Disclaimer: I don't own it.
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I wanted to address something before I begin. I AM A RED HEAD! Okay might not make sense to every one yet, so let me explain. I got a review telling me it was offensive for Draco to call Ron fire crotch. Thank you, that was the point!! As a red head, I know how particularly annoying this comment is, which is precisely why I used it! Had you been a muggle-born wizard, Mudblood would offend you too! And lets get the fact straight that Draco and Ron are not friends! Had you left an e-mail address, I would have replied to you and apologized nicely, but since you decided to be a coward and not leave your email, I got pissed. So I'm gonna make fun of your stupid comment instead! Can you be any dumber? Name-calling is MEANT to offend you opponent/victim! Do you think that Draco Malfoy honestly thinks of comments that won't be too offensive? OBVIOUSLY NOT IF HE CALLS HERMIONE MUDBLOOD WHICH IS A RACIST TERM! OR DID YOU MISS THE MEMO ON THAT ONE? Stupid! Honestly! I don't think that there has been one red head ever that hasn't gotten that comment, or question, or reference. Yes, it's stupid, yes it offends people, THAT'S WHY I USED IT!! Grow up a bit! The world is not going to censor its everyday life to make YOU feel comfortable! If I want to call Ron Weasley a FIRE CROTCH, then I will damn well call him a FIRE CROTCH! I'm going to stop before I say something that ought not to appear in a PG-13 story.
And now that I have vented a bit... on to the theater!
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Game, Set, Match
He sat on the edge of her bed looking at her while she slept. It was strange that a creature he had hated so much could produce such an effect on him. Although he would never say it out loud, he was really beginning to enjoy her company. She was wittier than he had given her credit for and confident.
He remembered the last few days they had shared, the way she looked when she smiled and taunted him. Sure they still passed insults, but they didn't cut like they normally did. It was remarkable, but the most remarkable thing was that Draco was feeling something that he had never experienced before.
The feeling was in his chest. It was almost as if there were some force stopping his ribs from expanding completely. This oddity had begun right after he had been hit, and increased the whole time Hermione had refused to speak to him the rest of the night. It hurt now worse than ever.
Not caring much for the discomfort in his ribs, Draco wandered over to his own bed and closed his eyes cursing feelings. He hadn't meant to call her a Mudblood; it had just sort of slipped out. But he felt bad nonetheless.
That night his dreamed a strange dream in which he was wandering through a field alone under a grey sky.
Hermione was the first to wake in the morning, and a night's sleep had done little to improve on her mood. She was angry at Draco for calling her a Mudblood and angry at herself for letting it offend her so much. There was nothing she would like to do more than take hold of her pillow and tear it in two. But she needed her pillow and revenge would be much better channeled at other targets.
After a few seconds, Hermione had conjured up a large bucked of water, icy water. Smirking, she levitated the bucket right over the face of her sleeping roommate.
At first, she only let a drop spill, then another, much in the fashion of Chinese water torture. Draco shifted uncomfortably in his sleep. It was time. The bucket, which was of course enchanted to never be empty, tipped over spilling icy water all over Draco's head.
The blond sat up screaming only to have his mouth filled with icy water as well. When he got up and ran to the bathroom, the bucket followed him.
Draco began to fire all sorts of curses at the bucket but it would not cease its offensive. Finally he ran screaming from the bathroom.
"Make it stop!"
Hermione took a deep breath, "No."
"Why the hell not?"
"Because."
This made Draco even more angry, so choosing the most logical path he jumped on top of the brunet who was still laying in her bed.
She shrieked and then cried, "Get off!"
"Turn off the bucket!"
"Draco!"
"NOW!"
"FINE!"
The bucket stopped spewing water leaving the two teens sitting shivering next to each other on the bed. The empty bucket fell to the floor, but not before it hit Draco squarely on the head.
"OW! What the blazes was that for?"
"I'm mad at you!"
Draco looked down at the bed. He could do it; it might not be as painful as he always thought it would be. It might be better after that. There was always the fact that he needed her agreeable with him for the game that hay; he could always blame it on that if it went poorly.
The blond muttered something.
"Pardon?"
Draco looked up with an expression that let Hermione know this was something to which he was unaccustomed. As their eyes locked he took a deep breath, "I'm sorry," he quickly broke eye contact before continuing in a rushed voice, "I really didn't mean anything by it. I was aggravated that I couldn't stand up. But I wasn't aggravated at you. I was aggravated at the curse. I don't know why I called you that. I don't really think that, not any more. Not that I mean to say I like you or like spending time with you. But I don't mean that it's all that bad either. No, I mean, it's not so bad as I thought it would be to be stuck with you. Not that I enjoy having you around all the time. But I..."
Hermione who had been watching the trembling of his bottom lip, attributing it to his wet cold clothes and becoming increasingly aware of her own, placed a hand on his arm. "Draco..."
Both teens looked at the connection of her hand and his arm as a slightly uncomfortable feeling passed between the two before they both looked up and grey eyes locked with brown ones.
Hermione sensed that Draco was truly sorry, as she could tell he didn't apologize everyday, or any day really. She wondered what all his ramblings were about but didn't ask at the moment. "It's okay."
"Really?" his face brightened and she could feel hers doing the same.
"Really, I forgive you."
For a moment, a heavy silence filled the room
"Hermione..."
"Yes?" she asked.
"Are we friends?"
She seemed taken by his question. "I... I don't know. I've never thought about it before. Would you like to be friends?"
"I don't think I have ever had any REAL friends before. Just people who associate with me because their fathers associates with my father whose father in turn associated with their grandfathers, and their fathers before them and so on. It must be nice to have friends."
Hermione felt a flood of emotions over come her, although pity, the one she would have expected was not one of them. She allowed herself to be filled by so many feelings that she could not even begin to verbalize what they were.
Then she did something that took her by surprise almost as much as her blond counterpart: she hugged him.
"You do have a friend."
It was a second before Draco reacted, but then he pulled her in and held her tightly. It felt good, better than any thing he had ever felt before, but he didn't know why or understand what for. He also didn't understand why something so good made him want to cry.
Immediately he was uncomfortable and needed to break the seriousness of this. It was all too much. Finally, the Slytherin smirk graced his face.
"Hermione, friends are honest with each other right?"
She sat up and pulled away nodding. "Yes."
"Then, as a friend, I feel it is my duty to tell you... that you should probably get a new shirt."
Hermione looked down and realized in horror, that icy water and white tank tops Did not mix.
Draco laughed as her face turned a light shade of scarlet and she froze. Then he playfully pounced her.
"Oof! Oww! Get up your too fat!" she said.
Draco in response pretended to snore.
"Okay, ha, it's funny, now let me get up. I have to change my shirt. Draco, Draco!" his breathing was becoming heavy and she realized that he actually was falling asleep. "Oh no! You are getting up! You're done! Draco!"
shifting around under him, she got a good grip and shoved him tumbling to the floor just before...
"Oh crap!"
~*%*CRASH*%*~
Draco looked up from underneath the girl. "We have got to stop doing that!"
"You ready?"
"No!"
"Good."
"Now relax, stay calm."
"Easy for you to stay, in two minutes you are still going to be six feet tall!"
"You were never six feet tall anyways."
"Well I was a lot taller than five inches!"
"Not really."
Hermione slapped Draco's arm playfully making an 'angry' face.
"Okay go."
"You sure?"
"Yes. Quick now, before I change my mind!"
Hermione could feel herself growing smaller, or maybe everything else was just getting bigger. Well, whichever way it was, she grew so tiny that she could step into Draco's hand.
"Aww, your rather cute that size. Just think we could get you a little doll house and dress up clothes..."
Hermione stamped her foot to let him know she did not appreciate the comments.
"Okay, I suppose I will turn you back after the game."
A curt nod from Hermione's little head was all he got. He helped Hermione climb into the box and placed it in his left breast pocket. Show time.
It wasn't raining, but it was overcast making it almost impossible to see the golden bugger. He kept having to strain his eyes to try to get a glimpse of it. At least the Ravenclaw seeker was new; Cho had graduated the year before.
He watched as the girl ducked nervously as bludgers passed her, and knew that she was frightened that it was nervous being her first game and all. Quite an unworthy opponent. Nothing like Potter. But he would play Potter soon, and he would crush him!
Focusing back on the game, Draco began to look around for the Snitch. Stupid little... there! There it was! Draco made a dive and caught the Snitch just two and a half feet above the ground.
"SLYTHERIN WINS 230 TO 60."
A groan rose up from the stands from all but the Slytherins who cheered happily.
"Stupid prats!" Harry said.
"Wouldn't be surprised if they cheated!" Ron added.
"Ron!" Of course his sister had to reprimand him for his unsportsmanlike like conduct.
Back in the Slytherin locker room Draco began to change.
"Great game!"
"Ravenclaw didn't have a chance!"
"Not with our Draco here!"
"We thought we were going to have to get a replacement for you Draco. Woulda been terrible, two untrained seekers in one game!"
"Was it horrible having to be stuck to a Mudblood?"
"I couldn't have done it!"
"Woulda killed myself!"
"Woulda killed her!"
The room was filled with laughter until Draco slammed his locker and left.
"Wonder what crawled up his arse!"
Draco took Hermione out of his pocket and made her large again. Before he stalked off to the shower. Quidditch had always exhausted him, and he was dead tired.
About forty-five minutes later, he stumbled half conscious out of the bathroom and into his bed.
Hermione sighed, "I bet he used up all the hot water too! Oh well." Being in the pocket of a sweating Quidditch player was not exactly the most pleasant experience one might wish for.
Draco had fallen asleep but woke up soon after.
"Curses!"
Walking to the bathroom to relieve himself used up far too much energy. But it was this or wet the bed. Draco stumbled to the bathroom half asleep, but a shrill shriek woke him up quickly.
When he had opened the door, he had come face to face, with a dripping wet Hermione who was in the process of pulling her towel of the rack. He was struck by the shock and unable to look take his eyes off of Hermione, that is until everything went black.
Hermione watched as Draco stumbled and fell as she was pulled to him still wrapping up in her towel.
Moaning, Draco sat up. "Wha...what happened?"
"I'm sorry Draco, it was the first curse that came to my mind."
"So I'm not dead?"
Hermione laughed, "Good gods no!"
"Blind then?"
"Err... Sort of. You see, I put a magic blindfold over your eyes so you wont be able to see until it wears off."
"How long will that be?"
"Oh, not too long, that is to say, maybe one, two, five, seven hours?"
Draco groaned.
"But you'll be sleeping!"
"I still have to pee!"
"Whine about it some more why don'tcha?"
Hermione helped the boy stand up and lead him to the bathroom. "Just um, call for me when you're um, done." She quickly exited the room and traded her towel for pajamas.
"Hermione!"
"Right here."
Hermione lead Draco back to his bed, helped him lay down, and pulled the covers up over his chest.
Draco reached up and touched her shoulder, a faint smile on his lips.
"What is it?"
"Nothing," he said quickly and turned his face from her.
"It is so something, so tell me!"
"You wouldn't understand."
"Try me!"
"Are you always such an infernal, persistent, git?"
"mmmm... only when I don't get what I want."
Draco laughed.
"So you gonna tell me?"
The blond sighed knowing he was fighting a losing battle. "You'll think me silly."
"I already do."
"You'll think me childish then."
"I wont I promise."
"And it would be terribly embarrassing for people to know."
"What people, it's just me."
Draco tried to stop the small smile that threatened to cross his face, but only did it after Hermione had seen its makings.
"It's just that... well for a moment, I was reminded of when I was little, and my grandmother use to tuck me in. She would kiss my cheek and say, 'Goodnight Draco.'" He was quiet for a moment. "I miss her."
Hermione was not certain why she did the next thing that she did other than it felt right to do. She bent over and kissed Draco on the cheek. "Goodnight Draco."
Draco stirred in his sleep and rolling over while stretching opened his eyes. And then he tried again. And then once more. The blond boy sat straight up as a high-pitched scream that brought his roommate staggering to his bed.
"What's the matter?"
"I can't see!"
"Still?"
"What do you mean by still?"
"Why, last night I hexed you blind; you don't remember?"
"Vaguely."
"I thought you'd be better by now."
"Why when is it?"
"Well, History of Magic begins in forty minutes."
"WHAT?"
"We can fix this..."
"Fix it? FIX IT! I'm blind how can we fix it?"
"Can you really see nothing?"
"No I can't.. wait!...light, there's a light!"
"See it's coming back already!"
It was for this reason- and this reason only- that Hermione and Draco proceeded into the corridors twenty-five minutes later arm in arm. Hermione was acting as Draco's eyes. Her own eyes hadn't neglected to take in how perfectly toned his chest was as she buttoned his oxford for him that morning. And she tried to ignore the funny feeling that crept over her when she tied his tie for him.
It was not long however, before Hermione's musings were interrupted by two blubbering idiots that the world could have dealt with out.
She groaned as Pansy Parkinson and Millicent Bodstrode came around the corner.
"What?" Draco asked his ears picking up.
But Hermione didn't have to ask, because it wasn't long before Draco groaned too.
"Oh Drakie! You can't be holding this Mudbloods arm! She's probably contaminated!"
"Yeah Draco! Besides you don't want to be caught dead with something as ugly as that attached to your arm."
By this time the girls had thrown Hermione to the floor and were coddling Draco obviously oblivious to Draco's clenched jaw.
"You must be sick to have let such filth touch you!"
"She didn't hurt you did she?"
Angry was far too impassionate a word to describe Hermione's feelings. Full of rage she said through clenched teeth, "I am right here!"
Pansy looked down at her. "Yes, right on the floor where scum like you belongs!"
That remark was the straw that broke the camel's back. *Mudblood, ugly, filth!* These words and others ran through her brain as she stood up resolutely, and tapped the pug faced girl on the shoulder.
Pansy slowly turned around only to find herself face to face with Hermione's fist. Millicent was dumbstruck as she watched Pansy fall to the floor and Hermione turned slowly to her.
"And for you?"
Draco tried to focus on the sounds and flashes of light, but all he could understand was that whatever was happening, Hermione was severely kicking some large Slytherin arse. Finally every thing fell quiet and Draco felt an ironically gentle hand touch his arm.
"Ready?"
Draco allowed himself to be lead away to class.
"What did you do?"
He heard a giggle from the girl walking with him, and envisioned her smile as she casually said, "Identity charm."
"And that does what exactly?"
"Shows you for what you truly are."
It wasn't until lunch that Draco finally came to appreciate the work Hermione had done that morning.
In the middle of the Slytherin table, sat the two girls. Their hair was up, frizzy, and wild; red lipstick covered the span of their lips and then some; blue eye shadow covered their eyes from lashes to brow, and underneath their school robes, you could see long fishnet stockings with large holes and runs while both wore old heels. When they got up and attempted to walk, they stumbled and staggered as if drunk.
"Two-cent whores." Draco remarked to Hermione noting their appearance.
"Would you really pay that much?" Hermione countered cocking her head to the side as if checking them out.
The blond laughed, "Yeah, to have them taken away."
"You'll get a detention for that you know."
"Yup, tonight at five."
"Wait how did I not know?"
"You fell asleep, but Flitwick didn't notice. That was when they told me, during, charms."
Charms was their second class that day and Draco having been sick of not seeing and wearing a muggle invention that Hermione called sunglasses had closed is sealed eyes and slept. Then it hit him.
"Wait, if you have a detention, then that means..."
Hermione gave him a big cheesy grin.
"Damn you!"
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Well that one was long wasn't it? Hope you liked it! By for now! Thanks for reading and reviewing!!!
~Atiannala
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I wanted to address something before I begin. I AM A RED HEAD! Okay might not make sense to every one yet, so let me explain. I got a review telling me it was offensive for Draco to call Ron fire crotch. Thank you, that was the point!! As a red head, I know how particularly annoying this comment is, which is precisely why I used it! Had you been a muggle-born wizard, Mudblood would offend you too! And lets get the fact straight that Draco and Ron are not friends! Had you left an e-mail address, I would have replied to you and apologized nicely, but since you decided to be a coward and not leave your email, I got pissed. So I'm gonna make fun of your stupid comment instead! Can you be any dumber? Name-calling is MEANT to offend you opponent/victim! Do you think that Draco Malfoy honestly thinks of comments that won't be too offensive? OBVIOUSLY NOT IF HE CALLS HERMIONE MUDBLOOD WHICH IS A RACIST TERM! OR DID YOU MISS THE MEMO ON THAT ONE? Stupid! Honestly! I don't think that there has been one red head ever that hasn't gotten that comment, or question, or reference. Yes, it's stupid, yes it offends people, THAT'S WHY I USED IT!! Grow up a bit! The world is not going to censor its everyday life to make YOU feel comfortable! If I want to call Ron Weasley a FIRE CROTCH, then I will damn well call him a FIRE CROTCH! I'm going to stop before I say something that ought not to appear in a PG-13 story.
And now that I have vented a bit... on to the theater!
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Game, Set, Match
He sat on the edge of her bed looking at her while she slept. It was strange that a creature he had hated so much could produce such an effect on him. Although he would never say it out loud, he was really beginning to enjoy her company. She was wittier than he had given her credit for and confident.
He remembered the last few days they had shared, the way she looked when she smiled and taunted him. Sure they still passed insults, but they didn't cut like they normally did. It was remarkable, but the most remarkable thing was that Draco was feeling something that he had never experienced before.
The feeling was in his chest. It was almost as if there were some force stopping his ribs from expanding completely. This oddity had begun right after he had been hit, and increased the whole time Hermione had refused to speak to him the rest of the night. It hurt now worse than ever.
Not caring much for the discomfort in his ribs, Draco wandered over to his own bed and closed his eyes cursing feelings. He hadn't meant to call her a Mudblood; it had just sort of slipped out. But he felt bad nonetheless.
That night his dreamed a strange dream in which he was wandering through a field alone under a grey sky.
Hermione was the first to wake in the morning, and a night's sleep had done little to improve on her mood. She was angry at Draco for calling her a Mudblood and angry at herself for letting it offend her so much. There was nothing she would like to do more than take hold of her pillow and tear it in two. But she needed her pillow and revenge would be much better channeled at other targets.
After a few seconds, Hermione had conjured up a large bucked of water, icy water. Smirking, she levitated the bucket right over the face of her sleeping roommate.
At first, she only let a drop spill, then another, much in the fashion of Chinese water torture. Draco shifted uncomfortably in his sleep. It was time. The bucket, which was of course enchanted to never be empty, tipped over spilling icy water all over Draco's head.
The blond sat up screaming only to have his mouth filled with icy water as well. When he got up and ran to the bathroom, the bucket followed him.
Draco began to fire all sorts of curses at the bucket but it would not cease its offensive. Finally he ran screaming from the bathroom.
"Make it stop!"
Hermione took a deep breath, "No."
"Why the hell not?"
"Because."
This made Draco even more angry, so choosing the most logical path he jumped on top of the brunet who was still laying in her bed.
She shrieked and then cried, "Get off!"
"Turn off the bucket!"
"Draco!"
"NOW!"
"FINE!"
The bucket stopped spewing water leaving the two teens sitting shivering next to each other on the bed. The empty bucket fell to the floor, but not before it hit Draco squarely on the head.
"OW! What the blazes was that for?"
"I'm mad at you!"
Draco looked down at the bed. He could do it; it might not be as painful as he always thought it would be. It might be better after that. There was always the fact that he needed her agreeable with him for the game that hay; he could always blame it on that if it went poorly.
The blond muttered something.
"Pardon?"
Draco looked up with an expression that let Hermione know this was something to which he was unaccustomed. As their eyes locked he took a deep breath, "I'm sorry," he quickly broke eye contact before continuing in a rushed voice, "I really didn't mean anything by it. I was aggravated that I couldn't stand up. But I wasn't aggravated at you. I was aggravated at the curse. I don't know why I called you that. I don't really think that, not any more. Not that I mean to say I like you or like spending time with you. But I don't mean that it's all that bad either. No, I mean, it's not so bad as I thought it would be to be stuck with you. Not that I enjoy having you around all the time. But I..."
Hermione who had been watching the trembling of his bottom lip, attributing it to his wet cold clothes and becoming increasingly aware of her own, placed a hand on his arm. "Draco..."
Both teens looked at the connection of her hand and his arm as a slightly uncomfortable feeling passed between the two before they both looked up and grey eyes locked with brown ones.
Hermione sensed that Draco was truly sorry, as she could tell he didn't apologize everyday, or any day really. She wondered what all his ramblings were about but didn't ask at the moment. "It's okay."
"Really?" his face brightened and she could feel hers doing the same.
"Really, I forgive you."
For a moment, a heavy silence filled the room
"Hermione..."
"Yes?" she asked.
"Are we friends?"
She seemed taken by his question. "I... I don't know. I've never thought about it before. Would you like to be friends?"
"I don't think I have ever had any REAL friends before. Just people who associate with me because their fathers associates with my father whose father in turn associated with their grandfathers, and their fathers before them and so on. It must be nice to have friends."
Hermione felt a flood of emotions over come her, although pity, the one she would have expected was not one of them. She allowed herself to be filled by so many feelings that she could not even begin to verbalize what they were.
Then she did something that took her by surprise almost as much as her blond counterpart: she hugged him.
"You do have a friend."
It was a second before Draco reacted, but then he pulled her in and held her tightly. It felt good, better than any thing he had ever felt before, but he didn't know why or understand what for. He also didn't understand why something so good made him want to cry.
Immediately he was uncomfortable and needed to break the seriousness of this. It was all too much. Finally, the Slytherin smirk graced his face.
"Hermione, friends are honest with each other right?"
She sat up and pulled away nodding. "Yes."
"Then, as a friend, I feel it is my duty to tell you... that you should probably get a new shirt."
Hermione looked down and realized in horror, that icy water and white tank tops Did not mix.
Draco laughed as her face turned a light shade of scarlet and she froze. Then he playfully pounced her.
"Oof! Oww! Get up your too fat!" she said.
Draco in response pretended to snore.
"Okay, ha, it's funny, now let me get up. I have to change my shirt. Draco, Draco!" his breathing was becoming heavy and she realized that he actually was falling asleep. "Oh no! You are getting up! You're done! Draco!"
shifting around under him, she got a good grip and shoved him tumbling to the floor just before...
"Oh crap!"
~*%*CRASH*%*~
Draco looked up from underneath the girl. "We have got to stop doing that!"
"You ready?"
"No!"
"Good."
"Now relax, stay calm."
"Easy for you to stay, in two minutes you are still going to be six feet tall!"
"You were never six feet tall anyways."
"Well I was a lot taller than five inches!"
"Not really."
Hermione slapped Draco's arm playfully making an 'angry' face.
"Okay go."
"You sure?"
"Yes. Quick now, before I change my mind!"
Hermione could feel herself growing smaller, or maybe everything else was just getting bigger. Well, whichever way it was, she grew so tiny that she could step into Draco's hand.
"Aww, your rather cute that size. Just think we could get you a little doll house and dress up clothes..."
Hermione stamped her foot to let him know she did not appreciate the comments.
"Okay, I suppose I will turn you back after the game."
A curt nod from Hermione's little head was all he got. He helped Hermione climb into the box and placed it in his left breast pocket. Show time.
It wasn't raining, but it was overcast making it almost impossible to see the golden bugger. He kept having to strain his eyes to try to get a glimpse of it. At least the Ravenclaw seeker was new; Cho had graduated the year before.
He watched as the girl ducked nervously as bludgers passed her, and knew that she was frightened that it was nervous being her first game and all. Quite an unworthy opponent. Nothing like Potter. But he would play Potter soon, and he would crush him!
Focusing back on the game, Draco began to look around for the Snitch. Stupid little... there! There it was! Draco made a dive and caught the Snitch just two and a half feet above the ground.
"SLYTHERIN WINS 230 TO 60."
A groan rose up from the stands from all but the Slytherins who cheered happily.
"Stupid prats!" Harry said.
"Wouldn't be surprised if they cheated!" Ron added.
"Ron!" Of course his sister had to reprimand him for his unsportsmanlike like conduct.
Back in the Slytherin locker room Draco began to change.
"Great game!"
"Ravenclaw didn't have a chance!"
"Not with our Draco here!"
"We thought we were going to have to get a replacement for you Draco. Woulda been terrible, two untrained seekers in one game!"
"Was it horrible having to be stuck to a Mudblood?"
"I couldn't have done it!"
"Woulda killed myself!"
"Woulda killed her!"
The room was filled with laughter until Draco slammed his locker and left.
"Wonder what crawled up his arse!"
Draco took Hermione out of his pocket and made her large again. Before he stalked off to the shower. Quidditch had always exhausted him, and he was dead tired.
About forty-five minutes later, he stumbled half conscious out of the bathroom and into his bed.
Hermione sighed, "I bet he used up all the hot water too! Oh well." Being in the pocket of a sweating Quidditch player was not exactly the most pleasant experience one might wish for.
Draco had fallen asleep but woke up soon after.
"Curses!"
Walking to the bathroom to relieve himself used up far too much energy. But it was this or wet the bed. Draco stumbled to the bathroom half asleep, but a shrill shriek woke him up quickly.
When he had opened the door, he had come face to face, with a dripping wet Hermione who was in the process of pulling her towel of the rack. He was struck by the shock and unable to look take his eyes off of Hermione, that is until everything went black.
Hermione watched as Draco stumbled and fell as she was pulled to him still wrapping up in her towel.
Moaning, Draco sat up. "Wha...what happened?"
"I'm sorry Draco, it was the first curse that came to my mind."
"So I'm not dead?"
Hermione laughed, "Good gods no!"
"Blind then?"
"Err... Sort of. You see, I put a magic blindfold over your eyes so you wont be able to see until it wears off."
"How long will that be?"
"Oh, not too long, that is to say, maybe one, two, five, seven hours?"
Draco groaned.
"But you'll be sleeping!"
"I still have to pee!"
"Whine about it some more why don'tcha?"
Hermione helped the boy stand up and lead him to the bathroom. "Just um, call for me when you're um, done." She quickly exited the room and traded her towel for pajamas.
"Hermione!"
"Right here."
Hermione lead Draco back to his bed, helped him lay down, and pulled the covers up over his chest.
Draco reached up and touched her shoulder, a faint smile on his lips.
"What is it?"
"Nothing," he said quickly and turned his face from her.
"It is so something, so tell me!"
"You wouldn't understand."
"Try me!"
"Are you always such an infernal, persistent, git?"
"mmmm... only when I don't get what I want."
Draco laughed.
"So you gonna tell me?"
The blond sighed knowing he was fighting a losing battle. "You'll think me silly."
"I already do."
"You'll think me childish then."
"I wont I promise."
"And it would be terribly embarrassing for people to know."
"What people, it's just me."
Draco tried to stop the small smile that threatened to cross his face, but only did it after Hermione had seen its makings.
"It's just that... well for a moment, I was reminded of when I was little, and my grandmother use to tuck me in. She would kiss my cheek and say, 'Goodnight Draco.'" He was quiet for a moment. "I miss her."
Hermione was not certain why she did the next thing that she did other than it felt right to do. She bent over and kissed Draco on the cheek. "Goodnight Draco."
Draco stirred in his sleep and rolling over while stretching opened his eyes. And then he tried again. And then once more. The blond boy sat straight up as a high-pitched scream that brought his roommate staggering to his bed.
"What's the matter?"
"I can't see!"
"Still?"
"What do you mean by still?"
"Why, last night I hexed you blind; you don't remember?"
"Vaguely."
"I thought you'd be better by now."
"Why when is it?"
"Well, History of Magic begins in forty minutes."
"WHAT?"
"We can fix this..."
"Fix it? FIX IT! I'm blind how can we fix it?"
"Can you really see nothing?"
"No I can't.. wait!...light, there's a light!"
"See it's coming back already!"
It was for this reason- and this reason only- that Hermione and Draco proceeded into the corridors twenty-five minutes later arm in arm. Hermione was acting as Draco's eyes. Her own eyes hadn't neglected to take in how perfectly toned his chest was as she buttoned his oxford for him that morning. And she tried to ignore the funny feeling that crept over her when she tied his tie for him.
It was not long however, before Hermione's musings were interrupted by two blubbering idiots that the world could have dealt with out.
She groaned as Pansy Parkinson and Millicent Bodstrode came around the corner.
"What?" Draco asked his ears picking up.
But Hermione didn't have to ask, because it wasn't long before Draco groaned too.
"Oh Drakie! You can't be holding this Mudbloods arm! She's probably contaminated!"
"Yeah Draco! Besides you don't want to be caught dead with something as ugly as that attached to your arm."
By this time the girls had thrown Hermione to the floor and were coddling Draco obviously oblivious to Draco's clenched jaw.
"You must be sick to have let such filth touch you!"
"She didn't hurt you did she?"
Angry was far too impassionate a word to describe Hermione's feelings. Full of rage she said through clenched teeth, "I am right here!"
Pansy looked down at her. "Yes, right on the floor where scum like you belongs!"
That remark was the straw that broke the camel's back. *Mudblood, ugly, filth!* These words and others ran through her brain as she stood up resolutely, and tapped the pug faced girl on the shoulder.
Pansy slowly turned around only to find herself face to face with Hermione's fist. Millicent was dumbstruck as she watched Pansy fall to the floor and Hermione turned slowly to her.
"And for you?"
Draco tried to focus on the sounds and flashes of light, but all he could understand was that whatever was happening, Hermione was severely kicking some large Slytherin arse. Finally every thing fell quiet and Draco felt an ironically gentle hand touch his arm.
"Ready?"
Draco allowed himself to be lead away to class.
"What did you do?"
He heard a giggle from the girl walking with him, and envisioned her smile as she casually said, "Identity charm."
"And that does what exactly?"
"Shows you for what you truly are."
It wasn't until lunch that Draco finally came to appreciate the work Hermione had done that morning.
In the middle of the Slytherin table, sat the two girls. Their hair was up, frizzy, and wild; red lipstick covered the span of their lips and then some; blue eye shadow covered their eyes from lashes to brow, and underneath their school robes, you could see long fishnet stockings with large holes and runs while both wore old heels. When they got up and attempted to walk, they stumbled and staggered as if drunk.
"Two-cent whores." Draco remarked to Hermione noting their appearance.
"Would you really pay that much?" Hermione countered cocking her head to the side as if checking them out.
The blond laughed, "Yeah, to have them taken away."
"You'll get a detention for that you know."
"Yup, tonight at five."
"Wait how did I not know?"
"You fell asleep, but Flitwick didn't notice. That was when they told me, during, charms."
Charms was their second class that day and Draco having been sick of not seeing and wearing a muggle invention that Hermione called sunglasses had closed is sealed eyes and slept. Then it hit him.
"Wait, if you have a detention, then that means..."
Hermione gave him a big cheesy grin.
"Damn you!"
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Well that one was long wasn't it? Hope you liked it! By for now! Thanks for reading and reviewing!!!
~Atiannala