Heylo dear readers!
I want to thank;

Mihika
Echizenochi
Shivvv
SaruDM
MaronTodai
Daisy Seary - who is the 100th reviewer! yeyyy!
gimarkley2013
witchnimbus23
CinziaTwut
Dramione4evr - he really only needed Hermione's address but thought it would seem less suspicious to ask for Katherine's address too. And Delinda, well he was just charming her so he reckoned he could send her thank you flowers as well!

For their happy thoughts on the last chapter!

Touching 100 reviews is always remarkable!

Thank u all for reviewing and receiving this story so well!

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CHAPTER 16.

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"You ... You ? Draco bloody Malfoy! Who the hell do you think you are just going off like that from the hospital after tailing me like a bloody dog all day? I was so worried. I almost was going to remove a trace on you until I remembered that I should probably check with your coach." Hermione yelled.

Draco kept his coffee mug holding hands in the same position and smirking at her through her anger and annoyance, he pushed himself through the door into her living room.

"Tsk tsk. Healer. Aren't you at least going to invite me in?"

"Right. Like that would keep you away." Hermione retorted back.

"You were worried enough to contact Ginklehertz." Draco said with a smug look.

"Yeah well. You're my patient. Of course I'd be worried. Especially after you told me you'd wait for me."

"You could've just asked Delinda. Sweet girl I say. What do you think?"

"Delinda is it? I see you've familiarised yourself with the staff. Of course I thought of asking her. But I got done so late that her shift was over. Did she give you my address? I'm going to kill her tomorrow."

"Relax Hermione. I would have found out where you lived some way or the other. You know that. No need to drag the poor girl in this."

"Poor girl is she now?" Hermione replied scathingly.

Draco smirked some more. Oh how he missed riling Hermione Granger.

"What is annoying you so much? The fact that your usually very capable receptionist couldn't resist my charms and handed me your address or that I'm actually here asking you to make me coffee?"

Hermione blinked for a second. She was completely taken aback by Draco's amused outburst.

"Why are you here Draco?" She asked sighing in defeat.

"Didn't you hear me earlier?" He asked cheerfully."I'm your neighbour. In 503"

Hermione looked shocked? Confused? Lost?

"What? You're joking."

"Am I laughing? No actually that would be a wrong rhetorical question since I actually do feel like laughing but I'll probably just settle for smirking."

"Aaaarrrgh Draco. What is it that you want?"

"I just want to know why you're so mad at me right now."

"I'm not mad. I'm just surprised to see you here is all."

"Hermione. You've always been a rubbish liar. Don't make me make you say the truth."

"Oh yeah? And how do you suppose you'd accomplish that? Use the imperio on me? Or perhaps you have an ampoule of veritaserum in your pocket."

Draco chuckled. Yep. He definitely missed the verbal battles. She was like a sharpener for blades. Draco was sure that retorting back and forth with her kept his brain well oiled.

"I don't have my wand on me and you can frisk me if you want. No ampoules no potions. What I do have are these." He said wiggling his hands and letting the mugs juggle about. "And you know very well that they are perfectly capable of tickling you till you beg for mercy."

Hermione's eyes widened. She took a step backward reflexively. "You wouldn't dare."

"Oh I would."

She paled for a moment but the fire in her eyes returned soon. "Fine. Come in. But don't think I'm scared of your empty threats."

"Of course not." He humoured her.

"What?" She asked as he stood in the middle of her living room surveying the surroundings.

The room was the same as his living room. Intact beige paint. Brown curtains. Black and white furniture. Brown carpeting. It looked right out of the catalogue.

It was clean. As expected from Hermione Granger. But it was just that. An apartment that was rented. Where she existed. Not lived. But merely existed.

The Hermione he had known would have torn the place apart and replaced it with everything different.

There would be splashes of colour everywhere. And the curtains would be anything but brown. There would be a plethora of colourful cushions and a huge bookshelf in every room.

She would have also probably had some of her own abysmal knitted items thrown here and there. Yes. She was delusional enough to believe that she knitted well and her knitting was worthy of display in a living room.

There would have been pictures of everyone she was fond of in all possible places. But here there were none.

Hell there was nothing that wasn't brown, black, grey or white. And he for one knew that Hermione wasn't very partial towards those colours.

"Nothing. You've been living here ever since you've come?" Draco asked.

Hermione shrugged. "Well yeah. Why? What's wrong?"

"Everything. Hermione how do you stand it? You hated the fact that everything in my flat was black and silver." Draco questioned.

"Well I'm not really much at home. So I couldn't care less about the interiors."

"Hmm. Okay. Fair enough." Usually confrontation worked best with Hermione. But something told Draco that that was not the way to go with her now.

That was probably why she had run away in the first place. He would have to tackle her differently.

"You really have moved here haven't you?" Hermione asked.

"Well yes. I didn't think you'd be inviting me in your flat willingly so I chose the next best option."

Hermione couldn't believe him. He actually thought she would let him come stay with her. Delusional.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Is that so difficult to figure out Hermione?" Draco inched forward, stepping dangerously close and disregarding her personal space.

"You practically disappear Hermione. With no forwarding address. Without any goodbye or inkling as to how you are. And now that I've finally stumbled across you, by accident that too, you really think I'm letting you go?" He said it all in one breath.

"So that's where you were all afternoon? Tracking me and renting out a place in my building?" Hermione questioned.

"What did you think?" Draco asked.

"I um nothing. You were ill sometime ago and suddenly you disappear without telling me and it is a new city after all so Merlin knows where you would have gone and what if you had some residual weakness or so, we don't know if you're fully..."

"Granger. I'm fine." Draco said as he placed his index finger on her lips.

She continued to open and close her lips but had stopped talking.

"Besides, this is not the first time I've come to Sydney. And I am a wizard you know. Even if I did get lost, I'm pretty sure I'd be able to manage somehow." Draco said.

Hermione blushed at the obviousness of the statement.

She had just started rambling when Draco had asked why she was so annoyed or worried when she hadn't found him waiting where she supposed he would have been.

Truth was, she herself didn't know what had gotten into her.

At first she didn't want him to see her.

Then she would have preferred if he kept quiet about this and just left her to her own devices.

But when he actually had done that (or so she thought) she had felt a panic that she couldn't put a finger on.

What difference did it make whether he stayed or left?

She wanted to be left alone, did she not?

But when she saw him standing there with 2 mugs in his hands like an idiot, she suddenly realised how relieved she was that he was in front of her.

Maybe her subconscious had thought that he had left and that had led to the annoyance in her conscious state.

Yes. She definitely didn't want Draco Malfoy to leave.

But that didn't mean he needed to know that.

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So what do you think?

Nothing in particular, I know. Just silly filler banter.

But I'm trying to establish a Draco/Hermione base for you'll, so you'll know how their friendship is.

Thanks for reading!

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