Okay, there is no excuse. Well, there are, but I'm sure you guys don't care why I couldn't write just the fact that my usually vaguely consistent updates stopped. However, fret not, because dead computers and writers block aside, I'm back with vengeance. Okay, so I'm not terribly pleased with my chapter, but it's a matter of getting things back into gear. Thanks for all your support and patience and I hope you enjoy it!
Oh, and like I said last time: there's a slight chronological overlap at the beginning, so hopefully this warning will help avoid any confusion.
Chapter 20: Hermione's Point of View
"I will make you hate me Hermione Granger" he whispered before she could do anything. "I don't deserve your sympathy and I will earn your distrust once more if only to keep you safe. And when you live to be an old woman and have learned the meaning of fear, you will be grateful for my having done as much. It will be my way of thanking you".
There are few things that could have possible made Hermione Granger freeze quite as effectively as that single statement. In a few, simple words spoken with a passion she had never heard in his stone cold voice, he had made two very stunning revelations. Firstly, he'd thanked her in his own twisted way, an act so un-Slytherin she couldn't help but smile. But more importantly, his words exposed something even more stunning: that perhaps, for the same inexplicable reasons that had led them both to tear down their walls and be amicable with each other, Draco Malfoy cared for his head girl counter-part. Empowered by this knowledge, she walked up to him, stopping but a few centimeters away before smiling.
"Try your worst, Draco Malfoy" she taunted, enjoying every nuance of shock and confusion in his deep blue eyes. "Because knowing that, I will prove to you what true friend do: we stick around. Because even if I'm scared witless, I think I'd rather be so with someone I trust than on my own". Her smile only grew as his eyes narrowed, trying to read into hers. 'Keep trying, buddy' she thought dryly, not even fully sure why she was acting so boldly herself. Turning her attention at the results of his recent anger spout, she took his hand in hers and with the other pulled out her wand and whispered "Accio first aid". Almost instantly, a small wooden box flew down from the stairs that led to her room, landing on the nearby coffee table. Examining the wound once more, she took out a small bottle from the box and proceeded to gently massing the cool shimmering blue ointment onto his injured knuckles. He stared dumbly at her, his expression softening as the pain receded.
"You've got the Devil's own courage, you know that!" he finally managed with a sigh, his voice resigned that there was no way she was going to go away easily. She smiled at him, unable to mask the glow of pride at his words. Realizing what he'd just said, he quickly amended it by grumbling: "Stupid crazy Gryffindors...". She responded with a heartfelt laugh, finishing up her work by covering his knuckles with a white bandage and putting away her ointments.
"Courage, isn't it now, Malfoy?" she teased, letting go of his now mended hand. "Character compliments aside, however, I suggest you keep the bandage on for two more days and it should be fine. And in the future, try punching pillows: it's less messy".
"Is that so?" he taunted playfully. "And here I thought stone walls would clearly be softer!" As if to prove his point, he grabbed a nearby pillow from the sofa and prepared himself to attack it with his uninjured hand.
A lot of things began to 'click' in Hermione's brain as she registered the condition of the pillow in question, the strength of the blond boy, and the size of the ring he was wearing on the offending fist. But before she could stop him, his fist crashed into the pillow with a loud puff.
As she stared into the cloud of fluff and feathers that had enveloped them, she wondered if Draco had known the extent of damage he was causing. It wasn't until the cloud settled that she found him looking more than a bit disgruntled at his current state of disarray as his normally impeccable looks and golden locks were now fully and completely covered in fluff.
"That... did not go quite as well as I had hoped for" he cooly commented, his voice as composed as ever, regardless of the fact that Hermione had taken but one look at him and proceeded to falling on the floor, laughing. At first, he stayed serious but, as her contagious bubbling continued, he soon began to smile, then chuckle, and then double over laughing.
"You're face... you're hair... oh Merlin! That was hilarious!" she managed, holding on to her stomach as if in pain as she continued laughing, only to turn serious as a mischievous grin overtook him.
"Oh no, you don't" she threatened, edging away as he took a handful of fluff and feathers from the floor and launched it at her. She coughed, acting out the 'hurt role' and, as his eyes narrowed in concern, she retaliated in full with a handful of her own. She couldn't remember when what the last time she'd had this much fun or felt so free with anyone. Looking at his bright eyes and his wide smile, it seemed as if he were a completely different person. Composing herself a little, she asked half jokingly, half seriously.
"Will I ever get to know all the different Malfoys in you?" she inquired and knew he understood exactly what she was asking.
"Just know Draco, and that will be enough" he replied before breaking the moment with yet another well aimed pile of fluff.
And so, the very unlikely pair of friends engaged in a very long and drawn out childish fight which left them both looking rather worst for wear but with huge grins on their faces. It was only then that Hermione's wrist watch beeped and her expression turned from amusement to worry.
"Potions" was all she said, as she ran off to her room to get her bag. Malfoy just stared out blankly at the area around him, not fully sure what the muggle item around her wrist meant. It wasn't until she returned to the common room and saw him still sitting there that she remembered to explain. "It tells time. And right now it's telling me that if we don't get our butts to the dungeons soon, Snape is gonna have a heyday at my expense. Not all of us happen to be on his good side" With that, she ran off, leaving him swearing to himself as he belatedly realized that it was, indeed, quite late. He brushed off his clothes with a quick spell before picking up his bag and books, rushing out after her.
She dashed into the dungeon, feeling out of breath and exhausted from the mornings emotional encounter as well as long sprint from her common room in under two minutes. She took her usual seat next to Harry and Ron who were unsurprisingly busy talking about Quidditch. They both looked up at her with amused looks but were unable to speak up as Severus Snape made his usual grand entrance.
"Quiet" he snarled as he characteristically stormed into the room, the doors slamming shut behind him. Soon after he made his way to the front, Draco Malfoy squeezed through the door silently and his eyes met hers for a second and she could have sworn he looked amused.
"Miss. Granger" called Snape, making her snap back to attention. "If I may ask, why in Merlin's name are you covered in white fluff?" The entire class burst into giggles, Gryffindor's included, only to be silenced by a sharp look from the Professor. With all eyes on her, she couldn't help but blush scarlet and look down, her brain racking away trying to find some sort of an explanation. For all and her great grades, Hermione had forgotten to perform a simple clean up spell.
"I saw her trying to do some extra credit spells this morning Professor" answer Draco, "Obviously, one went wrong". The Slytherin half of the class laughed at this, but all she noticed was that though his voice was back to its teasing taunting self, it lacked the cruel edge that had bothered her before.
"Next time pretend to clean yourself up before class, Miss Granger" drawled Snape dismissingly. "It's sufficiently unbearable as is to have most of you in my class without the added fluff". She was about to protest when Ron and Harry held her back. She instead resulted in glaring at Malfoy who seemed on the verge of tearing up with suppressed laughter. She force her attention back to the class at hand but as soon as the bell rang she rushed over to the head boy.
"That was uncalled for" she argued only to have him laughing once more. He caught himself in time to stop as people began to look at him oddly.
"What can I say? You sure didn't have an answer. Besides, he didn't take points off, which is more than you can usually say about every other class".
"You are insufferable" she snapped, though she was fully aware that, no matter how Malfoy ish his comment had been, it had failed to rile her up like it would have but a week before.
"And you wouldn't have it any other way" he retorted, waving goodbye before heading out to his next class, leaving her standing there, still covered in fluff, and with a deep shade of red on her cheeks she decided to attribute to anger, though most people would consider blushing.
Author's Note/Narrative Commentary:
Hehe. And so, with that pillow fight scene, the very unlikely pair of friends engaged in a very long and drawn out fight that some would have considered flirting. Of course, neither of them would have categorized it as thus, but us authors and readers know better, right?
Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. It's not half as dramatic or powerful as the previous, but I think they both needed the release. And I write to serve and couldn't help but get them out of such a painfully tense situation. At least, for now.. evil grin
Disclaimer: Since I haven't said as much in ...well... a while...
I don't own Harry Potter, yada yada yada.
Oh! And I think the expression "You've got the Devil's own courage, you know that?" might be similar and probably inspired by a line in Voyager, by Diana Gabaldon. I've apparently read that book a few times too many if lines are starting to get stuck in my head.
