Vonne: This is it! The very last chapter of Basket Case! It has been a long, long time since this story started with 'Radio', made even longer when I accidentally deleted 'Basket Case' a couple months back. Nonetheless, we've finally made it! I am so happy to see this come to the end that I've always planned on it having. Thank you to everyone who reviewed. For the last and final time, you can read how much I appreciate all of the lovely reviews I have been left. Thank you so much! However, I have to give a special thanks to these people:
OanDuress, WeatherWatch, Voldyismyfather, Psychic City, Le Candeh, LuckyStar1881, MCLanna, Carl, Lively McBrighten, TragicSlytherin, Doni, Corey Fitzwilliam, ali-lou, Alice Wednesday, and Pearlrose33. Though I received many emails of favorites, chapter alerts, and other notifications, these fourteen people managed to come back to 'Basket Case' and review for almost every single chapter that I submitted. Thank you so much, all of you because, without you, I would have absolutely no motivation to update this story whatsoever. I dedicate 'Basket Case' to you as a honest and sincere thanks. You are all so awesome and I can't thank you enough. Keep reading and writing!
And, of course, one last big and separate thanks to M.R girl, who helped me out of my issue when I had accidentally deleted 'Basket Case' all those months ago. I am so lucky that she had saved all the chapters I had deleted onto her computer. Otherwise, we would definitely not be where we are today- the final end- due to my obvious laziness. So, thank you! I also dedicate 'Basket Case' to you. ;) Here is the final chapter to save to your documents; I hope you continue to enjoy it, even after it is finished.
Epilogue:
We're All Mad Here
Three Months Later...
Somewhere in the woods that rest just behind the large Manor that belonged to the prestige Malfoys, a small little clearing stood hidden among the brush. Secluded, it rest beyond the thick trees and blocked out the majority of the sky, casting shade upon all that had stepped inside of it. It was a peacefully quiet place, set out of the boundaries of the everyday hustle and bustle of the busy Wizarding World. And the tiny wildlife that resided within it kept themselves silent, too, as if too courteous to disrupt the serenity that the simple clearing had given to the world. Moving in slow strides, birds chirped generously and bugs buzzed rhythmically. And the sparkling blue pond that flowed in the clearing's very center only reflected the sheer tranquility of the spot- nonetheless, this particular morning was different.
However, what was disrupting the profound calmness was nothing more than two uninvited beings. In a rather loud and steady manner, they used their voices to shout back and forth at one another, witty and almost that much more unstoppable. And they seemed almost delirious, oblivious to the massive amount of noise they were making together. Yet, all was forgiven; for the peaceful world around them seemed to allow it. Rather, the two had been enjoying themselves almost far too much. And, standing opposite one another, each had their wands drawn out, pointed back and forth. Their loud breaths only blended in with the sound of the upbeat and whistling wind.
"So," came a voice that was challenging and stern, "you think you're capable of beating me, do you?" For a tone that belonged to Hermione Jean Granger, the girl had managed to sound almost convincingly daunting and impossibly tough. Though, admittedly, she had managed to look that way, as well. With her back straightened, Hermione's arm was out in a stiff manner, her upper lip curled into that of a clever and mischievous smile. She paid no attention to the wind that rattled her hair and made it spastic, causing it to fly around her head in all different directions. Instead, her eyes were focused on the figure in front of her, and that figure alone.
"Don't make me laugh," her opponent scoffed. "I'll have you know that I am more than capable." The second voice came from that of Draco Malfoy, who stood erect and casual in front of her own torso. Though his face was bruised and scraped, he looked well-adjusted and composed in his usual attire of a simple white button-up and pressed black trousers. Sticking out his elbow, the blond made a face, and he looked almost obscenely serious when he said, "even in this sling I am more than bloody 'capable'."
It had been a matter of ninety days since Draco had left St. Mungo's, and even he couldn't believe that things were finally starting to look up. He'd even gotten used to the bruises on his face and the ache that had been unfortunately permanent in his limbs. Nonetheless, everything was beginning to heal and, over time, he had come to look somewhat normal again. And he'd even started to put together a brand new life for himself, too; after a month with Hermione's help, he had managed to step out in public without a disguise. No one bothered him when he did venture outside the Manor, either; they'd all heard about what happened to him, perhaps had even felt a bout of sympathy, too. And then, at two months, he'd moved out of the Manor completely.
That, of course, was far more horrifying than Draco could have even imagined. However, he had been the one that insisted upon it. Hermione had found a small place that was graciously secluded from the fast-paced world of Hogsmeade. It was rather tiny, but Draco had to admit that he had eventually found comfort in it. Still, he'd remembered the first time he had ever toured the place; hand in hand with Hermione, his broad shoulders had slumped when he'd initially peered in through the front door. "This is it?" he had asked out loud, feeling almost utterly out of place in a home that was not as grand as the place he had grown up in.
"Of course this is it," Hermione had teased, pushing him in through the doorframe with two forceful palms. "Your parents were the rich ones, not you, remember?" And she had shown him the living room that was completely bare, before directing him into the bedroom that looked the same, aside from one single mattress in the very center. Then, she had wrapped her slender arms around his shoulders, rubbing them calmly despite his obvious sling. It was as if she could tell he was not certain, so she lowered her voice and made it almost unbelievably seductive when she had bent down to whisper in his ear, "hmm... what is it, Draco? You don't think it looks... cozy?"
Being away from the Manor had given him time to clear his head, and he relished in the fact that he no longer had to walk the halls of his childhood home without having horrible memories rush into his thoughts. Furthermore, living with Hermione had been enjoyable- marvelous even. And though they resided within the same confines of the cozy house, they still sometimes used their tiny toy radios to communicate in something of a cheeky inside joke.
When two and a half months went by, the feeling of normalcy had finally started to flow back to him. Without the additional stress in his life, he had stopped seeing very much of Voldemort, as he was grateful that Hermione was there to keep him level-headed. Of course, the deceased man had shown up every once in a while after a bad nightmare, but Elaine Galer had promised that the image was only in Draco's head, a curse that could be controlled. Hermione was happy to be of assistance however; she knew exactly how to cheer Draco up whenever she found that he was feeling particularly anxious.
Nonetheless, he and Hermione had always found time to trickle out of their new home and plan a day in the clearing that Draco Malfoy had always loved so much. Ever since he had been given back his wand, Draco had been more than eager to put it to good use and Hermione had suitably come up with just the trick. And while partaking in harmless dueling battles against one another seemed outwardly childish, both Draco and Hermione relished in the fact that they could still kick each other's ass.
Thus, where they were now was pure bliss. Too caught up in the challenge of playfully hexing the other, neither of the two were thinking much about anything else. It had been three months since he had left St. Mungo's and Draco was back up on his feet, much to Hermione's joy. And this month had come even faster than Draco had imagined; he had to admit that it was a nice feeling after all. For he had finally found himself in an existence that was stable and comfortable. He lived with the woman he loved and did so happily. And that was all he could have possible asked for.
Still, at the moment he desired nothing more than to knock her off her feet and wipe that cocky little smirk off her beautifully mischievous face.
He snapped back to reality and the little duel he had taken up with his girlfriend. A sadistic smirk passed over his own pointed complexion and he shifted his weight back, relaxing his arm in his sling for good measure. With that, he lifted up an eyebrow and waited for her response. However, Hermione was already two steps ahead of him.
"You little prat," she said, stepping forward with a splendidly greedy laugh. She struck the tip of her wand back up towards Draco's chin. The tone of her voice was upbeat with excitement, and she leaned to one side, sticking out her hip in a way that made Draco feel almost weak with desire. "You know," she said lazily, "I think I've grown tired of you, anyway, Draco. One more nasty little comeback like that and I think I'll just turn you back into a ferret. You know, I've been looking into getting a pet."
Draco's face reddened, however, he managed to pull of appearing casual by allowing his head to fall to one side. "Yeah, yeah, Granger," Draco breathed cooly, "you're all talk."
"Oh, really?" Hermione leaned back. She cross her arms over her chest and let the wind pull her hair back away from her pale face. She drew her slender body back again, however, and extended her wand outward. With the very tip of it, she smoothed back the flimsy blond hair that fell slanted across Draco's forehead. Unimpressed, Malfoy's eyes lowered lazily. He huffed, laughing at her efforts with an expression on his face that was rather sarcastic and unafraid. "Rictusempra!"
Instantly, Draco's body stiffened. Then, he fumbled to the ground, watching in horror as a lively smile spread across Hermione's face. And Malfoy couldn't help it. He felt hands that were nonexistent run up and down his ribcage, tickling him mercilessly. He shook, moving his hands to clutch his own torso. Hugging himself, Draco pulled his knees up to his chest and he couldn't help but smile as bursts of inescapable tickles took over his lanky body. "You- little-" he coughed, but couldn't get out the rest.
And Hermione bent down, her hands on her bent knees. "I'm sorry," she asked, looking lovely, "what was that, Draco? I didn't quite catch it."
"Caught- pfftt ha ha- me- ha ha ha ha- off- guard!" Malfoy sputtered, but his interjection did not do much to convince Hermione.
"You have to always be ready. I thought you knew that, Draco," Hermione beamed cheerfully, and she took a seat in front of the wriggling Malfoy.
However, Draco saw his chance and took it. "Obscuro!" he giggled, and tears rolled frantically down his red cheeks.
Hermione's body inched backwards and she let out a little grunt. Draco's harmless hex had cast a simple white blindfold over Hermione's set of brown eyes and she fumbled towards the grass, scuttling backwards like a crab before shouting out, "hey!" However, Draco was too preoccupied to relish in his successful hit. The sensation of merciless tickling had flooded through him and he laughed uncontrollably, both at the overwhelming feeling, and the sight of a blinded Hermione. Her hands reached up towards her face, trying unsuccessfully to pry the cloth from her eyes. Over the sound of Malfoy's high pitched giggles, Hermione couldn't help but laugh. She screamed girlishly, "you bloody git! I can't see!"
Malfoy's face contorted. "I can't- ha ha ha ha- breathe! AHAHAHAHA!"
"Fine!" The brunette breathed, slumping forward. She only wished that she had her vision so that she could see one last glimpse of her lovely boyfriend in absolute hysterics. "Finite Incantatem!" It only took a moment; slipping back into a normal posture, Draco felt the tickling stop. With a large gasp of air, he lifted his head and then let it touch the ground again. Nonetheless, he blinked the remaining tears from his eyes and collected himself. With that, he crawled back up to his feet, garnering a steady stance before wobbling back towards Hermione and standing over her. Yet she sat stiffly on the ground before him, her eyebrow cocked upwards, waiting for her turn to be released. "Alright, Draco," she sighed toothily, "get this bloody thing off of me."
Draco lowered himself to the ground, squatting before her just as she had done before him. "Now why would I want to go and do a stupid thing like that?" he asked her, and smiled when her own beam faltered.
"Draco- bloody- Malfoy!" Hermione screeched.
Malfoy beamed. "You're cute when you're pissed, have I ever told you that?" Hermione huffed, but Draco leaned forward, extending his arm and coiling his fingers within hers. He did not remove the blindfold from her face, but instead led her up from the ground and gently moved her across the grass. And he ignored her pout. Instead, he kept her moving, leading her towards the trunk of a rather impressive and thick tree. Once he'd had her back against it, he let his fingers rise and tweeked her boyishly on the nose.
"Bastard," Hermione scoffed, but she couldn't help but beam. "You've had your fun, now take this blindfold off of me so I can hex the shit out of you."
Malfoy broke out in a smile. "Now that doesn't convince me at all," he told her, and his fingers clutched the circumference of his own wand. How great it felt to have the thing back in his possession. All of it had been made possible thanks to Hermione. "You're going to have to try far harder than that, Granger."
Hermione inhaled and her nostrils flared. Putting on a facade of aggression that was almost completely sarcastic, she leaned back against the tree trunk and twisted her fingers around her own wand. "Take this bloody blindfold off of me right now or else, Malfoy."
"Or else?" Draco Malfoy had heard some pretty absurd things in his day, but Hermione's threat had just about topped everything. He could not get passed her giggling demeanor or the sly little smile she wore across her pale front. Yet the casually cool posture she had taken had completely sent him over the edge. Or else?, he thought, how unfortunately unimaginative. And with that he slipped his hand up to her cheek and patted it, saying cheekily, "I was hoping you would be more creative than that."
Yet Hermione shrugged, her thin little shoulders reaching up to a point so high that they almost grazed her earlobes. "So then," she asked, lowering her head down ever so slightly so that her long brown hair brushed past her thin little shoulder. "If you do plan on keeping me blinded, what do you plan on doing to me?" And, despite her eyes being covered, Hermione's smile rose. It spread across her pale face and she flashed Draco her set of white teeth. Draco stammered; she'd caught him- he had absolutely no plans for the further torture of Hermione Jean Granger. And, nervously, he tried to rack his brain for something suitable. Yet his time of need had seemed to be failing him; he could not for the life of him think of a fitting enough hex to curse her with. Thus, Hermione relished in his turmoil, sensing it from even behind the mask of her blindfold. Still, her smile grew far wider, her lips parting restlessly. Nonetheless, she folded her arms across her chest and tapped her foot. Her eyebrows almost completely skyrocketed. "Is that a stammering I hear?"
Draco's upper lip stiffened. "Certainly not," he exclaimed, but he found himself backing away from her at the tree trunk with another simple stumble.
"No?" Hermione teased, reaching outwards. She had noticed that Draco had left her side, and her outstretched arms felt around the space in front of her for him. Yet she managed to feel the ground in front of her with her feet, swiftly wiping out the grass before her with the tip of her pointed boot. "Was that a 'no', Malfoy? I could barely hear you over the loud sound of your own gulping." She heard him mumble something, though she could not quite put her finger on what it was that she was saying. Still, nonetheless, she ignored the blatant popping sound that came out from the end of the brush someplace. Without much focus, she twisted her body forward and kept her fingers out towards Malfoy, wriggling them in the process.
Still, she had not heard him. Ever since she had heard him mumble, he had fallen completely silent and, behind the blindfold, Hermione could not help but feel as if she had been left completely alone there in the lovely little clearing. A cold chill ran up her spine and she hoped she had not offended him. Thus, her strong voice took on a tone that was rather meek. She brought her hands out further, stretched her arms out so far that she almost felt an ache in her shoulders in the process.
Hermione brought her hands up to the blindfold, giving it one last useless tug. Damn Draco Malfoy and his harmless hexes; the blindfold had to be removed by his hands only, and she knew it. Sighing, she redirected herself, placing her hands back out in front of her chest in hopes of trapping the blond strategically. But when a slight rustle sounded out around her, Hermione couldn't hlep but blink, despite being blinded. She stopped, freezing in the middle of the grassy clearing, and hoped that she had not walked close enough to the lake to fall in.
She tilted her head to one side, brushing her hair out of her face. "Malfoy?" No one answered her- she could not even hear his breaths. However, then the sound of his continual feet scraped back through the brush. They advanced towards her and she could tell that he was purposely pushing her. Thus, she chewed on her bottom lip, bobbling her head to one side as if she could peer through the fabric of the blindfold if she truly tried. And she shivered when she felt his hands brush her cheek. Lightly, Draco's usually cold fingers were warm against her face, and she couldn't help but feel overjoyed when he ran the tips of them down her collarbone. "Give up?" Hermione challenged, and Draco still remained absolutely silent.
Then she reeled back, placing one hand on her hip as she turned her chin upwards. "Is this your brilliant plan, then?" Hermione couldn't help it when her smile faded. "The silent treatment?" It felt so nice to have him standing right in front of her, despite the distance he kept. Only, he used a single hand to grace her shoulder, bringing it back up to her jawline before brushing past her chilled and purple lips. She wasn't sure if he was trying to taunt her by keeping his space, but she could not overlook the fact that the obvious space was rather getting to her. Because, really, she only wanted to bring him close, perhaps even take back the tickling hex she had tormented him with only moments ago.
Defeated, her shoulders sank. "I'm sorry for the hex," she admitted. "Is that what this is about?" Malfoy's fingers smoothed over the space of her lips, pressing a single pointer across them carefully. She felt the wobble of his head shake, and Hermione writhed her hands. She said seriously, "Draco Malfoy, you take this blindfold off of me right now..."
And then his hands lifted. For the first time she he had come back in towards her, Hermione felt Draco's fingers back upon her face. They held themselves there for only a moment, however, before they slipped back behind her head. Twisting, his long fingers worked with the tie of the blindfold and Hermione breathed out- it was about bloody time. Huffing, Hermione allowed him to take his time, keeping her eyes shut as she felt him pull away and readjust himself hastily. Then, she brought her eyes open, slowly, as if she were fully prepared to lay one on him.
However, she had not expected to see him standing before her in the way that he was. Thus, she held back her scolding at the sight of him; smiling and stiff, Draco Malfoy held out in front of her a large bouquet of blossoming flowers that sprouted from the end of his lengthy wand. He was beaming, glowing even, and she could not deny that he looked gloriously dashing in his bright blond hair and olive green scarf. And she even liked the way that his hair was a mess, taken up by the wind in a way that made it rest across his forehead in a slanted and nonchalant manner. His gray eyes sparkled innocently at her and his cheeks were red from the intensity of the chill around him. He was not looking at the bouquet, but instead at Hermione- and he was humored, tickled even, at the expression of fading aggravation on her face.
His demeanor was still strong, however, and he pressed himself forward towards her as he extended out his hand with the bouquet slowly. And it was a swift moment that reminded her of the same Malfoy she had known- swift, confident, and charming. She found that quite liked that, too. Thus, when she whispered, "flowers, how... cliche," she didn't even mind it when Draco whisked her up in towards his chest and pressed his mouth against hers so tenderly that her own head pounded as she registered the moment. She blinked when they both pulled away, staring into his eyes as she lifted the flowers from his wand and cradled them against her side. Still, Hermione slackened, tilting her head and inquiring out loud, "what was that for?"
Malfoy shrugged, lifting his shoulder with such ease that made her feel comfortable, satisfied, and safe. "For sticking with me over the past couple months," he said simply.
"Sticking with you, huh?" Hermione asked him, and she let him brush her wild hair out of her face.
Draco nodded. "Every single mad bit of me," he said, reassuring her.
"Mad." Hermione stalled, mulling over the statement in her head carefully. Mad- what did it actually mean to her anyway? In her mind, Draco had never really reached a point of madness. Sure, he'd lost his direction, but she was quite certain that such confusion was inevitable... human, even. Mad. She couldn't even think of a proper definition for the term. What was mad anyway? The point of what- no return? "Mad, huh?" Hermione looked back into Malfoy's gray eyes and adjusted her weight. "Do you really think that you were every really 'mad', Draco?"
Considering the circumstances, Malfoy had to say that he hadn't. Nothing was ever truly wrong with his head- at least, medically speaking. He'd been hexed, cursed; it was something that he'd have to live with his whole entire life. But mad? He thankfully had the approval from the Ministry of otherwise, however, he still couldn't come up with a proper reason why he still did not consder himself to have lost it all those months ago. In his head, he tried to count off all the crazy things that he had done. He'd been engaged to Pansy... he'd slept with her. He'd drank himself silly and had to be yanked out of the local pub by his father. He'd tried to end his life by jumping off a bloody bridge and, when Hermione was there to save him, he still had not had it figured out that her voice was the one at the end of the radio.
So, mad? He wasn't exactly certain. Stupid, maybe. Ignorant, for sure. But mad? He mulled it over only to discover that the possibilities were endless. Sure, he was not medically insane, but something about him kept him rooted. Thus, he agreed upon it, reassuring himself of the very same answer that he had stated only moments ago. "Yes, I was very much a mental case," he told her, and the corners of his mouth fell into a slightly serious smile.
"Well then," Hermione blinked. Her face was rosy red from the chill that swirled all around her. But she pulled herself back tilting her head to one side in a way that was rather innocent with understanding. She mulled over the presence of Draco Malfoy, his hair ruffled up in the wind so that it looked like a rebellious mop at the top of his head. He was beginning to look even more and more like a grunge being, as well. Dressed in a peacoat, his hands held her shoulders with only thin little gloves to protect his fingers. "I must be mad, as well, then," she told him, and Malfoy's brow lifted.
Hermione Granger- mad? Draco was certain he'd misheard her. After everything, Hermione had been the one with the level-head. "How so?"
She lifted her hands and fiddled with the petals of the flowers in her hands. Looking sweet and somewhat pure, Hermione lifted an eyebrow and offered her words as a suggestion. But her voice was quite quite, timid even. She turned her head to lift her eyes and, with a simple smile, she placed the flowers up to the end of her nose before letting them touch the grass below her gently. "Well, I'm madly in love with you," Hermione suggested, and Draco's face crunched up as if he were about to keel over.
"Geez, Granger," Draco retorted, "could you be anymore cheesy?"
Nonetheless, Hermione pushed forward, pressing her body up against him so that there was not even the slightest amount of space in between them. She pressed her mouth against his, laughing slightly to find that he had been caught rather off guard, and wrapped her arms around his shoulders in a way that made him have to lean forward slightly to remain at her level. Her hands writhed through his hair and his blond locks, pushing them out of his face so that she could get a more proper look at the surprised expression on his translucent face. Then, when she stepped back, she offered him a grin that made her brown eyes spark in the lack of sufficient light.
Perhaps she had been a bit cheesy, but she had done so intentionally- she knew it and Draco clearly knew it. Yet, she giggled at the humor of it all, happy to have found someone who was so quick to laugh with her. Still, it had not meant that she did not mean what she had said. Because she had. She, Hermione Jean Granger, was in love with Draco Malfoy. "You know," she told him, slipping her hand into his and leading him away from the center of the brushy clearing. "I would have never guessed it... living with Draco Malfoy. Five years ago, I wouldn't have believed myself."
She pressed her back against the tree and the two of them, together, slipped down to the ground easily. "Clearly," Draco said with in a voice that was laced with sarcastic undertone, "you and I living together is proof alone that we've both gone mad." However, once Draco's lower half touched the ground, his face slipped into a rather blatant frown. "Why are we sitting?" he asked her, and stood up from his couch to stand over her in a manner that was slouched and somewhat apprehensive.
Looking dubiously exhausted, Hermione's eyes flicked upwards to meet together with Draco's. "Why are we sitting? What on earth are you talking about?"
"Sitting," Malfoy said simply. "I've had enough sitting." He looked almost childishly sincere when he'd said it. Arm wrapped up in a white sling, Draco did look like he could use a bit of time to get out of the house and stretch his legs. Ever since he had made it out of the fire at Hobb's, he'd been walking with a slight limp and Hermione only noticed it getting better once he took to walking it off.
Still, she asked, "you're tired of sitting?"
"Yes, a bit."
"And what would you like to do otherwise?" Nights were Hermione and Draco's 'date' times, of sorts. They'd planned trips to the clearing on a regular basis and the most they ever did was sit. Granted, the scenery was nice and, of course, they'd had a bit of history behind it. However, Hermione and Draco had never done much of anything else besides relax. And snog. Or whatever else had come to mind. Yet Hermione could see that Draco's eyes were not hinting at any suggestion of the three S's- sitting, snogging, or sex. Instead, she saw that, he really just wanted movement.
Draco's eyes scanned the brush and, when he'd met up with the sparkle of the frozen over pond before him, he said, "only a couple more days until the pond melts again," with a shrug that was excited and boyish. And Hermione saw this, readily picking herself up to advance towards the pond with Draco hot on her heels. She tested the surface once with her boot and then slid onto the twinkling ice. By the time she had spun around, Draco had already placed himself upon it, as well, and he made his way over to her with a slight stumble that was brushed off by means of a nervous little laugh.
She didn't say much of anything in the time that it had taken him to make his way over to her. Instead, she tilted her head and waited, calling out once to say, "you look like a one-winged pigeon with that sling," and laughed out at him with a mischievous smile. Malfoy's slip made her smirk double and, leaning forward, she put on a squinted expression before pulling back to say in a voice that was mock-disgusted, "you're just so ungraceful."
"Oh, come off it, Granger," Draco coughed, and he picked himself up from his spill on the ice to glide back towards her with a far more cautious step. Slipper though the ice was, Draco had scooted across it to come together with Hermione, his hand outstretched so that he could grasp onto hers for support. At her unimpressed gaze, Draco rolled his eyes, contemplating tripping her for his own amusement before contemplating snogging her for being so deliciously malicious. "You're not supposed to make fun of me, you know," he told her, grasping in a clinging matter onto her shoulder as she scooted across the ice. "You should," he almost landed on his face in the process of motion and, readjusting himself despite Hermione's obvious amusement, Draco continued, "k-know better."
"'K-Know better, s-should I?" Hermione beamed, mocking him teasingly.
Malfoy's nose scrunched up. "A bloke should not be made fun of by his girlfriend," he informed her, "it's not... proper dating conduct."
"You're ridiculous." Hermione joked, and she gently moved his arms from her shoulders, forcing him to hold her hand tenderly as she watched him regain himself before her.
Laughing, Draco could not help the red tint that the tip of his nose took on. Ridiculous was he now? Well, that was perfectly okay with him. "Ridiculous, am I?" he shrugged, "well, take it as it is then, Granger. Ridiculous is one step up from crazy."
Hermione considered this and then, nodded with approval. Agreeing, she said, "I think this is progress!" and Malfoy's feet finally stilled themselves properly. "Now," she said, "that's enough talk of madness. I don't want to talk about insanity ever again in my lifetime. Deal?"
"Deal?" Draco turned to glance at her, his eyebrow lifted. "What do you mean 'deal'? I think the topic is a good conversation starter of sorts." He slid away from her slightly and held out his hand as if just greeting her for the first time. Then, he put on a voice that was tasteful with manners. "Hello, my name is Draco Malfoy and I was convicted to an asylum for the criminally insane a couple months ago. Funny story, if you really think about it- there was a massive fire and I just sort of ran out the front door. Would you like to hear it?"
"I don't think you'll make many new friends that way," Hermione informed him.
"Oh, I think otherwise," Draco insisted, shaking his head.
Hermione bit her lip, suppressing a helpless laugh. She remained still in the center of the iced over pond, watching Draco as he regained his footing. Finally, when he had picked himself up, he stood in front of her, eyebrow cocked up highly. His thin lips were twisted into a smile and she knew that he was waiting for her to crack. Thus, she could not quite keep herself contained. After a very short time span, Hermione gave in, red in the face, scooting back towards him and shouting, "I'm serious! No more crazy talk... ever!"
Draco lifted his shoulders. "Well you're going to have to give me something in order to keep me from talking about sanity, Granger."
"I could have Harry cook you an amazing dinner tomorrow night?" Hermione offered.
"Potter cooks?" Draco Malfoy's smile widened. In his head, he could think of a handful of jokes about the bit of information that Hermione had just given him. Potter, the cook, huh? The Boy who Lived, Lives to Cook. The thought of it alone made Malfoy almost overwhelmed with laughter, though he managed only to hiccup, trying almost unsuccessfully to hide his amusement. "Anyway, no thanks." He tilted his head to one side and his blond locks swept over his forehead. "Potter cooking me dinner- no matter how amusing it would be- would imply the two of us having to actually spend an afternoon at their place."
Hermione chewed passively on her bottom lip, saying honestly, "Harry and Ron aren't completely against the idea of you coming over every so once in a while anymore, for your information." She seemed a bit coy, curling away from him with a gentle smile and a soft wink. Then she placed her hand on his freezing cold chin and tilted her own head to one side. "They mentioned something about it recently."
"Did they now?"
"Certainly did. However, I'm fairly certain you're going to have to cook them their first dinner before Harry prepares one for you, I'm afraid."
Draco shrugged, smiling. That was fine with him, of course, though he wasn't exactly sure he wanted to eat over at Ron and Harry's place; he was almost one hundred percent positive that either one of the two would slip something in his wine over the course of the night and, quite frankly, he wasn't fully ready for such an afternoon. He told himself, however, that one day he would be and that he would come prepared to such events- perhaps even stop at Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes in anticipation of it.
Thus, the blond put on a strange little smile and he turned back to Hermione with a simple shrug. "Alright, I will make something special."
"That doesn't sound too friendly." Hermione scolded and Malfoy only lifted his brow. "What are you hiding?"
"Nothing," Draco joked. "I'm only trying to remember the some ancient family recipes."
"Liar."
Hermione couldn't help it; though his joke was probably half-so, she smiled and pressed her head against his good shoulder. He sagged a bit with the added weight of her, but proceeded to wrap his arm around her and place an earnest kiss on the crown of her head in the process. And they slipped around the ice together in that way, intertwined in the freezing cold, their bodies close enough to keep one another warm. Thus, the two of them stared out at a future that they never thought that they would even find themselves considering- one together.
But that was okay- more than okay. It was fantastic and exciting. There were so many possibilities. And Draco was certain he had never been more overjoyed or excited in his life. Hermione was beautiful and supportive, optimistic and thrilling. She was spontaneous and brilliant, and she was never really in much of a sour mood. He was going to enjoy living with her, making her tea in the morning and arguing half-seriously over who stole the covers in the previous night. Over time, when his shoulder healed completely, he would challenge her to a more proper duel- though he was fairly certain she'd still be just as difficult of competition to him. He thought about this as he looked at the pond and the frozen over surface of it. He wasn't sure why, but he found himself wanting to come back in the summer, when the thing defrosted, to take a swim with her in the shade. He didn't know why; he just wanted to.
And Hermione, she was busy thinking, as well. In her head she thought of all the wonderful things she had never considered about Draco Malfoy. He was attractive and humorous, an entirely new person than the boy she had met all those years ago at the young age of only eleven. He was complicated, but that was okay because so was she and, who wasn't anymore anyways? He had his problems and so did she. As far as Hermione was concerned, the benefits far outweighed the costs.
So maybe he was a bit crazy, and maybe she was too. But crazy meant exciting and thrilling and everything in between. In her mind, crazy wasn't exactly a bad thing, as long as it was a reasonable amount of impaired sanity. She'd decided, she loved it- perhaps most about him. And maybe, she thought, being crazy wasn't such a bad thing; it made him impulsive, caring, and gentle. He was everything he'd ever needed to be; perfectly human, faulty, but progressive.
Maybe the best ones were.
Vonne: The end!