A/N: Thanks for reading! Read, review, and enjoy!
Chapter 3: Exposed
Weeks went by, and Draco began to less the amount of grief he put of Hermione, especially after receiving full marks on their potion.
However, Harry continued to think Draco Malfoy had replaced his father as a Death Eater; the incident with Katie Bell that afternoon only amplified his theory. Hermione still refused to believe the smartest wizard in their grade – with she being the smartest Witch, of course- would be so stupid as to become a Death Eater.
That night Hermione went up to the Prefects bathroom on the 5th floor. A nice long bath with a good book was the perfect antidote to stress. Hermione turned o the main faucet- the entire bath filled with large bubbles as big as her fist, some even larger. The entire bath could find nearly twenty people, she reckoned.
Hermione slowly undressed, laying her school robes next to her maroon and gold pajamas. Slowly she slipped her now naked body into the hot water. Reaching beside her she grabbed her wand and book, conjured a small bath pillow to lean her head against, charmed her hair into a neat ponytail, and leaned back and began to read her chosen book, Hogwarts: A History. Her copy was beaten and battered from being read numerous times. It never got old.
Hours passed. The bubbles finally started to go away. Hermione set down her copy of Hogwarts: A History and stood up, water running down her pale skin down towards the bathwater. She stepped gently over the bathtub wall, as not to slip, on to the bathmat bearing the Hogwarts crest on the floor, the walked over to the main faucet on the other side of the bath and pulled the large drain plug.
As she walked back to her towel and her pile of clothes she heard the door to the bathroom open and close and footsteps walking down the short corridor.
Damn thought Hermione. Her wand was by her book and towel, otherwise she could have just made her towel come to her. Hermione made a dash for it.
Draco Malfoy walked down the short corridor in the prefect's bathroom toward the bathtub. A nice, long bath would help. Yes, that's what I need.
As he stepped out of the corridor into the open room- the large bathtub in the middle, with a row of showers to the right and a row of sinks and mirrors to the left- he looked up to see a naked blur with frizzy brown hair tied up in a ponytail snatch up a towel and wrap it around its slender body, its back to him. Draco stop mid-step, stunned at the mishap he had just witnessed. Merlin, is that…
"Granger? Is that you?" Draco smiled smugly.
Hermione froze, her back still to Draco. Bloody hell! What a stupid situation I've been put it!
Slowly she turned to see Draco Malfoy smirking at her. Her face was one of utter shock. She knew she shouldn't have stayed so long. Damn Draco Malfoy for ruining my night! Though he was smiling his face was paler than normal, his under eyes dark with sleep deprivation.
"Do you mind?" Snapped Hermione.
Draco shrugged noncommittally catching Hermione's hint and turned around, allowing her to slip on her nightclothes.
"I was coming to relax, I didn't know I was going to get a show too, Granger," Draco said complacently, his hands resting in his robe pockets. Hermione shot her head up checking to make sure he hadn't turned back around. He hadn't, good.
"Yes, well, you may be happy, however I am humiliated, thank you very much! You can turn around now. And what are you doing here anyway?" She sputtered, very flustered grabbing her toiletry bad and heading towards one of the sinks.
"C'mon, you're supposed to be bright. This is a bathroom, Granger, I'm here to take a bath and relax."
Duh, way to freak out, Hermione, she thought as she opened her bag to grab her face wash. As she turned the hot water on, she heard Malfoy turn on the main faucet to the bathtub. In the time between her pulling the drain and now, the entire bathtub had drained of its soapy water. Good, that would give her more time.
"So, Granger, that essay in Potions, is that ten feet or twelve?" Draco asked after a few minutes silence.
Hermione rolled her eyes as she squeezed blue-green toothpaste on to her toothbrush and looked up in the mirror to see Draco looking at her. Great, now he wants to talk small talk with me? Slughorn's essay? What next, the weather reports?
"Ten," She said to the reflection of Draco before she shoved the toothbrush in her mouth and began to brush vigorously. The sooner she finished, the sooner she could get out.
She could hear his heavy footsteps walking back from the main faucet.
Hermione leaned over to spit out the froth from the toothpaste. She rinsed her mouth then looked back at the mirror.
Hermione gasped, her mouth gaping as she spun around.
"What are you doing!" She exclaimed as a naked Draco, who's back was turned towards her, the green and silver bathrobe he had been wearing draped over his left forearm.
"What I came here to do, Granger, take a bath and relax, like I told you. Now if you don't mind, you can stop eyeing me and turn around."
Hermione couldn't see it, but she could hear it in his voice, Draco was smiling, I won that round, he thought to himself. Hermione turned around so fast her bushy hair, now loosed from its ponytail, whipped her sharply in the face. She fumbled awkwardly trying to gather her things by the sink.
"You can turn around, Granger." Came Draco's voice as she heard his body hit the water.
Hermione walked over to the bath to grab her robes and towel. Draco's head was propped up on the circular wall of the gigantic tub- really, it could fit twenty people easily. As she picked up her things, she looked at Draco's face- he still wore that smirk. His hair fell gracefully, sleekly, perfectly, his eyes were closed, but that smile… If only, thought Hermione.
"Granger, you can stop gawking anytime, or you might find yourself jumping out of you nightclothes and getting back in the bath with me."
Hermione smiled maliciously and leaned over the side of the tub, the soap bubbles were high enough, that all she could see was his chest, shoulders, neck and head. Thank Merlin. Gently Hermione placed both of her small hands on the middle of Draco's chest, running her hands over his bare shoulders and neck, cupping the side of Draco's head- on which his smile had become more of a toothy grin- and softly whispered in his ear, "You wish."
Draco opened his eyes as Hermione pushed his head completely under the water. A second later Draco emerged spitting water from his mouth, suds sliding off his face, his blond hair no longer sleek and perfect, but disheveled and covered with soap and bubbles.
"Bitch!" he cried after Hermione, who had grabbed her clothes and walked proudly out of the prefect's bathroom, smiling. Well I won that round! She thought happily as she slipped through the wooden door.