Halloween had kicked November off to a great start. The first week flew by while Malfoy began to really get along with his new found Gryffindor friends. It was still very strange if Hermione thought about it for too long but Malfoy had really seemed to have changed.
Today was the first Quidditch match of the season, Gryffindor v Slytherin. Hermione was bundled up in scarlet and gold, all ready to cheer on Ginny and the rest of her team. She might not be the biggest Quidditch fan but she loved to go cheer on her friends.
Hermione pulled her scarlet and gold hat on over her tamed curly hair as she headed out the door of her room. She was pulling her gloves on as she started down the spiral staircase that led to the common room when she caught a glimpse of someone just in time to stop before crashing into them.
"Good morning Malfoy!" Hermione said cheerfully.
"Morning Granger," Malfoy replied casually as he started to continue up the staircase.
"Are you coming to the Quidditch game?" Hermione asked, which stopped Malfoy in his tracks.
"Um, I'm not really sure. Maybe if it wasn't the Gryffindor-Slytherin match."
Of course, Hermione had not thought about how strange it must be to be exiled from your house and to now be hanging out with their biggest rival.
"Oh, of course," she said softly, "Well you can come with me if you want. Pretty strange going to the match alone, to be honest."
Draco looked at her for a long moment, clearly contemplating his current dilemma.
"I guess I could go with you, so you don't have to go alone. But I am not ready to wear those hideous colors," he said with a sly smirk.
"Then hurry up and get ready! I'll meet you down at breakfast," she said with a big smile before heading downstairs.
There was no doubting their friendship anymore. While they still were not diving into the nitty gritty details of their lives they did spend a ton of time together. It was still strange if Hermione spent too much time thinking about it.
Malfoy eventually arrived in the great hall around the end of breakfast, grabbing an apple before heading out to the quidditch pitch with Hermione. He was all bundled up in emerald and silver, like normal, but he stuck out like a sore thumb as they found a spot over with the rest of the Gryffindor students.
The pair casually chatted as per usual as they waited for the game to start. Passing the time and keeping Malfoy's attention off of any strange looks they got sitting in the stands. Hermione could care less but she knew that this really bothered him, as it would most people.
To no one's surprise, the first match of the season was as exciting as ever. Hermione cheered for Gryffindor while Malfoy clapped softly for both sides. She knew this was hard for him but she was glad he came out. He loved quidditch, he watched the game intently but was clearly torn over who he should be cheering for.
Gryffindor dominated, Ginny's team was stronger than ever. Slytherin caught the snitch and still managed to lose by thirty points. The match was spectacular and the Gryffindor's cheers filled the air. The stands erupted around them as students cheered and filed out and down to the pitch before taking the party back to the Gryffindor common room.
"That was a great match!" Hermione exclaimed as the pair made their way away from the pitch.
"Yea not bad. Ginny is really good," Draco said sounding much cheerier than he had.
"She really is, at least I've always thought so," Hermione said sweetly. "Not that I am the best judge of Quidditch skills," she added laughing softly.
"Well you were right about her; she could really go places."
"Wouldn't that be something!"
The pair continued through the castle and back up to the eighth year common room. They spent most of their time hanging out there, usually studying and working on homework. Today was different, though, there was no homework to do and no test to study for. Today it was just the two of them crashed out on the soft sofa in front of the roaring fireplace.
Their winter wear was tossed over the back of the sofa, the fire keeping them toasty. Draco had a bottle of mead he had gotten last weekend and poured them each a glass why they chatted casually. It was wonderfully sweet, maybe one of the best meads Hermione had ever tasted. Malfoy did have impeccable taste sometimes.
It did not take long before they had finished the bottle and Draco had used a summoning charm on the other bottle he had stashed away in his room.
"Looks like I am going to have to make another trip to Hogsmeade next weekend to restock," he laughed as he poured them both another glass.
"I can come with, buy a little bit for the next time we do this."
"Sounds like a plan to me!"
They continued to laugh and chat all the way through the second bottle. The sun was sinking quickly, the light streaming in from the large bay window was dimming. It was hard to believe how much fun she was having with Draco Malfoy, of all people. It was amazing how things had changed.
"Granger," Malfoy said looking rather seriously at her.
"Malfoy," Hermione said questioningly back.
"Thank you," he said sincerely.
"For what?" she asked her head tilted slightly.
"For being my friend, even after everything that has happened."
"You are much easier to get along with now," Hermione said sweetly with a soft smile on her lips.
"Suppose I am," Malfoy replied slightly sarcastically as he held the empty bottle upside down over his glass.
This gesture confirmed both of their suspicions that they were out of mead.
"Now what?" Hermione asked as they looked at each other and the two empty bottles between them.
"Why don't you tell me Miss Know-it-all?" Draco replied slyly, a grin spread across his face.
"Oh, so it's Miss Know-it-all now," Hermione laughed back as she picked up one of the throw pillows and hit it across Malfoy's shoulder.
"Did you really just hit me with a pillow?" Malfoy laughed very amused at Granger's response.
"I really did. What are you going to do about it?"
These were mead driven fighting words. Malfoy cocked an eyebrow playfully as he looked at Granger. Even slightly intoxicated he was cool and calculating and Hermione was having a difficult time looking away from his silver eyes. If she would have been fully aware she would have noticed Draco lifting his wand.
"Titillando," Draco said slyly as a purple light sprung from the tip of this wand and wrapped around Hermione as she squealed and laughed uncontrollably.
"Tarantallegra," Hermione finally managed to say as she tried to hold eye contact while the purple light from Draco's wand continued to tickle her uncontrollably.
A green light shot forward from Hermione's wand hitting Draco sending him to his feet as they moved uncontrollably. Hermione laughed more watching Draco as his feet danced beneath him.
Unfortunately for Hermione, she was unable to hold eye contact and her jinx broke allowing Malfoy full control of his feet once more.
"Is that the best you can do Granger?" Malfoy said playfully.
"Oppugno!" Hermione managed through squeals and laughs. This sent all of the throw pillows in the common room flying at Malfoy hitting him repeatedly as he tried to fend them off to no avail.
"Ebublio!" Draco shouted finally breaking the tickling hex on Hermione and trapping all of the pillows in a giant purple bubble.
It took a moment for Hermione to finally catch her breath, her gaze focused back on Malfoy.
"It's still pretty early if you want to run down to the three broomsticks and grab a drink."
"I'd love to," Draco said as he broke his gaze from his bubble jinx and sent all of the pillows crashing down on Hermione. "Shall we?" he added with a grin holding out his hand to help her off the couch and out from underneath the pile of pillows he just dumped on her.
"We shall," Hermione smiled brightly as she took Draco's hand allowing him to help pull her up out of the pile of pillows.
The pair quickly threw on their winter wear that had been draped over the back of the couch and headed out. It was almost dark by the time they got outside and the temperature was dropping rapidly.
"Want to take my broom?" Draco asked as he buttoned up his winter cloak.
"What makes you think I'll get on the back of your broom? Especially after we've finished off two bottles of mead." Hermione asked playfully.
"Well, it's faster than walking. It's cold outside and the sooner we get there the sooner we can take a shot of fire whiskey to warm us up." Draco replied smoothly as his summoned broom sailed into his waiting hand. He quickly mounted the broom before looking back at Granger. "I won't bite."
Hermione looked at him skeptically before finally climbing onto the back of Draco's broom and wrapping her arms around him.
The trip to Hogsmeade took no time at all on Draco's broom and before she knew it they were at the door of the Three Broomsticks. Draco hopped off the broom and held his hand out to help Hermione off. When he was not being a prick his manners really were impeccable.
They walked inside hanging their cloaks up by the door along with Draco's broom before taking a seat at the bar. Draco ordered two shots of fire whiskey and a bottle of mulled mead to start off with.
"Cheers," Draco said as he picked up his shot holding it up.
"Cheers," Hermione replied picking up her own shot and tapping it gently against his before she drank it. This was her first time drinking fire whiskey and she could not deny that she liked it. The fiery liquid instantly warmed her up as it settled in her stomach, a warm tingly feeling settling across her face. She might be a little bit tipsy.
"Want to move to a table?" Draco asked. The Three Broomsticks was getting crowded the later it got, it was a Saturday night after all, and the bar was piling up with locals.
"Sure," Hermione said as she carefully slid out of her barstool and onto her feet.
Draco grabbed the bottle of mead and their glasses and wandered over to an empty table in a quiet corner of the bar.
They sat next to each other in the cozy corner booth as they made their way through their third bottle of mead for the evening just enjoying each other's company. It was seriously so weird how well they got along, how much they actually had in common and how she just could not stop looking into his silver eyes. That last one Hermione was going to chalk up to the amount of alcohol she had ingested.
The pair laughed and drank well into the night finishing several bottles of mead and a few more shots of fire whiskey. Before either one of them knew it it was well after midnight and they were both rather intoxicated.
"I don't know about you, but I am too drunk to ride on a broom," Hermione said looking up at Malfoy his silvery eyes gleaming even in the dim light of the bar.
"Yea I think my broom is out of the question for both if us," Draco replied with a laugh. "I also think walking back to school this late would be unwise."
"That is probably true. So what are we going to do?" She asked. It was clear Hermione had never been in a situation like this.
"Let's see if we can get rooms here for the night. C'mon," he said as he stood up from the booth they had been occupying all night.
Thankfully it did not take them long to find Madam Rosmerta as Hermione was rather unstable on her feet. Draco had an arm around her for support.
"Madam Rosmerta you wouldn't happen to have a couple of rooms available for the night would you?" Draco asked smoothly. "Neither one of us is in any kind of shape to go anywhere."
"I'm afraid I only have one room available right now. If you two don't mind sharing you can have it." Madam Rosmerta replied sympathetically.
Hermione and Draco looked at each other for a long moment before Hermione finally shrugged her shoulders. They really did not have another option.
"We'll take it," Draco said.
"Wonderful," Madam Rosmerta replied as she dug out a key from her apron and handed it to Draco. "Up the stairs all the way on the end to your left."
"Thank you so much!" he said as he took the key.
They headed across the bar, up the stairs and all the way down the hall until they reached the last door on the left. Draco opened the door and lead Hermione over to the bed. He flourished his wand and removed her shoes as he tucked her into bed. On the nightstand was a pitcher of water and two glasses. Draco poured a glass and handed it to Hermione.
"Take a drink," he said sweetly as he poured himself a glass.
"Thank you," Hermione said looking up at him.
"Anytime," Draco said with a smile.
He walked around the bed picking up the extra blanket that was across the end of the bed and then the pillow on the other side before making his way over to the chair in the corner of the room. He sat down kicking off his own shoes before wrapping up in the blanket and placing the pillow behind his head.
"I won't bite," Hermione said with a smile as she sat up.
Draco smiled as he got up bringing his blanket and pillow back to the bed. He climbed into bed, rolling over on his side to face Hermione.
"Goodnight Draco," she said softly.
"Goodnight Granger."