She had come to him in his dreams.
She had been everywhere, the light flowy way in which she walked away from him had been cat like, the sun hit her on the curve of her waist. Bare.
Like a siren from a lore, she had called to him with every movement. His eyes soaked up the golden tones her skin released in the light, the softness of her curves bounded through the room until she was finally within his grasps. It was as if everything he could ever want was now in his hands. Her lithe frame melted perfectly into his body, where they met, the friction of it was glorious. When his eyes closed she was there, laughing as her hair fell around her bare shoulders, his nose pressed against the curve of her neck, pressing his lips and teeth along the edge of her shoulder. His hands ran up the front of her, pulling her onto him.
He had awoken with a start.
The throbbing ache he experienced scared him. This was not allowed to happen. Nothing about her was supposed to entice him while he was awake nevertheless while he was asleep. It made him vulnerable, made her susceptible to being damaged.
Made him susceptible to being killed.
He had pulled himself from the dream as fast as he could, not allowed himself to…enjoy…. what his mind clearly wanted him to. He hadn't slept the rest of the night.
Then she waltzed her way into his hell, all sunshine and roses this morning. Planting herself on his side as if it was the most normal thing in the world she could have done. She had needed to know. That was all he could do, he placed her in danger, so she needed to know.
"Come on drink some juice before you pass out and get everyone talking" he handed her a goblet of orange juice as he watched the color fade from her face, before being replaced with a magnificent shade of red.
"I don't need any of the, um, awkward details." She took a drink of juice, as he rolled his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. He would give everything he had to take back ever mentioning it.
"In your dreams Granger."
"Apparently its yours I need to be worried about," she took a drink as the blush continued to run its course down her neck. He watched her then and saw it, in a moment her eyes changed, her spine sat taller and she took just the smallest inch away from him.
"I'm sorry" she mumbled quickly turning and walking towards the great hall doors and back into the corridor. He grabbed the tea cup and quietly snapped the small handle in his frustration.
She laid on the rug in the empty common room and stared at the ceiling. The fire danced dangerously close at her feet as it cast long shadows that played on the walls around her. There was a draft in the room and no matter how many fires or blankets she could not get rid of it. It seemed to follow her around the castle. Radiating from within her. She had been stupid to run.
She was properly embarrassed that she had run from him. Like a coward, she had been hiding in the common room for days trying to rid herself of the cold that was spreading through her.
The Gryffindor in her died with each beat of the cold blood that ran through her veins.
The guilt she had been harboring for months, the one that made her stomach sick and her head fuzzy had only intensified with his words. She liked that he had dreamed of her. Something she would rather die than admit out loud to the world. Yet it ate at her all the same.
She needed to escape this room, get away from the castle and go to the burrow. See Ron and Harry and Ginny and tell them everything. Remove herself from the situation and beg for forgiveness. Beg Katie for forgiveness for not bringing him in. The sooner she said something the sooner he would be gone and the pit in her stomach would go away. Scrambling she grabbed a quill and parchment and made her way out to the halls, she would write to Harry and tell him she was coming after all. She would find a professor to help her out and she would be there in time.
She made her way down the tower and to the staircase to make the trek to the Owlery. As she climbed the flights of stairs she stopped on the seventh when she saw him rounding the corner from the staircase. Just keep walking, you didn't see anything.
She got off and followed around the corner. Only a handful of students knew about the area in the back of this floor, they had been privy to the information their fifth year. As they continued to approach the room, she quickened her steps to catch up to him. Before she could grab his arm, he jerked it away and turned on her.
"Stop following me." He growled at her before turning back around.
"What are you doing up here?" She yelled at his retreating figure but when no answer came she bent her head up to the sky and closed her eyes sighing again before running after him.
"Granger" he warned not slowing down his pace.
"Me and you both know what is on this floor. What are you doing?" She asked reaching for him again, he pulled away quickly taking the turn in the hall. She stumbled a bit to turn as well. "Why are you going this way?" she asked confused.
"To go to the stairs to the dungeon" he said not looking at in her direction.
"Don't lie to me Draco, I'm just confused as to why you would need it." She stopped then and he stopped too.
"Can you just let things go. You're smart enough to know when things need to just be let go Hermione." He finally looked at her then, she could see the pleading in his eyes.
"I won't just go away, Draco." She paused, stopping in her steps as his figure continued to loop around the way he had come. It was one big circle, filled with a maze, that lead to the same goal. A room where you could find everything you wanted except, apparently, peace. She crumbled the parchment in her hands into the pocket of her jeans and made her way back to her fire.