Draco cursed to himself. He should have never touched Hermione like that. Now she's probably thinking that he enjoyed massaging her leg. He didn't think it was appropriate for him to like a mudblood, so he fought himself, trying not to think of Hermione in any way that wasn't professional. One day he's an enemy with Hermione, the next he is feeling her up. He couldn't keep his thoughts straight…it wasn't normal for him to feel something for the likes of her. He wouldn't let the warm tingling sensation in the pit of his stomach to burst into anything bigger. He couldn't…he wouldn't let himself succumb to the likes of a common wench. He was too good for that. Some part of him didn't believe it. He quickly extinguished any contrary thoughts. Hermione was only there for professional reasons…nothing more.
Draco was sitting on the same couch with his head in his hands. He wasn't thinking about the moment that he just had with Hermione. He didn't know what had come over him. They both got caught up in an awkward silence that had turned the whole situation into something that he didn't even want to think about it. Draco thought that Hermione was sitting her room, completely disgusted by his touch. She did seem kind of anxious to leave. Well he didn't like touching her either…oh who's he kidding? He enjoyed it and it freaked the heck of him.
He realized that it was getting late, so he decided to take a shower. His sore muscles needed to relax and hot water would help them unravel.
After a much-needed shower, he dressed in his boxers. He combed his silky, platinum hair and brushed his teeth. In his sparse clothing, he walked over to the same door that Hermione was fascinated by earlier. With a wave of his wand, the lock clicked open. He needed to escape for the next half-hour. He stepped into a blue illuminated room. Faeries were flying around letting off the magical light that provided his plants the energy to produce their own food. The chatter of the playful faeries came out in little squeaks. They knew the true nature of Draco and didn't seem alarmed with his presence in the garden. If anything, their insistent chatter became louder in excitement. The little faeries started to fly near Draco in friendly welcome, making Draco chuckle.
The door seemed to disappear into the cobblestone wall that it was carved into. Vines curled lavishly on the wall, making the gray stones, seem green. Draco fully walked in, making the faeries glow even brighter with glee. This made the rest of his garden more visible to the eye. Draco sighed at its beauty. A few feet from him were a pond that held little tropical fish and huge goldfish. Little frogs were jumping off nearby stones, trying to tackle their comrades on lily pads. The fish swam in peaceful harmony. To his right were different species of flowers that were growing towards the unnatural light. Flowers of different seasons were growing in this enchanting world. It was quite unusual to see. The ground was covered in lush green grass that embraced his bear toes. The room was twice the size of his bedroom, which allowed him to have a miniature sized version of his home garden minus the gnomes. He sat Indian style on the ground and closed his eyes to meditate. He inhaled the fresh scent of summer and allowed his breathing to subside into a faint rhythm.
He allowed himself to recede into a calm world, where no worries pressured him…where life was free. The faeries quieted their chatter, knowing that it was a time of peace.
This was the place where he didn't have to meet anybody's expectations…he could soar on the clouds of his own freewill…he loved it.
--
Hermione closed the door quickly behind her as she tried to calm her heartbeat, which was racing. Her body felt warm and fluttery. She walked over to her bed and plopped onto it, wincing from her sore muscles. Damn Wood! Nearly killed her…well not really.
She wasn't worried about the training…she was wondering about Draco. What was that before? One minute he was working out a sore muscle and then…and then they were completely lost for words. Anybody who knew them would be completely shocked. Hermione always had something to say. That was the first time in her life where she was rendered speechless and she couldn't comprehend why or how. She does have to admit that she liked Draco to be near her, which was very unusual and so unlike her. She was deeply confused…she could still feel the heat of his hands on her leg, which made her heart jump in wonder.
She supposed to hate him…well he was okay, but she wasn't best friends with him. They still had issues, but they would eventually be resolved…that's what she thought at least. However, she couldn't help, but feel a physical attraction with him…yes a mere, normal attraction. What's so wrong with that? She wouldn't pursue it, but that is what her mind concluded. There was nothing else between them. There couldn't be…it was inconceivable.
She forced her self to sit-up, so she could peel off her dirty clothes. She didn't know what Harry had in store for them tomorrow, but she hoped that she would be able to walk. Wood didn't need to be so harsh…what good what it do if both her and Draco were physically impaired in the morning? She stood up and walked over to her private bathroom and turned her bath water on. The room was rapidly filled with steam, making her hair automatically frizz up. She immersed her foot into the scolding hot water, making her pull it away. She added cold water to the bath and stepped in when the temperature was right.
She stared at the white wall ahead of her. She could only think of one thing and it annoyed the hell out of her. With a deep breath, she submerged her head under the water, trying to drown out her thoughts of her once famed enemy… of Draco.
--
After towel drying her hair, Hermione walked over to her bed to read a book. It was ten o'clock and she was extremely tired, but her mind wouldn't stop working, so she decided to read. Reading allowed her to get some peace of mind.
She climbed into her overstuffed bed and reached over to her nightstand, grabbing a pretty hefty book called "How To Cope With Your Worst Nightmare: Befriending the Enemy" by Topcee Cretts.
She opened the book to chapter seven… 'Learning Boundaries'.
Ten minutes later, she found herself absorbed in the book, her nose five inches from the page.
"Former enemies always hold grudges…friendliness should be watched carefully…may lead to misinterpretation…" she whispered to herself. Her face was scrunched up in concentration.
"Stop! I promise…I won't do it again," a voice called from the next room, making her jump. She wasn't expecting to hear Draco's voice so soon. She hated it when he dreamed. Every night, he always had a nightmare. It was quite frustrating. She tried to ignore his voice, hoping that it would go away…that he would find rest again.
She was wrong…it came back even louder…even more comprehensible.
With a large groan, she slammed her book shut and threw it back onto her nightstand.
She stood up and put both her slippers and night robe on, covering her revealing knickers and camisole. She was going to wake his ass up. Maybe a sleeping draught would help with his night terrors.
She walked out of her room and walked into his bedroom. She could hear him whimpering, but it wasn't coming from his bed…instead it was coming from the room behind the door she saw earlier. She didn't know what was in it. Anything could be in that room…Draco could be trying to set her up or something. That darn book was getting to her mind. Draco wouldn't try to do anything like that. This didn't mean that she trusted him, but Draco was too damn selfish and self-involved to do something stupid that would jeopardize his job.
She proceeded cautiously to the door, which was radiating the same eerie blue glow that caused goose bumps to form on her arms. She was astonished to the calmness that flowed through her body as she neared it. She pushed open the door and gasped at the sight in front of her.
She didn't know how long she was standing there before she was snapped out of her daydreams by a high-pitched sound. Fearies were tugging at her clothes and talking into to her ears, trying to get her attention. A few feet away, lay Draco writhing on the ground. He looked like he was being tortured. Sweat was pouring from his forehead and tears were leaking from his eyes.
She walked over to him and sat on the ground, trying to ease him awake.
"Draco…Draco. You're having another bad dream," she shook him gently.
"Stop…please Father. I didn't mean…I didn't…" he muttered. He woke up with a start and grabbed at her. His lithe arms found her waist, pulling her closely. She didn't protest, knowing that Draco needed something to comfort him. He didn't know what he was doing.
He placed his sweaty head into her lap and started to sob. It was then that she realized that he was barely dressed, which made her blush profusely. Thank Merlin that no one was near to witness it. She would surely be scorned for the rest of her living days.
Her arms hovered above his body…she didn't know what to do. "Sssh... everything will be all right," she consoled, patting him awkwardly on the head.
--
Draco couldn't help the thick blanket of security that came over him. He should have known that meditating while physically exhausted was dangerous, but he thought himself invincible. Slowly he started to fall into a peaceful slumber.
--
He couldn't understand or recall what had happened. He must have fallen asleep, but he couldn't remember it. He must have been meditating then dozed. He realized that he was clutching something very warm…the only thing he could think it could be was a body…of whom? Why was he crying? He was dazed and confused…probably from meditating. Falling asleep while meditating allowed a person to get lost in his or her own head and state of bliss. He should have known better.
Did he have another nightmare? Was he still in his garden? Who was he holding? Oh shite. He slowly brought his arms up and met long hair. He was holding a woman…a very toned woman. Oh shite…not Hermione. He was crying like a wee baby in front of Hermione. What a pansy?
He didn't want to meet her gaze. How embarrassing? Not to mention the fact that he was only clad in his boxers. He had to say that her patting his head was rather annoying. He wasn't a little kid. He stopped himself immediately and pulled way from her roughly, avoiding her keen gaze.
"Draco? Are you all right?" Hermione placed her hand on his shoulder comfortingly, but he shrugged it off.
He turned away from her, trying to hide his flushing face. He was utterly humiliated. This was an unpleasant position to be in and he didn't know what to say. He only knew how to be nasty and that is exactly what he did.
"I'm fine. Leave me alone," he snapped.
Hermione was taken aback. She didn't expect to be treated so harshly, especially after helping him. She knew that he was annoyed and unhappy with the fact that she found him crying from a nightmare. If it were herself…she would be horrified. She tried to change the subject.
"Why didn't you tell me about this place?" she looked around in wonderment.
Draco wasn't prepared to answer her question. "Is there a reason I should?" he nastily replied.
Hermione scoffed. She didn't like his disposition. "I was only trying to help. The next time you need somebody to cry on, I won't be there," she retorted, standing up in anger.
"I didn't ask you in the first place!"
"Don't fucking wake me up next time! I don't need to hear you bitch and moan like a baby!" She was furious. How dare he treat her like that!
"Stop sticking your nose into other people's business!" He jumped up and stepped towards her, a foot away from her face.
"I wouldn't have to if they knew how to handle their emotions! I'm sorry, I didn't know you were such a sensitive jerk!" she sneered. She stepped up to him and tried to get into his face.
Draco had a momentary lapse of insanity as he grabbed her face and brought his lips down onto Hermione's. Her breath caught in her throat, her body froze in shock. She didn't know what to do, but the only thing she could think of.
She pulled away from him. Her cheeks were ablaze and her breaths came out unevenly. She glared at Draco, who was looking at her stupidly. She raised her hand and smacked him in the face.
"How dare you touch me! I hate you," she stomped away. She left his garden…his room. She touched her tingling lips and smiled involuntarily.
Draco looked at her retreating form unblinkingly. What did he do?
b A/N: /I It is like 1:00 a.m and I have finished. I know I am crazy. Don't be too harsh on me. This is probably shite. You let me know. The medidation made him very confused. That can happen. Topcee Cretts is from a movie…I changed the lettering a bit. Don't want to plagerise.
Please leave reviews for my friendly box…it won't bite…lol. Thanks guys.
Liadan Lightflower