Chapter 15

The rest of the Christmas holiday was filled with family movies, hot chocolate, and late night chats that lasted so far into the night that no one had the energy to make it back to their rooms. After a few days of quiet resentment, Mr. and Mrs. Granger were slowly starting to trust their daughter again—albeit reluctantly. In time they would get passed the fact that she had messed with their memories; as long as she was still with them that was all that mattered in the long run.

Once Hermione had explained her reasoning behind sending them off to Australia, her parents were more than understanding, if not still a bit peeved at their daughter for not sharing everything with them. They had reconciled over their typical Christmas traditions of decorating a freshly chopped tree while singing Christmas tunes as loud as they could.

Hermione was feeling the best she had ever felt since the war had ended, the dark fog in her mind finally lifting. The thought of losing her parents after losing so many others was just something she had trouble coping with. Now that her parents had not only been located, but their memories restored, Hermione felt like she could finally start looking toward the future.

As much as she hated leaving her parents after just recently getting them back, Hermione knew that her future relied on finishing her schooling and getting her N.E.W.T.S if she wanted to obtain a job at the Ministry— which was her plan after school. Her parents didn't want to see her go either, but they were looking forward to getting settled back into their old home.

Hermione was going to miss her parents, but she was looking forward to seeing her friends again, even if Harry and Ron weren't joining her. She was excited to get back to Hogwarts as soon as she possible could and luckily, as an eighth year student who no longer had the trace, she was able to Apparate directly into Hogsmeade, bypassing the train ride altogether.

After arriving into the village with a pop, Hermione made her way to the bookstore as she had a few hours to kill before she was due back at Hogwarts.

The door chimed as she entered the small cluttered shop, the owner greeting her from the front desk without lifting his head. The cramped store was lined wall to wall with overflowing shelves, the wood bending from the weight. There were only about four aisles of books, but the store was not lacking with how much knowledge was stuffed on the shelves. Hermione loved coming to this shop. Harry and Ron always complained about feeling claustrophobic and getting a headache from the smell, but to Hermione the store felt cozy and helped sooth her buzzing mind. No one seemed interested in buying old books, so luckily the store was always quiet.

She breathed in the earthy smell of antique books and headed toward the magical history section of the store. She found a pile of books she was interested in and began skimming the books to decide which one to purchase.

She had narrowed it down to two books when she caught a glimpse of her watch and gasped. The carriages were only picking students up until 3 o'clock and it was ten minutes until. If she didn't rush now she would be stuck walking all the way back to the castle and that could take hours. She raced out of the store and through the quiet village, just barely making it to the last carriage.

She leaned her head back and tried to catch her breath; running wasn't something she was use to doing after the war. The thestrals pulling the carriage were about to start their long trek to the school when she heard a shout.

A body slammed into the side of the carriage doubling over in pain, gasping for air.

"Oh… thank, Merlin… I didn't want to… walk all the… way." The brunette took two more deep breathes before climbing into the carriage, sliding into the seat next to Hermione. "Oh hey there, Granger. Good thing we caught the last carriage right?"

Hermione opened her mouth to respond when two more bodies jumped into the carriage after the thestrals had already started moving. She blinked at the stark blond head sitting across from her.

After her visit at Malfoy Manor, Hermione hadn't heard or spoken to Malfoy since. She had been busy catching up with her parents and spending time with them so she hadn't had the time to write or floo him. She figured he must have been just as busy over his holiday with his mother if he hadn't reached out either.

They hadn't left on bad terms or anything, so why was it so awkward sharing a carriage with him?

The small group was quiet for a few moments; the air in the carriage thick with uncomfortableness, each passenger staring out into the snowy landscape. Theo huffed and fidgeted next to Hermione, almost as if he couldn't stand the silence.

After a few more moments, Theo finally piped up. "It was nice seeing you before, Granger. Did you have a nice holiday?"

Hermione glanced at him out of the corner of her eye before finally turning and smiling shyly. "Um, yes I did. It was nice spending time with my parents. What about you?"

Theo leaned back and threw his arms across the back of the seat. "Oh yes, loads of fun. I ended up just staying with Draco and his mother. It was way better than staying alone in my place."

Hermione's eyes flickered over to Malfoy when she heard his name, as if just remembering that he was still there, just to find him already looking at her. Their eyes locked for a moment before she looked away. Something in his eyes looked familiar and almost terrifying. Resentment? Anger? Indifference? Whatever it was Hermione had no desire to see it again.

Theo and Blaise took up a conversation about a Quidditch game they had attended over break together. Malfoy stayed quiet, glancing in her direction every so often.

As soon as the carriage rolled to a stop, Hermione was out and already heading to the school, not wanting to interact with Malfoy if he was already turning back to his old ways.

She had just reached the door when she felt a soft tug on her arm. She looked at the fingers gripping her and upon recognizing them, refused to look at their owner.

"Granger, can we talk?" His soft voice asked.

"Sorry, I have to get to my meeting with the other prefects," she mumbled, still looking at her feet.

She heard his feet shuffle in apprehension. Finally he cleared his throat, "Could you maybe meet me in the library after dinner?"

Hermione closed her eyes and tried to combat the tears she felt coming on. "I… I can't. I have patrol tonight."

The fingers on her arm fell as he withdrew his grasp. "Okay. Well I guess I'll see you in class tomorrow then."

"Right," she replied, still not looking in his direction.

When she figured he was done talking, she raced into the building, finding an empty classroom before she let the first of her tears fall.

There was no reason for her to be this upset. Maybe he didn't even want to talk about them and just something else entirely. She hadn't thought much of his silence during the rest of their holiday, but once she saw that look in his eyes in the carriage she knew that he wanted nothing more to do with her. It was funny to think that Draco Malfoy of all people had become one of her closest friends; to the point that she was terrified to tears over the thought of losing him. She realized, however, that if he was that important to her, she would have to talk to him eventually.

Even though their friendship had started out as a fake relationship, Hermione wasn't sure where they stood now. Were they friends? Were they a couple? Were they still just fellow classmates and that was all? To her they were just Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy, not quite a couple and not quite friends. Just… them.

She gave herself an extra five minutes to gather her wits before making her way back to the Great Hall where she found Ginny practically bouncing in the air with excitement.

"Oh Hermione, there you are! I just had the most amazing day with Harry and I can't wait to tell you all about it," she gushed.

Hermione barely muttered a response before Ginny grabbed her arm and pulled her to the Gryffindor table.

Ginny talked all through dinner about the day Harry had planned before she went back to school. Hermione nodded along, barely absorbing the information Ginny was throwing at her. She had most of her attention directed at a certain blond across the room.

Malfoy was in a deep conversation with Blaise, not even noticing her stare. Once Theo had glanced up, caught her eye, shook his head and went back to the discussion he was having with Daphne.

After making her welcome back speech, Headmistress McGonagall dismissed the students from the Great Hall for the evening. Standing up form the busy table, Hermione finally made her decision. She would meet Malfoy in the library tonight.

…..

Draco took a deep breathe and laid his head on the round table. He was having a hard time staying focused on his Potions essay that was due the next day. Ever since Granger had left his home, he had a tough time concentrating on anything.

She had fogged his brain every moment of the day. His mother had questioned if he was falling ill on multiple occasions, but Theo would just shake his head and whisper dramatically, "It's just a girl." To which Draco would sigh very loudly and leave the room.

He was afraid that they were both starting to get too deep in their feelings for each other, and he knew that he could never give her what she wanted. What she needed. She was too good for him and Merlin he knew it. She was better off with any other guy in the wizarding world, just not him. He refused to let her hitch her wagon to him; it would only end in heartbreak. He tried quitting her cold turkey, not contacting her in any way. And when they returned to school, he decided he had two choices: 1. completely ignore her until she got the message, or 2. cause a massive public "break up" and then completely ignore her. At least with the second option they could have some sort of closure between them.

But Merlin, he missed her.

He thought he had the strength to stay away, but her face floated into every dream, her laugh chased him in every breeze, and he swore he could feel her touch in his sleep.

He had tried the ignoring tactic on the carriage ride to Hogwarts, but even then he couldn't help tracing the lines on her face with his eyes. She must have seen something on his face, however, because she tried to run and make up excuses not to see him.

Maybe they were back to the way it was at the beginning of the year and he would just have to live with it. It would be better that way for the both of them.

He was just starting to get some peace of mind about the subject of Hermione Granger when there was a soft knock on the table.

He lifted his head slightly and upon seeing who it was, his head shot straight up.

Hermione cleared her throat and shifted her weight from one foot to the other, clearly feeling just as anxious as he. "Do you mind if I sit?"

He nodded quickly, words failing him.

She sat in the chair across from him and immediately started twisting her fingers in her lap. "You… uh, wanted to talk to me?"

Draco nodded again, words still not coming forward. When they finally did come, it wasn't what he had been expecting. "Uh, yeah. I thought you had patrol though?"

Hermione's eyes lowered to her lap, her cheeks coloring slightly. "Oh, um. Yeah I got someone else to cover for me."

Draco tried incredibly hard not to smirk. Hermione lied. She made up a fake patrol so she didn't have to talk to him. Well she's here now, you twit, so start talking.

Draco cleared his throat, trying to gain the courage to say what needed to be said. He finally looked up to see her watching him. His eyes soaked in every detail on her face; the freckles dotted across her nose, the tiny crinkle between her eyes as she looked at him in confusion, the small part in her lips. He couldn't do this. Call him a coward if need be, but he couldn't let this beautiful creature out of his life.

"I… uh, wanted to apologize for not staying in touch over the holiday," he found himself spouting out quickly.

Granger blinked a few times before the realization of his words kicked in. "Oh, that's quite alright. I was quite busy myself over the holiday. My parents and I moved back into our old house. It was really quite nice to be back home with them."

She beamed at him and he practically melted at the sight of it. Merlin help him. He is going to end up hurting this poor girl, but he couldn't help the attachment he felt.

"Oh are you working on your Potions essay? Could I ask you to glance at mine? I've been having some issues," she asked noticing his forgotten parchment on the edge of the table.

He nodded again before a new parchment was thrust into his hands. He forgot about the storm of emotions currently raging in his head and focused on the work in front of him.

…

The rest of the week flew by, the pair picking up right where they left off as if nothing had happened between them. They continued meeting every other night after dinner to work on their assignments together.

Hermione had two more weeks left of being Head Girl, before the seventh year girl took over her duties. Hermione was going to miss being Head Girl, but she was looking forward to having more time in her schedule to start preparing for the upcoming N.E.W.T.S. She was also looking forward to having more time to study with Malfoy. He had become a great study partner and didn't distract her as much as Harry and Ron always had.

Although they continued to spend time together, their fake relationship fell to the wayside. It wasn't like they had announced they had broken up or anything, it was almost as if they had both subconsciously decided there was no reason to pretend to be a couple anymore. They didn't hold hands and walk to classes together like they had in the past. And even all of their meals weren't eaten together anymore. People had started to notice and began rumors that they had broken up, but then they would be spotted giggling together in class or studying in the library and other rumors would kick up as well. Suffice it to say that the students at Hogwarts were very confused by the relationship between Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy.

Neither one of them were unhappy though, they both just seemed equally relieved to not put up the charade of a fake relationship anymore. They enjoyed each other's company way more now that it was on their own terms and not the terms of their fake relationship. There was also the mutual benefit of not having to lie to their friends anymore, not that they had told their friends the truth, but they didn't have to lie to their faces by pretending to be a couple.

It had seemed as well that both of their feelings were getting confused when they were forced to be a fake couple. Their occasional kisses that they shared only came up when they were forced together by some obligation of being a couple, and now there was no pressure to pretend and get mixed up feelings any longer.

Hermione was happy to finally have her friend back and not worry about what other people thought. Right now, however, she was feeling extremely frustrated with the assignment that Professor Slughorn had sent out.

"Ugh, I can't get this blasted thing!" She huffed as she tossed her parchment to the ground.

They were in their secret corner of the library combing over their notes together, books and parchment scattered all over the floor in front of them as they researched for their essay on modified potions that control emotions.

"How on earth are we supposed to be able to complete this? It's impossible!" she groaned, leaning back onto the carpet, her hands covering her eyes.

Malfoy chuckled from his spot in front of the fireplace. "You're the smartest witch here. If you can't figure it out then we're all helpless. Let me try and help." He leaned forward and grabbed the parchment she had thrown. He skimmed over the parchment before smirking. "Oh I know exactly what you need." He glanced around at their pile before realizing they didn't have the book he needed.

He stood up and left the warm alcove to find the book in question. Hermione sat up and rubbed her eyes again before stretching her arms above her head. They had been working on this assignment for the past four hours and she was starting to feel it. They had started on the table as usual, but the items needed had slowly started to increase as their table space decreased. Finally they gave up on trying to make the table work and took to the floor, which was fine at the beginning, but now Hermione was getting sore.

Malfoy came back with a tome held triumphantly above his head. "I found it! Here, Granger." He tossed the book at her before resuming his place on the floor.

She flipped through the book for a few minutes looking for what she needed to know about the properties of pickled slugs, barely registering Malfoy standing up to stretch out of the corner of her eye.

"Oh I found it!" She exclaimed.

Malfoy walked over to her, squatting down behind her so he could read over her shoulder. "Oh interesting," he breathed, his breath tickling her neck.

He reached forward to follow his place in the book with his finger, his arm brushing against hers. Hermione felt a slight buzz at his contact. She jumped slightly and turned her head to glance at him. He turned his head to question why she jumped and suddenly realized how close they were, so focused on their research, that he didn't mean to get so close to her to see what she had found.

Now, however, he was a mere inch from her face. Her eyes moved as if on their own accord to his lips before flickering back up to meet his. He caught the look, his eyes darkening in response. Hermione's chest started to warm up when she concluded on what he was thinking. She looked away and cleared her throat.

As if in a trance, Malfoy shook his head and sat back on his heels. "Should," he rasped. He cleared his throat and tried again, "Should we maybe finish up for the night and start back up tomorrow with some fresh thoughts?"

Hermione smiled, already collecting her things. "Sounds like a good idea."

Within minutes the floor was clean and their bags packed, the two of them heading off to their respective rooms.

Hermione was about to turn up the steps and wish Malfoy a good night when she noticed him standing directly behind her.

"Figured I could walk you back," he said quietly, almost as if he were afraid she'd say no. "Since it's so late and all," he added quickly.

Even though she knew it was a mistake, Hermione found herself nodding. "Okay," she said quietly.

The walk up to Gryffindor tower was long and quiet, neither one of them wanting to break the silence first. What happened in the library was the first time since Christmas break that either of them had made physical contact with the other, even if it had been unintentional. It was as though their silent truce had been broken and neither of them knew what to do about it. Should they move forward and ignore it or break the silence and talk about it?

Once they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady, Hermione turned to Malfoy to… do what exactly? Bring it up? Laugh it off? Ignore it and just say goodnight? She wasn't sure. When she glanced up at him, she saw he must have been having the same struggle in his own head. He finally glanced down at her and gave her a small smile. She returned the smile and was about to head into the Gryffindor common room when she felt a small pressure on her chin.

Malfoy had placed his index finger under her chin and his thumb was applying pressure to the front of it to turn her head back toward him. It took a few seconds before she finally looked up at him and met his gaze. His eyes were blazing with an intensity she didn't have the courage to decipher. She was about to question his actions when he took a step toward her. Her heart leapt and thundered in her chest. She was still unsure of his actions when he laid his forehead against hers.

They stood like that for a few beats of her heart before he pulled back and looked into her eyes, his grey ones still burning.

"Hermione," he breathed.

Her breath caught in her throat. When had he ever called her by her first name? And with such adoration too. What was happening?

She took a small breathe before she replied just as quiet, "Draco."

Suddenly his lips were on hers, no pressure, no movement. Just lightly pressing against hers, as if he were afraid she'd run off. A shiver passed her body, from her lips down to her toes. Even though she had kissed him multiple times, it had never been like this, not quite so… loving. It was as if he was pouring his thoughts and feelings into this incredibly gentle kiss.

Just as quickly, the kiss was over and he was pulling away. He lifted his hand and brushed her cheek with his thumb as he gave her a small smile. "You're so beautiful," he whispered.

Hermione was so shocked she didn't know how to respond. They were back to their easy friendship and she wasn't sure that he had feelings for her, so this was all so confusing to her. What was even more confusing was the swirling feeling in her stomach at his touch. She merely blinked in response.

He smiled again and let his arm drop to his side. "Goodnight, Hermione."

"Yeah, night," she croaked to his already turned back.

Malfoy had made it down the hall and around the corner before another voice piped up, "Oh my," the voice exhaled. "That was really something. I might need a cold shower."

Hermione turned and gaped at the portrait behind her before muttering the password. The Fat Lady scowled at her nonresponse, but opened the tunnel anyway.

Hermione waited until the portrait swung shut before she leaned against the wall and finally responded, "I might need one too."