Disclaimer: Ditto.
Author's Note: Oh my goodness, I just adore all my lovely reviewers- even if I can count them on one hand. Just the fact that you read it makes me happy inside, the ones who actually liked it make me do a jig in my room and sing the Barney song. Not in public mind you. Anyway, I decided we needed a little plot twist, so that's where this little idea came from. Just me needing a little spice for my story. So, without further ado...
Chapter 5: Baby Talk to an Eagle Owl
By Monday class was in session and the school was in full swing after its trip to Hogsmeade. And deep inside Hogwarts, averted from the eyes of every student, teacher, and creature was someone else settling into the new routine of things. Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy had spent a relatively discomfited weekend sorting out how they would coexist in the constant company of the other.
Upon entering the room, Hermione was, to be perfectly frank, a little disappointed. She had always imagined a head room to be enormous in size and fulfill every whim and desire of the occupant. Instead, the room she entered upon was of good, though not huge, size and had only a large bed with a canopy in the corner, a comfortable looking, dark green sitting chair, and a round table with two chairs in the opposite corner. She could see a connecting bathroom just off room and was sure that held nothing more than a shower and toilet. She was sure not to voice her reaction and instead treated the room pleasantly and acted as polite as was possible towards Malfoy for allowing her to stay.
They had several problems- one was how she would hide if anyone were to enter the room. This was solved by a fairly simple camouflaging spell Hermione had learned two years earlier. The second was slightly more difficult; where would Hermione sleep? If the room had been large enough, she would have been happy with the sofa, but as there was no sofa, only a small chair and no room to add an additional bed, they were stuck. Finally, Hermione suggested the muggle custom of a sleeping bag on the floor. Malfoy didn't seem too thrilled to have someone on the ground beside his bed, but didn't put up too much of a fight because he certainly didn't want to be the one on the floor.
So, it was settled. Hermione would sleep on the ground beside his bed, so as to hide her from the door in case a professor entered during the night, and Malfoy would continue to sleep on his oversized bed.
School continued normally for Malfoy, and Hermione quickly found things to do while Malfoy was out. Usually, Malfoy would slip into his room between classes to give her his notes so she could continue her studies out of class. She also looked up all the notes he had taken in the weeks before her arrival so she would be caught up. However, when she had nothing to research or do experiments on, she concentrated on a little project of her own- making Malfoy's room meet her expectations.
First came the size. She enhanced the size almost three times and did the same to the bathroom. She then needed things to fill the new space, so she added a large sofa to match the comfy chair and added a kitchen area to match the table. It looked like a little miniature house, and Hermione felt at home. The bathroom had also taken a rather luxurious turn. Instead of the standard format the bathroom had held before, it now held a large, claw foot tub, complete with little Jacuzzi fittings, and a huge, walk in shower that could have doubled for a dance floor, with shower heads pointing at every which angle, to create possibly the greatest feeling known to man. Then there came the vanity. Instead of a simple sink and counter, she created the optimum Get-Ready Center. It had three sinks, each designed for a different purpose, and the countertops would heat or cool, depending on what you placed on it. The mirror also held a little surprise for Malfoy- his very own fashion and beauty consultant. Hermione was most pleased with this feature. There was also a brand new closet in the back of the bathroom that had been inspired by the strange shop Malfoy had taken her during their trip to Diagon Alley. It not only held a multitude of new clothing and robes, but would change the details of whatever you were wearing at your command. Thus, Hermione and Malfoy spent the first two months of coexistence.
On a dark, stormy November night, Hermione was studying up on the most recent goblin rebellions from a book brought to her from the library. Malfoy, quite unexpectedly, came storming into the room, raging stronger than the thunder outside. He threw his robes against the wall and went to the kitchen to pour himself some water, which he swallowed quickly before slamming the glass on to the counter, shattering it into small shards all over the floor. Hermione stood and ran to the glass, picking up pieces under Malfoy's feet as he crossed to the couch and threw himself down, still fuming in rage.
Once the glass had been picked up, Hermione ran to Malfoy's side, stroking his arm gently. Malfoy threw her from him and she skidded across the floor. He looked immediately sorry.
"Hermione..." he stuttered, his cloudy gray eyes shining.
She kneeled and crawled to his side, taking his face in her hands and setting her forehead against his. He was heaving in heavy breaths now, tears catching in his throat before they fell slowly.
"It's okay, Draco..." Hermione cooed, "Just breathe, you'll be fine."
She laid a hand against his chest, as if she could calm his heart merely by touching it. After several minutes of her soothing words, Malfoy had regained his composure and pulled her up to his side on the couch. He pulled her into his lap, so that he held her like a baby, her forehead resting against his cheek. Hermione hadn't a clue what was making her strong companion so upset, but she decided that the only thing to do was play along and try to make him feel a bit better.
"Draco?" Hermione asked softly. After a month, Draco had asked her to call him by his first name, since they were living together and all.
Draco turned his face to meet hers, kissing her softly on the lips, then on the forehead, rocking her head in his hands. It was the first time he had been so intimate with her, and it worried Hermione to the very core of her being.
"Draco?" she asked again, a bit firmer, though disillusioned by the kiss.
"I'm sorry..." he said, his voice sounded like a child that had been disobedient.
"It's okay, Draco, just tell me what's wrong."
He shook his head silently and stood, removing her from him. He paced back and forth along the room, until stopping in front of a wall and placing his hand against it, turning his back from her.
"Draco, you have to tell me," she said sternly.
"Why?" he turned on her. "Why do I have to tell you? It's not like we're bonded by some magical contract that we have to tell each other everything that we do."
"No, but why wouldn't you tell me?" Hermione reasoned, still sitting on the couch. "I sleep a foot away from you, I've memorized your handwriting, and you felt me up in a taxi cab, for goodness sake." Oops, she let it slip.
"You..." his face lost all color and his mouth was suddenly very dry.
Oh well, too late to go back now. "Yes, I was awake. I'm an extremely light sleeper."
"I'll have to remember that in the future," he tried sounding calm.
She smiled, and then remembered what they were talking about. "Anyway, that's not the point, the point is there is nothing you shouldn't be able to tell me and there is nothing I shouldn't be able to tell you."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah, and since I just let that little secret slip, I guess it's your turn."
He crossed his arms sullenly.
"Oh come on, two hours ago you came in here all rainbows and sunshine, what could possibly have fazed the debonair Slytherine king so much as that?"
"My father," he said softly.
Hermione was taken aback by this response. It was not something she had anticipated.
"Oh God, Draco, I am so sorry," she stood and walked to him, taking his arm again.
"No, I'm sorry," he said, pulling away from her.
"What do you mean?" Her eyes were widening in fear and she swallowed hard.
Draco let out a little sob.
"He knows about you," he managed to get out.
"What?" Hermione gasped and crumpled to the ground. "How could you?" she screamed between her tears. Her world was slowly crumbling around her and the only stationary being was the silver-blonde boy standing in front of her. She stood carefully, trying to steady herself on the wall, until she got to Draco and struck him hard across the face. He remained still.
"I deserved that," he said softly.
Hermione was coming to her senses and questions came pouring into her brain like a drainpipe.
"Wait, how did he find out? What did you do?"
Malfoy sat on the couch and Hermione joined him, keeping her distance this time.
"I was returning from Advanced Astrology and I was running rather fast... to see you, in fact..." he looked up at her and smiled quickly, "and as I turned the corner on to the ground stairs... do you know where I'm talking about?"
"Yes."
"Well, I turned and ran straight into my father. Apparently, he came to discuss something with Dumbledore."
"Go on."
"Well, unbeknownst to you, he made a little stop in my room on his way to Dumbledore."
"How? I've been in here all night, I would have known."
Draco shook his head, trying to clear his mind, "No, he didn't just come in. You wouldn't have been able to tell."
"What? Does he have an invisibility cloak? Or a camouflaging spell?" Hermione wished more than anything that Draco would just cut to the chase.
"Did an owl come for me while I was in class?"
"Yeah, your eagle owl..." her eyes lit in understanding. "You mean, that thing is..." her body was quaking uncontrollably. She had been so fooled.
"My daddy," he sputtered out in disgust.
"Good Lord, Draco, I saw it and I didn't think anything. I even talked to it in a little baby voice."
"You didn't."
"Oh, I did."
Draco rubbed his eyes, obviously overwhelmed.
"Well," Hermione said, calm returning to her, "What's he going to do to me?"
"Hard to say," Draco said, returning his hands to his eyes, "he certainly didn't tell Dumbledore you were here, so it can't be anything legally or in other ways acceptable."
"Oh, great, just what I need."
"We've still got time, Hermione. My dad won't move until he knows he's scared the living shit out of us both."
"Will he kill me?" she asked it as if it made no difference in the world. It didn't seem to matter how much time she had, or where he would take her or anything of the sort, the only thing she wanted to know was what exactly she should expect.
"Yes, undoubtedly." Draco said, with the same straightness held by Hermione, "Eventually, he will kill you."
"Eventually, you say?" Hermione perked.
"Yeah, well, there will inevitably be a period of torture. Probably hitting all the main points- mental, emotional, sexual... the list continues."
"How is it that you are such a comfort to me, Draco?" she smiled warmly and stood, hitting him upside the head before going to the refrigerator on the wall.
Draco stood and joined her, leaning his elbows on the low counter.
"Why do you always hit me?" he asked after a moment.
She turned, trying to formulate an answer.
"I've thought about it a lot, because it seems to be a tendency of mine to hit people, and I think I've figured it out."
"Ooh," Draco said, standing erect, "do tell."
"I'm an affectionate person; you know, I like to touch. But, when I don't know the person well enough to stroke or caress, I end up hitting, because it's the only form of touching I can get away with."
"That. Is. So. Deep." Draco laughed and put his arms around her waist, and she fit her arms around his neck. "I think you know me well enough to stroke... and caress." He bent his face forward and placed a kiss on her forehead, kissing down the bridge of her nose and finally hitting her lips, looking her in the eyes before completing the kiss.
It began gently, then moved into a hungry invasion, Draco rocking Hermione gently in his arms as his tongue battled hers in a sultry dance. Hermione twisted her fingers through his hair, and pulled him deeper. Draco collected her bum in his arms and set her on the counter beside them, and she wrapped her long legs around his waist, raising her head and it tilting it back. Draco kissed her long neck above him, and caressed his lips down to her collarbone, directly level with his lips. Slowly, deliberately, he unbuttoned her blouse, until it was open down to her belly button.
Hermione gasped and gripped the refrigerator for balance while holding on to Draco's hair with her other hand.
"Draco," she moaned urgently, trying to fight the heat and passion she felt.
"Oh, Hermione," he returned.
"No," she struggled to get her mind off of his lips, tried desperately to release the need she felt and hold on to the reality of the situation, "I'm engaged to Harry..." she sighed inaudibly. She repeated it again and again, more to reassure herself than to stop Draco. "I'm engaged to Harry!" she finally screamed.
Draco released his lips from her breast and looked up at her, shaking with desire and anger.
"You are, aren't you?" he breathed.
"Yes," she sighed quietly. How she hated the fact at that moment, but there was nothing to be done.
"Well," he said, desperately trying to calm himself, "best get you down then."
She nodded and he helped her down, allowing himself to feel her body slide down his and savor it for the brief moment that it lasted.
"I think I'm going to take a shower," she said, "I'm rather tired after all this."
"Likewise," he said, making his way to the couch and lying down, sleep quickly overcoming him.
End Note: Sorry if that part was a tad sudden, as I explained earlier, I was getting bored and I needed a little something.