The door creaked as it opened. Draco gave Hermione a worried look. Glancing at the door she locked eyes with one Blaise Zabini.
Blaise just looked, blinked a few times and took in what was before him. Her was Hermione Granger, in a skirt and blouse, blouse undone to expose her bra, and Draco Malfoy, in only pants.
"Close the door man or wait for me outside", Draco ordered.
Blaise closed the door, staying in the room. Draco got of Hermione and reached for his shirt. Hermione started to do hers up. It was Blaise who broke the awkward silence.
"So you two are an item?" he asked with a snigger.
Draco produced the same snigger, replying "Yeah we are, but the thing about knowing this now is that I have to kill you!"
Hermione giggled. "What he means is you cant tell anyone, not a soul!"
Blaise
nodded. "Can I ask, were you to in the library yesterday?"
Draco
and Hermione went red. Blaise saved them the trouble of saying.
"Yeah I thought it was you two that's why I high-tailed it out of there! Plus I didn't want anyone to see who I was meeting." Now Blaise went red.
"Oh you sly bugger!" Draco yelled, "Who is it!"
"Luna", came a sheepish reply.
"Luna!" Hermione exclaimed. She couldn't believe it, but I'd made sense why her friend had been so distant lately.
Draco laughed. "Well looks like we all in the same boat. Maybe we should go on a double date!"
"Great idea, Hogsmeade this weekend it is", Blaise agreed.
"Now tell me, what did you disturb me and my girlfriend for?" Draco continued.
An hour later, Blaise walked out of Draco's room. Harry sat in the common room and watched the door stay open, and Hermione walk out! He sat speechless. Only Draco realised what Harry had seen. Leaping into the scene he announced to the room:
"Blaise you better do what I said yeah, and Granger I expect you to help him."
Harry let a very obvious look of relief pass over his face. He thought they were talking about the trip to Hogsmeade this weekend, just as Draco had hoped. Hermione and Blaise stood blank, but both soon clicked and disappeared out of the room. Draco went back into his own room. He was planning to go through the bathroom to Hermione's room to surprise her. He opened the door to the bathroom from his room, looked left and right. He locked his door and disappeared into Hermione's.
"Draco!" came a squeal of delight as he pounced on her.
Friday came faster than expected. The three Heads had organised a meeting of all prefects in their common room. Harry, Draco and Hermione waited while all the others arrived. Hermione gave Draco a glance and licked her lips. Felling himself aroused he quickly looked away to break the urge to go to her. The portrait door opened and in came Blaise, Ron and 10 other prefects from the other houses. All seated themselves on the couches and the meeting began. Hermione opened it.
"Welcome everyone," she began, "to our first meeting. Firstly we have to sort the agenda items. Discipline, the ball, corridor patrol and outings to Hogsmeade".
The issue of discipline was dealt with first. Then corridor patrol, which conveniently ended up with Blaise and Luna on at the same time. Then the ball was scheduled for organisation for the next meeting and finally they came to the Hogsmeade weekend. All of the prefects volunteered to go. Harry sorted it by suggesting that they could all go, but saying that two would have to stay behind. A sigh of annoyance filled the room. Hermione felt guilty, she didn't like to make others unhappy and she had no reason to go.
"I will stay behind," she volunteered.
"One more," Harry asked.
Everyone looked at everyone else. Draco suddenly realised what everyone else gone would mean. He shot up his hand, almost too enthusiastically.
"I will," he yelled, "I will stay behind!"
Everyone looked at him. His mind thought quickly.
"Sorry all, just had a thought and remembered I couldn't go, my mum said she would visit".
Everyone nodded and chatter started up again.
"Well", Hermione started, "that brings our meeting to a close. Have a good weekend!"
Everyone got up and left the common room. Harry started to clean up the mess left behind. Next time they were not having such a messy lunch in here!
Draco disappeared into his room. Closing the door shut, he sighed heavily. A bluebird flew past the window. He felt a sharp pang in his chest. His mother. Her favourite bird. His mother lived alone at their mansion, he had wanted to stay with her this year, but since he got Head Boy she had insisted he go to school. She was so proud and excited for him. But he just wanted to help her. Little did anyone know that when his father died a year ago, he had had one last go at Draco's mother. There marriage had been a bitter torment for both, the children the only solace for each. Draco had had a younger brother, Cristiano, whom was four years younger than him. His parents loved Cristiano, he was the favourite son. But only Lucius spurned the older son and put him down, Narcissa had loved her older son as well. She never abandoned him like his father had. Lucius had wanted Cristiano to succeed him, be just like him. And when the boy died aged four, Lucius was shattered. He blamed Narcissa for giving the boy weak genes and their older son the strong ones. The older son should have died, he told his wife, not the younger. Draco remembers hearing that, and hating his father for it. No more children came along. It's when the beating started. Lucius would beat his wife when angry, it wasn't frequent or in a pattern. It was always hidden. Just before he died, Lucius had taken his anger out on his wife one last time. It was like he knew he would die. Narcissa was left so badly beaten she was left crippled. Draco's mother was to spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair. He hated his father for that also. He was glad he was dead. I tear slid down his cheek, followed by another and another. He sunk to the floor in a heap and let it all flow out. His brother. His mother. His father. His brother was an innocent victim in his parent's relationship; his mother was an innocent victim in the marriage. He was an innocent victim. He let out a moan of pain and cried. A moment of weakness came even to the brave and fearless. The bluebird, his mother likened herself to the brave bluebird.
In the bathroom, at Draco's door, Hermione stood. She heard the sobs, the cries, and she felt the pain. What was he upset about was what she wanted to know. Her hand gripped the door, she almost opened it. But she didn't, she let him have his space. She let go of the door handle and went into her own room. In there she started to make a cushion, a large cushion, for Draco. Something to cheer him up and to remember the night they first had together.
Christmas was approaching slowly. It loomed in the air and haunted every corner. What surprise would it have in store for all the Prefects this year?