We didn't speak much for the rest of the afternoon. Madame Pomfrey came in shortly after Malfoy's laughing fit and told him to calm down, or she would give him a sleeping potion to shut him up.
Sleeping potion or not, Malfoy was still asleep (and snoring, loudly) all afternoon and most of the evening. If not for the snoring, I probably would have been asleep as well. Instead, I had Ginny bring me some assignments and books from my dorm for me to work on.
I tried to ignore the pointed look she gave the sleeping Malfoy as she left the room, and it was only after she had left that I noticed that his bandaged hand was reaching for me, in his sleep.
---
At half past eleven that night, I asked Madame Pomfrey for a sleeping potion to help me sleep through Malfoy's unbearable snoring.
"Miss Granger, I can only issue sleeping potions if a patient is incapable of sleep due to medical reasons. If you really can't sleep through Mr Malfoy's snoring, I suggest you go back up to your dormitory."
I looked at her, blankly.
"I can go back up? Dumbledore said I was here over night."
"That was the original plan, yes. But you seemed to have recovered enough to return to your dormitory."
"Oh. Okay. Thanks."
I stood, awkwardly, and felt a rush of blood to my head. I closed my eyes and sat heavily back down on my bed. After a moment or so, I attempted to stand again. The blood rush was more bearable, and I opened my eyes. Madame Pomfrey was looking at me skeptically. She opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted.
"What? Leaving me, Granger?"
I turned around so fast that I felt like my head was going to fall off. The shooting pain that pounded through my skull was so intense that I ended up flopping back down on my bed again.
"Not anymore I'm not, Malfoy. But wait 'till I fall asleep before you start snoring this time, will you?"
---
"Time to wake up, Miss Granger. Otherwise you're going to be late to class."
I opened my eyes, slowly. My head still hurt, but only a little. I climbed out of bed and cast one last look at Malfoy. He was sound asleep, a shock of light hair obscuring his eyes.
I sighed, and headed off to Gryffindor tower.
---
The next few days passed uneventfully. As much as I wanted to, I thought it would be too weird to go and visit Malfoy in the hospital wing. Besides, I was still supposed to hate him.
I had told Harry and Ron a slightly modified version of what had happened that fateful night. I told them that I had a dream that Malfoy went missing, and took Harry's cloak to go and inform Dumbledore what had happened. After I learned that he was already gone, I told them what I knew and they found him.
Luckily for me, Harry did not mention the mess that I had been in when he had seen me at three o'clock that morning with Professor McGonagall. I hoped he had forgotten.
It was not until four days later that I received a mysterious owl at breakfast. The note was written fairly messily, and said;
Hermione,
Meet me at the astronomy tower at the beginning of lunch.
- Draco
I told Harry and Ron that I was supposed to meet up with McGonagall for some extra transfiguration notes during lunch, and they seemed to take that easily enough.
For all of the classes up until lunch, I was scanning the crowds in search of Malfoy. He obviously hadn't been allowed to go to class yet ... so why could he meet me in the astronomy tower? My brain was swimming with questions, and when lunch finally rolled around, I found myself taking the steps two at a time on the way up to the tower.
When I reached the top of the stairs, I could see his back as he looked out over the grounds. He still had bandages on one of his hands, and a few scabs on his arms. I walked over and stood next to him, looking out below us.
He turned when he saw me, and a small smile spread on his lips. I looked at him, and saw that his face was still faintly bruised.
"You're looking better."
Ignoring the statement, he looked away and said;
"You surprise me, Granger. You didn't come and visit."
"I know, I ... I was going to. But I thought people might think something was up if we hated each other and then-"
"They're going to notice sooner or later, Granger, something IS up."
He turned his silver eyes to look at me, and I averted my eyes. I knew I was going to go red, I could feel it.
"Yeah. I guess so, but ... well, Harry and Ron are my best friends and you guys aren't exactly going to get along anytime soon."
I looked down at my hands.
"Potter and Weasley? Hermione, I think they can deal."
My eyes flicked back up to his. He had called me Hermione again. Our eyes locked as he kept talking.
"Does that bother you, then? That people might notice?"
I saw something flash in his eyes, only for a moment, and then it was gone. I shook my head, quickly.
"No, it doesn't bother me, I just think ... well, it's a big change. I don't know that people are going to react well if we're friends, after, you know, everything..."
"Look, I said I was sorry, alright? What else do you want me to do?"
My eyes widened. I hadn't expected him to snap at me.
"I know you're sorry, I said I forgive you, remember? I'm just saying that the rest of Gryffindor aren't going to be so forgiving. Neither are Slytherin, for that matter! They haven't seemed too keen to accept me before, have they?"
Malfoy glared at me.
"Thanks to Pansy Parkinson, Slytherin already know. And they think they know a whole lot more than is actually true."
I felt the blood rushing up to my face, and looked away. I spoke quietly.
"Oh."
"Yes, oh. So ashamed though you may be, I think it's only fair-"
"I'm not ashamed!"
"Then why are you so afraid of people finding out we're 'friends'? And while we're on the subject, is that all? A friend? Is that it?"
His voice was getting louder, and his face was starting to turn slightly red. I knew that, unlike me, this was not out of embarrassment. No. Malfoy was getting very angry.
"I don't want people to find out because I have friends who rightfully hate you!"
"Does that mean you have a right to hate me, too?"
"No! I told you already! I don't hate you! If I hated you then I wouldn't have told Snape where you were! I saved your life, remember?!"
His hands snaked out and gripped my shoulders. He glared down at me.
"I know that, Granger, stop changing the subject! Are we friends, or not?"
It was only then that I realised how close our faces were. We were barely centimeters apart. Glaring or not, I was still acutely aware of how good looking he was that close.
I didn't even think, I just snaked my hand around his neck and pulled his mouth down onto mine. At first, his whole body went rigid in shock, but he soon melted into the kiss.
This time, I didn't pull away.
Sleeping potion or not, Malfoy was still asleep (and snoring, loudly) all afternoon and most of the evening. If not for the snoring, I probably would have been asleep as well. Instead, I had Ginny bring me some assignments and books from my dorm for me to work on.
I tried to ignore the pointed look she gave the sleeping Malfoy as she left the room, and it was only after she had left that I noticed that his bandaged hand was reaching for me, in his sleep.
---
At half past eleven that night, I asked Madame Pomfrey for a sleeping potion to help me sleep through Malfoy's unbearable snoring.
"Miss Granger, I can only issue sleeping potions if a patient is incapable of sleep due to medical reasons. If you really can't sleep through Mr Malfoy's snoring, I suggest you go back up to your dormitory."
I looked at her, blankly.
"I can go back up? Dumbledore said I was here over night."
"That was the original plan, yes. But you seemed to have recovered enough to return to your dormitory."
"Oh. Okay. Thanks."
I stood, awkwardly, and felt a rush of blood to my head. I closed my eyes and sat heavily back down on my bed. After a moment or so, I attempted to stand again. The blood rush was more bearable, and I opened my eyes. Madame Pomfrey was looking at me skeptically. She opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted.
"What? Leaving me, Granger?"
I turned around so fast that I felt like my head was going to fall off. The shooting pain that pounded through my skull was so intense that I ended up flopping back down on my bed again.
"Not anymore I'm not, Malfoy. But wait 'till I fall asleep before you start snoring this time, will you?"
---
"Time to wake up, Miss Granger. Otherwise you're going to be late to class."
I opened my eyes, slowly. My head still hurt, but only a little. I climbed out of bed and cast one last look at Malfoy. He was sound asleep, a shock of light hair obscuring his eyes.
I sighed, and headed off to Gryffindor tower.
---
The next few days passed uneventfully. As much as I wanted to, I thought it would be too weird to go and visit Malfoy in the hospital wing. Besides, I was still supposed to hate him.
I had told Harry and Ron a slightly modified version of what had happened that fateful night. I told them that I had a dream that Malfoy went missing, and took Harry's cloak to go and inform Dumbledore what had happened. After I learned that he was already gone, I told them what I knew and they found him.
Luckily for me, Harry did not mention the mess that I had been in when he had seen me at three o'clock that morning with Professor McGonagall. I hoped he had forgotten.
It was not until four days later that I received a mysterious owl at breakfast. The note was written fairly messily, and said;
Hermione,
Meet me at the astronomy tower at the beginning of lunch.
- Draco
I told Harry and Ron that I was supposed to meet up with McGonagall for some extra transfiguration notes during lunch, and they seemed to take that easily enough.
For all of the classes up until lunch, I was scanning the crowds in search of Malfoy. He obviously hadn't been allowed to go to class yet ... so why could he meet me in the astronomy tower? My brain was swimming with questions, and when lunch finally rolled around, I found myself taking the steps two at a time on the way up to the tower.
When I reached the top of the stairs, I could see his back as he looked out over the grounds. He still had bandages on one of his hands, and a few scabs on his arms. I walked over and stood next to him, looking out below us.
He turned when he saw me, and a small smile spread on his lips. I looked at him, and saw that his face was still faintly bruised.
"You're looking better."
Ignoring the statement, he looked away and said;
"You surprise me, Granger. You didn't come and visit."
"I know, I ... I was going to. But I thought people might think something was up if we hated each other and then-"
"They're going to notice sooner or later, Granger, something IS up."
He turned his silver eyes to look at me, and I averted my eyes. I knew I was going to go red, I could feel it.
"Yeah. I guess so, but ... well, Harry and Ron are my best friends and you guys aren't exactly going to get along anytime soon."
I looked down at my hands.
"Potter and Weasley? Hermione, I think they can deal."
My eyes flicked back up to his. He had called me Hermione again. Our eyes locked as he kept talking.
"Does that bother you, then? That people might notice?"
I saw something flash in his eyes, only for a moment, and then it was gone. I shook my head, quickly.
"No, it doesn't bother me, I just think ... well, it's a big change. I don't know that people are going to react well if we're friends, after, you know, everything..."
"Look, I said I was sorry, alright? What else do you want me to do?"
My eyes widened. I hadn't expected him to snap at me.
"I know you're sorry, I said I forgive you, remember? I'm just saying that the rest of Gryffindor aren't going to be so forgiving. Neither are Slytherin, for that matter! They haven't seemed too keen to accept me before, have they?"
Malfoy glared at me.
"Thanks to Pansy Parkinson, Slytherin already know. And they think they know a whole lot more than is actually true."
I felt the blood rushing up to my face, and looked away. I spoke quietly.
"Oh."
"Yes, oh. So ashamed though you may be, I think it's only fair-"
"I'm not ashamed!"
"Then why are you so afraid of people finding out we're 'friends'? And while we're on the subject, is that all? A friend? Is that it?"
His voice was getting louder, and his face was starting to turn slightly red. I knew that, unlike me, this was not out of embarrassment. No. Malfoy was getting very angry.
"I don't want people to find out because I have friends who rightfully hate you!"
"Does that mean you have a right to hate me, too?"
"No! I told you already! I don't hate you! If I hated you then I wouldn't have told Snape where you were! I saved your life, remember?!"
His hands snaked out and gripped my shoulders. He glared down at me.
"I know that, Granger, stop changing the subject! Are we friends, or not?"
It was only then that I realised how close our faces were. We were barely centimeters apart. Glaring or not, I was still acutely aware of how good looking he was that close.
I didn't even think, I just snaked my hand around his neck and pulled his mouth down onto mine. At first, his whole body went rigid in shock, but he soon melted into the kiss.
This time, I didn't pull away.