3

Hermione closed the door of the Potters' guest room and sank down on the bed, clutching the large towel she had collected from the linen cupboard. Shimmying out of her clothes, she wrapped the towel around her lithe body and opened the door again, crossing the hall into the large bathroom. It wasn't quite up to the standard of the Prefects Bathroom at Hogwarts, but it was luxurious enough. A large glass partition stood at one end of the room, behind which was the large shower head.

She opened the large bathroom cabinet and found Ginny's shampoo and shower gel. In the hurry to get here, she had forgotten to pack a toiletry bag. Her own toiletries were probably now in the storage facility among the other things in her two huge trunks. Sighing deeply, Hermione unwound the towel and hung it on the heated rail before stepping into the path of the shower head, turning on the water as she did. Immediately a powerful burst of water was released, drenching her hair and cascading down her face.

She sighed again, half in pleasure at the heat of the water and half in sorrow. It had been an absolute wretch of a day and she felt as though she had been put through a wringer. Despite how it looked to her friends, Hermione had been considering leaving her husband for a few days. She had gotten so tired of the long silences; the lack of communication along was distressing enough. But she couldn't even remember the last time he had touched her or even held her hand. Reaching for the shampoo, she absent-mindedly lathered her hair, her mind travelling back to the first time they had confessed their feelings for one another.

He had rushed after her once she stormed out of their shared common room, saying nothing but following behind her at a safe distance. Eventually, after about five minutes, she lost her cool, spinning around so abruptly that he almost ran into her. "What is your problem, Malfoy?" she demanded, her eyes glinting with fiery annoyance. "You rile me up to the point of almost hexing you, and then when I finally decide I've had enough of your smirking face and leave, you follow me?! What in the name of Merlin do you think you're up to?"

"You didn't let me finish talking," he answered coolly. "As usual, you made your typical Gryffindor assumptions that a Slytherin's word was never to be taken seriously or trusted, and then you threw every attempt I made to explain back in my face." He regarded her with annoyance that was exactly opposite to her own. Where she was hot and fiery, he was cold and cutting. "Are you always this rude and unwilling to listen to people?"

Hermione huffed. "If you knew me at all, Malfoy, you'd know I'm neither of those things!"

"Yes you are," he argued, "but only when it comes to Slytherins. You have time and patience for everybody else, but not a Slytherin. Never a Slytherin. You look at us like we're something dirty on the bottom of your shoe!"

"Well now you know how it feels, Malfoy!" she screamed back at him. "You want to know why the other Houses look at Slytherin with contempt? Take a look at your behaviour for the past six years! You think that because some of you changed sides and joined the Order at the last minute that it excuses the years of bullying you subjected us to?" Her eyes were ablaze, and Draco found himself taking an involuntary step back. "What you get from me is nothing like the abuse you'd get from someone else, like Seamus!"

"I don't care about the others!" Draco suddenly yelled. "Are you blind, Granger? I've been hated by most other people in this school since Voldemort fell. I couldn't care less about them! The only person whose opinion could affect me is yours."

She gaped at him. "What? Why? Do you honestly think that my opinion of you would stop me doing my duty as Head Girl? I'd never give up my badge, Malfoy, no matter what you do or say to me."

He stepped closer to her, taking hold of her arm. "Head duties?" The scorn poured from his tone. "You think this is about Head duties?"

"Let go of me!" she protested, trying to wrench her arm free from his hold, but he tightened his grip. "Malfoy, what on earth has possessed you? I don't understand – if not for Head duties then why would my opinion make the slightest difference to your life?"

He pulled her closer still, his eyes trained fiercely on hers. "You saved me," he enunciated, his voice husky. "You killed a Death Eater who had trained the Killing Curse on me, and you didn't even have to think about it. That was the first Death Eater you killed, Granger, and you know it. Before that, you'd only stunned them. What made you kill him?"

"He would have killed you," she responded. "Despite the fact you'd made most of my school life a living hell, I never wanted you dead. It was either kill him or risk both of us being killed once the Stupefy wore off." He didn't reply, his eyes searching hers in the quiet corridor. She felt herself getting increasingly nervous under the weight of his gaze, noticing for the first time that his grey eyes had flecks of blue in them. Biting her lip, she opened her mouth to break the silence. "Malfoy, I –"

"Don't," he whispered. "Just – just let me…" Before she could react, he had lowered his head to hers and closed the distance between them, his lips brushing across hers in a feather-light caress. She immediately tensed in surprise, but undeterred, his mouth caressed hers again; this time more firmly. Before Hermione knew what she was doing her arms had encircled his waist and she was kissing him back.

Moments later he broke the kiss, taking her hand and leading her quickly into a nearby classroom which was thankfully unoccupied. She sank into him again, this time pulling on his tie to draw him closer as his mouth found hers. All rational thought left her as their kiss deepened, his tongue exploring and hers meeting his halfway. They separated, both breathing hard. His eyes met hers again and she found herself unable to look away.

"I guess now is as good a time as any to come clean," he began. She felt her heart skip a beat as he continued. "I started thinking about you differently when we joined the Order – me and Blaise. You looked so tired all the time, so stressed, and yet you still ran around after everyone else; mothering them, brewing healing potions, giving pep talks. You seemed so fragile and yet so strong all at once. And then we fought together and I couldn't believe how accomplished you were. You fought like you were born duelling. I realised then that the bullshit I had been raised to believe was just that – a steaming heap of dragon dung. You are obviously a talented and gifted witch, and your blood and birth has no bearing on that whatsoever." He cleared his throat, his eyes full of apprehension. "I was wrong, Granger. I admitted it then, and I still admit it now. I only antagonise you because you bite every time, and it was a way of getting your attention."

"But that doesn't explain why you kissed me," Hermione said confusedly.

He chuckled. "I've been living in Head dorms with you now for five months, Granger. I've gotten to know you a lot better than I did then. And – I've realised that the fascination I felt then has grown into something much more tangible." He smiled at her confused expression. "I'm falling in love with you, Granger," he stated calmly. "I didn't want to, and I certainly didn't expect to, but there it is."

Hermione stared at him. That was the last thing she had expected him to say. She had really, truly thought she was alone in her furtive attraction to him; the clandestine thoughts she had been having for the last few months. The secret longing she had carried around for him. "This had better not be some kind of sick joke, Malfoy," she answered, trying not to sound too harsh.

He stepped close to her again, brushing an errant curl off her forehead with his long fingers. "It's no joke, Granger. I'm sure you know I wouldn't touch you like this, kiss you like I just did, if I were joking. You fascinate and captivate me." His lips ghosted over hers. "By the way, it's Draco," he whispered, just before he kissed her properly again.

She broke the kiss to smile at him. "It's a good thing I'm falling for you too, otherwise I'd have been forced to slap you again. Oh, and by the way, it's Hermione."

Hermione shook her head under the water, rinsing the last suds out of her curls. Her throat burned, and she knew her tears were combining with the shower water that ran down her face. She loved Draco so much. He had gone from being an annoying bully to a quiet yet self-assured duellist and ally, and eventually the man she had given her heart to. He had matched her intellectually; and she remembered the late nights they had spent sitting together with a bottle of wine and a pizza, arguing the state of the world. The sudden loss of communication hit her doubly hard as a result. The hard façade she had adopted on her arrival was a skill she had picked up from watching him at work. They had jokingly referred to it as his 'business face'. Thankfully, Harry and Ginny weren't familiar with it, else they'd have seen right through it.

A knock came at the bathroom door, and Hermione instinctively wiped her tears away impatiently with the back of her hand. "Mione, are you all right in there?" came Ginny's concerned voice. More tears threatened to spill as she registered just how worried her best friend was for her.

"I'm okay, I'll be right out!" she managed to call out before looking down at her shaking hands. She knew the façade was cracking; before long she'd be forced to deal with her actions and meet with Draco. But right now, she felt too hurt and sad. Her marriage was slipping away from her and she had no idea why Draco had become so distant. In the back of her mind, she still wondered whether the pretty secretary had something to do with it.

"Take your time," answered Ginny kindly. "But just so you know, Harry went out and got your favourite ice cream, and I've got some roast keeping warm in the oven for you. You must be hungry by now. It's ready whenever you are." A few seconds passed. "Oh, and there's plenty of firewhiskey too. Or elf wine," added Ginny before her retreating footsteps made their way to Hermione's ears.

Hermione let out a laugh at her friend's courtesy, but it came out sounding halfway between a giggle and a choked sob. She knew she needed to deal with things, but right now a food coma and a hefty dose of alcohol sounded like just the ticket. Stepping out of the shower, she quickly dried off and crossed the hallway back to the guest bedroom. Slipping on her pyjamas, she twisted her hair into a loose knot at the back of her head and looked into the mirror. "Come on, Hermione. You can do this," she told herself, before leaving the room and heading towards the stairs to join her friends.

A/N: Thank you for your reviews so far! What do you think about Hermione's reasoning? She's a bit of a firecracker, our Hermione... I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Next chapter, we get an insight into Draco's state of mind and welcome a new character...