Hello my little darlings!
i have some great news... =D i've actually written another chapter for this little story for you lovelies who wanted another chapter. =DDD
PLEASE READ: I won't guarantee that after this chapter there'll be another one but i'll tell you this much...: I'm going to try my best to make this into a somewhat longer story (10 chapters maybe?)
HOWEVER! I'm going to warn you now. I'm terrible with long stories. I tend to forget about them or not like them anymore or just plain old lazy and in turn, i have the hardest time finishing up a story that is more than maybe 3 chapters max
THEREFORE, for those of you who like this story and would like me to continue, i'll ask that you harass me to make me finish this story. I really like it and if i can finish up this one maybe i'll go back to all my unfinished other stories that i have yet to finish -_- so please... I'm just asking for a little boost, some help from those of you who understand my pitiful situation and wouldn't mind landing me a hand! =D
Ouf! -_- this was long! lol But oh well!
Get to reading then! I hope you like it! =)
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Chapter 3
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For an hour Draco stayed in the bathroom, letting the hot water burn his skin. The stab wound he had left untreated down his back had now reopened and was leaking blood profusely.
When the temperature finally got too high to control, he stepped out of the shower and proceeded to dry himself off. Tying the towel around his waist, he went back to his room only to spot Hermione's frail body all bundled up on his bed. From the regular movements of her chest he knew she was asleep.
With a sneer, he turned to the closet and pulled on his boxer briefs and a pair of dark grey sweats.
Every move he made augmented the pain in his back. Usually, he would call Blaise to patch him up but today…
He sent a glare Hermione's way once more. The woman was so bloody stubborn. And the nerve of her to take up his bed and sleep on it as if it were her own…
"Granger" he called, walking over to the bed. "Granger…"
She stirred and sat up quickly "Is something wrong?"
He looked at her with disgust. Was he really about to ask her for her help? After his speech of not needing that very help?
"Malfoy… What is it?" she asked, rubbing her eyes sleepily.
"I think there's still a piece of metal in my back… I need you to yank it out" he grumbled, turning around to give her a view of the wound.
"You've…" she gasped, "You've had this in your back the entire night?"
"Can you take it out or not?" he growled.
"Don't yell or I'll hurt you while taking it out!" she chastised as she got up. "Lay down on your stomach."
He did as he was told but not without a scowl.
Ignoring him, Hermione made her way to the bathroom and washed her hands thoroughly before returning to the bedroom.
"Conjure up an aid kit for me will you? I don't have my wand" she told him.
When he did, she grabbed a pair of gloves and slipped them on.
"Alright… this is going to hurt…" she warned, climbing on the bed.
Deciding it best not to answer, Draco lied there, awaiting to feel the scathing pain.
And when he did, he didn't budge, he didn't scream. He simply gritted his teeth, letting the discomfort settle deep.
He stayed in the same position for a while longer as Hermione patched up his wound.
The feel of her hands, even with the gloves, left burns wherever they touched his skin. But he didn't know if it was because he hated her so much or if it was because his body was welcoming the contact with someone else.
When she finally finished, she sat back and watched as he got up.
Without a word, he went around the bed and lied down, his back to her. He wanted her to leave. That intoxicating lemon mixed with vanilla smell she had brought into his room was suffocating him.
In a whisper, he turned off the lights all around the bedroom and closed his eyes angrily.
He felt a movement from the other side of the bed and thanked Merlin far too early that the girl was leaving.
Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.
She was simply shifting to lie down as well.
"Goodnight Malfoy…" her small voice whispered.
Feigning to be asleep, he ignored her, reopening his eyes to stare emptily at the dark.
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When he woke up the next morning, Draco was more than glad to find the other half of his bed empty.
Breathing in deeply, he let the cold air tighten his lungs, not even resenting the lingering lemony smell still strongly staining the room.
He actually liked it. It reminded him of his mother's garden.
Closing his eyes tightly, he rubbed angrily at them to remove the memory from his brain.
His day began as per usual from then on.
He showered. Brushed his teeth. Got dressed. And left his living quarters to go upstairs for the morning briefing.
When he entered the conference room, almost every member of the order was already there, chatting amongst themselves.
His entrance however, changed that.
They all stopped at once to turn and stare at him. Even Blaise who usually took to making him speak a few words every day simply sat at his usual seat, staring.
Ignoring all of them, he crossed the room and went to lean on the opposite wall to the door where the light wasn't as bright as everywhere else. That was his usual spot. He didn't like sitting at that table with the others. He didn't have anything to say so he didn't see the necessity.
After a few more minutes of silence, the chatter slowly began again and more members filed into the room one after the other.
And lost as he was in some old memory of his childhood, Draco didn't see Hermione come in… Until she stopped in front of him and handed him a cup of coffee.
"You didn't come in for breakfast…" was all she said as his eyes shifted to hers and stared, hard, at her small frame.
And once more, the room fell silent.
Everyone seemed to be watching the odd exchange with interest.
"I don't want anything from you." Draco answered, ignoring the stares.
"Well you're going to take it anyways" Hermione responded softly, almost in a hush. "Because if you don't, that wound down your back will start hurting all of a sudden."
The color in his eyes lightened up quickly as he tightened his jaw, gritting his teeth strongly against each other.
"That's low Granger" He growled, almost ripping her hand off as he grabbed the cup she was still handing him.
In response, she flashed him a bright smile and went to sit next to Harry, who was shooting bullets out of his eyes.
After that incident, Draco's day picked up and went on as usual. More search for deatheaters. More fights. More meetings. More research to find the horcruxes.
Until he was sitting comfortably in one of the sofas of his bedroom and the door creaked open.
"You must really have a death wish…" his voice murmured dangerously, carrying itself through the darkness to Hermione's ears.
Automatically, she froze.
She had not been expecting him to be awake. Or if she had, she had half expected him to be playing the piano again. She actually realized she had no idea what he did with his spare time.
Coming back to the situation at hand, Hermione turned in the general direction of the living room, trying to make out something from the darkness.
Cautiously, she moved forward, her arms extended in front of her in search of a chair.
Soon enough, she found the sofa and sat down disgracefully, thankful it wasn't occupied by the man who under no circumstances wanted her presence in his living quarters.
They stayed in silence for more than 30 minutes from what the low ticking of the wall clock indicated. But it wasn't an awkward silence. It was more of a comfort found in the certainty that silence was better than saying words that may offend, annoy or bother.
Finally, deciding she'd had enough time to ponder about little unimportant things – setting aside the fact that she was starting to feel a little like the darkness of the room was closing in on her –, Hermione asked:
"Do you like to read Malfoy?"
What followed her question was more complete, ear-scorching silence.
She sighed.
"I like to read but I suppose you already know that about me…"
Again, more silence.
Why she cared so much about the man sitting somewhere in the darkness probably plotting her murder she had no idea. Nevertheless, she felt this compelling urge to try harder.
"I'm just trying to be nice Malfoy… Why won't you just return the gesture…" she whispered, starting to feel defeated.
"You wouldn't have to be nice if you would just return to the people who are your friends" he said, sounding tired.
And indeed, he was. Maybe if he just gave into her little game she would leave him alone at last?
"If you would just let me, I'm sure we could be friends…"
"No we couldn't Granger. I hate just about everything about you" he said coldly, breathing in deeply that smell that was starting to feel familiar again.
Again, she sighed.
"Well if you just gave me a chance we could make sure there's no possibility of friendship between us…"
"Why is it you're so adamant to befriend me Granger?" he asked, his voice one degree angrier than it usually was. "I don't care for your friendship. And you never cared about mine either, so again, I'll ask, why now?"
It took Hermione a couple of minutes to muster up an answer:
"I don't know…"
Draco hmph'ed in response, looking straight at her although she couldn't see him. In the short silence, he heard her teeth chattering.
"You're different." She continued, "Something about you reminds me of myself… Broken up, alone, with your emotions strapping you up like a straight jacket…"
"Don't be ridiculous, you're not alone." He muttered. "Potter, Weasley and the whole band will be right at your door if so much sneeze."
She snorted.
"They'll be there if I have a broken arm. Or if my head hurts. But most of the time, they are oblivious to what's happening on the inside…"
"And you think I'm not? Or that I care?"
"I know you don't… But like I said, on that matter, we are both in the same basket."
"Don't put me in the same basket as you Granger." He snarled.
"Why? Because I'm a mudblood?" she asked, her voice smaller than before.
It took Draco a while before he could digest what he was about to say, but when he did, his voice was steady and just a tad bit softer than usual.
"No… That has nothing to do with my hatred for you Granger. And although I would love to insult you with that horrendous word just so you can leave me alone, I won't. I was wrong to have used it before."
After the words registered and processed clearly in Hermione's brain, she sat in the dark, flabbergasted, her pink lips forming an almost perfect 'o'.
Draco chose that moment to turn on the fireplace.
Slowly, the light spread through the room, illuminating Hermione's face on its way.
With an almost imperceptible smirk, he watched her recuperate from the shock slowly.
"I… Did you…"
"Save it Granger. Whatever it is you want to respond I don't want to hear it" He mumbled, staring at the bright flames dancing around in the hearth.
Many more minutes passed as Hermione stared at Draco who did nothing but gawk at the radiating that unnatural heat which's feel he had long forgotten.
"And yes…" he muttered after a while longer, "I do like to read."
With that, he sat back and crossed his arms over his chest, wondering about what it would be like to be friends with Hermione Granger.
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So?
I'm anxious to know what you thought of the chapter... I hope i didn't disappoint... And as usual, if i did or if you didn't like a specific thing or i made a grammatical error or anything else LET ME KNOW!
Well... for those who didn't read the note in the beginning, please help me finish up this story. I really like it and with your help i'm sure we can all be satisfied so... bother me, inbox message me, do ANYTHING, to make me finish this story =) On my part, i promise i'll do at least 15 minutes of writing everyday to make sure i just don't 'forget' about this story! lol
P.S: I haven't decided yet when i'll be posting the new chapters but it'll be at least once a week (or if that gets too hard i'll post once every 2 weeks tops!)
P.P.S : Since i'm trying to make this into a full story, the chapters won't be as long as the previous two but they'll be at least around 2,000 words long!
sheesh i can talk a lot O_o lol
Alright loves, i'll see you all next week if you guys decide you want this story to continue! =)
Kisses,
MrsMalfoyy.