Chapter 4: So Close, yet So Far

"Ugh, how much longer till we can get out of this hell-hole again? I feel like we've been here for months." Draco whined.

Hermione laughed at him. "Malfoy, we've only been here two days. It's not that bad. I know it's not what you are used to but hey think of it this way, this is partly your family's house, well sort of at least."

Draco looked at her curiously. "What do you mean? I don't even really know WHERE I am…all I know is that we're in Harry Potter's godfather's old house. What does that have to do with me?"

Hermione realized that since they'd disposed most of what remained from the Black family here last summer, there was really nothing to show it.

"You mean, you have no clue what house this is? Seriously Draco?" Hermione asked, then blushed slightly realizing that was the first time she'd ever actually used his first name. Draco noticed this too because he looked at her with a slight shock as to what she just said.

"Seriously, I have no clue what house this is." Draco said, still eyeing Hermione.

"You are sitting in the kitchen of the House of Black, as in Sirius Black."

"Really? How come there are no Black Family things around here then?"

"Because Sirius had us cleaning the house last summer and we threw out almost everything that reminded him of his family. He willed it to Harry and then after, um, after the incident last year, this house became Harry's."

"So Harry Potter is living in the house that should have belonged to my Aunt and mother? I was wondering why they were bitching about their cousin so badly. So Sirius, my second cousin, was Harry's godfather then? What a small world we live in."

"Yes it is, isn't it? Just think, a month ago, and you wouldn't have even been caught dead here, especially not with me. And now we're sitting here drinking coffee and talking like actual friends." She stopped abruptly. Did she just call Draco Malfoy her friend? "I suppose there is hope for you after all Mr. Malfoy."

The two of them retreated back into the sitting room, they spent many hours here together in the past couple days, just talking. It was amazing the things that the two found to talk about. They just seemed to talk about anything and everything that came to mind, no matter how meaningless or pointless the topic may be. They were sitting out on the veranda talking about where they were going after the wedding when Hedwig appeared and flew down to them. The beautiful owl perched itself on the table between the two and held out her leg for Hermione to take the note. She untied the message and gave Hedwig a pat on her head and part of the cookie she was eating and unrolled the note from Harry. She rolled her eyes after reading what Harry had written.

Hermione,

Just thought I would write and see how things are going there with Malfoy. I hope he's not giving you too much crap and if he is, just let me know and I'll hex him into next year for you. You know I still don't trust him and I am really not looking forward to seeing him any more than I absolutely have to this year. Cant Lupin just make him stay somewhere or do something else? It's exasperating, I cant stand him and now I'll have to deal with him even OUTSIDE of Hogwarts.

Anyway, just send me a note back if anything's happening.

See you in a couple days,

Harry

Hermione grabbed a piece of parchment that was sitting on the table and jotted a quick reply to Harry, knowing that if she didn't, he'd probably rush back thinking something was up.

Harry,

Stop worrying will you! Everything's fine. Draco and I are simply enjoying the few days vacation we have. You know, he's really not so bad once you get to know him. We'll see you in a couple days at the Burrow…Oh and please tell Ron to stop threatening to hex Draco for me…I think he's been through enough in the last few months, just tell him to give it a rest please?

Lots of hugs

Hermione

She tied the note to Hedwig's leg, who then gave her a loving peck on the finger and took off back to Privet Drive.

"So, what did Potter want? Checking up on you? Making sure I haven't tied you up and tortured you yet huh?" Draco asked, irritated. "Why cant he just get over it? I mean you did."

"He's just being protective. He's always been like a brother to me….a slightly younger sometimes annoyingly protective brother but a brother nonetheless. I told him to stop worrying about me. I'm almost 18 after all, I think I can handle myself thank you. Besides, you really have changed. It's been tolerable here with you for the past couple days." Hermione wasn't sure, but she thought she saw Draco blush slightly when she said that.

Finally, their last night in that quiet old house was there. Tomorrow morning they would be Apparating to the Burrow for Bill and Fleur's wedding. Hermione still wasn't sure exactly what to expect when she got there. After all, Draco was coming with her and it didn't take a genius to figure out that the Weasley's didn't exactly love the Malfoy family.

Hermione had decided to make sort of an indoor picnic for the two of them on the sitting room floor. She thought about pouring some wine, but she wasn't actually sure if Draco was legal to drink…she realized that over the past four days she'd never even bothered to ask him his birthday. They were supposed to be Apparating to the Burrow but she was clueless to whether he even could. She remembered that he wasn't in their Apparating classes so she wasn't even sure if he was 17 yet, like Harry wasn't. It's not like most of the kids at Hogwarts didn't ever get drunk in celebration…though she never did exactly figure out how they smuggled in the firewhiskey each time…but she was always the cautious one. She decided she'd just set it in the room with the food just in case. It was rather warm in the house that night so she pulled her hair back in a ponytail and took the food into the sitting room. Draco was sitting on the sofa reading a book that she assumed he found somewhere in the house.

"Hey there.", she said, entering the room. "I thought we'd have a little celebration picnic seeing as we're finally getting out of this quiet house tomorrow."

Draco looked up and smiled at her. He got up and helped her with the food basket she was carrying. Hermione laid out the blanket on the floor and sat down on it. Draco set down the food basket and joined her on the blanket. Hermione opened the basket and took out two glasses and the wine.

"Just out of curiosity, I remembered that we're supposed to be Apparating to the Burrow tomorrow but I totally forgot that you weren't at any of our Apparating lessons last year. Are you even of age to apparate?" she asked, nonchalantly. "I got my license last year."

Draco nodded. "Yes Hermione, I turned 17 a few weeks ago. June 5 to be exact. I haven't exactly had time to get my license though, obviously."

"Such young ones," Hermione said, laughing politely.

"Oh yeah, " Draco said, eying her almost flirtatiously. "And what are you? An old hag?"

"No!" she answered giggling. " I just keep forgetting that I started later than most of the class. I was almost 12 when I started Hogwarts. My birthday is in September."

"Oh, so you are an old hag then." Draco replied laughing. Hermione answered him by playfully punching him in the arm. "Now are you planning on actually sharing that wine or you just going to keep it all to yourself?" He grabbed the bottle out of her hands and poured it into the glasses, handing Hermione one. She took it from him and raised it up in a toast.

"To new beginnings and new friendships." she said clinking his glass before taking a sip of it. They sat there talking and laughing like old friends into the evening.

After a few hours, Hermione got up to use the restroom and accidentally knocked over the rest of the bottle of wine. "Oh crap." she said, conjuring up a rag and bending back down to try and clean up some of the wine before it stained the carpet.

"Here let me help you with that." Draco said. He leaned over to take the rag out of her hands. Their hands brushed softly against each other. Hermione looked over at Draco and they locked their eyes for a moment. Something sparked in that moment and the next thing either of them knew, they were leaning in towards each other, their lips only inches apart. Draco reached his hand up to push a stray piece of hair out of her face, his hand brushing her cheek softly as he tucked it behind her ear. He traced her cheek gently, cupping it in his hand. He looked into her big honey colored eyes and before he knew what he was doing, he pulled her into him and kissed her lips softly.

Hermione jerked herself away from him.

"What are you doing Malfoy? Have you lost your mind?" She spat at him jumping to her feet. Draco jumped up right along with her.

"Obviously I have.", Draco yelled back. "I must have gone temporarily insane. That's the only way I'd ever kiss someone like you Granger!"

"You know, I thought that you had changed but obviously you are still the same bastard you were a month ago! I knew I should have listened to them." Hermione hollered back at Draco and stormed out of the room, leaving Draco standing there dumbfounded and fuming, cursing to himself.

'There's no way I'm letting her win this time, the insufferable twit,' Draco thought to himself, stalking out the door to find Hermione. 'She thinks she's all that, with her shiny hair and her soft skin and her…Dammit Malfoy! Snap out of it, it's Granger for god's sake! It's not like it's some quick score.' He walked through the house quietly till something caught his attention. He thought that he heard the sound of someone crying and talking at the same time coming from one of the rooms. He followed the sound to the last door on the left and opened the door. He was almost startled to see who was in the room.

'Get a hold of yourself Hermione. This is Draco Malfoy that you're talking about. The biggest evil bug ever to walk through Hogwarts in the past six years. I cant let him get to me like this. Arg! What's wrong with me?' Hermione muttered to herself as she paced back and forth in the room she stayed in last summer. She was pacing back and forth in her room cursing herself and changing her clothes at the same time so at this very moment, she stood there in nothing but her shorts and bra. That's when she looked up and saw Draco standing in her doorway.

"AAHHHHH! Get out! Malfoy what the hell is wrong with you! Do you always walk through houses and just open doors at random without even knocking? "She screamed at the blond boy in the doorway, grabbing something to cover herself up. She ran over and slammed the door in his face, leaving him standing in the hallway, a small smile playing on his lips.