Chapter Five: Madness

I'll give you a definite maybe.

—Sam Goldwyn

Hermione tried to make the trip on the doorstep look graceful, as she used her hip to push open the door and slid her key back out of the lock. She pushed her hair out of her eyes and picked up two plastic shopping bags that she had rested on the step. She turned around briefly and ignored a spot of light, reflected from a nearby car. The house opposite looked silent once again; as though nothing had happened the previous night but there was something about her street that was making Hermione nervous.

She scanned her guest with a dent in her cheek. He had insisted that he should carry the larger percentage of the bags from shopping and Hermione had been quick to take him up on the offer. The opportunity had given her great amusement and Draco was approaching the house somewhat slower than usual, a definite sweat breaking above his brow.

Hermione stepped into her house and left the door open for him. A fleck of ginger swept past her and Crookshanks disappeared under a neighbour's car. Hermione smiled at her cat and continued through the house into the kitchen, where she placed her own two shopping bags onto the counter and stretched her back against the side wall below the clock.

Hermione could hear Draco tripping through the door. 'You know, I have people to do this kind of thing for me,' he shouted, obviously trying to spark a response.

'No,' Hermione called back, moving towards the kitchen door so she could swing her head around, 'you have house elves,' she pointed out. Hermione peered around the frame, her hair drooping down slightly.

Draco brushed past her and she watched him as he lifted the carrier bags onto the table; she kept a smile to herself when the bottles clinked together. He rubbed his hands together and Hermione noticed the red grooves that had been pressed into his skin, as she walked beside him to begin unpacking the groceries. She quickly slid her hand back into her pocket to check that the wands were still comfortably positioned. They were.

Draco scratched his nose and Hermione quickly became preoccupied with some frozen carrots. 'Actually I don't anymore but we did,' he began to offer her conversation. 'Now I'm not too sure what is actually mine,' there wasn't a tone to his voice but as Hermione walked over to the freezer, she stared over at him and noticed abstractness to his eyes.

She decided that no comment was needed to be made in response and began to unpack some fresh milk, ignoring the fact that Draco was watching her interestedly. 'I'm doing it the muggle way,' she suddenly stated, surprising even herself.

'Why?'

Hermione paused to think and realised that honestly, she didn't understand why. She was a witch, despite her background and the truth of the matter was that she barely spent ten weeks a year out of the wizarding world. She opened the fridge door and stretched down to place the milk on the bottom shelf. As she closed the door again, she stared across at him blankly.

He was smiling slightly and Hermione noticed that his cheeks dented. 'Doesn't matter,' he mumbled and she wondered whether he had thought she had offended him.

Hermione decided she would attempt an answer, throwing a large bag of mixed flavoured crisps into a cupboard to her right. 'Because I can,' she informed him with a shrug.

Hermione continued to unpack the shopping and the bags quickly decreased in size as she moved around the kitchen loosely placing products into cupboards and the fridge. She'd almost forgotten Draco was there at all, until she could feel the presence of another human being breathing in the room. It was an extremely odd feeling, as she had become so used to her own company. She almost liked it.

When she had packed all but the last of the bags, which contained Draco's clothes, Hermione peered across at him and observed him for a moment as he stared out into the garden. There was a softness in his eyes that reminded her of a student in the year below her at Hogwarts; Luna Lovegood. His eyes currently had the same wide, glazed expression. Whereas with Luna it was disturbing, it was almost charming for Draco. She tried to ignore her thoughts.

Hermione picked up the bag with his clothes inside and handed them to Draco, who seemed almost oblivious to the action, even though he took it from her. She realised she was feeling remorse towards him but couldn't understand why. Either he had gone mad or she had and Hermione knew which was the more likely of the two options.

'You can go take those up to the spare room if you'd like,' she half instructed Draco. He looked up briefly and nodded. She didn't take her eyes off of him as he took large strides out of the kitchen. His head poked back around the doorframe and she smiled slightly, 'same room as before.'

Once she heard his footsteps echoing up the stairs, Hermione took a glass from off of the draining board and twisted the cold water tap. She watched the water flow for a moment and then pressed the glass underneath until it was halfway full. She sipped at the water, almost expecting to see a mirror image of herself shouting at her to get her guest out of the house.

Hermione wondered whether Draco had got lost, although she was sure it was less than likely. However, there was no sound of movement from anywhere within the walls and she shuddered, half of her expecting that he had left or was planning to jump her for his wand and get out of the faster than light. A second thought occurred to her; surely, if he could apperate, he would have had plenty of time to leave and return.

A sense of relief struck, as she heard footsteps pounce down the stairs. He swung into the kitchen and attempted to hide a grin. He had changed. Hermione decided that it was probably best not to tell him that the black jeans he was wearing were at least one size too big and that the black t-shirt was just the opposite. She slid the empty glass into the sink.

Hermione decided to try and remain polite. 'You look cheerful, too cheerful. You haven't been going through my drawers have you?' it was meant as a joke and the change of expression on his face appeared to match.

'Yup,' he responded. Hermione's eyes widened and she paused her breath until he rolled his eyes. 'Look,' he said quickly.

'At what?' Hermione jested, trying to ignore the seriousness that had crept into his voice.

There was a nervous pause. 'I just wanted to say,' Draco avoided eye contact.

'Are you still staying here?' Hermione asked, trying to keep her voice calm and casual. He nodded, gazing at his feet. 'Then let's just get through the week, alright?'

She watched him turn his neck straight again and felt an instant change in the room. Everything about him was so similar yet so different to what she believed of him. Even his posture was relaxed. She turned her body and felt the second wand catch against her leg. She suddenly realised what it must feel like to a wizard being detached from his wand. A sense of evil rushed through her.

'Well, anything that you want, just help yourself,' Hermione began to pace the room slightly as she spoke, half expecting his attitude to change viciously towards her.

'Thanks,' he mumbled in response. She thought the shock would kill her.

Hermione paused for a second and then began to walk towards the back door. Fumbling with the locks, she slowly released the catch on the door and opened the door wide. The heat struck her face but shortly afterwards there was a pleasant gust of air; warm, yet soothing. She turned around for a moment and watched Draco again; he looked as though he were waiting for instructions.

There was something about his demeanour that Hermione sill didn't like but she ignored the thoughts for something more pleasant. Stepping over to the freezer, she opened the door and crouched down to search for something in the bottom drawer. After half a minute or so, she reappeared with two brightly coloured ice-lollies, stood up and closed the door.

'I'm going to go sit outside for a bit,' she informed him, pointing through the window at three sun chairs. She handed Draco one of the wrapped lollies and stepped outside, 'you can watch some television or something if you want,' she called back without thinking.

Hermione was unsurprised to find him following her, as she stepped outside into the tidy garden. The sun was no longer at its highest in the sky and a large cherry tree gave some shade to the left. She peered across at him and he was twirling the ice-lolly curiously. She smiled but it was unnoticed.

She crawled onto one of the chairs and pulled one of the air cushions below her head to make it more comfortable for herself. Pulling off the wrapper to her ice-lolly, she closed her eyes for a second and appreciated the stinging cold in her hand. She opened her right eye and noticed that Draco had pulled himself into the chair beside her. He was also removing the wrapper.

Hermione paused for a second and licked some of the moisture off of the lolly, as the refreshment had already started to melt. Her eyes were closed again and the thought of the wand was causing a burning sensation on her leg. Professor McGonagall's conversation suddenly reinstated itself. Her free hand slipped into her pocket and she pulled Draco's wand from inside. It was still warm, as she passed it over towards him. She did not open her eyes but felt his hand brush against hers as he took it back.