Whoo! Another chapter! See, I told you guys I'd update more!
Chapter 8: Acceptance and Late Night Dinner for Two
As Draco and Hermione slept, Harry and Ron talked several floors below them at the dinner table.
"I really think you should apologize, Ron," Harry tried to reason. "She still seemed pretty upset when we left."
"Honestly, Harry. Hermione's not that much of a girl, you know. She's pretty strong." Harry gave an exasperated sigh.
"Ron, she's our friend. Even if she is strong, it's the right thing to do to apologize." Ron sighed.
"Fine, fine. But if we run into Malfoy and he says something about my mother again, I will not hesitate to give him a good kick in his arse." Harry shook his head.
"We can't do that, Ron. Hermione and Malfoy are friends now. If you do that, it'll just get Hermione upset again. We need to respect their friendship. I think we'll tell her that, too. That we trust that she knows what she's doing and we respect her friendship."
"Yeah, I guess you're right. We should go visit her after dinner." Harry nodded and they went back to their meals. Then . . .
"Hey, Harry? If we tell Hermione that we respect her friendship and all that, it doesn't mean that WE have to become friends with Malfoy, too, right?" Harry laughed and put a hand on Ron's shoulder.
"No, Ron. We don't have to become friends with him." Ron gave a sigh of relief.
"Good. For a second, I thought we'd have to start calling him Draco, too." Harry shook his head and went back to his steak and kidney pie.
Hermione woke up to the sound of Harry and Ron pounding on the portrait. She groaned, snuggling deeper into Draco's chest trying to ignore the sound. Draco woke up, too, though and nudged Hermione.
"I think you'd better go see what they want," he said softly, obviously irritated that they had ruing another romantic moment between him and Hermione. Hermione gave his a quick kiss and an apology before getting up to go open the portrait hole. Harry and Ron's smiles faded when Hermione's irritated face appeared at the door.
"Yes?" she asked in a dangerous tone. Harry nudged Ron forward.
"Well, Hermione, I just wanted to say sorry for today," Ron said, looking at Hermione's shoes instead of her face. "I should've trusted you more and I just want to say that I'm perfectly fine with you and Malfoy being friends." Hermione's expression softened and she flung her arms around Ron's neck.
"Oh, thank you, Ron! You don't know how much this means to me!" Ron patted Hermione on the head and looked towards Harry. Harry shrugged and let Ron deal with Hermione alone. The sound of Draco clearing his throat made Hermione let go and turn back around. Hermione looked at Draco and begged him with her eyes to not say anything to offend either of them. Draco smirked and nodded toward Harry and Ron.
"Good evening, Potter. Weasley," he said politely.
"Malfoy," Harry said nodding slightly. Draco turned towards Hermione.
"Hermione, I just wanted to tell you that it is getting quite late and you don't want these two to get caught by Filch, now do you?"
"Oh! You're absolutely right, Draco. Well, Harry, Ron, it was nice of you to comedown. But you really should get going." Harry and Ron nodded before saying goodnight to both Hermione and Draco and running back up towards the Gryffindor tower. Hermione gave a sigh of relief and closed the portrait hole, leaning her forehead against it. Draco put a hand on her shoulder, startling her.
"Woah! It's just me, Hermione," he said, putting his hands up in the air. Hermione smiled sheepishly and leaned in to give Draco a peck on the cheek.
"Thank you for being so nice to Harry and Ron,' Hermione said sweetly. Draco scowled.
"Well, you're not welcome," he mumbled, throwing himself into a nearby chair with his arms crossed over his chest. "That was one of the hardest things anyone has ever asked me to do." Hermione laughed.
"Oh come on, it can't be that bad," she said, kneeling down next to the chair, resting her chin on the armrest. Draco looked down at her.
"Oh, yes, it was! You're lucky I like you so much." Hermione blushed.
"Why, thank you, Draco. That's very sweet." Draco chuckled and pulled Hermione into his lap. Just as he did so, both of their stomachs growled loudly.
"Woah! I guess skipping dinner wasn't such a good idea, after all,' Draco said. They both laughed and Hermione patted Draco's stomach.
"Let's go get something to eat then," she said, jumping off of Draco's lap and pulling him up with her. They both climbed out of the portrait hole silently and tip-toed their way to the kitchens, making sure to watch out for Filch, Mrs. Norris the cat, and the professors and prefects on duty patrolling the castle. They finally made it down to the kitchens after what seemed like ages. Draco tickled the pears and whispered the password ("Fruit Salad"). Hermione then turned the doorknob and found that some of the house elves were already sleeping.
"Mistress Hermione Granger? Is that you?" Hermione turned to the sound of Dobby's familiar voice and greeted him with a smile.
"Hello, Dobby. I'm sorry to bother you, but the Head Boy and I missed dinner tonight." Dobby looked towards Draco and froze.
"M-m-master Draco," Dobby stuttered.
"Dobby," Draco acknowledged with a slight nod. Dobby laughed nervously and edged closer to Hermione.
"So, Hermione Granger, you missed dinner? Not a problem! Dobby knows exactly what to do!" Dobby clapped his hands twice and immediately, some house-elves began to fix a dinner for two complete with a little candle-lit table. Draco helped Hermione into her chair before sitting down across from her.
"So," Hermione began with a smirk. "Would you consider this a date?" Draco chuckled.
"I imagined our first date to be a bit classier than this, but I guess it does count." He reached over and took hold of her hand and started making circular motions on the back of her hand with his thumb.
"But it doesn't matter where we are, as long as I'm with you," he added, at the risk of sounding cliché. Hermione grinned.
"Cheesy, but cute." Just then, Dobby came with their dinner. They ate in silence just content with being in the other's presence. When they had finished, they thanked Dobby and made the dangerous journey back to their dorms. Twice, they almost got caught; first by Mrs. Norris, the caretaker's cat, and second by a fifth-year prefect. They finally made it to their dorms, woke up Uric so they could say the password and let themselves in, and said a quick goodnight before climbing up their separate staircases leading to their rooms. They both fell onto their beds without so much as removing their shoes before falling asleep. But several hours later, Draco sat bolt upright in bed, breathing heavily.
Chapter 8: Acceptance and Late Night Dinner for Two
As Draco and Hermione slept, Harry and Ron talked several floors below them at the dinner table.
"I really think you should apologize, Ron," Harry tried to reason. "She still seemed pretty upset when we left."
"Honestly, Harry. Hermione's not that much of a girl, you know. She's pretty strong." Harry gave an exasperated sigh.
"Ron, she's our friend. Even if she is strong, it's the right thing to do to apologize." Ron sighed.
"Fine, fine. But if we run into Malfoy and he says something about my mother again, I will not hesitate to give him a good kick in his arse." Harry shook his head.
"We can't do that, Ron. Hermione and Malfoy are friends now. If you do that, it'll just get Hermione upset again. We need to respect their friendship. I think we'll tell her that, too. That we trust that she knows what she's doing and we respect her friendship."
"Yeah, I guess you're right. We should go visit her after dinner." Harry nodded and they went back to their meals. Then . . .
"Hey, Harry? If we tell Hermione that we respect her friendship and all that, it doesn't mean that WE have to become friends with Malfoy, too, right?" Harry laughed and put a hand on Ron's shoulder.
"No, Ron. We don't have to become friends with him." Ron gave a sigh of relief.
"Good. For a second, I thought we'd have to start calling him Draco, too." Harry shook his head and went back to his steak and kidney pie.
Hermione woke up to the sound of Harry and Ron pounding on the portrait. She groaned, snuggling deeper into Draco's chest trying to ignore the sound. Draco woke up, too, though and nudged Hermione.
"I think you'd better go see what they want," he said softly, obviously irritated that they had ruing another romantic moment between him and Hermione. Hermione gave his a quick kiss and an apology before getting up to go open the portrait hole. Harry and Ron's smiles faded when Hermione's irritated face appeared at the door.
"Yes?" she asked in a dangerous tone. Harry nudged Ron forward.
"Well, Hermione, I just wanted to say sorry for today," Ron said, looking at Hermione's shoes instead of her face. "I should've trusted you more and I just want to say that I'm perfectly fine with you and Malfoy being friends." Hermione's expression softened and she flung her arms around Ron's neck.
"Oh, thank you, Ron! You don't know how much this means to me!" Ron patted Hermione on the head and looked towards Harry. Harry shrugged and let Ron deal with Hermione alone. The sound of Draco clearing his throat made Hermione let go and turn back around. Hermione looked at Draco and begged him with her eyes to not say anything to offend either of them. Draco smirked and nodded toward Harry and Ron.
"Good evening, Potter. Weasley," he said politely.
"Malfoy," Harry said nodding slightly. Draco turned towards Hermione.
"Hermione, I just wanted to tell you that it is getting quite late and you don't want these two to get caught by Filch, now do you?"
"Oh! You're absolutely right, Draco. Well, Harry, Ron, it was nice of you to comedown. But you really should get going." Harry and Ron nodded before saying goodnight to both Hermione and Draco and running back up towards the Gryffindor tower. Hermione gave a sigh of relief and closed the portrait hole, leaning her forehead against it. Draco put a hand on her shoulder, startling her.
"Woah! It's just me, Hermione," he said, putting his hands up in the air. Hermione smiled sheepishly and leaned in to give Draco a peck on the cheek.
"Thank you for being so nice to Harry and Ron,' Hermione said sweetly. Draco scowled.
"Well, you're not welcome," he mumbled, throwing himself into a nearby chair with his arms crossed over his chest. "That was one of the hardest things anyone has ever asked me to do." Hermione laughed.
"Oh come on, it can't be that bad," she said, kneeling down next to the chair, resting her chin on the armrest. Draco looked down at her.
"Oh, yes, it was! You're lucky I like you so much." Hermione blushed.
"Why, thank you, Draco. That's very sweet." Draco chuckled and pulled Hermione into his lap. Just as he did so, both of their stomachs growled loudly.
"Woah! I guess skipping dinner wasn't such a good idea, after all,' Draco said. They both laughed and Hermione patted Draco's stomach.
"Let's go get something to eat then," she said, jumping off of Draco's lap and pulling him up with her. They both climbed out of the portrait hole silently and tip-toed their way to the kitchens, making sure to watch out for Filch, Mrs. Norris the cat, and the professors and prefects on duty patrolling the castle. They finally made it down to the kitchens after what seemed like ages. Draco tickled the pears and whispered the password ("Fruit Salad"). Hermione then turned the doorknob and found that some of the house elves were already sleeping.
"Mistress Hermione Granger? Is that you?" Hermione turned to the sound of Dobby's familiar voice and greeted him with a smile.
"Hello, Dobby. I'm sorry to bother you, but the Head Boy and I missed dinner tonight." Dobby looked towards Draco and froze.
"M-m-master Draco," Dobby stuttered.
"Dobby," Draco acknowledged with a slight nod. Dobby laughed nervously and edged closer to Hermione.
"So, Hermione Granger, you missed dinner? Not a problem! Dobby knows exactly what to do!" Dobby clapped his hands twice and immediately, some house-elves began to fix a dinner for two complete with a little candle-lit table. Draco helped Hermione into her chair before sitting down across from her.
"So," Hermione began with a smirk. "Would you consider this a date?" Draco chuckled.
"I imagined our first date to be a bit classier than this, but I guess it does count." He reached over and took hold of her hand and started making circular motions on the back of her hand with his thumb.
"But it doesn't matter where we are, as long as I'm with you," he added, at the risk of sounding cliché. Hermione grinned.
"Cheesy, but cute." Just then, Dobby came with their dinner. They ate in silence just content with being in the other's presence. When they had finished, they thanked Dobby and made the dangerous journey back to their dorms. Twice, they almost got caught; first by Mrs. Norris, the caretaker's cat, and second by a fifth-year prefect. They finally made it to their dorms, woke up Uric so they could say the password and let themselves in, and said a quick goodnight before climbing up their separate staircases leading to their rooms. They both fell onto their beds without so much as removing their shoes before falling asleep. But several hours later, Draco sat bolt upright in bed, breathing heavily.