Hermione moved from underneath Harry's arm as she heard a soft knock
on the door. Making sure not to wake him, she gently kissed his temple and
moved to the door. Opening it, she was not surprised to see Draco standing
in the frame, leaning against it with the same cold elegance he always
possessed.
"Sleeping together now? My, that was fast." The boy said with a smirk at Hermione, who glared at him.
"Do you need something?" she asked, smoothing down her hair which was rumpled from sleep.
"Yes, actually." Draco said, standing up fully to look Hermione in the eyes. "I didn't really want to have to resort to coming into the Gryffindor common room, and I'm not about to waste my eyes on all the red and yellow for nothing."
"Draco," Hermione breathed, stepping out of the door and closing it with a soft click, leaving Harry asleep. "What's going on?"
"It's Ginny." He said, watching her as she leaned against the wall and slid to the floor. "She's starting to fall for me."
"Draco, honestly, you make think you're the hottest thing since Gilderoy Lockheart, but I don't think-"
"She was watching me sleep Hermione. She kissed my forehead and smoothed back my hair and she was watching me sleep." He gave her an appraising look, and she sighed.
"So what...maybe she does have a crush on you." Hermione said quietly, looking at her hands. Draco sat down on the hard stone ground next to her, his arm resting next to hers.
"Hermione, you know what that means. I have to bring her home to daddy and buy her presents, and take her to Hogsmead and ramble on like I am now." He stopped and took a deep breath. "I don't want her falling for me."
"Draco..."
"It's complicated Hermione." He said quietly, turning to look at her with his gray eyes.
"Then why don't you tell me. I mean, all you ever said about the condition was that you didn't want to talk about it, but you needed someone to sleep with."
"Because, Hermione, I'm such a pathetic loser that I can't get a girl in bed with me so I have to recruit you to help." Draco blinked at his words. "I just insulted myself. Something is wrong."
Hermione shook her head, dropping her head into her hands.
"Draco, what happened? Why did you need someone to sleep with in the first place?" she asked, her voice tired as she rubbed her eyes with the palms of her hands. Draco looked at her, and sighed.
"My father happened," he spit out. "He used to have what he called 'training sessions' at night when my mother went to sleep."
"Training for what?" Hermione asked, turning to look at Draco who was staring at the wall in front of him.
"When I honored the family and became a death eater. I'll spare you of the details," Draco said when he saw Hermione's expression. "But I can't sleep without someone being next to me. It doesn't even have to be someone I like - look at my past girlfriends. They just wanted to fool around...and I just wanted to sleep."
Hermione looked at Draco, and for once was able to read his eyes. He had never let down his guard before to her, and something about the way he was talking suggested that he never had to anyone.
"I'm just so tired." Draco said, looking down at his hands. Hermione locked her eyes on the boy, feeling her heart break in her chest. There was something so tragic about Draco, something so sad that whenever she was with him she couldn't help but realize how alike Harry and Draco were.
She gently put her hands around Draco, pulling him closer. He was stiff and surprised by the action but almost as soon as she had pulled him down and he laid his head on her lap, he was asleep. She smiled and smoothed the hair out of his eyes, and then frowned. She looked up, hearing the door open and saw Harry silhouetted against the window at the end of the hall, his hands in his pockets.
"Hello." She said icily, seeing Draco asleep in her lap. "Do you love him too?"
"Harry." She breathed, trying not to jump up and run to him. "It's not what you think..."
"Like hell it's not." He spat out, walking over to stand in front of her while Draco slept on. "I thought something was going on between you too, but I didn't think you would LIE to me...say you LOVED me."
"Harry, please calm down," she tried to say, stammering. "I can explain."
"Don't bother." He said his voice dangerously low. "There's nothing to explain."
"Harry, would you just listen for one second." She said her cheeks flushing with Harry shook his head.
"No Hermione." He said his voice breaking. "I'm tired of listening. I'm leaving."
"What's going on?" asked Draco, rubbing his eyes. Seeing Harry he jumped from the floor, surprising both Hermione and Harry.
"Watch out," Harry said, his smile frightening and cruel, as he turned to Draco. "If she says that she loves you, she's probably already said it to a thousand other guys before."
Harry was dimly aware that Draco reached out, grabbed him by the collar of his sweater, and threw him against the stone wall, making him see black spots on Draco's infuriated face.
"What the hell are you doing Malfoy?" Harry said, his head throbbing from where it had hit the stone.
"No, Potter, the question is what the hell are YOU doing." Draco said, his voice threatening.
"I'm telling you the truth about your girlfriend." Harry said, spitting out the words. Draco turned and looked at Hermione with a confused expression and then the realization dawned on him that he had been sleeping in her lap. She was pale and her eyes flashed with anger as she nodded to Draco.
"She's not my girlfriend Potter." Draco said, turning back to Harry who was starring at Hermione. "I knew you were dimwitted, but I thought you had some form of a brain in your head."
"Shut up Malfoy." Harry said; ready to fight if the need came.
"Potter, you have a real attitude problem. She," he said, taking a hand off of Harry and pointing a finer at Hermione. "LOVES you."
"Oh really, then what's she doing letter you sleep in her lap." Harry said, refusing to look at Hermione.
"You disgust me." Draco said, letting go of Harry.
"Good thing she loves you because she deserves much better then you." He said, turning to look at Hermione, who was looking at Harry sadly.
"Oh, like you?" Harry asked, as Draco turned fully away.
"No, actually Potter, I'm not what she needs. But if you knew and trusted her, you would realize that she's never dated anyone officially except for Ron because she was only trying to get to you. She's been in love with you since the first year."
Harry blinked, and turned to Hermione who was looking at the ground.
"I guess you don't trust me, do you." She said, after a pause in which Draco shot daggers at Harry with his glance, and he shot them right back at Draco. Hermione shook her head and walked away from the pair.
"She loves me?" asked Harry, watching the stairs where she had been.
"Like I said," Draco said his voice low and angry. "She deserves better."
"How the hell would you know?" Harry asked, turning back to Draco. The other boy shook his head and walked away from Harry, crossing his arms in front of himself and walking into the dark stairwell.
Draco did not see Harry fall to the ground, but he did hear his yell of anguish and pain, and turning around against his own will, he saw Harry sprawled out on the ground.
"Sleeping together now? My, that was fast." The boy said with a smirk at Hermione, who glared at him.
"Do you need something?" she asked, smoothing down her hair which was rumpled from sleep.
"Yes, actually." Draco said, standing up fully to look Hermione in the eyes. "I didn't really want to have to resort to coming into the Gryffindor common room, and I'm not about to waste my eyes on all the red and yellow for nothing."
"Draco," Hermione breathed, stepping out of the door and closing it with a soft click, leaving Harry asleep. "What's going on?"
"It's Ginny." He said, watching her as she leaned against the wall and slid to the floor. "She's starting to fall for me."
"Draco, honestly, you make think you're the hottest thing since Gilderoy Lockheart, but I don't think-"
"She was watching me sleep Hermione. She kissed my forehead and smoothed back my hair and she was watching me sleep." He gave her an appraising look, and she sighed.
"So what...maybe she does have a crush on you." Hermione said quietly, looking at her hands. Draco sat down on the hard stone ground next to her, his arm resting next to hers.
"Hermione, you know what that means. I have to bring her home to daddy and buy her presents, and take her to Hogsmead and ramble on like I am now." He stopped and took a deep breath. "I don't want her falling for me."
"Draco..."
"It's complicated Hermione." He said quietly, turning to look at her with his gray eyes.
"Then why don't you tell me. I mean, all you ever said about the condition was that you didn't want to talk about it, but you needed someone to sleep with."
"Because, Hermione, I'm such a pathetic loser that I can't get a girl in bed with me so I have to recruit you to help." Draco blinked at his words. "I just insulted myself. Something is wrong."
Hermione shook her head, dropping her head into her hands.
"Draco, what happened? Why did you need someone to sleep with in the first place?" she asked, her voice tired as she rubbed her eyes with the palms of her hands. Draco looked at her, and sighed.
"My father happened," he spit out. "He used to have what he called 'training sessions' at night when my mother went to sleep."
"Training for what?" Hermione asked, turning to look at Draco who was staring at the wall in front of him.
"When I honored the family and became a death eater. I'll spare you of the details," Draco said when he saw Hermione's expression. "But I can't sleep without someone being next to me. It doesn't even have to be someone I like - look at my past girlfriends. They just wanted to fool around...and I just wanted to sleep."
Hermione looked at Draco, and for once was able to read his eyes. He had never let down his guard before to her, and something about the way he was talking suggested that he never had to anyone.
"I'm just so tired." Draco said, looking down at his hands. Hermione locked her eyes on the boy, feeling her heart break in her chest. There was something so tragic about Draco, something so sad that whenever she was with him she couldn't help but realize how alike Harry and Draco were.
She gently put her hands around Draco, pulling him closer. He was stiff and surprised by the action but almost as soon as she had pulled him down and he laid his head on her lap, he was asleep. She smiled and smoothed the hair out of his eyes, and then frowned. She looked up, hearing the door open and saw Harry silhouetted against the window at the end of the hall, his hands in his pockets.
"Hello." She said icily, seeing Draco asleep in her lap. "Do you love him too?"
"Harry." She breathed, trying not to jump up and run to him. "It's not what you think..."
"Like hell it's not." He spat out, walking over to stand in front of her while Draco slept on. "I thought something was going on between you too, but I didn't think you would LIE to me...say you LOVED me."
"Harry, please calm down," she tried to say, stammering. "I can explain."
"Don't bother." He said his voice dangerously low. "There's nothing to explain."
"Harry, would you just listen for one second." She said her cheeks flushing with Harry shook his head.
"No Hermione." He said his voice breaking. "I'm tired of listening. I'm leaving."
"What's going on?" asked Draco, rubbing his eyes. Seeing Harry he jumped from the floor, surprising both Hermione and Harry.
"Watch out," Harry said, his smile frightening and cruel, as he turned to Draco. "If she says that she loves you, she's probably already said it to a thousand other guys before."
Harry was dimly aware that Draco reached out, grabbed him by the collar of his sweater, and threw him against the stone wall, making him see black spots on Draco's infuriated face.
"What the hell are you doing Malfoy?" Harry said, his head throbbing from where it had hit the stone.
"No, Potter, the question is what the hell are YOU doing." Draco said, his voice threatening.
"I'm telling you the truth about your girlfriend." Harry said, spitting out the words. Draco turned and looked at Hermione with a confused expression and then the realization dawned on him that he had been sleeping in her lap. She was pale and her eyes flashed with anger as she nodded to Draco.
"She's not my girlfriend Potter." Draco said, turning back to Harry who was starring at Hermione. "I knew you were dimwitted, but I thought you had some form of a brain in your head."
"Shut up Malfoy." Harry said; ready to fight if the need came.
"Potter, you have a real attitude problem. She," he said, taking a hand off of Harry and pointing a finer at Hermione. "LOVES you."
"Oh really, then what's she doing letter you sleep in her lap." Harry said, refusing to look at Hermione.
"You disgust me." Draco said, letting go of Harry.
"Good thing she loves you because she deserves much better then you." He said, turning to look at Hermione, who was looking at Harry sadly.
"Oh, like you?" Harry asked, as Draco turned fully away.
"No, actually Potter, I'm not what she needs. But if you knew and trusted her, you would realize that she's never dated anyone officially except for Ron because she was only trying to get to you. She's been in love with you since the first year."
Harry blinked, and turned to Hermione who was looking at the ground.
"I guess you don't trust me, do you." She said, after a pause in which Draco shot daggers at Harry with his glance, and he shot them right back at Draco. Hermione shook her head and walked away from the pair.
"She loves me?" asked Harry, watching the stairs where she had been.
"Like I said," Draco said his voice low and angry. "She deserves better."
"How the hell would you know?" Harry asked, turning back to Draco. The other boy shook his head and walked away from Harry, crossing his arms in front of himself and walking into the dark stairwell.
Draco did not see Harry fall to the ground, but he did hear his yell of anguish and pain, and turning around against his own will, he saw Harry sprawled out on the ground.