Chapter 33
Harry was waiting for her in the Common Room to escort her to breakfast as he had been every morning for almost a month now. It would have been sweet- it was sweet- but it was also driving her crazy. That first morning at the end of January she had been surprised to see him, Harry was not a morning person and it was rare that he was awake before she was, but then her surprise turned to fear when she saw the look on his face. He was paler than Draco and his eyes were wide and frightened. He'd looked less afraid when he'd learned he was going to have to face a dragon for the first task.
She'd asked him what was wrong, but he refused to tell her, just said that he'd asked Sirius to come to Hogwarts that night, even though it was supposed to be an off day from training, and that he would explain it to them both then. And then he'd proceeded to stick to her side as if he was afraid that somebody was going to snatch her away from him.
And as she found out later, that's exactly what he was afraid of.
While Harry was home at Potter House for the holidays, it had been Remus who finally identified what Harry was hearing when he opened the golden egg he'd retrieved from the dragon. Mermish. After that, a short swim in the magically heated pool later and Harry had a real clue for them to interpret, a clue which ended up being pretty self-explanatory. And then they poured themselves into making yet another plan.
But, weeks later, and Harry was worried they'd overlooked something.
"What if it's a person?" He'd asked that night in late January, his voice breaking as he spoke.
"What if what is a person, Pup?" Sirius had wondered.
"What if the thing I have to get out of the lake isn't a thing at all, but a person?"
There was a beat of silence as they digested this. "Why do you ask that?" Sirius asked cautiously.
Harry looked at Hermione. "I was just thinking about what you said the other day, about how cruel these tasks are, how they're meant to push the champions to their limits."
She nodded to indicate that she remembered, they'd been up to their elbows in research and she'd gone on a bit of a frustrated tirade. She had regretted it afterward, afraid she'd frightened him when he was already doing the best that he could without her adding to his worry.
"I mean," he continued, "having to hold my breath underwater for an hour is a pretty scary thought. But that's not what the riddle concentrates on, it's the fact that they've taken what I'll 'sorely miss' if I don't retrieve it in time, and I can't think of a single thing I'd really miss that much if I lost it. There's definitely not anything I'd be willing to risk my life over, but a person..." he trailed off and looked between them almost hopefully, like he wanted them to convince him he was wrong.
Hermione opened her mouth to reassure him, to tell him that they would never do that, and then promptly shut it again. Glancing at Sirius she could tell that he was thinking the same thing. Amongst the 'they' in question, were people who had made a fourteen year old boy face a dragon; been responsible for the presence of dementors at a school; and had hidden an infamous magical artifact inside that same school behind a series of dangerous obstacles. Of course 'they' would do that.
And it was unfortunately unsurprising that Harry had been the one to consider this worst case scenario. The rest of them were primarily focused on him and his safety, but Harry, who'd been denied love for too much of his life, would be much more frightened for his loved ones than he was for himself.
Which is why Hermione had hardly been alone in a month, and it was why, on the day before the second task, Sirius was due to arrive after breakfast to take them to Potter House for the night. The idea that the three of them would be together until Harry went into the lake was the only thing that was keeping his mind at ease.
"All packed?" he asked her, taking her arm when she reached the bottom of the staircase.
She chuckled. "It's only one night Harry, not a lot to pack."
"Right, only the one night, so you'll only need ten or twelve books." His tone was airy and teasing, and it was wonderful to see him appear so carefree, but she wasn't going to let him off so easily.
"Ha. Ha. Ha." She deadpanned. "You're not as cute as you seem to think, and anyway, I only brought my transfiguration and potions text because I have homework to finish. Otherwise, I plan to avail myself of your lovely library."
He smiled at her fondly. "Of course, you're welcome to it."
When they got to breakfast Ron shot her a dirty look when Harry wasn't looking. He blamed her for the fact that Harry hadn't immediately forgiven him after the first task, and that, on top of Harry's decision to go home for the holidays- which he resented bitterly, and also blamed Hermione for- had dissolved any real remaining ties of friendship between herself and the redhead. She was a little ashamed to admit that it was mostly a relief.
Sirius arrived early and, sending a bunch of giggling girls scrambling to allow him a place at the table, he seated himself across from them and began fixing himself a plate. "Ready to skive off?" He grinned at them.
Hermione dropped her fork. "Please tell me you at least informed the headmaster you were taking us for the day. I know you're allowed, but we shouldn't push our luck."
"I didn't," Sirius responded, twirling his fork in the air and not even deigning to look away from the platters of food he was considering with great concentration.
She just gaped at him.
"I told Minnie though, she is your head of house," he continued to explain with another careless wave of his fork.
She let out a frustrated breath. "You're not funny, Sirius."
"We'll have to agree to disagree, Kitten."
Harry snickered next to her.
"Have the Potter elves gotten so fed up with you that they've stopped feeding you?" She asked, eyeing Sirius' towering plate pointedly.
"Oh please, they love me, this is just for old time's sake."
"Careful or you'll get fat," Harry sing-songed.
Sirius' head snapped up, he glared at his godson and then threw a piece of toast at him, hitting him squarely on the chin. Harry just grinned, picked it up, and took a large bite.
They didn't linger, though she was pretty sure that Sirius wanted to, just to make the point that he could do as he pleased. Before they left he sent a pointed look in Harry's direction and then made himself a couple of bacon sandwiches for the road. Then they made their way outside and across the ground to the gates, stopping to speak to Hagrid on the way, and after clearing the wards took a portkey to Potter House.
Remus was waiting for them there with a smile. Hermione was a little surprised that Sirius hadn't dragged him along to Hogwarts but she understood- with a good deal of guilt- that though he made regular trips to the school to help with tournament training, he only usually saw Harry and herself, and he was uncomfortable appearing in front of the full student population who all new his secret.
He informed Harry that he had some parchment work- House business for him to look over. Sirius encouraged Harry to go ahead and he and Remus went off in the direction of the study. When an elf appeared to take their things to their rooms she took her transfiguration book from her bag and let the eager creature take the rest. Then she trailed after Sirius to the main living room where she found him pouring himself a drink from the bar cart.
She eyed him worriedly- it wasn't even nine am, but she didn't say anything. She knew he was hiding it fairly well for Harry's sake, but he sometimes dropped his guard when he wasn't around and so she knew that he was actually scared to death for his godson. Today, and every minute until the task was over, was going to be difficult for him.
"I feel like a fucking hypocrite," Sirius said suddenly, throwing himself into an armchair, "encouraging him to go take care of his House business, telling him to have pride in it when I'm doing everything I can to get rid of that same responsibility for myself as soon as possible."
Hermione was taken by surprise, as she was initially every time that Sirius confided in her not as a ward but as a peer. And in this moment she felt unequal to the task. But who else did he have? He couldn't talk to Remus, Harry, or any other friends he might have, and neither Lucius nor Narcissa would understand, even if he trusted them enough to share his feelings with them. She knew that feeling well- there were so few people she could be completely honest with. So, she just considered his question rather than asking him if she was really the right person to be asking.
It was times like these that she felt torn- within herself and also between two different worlds. The witch who was about to become Draco's betrothed, the woman who was set to one day become the Lady of an Ancient and Noble House felt the honor of the title. But the middle class muggle she'd been raised as thought that Sirius had suffered enough, that his family had treated him abominably, and if it was painful for him to be Head of House then he had every right to relinquish it, and shouldn't be ashamed of doing so if it was better for him. But again, she felt like she would almost be betraying the family she'd already claimed as her own to say so.
"Aren't you going to scold me for my language, Kitten?" Sirius' voice interrupted her thoughts.
She ignored him. "If you were in Harry's place, if you were Scion Potter, would you be proud of that?"
"I see what you're doing, but it's not the same," he growled, pouring his drink down his throat and rising to make another.
"That's exactly my point Sirius, now answer the question."
"Yes, I would be very proud to be a Potter," he answered over the clink of glass on glass as he decanted another drink.
"But you're not Scion Potter, you're Lord Black and the Blacks didn't earn your respect. So, I guess technically, yes it's a little hypocritical, but it's not really the same situation at all. And Harry will be able to understand the difference too, once you're able to explain it to him."
"I hate keeping things from him," Sirius confessed.
"You don't think I do too?" She snapped. She was immediately remorseful; her irritation, her guilt, her exhaustion were not Sirius' fault. "Sorry," she said horsley.
"It's okay, I don't have to deal with it quite so much day to day like you do," he admitted.
"It all sucks," she breathed.
"There might be a way…" he trailed off, " maybe soon," he added, sounding a little desperate.
"There are a lot of things I don't know aren't there? Things you're cooking up with Lucius and Narcissa?"
"Do you want the burden of knowing?" He asked darkly. "Not that I could tell you if I wanted to," he added bitterly, she could imagine the the oaths he was under chafed, though he was usually good enough not to mention it and make her feel like she had to either commiserate or defend the elder Malfoys.
She bit her lip. She was ashamed of her own cowardice, but sometime ignorance was bliss. "You're right, I already have too many secrets from Harry and just- too many secrets…"
Sirius came over and put a comforting arm around her. "You're still a kid, that's good, that's how it should be, it's okay to want us to handle things for awhile longer."
"You and Draco still haven't decided have you?" He asked eventually.
She smirked at him, given the contradiction in the last two things he'd said. He just shrugged helplessly.
"No, I'm sorry we haven't. And Draco's grandmother's behavior over Christmas didn't help. She'd be thrilled if he became Head of House so I think he's considering turning it down just to spite her."
Sirius let out a barking laugh. "I'd say that's petty, but I know exactly how that feels and I can't blame him. Merlin, that just makes me like the kid more!"
Hermione huffed out a laugh as Harry entered the room with a bright smile on his face and Sirius discreetly hid his drink behind a vase. Hermione wondered if the business Remus had for Harry was really that interesting, or if he was just happy to be home, but it would be improper to ask so she said nothing.
"Fancy a swim? We have the whole day to do whatever we want!" He said gleefully, days like that were a rarity lately.
"Getting in some last minute practice?" She joked.
He made a face, "don't compare those two things, you'll ruin the pool for me."
"Okay, sorry," she chuckled. "I'll just go get changed."
That evening they got some surprise visitors, or at least they were a surprise to Hermione. Sirius disappeared for a few minutes and then reappeared with her parents, each of them carrying a large cardboard box under their free arm.
"Mum, Dad!" She ran up to them and hugged them both tightly.
"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Granger." Harry greeted, approaching them at a more sedate pace.
"Harry, how many times do we have to tell you, it's Richard and Helen," her mother said as her father rolled his eyes, winking in Hermione's direction.
"Richard, Helen," he corrected, and shot Hermione a wide, but still somehow shy smile. And she realized that it had been his idea to invite them over.
She released her parents and threw her arms around his neck. He cleared his throat uncomfortably, but hugged her back and she smiled with satisfaction. She'd broken Draco and even Lucius, she'd get Harry too.
"What's with the boxes?" She wondered after they parted.
"We come bearing gifts!" Explained her father, sounding excited by the prospect.
"Was it too much trouble?" Sirius asked.
Harry and Hermione looked at him in curious tandem. He waved them off.
"Not at all, we had fun," Richard said, a genuine smile on his face.
And then they began to pull things out of the boxes: hats and scarves, and much to her surprise, several muggle-style hoodies. The hats and scarves were in the colors of House Potter-burgundy and brown striped- and the scarves had 'POTTER' printed on one side, and 'Mischief Managed' on the other. And the sweatshirts, much to her amusement had: 'Marauder's Academy," printed on the front, and then in smaller letters: 'est. 1994,' below that. Hermione smiled broadly. It was a running joke between them that she and Harry were attending Marauder's Academy, the fictional fourth school of the Tri-wizard Tournament.
"Do you intend for us to attend the task in muggle clothing?" She wondered, looking at Sirius.
"I don't know about you, but I'm through making allowances for this tournament, and here at Marauder's Academy we don't put on airs anyway. If I'm going to sit by the Black Lake for an hour in the middle of a Scottish winter, I plan to be comfortable."
She looked at Remus who had pulled one of the hats on, low, almost over his eyes, the jaunty tassel bobbed on top of his head, and giggled. And then her father removed one final thing from his box and held it out in front of him. She recognized it immediately and looked to Harry who clearly did as well, and when their eyes met they burst out laughing- ths was the cherry on top.
It was a basic black wetsuit with 'Marauder's Academy' printed on the front, 'POTTER' on the back: and as a little extra: '4,' printed below that, just to remind people that he was actually the fourth contestant in a three person tournament.
"That's great," said Harry, "thank you so much. I really wish I could have gone with your full suggestion and competed in scuba gear."
When the nature of the task had become apparent Sirius- who regularly dined with the Grangers in order to keep them officially updated on their daughter's life- mentioned it to them over dinner and her father had sarcastically suggested that they just get Harry some scuba gear. But Sirius had apparently given the suggestion real consideration (it was an ingenious plan, in theory) until he realized that the breathing apparatus would leave Harry unable to cast spells. He'd had some luck casting silently, but not with enough confidence for Sirius to send him into a lake full of creatures that might try and hurt him, without being able to cast out loud.
But following that observation and Sirius' response, Hermione's mother had wondered if there wasn't a magical equivalent to scuba gear. After all, she'd reasoned, there was a potion that could turn you into an entirely different person, wasn't there one that could allow you to breathe underwater? Which was what got their research started in the direction which let them, not to a potion, exactly, but to a plant which, when stewed a certain way, would allow the consumer to do just that.
"As we understand it," her father continued, bringing Hermione back to the present, "that weed you'll be eating will help keep you warm down there, but this will help even more and it will also streamline you."
"That's great, thanks," Harry said as he took it from him and examined it more closely.
"And you'll have a proper cheering section this time Harry, with your colors and everything!" Hermione added, beaming at him and thinking that there should be some silver lining to his ridiculous predicament. She looked at Sirius and Remus. "We should write some chants, maybe a song," she smirked.
They both snickered, Harry blushed and ducked his head, but she could tell that he was pleased.
"Alright, Pup," Sirius said after they sat down to dinner, "tell me your plan for tomorrow."
Harry looked around the table pointedly.
Sirius pinched the bridge of his nose, obviously pained. "If you can't even remember in front of people you're comfortable with, how are you going to remember it in the heat of the moment?"
Theoretically, the plan for the dragon had been more dangerous than this one, Harry had needed to be in a state of mind to perform some complex magic. But it was still just a series of steps he had to follow. The second task would probably involve a lot more thinking on his feet and was therefore frightening in a different way.
"I don't want to bore them," Harry defneded, glancing to the Grangers.
"We're interested to hear," her mother assured him. "This is as close we'll get to the action." She cringed as soon as her words registered. "I didn't mean it like that," she quickly corrected, "just that we can't attend and it'll make us feel better to know that you have a solid plan."
Harry just looked at her mother and the sheer gratefulness in his eyes simply because she'd just admitted to caring about him nearly broke Hermione's heart.
Harry shook himself and cleared his throat. "Okay well, first of all, remind me to leave my glasses with you guys, I don't want to leave them on the dock." He smirked, "Hermione should probably be the one to hold onto them, she's by far the most responsible of you three."
Sirius rolled his eyes while Remus just chuckled at the joke. "Fine, Hermione is in charge of glasses," Sirius allowed.
"I eat the gillyweed on the dock but dive in before it takes effect, because even though the lake is going to be as cold as hell frozen over, I want to be underwater when I undergo the transformation." He knew this from experience as he'd gone through a couple of test runs. Unfortunately it had only been a couple, because given the relatively short notice, even with the Malfoys connections, they'd only been able to obtain a limited amount of gillyweed.
"Where do you head first?" Sirius prompted.
"Unless there is some indication that I should go in a different direction, I should swim towards the mervillage which is in the northeastern corner of the lake."
Remus cleared his throat, "given the clue, I think they'll be calling the champions towards either the village, or where they are holding- whatever it is they are holding hostage. It should be safe to follow their voices."
Harry just nodded. "Avoid the Giant Squid who prefers the shallows by the north shore, but who probably knows something is going on and might venture into the lake and try and play, especially because he gets bored in the winter. I should be able to see his ink in the water if he's within a hundred feet of me."
He took a bite of roast and chewed it thoughtfully. "The grindylows are the creatures most likely to try and interfere, they attack in packs, blasting hexes should be most efficient against them. Also, I shouldn't forget my knife, they like to entrap you in the reeds and if my wand is too close to my body the magical backlash could be dangerous."
"Right on," Sirius said quietly but he seemed to notice something in Harry's demeanor. "What else are you worried about, Son?"
"When I get to the hostages, how do I know I'll choose the right one?"
The whole table seemed to take in a collective breath at the possible brutality of this task.
After a moment Sirius answered. "Go with your gut, kid. It only matters that you try your best under the rules of the tournament so that you don't incur any magical penalties. Tell me what comes next."
Harry fidgeted, Hermione wasn't surprised by his discomfort, she knew how deeply it troubled him that anybody might be put in danger because of him. He'd protected as many people as he could- namely her, because none of them truly believed anybody would be foolish enough to try and use Sirius or Remus as a hostage- but that wasn't nearly good enough in his mind. There were plenty of innocent victims in Gryffindor tower he had no authority to protect- she was the only student Sirius was allowed to take out of school.
"And then I come back as quickly as possible, but carefully, it's not a race, I'm not trying to win, the most important thing is that I get back safely," Harry finally said.
"If you get back early?" Sirius prompted once again.
"Swim around the docks until the gillyweed wears off, the crowds should dissuade any creatures from coming after me."
"Well, I think you're as ready as you can be," Sirius sighed.
The rest of the evening was a falsely cheerful occasion which Hermione was certain that everybody in question wished they'd not had to endure. Not that the company wasn't good, but the circumstances were grave. However, she did her best to enjoy the opportunity to see her parents in the middle of term.
Breakfast the next morning was eaten mostly in silence and they made their way to Hogwarts early, before the stands on the Black Lake began to fill with spectators. When the students began to make their way out of the castle, Hermione scurried around passing out hats and scarves to those of Harry's friends that she knew would want them. She initially sought out Neville, Ginny, and the Weasley twins, but all of the Gryffindors in their year group were enthusiastic, as well as all the members of the Gryffindor quidditch team, plus many others, and she quickly ran out. Ron was suspect in his absence, and Hermione's stomach knotted.
When it was time for the champions to line up on the dock Harry handed his glasses over to Hermione with a smirk in his godfather's direction. And then he also carefully transferred Holly from his neck to hers, the snake prefered Hermione to both Sirius and Remus because their innate animal nature- due to their respective statuses as an animagus and werewolf- was unsettling to her. She let out a low hiss as she settled and Harry chuckled.
"What did she say?" Hermione wondered.
"She wishes I'd let her tag along with you ever since we left home. Apparently your hair and outfit are much warmer than mine."
She reached up and carefully rubbed her head. "You should have asked him before girl, you're welcome to hitch a ride anytime." Holly just made a noise which Hermione instinctively knew wasn't really speech, even to Harry, but she understood it nonetheless: Holly knew what Harry was facing today and wanted to be there for him.
"Okay, we should take our seats," Sirius said, clapping Harry on the shoulder. Remus did the same and Hermione gave him a tight hug. She had decided not to tell him that she suspected Ron might be in the lake, it would only ratchet up his nerves and she didn't want either of them to be hurt because she'd clouded his mind before things had even started.
When they settled into their seats Hermione skimmed the stands; Draco, with his bright hair amongst the placid Slytherins was easy to spot. Lucius and Narcissa were equally easy to place amongst the school governors. She took a deep breath, somewhat comforted by their very presence. She just wished Harry knew how much support he actually had.
Watching the task would have been boring if she hadn't been so worried for Harry. And even though there was nothing to see, she spent most of the next hour with her face buried in Sirius' shoulder.
Fleur emerged first, not under her own power. She'd been attacked by the grindylows, the deep scratches and bite marks all over her exposed limbs were a testament to that; and, unable to fight them off, a team had been sent to retrieve her. Hermione tried not to panic over the sound of the other witch screaming and pleading to be allowed back into the lake.
Cedric was next. He'd made use of the bubble-head charm, and he had his girlfriend, Cho Chang in tow. Hermione watched in fascination when, as soon as her face breached the surface, it was like she woke up, she gasped for breath and her eyes went wide with surprise.
"Did you see that?" She asked her companions in a hushed whisper.
"Yes," said Sirius tersely.
"Some kind of stasis," murmured Remus.
Soon after, Viktor Krum in a- frankly terrifying- half-shark form emerged with the Slytherin sixth year he'd apparently escorted to the Yule Ball. The girl swam away from him as soon as she broke the surface and glimpsed her companion, obviously afraid. Hermione actually felt sorry for him, despite his harsh reputation and stern exterior he seemed to be a rather gentle soul to her, and she was certain he'd just been doing his best on the task.
She tried not to fret over Harry. But now that she'd seen the others, she knew that his plan should have been the most efficient. So where was he? Surely if he was really in trouble they would have sent a team in after him, right?
But then the minutes passed and Holly stirred against her neck, obviously unsettled. She held out her hand for her best friend's familiar to nuzzle, the snake decided to slither around her wrist instead. "I know," she cooed, uncertain which of them she was attempting to soothe.
It was an agonizing few minutes later when Harry finally emerged, gulping for air, Ron's red head under one arm, and the silver blonde of a little girl under the other; which explained why he'd been held up.
Typical Harry. Frustrating, wonderful Harry.
The moment he made it to shore Hermione rushed towards him, largely unfettered because they were seated upfront. Not to mention that she heard Sirius and Remus pushing aside any other well wishers as they made their way forward at a more dignified pace. When she reached Harry she threw her arms around him, uncaring that he was soaking wet, and as she did so she felt Holly rear up and bump her head against his chin as a reprimand for worrying her. Hermione choked out a laugh.
"Sorry, sorry," he murmured, "but she's just a little girl," he explained, gesturing to the girl- who was locked in an embrace with Fleur- whom he'd brought along with Ron.
"No, of course, we were just worried."
"We were," agreed Sirius, who had joined them, but Hermione could hear an undercurrent of pride in his voice.
"You saved her!" Fleur declared, turning to Harry and practically throwing herself at him, then kissing him on both cheeks, he gave her a small smile but looked mostly uncomfortable and Hermione absently wondered if the gravity of the situation had dampened her allure. "And you helped!" She turned to Ron, who was standing a few feet away, and did the same.
"Well, yes I guess a bit," Ron answered, obviously dazed by her attention.
Hermione looked at him incredulously, indignation rising up in her, and she couldn't help herself when she responded: "You were unconscious until you broke the surface," she scoffed. "You didn't do anything, that was all Harry!"
He had shown no interest in helping Harry prepare for either task, had maligned his character when his name had come out of the goblet, and then pouted for weeks when things hadn't immediately returned to the status quo after the first task, and now he was trying to take credit for Harry's bravery! She couldn't believe his nerve!
"It's fine Hermione," Harry murmured, then looked at Ron, "I'm sorry you got caught up in all of this," he said, a simple though genuine statement, but he didn't wait for a response before he led her away.
And as they were followed by Sirius and Remus and then dozens of other well-wishers she did her very best to forget Ronald Weasley; if Harry could do it, so could she. She concentrated her attention on her pride for him; this tournament was fraught with cheating and they'd agreed from the beginning that they didn't care if he won, they just wanted him to survive, no matter what they had to do to accomplish that. That had been the only goal. But then his behavior, the choices he made while actually in the lake were so courageous and full of integrity that she was rather awe-struck.
That night Gryffindor Tower was unusually quiet, its occupants having worn themselves out celebrating for the remainder of the day. Sirius and Remus had left and Harry was occupying himself playing a lazy game of chess with Seamus.
So Hermione stole away upstairs, crawled into her bed and called Draco on her mirror. Since he wasn't expecting her she knew he probably wouldn't answer right away, but she hoped he would notice, go find some privacy, and call her back. And, sure enough, five minutes later her own mirror buzzed.
"Hi," she answered breathlessly, beaming at him.
"Hi yourself," he responded, "boy are you a sight for sore eyes."
"I know what you mean," she said reaching out to touch his face on the surface of her mirror. "So listen, I was thinking we have a little while before curfew. Since the task is over Harry can relax for awhile, he's busy playing chess and nobody else is paying any attention to me, do you want to meet me in our room?"
His face fell. "I told Claire she could use it to study in private, she has a big exam tomorrow. I didn't think there was any chance you would be free tonight."
"Oh," she said. She felt her own face fall and her heart drop, and she knew her disappointment was somewhat disproportionate to the circumstances, but Merlin she missed Draco!
The were quiet for a few minutes.
"Meet me in that empty classroom on the fourth floor instead?" He asked hopefully.
There was an unused classroom they used to frequent in their younger years, before Hermione had discovered their room; it was convenient because there were no portraits in the corridor surrounding it to spy on them. She hesitated, she should say no, it was risky and they had so much more to lose now than they had in their first or second years.
"Mia," he said softly, "I'm dying down here. Nott's good company and all that, but you provide a few things that he doesn't." He waggled his eyebrows playfully.
"Using me for my body, Mr. Malfoy?" She made a face, attempting to look angry.
He chuckled. "I just want to hold you."
She knew he was manipulating her, she just didn't care. "I can be there in ten minutes,'" she let out on a hushed breath.
He gave her a small smile but his eyes were twinkling triumphantly. "Love you." And then he was gone, presumably before she could change her mind.
Hermione jumped out of bed and then looked down at herself. She was still dressed in her jeans and hoodie from earlier, and for a moment she had the ridiculous, girly notion to change and do something with her hair. Then she giggled and shook her head to herself. She was going to have to find a way to see Draco more often lest she turned into a silly lovesick teenager and forget that he was her best friend who loved every side of her, and who would much rather she hurry to him than spend those precious minutes she could spend primping, in his arms instead.
And come to think of it, if he hadn't noticed it earlier, he would probably think the hoodie was hilarious.
She hurried down the stairs and through the common room, calling out to whomever was listening that she was headed to the library. And such was her rush to get to her wizard that she didn't even notice that Harry had also disappeared from the common room in her absence.
Draco was already seated on a desk, eyes trained on the door when she entered the classroom. He held out his arms for her and she kicked the door closed and ran into them. He just held her for a few moments and then he pulled back and tugged the hair ties out of her plaited pigtails and began to carefully un-plait her curls. When he was done he started trying to tug the hoodie over her head.
"Like I said, using me for my body," she observed dryly.
He snorted. "Excuse me for not wanting you to be completely covered. You're wearing a shirt under this aren't you?"
"Yes, Draco, I'm definitely not going to consent to being shirtless in a random, freezing classroom."
She allowed him to remove the comfortable but- admittedly- bulky garment.
"Hi again," he murmured, gripping her waist and running his thumbs up and down her ribcage.
She leaned into him and he kissed her, making his way from her lips, her cheek, her jawline, to the column of her throat, before he reached just the right spot and sucked lightly, making her moan, exactly as he knew that she would.
And then they both jumped at the sound of the door flying open and crashing against the wall with a great thump, followed by the whoosh of fabric. Hermione startled and wrenched her attention away from Draco to come face to face with a confused, but infuriated, Harry Potter. Jaw clenched. Eyes hard. And wand trembling between his fingers.
"What the bloody hell is going on?!"
Author's Note: *Ducks for cover* Thanks for reading and beta love to Weestarmeggie!