has been with this from the beginning. Love you all lots.
Part 28
"Hermione, I need your help," Harry said quietly as he slid into a seat at her table in the library, where he had found her and Ginny, straight after coming from McGongall's office after dropping off the inventory of the Quidditch shed with Draco. They had parted with promises of 'later' and Harry made the split decision to go to Hermione for help concerning an idea he had on his way back to the common room.
"If this concerns something that is illegal then I don't want to hear it," Hermione said without even a glance up from her parchment and quickly moving hand as it scratched away. Ginny was watching the conversation but Harry wasn't paying much attention to her. She could probably help too, but he wanted Hermione's more.
"No more illegal than normal. You didn't used to mind it anyway," Harry said with a shrug. This seemed to catch Hermione's attention and her hand slowed to a stop.
"What is it?" she asked and brushed her hair off of her face as she turned to look at Harry.
"Can we go to Hogsmeade so that I can get Draco a Christmas present?" Harry asked quietly and with a glance down at his hands.
"Why do you need me? You've managed to sneak to Hogsmeade on your own before," Hermione asked gently, sensing that this was clearly difficult for Harry to discuss. She almost felt like asking Ginny to leave, but figured Harry had gotten this far and would manage. Clearly buying a gift for your boyfriend and former enemy was a difficult concept for him.
"I'm shit at buying gifts, never mind a gift for Draco," Harry said. Hermione smiled and glanced over at Ginny, whom was smiling softly too. They were clearly thinking along the same lines of the fact that this was both incredibly sweet and very true.
"But Harry, I don't know Draco as well as you do, I'm not going to be much help," Hermione said, annoyed mainly at herself for not being able to help as she really wouldn't have minded doing so.
"Please Hermione? I have no one else to ask. I figured you and Draco are very similar and thought you'd be my best hope. Please?" Harry asked looking at her with his eyes pleading and his lips pouting.
Hermione considered this for a long moment. She wondered how she and Draco could be seen as similar and just how Draco would react to that observation. She sighed, wondering how she was always the one that found herself breaking the rules even when she tried her hardest to make everyone else follow them. She just couldn't help wanting to help her friends when they needed her. She smiled gently and reached forward to tap Harry's hand.
"Go and get your cloak," she said defeated well and truly.
"Really?" Harry asked just to make sure he wouldn't pay for this later and forever be in debt to her for it. He assumed he probably would anyway.
"Yes. Go now, before I change my mind," Hermione said. Harry grinned wide and dived out of his chair. Hermione sighed again and started to gather her things together.
"Do you want me to go with you guys?" Ginny asked. Hermione faltered a little in her gathering and bit down on her bottom lip. Ginny was one of her best friends and one of Harry's but this wasn't really anything to do with her. Harry had asked Hermione and there had been no incline for Ginny to join them. Hermione imagined Harry would have found it rather awkward, picking a present for his boyfriend while with his ex-girlfriend.
"Thanks Ginny but I'm sure we'll manage. Plus, lets not add anymore people to this sneaking about," Hermione said. Ginny nodded but looked disappointed none the less. "You could always cover for us, if anyone asks? You can tell Ron the truth of course but send anyone else in the wrong direction?"
Ginny brightened slightly at this, happy at just being included in some way and she nodded enthusiastically. Hermione grinned, said her goodbyes and went to find Harry at the only secret passageway that was still free, the one into honey dukes.
"This is hopeless," Harry huffed from under his cloak while Hermione walked close next to him, hands in her pockets and greeting certain school friends that were still mulling around Hogsmeade. They'd already been through the argument that McGonagall never actually said he couldn't go to Hogsmeade, just that they had detention on a Saturday, she never said anything about afterwards. Harry said he didn't want to take any chances, just in case.
"Only because you're making it so Harry. I really think that potions supply kit was perfect, and elegant too," Hermione said out the corner of her mouth.
"No it wasn't right. It wasn't- it just...never mind," Harry mumbled and attempted to shake Hermione's questioning glance off. It was a little more difficult to do when you were invisible.
"It just wasn't what, Harry?" Hermione asked softly, her eyes scanning where she assumed Harry's head was.
"It's not special enough," Harry said quietly. Hermione grinned without hesitation. She was kind of hesitant about this relationship to begin with, even though she supported Harry with it but now she was fully behind it. They were ridiculously sweet, or at least Harry was smitten. She'd yet to see them together but from what she could guess they seemed to be working and pretty stable.
"What are you grinning at?" Harry asked and Hermione tried to hide her grin in her scarf.
"Just- I'm just happy that you are happy Harry," Hermione said. It was frustrating that she couldn't see his facial expression at that point but she made a fair guess that he was probably blushing. She glanced around at the other shops on the street and raised an eyebrow as she came up with an idea.
"Hey, how did you and Malfoy start talking?" Hermione asked, scanning the area where she thought Harry's head would be, with excited eyes.
"What? Hermione you already know this," Harry whispered as they past a couple of Slytherins going in the opposite direction and Hermione shifted her gaze around the shop windows instead.
"I know, humour me. Talk me through it," Hermione said gently while she went over to a free bench and settled herself down. She felt the breeze quell a little as Harry sat down next to her and felt the slight warmth radiating off of him.
"He wouldn't change his routine time for when he was taking a bath and I was too stubborn and curious to change mine. We talked to one another while one of us was in the bath and the other wasn't and it went from there. What's your point?" Harry said tersely, obviously not getting the significance of this as Hermione was.
"My point Harry is that that's what brought you together. A bath," Hermione said with a wide grin. She really wished Harry would take off the cloak, it wasn't like he was doing anything bad and she wouldn't look quite so stupid grinning and mumbling to herself.
"Are you suggesting that I get Draco a bath because I really don't think-" Harry started but stopped short when Hermione thumped him on the arm.
"No," Hermione said exasperated to the point where she was almost calling him names. "Bathing accessories and things,"
"But, well...is that not a bit...I don't know? Girly?" Harry asked slowly as if he was afraid of offending Hermione by saying it just because she was a girl.
"Harry, please. You take baths every night and bonded with your-with Malfoy because of said baths, you have no place to determine what is 'girly' or not," Hermione said.
"But Hermione, the bath we use has all the bubble baths we could ever ask for," Harry said softly, feeling a little berated at what he had asked, more than a little guilty at even thinking it.
"I don't just mean bubble baths though Harry. There are things like self warming towels and messaging flannels and things. There are bubble baths that can produce certain shaped bubbles and change the colour of the water depending on the mood of the person in it. There are plenty of possibilities and it would be special for you and Malfoy because of how you got together," Hermione explained.
Harry remained quiet next to her and she wondered if he had left without saying anything. She experimentally moved her leg just an inch to check he was still there and it collided with another leg. She sighed and decided it was probably best to let him think it out before she suggested anything else.
Harry was unsure if this would be the right gift for Draco. They weren't exactly the most affectionate of couples. Sure they were intimate but only to an extent. They hadn't properly cuddled after they had been intimate and it wasn't like they saw each other very much without it leading to sex some how. Was getting Draco bubble baths too coupley? Sure they were a couple but they're relationship was different from the likes of Hermione and Ron.
"I don't know," Harry said hesitantly still not sure if this was going to be right for Draco. He almost felt like he shouldn't even get a gift as it was proving to be just a little bit too difficult to define his and Draco's relationship and whether it was at that point yet. He couldn't get him nothing though. That didn't feel right either.
"There is of course the book that I may have stumbled on at one point that you may be interested in," Hermione said with an air of nonchalance and a dismissive hand. Harry studied her closely to see if she was trying to tempt him. She was, of course but Harry found he didn't mind, he didn't have any better ideas.
"What book?" Harry asked.
Hermione grinned and studied her hands while she tried to think of a way to explain this book. "Just a book that I found that had some...tips. Tips on you know, positions and activities that you can take part in while in a bath and various other places," she said with a small shrug at the end.
"Hermione!" Harry hissed at the thought of what exactly was in that book, of which he was pretty sure he had a good idea. He was glad that he was invisible at that point and could hide his blush.
"Harry, please. We all know that you don't just sit at opposite ends of the bath while you're in there, can you please stop acting like you do?" Hermione said and unbeknown to her Harry's blush deepened. "Do you think, maybe Malfoy would like that?"
"Erm..." Harry chewed on his bottom lip and considered this. The answer was obvious to him as he thought about what they had done previously in the bathroom. "Yes. I think he probably would," he finished.
"Then it's sorted. The book and some things you want for the bath. Do you know if he has a favourite sweet? We could probably get something from honey dukes since we need to go back that way anyway," Hermione said and stood up, brushing herself down for no apparent reason other than habit.
"Thanks Hermione," Harry said and placed a hand on her arm to show her how much he appreciated her help. She looked down at the invisible pressure on her arm and smiled in Harry's direction.
"That's what I'm here for," Hermione said, and she placed her hand on top of Harry's for a second before setting off in the direction of the book shop. Harry trailed after her in the cloak with a happy smile.
