The Little Things
"Wake up love, open your eyes."
Hermione obliged, and a smile swept across her face when she saw Draco lying next to her.
"Good morning," she whispered as she yawned softly.
"How are you feeling?"
"Mmmm, much better," she smiled. "I would like to take this off," she motioned for the sling on her arm.
"Do you think your arm is alright?"
She nodded as she sat up in her bed. "Yes, Madam Pomfrey already healed it, this was just precautionary."
Draco swung his legs over the bed and pulled on his discarded shirt. Then he went around to her side and helped her out of the sling which required her to inch her arm out of her nightgown so that he could unfasten it all.
"There," he said as he finally rid her of the garment.
"I just need to take it easy," she said, mostly to herself.
Draco padded over to the bathroom and fixed up her morning potions.
Hermione wrinkled her nose as she downed them, "How much more of this horrid potion do I have left?"
"Looks like two more doses," Draco told her.
"Good," she said as she stood up from her bed. "I think I'm going to go have a bath," she told him as she gathered some clothing to change into with her good hand.
"Okay, do you need any help?"
"No, I think I can manage."
Draco couldn't ignore the look she gave him and before she could get to the loo, he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her softly on the mouth.
Hermione shivered at his touch and leaned against him. He pulled away and rested his forehead against hers. "I'm glad you're doing better today."
"Me too."
The following week, rumors were flying throughout the castle.
Seeing as no secrets were kept secret at Hogwarts, a vast majority found out about Hermione's abduction and about Pansy's correlating expulsion.
Additional safety precautions had been made for the school after the scare, as well as a long and hearty speech from Dumbledore about asking for help from the staff if ever the need arise.
The whole of Slytherin had basically banished Draco from their house for getting one of their housemates expelled, so he'd nonchalantly caste them off and simply sat with Hermione during meal times and during the lessons they shared together.
However, there was one thing that really irked Draco.
The whole school now thought that Hermione was simply "another one of his conquests."
Not that he particularly cared about their opinions; he cared about Hermione's. He knew that she was concerned about her reputation, but he assured her that the gossip would die down with time. Just as he'd predicted, three weeks passed and their relationship officialy became "old gossip."
Draco and Hermione became inseparable, almost as she, Harry, and Ron had once been.
Since their declaration of love, they had latched onto each other, going through every day together. Hermione still hung around with Harry, Ron, and Ginny…she simply brought Draco with her. He didn't seem to mind, as his own house were no friends of his. In fact, the only person Hermione had ever seen him talk to from his house since her abduction, besides Snape, was Blaise Zabini.
Two months had passed since Hermione and Draco had become exclusive, and Hermione could never remember being so happy.
Every single day was better than the last, as they learned more about each other and delved not only into their past, but talked about the future. Draco was the first boyfriend that she had ever seriously dated, but the two months, to her, felt like two years.
At times, she would begin to feel guilty for all the years of judging him, and Draco would also apologize a hundred times over for calling her Mudblood so often in their youth. He talked about his unfortunate childhood and his cursed upbringing which would usually bring tears to her eyes as she remembered her own childhood with her parents.
Her parents.
Their deaths seemed like a lifetime ago…she had been so deliriously happy with Draco that her heart hadn't made time for mourning.
Along with the middle of May came her mothers birthday. Hermione assumed that the day would be gloomy and somber, but Draco was right by her side making sure that she spent the day with a smile on her face.
He brought Hermione a cake to celebrate in her mother's memory. At first, she'd smiled grimly at the idea…but after she saw that he had brought a carrot cake, her mother's absolute favorite, the smile had been real. For some reason, it had made her heart swell tremendously.
Maybe it was the tradition of always eating carrot cake during her mother's birthday...
Maybe it was the fact that Draco had actually remembered that tiny detail from a passing conversation and had surprised her with it.
It was the little things that Draco did for her that made her love him even more. That he paid so much attention to her every move, and every thought…in a way, his actions proved his love for her.It seemed as though Draco's main priority as of late was to make Hermione happy.
He held her hand every chance he could.
She kissed him every chance she could.
They were happy...they were in love.
"Draco?"
"Hmmm?"
"Have you ever wondered why we never fight?"
"What do you mean? We've fought before."
"Yes, about little things. I'm talking about a serious fight about something important."
"Well, maybe we agree on the important things so there's no reason to fight about them. Why do you ask?"
"I dunno it's just…strange. I feel like I've been living in some bizarre utopia."
"Why is that a bad thing?"
"Because…no one's supposed to be this happy, so why are we?"
"Don't be too quick to judge a good thing."
"I'm afraid."
"Why?"
"I feel like something bad is going to happen. Like all of this," she motioned with her hands, "it's all going to disappear. That you are going to disappear."
They were lying on the couch in their common room in front of the fire, sipping hot tea and taking a break from studying for their upcoming NEWTs.
"I'm not going anywhere," Draco whispered.
Hermione turned to face him, "How can you promise that?"
Draco pulled her face to his and gave her a long, lingering kiss. "I love you too deeply to leave you," he said sternly, looking deep into her eyes.
Hermione nodded and lay back against him, sighing heavily. "I love you too, but what if it isn't up to us whether we leave or not?"
"You're worried about what Harry said, aren't you."
She looked up at him, her mouth falling opened. "Well…yes," she replied, "aren't you?"
Draco sat up a little straighter against the sofa. "The war has been a long time coming…we knew that it would be here someday," he said. "There are enough people to defeat Voldemort; I think it is obvious who will win."
"I'm frightened," she admitted again with a forlorn look in her eyes as she stared into the fire. "I—I just, I feel like now, I have you to lose, and it scares me."
Just then, a movie from the muggle world popped into her head, "It's the deep breath before the plunge," Gandalf had said. That was exactly what the world felt like to her. Like everything was too perfect to be real…that it was all too quiet and too wonderful.
Something…something bad was going to happen. She could feel it, sense that danger was heading their way. Harry had said that the war was around the corner, yet everything was still fine. Shouldn't something be happening? Shouldn't everyone be tense?
She wished that everyone would stop pretending that everything was fine when clearly the world around them was on the brink of disaster.
"Its times like these when I wish Trelawney could actually predict the future," Hermione muttered.
"What?" Draco asked.
"Nothing," Hermione said as she stretched. She sat up, leaving the confines of Draco's arms. "C'mon, we need to study," she said as she pulled her books towards her.
"Nooo," Draco moaned as he buried his head into a nearby pillow. "Hermione, we've been studying all day long, aren't you tired?"
"Draco, this is no time to be lazy! Our NEWTs are three weeks away!"
"Yes, three whole weeks away," he repeated sarcastically. "We have plenty of time, and don't forget we have a whole week right before with no classes so that we can do nothing but study!"
"Suit yourself, I'm preparing as much as possible," she said as she stood up and went to their common room table. She sat down and got out some parchment and smiled in triumph when Draco trudged over to the table with a book in hand. He plopped down next to her, and flipped to a marked page.
"I'm letting you get your way now, so that I may have mine later."
"Agreed," Hermione said as they began.
Two hours passed when Hermione finally closed her book. i "Accio goblet," /i she muttered as her cup of tea floated into her outstretched hand.
Moments later, Draco shut his book loudly and smiled. "My turn," he said as he stood up and grasped her hand in his.
"Where are you taking me?" she asked as she set the goblet down and stood up to follow him.
"To my room."
Hermione's stomach lurked. He had a very…determined look in his eye; one that told her just what he had in mind. Though she had been going to his room and spending the night with him every night, they still had not done anything besides some kissing and heavy petting.
Hermione didn't want to be one of those girls who lost their virginity in their early years. It wasn't that she was scared...it was just that she didn't think that people could fully appreciate the act at such a young age. No sixteen-year-old was mature enough to handle sex, or at least that was what had been drilled into her head during her adolescent years.
The last few snog sessions with Draco had been...heated to say the least. She knew he was almost eighteen years old and had…certain needs. The past kisses that they had shared through the winter holiday were practically forgotten, as they had started anew with their new relationship.
The first month of dating had passed with kissing...well, feverish kissing, but kissing nonetheless. The second month hands wandered south, but during that past few weeks Draco had encouraged clothing removal.
Draco knew very well where she stood. He could now read her body language and could tell when she was uncomfortable. Not only did his slow pace show that he truly loved her and would wait for her to be comfortable, it had also allowed her to calm her own nerves about sex. She was generally new at the physical part of a relationship, but found that the slow pace they had set had also slowly freed her inhibitions so that her bravery could shine through.
Draco had now led her to his room where he promptly pushed her onto his bed. Hermione scooted back and watched as Draco discarded his robe and crawled up the bed so that he was lying over her. He immediately began attacking her lips.
His hands quickly sought out her shirt and began to pull it over her head. Their mouths broke apart as she helped him with his shirt too, and soon his chest was flush against her own. His hands closed over her, his fingers slipping between her skin and her bra strap. They had gone this far more times than she could count, but tonight for the first time, Draco's hand wandered to her back and with a simple flick, her bra came loose.
Hermione's heart felt like it was going to leap out of her chest when his hands guided the garment off of her shoulders.
"You're lovely," he murmured, "I've waited so long for this."
And then he kissed her. He didn't even make a move to touch her where she began to long his touch. He had bared her to his eyes, yet only went on kissing her.
She guessed that he was, once again, letting her decide the pace. After some slight hesitation, she made up her mind and wrapped her arms around his back to pull his body down to hers.
They both gasped as their skin meshed together. It felt so good that Hermione began to claw at him in hopes of bringing him closer. How could something so simple feel so good?
"Oh Merlin," he groaned as his lips traveled down to her neck. He fell onto his elbows when Hermione had pulled him down, and he felt chills run up his spine at the sensation.
Hermione's head was thrown to the side as she reveled in the feel of Draco all around her. His lips were familiar on her neck, but as they began to travel further down her chest she realized just what they had in store for her.
She gasped when his lips latched around her, and she let out a soft mew. She had no idea that it would feel this good, and was shocked to find that parts of her body had begun to move on their own accord. "Draco," she gasped. Her hips were pressing against his, and she blushed deeply as she felt him very much ready against her thigh.
Draco's mouth moved back to her lips, and he was whispering things between kisses as his hips slowly grinded against her.
"Draco," she groaned as her hands roamed across his chest. "Ahh," she whimpered as his hips began to move faster.
When his hands moved to her skirt, her hands flew down to cover his….
"No?" he asked, a little out of breath as his hands steadied. "Not yet?"
She couldn't get her voice to work, and saw that he was trying his best to control himself as she shook her head to his question.
"I'm sorry, it's just—"
He kissed her, cutting her off, "You don't have to explain, I understand," he whispered.
"I just…I don't know," she sighed as he rolled off of her. "I don't know what I want," she said quietly as her arm rested over herself. She wanted to, she had for some time now…so what was stopping her?
Draco rolled on his side to face her. "It's okay, we have time," he assured her.
"That's what's stopping me," she thought as she looked past him out the window. Deep down, she just didn't want to lose her virginity at school. She wanted to be a woman…a woman who knew what she wanted, not a school girl who had been studying history five minutes before. They had time, so why rush ahead to such a huge decision? She could definitely handle the level they were at now…and possibly a little more. She just didn't want to go all the way, not yet. To her, it was all foreplay to the day they would share the ultimate intimacy.
Hermione glanced back at Draco who was now running his hands up and down her arm lightly. "We have time," she repeated, "We have our whole lives."
"True, right you are Hermione."
She smiled and pulled him towards her to capture his lips. They kissed on their sides for a while when suddenly, when Hermione felt like being on top so she rolled over onto him. Her legs straddled him as they continued to kiss, but when Draco bit down a little too hard on her lip, she bolted upright with a mock gasp. "Ow, that was hard—" she left off when she saw Draco's face contort.
"Sh—shit," Draco breathed.
Hermione's mouth fell opened. She stared down at him but kept absolutely still. She cursed herself to hell and back for not realizing that by sitting up, she'd be right over his erection. She was trying to be funny but was now frozen with embarrassment.
Draco almost exploded on the spot… "Hermione, you'd better get—oh ahhh…get off if you don't waaa…" and then it happened. Draco came hard, soiling his trousers completely. He rolled over so that her body fell onto her side, and she stared at him as his face became heavy with fatigue.
Hermione didn't know what to say so she did all she could think of.
She laughed.
"I'm sorry," she sputtered, "I didn't realize—"
Draco put his hand up to silence her. "Lets…lets forget that that ever happened, shall we?" he said, a tinge of embarrassment on his cheeks.
"My my, is Draco Malfoy blushing?" she mocked.
A few minutes passed before he looked over at her with determination, and then rolled on top of her. "No, but it won't be long before you're blushing," he said as he slowly shimmied down her body.
Half an hour later, Hermione lay on Draco with her hands under his back. Her chin was resting on his chest, and his hands were running through her hair.
He was doing it again.
She had told him that she loved it when people played with her hair, whether they were braiding it, or simply brushing it for her. It had been a quick admission during dinner one evening…it had been off topic, totally random, and yet, he had remembered it.
His long ("and talented" she thought) fingers ran through her hair continuously, and his nails lightly scraped over her scalp. She hummed in contentment.
"I love you," she whispered as her lips kissed his chest.
There were no classes for the upcoming week for it was the week before the end-of-year examinations.
"Good morning professor," Hermione said as she walked past McGonagall in the corridor on a Sunday morning. She was on her way to the library to meet with Draco, for he had gone to the pitch for an early morning fly.
"Good morning, I was just looking for you."
Hermione cocked her head to the side and shifted her books to her other arm, "What for?"
"Professor Dumbledore needs to speak with you."
"I was just on my way to meet with Draco, I can go and get him—"
"No, this doesn't concern Head duties," McGonagall said. She gave Hermione a weak smile.
"Okay," Hermione said hesitantly. "Right now?"
McGonagall nodded her head, "Yes, right away."
"Alright, let me just go tell Draco where I am, I'll be there as soon as possible."
What would Dumbledore need to speak with her about? Perhaps it had something to do with the end of the school year, would she have to make some sort of speech?
"Hermione," she heard Draco call out.
"Oh, I thought you'd already be in the library," she said as she turned around to greet him.
He walked up and kissed her on the cheek, "Some other people were already down at the pitch and we ended up having a quick scrimmage," he said as he started for the library.
"Wait, I was coming to tell you that I have to go see Dumbledore."
"What for?"
"I dunno, Professor McGonagall said he needed to speak with me."
"I'll come with you," he said.
"No, that's okay. She said it didn't have to do with Head duties."
"Alright, well I'll be in the library, just come and meet me when you're done, okay?" he said as he took her books from her.
"I will," she said as she kissed him goodbye. She watched as he made his way to the library, and she turned on her heel to head for the Headmaster's office.
"Ahhh, Miss Granger," he greeted her before she had made it to his office. "Please, follow me."
She did as she was told and climbed the small staircase to his office, and then sat at in the chair he offered her.
"How are you today Miss Granger?"
"I'm fine, and yourself?"
"I'm very well."
He gave her a meager smile, much like the one she'd received from McGonagall.
"What's going on sir?" she asked when he didn't speak.
"I've just been contacted by Arthur Weasley; it seems that a man by the name of Kall Morris has been trying to contact you."
"Kall Morris," she paused, "Father Morris?" she said, surprise on her face.
"I take it you know this man?"
"He—he was my childhood priest."
"Arthur Weasley somehow heard through the ministry that Mr. Morris was trying to get a hold of you, and he took over the case since he knows you well."
"Why would Father Morris try to get a hold of me?"
"For your parents' funeral."
Hermione stared. "A funeral…" she whispered. "But—it's been months!" she exclaimed breathlessly.
"Yes, Death Eater activity has been high as of late…since your house was a murder scene, the ministry had to take extra precautions. That and dealing with the Muggle police has been more difficult than in the past. Mr. Weasley says that the service will be held in two days' time."
Hermione was silent as she stared at her hands in her lap.
"How will I get there?" she finally asked.
Dumbledore was now leaning against his desk beside her. "Mr. Weasley has arranged for a port key in Hogsmeade for you and your friends if you wish to bring them. Luckily for you all, you won't be missing any classes."
A tear rolled down her cheek.
"Miss Granger, I am sorry that this happened to you," he said softly, "but you are a strong young lady, with friends who can help you through this. You may leave tomorrow if you like," he said.
She nodded her head slowly, "Thank you professor, I—I have to go," she said as she stood up and wandered towards the door.
"Miss Granger," he said before she left.
She turned around and gave him eye contact.
"Why don't you all meet me in my office tomorrow after breakfast, and I will personally escort you to Hogsmeade."
"That would be nice, thank you professor," she whispered.
Hermione walked back to the library in a daze. It hadn't even occurred to her that they had never had a funeral for her parents. While it would be good to finally set them to rest…it hurt to resurface the pain their deaths had caused.
She had tears falling from her face as she stepped into the library and curved around bookshelves to her and Draco's secret spot.
"It's about time," Draco said as he heard her footsteps approach, "I was about to come and drag you out of Dumbledore's office myse—" he cut off when he saw her distressed face. "What happened?"
"My parents…their funeral is scheduled for Tuesday," she said as she made her way to their table and took a seat. She explained everything Dumbledore had said, and rested her head on the table when she was done.
Draco reached out and covered her hand with his own. "It'll be okay," he soothed.
"No, that's just it," Hermione said as she pulled her hand form his, "I've been in denial, I haven't even begun to think about all the things that have been left undone…" she sighed as she stood up and walked to a nearby shelf.
"What am I supposed to do when school is done? I…I don't know if I can face my house again, I don't ever want to go back there, yet I know I have to…someday. I've been ignoring the little voice in my head that keeps telling me that I have to deal with it soon, but I've pushed the thought away, and focused on school, and on you," she turned around to face him with a weary look on her face.
"I'm not ready—I can't do this yet," she whispered. "There's a part of me that thinks that it was all…just a dream. That they are still alive, and waiting for me to come home to them," her eyes fell to the ground. "It's like when your watching a film for the hundredth time and you think that perhaps this time, the characters will escape or get away…" she broke off when she realized that he probably didn't know what a 'film'was.
She took a deep breath and turned towards the book shelf. "I saw them…I was in the same room, I know that they're gone, so why is it so hard for me to accept it? I grieved for them…and then my life went on. I fell in love with you…and now, I have this feeling. That, everything is going to fall apart and that this is the beginning of something…bad."
"Do you not want to go?" Draco asked as he walked over to her.
"Of course I want to go," she said quickly, "but I'm afraid of what will happen. I know that there will be people there telling me what to do...telling me about my options for the future, but I know I won't be able to listen to them. Men in fancy suits will tell me what I've inherited, and then expect me to make some life-changing decision on the spot. If it doesn't happen at the funeral, it will happen the second I leave Hogwarts. It's something I never planned on doing…something that no child for that matter should ever have to do."
"I'm not going to lie and say I know what you're going through, because I don't…all I can tell you, is that I'm here, and I am going to help you through this," he said as he hugged her.
