Disclaimer: I'm still wicked. I'm still awesome. I'm still me. I'm still WickedlyAwesomeMe. So nope, sorry to disappoint, but I ain't JK Rowling :D
A/N: Surprised? I updated a day earlier (well depends on where you are living) but nonetheless, I updated earlier! Woot, summer does have perks *wink* *wink* I have a major announcement at the end of this chapter so do read it. I know for a fact that some of you skip it but please, still read it (I'm talking from experience, mind you XD).
Anyway, without further ado, I present to you, Chapter Twenty-Three! Enjoy!
Chapter Twenty-Three: Christmas Spirit (Part II)
"Granger, wake up!" Draco snarled, gingerly shaking her shoulder to rouse her up. "Oh, for goodness' sake! Breakfast is about to end and if you do not lift that sorry arse of yours, I'm going to 'Imperio' you."
The brunette on the bed released a disgruntled sigh and shifted on her bed to stare straight into Draco's annoyed face. "And a Happy Christmas to you, too, Malfoy," she said, slowly sitting up on her bed. "My, oh my, someone just discovered that Father Christmas is not real."
He rolled his eyes and took a step back from her bed and crossed his arms over his chest. His defensive position, she long observed. Malfoy always did that when he was feeling uneasy. Hermione wondered what made him so uncomfortable around her. They'd been roommates for months now and –
- 'Oh, right,' she thought as two, pink patches formed on her cheeks. 'That.'
Hermione released another sigh through her nose and reluctantly stood up. Draco had already dressed into his newly pressed and pristine clothes. She looked at her baggy shorts and shirt then made a peeved noise. "You can go on now if you're already hungry, Malfoy," she murmured under her breath, avoiding his gaze. "You didn't have to wait for me."
Her eyes snapped back at him and she almost released a small chuckle. He looked like he was thinking that he was the biggest idiot in the whole universe.
"Right," he said, frustrated. He turned around, his back now facing her, and strode towards their door. "Just make haste, nuisance."
With that, he walked briskly out of their room, not even giving her a glance back.
As soon as he was gone, Hermione plopped down on her bed and groaned. 'Damnable unexpected kiss!' she screamed inside her mind and rolled on her side, her eyes facing the window. 'Now, everything is so awkward around him and I have to spend a whole week with him, and only him, as my bloody companion.'
Hermione actually thought that as soon as she drifted on into dreamland, reality would be forgotten. But no. The kiss they shared in Honeydukes haunted her, even in her dream that night. Everything, at first, was so wonderful. She dreamt of flying above the clouds despite her fear of heights when light feathers suddenly fell from the sky, gently brushing against her skin. She was laughing contentedly in her dream, feeling ticklish because of the mischievous feathers. The next thing she knew, one became traitorous and turned into Draco Malfoy, his lips soon brushing against her own.
Her cheeks heated up ten-fold and she buried her face behind her pillow in a vain attempt of concealing it. She had this inkling feeling that she would never be able to walk inside Honeydukes ever again without blushing like a silly schoolgirl.
She sighed and then pushed herself off her bed. It was Christmas, after all. She shouldn't be hiding here in her room and avoid Malfoy as much as she could. He never planned of doing that unintentional kiss. She shouldn't be too hard on the bloke.
The brunette was about to walk towards the loo but was then tripped by a foreign object lying on the floor. She landed with a soft 'thud', muffled by their lush carpet. Hermione rolled on her back and moaned in pain, rubbing her aching arms.
Grumbling, she stood up once again and glared at the offending object, only to see gifts at the foot of her bed. Her anger diminished and a warm smile broke on her lips. Of course! It was Christmas and Christmas meant gifts, too.
Freshening up completely forgotten, Hermione plopped herself down in front of her Christmas gifts and started to tear open the wrapping papers.
Teddy gave her – Hermione had to laugh out loud – a teddy bear. He said that even if he was not beside her, she should just look at this stuffed toy and remember him. He also thanked her for the sweets she had given him for Christmas. He then proceeded on telling her about his adventures in his home together with his baby sister. His letter was so long; Teddy used a foot and a half parchment just to tell her everything he wanted to say. It made the brunette smile. He used to tell her that he hated doing essays, especially a foot-long, and here he was, giving her a letter that was longer.
Blaise's gift was the most surprising of all. He had given her a book, and not just any book. He had given her a book entitled "101 Ways on Disguising Oneself: A Guide to the Desperate". She had stared at it strangely for a full minute before dropping it with a 'bang'. Blaise never ceased to surprise her.
She also received numerous gifts from other acquaintances. Pansy, Millicent, Second Year Mina, Crabbe and Goyle, Ivan Raft, and many more. She actually looked at her gifts in appreciation, extravagant they may be since they all came from rich families. She appreciated them, nonetheless.
Harry had given her high-heeled shoes as a joke, stating that if ever she had to dress into a girl, she could use it. Hermione couldn't help but roll her eyes, although a smile was on her face. 'Oh Harry,' she thought. He proceeded on thanking her for the miniature Meteorite 1997 and saying how everything was somehow somber in the Burrow without her there. This information had made her smile.
Lastly, she was utterly surprised that Draco had bought her a gift. She never expected that he'd think of giving her one, seeing that he always deemed her as an annoying cockroach in his life. If ever he'd think of giving her one, he would give her something that would only pester Hermione for the rest of her life.
But no.
And, oh Merlin, his gift was the most beautiful of all. It was a gorgeous butterfly-shaped hairclip. Judging by the fact that it was studded with emeralds, it was expensive. She remembered his distaste upon seeing the 'poor excuse' of a hairclip she used yesterday and smiled.
Accompanying the hairclip was a stemmed tulip (a fresh one, she noted). This made Hermione wonder if he was still faithfully visiting her grave. She made a mental note to check it out as soon as possible. There was also a short letter, stating that she should use the hair accessory to fix her unruly bird's nest. The brunette rolled her eyes, thinking that the letter was so like him.
She had opened all of her gifts now. Hermione hid all of them under her bed or in her trunk and walked inside the loo to take a quick shower.
"Why weren't you in breakfast this morning?"
The brunette whipped around and met Draco Malfoy's mercurial eyes. A small frown was seen on his face, his arms crossed against his chest.
Hermione raised an eyebrow and slightly cocked her head to the right. "I didn't know you were waiting for me, Malfoy," she said, looking away. She was not able to catch the blush that suddenly sprinkled on his pale cheeks. "I was planning to, I swear. But after seeing that the Hogwarts grounds are covered in snow already, I couldn't resist the beckoning of this winter wonderland."
She looked back at Malfoy and made an angry noise. "Merlin, I cannot believe I was not able to witness the snowing. That's what I'd been looking forward to ever since the Christmas season began." She pushed up her glasses up the bridge of her nose and huffed. "So much for waiting."
Draco rolled his eyes at her melodrama. His feet slowly brought him towards her until he was standing mere meters beside her. "So what?" he asked. "It's only snow, Austen. There's no need to go all huffy over a trivial matter."
"People never appreciated the most beautiful things in life," she said, crossing her own arms against her chest. A frown appeared on her face. "I hope Harry was here. He would have appreciated this scenery with me."
A blaze of jealousy ignited in his chest. "Potter again, eh?" he asked cautiously, slowly lowering himself on the ground. He ignored the fact that his trousers might get damp because of snow. "One more mention of The-Boy-Who-Lived then I'll think something is really going on between the two of you."
A laugh of disbelief escaped from her lips. "Harry and me? That's preposterous, Malfoy! And besides, he has Ginny. Ooh, Gin will seriously kill me if she discovered I'm having this illicit affair with her boyfriend," she exclaimed, followed by more chuckles. She followed his lead and sat down beside him, a smile now on her face. "Although, I must admit, Harry had been my first ever crush. Even before Ron. From first year to early second year, you know. It just… disappeared after Ron saved me from" – she gave him a meaningful glance – "you know."
And knew it he did. He broke their eye contact and stared straight ahead. The day he had called her Mudblood was the day his puny, little heart broke. He did not need some reminding of that day, especially from her.
"What do you plan on doing today?" Hermione asked for a change of topic. His eyes snapped back into her and noticed that she was also staring straight ahead.
"I honestly don't know, Granger," he said, averting his eyes away from her. "You decide. You're the one who insisted to make this the best Christmas I ever had."
Hermione snorted, covering up a laugh. "Yeah well, Teddy once told me that you're always the one in charge when it came to planning a schedule."
"I don't know what to do, nuisance," he repeated, followed by a sigh.
"But what we'll we do today?" she asked again, insistent.
"I dunno. Think of something. That's what you're good at, right? Thinking."
"I don't know what to think," Hermione shot back, glaring at Malfoy. "You decide."
"No, you."
"You."
"Do I need to spell it out loud for you?" he snarled, matching up her glare. "You decide, Austen. Y-O-U."
Hermione, annoyed, scooped up a handful of snow and threw it into his direction. It hit him squarely on his chest. A string of curse words escaped from his lips as the clamp of the cold snow dribbled down his jumper. Laughing, Hermione raised up her hands in mock surrender. "Hey, hey, you were annoying me," she said. She honestly did not like the look that he was giving her. "You knew you deserved that, Malfoy."
"Payback's bitch, Granger," he growled. Hermione giggled and sprang up, trying to get away from the menacing blond as much as possible, armed with snowballs on his hands.
An all-out snowball fight – war – broke out. The two threw numerous snowballs into each other's direction as much as they could. Hermione had been constantly hit on the head and the chest, emitting a new round of giggles from the brunette and taunts from Draco. He, on the other hand, had been hit in different parts of his body, seeing that she was blindingly throwing the snowball towards him. He even cursed so loud after she almost hit him close to home. He was only awarded with merry laughter from the brunette.
It had continued for perhaps half an hour; the two did not really know at all. They had silently agreed to stop as soon as both of them were panting for oxygen and their body was damp from the snow.
Hermione had been laughing still, bent over as she clutched her aching stomach. She could not believe she was laughing so hard now. Ever since her parents were Voldemort-napped, she had not laughed this hard.
Draco seemed to forget to wear his mask of indifference this time. Instead, a humongous smile was seen on his face, his eyes dancing in laughter as he stared at the girl of his dreams.
The brunette straightened up and stared back into her playful opponent, a smile still stretched widely on her face.
And that was when she noticed the smile on his face.
For the second time in her whole life, Hermione Granger swore her heart stopped beating again.
Her eyes widened for a bit, the smile on her face faltering. That traitorous expression was on his face again – the one that made her so distracted during their Quidditch match against Harry's team that injured both of them.
"You…" she choked. "You have a bloody dimple!" She had blurted out her bizarre observation in a rush, realizing how embarrassing the words that came out from her mouth. Her cheeks blazed in unadulterated shame and she looked away from him.
Draco's smile, on the other hand, completely wiped off from his face. His eyes widened in horror as he blatantly stared at her. 'She just did not…' he said, his astonishment growing bigger as more minutes passed by. "L-lies, Austen!" he spat. Oh, how his father would kill her in the most imaginative way for saying such a… such a sissy accusation to a Malfoy.
The brunette made a noise of indignation and glared back at him, albeit the pinkness of her cheeks. "It was there, I swear!" she retorted back, her index pointing at somewhere on his cheek. "Smile again for me so that I'll see it again."
"Bloody hell, Granger, I'm not doing anything for you!" he cried, swatting her accusatory finger. A little voice inside his head laughed hysterically in disbelief, reminding him that his deepest, darkest secret was to do everything for the brunette standing in front of him.
"Don't make me more embarrassed, you idiotic Ferret!" she exclaimed back, crossing her arms across her chest. "Just admit that you have a bloody dimple!"
"Just admit you have a bloody dimple," he mimicked sarcastically. "I am not admitting any lies, Granger. Especially to you."
Her mouth opened, ready to retort a comeback, but then she chose to close it once again. Her cheeks reddened more, this time because of frustration, and she growled at Malfoy before looking away. "Fine," she spat.
"Fine," he spat back.
"Fine." She was hissing now and Draco couldn't help but to quirk a small smirk. Hermione looked extremely adorable now.
"Fine." Hermione took a peek at him at the corner of her eyes. She was trying hard not to smile. He looked extremely adorable now.
Silence ensued. An amused Draco stared straight at Hermione. He was the one who broke the silence.
"Wow, I must say that we were rivaling Theodore's immaturity back there," he confessed.
A small chuckle escaped from Hermione's lips, her early frustration forgotten, and then nodded. "More of like a moody, pregnant woman," she corrected, also looking straight back at him. "How come we are so pleasant to each other first and then be at each other's throats the next? Ron and I used to be like… this. But milder. And that is saying something."
"You get under my nerves, Granger." He was saying the truth.
She stuck out her tongue immaturely. "Ditto, Ferret-boy," she teased. "The feeling is extremely mutual."
He hummed in reply and sighed. The ambiance around them reverted into a comfortable one and Draco found it so weird. He used to think that if he were to have a decent conversation with Hermione, he'd be either tongue-tied or blurting out hurtful words to mask his discomfort.
"Do you think we should go back now?" she asked, snapping him off his stupor. "We are completely drenched from head to toe and if we are to stay here for a few more minutes, we'll be sick 'til the end of the Christmas break."
Draco nodded his head in agreement and turned around to go back to Hogwarts. His feet were crunching the snow underneath him; some droplets splashed into his face. He then realized that he could only hear his own footsteps, not hers.
He turned around, slightly irritated. "Oi," he exclaimed. "I thought we should be…"
His words died in his lips, now finally realizing that it was actually snowing. He looked up into the sky and watched as cold, fluffy snow fell down from the clouds, some already landing on his nose.
He looked back at Hermione and she was the absolute picture of pure bliss. Her eyes were lit up in joy as she gingerly stretched out her right hand, mesmerized as tiny snowflakes landed on her hands and instantly melted. Some snowflakes were clinging on her hair and eyelashes already.
Draco thought she looked pretty silly right now but…
… Lord, she was so beautiful.
He took a sharp intake of breath and had to greatly restrain himself from roughly grabbing her and kissing her senselessly until she forgot her name. "Granger," he choked, his voice a little strangled.
She seemed to remember she still had a spectator. Hermione looked at Malfoy, her eyes still lit up in happiness. "Just a moment, Draco," she said. Her attention then shifted back to the snow.
He merely nodded, his cheeks turning pink. He did not point out that both of them might get sick if they stayed a little longer. He did not point out that her hands were shaking a little and her nose was turning red with the cold. He most especially did not point out that she just unconsciously addressed him by his christened name.
He only watched her.
"AHCHOO!" She sneezed, glaring at the smirk plastered on the handsome blond's face. "If you are going to say something rude, Malfoy, then better shut up."
"Shutting up," he said, raising his hands in defense. He let his arms fall limply back on both of his sides and stayed silent. He was still reeling from the beautiful scene he had just witnessed a while ago. He did not have the heart to mock her, scared that he would suddenly blurt out the numerous compliments about her currently running in his mind.
"Malfoy," she groaned, "can we stop by a loo? I can't hold it anymore."
He rolled his eyes and grumbled a soft 'yes' in reply.
Hermione then dashed to the nearest washroom she could see.
"Granger, wait!" he exclaimed. "That's…" She had completely disappeared inside the washroom and Draco just shrugged his shoulders, grinning mischievously. "This will be interesting."
He made a mental countdown inside his head and as soon as he reached 'one', a feminine shrill from Hermione and a string of curse words from an anonymous man was simultaneously heard.
"I-I'm sorry!" The brunette emerged from the washroom, flushed from head to toe. She was covering her face in an attempt to hide her face. "I… wasn't looking at where I'm going."
The man, whom Draco recognized as one Michael Corner of Ravenclaw, growled angrily at Hermione. He, too, was red from head to toe as he stomped away from the duo, extremely embarrassed himself.
As soon as his footsteps faded, Hermione took a peek in between her fingers. After making sure that he was completely gone, Hermione furiously turned to Draco's direction, arms menacingly perched on her waists.
Draco was laughing so boisterously now. Hermione could already see some tears of mirth gathering at the corner of his eyes. And his blasted adorable dimple was present once again. It was enough to fuel her anger. "You… you git!" she exclaimed shrilly. "You did not warn me that I just went inside a boy's loo without wearing my disguise!"
He wheezed and tried to calm down to reply. "I… I tried to," he started in between of gasps, "but you were so oblivious! It was too tempting for me to refuse. Granger, you've forgotten that you are accompanying me. Have you forgotten how much hell I'd given you these past few years?"
"Oh, I've been wondering about that ever since I became your roommate, you bloody jerk," she snarled, face now furiously red. "Ugh, what if I was not wearing my bewitched glasses? My plan of saving my parents would have been busted!"
"But Corner did not recognize you," he pointed out. "No need to be so angry over this thing, Austen. I'm just having some fun. It's Christmas, after all." He stated the last part as if it was the most obvious thing in the whole wide world.
Her glare merely darkened and she turned around to stomp away from him. When she was a good three feet away from Draco, a sudden mighty force drew her back into him. She crashed into his chest and Draco instinctively wrapped his arms around her waist to steady her.
"What in Merlin's name…? MALFOY!" she thundered, looking up at him. "What are you doing now?"
"I'm not doing anything," he said, eyes wide. "I swear, nuisance. My wand is perfectly tucked inside my right sleeve. Unless…"
He slowly looked up into the ceiling, as if readying for his impending doom. A strange groan escaped from his lips and Hermione's blood instantly ran cold.
Slowly, she followed his lead and darted her eyes up into the ceiling, only to regret it soon after.
A mistletoe… so innocently perched, so bright and shining, so… "Holy shit." Draco never knew why but a small chuckle escaped from his lips after Hermione's curse.
"This isn't a laughing matter!" she sputtered out, cheeks reddening. She then realized that she was still trapped inside the blond's arms. Without any second thoughts, she pushed his chest roughly away from her, earning a scowl from him.
"Austen," he growled, "for your information, a lot of girls are actually dying just to be in your goddamn position. Come on; don't deny that you once fantasized kissing the Slytherin Sex God."
Ooh, his sudden audacity was astounding. Even he was surprised. But it was worth it, seeing that she flushed redder than ever and was looking so scandalized. Unbeknownst to him, a small blush also crept up into his cheeks.
"I… I cannot believe you!" she exclaimed shrilly, trying with all of her might to move as far away as possible without being hurtled back into his chest.
He sighed through his nose in frustration and rolled his eyes. "Come back here, you nuisance," he said, beckoning her into his arms. "Let's just get this over with, okay? And besides, we've ki-kissed before."
Her eyes widened suddenly. She had completely forgotten about that ever since they started their snowball war and now that he reminded her, it made their current predicament all the more embarrassing.
In a spur-of-the-moment, Hermione brandished her wand out and pointed it menacingly to the mistletoe.
"Fine, continue to do what I think you're planning," he said, annoyance in his voice. "Let's just see who'll be spending her whole Christmas break in the infirmary, covered with angry, green boils." Her wand hand faltered, although a look of doubt was still present on her face. "Trust me, Granger. I've done that once after being stuck with the most grotesque person in the whole school."
"I'd rather get boils than kiss you, Malfoy," she spat, although her wand hand fell limply on her side. Draco merely raised his eyebrows as the brunette took a deep breath and made baby steps towards him. "But, I want to spend my whole Christmas break, the only opportunity where I can remove my disguise, as a healthy person so" – her eyes narrowed threateningly – "let's get this over with, Malfoy. And do not do any funny businesses or I swear, I'll blast off the Malfoy jewels and make you impotent in the future."
She was completely standing in front of him now when he rolled his eyes. "Oh, the drama, Austen," he said.
The brunette merely made an angry noise, her cheeks now furiously inflamed. "Do the initiative," she directed harshly. "After all, you're the one who's eager to kiss me."
Bingo.
"EXCUSE ME!" he thundered, eyes ablaze with fury. "What made you - ."
"Just give me the damn kiss, Malfoy," she beseeched. She was not looking directly at him.
Draco clamped his lips tightly and sighed once again to calm both of his frayed nerves and ecstatic testosterones. When he looked back at her, his eyes were hard with determination.
He gingerly cupped her right cheek and almost smiled when he felt it turn warmer by his mere touch. The blond gently forced her to look straight into his eyes. Once her chocolate eyes met his mercurial ones, he could clearly see the confusion and doubt in her eyes.
'Oh god, she's so beautiful,' he thought, a sharp stab of pain piercing through his heart.
His lips were hairsbreadth away from hers. The brunette's eyes fluttered shut. They were so closed tightly Draco guessed she could already see white spots behind her eyelids.
He could feel her hands shaking slightly and that had made him smile. Her nervousness was silly, seeing that they'd kissed, regardless of being accidental. But still, he found it quite endearing.
Draco saw that her eyebrows knitted together in confusion once he moved her face away from his. 'Oh, let me surprise you more, Granger,' he thought as he neared his eyes against her cheek. He slowly fluttered his eyes against her ruddy cheek, his eyelashes brushing gently against it.
He was giving her a butterfly kiss.
Hermione, on the other hand, took a sharp intake of breath. A butterfly kiss, huh? She never expected that. It was such a… sweet gesture of affection. Her father used to do that on her cheek every time she was feeling so troubled. She never predicted in her whole life that one day, the almighty Draco Malfoy, the 'Slytherin Sex God' he quoted, would give her a butterfly kiss on her cheek. Just thinking about it sent the million butterflies in her stomach in an overdrive.
He had pulled away now and stared straight into her eyes. His mercurial orbs were swirling with a myriad of indistinguishable emotions and before she could further delve into them, he wore his mask of indifference.
"Disappointed?" he cheekily asked, his infamous smirk seen on his face. "You'd rather be kissed on the lips, huh, nuisance?"
Her jaw dropped, affronted. "O-of course not!" she exclaimed, pushing him away from herself. His hand on her cheek fell gently to his side. "I'd rather play tonsil Quidditch with the Giant Squid than kiss you, Malfoy!"
Instead of being offended, he looked fairly amused. "Now, that's something I don't want to miss at all," he said. He did not give Hermione any more chance to retort something back because he took a few steps away from her. Once he was three feet away from her, a triumphant smile was seen on his face. "People always think that in order to break the spell of the mistletoes all over the school grounds, you have to kiss the person you're stuck with straight on the lips. They never realized that any kinds of kisses can work."
A small chuckle escaped from his lips as he swiveled around. He waved his hand before walking nonchalantly away from her, not even giving her one more glance.
Unknown to Hermione, his cheeks were inflamed just like hers. Heck, maybe even darker.
A satisfied moan escaped from Hermione's lips as she snuggled deeper into her comforter. The crackling fire wasn't enough to warm the whole common room; thus, she just grabbed her comforter from her bed, wrapped it around her shoulders, and contentedly stared at the fireplace.
Her Christmas break had been great for a while, albeit bizarre. Just the fact that she was able to dress as Hermione Granger (armed with her bewitched glasses) was enough to make her happy. But have her Christmas break accompanied by Malfoy? Bizarre indeed.
She had never seen this coming. Well, she was not able to see the kidnapping of her parents coming, either. And now, odd things had happened between them… a faint blush appeared on her face as her right hand unconsciously rubbed the spot where he placed butterfly kisses.
A shiver of unknown sensation ran down her spine. Whether lip-locked kisses or butterfly kisses, all of them gave the same strange, yet pleasant, feelings.
'Oh, for heaven's sake,' she growled inside, shaking her head vigorously. 'Snap out of it, Hermione Granger! They're not exactly the things you want to think about when you're supposed to be enjoying your break.'
Her mind was just drifting off to a random funny encounter she had with Ron and Harry when Draco suddenly stepped in, two cups of steaming hot chocolate in his hands.
He seemed surprised to see her; he actually halted in his steps, took a step back, and widened his eyes upon seeing her.
They merely stared at each other for a full minute when he broke their eye contact and directed his eyes at the crackling fire. "Can't sleep?" he softly asked. "I honestly thought you'd be asleep now."
She blinked thrice before slowly looking at the fireplace, too. "Yeah, I guess," she said, a soft laugh escaping from her lips. "I… actually expected to find Ginny sleeping beside me and realizing she was not and I'm here in Hogwarts got me thinking so… yeah."
Silence ensued once again. Hermione actually thought that Draco had silently slipped off to his room and left her all alone. But when she felt the couch she was sitting on sag with a sudden weight, she knew he did the otherwise.
"Hot chocolate?" he offered, placing one mug on the coffee table and sliding it closer to her. "I suddenly had the craving to drink one and I thought you might like one, too; thus, two mugs."
The brunette looked at him in surprise, one eyebrow raised. "I thought you said that you expected me to be asleep now," she said.
He shrugged, nervously rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. "Well, I'm just making sure so I brought two," he said. He took a sip from his mug. When he looked at Hermione, he noticed the strange look she was giving him. "What?"
This time, both of her eyebrows shot up in surprise. "How gentlemanly of you to think of me, Malfoy," she said, her lips quirking up into a small smile. He merely glared. "For a guy who had been avoiding me for half of the day, you sure seemed… fine."
"Who said I'm avoiding you?" he growled. His cheeks slightly turned pink. "I was merely doing errands for the old nutcase. He's still Headmaster and I'm his minion. Ahem, student,I mean. I don't want to spend the rest of my Christmas break serving detention, you know."
She hummed in reply, still a bit skeptical, but dropped off the topic.
Hermione leaned closer to the coffee table and wrapped a hand around the steaming mug. She involuntarily released a sigh, happy with the warmth of her hot chocolate. She gratefully took a sip, almost scalding her tongue.
She took a peek at Malfoy at the corner of her eyes. He, too, was silently sipping his steaming drink. Both of his hands were wrapped around the mug and that was when she noticed that he was trying in vain to transfer its warmth to his body.
He was obviously cold.
A sudden idea occurred into her mind but she shook it off as soon as possible. Malfoy might probably kill her if she even suggested it. But he was… kind enough to bring up a mug of hot chocolate for her. It had warmed her more. The least she could do was to be kind to Malfoy and share her one source of warmth.
"You want to share my comforter?" she blurted out. His head snapped up into her direction, baffled. The brunette grew defensive. "What? You're obviously cold, Malfoy. Remember, we had a snowball war a while ago and I kept you out in the snowing weather a little too long than possible. I don't want you to blame me if you get sick."
He merely blinked for minutes and Hermione felt like an idiot. Just when she thought that he would laugh at her ridiculousness, he roughly grabbed one end of her green comforter and wrapped it around his shoulders. He left as much distance between them as he could, still making sure that both of their bodies were wrapped around the comforter. The brunette was thankful it was big enough for two people.
He had inhaled deeply, apparently comforted, as soon as he was sharing her comforter. But Hermione swore his eyes widened a bit and his breathing momentarily halted. She mentally counted almost sixty seconds before she heard him exhale once again.
Malfoy was a one, weird bloke.
The first few minutes were extremely awkward. There were occasional yes or no questions from one and a curt answer from the other before they reverted back into silence. They had no idea how their conversation turned from awkward and short to casual and actually funny. It just did. It seemed like that the two kisses they shared within a span of two days were completely forgotten.
They shared about random anecdotes in their lives; things that were pretty useless to hear but amusing nonetheless.
They had talked for hours now. The two didn't really know since they were busy conversing with others.
"How's" – Hermione released a really, wide yawn – "your mother?"
He looked fairly surprised with her question. "Why do you ask, nuisance?" he asked, a frown on his face.
She gave him a shrug whilst rubbing her itching eye. She was seriously tired now. "Just curious," she murmured. "You're not obliged to answer if you don't like."
The frown never left his face. "Well, it's not exactly a hard question," he stated. He shifted slightly on the couch, unconsciously moving a little closer to her. "My mother's… doing well. Not really that good, but she's fighting. One tough woman she is, I'm telling you."
'Lies,' his mind hissed. 'Lies, Draco Malfoy. All lies.'
"What do the Healers say?" she continued, eyes closing up for a little bit. She shook her head to stay awake. "The last time I think you visited your mother, you came back… exhausted."
Draco bristled on his seat. "I don't actually know why you're asking me that, Granger," he said through gritted teeth. But then, he told himself that she was merely asking; she didn't mean any harm at all. And so, he forced himself to calm down. He had no idea what came into him but he suddenly had the urge to tell another soul what he truly felt. He was tired, after all. Of lying.
"Not exactly the most delightful topic for me, but fine, I'll answer you. My mother is not doing fine, goddamnit. She's still lying on that hospital bed, her death bed. The Healers reckon that she won't make it. They even asked me if I still want to continue her medications. She's slowly deteriorating away and I… I can't do anything ab - ."
His words died on his lips as soon as he felt her head land gently on his shoulder. Eyes widening, he looked at the mass of brunette curls splattered around his shoulder and noted that Granger had fallen asleep. 'The nerve…' he growled inside, his head involuntarily shaking. 'Seriously. And here I am, about to tell her personal things about me.' '
Her chest was slowly rising and falling with her deep breathing. Draco also noticed that the few meters he left in between them were now reduced to centimeters; Merlin, millimeters even. The brunette had snuggled closer to him. Apparently, his body warmth was giving her more comfort.
A contented sigh escaped from her lips. That sound was enough to remove the annoyance in his system. It meant that he was making her comfortable. Goodness, she had no idea how much he wanted to make her the happiest woman alive ever since.
And so, he did not have the heart to wake her up anymore. He was a selfish bastard and watching her sleep, oblivious to the emotions resurfacing in his eyes, was like Christmas everyday. He honestly wanted to stop time now, despite how sappy it sounded. One of his most irrational wishes when he was still eleven-years-old was that one day, everybody would just drop dead, except for him and Hermione. She wouldn't have any choice but to stick with him through and through for a lifetime. Maybe he could include his mother, just as long as she would accept that her son was, is, in love with Hermione Granger.
Such thoughts were a bit overwhelming for Draco; he was afraid that the longer he continued to watch her sleep, the greater the urge of kissing her would be. Therefore, he gently shook her shoulder awake. "Nuisance," he whispered, "wake up and go back to our room. Wake up."
She slowly opened her eyes, still glazed with sleep. Hermione had blinked them exactly three times before groggily turning her head to look at him.
"Oh," she softly gasped, realizing that she used his shoulder for a pillow. "I'm sorry." She lifted her head, embarrassed. "I fell asleep, yeah? I'm just so… tired."
He merely shrugged and watched her stand up.
"I'm going to go back to our room," she murmured, rubbing her eye.
Draco made a move to remove her comforter around his shoulders but she stopped him. "No, no, you use that for today," she said. "I'm assuming our room will be warmer than the common room. And besides, I have this inkling feeling that you won't sleep soon so…"
An uncertain smile appeared on her face, waiting for him to roll his eyes and return it to her, disgusted. But once again, he only shrugged. Her uncertain smile turned into a sincere one. "Good night, Malfoy," she said, then swiveled around and trudged up to their room.
As soon as she was gone, he discreetly wrapped her comforter tighter around his shoulders. It smelled so much like her; it was intoxicating.
He inhaled and took a whiff of her perfume then gradually closed his eyes.
That night, he dreamt that Hermione Granger's arms were wrapped around him, not her comforter.
Review Responses:
haileydelacour101: Oh, honey, I do try my best to find time to do these fanfiction stuff XD And I know right! Teddy is such an adorable character it makes me wish that he's real so that I could hug him 'til NASA announces that Pluto's a planet again :p Hmm… interesting question you asked – is Teddy really swinging the other way? Or is Hermes really the only exception. Yup, I think despite his age, Teddy's still a kid by heart… as for Blaise and Luna? Hmm… a new pair for me, though XD Anyway, thanks for your review!
jeena. tere. liye: Sexual Tension XD Lol, I laughed so loud after reading that part. I do thought that the last scene, the one where they were discussing where to sleep and such, is so cute. A struggling Draco is so adorable *squee* And oh my! Putting a scene where Draco was being a naughty, naughty boy? Not exactly a bad idea… I'll think about it *wink* Yeah, come to think of it, it is sad that the other two will have their hearts broken. As for their happily ever after? Just wait for the future chapters. Anyway, thanks for your lovely review!
Mi High Lover: Aww, you got annoyed by review responses? Hmm… well, sometimes I do, too. It's very deceitful XD Makes me think that the chapters were longer than their actual length. But now that I'm giving you a review response, are you annoyed? XD Aww, and thank you for stating that it's an epic chapter and you couldn't resist to review. I'm really flattered. *blush* And an awesome writer? Wow, it's not everyday somebody tells me that. Anyway, thanks for sending in your comeback review :D (BY THE WAY, your avatar of little Tommy is so A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E; why change it?)
fantasia-49: Romantic, indeed! Well, curse Hermione for being too oblivious of Draco's feelings, huh? Thanks for your review!
slytherin-pwincess-no1: Aww, I know right! If I discover that a boy had loved me ever since we were eleven-years-old (I'm sixteen now, btw), then that would be so, SO sweet. Makes me feel like I'm worth it (GAH, my hopeless romantic side is resurfacing XD) Anyway, thanks for your lovely review!
AcerGirl: Truth be told, the last chapter was one of my favorite chapters, too :D So full of Dramione goodness it makes me want to turn into goo XD As for the phrase "his cheeks the envy of all tomatoes in Professor Sprout's greenhouses", I think it's funny, too. And it's all thanks to my English teacher for making me write a script full of literary devices (metaphors, similes, etc.) As for PiD, tell your sister I still have no idea when to update the said story. *covers her head* I'm sorry, I'm sorry. My writer's block for this story is so huge I don't know how to cure it anymore. ANYWAY, thanks for reviewing!
Cinna16: Epic, you say? LOL, I could imagine you typing your previous review with wide eyes and a humongous smile on your face XD Aww, my heart did break, too when I typed the chapter when Draco was being all mopey and brooding when he found out that Hermione Granger died. And thank you, your review made my day, too. Thanks for reviewing!
CheshireCat23: I think all Dramione alone times are awesome :D Oh, I think it was hilarious, too, when they walked back to Hogwarts after kissing each other accidentally. I could conjure their embarrassed selves in my mind and I can't help but laugh at them. Poor them. Anyway, thanks for your review.
Aletto: Actually, I wish I'm doing something besides surfing the net. Summer means doing nothing, and doing nothing slowly drives me insane XD But, oh well, at least I can do whatever I want. I also give you a billion 'you're welcome' for liking this chapter. I do try to do a job well done. Thanks for your review!
LookingforNirvana: Why the 'Aww, Draco"? Is it because he's hopelessly in love with Hermione and she doesn't know. Or basically because he was just being too adorable for you to handle. XD Haha, thanks for reviewing!
Schnuersenkel: It never occurred to me that the sweet kiss happened in a shop selling sweets. But, thanks for pointing it out. Now, the accidental kiss for me was more hilarious XD I know, I know. Making them kiss heatedly so suddenly is somehow uncalled for. I mean, they're just coming to terms that they're 'acquaintances' or 'friends', right? Despite Draco's 'forbidden' feelings, it's still weird :D Here's the new chapter, though. So, what did you think about it? Anyway, thanks for your review!
beautifly92: And thrilled you really are. I could imagine you being all giddy-giddy while typing your review :P Ooh, I did adore the last chapter, too. So much Dramione moments its making me sigh *Sigh* LOL, now that you've read this chapter, what do you think? Did it make you thrilled, too? Thanks for reviewing!
B.S: WOW, too much compliments. It's inflating my ego! Meh, it's all thanks to JK Rowling because without HP Series, I will not be introduced with Dramione, right? But I do plan to write a novel in the future (not now). Making original stories makes me feel uncomfortable still so I'd stick to writing fanfics for now. Anyway, thanks for your review!
Lost O'Fallon Girl: Ooh, Darcy and Lizzie, huh? I adore "Pride and Prejudice", if you must know. And yeah, I agree. I think it's more of the "Pride" part. Both of them are too stubborn for their own good XD I try my very best to make them their usual selves, especially if Malfoy and Granger interact (you know, the bickering...) Um, as for your question "Currently won't allow me to publish my new chapters, have you ever had this problem?", I'm still experiencing the same problem, for your information. You get this address when you receive the error, right? - fanfiction .net/story/story_edit_property.php?storyid=6431906/1/ - okay, change the bold one (property) to content, and voila, you can update your stories now! Anyway, thanks for your review.
Karate Chic: I'm sorry, but I didn't quite understand what you said XD (In the perfect world that's how they act. Not the real one) Oh, and thank you for liking this chapter :D I do try my best. As for your question of when Hermione will realize her crush, why not wait for my future updates to know *wink* *wink* Anyway, thanks for reviewing.
Jenna Linda: Brilliant chapter, huh? So, what did you think of this new chapter? :p And thank you, I try my best to make my work as good as possible (if not, the best XD) Anyway, thanks for your review.
ellenloveforever: I do hope for Christmas, too. It's bloody hot in here and I swear if I were a boy, I'd be topless now. But no, I'm a girl. Lucky dudes. Anyway, thank you for thinking last chapter was cute!
Catuhh: *cowers* I'm sorry, I'm sorry. It was necessary for me to kill off Draco in "11 Things". But I have this inkling feeling you loved it, nonetheless XD (conceited much?) I have this feeling you'll hate me, too, once I revealed the future chapters (my lips are sealed; I won't spoil you). Anyway, thanks for reviewing!
Fawzie: I KNOW RIGHT? I've been waiting to post the chapter where Hermione's a girl and having an alone time with our gorgeous Draco Malfoy. Aww, Draco reminds you of Ron? You remind me of a part – OH – oops, no spoilers. And aww, I'm sorry, Hermione can't give gifts to her Gryffindor friends, except Harry, of course. I mean, wouldn't that be suspicious if they suddenly received a gift addressed from Hermes Austen? Anyway, thanks for your review!
laugh-out-loud94: AHAHAHAHA, Draco and his infamous raging hormones. BOYS, can't control their bloody selves. I did love Draco's contemplations, too! I try my best to keep him in character despite the fact that he was talking to himself (creepy much?) And thanks for your WICKEDLY AWESOME review :p
S. H. Chevalier: Well, here's the part II of their Christmas "Alone" time. How was it? Did it satisfy you? XD Aww, still makes me sad that the two remaining boys of the Silver Quartet will undergo the painful effects of rejection. Oh, anyway, thanks for your review!
CrayolaBox16: Thanks for thinking that this story is "awesome". I try my best to please my readers, if you must know. I hope you're still enjoying the story, so far. Anyway, thanks for your review!
Isabella120: You are part British? OMG, that's so awesome. I always wanted to have a part like that in my blood. All I know is I'm part Spanish and Indian… weird combination but I turned out just fine; thus, I love it, anyway. Thank you for loving the whole chapter! Anyway, thanks for your review :D
bbyebiebercozoftattoo: You're loving these review responses, huh? XD I don't want to work tediously and answer all individually; hence, I just decided to post all of them in every chapter. So, I also assume that you loved the Dramione moments XD Ooh, feeling giddy-giddy? Did I make you feel giddy in this chapter? Haha, anyway, thanks for your review!
flamingbunnies: Typing the previous chapter also made me feel warm and cozy inside. Actually, anything Dramione related makes me feel warm and cozy inside *blush*. So here's the part II of their Christmas escapade? How was it? Did you like it? Haha, anyway, thanks for reviewing!
azure: Thank you :D I do try my best to always write not-so-mediocre works for the entertainment of my readers. Anyway, thank you for your review!
A/N: Thank you to all those who reviewed! I appreciated your time and effort just so you could drop a review; hence, I offered my time and effort just so I could answer all of them, too.
ANYWAY, who else swooned after reading Part II of their Christmas escapade? *raises hands and shakes them wildly* Ay! Ay! OMG, I think I just turned into a puddle of cheese. Oh, Draco was such a darling. And Hermione! What a lucky, lucky girl. Too bad this was the end of their Christmas ALONE time. 'Neeway, at least Teddy and Blaise will be back next chapter. But I do warn you, the next few chapters will be more… action-packed? LOL, the Christmas chapters were somehow the calm before the storm so, yeah, you get what I mean.
As for my announcement, I have no idea when I will post the next chapter. I'll be going home to our province this coming Saturday and once again, I'm afraid there won't be some internet connections (*crosses fingers*) I hope there will be *sigh* I'll be back on the first week of May (GAH, so far). Can't believe my dad still hasn't upgraded the computer there. Oh whatever, just hope that there will be an internet connection in our province so that I could post the next chapter.
Well, that's it for now! I do hope you enjoyed this chapter (I thoroughly enjoyed writing it). Do review again and make me happy.
With love,
WickedlyAwesomeMe :D
P.S.
Short Poll:
Draco and Hermione did a lot of things during their Christmas ALONE time. What was/were your favorite/s? Do tell me in your reviews :D