Absolute Gravity

Chapter Six: Wet Footprints

A/N: I gained a lot of new readers over the past few days, hope you are pleased with this chapter as well as my old readers too. This chapter is awfully short, I'm sorry but what happens in this chapter needed to be on it's own.
Song: A Drop in the Ocean; Ron Pope

A drop in the ocean
A change in the weather
I was praying that you and me might end up together

When Draco woke up the next morning he was greeted by the sound of Granger taking a shower. A small smile washed over his mouth as the hum of her soft singing echoed through the walls. 'Oh god,' he thought to himself suddenly, 'what the fuck is happening to me?' He threw the covers off of him and as he pulled his clothes on, the memories of the previous day slotted back into place. His stomach clenched uncomfortably, Granger had undoubtedly figured out what he had meant and for once, he wasn't sure how'd she react.

The shower cut off and he took a deep breath as the bathroom door creaked open and wet feet padded back to her room. That used to drive him insane, she'd always leave small footprints that trailed from the bathroom to her own. Now he didn't mind because it was so… Granger.

It took him a long time to convince himself to walk out of him bedroom. He was stood there clutching the handle. His thoughts churned in his head. He had three choices, to get out of the common room as fast as possible (which meant probably forgetting something), waiting for her to get the whole this-is-awkward situation out of the way which was an idea which made him so nervous he wanted to throw up (which was not an attractive option) or he'd wait for her to leave which would leave suspicion to his fellow Slytherins as he was always promptly at the Great Hall before 9 o'clock on weekends. He sighed. Only Granger, could cause this sort of trouble.

He therefore decided to act as normal. He wouldn't wait nor rush but act exactly the same. So with a pounding heart he turned the handle and walked out.

Her hair lay against her bare skin, the water splashing and dripping along her face, shoulders, down her back and onto the wooden floor. She pulled it into a quick bun before she throwing on a Gryffindor sweater and her favorite jeans. She heard the creak of footsteps down stairs and her heart missed a beat. She was nervous, to the point of shaking but she was also excited. More excited than she'd let herself admit.

She took a moment to look out the window, across the grounds where the golden light of morning fell across the grass, hills, trees and the Black Lake. A small sigh escaped her lips. She never in her wildest dreams imagined she'd ever be in this position with Malfoy. She pulled her hair out of it's constraints and cast a quick drying spell but then threw it up in a ponytail anyway.

Hermione didn't bother to look in the mirror because one thing she was sure of was that Malfoy didn't give a crap what she looked like, what she wore or how much makeup she wore. A quiet happiness buzzed in the depth of her heart. It was a nice feeling.

She took a long deep breath as she approached the door as she whispered to herself, "Let's test that Gryffindor bravery, shall we?"

Draco's breath stopped for one, two, three long seconds as he heard her door open. Then the slow light footsteps forced him to squeeze his eyes shut and to fiercely clutch the book he'd been holding.

There wasn't a sound from the common room. Not the usual scuffle of paper or his quiet mutterings. Not even the clunk of a book slotting in or out of the bookshelf. Just silence. A silence that engulfed her and made her footsteps sound like that of a giant.

Then she emerged and his heart threw itself into overdrive. Their gazes locked. His breath grew ragged as her heavy, unreadable expression came nearer and nearer. Her lips parted and her tongue wetted them. He inhaled deeply.

She was being drawn closer and closer to him. If she had a plan when she left her room, this wasn't it. The strong smell of his musk called to her like a siren. His eyelids fluttered as he tried to cover the uncertainty that lay behind them.

They were only a breath apart, now.

A piece of hair had tumbled down and fell across her ear. Draco was impressed at his control, his had only wavered slightly as he moved to tuck it behind her ear. When he met her gaze again, the heaviness had melted and in it's place was a warm and happy sort of look which was something foreign but welcomed on her face.

"Granger." Her name had tumbled out of his mouth before he could realise and the emotion laced in every noise made him squirm. However, before he could judge her response she had crept closer and placed a kiss on his lips.

His arm looped around her waist and gently tugged her closer; kissing her more gently than he'd ever kissed anyone. That's how they stayed, with her in his arms, breathing in each other's scents and the feel of their mouths together. But then suddenly harsh palms pushed against his chest, throwing him away from her.

"No."

The room spun. He couldn't breathe.

"Malfoy, I can't. I can't do this. You know I can't do this. I mean, you just told me yesterday why I know I can't do this. I have to be that good person. It defines me, it's who I am." She was rambling, every word a new dagger in his side. "I can't be a bad person and you are a bad person. You make me a bad person and I can't. I just can't. Viktor is the good choice. Choosing Viktor is me being a good person." He clenched his fists. "Malfoy, I can't risk everything I am for you. Not when I don't know if it will be worth the risk. Not when it can destroy me." Then she burst into a flood of tears. "I-I can't understand why I... I feel like this. I hated you! A-and now I'm l-losing you and I feel li-like crap!" Her tears annoyed him. How dare she be sad. "Malfoy say something!"

He couldn't. He had nothing to say. Or maybe too much to say? He didn't know. Fuck, he didn't know anything these days.

Suddenly, she let out a screech of annoyance and stormed out of the common room. It hurt the most when the portrait slammed closed because everything became final and because he didn't run after her because he wasn't sure if he wanted to.

It's like wishing for rain as I stand in the desert

A/N: I'm sorry, that hurt to write. Don't kill me! However we've finally reached the real crunch of the story *whoop whoop* This is where it all starts. I hope you're enjoying it as much as I'm enjoying writing it. Please leave a review and let me know if I'm doing a good job. Much appreciated :)