1Terrifié

Chapter Twenty Warm Things

Last Time:

"What?" She said, grinning at him, her hair tousled.

Oh shit. Oh shit oh shit oh SHIT!

TBC

Draco lifted his head from his hands, took a slurp of his cold coffee, and let his head drop into its forlorn position once again. It was 8 in the morning, and he hadn't slept yet. What had happened with Hermione the night before kept running over and over in his head. UGH. The grey light filtering into his study from the half-closed shutters did not promise a bright day. A few splatters of rain began to fall and Draco groaned. No Quidditch today. No escaping Hermione today. After his unceremonious exit from her room last night, surely she would have questions… ones he was not prepared to answer, even to himself.

Hermione turned onto her right side and glared at the sliver of light shining at the edge of the curtains. She pulled her blankets up higher and closed her eyes, listening to the sound of the rain. She thought about the night she had sat in the astronomy tower window to watch the rain pour down, the night after her tears had saved Draco's life. Draco- she still hadn't properly thought about what had happened last night. What she had experienced then was the only real, tangible thing she had felt since… well, for a long time. The fact that it was with Draco, well that was a little surprising.

For months she had been building up to this, she now realized. Despite all his little cruelties, his insensitivities, his arrogance, Draco was a good person, and she knew that. And despite his, at times, callous treatment of her, she really did trust him at this point. In every important matter, he had proved that he had enough decency to be considered quite human. He even went beyond that on occasion, and she suspected he kept hidden a side of his heart quite different from what everyone saw.

But what exactly did she see in him? What did she feel toward him? There are 4 parts to everything, she rationalised: intellectual, spiritual, physical, emotional. Intellectually she thought of Draco as an equal, he was smart, independent. And she even kind of liked him now; after all he had helped her get out of some pretty big messes. Spiritually… well, spirit is hard to analyze, especially in relation to other people. Physically she had to admit to herself she was attracted to him, and that was a new thing for her. Emotionally, well… emotionally, she was attracted to him as well. She felt good when she was with him. But how much of that was some kind of damsel-in-distress syndrome? Did she like him genuinely or did she like what he represented in her life- a hero? Because he had come into her life at such a dramatic point, it was hard to tell. She couldn't really separate the entwined emotions she felt for Draco and the ones she felt when she was safe from Don's grasp. Hermione closed her eyes, confused and unresolved. She was getting nowhere.

Don sat on the front step of the Granger home, his face buried in his hands to avoid the light that was torture to his headache. What a terrible bloody holiday season he was having! Looking back, maybe stuff had gotten a little out of hand with Hermione, but what would any other bloke do in the same situation? He hoped she was all right, wherever she was. If he filed a missing persons report, the Grangers would come home early and he would have to explain to them about everything, and… well he didn't want that. So he sat, and hoped she was alive and well somewhere, not at the bottom of a lake. It would be a real pity if someone murdered her; she was a lovely girl, after all. Don took a swig of beer, took one last look at the fading sun, and tramped inside the house.

The brisk knock at her door startled Hermione from the book she was reading.

"Yes?"

"May I come in?" Draco spoke from the other side of the door. Hermione had been expecting one of the house elves or Dr. Wink. She sat up in bed quickly, smoothing her hair and clothing.

"Yes." Draco swung the door open, to reveal himself standing in the doorway, hands behind his back, looking pointedly at his shoes. Hermione glanced at him before staring at her hands, blushing a little as she remembered the night before.

"Err. Right. So, I just came to see… if you'd like to go sledding with me. It's this muggle thing where you get on a bit of plastic and then you…"

"Draco, I know what sledding is. I'm muggle-born, remember?"

"Oh yes right. Right then. It's crazy really, I'll never understand them. But it was stupid to ask of course, so I guess I'll just go… make coffee or something. Tell me if you need anything. Okay. Bye." Draco spun on his heel, about to walk away when he heard Hermione.

"I'd love to go sledding with you Draco." Hermione stood, smiling at his rambling.

"Oh. Okay. Well get your warm things on then." He said, surprised, and still not meeting her eyes. "Meet you downstairs." And then he went off, presumably to get his "Warm things on". Hermione smiled, holding in laughter. Despite the embarrassment last night, she knew that her feelings for Draco were authentic, even if she didn't know exactly what they were, other than… good.

"Sleigh bells ring

are you listening

in the lane

snow is glistening

A beautiful sight

we're happy tonight

walking in a winter wonderland"

Draco hummed the rest of the tune under his breath as he jauntily pulled on a pair of winter boots. He had dressed in Muggle clothing for this Muggle outing, wearing a pair of baggy black pants and a red sweater. He pulled on a black jacket, and red-and white scarf and mitts for good measure. He was beginning to feel the Christmas season very happily. Egg nog, presents, joy, singing, big sparkly trees, togetherness and lots of cookies… what more could a Slytherin ask for? He turned toward the staircase and yelled, "HERMIONE! COME ON!" before getting out his super fast super cool green sled. Aah, he was excited. He heard footsteps on the stair and turned, smiling, only to look into the calm face of his mother.

"Don't tell me you have a female visitor while we're away, Draco." She said, her voice like cool water on rocks, with a playfully scornful expression on her face.

"Mother! What are you doing home! I never expected… Father isn't with you is he?" Draco struggled to keep his voice even.

"No of course not dear, he's still at the villa. I just wanted to drop in and check on you. It is the holidays after all, are you sure you don't wish to join us? You could even bring whatever female friend it is you've holed yourself up with her, provided she isn't too… distasteful. Hermione… you know that name wrings a bell." Narcissa swanned about the room as she spoke, but paused as she turned a figurine over in her hand, trying to remember a Hermione… Draco jumped at the end of her sentence, hoping to distract her.

"Oh no, you don't know her! She's a friend going through a hard time, and I don't want to leave her alone, or subject her to father's scrutiny either. She needs to relax right now." He smiled cheerily, wishing she would move on. She looked at him suspiciously for a tense moment before she decided to let the matter go. Her son was old enough to consort with whomever he wished.

"Well, I guess there's not much reason for me to be here then, is there? I've left all your presents under the tree, and amazingly I had the foresight to buy a little something for a female companion. A mother's sense, you could call it. And a little help from the house elves." His mother smiled at him as she made her way towards him, arms outstretched. Draco nervously returned her hug. His mother's cool demeanour allowed her to hide her emotions the same way he usually could, granting her a dangerous unpredictability. He had no real idea of what she thought of him having a female guest, or even if she actually remembered whom Hermione was. Narcissa was smoke and mirrors, and the only person that could navigate them with ease was Lucius. His mother gave him a last squeeze before she turned to go. "Merry Christmas, Draco." She said offhandedly, not even glancing backwards as she glided off. Draco shook his head as he stood still, a little out of sorts after his mother's usual bewildering performance. Hermione appeared at the top of the stairs, smiling.

"How much of that did you hear?" Draco asked, looking up at her. She looked quite healthy, dressed in a vibrant emerald coat, jeans, and white hats and mitt. Her cheeks were flushed from heat, a charming effect, he thought.

"All the deep dark secrets of your family." She said, smiling. "Actually, just 'Merry Christmas, Draco'. Your mother is quite imposing though, isn't she?" She descended the stairs, still smiling at him. The surge of emotions he felt as she got closer surprised him.

"Yes… she definitely is. You've seen nothing. I hope you are never at the receiving end of her wrath." He smiled, holding his ground as she neared.

"Well, I might be, if she finds out about us. And the fact that I'm a muggle-born." Hermione veered off, sitting on the edge of a chair to pull on the bright red slouchy boots she had brought with her.

Draco's mind was reeling. US? US! What us? There was an 'us'? He was an 'us' with Hermione? He almost started hyperventilating with the overwhelming confusion, but watching Hermione, he calmed himself. Her casuality told him that there was nothing planned or implied in her unwitting seduction of him. Not like the chess-like advances of the other girls he had been with. Maybe that was why he was losing his self-control slowly, inch by inch. Because what was growing between them was completely, undeniably, appealingly natural. He snapped out of his tantalizing reverie when Hermione cleared her throat, and he noticed she had been staring back at him for a few moments.

"Trance much? It just looked like you were staring right through me! Can you even see me? Hello, Hermione here!" She smiled and shook her head at his strange behaviour. Draco swallowed and smiled in return. She turned away and he muttered under his breath,

"Oh I can see you alright."

"Hmm?" Hermione said, not having heard what he said.

"Nothing. Let's go." Draco grabbed her mittened hand, the sled, and pulled her outside into the crisp evening air.

TBC

AN: I know it's short after such a long wait, but there will be more to come really shortly. It was a really long chapter so I had to split it somewhere, and this was the least cliffhanger-ish, most natural place for me to do it! Sorry.