Chapter 5:
Hermione awoke with her head pounding. She slowly lifted her head from the pillow only to flop it back down again. This may be the worst hangover I've ever had, she thought to herself. Hermione had not really had that many hangovers before. She had only experienced a few after nights out with friends, and especially with Ginny. Her head felt like it was going to explode. She wondered if Malfoy was feeling the same way. He had been drunk too, right? She remembered the events of the night past and immediately winced – she had made a fool of herself. She had told Malfoy that Ron was not talented in bed, that she had shagged Viktor Krum, and that she had seen Malfoy at his lowest moment. Then she remembered the young Malfoy's words, the warm blushes that crept across her face as he had complimented her. She recalled the feel of his strong arms and firm chest as he had carried her up the stairs. Malfoy was really not that bad, she thought, as she wrapped herself in her towel and stepped out of her room heading towards the bathroom. Would he make a good friend like Harry, Ginny, or even Ron? What was he like with his friends? Would he be there to support her and listen to her when she wanted to vent. She doubted him. All she had known was the arrogant and rude Malfoy, not the sweet and caring Malfoy who had carried her to bed last night and tucked her in. He intrigued her. She wanted to know more.
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Draco opened his eyes as the light from his window shown into his room. He had a mild headache, but nowhere near as bad as Granger's would be, he thought. He chuckled; she was funny when she was drunk. All her restraint and composure, which she held so dear when sober, crumbled and the floodgates had opened. He was not surprised when she told him that Weasley was a terrible shag, he could have guessed that. That red-haired buffoon was as graceful as a troll. But he was surprised when she let slip that she had shagged not only Weasley, but also world-renowned Quidditch superstar Viktor Krum. Granger had not divulged details, but he recalled they had been an item fourth year. He smirked. There went his theory on Granger being a prude, she had lost her virginity before he did.
He smiled as he remembered his first time having sex. It had been fifth year, and after the upper class Slytherins had thrown a party to welcome the fourth years into the upper-class realm. He had gotten drunk and set his sights on the young and beautiful Astoria Greengrass. Being Draco Malfoy, he could surely woo any girl he pleased, so he advanced on his prey. By the end of the night, Draco had gotten her into a broom closet where had things had gotten hot and heavy. By his drunk fifth year standards, he had gotten plenty of experience, he was an expert snogger and well practiced in the arts of heavy petting. It had not been until Astoria Greengrass had reached inside of his boxers, wrapping her tiny hand around his length, and whispered to him, "Make this worth while, Draco." His eyes had almost popped out of his head, but he had obliged her. With his inexperience, their affair had only lasted a measly three minutes. After their deed, Draco had returned to his bedroom to see his five best friends awaiting him. Blaise smirked at him, "So you finally got a taste of Ast-whore-ia?" They had laughed into the early morning, sharing stories and conquests.
God, he missed those boys. Draco's nostalgic smile turned into a frown as he remembered that he would probably never see any of his mates ever again. Blaise had never taken the mark and had fled with his mother to Morocco during their seventh year. Nott was probably at home, trying to lay low. His father was in Azkaban on the charge of being a Death Eater, and his mother had died when he was young. Goyle was probably in Azkaban – having helped Draco confront the Trio in the Room of Requirement during the War. Sadness filled Draco; the Room of Requirement: the reason Dumbledore died, the reason why he was going to Azkaban, the reason why Crabbe was dead.
He closed his eyes again and willed the memories to stop coming. His sixth and seventh year had been the worst of his life. Sixth year had been filled with stress – something he had never liked – and humiliation. He had failed. He was the reason that the Dark Lord had moved into his house. He was the reason that his father eventually his mind. He was the reason that his mother had died. It was all him. He had never felt so out of control in his entire life. He was used to getting everything he wanted, and being able to control everything around him. That all changed with the Dark Lord. He was unpredictable. But that was what had allured Draco in the first place. God, why had he been so stupid, Draco thought to himself.
He sniffed and got out of bed. He slid off his boxer shorts and wrapped a towel around his waist. He needed the hot water to get him out of this funk. The rest of the day would be ruined without it. He would check on Granger after his shower; make sure she wasn't suffering too much.
He sauntered into the bathroom, hanging his towel next to the shower. He leaned over the toilet, wizzing out all the alcohol that had accumulated in his bladder. He exhaled; he would feel brand new after a nice warm shower. His thought was interrupted by someone stumbling into the bathroom followed by a small shriek. His trademark smirk crossed his face, "It's ok Granger, you can look." He reached for his towel before turning around; he didn't want to scare her too badly.
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Hermione stumbled into the bathroom in her towel without knocking, and looked up. Right in her eye line was Malfoy butt-naked, taking a piss. She shrieked more out of shock than out of fear or embarrassment. As soon as she realized what she had just seen, her hands flew up to her eyes.
"It's ok Granger, you can look," he said. She could hear the smirk on his face. She heard him shuffle and presumably wrap a towel around his waist. "Granger, you can look now," he said seriously. She peeked through her eyes and saw Malfoy indeed wearing a towel, but still half naked. She blushed at the sight of his pale, tall, and toned body, but she kept her hands covering her eyes and cheeks, only looking through the cracks of her fingers. She glanced at his eyes, he was watching her. She shifted her glance downwards to peer at the length of her body. She was covered by her loose off-white towel, her elbows holding it steady, as her hands were still covering her face. Malfoy wouldn't be able to see anything, she reassured herself. She observed as he looked her up and down. It was like he had x-ray vision. It made her slightly uncomfortable. She wondered what he was thinking. She blushed again. Draco Malfoy – bad boy heartthrob of Hogwarts – was looking at her towel-covered body, and she was looking at his.
He cleared his throat, his smirk reappearing again, "Care for a shower, Granger?" Her jaw dropped. She could not believe this! Was Malfoy flirting with her? She composed herself once more, letting her hands drop and grip her towel protectively, as though Malfoy would rip it away at any moment. "Not today, Malfoy. You can shower first, I'll go start breakfast," she stated, immediately walking out of the bathroom.
But Hermione did not immediately move downstairs to the kitchen. She returned to her room, putting on one of Harry's old shirts, which was far too large for her. Before walking out of her room to start cooking downstairs, she looked in the mirror and primped herself. She scoffed as soon as she was realized what she was doing. Who was she kidding, Malfoy didn't care how she looked or how primped she was! He scolded herself as she descended the stairs into the kitchen, getting straight to work. She cracked 5 eggs in the pan, and watched as they sizzled. She heard a faint scratching at the window, looking to see Poppy with a small note tied to her ankle. Her heart sank as she opened the window and took the parchment off of Poppy's leg…it could be from Ron. She sighed in relief as she started to read Harry's small and sloppy handwriting,
"Hermione,
I assume your weekend has been terrible. Ginny and I had just come back to the Burrow from our weekend away when Ron told us everything. Don't worry, I know you're not dumping Ron for Malfoy and that you haven't taken the Mark. Ron's just upset. Anyways, Ginny and I thought we would pay you a little visit tonight. Don't worry, we'll bring dinner for you and the Ferret. I've gotten Ginny hooked on Chinese takeout…I hope that's ok."
Love,
Harry"
Hermione smiled at his letter. He always knew how to cheer her up. Turning her attention back to the eggs cooking in the frying pan, she wondered what Malfoy would think. She knew they hated each other. It would be an interesting meal.
oooooooooo
Ginny Weasley walked out of the floo at Grimmauld Place and looked around. Harry stood next to her, still holding her hand from the voyage. No one was in the kitchen. She set down the large bag of steaming Chinese Food and helped Harry as he set the table. She heard quick shuffling upstairs and assumed it was Hermione, probably frantically finishing something before coming down to greet her guests. Typical Hermione.
The redhead heard Hermione before she saw her. "Malfoy" Ginny heard Hermione call from upstairs, followed by the light patter of feet down the stairs. Hermione appeared from the stairwell, hair wet and looking frazzled. "Sorry, I just had to finish getting dressed. It's been a long day." She flopped herself down at the kitchen table and wiped her rosy and wet cheeks. Ginny knew that tired, exasperated look – Hermione was hung-over! "I'm really glad you guys came, I have a lot to tell you."
Harry, who had been staring intently at Hermione while shoving his mouth full of Chinese Food, turned to look at the staircase once more. The stairs creaked and the tall blonde walked into the room. "Potter" he greeted, continuing to walk towards his seat next to Hermione at the kitchen table. Ginny watched as he sat down, nodding his head towards her, greeting her silently. He served himself noodles, rice, a bowl of soup and began eating.
"Hermione, are you sure you want to tell us what happened with Malfoy in the room…" Harry started, looking cautious. Ginny knew Harry did not think that Malfoy would ever be malicious towards any member of the Order, but she guessed that he was reluctant to let Hermione spill her secrets in front of the boy who had tormented her at school.
"It's alright Harry, he already knows everything," she started, glancing at Malfoy as he ate quietly. "He's read the letter, and he heard Ron and me arguing Sunday night." Ginny could tell that Hermione was not telling Harry something, and assumed that something else had happened between them that Harry would not have been so comfortable with. The youngest Weasley made a mental note to ask Hermione about his later. "But what Ron may not have told you is that I'd been thinking of breaking up with him for a while now, and I wasn't pleased at all with his weird love for the cameras. It was the last straw for me. Then he had the audacity to insinuate that I was shagging Malfoy. He just took it too far." Hermione said seriously.
Ginny smirked. She loved her brother dearly, but he had no idea how to handle himself around women. She was surprised that Hermione had even dated him in the first place. She thought about what Hermione had said. She was completely right; Ron did have a strange obsession with the media. Ginny didn't understand it. Ron was famous enough! She thought of Harry and Hermione who would pay tooth and nail to remain out of the limelight and live their own normal lives. But that was no longer an option.
Hermione continued, "And Harry, I was wondering if I could stay for a one more week…I'm not really ready to get back out there with the media…and Ron." Harry nodded and a small smile appeared on Hermione's face, "Thanks, you're really the best."
Ginny turned her gazed to Malfoy, who looked as though he had not heard any of the dialogue just exchanged. She watched him as he took his last bight of noodles and placed his plate neatly next to the sink. "Thanks for dinner," he mumbled as he disappeared back upstairs. Now onto the real stories, Ginny thought. Now that Malfoy was gone, Harry would ask her how he was doing, if she was comfortable and felt safe, on and on.
Harry put down his fork and cleared his throat, "So, Hermione, how are things with Malfoy? He's not causing too much trouble is he?" Ginny watched Hermione's eyes soften for a split second; Ginny saw that she was recalling something happy.
"Harry, he stays in his room and I only see him when he goes to the bathroom or comes down for food. He has been no problem what so ever. I feel weird saying this, but actually, he is the ideal housemate for me right now."
Ginny knew instantly there was something that she was leaving out. Hermione was looking down at her hands trying to avert Harry's watchful eye. Harry caught onto Hermione's deception as well, "'Mione, what else is there. I can see you're not telling us something."
Hermione blushed, "It's really nothing Harry. I think we're starting to get along now. It's very strange, we haven't really been arguing as much, and we're not always jumping at each other's throats. When I am in the mood for it, I find him very nice company." Harry nodded curtly to show that he believed her. Ginny chuckled; who would have thought.
oooooooooo
Draco sat at the top of the stairs as he heard Hermione explain to Potter, "When I am in the mood for it, I find him very nice company." Draco smiled as he thought back to this morning and their flirtatious banter in the bathroom. He got up and started to walk towards his room, still smiling. "You're not that bad of company either, Granger," he whispered to himself. She would be there for one more week. Draco felt giddy; he wasn't sure if it was the cabin fever, or that fact that he would have more interaction with Granger. That night, Draco did something that he had not done in a very, very long time: he fell asleep smiling.
A/N: let me know what you think! hope you liked the chapter Review pleaseeee :)