The kiss seemed to last forever. One of his arms went around to the small of my back and pulled me closer, while the other hand grabbed a handful of my bushy hair and hung on tightly.
My right hand was curled around his neck, trying to push him as close to me as I could, while my left hand found its way around his waist and fumbled up under his shirt.
After what seemed like an age, Malfoy pulled his tongue out of my mouth and pulled his head away from mine. I opened my eyes, and saw that he was smiling.
"Well, I guess that answers that" he said, softly.
I tried to pull his head back down but he resisted, instead reaching behind his head and holding my hand.
"Now, now, Granger. Show some restraint. Weren't you ever told to pay hard to get?"
It was my turn to smile, looking up at him.
"Right. I think the last six years up until a week ago could be classified as 'playing hard to get', if you want to look at it like that."
"True."
We looked at each other for a moment, as if seeing each other for the first time. I noticed that his lips were slightly swollen, and that they matched the slight swelling that was still around one of his eyes. I traced the bruise across his eye with my finger.
"What happened?"
He looked away, and I flinched.
"Sorry. If you don't want to-"
"No. It's okay. I guess you already know most of the story, anyway" he sighed, heavily. "How much did you see?"
I pulled my hand out from under his shirt, and he looked down at my hand, as if only just noticing it had been there. He raised his eyebrows. I looked away from him before I spoke.
"Well ... I saw Wilder talking to you, when you were strapped onto this huge chair" I thought for a moment. "Your hair went in your face, and you couldn't brush it out because your hands were strapped up-"
I stopped, noticing that he was shaking his head.
"What?" I asked, frowning.
"You are unbelievable."
My frown deepened. He hadn't said it as a compliment.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
He smirked at my frown, and pushed a single strand of hair off my face.
"All the things that happened that night and you remembered my HAIR?"
I felt my cheeks turn slightly scarlet.
"Well, you ... you were struggling with the binds on the chair. You looked really uncomfortable."
He continued shaking his head, smirking, but I ignored him.
"Anyway, last thing I heard was Wilder asking some guards to take you away. Next dream I had you were in a dungeon with your father."
There was a short silence, while Malfoy collected his thoughts. He pulled away from me and turned to face the window before he spoke. I walked over and stood next to him.
"Wilder punched me. A few times. Making it easier for the guards to take me, I guess" he closed his eyes for a moment. "The guards were dementors. I thought they were going to ... to perform the ..."
He gestured with his hands, still with his eyes closed. After a moment he opened them and shrugged.
"Well, the bottom line is that they didn't. I really thought they would, though. And when Wilder and my Father left me alone in a cell with one I panicked. I was bashing on the door, yelling at them to come back and get me."
He held up his bandaged hand and smiled, wryly.
"I think I might have overdone it a little."
I swallowed, trying to dilute the image in my mind of a panicked Draco screaming and beating a heavy door, a dementor advancing on him.
"Anyway ... they did come back in, eventually. I don't know why they didn't just let the dementor do the dirty work, really, but they did come back. Or at least, my Father did..."
Something about the way he said 'father' sent a shiver down my spine that had nothing to do with the cold. With that one word it became evident that whatever father-son love had once existed, now there was nothing left but hate.
I cleared my throat, to stop him from having to recount this part of the story.
"I saw that."
My voice came out hoarse, and didn't sound like my own. Malfoy looked at me for a moment, and then nodded.
"Right. Well, after that my mother and Wilder came in and ..."
"I saw that, too."
"Oh" he paused. "Well, you probably saw more than I did. I was kind of out for most of that."
"Yes, you were. I saw everything up to when the ministry men came in."
Malfoy snorted.
"You didn't miss anything. They made such a show of arresting my Father that Ii don't think they even noticed anybody else was in the room until he was gone."
My eyes widened.
"They arrested Lucius? What about Wilder?"
"I told you. They didn't care about anybody else except my father. Wilder got away."
"HE GOT AWAY?!"
Malfoy flinched, I was practically shouting in his ear but I didn't care.
"How could they have let him get away?! That's ridiculous!"
"You think I don't know that?"
He pushed a hand angrily through his hair. I sighed.
"I told Snape that there was somebody else there ... I thought they'd get him, not your father."
"They would've taken him anyway."
Malfoy turned and looked down at me, his silver eyes glinting in the sunlight. He touched my arm.
"Look, don't beat yourself up" he said. "My father had it coming for ages. All they needed was evidence, really. Evidence that couldn't be covered up by bribes."
I was about to open my mouth to protest, when the bell rang. I groaned.
"I have to go. I have Care of Magical Creatures class now" I looked sideways at him. "Are you going to classes again, yet?"
He shook his head.
"Nope. I don't have to go until tomorrow, thank God. A lesson outside listening to that bloody clumsy oaf-"
He stopped himself, and pressed his lips tightly together, as if he hadn't meant to say that in front of me. I glared at him.
"He is not a clumsy oaf!"
Malfoy rolled his eyes.
"Oh, come off it. No matter where your loyalties lie, Granger, I know you aren't a blithering idiot. The guy can't teach to save his life. Or anybody else's, for that matter."
My glare deepened. Deep down I knew Malfoy was right, but damned if I was going to admit it to him. Or myself.
"He can teach brilliantly! You're just never paying any attention to him! Too busy cackling with your cronies and-"
"Alright, alright" he held up his hands in an 'I surrender' gesture. "Just forget I said anything. I have to go back to the common room and catch up on homework."
"Fine."
"Fine."
We glared at each other for a moment, before his gaze softened. He pushed my chin up, quickly, and softly brushed his lips against mine. Surprised by his action, I made to take a step back. He pulled away and looked down at me.
With a wink, he was gone.
My right hand was curled around his neck, trying to push him as close to me as I could, while my left hand found its way around his waist and fumbled up under his shirt.
After what seemed like an age, Malfoy pulled his tongue out of my mouth and pulled his head away from mine. I opened my eyes, and saw that he was smiling.
"Well, I guess that answers that" he said, softly.
I tried to pull his head back down but he resisted, instead reaching behind his head and holding my hand.
"Now, now, Granger. Show some restraint. Weren't you ever told to pay hard to get?"
It was my turn to smile, looking up at him.
"Right. I think the last six years up until a week ago could be classified as 'playing hard to get', if you want to look at it like that."
"True."
We looked at each other for a moment, as if seeing each other for the first time. I noticed that his lips were slightly swollen, and that they matched the slight swelling that was still around one of his eyes. I traced the bruise across his eye with my finger.
"What happened?"
He looked away, and I flinched.
"Sorry. If you don't want to-"
"No. It's okay. I guess you already know most of the story, anyway" he sighed, heavily. "How much did you see?"
I pulled my hand out from under his shirt, and he looked down at my hand, as if only just noticing it had been there. He raised his eyebrows. I looked away from him before I spoke.
"Well ... I saw Wilder talking to you, when you were strapped onto this huge chair" I thought for a moment. "Your hair went in your face, and you couldn't brush it out because your hands were strapped up-"
I stopped, noticing that he was shaking his head.
"What?" I asked, frowning.
"You are unbelievable."
My frown deepened. He hadn't said it as a compliment.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
He smirked at my frown, and pushed a single strand of hair off my face.
"All the things that happened that night and you remembered my HAIR?"
I felt my cheeks turn slightly scarlet.
"Well, you ... you were struggling with the binds on the chair. You looked really uncomfortable."
He continued shaking his head, smirking, but I ignored him.
"Anyway, last thing I heard was Wilder asking some guards to take you away. Next dream I had you were in a dungeon with your father."
There was a short silence, while Malfoy collected his thoughts. He pulled away from me and turned to face the window before he spoke. I walked over and stood next to him.
"Wilder punched me. A few times. Making it easier for the guards to take me, I guess" he closed his eyes for a moment. "The guards were dementors. I thought they were going to ... to perform the ..."
He gestured with his hands, still with his eyes closed. After a moment he opened them and shrugged.
"Well, the bottom line is that they didn't. I really thought they would, though. And when Wilder and my Father left me alone in a cell with one I panicked. I was bashing on the door, yelling at them to come back and get me."
He held up his bandaged hand and smiled, wryly.
"I think I might have overdone it a little."
I swallowed, trying to dilute the image in my mind of a panicked Draco screaming and beating a heavy door, a dementor advancing on him.
"Anyway ... they did come back in, eventually. I don't know why they didn't just let the dementor do the dirty work, really, but they did come back. Or at least, my Father did..."
Something about the way he said 'father' sent a shiver down my spine that had nothing to do with the cold. With that one word it became evident that whatever father-son love had once existed, now there was nothing left but hate.
I cleared my throat, to stop him from having to recount this part of the story.
"I saw that."
My voice came out hoarse, and didn't sound like my own. Malfoy looked at me for a moment, and then nodded.
"Right. Well, after that my mother and Wilder came in and ..."
"I saw that, too."
"Oh" he paused. "Well, you probably saw more than I did. I was kind of out for most of that."
"Yes, you were. I saw everything up to when the ministry men came in."
Malfoy snorted.
"You didn't miss anything. They made such a show of arresting my Father that Ii don't think they even noticed anybody else was in the room until he was gone."
My eyes widened.
"They arrested Lucius? What about Wilder?"
"I told you. They didn't care about anybody else except my father. Wilder got away."
"HE GOT AWAY?!"
Malfoy flinched, I was practically shouting in his ear but I didn't care.
"How could they have let him get away?! That's ridiculous!"
"You think I don't know that?"
He pushed a hand angrily through his hair. I sighed.
"I told Snape that there was somebody else there ... I thought they'd get him, not your father."
"They would've taken him anyway."
Malfoy turned and looked down at me, his silver eyes glinting in the sunlight. He touched my arm.
"Look, don't beat yourself up" he said. "My father had it coming for ages. All they needed was evidence, really. Evidence that couldn't be covered up by bribes."
I was about to open my mouth to protest, when the bell rang. I groaned.
"I have to go. I have Care of Magical Creatures class now" I looked sideways at him. "Are you going to classes again, yet?"
He shook his head.
"Nope. I don't have to go until tomorrow, thank God. A lesson outside listening to that bloody clumsy oaf-"
He stopped himself, and pressed his lips tightly together, as if he hadn't meant to say that in front of me. I glared at him.
"He is not a clumsy oaf!"
Malfoy rolled his eyes.
"Oh, come off it. No matter where your loyalties lie, Granger, I know you aren't a blithering idiot. The guy can't teach to save his life. Or anybody else's, for that matter."
My glare deepened. Deep down I knew Malfoy was right, but damned if I was going to admit it to him. Or myself.
"He can teach brilliantly! You're just never paying any attention to him! Too busy cackling with your cronies and-"
"Alright, alright" he held up his hands in an 'I surrender' gesture. "Just forget I said anything. I have to go back to the common room and catch up on homework."
"Fine."
"Fine."
We glared at each other for a moment, before his gaze softened. He pushed my chin up, quickly, and softly brushed his lips against mine. Surprised by his action, I made to take a step back. He pulled away and looked down at me.
With a wink, he was gone.