"Checkmate!"
"Hermione! That's the third time you've beaten me this week. What's up with you? Did you charm yourself or something?"
"No, silly, it's called practice. I didn't have anything to do over the summer so I bought an automated chess board. I was just that determined to beat you."
"Well, it seems that your evil scheme has worked for now but I'll be ready for you next time."
"Whatever you want to believe Ron, if it makes you feel better than I won't stop you, until I beat you again next time."
Ron took on a look of disgruntled annoyance and crossed his arms over his chest indignantly.
Hermione stuck her tongue out at him.
Ron jumped on her and tickled her ferociously until Hermione was gasping for air.
"Well isn't this cozy."
Ron jumped off Hermione as soon as the words were spoken in that so well known drawling manner.
Hermione sat up on the floor gasping for breath. Her face was flushed and her hair tousled. She punched Ron in the arm playfully.
Draco stared at Hermione intently for a moment. Well, he would have to admit that the mudblood was good-looking. Even he had to admit that. However, he did not like the drop in the pit of his stomach that he felt whenever he looked at her.
"I didn't mean to interrupt, please, continue your. wrestling." He smirked at the outraged look upon Hermione's face. He loved that look, it meant.
"Draco, you are such an abso-bloody-lutely arse. Just because I'm having fun with one of my friends, which, may I remind you, you have none of, does not mean we are "wrestling" as you so distastefully put it. Ugh, you are such a pain."
"Well excuse me if I don't want to come back to come back to my common room to find my roommate canoodling with one of her friends."
Hermione sat there for a moment lips in a thin, tight line, her face getting redder by the minute. Then.she burst out laughing.
Draco placed his hands on his hips irately, "And just what is so funny?"
Hermione tried to breathe. "You!"
Draco just stood there.
"Who says "canoodling"? Honestly!"
"For your information, it's a term my mother used to use before." Draco grew silent.
"Before what?"
"Nothing, forget it."
Hermione was laughing no longer. She stood and faced him, placing one hand on his shoulder. He flinched as though surprised by the personal touch. "Before what?"
Draco's eyes were shining, he was trying not to cry. "Before she was killed."
* * *
Twenty minutes later, Draco was still berating himself. Why had he told her that? What had made him want to tell her that? What made him want to be able to tell her everything that pained him, why he acted the way he did, what his family was really like.
He sat on his bed and perched his elbows on his knees. He didn't know what Hermione was doing now as he had walked into his bedroom after telling her because he was so embarrassed. He still couldn't believe that he had started to cry in front of her. Damn it Hermione, why do you make me act this way? He scrubbed his hands over his face and ran them through his hair. Ugh, he was disgusted with himself.
Well, he had to face the music sometime.
Hermione was studying at her desk when Draco re-entered the room. She looked up when she noticed him out of the corner of her eye and her gaze followed him across the room, a look of concern flashing across her features.
"Don't keep looking at me as though you expect my poor fragile frame to collapse at any moment."
"Well at least now I know you're all right. I'd have been worried if you had been civil to me."
"There you are then, so just turn your lovely little head back around and continue studying."
If Hermione had noticed the subconscious compliment that Draco had just given her, she pretended not to notice. In fact, it wasn't until later that Draco himself even realized what he said.
Instead of doing what she was told, she was an independent woman after all, she slammed her book closed and gracefully removed herself from contact with the chair she had been sitting in. "I am getting sick and tired of the way you treat me Malfoy."
This was all she said before she calmly strode into her room and gently shut the door behind her.
This was more effectual on Draco than if she had slapped him in the face.
"Hermione! That's the third time you've beaten me this week. What's up with you? Did you charm yourself or something?"
"No, silly, it's called practice. I didn't have anything to do over the summer so I bought an automated chess board. I was just that determined to beat you."
"Well, it seems that your evil scheme has worked for now but I'll be ready for you next time."
"Whatever you want to believe Ron, if it makes you feel better than I won't stop you, until I beat you again next time."
Ron took on a look of disgruntled annoyance and crossed his arms over his chest indignantly.
Hermione stuck her tongue out at him.
Ron jumped on her and tickled her ferociously until Hermione was gasping for air.
"Well isn't this cozy."
Ron jumped off Hermione as soon as the words were spoken in that so well known drawling manner.
Hermione sat up on the floor gasping for breath. Her face was flushed and her hair tousled. She punched Ron in the arm playfully.
Draco stared at Hermione intently for a moment. Well, he would have to admit that the mudblood was good-looking. Even he had to admit that. However, he did not like the drop in the pit of his stomach that he felt whenever he looked at her.
"I didn't mean to interrupt, please, continue your. wrestling." He smirked at the outraged look upon Hermione's face. He loved that look, it meant.
"Draco, you are such an abso-bloody-lutely arse. Just because I'm having fun with one of my friends, which, may I remind you, you have none of, does not mean we are "wrestling" as you so distastefully put it. Ugh, you are such a pain."
"Well excuse me if I don't want to come back to come back to my common room to find my roommate canoodling with one of her friends."
Hermione sat there for a moment lips in a thin, tight line, her face getting redder by the minute. Then.she burst out laughing.
Draco placed his hands on his hips irately, "And just what is so funny?"
Hermione tried to breathe. "You!"
Draco just stood there.
"Who says "canoodling"? Honestly!"
"For your information, it's a term my mother used to use before." Draco grew silent.
"Before what?"
"Nothing, forget it."
Hermione was laughing no longer. She stood and faced him, placing one hand on his shoulder. He flinched as though surprised by the personal touch. "Before what?"
Draco's eyes were shining, he was trying not to cry. "Before she was killed."
* * *
Twenty minutes later, Draco was still berating himself. Why had he told her that? What had made him want to tell her that? What made him want to be able to tell her everything that pained him, why he acted the way he did, what his family was really like.
He sat on his bed and perched his elbows on his knees. He didn't know what Hermione was doing now as he had walked into his bedroom after telling her because he was so embarrassed. He still couldn't believe that he had started to cry in front of her. Damn it Hermione, why do you make me act this way? He scrubbed his hands over his face and ran them through his hair. Ugh, he was disgusted with himself.
Well, he had to face the music sometime.
Hermione was studying at her desk when Draco re-entered the room. She looked up when she noticed him out of the corner of her eye and her gaze followed him across the room, a look of concern flashing across her features.
"Don't keep looking at me as though you expect my poor fragile frame to collapse at any moment."
"Well at least now I know you're all right. I'd have been worried if you had been civil to me."
"There you are then, so just turn your lovely little head back around and continue studying."
If Hermione had noticed the subconscious compliment that Draco had just given her, she pretended not to notice. In fact, it wasn't until later that Draco himself even realized what he said.
Instead of doing what she was told, she was an independent woman after all, she slammed her book closed and gracefully removed herself from contact with the chair she had been sitting in. "I am getting sick and tired of the way you treat me Malfoy."
This was all she said before she calmly strode into her room and gently shut the door behind her.
This was more effectual on Draco than if she had slapped him in the face.