"Oh, Hermione… It will pass, I'm sure," Ginny reassured, patting the other girl's leg.
Hermione glanced up, throwing the younger girl a disbelieving look before tightening her blanket around herself. It had only been a few days since the incident during her patrol, and she hadn't talked to Ron nor Harry since. Hermione wasn't complaining, not by a longshot, seeing as she was just as upset with them as they were with her.
Harry had never looked at her like that in all of the years that she'd known him. He looked at her like…like…well, the enemy. She and Draco had been talking, nothing more, and Harry had been more than eager to admit that he didn't believe that. She didn't even want to touch the topic of them hiding something as serious as following Malfoy around the castle away from her. It was painfully obvious that Malfoy was right; Harry didn't trust her.
"…and you're sure the two of you were just talking?"
"Yes! Am I not allowed to have a simple conversation with people, now?"
Hermione's words came out rather harsh, and Ginny threw her hands up, eyes wide.
"Hey, I'm just asking, because let Harry tell it, you were practically caught with your knickers around your ankles," she replied.
"Harry's an imbecile," Hermione spat in response.
Ginny sighed.
"He'll come around, he just needs some time…"
Hermione swallowed, looking up at Ginny.
"Are…? I've noticed Ron and Lavender spending a lot of time together, lately," Hermione suddenly began.
"I can't help you there. Lavender and I aren't that close, and Ron doesn't talk about his personal life with me," Ginny sadly replied with an apologetic shrug.
Hermione recalled Malfoy's scathing words about Lavender being her replacement, and Hermione fought off the negative feelings that threatened to take over. He was simply being a jerk…right? Then again, she thought he was just being a jerk about Harry and Ron too, and it turned out that he wasn't being a jerk, just being honest.
"Look, you know that I feel you can do so much better than my brother, but if he's who you really want, I'd suggest you put on your big girl knickers and go for it," Ginny encouraged.
Hermione looked away, biting her lip.
"I don't… I wouldn't even know how," she murmured.
Hermione recalled the shock and praise she'd received when Viktor had taken her to the Yule Ball. Many of her female housemates expressed how impressed they were with her, but it was all Viktor. Surprisingly, he was the one who pursued her, determined to get her attention and get to know her. Hermione didn't know the first thing about trying to entice a boy, and that was what she told Ginny.
"Ron likes you for you, though. Besides, there's no need for games or silly schemes to try and win his attention. Just be upfront about it. Why on earth do you think he's even giving Lavender the time of day?" Ginny scoffed.
"You claim that he likes me, but his actions don't really agree," Hermione complained.
"Well, we both know how he can be," Ginny sheepishly said.
Hermione sighed, throwing her head back.
"Why must I get stuck on the boy who doesn't know how to articulate what he feels? Dean had no problem letting you know how he felt about you. Merlin, the reason Malfoy's bed is always occupied is because he knows what he wants and lets people know in no uncertain terms," Hermione groaned.
Ginny laughed.
"Please, don't compare your love life to Malfoy's, it would just make you depressed. Besides, Dean and Malfoy are rather…confident-."
"You mean arrogant," Hermione corrected.
"My point is…," Ginny chuckled. "…is that they're rather sure of themselves. Harry and Ron…not so much. You remember the disaster that was the Yule Ball? It took Harry forever to finally ask Cho, and Ron…well, I really don't think I need to elaborate further."
Hermione pursed her lips.
"If you really like him, just let him know," Ginny repeated.
Hermione mulled over Ginny's advice, wondering if it really would be just that easy.
"So, how is living with Malfoy, anyway? I know that the two of you have called a truce, something that has caused quite a tiff, but how is it really?"
Hermione shrugged.
"It's alright. We're not friends, not even close, so we still have the occasional back and forth, but otherwise, it's nice. We aren't at each other's throats, so that's weird, if only for the unfamiliarity of it. He invites Nott and Zabini over sometimes, but I don't mind," she began, chewing on her lip. "…and we all know that he isn't a lonely guy, not by a long shot, so he has the occasional…company over."
Hermione felt her face heating up as she recalled the incident weeks ago, and she looked down. Her attempt to hide her face was futile.
"What's that look?" Ginny demanded.
"What look?"
Hermione was playing dumb, and they both knew it. Ginny suddenly sat up, and Hermione chanced a glance to see the redhead looking at her with a look of incredulity.
"You've been holding out on me! I can tell… Tell me, now."
Hermione heaved a sigh, knowing that there was no point in trying to deny anything.
"I walked in on Tracey Davis going down on him in the shower," Hermione reluctantly confessed.
Ginny gasped, almost falling off of the couch in shock before catching herself at the last minute. She looked over her shoulder at his room door.
"He's out," Hermione assured, recalling the blond leaving almost an hour earlier.
"No way! Oh, I bet that had you all twisted up in knots, you prude," Ginny joked, a laugh escaping at the look on Hermione's face.
"Shut it!"
Ginny laughed again, both of them knowing that she was right.
"Well…? Tell me about it…," she urged.
"Do I have to?" Hermione groaned.
"Hermione…you witnessed Draco Malfoy getting a blowjob, and you think you don't get to tell me about it?"
Hermione waved her hands with a huff.
"Fine, fine," she said, sitting up and crossing her legs. "It was…well, quite a sight."
"I bet it was," Ginny commented.
"I mean… He was so…vocal," Hermione confessed like she still couldn't believe it.
Ginny's eyes were wide as she listened, eager to hear more.
"I couldn't see much, because Tracey had her back to me, but he…looks good, to put it nicely. Um…he just looked really nice," she lamely finished.
Ginny looked at her with disgust, lip curling over her teeth with a frown.
"He looked really nice? Hermione, come on, you practically saw him naked. You've got to give me something, here! You said he was vocal, let's go back to that…"
Hermione shifted, a bit uncomfortable.
"Well, yeah. He was moaning and groaning quite a bit and…cursing. His guard was completely down, and he looked…a vision, to say the least. He was giving her all this praise, and his hands were twisted in her hair and the water was running down him and he kept squirming and he just looked… He looked…"
"Like he'd be a good shag?"
"Ginny!"
"What? It's okay to admit it, Hermione. We all know what he looks like," Ginny defended with a light chuckle.
"Still, I would never…," Hermione trailed off, shaking her head.
"You wouldn't?"
"You would?"
"I don't see why not," she answered with a shrug. "Oh, come on. Don't tell me you've never thought about it…?"
"I haven't! At least, not before that night," Hermione confessed.
Ginny smirked.
"You're telling me Malfoy has induced a rather erotic dream or two?"
"No! Merlin, no, I just… I've never thought of him like that, with good reason, and now it's just… Its new territory for me, is all. He's always been Malfoy, this horrible nuisance who I've wanted to hex on more than one occasion. Now, he's Malfoy…my rather attractive roommate who's not so awful to be around and who reads in his spare time and who I can actually hold an interesting conversation with… It's just weird," she replied with a shrug.
"Yeah, well, you saw him getting his cock sucked, so it's bound to be a little weird around here," she commented.
"You are so...crude," Hermione complained with a laugh.
Hermione halted her steps, pausing in the middle of the corridor as they came face to face. Her eyes were wide, all too clear that he had every intent of seeking her out, and she tightened her arms around her book.
"You and Malfoy were just talking…right?"
"Of course," she said without hesitation, almost offended.
Ron released a breath that he had been holding, shoulders sagging with a nod.
"Then I believe you…"
Hermione released a breath that she didn't even know she was holding, throwing her arms around him. He returned the gesture, and she breathed him in.
"It was honestly nothing," she reassured, pulling away.
Ron's face was flushed, attempting to match his hair as he took a step back before clearing his throat.
"I didn't think it was. You'd never be caught dead with Malfoy like…that. You're much too brilliant for someone like him," he complimented.
Hermione chuckled.
"You wouldn't mind telling Harry that, would you?"
"He'll come around, you'll see. Just give him some time," Ron said, unknowingly repeating his sister's advice.
Hermione nodded, and Ron scratched the back of his head.
"Well, I've got to get to Quidditch practice, so…," he trailed off, making to leave.
She suddenly reached out, grabbing his hand, and Ron blushed as he looked between the appendage and her. She stepped towards him, heart speeding up at the close proximity.
"We're all still going to Hogsmeade together, right? You think Harry will have gotten over his tantrum by then?"
Ron opened his mouth to speak before snapping it shut with a frown.
"Uh," he began, shuffling his feet.
Hermione frowned, eyebrows knitting together, and Ron sighed.
"Yeah," he eventually answered with a smile. "I'll talk to him."
"Okay," she said, pulling him into another hug before letting him go.
Hermione exhaled, forcing her heart to calm down as she watched him walk away.
"You know he was planning on going to Hogsmeade with Brown, don't you?"
Hermione spun around in shock, eyes wide as they landed on her dorm mate leaning against the wall, arms crossed with an unreadable expression on his face. She frowned at him, opening her mouth to say something when she finally registered his words. She blinked, glancing over her shoulder to where Ron had gone before shaking her head. Was that what that was about?
She was tempted to call Malfoy out on his load of bull before thinking better of it. Wasn't it just yesterday that she had suspicions of Ron and Lavender being more than what they led on?
"How could you possibly know that?" she finally asked.
Malfoy shoved his hands into his pockets, walking towards her.
"Don't tell me that you don't know by now?"
Hermione looked him over, something akin to suspicion crossing her features. He looked entirely serious, an eyebrow raised, and Hermione was forced to really consider his words.
"…know what…?"
Malfoy scoffed, a disapproving sound as he shook his head.
"The two of them have been shagging for weeks," he finally said.
Hermione felt her heart clench, mouth going dry as she felt like someone had punched her in the gut.
"…what?"
He shrugged, having no response.
"How on earth could you possibly know that?" she demanded, crossing her arms over her chest.
"You hear things…see things," was his only reply.
"Ron would never... He would tell me if the two of them were dating," Hermione defended with a shake of her head.
"I don't recall mentioning anything about dating," Malfoy corrected.
Hermione stared at him for a long time before swallowing, shuffling her feet.
"If this is one of your games, some attempt to bully me some-."
She abruptly cut herself off as he approached her, chest almost grazing her own as he looked down at her. She stumbled back at his close proximity, heart stuttering. He ran his eyes over her, narrowed with a foreign intensity she couldn't place.
"I told you, Granger… I'm done with that. I have no desire to hurt you."
His voice was low, but strong with conviction, causing something to stir within her, and she nodded.
"I just think it's pathetic the way you moon over him, and he's barely giving you the time of day, because he's getting what he wants from someone else," he explained.
Hermione glanced down, fully considering his words, now.
"Ron isn't like that. Sure, he can be a bit insensitive at the most, sometimes, but… I don't really want to talk about this anymore. Especially with you…," she murmured.
Malfoy made a noise, one that sounded like disapproval as he shook his head again. She looked up at him just as he looked at her, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
"You…have so much potential, Granger," he quietly said.
Now, it was her turn to be confused. Her eyebrows pulled inwards, and she blinked. The corner of his mouth curved upwards just the tiniest bit, something bitter and condemning hidden there.
"You could be great, but you continue to let insignificant things hold you back," he finished.
She opened her mouth to inquire as to what the bloody hell he was talking about, but he brushed past her and made his way down the corridor before she had the chance.
Hermione practically collapsed in front of the fire place, wrapping her arms around herself as she closed her eyes. The day had started off so…wonderfully. She and Harry had made up, the latter apologizing for his behavior and lack of trust. She had assured him that Malfoy and she had been doing nothing more than talking, and he'd believed her, pulling her into a hug. They'd all gone off to Hogsmeade together, having a wonderful time.
The only damper had been her own overactive thoughts about Ron…and Lavender. He appeared to be having fun and really enjoying spending time with the both of them, but Hermione couldn't shake the feeling that something was off, like his heart wasn't really in it. She couldn't help but to reconsider Malfoy's words and wonder if Ron had really planned to go with Lavender instead? If…if the two of them were really sleeping together?
Despite that seed of doubt that reared its ugly head, she'd still had fun. Things seemed almost normal, like the past couple of weeks had never even happened. Everything was fine…until it wasn't.
...
"Katie, you don't know what it could be…!"
These words faintly reached Hermione's ears, the rest of the conversation ahead of her unintelligible. Hermione trotted along the snow covered path, Ron prattling to Harry about something or another behind her. She was glad that she'd gone to Hogsmeade, relieved to finally relax with her friends after what seemed like forever. It felt good to put their petty disagreements behind them…
She let out a blissful sigh, slowing down and turning her head towards her companions. Ginny had hooked up with Dean a while back, leaving them for her beau. Hermione couldn't blame her, really. She raised her arms, allowing them to fall over Harry and Ron's shoulders, pulling them closer.
She was just about to comment on what a lovely time she'd had, when a blood-curdling scream reached her ears. They all paused on the spot, looking up in horror at the sight of Katie Bell's prone figure on the ground.
"I warned her! I warned her not to touch it," her friend cried, who Hermione recalled to be named Leanne.
The three of them were next to Leanne now, watching as Katie's body was dragged from side to side, then…
At once, Katie rose into the air... gracefully, her arms outstretched, as though she was about to fly. Yet there was something wrong, something eerie...
Her hair whipped her by the fierce wind, but her eyes were closed and her face was quite empty of expression...
Then, six feet above the ground, Katie let out a terrible scream. Her eyes flew open but whatever she could see, or whatever she was feeling, was clearly causing her terrible anguish. She screamed and screamed...
Hermione watched in a mix of horror and confusion as the girl suddenly fell to the ground, body hitting it with an alarming sound.
"Don't get any closer…"
A familiar voice sternly said, and Hermione turned to see Hagrid coming towards them.
"Get back, all of you."
They all were more than happy to move out of his way, allowing the tall half giant to come through. Hagrid picked the young girl up, and Hermione found herself following Harry's movements as he approached the piece of jewelry on the ground. Hagrid's voice rang out, stopping him:
"Do not touch that…"
...
A shiver crawled down Hermione's spine, and she knew that it had nothing to do with the cold. It was perhaps the most…disturbing thing that Hermione had ever seen. According to Snape, the necklace that Katie had been carrying was cursed, resulting in the horrific display they had all witnessed. Hermione had fretted over how such a thing could have happened, putting an innocent girl in the infirmary. She had been wondering when…
"It was Malfoy."
Hermione shook her head, recalling how she'd looked at Harry in complete disbelief at his outburst. She had thought… She'd thought that they were past that, past the bias and hatred. Couldn't Harry see that Malfoy was changing? That he was proving that he wasn't who he used to be? Even if it weren't true… Bullying was one thing, but accusing someone of handing a cursed necklace to a girl with the intent to harm or worse?
Hermione didn't understand how Harry thought Malfoy, or anyone in the school for that matter, was capable of such a thing. As expected, it had sparked another argument between the two with Ron caught in the middle. It had happened in Hogsmeade, for crying out loud! Anyone could have given Katie that necklace, but the first person he suspected was Malfoy…
Hermione shook her head with a scoff.
Just then the portrait opened behind her, voices filling the room along with the sound of footsteps. Hermione wasn't in the mood to talk, afraid that once she started, everything would just come pouring out. The last thing she needed was to inform Malfoy about how Harry thought he was a Death Eater out for the kill.
"You really go out of your way to make us feel welcome, huh?"
Hermione briefly glanced over her shoulder, eyes landing on Malfoy, Nott, and Zabini, the latter being the one who spoke. She faced the fireplace again with a small sigh.
"I just don't feel up for chit chat. I apologize," she murmured.
She rested her chin on her knees only to jerk away from the arm that suddenly came into her line of sight. A familiar pale hand was stretched out in front of her, holding a small mug. Steam rose from it, and Hermione inhaled, noting the familiar sweet scent that wafted her way.
"Tea?"
She looked up at Malfoy as he gazed down at her, an eyebrow raised.
"I could see you shivering all the way from over there. I see you make this kind, sometimes…," he added.
Hermione blinked in surprise, taken aback that he would pay attention to something like that. The fireplace was doing the trick, and she'd cast a warming charm, but it did always calm her nerves to sip on a cup of tea, even if only for a few minutes. She gingerly reached out to take it, throwing him a small 'thank you' as she did.
A hum of appreciation escaped her lips as she took a sip, and she noticed Malfoy lowering himself to sit beside her. Zabini and Nott were on the couch, having an animated discussion about something or another.
"Penny for your thoughts?" he finally asked. "The post-argument-with-Pothead look is becoming quite familiar to me…"
"It was nothing…nothing new, anyway," she replied.
He didn't respond to that, having already guessed what the argument was about. Hermione bit her lip, taking another sip before glancing at him.
"What did you do today?" she suddenly asked, telling herself that she was only curious.
He smirked, turning to look at her, the light reflecting off of his irises.
"I was with Blaise and Teddy all day. How about you…?"
Hermione fought to look away from his intense gaze, glancing down.
"I went to Hogsmeade with Ron and Harry," she answered.
"That sounds incredibly boring," he commented, and she frowned at him.
"It was actually quite fun. It always is…," she defended.
"…did the fun start before or after you and Pothead came to blows?"
She didn't respond, biting her tongue.
"What made it so enjoyable, if I may ask, besides Tomes and Scrolls and Butterbeer?" he asked, voice thick with judgement.
"Why are you so interested all of a sudden? Are you bored, or do you get some sick pleasure out of watching us fight?" she harshly asked.
She immediately regretted it as soon as she looked at him. An unreadable expression was on his face, but one eyebrow was raised, hinting at his shock at her outburst. He didn't respond, and she swallowed, looking down again.
"I'm sorry," she apologized, genuinely feeling bad for her outburst. "That was rude."
"It was," he agreed.
"I'm just… Harry's been getting into my head, and he makes me so angry, sometimes. I had thought that everything was going well. We'd made up, and he apologized, and everything was…fine. Next thing I know, he's practically accusing you of attempted murder," she spat.
Her eyes widened, fingers coming up in an attempt to cover her mouth, but it was pointless. Both of his eyebrows were raised now, eyes wide and curious as he gazed at her.
"Attempted murder? I'm flattered," he joked.
"It isn't funny, Malfoy. I shouldn't have said anything. Please, don't go looking-."
"I already told you that I have no desire to hurt you, Granger. I'm pretty sure giving Potter a well-deserved beating would do just that, no?"
He surprised her with his response, and she was reluctant to admit that he was doing that a lot, lately.
"Yes…it would…," she agreed.
"So, tell me, why does he think I'm a would-be murderer?"
Hermione sighed, taking another sip of her tea, the warm liquid soothing her frame.
"It's…Katie Bell. She's in the infirmary, and Harry thinks you had something to do with it," she replied, leaving out the part about the necklace.
"…but I was with Teddy and Blaise all day," he argued, sounding confused.
"You don't need to convince me, Malfoy. Even if our circumstances weren't what they are, I would never be able to think you capable of murderous intent," she assured. "You don't have the stomach for it."
He chuckled, a deep sound that shot straight through her gut.
"I might surprise you," was his only response, stealing her mug for a moment and taking a sip.
She shot him a scathing look.
"I thought that was meant for me," she complained.
"I only wanted to see what all of the fuss was about. You act like it's some sort of calming draught."
"It kind of is…to me, anyway…"
He handed it back to her, fingers briefly brushing against her own, flustering her so much that she dropped the tea. They both stood up in shock, a hiss escaping her lips as glass and hot liquid flew against her bare legs. The commotion grabbed the attention of Nott and Zabini, the two of them quieting. Before Hermione had time to react, Malfoy was waving everything away with a flick of his wand.
Hermione had just leaned over to inspect her leg when he beat her to it, fingers barely grazing against her skin as his eyes ran over the appendage. She sharply inhaled, eyes wide as she looked down at the top of his head. She swallowed as he ran his fingers over her skin one last time before rising.
"It's completely unscathed."
"Perhaps we'll call you butter fingers from now on, Granger," Zabini threw in.
Apparently Nott thought that was the funniest thing in the world, and Hermione frowned.
"Hardly my fault. Malfoy startled me," she argued.
The blond smirked, and she rolled her eyes at him.
"Oh, shut up. I'm going to bed, and leaving you lot to do whatever it is that you do," she said, walking towards her room.
"Nothing terribly exciting, just discussing the best way to permanently rid this world of the imbeciles that walk its streets," Nott said, a Malfoy like smirk gracing his lips.
Hermione frowned again, lips turned down into a pout.
"That's not funny…"
Zabini chuckled, Malfoy beside him, now with his arms crossed over his chest, and Nott's smirk grew.
"Apologies, Granger. I have a…twisted sense of humor. Sleep well," he called.
Hermione waved over her shoulder, back leaning against the door as soon as she shut it. She closed her eyes as she recalled the way Malfoy's hands ghosted over her legs earlier, shaking thoughts from her head that she'd rather not entertain.
"So that's it then? You believe him, and I'm the boy who cried wolf?"
"Harry, no! I-."
"…but you do believe him? He says he's with Zabini and Nott all day, Slytherins need I remind you, and you believe it?" Harry demanded.
"What proof do you have? Please, tell me! How am I expected to take you seriously when you just blurt out that Malfoy did it, right in front of McGonagall and Snape, and with no evidence to back it up? We were at Hogsmeade! Anyone could have given her that necklace, but the first person that comes to your mind is Malfoy."
"…because I just know it was him. I know it!"
Hermione huffed, throwing her hands up. They had been going at it for about ten minutes. Unfortunately, Ron was nowhere to be found, and she tried not to dwell on that.
"Why were the two of you even talking about this anyway?" he suddenly asked, suspicion in his voice.
"I asked him. I wanted to know, hear it from him myself-."
"…and because the two of you are besties, he just told you the truth," Harry mocked. "Does he know that I think he hurt her? Did you tell him that?"
Hermione sighed, and Harry's frown deepened.
"I did," she quietly admitted, still unsure as to what had come over her.
"Are you mental?"
"It just slipped out, Harry. I didn't say anything about the necklace, just that Katie was hurt and that you thought he had something to do with it."
Harry looked away, twisting his hands into his hair.
"Once the news about her came out, it's not like it would've taken a genius to wonder when you'd start blaming him for it somehow. You don't do well to hide your hatred of him," she added.
Harry spun around to face her, eyes wide.
"Something like that just 'slips out', and you don't find it the least suspicious? He could have Imperio'd you or slipped you a Veritaserum!"
Hermione opened her mouth to fire something back, but paused. She blinked, remembering the tea Malfoy had given her. She suddenly frowned, mulling over Harry's words before recalling that Malfoy had taken a few sips of it, as well. If Harry was right, and Malfoy was one of them, why would he slip her a Veritaserum only to risk outing himself by drinking some? That wouldn't make any sense, and it only solidified her belief that Harry was going too far. She shook her head at her dark haired friend.
"Do you hear yourself?"
"Do you hear yourself? You're defending Malfoy," he hissed.
Anger bloomed within her chest, and she glared at him.
"Look at what you're accusing him of! This is serious, Harry. Katie could have died! Do you honestly think him capable of that?"
"Yes," Harry answered without hesitation.
Hermione reared back, disappointed that she was surprised by his abrupt answer.
"…well, I don't," she quietly responded.
"So that's it? You're believing him over me…"
Hermione sighed at the finality in his words.
"Harry…there isn't anything to believe. You didn't see him do anything nor hear him do anything. You're going on with this witch hunt, because of, what, a feeling? A feeling that is just your own bias, no doubt…"
Harry didn't respond, simply glaring at her.
"You have no argument," she sadly finished.
Harry's frown deepened, and he simply opted for brushing past her, causing Hermione to stumble with a sigh.
"Malfoy!"
She banged on the bathroom door again, like she'd been doing for the past ten minutes. Normally, Hermione showered at night, and Malfoy in the morning. It wasn't done on purpose, but fortunately for the both of them, it just sort of worked out that way. However, she'd had a late night the previous night. She'd been up studying, and it had taken ages, because she could hardly focus thanks to Harry. She'd passed out before she realized it, and had decided to get an early start to make sure that she had adequate time in the bathroom in order to prevent this very thing from happening. A lot of good it did her…
She threw her head back as she let out a sigh of exasperation. She stomped her foot, and just as she raised her fist to pound on the door again, it finally opened, letting out a whole bunch of steam in the process.
"For Merlin's sake Malfoy, how much time do you actually-?"
Her sentence was cut short as the smoke cleared. She was face to face with a very indecently dressed Draco Malfoy. The white towel hung low on his hips, toned chest glistening with water. He was hardly paying attention to her, eyes half closed as he used another towel to dry his hair. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came to mind, so she settled on closing her eyes and spinning around.
"I like to take early showers. My apologies," he said hoarsely.
He still sounded like he'd just woken up, and it washed over her before hotly settling in the pit of her stomach. She was faintly aware that she hadn't responded yet and fought to say something before she made a fool of herself.
"Uh-no. I…its fine," she stuttered.
He didn't respond and she almost turned around to see if he'd left, but she noted that she didn't hear any doors opening or closing. Before she could make up her mind on whether or not to move, she felt a broad naked chest press against her back. She tensed as she turned her head to watch his fingers trail down her neck and across her shoulder.
"You're so tense, Granger. A hot shower would do you some good," he murmured.
She stepped away from him, turning just the slightest in order to have him in her line of vision. She immediately glanced away, forgetting about his state of undress. She crossed her arms over her chest, avoiding his eyes.
"That is if there's any left," she complained, moving to walk past him.
Her movements were halted as he gently grabbed her arm, looking down at her with the faintest of smirks on his lips. His eyes looked darker in the low lighting as he gazed down at her.
"If you're that concerned, just join me, next time," he offered.
Hermione frowned, a scoff escaping her lips as she yanked her arm back.
"You're not funny," she threw back.
He raised an eyebrow, stepping towards her, forcing her to take a step back.
"There's that phrase again. Bold of you to assume that I'm not entirely serious," he said, voice low and even as he stared her down.
It was a penetrating stare, one that shook her to her core. Hermione had never been stared at like that in her entire life, and she swallowed.
"Ha, ha. You're a real hoot, Malfoy. I'm going to shower, now," she said, forcing herself to snap out of whatever trance she'd been in, reaching for the door.
She was halted again. This time, however, was of her own accord. She turned around, facing him again as he called her name, a fire in his eyes that made her face heat up.
"When I told you that you could do so much better than Weasley…I meant that."
Hermione blinked, his words completely unexpected.
"You're beautiful, Granger," her heart stuttered at those words. "You're smart, headstrong, and you put any Pureblood witch to shame. If Weasley doesn't know that, then his head is even thicker than I thought it was."
Hermione glanced down, unsure of what to say. Of all of the things she thought he might spew, she hadn't thought of anything like that. She cleared her throat before finally responding.
"Thank you…"
His gaze lingered for a moment too long before he eventually turned around and made his way to his room. Hermione stared after him, suddenly unsure, more than ever, of what to think of her dorm mate.
~ Let me know what you think ~