A/N So as any of you who read this boring bit at the start know, I'm falling behind a bit with the story but I will keep trying to post these on time. Regardless, I hope this is a good chapter. Also, I've tried to include lots of your ideas throughout the next couple of chapters. Remember to review and see you at the end of the chapter!
Chapter 22 - Coffee
Sunday passed by uneventfully, unless you count Draco trying to learn a patronus in his free time, or Hermione giving out new patrol times to the prefects. Draco was still inevitably stressing about the prospect of his father knowing that he really liked a muggleborn, although Hermione seemed to have perked up a bit lately. She even laughed when Ginny made an awful joke at the table during lunch on Sunday, and made an effort to smile at Lavender every time she saw her in the corridors. Draco, however, hadn't seen much of the head girl that day.
Monday the 24th came and along with it the first real signs of winter. Waking up two minutes before her alarm, Hermione swung her legs out of her bed and stood up, letting her nightgown fall as she walked over to her wardrobe to get changed. A freshly laundered pile of school uniforms were laid at the bottom it, no doubt brought up by a house elf. She cringed guiltily at the thought.
After changing, she restraightened her tie and leant on her window ledge, peaking out of the foggy glass. The wind whistled through the gaps and rattled the glass. She opened the window to feel the breeze and gasped at the sudden impact of wind on skin as it smacked her face violently. Shaking her head, she stuck her head out the window and looked around. Hagrid was seen, clumping through the layer of frost on the grass towards the greenhouses with his faithful boar hound at heal, and a few early morning second years were sitting out in the courtyard. A sudden rush of wind sent her hair everywhere and she quickly shut her window with a snap. Grabbing her brush, she attempted to tame the main of dark curls and, ten minutes later, she was standing at her door, ready for the day ahead. Or at least - that's what she thought.
"Draco! Where's the coffee?" Hermione yelled, pacing around the kitchen and lifting things at random to try and find the coffee. No answer. "Rrrrgh!" She huffed, striding over to the bathroom and rapping on the door frustratedly. "Draco!" She yelled irritably. Saturday's argument seemed to have left both their memories.
"Can a guy get some peace in this place?" Draco moaned sarcastically. Hermione heard the shower stop and, 10 seconds later, the door swung open and Hermione's eyes were met with Draco standing with nothing on but a green towel wrapped around his waist. She widened her eyes and looked away, embarrassed. Draco smirked and asked as snidely as he could, "What's bothering you Granger?"
"Where's the coffee?" Hermione asked annoyed, snatching her head back at him to glare right into his eyes which, at this moment, were glinting with amusement. Draco snorted, clearly very amused. "I finished it before my shower," he said simply, before shutting the door in her face. Hermione gasped and looked exasperatedly at the door, before hammering on it again. However, she was only met with the sound of the shower being turned on again and she soon gave up.
Ten minutes later, tired and suffering from lack of caffeine, Hermione left the common room, bickering profusely with the head boy. "How could you finish it?! You know I need coffee every morning!" She moaned grumpily. Draco glanced at her, very amused. "Look," he smirked, "Meet me after my lesson with Lupin tonight. I'll have you a new jar of coffee." Hermione looked at him skeptically. "Promise?" She asked, eyebrows raised.
"Promise," Draco groaned, pecking her briefly on the lips before dashing off to breakfast. Hermione smirked, too.
The rest of the day past uneventfully. In double potions they made complicated concoctions and had Slughorn constantly reminding them of the properties; lunch passed with a few smiles and a lot of quidditch talk; double Arithmancy Hermione found extremely unuseful, as she already knew everything there was to know about the rise of famous arithmancers and what different number sequences meant. Honestly she might as well have spent the day in the library. However, this didn't stop her from writing three sides of notes on numerous topics.
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Draco hadn't found the day any more interesting that Hermione. In fact, Study of Ancient Runes was the most dullest class he'd ever sat through. He already knew what all the runes they were studying and the rough translations. A cruel breeze was whipping through the hole in the window and was lashing aggressively at his face. He tried to turn away but his window seat was positioned i such a way that wherever he was, the wind would still catch him.
Finally the bell signalling signalling the end of lesson sounded and Draco, heaving his bag onto his desk, packed away and left without a sound. He headed straight for the 2nd floor to find Lupin, who he hoped was still in his office or returning there from his classroom. This was it; the day he'd find out if it was physically possible for him to be as good as Potter.
He rapped three times on the large, oak door, waiting for a reply. No more than two seconds passed before he could hear the shuffling of papers and a familiar voice say, "Come in, I'm just filing some reports -" he looked up as the door swung open and said with a surprised expression, "Oh? Draco? What brings you here? Sit down sit down." Draco sat opposite his desk, back straight. "Sir, I was..." He began, and faltered. How could he ask for help. It wasn't like Lupin was Hermione, he could lose reputation from doing this! He tried again, "Are you free at the moment?" Lupin looked at him surprised.
"Yes, as a matter of fact I am. Why?" The ageing man asked.
"I -" deep breath "I need you to help," he stated. "Me," he added. Lupin possibly beamed at him. "Never would I have guessed you'd say that, young man. Well Draco, what is it you need assistance in?" He asked politely.
"Patronus," Draco simply stated. The corner of Lupin's mouth twitched. He nodded. "Very well, we start today," Lupin concluded. Draco bowed his head; it was now or never. Lupin switched his wand and the desk along with everything else in his room flew to the sides of the room, leaving a large space in the middle. "Show me what you can do," Lupin suggested, and Draco stuck his wand out in front of him and shouted, "Expecto Patronum!" A glimmer of silver shot out of the end of his wand and wavered away into nothingness. Lupin clapped his hands together and said jovially, "What were you thinking?" Draco looked at him moodily. "You need a happy thought, something which is so powerful, it'll block any evil force." There was a pause.
"I can't think of anything," Draco sighed angrily, kicking the desk behind him.
"There must be something, Draco. What were you thinking of now?" Lupin asked. Draco blushed and looked stubbornly away. "When I got my first broom," he muttered foolishly. Lupin chuckled, causing Draco to glare at him.
"You know," Lupin chortled, "When Harry was learning his first patronus, his initial thought was riding a broom for the first time, too." Draco glowered. "Not nearly strong enough," Lupin stated, smiling. Draco nodded and cast his mind away for something that made him truly happy. Things came to him like before his family became screwed up, or the times father had been proud of him, or when his parents had gone out to dinner a few years ago with him - and then it came to him. "I've got it," he murmured, then repeated it confidently, nodding to himself. Lupin nodded at him. He cast his mind back to the memory and tried to block out everything else around him until he was purely focused in the thought. Pointing his wand firmly in front of him, he bellowed, "EXPECTO, PATRONUM!" And at last, a beam of light emitted from his wand which spread into a pearly white shield. He grinned, focusing with all his might on that single memory. He could hear Lupin cheering him and clapping and then - it faded. He fell to his knees, exhausted. "Draco!" Lupin beamed, lending him a hand and hauling him up. Draco staggered up and laughed. "Well done! I am impressed Draco! It may not have taken an animal form yet but it's still a wonderful start!" Lupin beamed, ecstatic. "What did you think of?" He asked, grinning. Draco smirked but did not answer the question. It'd be more than his life's worth to tell. Lupin nodded, understandingly and said, "Again."
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Forty five minutes later, Draco had produced many shields, weak but still shields all the same. "Thanks, professor," Draco said appreciatively, and nodded once to his teacher. Lupin smiled and waved him out his office, telling him to, "Remember to come, same time every Monday." Draco grinned, pulling the door to and setting off for dinner.
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"You'll never guess what," Draco murmured to Theo and Blaise, bending his head round to face them. "What?" Blaise asked, a forkful of mash halfway towards his mouth. "I've started my DADA homework," Draco smirked. Theo stared at him. "You're kidding," he muttered, "How the hell have you managed to cast a patronus?" Both boys waited for an answer, Blaise's mash forgotten. "Granger," he smirked simply. Then he added, "And I'm taking classes with Loony."
"Lovegood?" Blaise asked, shocked.
"No, Lupin you twit," Theo spat, screwing up his face and wondering how his mate was so thick. Blaise nodded his head fervently, saying "I knew that." Draco just shook his head. "So you had just the one off lesson with wolfy or constant?" Theo asked.
"Werewolf's tutoring me every Monday after lessons," Draco confirmed.
"Asked Granger out yet?" Theo asked slyly, ducking as Draco immediately made to thump him. "Will you shut up!" The Slytherin Prince hissed, ignoring Blaise's chortle, mash still on his fork. "Anyone could have heard you you prick!" Draco hissed, angrily. No one heard.
At seven o'clock, Draco had finished his dinner he looked up and saw the girl in question looking at him. He smirked, got up, and said to the boys, "I'll see you all tomorrow probably," and walked out the hall. Many others were walking out too, despite the fact that dinner didn't finish for another half hour.
He stopped in the darkening entrance hall, which was only lit by the slim candles, and leant against the wall next to the great hall door. Once the tidal wave of students had swarmed out of the great hall, he finally saw the head girl stagger out, clutching a copy of Hogwarts A History. He crept his hand out towards the girl and grabbed her wrist, pulling her into a hidden passage way concealed by a tapestry. She gasped and glared at him, before cracking a smile and asking, "So?"
"I did it," Draco smirked.
"I'm not talking about that, although well done anyway," Hermione spoke, very business like. Draco looked at her, confused.
"What do you mean?" He asked, slightly disappointed. Hermione just looked at him. "I don't -" Draco began, but Hermione cut in.
"The coffee," she said simply.
"Oh," Draco said awkwardly, trying to think up an excuse, "I... Hang on." He brushed aside the tapestry and walked over to the door to the right hand side of the marble staircase - the one that lead to the kitchens. Hermione followed him sceptically, wondering what he was possibly going to do.
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5 minutes later, they were standing opposite a painting of a large fruit bowl. Behind them were a few stacked barrels. Hermione rolled her eyes. Of course. Draco cleared his throat, tickled the pear until it had wriggled into a door knob, and pushed the door open.
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A scurrying of a thousand little feet and high pitched voices met their ears, not to mention the clanging of thousands upon thousands of silver wear. The door closed behind them and every single house elf in the massive room turned to look at them. "Master Malfoy, Miss Granger! How can we be of service to you sir and miss?" Piped up one of the house elves nearest. Hermione thought she sounded like a female. "Your finest jar of coffee," Draco demanded and at once, three house elves rushed off to a cupboard. Hermione looked downright horrified. "Please," she added, appalled at Draco's manners. No sooner than five seconds later, a tray was rushing back supported by the three elves, a jar of coffee beans on top. "Thank you," Hermione smiled, stepping on Draco's foot and glaring at him. "Uh, thanks," Draco said, wincing slightly. He took the jar and nodded to the beaming elves. "MISS! MISS GRANGER MISS!" A shrill, overjoyed voice called from across the hall and, a couple of seconds later, Dobby was at her feet, bowing so his long nose touched the floor. "Dobby!" Hermione cried, smiling and crouching down so they were at eye level. "Dob - Dobby?" Draco asked, bewildered, eyes wide and shocked. Dobby stumbled back, looking all of a sudden terrified. Draco knelt, scrutinising the creature before him, his old house elf. Dobby eyed him warily. Then, Draco did something that shocked not only Hermione, but every house elf in sight. Draco hugged him. Dobby let out a sob and clung to his old master's shirt, huge, green, golf ball like eyes brimming with tears. "I'm sorry," Draco murmured to the elf, who nodded and let go of him. Draco nodded back and stood up. Hermione just stared, jaw dropped. Draco looked at her, coffee jar in hand, and pointed towards the door. "Nice seeing you Dobby," Hermione smiled, trying to ignore what just happened and pass it off as normal, and waved. "Goodbye sir and miss!" Dobby called. They both left the room in silence, coffee in hand.
"Am I aloud to ask why you hugged Dobby?" Hermione asked tentatively, as soon as the portrait had closed behind them. Draco eyed her warily and said, voice slightly restrained, "I'll tell you one day, but not now."
"Thanks for getting the coffee," Hermione said softly after a few moments. She flicked her hair slightly and Draco caught the immediate scent of lavender. He'd grown used to the bathroom smelling of lavender every morning and that what he once despised he now liked. It made him think of her and thinking of her was all that was keeping him going. All that kept him from being a true death eater, really. He'd never do that, never put her life on the line. Even before he'd kissed her he knew he couldn't watch her die, not because of him, or anyone else for that matter.
"Malfoy's never break their promises," he said after a while. She smiled and did something she'd not properly done before. She kissed him. Not a peck on the cheek sort, not the jokey, friendly sort; she actually kissed him. It was an understatement to say he was surprised. Thrilled by her sudden move, he kissed her back just as gently as she was him. They smiled, wrapping their arms around each other as if they were shielding each other from the terrors to come.
"Well. I do think this is... Extraordinary," a voice drawled behind them. Both head students spun around. Jet black cloak billowing out behind him, candle light emphasising the shadows on his sallow skin, Professor Snape stood, eyebrows raised in utter shock.
A/N Also I forgot to mention at the top, but my writing app has been updated and kinda screwed up the presentation so if there's any dialogue mistakes then I'm sorry ( - it'd just be more than one person talking per line mistakes). Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Btw next chapter includes lots of Snape.
Another thing, even though I try to keep everything as factual and as close to the real books as possible, there are a few details like the kitchens and house elves that only appear in the books and not the films so if you haven't read the books then I'm sorry for any confusions. Basically, Dobby works with about 100 other house elves at Hogwarts in the kitchens. See you all hopefully on Tuesday and please review what you'd like me to include.