Hi guys! Here's a new update! Clumsy Draco is so cute XD
Immediately after the double doors shut behind them, Malfoy let go of Hermione's hand. Hermione watched as their fingers laced apart, an odd feeling of disappointment settling over her. After all, everything that just happened was for show. There wasn't anything new.
They headed down to the lake in silence. The sky was a pale grey that morning, and the clouds were darkening overhead. It was a dismal sight and did not lift Hermione's spirit one bit. They walked down and found a patch of grass by the dark lake and sat down. As Malfoy sat munching his toast, Hermione looked for content to fill the awkward silence that had settled around them after the moment they had shared in the Great Hall.
"Your hands," Hermione finally broke the silence, "Why do you have burnt scars on your palms?" The moment she had asked the question, she regretted it. What a way to jab at his no doubt painful history after he'd just done all that for you. But then, she was also genuinely curious about what he had to say. Who could have imagined someone from such a prestigious family having such imperfect and labored skin?
Malfoy looked reluctant at first, his lips pressed into a thin line. Just as Hermione was about to wave it off and change the subject, however, he let out a loud sigh.
"My father," he said, "He would press a hot poker onto my skin whenever I said or did something wrong… And it's not just my hands that he does that to." He raised his hand up into the sky, the pale beams of sunlight filtering through between his fingers.
Hermione sucked in a small breath as she saw the brown scars etched uglily into the palm of his hand. She should have guessed it was his father.
"Lucius Malfoy," Hermione seethed, "That evil bastard."
Beside her, Malfoy broke into a surprised laugh.
"Granger, you really do surprise me sometimes." His eyes were a stormy grey that matched the clouds overhead as he twisted to look at her. The edge of his eyes crinkled into a small smile as he held her gaze.
"You do too," Hermione whispered, her lips twitching into a smile of its own. A light pink tinged Malfoy's pale cheeks as he quickly averted his eyes, dropping his hand onto his lap. Hermione took a bite of her cold sandwich. They sat there, in serene silence, staring at the lake and the sky and the grass, lost in their own thoughts. However, this moment lasted only for a few minutes before the sound of thunder shook them out of their reveries. A streak of lightning cut through the thick, dark clouds overhead, and another clap of thunder followed soon after. Before long, the rain was coming down on top of them. Hermione and Malfoy both jumped to their feet and ran for the castle. Luckily, they had finished all their breakfast, so they wouldn't have to worry about Filch or Hagrid coming hot on their heels for an explanation or punishment.
The rain pelted hard on them as they ran. Hermione shivered as a gust of cold wind blew, ruffling up her hair. Her vision was also blurred by the droplets which formed rivulets down her face and caught onto her lashes. As they crossed a patch of muddy area, Hermione's foot stepped straight in, and she nearly slipped before a pair of strong arms caught her by her waist, steadying her.
"Thanks," she yelled and hoped that the wind wouldn't blow her voice away.
Malfoy nodded to show he caught what she had said and took off his outer robe. Next, he flung it out over their heads like a makeshift roof. Immediately, the force of the pounding rain was cut down to a low minimum. The robe was not quite large enough to cover both people, though, and Hermione had to squeeze herself close to Malfoy. She could feel his breath in her ear, steady and reassuring.
"You know we could have just used Impervius, right?" Hermione joked as they sprinted for the castle. She couldn't help but comment on their absurd situation. Really, they were wizards; they could do much better than this, she thought.
"Shut up, Granger," Malfoy whispered while nudging her, no doubt also realizing how unpractical they had been. But still, she could sense a smile in his voice. "I am, after all, your boyfriend," he continued melodramatically, trying to smooth his clumsiness over, "And you have to admit that this is romantic, is this not?"
They had reached the front doors of the castle now, and both entered it quickly, desperately seeking the warmth it provided. Malfoy held his dripping robe out at arm's length as water dripped and pooled around it. They were soaked through, and Hermione wrapped her dark school robes around herself tightly.
"C'mon," Hermione said as she started up the stairs leading away from the entrance hall. She could already see students finishing their breakfast and milling out of the Great Hall. Her first class would start in half an hour, and she would have to get ready soon. "Let's head up. It's almost time for class."
The pair dragged themselves up to their common room and entered their separate bathrooms for a quick shower. As the warm water dashed onto her face, Hermione relived the moments they had shared at the great lake in her head. Draco Malfoy… he really was something. Something she had never expected him to be. Soon, she got out of the shower and jumped into her freshly laundered clothes.
As she opened her bathroom door, she spotted Malfoy coming out of his own as well. Without a shirt on. Hermione's gaze floated from his toned chest, his lean but well-defined stomach and abdomen, to the towel wrapped around his waist as if in a trance. Malfoy was rubbing at his wet hair with a smaller towel, and as he looked up, their eyes locked. With a sharp gasp, Hermione turned her back on the sight quickly. But it was too late, Malfoy had caught her staring, and his lips curled into an evil grin.
"Oh my, oh my, "Malfoy tutted, "Had the great Hermione Granger been staring at —" But before he could finish, Hermione flung her bag over her shoulders and rushed out the portrait hole, her face flaming.
"Don't you dare start —" was all that could be heard before the portrait slammed shut behind, leaving Malfoy chuckling to himself while he pulled on his school uniform and Sir Cadogan yelling curses at the disappearing figure outside.
The Kiss will be in the next chapter! I love writing this fanfic but I'm also having a lot on my hands right now and more support will be appreciated so that I can continue to make time for this. Updates will be posted ASAP ;)
