Chapter 10
Disclaimer: I own nothing except the plot.
Hermione was the first one to step back and break the kiss. "I'm sorry, I can't do this. Not right now."
"I'm sorry too. I understand," Draco said, wiping his mouth with his sleeve. "Here, you have to eat," he added, handing her the bowl of porridge.
Hermione took the bowl and dragged one of the chairs. "Thanks."
Draco took a seat across her. He then surveyed her intently as she took a spoonful of the porridge. Hermione noticed the sudden attention and began to feel uneasy. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ears, after which, she clasped her hands tightly between her thighs. "Um, Draco, is there anything wrong?"
Draco woke up from his reverie, and his face turned red. "Nothing, nothing, I'm sorry."
"You seemed a little bit distracted for a while."
"I was just thinking."
"About what?" Hermione said, taking another round of the porridge.
He then unexpectedly took her right hand. "Hermione, stay here for the night."
Hermione's eyes widened in disbelief. "But Draco, isn't that a little bit fast?"
Draco flashed a grin. "I was just thinking. maybe you'd want to. um, considering the weather and all."
Hermione looked at the nearby window. It was already dark outside and she could hear the heavy drops of rainfall. She looked at him and squeezed his hand, but abruptly taking it back. "You're right," she said, standing up and leaving the bowl at the kitchen sink. Her face turned away from him, she smiled, noticing how both of them were deliberately ignoring the fact that she could simply apparate to her house.
Upon hearing her response, Draco stood up and followed her. "So you'll stay?" he said, eyes full of delight.
"I said that, didn't I?" she said, turning to look at him. "Besides, I still don't want to see my parents."
"We'll owl them then," Draco replied, reaching for a piece of parchment from the living room drawer and withdrawing a pen from his pocket.
Hermione sat on the couch, watching him scribble on the paper. "What are you writing?"
"What else?" he said, turning his head to her.
"I want you to tell them to not get worried, that I'll be fine."
"Sure, no problem."
After finishing the letter, Draco rolled it, looking out the window. Noticing his expression, Hermione stood up and walked beside him, hands on her waist. "How the hell are we going to send that under such a bad weather. And." she began asking, looking around. "Do you even have an owl?"
Draco walked towards the window and pushed it up. "I'm waiting."
Hermione raised her eyebrows. "Waiting for what, exactly."
Suddenly, out of the dark sky, came a faint beating sound. At first, Hermione didn't understand what it was, then she realized it was the sound of flapping wings. And from the sight that has just emerged from the entirety of the night, it was an owl.
It swooped around the room and landed on Draco's arm. It was a large eagle owl, and Hermione remembered it was the same one Draco had used when he was at Hogwarts. Draco withdrew a tiny cut ribbon from his pocket and used it to tie the roll of parchment around the owl's right leg.
"How did you know that the owl is going to come?" Hermione said, approaching him.
"Because he always arrives at exactly six in the evening," Draco said, smiling.
"Oh, I see." Hermione touched a feather of the owl, which caused it to flap its wings. "Still I doubt he'll be able to make it in such a bad weather," she added, tucking another strand of hair.
"Hermes is trained to carry messages under difficult circumstances," Draco replied, brushing his fingers over the owl's soft feathers.
"You're owl's name is Hermes? 'The messenger.'" Hermione said, smiling.
"I like it, mythical, like your name," Draco answered, looking from the owl to Hermione.
"In Greek mythology, Hermione married Neoptolemus, just something I read," she said, sitting again at the couch.
Draco threw his arm forward as Hermes soared back to the skies. Upon closing the window, he said, "I heard he was a redoubtable warrior."
Hermione threw a worried look. Draco's back was turned to her, his eyes watching the rain amongst the darkness.
***
They didn't talk much after Hermes took off. Draco proceeded to the kitchen to tidy up, then went back to show Hermione where she would sleep. Hermione asked if he wasn't hungry, which he just promptly responded to by just briskly shaking his head.
Draco led her to a narrow corridor, dimly lit by yellow light, and pointed the nearest door. Upon opening it, Hermione noticed that it was quite big, complete with cabinets, a separate dresser, a full length mirror, and a queen sized bed. Hermione was speechless. She couldn't believe she would actually sleep there. It was much too elegant for her. She approached the bed and sat on it, testing the softness of the mattress. Her hands brushed the beddings, which was made of navy blue silk.
"I'm going to sleep here?" she asked as Draco entered the room and dropped a towel and a bathrobe on the foot of the bed.
"This is your room," he replied, hands inside his pockets.
Hermione looked around. It was warm inside, and she right away felt comfortable. "You, where do you sleep?" she asked, turning to him.
"Just across the hall," he said, gesturing with his shoulders. "You should change now. There's a pair of pajamas inside the closet. It should fit you perfectly." Hermione narrowed her eyes. Seeing this, Draco took a step backward. "What did I do?"
"You planned this, didn't you?" she asked.
"What? Me? No!" he hurriedly responded.
"Whatever," she said, standing up, turning him around, and pushing him towards the door. "I'm going to bed now, thank you."
"If you need anything, just call me," Draco announced, looking over his shoulder.
"Goodnight," she said, closing the door behind him, and resting her back on it. She then closed her eyes and smiled.
***
Hermione woke up feeling better than the night before. She definitely had her well deserved rest, she thought, stretching out her arms and looking up the ceiling. Turning to look at the clock on the side table, she realized it was already 7:00. She heard her stomach rumbling, for she only had a few spoons of porridge last night. *If I'm this hungry, I can't imagine how Draco could be.*
She pushed herself up and left the bed. She snatched the comb, walked to the mirror and began combing her hair. After which, she opened the door of her room and peaked outside. The hallway was still dark, obviously Draco was still asleep. Hermione tiptoed across the hall and leaned on the door of his room, her ears pressed on it. She didn't hear anything. *Draco must be a quiet sleeper.* She crept towards the kitchen and started opening the cabinets to look for anything to cook. She withdrew some flour, an egg, a bottle of milk, and cooking oil.
Cracking the egg and carefully pouring its contents into a bowl, Hermione looked around for some pans. While she was beating the egg with a fork, she looked over the hall to check if Draco was still asleep. She heard no sound, which means it was safe. She was eager to surprise him by cooking breakfast, sort of repaying what he did for her.
She beat the egg until it was frothy and began pouring some flour into a fairly large bowl. She poured the beaten egg, together with ΒΌ cup of milk and some cooking oil. She carefully mixed the ingredients until the large lumps had disappeared. She took the pan into the stove and turned the knob to release enough fire. When the pan was warm enough to cook, she started pouring fair amounts of the mixture onto the pan. She did this several times, until none of the mixture was left and she had created four large pancakes.
She then began setting the table after turning on the coffee maker. She set two plates on opposite sides of the table, and placed knives and forks beside the plates. She opened the refrigerator and looked for some margarine, and when she found it, she set it on the table as well.
Looking around, Hermione knew that she had prepared everything well. All she had to do now was to wake Draco up. She walked through the hall and stopped in front of Draco's door. She knocked twice but heard no sound. She turned the knob and to her surprise, it was unlocked. She slowly opened the door and gasped. "He's not here!" Draco's bed was empty and the sheets were untouched. Suddenly, Hermione heard the sound of the front door closing. She quickly turned around and made her way to the living room. "Draco!"
"You're up!" Draco said, seeing her staring at him with an undecipherable expression.
"Where have you been?" she asked.
"I just went outside for a while to get some fresh air," he tried to explain, not sure of where this conversation was leading.
"For a while?" Hermione shrieked. "I've been up for like 30 minutes and I thought you were still asleep!"
Draco moved towards her and touched her on the shoulders, surveying her. "Well, maybe it took me more than a while to stay outside. Why are you so mad?"
Hermione turned around and walked towards the kitchen. "I'm not mad, I was just surprised."
"Well I'm the one who's surprised," Draco said, seeing the wonderfully prepared breakfast. "You did all these?" he asked.
Hermione nodded. "Yes. I wanted to surprise you."
"Well, you did," he said, eyes widened. "And I'm impressed."
"Thanks," Hermione said, calming down from her shock. "Let's just eat."
They both sat on the opposite side of the table and Draco started to get himself a piece of pancake. He cut a small piece using his knife, ate it, and began chewing. Looking up, he said, "Hermione, this is delicious!"
Hermione smiled.
***
After a fulfilling breakfast, they settled themselves on the living room couch.
"That was nice of you to cook breakfast," Draco started.
"No problem. I actually miss doing that at home," Hermione replied. "Ever since I graduated at Hogwarts, my parents had been insisting I should leave the chores to them. Sounds absurd, doesn't it?"
Draco laughed. "Just a little."
Hermione suddenly remembered something. Now was the time she had to ask it to him. There have been so many times he was near to telling her, but there have always been an interruption. Now that they were alone, she wanted so desperately to know. "Draco," she began, turning to him and throwing him a serious look. "What about the necklace?"
Disclaimer: I own nothing except the plot.
Hermione was the first one to step back and break the kiss. "I'm sorry, I can't do this. Not right now."
"I'm sorry too. I understand," Draco said, wiping his mouth with his sleeve. "Here, you have to eat," he added, handing her the bowl of porridge.
Hermione took the bowl and dragged one of the chairs. "Thanks."
Draco took a seat across her. He then surveyed her intently as she took a spoonful of the porridge. Hermione noticed the sudden attention and began to feel uneasy. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ears, after which, she clasped her hands tightly between her thighs. "Um, Draco, is there anything wrong?"
Draco woke up from his reverie, and his face turned red. "Nothing, nothing, I'm sorry."
"You seemed a little bit distracted for a while."
"I was just thinking."
"About what?" Hermione said, taking another round of the porridge.
He then unexpectedly took her right hand. "Hermione, stay here for the night."
Hermione's eyes widened in disbelief. "But Draco, isn't that a little bit fast?"
Draco flashed a grin. "I was just thinking. maybe you'd want to. um, considering the weather and all."
Hermione looked at the nearby window. It was already dark outside and she could hear the heavy drops of rainfall. She looked at him and squeezed his hand, but abruptly taking it back. "You're right," she said, standing up and leaving the bowl at the kitchen sink. Her face turned away from him, she smiled, noticing how both of them were deliberately ignoring the fact that she could simply apparate to her house.
Upon hearing her response, Draco stood up and followed her. "So you'll stay?" he said, eyes full of delight.
"I said that, didn't I?" she said, turning to look at him. "Besides, I still don't want to see my parents."
"We'll owl them then," Draco replied, reaching for a piece of parchment from the living room drawer and withdrawing a pen from his pocket.
Hermione sat on the couch, watching him scribble on the paper. "What are you writing?"
"What else?" he said, turning his head to her.
"I want you to tell them to not get worried, that I'll be fine."
"Sure, no problem."
After finishing the letter, Draco rolled it, looking out the window. Noticing his expression, Hermione stood up and walked beside him, hands on her waist. "How the hell are we going to send that under such a bad weather. And." she began asking, looking around. "Do you even have an owl?"
Draco walked towards the window and pushed it up. "I'm waiting."
Hermione raised her eyebrows. "Waiting for what, exactly."
Suddenly, out of the dark sky, came a faint beating sound. At first, Hermione didn't understand what it was, then she realized it was the sound of flapping wings. And from the sight that has just emerged from the entirety of the night, it was an owl.
It swooped around the room and landed on Draco's arm. It was a large eagle owl, and Hermione remembered it was the same one Draco had used when he was at Hogwarts. Draco withdrew a tiny cut ribbon from his pocket and used it to tie the roll of parchment around the owl's right leg.
"How did you know that the owl is going to come?" Hermione said, approaching him.
"Because he always arrives at exactly six in the evening," Draco said, smiling.
"Oh, I see." Hermione touched a feather of the owl, which caused it to flap its wings. "Still I doubt he'll be able to make it in such a bad weather," she added, tucking another strand of hair.
"Hermes is trained to carry messages under difficult circumstances," Draco replied, brushing his fingers over the owl's soft feathers.
"You're owl's name is Hermes? 'The messenger.'" Hermione said, smiling.
"I like it, mythical, like your name," Draco answered, looking from the owl to Hermione.
"In Greek mythology, Hermione married Neoptolemus, just something I read," she said, sitting again at the couch.
Draco threw his arm forward as Hermes soared back to the skies. Upon closing the window, he said, "I heard he was a redoubtable warrior."
Hermione threw a worried look. Draco's back was turned to her, his eyes watching the rain amongst the darkness.
***
They didn't talk much after Hermes took off. Draco proceeded to the kitchen to tidy up, then went back to show Hermione where she would sleep. Hermione asked if he wasn't hungry, which he just promptly responded to by just briskly shaking his head.
Draco led her to a narrow corridor, dimly lit by yellow light, and pointed the nearest door. Upon opening it, Hermione noticed that it was quite big, complete with cabinets, a separate dresser, a full length mirror, and a queen sized bed. Hermione was speechless. She couldn't believe she would actually sleep there. It was much too elegant for her. She approached the bed and sat on it, testing the softness of the mattress. Her hands brushed the beddings, which was made of navy blue silk.
"I'm going to sleep here?" she asked as Draco entered the room and dropped a towel and a bathrobe on the foot of the bed.
"This is your room," he replied, hands inside his pockets.
Hermione looked around. It was warm inside, and she right away felt comfortable. "You, where do you sleep?" she asked, turning to him.
"Just across the hall," he said, gesturing with his shoulders. "You should change now. There's a pair of pajamas inside the closet. It should fit you perfectly." Hermione narrowed her eyes. Seeing this, Draco took a step backward. "What did I do?"
"You planned this, didn't you?" she asked.
"What? Me? No!" he hurriedly responded.
"Whatever," she said, standing up, turning him around, and pushing him towards the door. "I'm going to bed now, thank you."
"If you need anything, just call me," Draco announced, looking over his shoulder.
"Goodnight," she said, closing the door behind him, and resting her back on it. She then closed her eyes and smiled.
***
Hermione woke up feeling better than the night before. She definitely had her well deserved rest, she thought, stretching out her arms and looking up the ceiling. Turning to look at the clock on the side table, she realized it was already 7:00. She heard her stomach rumbling, for she only had a few spoons of porridge last night. *If I'm this hungry, I can't imagine how Draco could be.*
She pushed herself up and left the bed. She snatched the comb, walked to the mirror and began combing her hair. After which, she opened the door of her room and peaked outside. The hallway was still dark, obviously Draco was still asleep. Hermione tiptoed across the hall and leaned on the door of his room, her ears pressed on it. She didn't hear anything. *Draco must be a quiet sleeper.* She crept towards the kitchen and started opening the cabinets to look for anything to cook. She withdrew some flour, an egg, a bottle of milk, and cooking oil.
Cracking the egg and carefully pouring its contents into a bowl, Hermione looked around for some pans. While she was beating the egg with a fork, she looked over the hall to check if Draco was still asleep. She heard no sound, which means it was safe. She was eager to surprise him by cooking breakfast, sort of repaying what he did for her.
She beat the egg until it was frothy and began pouring some flour into a fairly large bowl. She poured the beaten egg, together with ΒΌ cup of milk and some cooking oil. She carefully mixed the ingredients until the large lumps had disappeared. She took the pan into the stove and turned the knob to release enough fire. When the pan was warm enough to cook, she started pouring fair amounts of the mixture onto the pan. She did this several times, until none of the mixture was left and she had created four large pancakes.
She then began setting the table after turning on the coffee maker. She set two plates on opposite sides of the table, and placed knives and forks beside the plates. She opened the refrigerator and looked for some margarine, and when she found it, she set it on the table as well.
Looking around, Hermione knew that she had prepared everything well. All she had to do now was to wake Draco up. She walked through the hall and stopped in front of Draco's door. She knocked twice but heard no sound. She turned the knob and to her surprise, it was unlocked. She slowly opened the door and gasped. "He's not here!" Draco's bed was empty and the sheets were untouched. Suddenly, Hermione heard the sound of the front door closing. She quickly turned around and made her way to the living room. "Draco!"
"You're up!" Draco said, seeing her staring at him with an undecipherable expression.
"Where have you been?" she asked.
"I just went outside for a while to get some fresh air," he tried to explain, not sure of where this conversation was leading.
"For a while?" Hermione shrieked. "I've been up for like 30 minutes and I thought you were still asleep!"
Draco moved towards her and touched her on the shoulders, surveying her. "Well, maybe it took me more than a while to stay outside. Why are you so mad?"
Hermione turned around and walked towards the kitchen. "I'm not mad, I was just surprised."
"Well I'm the one who's surprised," Draco said, seeing the wonderfully prepared breakfast. "You did all these?" he asked.
Hermione nodded. "Yes. I wanted to surprise you."
"Well, you did," he said, eyes widened. "And I'm impressed."
"Thanks," Hermione said, calming down from her shock. "Let's just eat."
They both sat on the opposite side of the table and Draco started to get himself a piece of pancake. He cut a small piece using his knife, ate it, and began chewing. Looking up, he said, "Hermione, this is delicious!"
Hermione smiled.
***
After a fulfilling breakfast, they settled themselves on the living room couch.
"That was nice of you to cook breakfast," Draco started.
"No problem. I actually miss doing that at home," Hermione replied. "Ever since I graduated at Hogwarts, my parents had been insisting I should leave the chores to them. Sounds absurd, doesn't it?"
Draco laughed. "Just a little."
Hermione suddenly remembered something. Now was the time she had to ask it to him. There have been so many times he was near to telling her, but there have always been an interruption. Now that they were alone, she wanted so desperately to know. "Draco," she began, turning to him and throwing him a serious look. "What about the necklace?"