The Two Musicians

Chapter 9: Serendipity

By Silver Chessboards

His grey eyes were pools of silver that stared into her depts. They said that the eyes were the windows to the soul but she couldn't tell what he was thinking even when his gaze was so intense. Her eyes roamed the contours of his face and over the sharp angles of his jaw. The high bridge of his nose and gentle rise of his forehead. His skin looked incredibly smooth and pale, like porcelain. His eyes flickered down to her lips and then back to her eyes, it happened so quickly that she almost didn't see it.

She had no idea what she was doing when she leant forward and pressed her lips on his jaw. His eyes fluttered to a close and she wondered what he was thinking of. She had just felt the sudden urge to do that. She could not thank him enough for all the times he had helped her. She had always been one for words but he had once told her that actions spoke louder than words. Sometimes, words were simply not enough. Her mouth moved to his cheek and she placed a kiss on the bone there that protruded out of his skin. His breathing noticably quickened.

But really though, what exactly was she doing?

A gasp escaped his lips when she kissed his eyelid.

They were just platonic kisses after all, weren't they?

There was a queasy feeling in her stomach, she wasn't so sure any more. What if he took this the wrong way?

She hesitated when her lips hovered over the corner of his mouth for a moment, and then her lips met his skin for a last time before she pulled away.

"Thank you," she whispered softly. His eyelids cracked open and she met his half lidded gaze. His grey eyes shone like silver by the light of the day and his cheeks were brightly rouged with cold; he looked almost intoxicated. She swore the world froze for a moment when his head turned slightly and his lips captured hers.

His lips were supple and soft against hers, he tasted faintly of mint and chocolate. She felt a sense of exhilaration rush through her, starting from her chest and spreading out to her toes. Her hand gently caressed his cheek and his fingers had somehow found it's way into her mess of chestnut locks. She gasped in surprise when he gently sucked her bottom lip and then nipped at it playfully.

She had never thought that she'd ever kiss Draco Malfoy. The thought of kissing him had crossed her mind once before but had been quickly erased from mind as soon as it had appeared. Her mind had gone blissfully blank and all she could concentrate on was the soft caress of his lips and the silky blond locks between her fingers.

His nose bumped against hers and she winced, he and his pointy face. Pulling her lips apart from his, she gently pushed him away. Her lips felt like they were on fire, the heat throbbing but slowly beginning to fade with the cold. Their breaths mingled in the winter air, white wisps of nothingness.

She felt lovely and warm, a giddy feeling of happiness she couldn't recall experiencing before but it wasn't a bad feeling. She had never felt like this when she had been with Ron. Being with him had never felt right, it had almost been like something that was expected of them. She had never really thought about it when she started dating him, it had seemed like the sensible thing to do at the time since she had known him for years. War was a constant thing on their minds, what with being always in the run. She loved Ron, she really did, but not romantically.

She had never been the sort of person to go head first into a reckless relationship without thinking it over first. But there was something between her and Draco that made her feel oddly content, like a spark of sorts.

His embrace was warm, promising safety in its confines. There was a certain gentleness in his voice that she found she liked and a merry glint in his eye that she was never quite sure of. He made her feel appreciated and she liked that. He was intelligent and conversations with him were always erratic and witty. He had changed so much that it was hard to believe that this was the same boy who used call her names. She didn't want to get into another meaningless relationship but with Draco, maybe...

Just maybe.

"I-I...I'm sorry for that. I don't know what I was thinking...I—"

"Draco Malfoy, shut up."

And then she kissed him.

He felt like he was floating. His day was going better than he had predicted possible. He felt all warm and fuzzy, like a Hufflepuff who had just received their fist kiss. If this was how it felt like to kiss Hermione Granger he really wouldn't mind kissing her all time. He grinned roguishly at her when he pulled apart. Her hair was messier and her lips looked a shade darker. Her cheeks were flushed; from the cold or from kissing him, he couldn't tell but he hoped it was the latter.

There was a moment's of silence where she looked at him with her brown eyes, nervously biting her lip in that endearing way of hers. He pulled her into an embrace on a strong impulse, his arms wrapping around her waist. She felt warm pressed up against his torso and her hair smelled like apples. His eyes fluttered to a close and he wondered if he was merely dreaming but if it really were a dream, he hoped that it wouldn't end too fast.

He had kissed Hermione Granger and it was such a lovely day, although really his ears were numb from the cold and he thought that being outside in such weather was insanity.

"Draco, I-I don't know if I want to...get into another relationship after what happened with Ron so...let's take this slow, alright?"

He hummed his agreement. He didn't mind at all.

Her breath fogged up the smooth surface of the glass window. It was raining outside and dreadfully cold. All throughout the day, there had been a draught in the castle, which caused goosebumps to rise on her skin. Most of the snow would probably be washed away by the heavy pour. She would miss the snow when it was gone but with it's departure would come spring and the promise of new things to come. The porcelain mug she held in her ink stained hands warmed her palms, the scent of lavender infused tea washing a wave of calmness over her.

She felt his presence behind her, heat radiating off the warmth of his body. His alabaster arms wrapped around her and she felt him press himself against her back. She leaned into him and sighed when his chin came to rest on her neck. They stood like that for a moment, no words were exchanged but she felt comfortable with the silence.

They hadn't kissed since that fine winter day in Ireland, a week ago. There was, of course, the occasional kiss on the cheek and sometimes he would thread their fingers together. He had taken a rather affectionate habit to randomly placing chaste kisses at places such as her jaw, the tip of her nose, the corner of her mouth and her eyelid. This, she found rather endearing.

She giggled softly when he kissed the spot where her jaw met her neck; it tickled. She felt his lips curve up slightly in amusement against her skin. He loosened her grip on her teacup by gently prying her fingers away and then took the drink away.

"Mmm," he hummed in appreciation after a sip of the warm drink. "Earl Grey, my favourite. Two sugars, no milk; am I right?"

He kissed her cheekbone and she turned around in his arms to face him. She lightly punched him in the shoulder and he grunted. There was a mischievous glint in his eye and he took another sip, she suspected, to provoke her.

"Thief," she said menacingly, but in a light and playful tone.

"Slytherin," he answered and smirked at her. She smiled back and slid her hands through his blond hair, messing it up deliberately. His locks felt like silk between her fingers, incredibly soft and still damp from a morning shower. She wondered why was it that he had such tame hair whilst hers looked like a rat's nest. It simply wasn't fair. She smirked and then raised herself on her tiptoes to place a kiss on his mouth.

She heard him gasp and then he tentatively moved his lips against hers. Her eyes fluttered to a close as his arm around her tightened, his other hand holding the mug. His tongue traced a path across the length of her bottom lip. She opened her eyes to see that he had closed his. Slowly, without him noticing she took her mug from his hand and pulled apart, a mischievous glint in her eye.

His grey eyes snapped open and his eyebrow shot up. "I think I'm rubbing off on you."

"I can't help myself, it's the bad influence," she laughed. He kissed her forehead and tucked a stray curl behind her ear, a smirk plastered to his face. She blushed crimson.

Most of the snow had melted and spring was creeping its way back into the world. Albeit the snow had gone, it's coldness lingered in the air. She pushed open the large main entrance doors and stepped out. The cold air hit her instantly, a sharp contrast to the warmth the castle offered. As she made her way across the grounds, the sun painted the sky with its colours. She clutched a book in her hand, it's pages yellowed from age. She was not far from the oak tree when she heard her name shouted out.

There was a bright flash of red making it's way towards her and instantly she knew who it was. Her eyes softened, she missed Ron. The Gryffindor common room seemed empty without his jokes. She had long since forgiven him although he didn't know that. He seemed genuinely happy with Lavender and that was good enough for her. Deep down, she had known that things would never have worked out between the both of them. They were too different.

The redhead came to an abrupt halt in front of her, panting from running all the way across the school grounds. He met her eyes with his blue ones and gave her a sheepish smile that made her heart ache. She missed him.

"Ron..." she trailed off, and an awkward silence wedged itself between them.

"I-I...Hermione, I think we need to um...talk," he begun. She nodded and he continued.

"Look, I—I don't even know where to start honestly...I'm just so sorry," he said, looking genuinely sorry. "I've missed you, Hermione, and sometimes I wish that I could take back what I did. I know I'm a terrible friend and I understand if you—"

He was cut off when she threw her arms around him in an embrace.

"Oh Ron," she sobbed.

"Please Hermione!" Harry and Ron said in unison, clutching the hem of her black robes as they knelt on the red carpet of the Gryffindor Common Room.

She had to suppress a giggle at their pathetic expressions, "No."

"But—"

"If I do all your homework for you, you'll never learn!"

"Oh, Hermione," Ron huffed. "We don't know how to do it."

"Yes and besides, aren't best friends supposed to help each other out?" Harry added.

She sighed, "Fine, I'll help you but—"

Harry and Ron broke out into cheers, cutting her off and hi fived each other. Their cries of happiness were cut off by a glare.

"But," she continued, "I'll only help, you won't get to copy from me."

Ron scowled at her while Harry looked disappointed.

"Oh Hermione, could you help me with that Potions essay as well? You see Dean and I—"

"Alright," she sighed and picked up her quill.

"Stop that."

"Stop what?" was his innocent reply. She turned to him with a scowl on her face. Draco smirked at her, trying to contain his amusement. She was annoyed by the smallest of things.

"Tapping your fingers. I can't concentrate," she huffed and turned back to the scattered pile of books surrounding her. He lifted an eyebrow at her troubled expression. A sigh escaped her lips and she threw her quill down onto the table. The silence in the music room was pierced by another sigh.

"What's wrong?" he furrowed his brows and peered at her scroll of parchment."

"I just can't understand this question! I've done all the calculations but I can't seem to get it right!" she gritted her teeth in annoyance and met his eyes with an undisguised fury. He chuckled and her anger flared.

"What's so funny?" she demanded, fixing him with a glare.

"Nothing, I'll help you," he said quickly before taking a pencil to note down several things on a piece of parchment. "Well you see, you've confused yourself at this part here..."

"I've got it! Thank you so much Draco!" she said and planted a sloppy kiss on his cheek. He flushed, his cheeks filling with colour. He was suddenly all warm and tingly. I don't think I'll ever get used to that, he thought.

Later when the sky had darkened and the grandfather clock rang out eleven times, she had promptly fallen asleep. He carried her to the bed in the music room and slipped her under the covers, careful not to rouse her. He had made his way half way across the music room to the door when she whispered something so soft he almost didn't catch it.

"Stay."

It was two in the morning when he awoke all of a sudden. He yawned, his back ached terribly from spending hours sleeping in the stiff armchair. His eyes softened when they landed on her. She was fast asleep, her hand still in his. She had insisted upon holding his hand until sleep took her and her grip had loosened. He contemplated going back to his dorms but it wouldn't be nice when she found out in the morning that he had abandoned her.

Her eyes opened slowly and he stifled his laughter at her drowsiness. Her hair was an absolute mess and she looked as if she had been interrupted from something terribly important, a confused expression on her face. She caught his eyes and her brown ones moved to his armchair and a slight furrow came between her brows.

"That must be terribly uncomfortable," she said simply, her mind still affected by sleep. She yawned when he nodded his agreement.

"Why don't you join me here?" she said drowsily, patting the spot beside her head. "There's plenty of space and I'm sure you won't flatten me in my sleep with your oversized ego."

He suppressed his laughter, sleepy Hermione Granger was a funny sight. She tugged on his hand lightly before closing her eyes and rolling over on her side. He lifted an eyebrow but said nothing as he climbed into bed beside her. She slipped her hand into his and soon he fell asleep.

He could smell apples, sweet like honey and with a hint of cinnamon to it. I know that scent, he thought groggily. His bones felt like lead and the sensible part of his mind told him to go back to sleep. Sleep claimed him not moments later and he fell asleep to the lull of deep breathing.

It was not until later when he awoke that he realised that the apple scent hadn't just been a figment of his imagination. His eyes opened and he found himself looking at the object of his fancy. She was awake, those brown eyes he adored half opened. She gave him a lazy smile and he felt his heart skip a beat. He felt like a ten-year-old who just found out that their crush liked them back, which really was a lovely feeling. He smiled back sleepily.

"Am I dreaming?" he whispered to her and she raised an eyebrow.

"I don't know; are you?"

"I don't know, that's why I asked you."

"Maybe you aren't."

"Good, I hope this isn't a dream," he said and yawned.

A comfortable silence reigned between them. He was content to just lie there with her. His eyes traced her features, moving from her angelic face to her incredibly messy hair. A small smile graced his mouth and he reached out to tug gently on a lock. She raised an eyebrow and he grinned sheepishly. Her dainty hand reached up and she deliberately mussed up his blond hair.

"There, you look lovely," she said, giving him a triumphant smile. He pretended to be horrified and she giggled, her brown eyes shining with delight.

"You messed up my hair," he said breathily and then rolled over, pinning her down under him. She laughed and reached her hand up to his hair again but he caught her small wrist, pinning it down next to her head. A small smile spread across his face and he dipped his head to brush a fleeting kiss over her lips. Her breathing noticeably quicken and she tried to remove herself from his grasp but he held her down with his weight.

"Oh, no, you don't," he chided her. "After all, I'm just returning the favour."

She blushed and he gave her a wolfish grin before he kissed her again. This time it was slow and he playfully nipped her bottom lip, giving it a gentle tug when he pulled away. Her neck and cheeks were flushed now, he noticed. He left several kisses along the length of her jaw and gently nibbled the spot under her ear, which made her squirm, in a good way.

His mouth went to her neck and he placed several more kisses there, making sure to bite enough to leave a blatant mark. He examined his handiwork and grinned. He seemed to have some affect on her because she was breathing heavily, her cheeks flushed.

"You're evil," she breathed, trying to glare at him but failing. He planted a kiss on her forehead.

"Slytherin, love," he replied and collapsed beside her, wrapping an arm around her waist. Her breathing eventually evened out to match his and he found himself being lulled once again into sleep.

Author's Note

Do review and tell me what you thought of the chapter. The next update may take a while because I have my exams in two weeks so I'm dreadfully sorry for that. Thank you for reading :)

- Silver Chessboards