Hermione was awoken the next day by a loud banging upon her door. It stirred her from a deep slumber, her eyelids fluttering for a few moments before finally parting to take in the sight of her window. It was still dark out. Hermione was an early riser but not this early, and she groaned before rolling over and pressing her face into her pillow while willing the banging on her door to go away. It did, but as she began to drift off again it resurfaced, followed by Draco yelling from the hallway, "Hermione, get up!"
She groaned in frustration and annoyance but sat up, glaring at the door and praying that Draco could feel her fury through the thick oak. Apparently he didn't, because he only knocked louder until she was on her feet and angrily tearing at the knob to pull it open. "What?" she snapped at him, her eyes momentarily falling on his bare chest before moving up to find his face. She'd make a comment about how his hair was sticking up oddly on one side, but she doubted she looked much better; she could practically feel the frizz forming a nest atop her head. "I don't want to speak to you unless you're here to apologize." She continued before giving him a chance to respond.
Draco looked amused and it only fueled her mixture of anger between their previous conversation and being awoken. If she paid attention she would have noticed that he was still in his sleep pants, but she was much too busy hating the way his stupid eyebrows were cheerfully raised on his stupid and not at all attractive face. "Hermione-"
"I'm still furious with you." She cut him off abruptly, pushing a finger into his bare and completely hideous chest. "You're actions last night were unacceptable! Romping around half naked like some sort of animal!"
"Hermione, I-"
"And the first thing you do is wake me up at an ungodly hour and you haven't even apologized yet! Have you no shame? Just because you are conventionally attractive, and I say conventionally because I myself am certainly not intrigued by such infantile-"
"That's not why I woke you up-"
"Oh of COURSE it's not why you woke me up!" She raised her voice in an accusatory manner, her eyes widening and her blood boiling. "Because why would the prim and proper Draco Malfoy ever apologize for his childish and absolutely obscene actions-"
"Hello Hermione."
That didn't sound like Draco. And Hermione knew it wasn't Draco because she was still staring him in the face, and had very acutely noticed that his mouth hadn't moved. No, it stayed in that infuriatingly not-charming smirk, and Hermione felt the heat of embarrassment rise to her face before she even had looked over to see Harry standing in their hall.
"Harry's here." Draco finally spoke, sounding smug, and the little prick seemed almost joyous of her slightly mortifying performance in front of her best friend. She would have slapped him but she had a feeling that it would have probably made matters worse, so she continued to stare in Harry's direction with a gaping mouth before finding words to force past her parted lips.
"…Hello Harry." It sounded much more sheepish than she had originally intended, her pointed finger falling from Draco's chest to her side when she realized she was still touching him. Harry gave her a little wave, and she could tell that he was working hard on training his expression to stay neutral. Yes. Mortifying indeed.
"We've been doing well." Draco chirped to Harry merrily, and she didn't have to look to know that he was grinning. She was reconsidering the fact that she hadn't slapped him. Yet.
"Sorry it's so early." Hermione was grateful that Harry started to speak and push the conversation along, because she was sure if he didn't she would have died on the spot of humiliation. "It's best if we keep the visits as sporadic as possible though, just a precaution. I assumed it was better to drop in early than late, considering you're usually the first one awake at the crack of dawn."
Hermione had barely heard a word her friend had uttered, replying her previous outbursts in her head. What did she call Malfoy? Attractive? Conventionally attractive, which was easier to defend, right? The pause in conversation made her realize that Harry must have addressed her, and she snapped out of her own thoughts to say hastily, "of course." The three of them stood motionless, and lest her face light up again she followed it up with, "I'll go make tea," and swiftly set off toward the kitchen.
She was thankful that neither of the boys bothered her while she puttered around with the kettle and mugs, scolding herself under her breath constantly until the water was ready. She made three mugs, and because she didn't wish to make two trips (and only because of that thank you very much, it wasn't as if she wanted to convey her annoyance with Draco passive-aggressively with company in the area) she called out sorely, "Get your tea, Draco," and traveled into the sitting room to hand Harry his mug. She sat across from him, having to consciously keep herself from glaring at the blond as he traveled into the kitchen, and her attention finally fell on Harry who looked, to her chagrin, entertained.
"You call him Draco now?" He questioned mildly, blowing on his tea and looking very distracted doing so. He was avoiding her eyes, possibly because he knew that the glower they held was near deadly.
"Well I can't very well be living with somebody while calling them their last name all the time, can I?" She hissed in discontent, trying to put enough confidence in her words to make him overlook the fact that it was absolutely possible to live with somebody while calling them by their last name. Harry only shrugged and nodded, giving into her. Possibly because he was a smart boy, and he certainly didn't make it this far only to be killed by Hermione Granger.
"I'm surprised to find you both alive, if I'm being honest." He expressed with a mild tone of bemusement, his eyes finally deeming it safe to meet hers again. Hermione could only shrug, her defensive walls faltering a little to show weariness. "We both know that neither of us can help our situation." Hermione knew she sounded distant and tired, but she was. She wasn't going to claim that she was stuck with the worst person in the world, but it certainly wasn't the best.
"What do you mean 'both of us'? She's the aggressive one." Draco had returned with his own tea, sitting beside Hermione on the couch with enough distance to make sure she wouldn't glare at him. She still did. "Practically tears my head off all the time, you saw her."
"Well I wouldn't have to if you just acted like a normal human being instead of an atrocious git." She growled, leaning against the arm of the couch to put more distance between the two of them. She was almost surprised to see Harry glaring at Draco as well before she suddenly remembered that they didn't get along. Everything that had happened before she was locked in the cabin seemed like another lifetime, and she had a brief sense of panic as she wondered what else she had forgotten, if she was going to forget everything other than this hellish cabin. She mentally scolded herself over such a silly notion.
"Don't look at me like that Potter, I haven't done anything to her." Draco drawled, making a show of rolling his eyes before sitting back into the couch himself. He didn't carry the same venomous tone as he usually did when he said Harry's name, and Hermione couldn't help but assume that it was because Draco was happy to speak to anyone at this point, even if it was Harry. She had to relate; it felt like centuries since she got to see another face, and her heart was suddenly heavy when she remembered that Harry wouldn't be staying.
"He hasn't done anything awful." She admitted grudgingly, waving her hand at Draco dismissively as she rolled her eyes herself. "He just never eats and when I tell him to he suddenly becomes the equivalent of a six-year-old." She didn't think that it was an odd statement, but with the way Harry was staring at her she wondered if it was. Harry probably didn't care about Draco's eating habits, she quickly noted. She fleetingly wondered if she was going to end up sounding like an expecting mother or Oliver Wood before a match, speaking of nothing but the mundane occurrences in their life. It wasn't like Harry could blame her though, could he? She couldn't exactly talk about the latest happenings at the Ministry, or anything else, for that matter.
"We've been doing well." Draco repeated his prior phrase, this time with much less enthusiasm. "We haven't had any breaches. We haven't seen a bloody squirrel in the past four days, much less a person. We're just sitting here and rotting away like the good citizens we are." His bitterness was palpable, and although Harry threw another scowl his way Hermione couldn't help but hide her small smile behind the brim of her mug. "Are we going to get out of here soon or is the world still exploding?"
"Don't be so dramatic." Harry barked at him. "We're doing this for your own safety, you've only been here for a few weeks-"
"Weeks!" Malfoy exclaimed almost comically, cutting Harry off while tossing his arm in a theatrical sweep to smack the back of his hand against his forehead. "It's felt like years! Does the sun still rise? What does the sky look like, do flowers still exist-"
"Stop that!" Harry snipped impatiently, and Hermione was grateful that he was loud enough to cover the small chuckle that escaped her due to Draco's behavior. She could admit (only to herself, of course) that it was nice to see Draco as animated as he was, even if it was at Harry's expense. Being locked within the cabin could drive them both insane without some sort of outlet and Draco's seemed to be teasing Harry, albeit in a much milder way than he used to. "We can't let you run around out there until we've captured and tried every Death Eater you named, unless you want Nott to find you first-"
"Theodore wouldn't lay a finger on me." Draco retorted, suddenly much more somber than before.
"Not Theodore, you arse, his father. Or have you forgotten how faithful he was to Voldemort?" Hermione couldn't help but notice the smugness on Harry's face as Draco winced. She suspected he had used Voldemort's name on purpose to get under Malfoy's skin, and she was surprised at how much that bothered her. Her face must have been neutral because Harry didn't seem to notice her discomfort when he faced her. "We've told everybody that you're visiting a sick relative, it's worked for the time being. Kingsley and Ron are telling the same story so nobody suspects anything yet. We've been planting some false stories though, trying to find out if there's a leak somewhere."
"Within the Ministry?" Draco sounded surprised, but Harry didn't look at him.
"Have you forgotten what people like your father did to the Ministry, Malfoy? It can't be cleaned up overnight." This silenced Draco, and Harry continued. "I should go. I can't stick around too long, but if there's anything you need me to bring you next time-"
"Books." Hermione responded quickly, leaving a silence afterward for Draco to make his own request. He didn't, having caught onto the fact that Harry probably wasn't addressing him anyway. "Let me walk you out at least." She leaned forward to place her mug on the table, standing to lead Harry to the door. He spoke the moment they were out of earshot.
"How are you? Really?"
"I'm fine."
"Hermione-"
"Harry." Her voice went soft and she offered him a small, reassuring smile. "I'm fine. I can handle myself, he's a pain but he isn't a troll, I don't fear for my life." She made sure to stare at him until his doubtful gaze dilapidated. She didn't love it here but she didn't want Harry to think that Draco was horrible to her, he didn't deserve that at least. "…Harry I have a favor to ask of you."
"The books?"
"Other than the books." She responded patiently but was unable to keep herself from rolling her eyes. "…Can you check on someone for me?"
Harry gave a confused blink. "Who?"
"Just tell me that you will first."
"Fine, I'll check, who?"
She took a few moments to answer, trying to think of a proper way to word her request, but she felt Harry growing impatient by the second so she finally blurted it out. "Pansy Parkinson." She didn't miss the bewildered expression Harry gave her before wrinkling his nose in displeasure. She continued before he could object. "Please, Harry, just check on her, you don't even have to speak to her! Just make sure she's alright, Draco was afraid to ask you himself."
"Probably because I wouldn't do it."
"Harry, you promised!"
"That was before I knew who you were talking about-"
"Harry." She pleaded this time, folding her hands before her to show her desperation. "It's just one little favor, you know Dra-Malfoy, since when has he cared about anyone other than himself? It must be important if this is his only request, please?" She was sure he would, but when he didn't answer she felt a fragment of dismay bloom in her chest. "Please? Please-"
"Alright, alright." He gave in, sounding absolutely adverse to the idea, but she gave him a bright smile. "But for you, not for Malfoy."
"I know!" Hermione confirmed quickly, throwing her arms around Harry in a tight hug before he could change his mind. "Thank you, Harry."
"You're welcome." He grumbled begrudgingly, but hugged her back with warmth. "I'll try to get you out of here as quickly as possible."
"Thank you." She said again, not wanting to let go. But she knew that she had to, so she released him and gave him a sad smile as he placed a hand on her shoulder and walked out of the cabin. She stood in the doorway to watch him, hugging herself against the chill outside as his figure walked further into the forest. The sun was just starting to peak above the horizon, giving just enough light for Hermione to see their protective barrier flicker as Harry walked through it and apparated out of sight. She didn't know how long she was staring at the spot he disappeared from before Draco's voice came from behind her.
"Close the door, you're going to get sick." He apparently thought that was too nice, because he followed it up with, "and the last thing I need right now is a cold." She sighed with a heavy heart and closed the door, turning to face the horrible prison she was locked into again. Draco was standing in the middle of the sitting room with a hesitant look on his face, but Hermione was much too distracted missing Harry and Ron and everybody else on the outside to notice. "Did you…" He began to speak but he trailed off, the cautiousness in his voice doing nothing to offset her bad mood.
"Yes, I asked him about Pansy." She bit back, feeling bad for her sharp tone but not caring enough in the moment to apologize. Draco nodded and avoided her eye, looking much too distracted with the rug in front of the fireplace to look at her.
"Thanks." He mumbled flatly, and Hermione huffed a quick "welcome" before walking back to her room and closing the door behind her.
She hadn't emerged until the afternoon, but Hermione was tired of wallowing in bed and thinking about how the world was still spinning while she felt so very stuck in place. Having raided the kitchen for something to eat that wasn't pure protein or vegetables she had decided to put herself to work, distracting herself with baking scones to go with the tea she was drinking too much of. She was in the middle of mixing the baking powder into the flour when Draco walked in, stepping past her without a word and reaching over her shoulder to grab a blueberry out of the small carton that sat behind her bowl. He knocked into her shoulder, causing her to drop her spoon into the dry mixture. Her temper spiked.
"Excuse you." She snapped sarcastically, shoving her shoulder back to push him away as she continued to mix much more aggressively this time. She couldn't see Draco behind her but she could just imagine him making a face of mockery as he responded.
"I'm sorry, have I interrupted the queen in her process of baking the royal muffins?" He was using that annoying drawl, the one he knew she disliked. At least, he had to have known that she disliked it, and if he didn't that was his own fault.
"They're scones!" She retorted curtly. "Not like you would know, since your incapable of making anything that can't be slathered between two pieces of bread."
"Oh, suddenly I'm expected to know how to make a bloody brisket then?" He sounded further away as if he had been leaving, unable to stop himself from feeding into her irritation.
"No," she started with a false calm to her voice, and she could hear it quavering on the brink of a shout. She had stirred her dry mixture more than enough, and yet she continued to twist the spoon around the bowl with surprising hostility. "You're expected to have manners like any other decent human."
"I took a blueberry, would you like to hang me by my thumbs?" More sarcasm on his part, and her agitation intensified.
"You bumped into me!"
"You were in front of the blueberries!"
"THAT'S WHY YOU SAY EXCUSE ME YOU DIMWITTED TWIT." She hadn't realized what she was doing until she had done it, dropping the spoon into the bowl and reaching over to the nearest object in the process. Her fingers dug into the open bag of flour at her side and her hand flung, an arch of white dust erupting from her palm and sprinkling the floor before the majority of it landed square in Malfoy's face. It exploded upon impact, clouding up into his hair and the lashes of his eyes, which had closed just in time. They stayed that way for a few moments before opening, grey iris' looking stark against the white sheet on his face.
Hermione stared at him with an expression of stubborn fury upon her face despite the absolute shock that detonated inside of her. She had just assaulted Draco Malfoy with flour, and it felt almost as satisfying as hitting him did all those years ago. She waited, and the shock slowly started to deplete into anxiety as he stood unmoving, staring directly at her. She didn't apologize, and why should she? He never did.
After what felt like ages he began to shift slowly, but Hermione tensed as if he had sprinted in her direction. His steps were almost sluggish as he made his way in her direction and yet she stood her ground, knowing there was more than enough time to escape into the other room. Her glare was almost daring him to do something.
And something he did. He stood before her, staring down at her with an expression that was surprisingly serene as he reached to the counter and dipped his hand into the flour. She knew what was coming and yet she couldn't move; he wouldn't dare. And yet there he was, scooping flour into his palm and holding it before her face for a few seconds.
"Don't you dare-"
He released it with a little toss, the flour puffing from his hand and covering her face completely. Her eyes squeezed shut tightly and she stayed like that for a moment, her fury so ravenous that she couldn't even move. Apparently he had waited, because when she finally looked up again he slowly reached over her shoulder, making direct eye contact with her and holding it firmly. "Excuse me." He prolonged coolly, taking another berry and placing it in his mouth directly in front of her.
She was enraged. She was livid as she stared back at him, watching him slowly chew his prize, and yet when she opened her mouth to scream, a scream did not come out.
She released a single chuckle, and then another. And then she laughed.
She laughed out of absolute unadulterated outrage, and then she laughed because she was laughing. And then she laughed because Draco looked absolutely terrified about the fact that she was laughing in the first place.
Apparently his terror had amused him as well, because a few seconds later his shoulders began to shake, and the hilarity of it all bubbled up in his chest before finally erupting in a roar of laughter, his hand rising to flatten against his forehead. The gesture caused a cloud of flour to sprinkle down between them, causing another peal of glee to erupt from them both until Hermione was covering her face with both hands and Draco was holding his stomach in pain.
It felt wonderful. Hermione couldn't remember the last time she had laughed so hard, and she could feel the anguish and heavy cloud of sorrow that draped over the two of them for the past several weeks disappear, even for just a moment. Several attempts were made to stop and they all failed, both of them triggering the other into another fit of giggles whenever they caught sight of the other's face. Almost half an hour had passed before they managed to calm themselves, both sitting on the floor with their backs against the cabinets and tears in their eyes.
"You look absolutely ridiculous." Draco had managed, and the mirth in his voice made it impossible for Hermione to take offense.
"At least you can tell. You're so bloody pale I can barely tell the difference." She retorted almost immediately, which sent Draco into another small fit. It was a nice sound, she realized. She didn't think she had ever heard Draco laugh genuinely before. He finally calmed again.
"Are you going to finish your muffins?"
She hit him on the shoulder, unable to keep the grin she wore at bay. "They're scones and I won't be able to finish them if you keep eating all of the blueberries."
"Oh yes." He began with a surprisingly serious tone. "Everyone knows the first two blueberries are the most important ingredient to perfect muffins."
"Scones!" She corrected again, knowing positively now that he was teasing her. She found it strange that she didn't mind.
They sat beside each other on the floor, neither of them seemingly in a rush to go anywhere just yet. Silence fell over them, interrupted only by the occasional giggle here or there that seemed to erupt from either of them spontaneously. Hermione glanced over only once at Draco to see that he wore an almost blissful smile, his eyes closed and knees bent to rest his elbows upon. He looked better than he had in quite some time, so Hermione looked away and was quite content to sit a little longer.
"Thank you. For speaking with Harry about Pansy."
The appreciative comment caught her off guard. He sounded sincere and earnest, so Hermione wondered why her chest tightened uncomfortably when he said it.
"You're welcome." She softly spoke before they both fell silent again; staring at nothing in particular and being quite content doing so.
