Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns all this stuff.
A/N: By the way, I suddenly changed my mind halfway through that Ginny and Hermione would have connecting rooms, instead of sharing one. I didn't figure I should change it in the previous chapters because you guys have already read the part where they share a room. So just keep in mind that Hermione has her own room now. ^_^
When she stepped through the portrait and into the Gryffindor common room, she was immediately accosted by Ron and Harry. Ginny hovered a little behind them, concern in her eyes. "Why didn't you let me go with you?" Ron raged. "You shouldn't be going around by yourself!"
"I was just fine, Ron!"
"You might not have been! You didn't even have your wand with you!"
Hermione didn't mention that the same thought had occurred to her. "But I was fine, Ron. Nothing happened to me."
"This time," Ron muttered. "What about next time?"
Hermione blew out an irritated breath. "Fine. I promise that I'll let you come with me next time, Ron."
Ron narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously. Then he blinked, and looked confused. "What smells?"
Ron could have sworn that he saw a blush tinge Hermione's cheeks. "Me," she muttered, moving towards the stairs that led to her room. "I'm going to take a shower." Then she escaped upstairs.
She turned on the hot water and shed her clothes, making a face. Merlin, I'm really glad that I didn't meet anyone on the way to the tower, she thought in relief. It was bad enough that she had met her other friends. She had truly smelled rank.
She stepped into the shower and sighed blissfully as she hot water stung her skin. The steam in the room rose, and she closed her eyes and let the heat and silence soothe the stresses of the day. She felt like she had been stuck on an emotional roller coaster all day. First she had had to brave the hallways on her own--albeit by her own choice--then she had had a meeting with Dumbledore, a confrontation with Zambini, another confrontation with her irate boyfriend, watched an emotional meeting of battle weary Aurors, and been one of the few students in Hogwarts to know that they were under the possibility of attack.
A tension headache had long ago been gripping her neck and shoulders, and the hot water pounded down and started to unravel all the knots of tension that had seized her neck and shoulders. Even after she had scrubbed herself clean and washed her hair twice to get out all of the smell, she still stood beneath the hot water, her eyes closed, nearly falling asleep. When the water started to turn cold, she reluctantly turned it off with a flick of her wrist. She stepped out of the shower and pulled a towel from the rack and wrapped it around her body. She felt like her body was long and loose, and she wanted nothing more than to sprawl out on the bed and take a lazy nap.
She stepped out of the bathroom and her gaze went to her bed. So tempting, she thought yearningly. Then she smiled ruefully. Hell, why not? She had already missed all her classes for the day, so it wasn't like she needed a reason to stay awake. She walked over and started to move toward her dresser to grab some pajamas, then hesitated.
Feeling mischievous, she shed her towel and then crawled into her bed. The cool sheets slowly warmed against her skin, and she sighed blissfully as she snuggled deeper into them, her eyes closing. Moments later she was asleep.
*********
She dreamed of him. Those gorgeous gray eyes that haunted her days and nights. She dreamt that the night had turned cold and stormy as lightning lashed the skies. She dreamed he came to her window and unlocked it and stepped into the room and came to her.
His hands were cold against her warm skin, and made her shiver. His fingertips brushed over her delicate collarbone and traced a line down her arm to her fingertips and back up again. She arched beneath his hands as lightning flashed and filled the room with brilliance. In the sudden flash, she looked up into his eyes and saw them filled with heat and passion.
She sighed his name as he pulled off his soaking wet shirt and dropped it on the floor. He crawled up beside her, and she pulled his face down to hers for a slow kiss.
"You're beautiful," he said, his voice vibrating with intensity. "Merlin, you're so damn beautiful."
She sighed again, her eyes drifting shut as she felt his hands on her again. Then she let herself fall into a pool of passion that swirled around them both and gladly let herself drown in it.
********
Hermione opened her eyes in the morning and winced at the bright sunlight that shone through her window. A bird flitted by her window, singing cheerfully. She stretched lazily, and blinked. She was naked. Why was she naked? she thought, confused. Abruptly she remembered falling asleep without her clothes, and then her dream.
Her lips curved in a satisfied smile. Such a lovely, lovely dream, she thought dreamily. She sat up, raking one hand through her hair that was still damp. She started to get off the bed, and blinked when her hand fell on something. Startled, she glanced down and saw a single stemmed rose lying on her bed, deprived of its thorns.
She stared at it, her mouth open in shock. "I have to go," he whispered. "I love you, Hermione." He brushed the soft petals of a rose over her cheek, then over her swollen lips. Then he laid it on the bed beside her and kissed her softly. Then he was gone.
That was a dream! Hermione thought in shock. A dream! Draco hadn't really been here last night. The rose was just one Harry had given Ginny, Hermione rationalized to herself as she rose. She didn't notice the supple, graceful way that she moved, or the wet spot on the floor beside her bed. She pulled on a pair of jeans. Thank Merlin it's Saturday, she thought ruefully. I'm not sure I could wake up in time for classes.
She felt relaxed and completely calm. She went to her window and saw the world was glittering like a damp emerald. The grass was sparkling green, and the sky was the bright blue that could only be achieved after a storm. A frown creased Hermione's forehead, but she shook it off. It had stormed in her dream. She went into the bathroom and looked in the mirror. Some of the swelling had gone down on her throat, and some of the bruises were fading. Or at least turning green instead of black, she thought sourly.
She went back into the bedroom and rapped softly on the door that connected her room with Ginny's. When Ginny didn't answer, Hermione decided that either Ginny was still asleep or she wasn't in her room. So she pulled on some warm socks and went downstairs. The common room was quiet. It might seem late to Hermione, but it was early to everyone else. The people that were up were still subdued, and sat quietly talking or sipping at coffee, their eyes bleary with sleep still.
Hermione went to the coffee machine, and saw that a hot cup was already waiting. She sipped at it absently. She walked over to the window seat and climbed up and pulled her knees up to her chest and looked outside pensively as she sipped at her morning coffee. In the distance, she could see the shadows of the Forbidden Forest, and it abruptly brought back the events of yesterday.
Two Aurors dead, she thought sadly. And they had been Bill's friends. She was still shocked at Bill's appearance in a meeting of Aurors. She had had no idea that Bill was an Auror. She was under the impression that he worked at Gringott's. She wondered absently if Ron knew what his brother did. Being an Auror was dangerous, especially in these times, and Bill might not want to worry his family.
Then there was that confrontation with Zambini. She still wasn't sure what to think of that. She was sure that he had purposefully sought her out, but had he sought her out because he was her midnight attacker or because of some other reason? He was a Slytherin, after all, and she was a Gryffindor. Just because Draco had reformed his thoughts about her didn't mean that the rest of his House had. The rivalry between Slytherin and Gryffindor was just as strong as ever. It had only lost its figureheads of the war between the Houses--Draco and Hermione.
Then there was the very fact of the Deatheaters' appearance in the Forbidden Forest. She knew that Dumbledore more than likely had wards around Hogwarts. In fact, she knew he did. So how had the Deatheaters breached those wards? She nibbled anxiously on her lip, her gaze faraway. Her coffee cooled in her hands as she mulled over the puzzles that had presented themselves.
She was shaken out of her thoughts when Fred and George burst into the common room. Everyone glanced up and grumbled a bit at the fuss that the two boys were making. When the twins saw Hermione watching them warily from the window seat, they hurried over to her. Oh no, Hermione thought in dread. She wasn't sure she wanted to know what new trick they had concocted.
"Hermione!" George panted. "Great! You're awake!"
"Yes," she said cautiously.
Fred grinned at her charmingly. "We wanted to ask you about something."
"What is it?"
"Well--" George said, taking a deep breath, "we've made a new invention called Gumdrop Bubbles. So when you chew on them, you start to burp bubbles."
Hermione blinked rapidly as they watched her in anticipation. "And what," she said slowly, "is the purpose to this invention?"
They just grinned brightly at her. "We were waiting for you to ask!" Fred said enthusiastically. "Once you've burped the bubble, it floats about and then when it pops, it makes this really loud burping sound."
Hermione stared at them and resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "You still haven't told me how this is beneficial in any way," she said dryly.
Undaunted, they grinned at her. George lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "Well, if you start burping bubbles in class, they've got to get you out, haven't they? No professor wants some kid burping loud obnoxious bubbles in class."
Hermione sighed and wondered why Harry had ever wanted to finance these two. "I see," she said mildly. "And what was it that you wanted me to answer for you?"
"We wanted you to test them!" The boys both had hopeful looks in their eyes, and Hermione could swear that they were trying to use the puppy dog eyes on her.
She looked them both in the eyes and said firmly, "No."
Their faces fell. "Aww, Hermione! Why not?" Fred whined.
"Because I don't want to be burping bubbles, that's why," Hermione said with a sigh. She flicked her gaze around the room and lit upon Angelina. Angelina happened to lazily glance up and see that Hermione was the object of the twins' undivided attention, and immediately surmised that Hermione was looking for someone to sic the twins on. She started frantically waving her hands and mouthing, "NO! NO!"
Hermione smiled and said calmly, "I think you should ask Angelina to try it for you."
The twins perked up. "Really? You think Angelina would try it?"
"I think it won't hurt to ask her," Hermione said with a small smile. The twins bounced up.
"Thanks, Hermione!" George patted her on the shoulder and then the twins made a beeline for Angelina, who gave Hermione a dirty look. Hermione smiled into her coffee cup and gave a little finger wave to Angelina, who looked at the oncoming twins with something akin to horror on her face.
Ginny walked up to Hermione, her eyes heavy with sleep. She scratched her hip absently. "I see that you've already had an encounter with the twins," she yawned.
Hermione smiled at her friend and moved so that Ginny could clamber up beside her. "Ah yes," she said dryly. "It was Gumdrop Bubbles this time. They make you burp bubbles."
"Fascinating," Ginny murmured as she smothered another yawn.
Hermione mutely passed Ginny her cup of coffee, and Ginny sipped at it for a long moment while Hermione watched the twins hassle Angelina for several minutes. Finally Ginny handed the cup back to Hermione, who tossed back the last dregs of it. It was an early morning routine that they had fallen into since Ginny had come to Hogwarts. Hermione woke up early and sipped coffee, then Ginny woke up and finished off Hermione's cup. It was a comforting, familiar ritual.
More alert after her jolt of caffeine, Ginny peered at Hermione's neck. "How's the throat feel?"
"Better," Hermione admitted. "Better than I thought it would feel, actually. I just feel a lot better overall."
Ginny nodded encouragingly. "Good," she said, obviously satisfied. She sighed. "Today's a Hogsmeade weekend. Are you going to go out?"
Hermione shrugged. She didn't really feel like it, but what else was there to do? "I suppose so," she murmured.
Ginny nodded. "Okay. Harry and Ron should be down soon. I'm going to go get ready."
Hermione nodded mutely, and Ginny trudged back upstairs. Hermione propped her chin on her knees and stared out the window broodingly until she felt the warm brush of fur against her hands. Startled, she glanced up and saw that Crookshanks was eyeing her and holding a small roll of parchment.
She blinked. "Why, Crookshanks. I didn't know you had become an errand cat for just anyone," she teased him softly. He made a growling sound and spat the parchment at her and then stalked off. Chuckling softly, Hermione unrolled the slightly damp parchment and read, Meet me at the willow at noon.
It wasn't signed, but she knew his handwriting as well as she knew her own. She felt a slow roll in her stomach, but it wasn't the same slide that she felt when she was afraid. This one made her tremble from head to foot with the pleasure that filled her. She resisted the urge to jump up and start getting ready immediately, and instead casually checked her Muggle watch. It read that it was only nine in the morning, and she huffed out a disappointed breath. Three whole hours to go before she could see him, she thought in disappointment.
Then she laughed softly at herself. It hadn't been too long ago that the thought of sighing over Draco Malfoy would have sent her into seizures. Now it was natural as breathing. Abruptly she remembered that she had just told Ginny that she would accompany them to Hogsmeade. She jumped up and hurried upstairs to Ginny's room. She rapped on the door then barged inside as soon as Ginny said that she could come in.
Ginny glanced up at her with a raised eyebrow. "Are you okay?" she asked, amused.
Hermione attempted to compose herself, then just gave up. "I can't go with you to Hogsmeade because I'm going to meet Draco at noon."
Ginny grinned, her smile lighting up her whole face. "Well Merlin forbid you miss that. That's ok, Mione. I'm sure I can manage to amuse myself without you." She winked, and Hermione laughed.
She impetuously hugged Ginny, then dashed into her room, feeling filled with energy. With a swish of her wand, she caused the music of a waltz to float through the room. She picked up her rose and brushed it along her cheek, smiling to herself. Then she waltzed herself around the room and giggled, waiting for noon.
