all characters belong to JKR
Chapter 6: Day Six Wednesday
Day Six
Wednesday, at Dawn -
Draco went home and took another shower. His head hurt like hell. There was no way he was going to get any sleep at all. He told one of his house elves to prepare him some coffee. He decided to take it to the roof, and to drink it up there, while the sun was rising.
He walked up to the roof with his coffee in hand and he saw her. Hermione was asleep on the swing on his roof. She looked as lost and forlorn as she had looked that time he found her in the graveyard. He put his coffee down on the table and walked over to her. He bent down and pushed her hair out of her eyes. She was lying on her side, facing him. He brushed his lips against her forehead and said, "Hermione, wake up, everything's okay."
She woke with a start. She saw Draco looking down at her, and she immediately sat up. She was slightly disoriented, but then everything came back to her. The first thing out of her mouth was, "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine. I have a slight concussion, and I am a little bit embarrassed at having been found unconscious, but at least dressed, by my neighbour. I told him I had too much to drink, and he helped me back up to my flat," he said, while actually smiling at her.
"Was your female friend upset that you left her for so long?" she asked so silently, he almost did not hear her.
"You mean my cousin, Cassandra? She had already left when I got back upstairs. I guess she had better things to do then wait around for me. She was only going to be in town one night and she had other people to see as well."
"Your cousin?" she asked plaintively.
"Yes, Hermione, my cousin. Now see how easy things are to explain when you aren't all angry and ready to hex someone," he said, as he smiled at her. He picked up her feet from the end of the swing and sat down, putting them on his lap.
"Did Harry find you last night?" she asked.
"Yes, and I must say, he's as frightening as you are. When he found out I called you a 'Mudblood' he threatened to, and I quote "kill me", in no uncertain terms, and leave no evidence behind. He told me that you turned yourself in to be arrested, but when we returned to his flat, you were gone. Do you realize there are as many as six Aurors out there looking for you as we speak?" he said.
Hermione sighed as she swung her feet to the ground. "Then I should go turn myself in. I was just so scared last night, so I ran. I wanted to make sure you were fine, but I couldn't get into your flat, so I just came up here. Do you think they will arrest me right away, or do you suppose I will have time to go home and change?" she implored.
"Why would you be arrested?" he said, mocking her.
"I hexed you! You said they are searching for me as we speak!" she said with much alarm. "I'm so very sorry, Draco. I deserve to go prison. I'm a terrible person. I know you won't ever forgive me, but I really am so sorry." She put her face in her hands and began to cry.
"Listen, as much as I would like to call you stupid right now, I'm not ever going to call you that again; because I value my life too much, but you ARE being rather silly, Hermione. They're looking for you because Harry and I were worried about you. I'm not pressing charges. I deserved to be hexed and much more. I should never have called you that name, but you must admit, if you had just calmly entered my flat when my cousin invited you in, or if you had taken just a moment to hear me out about everything in the lift, then we wouldn't be in this predicament, would we?" he asked her.
He then said, "Stay here. I really mean it. Don't move at all. I'm going to go tell Harry you're fine. Don't move a single muscle." He got up from the swing and went to the door to the stairs to go down to his flat. Hermione took his words at face value and literally did not move at all. She sat quietly on the swing and awaited his return.
When he came back upstairs, he said, "That's all taken care of; now let's not dwell on last night anymore. We both said things we shouldn't have. I was being a bastard at the office when I said you were incapable of having fun and letting go, and I was being a bastard by not telling you goodbye when I left work. Furthermore, I should have told you I was meeting my cousin for dinner, but I have to admit I was a little peeved at you, and wanted to worry you a bit." He finally stopped talking, and walked over to her and stood her up. "Your turn, Granger, do you have anything to say to me?" he raised one eyebrow and stared at her.
She stood and put both her arms around his waist and hugged him tighter than she had ever hugged anyone before. Without looking at him, she said, "I should never have called you a Death Eater, because I know you never were one, and that's just as bad of a name as Mudblood, so I am sorry for that."
She looked up at him, while still holding his waist, and added, "I was actually coming over to your flat last night to see if you were angry with me, because you left without saying goodbye and because I was always so uptight, and never have any fun. I should have waited for your explanation, but when I heard you call that beautiful woman 'sweetheart' and you came out in only your towel, well, all my old insecurities came back." She tucked her head back onto his chest to continue. "However, that doesn't justify calling you that name, or stupefying you. I know I don't deserve your forgiveness, but if you think you can forgive me, I would like to start again, Malfoy." She looked up at him again, finally daring to take a breath, and he answered the only was he thought was appropriate. He kissed her soundly, and passionately, on the lips.
Wwhen they broke apart, he asked, "Do you still feel like taking our trip to Hogwarts, or do you want to wait until tomorrow?"
"Let's go today. I just need to go home and shower. I actually feel quite rested," she murmured into his chest.
He tilted her head up, and kissed her on the forehead. He said, "I'll meet you at the Ministry at 8 am, Granger. Oh, yeah, and, I would like to start over again as well. After all, we already have a standing date for this coming Friday, do we not?"
She looked confused and inquired, "We do?"
"Yes, remember last Saturday, when you told me you would answer my two questions on Friday, if I would make you a promise the same day? Well, I'm holding you to that, Granger. That is a set date if I ever heard of one. Oh, and I now have three questions to ask you on our date," he added.
She laughed, hugged him again, and said, "I won't stand you up on Friday. See you at 8:00 am, Draco." With that said, she smiled, waved, and apparated away.
Draco stood on his roof for a moment longer, took his cup of coffee from the table and sat on the swing. "I know I will never be bored all of my days, with that one," he said to himself, but aloud. He took a drink of coffee and smiled to himself as he watched the sunrise.
Wednesday, 8:00 am
Draco met Hermione in the lobby of the Ministry of Magic, shortly after 8:00 am. She did look rather well rested, all things considering. She had her hair pulled back in a ponytail, old jeans, light blue t-shirt and a grey sweatshirt tied around a big black backpack. She also had on hiking boots. Hermione thought Draco looked like a zombie. You could tell he had not gotten much sleep, from the dark circles under his eyes. He had on dark jeans and a grey t-shirt, and a black jacket tied around his waist. Over his shoulder, he had a small black bag.
She approached him, and he took her bag from her. "You really look tired," she said obviously.
"Yeah, I wonder why? Oh yeah, I was hexed last night with a Stupefy hex, then I spent the rest of the night looking for my attacker," he smirked.
"Sorry," she said.
He swung her bag over his shoulder and said, "Gee, Granger, what do you have in here? Half of your flat, or what?"
"Just some things we might need. What's in your little tiny bag….hair gel?" she asked coyly.
They got in line at the fireplaces and got ready to floo to Hogsmeade. When apparated to a little Inn called "The Firefly Inn" and Draco said, "I'm going to get us a room. We might want to rest and take showers when we get back from our little outing." He went to the front desk as she waited outside by the front door. When he came back out, he said, "Ready for our nature walk, Granger?"
"Only if you are," she retorted back.
They walked down the road that would lead them to Hogwarts. She said, "This brings back a lot of memories, doesn't it, Malfoy?" He just nodded in agreement. They walked a little farther, and she asked, "Is everything okay?"
Again, he just nodded. He was too tired to speak.
She didn't like the silence. She decided to keep talking, even if he was going to play dumb. She said, "You just seem so distant." He again was silent, and merely looked at her. Now she knew it was not just her imagination. She decided to keep talking, "At first I thought I was just imagining things that weren't there or over analyzing as you like to say, but now I realize that something is just not right since you aren't even talking to me." She continued walking, while he came to a complete stop. She turned to look at him, with her hands on her hips, in a very confrontation way.
He could tell she was challenging him, and he was frankly too tired to fight. He just said, "I'm just tired, Granger. Anyway, you seem to be talking enough for the both of us, and since you like to hear yourself speak so much, I thought I would just let you have a go at it."
She turned back around and starting walking again. 'Fine, he doesn't want me to talk. I won't talk', she thought. He finally was the one to break their silence when they reached the gates of Hogwarts. "You've seen rather distant as well, you know."
"I know. I just still feel weird about last night, and apparently you do, too." She tapped her wand on the gates, and was admitted entrance. He looked at her with astonishment and she merely replied, "McGonagall told me how to do that." They walked on to the grounds and headed toward the forest. It felt very strange to be back at Hogwarts, for both of them.
Wednesday, Late Morning:
Once again, Hermione was the one to end their silence. "Funny thing," she started, "the last time we were here we were sworn enemies, and look at us now."
He finally broke his silence by asking her, "What are we now, Granger?"
"I don't frankly know what we are, Malfoy," she answered honestly.
"Well, let me take a stab at this one," he said slyly, "we aren't friends, because we have done things friends would never do to one another…"
"Like stupefying each other," she interrupted meekly.
"I was actually talking about kissing, but they both apply," he continued. "We're more than just acquaintances, we're more than just friends, as previously established, but we aren't lovers, since we haven't been intimate yet, for want of a better word. I guess that means we are….what?" He stopped walking and pulled on her arm to make her stop.
"I thought you were going to tell me," she said smugly.
"Fine, Granger, I guess we are 'boyfriend and girlfriend'. Even though that sounds very juvenile," he responded.
She actually laughed. "It does sound odd. Tell me, are we exclusive boyfriend/girlfriend, or are we free to see others?" she asked.
They continued walking and talking, and were just entering the Forbidden Forest, when he finally asked back, "Do you want to be exclusive?'
"Do you?" she bounced back.
"The question is in your court first, Granger, so will you just answer?" he asked with a frown.
"Are we playing a game of questions only?" she asked him.
"Will you answer the question if I said yes?" he asked back.
"I'll answer, but are you willing to do the same?" she questioned him with a smile.
"Do you think if I answer, it will help pass the time?" he inquired.
"I don't know, do you?" asked Hermione.
"Where do we begin?" Draco inquired.
"Do you suppose we begin by just asking questions, and responding with questions as well?" - Hermione.
"If you fail to answer a question, do you lose?" - Draco.
"I don't know, do you?" - Hermione.
"Do you want to start?" - Draco.
"Don't you think we already have?" - Hermione.
"Do you really care?" - Draco.
"Don't you think I care?" - Hermione.
"What if I said I didn't?" - Draco.
"What, didn't care? Or didn't start?" - Hermione.
"Are you trying to confuse me?" - Draco.
"Do you think that would be difficult?" - Hermione, (laughing).
"Are you trying to be funny?" - Draco.
"Do you think this game of 'questions only' is hard?" - Hermione
"Not for me, but is it for you?" - Draco.
"What does that mean?" - Hermione.
"Well, aren't you smarter and more perfect than everyone else?" - Draco.
"Don't you think that's the pot calling the kettle black?" – Hermione.
"Is that Muggle talk again?" - Draco.
"Why, can't you understand me?" - Hermione
"Can YOU just answer the question?" - Draco.
"Can you repeat the question?" - Hermione.
"Do you think you're more perfect and smarter than everyone else?" - Draco.
"Was that the question?" – Hermione.
"I don't know, do you think that's the question?" – Draco.
"Do you think I am more perfect and smarter than you?" - Hermione.
"You probably think that I think that, don't you?" - Draco.
"I frankly don't know what you think, but don't you think this is getting too hard?" Hermione asked with a huff.
"Do you think it's getting too hard?" Draco asked.
"Didn't I just say that I thought it was getting to hard?", she asked back, all the while thinking, 'What a bastard.' She thought of another question, "Is your neck strong enough to carry all that weight from your big head?"
"I was going to ask you the same thing; only, I wonder if your neck can support the weight of all that bushy hair?" Draco asked with a laugh.
"My hair is no longer bushy, you fat headed prat!" she yelled.
"That wasn't in the form of a question so I guess I win the game of 'questions only' aye, Granger?" With that said, Draco continued walking deep into the forest ahead of Hermione.
A little later, he slowed down so she could catch up to him, and she said, "What an accomplishment, Malfoy, you won a game of 'questions only'. Does that make you feel good? Can you get out of the rotten mood you're in now?" she asked.
"We aren't playing the stupid game anymore, Golden Girl, so stop asking questions. I also think we should probably get out our wands. We're getting pretty deep in the forest now," he retorted back to her.
Actually, getting out her wand was a good suggestion. She reached for her bag from his outstretched hand, and opened it to retrieve her wand. She started to swing the bag over her shoulder, when he said, "Give it here."
"No, it's not fair that you have to carry it the whole way," she reprimanded him.
He said, "Here, you take mine, and I'll take yours."
She gladly switched with him, because her bag was indeed heavy, and his felt like it weighed nothing at all. "Do you even have anything in here, Malfoy?" she asked him.
"It's called 'Magic', Granger. Have you ever heard of it? You just shrink down whatever you pack, and then enlarge the item when you need them." He actually rolled his eyes at her. He had to admit, that for a smart woman, sometime she did lack common sense.
She had not even thought to shrink her supplies today, even though she had done that type of thing in the past. She told him, "Sometimes the fact that I grew up Muggle influences how I do things. I don't take magic for granted, like some people."
After telling him all of this, he just looked at her incredulously, and said, "Aren't you supposed to be the smartest witch of our age? What does that say for the rest of us?" He just shook his head in disbelief.
It was a beautiful sunny day. Not too warm, with a nice breeze, but as they got deeper and deeper into the dense forest, the sunlight began to hide more, and was replaced with streaks of shadow mingled with light. "Do you remember where this damn plant is, Hermione? We have walked quite a ways already," he said as he stopped to take a water bottle out of his bag. She stopped and put her bag on the ground, and reached in for a book. He handed her his water, and she took a swig. She handed it back to him and then picked up her book and turned to a place she had marked.
"It says here that Aspergilla grow mostly in the deep, dark confines of the Forbidden Forest. It's usually at the base of conifer trees, and while it's sparse, and mostly hidden behind moss and tree roots, if you're lucky to stumble upon one plant, you'll usually find more than one plant. It also says that the smell strongly resembles night blooming jasmine," she read.
"Does it show a picture?" He leaned over her shoulder to look at the book.
"Yes, see, it is a small white flower, with five petals, and a red stem. I think I have another picture of it in one of these other books as well." She put the first large book on the ground, and opened her bag to retrieve one of the others. He looked shocked that she even had one book, let alone more, in her bag. He bent over, looked in her bag, and found not only one more book, but also two more books, making four in all.
"Are you telling me your bag has nothing but books in it, Granger?" he asked with astonishment.
She looked up from her book, and sincerely asked, "What did you ask?"
"Your bag, you little bookworm! Did you only bring books? No provisions? Food? Water? Change of clothes?" He started rummaging through her bag, and besides the books, she had a toothbrush, toothpaste, two granola bars, one bottle of water, and a change of underwear. He started to throw everything out of her bag, while mumbling things like, "No wonder it was so heavy!" and, "What is she going to do if there's an emergency?"
Hermione stood there in shock. She was also quite embarrassed, because he frankly had a point, but he didn't have to empty her bag on the ground. Before she could chastise him, he took her toothbrush, toothpaste, the granola bars and the water bottle and put them in his bag. He took her extra set of knickers and balled them up in his fist, and actually stuck them in his pocket. Then he said, "We'll leave all the books here, and get them on our way out!" He took the book she had in her hand, threw it harshly on the ground, kicked her bag from them as if it was an offending vermin, and left the other three books on the ground.
He took her by the hand and continued to lead her down the path. She was embarrassed, but she was also upset. Two of those books weren't even hers. She had borrowed the Herbology books from Neville. She pulled on his arm, and refused to go any further. "What the hell, Malfoy! I know you're tired, and you're in a rotten mood, but don't take your mood out on me. If I'm willing to carry my own bag, books and all, then that's my business." She walked back down the path, and grabbed her bag and loaded it with the offensive books. She then walked up to him and said, "What did you bring in your bag, Mister Nature?" She grabbed his bag from him and proceeded to empty it on the ground. He merely stood and stared at her, with his hands on his hips.
When she saw only sensible provisions (like a knife, matches, food, water, change of clothing, compass, healing potion, etc.) she was even more embarrassed by what was in her bag. He brought along the types of things people should bring when they go to the woods. He started to pick up his items, along with her things that he had previously put in his bag. He packed them all away, then grabbed her bag off her shoulder, proceeded to shrink it was well. He put her bag inside his, reached for her hand, and with no real malice in his voice said, "Let's go."
After they were walking a while, and the path was getting more treacherous, he finally asked her, "Why did you only bring a change of knickers, Hermione? Why not an entire change of clothes? What were you intending on doing out here that you might need to change your underwear?" He laughed at that last part.
She asked, "Why did you stuff my knickers in your pocket?"
He laughed again, and reached into his pocket to retrieve her knickers. She took them from him, when he said, "I put them in there instead of in my bag, because I was going to tease you about them later. I mean really, Granger, white cotton granny panties." He took them back from her. "Could you BE sexier, Granger?" he added with a small laugh. He then put them soundly into his bag and took her hand again.
"They aren't granny panties," she said a moment later, in a small voice.
"Okay, whatever you say," he condescended to her. He actually thought they were nice.
They walked a while longer, and Hermione implored, "Can we take a little break? I need to go to the bathroom".
"Is there a bathroom in the forest, Hermione?" he smiled.
"Fine, I have to go pee, okay? Now wait here while I go find a tree to stand behind so I can take care of my little problem." She started to walk away from him, but he pulled on her arm.
"Can you wait just a little while?" he asked.
"I suppose, but why?" she asked back.
He didn't want to tell her why, but he had a funny feeling all of the sudden that they were not alone. He didn't say anything, but just continued to pull her along the path.
They walked a while longer, deeper and deeper in the forest, which was getting darker and darker. He still had her hand, and she pulled him to a stop. "I really have to go to the bathroom now, Malfoy!" she said urgently.
"Well, hurry up. Just go behind that tree there, and I'll turn around." He pointed toward a tree.
Hermione would have argued, because she didn't want to use the bathroom that closely to him, but she decided not to dispute the point. Besides, she really did have to go. She went behind a tree and pulled down her pants. When she finished, she thought she saw something moving in the trees, but wasn't sure. She walked back to Malfoy, and was about to tell him that she thought she saw something, when all of the sudden she thought she heard the distinct sound of a stream. So instead, she said, "I think I hear a stream, Malfoy. In 6th year, Neville and I collected several species of flowers for Herbology, and we found the Aspergilla by a stream."
"Shut up, Granger," Malfoy told her. She looked up at him and was about to tell HIM to shut up, when his hand flew over her mouth and he hissed, "I said shut up!" She was about to bite his hand, when she finally realized why he told her to be quiet. He looked at her and saw from the fear in her eyes, that she heard finally heard the noise as well.
It started as a low growl, and then turned into a louder howl. She looked back up at Draco, but he was not looking back at her. He was looking over her shoulder. He grabbed her hand quite suddenly, and just yelled one thing… "RUN!"
Wednesday Noon:
He started to pull her in the direction they had just come. The forest was so deep with so much undergrowth that it was hard to stay on the path, and it was even harder to run. They both stumbled a few times and Hermione even completely tripped over a root at one point. He lifted her up as if she weighed nothing, and they ran, and ran, and ran.
He could easily have left her there. He ran twice as fast as she did, but he knew that he would never do that. Never in his life had he been so afraid, and the only reason he was afraid was that Hermione was in danger. He felt he had to protect her before anything else.
They could still hear the beast. They were both sweating, and the sweat from their exertion mingled with the sweat from their fear. After about 20 minutes, they came to a small clearing, and Draco came to a complete stop. He bent over with a terrible stitch in his side. She came to a complete stop as well, because she ran directly into him, and again toppled over. This time, he didn't try to help her up. He just looked at her, and implored her with his eyes to stand. She understood, and hurried to stand back up. Her hair was matted and had leaves and twigs in it. His hair was sticking to his brow. They both had small cuts and abrasions on their faces and arms, from offending trees and shrubs. Finally, Hermione spoke; "Was that what I thought it was."
Still breathing hard, he answered, "Yes."
"Do you think it is gone?" she asked.
"No," he answered back.
"Can we out run it?" she implored.
Again, he just answered, "No."
"We can't use magic against it!" she exclaimed, "We are in serious trouble."
He finally stopped breathing hard and took a quick look around. He saw a massive oak tree in front on them. "We can't use magic against it, but we can use magic to escape it," he said as he conjured a rope ladder, which fell from the tree, and he started to climb.
"Malfoy! I'm not strong enough to climb up a rope ladder!" Hermione hissed quietly.
"Yes you are, now get your arse up here!" he hissed back. When he finally reached a very high, but very strong looking branch, he sat down. He put his bag across his chest, so it wouldn't fall off his shoulder, reached down his hand to her and said, "Hurry up, Hermione!"
Sure enough, they both soon heard the same low growl they heard before. She was so scared that she felt frozen to that spot. He started to climb back down the ladder to get her when the creature appeared.
Hermione turned around and saw its eyes first. They were gold. The creature stood over six feet tall. She whispered up to Malfoy, "Stay where you are. Stay safe!"
Malfoy's only thought was 'we are totally fucked.' Why didn't he insist she climb first? Some boyfriend he was. He would have to tell Potter that Hermione sacrificed herself to save him. Yeah, that would sound great.
Hermione stood stock-still and looked directly in the eyes of the beast. She thought to herself that she hoped it killed her swiftly and without causing too much pain. The creature started circling the tree. Hermione leaned her back up against the tree, as close as she could. She was trying to remember anything she could about Manticores, for that was what the creature was. She recalled that they were not very smart, but were terribly wild. She also knew that its tough skin would repel most charms. This was also a male Manticore, which meant it may not cause Hermione any harm, but it would certainly kill Draco. She said quietly to Draco, "Don't you dare come out of that tree. It's a male, and it will kill you." Draco realized that she was right, and there was a chance it may not hurt Hermione. The creature finally stopped circling directly in front of Hermione.
It could smell her fear. She knew it. It leaned close to her and smelled her hair. She closed her eyes. She had never been so afraid in her life. Draco didn't know what to do. He couldn't let that thing hurt her, but he knew that like most magical creatures, it couldn't be Stupefied. In addition, they could not apparate out of the Forbidden Forest. When the creature took a few steps back from Hermione, Draco let out a small breath. That was a mistake. The Manticore, with its human face and lion body, looked up in the tree, and saw Draco. It pushed Hermione to the ground, and tried to climb the tree to reach him. Draco started yelling at Hermione to see if she was all right. She appeared to be out cold. He thought for only a second, and decided that if he was going to die, at least he was not going to die a coward, so Malfoy jumped down from the tree and landed almost right on top of Hermione.
The Manticore turned to look at Malfoy, as Malfoy started to back away. The creature stepped over Hermione's body ('Hopefully not dead body', Draco thought), and when the creature was only two meters from Draco, he reached for him and Draco closed his eyes to prepare for death.
A few seconds later, when death didn't come, Draco opened his eyes to see that Hermione had transfigured the rope ladder that Draco had used to climb the tree, into chains, and with magic, she started to bind the creature. She yelled, "This won't hold him for long, we have to get out of here."
Draco ran toward Hermione, grabbed her hand, and started again to run away from the offending creature. He looked back once more, and then stole a quick glance at Hermione and he said, "You're my hero".
After running what felt like forever, they finally stopped to rest. They were lost; Draco was sure, for they were now so deep in the forest that there wasn't even a path anymore. They both sat down and drank some water. He asked Hermione, "So, would you rather be here with Scott now, or me? I'm sure he would have been brave and carried you up the ladder. You wouldn't have had to save his arse."
Hermione looked at him, and wondered how he could be so rude at a time like this, but then saw that he looked sincere and embarrassed when he asked her these things. So with equal sincerity in her voice she said, "I wouldn't want to be here with anyone but you, Draco." She was so tired. She fell back, under the tall pine tree they were resting under, and turned over on her side. She turned her head slightly and could not believe what she was seeing. "Draco!" she said urgently, while she sat back up.
"What's wrong?" he said with concern.
"Look." She pointed to something directly under the tree. What incredible irony. Directly under the large pine tree that they decided to rest by was a small batch of flowers with five white petals and red stems, smelling strangely like night blooming jasmine.
Wednesday, early afternoon in the Forest:
After picking a large amount of the Aspergilla, and loading her bag with the flower, Draco decided it was best if they didn't waste any more time, and that they should try to find their way out of the forest. He knew he didn't want to be there when it got dark, and he didn't think she would want to be there either.
They continued walking for another hour. Finally, they found the path that would lead them out of the forest. They acted as if they had been lost for days, instead of a few hours. Draco started running toward the path, and yelled, "Finally! We're saved! When I get back to Hogsmeade, I am going to Honeydukes and I am going to buy myself all the candy I can possibly buy, and eat it all at once!"
Hermione ran up beside Malfoy and danced around him, and sang, "When I get back, I'm going to go directly to The Three Broomsticks and have the largest butterbeer they serve and a nice hot plate of food!"
Malfoy, while holding onto Hermione's hand, started running down the path, and said, "When I get back, I'm going to go to The Firefly Inn and take the longest, hottest, bath I can, and then fall directly into bed for a four hour nap!" She laughed at this, stopped running, and hugged him tightly.
He leaned down for her to jump on his back, and she said into his ear, as he was running with her on his back, "I think when I get back I just might join you in that longest, hottest bath, and in that four hour nap".
He stopped running and let her off his back. He was smiling so brightly that Hermione thought he looked like a Cheshire cat. He pulled her into his arms and said, "When I get back, I think I am going to shag your brains out, and give you every reason to have to wear that extra set of knickers you brought." He laughed and continued running toward the end of the forest. When they finally reached the end of the forest, they both collapsed on the ground.
Draco turned his face toward Hermione and she turned her face toward him. They both had large grins on their faces, and they were both breathing heavily. Hermione leaned over Draco and fell on top of him with all of her weight. She lifted her head and kissed him languidly. She kissed him hard and slow and with as much meaning as she could. He put his hands under her t-shirt, directly on the skin of her back. She pulled away from him and said something that totally shocked him, "Am I too heavy for you?" He laughed at this, pulled her back on top of him and kissed her again.
Finally, they pulled apart, and Hermione rolled off him. He touched her hair and asked, "Are you really going to join me in my bath and nap?"
She blushed at this and sat up. He sat up beside her. She asked, "Are you really going to shag my brains out? Would that be so wrong? " She looked away from him timidly, and he stood up and pulled her up by her hands.
He gave her a big hug and said, "As much as I would love to shag your brains out, and as much as I would love to take a bath with you, Miss Granger, I think we both know if we took said bath together, then afterwards there would certainly be no nap taking in the bed. Now, are you really going to join me?" He raised his eyebrows as he asked this.
She smiled at him and said, "I really do need a bath as well, Malfoy, but I think you're right, if we took one together there would be no nap taking later. Maybe we should just bathe, eat, and then floo home. Besides, I might need my brains later, so maybe it wouldn't be a good ideal to 'shag them out of me', huh?" She touched his cheek tenderly, hoping that he didn't think she was just being a tease.
He kissed her fingertips and said, "Let's get back to Hogsmeade before nightfall, my little lion." They walked hand in hand back through the gates of Hogwarts and down the lane toward the village.
After their individual baths, they decided they really did need to take a short nap. Hermione woke first, around 5:00 pm. She woke Draco and said, "I'm starving. Could we really go to the Three Broomsticks and have a meal and some butterbeer before we leave?"
He got up from the bed, and held out his hand, as an answer. They went downstairs, and Draco went to pay for the room. The clerk gave them both funny looks and asked, "Not staying for the night then?" Draco shook his head no. The man looked Hermione up and down and said, "Just needed the room for a few hours then, huh?" Draco threw several galleons at the man and took Hermione's hand to lead her to the Three Broomsticks.
As they entered the bar, he said, "You didn't seem very upset by that clerk at the Inn, Hermione."
"Why would I be upset by the clerk at the Inn?" she asked as she sat down.
"Well, every other time someone in public thought we had just had sex, you seemed to get all bent out of shape, but this time, no response at all," he replied.
She gave him an 'are you serious look' and said, "All the other times you were the one who eluded to others that we were having, or about to have sex. This time, you didn't say anything smart back to the man, so there's no point in being angry. You didn't do anything. You can't be held responsible for his ignorance."
"You are an amazing witch, young lady," he said as he kissed her hand.
"It's about time you realized that, Mr. Malfoy," she smiled back.
They had a very nice meal, more butterbeers then they should have, and at about 8:00 pm they decided to floo home. It had been such a long day. Draco was so tired he felt that he could hardly move. When they arrived at the Ministry, she suggested that they both just floo to their own flats, and get a good night sleep. He agreed to this suggestion and bent to give her a simple kiss goodnight. He went up to one of the Ministry's many fireplaces first and flooed to his flat. Hermione, who watched to make sure he was safely out of sight, decided to go up to her office. She wanted to put the Aspergilla they found safely away and to return the books to her office. It would not hurt for her to go ahead and floo Scott, and let him know that they accomplished their mission. In fact, she was not tired, and was anxious to go ahead and start work, so it would not really hurt anything if she just went ahead and started on the new Verituserm.
End of Day Six