Black Out

Hermione's eyes fluttered open the next morning - thankfully it was a Sunday - and she sat up, glancing at the clock. It was twelve. She rubbed her eyes and sniffed, before plopping her hands back into her lap.

Bloody Draco Malfoy. He was going to kill her with all this. She swore, if she didn't fancy the bloke, she'd chuck him out on the street. The last thing she wanted in her life was that Death Eater rubbish again - but she also realized he knew that. And he had warned her in the beginning. (To her credit, she hadn't even imagined something of the magnitude it was, but still).

So she'd help him. Isn't that what she'd promised herself in the beginning anyway? In fact, looking back on that, she didn't feel any regret or remorse.

Not for the first time, she cursed her soft soul.

Hermione dragged herself out of her bed and slid her robe on, her feet padding as she walked out of her room, down the hallway and through the living room towards the kitchen, where she smelt breakfast. She frowned - that was usually what she did.

Oh, dear Merlin.

Draco wasn't trying to cook, was he?

She ran the rest of the way to the kitchen and grabbed the wall to balance herself as she stared at the scene before her. Harry, Ron and Draco were in the kitchen together, making breakfast, the Muggle way. Harry was scrambling the eggs, Ron was cooking the bacon (or attempting to), and, thankfully, Draco was just sitting on the counter next to them as they bantered, like they were old friends or some rubbish like that.

She stared at them like they were crazy, and Draco was the first one to notice her, being the only one facing her.

"Hello," he said tentatively, hopping on the counter. "We, uh, we're making breakfast!"

And it dawned on her then that he was trying to impress her, or trying to make up for what he'd told her the day before. She raised her eyebrows, and crossed her arms over her chest, trying to supress her smile.

"It kind of looks like Harry and Ron are making breakfast, and you're sitting around." she pointed out.

He chuckled nervously as Harry and Ron nonchalantly waved over their shoulders to her. "Well, last time I tried to cook I almost burnt down the building, so . . . I think that's a good thing."

He had a fine point there.

"So what is all this for, then, Draco?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I just wanted to say I'm so - "

"No, no," she warned him, then sighed, "I understand. And you don't need to do that."

He glanced behind him uneasily at the other two boys, who gave him shrugs. "I . . . don't?"

"I told you we could figure it out, you nitwit," she reminded him, walking past him with an exasperated look. "Now let's see if Ron can manage to not burn the bacon."

"Hey!" he protested, "I'm not that bad!"

"Ron, you're holding the spatula on the wrong side," Harry said exasepratedly, flipping it and handing him the right side. "We've been over this many times."

"I'm sorry," he muttered, now successfully able to flip the bacon. "The other side is just so much more comfortable."

Draco hopped up on the counter on the other side of Hermione, now looking in a particularly jolly mood.

"Don't pout, Weasel, it's not attractive." Draco chastised.

"So you find me attractive otherwise?"

"Don't read too much into it."

"Is that a blush I see?"

"You're a git, Weasley."

"You're getting defensive, that's a sure sign you're attracted to me already!"

"God dammit."

Hermione looked between them curiously. "When did you two become friends?" she scoffed, "Last time I checked you hated each other."

"Are you complaining?" Draco asked smartly, smirking.

She was about to retort, but Ron said, "Told you I'd try." he said, nudging her with a smile.

She beamed, suddenly feeling happiness engulf her. Her friends were getting along with her boyfriend. One step forward.

"Hey, where are Ginny and - and Wendy anyway?" Hermione asked, hoping no one noticed her slip-up - Ron was trying, so she would, too.

It seemed Ron and Harry didn't, as they explained that Ginny was out with Mrs. Weasley, having mother-daughter time, and Wendy was shopping in Diagon Alley for her and Ron's new flat - but she knew Draco noticed, as he slid a hand over hers. She looked up at him, and he gave her a discreet encouraging smile. She returned it before she tuned back into the conversation.

Hermione laughed more that whole afternoon than she had in a long time. They ate their brunch - or leakfast, as Ron insisted - slowly, filled with lame jokes and equally lame yet hilarious stories, and, after, they wasted the day away watching their favorite Muggle TV shows. Ron was fascinated, and kept fiddling with the remote, therefore changing the channel sometimes, and Draco still mispronounced most of the Muggle names. For example, he pronounced television like a French person - "tele-vis-ee-on" - and remote with an accent - "remot-eh". So it was a highly entertaining day overall.

When Harry and Ron left around ten at night, Draco and Hermione continued watching 'Friends', her head in his lap. He lightly ran his fingers through her hair and she looked up at him with a slight smile.

"That was fun." she decided.

"Yes, it was." he chuckled.

She sat up on her elbows and turned her face to him. "I meant it when I said we could figure it out, you know."

He nodded, studying her. "I know." he murmured.

"I know you're sorry." she said, knowing what he was thinking.

"I am, though, 'Mione." he whispered, putting a hand to her cheek.

She shushed him softly and brought her lips to his, needing to comfort him - because, these days, it seemed like it was only the other way around.

XXX

Two weeks passed of that same peaceful happiness, and Hermione really couldn't have been more content. The Death Eater issue was nagging at her in the back of her mind, but she refused to acknowledge it. She wanted to hang onto these moments as long as she could.

One morning, Hermione brought a secret box in, trying to retain her giggling, and set it down in the middle of the foyer. She stood and straightened her clothes, pushing her hair back from her face.

"Draco?" she called.

"Hmmughmph." came his muffled reply. He was still sleeping then. Perfect.

She bent down and opened the lid of the box, and the little golden retriever puppy leaped out, his tongue lolling to the side happily.

"C'mere." Hermione whispered, waving him along with her to the bedroom. The little puppy followed, and Hermione opened the bedroom door to find Draco sprawled out there, his head to the side.

Hermione grinned at the puppy, then went over to the bed, sliding next to him. She kissed his bare shoulder, then his neck, and he shifted, making incoherent mumbles. Then, she exictedly waved the puppy over and he jumped up next to her, peering over her waist to see the new person.

"Draco?" she murmured, biting her lip to keep from laughing. "I have a surprise for you."

He groaned and started to open his eyes. "This better have something to do with sex, because - AHH!"

She let the sex remark slide because of the look on his face when he saw the dog, and she laughed so hard she had to look away. The puppy hid behind her waist and Draco scrambled to the farthest side of the bed.

"What - what - huh?" he stuttered, looking at her.

She smiled and pulled the puppy onto the other side of her so Draco could see. "It's a puppy!"

"You mean, like - a dog?" he gasped.

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, Draco. C'mon, he's harmless, pet him."

"I've never actually . . . been this close to one." he mumbled, his eyes falling on the golden puppy, who was waiting patiently, his tail wagging.

"Well, they aren't very common in the Wizarding World." Hermione offered, watching in amusement as Draco reached his hand out as far as it could go, and only let his fingertips touch the dog.

"He's soft." he said, letting his whole hand now pet the puppy's head.

She snorted. "Good job, Draco."

"Shut up." he mumbled, his attention on the dog.

"What do you want to name him?" she asked, studying him as he stared intently the dog.

He winked at her. "Draco Junior."

"Yeah, that's not going to happen." she chuckled, thoughtfully looking at their new pet.

"Fluffy?"

"You've got to be joking."

"Spot?"

"Draco!"

"No, really, look, he has a spot right there, on his paw," Draco said, pointing too a spot covering his whole paw that was a tad darker than the rest of him. "It's fate, I tell you."

"But that's the most ordinary name for a dog." Hermione said, wrinkling her nose.

"Fine. How about his real name is King Spotawana IV, but we call him Spot for short, hm?" he reasoned.

Hermione laughed. "That is so strange . . . but I kind of like it."

He just grinned and kissed her.

XXX

The next day, Ron and Harry came over to make them breakfast - just like they had every other Sunday before that, as some sort of odd tradition. As Harry and Hermione bantered over the bacon, and Draco and Ron bickered over whose was cooking better (even though both were quite horrid), there came a knock on the door, earning a round of little yelps from Spot. Hermione left the boys momentarily to answer the door, her grin still in place. She picked Spot up so he wouldn't lick the visitor to death, and opened the door.

"Damon!" she exclaimed in surprise.

Damon stood there with his hands in his pockets, smiling shyly.

"Hi, Hermione," Damon said, "I'm sorry if this is a bad time. . . . "

"Er, no, not at all, come on in." she offered, opening the door all the way for him.

He stepped in with a thankful smile. "Thanks, I just wanted to check on you, I guess. I haven't heard from you in a while."

"Oh, well, that's sweet of you," Hermione smiled as she led him into the kitchen. "Me, Draco and some of my friends are just making some breakfast."

Damon grinned. "Breakfast at lunchtime. I love it."

They both laughed and entered the kitchen. The boys glanced up from where they were transferring the food onto plates.

"Hey, Damon, what are you doing here?" Harry said in surprise, setting the plate of eggs on the kitchen table.

"I just wanted to check on Hermione, but I see she's very much entertained." he chuckled, gesturing to the everyone.

"Yes, well, it was a surprise for me the first time, too." Hermione allowed, and she introduced Damon to Ron and Draco as well. Ron had recognized Damon from the Ministry, so they got off on the right foot. Even Draco and Damon did, even though she'd been on a 'date' with Damon before, or whatever it was.

Brunch - or leakfast, of course - actually wasn't awkward at all with Damon there, and Hermione was enjoying herself immensely. She was laughing at some story Harry was telling when there was a tapping at the window. She got up from the table to get it, the conversation continuing boisterously behind her. She opened it and gave the owl a treat before she took the letter. She saw it was from Julie, and it was formally typed, which was odd coming from her flambouyant secretary, but she didn't think too much of it. It explained that the department needed Hermione desperately for this one meeting with Katherine (her boss) at some cafe for lunch in Diagon Alley, and she needed to be there.

Hermione sighed and crumpled up the letter, throwing it aside.

Great. There goes my peaceful day.

She sighed and attempted to quietly go to her room to get dressed, but of course Draco noticed.

"Where are you going, Hermione?" he asked, frowning.

"I'm apparently desperately needed at work - Julie just sent me a letter," she explained, "But I'll be back after the meeting."

"That's not really like Julie, don't you think?" Damon frowned, "To be that . . . responsible?"

Hermione smirked. "Well, maybe she's starting to change."

Damon snorted. "Yeah - very likely."

"Go on, Hermione, we won't keep you," Harry said, "We'll clean up here and then go snoop through your things."

He grinned cheekily and she rolled her eyes as the others laughed. She quickly went to her room and got dressed, before saying one more goodbye to the boys and then Apparating to Diagon Alley.

She made her way through the crowds of people towards the cafe that she needed to go to. She was about halfway there when suddenly thought it was a great idea to turn suddenly, into Knockturn Alley. Part of her mind fought it, but something in her forced herself to go. It was a horrible sensation.

She barralled through people until she finally got to a denser part, where she finally came to her senses. She let out a bretah she didn't realize she'd been holding, and shook her head to clear her mind, but she was suddenly grabbed by both arms. Adreneline shot through her and she kicked, trying to distract them as she reached for her wand, but she found it wasn't there. They had taken it. She kicked and screamed for help, but there was no one around. Then, she was thrown inside some hidden building in one of the back alleys, where she feared no one would discover her. She was dazed as her two captors bounded her to a chair, and she figured they must've cast some spell on her to make her this confused. She heard them muttering, but everything kept falling in and out of focus.

And then, she blacked out.

A/N: Dun, dun, duuuuh! :) Sorry for the cliff-hanger, guys, but I'll update as soon as I can! Thanks to all who are reviewing and such, it makes me smile! :)