This chapter has been sitting in writer's block pergatory for AGES. OMG FINALLY UPDATING. I still love this story because I loved the prompt I found on tumblr that it originates from and I loved the time and energy I put into this. I am sorry I have spent so long away from it. I hope I can keep updating now that I have a bit more time. Please let me know what you think, now that I have updated. I reread reviews and hopefully this helps with all the sexual tension ;)
Two weeks had passed since Hermione's walk with Draco in the bitter cold morning and it was clear something had happened between them as subtle as the pair thought they were being. There were several moments that Ginny raised an interested eyebrow or Theo cracked an implied innuendo over their behavior towards each other.
Sometimes the pair was able to just brush him off, but other times the anger flared. For innocent bystanders like Blaise and Ginny and Luna, it really made up for their lack of entertainment sometimes. So Theo started making a game of it all.
"What is it you're actually trying to accomplish?" Theo asked innocently, as the group sat around the living room one evening. He was watching Draco give Hermione a lesson on the spellwork for casting a more powerful blasting curse.
The two stood in front of the fireplace, where Hermione had one arm poised in front of her with her palm out, the other tucked at her side. Draco had stepped up close behind her, his hand having snaked around her waist attempting to pivot her hips at the right moment when Theo had decided to speak.
"I'm just teaching her the movements needed for the Incarcerous curse," Draco said, eying Theo with an icy glare. Hermione, who had been super focused seemed to just now realize the hand placement of the man behind her. Her cheeks tinged pink.
"Oh, that's what they're calling it these days…" said Theo chuckling and he looked over to see if Blaise had heard him. He was sitting alone at the desk, writing down some information out of a book, but had looked up just in time. They exchanged a laugh.
Draco was clearly irritated as he purposely let go of Hermione's waist and made sure to put space between them. Hermione huffed, a little disappointed at Theo always having to time his jokes just when she was learning something good. Or in this case, learning something good and being close to Draco.
"You'll figure it out," Draco dismissed and then he was off getting himself a drink. Hermione rolled her eyes and Ginny stepped in. She showed Hermione the movements then and Hermione practiced them a couple times without using any magic. Draco left to go to the kitchen when Hermione finally spoke.
"Do you always have to be so crass?" she asked Theo pointedly.
"Why Hermione, I don't possibly know what you mean by that," he smiled sweetly, but she just rolled her eyes again with a sigh.
"What, it's not like the rest of us haven't seen you two flirting it up left and right," Theo shrugged. "Maybe you should just let my comments help you along."
"Ha! You're doing far from helping Theo, in case you haven't noticed he tends to get away from me or look as if he'll punch you. Though I do applaud your self-righteousness," she commented, as Draco came striding back into the room, a pitcher of Ginny's homemade butterbeer in his hand.
It appeared the latter was true this time; his jaw was stiff as he waved a hand for several glasses to pour themselves. He took the first glass and handed it to her and then went to the bottle of fire whiskey on the mantle instead.
When he'd poured himself a glass, he came back towards her. Draco chose not to put too much space between them this time though, and leaned on the arm of the couch right next to her. Fuck the subtleties, he thought. Theo wasn't making this easy for them. It was true, he did know there was way too much sexual tension between them. It was getting more and more evident each day, which probably had to do with the increased amount of time they were spending together.
Draco was still teaching her spells almost every night and it seemed like any free time they had between school and classes ended up being spent together. They never planned it to be that way, but after their talk a while back it was like he craved her presence. She made him calm and collected and he found himself seeking her out whenever glimpses of his past came back to haunt him.
They were getting comfortable with each other now and some of his old confidence was coming back. He teased her, letting his vivacious flirting take over when he was in a good mood. He liked the way she smirked at his remarks or when she would get mad because he said something uncouth or distracting when she was trying to read or do magic.
He could tell she was still deciding if she would let him into her life again in that way, but many times she did flirt back, and that's what really kept him coming back for more. He looked at her then, eying the way her white sweater slid down her shoulders before snapping out of it.
"Is there anything we can do tonight that isn't going to bore us all to death?" he asked, to get his mind off her and whatever there was (or wasn't yet) going on between them.
"I bet there's something…" Theo snickered quietly, looking from Draco to Hermione and back again. Draco glared at him, but luckily Hermione hadn't heard.
Luna perked up from the chair opposite them. She had been writing, comparing two very strange looking plants that sat on the mantle in small jars. She said she had collected them from the greenhouse at the local conservatory in town, but they were unlike any plants Hermione knew of. She wondered if they were magical.
"Well, we could… play a game or something?" she suggested then, her lofty voice like a song. Ginny, who had been making small circles of sparkles in the air with her wand as she lay on the couch looking bored, finally sat up.
"Oh shit I know, wait here," Ginny said before she got up, taking the stairs two at a time. She was back quicker than Hermione expected, a deck of cards in her hand. "I forgot I still have these!" she said, holding the pack up.
"Oh nice, Exploding Snap!" Theo said when he recognized the game in her hand. Ginny smiled.
"I knew these would come in handy, never know when you'll be bored and could use some fun," she chuckled. Ginny took a seat on the floor in front of the coffee table with Luna next to her. Malfoy sighed as he realized he'd have to sit on the floor as well, and did so grudgingly.
As Ginny began to deal, Luna looked around. "Blaise, you joining in?'
"Blaise hates the game," Theo replied, "We may have played a round right next to him when he was sleeping one time in second year…" Theo gave a grin to Draco.
Draco sipped at his whiskey. "He never seemed to join in after that." Draco gave a smile.
"And I'm trying to keep it that way," Blaise called, not looking up from the desk. "But don't stop at my expense, please."
Draco chuckled. "Oh, we won't. Don't you worry."
At that, Luna began explaining the rules to Hermione. Malfoy listened, scoffing at some that he knew they'd changed or made better in his time playing at Hogwarts. He wasn't going to like playing by these strict rules. He just knew it.
In a bit of a learning curve Hermione was getting the hang of Exploding Snap by the end. Each new explosion was something she was going to have to get used to though. The cards kept snapping and snarling as Theo and Draco and Ginny got pair after pair and soon enough the room was filled with a light smoke.
"This is great!" Hermione laughed, clearing away some of the smoke with her hand.
"If you like not having any freedom to change it up," Draco drawled, his arms crossed.
"Oh, don't be a poor sport just because Theo is winning," she said, smacking his arm. He looked annoyed as he got up to find the fire whiskey bottle.
"Count me out of the next round," he said, heading for the kitchen.
"Weirdo that one," Ginny whispered to Hermione, shaking her head as she passed out the cards again. "Gets weirder the more we hang out with him, honestly. And I still can't believe I'm hanging out with him or any of these Slytherins for that matter."
"People change Gin," Hermione responded, taking her cards and shuffling them in her hand. "Or maybe you didn't really know them well enough to begin with." Ginny gave Hermione a rather large eye roll, but Hermione was too busy watching the doorway where Malfoy had disappeared.
Theo laughed at their exchange as he moved cards around in his hand. "You know we could say the same about hanging out with you lot. And by the way, your whispering gets a lot louder when you drink," he winked at Ginny over his cards.
Draco came back, fresh ice cubes in his glass as he poured himself a large glass of fire whiskey. He sipped it methodically as he sat next to Hermione on the arm of the couch this time. She eyed him suspiciously but tried to pretend she was strategizing.
He glanced at her cards. "You should play those first," he said, pointing at two cards with very lumpy looking creatures who were missing teeth. The cards were both labeled Giant.
"Uh, right," she said with a smile.
"Always start with the bigger creatures," he whispered, "the explosions are bigger, throws people off," he smirked like he was up to no good and it made her smile.
He looked like a kid who knew the rules to a game way too well and was eager to show off. She wondered if he grew up playing this in the Slytherin common room, when times were easier and he had all his friends around. She looked around at the laughing faces gathered at the table. It made her happy knowing friendship was finding its way amongst them.
Draco watched Hermione play the cards he picked. The explosion went off and Ginny blinked in the smoke that ensued, clearly thrown off, like he said. He smirked as he took another gulp of whiskey.
Hermione turned to him, a grin on her face as a card began to explode in Ginny's hand. "Told ya," he said, "gets them every time."
"Thanks," Hermione breathed, feeling a buzz from the sweetness of the butterbeer as she took another sip. "Goodness, this stuff is amazing! Ginny, what's in this? Really?"
Draco chuckled. "You would like it. Sickeningly sweet for my taste," he said as he picked up her glass anyway and stared at the contents. "I greatly prefer whiskey."
"That's because you think you'll burn away all the bad memories," Theo stated, not looking at them but choosing his next pairs. He placed down two unicorns that gave a rainbow spark of an explosion and then immediately placed two phoenixes, their explosion a rush of flames. Hermione stared, amazed and too distracted to be mad over her stolen drink.
"Got to start somewhere," drawled Draco with quiet sarcasm, causing Hermione to turn. A frown came to her lips.
"It's that attitude that's going to keep you from ever healing," she said matter-of-factly, her finger pointing at him in an accusatory way to further make her point.
He held up his hands. "What kind of wizard hunt is this? I was only joking," his tone growing harsh.
"No you weren't," Ginny chimed in. Draco glared at her.
"I wasn't trying to rile you up, " Hermione said then, "You just need to be aware of these bad habits. Otherwise they'll consume you." Draco looked at her, annoyed, but something about the concern in her voice made him relax.
She leaned in and in a very quiet whisper, "I don't really want that to happen. I rather don't mind having you around now you know."
At this Draco raised an eyebrow, but she gave him a sincere smile. "Yeah, now…" he joked, waving a hand at the pitcher of butterbeer. Her glass refilled itself and floated over to her.
"Yeah well, you're at least trying to be less of a prat so," she laughed as she turned back to the game. Draco scoffed and gave her a nudge with his elbow in return.
"Alright, my bad. Didn't mean to bring trouble to lover's paradise over there,," Theo said, bringing their flirty banter to the forefront. "In truth, the whiskey cellar at Malfoy Manor is phenomenal, so it's sort of no wonder you love the stuff. Easy to sneak out from under your dad's nose, that's for sure," Theo remembered fondly. "That was bloody convenient."
Draco snickered. "It's a good thing there's still quite a few bottles here."
The cards continued to explode as they went around the table again and again. Soon Theo found himself with the last explosion, Hermione making her way to third place.
"Not too bad, Granger," Theo said, "you're getting the hang of this now!"
"Thank you!" Hermione beamed, smirking at Malfoy and excited to keep playing.
Ginny sighed. "Yeah, and you must be cheating," she said to Theo.
Theo laughed. "You're the one dealing!"
"He's only winning until now, deal me back in," Draco said then, "house rules this time…" his face was full of confidence...
Seven rounds of cards and a couple pitchers of butterbeer and glasses of fire whiskey later and Draco had proved successful at beating Theo, 4-2. "I can't keeping losing to you two like this," Ginny said in a huff. She tossed the rest of her hand onto the table in defeat, a few cards popping and smoking in protest.
"You always hate to lose Gin," Luna smiled as she sipped some butterbeer.
Draco laughed. "Remember when you lost that Quidditch match by 10 points to Ravenclaw in 5th year Weasley? Now that showed everyone you hated to lose," he reminisced as he poured himself and Theo some whiskey.
A loud giggle escaped Luna's lips. "Oh yes, you threw the Quaffle at Madame Hooch." Theo howled and Hermione had to put her hand to her mouth to stifle her own laughter.
"Hit her right in the face, poor witch!" Draco laughed.
Ginny smirked but scratched her neck embarrassed. "I felt awful about that! I cleaned brooms every night for a month to make it up to her!"
"You're lucky she liked you so much," Draco noted walking back over, "Otherwise you probably would have been banished like your bespectacled little boyfriend." When he sat down again he grew closer to Hermione, leaning back on his arm, practically looping it around her.
"Harry got banished because of Umbridge, not for lack of courtesy," Ginny argued back. "Not everyone was stuffing themselves up her arse, in case you forgot."
Hermione liked hearing them laughing and bantering back and forth, even if she didn't know all the stories. The way her friends talked, it felt like she were right there with them.
Overcome with laughter, Theo had to try hard not to spit out his whiskey. "I can't argue with you there Weasley! We were right idiots, but Potter was mouthy to her, you've got to admit!"
"Okay, okay he might have been," Ginny confessed, smiling despite the sadness in the back of her voice as she talked about Harry. 'But for good reason."
Theo caught on and changed the subject. "Right, well don't forget Draco, you aren't exactly Mister Sportsmanship over there. Your temper accompanied you many a time after Quidditch matches," he chided. "And during them, if I'm not mistaken."
"Yeah like that time you fell off your broom second year," Ginny snickered.
Draco flinched. "That really did hurt!"
"Sure, and my mum's really a veela," Ginny said sarcastically. "What about third year, with Buckbeak?"
Theo's eyes grew wide as he tried to stop from laughing again. "Maybe I shouldn't have turned the tables to you Drake, she's going in!"
Draco narrowed his gaze at the red head. "Now that, I felt bad about… I didn't want the poor creature slaughtered, that was-"
Shock came over Hermione and she smacked his arm. "You got a creature slaughtered?!"
"No, well, I-" Draco started but Luna cut him off.
"We did manage to save him," Luna said quickly and Draco froze, wide eyed.
"Oh Merlin! I totally forgot you guys wouldn't know that!" Ginny said quickly. "Yeah, he's totally not dead at all." Theo and Draco continued to stare, their confusion obvious.
"Luna, um, what's a Buckbeak?" Hermione whispered, trying not to feel stupid.
"Buckbeak was a hippogriff, you probably read about them in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, actually. Beautiful creatures really but very proud and well, Draco sort of disrespected him in class…"
"Yeah, the beast went in on your arm! That break was bad," Theo laughed.
"If only you'd have listened the twenty times Hagrid said they're super proud and shouldn't be disrespected…" the sarcasm leaking from Ginny's mouth. She smiled. "Ron's a great story teller."
Draco gave an exasperated sigh. "I wasn't exactly the type to listen in that class," he said, "I really liked the creaturs and it was the first time I was finally seeing one in real life. I sort of just blanked on the whole bowing part. I realized afterward it was absolutely my fault. It was then my intent to have my father buy the hippogriff off of Hagrid in lieu of a court case but…" he sighed, "he obviously sought other action."
Hermione blinked at him in awe of his explanation. When she saw that Ginny too was staring in a disbelieving haze, she wondered if only his close friends had really known the truth.
"My father was quite irritated when he found out Buckbeak escaped right under his watch, but I figured Dumbledore or Potter must have been behind it," explained Draco, looking at Ginny and Luna.
Luna nodded. "Well, would it surprise you to know that Dumbledore was the one who led us to the idea?"
"Not in the slightest," Draco said. "Where is he now, Buckbeak?"
"Last we knew he was with Sirius, but…" Ginny's voice trailed off.
"But my bloody Aunt decided she didn't like her cousin anymore," said Draco sounding annoyed. "That I know about, unfortunately." Hermione's mouth began to open but Ginny found her voice again before Hermione could speak.
"Sirius was Harry's godfather and his dad's best friend. It's sort of a long story..." Ginny said, but if felt almost a dishonor not to tell it. So tell it she did…
Ginny explained all about the Fidelius charm and Peter Pettigrew, about how Sirius was wrongly accused and how Harry found out Pettigrew was alive. Then she said Sirius escaped Azkaban and they tried to turn in Pettigrew but it backfired and Sirius had to escape with Buckbeak when they went back in time. It was whirlwind of a story and Hermione was sitting, mouth open at it all.
When Ginny had finished the story, everyone sort of wound down. It was clear the boys had never known the truth and it came to quite the shock to them to have it put out in front of them like this. They felt odd in Ginny's vulnerability and the ignorance they had lived in for so long.
"Hopefully Buckbeak is enjoying life somewhere nice then," Luna said. Draco nodded in agreement. Hermione leaned back into Draco's shoulder, feeling sad for the lot of them enduring so much. Draco welcomed her closeness, feeling her hair brush against his cheek. It was soft and smelled like white tea and ginger.
They sat for a short while in the silence. The embers in the fire cracked and Luna took out her wand uttering a charm to bring back the flames. The fire grew and warmed up the place enough to get people talking again.
"Should we get Blaise out here, he's missing all the fun," Theo asked then, looking around at the group of solemn sods and desperate to turn things around. Halfway through their games he snuck out to the study to finish his work in quiet.
"Why not. I've kept my distance lately, so we should be quite civil," Draco smiled at Theo innocently. Hermione snorted at him. "Where is he, studying all this time?" Draco asked after taking a drink from his glass.
"Probably," Theo said, getting up. He disappeared down the hall and they could hear him knocking.
"Speaking of, you said we'd work on that Shield charm, you up for it tomorrow?" Hermione said sweetly to Draco, hoping her smile would win her some practice time.
Draco chuckled. "Oh I guess I can make time in my busy schedule," Hermione leaned into him for a hug of thanks and his magic practically jumped in his skin. He felt his cheeks grow hot.
There was some muffled talk down the hallway and then Theo was bounding back to them, walking to the whiskey bottle. He grabbed another empty glass and began to fill it.
In minutes Blaise walked in, taking in the sight around him. "Weren't you eager to join all the loud fun out here?" Theo asked then, handing Blaise a drink.
Blaise took it graciously and drank some before answering. "Living with you two so long, I have a habit of casting Silencing charms before I decide to do any real work. How's it going everyone?" He said then, nodding to the girls.
"Hey," Ginny nodded.
Luna looked over. "Hello."
"Hi Blaise," Hermione said. Blaise paused when he noticed Hermione sitting with Draco. He decided not to dwell on it, shook his head, and sat down. "Exploding Snap, eh? Definitely not one of my favorites," he said, looking at the cards piled on the table.
Ginny shoved half the cards to the ground. "Yeah, not mine either."
"Sore loser," Luna said under her breath. Hermione giggled. Ginny tossed a pillow at Luna and it smacked her in the face before falling to the ground.
"Hey!" Luna said, "I'm only being honest!"
Blaise chuckled from nearby. "Seems like you guys had enough of the game for now anyway. These two always were much better at it than any of the other slytherins when we'd play in the common room. Goyle and Flint were convinced you rigged a deck at one point."
Theo and Draco laughed before high-fiving. "Not true but a bloody good idea," Theo said. "Could have bet a couple first years some galleons on the game and really made out well."
"You saying your morals back then didn't lead you to do just that?" Ginny questioned, knowing all too well the twins did things like that quite often.
Blaise laughed. "Well, they were our own house after all, I think that's what stopped us. If they'd have gotten the chance to go against some Hufflepuffs I think things would have been different."
They carried on talking about Hogwarts and their friends and all the memories for quite some time before anyone realized how late it was getting. It was so nice feeling like there wasn't a war raging on outside their walls and the friendship developing between them all was something of a gift.
It was Luna who first made note of the time as she stood up from the couch. "I don't know how much longer I can keep my eyes open. I think it's time for me to go to bed," she said with a yawn.
"Yeah, I'd have to agree. I still haven't finished studying for Calculus, although this was a welcome break," Blaise mentioned as he stretched, his empty glass sitting in front of him on the table.
"I still don't understand why you even care about that stupid mathelmetics or whatever it's called," Draco answered and Hermione laughed.
"It's mathematics," she said, feeling the warmth of the alcohol in her system and looking at the clock; it was 12:30am.
Draco stuck his tongue out at her in response. He stood up then, gathering the empty glasses in his hands and taking them to the kitchen. Hermione watched him with a sense of intrigue; it was a very muggle thing of him to do, cleaning up like that. A small smirk came to her lips.
Ginny, who had fallen asleep in her arm chair, began to stir at the sound of the kitchen door creaking. "What's up? Why's everyone standing?" she asked sleepily, looking around at the lot of them. Her hair was messy as she rubbed her neck.
"Come on Gin, let's get upstairs," Luna said, taking her arm. "Night guys," she said as the two walked slowly to the staircase.
"Good night," Hermione smiled. Theo scooped up the cards on the table and put them into a neat pile before sitting back down in an armchair.
"I'm not so sure I'm ready to sleep," he said matter-of-factly as he swirled around the remains of his drink in his glass.
"What do you plan on doing in the meantime?" Blaise asked, stifling a yawn himself.
Theo shrugged. "Dunno. Maybe I'll read a little," he said as he leaned over the arm to peruse some of Hermione's picks that had knocked over in a haphazard pile.
He grabbed a small blue book with deep red letters carved into the cover. "Ah, this looks lovely," he said, leaning back and opening the book.
"There's supposed to be an extendible listening charm in that book I thought we could use," Hermione said, realizing which book he'd chosen. "Could be worth looking into."
Theo nodded, only half listening. It appeared he had more on his mind than the book in his hands and she remembered Blaise saying Theo always got thinking about his family when he drank. He most likely wanted a distraction if that was what was coming to mind now.
"Enjoy, but don't forget to get some sleep," Blaise said, as he nodded a good night to Theo, his voice urging some sort of comfort to his best friend. Theo gave him a nod before turning to the book and flipping through the pages absentmindedly.
Blaise turned to Hermione, her hesitation at going upstairs an indication she was waiting for someone. Blaise smiled and was about to comment when Draco came out of the kitchen, his confidence flaring.
When Draco went into the kitchen, he noticed Granger was lingering and he took it as a sign their night wasn't about to end just yet. He felt the anticipation build as he set the glasses in the sink, pausing to get a drink of water and take a deep breath. When he emerged, he saw Granger and Blaise still there talking to Theo.
They turned to him when he entered, a sly look about his face that made Blaise nervous. "Well, well, well, what are we up to over here?" he asked, addressing the whole group, but obviously eying Granger eagerly. She blinked at him, knowing he must have been happy she hadn't headed upstairs yet.
Blaise yawned. "Just making sure ole Theo over here doesn't hate himself in the morning."
"I'll be fine," Theo scoffed, sticking his head in the book to avoid Blaise's eye roll. Blaise walked over to the desk and snatched the whiskey bottle, still a third left, to keep Theo from drinking any more. "I've got me this book to keep the depressing thoughts away."
"Yikes, reminds me when he was pining over Tracey sixth year, she did quite the number on him," Blaise said to Draco. Draco nodded.
"Shit yeah, she was awful to him," he said to Blaise, "left him miserable all the fucking time."
"I can hear you," Theo said loudly.
"Then you know we're right," Blaise said with a smile. "And that you're allowing yourself to wallow."
"Maybe you just need to get laid again. That usually helps," Draco laughed bitterly.
And it was Hermione's turn to respond, disliking the direction their conversation had gone. She got up then, and headed towards the stairs.
Maybe waiting for him was a bad idea, she thought, especially if he was going to start making all these pointed comments. She hated when that side of him showed, it always meant trouble for them. She took it as her cue and, glancing at the clock, it was probably the better option anyway.
Blaise chuckled. "True, but I'm not sure the same can be said for you tonight," he mentioned, nodding towards Hermione who was now heading up the stairs. She heard him but kept walking, rolling her eyes and wondering what Malfoy would do. Did she want to sleep with him tonight? Part of her yearned for some close contact, after all the times they'd gotten cozy in magic lessons and hanging out...
She knew there was a part of him that wanted her to come upstairs with him whether as a distraction from his past like he suggested about Theo or because he did want to stay in her presence. She wasn't sure which of these was more true since their night had been great, spending time together and falling into each other so easily.
She watched as Draco watched her, taking a couple steps towards the staircase as if he wanted to follow her. She bit her lip, seeing the hunger smoldering in his eyes. He gave her a tempting smirk, his confidence spilling out in front of him. She didn't want it to be a show for Blaise and Theo, so she walked the rest of the way up the stairs hoping Draco would follow.
And follow Draco did. When they got to the top of the hallway, she paused. "Going to bed so soon Granger?" Draco spoke then, trying to get her to reconsider.
"What's it to you?" she asked, cocking her head to the side and standing with a hand on her hip. And even though she was wearing warm clothes, Draco could envision the curves of her hip under her hand and how they would look against his emerald sheets, white and bare.
He gulped, not realizing just how much he had wanted her. Blaise was still downstairs and he wondered if he could hear them. Theo's snores found their way up the stairs and it wouldn't be long before Blaise was tucking him in and coming up here too.
"Oh nothing really," he started, "I figured I'd go to bed too, it's awful late and all, and my bed is quite amazing," he said trying to sound casual.
"Is that an invitation Malfoy?" she laughed, meeting his gaze. Her eyes flashed and she looked happy; it made him shiver. She really wanted this didn't she? She grazed his hand with hers and leaned in close to him. He sucked in air. Shit.
"I- um, it's…" he stumbled on his words, her closeness too much for him. He reached out a hand to close the gap, to pull her in for a kiss. He didn't care what it meant for his pride at this point because damn he wanted her. So much.
She leaned in then, their lips finally meeting. It was fire in that moment and Draco's arms reached to her hair. He felt her soft curls and her even softer lips, felt her tongue lick at his lips. He loved the feeling and reciprocated by biting her lip. She sighed, a soft mew that Draco loved hearing and it was complete bliss… but only for a moment.
Then she pulled away. Hermione moved a step back, looking at her feet and smiling and Draco was left suddenly confused. He still couldn't find the words so he stood there, his features drawn back. He stared at her, an eyebrow lifted.
She gave a wicked smirk. "Good night Draco," she said before taking off up the stairs. Draco stood blinking, listening to the sound of Hermione's feet clatter on the floorboards until they finally vanished behind the closing of a door. He put a hand to his forehead and stood still for quite some time.
Blaise, who had walked up just in time to see her leave, looked at him and laughed. Draco shot him an angry look. "She got you good mate, but maybe that was the point," he said.
"Whatever," Draco sneered.
"She's clever and she's not one to let you underestimate her," Blaise reminded him before heading to his own room. Draco stood there on the stairs, contemplating the whole of their conversation.
And he had to admit his time with Granger had been something of a dream tonight. So as he walked the rest of the way begrudgingly to his room, he reminded himself to at least be thankful for that much. He thought of her as he went, the feel of her hair and the easy way she leaned into him earlier. How her lips had felt and the magic that kicked up inside him when their mouths met. It had been so comforting to have her close, be in her presence; she made him forget about the nightmares.
He thought about Theo whose snarling snores were coming up from downstairs. His best friend was asleep, but it was clear no good dreams were going on in his head. He could hear him twitching and assumed the nightmares were in full force already. Draco felt the feelings of his own solitude start to creep back, the nightmares of the previous night swimming to the surface of his own thoughts.
Images were tragic and raw in his mind suddenly, like the nightmares always seemed to get, and he closed the door on the solace of his own room. Trying to delay the darkness from taking over, he thought of Granger and just what could have happened.
He waved a hand at the fireplace in his room and the flames sprang to life, light spilling onto the white carpet. He grabbed for a glass from the table and said a quick Agumenti spell for a glass of water. He downed it before dropping onto the couch himself.
Draco turned to stare at the flames for a short while before he let out a heavy sigh; he was getting tired of the darkness coming and going like it did. He wished she would have stayed. For once he wanted to open up, tell her all the things from the past, spill all these shitty feelings of regret and guilt that plagued him still. He would have explained it all to her, let her know he had a hard time controlling himself but how she made him feel hope for the first time.
Draco watched the flames consuming the wood into ash, a black powdered mess piling there lifeless. He felt so vulnerable but always at the wrong time. If Granger was there, she could know all of it. She could hear the desperation in him because Merlin, it was there. And he could have really kissed her.
He lay there, feeling lifeless himself, staring at the fire until he felt sleep drawing him down. He crawled into his bed, the cold sheets feeling sterile as the dark of night crept on. The last thought on his mind was of Granger, her smile falling from her beautiful lips as danger came to her in the form of his bad nightmares...
…
Hermione woke early but stayed in bed staring at the ceiling. She smiled when she remembered the look on his face, how confused he was when she had retreated. She had gotten him at his own game and it had felt good at first.
But then she remembered how his eyes had brightened when he looked at her. And then how his face became dark when she turned to go and she felt a pang of regret. She hadn't really realized she had such an impact on him, but last night it opened her eyes to how much he needed her. Even if he didn't say it.
She turned over in the covers, feeling the chill of the morning rising around her. The guilt rose in small currents as she thought about him, wondering if she made the right choice last night. Had he fallen into bad nightmares then, because she hadn't been there?
She huffed as she threw the covers back, realizing how stupid she sounded. She wasn't obligated to spend the night with him, no matter how badly he wanted it or whether or not she helped him have a good night's sleep.
That was just ridiculous she reminded herself as she got dressed. She would simply check in on him today. Make sure he was okay and possibly offer to talk or whatever. Today was a new day and who knew, she smiled as she remembered they'd made a deal to practice spells today, they might just be on the verge of something fun. And she thought of the perfect way to do it...
Hermione had chosen the library in the townhouse as a more secluded place for them to practice. No one else had bothered them yet, owing to the fact she had made Draco get out of bed at the crack of dawn. "In my defense, you never said what time," she smiled as she threw back his curtains cheerily.
Draco yawned again and he held up his wand. "Are you seriously that tired?" Hermione asked, looking at him oddly and glancing at the table where their coffee mugs sat empty. The large mechanical looking clock that hung on the wall near the door read just after 7:30.
"Unlike you I prefer my Saturdays to start much differently, namely later," Draco said, yawning again. He felt a chill go through him as he remembered waking in the middle of the early morning thinking about torture.
"You didn't have to accept my invitation," she said, turning the textbook on the table around so she could glance at her notes about Shield charms one more time. As she did so, she waved a hand in the air and their coffee mugs began refilling.
Draco watched impressed, before he responded. "Actually there was no invitation, if you recall Granger," the agitation in his voice picking up, "You came into my room this morning and you threw open the blinds and started chatting away without any real warning."
Hermione laughed. When she looked up, he had his arms crossed. "Really you just need to be more proactive in locking your door," she said with a smile.
"Usually I don't lock it because if women are waking me up in the morning, they're next to me already and not wandering in from elsewhere making a racket," he explained casually, the smirk rising on his lips.
Hermione appeared like she wanted to laugh, the boldness flashing in her eyes before she spoke, "Well there was no real invitation last night, if you recall Malfoy," her tone mocking as she threw him a smile. "Or maybe I would have woken up next to you." And with that, she waltzed away to fetch some cushions.
Draco's mouth hung open ever so slightly; damn her wit. He considered what it would be like to wake up with her in his bed once again. Since it had only happened once and that happened to be when she accidentally found out about magic, freaked out, and ran away, he figured now it would be much different.
Maybe he'd be able to sleep through the night for once, having her there, warm and comforting. Plus how nice it was to be with her in general, he had to admit… He shook his head to clear the thoughts, noticing Granger coming back around the corner. When she dropped the cushions, she stared at him. "What," he said, trying to avoid her stare.
"Oh nothing," she giggled, looking away with a smile. She went back to the book and flipped a page, scanning the margins for her notes. Draco watched her mesmerized. He'd chalk it up to the earliness of the morning but he loved the way she was so into books, so calculated over every little detail of a spell. It was lovely to him.
"Alright, I think I know what I'm doing wrong," she said with a final scan of the book. She turned back to him pushing her sleeves up. She walked back into the center of the room where they had cleared some space and more cushions were in place, Draco followed her and stood opposite.
"You sure? Because that's like the fifth time you've checked your notes even though I've said how useless it will be since you are trying to learn wandless anyway," Draco smirked, standing lazily in front of her. He yawned again.
Hermione narrowed her gaze. "Would you just try another defensive spell already?"
"Fine," he said with a smile and he flashed his hands, the red spark of a half-hearted Stupefy spell came her way before she even had a shield up. She moved in response, bracing herself against her own magic as she flourished her palms. The weak wisp of light fell between them again, this time spanning much more space than before.
Half the Stupefy spell was stopped, the other half came at her. She stumbled backward but was able to stay on her feet. Hermione cheered but Draco shook his head as she threw a hand forward and his magic pushed past several weak spots, causing the shield to break apart completely. "Damn it," she huffed, crossing her arms. "I thought I had it too."
"I told you, you are over analyzing this one. It's a charm not a spell, so you have to focus almost less with its nonverbal form," explained Draco, "try letting your mind wander, get away from this dusty old library even if it does have the best company," he smirked, "then let your magic go with it."
Hermione laughed, "You do remember how much I love libraries, right?"
"Yes, but that doesn't mean I can't make jokes about it," Draco said simply.
"Okay, okay, let's try this," said Hermione. This time she closed her eyes, trying to relax. She took a deep breath, trying to let go of all her thoughts about her and Draco and all her notes from her spellbook. It was funny how much was actually going through her mind now that she was trying to push each thing out. And how much harder it was.
Draco watched her, noticing the tension in her neck. Her hands couldn't relax. She was definitely trying to, but he could tell her mind wouldn't let her stop thinking all about the details of the charm she had read about and already overanalyzed.
But it was then that Draco had a wicked idea that just might help. He smirked to himself at the thought of it. He moved as quietly as he could until he was behind her, the proximity to her making her perfume much stronger. He breathed it in deeply as he placed his hands gently on her shoulders.
She seized up at first, not realizing what was happening. But then, as he used his thumbs to press into the tension, she seemed to ease up. He moved slow circles around her neck, feeling her body finally give in.
The tightness melted as she finally felt the weight of her shoulders collapse, her magic beginning to swirl around each muscle in her arms. She put her hands up the way Draco had showed her, waiting to feel the magic come to flow to them.
When she finally opened her eyes, Draco let go, watching as she silently moved her hands. In seconds, a much brighter wall of light burst from her hands to stand in front of her. It spanned the whole length of the space they had cleared. A look of excitement flashed on her face and she kept her palms up to keep the shield going.
"I got it! Yes! Look at this!" she was saying, pushing her magic further. The shield grew brighter, like it was building in force and Hermione kept her hands up.
"Watch it though Granger, you don't want to-" Draco began, but he was cut off by the sound of her shield cracking. She had pushed it just too far and in one motion it shattered into pieces, sending her backwards with the force of her own magic.
Hermione came stumbling backward, thrown off balance completely. Draco, who had still been behind her, didn't have time to move. In a matter of seconds the two went flying back and landed with a massive thud on the cold floor, missing the cushions by several feet.
Hermione groaned. She blinked as she pushed herself up on her hands, feeling the recoiling of her magic almost as if she had been wounded. It was a weird sensation, but she quickly forgot it as she realized why she hadn't quite hit the ground when she fell. She hadn't hit the ground mainly because she happened to land directly on top of Draco.
He groaned when she pushed up off his shoulder, his eyes closed. "Seriously Granger?" he managed through gritted teeth.
"It's sort of funny when you think about it," Hermione said, a smile coming to her mouth. "Hey, but I got it didn't I?"
Draco opened his eyes. While his back did ache from slamming the ground, he couldn't exactly be angry with the sight of Granger now right on top of him. She had a hand on his chest while she held herself up on the other, her hair falling out of its twist and curling around her neck.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say this was some ploy to get me on my back," he said,stretching an arm up to put behind his head. She smacked his chest then. "What? You have to admit that was the perfect set up for that! Nice shield by the way," he said before she could smack him again.
"Thank you," she said happily. Her smile was wide and she didn't move right away. She felt so good about getting the charm that she forgot where she was.
Yet when they were alone like this, having fun and playing with magic, she felt like there was something more than just a casual fling. It felt like he was happy for her too. And so her good mood enveloped her and she closed the space between them with a kiss.
Draco was caught off guard completely when her lips came bounding onto his, but he was eager to reciprocate. His arm wrapped up around her waist and he hugged her close as they embraced. Her magic felt like fire on his lips and when she let go after a couple of minutes, he saw her bright brown eyes staring at him full of content.
Draco smiled. "Um, not to be a drag, but…" he gestured to their current position and his lower back. It wasn't exactly a position he wanted to change but his back was starting to say otherwise.
"Oh!" she said, trying not to hurt him as she pushed herself to stand up. She offered him her hand but he declined and he pulled himself to his feet.
She laughed as she went to put a stray piece of hair behind her ear. "Guess I got a little carried away."
"I'm not complaining," he said then, "I like celebrating," he put a hand to his back, feeling the ache against his spine and rubbing it to try and soothe it. Hermione noticed then, staring at him with a small frown.
"I'm fine," he said instantly, not wanting her to worry. "Honest."
"At least let me look, you could have a bruise or something," she said, already trying to get behind him to pull up his shirt.
"What! No, stop!" he said, almost laughing at the way she was practically skipping around to get to him. They danced around like that for a minute before Hermione finally snagged the tail of his shirt and yanked.
"Gotcha!" she said, satisfied, when she had backed him into a chair.
Draco rolled his eyes. "You aren't going to like what you see," he said quietly and as she lifted his shirt he heard her gasp.
In the drunken darkness of Halloween night, Hermione had only caught a glimpse of Draco's scars and she had hoped she had imagined them. Yet the ones that went along his back were as real as ever and they stood out like thick, jagged cracks in ice.
Draco could sense her nervousness and her want to sympathize, but she had no way to. She had never know scars and pain like this. No matter what she had been through.
"The two going straight down from my neck are from my aunt, she had a bad habit of using Gouging Spells when she was mad at me. That time I had stolen one of her enchanted bracelets and threw it in the river," he said, more calmly than he expected his voice to be. Hermione stood frozen, staring.
And then the stories spilled from his mouth, like the bottled up stories and emotions finally broke the stopper holding them in. "That one, the crooked one on my right shoulder. That was my own fault, dueling an Auror witch who was much more skilled than myself. She got me with a stunning spell, caught my shoulder. I managed to apparate away before she could do anything else though. It was a stupid choice on my part, getting into the fight."
"Oh my God Draco, I can't… I, I'm so sorry," Hermione said, her voice wavering.
"It's alright," he said quickly, but then he straightened. "Well, no it's… it's not. I haven't ever talked to any of these individuals and I might never have the chance to. But I'm trying to remind myself that it doesn't mean it didn't happen."
"Some of them really are my fault. The stealing, the duels, the arguments with my dad surely left their fair share of marks," he sighed, rubbing his forearm through his shirt, "I mean, they wanted to make a monster out of me and well… for a while, I let them."
Hermione sniffed as she put an arm around his neck, pulling him close to her. "I'm sorry," she said softly. "You've lived through some hell, but the miracle is you're still living. It's important that you let yourself feel."
"I have been running from it all for so long," he stated breathlessly. He put a hand to his eyes and rubbed them. It made him nervous being this vulnerable, but something told him Hermione wasn't going to judge him for it. She kept her arm around his neck as he took a couple deep breaths, the closeness giving him comfort.
"Sorry," he managed, "You don't deserve me just spilling all this-"
"Stop," she said, "don't ever apologize for your honesty. It is something this world lacks and I am here to listen. I- I care about you Draco, don't ask me why, when you can be a right arse, but I do."
He had to laugh and the tension in his chest that had been hanging about for ages lifted ever so slightly. She smiled. "I don't know how one person can be so full of optimism, it's bloody annoying," he said, smirking.
Hermione swatted his chest. "Hey now," she said and he welcomed her playful attitude back into the gloom he had started.
The room still felt thick with the darkness of his past and all his emotion. He needed nothing more than to lay down, forget about it for a bit in the wake of showing her his skeletons. And he figured he could make sure to extend the invitation this time.
"Come on, I need to relax and that's not going to happen here," Draco said then, taking her hand and unraveling her arm from around his shoulders. She looked at him quizzically, like she wasn't entirely happy to leave the library but curious enough to want to stay with him.
He didn't let go of her hand and instead, led her to the door. She followed easily and they walked across the hall until they were standing outside his room. He paused just outside and turned to her. "Here is your formal invitation Granger," he said.
A smile rose to her face, brightening her features like it always did and she laughed. She simply nodded.
When they entered, the room was still bright with sun from Hermione having opened all the curtains. Draco blinked in the brightness; he wasn't used to having everything awash like this. It made all the furniture look clean and new, the white carpet looking soft and warm. One of the emerald armchairs held a pile of clothes he had been too lazy to take care of and his wand and the whiskey bottle were still perched on the coffee table, soldiers waiting to be taken up.
He ignored them and instead waved a hand at the fireplace, roaring it to life. Hermione went to the sofa and sat down, pulling her legs up underneath her and taking in the warmth of the fire.
"No offense but," Draco called over his shoulder and waving a finger at the curtains, "I hate early morning sun."
Hermione laughed. "Vampire."
"False, vampires are very real and very unfriendly," he explained, yawning as he snagged the comforter off the bed. He threw it over the back of the couch before sitting down himself to a wide eyed Hermione.
"I was kidding," she said.
"And I was not," he told her. "They actually do exist in our world and they kind of suck, no pun intended. Congrats you're now more informed." he smiled but she didn't find his comment as funny. When he glanced at her, she was narrowing her eyes at him.
To make up for it he put the comforter over them both and then slid next to her, leaning back to lay his head against the upholstery. He sighed heavily and she took his hand in hers, drawing light circles around the back of it with her free hand. It was a subtle yet soothing action and Draco felt his eyelids grow heavy.
"Thank you for listening," he whispered, as the warmth of the fireplace and the blanket and the early morning work they'd done only added to his drowsiness. He felt himself sliding into sleep, his head falling as he nestled into her shoulder. He felt a strand of her hair against his cheek. "Thank you for being here," he managed before he drifted off. Hermione kissed the top of his blond hair, not letting go of his hand.