Title: Don't Look Back (02)

Author Name: danielsgirl1

Author Email:

Category: Romance

Sub Category: Angst

Keywords: Hermione Draco

Rating: PG-13

Summary: Remake for The Lovers, Hermione and Draco both come back for their seventh year changed by the events of the past summer, they have to live with each other now that they're head boy and head girl and they discover that they're the only ones who understand each other. Rating may go up to R for later chapters.

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. This work contains quotes from movies and television shows, stories and plays, novels and films. They are all cited at the end of each chapter. Sometimes I don't know where something comes from, in which case I note it anyway. Let me know any of these things, and I will add the citation.

I own nothing but the plot

DON'T LOOK BACK

CHAPTER 2: LAUGHTER

Hermione woke up the next morning with a slight headache. She was used to them by now since she had been crying the entire night last night. She just hoped Malfoy hadn't heard her. Malfoy! She unconsciously smiled to herself. She kept repeating the way he bid her good night last night. She thought about it all the way to the bathroom. She was too busy thinking about it that she didn't hear the water running inside the bathroom. She opened the door and shouted,

"OH SHIT!" and felt both stupid and embarrassed after it.

He had had his back to her (and trust me much more was seen ;-)) when she first came in but automatically turned around the moment he heard her yell. She closed her eyes shut, turned around and began searching for the door knob blindly still screwing her eyes shut for no reason and within seconds she was out.

She felt herself blush and felt the heat coming out from her cheeks which made her furious as she sat on the floor her back supported by the door behind her.

"It's not as if he was the one who walked on me butt naked in the shower," she reminded herself.

But another voice in her head said, "But if he was the one who did walk on in you in the shower you wouldn't have been embarrassed like that, he would be."

The door behind her suddenly opened and she fell backward on Draco's feet who was now completely dressed. She looked up to find Malfoy staring at her with amusement and a smug grin on his face,

"Really Granger, if you were crazy about seeing me naked, you could've just asked and skipped the Sneak-In-Bathroom-While-He's-Having-A-Shower-And-Scream-Oh-Shit"

"Are you trying to be funny Malfoy?" she said loudly finally getting up and staring at him with fury.

"No, I'm not. If I was, you'd be rolling on the floor laughing right now."

"Still think too much of yourself, don't you? Well I have news for you, screw you! The only reason I shouted "Oh Shit" was because I couldn't even make the difference between your ass and your dick!" she said in one breath.

"Wow, I am really getting between at come backs…"she started thinking but was interrupted when he suddenly pressed her shoulder to the bathroom door and said in barely a whisper,

"One day, you'll know when to hold your tongue with me Granger."

She winced in pain and with that he left the room leaving her both angry and surprised.

"Still I have to admit he had a hell of an ass!" she thought secretly.

"Where is she? Where is she?"

"Ron, if you don't stop that, I swear I'll go fetch you the largest spider there is in the forbidden forest and put it in your pumpkin juice," Harry said darkly.

Ron pushed the juice aside automatically,

"You wouldn't?"

"Trust me, I would," Harry said then smiled, "Come on Ron, cheer up. She's just a little late."

Ron relaxed a little, "I know, it's just that I don't trust Malfoy," he said looking at the Slytherin's table where Malfoy seemed to be entertaining them with a story.

"C'mon Ron, I thought you knew Hermione better. She's more likely to defend herself more than you."

"I know, I know."

And a stab of antagonism overcame him as the Slytherin table erupted with laughter as Malfoy's story finished.

"Fine I give up, Hermione must be…" Ron started but was interrupted,

"Must be what?" It was Hermione, she took the empty seat beside Harry.

"Hermione, there you are!" Ron said, a wave of relief rushing through him.

"What did you think happened to me?" she asked him as she started buttering her toast.

"Uh, nothing. I was just saying that maybe you, er,…"

"Overslept," Harry finished for him and gave him a You-Owe-Me-For-Lying-For-You-Look.

Ron smiled at his friend and felt gratitude towards him. He wasn't willing to fight with her again.

"Hmmm," she didn't seem to be listening to them. Instead she toyed with her fork. Ron gave Harry a questioning look and Harry simply shrugged.

Draco entered his new mutual room at eleven o'clock at night. So far, for a first day it had been a shitty day. He'd had so many classes for a first day, he had masses of homework, he had just finished his head boy duties and of course his clash with Granger that morning.

The new common room was small; it had two chairs, a sofa and a long table. There was the usual fire place. The door to the right led to his room while the door to the left led to hers.

She was lying now in front of him apparently she had fallen asleep while sitting on the couch on a rather large textbook her head falling on it on the table. He felt an ache when he remembered their fight that morning.

He sat beside her and looked at her in fascination. He didn't know what his father would've told him if he had confessed to him that he was fond of a mudblood's beauty. Probably that he ought to be ashamed of himself and that he was going to wreck The Malfoy's name. And he was, at least part of him, reluctant. Draco knew that he had changed after the incidents of the previous summer, but that didn't alter him from being a Malfoy. Malfoy's had rules and he specifically remembered Rule 327 was "Don't Screw a Mudblood". His father always repeated that to him. But, oh well, his father wasn't around or even alive, so his words really didn't matter. It wouldn't have even mattered if he was alive because he simply hated his father. Some part of him was glad that his father had died. His father had in fact killed himself after spending two years in Azkaban without hope of ever escaping.

Almost unconsciously, he found himself playing with strands of her hair. She started shifting and he backed away hastily causing her hair to fall as a long veil covering her face. She raised her head slightly from the book and gave that puzzled questioning look that she had given him the past night. They sat in silence. He couldn't think of anything to say.

"Hey, how's it going?" didn't seem appropriate. fortunately, she was the one who broke the silence,

"Busy day, huh?"

"Yeah,"

"Head boy duties and all?"

"Yeah, you start yours tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah, that's right," she replied.

This was by far the longest and politest conversation they had ever had. He wondered why he was acting like that. He just had a feeling that they were like each other deep down inside.

"Listen about this morning…" he started but she immediately interrupted him.

"No, please, I'm really sorry about what happened. I should've been paying more attention and I had no right to diss you," she said it all in one breath. Later, he would wonder if she had actually been rehearsing what she'd say before he had come.

"Okay, but actually that wasn't what I was going to say," he lied.

"It wasn't?" She felt like an absolute fool and it was so apparent that Draco felt sympathetic towards her.

"No, actually what I was going to say was did you really mean what you said about there being no difference between my ass and dick?"

She stared in surprise and he started wondering if she was going to be furious at him again when the corners of her mouth twitched and she burst out laughing.

It made a great effect on her. Her entire face had changed and her body was shaking with laughter. She laughed until tears started streaming down her face. She laughed until she couldn't breathe. She laughed until her stomach started hurting. She laughed until he started laughing with her. They both laughed as if they hadn't laughed in a long time, which was true.

When she finally regained some control on herself she said,

"This is what you're worried about?!"

"Well yes, a man does worry about stuff like that, what did you think we're supposed to worry about?"

She just continued laughing and he said,

"Didn't I tell you? If I said something funny you'd be rolling on the floor laughing."

"I'm not exactly rolling on the floor," she pointed out.

"And I'm not exactly trying," he said, his face turning serious.

"Anyway, I have loads of homework and it looks as if I'm staying up a long time today," she said looking at the text book in front of her, her face turning serious too.

"That makes two of us," he replied and Hermione didn't contradict him as he started taking out books from his book bag.

"What shall we do first? I vote for Transfiguration," he said looking at her.

"Fine by me," she simply replied.

They sat side by side, two different people from the outside but exactly the same from the inside. And for the first time since the beginning of the summer when Hermione went to sleep she didn't cry, instead she remembered laughing with Malfoy and smiled again.

Author's Note:

So that's all for chapter 2, I hope you guys enjoyed it. Thank you for all who reviewed and I'd really appreciate it if you tell me what you think of this chapter too. Any suggestions, please I'd be happy to receive your emails or comments.

Next Chapter:

Someone other than Draco is interested in Hermione, and Draco is jealous.