Author's Note: Hello all! Yeah, I know. I've made you wait longer than I usually do for an update, but the new chapter is finally here. I had it completely done and ready to post a while ago then had a brainstorm and totally revamped the whole chapter outline. To add more –heh heh- sexual tension. Yeah, so anyone who is missing the normal Draco 'I'm-devilishly-handsome-and-I-know-it' attitude should be pleased to see that it has returned for a little bit. I felt that it was getting a little bit sappy, so I wanted to lighten the situation a little bit. And to explain a little more... Draco is in the mindset that he should just enjoy the whole situation while it lasts. Hope you don't find any of them totally out of character. I feel that this is my weakest chapter so far so don't shoot me... _
Thanks go out to: Mesmer, pretendingtobesane, shedraconis (Here's more, more, more!!), babmidnight, Sanna (Yeah, when I was writing it I wasn't sure which it was. Your reason made a lot of sense so I went back and changed it. :p Thanks. Oh, and to answer why her parents let them both stay in the same room... Hermione says a little bit about it in the chapter, but I figured that her parents just trust her enough to let her stay with her 'boyfriend'. Her dad probably still has one eye on Draco, though!!), HermlovesDrco, Jexi (Thanks. Your interest in not only my story but also my writing style is much appreciated. And you don't sound like a teacher! ^_^), Amanda (Yeah. They seem to be falling for each other. But there is still a lot of doubt and complications. Isn't that how it always is between these two?), Terin Kail, blackxrose (Glad that you noticed. I took a while to plan out everyone's motives so that it would all be plausible and not just Draco saying: "Hmm, I'm bored, so okie dokie I'll go along with it."), super sycoh (Aww, don't say that. I'm sure your story will be great!! Not that it isn't already wonderful!!).
I rated this PG-13. Let me know if you think the rating should go up or down at any point.
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. ----- Chapter Eight: Sleeping ArrangementsHermione normally loved coming home to visit her parents, but this trip was proving to be rather traumatic. She usually loved staying in her old room; it always gave her good memories of her school days, but the idea of her sleeping on the same bed with Draco unnerved her.
When Hermione entered her childhood bedroom, she found Draco rummaging through his luggage for something. She really didn't feel like speaking to him quite yet and was pleased that there was something to distract him.
She looked around and smiled, taking in her surroundings and forgetting her worries for a moment. Her room at her parents' house was not too different from her bedroom at her flat except for the color scheme. This room was done in a sage green. The floor was hardwood, as most of floors in the rest of the house were. She had two windows, both of which were adorned with misty green curtains and sheers. Covering her bed was a striped quilt, each fabric a different shade of muted green or tan. Hey eyes then traveled over towards her rather hogwarts-y looking armchair when...
She was jolted from her nostalgic walk down memory lane when Draco looked up at her, finally noticing and acknowledging her presence.
"Hey," He greeted, his voice somewhat preoccupied, "I was just looking for the…" He never got around to finishing his sentence; he was too diverted by the look on Hermione's face. "Something the matter?"
"Oh nothing, just nerves." She said, quickly thinking up a believable lie, masking what she was really thinking about. "I've never really lied to my parents before."
"Well, you're just doing it for them." He said, trying to sound comforting.
"Yes, I suppose you're right." She said, not really focusing on their conversation. Her mind was elsewhere, and rightly so. How was she supposed to tell him, Draco Malfoy, that he would have to share a room with her? Share a bed with her? Oh, merlin, how could she tell him that? Well, she couldn't, at least not then. She managed to look over at him for a moment, just to say, "Why don't you get ready for bed? And I'll go downstairs and say goodnight for us." And with that she slipped out of the room, not waiting for a reply.
She started down the stairs, her mind racing, her heart beating a mile a minute. There was no way to describe how incredibly stressed Hermione was feeling at that moment. She had her breaking point, and she was way past it now. She thought it was bad just having to interview Draco Malfoy. Now she had to sleep with him! She stopped and shook her head. Sleep next to him, she corrected herself. Next to him. Next to Draco Malfoy. Next to the most deliciously handsome man she had even known. Okay, Hermione, stop. Stop. Concentrate. Right. Okay, she told herself, trying to be as calm as she could possibly be and continued down the stairs.
Back in her room, Draco shrugged it off deciding that Hermione was just nervous, that's all. He smiled to himself, as he changed into his sleepwear. Actually, in his opinion, she was doing rather well, considering the situation. He remembered her being a lot more uptight at school. After Draco changed into pajama bottoms and a tee shirt he went to the bathroom to brush his teeth.
()()()()()()()()()()
Hermione had said goodnight to her parents from the both of them, but it did nothing to ease her nerves. She slowly made her way upstairs and, after checking her room to make sure it was empty, she quickly changed into her normal pajamas, which consisted of a simple camisole and red pajama bottoms.
She headed over to the bathroom. The door was slightly ajar and light spilled out from it. She knocked lightly on the door and heard Draco tell her that it was 'safe' to enter.
Hermione smiled and walked over to the double sink and turned on the tap, letting the water run over her toothbrush. They stood side by side, both brushing their teeth; both sneaking what they hoped were unnoticed glances at each other.
She stole a fleeting look at him and noticed that his Draco's was slightly disheveled. Probably from getting changed, she supposed and tried to suppress a rather school-girlish smile at the mental picture. God, she was acting giddy. She mentally scolded herself, but was interrupted when her eyes met the reflection of his in the mirror. She couldn't mask this grin, so she looked away, rinsing her mouth.
Draco grinned at her actions. Now he understood what was going on with her. She wasn't just nervous about lying to her parents. She was nervous around him... and he liked that. Maybe she was stating to feel something for him. Hopefully, he thought.
And he almost felt as if they were back in Hogwarts. He remembered taunting her back then and he felt it was high time to take a little stroll down memory lane. How he loved to get a rise out of her. She was rather cute when she was angry. He'd taunt her for a while. Of course this would be a little different. Things had changed, and they weren't exactly like they used to be when they were in school.
His eyes sparkled with silent laughter as she made a move to leave. On his way out he brushed past her, his hand brushing the small of her back. At the contact, she let out a small yelp of surprise. He wouldn't trade the surprised look on her face for anything else in the world.
()()()()()()()()()()
When she entered her room, he was gazing at her intently. As a cat would as it watched its prey. She felt rather intimidated. His grey eyes seemed to swallow her up. She quickly looked away and took a deep breath, inhaling sharply. She felt it was as good a time as ever to explain.
Her voice was rather tense at first and she felt quite strange talking about this. She just sped up her words, blurting out an explanation.
"My mother gave us my old room, and seeing as we're a 'couple' I couldn't say anything. She said my cousin and her husband are going to be staying in the guest room for the rest of the holiday so it would just be easier for you to stay in here. So you wouldn't have to move your stuff." She clarified, zipping up her suitcase and trying to keep him from seeing the nervous look in her eyes.
"That makes sense," He replied languidly, a knowing smile upon his face. He watched as she sat down on the edge of the bed, her back rigid and her shoulders tight.
"Yeah," She mumbled, trying to dodge his ever-present gaze that seemed to be boring into her at every moment. He couldn't make this easy could he? No, he had to draw it out. He had to tease her, she thought. He had to put her through this agony. Now, this reminded her of the Malfoy from school, except now it had to be a million times worse. This time she couldn't just shrug it off. She was starting to like him. Her heart was involved. She knew she shouldn't have let herself fall, but she had. She was brought out of her thoughts when he sat down on the bed next to her.
He was clearly amused by her jumpiness, enjoying every minute of her inner frustration. He brushed his hand against hers teasingly, before deciding that he had tormented her enough.
She looked down at his hand, snatching hers away. She wanted him to stop, because she knew that this was just a fantasy and she would not let herself indulge in something that would be gone soon enough, or was never real to begin with. And yet, the look in his eyes, the sound of his voice, every little thing about him made her want to believe that it all could be real. She couldn't think straight around him. And this situation was starting to make her head ache...
Then he said seven words that made everything all right.
"Well, I'll just sleep on the floor."
()()()()()()()()()()
Draco spent the night on the floor. Hermione felt awful, and in the morning assured him that she would switch places with him that night, but he would have none of it. They took turns in the bathroom, as Hermione was feeling quite uncomfortable around him, but were dressed and ready rather early. Right then, they were both sitting at the foot of her bed.
"So, are you ready?" She asked, not making eye contact. She tapped her foot on the floor, then against his.
"I think so." He grinned, his eyes shining as they met hers, "Two sugars, right?"