Hermione spent her afternoon reading in the library, her trip to Hogsmeade being completely ruined by Pansy and her foul disposition towards anything that even looked at Draco sideways. Hermione swore that she saw something in his eyes when she left, but he made no effort to follow her or silence Pansy. She sighed and marked the page of her book and put it into her bag.
It was only when she had finished reading and started to head back to the common room did she realise that she was freezing. Her mind instantly relayed back to the prefect's bathroom. No, she thought, I won't go back there. She was too annoyed to be confronted with those memories again. But why should she restrict herself because of Draco? She quickly headed to the bathroom where she turned the sign to read 'occupied' and scurried off to get her towel and robe.
Draco had escaped from the clutches of Pansy once they returned to the castle. Her hands were constantly tugging at him and forcing him onto her, something that made him cringe. He could never feel anything with her; she was the same as the others. She was always trying to control him and force him into her way of thinking. Everyone used him as their pawn in a giant chess game, a pathetic piece that just enabled their game to move forward. He was sacrificed for the slightest of things and he was never to make his own choices. He sighed and leant against the stone castle wall, deep in thought. As he looked down the long corridor he saw Hermione walk past the opening of the hall. His blood began to pump faster and he walked to where she had been just in time to see her flick the sign over on the door of the prefect's bathroom and hurry down the hall.
She must be coming back, Draco thought. He opened the door to the bathroom and headed inside to wait for her return. He waved his wand to run the taps and his himself just out of plain sight behind a statue in the corner of the room.
The longer he waited the more he felt like this was a bad idea. She had been so cold with him earlier. Then again, he had been cold for seven years. Seven years that she knew of at least. He had reason to be, he was bitter; he still is. This was a terrible idea, he thought. What was he supposed to do now? When she walked through those doors what would he do? He closed his eyes and clenched his fists in frustration. He stepped out from behind the statue but when he heard the doors click he leapt back into his hiding place.
She walked into the room carrying her bathrobe and towel and stopped to eye the full bath. She looked perplexed but seemed to shrug it off. She unzipped her jacket and let it fall to the floor. She pulled her jumper over her head revealing a tight white singlet. She kicked off her shoes and threw her socks onto the floor.
Knowing he couldn't hide any longer, Draco took an unwilling step forward.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa Granger! At least take me out for a butterbeer first!" he laughed as she jumped and turned around to face him.
"Must you keep doing that?! What do you want now?" She looked at him with what seemed to be impatience but Draco could swear that he saw a glimmer of excitement in her eyes.
"I just thought I would take another bath."
"Didn't you see the sign?" She folded her arms over her chest.
"I took a look but there was no one in here. So, uh, here I am." Draco smiled smugly and watched her expression change.
"All because you wanted a bath?"
"What can I say? It's pretty snazzy in here." He stepped forward and stopped when he was standing by the edge of the bath, one metre in front of Hermione.
"So why were you skulking in a corner, fully clothes, rather than in the water…more appropriately dressed for that type of activity?" This time it was Hermione's time to grin as she poked a hole in his story.
Draco tried to think of something fast, something witty, but all he could muster was anger, something that he was good at. "You think you're so smart don't you Granger? I suppose you are for a mudblood." There was that pang again, he hadn't meant to say it. It just slipped out.
He watched the charming smile disappear from her face, only to be replaced by another set of cold eyes, like the look she had given him in the Three Broomsticks.
"I'm-" he was about to apologise when she shoved him hard in the chest.
Completely unprepared for it, he took a step back and lost his balance on the edge of the bath. He fell back and Hermione reached out and grabbed his arm.
"…sorry!" He finished his sentence as he descended into the water. Hermione was still holding his arm but was unable to pull him back up; she couldn't help but come crashing in with him.
They both surfaced, taking deep breaths and floundering until they stood firmly in the chest high water. They both straightened themselves out and recovered from the shock of the unforeseen tumble.
"Sorry! I don't know what came over me!" Hermione said looking slightly sheepish. Her eyes seemed to watch the bubbles moving about the top of the water, never looking up at him.
"Probably my fault, I, uh, shouldn't have called you a… well I shouldn't have said what I did." He watched her face with curiosity, wondering where her mind was taking her. They stood in silence for a few moments, Draco was feeling more guilt with every second she stayed silent.
"I don't see why you shouldn't have. I am what you said, and you haven't hesitated in saying it to my face in the past." She looked up at him now, her eyes boring into his with undeniable accusations.
He could see the hurt she felt and he forced himself to hold her gaze, each moment causing him more anguish. Why should he be allowed to forget the hurt he caused? He would stand there and suffer for as long as he needed to. He knew that he deserved nothing more from her but hatred, and it made him ache to know it.
"You can't control who and what you were born." He said in response, "I won't call you one again."
Hermione's eyes softened and she tilted her eyes to the side so perceptively. He had never seen someone look at him like that; he didn't know what to think.
"Well, now what? Both of us have clearly drenched our clothing and you can't apparate into common rooms. Will it be dripping your way through the castle or the alternative?" She smiled gently.
For a moment he merely looked at her. She didn't yell, she didn't throw snide comments at him, and apart from the shove she didn't inflict any physical abuse. Instead she treated him in a way that was foreign to him, she moved on from their dispute and was back to being, kind?
"The alternative would be …?" He asked.
"Well to put it politely; it would be you carrying your clothes through the castle." She had a gleam of cheek in her tone and Draco allowed himself to smile.
She looked down at his wet clothes and then back up at his face. Her expression had changed but Draco couldn't quite determine what she was thinking. She took a slow step towards him and reached out her hand to clasp his jacket zipper. She tugged lightly and pulled it to the bottom. Once it was undone she looked up at his face and pulled it over his shoulders and tossed it to the tiles outside the bath. Draco didn't move, nor did he know how to move as she unbuttoned his shirt and did the same with it as she had done with his jacket. He stood shirtless in front of her without any idea how to react and no clue as to what she was doing next. Again she looked up and into his eyes as she placed the palms of her hands on his chest. He flinched slightly at her touch but she didn't remove them. Tenderly she slid them up and onto his shoulders, down his arms and then back to his chest. From there she ran her hands over his stomach and across onto his sides just as he had done to her the night before.
"Oh! I'm sorry; you're still in your shoes and belt." She looked up at him sympathetically but he was far beyond caring about his soaking clothing.
He slowly reached out to put his hands on her sides; it wasn't until she took a step forward into him that he actually made contact with her skin. She pulled her hands away and lifted her shirt, again tossing it to the tiled floor. She put her hands back onto his sides and there they stood; Draco shirtless and Hermione in her bra. She took another slow step towards him and wrapped her arms around his body. He let himself embrace her; she was so small and fragile in his arms and yet he felt as though he was the one who would break at any moment. She looked up at him with kind eyes and he looked down into hers too afraid to let go but too scared of what he was feeling to stay. He tightened his grip before releasing her and pulling himself away.
He waded to the side of the bath and climbed out.
"Where are you going?" Hermione called out as he was gathering his clothes.
"To my common room." He didn't look at her.
"I thought you were happy right here."
"I have to meet … Pansy." He strode out of the room as fast as he could and he knew that what he had said would hurt her but it had to be done.
He couldn't let her think that he was capable of something he wasn't. He couldn't let her expect anything from him when he knew that she was worthy of far better than him. His heart sank and he walked towards the dungeons and as desperate as he was to turn back, he continued to take one step forward after the other.
Hermione pulled off her wet clothes and dried herself off. She was back in the dormitory after a confusing night with Draco. She could tell that he wanted to be there with her, but the way he left made her think. He had said you can't choose who and what you were born, he wasn't talking about her. She hadn't put too much thought into what he had been dealing with in the last few years. The things he was told to do, the people who were living at his house, the contact with Voldemort and the complete and utter exile he must have felt from the entirety of Hogwarts, excluding Slytherin of course.
"Poor Draco…" she whispered to herself.
No wonder he looked so pained and fragile. Back in the bathroom she had been almost afraid to touch him for fear he would fall to pieces. She wanted to make him forget, she couldn't imagine the torment he must be feeling. I have to do something, she thought to herself. She wasn't going to let him suffer, at least not alone.
Draco trudged back to the common room, beginning to freeze in his wet clothing, yet still he walked slowly to feel the ice freezing his blood and to numb him completely. He finally made it back to the dungeons and when he made his way into the common room he collapsed in front of the fire; his teeth chattering and his lips near blue. He relished the pain; he would rather feel like this than feel the way he did when he was with her. He was not weak; he could handle pain and suffering. By god if anyone has suffered it was him; and Potter, but he would never admit it out loud. He shuddered at even the thought in his mind. Potter may have saved his life but that did not make them friends, just lesser enemies.
"Why the hell are you all wet?" He groaned at the sound of Pansy's nagging voice.
"It's winter." He said flatly.
"That doesn't make you soaking wet." She flicked her wand and Draco felt his clothes slowly drying out.
He sighed; he was just beginning to forget everything but the pain. Pansy slunk towards him in a way that he expected was supposed to be alluring. She sat beside him and pulled his lips into hers before running her hand down his chest.
"What do you say we go into your dormitory for the rest of the night?" her dark brown eyes looking up at him lustily.
He counted the number of times that he had ventured into various places with Pansy, willingly of course. That was something that he could use to forget. It may sound as though he was cruel but she wouldn't have been with him if it wasn't of some personal benefit to her. This time was different. He had felt something that he didn't think was a part of him; so how could he forget how that felt? One touch from Hermione had filled him with warmth, while Pansy's hands slithering about his body made him feel nothing. He didn't understand it.
Draco stood up and walked towards his dormitory, he was the only seventh year Slytherin still at the castle for Christmas so he had the dorm all to himself. He stopped at the entrance to the staircase that led to his room.
"Are you coming or what?" He said coldly.
Pansy leapt from the couch and walked past him and up towards the dorm.
Draco begrudgingly followed.