Authors Note: First of all: blah blah blah, nothing belongs to me except the plot, don't sue me, blah blah blah. I know Draco is kind of out of character, but I tried to make it seem as believable as possible. Yeah, and the next in the next chapter we start with the actual plot and dialogue. Joy! By the way, thank you so much to all the people who were wonderful and reviewed! Those reviews kept me awake in school during a week where I would otherwise have been half dead. I would thank you individually, except that eventually that would get scary and time consuming, so just know that I really, really appreciate it. Now go read.
Chapter Two
Draco had lain there unmoving for some time. He would have gotten up, but everything was just so fuzzy. He had slept for much longer than he usually did, which was making his mind sort of numb. He felt the pressure of Hermione's shoulders on his arm and noticed how warm she was. In the dark recesses of his brain, some part of him was horrified that he was acting this tranquil, like a domesticated housecat. For the moment, however, the fuzzy haze was quite pleasant.
Pleasant was not exactly a word Draco used very often, nor was it a word that accurately described many aspects of his life. It was not a word that could be applied to his home, his outlook on life, his friends, or his family. He really didn't want to think about his family, especially in his current fuzzy state of mind. Not that they were terrible people, but they didn't exactly fit in with the current setting. Narcissa, for example, was envied because of her wealth and high marriage. In reality, Draco knew that she was unhappy. Not that he particularly cared. She had let Lucius have complete control over Draco's upbringing and rarely interfered, for which Draco was bitter. He was her only child, and yet she had always been too cowed to stand up to Lucius for him. Now Draco was returning the favor.
He particularly detested Lucius at times, mostly because Lucius was a malicious, evil jerk who had no compassion for anyone. He had never been directly cruel to Draco, but he had never listened to him either. Because of Lucius, his childhood had been made up of various Death Eater gatherings, and it looked like that was how his future would be, despite his wishes. Draco had been taught to perform various Dark curses as soon as he had been given a wand. And, having Lucius for a father, most of these curses were punishable by life in Azkaban. So basically, Draco had been a walking arsenal of death and darkness since he had been about eight. Not what you would call a pleasant childhood.
The only times he was happy were when he was at Hogwarts. Not that he had any real friends, but it was still better than the cold, impersonal Malfoy Manor was. Spending time with Hermione had also made him strangely content. That damned fuzzy haze was coming back again. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that her hair was in his face and his arm was around her. This whole healthy relationship thing was completely beyond him. Naturally, he had had other girlfriends, a rather long list of them actually. Most of them, however, had been attracted either to his money, his supposed power, or his body. He had a feeling Hermione liked him for something else. For some reason, this thought just made the haze thicker, and his stomach turned all mushy. Oh God, what has happened to the Draco that we all know and worship? he thought. It was all right, though, because she was the only one around whom he acted differently. And their relationship was just fine as long as no one found out. Most of all his father.
Oh shit. He had totally forgotten that Granger was muggleborn. If his father ever found out that she had been in his room all night . . . well, suffice to say she would be as good as dead. Draco's father wasn't cruel to him, but that didn't change that he was a bastard to everyone else. He should get her out of there fast. Immediately would be even better.
Unfortunately, Hermione chose that moment to sit up and stare at him. He could feel her gaze drilling into his mind. He couldn't quite bring himself to open his eyes yet. Then he heard her snort, as if she were laughing. What could she be laughing at? He opened his eyes and the answer was obvious; him. He pulled her down next to him again.
She turned over to face him, and they looked at each other for a while before she leaned forward and kissed him softly. That was the point at which all thoughts of Lucius and torture devices vanished from his thoughts. Draco returned the kiss and deepened it, marveling at how warm her lips were. The haze returned, blocking out all rational thought completely. Hermione pulled away and nestled her head against his chest.