Granger had owled her address in return for Draco's proof that he'd spoken with his contact at Flourish and Blotts to arrange for her to join the bookstore's prestigious VIP membership list.
Idly, he wondered why she had agreed to such a terrible plan. But he wasn't about to question it, when Granger's willing participation meant a weekend wherein he could simply spend time with his friends without worrying about the rest of it. Never mind that he would have to explain to Pansy when he showed up at the wedding stag.
It was a problem for his future self.
When he emerged from the Floo into Granger's flat―modest but tidy and well-decorated―her head popped into the sitting room from the corridor, eyes wide.
"Just a minute!" she exclaimed, forcing a grimace that might have been meant as a smile.
Draco checked his watch and perched on the front of the sofa cushion, amusing himself with the array of books stacked haphazardly and overflowing from her towering bookshelf.
Several minutes later, Granger returned with a bag slung over one shoulder, clad in jeans and a cotton jumper; her wild curls had been tied into two plaits and a Muggle hat with a brim sat atop her head.
Rising to his feet, Draco slid his hands into the pockets of his own jeans. Theo had insisted upon Muggle attire, which left Draco feeling altogether too casual.
"You look nice," he offered, and when Granger merely stared back with wide eyes as though terrified, he added, "If we're dating I ought to compliment you."
"Of course." She swallowed audibly, folding her arms across her front. "Shall we? Theo and Harry have rented a van and will be departing in twenty minutes."
"Right." Draco offered a hand, a frisson of energy darting through him when she slipped her hand into his. "Theo still hasn't told me who's meant to drive the bloody thing. You?"
"Harry, I think." Her eyes tightened with a wince. "I'm sure it'll be fine. And worst case scenario, they're allowing us to use magic in the event of an emergency."
Despite himself, Draco chuckled. "You have a lot of confidence in him."
A thin smile crossed her face and she lowered her voice, almost conspiratorially. "Harry excels in many things. But he isn't a very proficient driver."
"Why would he be?" Tugging her closer by their joined hands, Draco stared at her for a moment, caught in her eyes. "Thanks for agreeing to this. I suppose it's just... I'd like to enjoy the weekend with my best mate."
"I understand," she whispered, her next exhale a little shaky.
Briefly, Draco's eyes dipped south towards her mouth but he forced himself to focus. No matter that she had agreed to play along for his sake―which she certainly didn't need to do―they weren't truly together and he didn't want to make her uncomfortable.
"So what does this comprise?" she asked, tongue darting out to moisten her lips. "We won't have to... I mean, as far as acting. Perhaps we ought to lay some ground rules."
"Right." His own voice came out a little hoarse and he cleared his throat. "I haven't told Theo about this arrangement, but I want you to be comfortable. You don't need to do anything you don't want to."
"Like we won't kiss, or anything," she murmured.
It was an effort to swallow around the thick lump accumulating in his throat. "Right. Of course not. Maybe some casual touching―if you're amenable."
Her fingers slid between his and she nodded, giving his hand a squeeze. "That's alright."
Such innocent, innocuous contact should not have set Draco's heart racing as fast as it did. Maybe this had been a terrible idea.
"Good," he managed, searching the flecks of gold in her eyes he'd never noticed before. "I imagine you'll want to spend time with your friends anyway. It's just for the pretense of it. You know."
"For what it's worth," she said quietly, "I'm sorry. That Pansy won't accept you've moved on. I never had any indication she was still so hung up on you."
"She isn't," Draco said, shaking his head slowly. "Not really. The idea of it, maybe. In all fairness, her parents pressure her to settle down. And that isn't really what Pans wants but she feels she needs to―it's hard to explain."
"Purebloods," Granger snickered, her lips curling with a bit of a smile. "I guess back at Hogwarts it seemed inevitable. And you were together for so long afterwards I suppose I thought it would always be the case."
"Sometimes we're just loyal to the wrong person." Draco felt almost painfully aware of the way her hand still lingered in his own. "I should have broken it off long before I did so I'm partly to blame. Don't think poorly of Pansy, despite this."
Granger's head dropped into a tilt, her eyes tightening a little. "Even if you don't love her any more, I can see you still care about her. That loyalty isn't a bad thing, you know." Draco simply stared at her for a long moment, lost for words, until she quipped, "Anyway. I'll do my best to be your absentee girlfriend for the weekend and give you plenty of space to do as you like."
He ducked his head into a gracious nod. "And I you." Bringing her hand to his mouth, he brushed a kiss to her knuckles. "Now let's go. I wouldn't put it past Theo to leave without us if we're late."
By the blank astonishment on Potter's face, Draco surmised Granger hadn't explained the situation to him either. When they arrived at the meeting spot together, Granger's small hand once more entwined in his, Draco struggled to withhold a laugh at the red shade of Weasley's face.
But they merely offered their greetings, as though the pair of them arrived at every function together, and boarded the vehicle. Potter had hired a small Muggle equivalent to the Knight Bus with seats for sixteen or so, and a dividing aisle running along the centre.
But Draco had never ridden the Knight Bus, nor did he ever care to.
They were two of the last few to arrive, a strange mash-up of Theo's friends and Potter's friends―many of whom had co-mingled over the years―packed into the narrow benches like children. Almost instantly Draco felt Pansy's gaze sear through him from where she sat with Daphne, and her eyes tightened before she began whispering instantly.
"This one looks good!" Granger announced, tugging him with her rather bodily for her slight stature, and he sank into a bench near the front with her. Rolling her head to face him, she beamed. "I'm so excited."
Amusement tugged at his lips as he stared at her, and moments later the rest of the group came aboard. Draco slung an arm around her shoulders, ducking in close.
"Too much?" she whispered.
Draco rolled his eyes. "Maybe a little."
He could feel a dozen sets of eyes still lingering on them, the tension in the small space mounting, but he kept his focus on Granger. Until her stare dipped to his waist, colour flaring in her cheeks.
"You need to secure your belt," she whispered, clicking a latch around her lap. "I don't trust Harry's driving that much."
Blinking at her, Draco tilted his head to observe what she had done. Then he looked down at his own trousers. "What?"
"The belt," she repeated. "Shall I―"
"What?"
Granger reached across him, his eyes widening when her hand grazed his lower abdomen, and she pulled a thick strip of fabric free from within his seat, securing it into a buckle on his other side with a click.
Draco swallowed thickly. Audibly.
Staring hard at the seat in front of her, she nodded. "There you are."
"Thanks." Blowing out a breath, he murmured, "Merlin Granger, a little early to be groping me don't you think?"
"Of course." Her eyes drifted to the ceiling. "Of course you're going to make a stupid―"
"I'm only joking." Squeezing her closer on the bench, he added a little louder, "Aren't you just wonderful, trying to keep me safe. I'm so lucky."
Slowly, Granger's narrowed eyes slid towards his. Her voice was low and quiet. "Now who's overdoing it?"
"Noted."
At the front of the bus, Theo gave a cheerful wave, and the general buzz of conversation dropped off. "Thanks for coming along! We're looking forward to a wonderful weekend of camping with everyone, Muggle-style!" He clapped his hands together, grinning. "It's going to be excellent."
A half-hearted chorus of mixed agreement and dissent sounded, and Draco fought the urge to laugh. The weekend wasn't about them―it was about Theo and Potter―and if this was how they wanted to celebrate with their friends then Draco would try to make the most of it.
Even though he had not a bloody clue how to survive in the wild like a Muggle. He could only hope there would be plenty of alcohol―but, knowing Theo, they'd all be drowning in it.
Potter took up the seat at the front, and with a great, nausea-inducing lurch, the bus started forward.
Draco ducked in closer to Granger's ear. "You're going to make sure I get out of this alive, right?"
Her lips curled with something genuine enough that it reached the pit of his stomach. "Of course. What sort of girlfriend would I be otherwise?"
A slow grin dragged across his face in return.
Upon disembarking from the bus, Draco's nerves were shot, the contents of his stomach curdled, and his legs nearly gave out when he stood. Potter's driving had been harrowing enough, and with Draco's limited experience in Muggle vehicles before, he felt ill.
"You look a little green," Granger murmured as she awkwardly slung her pack around her shoulders. "Are you feeling alright?"
"Of course," Draco managed tightly. He rushed from the vicinity of the vehicle in a bid for fresh air, but Potter caught his arm, brandishing an empty shoebox.
"Nice try, Malfoy. Your wand, please."
Although the last thing Draco wanted to do was give up his wand, Theo cocked his brows as well, and Draco grimaced. "What if something happens?"
"The box has a failsafe. In the event of an emergency―a genuine one, mind you―you'll be able to retrieve your wands." Potter's eyes hadn't left Draco, as though he might simply drill a hole through him in recompense for bringing Granger as his date.
Huffing a loud breath, Draco relinquished his wand. But before he could escape, Potter dragged Granger away from the rest of the group, and Draco averted his gaze from their animated discussion.
A tall log cabin stood before them, surrounded by a veil of trees. It certainly wasn't unappealing, if a person was interested in living with minimal connection to society and very little by way of amenities. Neither of which was the case, but he had already committed to his best effort for the weekend for Theo's sake.
He already felt bereft without his wand, and when Granger joined him several minutes later with a stern expression, he glanced down at her. "Everything alright?"
"Just fine," she breezed. "Harry simply had a few questions about us."
"Ah."
"And I told him it was new and we don't know where it's going yet but that we're looking forward to getting to know one another better." She gave a stiff, diplomatic nod.
"An excellent answer." He gestured a hand towards the cabin, and with a gracious smile, Granger made her way inside.
It was nicer than Draco expected for a lodge in the middle of nowhere. The common space was large and comfortable, surrounding a large fireplace, and the entirety of it smelled like warm cedar. A stairway led up to the second level where Draco could see a row of doors.
Potter rubbed at the back of his neck as he and Theo followed them inside. "Look, so there should be enough rooms for everyone. Only problem is we had to get some of the furnishings from a Muggle shop so we would have enough and then we had to build them ourselves from a pile of parts with obscure instructions and―well, Ron broke some of it."
"Hey," Weasley retorted.
"And we've only just learned," Potter finished. "So it just means we'll all be a bit more cozy."
Draco turned on the spot towards him. "What does that mean?"
"He only means we're short one bed," Theo quipped, clapping him on the shoulder, "but since we didn't know the two of you were coming together, it all works out."
Drawing in a careful, even breath, Draco glanced sidelong towards Granger. Her lips were thinned into a tight line, but moments later she smiled, her eyes squinted.
"That's just fine," she said, looping her elbow into Draco's. Then her eyes drifted up towards his with a heat he hadn't anticipated. "We don't mind."
"Right." Draco could feel Pansy's gaze lingering on him, as though with disbelief, so he added, "Not only do we not mind, we're thrilled."
While he fought the urge to grimace at himself, Longbottom spoke up. "I don't mind sleeping on the sofa or the floor or―well anywhere, really." He shrugged, a banal smile on his face. "Just happy to have a weekend away from the city."
Pansy cocked a brow as she eyed Longbottom. "Well I have no intentions of sleeping on the floor or the sofa. Come on Daph―let's go pick out our rooms."
As the pair flitted up the stairs, Draco affixed another patient smile to his face and turned towards Granger. "Shall we, love?"
Her eye twitched. "Yes, let's."
Once upstairs, Draco made a beeline for the room farthest from everyone else, and he closed the door behind them with a long exhale. "Sorry about this. I should have made sure we could―"
"It's alright," she breathed, slipping her bag onto a chair against the wall. "We're adults; we'll make do, right? And it's only for two nights. It would have been suspicious if we fussed over having to share."
"Yeah. Still." Pursing his lips, he gazed around the room adorned with wood furnishings and a patchwork quilt in shades of green and cream. "It's rather nice, if you're interested in the mountain lodge aesthetic."
Peering at herself in the mirror, Granger removed her hat and fixed several rogue curls that had slipped free of her plaits. "I think it's lovely." She took a step towards him. "I'm just happy Harry's found someone with a shared interest in doing things like this." She snagged her lower lip between her teeth. "I'm so pleased he's got Theo."
Some of the tension Draco had been carrying all day deflated as he rolled out his shoulders. "You're right. Potter's exactly who Theo needs―and they're very well suited." He gave a slow nod. "And this is their last chance before the wedding to celebrate with their friends―let's make it a good one, yeah?"
Granger's fingers trailed along the outside of his arm, and he forcefully suppressed a shudder at the featherlight tough. "Yeah." As she peered up, her large chocolate eyes landing on his, Draco felt colour creep up his throat towards his cheeks. "I heard something about a wine and cheese reception outside around the fire."
"That would be Theo's doing." A chuckle fell from his lips; maybe the weekend wouldn't be so terrible after all. "Let's go."
Within minutes of stepping outside, Draco found himself torn from Granger's side when Blaise threw an arm over his shoulder and pulled him away from the fire. A half-empty bottle of Merlot hung from his fingers against Draco's arm, the liquid sloshing aggressively inside.
Draco offered a muddled shrug to Granger's inquisitive expression, but she simply smiled and joined into a conversation with several of her former Gryffindor mates.
Blaise fixed him with hooded eyes. "So you and Granger, eh."
Drawing in a breath, Draco nodded. "Seems so."
For a flickering moment, Blaise attempted to drink straight from his wine bottle, which only pulled Draco squarely into his chest, before he recoiled his arm entirely and took a sip.
"Since when?"
Pursing his lips, Draco toed the ground and gave a noncommittal shrug. "A few weeks I suppose. It's new."
With another long swig, Blaise said, "So it isn't serious or anything."
"I didn't say that." Draco stiffened under the questioning; Blaise was notoriously a rake, and he didn't care for where the conversation was headed. "I find I quite like her."
"Damn." His face tightened with distaste. "Granger was supposed to be the only eligible bird here this weekend."
"Well, she isn't." The words fell from Draco's lips a bit harder than he'd intended, and he blew out a breath. "What about Daph and Pans? They're both single as far as I know."
Blaise shook his head and drank another healthy measure of wine. Idly, Draco wondered if it wasn't his first bottle and cocked a brow. They'd only just arrived an hour ago.
"Pansy's your ex. And Daph's met some bloke apparently," Blaise murmured, "which is a shame because otherwise..."
"Right."
"At any rate. Hopefully it works out with Granger. Let me know if it doesn't." Blaise shrugged, offering the bottle which only had a small amount of wine remaining. "Wine?"
A bitter feeling swelled within the pit of Draco's stomach, and unbidden, his eyes drifted towards Granger who was sitting by the fire and sipping from her own glass.
"No thanks, mate." Draco clapped a hand to Blaise's shoulder and made to retreat to her side―to prove a point if nothing else―when Theo appeared at his other side.
And Theo didn't look impressed.
"A minute please, Draco."
He caught the flicker of amusement in Granger's stare when Theo pulled him towards the trees once more, and he simply lifted both brows. "Explain."
"What is there to explain?" Draco asked, adjusting the collar of his hooded jumper. "Granger and I have seen one another a few times"―not entirely untrue―"and we decided to attend this weekend together."
Theo released a long breath. "I don't believe a fucking word you just said. Hermione told Harry some story and he bought it but I know you, Draco. And I know you would have told me if something was going on. You haven't introduced a woman to your friends since you and Pansy split."
For a beat, Draco hesitated. It wasn't the end of the world if Theo knew―Draco knew he wouldn't tell Pansy the truth―but it was Theo's weekend. And he didn't want to drag his best mate into his own personal issues.
"I know," Draco assuaged with a mild shrug. "I should have brought it up before but you've been busy with last minute wedding things, and putting this weekend together and... I don't know, Theo. I think she's great. I just didn't want to make a big deal of things until I knew if it's going anywhere."
Skepticism still hung in Theo's brow, but his face faltered. "You're sure it isn't an attempt to keep Pansy off your case this weekend? Because that was my first thought, but I've no idea how you would have convinced Granger to play along."
Draco shook his head stiffly.
"Alright." Ducking his chin, Theo fixed him with a stare. "But Hermione isn't just any woman―she's lovely, and Harry's best friend, and I'll get shite if you hurt her, yeah?" He sucked in a deep breath and blew it out slowly as his gaze flickered towards the fire where Potter and Granger were caught in a laugh. "You were more accepting than I would have imagined when I told you about Harry so... I sincerely hope it works out for you."
His stomach rolled with nausea but Draco dredged forth a smile. "Thanks, Theo. I appreciate it."
When he finally slipped into the seat beside Granger on a wooden bench propped up by stumps, he offered her a smile.
"Everything alright?" She silently handed him a glass of wine and Draco took a deep, obliging pull.
He grimaced when he lowered the glass. "This swill is not alright. Theo knows better than this." When she tittered, he smirked. "Everything's fine. Theo didn't believe your story to Potter but I set him straight, and Blaise... well, Blaise is just a whore, so..."
Granger snorted, clapping a hand over her mouth as she forcibly swallowed a mouthful of wine. "Good to know."
Despite himself, he laughed. "So just keep your wits about you around that one and you'll be fine."
"According to Harry, he's nearly through two bottles of wine alone." Granger smiled, eyeing him for a moment, and the humour fell from his face when he found her stare. "Maybe this weekend won't be so terrible."
Across the bonfire, which had grown large enough to keep them all plenty warm, he noted Pansy and Daphne talking with Longbottom and Dean Thomas―although it was more that the two pairs were having conversations beside one another. And every time Longbottom spoke, Pansy peered at him with disdain.
Draco wrapped an arm around Granger, tugging her a little closer, and surprise fluttered through him at how natural the effort felt. Almost unwittingly, he brushed a light kiss to the crown of her curls. "Maybe you're right."
It had been years since the last time Draco had been fully and properly sloshed on wine.
He would most certainly regret it tomorrow, but he took a long swig from a bottle of the cheap bulk wine Theo had purchased for the weekend, throwing his head back with a laugh.
The bonfire had begun to dwindle at last as people stumbled back towards the cabin to sleep―or pass out in most cases. But a pitch blanket hung over them, spotted with clear white stars that Draco could never see through the haze of light in London, and he couldn't remember the last time he'd enjoyed himself so well.
Eventually the only ones that remained were himself and Granger, along with Theo and Potter.
"Cheers!" Potter blurted, slurring his words, "to our Best Man and ... erm..."
"Best Woman," Granger contributed.
"That." Theo gestured towards her with his own bottle; they had long since forsaken glasses. "And you both have been―"
"Champions," Potter added.
Theo brandished a finger. "Fucking champions."
A grin crawled across Draco's face as he tugged Granger into his chest. She peered up at him, her eyes wide and sparkling and a little glassy, and it was an effort to tear his eyes away. "I can't speak for us both, but I've only wanted to help make your wedding the best it could be."
"You can speak for me there!" Granger giggled.
Draco's eyes lingered on Potter for a moment. "When Theo first told me about you, I thought he was off his bleeding rocker. But you're fucking perfect for each other." Waving his own bottle, they all toasted with another raucous clamour of glass.
Chuckling, Potter took a sloppy swig from his bottle, spilling a bit of wine down his front. "For what it's worth, I think you two are good together as well."
"Truth." Theo pursed his lips. "They're both fucking swots." He and Potter shared a grin.
Granger cackled, burying her face briefly in Draco's chest. "I can't deny that."
Frowning, Draco looked between the three of them. "I don't think I'm a fucking swot―"
"You are," Theo cut in. His hazel eyes flashed with a warm glow from the depleted fire. "But in the good way, mate, not the fucking bothersome way."
Potter pointed a finger at him in agreement. "That's right."
Swirling the dregs of his wine on the next bench over, Theo finished the last of his bottle, losing his balance and toppling backwards from his bench. Potter's attempt to catch him was half-hearted, only causing to make the effort worse, and the pair of them ended up sprawled in a heap.
Tears broke from Granger's eyes with peals of laughter, and Draco gaped at them all in alarm. "I'm too drunk for this," he huffed.
Potter had managed to get Theo back to his feet. "Probably a sign we ought to retire and leave you both to it," Potter said with a snicker and a bit of a wink. "Good night."
A sleepy smile drifted across Granger's face but she didn't withdraw from Draco's hold around her shoulders. "Good night." When Potter poured a pail of water into the smouldering embers and he and Theo stumbled their way towards the cabin, she turned to face him. "Are you tired?"
Draco scrunched up the bridge of his nose in thought and peered at the remains of wine in his own bottle. "Soon."
"Let's go for a walk."
He couldn't have said no to the hopeful warmth in her face if he tried. Standing carefully, Draco tugged a little too hard on her hand and she nearly collided face-first into his chest.
But Granger simply beamed at him and entwined their fingers once more with a quiet, "For practice."
"Right. Practice." Draco bit his tongue on the suggestion that there were plenty of other things they also could have practiced. The feel of her pressed against him all night had stirred awake every part of him and he was of half a mind to sleep outside so he didn't have to deal with the inevitable temptation of sleeping in the same bed as her. Especially when he had no right to feel that way.
As they drifted into the woods surrounding the cabin, Granger slipped her hand around the neck of his wine bottle and swiped it, taking a sip before handing it back to him.
Draco lifted a brow. "Where's yours?"
Thinning her lips, she only shrugged.
Despite himself, Draco released a laugh. He supposed if there was one person who he could pretend to spend the weekend with, Granger wasn't a bad choice. Never mind the fact that his heart had been twirling acrobatics in his chest all night.
Although he felt as though he should speak, Granger seemed content to remain quiet at his side as they walked. Until they broke through the trees to find a smooth, shimmering lake ahead of them. Her eyes sparkled as she released his hand and paced forward.
Draco watched as the water seeped through the toes of her trainers but she didn't retreat. The night air had grown increasingly cool, and away from the fire, he could feel a chill creeping through the fabric of his jumper.
"We should go swimming," she mused, gazing out towards where the nearly-full moon glinted on the surface of the lake.
"Now?" Draco could only imagine they would catch something.
She glanced towards him, her glazed eyes twinkling, and shrugged. "I suppose that isn't the best idea." Biting down on her lower lip, she added, "And I'm not wearing my suit."
Draco swallowed thickly, his traitorous body stirring at the thought. "Neither am I." But she only ducked her chin, smiling up at him, and he chuckled. "Granger, are you coming on to me?"
Taking a step closer, her toes nearly nudged his, and she breathed a soft, facetious, "Of course not. We're only pretending, right?"
He didn't know how to lie to her, when he was, in fact, more than a little interested in swimming with her without their suits, and he didn't think pretense had anything to do with it. So he wrenched his stare away. "I imagine the water's cold."
"Yeah." Snagging his wine again, she took another long sip and sank down into the cold sand. "It is."
Draco joined her, unable to resist pulling her close into his side again. Gazing out at the light waves rolling in, he sighed. "Tell me something, Granger."
"Tell you what?"
"Something funny. Something stupid. I don't care."
Shifting a little further into his hold, she hummed for a moment. "Okay I've got one that's both―now. It certainly wasn't funny at the time though Harry and Ron thought so. Second year I brewed Polyjuice because we wanted to infiltrate the Slytherin common room." Draco's eyes widened but she went on without looking at him. "Only the hair I took from Millicent's robes was from her cat."
"What?" He blinked at her several times. "You turned into a fucking cat? Why were you doing that in the first place?"
She snickered softly, eyelids fluttering as she rested her face on his chest. "The transformation is always meant to revert within an hour, with human hair, but... Merlin, it was bad. I had to go to the hospital wing and everything."
"And the Slytherin common room part," Draco deadpanned.
"Oh." She peered up at him again, a bit of an apologetic tilt to her lips. "Harry thought you were Slytherin's heir. He wanted to confirm whether you'd been the one releasing the Basilisk."
His stomach sank, a sudden swirling of nausea, and he cocked a brow. "Granger I was twelve. Why would I have―"
"I know," she breathed, worrying her bottom lip. "I know you didn't. It wasn't meant to upset you."
After a moment he snickered. "You turned into a bloody cat."
A slow grin spread across her face. "It was fucking awful―you really ought to have seen it. Only you'd never have let it go."
"Most definitely not."
He stared at the warmth in her eyes, the soft upwards curl to her lips; the way the moonlight glinted off her wild curls. Draco was in trouble.
Some part of him had already known that he was interested in Granger. She was brilliant, witty, compassionate, beautiful―all the things he didn't deserve in a partner. But an uneasy sort of longing crept into him at the way she beamed at him as though he was someone worthy of her attention.
"I never treated you well," he mused, as much to her as to himself, and the smile fell from her lips. "Never. And I... I wish I had, Granger. That's all."
"It's alright―"
"It's not," he pushed, grounding tight the line of his jaw. "It isn't alright because you didn't..." He swept a hand through his hair. "You didn't deserve that."
Any lingering warmth drained from her expression and she retreated from his hold, a knit furrowing her brows. Draco almost couldn't stand the sadness drawing her face, knowing for years, he had been the culprit.
At last she shook her head. "It's okay, Draco, because I've come to know a different side of you. I know you aren't like that anymore. I forgive you for anything you might have said or done, alright?"
He couldn't recall whether he had ever heard her use his given name in a direct address towards him.
"And to be honest," she breathed, "I find I quite enjoy your company."
Releasing a tight breath through his nose, Draco felt despair pull at his brow, then nothing at all. And Merlin, he had never wanted to kiss someone so badly as in that moment.
"Okay, Granger." He settled for a brush of the lips to her brow, tugging a curl between his fingers.
She burrowed into his chest once more, and Draco felt a combination of fatigue and wine tug at his eyelids as he stifled a wide yawn. "Perhaps we ought to get some sleep."
Granger hummed a muffled sound against his jumper. Draco chuckled and helped her to her feet, unable to stop himself from searching out her gaze once more. "Thanks."
With sleepy eyes, she tapped him on the nose. "You're welcome. And don't you dare tell Theo about the cat thing."
The rest of the cabin was already silent when they ventured inside. Evidently, Granger while drunk had the grace of an elephant, and as she tripped up the stairs she nearly pulled Draco down with her. A mirthful giggle broke free of her lips when he fumbled with the door knob and finally they made it into their room, Draco holding back his own laughter as he leaned back against the inside of the door.
"You're fucking wrecked," he snickered, tugging his jumper over his head. The warm, smoky odour of the bonfire clung to the fabric, and for a moment he allowed it to wash over him.
Granger snorted. "Hardly." When she tried to remove her own jumper, however, it caught on her hair and she wound up with her face trapped. Biting down on his lip to withhold another laugh, Draco released the fabric and helped her free. The last thing they needed was to wake everyone up, and it wasn't as though he could cast a silencing charm.
Beaming up at him, Granger snagged her pack and darted into the adjoining loo. Draco changed into his sleep trousers, his head spinning a little, and she returned moments later in a thin top and shorts. Briefly, his eyes lingered on her bare legs before she swatted him in the chest.
But before he could say anything, she snorted and tossed a small box at him from where it sat on the nightstand.
"What's this?" He peered closer at the packaging, lifting a brow.
Granger tittered, though her cheeks grew flushed. "It's a pack of condoms―Muggle contraception. Someone either thinks they're funny or considerate."
Draco snorted, flipping open the cardboard top. "How does it work?"
Swiping the box, her fingers brushing his, Granger plucked a connected row of foil packets out and tore one free. She brandished it too close to his face with a giggle. "You just―open the packet and roll it on."
"What?"
Her shoulders shook with laughter as she folded her legs beneath herself on the bed. "Okay―I'll show you."
Idly, Draco wondered how many Muggles she'd slept with to have a working knowledge of such a thing, but it wasn't his business. He perched on the edge of the bed, peering closer when she tore open the foil package and brandished a thin, rubbery looking circle.
"That is supposed to provide protection? It looks ridiculous."
"It's just―" Fixing the rubber with an intense look of focus, she unrolled part of it onto her finger. Another bright peal of mirth escaped her lips and Draco leaned forward, clapping a hand over her mouth with a grin.
"You're going to wake the whole cabin," he snickered. Releasing her, he sat back, watching as she fumbled with the idiotic looking thing. "You're telling me it's a fucking cock balloon."
Tears shone at the corners of her eyes as she pressed her lips together hard. Drawing in a deep breath, she whispered, "It's more like a cock glove."
"Fuck," Draco groaned, gnawing on his knuckle to keep from laughing at her demonstration. "I'll stick with charms and potions, thanks."
"A much better idea," she mused, discarding the ring and the packet in the bin. "They aren't entirely effective either."
Draco's eyes drooped and the flashing Muggle clock on the nightstand showed it was already half three. "We need to sleep."
With an ostentatious yawn, Granger slipped beneath the covers. "I should think we're fine to keep to ourselves unless you're a traveller."
"If I travel," Draco murmured, "it'll be unintentional. Though I'm so tired at this point I'm sure I'll sleep like a rock." Leaving a careful wedge of space between them, he pulled the blankets up to his neck, catching Granger's eye as she watched.
Her feet nudged his, ice cold, and Draco recoiled his own. "No feet."
"But my feet are cold." She blinked wide eyes at him, her lips pulling downward into a frown, and Draco snickered despite himself. "In fact, it's cold in here."
"You'll warm up," he huffed. "You just said you don't want either of us to travel―I'm vetoing cuddling of any sort. For both our sakes."
"Fine." The word was a soft whisper, but even so, Granger shifted a little closer into the centre of the bed.
Draco didn't have the heart to steer her away, when all he really wanted to do was drag her close. But he recognised well enough the fact that they'd both drank far too much, and the last thing he wanted was for Granger to wake up with his erection against her arse. It would certainly make for an uncomfortable day tomorrow.
Her eyes had already fluttered shut, her face falling peaceful, and Draco shifted onto his back. "Sweet dreams, Granger."
Although her eyes remained shut, her lips curled with a smile. "Good night, Draco."
He couldn't help the way his heart stuttered, just a little, and moments later he succumbed at last to the eager pull of sleep.
Author's Note: Thanks so much for reading everyone! I hope you're enjoying the fic so far - I had a lot of fun writing it :)
If people are interested, I'll include a list of the 28 prompts at the end!
