Reading all the pages

Pillow Thoughts

-Courtney Peppernell

Time is valuable. For all the time we've lost by not being together, it has made you the most valuable thing to me.

Reading all the pages

"Successful? Explain to me how the fuck this was successful?!" Harry yelled across the conference room desk. The yelling had drawn the attention of the office as aurors, and support staff began to linger too long by the door.

They had been with Harry, following-up for nearly an hour. Draco and Hermione had recounted last night's events. They knew they couldn't avoid his reaction, so Hermione had tried to sugar coat much of it, but it wasn't working. Harry threatened to end the study three times already and even threatened to have Draco resume desk duty. Hermione didn't even mention that they'd have to do this again in another month.

As angry as Harry was, they all knew they couldn't stop the study. The minister had reported that a member of the Emerdal Pack was interested in meeting with them to get an update on their progress and even make a sizable donation to the department. This meant that Harry would finally get the budget he's been asking for. Draco and Hermione tried to explain and knew that he could make things difficult for them if he wanted.

"I swear, Hermione, if I have to get you another aid–"

"That won't be necessary. She is fine and eager to continue, I assure you." Hermione defended. Taffy hadn't joined them for this meeting, having gone to Grimmauld place to rest. Haze wouldn't make it obvious to her yet, but as soon as sunrise came he still hovered over her to make sure she was ok. The potion that Hermione gave them worked perfectly, but they still had a long night.

"It's not her I'm worried about! You think the TTC wants to place their newly graduated students into dangerous assignments! Assignments that could potentially put them inside an enclosed cell with a werewolf?! Do you know how hard it was to get that program off the ground?" Harry was having a hard time containing his anger. At the cost of many sleepless nights and months of early mornings, he had done so much work to make the ministry a better place, and again Hermione Granger was threatening that progress.

"What about Webber? I'm sure he'll want to put in a complaint, and we just started working well with the Being Division! Not to mention that I had to personally staff half that department. That Division already closed down once, how are we going to get anywhere like this?!" Harry was searching for reasons to stay upset.

"Mr. Webber, is perfectly fine; he was extremely apologetic actually." Hermione continued to defend, and Harry noticed Draco's silence.

In fact, Draco had become slightly distracted watching Hermione again. He had become particularly fond of how her forehead crinkled whenever she made another point to combat Harry. She was so passionate, and they argued like siblings, it was adorable.

"Malfoy! Am I boring you?" Harry shouted. Draco blinked out of his gaze and paid attention to Harry again. The look Harry gave them then was one of resigned fury. He fell back into his chair and groaned.

"You have a set of interviews scheduled this week, right?" Harry said aggressively toward Hermione who nodded.

"Yes, we have to see how they are responding after all this, with a focus on how they feel from taking the new wolfsbane potion." She explained. Harry took off his glasses and sighed into his hands.

"I don't want to see either of you until then. I have to do damage control with the Being Division and Transition to Careers. Take a fucking vacation for all I care." He said getting up and storming out.

Hermione groaned softly into her hands and then she looked up to see Draco was smiling.

"What's so funny?" she asked.

"I don't know about you, but I could use a few days off." He grinned. She couldn't help the smile that appeared on her face then. They could certainly use a few days off to themselves.

Grimmauld place was quiet as Draco and Hermione had left to report in with Potter about an hour ago. The night was short after everything was done at the Being Division. The morning was longer.

On the fourth floor, where Draco had set up the rooms for the girls, Haze was sitting on the floor across from Taffy's door. He had been sitting there since she entered to rest, assuring him that she was fine. He went over it in his mind again and again.

They had walked up the stairs side by side, her small arms wrapped around his arm for support. Her head hanging slightly with drowsiness. Taffy was so quiet, like saying anything would cut the thin veil of closeness they seemed to establish. He couldn't make sense of it; all he did know was that he would remain at her side.

It wasn't attraction, even though he considered her beautiful, it had nothing to do with that, but with wanting to stay in contact with her skin to make sure she still had a pulse, or how he didn't shy away whenever they made eye contact. Haze just wanted her safe, he knew he was hovering, but she let him, like entering an embrace.

When they reached the final landing and she looked to her door he knew she might say the very words that would break him. When she turned to look at him, her arm still entwined with his, she looked down at his hands. They both took a breath knowing words would come and destroy what had been a safe silence. She placed her hand in his and squeezed.

"I should only be a few hours, to catch up on sleep." She said softly. He didn't breath and nodded his head. They walked the few steps to her door and their arms dropped; hands still held. Taffy turned to him, and he didn't want her to say anything, and she didn't. She raised her hand out of his and hugged him. Haze stuttered a breath as he could feel her heart beating against him and he shuddered in relief feeling her alive and well. He knew she was ok, but to feel the blood pumping through her body gave him peace. She retreated into her room closing the door slowly before him.

Haze's senses were still heightened from last night. Hours later he was still sitting in the hallway on the floor. Haze stared at the door, glancing at the handle to see if it turned. He took deep breathes through his nose, Taffy's scent pooling from the crack at the bottom of the door. Haze had memorized it by now, it was lavender with a touch of vanilla, like a pastry, no, a muffin, a subtle sweetness. His hearing had zoned in on her shallow breaths as she slept soundly. He heard her shift in place to get more comfortable, the sheets rustling over her skin. He listened to her soft sighs, and he knew. Haze absolutely loved Taffy Winterof, the Ravenclaw.

"You think he's still up there?" Hermione asked as they stepped through the fireplace at Grimmauld place.

"Oh yeah, I just wish it didn't take a threat on her life to make it so." He said as they started up the stairs.

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked.

"I just mean that if he had realized his feelings earlier, I wouldn't be 10 galleons poorer." He smiled as Hermione playfully shoved him against the railing. "Hey, I could fall down the stairs you know." He said as she jogged up the last few steps and turned to the next set ahead of him.

"Oh, you'd know about falling down some stairs wouldn't you." She mocked.

"Oof, you wound me, Granger." He said following after her. She entered the lab then. "Hey, we're on vacation, in case you didn't remember." He said entering behind her. He made to grab her waist and he twirled her to face him. Draco had every intention of kissing her, often, but she pulled back slightly and looked at him. She pulled her arms over his shoulder and really looked at him.

"I'm sorry I wasn't paying attention." She said softly. For the first time in a long time, he didn't have words. The way she looked at him was all he needed.

As she ran her fingers through his hair, Draco finally didn't feel like she was miles away from him. She wasn't buried in the depths of the words on a page, or the simmering pot of a cauldron. She was standing in his arms, looking right into his eyes and he was enough. As he leaned forward to kiss her, he promised that for as long she chose him, he wouldn't let her regret a single moment. He would read all the pages and save the world with Hermione Granger.

*Welcome to Diagon Alley*

In the next episode, Taffy gives Haze the grand tour of Diagon Alley, and they go shopping on the ministry's galleon! Haze enjoys every moment with Taffy, but their trip gets interrupted by Haze's past.