"What time do I go to bed? What kind of question is THAT?"
Malfoy and I had returned to the Room of Requirement. I was under the impression that Dumbledore's reassurances had not made Malfoy feel safe at all. On the contrary, he was now desperately annoyed.
"I think he was trying to figure out whether my dream was in real-time, Malfoy" I said, rolling my eyes.
"So? What difference does it make if your DREAM was timed right? You're not having the bloody things anymore anyway."
"I know ... I just think he was figuring out how long it took you to get from your room to your manor."
Malfoy was storming around the room, while I sat on my usual chair closest to the fire. I was tempted to move, however, because Malfoy's anger was causing the fire to grow bigger and bigger with every passing minute.
When the flames began to lick the outside of the fireplace, I glared at him.
"Malfoy! Would you stop it with the fire?"
He frowned at the fire, and it went out entirely. I stood up.
"Look, I don't know what you're so angry about. Dumbledore said he was going to do his best."
"Well what if his best isn't good enough? They got me easily enough last time! How do I know I'm not just going to get attacked in my sleep?"
As much as I wanted to tell him he was being melodramatic, the icy feeling in the pit of my stomach was proof enough to know that he wasn't.
The fire lit itself again.
"You can't expect him to do any better than his best" I said, in a near whisper.
Malfoy turned around and looked at me. His eyes were unreadable, and I held his gaze. After a moment, I broke the silence.
"I, um, I forgot to thank you. For jinxing Goyle at breakfast."
He looked away, and shook his head.
"I didn't even think. I just did it. Now the whole of Slytherin is going to think I'm completely insane."
"No. Did you see the look on McGonagall's face when you said Pansy called me a mudblood? She was so surprised you were on my side."
"What? So she thought I ACCIDENTALLY jinxed Goyle? I knew Gryffindors are a bit-"
"No! She thought you aimed at ME and Goyle got in the WAY. You were pretty far away, after all. You could just tell the Slytherins that you meant to hit me and missed."
"But I ratted out Pansy remember?"
"Just say ... that McGonagall was going to give us detention anyway, and you didn't want to make any more trouble?"
Malfoy looked blankly at me, before his face broke out into a smile.
"You see?" I said. "Being a 'braniac' has its perks."
He raised an eyebrow at me, and I smiled.
On impulse, I walked over, and planted a kiss on his lips. I could feel him smile against me, before he pushed my lips apart with his tongue and kissed me, back.
I felt like we were melting together, as he carefully slid his hand up the back of my shirt and ran his fingers up and down my back. I found the back of his shirt, and did the same. His skin was warm, and I could feel him getting goosebumps as I ran my fingers around in circles.
After a moment, I hit a sensitive spot on his side and he twitched. I pulled my mouth away and started laughing. I ran over the spot again, and he started to try and squirm away.
"Are you ticklish, Draco?"
His eyes widened.
"You called me Draco."
"Don't try and change the subject!" I laughed, and started to tickle him.
He took his hand out from the back of my shirt, and started to tickle my ribs. I squirmed, trying to get away.
"Stop it!"
I tickled his ribs with my other hand, and he made a high pitched noise, which only made me laugh harder.
We both stood there, in the middle of the room, laughing and squirming and tickling each other. Finally, he stopped laughing long enough to say;
"Alright, Granger, you asked for it."
He picked me up, clear off my feet, and swung me over his shoulder.
"Put me down!" I cried, still laughing.
"Oh, okay."
"No!"
He flipped me off his shoulder, and I landed on one of the lounges. His eyes glinted wickedly, and he leaned down and started tickling me again.
"Stop ... it ... Malfoy!" I panted, through fits of laughing.
I squirmed off the lounge, and landed heavily on my back.
"Ow! Ow! Stop it! I'm serious!"
He finally stopped, and sat down on the floor next to me, with his back against the bottom of the lounge. He was still grinning at me, and his hair was messed up and in his face.
"Had enough, Granger?"
I pushed my hair out of my eyes, sure that it must have looked bushier than ever.
"Oh, for now. I assure you, there will be a rematch."
Malfoy smiled, and blew on his fringe to get it out of his face.
"Your back alright?"
I sat up, slowly, and winced. I rested my back against the chair, next to Malfoy.
"That's the second time I've fallen on it today. Damn Pansy Parkinson."
"You can say that again. Detention with McGonagall? Lord. That's not gonna be good."
"It can't be that bad. She's actually rather nice, once you get to-"
"That's because you're a Gryffindor, Granger. Besides, I don't think a teacher could hate YOU if they tried."
"Snape manages."
"That's because you're a Gryffindor, Granger."
I smiled.
"And proud of it."
---
I stayed in the Room of Requirement, while Malfoy went down to dinner. I wasn't really hungry, and none too keen on sitting and being ignored by Harry and Ron again.
I didn't really mind being alone for a while, and used the time to read some of the books on the huge shelves around me. I was on my third book, when a quick glance at the mantle clock told me that it was almost curfew.
Sighing, I put my book down and headed for the door. I was just about to pull it open when it flew open and hit me in the face.
As I fell, I pulled my wand out and pointed it at the door. To my surprise, it was Harry and Ron. I stood up, glaring, and made my way to push past them.
"Wait" said Harry. "We came here looking for you."
"Why?"" I asked, scathingly. "So I can help you with your homework?"
Ron looked like he was about to say something, but Harry shot him a look.
"No" he said. "'We need to talk. About ... Malfoy."
I folded my arms and glared at him, waiting for him to start. Ron cleared his throat.
"Hermione ..."
"While we're on the subject, RON, why didn't you tell me you told Malfoy off for meeting me the other day?"
Ron's ears started to turn red.
"I see you two have been having a lovely little chat" he mumbled.
I rolled my eyes.
"I would appreciate it if you didn't talk about me behind my-"
"But you just said you and Malfoy were talking about me!"
"No! He just mentioned that, was all. God, Ron, do you have to be so-"
"Hey!" Harry cried. "Stop it! I'm sick to death of you two fighting all the time! Can we just settle this?"
Ron grumbled something unsavory under his breath, but I pretended I didn't hear him.
"Hermione? Look, Malfoy is a git, we all know that, and why you want to hang around him is beyond me" Harry paused, and shook his head. "But I guess there isn't really anything me and Ron can do about it, is there?"
"No, there isn't" I said, flatly.
He sighed.
"Fine, then. How about we just never mention it again, okay?"
I looked at him, incredulously. In all honesty, I couldn't see any way of not mentioning it again. On the other hand, I really did want to be friends with Harry and Ron again.
"Okay. We never speak of it again. Deal?"
"Deal" Harry said, and nudged Ron.
"Deal" Ron muttered.
Malfoy and I had returned to the Room of Requirement. I was under the impression that Dumbledore's reassurances had not made Malfoy feel safe at all. On the contrary, he was now desperately annoyed.
"I think he was trying to figure out whether my dream was in real-time, Malfoy" I said, rolling my eyes.
"So? What difference does it make if your DREAM was timed right? You're not having the bloody things anymore anyway."
"I know ... I just think he was figuring out how long it took you to get from your room to your manor."
Malfoy was storming around the room, while I sat on my usual chair closest to the fire. I was tempted to move, however, because Malfoy's anger was causing the fire to grow bigger and bigger with every passing minute.
When the flames began to lick the outside of the fireplace, I glared at him.
"Malfoy! Would you stop it with the fire?"
He frowned at the fire, and it went out entirely. I stood up.
"Look, I don't know what you're so angry about. Dumbledore said he was going to do his best."
"Well what if his best isn't good enough? They got me easily enough last time! How do I know I'm not just going to get attacked in my sleep?"
As much as I wanted to tell him he was being melodramatic, the icy feeling in the pit of my stomach was proof enough to know that he wasn't.
The fire lit itself again.
"You can't expect him to do any better than his best" I said, in a near whisper.
Malfoy turned around and looked at me. His eyes were unreadable, and I held his gaze. After a moment, I broke the silence.
"I, um, I forgot to thank you. For jinxing Goyle at breakfast."
He looked away, and shook his head.
"I didn't even think. I just did it. Now the whole of Slytherin is going to think I'm completely insane."
"No. Did you see the look on McGonagall's face when you said Pansy called me a mudblood? She was so surprised you were on my side."
"What? So she thought I ACCIDENTALLY jinxed Goyle? I knew Gryffindors are a bit-"
"No! She thought you aimed at ME and Goyle got in the WAY. You were pretty far away, after all. You could just tell the Slytherins that you meant to hit me and missed."
"But I ratted out Pansy remember?"
"Just say ... that McGonagall was going to give us detention anyway, and you didn't want to make any more trouble?"
Malfoy looked blankly at me, before his face broke out into a smile.
"You see?" I said. "Being a 'braniac' has its perks."
He raised an eyebrow at me, and I smiled.
On impulse, I walked over, and planted a kiss on his lips. I could feel him smile against me, before he pushed my lips apart with his tongue and kissed me, back.
I felt like we were melting together, as he carefully slid his hand up the back of my shirt and ran his fingers up and down my back. I found the back of his shirt, and did the same. His skin was warm, and I could feel him getting goosebumps as I ran my fingers around in circles.
After a moment, I hit a sensitive spot on his side and he twitched. I pulled my mouth away and started laughing. I ran over the spot again, and he started to try and squirm away.
"Are you ticklish, Draco?"
His eyes widened.
"You called me Draco."
"Don't try and change the subject!" I laughed, and started to tickle him.
He took his hand out from the back of my shirt, and started to tickle my ribs. I squirmed, trying to get away.
"Stop it!"
I tickled his ribs with my other hand, and he made a high pitched noise, which only made me laugh harder.
We both stood there, in the middle of the room, laughing and squirming and tickling each other. Finally, he stopped laughing long enough to say;
"Alright, Granger, you asked for it."
He picked me up, clear off my feet, and swung me over his shoulder.
"Put me down!" I cried, still laughing.
"Oh, okay."
"No!"
He flipped me off his shoulder, and I landed on one of the lounges. His eyes glinted wickedly, and he leaned down and started tickling me again.
"Stop ... it ... Malfoy!" I panted, through fits of laughing.
I squirmed off the lounge, and landed heavily on my back.
"Ow! Ow! Stop it! I'm serious!"
He finally stopped, and sat down on the floor next to me, with his back against the bottom of the lounge. He was still grinning at me, and his hair was messed up and in his face.
"Had enough, Granger?"
I pushed my hair out of my eyes, sure that it must have looked bushier than ever.
"Oh, for now. I assure you, there will be a rematch."
Malfoy smiled, and blew on his fringe to get it out of his face.
"Your back alright?"
I sat up, slowly, and winced. I rested my back against the chair, next to Malfoy.
"That's the second time I've fallen on it today. Damn Pansy Parkinson."
"You can say that again. Detention with McGonagall? Lord. That's not gonna be good."
"It can't be that bad. She's actually rather nice, once you get to-"
"That's because you're a Gryffindor, Granger. Besides, I don't think a teacher could hate YOU if they tried."
"Snape manages."
"That's because you're a Gryffindor, Granger."
I smiled.
"And proud of it."
---
I stayed in the Room of Requirement, while Malfoy went down to dinner. I wasn't really hungry, and none too keen on sitting and being ignored by Harry and Ron again.
I didn't really mind being alone for a while, and used the time to read some of the books on the huge shelves around me. I was on my third book, when a quick glance at the mantle clock told me that it was almost curfew.
Sighing, I put my book down and headed for the door. I was just about to pull it open when it flew open and hit me in the face.
As I fell, I pulled my wand out and pointed it at the door. To my surprise, it was Harry and Ron. I stood up, glaring, and made my way to push past them.
"Wait" said Harry. "We came here looking for you."
"Why?"" I asked, scathingly. "So I can help you with your homework?"
Ron looked like he was about to say something, but Harry shot him a look.
"No" he said. "'We need to talk. About ... Malfoy."
I folded my arms and glared at him, waiting for him to start. Ron cleared his throat.
"Hermione ..."
"While we're on the subject, RON, why didn't you tell me you told Malfoy off for meeting me the other day?"
Ron's ears started to turn red.
"I see you two have been having a lovely little chat" he mumbled.
I rolled my eyes.
"I would appreciate it if you didn't talk about me behind my-"
"But you just said you and Malfoy were talking about me!"
"No! He just mentioned that, was all. God, Ron, do you have to be so-"
"Hey!" Harry cried. "Stop it! I'm sick to death of you two fighting all the time! Can we just settle this?"
Ron grumbled something unsavory under his breath, but I pretended I didn't hear him.
"Hermione? Look, Malfoy is a git, we all know that, and why you want to hang around him is beyond me" Harry paused, and shook his head. "But I guess there isn't really anything me and Ron can do about it, is there?"
"No, there isn't" I said, flatly.
He sighed.
"Fine, then. How about we just never mention it again, okay?"
I looked at him, incredulously. In all honesty, I couldn't see any way of not mentioning it again. On the other hand, I really did want to be friends with Harry and Ron again.
"Okay. We never speak of it again. Deal?"
"Deal" Harry said, and nudged Ron.
"Deal" Ron muttered.