*Phew!* Another chapter, this quickly! I apologise for the lousiness of it, but I was awake all night typing this. I'm tired now. Me go sleepy......
This chapter involves some mature-ish parts. Not so much that I need to put the rating up. I'll just give you two clues: Magical. Shower.
~ * ~
Disclaimer: I'm simply borrowing the characters from Harry Potter. I promise not to break them and put them back in the book when I'm done. *smiles* I'm a good girl with an insane fear of lawyers.
"..." = talking
'Italics' = thinking
Italics = dreaming
Italics = singing/song
~ * ~
"Madam Pomfrey? We're here to see Hermione." Harry, Ron, Ginny, Lavender and Parvati entered the Hospital Wing with Madam Pomfrey's permission. They walked past the other beds until they reached the one containing a still-sleeping blue haired girl.
"How come she ended up in here?" wondered Ron. The four prefects and the Head Boy and Head Girl had been missing at breakfast, and no-one had been told what had happened.
"She got into a fight with Malfoy and they trashed the common room." Harry turned his head to see Hannah sitting up in the bed next to Hermione.
"What are you doing here?" asked Ron, confused. Hannah smiled and gestured to the other beds. A mop of tousled brown hair showed where Terry was still asleep. Katie's ponytail was visible on another bed. In another bed, a sleeping Roger was mumbling about quidditch. In the last bed was the blonde, familiar, but unwelcome head of Draco.
"Who won?" asked Ron eagerly. Hannah smiled cheerfully.
"Oh, there wasn't really a winner. But Hermione, apparently, passed out last. Does that count?" She shrugged, her pretty blonde hair falling over her shoulders.
"So, 'Mione won," said Ron slowly, still trying to understand.
"I don't think so, Weasel," drawled a voice from a different bed. "I could've beaten her if the professors hadn't interrupted."
"Oh go to hell, Malfoy," snapped Harry. "We came to see Hermione, not hear your annoying voice." He turned his eyes back to Hermione's face.
"What, and you think she's going to want to see you?" Draco climbed out of bad and strolled over, his smirk in place. "She doesn't want to know, Potty. She doesn't want to associate herself with a load of Weasels and Mudbloods either." His gaze turned from Ron, who was turning purple, to Ginny, Lavender and Parvati.
"And how the hell do you know what she wants?" asked Harry.
"Well, we do live in the same common room now, Potter. I get to see a lot more of her than you do."
"Keep talking, Ferret, and you'll be taking up permanent residence here," snarled Ron, producing his wand. Draco smirked.
"Now now, we know Hermione wouldn't like that. After all, she is going to marry me."
A series of thumps followed this sentence, and the two Weasleys, Lavender, Parvati, and Harry, were all unconscious on the floor.
"Malfoy, that was a nasty thing to do," chided Hannah from her bed. "You know that you had the same reaction yesterday, if my memory serves me right."
"Oh don't get your robes in a twist, Abbott," snickered Draco, returning to his bed. "I shut them up, didn't I?" He leaned back and smiled wickedly.
"Good point," sighed Hannah. "It's the only thing I'll ever agree with you on." She put her head back on the pillow, and giggled when she heard Madam Pomfrey's shriek when she found the Gryffindors.
~ * ~
"Thank Merlin she let us out of there!" exclaimed Terry with a smile. "I can get to quidditch practice this afternoon!" The six were walking down the corridor to their common room.
"You'll need all the practice you can get. You'll have to defeat us," smirked Draco. He was strolling casually along the corridor, his hands hanging loosely from his jeans.
"Yeah, right! Malfoy, you don't stand a chance this year. Hufflepuff have got a great team." Hannah grinned and joined in the conversation.
"Now come on, we all know that our team can beat you all, hands down. Harry's the best Seeker ever," said Katie loftily, her arms folded as she dared anyone to challenge her authority.
"Now there, you have a point," said Terry. "Harry left Cho standing in that last match." Roger nodded fervently, remembering the humiliating defeat, 250 - 0.
"Potter. What does he know?" sulked Malfoy. Hannah giggled.
"A lot more than you, Malfoy. He's beaten you in every single match," she teased. Hermione looked up at her in shock.
"Hannah? You're being friendly to the Ferret." Since they had come to, Hermione and Draco hadn't even looked at each other.
"Well, he hasn't insulted me yet," smiled Hannah. "I prefer to give people a second chance. It is possible for people to change, even though it doesn't seem like they can."
"Alright Abbott. That's enough of the Muggle kiddies fairy-tale crap," drawled Draco. "Her Royal Majesty, Princess I've-got-special-powers-so-lets-abuse-everyone over there doesn't give a damn anyway." He smirked and took ten points from Gryffindor when a passing first-year stared at him.
"Malfoy, that was a Ravenclaw, not a Gryffindor." Hermione finally addressed him.
"So what? I hate Gryffindors. Too damn preppy. Too bad, so sad, Granger. I'll take points from who I like." Draco stared at her with a smirk, challenging her.
"Oh really?" Hermione folded her arms crossly. "Twenty points from Slytherin for showing disrespect to a school prefect."
"Thirty from Gryffindor for insulting a Malfoy."
"Forty from Slytherin for abusing a position of power."
"Fifty from Gryffindor for trying to outdo me."
"One hundred from Slytherin for unfairly taking points."
"Three hundred from Gryffindor, because I hate you."
"Five hundred from Slytherin for openly declaring hatred of a school prefect and a princess."
"One thousand from Gryffindor, because I said so!"
"Two thousand from Slytherin for not coming up with good enough reasons for deducting points!"
"Three thousand from Gryffindor because you all act so damn righteous!"
"Five thousand from Slytherin because you're all so conceited!"
"One hundred thousand from Gryffindor, just because!"
"Five hundred thousand from Slytherin because you're all slimy gits!"
"GRANGER! MALFOY!"
Professor Snape and Professor McGonagall were staring at the two, who had been screaming at each other outside the Great Hall. Inside the hall, they saw staring faces, and two of the giant hourglasses going into the minus numbers.
"What is the meaning of this?" Dumbledore materialised behind the two angry professors. "I am sorry, Miss Granger, but you can not deduct points for being a 'slimy git'. And Mr Malfoy, you definately can not deduct that many points 'just because'. They will all be restored. And I am afraid I shall have to confine the two of you to your common room until you can get along." Dumbledore sighed. "I had hoped for a peaceful start to the year."
"No way!" they hollered. "I'll kill him!" added Hermione with a determined look on her face.
"There is no room for debate, Miss Granger. You are confined to your common room. You will eat there, you will sleep there. You will be in the same room at all times, apart from the necessities." Dumbledore stared at them, a relatively angry look on his face.
"Screw you," muttered Draco, waving his hand. Dumbledore's beard burst into flames, which where quickly put out by Hermione's water.
"Oh, I abuse everyone? At least I don't go around setting fire to the teachers!" snapped Hermione.
"I beg to differ, Miss Granger," said Snape with a pained look as he recalled the events of the summer holidays. Hermione looked sheepish.
"That was an accident. He did it on purpose," she muttered angrily. Draco smirked, and she stuck her tongue out.
"Oh, real mature Granger," he sulked, as Dumbledore glared at them.
"Silence," he ordered, and the two fell silent, occasionally glaring at each other, and sticking their tongues out rudely.
"Professor? What was the meeting last night to be about?" asked Katie anxiously, looking at Hermione's murderous glare and Draco's stunned face.
"It is not important. My apologies, prefects. Miss Granger and Mr. Malfoy, you will not even be allowed in your bedrooms. Your trunks will be moved into the main area. Miss Bell, there will be a temporary room for you in the Gryffindor tower. The same goes for each of your respective houses. Miss Granger, Mr. Malfoy, you will make friends, and you will do so quickly." Dumbledore's firm voice demanded no argument, and Draco stared sullenly at the floor. Hermione was currently committing murder behind her eyes.
"Sorry Hermione. Good luck," said Katie sadly, leaving for the Hospital Wing to inform Harry and Ron. Terry and Roger shrugged and smiled, leaving for the quidditch pitch. Hannah gave Draco a warning glare, and smiled comfortingly at Hermione.
"You'll survive," she smiled, and left for the Hufflepuff common room.
"To the common room, now," ordered Professor Snape. Hermione marched off with Professor McGonagall lecturing her. Snape then escorted Draco, the tour complete with sarcastic comments and threats.
~ * ~
"This sucks." Hermione was playing a Playstation game, losing for the eleventh time. Draco was throwing a rubber ball at the wall, leaving small black dents.
"I'll agree with that, Granger." He threw the ball roughly, reaching up to catch it.
"You agree? Mark it on the calendar, the day of miracles is upon us," she said sarcastically. Draco rolled his eyes. She threw down the controller and leaned back against a chair. "Granger now, eh? What happened to Hermione? And what happened to the Ferret that I saw on the train?"
"They went on holiday," said Draco. "And forgot to send a postcard."
"Nice. But am I going to get a serious answer, or is it sarcasm and satire all the way?"
"Oh, sarcasm, definitely." Draco rolled the ball around in his hands. "A serious answer will cost you."
"Time is money. I'll give you thirty seconds to tell me. If you don't tell me, you'll seriously pay the price." Hermione kicked the Playstation controller away from her.
"Fair point. Hermione and Draco went to play in the land of make-believe, and left behind Granger and Malfoy. They didn't like it here, in the real world, where stranger things than a confession have happened."
"A confession from a Malfoy?"
"Another fair point." Draco threw his ball at the wall. "But I don't give something for nothing. I want to see the real Hermione Granger, before she sees the real me again."
"Who is the real Hermione Granger?" asked Hermione. She stared at the ceiling. "Is she the prefect, or the princess? The polite know-it-all or the foul mouthed Elemental?"
"She can be both." Draco started picked at the rug, making the edged fray. "But at the moment she's the one who hates me."
"Malfoy? How come you're so polite now, but were so rude yesterday? And let's not forget earlier. The reason we're stuck in here." Hermione tilted her head back to rest it over the arm of the chair. On the other side of the chair, Draco put his head back over the arm and joined her in staring at the ceiling.
"Because I never know what you think. If I try to be nice, you bite my head off. If I act like I normally do, you accuse me of not listening. I can't win." He sighed. "And, on the plus side, you're cute when you're angry." He smirked as a cushion bounced off his head.
"You don't try, Malfoy. You gave me one chance, sprung a surprise like that on me. Don't forget that I still hated you then. You just tell me you save my life, you love me, and all that. What was I supposed to do? And yesterday, I wanted to apologise. But you blew me off." She closed her eyes.
"I thought you still hated me." He too closed his eyes.
"I thought you'd lied to me, found some way around Veritaserum."
"I thought I'd made a fool of myself."
"I thought you were making a fool of me."
"The only thing I've ever been sure of since I started Hogwarts is that I love you."
"The only thing I've ever been unsure of is hating you."
They sat there in silence, both trying to interpret their emotions.
~ * ~
"I can't believe that Hermione's stuck with the Ferret," complained Ron loudly. Madam Pomfrey had ordered them back to their common room when Ron had refused to be in the same bed that Malfoy had been in.
"I can't believe what he said," Harry said gloomily. "Do you think it was true?"
"Who can tell?" Ginny said sadly. "But I pity her. They'll either come out friends, or not at all. And if they do come out, we'll have to be nice to the Slytherins."
"Why?" asked Lavender, drawing attention to herself. Parvati snickered next to her.
"That's all you were asking all summer, Lav. It was all, 'Why can't Ron be here?' and 'Why doesn't he write back straight away?'"
"Oh, really?" Ginny became instantly interested. "Ron, Lavender, would you mind explaining?"
Ron stared at the floor, wishing it would open and swallow him, while Lavender turned her pink face to stare into the fire.
"What, don't you know?" Parvati stared at Lavender incredulously. "You haven't told them? They ought to know! And Ron! I'm ashamed of you, keeping secrets from your sister and best friend!"
"What has he been keeping from us?" asked Harry exasperatedly. Parvati smiled.
"They've been dating since last year," she said. Harry and Ginny stared at Ron, and then Lavender.
"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?!" Ginny's voice echoed throughout the Gryffindor Tower.
~ * ~
"Granger?" Draco opened his eyes and lifted his head. He still hadn't figured out what to do, but he had figured that it involved them both talking.
"Granger?" he called softly again, crawling around the chair to see her. She was curled up on the floor, her arms wrapped around herself, fast asleep.
Draco stared at her silently. Her hair was falling over her face, and he reached out gently to lift it and stare at her. Her long eyelashes rested lightly on her cheeks, and her lips were parted slightly, her breathing quiet. He tilted his head to stare into her face, and a small smile appeared on his lips. He lifted her head as carefully as he could, trying not to disturb her, and stuffed a cushion under it. Grabbing the nearest blanket, his own silver one, he covered her up while she slept.
"Why are you doing this to me?" he whispered, getting up and going into the bathroom to sit and think, the only place they could now go to get away from each other.
~ * ~
Hermione woke up the next morning with a smile on her face. "I don't know why I slept so long," she announced to the air. "But I feel so much better after it!" She sat up and stretched her arms. Only then did she notice the cushion and the silver blanket that had fallen to her waist. A pile of cushions and a black blanket was on the sofa.
'I guess I fell asleep here,' she thought. Getting up quietly, she crept to the bathroom and produced her wand. She didn't want to make a noise and wake up Draco, wherever he was sleeping now. "Alohamora!" she whispered, and the door swung open quietly. She stepped into the bathroom and prepared herself for shower. Wrapping a towel around herself, she opened the shower door and froze.
"Bloody damn magical showers!" she screamed.
"What the hell are you doing?!"
Draco was standing in the shower, one hand covering himself, another searching frantically for something larger. Eventually he grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his waist. It quickly got soaked, and he turned the water off and reached for another towel. Hermione's hands flew to her mouth. She grabbed her clothes and backed out of the door, stuttering apologies, and taking in Draco's nearly naked form.
"Oh. Merlin." She closed the door and leaned against it, knowing that Draco's perfect body was going to stay imprinted in her mind forever. She dropped to her knees and stared dully into space. A small smirk appeared on the corner of her lips.
'I'm destined to marry someone who is incredibly sexy. Go me.'
~ * ~
Hours later, Draco finally emerged from the bathroom. He walked over to his chair and dropped into it. Hermione was sitting in her chair, finding something fascinating about the floor.
"So...." started Draco, his voice trailing off.
"So...." agreed Hermione, grateful for even the slightest break in the silence.
"Why did you do that? I locked the door for a reason." Draco made a decision. 'It's now or never. Sort out all issues and then go back to hexes and name calling, Draco old boy.'
"Yeah. And I thought you were asleep. Couldn't hear any noise from the bathroom. Go figure." Hermione started swinging her legs moodily.
"Any ideas who the stupid ass who gave us a magical shower is?" he asked, joining her stare at the floor.
"My money's on Dumbledore." Hermione scowled. "I bet he did it on purpose when he stuck us in here earlier."
"Oh yeah, great," said Draco sarcastically. "Nothing clears up ill feelings like seeing each other nearly naked." He stared in shock. 'Did I just say that?'
"Dumbledore seems to think that we can just kiss and make up," said Hermione angrily, kicking the leg of the table. "Does he know that five years or so of animosity won't just disappear."
Draco's smirk crawled over his face. "I'd quite like to do the kissing part," he said. "'Cause if I didn't, I'd be the only guy in school with no hormones."
"And what's that supposed to mean?" asked Hermione. 'It sounded like a compliment from a Malfoy mouth. No way is this right.'
"It's supposed to mean that this new look is incredibly hot," said Draco, enjoying seeing the blush rising on her cheeks as she got more and more flustered. "There's half the school wants to bed you."
"Bed me?" Hermione looked up with an evil grin. "And here you are, stuck in a room with me. You're gonna be killed by the angry mob when we get out of here."
"Good point. Still, won't do my reputation any harm. In their eyes, we're skipping lessons to be together."
"How about I poke those eyes out?"
"No need to get angry, Granger."
"Seriously, Malfoy, you're gonna die if you keep talking."
"Serious? You're one big joke, how could you be serious?"
"Malfoy. Your lips are moving. Words are coming out. This is not a good sign." Hermione waved her hand and Draco's chair was blown over in a violent gust of wind. "It could have some painful results for you," she added as he landed on the carpet.
"Oh that's it Granger. You're going down," he threatened, chasing after her. She leapt from her chair and started to run. They ran around the chairs, dodging between the tables. Hermione had a big smile on her face, and started laughing in between the shrieks she let out when Draco nearly caught her. After a while, Draco's smirk gave way to a smile and he started laughing too.
"Granger, I'm only going to kill you, why are you running away?" he gasped out between laughs. She was hiding behind the sofa, and he took a chance and jumped across it onto her. As they hit the ground, he began tickling her ruthlessly, and she dissolved into fits of giggles on the floor, fighting to make him stop.
"Okay, stop! Stop!" she gasped out between laughs. She finally managed to push Draco off her and they lay on the floor, side by side, struggling to get their breath back.
"Malfoy?"
"Hm?" Draco turned his head to stare at Hermione's.
"You're not all that bad," she said affectionately ruffling his hair. "I haven't laughed that hard since I woke up with blue hair."
"And beautiful hair it is," he teased. As he said that, Hermione turned her head away. "What did I do now? Because I think that we both just got our first real look at each other." He smiled, and thought, 'and I still love her for it.'
"Are you just saying that?" she asked quietly. "Because if that prophecy-legend thing is right, we'll be made to marry anyway."
"I don't know." Draco sat up and looked away. "I don't know what you do to me. I told you that on the journey."
"You also told me that you'd got rid of Death Eaters who were trying to get rid of me." Hermione remembered what she had wanted to ask him. "Why did they never attack my house?"
"I told them the wrong address." Draco avoided her gaze and got to his feet.
"Malfoy, not even You-Know-Who is that stupid. Don't patronize me." She leaned back on her elbows, staring into his intense eyes.
"Alright. You know the Fidelius charm?"
"Yes." Hermione's voice was quiet as she waited for him to continue.
"I found, in my fathers book collection, a different form of it. Instead of hiding a house, it hid a persons location. It hides you from people with ill intentions towards you. I researched it during the first year, and placed it on you during the leaving feast." This sentence came out all jumbled due to his nervousness.
"So you hid me from You-Know-Who and the Death Eaters?" asked Hermione quietly. She realised just how much trouble he had gone to just so he could protect her.
"Yes."
Hermione came to a decision mentally, and stood. "Thank you," she whispered, and hugged him briefly. "I owe you my life." She turned and started towards the portrait. It swung open at her request.
"Wha-" began Draco, but Hermione smiled.
"We made up, didn't we?" she said. "But don't expect me to be nice to you in public. I have my reputation to consider."
"Me too," said Draco gratefully, and together they headed down to the Great Hall, in time for dinner.
~ * ~
Another short-ish chapter. This one was to clear up the mystery of how the Death Eaters didn't get Hermione over the summer, and also to form the beginnings of a friendship between the two. And to satisfy my craving to see Draco in a towel. ^_~
I'd also like to point out that they will still argue. That's why I put the comment about their reputations in. But it's nice to see some friendliness. ^_^
Polaris the Ice Queen - Mmm. I liked where that train of thought was going. Draco in leather....ice cream....handcuffs.....whips (Hey, just 'cause the story rating's PG-13, doesn't mean I have to be ^_~)
angel_4eva (tomoyo_and_eriol@hotmail.com) - I'm sure there's other stuff apart from my story to keep you going through the summer. But here's another dose of the fic, just for good measure. ^_^
Blue-Dreamz - Cool about the stories. Thanks for telling me. Can you tell me the names of the fics? I'd like to read them. It's not a theme you see too often, and I'd like to read them also because I love Hermione/Draco. *sigh*
Morbid Princess - I hope this explained it for you. I'm also really glad that you think it's realistic. Woohoo! There will be plenty more arguing before there's a permanent truce formed, and even then they'll still be arguing. ^_^ It's fun to write their arguments.
Pyrope - I do enjoy writing this, and I'm glad you enjoy reading it ^_^ It's also really fun to write about Draco in leather, and Draco in a towel. And Draco, in general. He's such a sexy badass, but we love him.
F75 - LOL Glad you found it funny. I try my best *looks modest*
GeekGoddess - Thanks, I'm glad that there's lots of people that love it.
Diana Faeroe - This has to be the shortest review ever. But I'm glad you can say 'yay!' when I update. It inflates my ego ^_^
I guess I meant it when I said the chapter would be out pretty soon, huh. Well, I'm working on the next one too. I just couldn't wait to get this chapter out. ^_^
