Chapter Forty

"Were just going to have to suck it up and do it," Hermione finally admitted.

"Yeah," Draco agreed as though he'd known it all along. Maybe he had.

"But not now," Hermione added quickly, alarm registering on her face, "because I have Arithmancy in the morning, early."

"Of course."

Hermione surveyed Draco suspiciously; Why was he being so accommodating? But, she noticed, his mind looked as though it were elsewhere, perhaps somewhere quite far from the parlor.

"Are you really comprehending this?" she snapped.

"More than you are," he sneered, though he couldn't help feeling inward amusement at her line of reasoning. She stared at him incredulously, but decided against challenging him – an act he found most surprising.

After bidding good night to Narcissa and agreeing to meet at the Manor the next night, the two Floo'd back to the castle.

.

.

"Well," Hermione said awkwardly as they reached an intersection in the castles shifting hallways, "good night."

"You dont want me to walk you to your dormitory?" The way Draco expressed this betrayed a genuine surprise in his voice; Hermione felt she was obligated to accept.

"Oh, yes. That'd be great, thanks."

After a few moments however, she was wishing she had declined – the pair walked in a complete and awkward silence almost all the way to Gryffindor Tower.

"Christ!" Draco finally said, as they turned toward the staircase going up to the sixth floor, "you have to walk ALL these stairs, EVERY time?"

Hermione bit her lip in an effort to contain her laughter, which did not help. A giggle escaped her lips and she nodded vigorously. "Maybe you should get in better shape," she ventured to tease.

With an air of affrontment, Draco began to deny such an accusation vehemently, until he realized his wife was making fun of him and he quickly ceased. They soon reached the portrait of the Fat Lady, in front of which Hermione came to such a decided halt, he knew where they must be.

Awkwardly, the two stood in front of one another. "Well, I suppose this is good night," Draco finally said.

"Yes. I'll see you soon, Draco."

The way she said his name sent a pang through his chest. It had been awhile since they'd started using one another's first names, but he was still unused to the way she said it – the way her lips hung slightly open on the second syllable of his name, showing how truly big and soft they looked. Her mouth was so inviting her voice felt so good as it washed over his skin...

"Are you alright?"

That same voice snapped him back to the present. She was looking at him, surveying him with a kind of intrigue, or something akin to concern.

"Yes, tolerably," he answered in a typical Draco-like fashion.

"Well, good night."

He nodded and turned quickly on his heel, mind more preoccupied than one roaming about the halls late at night should be. Whether by luck or divine providence, he met with no one on the way to the dungeons - but as he lay his head down on the pillow to prepare for a sleepless night, he found he could not remember anything from the walk down from the seventh floor to his bed at all.

.

.

"I'm sick of this bloody rain," Ron grunted.

The Gryffindor Common Room had mostly emptied for the night, but Ron, Harry, Hermione and Ginny were still awake, finishing up an essay due for Professor Nguyen the next day.

Hermione placed a bookmark neatly into the book shed been using for her research and stood up, stretching deliberately. Harry looked up at her from his parchment, where at least three pages of his thin, messy writing seemed to litter the page like an accident. "Going somewhere, Hermione?" he inquired, quill still poised where his next word would appear. Ron and Ginny, too looked up.

"For a walk, I guess."

"But you've still got eight inches!" Ron exclaimed, whacking the paper in his hand to show they still had a lot of work to do.

"Oh, I wont be long. I'm going to the owlery." She picked up a blank piece of parchment from her working area, as if she meant it and produced a wan smile. Very decidedly, she exited through the Portrait Hole to the dull roar of thunder and a fork of lightning raking across the castle grounds.

"She didn't take her quill," Ginny observed.

"They've also shut off the owlery because of the rain," Harry added, shaking his head and staring pointlessly at the spot where Hermione had last disappeared.

.

.

Back at her own new home, Hermione collapsed on the sleigh bed and breathed in the familiar smell of fresh linen that permeated the sheets. Face down in the white satin, she felt the soft material against her cheek and punched the pillow once vigorously. She couldn't believe she was here now... and for the reason! Meeting her husband – Draco Malfoy! – to...!

After a few moments, she sat up and surveyed the bedroom carefully. Nothing had changed since she'd last been in the room, three weeks ago.

Three weeks! Surely the lake should have overflowed monstrously by now!

She bounced off the bed and went to the window, only to observe the lake at about its regular level for fall, and covered in the fallen orange and brown leaves of the season.

The sound of the door behind her made her turn to look. Just as she thought, Draco's form materialized in the doorway. He had a serious look on his face and a piece of parchment in his hand. He stopped at the desk in the corner of the room and looked at her; She peered back at him from the window, fiddling the curtains with her fingers.

He held aloft the letter briefly and tossed it lightly on the desk, "You might be interested in reading that."

Draco crossed to the bed and flopped backwards onto it. Curious, Hermione slowly crossed the room and picked up the letter, aware that he was observing her...

.

Brother,

With the limited time I have to write this letter, I am afraid I cannot even offer you any good news. I have researched Grenadian Thestral Hoof Enamel extensively and there has been only one mention of it anywhere, in a book called 'Nettie Nenswick's Noxious Nectars for Nitwits'. By the title of the book, Im sure you can gather that the mention of it was not of any real importance. All Nettie Nenswick says on the subject, is that if a potion uses both newt's eyes and a rat tail of the right proportions, the enamel can be used as a hasty and less messy substitute. However, I can't imagine that it is less expensive

I am truly sorry I could not help you more.

All my fondest,

Adrian Gleibter

.

.

Author's Note: Thank you to ebbe04, gitgit, Xx. Shaiya Star-Gazer .xX, dragonsgirl21, PrettyChelsea, Padfoot7Prongs, MyLookOfDenial., SecretShellfish, Marmalade Fever, -Malfoy, Naomiii, sureynot, , FaerieBride, InvisibleLilacNights, horseandbooklover, Pienky, Twilightfanlovr, XXnadiraXX, and Imane Nikko for the reviews!

I really have no legitimate excuse as to why I haven't posted anything in nine or ten months. I'm truly sorry for neglecting this... just been busy! But I will try to have an update soon. I would love to finish this! All my apologies, especially to those of you who have been faithfully reading the whole time.

-Kira