NINE
Thursday, 4 September 1944
She had deposited her bag by the door the moment she entered the Room of Requirement. From there, she set about retracing her steps from the night with the fire and comparing it to what she had already discovered earlier. She only called it a day when she couldn't ignore the growl from her stomach any longer.
When she exited the room she did a double take at the darkness of the halls. She waved her wand to discover that it was near curfew. She muttered a curse under her breath as her stomach growled again. That meant she had missed dinner too.
With a sigh, she made her way towards the kitchens. She hated the idea of asking the House Elves to do anything more than they already did, but she had missed two meals today. It would be a very uncomfortable night if she forced herself to wait until breakfast.
"What can we get the Missus?" an elf asked the moment she slipped past the entrance.
"Are there any leftovers from dinner?" she asked. "If it's not too much trouble."
"Anything the Missus wants!"
"Pumpkin soup?" she asked hopefully.
"Coming!"
Hermione shifted on her feet and then sat at the little table off to the corner away from the simmering cauldrons. She reached into her bag for her notes to study and hissed at the burning sensation she got from the book instead. She took it out of her bag and opened it.
Granger, where the hell are you? Riddle said you were late to class.
Granger, I'm in the library.
Granger, what the fuck? You missed lunch and now you've missed dinner too.
Granger, the last person to see you was Riddle. No one else has seen you since you left Astronomy. Please answer me so I know you're not dead.
She stared at each of the messages until the page became blank and the book turned cold again.
She contemplated whether or not she would answer for a moment. A sigh passed her lips and she fished in her bag for a quill and her inkpot. I'm alive. Thanks for your concern. I'll see you in the morning.
The book began to warm up again the moment she closed it, but she stashed it back into her bag without reopening it. She didn't really want to know his response. She just wanted to get some food and then head back to the dorm to sleep.
A bowl of pumpkin soup along with a hunk of bread and a goblet of water appeared before her. She made herself eat it slowly lest she sick from stuffing her face. Though, truth be told, all she wanted to do was pick up her bowl and pour it down her throat.
When her bowl was empty, a House Elf appeared to clear the table. She thanked those that were around her; her words falling on deaf ears. With a sigh, she shouldered her bag and took her leave of the kitchens.
She took her time wandering the halls on her way to the dungeons. Even as she neared the ever-moving staircases, she stared longingly up towards the eighth floor where she knew Gryffindor's common room to be. She desperately wanted to climb through the tunnel behind the Fat Lady and cozy up at the hearth she was familiar with. She closed her eyes against her tears and then continued on.
It was when she crossed the main hall that she nearly screamed. An arm circled her waist as a hand clamped over her mouth. She struggled against whoever it was that held her as they dragged her from the hall into one of the classrooms. She bit down on the hand and reared her head back.
The person growled and shoved her away, but remained blocking the door. "What the fuck, Granger?"
"Malfoy!?" she panted, her hand landing over her heart as if to press it back into her chest. "You can't just attack me like that!"
"Serves you right for making me worry," he said as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "I swear to Merlin, Granger, if you broke my nose again…"
"Then stop putting yourself in situations that require me to do so!" she snapped. "It's past curfew. We need to get back."
He blocked her path to the door. "Not until you talk to me."
She straightened her spine and tipped her chin in the air hoping to convey confidence she didn't quite have at the moment. "Unlike you, I have nothing to say to Death Eaters."
He muttered all sorts of vile things under his breath before he took a deep breath and squared his shoulders. "They aren't Death Eaters. Not yet."
"Malfoy-"
He held up one hand to cut her off. "Can you just let me explain? Please? Without interruption from you."
"Fine."
"I didn't join them. I have no intention of ever doing so. I would rather die than be subjected to Riddle's leadership ever again," he said. Hermione wanted to believe him, but he was good at playing his part. At the moment, she didn't know which part it was; the Malfoy she thought he was or the Malfoy everyone else seemed to think he was. "My partner for Ancient Runes is Cantankerus Nott."
"Related to Theo?" she questioned.
He nodded. "Not sure if it's his grandfather or some other relative, but definitely related. He invited me to hang out for lunch and I accepted without realizing what it meant. Riddle wasn't too keen on my being there. The conversation was rather guarded and I don't think he'll be opening up a spot for me in his inner circle anytime soon."
She nodded, but kept her lips pressed tightly together. She couldn't figure him out and it was driving her mad.
"I promise, Granger. I'm not vying for that position. Been there, done that. Will never do it again." He took a step forward and stopped when she flinched at his approach.
"You looked right at home with the lot of them."
"It felt familiar, but I assure you, it was far from comfortable." His gaze softened as he unclenched his fists at his sides. "You just up and left when we walked in." He shrugged. "I knew it looked bad, but I thought we could talk about it after Astronomy. I waited in the library and I wrote you, but you never showed. I ran into Riddle in the common room and he told me that you were late to class and that you left before him. Still, you didn't answer. Then you missed dinner… Where were you?" he demanded to know.
"I was in the Room of Requirement. I stared searching for the last place we were that night. So far I haven't seen any doors other than the one at the entrance," she replied and then shifted her stance. "It did look really bad, Malfoy," she added, her voice low.
"I'm doing what I know how to do, Granger. Survive. I adapt to make sure that I keep on living. I expect no less from you." He took a breath of relief as the tension between them ebbed a little. "Earlier you wrote that you had to alter our cover a little. Will you tell me now?"
She nodded and relayed what she had told Agnes. By the time she was done speaking, she had lowered her gaze to the floor, but he could see her blush from where he stood.
"You really are good with cover stories," he said.
She looked up at him. "The story might be good, but I don't think it's going to work. We aren't even acquaintances let alone friends. We were foolish in thinking we could pretend to be."
"We've only been here three days, Granger. Three bloody days. That's not enough time to clear the air that brewed between us over the last seven years. You know that."
"But-"
"And just because you're scared that you flirted with me doesn't mean you get to turn tail and hide." She scowled at him as her blush renewed. He couldn't help but smirk. "Ah, that's what you're the most upset about. It wasn't the flirting; it was that you enjoyed it."
"Fuck off," she snapped and tried to bolt for the door again.
His hand shot up to stop her; his fingers curling around her bicep. "You're not the only one who thinks the other is physically attractive. Despite their personalities," he quipped.
She glowered at him, but didn't say a word.
"And I did hear your roommates at lunch mention some sort of plan. Judging by the way they were side-eyeing me and giggling like little children, whatever it is, it has to do with your latest story."
"It isn't about the flirting," she bit out after a moment and then yanked herself out of his grasp. "It would be different if Ron and I weren't…"
"Granger, we already agreed that whatever happened here would be forgotten when we get home. And I'm sure even Weasley would understand that a few snogs from me kept someone like Riddle away from you."
She bit her lip to keep from screaming. He was right and it was maddening.
"And now you have a bunch of Slytherin females plotting a way to get us to snog for the first time like there's no tomorrow in a way that's sure to be on display for the masses."
He moved closer to her until she felt the wall against her back. "What are you doing?" she asked as he reached up to cup her jaw.
"If we get this out of the way now, you can go back to your dorm and tell your roommates about this. Then they can call off their plan and we can carry on as we were."
She pulled her head back as much as she could and turned her face upwards. "I can't…"
"Relax, Granger, it's just a kiss."
"I know that," she snapped. She took a deep breath and lowered her face until she could meet his gaze. His eyes were raging storm clouds as the corners of her lips tugged into a smirk. "Are you sure you're not just making an excuse to kiss me?"
His body tensed and his eyes narrowed. "Please, if anyone wants a kiss here, it's you."
"Don't flatter yourself."
"Right back at you."
He pressed himself into her even more and dipped his head to her ear. His breath tickled her skin and she couldn't help but shudder; gooseflesh prickling her skin. Slowly, he moved, his skin ghosting over hers until their lips hovered with very little space between them. Hermione could feel her chest constricting from the tightness of his hold as the anticipation made her skin tingle.
And when her lips parted to inhale, the gap closed.
Their mouths clashed together like two hurricanes over raging seas. Their hands roamed anywhere they could; each touch burning with need. Their mouths moved as one and he gasped when she caught his lip between her teeth and bit down hard. She used the moment to slip her tongue into his mouth. His snaked out to greet hers, groaning at the taste of her.
She broke it off first by abruptly turning her head to the side. She turned her face upwards again and he buried his in the crook of her neck. They stayed like that as they both panted for air in the classroom.
"We should go," she whispered.
He laughed; his breath hot on her neck. "I'm not going anywhere for a few minutes, Granger."
"Why?" she asked and then stilled when she felt the answer to her question on her hip. He felt her neck heat up immediately as her blush rose to all the way to her forehead.
Slowly he pushed away from her and turned his back to her. He scrubbed at his face as he grasped for thoughts of any kind that would make the blood rush back up to his brain. It took several minutes before he was ready to face her again, but even as he turned around, he knew he actually wouldn't be able to look at her. He kept his eyes on the ground as he gestured towards the door.
They left together in silence and he was grateful for her tact. At least he was until she ruined the moment by breaking the silence in front of the common room entrance.
"Malfoy-"
"Please, Granger; not now. We can talk tomorrow."
She held his gaze and he smirked even more at the fire that swirled in her eyes. Whatever she had been about to say when her lips parted was interrupted by another voice.
"Miss Granger, Mister Malory. Do you realize it's past curfew?"
They both went still at the sound of Riddle's voice. He was coming towards the common room as if just finishing his round of patrols for the evening.
"Yes," he answered, his eyes never leaving Riddle's.
"Kalista told me you had yet to return since this morning, Miss Granger and Mister Malory did express concern for not having seen you since Defense. I went looking for you when neither of you turned up for lights out. I wouldn't want either of you to get detention. Come along now. Off to bed."
They followed Riddle into the common room and paused where the dorms split off. They stared at each other, not caring that Riddle was there watching them with a guarded expression. "Goodnight, Granger."
"Goodnight," she replied and then turned away from them.
He watched her disappear down the right corridor and then turned to follow Riddle to their room.
"I won't report you, but I do hope the two of you don't make sneaking out a habit. We're supposed to be here for education, not fraternization," Riddle lectured.
"I appreciate the concern, but I really don't care what you think."
Riddle stared at him with an unreadable expression. "You have made that very clear, Mister Malory. I just wonder what I did to give you such a spiteful impression of me."
"I've seen the way you look at her, Riddle," he said, warning clear in his tone. "And I don't like it. She's mine."
"She is no one's but her own," Riddle snapped, taking a step forward. Draco had to force himself to hold is ground. "I know men like you. Men that hold women like her back; that think of her as nothing more than a prize to be won. She deserves better than you."
The laugher that tumbled past his lips was a surprise to both of them. "I know damn well that I don't deserve her, but I assure you that if all the men in the world were dead except for you, she still wouldn't even look your way twice."
Riddle said nothing, but Malfoy saw it in the way his jaw clenched and the way his eyes flashed as if to say, We'll see.
Malfoy knew how the Dark Lord was when he was determined. He could see the same determination now in Riddle's face. He swallowed hard and wished he could take back his provocation. The challenge went unspoken between them as they retired to their sides of the room, but Malfoy knew it was there. He could feel it in the Dark Mark on his arm.
He spent all night awake, staring at the canopy of his bed coverings, wondering if he had what it took to keep her safe from someone like Riddle.