Draco returned her kiss, sitting up as he did so. He wasn't exactly asleep; he just wanted to escape the torrents of questions she would be pouring down on him.
Hermione was startled. She tried to break away but Draco grabbed her waist, trapping her with his lips. She was slowly drowning in his soft and subtle kisses.
Tenderly, he set her down on his bed. Then he broke the kiss. He didn't move from where he was seated, beside Hermione. Instead, he lay on his side, resting his head in his cupped right palm, gazing at her.
"Why did you do that?" he asked her quietly.
"Because I..I.." Hermione racked her brain frantically for an answer. In truth, she herself didn't know why she had reacted in such a way. It could have been on impulse, but would she really tell him that? She decided that evasion was the best defence, "Why did you kiss me back?"
"I asked you a question," Draco replied flatly.
"I – I don't know," she tried to answer again. She resisted the urge to reach up a hand to trace his defined cheekbones. "I just felt that I wanted to…I needed to. But I don't know why."
Silence hung in the air for a moment. Then she spoke again, "You still haven't answered my question."
"I just thought it was the right thing to do," he said simply. He gestured towards his food tray, "That's my dinner?"
Hermione nodded. Draco turned his back towards her as he ate in silence. The dinner must have tasted wonderful once upon a time, but then Draco Malfoy never really liked leftovers. He ignored the cold food and reached out for his drink. It was springwater, the finest from Ireland.
Hermione sat up, hugging her knees. Her mind wandered off to the question that had been incessantly pounding her head earlier on.
"Draco, do you.. is there anything troubling your mind?" Hermione raised the question. "Anything you want to tell me?"
"Like what?"
"I went to see Professor McGonagall just now, and - "
The glass of springwater clanked on the food tray. Hermione could see the muscles at the back of his neck stiffened as he stood up rigidly. When he turned to face her, his pale eyes were devoid of emotion.
"That's why you kissed me, didn't you?" Draco launched an accusation at her.
Hermione shook her head, her brown bushy hair becoming more frazzled than before. "No, I didn't mean it that way," she denied as calmly as she could.
"What do you take me for, Granger?" he spat, his eyes flashing with fury. "A moronic Mudblood like you? Do you think a soft pathetic kiss can easily win me over? Think again."
Hermione gaped at him in utter shock. She stared at him defiantly, fighting back the tears.
"What?" Draco countered. "Fine, I'll tell you. My father is still locked up somewhere in Azkaban, I was at Voldemort's mercy for three frickin' months and I saw my mother die in front of me! There! Are you satisfied now?"
Hermione felt a stab of guilt. "I didn't know…"
"Well, now you know don't you? Go and tell your stupid friends about it! Have Potty and Weasel laugh in my face. I'll be pleased."
Hermione bit her lip. She quietly got up from his bed and fled the room, her heart crushed.
Thanks, guys, for your reviews. I admit my earlier chapters were a bit too short for contention. I promise, longer chapters after this but please, I seek your patience..