"Here is the hallway and here are the doors and here is the fear of the other thing, the relentless thing, your body drowning in gravity. This is the in-between, the waiting that happens in the space between one note and the next." The Dislocated Room, Richard Siken

Despite the cool Autumn air, the sun was shining bright in a cloudless sky. The Manor's gardens were vibrant under the late afternoon light, trees swaying softly, fountains sending a light spray into the breeze. Draco was sitting at the table in a white gazebo near his wing of the house. Across from him sat Theo, who sipped on the tea Minzy had brought him with his pinky lifted.

"She's a half-blood," said Theo, setting the teacup down.

"Who is?" asked Draco, his confused look hidden by dark sunglasses.

"Adelaine, the witch I was shagging," he said casually. "She made me watch this American sport called baseball. It played on this huge box the Muggles call a telly. It was the oddest contraption I've ever seen in my life, but also fascinating."

Draco took a drag of his cigarette and arched a brow. "Did Adelaine give you that ridiculous thing you're wearing?" He pointed a finger at the strange hat sitting low on Theo's head. It was navy blue, with a white logo embroidered on the center; the logo was made up of a crisscrossed 'N' and 'Y.' Strands of brown hair stuck out from under the cap, which contrasted oddly with Theo's wrinkled dress shirt.

"Oh, this?" he said, pretending like he wasn't waiting for Draco to ask. He took the hat off and turned it on his hand. "It's from this team called the Yankees. Looks nice on me, doesn't it?"

"You look more like a tosser than usual," said Draco, ignoring Theo's insulted expression.

"Someone is particularly bitchy today," mumbled Theo. He gave Draco a frown, but he couldn't suppress his good mood for too long. "Anyway, I don't think I'm going to see this bird again. Too much trouble."

Draco leaned forward with feigned interest, deciding to distract himself with the only entertainment he had available. "Really?"

"She was brilliant, absolutely brilliant, like witches of her stature usually are," he said, releasing a long-suffering sigh. "But we weren't meant to be. When I was sneaking out of her house, I bumped into her daughter. I'm pretty sure she was in our year in Hogwarts, a Ravenclaw, perhaps? It got awkward pretty quickly-" he paused, pursuing his lips. "Not that that's ever stopped me before, but the poor bird was about to pass out, I swear. I don't think her daughter knew that her mum had such an-" He cleared his throat. "-Active life, if you get what I mean."

"I wish I didn't," mumbled Draco under his breath.

"Anyway, it was good while it lasted. Adelaine got surprisingly upset when I broke things off. I didn't expect the ferocity of her feelings. But I guess that's the effect I have on witches," he said, shaking his head. "She threatened me bodily harm, mate. She threatened to curse me with hexes I'd never even heard of. I had to re-do the wards at the Manor. I'm genuinely scared of going back to The Three Broomsticks in case she's waiting there for me."

"The absurdity of your struggles somehow always manage to baffle me, Theo," said Draco, already feeling his mind drifting away from the conversation. Theo's voice was slowly becoming white noise, and the thoughts he had successfully kept at bay were threatening to surface.

I shouldn't be here, he thought. I should be at the flat.

"I know!" exclaimed Theo. "It pains me how people just don't understand that love is better with a deadline. Less risk of looking as awful as you do right now. Is it Daphne? Honestly, you together look as emotionless as my father and my mother used to be, so it can't be her. Did you damage your favorite throw pillow or something?"

"Certainly," nodded Draco, staring somewhere over his left shoulder. He'd been stuck at the Manor for the past couple of days, and the air around him had passed the point of merely stifling. The longer he stayed there, the more it felt like the walls were shrinking around him.

"I should've stolen more of these baseball hats. Maybe we should get a telly, don't you think?" asked Theo, tilting his head as he studied Draco. "I think you'll like the sport. It might distract you from whatever is making you so surly. I'm kind of getting sick of staring at your scowl all the time. Don't you think your face will get stuck that way?"

"It might," mumbled Draco, squinting his eyes from behind the sunglasses. He ached for a good night of sleep.

"Have you gotten paler?" frowned Theo. "How is that possible? There's no color in your face at all. You know, Adelaine told me about these tanning salons they have in Muggle London, maybe we should schedule you a session. I would risk serious harm to get the address. That's what friends are for. What do you think?"

"Sounds good."

Draco looked out at the large trees forming an archway of branches and frowned. It had been such a long time since he'd been in the gardens. He'd forgotten how imposing they looked. Nothing about it felt like home.

"Ah, for Merlin's sake, Draco," exclaimed Theo, making Draco jump. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"You shrieking in my ear would be the first thing on the bloody list," he snapped. "What are you yelling for?"

"Have you heard a single thing I said?"

"Of course, I'm not deaf," said Draco. "I just don't remember it. My brain doesn't retain nonsense."

"Well, unfortunately, my brain is like a bloody sponge. It soaks up everything, and now it's soaking up your shitty attitude," he spat. "I can't handle this sullen disposition, mate. And it's actually offensive that this is the third time that I've caught you spacing out while I'm trying to talk to you, just because you're in a mood."

"You're the one who invited yourself here, you can bloody well leave."

"Oh no, we're getting to the bottom of this, mate. I'm determined," said Theo in a grave voice. The usual lighthearted glint in his eyes had vanished, replaced by something that looked like concern. Draco cursed under his breath. "Spit it out."

"I don't know what you're talking about," scoffed Draco, crushing the cigarette in the ashtray. "Minzy," he called. A second later, the elf appeared by his side. "Get me a bottle of water, will you?"

"Yes, Master," she said, then disappeared again. Draco waited for her to come back, taking the bottle from her outstretched hand. He uncapped the bottle and took a large sip, mostly to buy himself time. Theo was scrutinizing him through narrowed eyes.

"Can't you leave me alone for once?" said Draco finally. "Since when do you want to talk shite over, anyway? The Theo I know would suggest getting plastered."

"We could get plastered, but you don't fucking drink anymore, and even if I got you to, you'd be back to looking just as awful in the morning," he said, rolling his eyes. "Maybe it's the bloody rehab program rubbing off on me or something. So speak already." Draco sighed and clenched his jaw.

He couldn't quite pinpoint when he and Theo became close. Despite growing up together, they'd been mostly acquaintances at Hogwarts. They hadn't become friends until after the final battle, which Draco usually chalked up to post-war revelry and availability. But when he gave himself a break from his own cynicism, he knew that Theo was a real friend.

And if he couldn't talk to Theo about Granger, then he'd have to deal with it on his own. And it wasn't working. He'd been trying to ignore it, all the while feeling a bag of rocks sitting low in his stomach, too proud to do more than wallow in self-pity. He hated being in his head so damn much.

Theo was playing with the absurd Muggle hat, content to wait out Draco's decision.

Draco weighed the matter in his mind, and even as he knew he'd probably regret it, he opened his mouth to speak. "I had a fight with Granger."

Theo stopped twirling the hat. "Hermione Granger?" he said, a confused look on his face.

"Do you know anyone else by that name?" snapped Draco. "I think one is more than enough."

"Alright, no need to be so touchy," said Theo, letting the hat fall from his hands onto the table. "You're like this because of Hermione Granger?"

"Are you dense, Theo?" said Draco, through hissed teeth.

"Can you blame me?" he shrugged. "This is sounding more insane by the second. When did you even have the time to fight with Granger? We didn't have-" He paused. "Wait-" he said slowly, realization coming into his face. His eyes widened, and his mouth dropped. "Draco."

"What?"

"Are you shagging Hermione Granger?" he shrieked, almost leaping out of his chair.

"What the fuck, Theo? I'm not shagging her," said Draco, feeling genuinely confused. "I mean- wait, I thought you knew."

"How would I know that?"

"You kept making comments and looking at us weird. And she told me you said something to her when you bumped into each other at the bar."

"You were with her then?" asked Theo. He looked like he was going to start hyperventilating. "I mean, I had a feeling, it's not like either of you were very subtle with all the glances, but I didn't know for sure," he said, struggling to gather his thoughts. "I thought you were just pining after each other, you know? Some kind of angsty novel, all drama and heartache and tearing each other apart with your opposing beliefs and traumatic pasts. I had an entire storyline in my head. Never in a million years I thought you'd have the balls to do something about it," he said, sounding shell-shocked. "It's actually disappointing that you managed to get your head out of your arse so quickly."

"Oh, so you enjoy me being miserable?"

His eyes seemed to clear. "Not exactly," scoffed Theo. "It's just less dramatic than I figured. Or might not be, if your brooding is any indication. You had a fight with her?"

"That's what I was saying-" Draco was cut off by Theo's pearl of laughter. "Nott?"

"I bloody knew you weren't actually dating Daphne," he cackled. "You have less chemistry than a werewolf and a vampire forced to snog each other."

"I could be with them both," he said weakly.

"Please," snorted Theo. "You don't have the attention span required, for one. Secondly, it's super obvious that you're obsessed with Granger, and based on the way you were pining after her when she ran the program, I doubt you'd even want to. Third, I'm pretty sure Daphne likes women."

Draco narrowed his eyes. "Theo."

"Alright, sorry." He stopped laughing, and motioned for Draco to continue. "So, you got into a row?"

Draco dragged a hand down his face. "It was bloody stupid," he sighed, "and I shouldn't even be talking about this with you. I haven't talked to her in days, and if she finds out that I told you without her permission-"

"I don't gossip about my friends," said Theo, looking genuinely offended. "Do you want me to make an unbreakable vow?"

Draco frowned. "That'd be a bit much, don't you think?"

"If it makes your witch feel better," he shrugged.

"Not my witch," grunted Draco. He wanted so badly to rewind to before she'd showed up at the flat, to urge himself to look past his own jealousy. To realize that just because he hid things, it didn't mean that she was doing the same. "I wasn't very nice to her when we last spoke."

"I can't imagine you being nice under any circumstance," said Theo. "What did you do?"

"What did I do? She went to a bloody party with Weasel, and she didn't fucking tell me," he said, voice growing progressively louder. "Then she acted like I didn't have any reason to be mad, but let me tell you something. If I'd spent an entire night with someone that I knew wanted to shag me and didn't tell her first, she'd hex my arse to hell." He exhaled sharply. "I'm not saying I shouldn't have thought twice before saying what I said. But she left before I could apologize-" His voice trailed off when he saw Theo's mouth twitch. "Is this somehow funny to you?"

"Sorry," he snorted. "You just said a lot of words right now, my brain might've exploded."

"You know what?" he snapped irritatedly. "Get out of here, Theo."

"No, no," he exclaimed. "I'm listening. I'll stop joking."

"And then I saw those stupid photos in the Daily Prophet, and she had the nerve to get mad at me because I justifiably asked what was up with her and Weasley, and then I overreacted-"

"Hold on, before I can digest this, you need to backtrack a bit. I don't have all the facts. When did this thing with Granger started again?"

Draco bit his lip, hesitating. "A while back."

"So this isn't new?" he said. "What a bloody mess."

"It is new," said Draco, then he thought better of it. "But also it isn't. Listen, I'm not ashamed of being with her. So if you have any-"

"Do you think I care? Honestly?" he rolled his eyes. "You can't deny that this is a messy situation. Your mother, for starters? And the fact that everyone thinks you're dating Daphne? Which I still don't understand-" He paused. "And, of course, she's a Muggleborn."

"Yeah," exhaled Draco, slumping back in his chair. Theo watched him carefully.

"Look, it's not like Granger magically flipped a switch in my brain or anything. But she made a lot of good points, and blood purity was never important to me. Especially after what happened to my father. You, on the other hand, have more to consider."

"I do," said Draco, swallowing. "My mother would have a fit, of course. But you know what's strange?" A bewildered expression passed over his face. "Granger hasn't asked me what I thought about blood status in a long time. And when it comes down to it…"

"It doesn't matter?" guessed Theo. "Come on, Draco. You don't seem like yourself at all."

I don't, thought Draco. But he didn't want to explain to Theo how he felt. It was hard enough to make himself do it for Granger, and most of the time he failed.

"What do you want me to do, Theo?" spat Draco. "Do you think I wanted this?"

Theo shrugged. "I doubt it, but I just can't relate to it. Seems too bothersome," he pulled the hat from the table and placed it back on his head. "Anyway, I'm sorry about Granger, but what about Daphne? You're going to keep whatever you have going with her, with Granger on the side?"

"I don't want to think about that," he said immediately. "Daphne and I have an agreement, Hermione knows about it, but it's a lot more complicated than you think."

"I believe that," said Theo. "And Granger doesn't care?"

"She cares, but that's not even the biggest problem she has with me right now. Amazingly, I somehow fucked up worse than starting a courtship with another woman."

"If you want to fix things, then you'll find a way," shrugged Theo. "Everything'll blow over in a day or two. Hey, where do you hang out with her anyway? I can't imagine you bringing her to the Manor. And I heard from one of my sources that she lives with Potter."

"Why do you want to know?" said Draco suspiciously.

"I'm a curious individual," said Theo. "I have to paint a new image of the two of you in my head now that you've gone up and ruined what I had before."

Draco debated ignoring the question. "Mostly at my flat, the one I bought last year."

Theo frowned. "The one you never went to?" His mouth dropped open. "Oh, is that why you bought all that fancy Italian furniture?"

"Did everyone read that bloody article?" muttered Draco. "Granger kept complaining how empty it was, so I solved her problem. I didn't realize anyone would hear about it."

"You bought her furniture?"

Draco grinded his teeth. "Theo."

"Bloody hell," mumbled Theo. "You never do anything nice for anyone, and you're buying furniture for her? You're arse-over-tits."

"Can you shut up?"

"And you're not even denying it," he gaped at Draco, as if seeing him for the first time. He shook his head to clear it. "So let me get this straight, you and Granger fought because she went with Weasel to Potter's engagement party, and she didn't tell you, Then you saw those photos on The Daily Prophet. She showed up at your flat, you argued with her, and then she left?"

"Basically."

"Was that all?"

Draco licked his lips. "I already told you that I said things I didn't mean," he said, pressing a hand to his temple. "I just- no offense, but you're not the person I want to have this conversation with."

Theo snickered. "None taken," he said. "Is it serious, then? Because I can sit here and joke all day long, but if it's more than a casual shag… I don't know how you're going to deal with that, mate." His words felt more like a stab than he probably intended them to.

"I don't know," he said, his voice dropping an octave. "It doesn't really matter now, anyway."

Except it did, because Draco would have to choose, and as much as he wanted to summon the strength to walk away from it entirely, thinking of going about his life having not only angered, but also hurt her - it felt like a rock lodging itself inside his throat.

Theo gave him a skeptical look. "I'm not going to pretend I understand anything about this, but if I know anything about you, it's that you don't exactly give up on things you want. If you like her, which it's obvious that you do, then find her and bloody apologize already."

"It's not that easy, Theo."

"It's as hard and as easy as you make it," he said. "And if it'll make you less surly, then it's a win for all of us."

It wasn't hard for him to tune out Cartwell's voice.

She was too soft-spoken, for one - every word coming out of her mouth sounded measured, so as to not spook an angry bear. Draco wasn't sure if she was cautious by nature, or expected them to show their claws if she got too close, but it made it easy to pretend she wasn't there.

Granger wasn't soft at all. Ignoring her was never an option; sometimes it seemed like she was intentionally approaching the edge of going too far. But she always backed off before it got too much.

Even Theo was having a hard time pretending to be interested in what Cartwell was saying. He kept opening his mouth and then closing it, like he was trying to force himself to participate, but then deciding it wasn't worth the effort.

Millicent was the same as she'd ever been - silent unless asked a direct question, aloof even when she was forced to contribute. Draco wondered if she realized their instructor had changed, or if it didn't make an ounce of difference to her.

He almost envied her for it.

The only ones seemingly enjoying Cartwell's return were Pansy and Rookwood. They wore twin ear-to-ear smiles that made Draco's hand itch for his wand. It was bad enough that he knew Rookwood had played a role in getting Granger kicked out of the program. And Pansy was somehow worse - she exuded triumph, like she'd grabbed the golden snitch in the final moments of the Quidditch World Cup.

She was still babbling on as the rest of the group packed their stuff. "I truly missed these chats with you, Edina."

"Really?" said Cartwell, her eyes wide in surprise. Draco rolled his eyes and stood up from his chair. "Thank you, Miss Parkinson. It's easy to pick up where I left off, thanks to Miss Granger's hard work."

"Oh but it's always better to work with an expert, isn't it?" said Pansy in a sweet voice. "We can certainly feel the difference."

"I liked Granger's meetings," said Draco, approaching them. Pansy shot him a look. "She gave us some intriguing assignments."

"Like what?" snapped Pansy. "When she forced us to talk to random Muggleborns? She was trying too hard."

Draco shrugged and gave her a smirk. "It got some interesting conversation going, didn't it?" he said, sounding forcibly nonchalant. "Even you seemed to be affected by it, or have you forgotten when you almost cried talking about Hogwarts?"

Pansy's face paled, and she narrowed her eyes. "You don't need to be such a git."

"Am I? I didn't notice."

"Alright, alright," said Cartwell, looking between them with a confused expression. Her voice was still eerily calm. "Like I said, I appreciate Miss Granger's work, but I'm happy to be back with all of you. I'll see you both at our next meeting, okay?"

"Of course, Edina," said Pansy, dragging her eyes away from Draco to offer Cartwell a sharp smile. Draco gave her a mocking salute, watching the woman disappear out the door.

When she was gone, Pansy turned to him. "Why are you defending Granger?" she spat.

"I liked her meetings," he deadpanned. "And watching you kiss Cartwell's arse for the past hour was nauseating. I never pegged you for a flatterer, Pans."

"I'm doing what I can where I can, Draco. Can you imagine whatever bullshit Granger reported about me? This is my chance to at least attempt to get out of this shite."

Theo, who was leaning against the wall facing the door, snickered at Pansy's words. "I don't think Granger set out to make your life impossible, Pansy."

"Oh, so I'm suddenly surrounded by the Golden Swot's fanclub? You can both choke on your hypocrisy, for all I care. I'm out of here," she growled. Theo cackled as he watched her strut out the door and down the hallway, her hands balled into fists. Before she turned the corner, she shot them one last seething gaze.

Draco inclined his head at Theo. "You don't need to defend Granger."

"You think I'm doing it because Granger's your girlfriend?"

"Be quiet," hissed Draco, scanning the room with a panicked expression.

"We're alone," said Theo.

"Granger's not my girlfriend," retorted Draco, walking out the door. Theo fell into an easy step beside him.

"She definitely won't be if you keep procrastinating on your apology to her."

"You know, Theo?" said Draco. "Me making the mistake of telling you about Granger doesn't give you a free pass to offer your input."

"I don't care," said Theo happily. "I'm invested now. I actually enjoyed talking to Granger at the meetings, and now that Cartwell's back, you're my only connection to her, so you better fix your shite sooner rather than later."

"Like I'd let you be in a room together."

"You don't exactly have a choice," he said, turning the corner. "Go find her, Draco. Or I'll have to get involved."

"That's actually terrifying," he said sarcastically. Theo blinked at him. "You can go now, by the way."

"Are you going to talk to her?"

"I fucking will, now leave me alone," he snapped.

"Update me later," he said with a grin, giving him a jaunty wave and sashaying down the hall towards the fireplaces.

I will do no such thing, thought Draco.

He hesitated for a second, running a hand through his hair. He knew Granger was in the building. She'd probably bristle at him for cornering her there, but of several bad options, it seemed the least likely to backfire. He just needed a minute with her in front of him, then he'd figured out a way to fix things between them, even if he wasn't sure how, yet.

Draco squared his shoulders and started to make his way to the first floor. He tried to appear unsuspecting as he approached the Staff Lounge, looking around to see if anyone was watching, then trying to push the door open. It wouldn't budge.

Warded to keep non-staff away, then, he noted. He stepped away from the door slowly, scanning the hallway. His eyes landed on a young looking witch he'd seen around the building before, and he quickly smoothed his expression. She was stepping closer, shooting him unsubtle glances.

When she was a few feet away from the door, he turned to her. "Hello," said Draco, voice infused with forced cheerfulness. She gingerly pushed up the glasses that were sliding down her nose. "You work here, right?"

"I'm a volunteer," she said, frowning at him. "You're Draco Malfoy."

"I am," he nodded. She wasn't giving him the usual look - the mix of fear and barely hidden disgust. She just appeared confused as to why he was talking to her. "What's your name?"

"I'm Zoe," she said, eyes flickering between him and the door. "Can I help you with something?"

"Oh, I'm glad you asked," he said, leaning against the wall. The corner of his mouth lifted in a well-rehearsed smirk, and she flushed. "I'm supposed to have a meeting with Hermione Granger, I'm sure you know her. But I have a family emergency and won't be able to make it, so I really need to tell her before I leave. Can you call her for me?"

She gave him a hesitant look. "Can't you send her an owl?"

"Sure, but I'm already here and I'd hate to make her wait," he shrugged, his smile growing. "You know how those war heroes are, don't you? I wouldn't want to offend her."

"Yes, I know," she giggled. "But Miss Granger hasn't visited the lounge since she got that new office. You'd have more luck looking for her there."

Draco palmed his face. "Blimey! I knew I was forgetting something. She did mention me meeting her there," he nodded. "Can you refresh my memory, sweetheart? Do you know which floor it's on?"

She shifted nervously. Draco pulled away from the wall and stepped closer to her. "I'm not sure if I should give out that kind of information."

"You'll be doing me such a favor, though," he said in a low voice. "I'm certain Granger wouldn't mind, Zoe. She'll probably be grateful, since she won't have to wait until I can tell her of my absence."

Zoe looked uncertain for a second, averting her eyes. Draco kept the smile on his face as he waited, and finally, her shoulders sagged. "It's on the fourth floor, left side. There's a plaque with her name, so you won't miss it."

"Thank you," he said quickly, already turning on his heel. "You're a dear," he said over his shoulder, not looking back to make sure she'd heard.

He quickly made his way to the fourth floor. It was mostly empty, a row of identical doors looking rusty and poorly maintained in contrast with the austere white walls. Draco passed by Cartwell's and Hughman's offices, making sure not to linger for too long before reaching the far corner of the hallway. When he got to Granger's office, he lifted his arm to knock.

He stopped just before he made contact with the door.

He was surprised to find his body paralyzed by doubt and fear surging inside of him. Draco glanced at the staircase and considered making a run for it.

He wasn't afraid to talk to her - he was scared of what would happen if she decided not to forgive him. The possibility hadn't crossed his mind until then. But once it did, he felt his mind begin to spin and his chest tighten.

You're not a bloody pussy, he told himself, digging his nails deep into his palms. He took a deep breath and knocked twice on the door, then he stood back and crossed his arms behind his back. After a few seconds of silence, he knocked again, but no response came.

She's not even here, he cursed inwardly. He could wait for her, but there was no excuse he could give Hughman or Cartwell if they came out of their offices and caught him there. Even if he could come up with something relatively plausible, it wouldn't endear him to Granger.

Draco shoved his hands in his pockets and started to make his way back to the staircase. This time, he walked slowly, with his shoulders down. He wanted a smoke - he wanted an immediate solution to his damn problem.

He had almost reached the first floor when he saw her, and his mind instantly went blank.

Granger looked beautiful - she always did, but it was especially dazzling to see her for the first time in days. She hadn't spotted him yet, so he leaned against the railing and drank her in without reservation.

She had her hair down, with half of her curls pinned away from her face. She wore silver earrings that dangled from her earlobes, and the v-neck of her long-sleeved blouse gave just a glimpse of the base of her throat. Seeing her so gorgeous and unaware made Draco want to rush down and pull her into his arms.

What's wrong with me?

His heart raced and his palms grew sweaty. As he closed the distance between them, the room seemed to turn black and white, and Granger was the only thing in color.

"Hello," said Draco, a little breathlessly.

Granger stopped in her tracks, lifting her eyes until she met his gaze. Something indecipherable flashed over her face, and she swallowed audibly. "Hello."

For a moment, they stood there in silence, the air seeming to suck in around them. She lowered her gaze, focusing on a point on his chest. Draco wanted to reach out, but he balled his hands into fists instead. He didn't know if he was allowed to touch her.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I just left a meeting," he said, fidgeting in place. "It's not the same without you. Cartwell's too bloody nice," he grumbled.

A small smile appeared on her lips, disappearing as quickly as it came. "She's a good healer, though. You should take her more seriously, she's trying her best."

Draco shook his head. "She's not you."

Granger closed her eyes. Draco's breath got stuck in his throat. He yearned to touch her, he'd do anything to shatter the tension between them.

She slowly opened her eyes."What do you want, Draco?"

"Can we talk?" he said in a rush.

"We're already talking."

"You know that's not what I mean," he said. "I want to have a real conversation with you. We could go to the flat-"

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"Are you going to be mad at me forever?" he said, releasing a frustrated breath. "Didn't you say you were going to give me the benefit of the doubt?"

Her voice sounded weak when she said, "I am."

"Are you really?" he said, unable to gauge what was running through her head and feeling caged by it. "How am I supposed to change your mind if you refuse to talk to me?"

"I don't know if it's the right time, Draco."

"It's been days," he said. "You're pulling away from me."

"Isn't that what you were trying to do?" snapped Granger, finally lifting her eyes to look at him.. "You said it was a waste of your time."

"I didn't mean that," he urged. "I'll explain it to you."

"Maybe you're not supposed to," said Granger. "Maybe this is it, Draco. We had a good time, sure, but what were we really expecting would come out of this?"

He let out a small laugh. "Now you're worried about that?"

"I've always been worried about that," she sighed. "It was a matter of time before this happened, anyway. We can't keep playing house in your flat forever."

"You're doing exactly what I said," he said, shaking his head incredulously. "You're mad at me, so now you're stepping all the way out of the door, and because of what? Because we got into a silly row?"

Her face flushed in anger. "You said some very cruel things to me, Draco."

"And I was wrong, I know," he exclaimed. "But your solution is to run away from me at the first opportunity you get? I didn't think you were such a bloody coward."

"That's uncalled for," snapped Granger. "Maybe I'm tired of getting treated like shite by everyone in my life, have you thought of that?"

Draco paused. His first instinct was to snap back, but he knew if he said the wrong thing, she'd walk away again. "Weasel and Potter are shitty friends to you, Hermione," he said in a low voice. "You deserve better than the way they're treating you. But I can't fix them."

She sighed, something like shame passing through her eyes. "I know," she muttered. "But why did you make me feel like you didn't trust me with them, like it was my fault?"

"Because I was being a fucking tosser."

"Well, you didn't apologize then, Draco. What do you want me to do?"

"I didn't have the time to, Granger. And I was going-" he snapped, then bit back a frustrated groan. "Okay," he whispered, more to himself than to her. "Let's talk at the flat, like I first suggested. I want to work this out properly."

Granger hesitated. "I don't have the time now."

"Okay, that's alright," he said, nodding. "How about later? After-" Before he could get the words out, a voice called his name from below. Their heads snapped to look over the railing.

Draco felt his stomach fill with dread as he watched Daphne quickly ascend the stairs, knowing that the moment between him and Granger had ended. He wanted to grab her elbow and apparated them away from there.

"Draco!" repeated Daphne. "I finally found you." Her heels clicked loudly against the tiles, and she sounded out of breath.

"Daphne," he grunted. "What the bloody hell are you doing here?"

"I came to pick you up," she said, looping her arm through his and looking from him to Granger, a coy smile on her lips. "Hi, Hermione. Did I interrupt something?"

"Hi Daphne," said Granger. Her eyes fell on their interlocked arms, and Draco saw something inside of her shift. "No, you didn't. We just bumped into each other."

Draco searched for her eyes, but Granger refused to look at him. It felt like any progress he had made had vanished, and he wanted to rip his arm away from Daphne's.

"Just like at the St. Mungo's ball, right?" said Daphne in an amused voice. "How odd."

"It happens when you're in the same bloody space, Daphne," snapped Draco. "Can you wait for me downstairs? I need to talk to Granger about something-"

Granger gave them a flat smile. "There's no need," she said firmly. "You guys should head out. I need to go back to my office, anyway."

"But-"

"Alright," said Daphne. "Nice talking to you, Hermione. We should meet up, sometime."

Granger frowned. "You too. And yes, sure," she said, sounding confused.

Draco held in his breath when Granger's shoulder brushed his. He waited for the sound of her footsteps to grow faint before tearing his arm away from Daphne. "What the fuck?"

"You should thank me, I just saved your arse," she hissed. "What's wrong with you? Since when do you think it's a good idea to have a lovers' quarrel in public? Anyone could've overheard you two and it'd be bloody everywhere, Draco."

"I was just talking to Granger, " he snapped. "I'm not going to sit through a lecture from you."

"Oh, just talking?" She let out a genuine laugh. "With the look on your face? Merlin, I noticed it the second I saw you. Only a blind person wouldn't."

"I don't know what you're insinuating-"

"Why are you lying to me?" she said. "I'm your friend, and mostly, I'm not daft. If we're going to help each other I have to know all the facts. So if you and Granger have something-"

"You need to leave it alone," he hissed. His head was beginning to throb, and he had half a mind to leave Daphne and run after Granger. "You're not entitled to involve yourself in my business."

"I am," she said. "I'm your girlfriend, remember? I'm entitled to know what's going on with you if it's going to affect me."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Don't worry, it won't," he said, offering her his arm. "Let's get the bloody hell out of here."

She wrapped her fingers around his elbow without hesitation, but her grip was unnecessarily tight. "It kind of humanizes you, to be frank," she said quietly. "It makes me feel less screwed up."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Daphne," he said. "Why did you come here?"

"Because my mother kept pestering me that I hadn't seen you for a few days, and I had to get her off my back. I stopped by your house and Narcissa told me you'd be here," she said through gritted teeth. "She rather unsubtly suggested that I come find you, and I couldn't think of an excuse."

"She would've insisted in coming with you, if you said no," sighed Draco. "My mother doesn't take no for an answer. Don't go there if we haven't talked about it first."

"I know that now," said Daphne. She lowered her voice once they stepped into the busy floor. "I noticed that you changed the subject."

"I'm not talking about this with you," said Draco. He was conscious of the looks they were getting. Initially, passers-by sneered at him, but their faces softened when they saw the witch on his arm.

My mother was bloody right, he admitted to himself. It didn't take a genius to notice the positive effect that Daphne had. It was a shame that he couldn't bring himself to care.

"So you admit there's something to talk about?"

"No," he grunted. "My head is hurting."

"Granger's cute, you know," she continued. "Blood status aside, of course. Since I'm obviously not the avatar of pureblood morality, I can freely admit that you both look good together. Even if she seemed ready to punch you in the face just then."

Draco's head snapped towards her. "She seemed ready to punch me?" He shook his head when he noticed her amused expression. "You know what? I don't actually care. Give me your best smile, girlfriend of mine, people are staring."

Daphne moved closer to him, then tilted the side of her face towards him. His eyes fell on her sharp gaze. "Kiss me," she ordered. Draco wanted to refuse, but he bent his head to press a soft peck on her cheek. "Is that how you kiss Granger? I'd want to punch you, too."

Trust me, that wouldn't be why, thought Draco. Outwardly, they looked like they were sharing loving anecdotes. The way Daphne giggled was almost effortless, and his own smile didn't look too forced. When they reached the fireplaces, Daphne whispered, "Did she hurt you?"

"Please, drop it," he said firmly. There was a gleam of concern in her eyes, and even if Draco wanted to open up to her, there was nothing in him that was willing to come out. He smoothed his face into a blank expression. "We're going to Floo to my study. Then you're leaving, alright? If you stay, my mother won't leave us be."

"Draco-"

"I'm serious, Daphne," he said in a rough voice. "I want to be alone." He waited for her nod before mentioning for her to step into the fireplace first.

"You don't need to keep everything inside, you know," said Daphne, grabbing a pinch of the powder. "It's lonely, the business of not fitting in. You don't need to make it harder on yourself." She looked at him pointendly, but he refused to respond. "Well, suit yourself then."

He silently hoped that she'd be gone when he arrived. He needed to get himself together and figure out what he was going to do. His conversation with Granger had only cemented his unconscious decision. Despite his own doubts, a few minutes in her presence had been enough to quiet the noise in his head.

He wanted more breathless moments with the solidness of her presence. He wanted more peaceful mornings and her warm body curled around his. We've just started, he thought - it felt like tree roots wrapping around his ankles and planting his feet into the ground.

We've just started, a voice inside his head repeated, feeling less like a thought and more like a truth. He'd crack his chest open, if it was what Granger needed to believe it.

End notes: thank you so much for all the feedback in the last chapter. Hermione and Draco's fight was super important to write, and it got some strong reactions, lol. I hope you enjoy this one. I particularly liked writing Theo and Draco's conversation :)