Chapter V – Tapestries and Frog Spawn
When Draco awoke he did not immediately remember where he was. The blue and tan interior of the bed he was in was unfamiliar and meant that he was not in his Slytherin dormitory. He rolled over and with a sudden flash, remembered. Hermione lay on her side facing him. Her expression in sleep was peaceful; all the worry lines which exams, homework and the things of daily life brought up were gone from her face. Draco lay there for a while just staring at her, wondering if he should wake her or not. He decided he wouldn't so he got up slowly from the bed and walked over to the window to look out into the grounds. It was dark outside. Draco could only see the gentle swaying of the trees in the Forbidden Forest dimly illuminated by the moonlit sky. He moved away from the window and sat down on one of the large squishy armchairs by the fireplace. He closed his eyes and felt for the first time in a long time relaxed. He had not slept that well in years, which was odd since he had been fully clothed and in a foreign bed.
He felt his stomach rumble and realized that he and Hermione had probably slept through dinner. Though there hadn't been a clock on the table a moment ago, there was now. Draco saw that they had indeed slept through the last meal of the day. Just as he was trying to figure out what to do about his now very hungry stomach, he heard Hermione shift on the bed and groggily begin to get up. Draco got up from behind the chair that was blocking him from her sight and leaned against its side. They started at each other both sensing the slight awkwardness of the moment. Draco sensed that Hermione was lost for words, so he decided to break the silence.
'It's eleven o'clock. It seems as though we were asleep for quite awhile.'
Hermione looked a bit surprised.
'Really? Oh, Merlin! I wonder what Ginny will think have happened to me, we were supposed to get dinner together…' Hermione trailed off as she heard Draco's stomach rumble yet again.
'Well I doubt that Weasley will still be waiting for you in the Great Hall, so I think it may be a good idea if you find some other way of getting something to eat.'
'Well it would be impossible to get something here in the room because food is one of the five exceptions to—'
'Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration, yes I know.' Draco cut in. 'Which is why I suggest we go down to the kitchens.'
Hermione gave a broad smile and then sat up with a start, 'Oh, I have just the thing in my bag!'
She hopped down from the daybed and bent over her bag which still lay on the floor and muttered the correct phrase to reveal the contents of the Marauders Map. Draco watched her curiously for a moment before moving over to where she was crouched and peered over her shoulder. What he saw astonished him. From what he could see, there were little labeled black dots scattered over an intricately detailed map of what he knew must be Hogwarts. Most of these small labeled dots were stationary and in the four corners of the castle, but he could make out a dot with Argus Filch's name underneath in miniscule script moving around the dungeons right along the Potions corridor. Before Draco could locate his and Hermione's dot on the map, Hermione folded it away and put it back in her bag.
'Where did you get that?'
Hermione gave a mysterious smile again and just said,
'It looks like the way down to the kitchens is safe, we should go now before Filch comes wandering. We are prefects after all.'
Hermione said the last sentence in a mock-serious voice. She made to put her schoolbag on her shoulder but Draco took it instead and said,
'Ladies first' and gestured towards the door. Hermione laughed. 'You're quite the gentlemen, who would have thought?' Draco chuckled and followed her out of room.
Out in the hallway, it was oddly quiet and much draftier than the tan and blue room they had just left. Draco took Hermione's hand and they cautiously started towards the kitchens both listening for the telltale sounds of Filch, Peeves or the caretaker's cat, Mrs. Norris. They did not meet anyone until they were down a couple of floors when they heard the labored wheezing of Filch from a nearby staircase. Draco looked around in alarm and spotted a secret passageway just ahead where he knew they could hide. They got behind the tapestry and hid in the shallow alcove. Draco and Hermione had to stand quite close to make sure that Filch wouldn't spot their feet. Draco wound an arm around Hermione's waist to stop her from moving into the tapestry and giving their presence away. Hermione whispered 'Finite' and the tapestry instantly became still, just as Filch's loud footfalls announced his presence in their corridor.
'…the entire ceiling dripping frog spawn… I tell you, my sweet. Students would pay more attention to the messes they made if they were the ones scrubbing newt liver off the ruddy floors every night…'
Hermione and Draco both stifled their urges to laugh as Filch passed, unaware of the two sixth years behind the tapestry. As Filch and his cat rounded the next corridor, Hermione noticed how close she was to Draco and felt a distinct blush creep up into her face. Though it was quite dim, she could see that Draco had noticed the same thing. With a muffled thunk, Draco dropped Hermione's school bag on the ground and reached down to slowly bring her face to his. This kiss was different from their first; it was unhurried and sweet. Draco intertwined his hands in Hermione's soft brown curls as he began to kiss her with a slow intensity which sent shivers down his spine. As before, Hermione was pressed against the wall and Draco was bent over slightly as he kissed her with searching open mouthed kisses. Hermione had her arms around Draco, pulling him closer as Draco began to kiss his way down her jaw line to her collar bone. Hermione threaded her hands in his blond hair let out a soft moan as he began to kiss her neck.
Hermione couldn't help but think that this situation was just laughably ridiculous. She, Hermione Granger, was currently wound around Draco Malfoy, who was practically the Prince of Slytherin House. He was related to Bellatrix Lestrange, a hater of muggle-borns and a well-known Death Eater. Though Hermione knew all that, she couldn't shake off the feeling that Draco was changing. She had seen a vulnerability in Draco up in the Owlery that she had never seen before. She thought that the Draco that had once called her a mudblood may not be the same Draco here with her now. And in any case, the perfume seemed to have awoken her Gryffindor courage and she was determined to not break the beginnings of a possible friendship.
Draco was now kissing his way back up her neck and reclaimed Hermione's mouth in another deep, leading kiss. She seemed to sink back into the stone as Draco's warm body pressed against hers. Hermione did not know how long they remained in the hidden alcove behind the tapestry. It seemed to her that time had stopped and all that really mattered was there in that alcove. As they continued to kiss, Draco explored the small of Hermione's back caressing every inch. Every touch between them seemed to light some sort of power between them that just felt so right.
After some time, Hermione felt Draco's stomach rumble and she giggled. Draco had his forehead pressed against Hermione's as he tried to regain his breath. With a new-found smile in his eyes, Draco peeked around the tapestry and led her once again towards the kitchens.
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