------------------------------------------------------COMMON ROOM--------------------------------------------------------
The sounds of birds tweeting, crickets creaking, and the gentle pitter-patter of rain against her window entered Hermione's semi-conscious ears. It couldn't have been the time to get up. It was earlier; much earlier. You know that feeling when you really want to fall back to sleep, but your body has other ideas? Hermione was going through that right now. Her heartbeat sped up as she came to her senses, her eyelids fluttered, her ears became more attuned to other sounds, and a sigh escaped her lips. Oh well, might as well get up, she thought resignedly.
She cracked an eye open, and winced, shutting it immediately. Harsh light from the pale white sky flooded her room – she'd forgotten to close her curtains last night! She felt around for her wand on her pedestal and flicked it. Through her closed eyes, she saw her room get slightly darker. She smiled, placing her wand back on the pedestal. She opened both eyes now. Crookshanks was fast asleep on the pillow next to Hermione's. Hermione gazed at her cat adoringly. If only I could have been a cat, she thought, then I'd have no troubles at all. Jut sleep and sleep and sleep...
Hermione yawned, closing her eyes briefly. Her head turned about on her pillow, and she opened her eyes again. This time though, her gaze fell upon her table in the corner of her room. She squinted, feeling as if there was something missing. She propped herself on her elbow, and focused on the items on her desk.
There were hardly any.
She scratched her head, even though there wasn't even an itch, thinking. She scanned the items, running a mental checklist.
Quill set?
Check.
Victor Krum's newest book?
Check.
Fresh clothes for the morning – well, today?
Check.
Desk calendar?
Check.
Schoolbag?
Ch- oh, wait. Where on earth is my schoolbag? Hermione racked her brain. Then, when she couldn't figure it out, she started panicking. She couldn't lose that bag! She just couldn't! There were valuable items in that bag! Like her precious books, and her textbooks! And that essay she was in the midst of writing was in that new Read-Me file she'd bought recently. Hermione mentally retraced her steps yesterday.
Straight after school was over, she'd gone to the library...was her schoolbag on her at the time? She was sure of it. And then ... Hermione thought harder ... and then she went – came to the Common Room. Was it here then?
She didn't think she could have dropped it on the way to the Common Room – she'd have to be deaf not to notice the sound it would make. So then it must be here in the Head Tower, right? She hopped out of bed, her muscles complaining profusely, and headed for her door. She glanced at her watch – yes, she slept with it – and found that she was right. It was early – approximately five o' clock early. Her hand paused in the act of turning the knob on her door. So basically, she had three hours left until school started. She rolled her eyes. Excellent on waking up early, Hermione, she thought sarcastically.
She grabbed her quill set from her table and some parchment. Just in case she wanted to finish writing that essay. She did have time after all. She turned the knob on the door slowly, as if she didn't want to disturb any living thing. She tiptoed outside, and paused. What was with this boy?! He was practically everywhere she went. Malfoy had fallen off to sleep on the couch – it might as well be his couch due to the amount of time he spent on it.
This time, Hermione didn't make an effort to be quiet. She was still quite peeved from last night. She stomped around the room, making as much noise as possible. The centre table, around which the couches were situated, she moved, after placing her parchment and quill set atop it. The table's legs scraped loudly against the wooden floor.
Draco's eyes blinked open, and he swivelled his head around in search of the noise. When he found it, he pulled a hand through his hair, and closed his eyes again. "What the bloody hell are you doing, Granger?" he groaned, his voice cracked with sleep, and laced with the desire for more.
Hermione smiled to herself as she peered under the table. "I'm looking for my schoolbag," she announced. She pulled the table back to its former position, and she saw Malfoy wince as the table's legs let out more loud noises as it was slid against the floor.
Malfoy covered his face with his hands. "It wasn't necessary for you to move the whole bloody table, Granger," he muttered in a muffled voice. Hermione didn't reply. "And what time is it?" he asked.
"About five-past-five," Hermione answered cheerily, now moving to behind the couches.
Draco let out a low groan that he didn't think the girl would hear. So, basically, he had only two hours of sleep, and because of bloody Granger, he wouldn't be able to go back to sleep for a while. He reached for a cushion, and squashed it onto his face. Where was all that light coming from? Did it not realize how unwelcome it was?
Hermione, discovering that her bag was not behind any of the couches, stood up. She glanced at Malfoy, and mentally scoffed. She walked to the table, and picked up a small black object. She flicked a switch on the side, and music fell out of the object. Hermione turned the volume up, deliberately.
Malfoy threw the cushion off his face. It landed next to Hermione. Hermione looked down at it, but said nothing. She carried on looking for her bag. "Granger, what the bloody hell is your problem?"
"I can't sleep, Malfoy, and I can't find my bag either," she replied matter-of-factly.
Draco gritted his teeth. "There's no need for bloody music. And your bag is by the door," he said quietly, battling for self-control.
Granger raised her eyebrows, looking shocked for a moment. "What on earth is it doing there?" she asked, as she made her way to the door.
"I don't know," Draco replied bitingly. "Why don't you look in the mirror and ask the person there?" He stifled a yawn.
Granger picked up her bag, and brought it to one of the couches, sitting down on it. She opened it, and went through it. She started taking out books, stacking them in a neat pile on the table – presumably she was making sure everything was still there. Draco rolled his eyes but, grateful for the silence, settled into the couch again, and closed his eyes. He was almost there, just a few more minutes and he'd be fast asleep.
Ah.
He was there.
He was on his broomstick, flying at the speed of light around the Quidditch pitch. The wind fingered his platinum-blonde hair. The feeling he was feeling was so liberated, weightless almost –
"Malfoy?" Granger's sharp voice woke him up. He pretended he couldn't hear her, and tried desperately to get back into his dream. "Malfoy?" she interrupted again.
He bolted upright. Merlin, he was angry. He glared at her. "What." He didn't even make it sound like a question.
Granger rolled her eyes. The nerve of her! "I have here a book for you--" she held up a thin, shiny, hardcover book with a black-haired girl on the front surrounded by several dwarves. The picture wasn't even moving.
He continued to glare at her. "I don't read books like that," he muttered.
Granger narrowed her eyes. "Would you let me finish? We – that is to say, the students in the Muggle Studies class – all received this book yesterday. It's a Muggle fairytale, and there's going to be a musical coming up – our school's producing it – and Professor Pinkle wants us to read it to get an idea of what it's about."
"Why?"
"No need to sound so enthusiastic about it, Malfoy," Hermione muttered sarcastically. "It's because she wants us to partake in the musical—"
Malfoy lay back down on the couch. "I won't be needing the book, Granger. Now, if you'll excuse me—" he turned his back on her, so that he was facing the couch. Hermione suspected that he was trying to fall off to sleep again.
She wasn't yet ready for him to do that.
"Malfoy, you can't just say no without knowing what might be happening! You might li-ike this," she stumbled over the word 'like'. Was there anything that Malfoy 'liked'? She cleared her throat. Malfoy didn't say anything. Well, she could've predicted that. "Well, I'll leave it here, then, in case you change your mind," she added hesitantly. Malfoy seemed like the kind of person who, once he made up his mind, wouldn't change it easily.
Draco turned around then, facing her. His eyes slid briefly to the tall stack of books on the table – were all those from her bag? He closed his eyes briefly, shaking off the thought. He opened it, and saw the Granger girl watching him. She had a cautious look in her eyes, yet she still looked as if she wanted to play with him, like how a cat might do with a mouse. Draco refrained from rolling his eyes. Did the girl honestly think that she was boss around here? But then again, if the way he had been acting recently was any indication of authority...
"Granger," he said in a cool voice, "I don't want it." He looked at her levelly.
Granger met his look with the same degree of levelness, and she replied, "Fine, but I'll still leave it here."
Draco felt frustrated. Did she not understand the word 'no'? He glanced at his watch. Five-forty-five. Would he ever get his sleep? He rubbed away the sleepiness from his eyes, and got up, and relaxed into a sitting position. He leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees, and looked at her. "Granger, which parts of 'don't want it' do you not understand?"
Granger stuck her chin out. "The 'want' part."
Draco sighed. "I just don't want to do it. I don't want to be a part of it."
"Why?" she asked sharply.
Draco let out a low humourless laugh. "I rather not say, Granger," he said quietly, after his laughter subsided.
Granger got to her feet, and crossed her arms. "Tell me," she demanded. The girl had a hot temper.
Draco got up too, and he felt his heartbeat speed up – his insides felt as if they were on fire. Ah, he was getting angry as well. He clenched his fists, willing his anger to settle. "Who are you to demand things of me?" he asked, anger battling to take control of his voice. Granger's eyebrows shot up. "Because of you I couldn't even sleep last night. Your stupid words kept on playing in my head like a – OH SHUT UP!" he yelled, knocking the small radio off the table, breaking it.
Hermione stared at the broken radio on the floor. Her favourite song had been playing! She stared at him, and said, "What on earth did you do that for?"
Malfoy ignored her. He stormed irately up to her, weaving his way around the centre table until he was a few inches away from her. "I got two hours of sleep, Granger! Two! While you slept for bloody hours, I only had two!"
Hermione was amused, but she didn't show it figuring that it would only anger him further. Instead, she said something else – something that was initially on her mind, "So you were listening to me."
Malfoy stared at her incredulously. "Of course I was listening to you, you insolent little girl! I could think of nothing else!"
"I am not an 'insolent little girl', Malfoy," Hermione spat.
Malfoy fumed silently before her. Hermione was also worked up, but her short-termed anger quickly faded as she hit a realization. Malfoy's eyes had a hint of shiny silver in them, as if their sparkle was just returning. The dull grey was of course still the dominating participant, but the silver ... she was sure that that was silver. His mouth was twisted into a deep frown, and he had some colour in his face.
Emotion. He was showing emotion.
Hermione wasn't so far gone as to smile as if he was her young protégée who had just made a great accomplishment, but yet, she felt a glimmer of hope that Malfoy was getting better. She looked at him with appraising eyes, trying to figure out what he' do next. He wasn't doing anything. Just staring at her, while he silently fumed.
"Stop your crankiness, please," Hermione said lightly.
Malfoy narrowed his eyes. "You woke me up when I wasn't even supposed to get up!"
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Yes, Malfoy. You've said more or less the same thing for the past five minutes now."
Malfoy let out a low hiss. "Are you not going to apologize?"
"For what?" Hermione cocked an eyebrow.
Malfoy merely looked at her meaningfully.
Hermione pursed her lips. "Might I remind you, Malfoy, that this Common Room is not a bedroom. A bedroom is where you should have been sleeping, not here. I can do as I please in this room."
Malfoy shook his head at her words. "I can't help falling off to sleep here!"
Hermione didn't respond. Instead, she bent to retrieve the fairytale book she'd gotten for him. She thrust it forward so that it hit him squarely in the chest – she hoped she hadn't hurt him or the book – and fell to the floor. He didn't wince. He bent forward to pick the book up, and Hermione stepped backwards so that their bodies wouldn't touch. Thankfully, Malfoy didn't comment.
When he'd straightened back up again, Hermione watched him. He was looking doubtfully at the cover, holding the book further away from his body than he normally would have. He twisted the book this way and that, trying to make sense of it.
"Read it," Hermione instructed.
Malfoy sighed, looking at her and then back at the book. "Do I have to?" he asked, his eyes not leaving the book.
"No," Hermione replied reluctantly. "But it would be nice."
"Nice," Malfoy repeated, still looking at the book.
Hermione looked at him. "Yes, nice."
Malfoy rubbed his eyes. "Fine, I'll think about it," he muttered.
Hermione decided that that was the best answer she would ever get. She wasn't exactly expecting a 'thank you' or a 'yes, of course' answer. "Thank you," she said.
Malfoy didn't reply immediately. "Will you be staying here in the Common Room, then?" he asked after a moment's pause.
Hermione shrugged. "I suppose."
Malfoy turned and said, "Then I guess I'll go to my room to sleep."
Hermione raised her eyebrows. She was chasing him out? "That's hardly necessary, Malfoy. By all means, please—" she motioned to 'his' couch, half-heartedly.
Malfoy shook his head. "No, it's fine." And abruptly, he left the room, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves clutched in his left hand.
Hermione shook her head. Well, at least some things hadn't changed.
Draco woke up – naturally this time. He rolled over in his bed so that he was lying on his back. He rubbed away the 'sand' from his eyes, and sleepily looked at his watch – yes, he slept with it – and discovered that it was seven o' clock on the dot. Maybe he should start getting up now. He massaged his head, a soft frown on his face. He was getting a headache.
Trying to brush it off, he got up from his bed, and stretched. His body felt weak. Why was it that he was only becoming aware of these things now? It should've been drawn to his attention when these things first started. He walked sleepily towards his door, a silent yawn escaping his mouth. Upon opening his bedroom door, he found Granger sitting on one of the couches, still in her pyjamas, her legs tucked beneath her. She was writing something – a letter perhaps? Draco watched, transfixed, finding it impossible to turn his eyes away from the person sitting on the couch doing something normal. Doing something with her life, at least. Granger rolled her head around a few times, probably to relieve the tension in her neck. She dipped her quill in her ink and began writing the last paragraph.
Draco shook his head to himself. He cleared his throat, bringing attention to himself.
This was probably not a good idea.
Hermione got the shock of her life when she heard someone clear his throat that she jumped, her open bottle of ink flying into the air, its contents toppling out spilling all over her and her parchment and the couch. "Oh, bother," Hermione mumbled, as she stared at the mess around and on her. She glared resentfully at Malfoy. "Did you have to surprise me like that?"
Malfoy looked surprised. "I apologize. I had no idea that you were jumpy."
Hermione ignored him and got up from her place on the couch, and she cringed as she felt the ink dribble down her legs. She ran to her room, grabbed her wand from her pedestal and ran back to the Common Room, siphoning the ink off her body with her wand. She waved her wand a bit, and the blotches of ink disappeared from her parchment (thankfully, the words she had written hadn't disappeared as well), the couch and the floor.
She looked at her now half-full bottle of ink. "That was a good bottle of ink," she said miserably.
Draco looked only once at Granger's half-empty bottle of ink before looking back at her and asking, "Your wand was in your room?"
Granger looked up from her bottle. "Well, where else, Malfoy?" she asked irritably.
Draco chose not to say anything. He thought it was quite obvious.
"You mean I should've kept it with me?"
"I mean that you should keep it with you."
"I can't sleep with my goddamn wand, Malfoy. Is that what you're suggesting?" Granger lifted an eyebrow.
"Don't be ridiculous," Draco muttered. "What if someone attacked you?"
Granger laughed. At the moment, due to his sleepy state, Draco found her song-like laugh irritating. "Like who, Malfoy? You?" Her laughter quickly died as the memory of what had happened in Myrtle's bathroom hit them both. Draco felt uncomfortable, and quickly averted his gaze, scratching his ear.
His gaze fell upon her huge pile of books that she'd yet to pack back into her bag, and motioned towards tem with one hand. "Granger," he said, trying to change the topic, "do all those books go into your schoolbag?"
Hermione looked at her books, and sighed. She walked over to the stack, and gently passed her hand across the cover of the top book. "I guess," she said. "But I think that I should take a few out," she added wistfully.
Draco nodded his head, as if he understood her dire situation.
She was about to say something else, and Draco thought that she was going to bring up the topic about Myrtle's bathroom incident again, so he said, "Yesterday, you said that you oversee the school's attendance records. I was wondering why." The topic was completely out of the blue, yet it was the only thing he could think of on the spot.
Hermione blushed.
Curiosity triggered, Malfoy walked forward a bit.
"Well, it's really Professor McGonagall's job," she started. Draco nodded. He knew this. "But I offered to do it for extra credit," she finished off in a mumble.
Draco raised his eyebrows. He felt something tickle his insides, and he realized that he wanted to laugh. He felt briefly shocked at the dormant feeling. He felt his lips jerk slightly due to his conflicting emotions.
"Ah," he said.
Granger didn't say anything. She just petted the top book.
"Well, I need to get ready," she said after a while.
Draco nodded, not too sure why she was telling him this. He thought it best if he also left to get ready as well. He nodded at her again, and went back to his room.
Later, when the soft hot water was massaging his head, Draco wondered why he'd gone to the Common Room in the first place.
-------------------------------------------------------to be continued---------------------------------------------------------
A/N: I really hope that wasn't too bad! You might notice that at some parts it was kind of awkward – guys, it was supposed to be awkward! Anyway, I made this chapter longer than my others Kinda proud of myself.