all characters belong to JKR
Chapter 8: Divided:
They were told they would only have to be at the damn cabin for a day, maybe two at the most. Now, five days later, there was still no word from Potter or Martini, and they were still stuck at the cabin. There was no word from the outside world at all. Draco was told to make sure they stayed in the cabin, so he didn't go outside. Not once. Hermione was feeling the same anxieties, pent up emotions, and apprehensions that Draco was feeling. She was beginning to wonder if they had forgotten about them. She expressed as much to Draco on the afternoon of their fifth day.
"Do you think we should just go; I mean, leave here? I feel like we've been forgotten. We're cut off from everyone and everything. We're not allowed to do magic. It's like we're sitting ducks, and I don't like it, not one bit." Hermione looked out the window as she spoke.
Draco felt the same way, but he was tired of being the voice of reason every time she brought this subject up, which had been at least four times a day since they got here. His usual response was, "No, we should stay put," but today he was in a foul mood, and while he agreed with her that they should probably just pick up and leave, he didn't voice that opinion. Instead, he said, "What would you like us to do, Hermione? Just go out there and say, 'here we are, come and get us'?" He stood up and walked over to the window, where she was still peering out and grabbed her shoulders and turned her around. "Anyway, what do you want me to do about it all? I don't like being here anymore than you do, maybe even less. This place may be a step up for you, but believe me, I'm used to more creature comforts than this!"
She wormed out of his grasp and with sarcasm said, "Would you prefer if I just stop talking?"
"Yes, Granger, that would be lovely. Shut your effing mouth." Draco went up to the table and kicked the chair in anger.
Hermione went over, picked up the Muggle deck of cards, and sat down with them. "Do you want to play a game?" she asked crossly.
She had asked him that same question every day for the last three days. Each day he told her no. Why should today be any different? He walked up to her, grabbed the deck of cards out of her hands, and threw them across the room.
"Is that a no?" she asked.
"I'M GOING CRAZY IN HERE!" Draco screamed with an ear-piercing cry.
Hermione stood up and went to the bathroom. She slammed the door. He knew she did that frequently, going into the bathroom just to get away from him. Well, tormenting her at the moment was at least giving him something less mundane to do than just sitting and staring at the same four walls, so he would not be deterred. She couldn't just walk out on him. He walked to the bathroom door, opened it wide, just as she was in the process of undressing. "GET OUT!" she screamed.
He was about to leave in embarrassment, but decided, 'this could be fun'; "It's not like I haven't seen you naked before," he leered.
"I mean it, Malfoy, get out of here!" she tried to push him out. She only had on her underwear and bra, and she had a small towel held up in front of her, from where she was washing up in the sink.
"I have to go to the loo," Malfoy said nonchalantly.
"GET OUT!" she screamed for the second time, even louder.
He didn't know why he was tormenting her so. It was just something to do. He turned around to the toilet, unzipped his pants, and started to urinate with her still in the bathroom.
She screamed some obscenities, ran out of the bathroom, and slammed the door shut. Just as she was entering the main room she saw Kevin, or rather, Bruno, sitting on the kitchen table.
"Are you two having fun in there?" he asked with a frown.
She was suddenly aware of her state of undress, and she tried in vain to put the towel around her, but it was too small, so she just kept it in front of her.
"You have got to get us out of here! He's driving me crazy," Hermione told him. Just then, Draco came sauntering out of the bathroom. He was shocked to see Martini.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Draco asked, "No, let me amend that question; why the hell weren't you here days ago?" Then he turned to Hermione and said, "Go get dressed, Granger, no one here wants to see your jiggly parts." She pushed him, hard, into the wall and went back into the bathroom.
After she closed the door, Bruno said, "I don't mind seeing her jiggly parts." That declaration made Draco angry as hell, for some unknown reason. Then Bruno said, "So, I guess Hermione's feeling better?"
"Are you really here to talk about Granger's health? Should we talk about the weather next? Or how about, when the hell are we getting out of here?" Draco fumed.
Hermione came out of the bathroom, fully dressed, and Bruno jumped down off the table. "Malfoy, why don't you go outside for a moment, I need to explain some things to Hermione, in private."
"I thought we couldn't go outside," Draco waned.
"Yes, well, now you can, so please, if you don't mind." The dark haired man went to the door of the little cabin, opened it and motioned for Draco to leave. Draco didn't totally trust the man, but he went outside anyway.
He stood by the window and peered through the glass. He could see Martini and Hermione talking. He was probably telling her about how he lied to her, and please, please forgive him. What a load of shite. Draco saw Bruno embrace Hermione. Was she actually falling for his act?
Martini came back to the door after a torturous fifteen minutes and told Draco to come back inside the cabin. "It's your lucky day. You guys are leaving here," Bruno told them.
"Have they got any more news on the whereabouts of the Mud Ones?" Hermione asked.
"We're very close. I'm sorry that I didn't come back sooner. I've been knee deep in it all, you know." He smiled at Hermione. She smiled back. Draco thought he looked like the world's biggest wanker. He wanted to wipe that smile right off his face.
Bruno told them he was going to apparate to the next location, to make sure everything was ready, and he would be right back. Before he apparated away, he held Hermione's hand and said, "See you later."
After Bruno left, Draco spun around and asked Hermione, "What the hell?"
"What?" she sincerely asked.
"So, he comes in here, says, sorry I lied to you, used you, and almost got you killed, and everything's fine?" Draco begged earnestly.
"Yes, everything's fine. He didn't mean for me to get hurt," she told him.
"You're so naïve, Granger," Draco told her.
"No, I am not," she pouted.
"That man just wants in your pants," Draco said crudely.
"You're disgusting. Don't judge everyone by your standards, Malfoy," she said with an expression of scorn.
"I don't want in your pants," he gasped.
"That's not what I meant!" she yelled at him.
"What did you mean?" he yelled back.
"I meant, just because you deem all women as sexual objects, doesn't mean all men do," she explained.
"You know nothing about men. You're not just naïve, but unsophisticated as well. All men deem all women as sexual objects," he told her, as he stepped up to her closely.
"Well, you just said you don't want in my pants, so your theory has a hole in it, Malfoy," she said, taking another step closer to him, so they were almost nose to nose.
"Let me expand on my theory then. What I meant to say was, all men deem good-looking women as sexual objects. Therefore, you are excluded," he said to hurt her.
"Well, once again, you're not proving your own point very well, because if that statement's true, and I'm so undesirable, then why do you think HE is trying to get in my pants? Get your theories in order before you spout them off, or shut the hell up, Malfoy," Hermione said smugly.
She made him so angry. He was now walking in circles around her. He wanted to shake her, scream at her, or do something to her so badly! So, he walked up to her, grabbed her by the waist, pulled her to him, put one hand on the back of her neck and one he kept around her waist, and before she could protest, he kissed her soundly on the lips!
It was a kiss that lasted only a second or two, but when he pushed her away, she asked, "Is that suppose to prove your theory, you arsehole?"
He grabbed her again, and this time he assaulted her lips with brutality and passion. He held her the same as before and her hands were squarely on his chest. This time, the kiss lasted much longer than a few seconds. In fact, he was unsure what to do next; since kissing her did indeed mean his theory needed some work; so he just kept kissing her. In addition, there was an upside; he was actually enjoying himself.
He loosened his grip, just a bit, and her head tilted to the other side. He could feel his heart beating against his chest. He could also feel her breasts against his chest. She opened her mouth and he decided to advance his exploration. He found the sensation of her tongue dancing wildly with his an extremely erotic sensation. Perhaps the most erotic feeling he has had in a long time, and that included the last few times he had had sex.
Her hands went up to his hair, and he released her lips to kiss her neck. He kissed the long column from her ear to her collarbone. He licked his way back up. She tried to press her body closer to him, so he put one hand on the back of her leg and hooked it over his hipbone. He kept that hand on her bum. Soon, they were kissing each other everywhere, her delicate hands on his body, his rough hands on hers. They were brought out of their reverie by the sound of someone apparating into the cabin. They jumped apart, as if literally shocked, and Harry Potter stood there with his mouth open, like a fish.
"Um, are you ready to go, Draco?" Harry asked, with a blush forming on his face.
"Yeah, I'm ready, are you, Hermione?" Draco asked, trying to act as if nothing had just occurred, as he also tried to hide his raging erection.
Hermione, who was pulling her shirt down, said, "Yes, I'm ready."
"No, you don't understand. Didn't Bruno tell you?" Harry began, "I'm just here to collect Malfoy. He's going to the new location. You need to wait here, Hermione, and Bruno will come get you later tonight. You're not going together."
"Why not?" Hermione asked, still not understanding. Draco, however, thought he understood what Potter was trying to say perfectly.
"We aren't going to be at the same location, are we?" Malfoy asked.
"No, you're not," Harry answered.
"No, Harry. I really don't understand." Hermione rushed up to him.
"The Auror Department, along with the Special Intelligence Department, feels that Draco is at the biggest risk, so he's being taken to a high security location. We think you're not really in danger anymore, Hermione, so you get to go home, but you'll still have a 24 hour guard," Harry told her.
She looked at Draco, then at Harry, then back at Draco. In her eyes, he could tell that she was imploring him to do something. It was apparent to Draco she didn't know what to say. Harry took the moment of silence to speak again, "Anyway, when Bruno just got back to Headquarters, he said you two were fighting like cats and dogs, and you couldn't wait to get away from each other, so this would be a better arrangement, don't you agree?" Harry said, again with a blush.
Hermione sat on the bed and put her hands up to her face. Draco sat next to her. "I'll be fine. You'll be fine," Draco said, less than touchingly. He really didn't know what else to say to her. He wanted to say that he would miss her terribly and that he would see her soon. He also wanted to tell Potter, Martini, and all of them to go to hell, and just let him take care of himself. That way, he could stay with her if he wanted. But, he had a little bit of common sense. He could see the rationale of their thinking. He only wished he had thought of kissing her days ago. That would have been a pleasant way to pass the time.
"Come on, Malfoy," Harry said, "you'll have to side-a-long, since you don't know where we're going." Malfoy went to stand next to Harry, and Hermione suddenly rushed up to both of them. She hugged Harry goodbye first, and then, with a bit more apprehension, and a lot more awkwardness, she hugged Draco.
She took a step back from him and said, "Take care of yourself, and thanks for taking care of me." She looked so sad standing there by herself.
"Come on, Malfoy, take my arm," Harry said impatiently.
Draco gave Harry a dirty look over his shoulder, and he rushed up to Hermione. He had taken care of her. He felt that gave him some ownership over her. He wanted to continue to take care of her and he NEEDED to continue to take care of her. They stood closely next to each other, neither speaking, neither moving, until he finally put both hands on her cheeks. Then he bent his head and gave her a kiss. He moved his lips against hers, and pulled away, only to move back in once more, for another. Then he said, "You take care as well. I'll see you soon, I promise." Then he took Potter's arm and apparated away.
(Coming up in Chapter 9, Hermione is the one in true danger.)