CHAPTER 4

2nd round of midterms after Halloween, beginning of November 1997

Hermione sucked on another apple candy, staring at the forms she should be filling out but still a bit awash from the party the night before. She was supposed to sign off on the expulsion of some kid who had been torturing fellow students' pets in his free time. Disgusting and definitely creepy.

"You really found the kid doing… that?"

"Would I make that up?"

"I'm sure you could come up with something as creepy and terrifying as that in your disgusting mind. I don't know what's up there."

"Well, I have a lot up there, but not ideas along the line of stuffing a live cat with-"

"Don't even say it out loud. It was hard enough reading it once."

"Just think. Instead of being hungover, you could have been scarred, like me, if only you were out on patrol last night."

"But I wasn't," Hermione shot back. "And could you please keep your voice down."

"Oh, you haven't even learned how to deal with hangovers yet. Here," Malfoy said, stepping towards her chair as she swung around to face him and potentially shove him away again as she did that one time. Instead, she felt his wand pressing up against her temple, and a hand cupping the other side of her head as the pain slowly dissipated from her brain, faster than she could protest.

"Okay," she said, breathing out with relief. "That's a lot better. You'll have to show me the spell for that."

"It's a lot easier to do on someone else," he forewarned. "And you won't find the cure book outside of the Forbidden Section. Just saying. Here at Hogwarts they like to try and teach students about the dangers and downsides of alcohol."

Hermione whipped her head towards him. "What's the book called?"

"You're going to walk into the Forbidden Section and take a book against the rules of the school," Malfoy clarified amusedly.

"I have my ways," Hermione snipped, returning to the paperwork. "Besides, who's going to report me, you? Because we've got blackmail on each other now. You derailed from your patrol to stop into a social gathering with alcohol. You know some spells you shouldn't. I sometimes 'check out' books from the Forbidden Section. We're even."

Malfoy picked up an apple candy of his own, twisting it in his fingers before popping it in his mouth. "Fair enough."

Hermione sighed, putting her signature at the bottom of the five-page form. "Well, Kyle. So long from Hogwarts." She slid the finalized copy towards Malfoy. "If you don't mind getting that turned in. I have to get ready for a study session this afternoon with Cho and some other friends."

"Already working on the Runes essay?" Malfoy inquired.

"Yes. Yes, we are."

"I'll probably get started on it today, too," Malfoy said, folding the expulsion form in his hand and standing up. "Well, I know it's so soon after you cashing in on the favor, but… I was wondering if you were up for another round."

Hermione laughed. "Another bet?"

"Same idea. Runes essay."

Hermione ran through the ideas of favors she could ask this time, still riding the high from Malfoy's disappointment in losing his Friday holiday. "Okay," she agreed. "May the best woman win, yet again."

"So sexist," Malfoy said, holding out his hand for the sealing handshake. She met his grip and they shook on it, and Hermione only briefly saw a smirk cross Malfoy's lips before his hand slid out of hers and they went their separate ways.

.*.*.*.

It had been a little over a month since the bet with Zabini had been made. With over a week before the Runes essay and, in turn, the exchanged favor, there was time to observe how things were coming along with the Gryffindor. Before the next phase of the plan went into play.

While conditioning Granger to the apple candy, he had also been conditioning her to his increased presence. Two days a week, he had taken to studying in their dormitory common room after school hours, rather than the Slytherin study corrals. The original groans of frustration had slowly become quieter and quieter. The hesitation time for accepting handshakes from him had decreased, and she seemed much more comfortable making eye contact. He hadn't made any bold attempts since his realization that the typical approach wouldn't work on her, but she seemed much less jumpy at their usual harmless banter. Less uptight.

It was methodical, almost untraceable, the way he was working up to the next step. She had to become accustomed to him. She had to recognize him as part of the norm before he could begin moving deeper with her. That was the best part: she didn't even know it was happening. She was blissfully unaware of the way she was being trained to accept the thought of him.

.*.*.*.

The next week came and Hermione sat clutching onto her unbeatable Runes grade, tucking her 101% safely into her book bag. Malfoy was in another hour with the same professor, and he had Quidditch practice in the afternoon, so she really would have to wait until later to reveal her grade and claim her favor. She ran through what it would be best to ask for. A week of paperwork sounded nice, but so did having him file all the unfiled forms that were slowly accumulating in an unseemly pile in the corner of their office. She knew he would hate that.

With a spring in her step, she headed back to the dormitory, which she had to herself, changed out her books, then made her way to the Gryffindor Common Room to check in with her pals before they too were busy with sports too.

.*.*.*.

Draco knew better than to attempt his next major step in their dormitory. If something were to go wrong in this next phase of his plan, it should happen on neutral territory-to ensure their living spaces and common interaction sites were untainted. Therefore, Draco knew where to find her to finish out their Runes bet on that Thursday afternoon. Sucking on the last remnants of the apple candy in his mouth, he cracked his neck before pushing open the huge wooden doors to the ancient school library, and firmly strode on his path directly towards the back stacks.

Granger was, conveniently, already standing in the bookshelves away from her secluded study table, poking around at some old tomes when she noticed the Slytherin swishing towards her.

"Hello?" she whispered, looking surprised at his presence. "Can I help you?"

"Are you the librarian now?" he asked, keeping his voice low. "No, I just knew where to find you. Thought I'd stop in before practice. For comparing the grades."

"Ah, yes," Hermione said proudly, pointing her wand at her table and letting a thick paper float towards her hands. She tucked her wand away in the pocket of her skirt and held up the paper. "101%. Sorry, Malfoy."

Draco looked over the score with a slow exhale before reaching into his cloak pocket and pulling out his essay. With a casual dramatic flourish, he revealed his own marks on the paper. 102%. He had spent plenty of time with the translation books and even visited office hours to ensure that the teacher would be extra-impressed with his paper. It had paid off. The look on Granger's face was priceless.

"How?" she hissed, grabbing the paper and rubbing at the red score mark as if it were falsified or charmed. "How is this possible?"

Draco grabbed it back from her, carefully folding it. "Have you ever considered that we really are neck-and-neck for top grades? And I'm a Slytherin. When I want something, I can put my mind to it to succeed."

"I'm guessing you have a real gruesome favor to ask me, then," Granger said, trying to hide her pouting while remaining at the appropriate library volume. "What will it be? Paperwork for the week? Taking your friends off the schedule?"

Draco tapped his chin in fake thoughtfulness. "Tempting. But I think I've decided what I would like from you for your favor."

"Well then. What do you want from me?"

Draco looked at her for a moment.

"I want you to kiss me."

All signs of expectation dropped from Hermione's face and posture. She stared at him for a moment, stammering. "What?"

Draco repeated himself. "You kiss me. That's the favor."

Granger stared back. "Why?"

Draco rolled his eyes. "Of course you would ask 'why' to something like that."

"I-I deserve to have a reason for why you would say something so absolutely ridiculous." She snorted, looking around the bookshelves as if someone was about to pop out and yell 'surprise.' "Okay, what do you actually want?"

"I told you. One kiss. From you."

"You said nothing extreme."

"This isn't extreme. It's one kiss."

"But why?"

Draco pinched his temples for a moment. Alright, she wanted him to reason with her. Without showing his hand or scaring her off, he needed to give her a competent, believable reason for wanting to initiate physical intimacy with her. There were valid reasons, in his mind, that didn't necessarily have to do with beach houses and bets. The question is, would there be anything he could say, true or otherwise, that would convince her to participate?

"Curiosity," he settled on, choosing truth, or at least the closest he could get to it. "You can't tell me you haven't thought about it at all. Even once."

Granger blinked. "No, I really can't say I have."

"I mean the idea of something, anything, addressing the tension between us. And not the tension we are comfortable with. Don't make me say it. It's practically palpable. It's not like I can't see you blushing every time I make a comment regarding anything vaguely sexual in nature."

"What are you talking about?" she snapped quietly, her cheeks burning a crimson red.

"My point proven," Draco commented, too far down the track to retreat now. "And Granger, as much as I loathe to admit, there are brief moments I have also shared some undesired physical reactions in response to you. Elevated heart rate. Dilated pupils. The like," he waved it off. "Unfortunate possible side effects of young adults cohabitating the same living and work space day in and out. However, I believe we're both agreed in that we do not wish for these specific tensions to exist."

"Where are you going with this?"

"Which leads to my proposed solution, which is this: engaging in a small release, with the goal of permanently dissipating the unbearable rigidity in our dormitory, therefore creating a much more pleasant and effortless work environment." He let out a breath, his argument complete.

Granger seemed to not know what to do with her hands. She tucked them in her hair, then folded them around her body. She hadn't run away yet, which was a small success in itself. She was thinking about it.

"You want me to kiss you because you're attracted to me."

How he answered this question could change the course of everything. "... Physically, yes. In every other regard, I can't stand you. There's nothing I could make clearer about that."

By some Merlin-blessed miracle, Granger seemed to accept this, looking to the ground and clenching her jaw in thought. "Fine."

Draco bit back a smirk. He had made the intellectual argument. Now he just had to seal the deal.

"You mean now?" asked the Gryffindor, voice squeaking through her whisper.

"Now is as good as ever," replied the Slytherin, hands casually in his cloak pockets.

Granger was more resolved now. "... I don't want anyone to see."

"We're in the stacks. You and I have both spent enough time here to know no one goes back here except for us."

"Fine, then," she said, straightening her shoulders and smoothing her palms on her skirt. "Let's get it over with then."

"As long as you're ready," Draco said, stepping forward.

Hermione tried to stand her ground and appear brave, but he could tell from her eyes that she was anything but confident with the situation. As he slowly approached her with a calm and steady gaze, she gave up on her firm stance and started to take tiny steps backwards, until she was against the bookshelves, nowhere farther to back up. She swallowed.

While Draco did admit that he liked the sight of her up against the library shelves, he knew that this moment was everything in his strategy. He was still on thin ice. With the wrong approach, he could scare her off, give away the game, or get hexed into next year. With the right approach, she would be the one asking him for more.

Draco kept his movements steady. Once he was in front of her, he swept his gaze down her face, then back up to her eyes. Knowing he had to move quickly before she decided to change her mind, Draco brought a hand up to lace into the hair at the nape of her neck. With the other hand, he gently lifted her chin towards him as he leaned in. As her eyelashes fluttered closed, Draco paused for a tiny moment, savoring the before. Their lips were mere centimeters apart. With the tiniest of smirks on the tip of his lips, Draco sealed the distance with the softest, most tender contact he could muster from himself.

Her lips were soft and warm, and Draco could feel them trembling just before he fully pressed his own to hers. She tensed under his soft grip, but he continued to curl his fingers in her hair and kiss her, with all of the slow-burning passion he could, for the short moment he knew he could maintain this before her brain would kick in and immediately fight. It was all too short when Draco pulled away, leaving Hermione breathless and still as he slowly extricated his hands from around her. Her eyes fluttered open, not making direct eye contact with Draco, but rather as if locked in on some fascinating title on the lowest shelf of the bookshelves opposite to them.

"Well," remarked Draco, savoring the image of a completely shocked and silent Hermione.

Hermione finally flitted her eyes to his, looking back and forth between his eyes as if trying to read something. She blinked a few times. "Okay," she finally said, voice cracking at the second syllable, as if she hadn't spoken in years.

Perfect. Draco sent her a smirk, miniscule and knowing, before putting his hands in his pockets and turning to walk out of the stacks. As he turned the corner towards the exit of the library, out of the corner of his eye he could still see Hermione there against the shelves, looking quite confused.

And Draco, knowing that the tension had definitely not been broken by that moment, but rather intensified to the point of distraction, fire burning in his gut, had to do everything in his power not to run right back and throw her over his shoulder, taking her back to the room right there and then.