Chapter 16 - Declarations
By the time Draco had found a suitable book to bring to Hermione, almost two weeks had passed and they were nearing the middle of November. The weather had chilled considerably, Voldemort's plans were moving ahead—though the Dark Lord himself had yet to return to England, his search for Grindlewald taking up more of his time and energy than even he himself had anticipated—and things were looking discouraging all around. On the matter of the list, Draco had gotten ahold of a few more of the easy items, though his search into some of the harder materials was considerably delayed by now much time he spent in the library reading. For once, his excuses were actually true, and on the one occasion that Crabbe and Goyle actually found him there, they were visibly shocked that their friend seemed to have turned into a bookworm.
"Almost makes me think of that bloody mudblood, Granger," Goyle had muttered on the way back to their dorm.
If Draco had heard them, he would have been tempted to hex them for their use of language that he no longer agreed with in the slightest, and also been flattered and embarrassed at the comparison to Hermione.
Anyway, having found the book he needed and read up considerably on Grindlewald himself, so as to directly be able to share with Hermione certain details rather than just handing her the book this time around—and...maybe that was taking a slight chance to show off, but only incidentally, of course—Draco finally sent out his patronus. This time, the peacock he managed to summon was almost normal size, a literally huge improvement on his previous attempts, and for a moment Draco was so stunned at the feat that the patronus just sat there waiting and staring at him.
Pulling himself together, Draco disguised his voice and sent a brief message to Hermione, merely asking if she was available.
This time, he didn't have to wait hardly at all for her response, as an otter came swimming through a makeshift window in the Room of Requirement a minute later. Draco was surprised to find that Hermione's voice wasn't disguised this time, which spoke volumes about how she trusted him to be alone when contacting her.
I guess we've reached that stage then, Draco thought, unaware until that moment that he had even been keeping track.
"Hello Draco," she began, making Draco perk up at her casual use of his name. After two weeks of almost no contact, he had supposed that they would go back to the formal addresses of before, even just subconsciously, but...he was certainly relieved that it wasn't the case.
"Yes, I'm available to talk—I'm just relaxing in my tent for a change. How are you?"
Since their conversations had—mostly—been all business up until now, Draco likewise wasn't prepared for such a casual question about how he was. Granted, she could have made it just out of politeness, like an ordinary greeting, but...somehow Draco didn't think so. Last time they'd spoken and even before, Hermione had made it very clear that she was interested in what he was doing and how he was in general, so this couldn't be an offhanded kind of comment just now. It did make it harder to respond to though, knowing that she was seeking an actual answer and not the typical response of "Fine, thanks."
Summoning his patronus again, Draco decided to be noncommittal about he how he was feeling emotionally—mostly because, right now, he was all over the place and feeling more than a little confused and elated at both his recent discussions with her and with Severus—and instead mentioned more of what he was doing. "I've been looking for a book on Grindlewald and I think I finally found something suitable. Could we...meet again so I can give it to you?" It was still business, Draco reminded himself—all the while trying not to think of the things he wanted to discuss that had nothing to do with business.
It seemed almost like the otter swam back doubly quick. "Of course! Tomorrow, same time and place?"
She sounded eager—for the book, Draco presumed.
However, just to feel some semblance of control, for once he wanted to set the place to meet. "How about somewhere indoors?" he asked. "My family's lakehouse, for instance, from back before." Not that he was going to bring up the specifics of that encounter, of course.
Then, once some time had passed without a response, Draco realized what the problem was and summoned his peacock again. "Don't worry, Hermione, it's empty. I haven't been there myself since I was a child."
The response was immediate after that.
"Somewhere indoors would be nice, Draco. Thank you and see you there."
That last part sounded a bit rushed, so Draco figured that either Potter or Weasley must have come in at that point. Draco only hoped that they hadn't heard his name mentioned because...well, Hermione had become one thing, but Potter and Weasley were still another. Potter especially. Or...
Actually, scratch that; Weasley's worse, Draco decided. And though he had no idea why the thought suddenly came upon him, it was a very definite feeling. Potter, at least, had some sense, for all that Draco thought that the Chosen One let fame get to his head. Weasley though...there was something off-putting about him, though obviously Draco didn't care enough to look into the matter now. Just remembering him in sixth year...something didn't sit right...
After relaying to Harry what Draco had told her—minus the detail that it was Draco, of course—and getting his okay to go, Hermione hurriedly set about making preparations, which mostly including making sure that the wards were going to hold strong while she was away. She would be leaving Harry alone yet again, and of course this was somewhat of a deterrent, but take it all in all and with Harry practically insisting that she go, it wasn't much of a hard choice to make.
The next morning just before breakfast, Hermione happened to get a look at herself in the mirror just over the washbasin they had set up in the tent, and...she didn't at all like what she saw. Obviously there was no use in being picky about her appearance when they were roughing it out in the woods, but...had her hair always looked this unruly and had she always looked this haggard? It must have been over a day since she'd last used a cleaning charm, and of course it was weeks and weeks since she'd had a proper shower. Witch or not, Hermione was still human, and thus couldn't be expected to look pristine and perfect under such conditions. It had bothered her before, of course, but somehow it seemed worse this morning.
I look like I walked into a troll's cave and just barely got out unscathed, Hermione thought. Then, picking up a lock of her hair and taking a sniff, she concluded that she smelled just as bad too. Harry hadn't said anything of course, likely because he was in the same sorry state that she was, but it was disconcerting all the same to think of how much things like personal hygiene could get left behind even in the Wizarding World. Was this was witches and wizards at Azkaban felt like all the time?
Probably worse, seeing as they had Dementors to worry about, Hermione reminded herself.
Muttering a few incantations to at least give her basic cleaning, Hermione improved her overall appearance a little, but not by much. Merlin, what she wouldn't give for a proper bathroom right about now, even if only for five minutes!
Rubbish, Hermione! What's gotten into you?! she chided herself as she joined Harry at the table. For goodness' sake, after all she hadn't even cared about such things when Ron was around, so why—
But just the thought of Ron was enough to bring her mood down in a way that Hermione didn't need right now. Not for any reasons having to do with affection, per se, but it still stung in the worst way possible that someone whom she had thought of her as one of her best friends had really just up and abandoned them.
Hermione peered up at Harry across the table, wondering how he was feeling regarding that. After all, they still hadn't brought it up to talk about yet, and, by now, Hermione thought that perhaps they never would. After all, there was nothing positive that they could say about it and they both preferred to think of Ron as he was rather than who he had become recently.
Enough! You can't go meeting Draco if you're like this!
Strangely enough, that was enough of a thought for Hermione to pull herself together, and the rest of the morning passed by without incident.
When the time came to leave though, Hermione found herself checking over her appearance one last time in the mirror, though sadly there wasn't anything to improve on with her usual sweater and jeans combination. Just as long as she was dressed warmly enough for the colder weather, that was all that mattered!
So, finally, after a quick goodbye to Harry, Hermione apparated to the lakeside where she and Draco had first re-met.
Since she had been apparating from a long distance, Hermione went back to the only clear place she remembered, despite knowing that it was on the wrong side of the lake. Once she got a view of the Malfoy lakehouse though, she apparated again, a much shorter distance this time, and landed on the jetty that reached out into the lake. Looking up at the house itself, she noticed that some of the lights were already on, and they stood out quite obviously in the otherwise foggy, dark weather. It hadn't been as cloudy where she and Harry had been camping, but then, this was another part of Britain entirely.
Feeling nervous even though she knew she shouldn't be—because if Draco said that he was alone, then he was, darn it! She had to trust him on this, although...perhaps that's not entirely why she was nervous?—Hermione made her way up the stone steps and to the back door. Awkwardly ringing the doorbell there, she waited, feeling almost as if she was coming over for a casual chat rather than to collect an important book and discuss...what? More of the war?
Merlin, she hoped it wasn't only going to be about that!
No use denying it, Hermione. You started something last time and now you want to finish it, that's all there is to it! Nevermind that she had gone over their conversation many times in her mind and wondered more than once exactly where things had been headed. Come to think of it, what had their last point of conversation been? Strangely, Hermione found it hard to remember.
In the next moment, Draco was at the door, opening it for Hermione and gesturing her inside. As usual, his face was almost entirely blank, but he definitely seemed to relax a bit more once Hermione stepped inside. In contrast to her wrinkled camp clothes, he himself wore a gray suit this time, though he had taken the jacket off once he got the fireplace started. Coming back to the lakehouse had been liking coming back to the childhood, only while it was the same house, he was a different boy. Looking around the rooms that had grown dusty and out of use, Draco struggled to pull up one specific happy memory about this place, but found that it eluded him. This wasn't surprising though, as even trying to picture his father with a happy smile was a struggle.
"How are you?" Draco said by way of greeting, leading Hermione to the main room where he had already set the book about Grindlewald on the coffee table in front of the fireplace. "Would you like anything to drink?" He felt he should offer something because, much like how Hermione felt like a guest, he felt like he was supposed to take on a host's role.
Hermione couldn't help but smile over at him and how...out of place but nice it was to hear those words from him. It certainly wasn't something she'd ever tried to imagine for herself. "Some apple cider, if you have it. If not, just water's fine."
Draco nodded and gestured for her to sit down while he went over to the bar to check on what they did have. Thankfully, for all that the house hadn't been used for many years, the Malfoys had left it well-stocked before they left. "Want ice?"
Hermione shook her head. "Not with the weather outside being like it is."
Draco sniffed in agreement. "Not pleasant being out in the woods, I imagine."
"No, it isn't," Hermione confirmed, finally taking a seat in the middle of the couch—lavish, of course, like almost everything she imagined the Malfoys owned. For all that the furnishings were obviously, er, elite in the house, everything inside didn't at all match with the rustic feel of the wilderness outdoors. Even the wooden panels on the sides of the fireplaces were carved to look like snakes, reminding her just whose house this was and how the most out-of-place thing in it was her. Not letting it bother her though, Hermione shifted her attention elsewhere, and it was then that she noticed the book on the coffee table.
"Is this it?" she asked, even as she picked it up.
Draco, drinks in hand, came from behind her and set two glasses down. "Yeah. From what I've seen, that's the one that covers his life and deeds in the most detail."
Hermione perked up to what he said and how it indicated that he'd researched multiple books in seeking out a resource for her and didn't just hand her the first one he found. That was...well, more than she had expected from him, and yet...so thoughtful.
Hermione settled the book in her lap as Draco sat down next to her, still keeping an appropriate distance from her, not more nor less than when they had been sharing a ledge. As Hermione flipped through the pages of the book, more to stall for time since she didn't know what to say rather than because she was absorbing the contents, she chanced a sideways glance at Draco as he reached for his own drink and took a sip. He looked...well, still as pale as before, but something about him seemed less haggard, like he was possibly getting more sleep. Hermione wished that she could say the same for herself, but what with the locket to wear and guard duty to do, it was bloody unlikely that she'd ever get a full night's sleep.
Draco himself was tempted to look at her as well, but he forced himself to stare forward until he could come up with something to say. There was something that he wanted to say to her, and he had been going over it in his mind a few times, but now that she was actually here, nothing seemed that simple anymore. Not that there was an "easy" way of saying what he wanted to anyway.
Fortunately, Hermione always had a ready comment to prompt more discussion. "I'm really thankful that you did this for me, Draco," she said, to which he looked up and faced her. Giving him an encouraging smile, Hermione set the book aside. "I do feel it puts us on rather unequal terms, though, so it seems I owe you a favour in return."
Draco was pleased by the offer and would of course take her up on it, but...not just yet. First, he felt that he had to make his position absolutely clear, and for that to happen, he'd have to confess certain things sooner rather than later.
Setting down the glass, he cast his full attention on Hermione, all seriousness. "You don't have to think of it as repaying a favour, Hermione." And though her face revealed nothing, Hermione's breath stilled for a moment at hearing him use her name again. She had felt only mildly awkward at using his, but it was definitely nice and felt natural to have him do it in return.
"In fact, I'm not sure we can think of this as a 'favour' anymore, because it really goes beyond that."
Hermione shifted her weight slowly so that she was facing him as well, not saying anything and just prepared to listen. For anyone who knew her well, they'd know that this was Hermione giving her full attention to something that she was curious about—something about which she was sure to have many questions.
With no way to prepare himself for this no matter what he did at this point, Draco delved forward.
"There's...something important I found out recently, and it more or less defines what I'm going to tell you next," Draco said. "That list I've been working on—it's definitely not for the Dark Lord's purposes. I still have no idea what it is for, but whatever it is, I've been...given to believe that it may be for working a...against..." But no matter how true it was or that he was thinking it, Draco found himself scared to say it directly.
Hermione understood enough though, so, with a light touch to Draco's forearm to assure him that it was alright, she encouraged him to continue.
Swallowing the lump in his throat, Draco went on. "Anyway, what I'm doing here is more or less the same along those lines. If I help you with things like this research, then...it's much the same as what I'm doing in seeking out items on that list. It's towards the same end, however indirectly." He sighed, now that it was out in the open. "So...whatever you ask from now on, Hermione...I won't consider it a favour and I'll do it if it helps you." And he meant it too, even more specifically to Hermione herself, though of course Potter would also be benefiting from it.
Hermione, for her part, was completely still as she heard this, her hand left resting on his forearm. Draco didn't shrug her off or anything, so she left it there, instead focusing on taking in his words. It was very clear what he was saying and, quite frankly, it overjoyed her to hear it. Not only was it the culmination of what she had been after in trying to talk to him from the beginning and so now they had a new and useful ally, but...
It was all the more meaningful because it was Draco who was now on their side. Not just for his usefulness and position, but just because he—
"I...I'm glad you're telling me this, Draco," Hermione said at last, as she noticed that he was waiting for her to say something. Then, whether unconsciously or because she wanted to somehow communicate that she meant the trust she was about to give him, she shifted closer to him on the couch until their thighs were nearly touching. "I know it hasn't been an easy decision to come to, but—"
However, instead of reciprocating the warm feelings that were rising in Hermione as she tried to think of what to say, Draco turned cold and did shrug her off, turning his head away from her to stare in defiance at the flames in the fireplace. "It wasn't that hard. I already told you that you don't know me, and I'm not some kind of monster who—"
"No, that's not what I meant!" Hermione exclaimed, catching on to where his sudden irritation was coming from. Hesitant, she reached for him again, only to have him grab her hand midair to stop her from touching him. Once he had grasped her hand though, Draco found that he wouldn't let go, and instead waited for her to finish what she had to say.
"I don't think that it's been hard for you from a personal point of view," Hermione continued, remaining still. "I only meant that with things being the way they are and your...family and what you've had to go through..."
"It's partly because of them that I'm different," Draco said, though both his expression and his grip on her hand softened. Taking a deep breath, he turned to face her again. "I know what you think of them and you're right. They are the main reason why I got in this deep in the first place, but seeing what this war's done to them is also the reason why I want to get out. You, Weasley, and Potter might think that they deserve it, that they—"
"We don't think that! Or...I don't, at least!" Hermione cut in. Then, at Draco's incredulous look, she shook her head lightly, her messy curls framing her face and catching the firelight in a way that Draco felt he rather liked. Not that it was a distraction from her next words though. "No matter what's happened in the past, this war isn't doing good things to anyone and I don't want anyone to suffer for it. I just want it to be over and for everything to return to the way it's supposed to be. And things aren't supposed to be this way, Draco, not with..." But here she paused, unsure if she should say more in reference to the situation on the hunting and ostracizing of muggleborns.
Draco, catching on to what she meant regardless, reflected that she didn't, after all, know how his views had changed on that subject. Now was as good a time as any to make that clear, he supposed. "I know, Hermione—and I agree."
Hermione couldn't believe that she'd heard him correctly. "You...you do?"
Draco nodded, giving her hand a light squeeze as though that confirmed it. Feeling Hermione squeeze his hand back only spurred him on to say more rather than holding back. "Ever since this whole thing's started, I haven't been the same, haven't thought about things the same way. What I thought before, the things I did and the things I said, most of it was all I'd ever been brought up to believe. I didn't see things for what they were until they became like this, and now I—"
Cutting himself off abruptly, Draco reached over and clasped Hermione's hand in both of his, for a moment looking so full of torment that Hermione felt a throb of pain in her own chest.
"I never realized just what I was doing in how I was treating you. The things I said, what I called you—all of it. The truth is that I was just jealous of how good you were at everything, how every teacher loved you and how my father would never let me hear the end of it. I hated you because of how better you were than me and how, back then, I thought that logically it should be the other way around.
"I know now it has nothing to do with being a pureblood or half-blood or muggleborn—not at all. Not...at...all." And these last words, from the way they were emphasized, were as clear an apology as anything Draco Malfoy had ever given in his life.
Hermione, recognizing them for what they were, accepted them as only she could: with a warm smile, she leaned over and likewise clasped one of Draco's hands between two of her own. "If only you could've told me this earlier...we could have been friends before this whole thing started." At Draco's sudden remorseful look though, she added, "It's a good thing we can start now, though."
And, just like that, she had confirmed it: she, Hermione Granger, actually considered him, Draco Malfoy, her friend. Draco felt the elation rising up in him, and for a moment he was the one full of disbelief. After all, just a simple almost-apology like that didn't make up for years of bullying and belittling. At the very least, she ought to be skeptical that he really meant what she said, but...
She believes me, Draco thought. She understands.
As Hermione slowly released her hands and reached for her glass to take a sip as well, he slowly took in what she had told him, and, for the first time in the longest time that he could remember, he actually felt...happy.
Exhaling a deeper breath than he realized he'd been holding, Draco also reached for his drink, but didn't move away to give Hermione her space. As she didn't move away either, maybe it was alright to sit so close to her, though. After a stretch of silence between them that for once was more comfortable than awkward, Hermione finally spoke up once more.
"So, regarding what you said about the list, even though we still don't know what it's for, I am invested in helping you figure it out. Have you found anything else since we last spoke?"
In truth, Draco didn't feel like talking about the list now and almost wished that he didn't have it on him. But if he diverted the topic away from the list, which by all accounts should be what he wanted to discuss right now, then he'd only look the fool. So, careful not to let his reluctance show, he stood up and fetched the list from his jacket that he'd left over by the bar. He had taken to marking off what items he had found, so he simply handed it to Hermione to read over herself.
Scanning through the list, Hermione immediately sought the most complicated and/or hard to find items, resolving that if her puzzle theory held true, then those would be the only ones that Draco should truly be after. Apart from the dragon whistle, which he had already found, the items that she narrowed down were the goblin-made steel and unicorn blood, both of which she had already identified earlier on. It certainly discredited a lot of the other items on the list when she only focused in on those three.
Handing it back to Draco, Hermione pointed out those two items and asked if he had gotten started on finding either of them. When she explained that those were the only items that held up with her puzzle theory, Draco shifted gears to being interested as well. "It makes a lot of the other items on the list not worth finding," Hermione added, in completing her explanation. "Do you suppose the list was made to be so long just to throw someone off from those three?"
Draco supposed exactly that, and for once was glad to have drawn the same conclusion that Hermione had. And besides which, it was both a relief and a bit of an annoyance that he wouldn't have to worry about most of the other items, because he definitely didn't have a use for Trelawney's crystal ball or the key to the cellar at Hog's Head! But now, since Hermione had asked him about his progress and all, maybe it was a good time to show off—and see that she approved of his plan, in which case he could be more confident about it.
"I checked out things regarding the steel first," he began. "Or, more specifically, I read up all I could on goblins and what they prize. Gold is a given, but since there aren't many goblin smiths around nowadays, purchasing a piece isn't an option. The only leftover pieces of their old work are either family heirlooms locked tight in Gringotts, or something that has been reported as 'lost'."
Growing excited, Draco took out another sheet of paper where he had kept track of his notes, then tapped the parchment with his wand so that the marks actually showed up on the enchanted paper. "Another item on that list was the Bloody Baron's memoirs, which is where I checked next."
"What made you do that?" Hermione couldn't help but ask.
Draco looked away, clearly embarrassed. "More luck than cleverness," he admitted finally. "The Baron himself caught me in the library one night and then started cussing out goblins for no reason once he saw me reading about them. His memoirs were on my list and they were easy enough to check out from the library, so I searched through those. Turns out that he ran an illegal goblin mine back in the day and got the goblins right angry with him over his treatment of them. His family owned a sheath that was goblin-made, and after he ran off to Albania for some reason or other near the end of his lifetime, they stole it from his castle. The Baron found out about this only after his death, so it's a postmortem account at this point; but anyway, he haunted one goblin in particular until the goblin confessed what they had done with it.
"Turns out that they had thrown it into the bottom of a lake, and when I asked the Baron about it directly he mentioned how it's probably in the hands of the merpeople after all these years."
Hermione listened attentively, not only impressed with how Draco had managed to come this far all on his own, but also how...intelligent and determined he was turning out to be. She knew that Gyffindors and Slytherins were actually pretty similar—save that Slytherins had more cunning and were open to being more deceptive than a Gryffindor could ever be—but it was still surprising to find herself respecting Draco as much as she did for what he had managed to do. Regardless, she sensed that he wasn't quite finished with what he was telling her...
"Anyway, looking into that, for a while I thought it was a dead end, but then I spent a few hours reading up on merpeople." Draco crossed his arms, finally sitting back down. "There was nothing useful in those books, since even they can't be bribed by gold, but then..." Opening up the list once more, Draco pointed to an item that, while not precisely "rare', was nevertheless out of place among the more commonplace and mundane items: a kracken's egg. "I figured that I could trade them this for the sheath. Or try to, anyway."
Hermione dug into her own stores of knowledge, trying to think of what information she could share that might be useful. Kracken eggs, unlike dragon eggs, were relatively easy to come by, though were largely discarded by witches and wizards because the hatched kracken would often die within a few weeks anyway. Not much had been put forth into the study of them of course, but in her book on magical creatures for Hagrid's class, Hermione remembered a reference stating that a kracken took several weeks to develop a hard exterior shell, for which certain minerals were essential. As such, it was easy to draw the conclusion that they needed salt water to survive, and so that was probably the reason that they didn't do well in lakes. It was doubtful that the merpeople themselves knew this though, and considering that the lake by Hogwarts was only inhabited by them and a "Giant Squid", it certainly would seem like a defensive asset to give them a kracken to call their own.
But that would be deceiving them, Hermione thought. And besides which, it might not even work. After all, a centuries-old goblin-made sheath for a kracken egg? It was hardly a fair trade, even if the merpeople didn't really have a use for the sheath. Besides which, with how sneaky and deceptive the plan was, it didn't exactly fit in with her morals.
Then again, there is a literal war going on, Hermione, she reminded herself. If there was any time for morals and boundaries, that time had long passed by ever since Dumbledore had died. Speaking of which, Draco knew a lot more about that than even Harry did, so what if—?
One thing at time, and now's not it, Hermione concluded. Already, Draco had admitted to working towards the same goal that she was—despite not knowing the specifics of what she and Harry were doing—and he had also renounced everything he had ever thought about muggleborns; it was enough for one day.
"And, erm, do you have the kracken egg?" Hermione asked, as she didn't see a mark next to it.
"I've arranged to buy one from Borgin and Burkes," Draco admitted, trying not to remember the price that he was being charged. Some of his desperation for the egg must have come off when he went down there, he thought, otherwise he was certain that he wouldn't have been charged half as much for an item that seemed so useless. But right now it was the only one to be found even in Knockturn Alley, so he'd had to take it.
Hermione herself felt that she had very little part in this, and yet she was still encouraged to see that it could work out for what Draco was doing. She had no idea if the merpeople would actually take him up on his deal, but...
"You've come really far, I see," she said, blushing lightly at the unfamiliarity of praising someone else's cleverness for a change. "I don't see what you could need my help for in this..."
Draco's look softened as he stared at her, and for a moment he almost felt an urge to reach out and...
But even as he felt the compulsion go through him and even as he shifted his arms a little, he didn't dare allow himself such liberties right now. It had already been an intense enough day and meeting without his adding more to it, so for now he accepted Hermione's compliment as-is. In any case, it had been worthwhile to be able to brag a bit for once and get even Hermione Granger's praise for it, nevermind that it had taken a lot of effort to make even this much progress! For the moment, he was content.
"We'll see what uses you have, Granger," Draco said with a smirk, just for a moment reverting back to his own Slytherin nature to bring him back in line. Hermione found that for once she didn't mind it though, and instead countered with a smirk of her own.
"Suppose you will, Malfoy," she said. "But then I might have to ask something else of you."
"And I you," Draco continued. "And so on and so forth until we'll have to keep a tally."
Hermione nodded down to the parchment in his hands. "It looks like you're good enough at doing that, though, so we'll be fine." Then, looking sly, "Assuming you keep an accurate count, that is."
Draco's look darkened, but not in an unpleasant way. "You mean you think I'll cheat?"
"Wouldn't you?" Hermione asked innocently.
Draco stared at her intensely. "I might."
Hermione shrugged, looking away—though her manner was entirely playful. "Then I guess I'd really have to hex you."
Draco leaned forward, not about to drop the conversation that easily. "And what hex would you use?" he asked in a low voice.
Turning to face him again, Hermione found that he was much closer than before, practically leaning over her in somewhat of a predatory manner, but she didn't feel the need to move away—didn't want to move away, actually. Letting out a shaky breath, she mentioned the only spell she could think of: "Titillando."
Draco smirked. "You can try it, Granger. Good luck to have it work though."
Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Wouldn't it?"
"It hasn't yet."
"It might depend on who's casting it; I'm told that I'm very good."
"So you are..."
As they finally ran out of quips for the moment, Draco finally leaned back, though his eyes stayed locked on Hermione's and vice-versa. He had started to feel...odd, almost like a fluttery feeling in his head. The cider was somewhat alcoholic, from what he knew, but he hadn't drank enough for it to make him feel lightheaded. As for Hermione, who had barely had any, she couldn't attribute what she had drunk to anything—not buzzing in her ears and certainly not her accelerating heartbeat. Just looking at Draco seemed to make it worse, and for a moment Hermione wondered if maybe she hadn't gotten a little too excited with what progress they were making and...the other things they were sort-of talking about.
Glancing at the clock over by the wall, she confirmed that it was indeed time to go, as she had stayed long enough this time as well and Harry would soon start to wonder. Standing up, she casually tucked the book into her bag and then tucked her hair into the hood of her sweater, as it looked like it was beginning to drizzle outside and she would have to step out to apparate.
Draco followed her out into the veranda, watching as she prepared to leave.
"Contact me again when you finish with the book," he mentioned; although, again, he couldn't have cared less about whether she would return it.
Hermione beamed as she turned around to face him once she was outside. "Will do. And you feel free to contact me for...for any reason at all."
Then, making a hasty exit as only Hermione Granger could do, she disapparated, leaving Draco alone. And, as was becoming usual after his meetings with her, he felt emptier afterward.
A/N: So...I'm not sure what readers may have expected from this chapter based on the title, and I'm sorry if it's a little misleading, but it was all I could come up with for the contents that I wanted to include here. What Draco says to Hermione is important and a big deal, although I know it's not what fans of fluff necessarily want. I still gave them a long discussion and close interactions though, so...maybe that makes up for it? Pretty please? *smiles*
Also, the whole Bloody Baron and kracken's egg thing was 100% made up by me just now. I'm trying to add layers of complexity to Draco's list mission because I do actually have a purpose for everything, but I don't assume that Snape's going to make it easy for anyone (besides Hermione, of course) to decipher what the heck is going on. If anyone has any guesses regarding the list though, then please do include them in your reviews because I'd love to hear them! I also hope that it's not off-putting to anyone for me to keep referring back to it and to Hermione's mission, but at this stage in their relationship, I think you'll notice that it's a combination of business and personal talk, and that's the way I'll be keeping things for one or two more interactions. The further we get in the story, the more "personal" things will become though, so I hope that's enough encouragement for readers to press forward and be patient!
Follow-favourite-review please!