Draco was curious about the crab cake eggs Benedict and decided to watch Hermione cook while listening to the next chapters of The Shining. He was quiet, never said a peep, but his silver and blue eyes followed her every move as she fried the cakes and poached the eggs. Typically very relaxed in the kitchen, as cooking was a way for her to take as much time as she needed to accomplish a goal, Hermione felt nervous and dropped three different utensils and made a larger mess than necessary.
They shared breakfast at the island in his kitchen, only breaking their silence when Hermione asked how it was, to which he of course replied 'It's good' then continued to eat his plate within ten minutes.
While she nursed her food and coffee quietly, she attentively listened to the man reading. She found herself lost in the narration, eyes glossing over as she pictured the events described. It wasn't until Draco suddenly clicked off the tape that she looked back at him with a concerned expression.
"What's wrong?" She questioned, which in return, Draco smiled. Amusement scrunching over his face and his scar moved while he smirked.
"It's time to remove my eye. I'm getting a headache." He told her and Hermione checked her watch, her eyes growing wide with embarrassment. She was only supposed to stay until 10:00 am, it was now 10:30.
"I lost track of time, I'm so sorry!" She said, scrambling to clear their dishes away and dashing to quickly wash her hands. Shuffling fast to the stool he sat on, Draco was already facing her with his hands in his lap, and when she stepped into him, his hands automatically pushed into her stomach. Hermione boldly took his face into her hands, jerking his head upwards and letting her hands slide over his face.
It wasn't until after she successfully removed his eye and handed him his eyepatch that she understood how easy it was to grab his body. Typically, she waits for him to give the physical signal that he was ready or she'd verbally ask. But she grabbed his body like she had a right to, and felt bad invading his personal space like that.
"I'll just need to clean then I can get out of your hair." She mumbled, turning around to send the dishes into the sink and flicking her wand to start the wash.
"Yes, because I'm oh so busy for the next three weeks." He said not giving her any time to respond as he clicked the recorder to play again. Something more inviting could have been said, but Malfoy preferred to watch her worry and contemplate his words like some puzzle. Watching her eyes twitch with confusion as she attempted to riddle him out had become one of his new favorite pastimes.
Once she grabbed her items, she took a look at him, slightly flustered that he was grinning.
"I'll see you later, maybe have a lie down so your head won't hurt as much. You're not due for pain potion until noon." She suggested and he just nodded. "Well…bye."
She dashed away, and Draco let his chuckle go after he heard the floo go off.
Hermione thought hope was sometimes a foolish emotion. She was only ever hopeful when facts or patterns would confirm a desired outcome, therefore it was rational to be hopeful. Other times, if there was nothing that would back up her hopefulness, she tried her best to remain neutral.
When she arrived at Draco's that night and saw a small pot of pink and white carnations, her heart jumped straight out of her chest.
"Pretty flowers." She commented as a greeting. Draco looked over his shoulder then turned back to her.
"They're for you." He told her and the hope skyrocketed, making her body feel weightless. "My mother dropped them off, to say thank you for handling my care."
Everything sunk and she prayed her face didn't betray her disappointment. She smiled instead and followed him as they walked into his master bathroom.
"That's kind. She didn't need to do that." Hermione replied, busying herself with the antiseptics. Draco took off his eye patch and began trying to scratch underneath his arm cast.
"Well according to her, it's necessary to gift the woman that's taking such good care of her son." He said and Hermione didn't say anything. Stepping to him, he spread his legs and lifted his head, speaking before she grabbed his jaw. "I happen to agree."
The tugs in her stomach were tired of the jumps and the quiet sincerity of his tone was doing nothing to settle her. The blue of his eye reminded her of a lake on a stormy day, dark but compelling. Even while looking dangerous, the color of the water lured her in. There was an urge to suddenly go for a swim.
Remembering herself, Hermione cleared her throat, unable to find anything of value to say back to him. She cleaned his socket, then asked if he intended to have a wash.
"Yeah. I'd actually like to shower every morning from now on, if that's alright with you." He said and she agreed, helping him remove his shirt. When she tossed it on the sink, she had a moment to herself to watch Draco's back muscles move as he turned the faucet of the shower on.
"Call me when you're done." She said and Draco nodded.
"Can you also put the heating balm on my scar? It feels tight again." He asked.
"Of course." She said then moved to grab the jar from his cabinet then proceeded to head into his living room.
Apparently, Draco didn't feel like struggling with a shirt tonight. He never called Hermione for help and appeared from the hallway with only navy pajama bottoms on. His hair was combed and slicked back from the water, a few fringes breaking free to hang over his forehead. Hermione swallowed and stood up, trying to move out of the way so he could sit down. But Draco came the way she was leaving, taking an unnecessary angle to sit on the couch so their bodies were nearly pressed together as they moved in opposite directions.
"Don't you want a shirt?" She uncomfortably asked, watching as he deeply sighed when he sat down and leaned his head against the couch's back.
"Didn't feel like bothering with one. I run hot anyways."
An understatement, she thought. Both literally and metaphorically. He probably meant it as both, cocky prat.
Hermione began massaging the balm into his scar, smiling a bit when he asked her to stop so he could turn on the next part of the audiobook.
"Have you not listened since I left?" She asked, that untrustworthy emotion bubbling in her stomach as she awaited his answer.
Draco shook his head, then shut his eyes as he let her resume her massage.
"I listen to The Iliad and the Odyssey during the day." He replied, unknowingly filling her with hope.
The massage went a little longer than normal. The healer in her rationalizing he needed the extra attention since he seemed to wince more than previous while she worked the skin. The selfish and slightly obsessive crush inside her knew it was because she enjoyed touching him and watching his reactions. She'd store his small sighs and rumbled moans into her memory, along with the calm expression and even rise and fall of his exposed chest.
She wished Draco goodnight with the flowers in her hand and the promise of another delicious breakfast in the morning.
If she was going to be greeted by a shirtless Draco Malfoy for the next 13 days, she had better learn to control her blush…and her stare.
He greeted her at the fireplace and requested a shower first, luckily asking her for a shirt this time seeing as he couldn't go the entire day with no top on. Hermione avoided his stare as her fingers brushed over his soft skin, especially when she shrugged the shirt down past his stomach. The backs of her knuckles rubbed over the planes of his abs and she had to hide her face in her hair.
"Have you gotten used to the prosthetic yet? You get to use it for four hours today." She said as she inserted it back into his socket.
Draco rose once she moved away, leaning his body away from the mirror and onto the sink. His ankles crossed and he used his free hand to hold himself up.
"Yes, I prefer it over my other eye." He replied, watching her eyebrows quirk up as she decided to lean her hip against the sink, letting her body open to his.
"Why? Because you can see more clearly?" She asked, knowing the prosthetic was the most advanced one available. He could probably read a billboard an entire quidditch pitch away.
"Yes, but mainly because I can differentiate colors better than ever." He told her, looking around the room at the different shades surrounding them.
"Oh?" She said intrigued. "Like what specifically?"
Draco looked down at the jumper she wore, a color that looked gray to his one eye, but when she popped the prosthetic in, it was actually a very pale lavender.
"Well, your jumper. It's a pale purple, like the faintest color of lilac." He noted and Hermione looked down with an interested look.
"It says gray on the tag." She explained but he smirked.
"It's definitely a pale purple and gray. A nice mixture of the both, but there's purple in there nonetheless." He said and Hermione was not going to argue with someone who had a bionic eye.
"Okay, I'll take your word. What else?" She asked, very curious to what the world looked like through his new vision.
"The stain on the woodwork around the house. I can tell the carpenters mixed two colors together after one ran out. They think it matched but it doesn't. It's a bit annoying really." He said and she giggled, following his stare to the bathroom door. Draco took the moment to scoot his body closer.
"Looks normal to the average eye." She said then smiled when he rolled his eyes.
"I no longer have the average eye. It's bothersome and I'm going to have to hire someone to fix it." He explained, surprised to hear her chuckle.
"Justified." Hermione grinned, her face alight with joy. "Anything else that catches your eye?"
Draco smirked, wanting to see if he could get her to be brave today.
"Your lips." He said lowly, his eyes treading down to focus on the plush flesh. His smirk deepened when her mouth parted just barely enough to inhale. "Most people look at someone's mouth and think their lips are one color. But yours are a gradient of pinks and reds."
Hermione didn't mean to suck her bottom lip between her teeth. His pupils dilated just the barest amount, and the silver and blue remained set on her mouth. It suddenly felt far too warm in the bathroom.
"For example, your bottom lip is darker, especially in the middle. Maybe because you chew on it often." He said and she released it immediately. His eyes flickered up to hers for a second, delighted to see her face was turning into the color of her lips. "It's a deep red, darker than grapefruit but lighter than strawberries. Whereas your top lip is many shades lighter."
Draco tilted his head down and kept his voice low, falsely trying to adjust his position to get a better look at her top lip. She'd see right through him, or maybe not considering she hadn't moved a hair of an inch.
"It quite resembles your cheeks right now. Both look like orchids in the spring." He said.
Hermione's brain was short circuiting. His words mixed with the scents from his shower and the look he was giving made her feel like she was in a very nice dream. Unable to stop herself from biting the corner of her mouth once more, Hermione looked up into Draco's face, who was still looking at her lips.
"I—I" She stuttered and his gaze finally floated back to meet her coffee colored eyes. His eyebrow twitched up, his smirk returning and it felt like the fog had cleared.
"I-I'm going to make breakfast." She said a little more breathy than intended, or needed for the mundane statement. She scrambled away, banging her hip into the doorway and not being able to turn around to see if he was paying attention to her humiliating antics. He was, she could feel his stare in her back and it made her flee faster.
She sighed when she got into the kitchen, hurrying her hands to remain distracted from the moment that had just occurred.
Malfoy was a charmer, it was no secret to anyone. And the conversation that just took place reminded her that he enjoyed knowing witches found him attractive. She hated that she was one of those witches, just like everyone else that would sit up straighter when he walked into the bar and giggle to their friends when he winked at them.
Hermione did want to be the object of his affection, but she wondered briefly if he was just toying with her simply because he was bored. The thought stung her chest violently, and it kept her from noticing Malfoy enter the kitchen with the tape recorder. She jumped a bit when the words filled the air, but relaxed and continued making breakfast.
"What's on the menu for today?" He asked, his voice gruff.
"Erm, goat cheese omelets." She replied, whisking the eggs.
"Damn. Was hoping for something sweet." He said, holding back a laugh when he watched Hermione pause for a second then resume her whisking.
After breakfast, she decided to leave Draco alone since he didn't need his eye taken out until after noon.
"Okay, I need to run errands but I'll be back around quarter to one." She said.
Draco pouted and paused the tape, standing off his stool and heading into the living room.
"Can you do me a favor tonight?" He asked as she moved to the floo. Spinning back to him, she leaned on one hip and crossed her arms over her stomach.
"What is it?" Nerves were clearly evident by her posture, something Draco ignored.
"Come back around seven with an empty stomach." He requested, putting his feet up on his table, casually twirling his wand.
"Why?" She asked skeptically.
The twirling continued, and despite his astounding height and defined features, Hermione thought he looked a little juvenile as he sent her a knowing and obvious stare.
"Cooking is one of the only things I can do, yeah? And you've fed me breakfast the last three mornings and most likely will continue doing so. I see it's only fair I repay you somehow." He explained, voice rising to a level that told her it was settled.
"It's—that's not necc—"
"Seven, Granger. Empty stomach." He cut her off then sent her a lopsided grin. She frowned, her brow creasing then she stomped away with no other choice.
She barely said anything when she removed Draco's eye in the afternoon, quickly leaving as she wanted to swing by Ginny's for lunch and visit with James. Ginny immediately knew something was off. Hermione had been lost in thought for a majority of their lunch and didn't speak much of how she was doing.
"Alright Mione? You seem off. Everything okay with Malfoy?" Ginny said as she handed James another stuffed animal that he just tossed back to her.
Hermione sighed, biting her cheek and debating if she should say anything or let her thoughts fester. Ginny raised her eyebrows and Hermione exploded as if the witch was doused with veritaserum.
"I almost kissed him!" She exclaimed and Ginny's mouth fell open. Hermione groaned and squeezed her eyes shut then recalled this morning's events in a frantic rant. "Well, he almost kissed me. I think. I asked him how he liked his new eye and he said he preferred it and I asked why and he said he could see more colors then I asked him what specifically stood out to him and then he pointed out my jumper is a shade of purple not gray and that his bathroom door wood stain was different colors and then he started talking about my lips and compared them to fruits, flowers and my blush and I think he almost kissed me and I almost let him."
Ginny's mouth opened wider as she listened to Hermione give a very quick explanation. Hermione wore a look that she thought was one of constipation, but she knew it was her 'I'm severely distraught and conflicted' expression.
"Say something." She urged with a whine. Ginny shut her mouth, a small grin forming as she slightly shook her head.
"I'm trying to form any words to convey my astonishment other than 'wow.'" She said with a half laugh. Hermione groaned again. "Why didn't you kiss him?"
Her curls bounced across her vision when she whipped her head to Ginny. The most unexpected reply was given and there was no preclude as to why it was an appropriate one. It stunned Hermione silent.
"What?" She gasped.
Ginny shrugged and pulled James into her lap who was mumbling nonsense about his toy.
"I mean he's attractive, everyone knows that. He gets along with our friends pretty well. He's a successful Auror and Harry quoted him as the hero and reason why the Portugal mission was a success in the Prophet. He even sent James a birthday card this year. Oh yeah, and he's bloody fucking attractive."
Hermione wore a blank expression.
"Um, okay. What's your point in all this?" She said and Ginny rolled her eyes with a laugh.
"You said you were looking to date again. Hoping to be in a serious relationship in the next couple years, why not give Malfoy a shot if he's interested?" Ginny suggested and Hermione thought she fell into an alternate universe. This could not be advice given by the one Malfoy still calls 'she-weasel' however jovial it comes off.
"But it's Malfoy! He's not looking to date." Hermione argued. Ginny knew it was a weak point.
"How would you know?"
"Because anytime we see him out at the Leaky, there's always a different witch walking out with him." Hermione replied, and Ginny assessed her with a knowing eye.
"Ahhh. Paying attention to him at the pubs now, are we?" Ginny poked, clapping her and James' hands together. Hermione stuttered, unable to refute the claim because she had been in fact, paying more attention to Malfoy if she saw him in public.
At first, it was unintentional. But when he would grin wildly at something stupid Harry said with his flushed pink cheeks from a few drinks, she began to observe him a little more carefully. Then it became watching him as he chatted with friends at the bar, and then watching the way women approached him. He never came on to them, he always, always, let witches come up to him. A power trip thing, possibly. But Hermione would never be one to approach any wizard and as she watched girls chat Draco up, her hands would quickly reach for another drink. Cowardice flowing through her bloodstream.
Ginny took the silence as a chance to further push her timid friend forward. "Look, there's no harm in asking right? I mean you're going to be spending a lot of time with him, so turn up your own charm, drop hints, bloody kiss him if you think he's going to kiss you."
Hermione sheepishly looked down at her lap, revealing the piece of information that would make Ginny more sure of her suggestion.
"He—he's cooking dinner for me tonight." She tried to utter as quietly as possible, but the spunky redhead heard.
"What!? You're kidding. And you don't think he's interested? Pft. Auntie Mione is so blind, isn't she James?" She spoke to her toddler, holding him up to her face. James, totally unaware of what was being said, smiled and clapped his hands with a laugh. Ginny placed him back in her lap and sent her and evil grin. "Your godson said you're a blind bimbo."
Hermione laughed but fake pouted at her adorable godson.
"Not nice James. Auntie Mione just feels…overwhelmed."
Ginny snorted.
"Why on earth would you feel that?"
"Because I'm technically his care provider for the next two weeks I see him half naked every morning and he looks dangerously handsome with his scar and new eye. His presence is…is…noticeable." She said with slumped shoulders.
"I see only positives in everything you just said. Oh boo hoo, poor Hermione has to take care of a hot wizard all alone every day." Ginny said with a smile and Hermione rolled her eyes.
"I don't want to make a fool of myself thinking Malfoy is interested when he's just looking to flirt out of boredom. Or shag out of boredom."
"Well if what you're saying is true and he almost kissed you then planned to cook dinner for you I highly doubt he's doing any of this out of boredom."
James suddenly squealed and Hermione and Ginny both looked at each other with a smile.
"See, my two year old agrees." Ginny said.
Nervousness was almost as bad as hope. Nerves cause you to act irrationally, abnormally. It made your palms sweaty and your mind to race a thousand miles per second. Hermione couldn't decide what was worse of the two, nerves or hope. She settled on a mixture of both.
7:00 pm came quicker than she would have preferred. Draco's home was filled with scents of fresh basil and cheese. The Iliad was faintly playing in the background and she slowly walked into the kitchen where she could hear utensils clanking together.
Draco had his eyepatch on, an apron loosely tied around the front with sauce stains over it and wore different clothes then the ones he had on this morning. A nicer shirt with a scoop neck made of material that looked to be higher quality than cotton and dark navy trousers.
"Right on time." Malfoy said, looking up as he levitated the parmesan cheese and grater over their plates of spaghetti.
"So you don't actually need help getting dressed?" Hermione frankly asked, wondering how he managed to change his shirt without her assistance.
Draco, for the first time that Hermione could ever remember, began blushing.
"No I do. I—I need your help. I just—I changed clothes because I felt uncomfortable and you had already left for the second time so I didn't want to bother you. Instead I…struggled." He said with a grimace.
She nodded, wondering if he was telling the truth.
"Smells good. Did you really make this all by yourself?" She questioned, looking at the spread of salad, pasta and bread.
"Believe it or not, I did. One arm and all. Thank Merlin for magic. I don't understand how muggles don't go mad cooking. It's so tedious." He mumbled then slid her plate of food to the chair she usually sits at during breakfast. Hermione looked around, Draco noticed and turned his head with her.
"Need something?" He asked and she sunk into her chair while picking up a fork.
"We're not listening to The Shining?" She questioned, twirling her noodles around her fork.
Draco made an 'ah' noise, then stood to switch out the tapes. They had just begun part three and Hermione was actually anxious to see how Draco would react to the next few chapters.
"Thank you for dinner, Malfoy. This is a lot of work for someone with one arm." She said, her stomach settling into a calmer state after her first few bites and the sounds of the narrator.
"One of the few things I can make that consistently turn out okay. Cheers, Granger." He lifted his glass of water to hers, but didn't move to touch the two together.
Listening to the audiobook was a safety blanket. She didn't have to talk or try to think of intriguing conversation. They would pause to talk about Draco's theories, Hermione would grin since she knew what was coming having read and listened to the book before. As the character Danny came in contact with one of the hotel's guests, Draco and Hermione were putting away the leftovers. She eagerly looked up to his face, wanting to see his reaction which was one of horror and worry. She bit back a laugh.
"Bloody hell." Draco shuddered a bit and she smiled.
"It gets worse, you know. Can you handle it?" Hermione teased, walking over to her bag to retrieve the cotton swabs.
"I'll be fine. This is just…chilling to think about." He said then clicked off the tape. With an amused grin, she moved closer to his stool just as he removed his eye patch. With a gentle hand that really wasn't needed since Draco knew how high to tilt back his head now, Hermione took his jaw and inspected the socket as she spoke.
"There's a film adaptation as well. There's some major differences but it's equally unnerving." Hermione explained, and Draco hummed in response. His fingers of his non-injured hand rested atop his thigh, nearly touching her leg.
"The director of the film added some scenes that weren't in the book, but still portrayed that the hotel was haunted." She continued, completely oblivious to the creeping fingers moving to brush against her clothed limb.
"But the ending is completely different." Hermione said, and Draco smiled when he saw her pout as she spoke.
"How so?" He asked, then finally moved his finger to drag against the outside of her thigh.
She paused, stunned immobile. A movement she almost didn't feel, it was so subtle. Regardless of how fine, it electrified her body. Slowly licking her lips, she didn't dare turn her eyes onto his, too afraid to meet his stare and see what she'd find. She carried on the conversation like nothing was happening. Like Draco wasn't running soothing motions up and down her leg with the backs of his fingers.
"Well," she said trying to contain a shiver, "in the movie, Jack's descent into insanity is different and ends with totally different outcomes and situations."
"Mm." Draco replied, the sound felt through her fingertips as she held his jaw and cleaned his eye.
"I-I can't explain too much without giving the ending away." She said, clenching her teeth when Draco used his full palm to grab her leg and simply just rest it there.
"Then don't." He responded with a quieter voice. "We'll finish the book by the end of the week right?"
Hermione swallowed a large ball in her throat and creased her forehead at the dirty cotton swabs. There was a subtle push of his fingers into her flesh, communicating he wanted her either closer or an answer to his question.
"R-right. Maybe tomorrow honestly." She said softly, her chest shaking when his palm began stroking the back of her leg, always moving downward right before it reached the bottom of her bum. Heat seeped through the fabric, warming her entire body until she was nearly sweating. All from one touch.
Draco waited patiently. A funny thought stretched across his mind that the day has come where a Slytherin is braver than a Gryffindor. He certainly wasn't trying to make her uncomfortable, and her unsteady breathing and dilated pupils demonstrated that she was more turned on than uncomfortable.
Hermione tried to recall her conversation with Ginny, but she just wasn't able to fully believe Malfoy was interested in her, except for maybe one night.
Looking down at his arm in the cast, Hermione took a steady breath then pulled back from the heated and soft embrace. His hand fell away from her leg, and the cool air that floated in it's place felt punishing.
With an awkward look at his face that lasted just a second, Hermione reached for her bag, signaling her departure.
"Erm, thank you for dinner again. I'll see you in the morning."
Draco hung his head, reaching up to scratch the back of his neck before sighing then standing from the stool.
"Anytime Granger." He smiled at her though it didn't totally feel genuine. Hermione moved to turn but Draco stopped her with his words. "Can I make a suggestion for breakfast tomorrow?"
The question seemed safe, the air still felt far too warm but Hermione's nerves were settled. She cleared her throat and was able to look at him straight on again.
"Yeah. What would you like?" She inquired.
"Something sweet." He replied.
Hermione spent the rest of her evening deciding if he meant something sweet that he could consume or something sweet that he just wanted to taste.
Their morning routine was quieter than normal. Draco looked tired, vaguely mentioning something about not sleeping well to which Hermione suggested to try and head back to bed. After his shower, she popped his eye in and headed into the kitchen to begin breakfast. Draco lingered behind, still watching her cook while they listened to the book.
"What are you making?" He questioned as she pulled out fluffy bread. "French toast?"
Hermione nodded, then began making the special glaze.
"Orange French toast. It's more of a summer dish but I've been wanting to make this for awhile." She said, not looking up as she began slicing extra fruit.
Soon enough, there was a plate with French toast, fruit and bacon sitting in front of both of them. Hermione waited for his reaction before she started eating like normal, Draco took a few bites, scooping up the syrup and glaze a few times with the fried bread. He looked satisfied, she smiled internally and sat silent so they could listen to the end part of The Shining.
She wasn't really focused on the story that much, more so his facial expressions. His eyes widened, mouth parted, eyebrows low as he listened to the climax. He'd make small comments but she never responded since he was mainly talking out loud to himself. When the tape abruptly stopped, Hermione gave him a quizzical look.
"What's wrong?"
"I want to sit on my sofa, give my arse a break." He said with the first smirk she'd seen all morning.
"Yeah sure." She agreed, too invested in the plot to excuse herself home. Draco technically didn't need her until the afternoon, but she wanted to listen to the end of the story and discuss his thoughts.
An hour passed, Hermione clutched a pillow with anticipation, watching as Draco shook his head in denial.
"Halloran's not going to die is he?" He questioned but she shushed him. "He's going to get Danny out. The ghosts can't get him."
Hermione smiled at the excitement and how into the story he was, she was waiting to see how he would take the next part.
"No." Draco gasped. "No fuck, no." He whined and she giggled. "I'm going to turn this off." He grumbled.
"No! Come on, we're almost to the end!" She said, scooting up to the edge of her chair. Draco looked over at her, the two holding each other's gaze for a few seconds with sincere smiles on their faces. Both realizing how content they were in each other's presence.
"Thank Merlin." Draco said with the ghost of a smile, but it quickly slipped off his face when the narrator described Halloran's brief possession. "No. No, what the fuck?"
"Merlin, shut up and wait!" She said again with a laugh.
Draco listened then his shoulders slumped with relief, Hermione shook her head. The tape ended minutes later and both took a deep inhale as it clicked off.
"Well? What did you think?" Hermione asked.
"It was interesting." He said, not giving anything else. She gaped at him.
"Interesting? You were on the edge of your bloody seat ready to cry when you thought Halloran was going to die!" She accused with a laugh.
"I was not!"
"Yes you were! I saw the panic literally flash in your eyes when he raised the mallet. Honestly Malfoy, I haven't seen you that worried since we were children." She giggled and he rolled his eyes.
"The mum was absolutely useless and a child certainly wasn't going to save the day. Excuse me for wanting them to avoid a violent death." He defended, standing from the sofa and looking over at the other tapes to play next. Hermione decided to stand as well and view what story he was looking to listen to next from a safe distance.
"You liked it." She mumbled with a smirk and he just snorted and shook his head, a grin of his own appearing.
When he peaked over his shoulder, he saw her standing near to him. He looked back down at the tapes, pretending to be concerned with the story titles but in actuality, couldn't stand to be so close to her while she was smiling and not do anything about it. He wanted more and Granger, simply stated, was not taking a bloody hint.
"I'm somewhat disappointed." He said with a serious expression, eyes going through the titles again. Hermione frowned in confusion, then took a step to read the tapes in his hands.
"With what? The tape selection?" She asked perplexed, thinking she had brought a good variety to choose from.
Draco shook his head then put down the tapes, shifting his body to face her. She looked up, still worried about what he was referring to.
"With breakfast." He said with as much indifference as he could muster.
"Oh." She replied, still confused. Remembering he ate a majority of the French toast, she didn't understand why he didn't mention something earlier. "I'm sorry. What was wrong with it?"
Draco swayed closer, not large enough for her to think anything was out of the ordinary, but still brought their bodies within his desired distance.
"It wasn't sweet enough for my liking." He expressed, his cheek twitching up when her frown deepened.
"You could have put more confectioner's sugar on, or I could have made more icing." She explained, thinking he was being extremely honest with his criticism.
The blue and silver of his eyes flickered between her own. A slow smile spread to his lips, teeth showing through as he breathed out a chuckle.
"No, I want something sweeter now." He told her with a trademark smirk.
Hermione's mind had a second to comprehend his intentions. His smile made her suspicious, words made her certain he was referring to something unrelated to food, and when his head moved down to hers, it confirmed that he meant her.
She was stuck, her mind choosing to run or stay, be brave or flee.
The glow of his eyes mixed with the hypotonic shades of his scar were the last colors she saw before her eyes shut close in anticipation. An audible inhale was heard before he pressed their lips together and softly kissed her with a tenderness that overwhelmed them both. Hermione's skin pickled with sparks, a sensation equivalent to free falling engulfed her body.
Draco closed his lips around her bottom one then opened his mouth to press a little harder. His hand reached for her, fingers finding her side and moving to hold onto her lower back. Hermione felt her body move and soon her hands were resting on his chest as their lips continued to meet each other.
Meet, introduce, acquaint. Their lips were becoming friends, best friends she hoped. Melting quickly into lovers.
Their movements were slow and careful, giving what they were getting, content with the flares of electricity that took place in their chests. Hermione had never thought Draco could kiss like this, with a passion that felt comfortable enough for her to open her mouth wider for him and tease her tongue along his. It was shy and leery but soon turned radiant when the lowest hum of pleasure drummed from his chest.
His tongue met hers with the same tentativeness, allowing her to meet him when she wanted. With the first thrust into her mouth came her own whimper, and so she lifted on her toes to pugs closer to him. Hands clasped around his neck and slipped into the shockingly soft blonde hair, pulling and toying, fingernails scratching to hear his soft moans.
Draco's palm widened against the expanse of her back, trying to gently urge her forward so they'd be flushed. Muscles went slack, he grabbed her tightly, pushing their upper halves together until it felt like they were fused, no space between the tiniest crevices. All the while, their kisses remained slow and intentional, despite Draco's desire to eagerly snog her until he heard his name as a moan in her voice.
He was content with exploring, discovering a new preference to allow a witch to lead the kiss. Something about Granger being the one to guide him, making him wait until she gave a go ahead signal that she wanted more made his stomach twist and leap like he was a teenager again. He liked the way her hands increasingly touched him, grabbed him fiercely. And the slow increase of pressure of her mouth begging for more from him made his blood turn from warm to hot.
He liked the waiting, because Granger was the greatest reward.
One of her hands began stroking the length of his silky scar down his cheek, soothing over the line over and over. Hermione was unsure of how long they kissed, but decided to break it when her jaw grew sore from the consistent movement. Lowering back to the flats of her feet, she rolled her bottom lip between her mouth, tasting the remnants of his own flavor.
Draco's eyes opened, their faces mere inches apart, hands still holding onto each other. Eyelashes fluttered and Hermione courageously looked up at him, not wanting to move away while his hand began rubbing her back.
"Is your sweet tooth satisfied now?" She asked in a quiet voice.
Draco breathed out a laugh, entranced by the glossy look in her eyes and the shades of pink on her cheeks.
"Not even close." He whispered.
