A/N: Thanks for the multitude of reviews. It has made my day. I have one person I really need to thank.
parcheezie: I am SOOOO sorry I forgot you; how could I have possibly overlooked you? It was so very wrong of me to completely overlook a reviewer that has left me notes of support and love, and I apologize from the bottom of my coffee cup. I hope you feel better now. :D
I'd also like to apologize to those of you that have become addicted to this story. I will have to quit adding the crack. Sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused.
Okay. Now, the story.
The two of them lay there in the bed for a few more minutes, just waking up. Finally, Hermione sat up and stretched. Draco finally got a good look at her body.
Her arms were long and well formed. Her chest seemed to be slightly bigger than average, especially for a woman of her small size. Her stomach was flat and smooth. She doesn't look anything like I remember. Even her hair is different.
- - - - -
Unbeknownst to him, Hermione had actually found a spell that allowed her to change her hair color, length, and style at will. The only change she kept permanent in her hair was the anti-frizz spell. Her once bushy, wavy hair was now in permanent curls, like it was supposed to be. The only time she changed anything else about her hair was if she was undercover for the Order.
Hermione felt a pair of eyes on her. She observed his appraisal of her body through slit eyes. She knew she wasn't ugly, but she didn't often get looks like the one she was receiving now. Maybe it's because I don't have my robes or a huge cloak on. She thought about this for a minute, then decided to get her robes taken in around the waist a little. It can't hurt, right? Besides, isn't that what that woman Erin Broflofski or whatever her name was did in that American movie? It seems to me that guys will tell you a lot of things if they're distracted by your body…
Normally, Hermione was all about women's rights; about being viewed as a person not an object, fair treatment, et cetera; but sometimes it would be nice to get things, like information, without bending over backwards. Well, maybe if I did actually physically bend over backwards… No, I'm above that. I can get whatever I need to with my brains. She shook her head at herself in disgust.
- - - - -
Draco was starting to wish Hermione would quit stretching and just get out of bed. He, like a lot of men, got wood first thing in the morning. The sight of that smooth flesh, along with a picture of what she might look like unclothed in his mind, was not helping matters. If he had to stand up now, he wouldn't only be embarrassed, but she might be able to guess what he was thinking about. That just wouldn't do, not after she had just agreed to be his friend. What kind of friend would he actually be? The horny male kind, that's what. He smirked to himself. He had acquaintances that had fwb – that is, friends with benefits. It was more common than most people thought, actually. I wonder what she'd say to that. 'Fuck off', probably. He grinned. I could do that, actually.
- - - - -
Hermione noticed the smirk on Draco's face, which was replaced by a grin. She had a few guesses as to what he was thinking about; after all, two of her best friends were guys. Not only that, but Ginny seemed to have an excessive amount of knowledge about that kind of stuff. I don't know where she learned it, but it wasn't from me. I think she hangs out with Katie a little too much. Katie Bell, who was a year ahead of Hermione at Hogwarts, had ended up marrying one of the twins. George, I think. Since Ron wasn't around anymore, Ginny had started hanging out with her brother's widow. Hermione could only assume, but since George was, well,George, he and Katie had probably done things Hermione hadn't even dreamed of. Since Ginny and Katie were sisters-in-law, they probably talked about a lot of things, like… well, you know. Anyway, Ginny had made a comment one day to Hermione that had started a conversation about all things male; therefore, Hermione was pretty sure she was correct about what she was thinking.
Hermione decided to make things easy on Draco and got out of bed without throwing the covers off, just slipping out from underneath. She padded around to the other side of the bed and across the hall into the bathroom. She needed a shower. She collected a towel and a washcloth, then stepped in under the warm water.
She washed her hair and her face, then got out. She grabbed the towel and wrung some of the water out of her hair. She was in the process of drying off her legs when the door opened.
- - - - -
Draco assumed Hermione would be downstairs making breakfast by now, so he turned the knob and pushed the door open. The sight of a long pair of legs and a great show of cleavage greeted him.
"Draco Malfoy! Haven't you ever heard of knocking?" Hermione shrieked.
"Yeah."
"Why don't you, then?"
"I just assumed you'd be done by now."
"Could you please get out? I'm still naked here."
"Yeah, so?"
"So some of us normal humans have a little modesty, especially when around people they don't know very well."
"We agreed to be friends, right? So what's the big deal?"
"The big deal is we just agreed to it recently, and I am a woman, so I have more modesty than you. Please GET OUT."
"Fine, fine, whatever." Draco slowly turned around and walked back out the door, but not without another look at her breasts and a small glimpse of her booty. He grinned. She's hotter than I thought.
- - - - -
What a pervert! I didn't just walk in on him yesterday, so what makes him think he can just walk in on me whenever he wants? He knew I had gone into the bathroom, the jackass. Hermione was a bit upset. 'We're friends now.' Well, I don't know what kind of friends he's had before, but I don't just flaunt my nudity to everyone I've ever met. What a jerk.
Secretly, though, Hermione was a little pleased. Apparently he liked what he saw. She grinned a little.
About ten minutes later, Hermione made her way out of the bathroom and up to her bedroom. She made to grab for what she usually wore: a pair of flare-cut jeans, a big t-shirt, and a set of robes. As she was pulling her panties on, she thought about what Draco had seen just a bit ago and decided to taunt him, maybe give him something to think about – her.
Did I just think that? Show off for Draco Malfoy? What have I become? A harlot?
No, her conscience said, just interested.
I am not interested in Draco, she thought.
Could have fooled me. If that's true, then why worry about what you're wearing?
Oh, piss off, she thought.
Fine, be that way. You know, denial is the first step.
Hermione ignored that.
She rummaged through her clothes. She realized all she owned was t-shirts and jeans. I need to get a life. Maybe then I can get some new clothes to go with it.
Instead, she settled for a red shirt and faded denim jeans. She shrunk the shirt just a little so it wasn't as baggy. She put on a pair of black boots with chunky heels instead of her normal tennis shoes. She also decided to skip the robes today, since she wouldn't be leaving the house and threw on a long black knitted sweater with a hood and a tie at the waist.
Looking in the mirror, she decided she liked what she saw. The mirror did, too, saying, "That's nice for a change. Why don't you dress like that more often?"
"Well, um, I don't know, really. Just never had much occasion, I suppose."
"Well, if you're dressing to impress, why don't you try a little makeup?"
"Oh, I don't look good with makeup."
"Nonsense, just a little, since you don't really need much."
"I suppose. What do you suggest?"
The mirror told her to add a little eyeliner to her upper lids, along with some mascara, and just a hint of a tawny colored shadow. She also put on a little lipgloss that made her lips look juicy. Satisfied, she turned to leave the room.
"Wait! What are you going to do with your hair?"
"What do you mean?" She had put it up in a bun to keep it out of her face while she made breakfast.
"Let it down. Comb it out a bit and let it hang down."
"But then it's in my face all the time," the ever practical woman said.
"Pish-tosh. Just do as I say and you'll have that young man drooling over you."
Hermione flushed a little. The mirror said, "Good, good, that makes you look much prettier." Hermione then stuck her tongue out at the mirror and turned to leave, shutting the door behind her.
The mirror chuckled to itself. "Ah, how Narcissa would roll over in her grave if she knew what I was doing with her son."
XXXXX
Draco stepped into the shower again. Even though it had been less than 24 hours since his last one, he still felt dirty. Not only that, but for some reason, he felt compelled to look his best.
He savored the way the warm water felt against his body, the way it ran down his chest and stomach. He stuck his face under the water and felt himself wake up. The thought about how the water would run down Hermione's body threatened to rise to the surface of his mind, but he pushed it away. He had just spent ten minutes thinking about how much he hated Harry Potter to get his morning wood to go away, and he wasn't going to spend another ten minutes on it.
He wet his hair and grabbed the nearest bottle of shampoo. He poured some into his hand and rubbed it into his hair. The smell of roses and violets entered his nose. Oh, shit. Now I'm going to smell like flowers all day. Shit. Oh, well. It could be worse, I suppose. I could smell like mothballs or something. He missed his mint-scented shampoo, but what could he do? He couldn't just Apparate home and get it; there were probably still Death Eaters swarming all over the place. Maybe I could go buy some. But that wouldn't work either; all his gold was at Gringotts, and his shampoo was actually only available in Muggle stores, which he was pretty sure didn't accept wizard money.Double shit.He rinsed the soap out of his hair, applied the conditioner, and washed his face while he let the conditioner set. He did a final rinse and grabbed a towel as he stepped out of the shower.
He was rubbing his hair dry when there was a knock on the door. "Come in," he shouted. The door cracked open a few centimeters.
"Are you decent?" a feminine voice called.
Ah, Hermione. Maybe I can torture her a little more. "Yes."
She stepped into the room with her eyes averted, which was a mistake. The first thing she saw was his, well, you know. She turned a bright red. "Um, well, I, um… hey, you said you were decent!" she accused.
"Yep, I did. I am, too. Didn't you notice I've got socks on?"
"Hardy-har-har. That was sooo funny," she replied, sarcasm dripping off every word.
"What? You don't believe me?"
"I meant are you, um, covered up?"
"What else should I cover up?" he asked.
Hermione finally tore her gaze away to look at his face. "Well, you could start with everything between your waist and your knees," she said.
"Well, okay, I guess." He wrapped his towel around his waist.
Hermione looked quite relieved. "Um, I wanted to know if you wanted nuts, I mean, um… What do you want for breakfast?"
Draco couldn't help it. He laughed out loud. The look on Hermione's face, the bright red that had climbed into her face, her slip of the tongue, all of it was just too funny.
Hermione, on the other hand, thought it was terrible. She gave Draco a Look, which only made him laugh harder. The corners of her mouth twitched a little.
Draco finally caught his breath and answered her. "I don't eat nuts – for breakfast or otherwise. I do, however, like eggs and bacon, with hashbrowns and toast, and maybe some blueberry pancakes." Hermione just stared at him.
"Do I look like a house-elf to you? The only people here for breakfast are you, Tonks, and me. I am not making that much food for three people. Get real."
"That's what I usually have for breakfast, though."
"Well, that's too bad. Here, I am making breakfast, and I will do either pancakes or eggs and hashbrowns. The toast and bacon is fine. You pick."
Draco had to take a moment to think about it. What he had asked for was a small breakfast, usually just enough for him. Why was she being so stingy? Well, I suppose I could eat more later if I get hungry again. "I'll do the pancakes, but only if they're blueberry. Otherwise, I like my eggs over hard and my toast light."
"That's fine. I can do that." Hermione turned and walked down the hall. It may have been Draco's imagination, but he thought she might be swaying her hips. Is that just for me? 'Cause if it is, I'll have to tell her she's got a nice ass. He smirked.
- - - - -
I wonder if he noticed my booty, she thought to herself. She had never done it before, but Ginny told her if she swayed her hips when she walked away from a boy, he would 'sit up and take notice'. She realized what she was doing and what she was thinking. Did I just show off for him? I really am becoming a-a-a harlot. Why? What is it about him that makes me want to act like a woman? She was confused.
She made her way to the kitchen, where Tonks was waiting. She had originally offered to make breakfast, but Hermione assured her she could do it. Tonks was naturally clumsy, but when she was tired – as she was now, she had just come off a double night shift – it was worse. Hermione just told her to sit there and have some coffee. It would cause the least amount of trouble.
"Hey, Tonks, would you rather have eggs or pancakes?"
"What kind of pancakes?"
"Blueberry."
"Mmmmm, I haven't had those since I left home. Dad used to make them on Sunday mornings sometimes. Pancakes, please."
"Okay, blueberry pancakes coming up." Hermione Apparated to the alley behind the closest fruit stand, where she bought blueberries, lettuce, and mushrooms. She still had this urge to be the best woman she could, so she was planning on chicken Alfredo for dinner. She didn't know if Draco liked mushrooms, but bought some just in case. She was also going to make a Caesar salad and some garlic bread. She was slightly annoyed with herself for giving into these urges to live up to his standards, but what the hey. She never did any other time; she might as well indulge herself. Besides, I want to make sure he feels welcome here.
She stepped back into the alley and Apparated back to the kitchen. Tonks was attempting to make more coffee. Hermione knew because the kitchen smelled like burnt glass. She stepped over to the fire, made more, and put a carafe on the table. Tonks smiled her appreciation.
Hermione got a big bowl and started mixing the batter from scratch. Shortly after, she added the blueberries and started to place the mix on a griddle sitting next to the fire. She placed some bacon in the space between the pancakes. Next, she made some more hot chocolate.
Just as she was putting the breakfast on the table, Draco walked down the stairs, wearing the same clothes he had the day before. He sniffed the air appreciatively. "Whatever you're making smells good. Just don't burn it."
Hermione gave him a dirty look over her shoulder and made sure she burnt his toast. So take that, you git.
The three of them ate until it was all gone. Draco let out a burp, expecting another dirty look from Hermione. Instead, she said 'thank you' and started to wash the dishes. "In France, that's a compliment to the cook, you know."
Tonks laughed. "Well, in that case…" and let out a long burp. Draco grinned at her. She's not so bad, either. The two of them engaged in a burping contest.
They only stopped when Hermione said, "Okay, so it was wonderful. Now stop before I throw up." The two at the table laughed.
A/N: Wow. That was a long chapter. Good for me.
Sorry it took so long for me to update, but I decided to do a chapter for each of my stories to appease y'all. Hope it worked.
-Kat
P.S. Pansy will make a short appearance in the next chapter, I think.
P.P.S. Has anyone ever read a book called The Tao of Pooh? It's great, and I highly recommend it.
