Disclaimer: I do not own Hermione and Draco. They are on loan from JK Rowling.
Thank you so much to my reviewers!! They are very encouraging. Here's another update!
The next morning, Hermione and Selena headed over to the library entrance together. Selena was chatting happily about Jack, one of the guys that they were going with that day. Hermione had seen Jack a few times at lunch and had to admit that he was cute. Jack had dark brown hair that fell in his eyes constantly and deep green eyes that sparkled. He had a contagious grin, and always made you feel welcome. Hermione was somewhat relieved that Selena had turned her attention away from Draco. For her own good, Hermione kept telling herself.
They were the last ones to arrive, and immediately the eight of them apparated to an alley near Covent Garden. The market was in full swing by the time they got there, and they had split into several groups. Hermione found herself squished in between Selena and Lily, talking about hairstyles as they picked through a stall full of purses and jewelry.
"Oh, look at this!" squealed Lily. "I love amethyst." She held up a beautiful sterling silver and amethyst bracelet. It was an intricate design, and Hermione agreed that it was stunning. Checking the price, Lily sighed. "It's too much. Forty pounds." Most of the students at the Institute were familiar with muggle currency, since most of their resources came from the muggle world.
She put it back onto the display, a wistful expression on her face. They continued on in their browsing, the guys trailing behind them, usually talking outside the stalls, waiting for the girls to finish their window shopping.
Hermione wandered into a little boutique on a side street. She had lost the other girls in a hat shop, and she was taking the few extra minutes alone to browse by herself. She needed to find something for her mother's birthday, and the wares in this store seemed to be more of her mother's taste than the items on sale at the street market.
As Hermione wandered around the store, she found a rack of beautiful, hand-made scarves. She gasped. She hadn't seen anything so lovely in a while. She rarely shopped for herself, but she suddenly wished she had a little more money in her pocket for a purchase.
She sighed and turned away before somebody spoke. "Why don't you get one?"
She looked up to find Draco standing right next to her.
"Where did you come from?" she asked, once again fingering the lovely scarf.
"I saw you leave the group and wanted to make sure that you didn't wander too far," he said.
"Watching out for me, Malfoy?" she asked, a teasing grin slowly spreading across her face.
He ignored her. "What about this one?"
Malfoy stepped closer to her. He held out a beautiful, gold-embroidered scarf, pulling it gently from the peg on which it hung. Swirls of red and green and brown covered the entire length. He handed it to her, and Hermione glanced at the price tag. It was seventy-five pounds. "I… I can't afford that."
"It will match that red thong that you're wearing today." His voice was low; the comment was murmured in her ear.
"How… how did you..?" Her eyes were as huge as saucers as she twisted her head towards him.
"Granger, you seem very interested in showing me your knickers lately. If I didn't know you for so long, I'd think you had a thing for me." He reached down and skimmed the edge of the back of her jeans with his hand. She could feel his fingers on her bare lower back and could tell that a sliver of fabric from her thong was visible.
His hand was gone before she could scold him. He grinned cheekily and walked around the corner of the display. If she were to say anything now, the whole store would hear her.
Instead, Hermione found a display of jewelry and began to inspect several bracelets. After several minutes, she decided on a thin, gold bangle bracelet for her mother. She discovered a rack of earrings and picked out a pair to match the bracelet. She made her way up to the counter to pay, noticing that Malfoy stood just outside the door, hands in his pockets, patiently waiting for her to finish.
"Twenty pounds, miss," said the cashier as she wrapped the gift in paper and placed it into a small shopping bag. Hermione exchanged her money for the bag, and hurried outside.
Draco looked up as the door opened. "What did you buy? The whole store?" They walked down the street to rejoin their friends.
"Oh, shut up," replied Hermione, but without malice. "I bought a gift for my mother. It's her birthday on Tuesday."
"What did you get her?" asked Malfoy.
"Jewelry," she said. With a quick glance around, she shrunk her purchase so that it was small enough to fit in the pocket of her purse.
"Naughty, naughty, Granger," admonished Malfoy. "You better be careful no one sees you do that."
She stuck out her tongue at him as they reached the others.
They spent the rest of the afternoon browsing the shops, walking the London streets, laughing and joking. It was early evening when they decided to stop by a pub for a bite to eat. They had ordered their meals and a round of drinks when the girls decided to run to the loo to freshen up their make-up.
As soon as they were out of hearing distance of the guys, Lily asked, "So, Hermione, what is going on with you and Draco?"
Confused, Hermione looked up. She had been rummaging through her purse for lipstick. "What do you mean?"
"You know what I mean. How long have the two of you been dating?" Lily said slyly.
"What?!" Hermione choked out, pressing a hand against her chest.
"Oh, don't play coy. We know the two of you are together. You are always together." Lily wasn't beating around the bush anymore. She was getting straight to the point.
"There is absolutely nothing going on between Malfoy and me," declared Hermione, stressing the word "nothing."
Selena, who had propped her hip against the sink, crossed her arms and added, "Oh, please. There might be nothing going on, but there's definitely something going on."
Hermione's jaw dropped, and she stared at her companions. They really believed that she and Malfoy were… were… together.
She stopped and turned to face them. "Did you know that Malfoy and I went to Hogwarts together?"
They nodded, ready for some juicy gossip. Lily actually leaned closer to hear better.
Hermione continued. "Malfoy hates me. He has hated me since the moment we met in first year, when he found out that I was a muggleborn and that my best friends were Harry Potter and Ron Weasley."
Nora gasped. "You're friends with Harry Potter? Like, THE Harry Potter?"
Hermione nodded. "Yes. We are very good friends. I haven't seen them much since school started but we grew up together. Anyway, Malfoy hated Harry and in turn, hated me."
"How do you know he hated you?" asked Lily.
Hermione smirked. "He called me a mudblood from Second Year until Sixth Year. I felt that was a pretty big hint."
"No, he did not!" exclaimed Selena.
"Oh, yes, he did. I practically had to hex him on the first day of healing classes. If I hadn't threatened him, he would have bullied me this entire year," Hermione explained.
"How come you guys are always together, then?" asked Lily.
Hermione shrugged. "We made a deal. He wouldn't make any derogatory comments to me, and I would help him study. So far, it's worked out fine."
Selena snorted, and Hermione glanced in her direction. "Draco is getting some of the best grades in our class. He knows the stuff inside and out. How often have you two been studying together?"
Hermione's brow furrowed. "Not much," she admitted. "We started studying for the Charms test that is in two weeks."
Selena waved her hand at Hermione. "He had those charms memorized within one week. He's been helping me out during breaks since I was having trouble with several of them."
"What?" replied Hermione, confused. Malfoy had been spending a lot of time with her, and it wasn't to study. He seemed to want to get to know her. But Hermione knew Malfoy and knew him well. He was sly and cunning and everything that he did, he did for a reason. She didn't trust him one little bit.
She shrugged. "Well, that is the deal that he and I made. He has been nice to me, and I have helped him study when he's asked."
Hermione saw the three other girls exchange glances, but chose to ignore it. She pushed herself away from the sink, threw her lipstick back in her bag, and headed for the doors. The other girls followed, and the subject changed to what they were going to have for dinner.
The conversation weighed on Hermione's mind as they sat and ate. She watched Draco. It was easy, since he sat right next to her. Over the course of the evening she realized that he was as aware of her as she was of him. He ordered her a second glass of wine, and he didn't even have to ask her what she had chosen the first time. When the waiter returned with their food, Malfoy knew which entrée was hers. At the end of the evening, they shared a dessert. Chocolate pudding. It was one of her favorites.
They were all very full of food and very relaxed as they made their way back to the apparation point. They found themselves in front of the library at university once again and made quite a racket as they crossed campus together.
In front of the girls' dorm, Selena said good-bye to the others and headed off with Jack. She gave Hermione a wink and a sly smile before turning around. Hermione knew that her roommate's bed would be empty that night.
Will and Sam were trying to convince Nora and Lily to go to a party with them, and Hermione yawned.
"I'm ready to head home," said Malfoy to her. "Can we study tomorrow?" The night had grown colder and Hermione could see her breath.
"What do you want to study?" asked Hermione. After the conversation in the loo that night, she wondered how well he was actually doing with his schoolwork.
"I need to go over the skeletal system for Anatomy," he explained. "I keep getting some of the bones in the foot mixed up with the ones in the hand and wrist. I figured since we were lab partners, we might as well go over it together." He paused. "That, and because you still owe me for today, when I chaperoned you at that store."
"I didn't ask for a chaperone," she said stiffly. If the only reason he wanted to study was so that she could repay some debt, she wasn't sure that she wanted to do so.
He eyed her, sensing her change in mood. "Oh, don't get your knickers in a twist. If you want to know the truth, I followed you because I didn't want you to get separated from the group in the middle of a busy market place. Are you happy now?"
Hermione cocked her head up, looking at him shrewdly. "You know, you spend an awful lot of time thinking about my knickers."
He gave a sharp laugh. "Of course, I do, Granger. I'm male."
Hermione rolled her eyes and turned to the two girls. "Are you guys coming? Because I'm freezing here, and I'm ready to go to my room." Draco stood next to her, barely brushing against her arm.
Reluctantly, the girls followed Hermione, waving good-bye to the guys. Draco headed off in one direction and the others headed the opposite way.
Inside, Lily and Nora headed down the first floor hallway, and Hermione headed upstairs. When Hermione arrived at her dorm room, she pulled out her purchase from earlier that day. Her mother's jewelry glittered in the light, and Hermione smiled as she placed it in a small box, ready for wrapping. Her eye caught another bag inside her purse.
She pulled it out, realizing that it had been magically shrunk to fit into her purse. Casting a quick spell, she returned the bag to its normal size and then pulled out the item inside. It was the scarf that she and Malfoy had looked at. It was beautiful. The fabric fell across her fingertips, soft and sleek. She closed her eyes and brought the fabric to her face. She rubbed it against her cheek.
Suddenly, she opened her eyes and pulled away. The scarf had been seventy five pounds. It was way too expensive, and she knew exactly who had bought it. Malfoy.
As much as she wanted to keep it, to wear it, she knew that she had to return it. She had to give it back.
She fell asleep that night, the scarf on the dresser beside her bed, thinking about Malfoy and how he had turned her world upside down.
The following morning, Hermione walked to the Student Center. Malfoy was to meet her there at eleven a.m. She chose a table in the middle of the Center, and began to spread out her books on the table. She was reviewing several pages of notes when Malfoy arrived.
Malfoy wore jeans and a sweater; his blond hair was damp from his morning shower; and he smelled like cologne. He grinned easily at her as he flung his own notebooks on the table. "Morning."
In his hands were two cups of coffee and a small bag. "I brought some breakfast. I was rushing out of my flat this morning, and forgot to eat," he explained. He placed a cup of coffee down in front of Hermione and another in front of his seat. He opened the bag and several pastries spilled out. He gestured towards the food. "Take one."
"Thanks," said Hermione. She reached out and chose a strawberry and cream cheese pastry. She hadn't eaten a big breakfast, and the pastry smelled delicious. As did the coffee. She took a sip. Two sugars and three creams. Just how she liked it. She glanced at Malfoy from underneath her eyelashes. He was absently smiling and humming to himself. Why was he in such a good mood?
Malfoy sat down and Hermione pulled out her wand. Casting a spell, she produced a holographic diagram of the human skeletal system.
"Here's the skeletal system, without the labeled bones. If you want to see your answer, merely jab the bone once with your wand." She demonstrated, pointing her wand at the tibia. An illuminated name appeared next to the bone, wavered, and then softly dissolved into the air. "We can go through the entire body from head to toe, and check out answers along the way. What do you think?"
The next hour passed fairly quickly. As the morning waned and noon passed, the hall began to fill with university students.
They were finishing up and had decided to head over to the cafeteria for some lunch when Hermione remembered the scarf. They were putting away their books when Hermione took the package out of her book bag and slid it onto the table in between them.
"Malfoy, I wanted to say 'Thank you' for the scarf, but I can't accept this," Hermione said quietly. Her fingers lingered on the package. She glanced up. Malfoy had become utterly still.
He suddenly realized how long he sat there, immobilized. He quickly shoved the last of his notes in his own bag. "I don't know what you're talking about." He avoided her gaze.
"Malfoy, knock it off. I know that you slipped this in my purse yesterday." She gently, reverently, pulled the expensive accessory out of the shopping bag.
He looked down at the item in question. He made a grumbling noise that Hermione couldn't distinguish.
"Malfoy, don't play stupid. It doesn't become you," Hermione stated, a bit harshly.
His body stiffened. "Fine," he said, his voice hard. "I bought it for you. I slipped it into your bag. It's yours. It's a gift."
"Malfoy, this gift is beautiful, but I can't accept it. It cost too much money," she said quietly, looking down at her hands clasped in her lap. She couldn't look at him.
"Fine," he said again, rising from his chair. "But I don't want it, so I guess we'll just leave it here."
Her head shot up sharply, her eyes wide. "What do you mean, leave it here? You just spent an exorbitant amount of money on this! Take it back."
Malfoy snorted. "That was nothing, Granger. The Malfoys have more money than we know how to spend." He refused to touch the scarf, even look at it. He turned to walk away, his backpack slung over his shoulder.
Hermione gazed at his retreating form. She jumped up out of her chair, scraping it noisily on the hardwood floor. She said loudly, "You know, I know you are up to something. Why would you be buying me gifts, being nice to me, flirting with me? I know you want something in return. You always seem to want to 'cash in' every time you do something nice for me. I'm wondering what you want now."
Her whirled around, his eyes boring into hers. The expression on his face was threatening enough to make Hermione take a step backwards. "I don't want or need anything from you, Granger. I never did. I never will. Not from your kind." He sneered, his gaze derisively perusing her form.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" cried Hermione, ignoring the curious glances they were attracting. She had, after all, chosen a table in the middle of the room.
"You know what I mean," he sneered. "You are filthy little mudblood, who doesn't even know how good she had it for the past couple of weeks."
Hermione gasped and pulled back, as if he had just hit her. "This just proves you haven't changed, Malfoy! I knew it. I knew I could never trust you. You're an arsehole." Her face was red, and she could feel tears prick the corners of her eyes.
He didn't seem to have anything more to say to her. With a half-hearted shrug, he turned and walked away. "Whatever, muddie."
Hermione was furious and frustrated and upset. She didn't know how they had gone from congenial study buddies to sworn enemies in the span of five minutes. Wiping away the tears which spilled from her eyes, she snatched the accessory from the table top and shoved it into her book bag. Without a backward glance at the students openly staring at her, she ran from the room, in the opposite direction of Malfoy.