A/N Thank you again for the reviews - they really make me smile.
Chapter Three:
Touch is a vital part of taming your Granian. But attempting too much too soon will be detrimental to your overall goal. Be sure to begin with a small amount of contact. Gradually, the Granian will become accustomed to your touch and understand there is no danger to it.
Extract from "From Wild Beast to Wizard's Steed, a how-to guide on taming Granian".
"The interesting part about this passage is the use of the rune 'algiz', which translates as 'protection'. It led to the now authenticated assertion that the original relic was part of a protection spell carved into the ramparts of a wizarding village. This is the widely accepted rune and translation. But one translator, Pertinax Asinus, insisted this was an error. He maintained that the stone inscription had been tampered with – that the museum which held the inscription had carved an additional line onto it to conceal the original rune 'nauthiz', which meant 'need' or 'necessity'. Asinus claimed it marked the location of what would have been a large hole in the ground and that 'need' was the colloquial name for the latrines. In short, it was a warning to make sure no one fell in the toilet. This assertion was hotly contested by..."
Thirty minutes into the study session, Granger was animatedly talking and Draco's eyes were beginning to glaze over.
He propped his head on his hand, trying to pin his attention by focusing on Granger's face. It was not an unpleasant pastime.
Another few minutes went by.
Abruptly, Draco realised he was staring. He had been watching Granger's mouth, mesmerised by the movement of her lips as they lovingly shaped themselves around words; 'u' sounds were his favourite: they puckered up her lips as though asking for a kiss.
Granger had gradually become aware of his scrutiny, speech slowing down before coming to a full halt. She was staring at him in bewilderment, cheeks beginning to colour and eyes starting to widen as bemusement threatened to give way to panic.
Whoops. Too much, too soon.
"D'you think we could get back to the assignment now?" he asked in a slightly bored tone. "I'm sure this tangent is fascinating, but I haven't got all night."
Granger's face performed a Wronski Feint; the change from embarrassment to indignation was so abrupt it was almost comical.
Draco's apparent regression to business-as-usual seemed to restore Granger's equilibrium and (after another monster glare), she huffily returned to the set reading.
"Fine. Well, it seems clear to me that the first translation is incorrect." She gestured at it. "I think Professor Babbling put it in our assignment as a decoy, so if we take that as read, the inscription must have been a spell for prosperity—"
"Hold on, Granger." Draco frowned as he interrupted. "What about Spellman's discovery of the seven Younger Futhark runes? Factoring those in, isn't it possible it isn't a decoy?"
Granger blinked, momentarily wrong-footed; she gazed down at the text with a chagrined expression, then as the import of what Draco was saying sank in, it melted into excitement.
"Malfoy, that's it! That's the key! It's not a decoy – which means it's not a spell for prosperity – it's a spell for fertility! You just saved me hours of work and potentially a lower grade!" She looked horrified at the thought. "Thank you," she said with heartfelt emphasis.
It was Draco's turn to blink. He hadn't expected know-it-all Granger to be capable of thanks after being proven wrong. "Er, you're welcome," he replied. His inner Slytherin pointed out that, speaking of fertility, this seemed like fertile ground, so how about it? (Apparently, his inner Slytherin was fond of puns.)
So thirty-four minutes into the study session, Draco made his move. He leant in to point at a rune, making sure he brushed up against Granger's arm as he did so, then he deliberately left his arm there to rest against hers.
Making no sign that he was aware of the contact, he continued to read aloud. Granger glanced at him, looking mildly uncomfortable, and shuffled her chair a few inches away.
Over the course of the eighty-minute study session, Draco allowed his arm to "accidentally" press against Granger's three more times, giving no sign he had noticed when it happened, nor when she pulled away.
At the end of the session, he politely bid Granger goodnight and they made arrangements to meet the following evening.
The next study session, he repeated the trick with his arm; Granger moved her arm away, but not her chair.
At the third session, as they peered at a particularly nasty rune, Draco once again allowed his arm to lightly press against hers.
Frowning in concentration, Granger's posture and tone remained unchanged as she sounded out possible translations. With a thrill of delight, Draco noticed her lack of response to the physical contact; how she accepted it as commonplace.
Progress!
At the fourth session, Draco overreached himself.
They had been poring over the next chapter of Advanced Rune Translations (having completed the Runes assignment ahead of time, Professor Babbling had given them licence to extend their work for extra credit – extra credit! – how had Draco become this person?), and almost in spite of himself Draco had been getting more and more drawn into the debate.
"It could be... it could be." He nodded in response to Granger's proffered solution. "But remember what Babbling was saying about the crossover of numerical and lexical? I was thinking we should cross-reference it with Logograms."
"That's a good idea." Granger looked impressed; Draco couldn't help preening a little.
"Why don't you dig it out from your bag?" He casually brushed the back of her hand with his fingers. Granger practically jumped out of her skin, jerking her hand away.
"Actually, Malfoy, I think that's a good place to stop." The wariness was back in her eyes. "It's getting pretty late – I think we can finish this off in our own time. Why don't we leave it there?" She started packing her things away.
Draco wanted to object, but knew it would be fatal. Mind working rapidly, he considered his options. What would reach Granger better: appearing indifferent and aloof to make her question her suspicions, or showing vulnerability to appeal to her Gryffindor nature?
Decisions, decisions.
He settled for somewhere in the middle and smirked slightly. "The mighty bookworm vanquished? Never thought I'd see that happen... You're probably right, Granger. We'll both work better fresher." He met her gaze with a pleasant but somewhat detached demeanour. "Thanks for this evening, Granger. It's been interesting, and very helpful." The thank-you came out a little easier this time, though it still burned a little. "We'll get together for the next assignment?" His tone deliberately conveyed the impression that it was a given their study sessions would continue and all that remained was confirming the timing.
To his silent relief, it worked. Granger nodded slowly, some of the wariness leaving her. "Sure – let's do that."
She smiled at him slightly, and then left the study area, leaving Draco to slump in his chair.
He mentally reviewed the evening and the week leading up to it. Four study sessions over eight days. Extra reading, extra effort – extra homework! Not to mention working with Granger was – well – hard work. Not that Draco couldn't keep up, of course, but he had been taken aback at the sheer breadth of her knowledge and the subtlety of some of her observations. He had always assumed most of her vaunted intelligence was just a freakish ability to regurgitate what she had read.
It had even spurred him to start reading around the subject – outside of their study sessions. Draco was not accustomed to having to work this hard.
Draco wondered if he was going a little potty (the insane kind, not the insufferable Scarhead ponce kind). He had never had to put this much effort into getting a snog before.
There were times he found himself questioning whether it was really worth it.
Then he thought about when they had touched: Granger hadn't been the only one to jump – the jolt that had gone through his body at the slight skin-to-skin contact had been startling.
He also remembered how Granger would unconsciously nibble at her full lower lip whilst formulating a translation; he recalled the warmth radiating from her body as she sat beside him; he relived the occasional snatches of her scent when she flipped her hair...
Okay.
It was worth it.
A/N 'Algiz' and 'nauthiz' are both genuine Norse runes which have a similar enough appearance to almost make this story true. They both have the meanings described here, but neither was a warning for a toilet :)