**please read** i am more than aware that this is an incredibly cliche fanfic, i can do better ! i started this when i was thirteenish and my writing has matured so much since then, but i wanted to keep everything in the same style because it would be a bit of a drastic change. i don't know. hope you like this chapter

Chapter 15: Together

It was the afternoon when Draco surfaced the next morning, but it was a Saturday so there was nothing to miss. He got dressed, and as the afternoon slid into the evening he spent an uneventful day lounging in the common room. Everyone had either left for the holidays already, or were out- except for himself and a couple of third-years in the corner.

Draco was just ready to head off to bed when there was a bang on the common room door.

He opened it and strangely enough, it was Hermione.

'How did you know where to find me?' He found himself saying.

She frowned slightly, as if it hadn't occurred to her yet. 'Harry and Ron told me in the second year. I need to talk to you.'

'What are you doing here, anyway? It's gone nine o'clock.'

'I need to talk to you.'

'Always on about bloody well talking to me...' He mumbled.

'What?' She asked.

'No, nothing... come in to my dorm.'

She followed. It was lucky that no one was in the common room at this point, as she was wearing her Gryffindor colours. The dorms were the one place where they could talk without being overheard. He'd assumed that it was something important.

Soon enough, he opened the door to his bedroom. 'I share with Crabbe, but he's gone home for the holidays already.' He shrugged, before she asked questions. 'Sit down. So how come you're here? How did you get in?'

'Prefect privileges. Should've thought about that before yours got revoked.' She smiled, hopping onto his bed. 'So. I wanted to ask you something.'

He opened his palms towards her invitingly. 'Shoot.'

'Did we have any Potions homework? Because I know we had the essay on Wolfsbane, but I wasn't sure if I had to write more than a foot-'

'Is that all?' He asked slowly.

She nodded, raising an eyebrow. 'Is that okay?'

He smirked. 'I just- well. I would've thought that if you had to talk to me about something so unnecessary, you could've sought me out elsewhere. So... why are you here?'

She sighed. 'To tell you what I just did.'

'So...' he edged closer to her, sitting on the bed. Cautiously, he lifted her hair to one side, exposing her neck. He dared not breathe for a moment, and judging by the fine hairs that stuck up on her skin, that she didn't too. He raised his hand and traced down her jaw to her collarbone. 'You don't want to be anything more..?'

Her breathing hitched. 'N-no.'

'Nothing more than...' He kissed her cheek gently. 'Just... friends?'

'Just friends.' She mumbled.

'Just friends?'

'Yes-' she started, before he turned fully and kissed her on the mouth.

In a muffled exclamation, she responded with as much muster as she could manage. He pushed his hands into her hair frantically, pulling her closer. 'I missed you. I missed this.' He said in between kisses.

'Don't talk now,' she gasped. There was a unique passion, unlike how it had been before. There fingers were interweaved as he pushed her against the bed as gently as possible.

Draco's hands fumbled under her skirt, drifting to her knickers. She reciprocated this frenzy, he could feel her hands on his shirt, unbuttoning his shirt- under his shirt. 'I love you.' He breathed into her ear. 'And we didn't have Potions work.'

/

After, they lay together on Draco's bed, Hermione's head on his chest. 'Draco?

'Hmm?'

'I love you.'

He kissed her hair. 'I love you too.'

'No but-' she sat up properly, her elbow resting on the bed. 'I really do. I love you. Wholeheartedly.'

Draco smirked in the darkness. 'I knew you couldn't resist me, Granger.'

did they do the deed? did they not? they probs did things. but i feel like hermione wouldn't do the frick frack. so like. idk.

ooh so the next chapter is where the thing happens i can't say what the thing is but it's a pretty big thing so maybe check it out? this story is ending soon you know so review before it's too late. i know ur there. please

also ! if anyone wants to review please tell me how you see hermione, because i'm really interested! when i started this fic in 2013/14 i thought of hermione as white because idk it was kind of a universally accepted fact. (i also wrote in an earlier chapter that she had pale skin) but since the cursed child my eyes have been opened you know? haha. i absolutely love white hermione, black hermione, indian hermione, chinese hermione, poc hermione etc it's all so cool! so please tell me what ur hermione is like, i'm so interested bc i love hearing about other people's hermione's. also if you have a vision of other characters too, please say!

love x