CHAPTER 47

A/N: I don't like how this story has so many chapters. It's mostly because I have a very short attention span and I write things in short bouts. So yeah, I just wanted to apologise for that. At this rate it's going to be at least 60 or 70 chapters. :(

They sat quietly on Draco's bed and he managed to let his fears about the future fade away as he focused solely on the girl in front of him. For some reason, when he looked at her, his worries were dispelled. It was like she was some sort of magical talisman that could banish those thoughts from his mind.

How long will this even last? I bet in a few days it'll be back to normal.

"So, ladies first," he entwined his fingers, elbows resting on his knees. Staring across at her, he watched her hand fumble around in her pocket. She bit her lip, panicked because she couldn't feel the item inside. Then she checked the other side. To both of their reliefs, she pulled out a navy blue velvet box.

Holding it out to him, she popped it open and revealed a pair of intricate golden cufflinks.

Now Draco already had a pretty good pair of cufflinks. They were a family heirloom from a few centuries ago, not that he respected them very much since they were bequeathed to him by his father. His current pair were silver and had the letter 'M' on them. These were far better.

They were probably considerably less expensive, and at some point in his life that would have been a problem for him. But right now, with a beautiful witch seated across from him, handing him the most elegant pair of cufflinks he had ever seen, their price didn't matter to him. In fact, to him they were priceless. Because they held such a high emotional value that he was sure would not be easily replaceable.

He gently removed them from the box and held them in the palm of his hand. "They're gold."

He really wanted to leap across the bed and hug her and thank her for doing this with him, but he decided to stick to being his usual self. Hence his choice of words.

"Astute observation. You ought to pass your NEWTS with flying colours with a mind like that, Malfoy," she spoke in a deadpan voice, holding back a smile. He was the first to buckle, grinning at her. Clutching the golden accessories in his palm, he began to remove his current pair of cufflinks.

A moment later, he had successfully put on the left one, but was struggling with the right. Under normal circumstances, he would be doing this in the bathroom and would be done in under thirty seconds. But there were too many crazy variables where he was at that moment. Hermione was there. She was watching him. She was watching him fail.

Her gentle fingers wrapped around his wrist and he looked up, eyes wide, cheeks heating up in embarrassment. "Do you need help?" she asked.

"Of course not, I can certainly put cufflinks on myself," he smiled at her, fumbling to finish the task quickly. At any rate, it took him a minute more, then he decided it was time for him to present her with her gift.

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the deep green velvet box. Without opening it, he handed it to her, allowing her to see for herself. His heart was pounding in his rib cage, terrified that she wouldn't like it. The money wasn't the problem here. Sure, he'd be down a couple hundred galleons, but in the grand scheme of things that didn't matter half as much as what she thought of him.

She opened the box and froze, lips parted in awe.

"You don't like it?" he managed to force out. Disappointment was quickly beginning to fill his body, just like water would in the lungs of a dying man.

"What? No! I love them!" she tore her eyes away from the jewellery and focused on him. "I just... They must have been for more expensive than what I got for you..."

"Hermione," he leaned in towards her. "You're worth more than anything money can buy."

His cheesy line had her giggling, but nevertheless, she leaned in and gave him a tight hug. Draco wasn't really one for so much physical contact, but for some reason wherever she was concerned, that went out the window. He would go out of his way to have an excuse to touch her in the most innocent way. He longed to caress her cheek, feel her soft skin against the palm of his hand. He really wanted to play with her hair, and to tickle her, just because she looked like the kind of person who would be ticklish.

Hermione took the earrings out of their box and then broke the news to Draco. "You're going to have to take off the cufflinks."

"What? Why?" he brought his hands to his chest in defence. "Don't tell me you want them back? If that's the case then I want my earrings back too," he joked.

"No," she swatted his shoulder. "I have to cast the spell."

He sighed in mock relief and proceeded to do as he was told.

Once the four tiny items were on the bedsheets in between them, Hermione pulled out her wand from her pocket and began to whisper a spell, moving it in the air. A moment later, a flash of light erupted from the wood and hit the accessories. When she was done, she handed him back his cufflinks, and put her earrings on.

"Next time one of us needs to talk to the other when we're not together these items will bring us to each other," she told him.

"How will that work? What if it beeps really loudly in class or something?" he asked and they both started laughing at the thought of that. It wasn't actually very funny, it was just that Draco had snickered, which led to Hermione snorting, then him chuckling and so on until they were clutching their stomachs.

"Why are we laughing?" Hermione asked in between gasps for air.

"I don't know about you, but I just imagined a loud noise coming from my cufflinks in the middle of arithmancy or something," he finally squeezed out.

Once they had collected themselves, Hermione continued. "I don't know what it will do, but let's hope it's not something like that. What we need to plan next is where we'll meet when this happens."

"How about the Room of Requirement?" he suggested. It was a good idea and would serve well for the holidays, but once school started again that would be difficult. A lot of people used that corridor and too many people were aware of its existence for her liking.

"How about the abandoned alcove you took me to when you told me about... About staying for the holidays?" she proposed.

"I don't see why not, although it is a bit dusty. I guess even Filch doesn't go down there."

"Well, that's perfect."